Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
RIP Tobi; you were a good man, a good husband, and a good father.
Take note that this IS in the future, so some of the weapons and things they do might seem a little out of the ordinary. Especially all the things Majik uses :grin: he's just so badass.
Itachi threw his crutches to the floor with enough force to break them, his black eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. His anger rolled off of him in waves and the upset female in front of him got even more hysterical, tears rolling down her cheeks and dripping from her trembling jaw. She watched her leader rush past her, clearly in pain without the help of his crutches, and clutched the report to her chest.
Outside of his room, quite a few of the female Akatsuki members were gathered, mourning the loss of their brightest and most endearing companion. The softest of the men comforted them with handsome smiles, while the more toughened men stood elsewhere with scowls on their faces. Everyone in the entire compound was distraught by the death of Tobi.
"His poor wife and child!" one of the women cried.
"That little girl's going to grow up without a father," a blond-haired man crossed his arms and sighed. "Imagine how heartbroken she's going to be when she finds out."
"Hokuro-sama said that there were other casualties, too," a man stated. "What if something happened to Hidan-san? Or Kakuzu-san?"
"Shush, Itachi-sama's coming."
The seething Uchiha shoved his way past them, pushing open the door that lead to his office. His pitch black hair was flowing over his shoulders like water as he bent over a leather chair to grab the beautiful Genshiryoku that Hidan had given him as a wedding gift. He was going to kill however many people he could with it, cover it in the blood it was meant to be drenched in. The weapon was made for slaughter, so slaughter it shall.
"Aniki, what's going on?" Sasuke asked, appearing just outside of the open door. Naruto was by his side, looking just as confused and frazzled as the raven. When they'd come out of their guest room, everyone had quieted down to a low buzz so as not to worry anyone else.
Naruto looked beside and around him, noticing the stares that everyone was giving them. All of their eyes were pools of anger and sadness, and there was an aching sensation in his chest that told him something horrible had happened.
"Tobi is dead," Itachi growled.
"What?.!" Naruto was shocked. He'd just seen the man the day before... He envisioned his wife and little girl and gritted his teeth, feeling awful for the man they'd lost. "H-How did he die? Who killed him?"
Itachi inhaled, as if he would start shooting everyone in the room out of anger if he didn't calm himself down. "He was shot in the heart, then his throat was slit. The report I recieved informed me that it was Kabuto's doing."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he remembered Kabuto standing beside Kimimaro when he was shot in front of Silo.
"I'm heading to where my men are," Itachi hid his gun away, along with a few different knives and small capsules that neither Naruto nor Sasuke recognized. He straightened the collar of his cloak, his expression blank. His anger was gone, replaced with a numbing feeling in his chest. He wouldn't give Orochimaru the sick satisfaction of knowing that the murder of Tobi got to him.
Sauke bit the inside of his cheek to keep from shouting at his brother. He didn't want to lose the only part of his family that he still loved and cherished, but it was Itachi's job and duty to protect his men and get rid of the snake bastard...
"Good luck, Itachi-sama," most of the leader's men wished him the best of luck, bowing to him as he passed by with a limp. His leg sent searing shocks of pain up along his spine, but he ignored it and two members opened the base's main doors for him.
Don't die, Sasuke wished to himself. To him, even though he didn't want to admit it at times, Itachi was one of the most important things in his life. To lose his precious older brother would be like losing a part of himself, a part of his childhood that he kept in his heart.
Naruto sighed and placed a hand on his lover's shoulder, smiling to him in a reassuring manner. He was scared to death, but he wanted to be strong for Sasuke.
"Dad! Otosan!" Silo ran in just before the doors were shut, followed by Haruka. He saw his parents and ran into their arms, so happy to finally see them safe. After what he'd been through, he was glad that his family hadn't been hurt. His boyfriend stood a foot away from them, not wanting to bother them. He was worried about his own father and Iruka, but he knew they would be fine.
"Silo...!" Naruto hugged his boy tightly to him as if it was their last moment together. "You have blood all over you... Are you okay?"
The crow nodded and smiled tiredly. "We had a run-in with some Oto members, but we're all fine. Isn't that right, Majik? You saved--" he stiffened when he turned and Majik was nowhere in sight. "M-Majik?"
"Deidara and Sasori are missing, too," Sasuke frowned.
Silo was held back by his father's strong arms when he tried to run back to the door.
"They went with Itachi, didn't they...?" the boy whispered pathetically, stopping his jerking movements. Majik had just been in his grasp moments ago... and now he was gone again. He tried not to cry, feeling completely weak and useless. "I don't want Majik fighting," his voice cracked. "He might..."
"That was the path that he chose," Sasuke sighed. "He knows that he could die, and he accepted that a long time ago. The only you can do is pray for him now."
The dark-haired teenager glance over at Haruka and reached his hand out to take his boyfriend's hand, hoping to get a comforting smile from the handsome man. When he got the warm upturn of lips that he always craved, he let himself fall into Haruka's embrace instead. He knew that the relationship between his two best friends was rocky at the moment, but he knew that Haruka still deeply cared for Majik...
"He'll be fine."
"I hope so..."
--
"Is this supposed to be some poor version of a blitzkrieg, un?" Deidara asked while in the passenger's side of the car. Sasori was driving him, Majik, and Itachi over a long bridge that was under construction. It loomed high over the area where Oto members were supposedly passing through. The Norwegian zipped up his coat and made sure the small back pack he was wearing was on right, also adjusting the thin mask he had on just in case of Oto decided to use some gas bombs.
Once they reached a certain spot on the bridge, Sasori sped up, his speed gage only going higher and higher. He looked into the rear view mirror at Majik, watching the younger member peer out the window through the slits in his mask.
"It's almost time," Itachi said, his eyes peering straight ahead. "Kill as many as you can, away from the key points we spoke of. No civilians are to know of what's going on."
Majik nodded, holding onto the top of Sasori's seat. He inhaled deeply and looked down at the ground that seemed miles away, noticing a blotch of red and orange. That must've been Hidan using his bombs.
"They're down there, un! Go!" Deidara ordered.
Shoving the door open, Majik stood and held onto the seats, looking down at the ground. Then, before Deidara could tell him to go again, he jumped out as far as he could go and fell toward the earth backwards, his violet eyes catching the car everyone was in continuing its path along the bridge. He spun around and yanked open his parachute when he was close to the ground, seeing a bunch of people running through the abandoned streets below.
He replaced his nervous frown with a grin and tugged various pieces of metal out from his deep pockets, quickly putting them together. He pulled out a few more smaller parts and hooked them on. Then pulling out a package that he ripped open with his teeth, he loaded the ammunition into his weapon and aimed down at the streets.
His grin widened as he shot off a bullet, his eyes reflecting the blast that came from the impact on the ground. Buildings crumbled and dust swirled into the air, the shouts and screams of Oto members music to Majik's ears. He laughed, almost insanely, as he shot off more, his feet touching the roof of an old warehouse. He yanked his bag off of his back and threw it away from him.
He pulled out his cellphone and called a familiar number, his amethyst eyes scanning the dusty area. Dead bodies were lying on the destoroyed roads, some people still squirming and screaming in pain. He had to find the other Akatsuki members quicky if they were going to kill Oto off efficiently.
"Majik, are you okay?" Hidan asked, his voice breaking up a bit and the sound of gunshots coming through the earpiece of the phone.
"I'm fine," the Norwegian teenager answered, stepping backwards and running to climb down the fire escape. He couldn't hear anything except for the blazing fire from the small bombs and Hidan's exhausted breathing. "Where are ya and the others? I have to contact Itachi and tell 'im, so that he can meet up with us--"
"Fuck, Itachi's with you?.!" Hidan snarled. "What the hell does he think he's going to accomplish with an injured leg?.! Find him and get him the hell outta here!"
Majik frowned.
"He refused when I asked 'im to stay outta this. Ya know 'im, he's stubborn."
Hidan sighed and the gunshots stopped.
"Meet us at the abandoned candle factory that's by the west side of the bridge. That's where we're stationed at the moment," then the silver-haired man's line went dead.
--
Hidan retreated into the candle factory once one of his men had told him that their leader had entered the factory a few minutes ago. He wiped the sweat from his dirty face and ran up the rickety stairs, up to the dirty loft that was loaded with old boxes full of broken candles and the holders. He saw Deidara sitting at the table made from milk crates, Sasori settled across from him.
Itachi was resting in a corner, breathing hard and clutching his side. He hadn't even bothered to put his hair in a ponytail, the black tresses falling in his face and over his shoulders. His dark eyes lifted when he heard his lover enter, a soft smile on his hardened face.
"Weasal-san," Hidan went to his husband and fell to his knees on the floor, pushing the hair out of his face. "What are you doin' here? Why didn't you just stay at the base?"
"If you die, I plan to be here to avenge you," Itachi answered honestly, his more loving and soft side shining through. "And kill myself when the battle is won."
Hidan chuckled.
"Ass hole, don't say shit like that," he leaned in and pulled his husband into a deep kiss, having missed those soft lips. He wanted that moment to last forever.
"Not to be rude," Sasori started, his voice smooth, "but I haven't received a message from Majik yet. Should we search for him? He could have been captured."
Hidan pulled away from Itachi and stood up, his hand along the raven's jaw. He stroked the skin there and looked down at where the entrance to the factory was, only seeing the few guards there standing idly by.
"Deidara, Sasori, go find him. I'm going to take care of Weasal-san and put fresh bandages on his leg," Hidan grinned at them. "Don't get yourselves killed."
"Sure, un," the blond-haired member ran down the stairs with Sasori on his tail, the both of them being bowed to by their lower rank comrades as they went by on their search for Hidan's little brother.
"Go with them," Itachi ordered him softly.
"No, they can take care of themselves," Hidan smiled. "You need some tender love and care right now. I'm sure your leg hurts like a bitch."
Itachi just smiled back, not one to pass up a moment with his beloved.
--
"This is all we can do..."
Naruto stared down at the hole in the ground with dark blue eyes, pain searing through his chest. He couldn't block out the desparate cries of Matsuri, Tobi's windowed wife. She sat on her knees, hunched over with her hands covering her face as she begged for all of this to be a horrible dream. Tooku, her daughter, stood beside her with a confused look on her face. She tugged on her mother's sleeve gently.
"Mama... why are they putting Papa in there? Why is he sleeping in that big box?" she asked, pointing to the coffin that some of the Akatsuki members had placed Tobi in. She couldn't comprehend what was happening, her big eyes roaming around to look at all of the sad faces. "How come everyone's crying, Mama?"
Matsuri lowered her hands, here eyes red and her face drenched in her tears. She pulled Tooku against her with one arm, the other one resting upon her bulging stomach. Never had she imagined she'd have to raise another child by herself...
"T-Tooku, darling... Papa ... he's going to be gone for a little while..." her smile was so broken that Naruto couldn't even stand to look at it, his face turning from them to face the silent Sasuke. The raven was looking down at the hole, unmoving. "B-But don't worry... he's coming b-back..." she broke down then, burying her beautiful face into her small child's neck.
The tiny girl ran her hand over her mother's long curls to comfort her.
"Where is he going...?"
"I-I-I don't know, s-sweetie..." Matsuri sobbed. "But h-he'll come back... Mama needs him and loves him... I love him...!" she begged for Naruto to take her daughter away so she couldn't see her crying, and the blond did just that, lifting Tooku and letting her sit on his shoulders.
Leaving the funeral ground, Naruto took her inside and put on his best smile as he zoomed around like an airplane. He enjoyed her giggles and laughter, his heart aching for the child. She would grow up without her father... just like Silo had grown up without his mother. Spinning in circles, he lifted Tooku from his shoulders and held her high in the air, watching her smile and laugh.
"Uncle Naru! Do it again!"
"Uncle? I'm not your uncle," the blond smiled and walked around the room quickly, letting the girl feel as if she were flying.
"But I want Naru to be my uncle," she let herself be out on the ground and she smiled brightly. "Papa told me that Naru doesn't have a brother or sister and I don't want Naru to be lonely!"
Naruto bent down and put his hand on Tooku's head, ruffling her hair affectionately.
"You're a sweet girl, you know that? Fine, I'll be your uncle... Just promise me you'll always smile, no matter what... ok?" he thought back on Silo's childhood and smiled slightly.
Tooku blinked, but nodded her head vigorously.
"Promise!"
"Now... why don't you go into my and Sasuke's room and get some paper out of the desk drawer in there? I'll come and draw pictures with you in a minute. I'm just going to get the pens," Naruto said.
The child jumped up and down in excitement, nodding before running in the direction of the room he and Sasuke had stayed in. Once she turned the corner, Naruto went back outside just in time to see them lower the casket in the hole, Matsuri pretty much numb now. She sat on the ground with her tears drying on her face and her eyes glazed over as if her mind was gone.
Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke and kissed the nape of his neck.
"Are you doing okay?"
"I've been better... It's just that Tobi had always been around since I was a senior in high school. He'd come over to our house to study with Itachi... and sometimes stay for dinner when my mom asked him to. He would even bring me bento boxes at school when I didn't have money for lunch..." the raven smiled at the memories, wishing that the loud man was still with them, cheering people up like he always did. "He was a good friend."
Naruto smiled, then pulled himself away so he could speak with Matsuri, crouching down so he was face level with her. He wiped her drying tears away with the back of his long sleeve, causing her to turn his way with pain-filled eyes.
"Seven years of marriage... and he's gone," she bit her bottom lip. "I-I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him...! I can't imagine a morning where I wake up and he's not beside me," she started crying again, the blond's lively eyes reminding her too much of Tobi's. "I don't want to live without him... but I have Tooku and my new baby," she rubbed her bulging stomach in smooth circles. "If it weren't for them... I would do something awful and unspeakable," she whispered.
"Suicide never solves anything," Naruto scolded her lightly. "I tried when I was younger, after my dad died. Imagine, a ten-year-old attempting to jump off of the room of a five story building," his smile was warm. "But I pulled myself through. It will get better, I promise. Just give it some time."
Silo, who was standing with Haruka away from the crowd, rested his head against his boyfriend's chest. He didn't know what he would do if he lost Haruka... hell, he didn't know what he would do if he lost anyone important in his life. He held the silver-haired man's large hand in his own and prayed that Majik would be safe wherever he was at the moment.
Haruka ran his hand along the back of Silo's smooth neck, able to make out the blury shape of his lover. He couldn't wait for all of this to be over, so he could get his surgery and finally look into the face of the boy he loved for the first time. As soon as he could see again, he wanted Silo's face to be the first thing he saw.
The crow shut his eyes tightly when he felt Melee slipping out. She hadn't shown herself for quite a while because of all that'd been going on, but now that there was all this stress building within him, she grasped and pulled on his own consciousness in order to replace it with her own. He pursed his lips together and breathed in deeply, shoving her thoughts away.
"We packed your medication," Haruka stated, knowing exactly what was happening.
Silo smiled a bit.
"You don't mind coming with me to get it, do you? I left my bag in the front hallway..."
"I don't mind at all. Lead the way," Haruka held Silo's hand and let himself be led into the building, a certain smell in the air. It was a scent that he recognized, but couldn't place; a strong and metallic aroma. After going up exactly five stairs, he saw the blury outline of a single man standing in the hall, arm outstretched. He bumped into the back of his boyfriend and stumbled back, surprised.
"Who is it?"
"Well, if it isn't my grandson," a raspy voice cooed, leading into a disturbing chuckle. It was a voice he'd never heard, and he was definitely confused by the grandfather comment. He'd never heard of Silo's grandparents. "This boy must be your lover, I presume."
"..." Silo was frozen in his tracks, his heart thudding against his chest almost painfully. "O-O-Orochimaru..."
The snake had his gun held out, the barrel pointed at the dark-haired teen's forehead. His smile was wide and malicious, his skin ghostly white. None of his men were with him... but there were bodies lying on the floor in the hallway. It was the four men Itachi had ordered to stand guard; four of his best men, save for the higher-ups in the organization.
"If you yell for help, I'll shoot your lover in the heart," Orochimaru cackled. "So I suggest you step away from him and come with me. Ahhh, I have so many plans for you, Silo-kun," he crooned, licking his pale lips. "Not to mention your mother is just dying to see you again after all these heart-wrenching years."
Silo's crystal blue eyes widened.
"My mom..."
Haruka fought with himself over whether or not he should attack the man... the very enemy that everyone was after was standing before him, trying to take his boyfriend away from him. What exactly was going on? He took a slow step forward, only to have the barrel pointed toward him. He snarled at the snake. He might not be able to see that well, but he could hold himself in a fight.
"Make your decision, boy," Orochimaru growled. "You either come with me or I'll kill your precious lover... and maybe even your charming father, as well," he smirked darkly. "I have no problem with spilling blood."
Silo choked back a despaired cry, gripping onto Haruka's hand with all of his strength. He didn't want the boy to get hurt... nor did he want his dad to get hurt... so as soon as he squeezed Haruka's hand, he let go a moment later, quickly rushing to stand behind Orochimaru. He looked at the Hatake with watery eyes, his heart ripping in two.
"I-I'm so sorry, Haruka-kun... Please forgive me...!"
Haruka stood stalk still, his eyes wide even though he couldn't see. Had Silo... really just abandoned him? He wasn't upset that Silo chose to go with him, he was just infuriated that Orochimaru would use him as a tool to get his boyfriend!
"Stay there and I promise not to hurt this beautiful child," Orochimaru chuckled and pet his grandson's smooth hair, causing the thin boy to flinch away.
Haruka narrowed his eyes dangerously. The snake wanted Silo too much to harm him, he knew that much. Suddenly, the sound of small feet came from one of the various halls and a cheery voice rang out in the main room.
"Uncle Naru! Where are you? I wanna draw with--" she stopped her words when she came to a halt in front of the three men. She held a stack of white computer paper in her arms, her eyes holding shock and confusion. "Who are you...?" she asked Orochimaru.
Silo let tears slip from his eyes, feeling as if his sanity was slowly slipping away. He couldn't let Tooku get hurt, not her, not Tobi's little girl. She was all Matsuri had left... Then, before he knew it, Orochimaru aimed the gun at the child and whatever little sanity he had left crumbled apart. He reached forward and grabbed his grandfather's neck, digging his nails into his throat as he gritted his teeth and yelled loud enough for the whole world to hear.
"Tooku, run!.!" he used all of his strength to slam the snake's face into the concrete wall, his whole body shaking.
Haruka didn't know what happened next because all he could feel was something slam into the back of his head and he blacked out, falling to the floor in a heap. Before he completely passed out, though, he heard Tooku's retreating footsteps, then Silo's terrified cry as a gunshot went off.
There was the sound of papers scattering all over the cement floor, followed by shuffling sounds.
"She was just a child!.!"
Another gunshot rang out in the room...
Then Haruka passed out.
--
Majik found himself on the ground with a pistol pointed at his head by none other than Kabuto. The four-eyed man smiled maliciously, his arm bleeding profusely because of the Norwegian's attempt to cut off his arm with a huge, crazy grin on his face. He never thought he'd be taken down by Orochimaru'a right-hand man so soon...
Gritting his teeth, he let a member of the Oto group that was with Kabuto lift him up by his arms and shove him against a wall, his wrists being bound together. Next, he was blindfolded and gagged, his body being yanked away from the wall to be shoved forcefully forward.
"Never had I imagined I would catch something so valuable. Hidan-san's charming baby brother... Mikkel Aononson," his Japanese accent was strong, but Majik knew the name either way, his shoulders becoming stiff.
"How do ya... know my birth name?"
"I've looked up many things on every single person associated with Itachi-san," Kabuto answered, pleased when the man leading Majik down the dirt road shoved him down on his knees in front of a recently dug up hole. There were three other men on either side of Majik, all silent as the grave, blindfolds over their eyes, as well. "But I don't believe there's time to chat. It's time for the execution."
Majik growled, but didn't bother to move. He knew there were probably guns pointed at him, so he would end up shot if he made a run for it. Stomaching the fact that this was probably his final moment alive...he lowered his head and wondered what they were going to do. Orochimaru's men were anything but civilized, so he expected the worst.
"It's a shame you won't get to say farewell to your dear Silo-kun. Orochimaru-sama went to fetch him earlier, you know," the grey-haired man commented, his boots kicking up pebbles on the street. "That was the whole plan all along, to distract the strongest of the Akatsuki and lure them here, while he went to capture our young damsel. I know for a fact that you want nothing more than to have him for your own, isn't that right? Maybe if you decide to side with us, we'll let you spend all the time you want with him in our headquarters."
Anger swelled up deep inside of Majik, his teeth gritting and his fists clenching. He could picture gorgeous Silo lying in a room all alone, broken and ruined from that bastard of a snake. It was true that he wanted Silo for himself, but god did he just want him to be happy with Haruka...
I won't get to tell Haru-ru I'm sorry; that I don't hate 'im... And I'll never get to see either one of 'em again. I won't get to see Nii-san and Mr. Weasal, either... I feel like I made a mistake somewhere down the line... What could I've done to alter my fate...?
Kabuto raised his arm in the air.
"Forgive me. I only do this for Orochimaru-sama's ambition," he said sincerely, quickly lowering his arm.
Guns were fired and Majik felt three bullets enter him from behind, his lips moving slowly and his body falling forward.
"Nii...san..."
He hit the dirt of the hole and rolled down the side until his body came to a stop at the bottom. Bodies were already beneath him, dead and rotting. Flies buzzed around him and his eyes slowly closed underneath the black blindfold, not even opening when dirt began to pour over him. They were burrying him alive...
"Rest well," Kabuto said, walking away.
As dirt began to cover his face, Majik found himself imagining Silo and Haruka with him, all of them little again and experiencing the world with a positive outlook. He could see Silo's dazzling smile and hear Haruka's stern voice telling him not to run or else he'd trip...
I wanna go back to that...
I don't... I don't wanna die yet...
Little Miss...
He pictured the crow's handsome face in his mind, wishing he could see that smile one last time.
L-Little Miss... I lied... he heard himself chuckle in amusement in his mind. I love you... so I guess... maybe I'm not as straight as I thought I was...
He laughed to himself one final time before everything became eerily silent and he could no longer inhale air.
Depressing, I know. We are getting closer to the end of Just Like Heroin, so leave your reviews in support of this story and hope for the best!