As soon as he made it outside, cold air whipped across his face, making him flinch. He looked down the roads but saw no sign of villagers. Weren't people usually still out at this time? It wasn't entirely nightfall yet, so where was everybody? From what he could recall, Itachi thought the shops stayed open till well past the rising of the moon. Looking at the houses as he walked by, Itachi noticed none of the lights were on inside either. Strange.

Maybe his memory was foggy. Still, though, something did not seem right. Something in the atmosphere was off. It was not an accident that the Hokage let a criminal slip through the bars of the village prison. How often did that happen? There were no guards in sight, no people on the streets. A familiar feeling crept into his mind, a time so many years ago when Sasuke was just his sweet little brother. Before Itachi pushed him toward the path of hatred and emptiness. He could still hear the distinct sounds of fear and confusion in Sasuke's voice as his eyes fell upon the bloody work of Itachi's own hands. "Big brother...?"

Tears stung his eyes at the pain in Sasuke's voice. That night changed everything. Would this night change everything again?

Something was definitely happening and before he would find out what it was, Hinata was his first and only priority. Nothing else mattered right now except her. Itachi made his way toward Hinata's home, hoping she would understand his absence. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop until he reached her door. His brow furrowed in confusion when it was unlocked, he pushed it open to reveal a dark and empty space.

Heart pounding, Itachi heard a loud commotion toward the entrance of the village. Not wasting a moment to spare, Itachi made his way over there, hoping whatever was going on did not involve him or Hinata. Itachi cursed silently. If anything fell on Hinata's shoulders because of him, he'd never forgive himself. The thought of hurting another person in his life caused an ache deep in his gut. He could not let that happen again. He forbade it.

~W~

The Hokage stood at the forefront of the ranks of ninja, her face as cold as the hearts of the men standing yards away. The wind rustled her bangs and her coat, sending a slight chill down her neck. Despite the countenances of the Akatsuki members, Tsunade remained calm. This was certainly not her first encounter with the organization, nor would it be her last. The responsibility to protect the people of this village weighed heavily upon her as she prayed to the Third for the strength she needed.

Teams of three grouped at the village gates, prepared to take on the enemy that stood before them. The prized possession they thought the Akatsuki was after, Naruto Uzumaki, stood to the right of Tsunade, his anger kept to a boil. Kakashi, with his Konoha headband lifted to uncover his sharingan, stood by his side, both as a guard and as a teammate. The rest of the ninja, jonin and higher rankings alike, guarded the entrance to the village, their senses on high alert.

This was the first time the Hokage was prepared before an attack was launched on the village. This should be a relief, but it only set Tsunade's hairs on end. It meant they were planning something different, possibly even more chaotic then what Tsunade was used to. Her gaze leveled with all three men. She knew all of them by name and village. Standing on the left was Sasori of the Sand Village, or the puppeted-embodiment of him. In the middle was Deidara from the Stone Village. And last was Kisame of the Mist Village. All very powerful, making for a very intense battle. She breathed slowly.

"Looks like the welcome wagon has arrived," said Deidara.

"What is it you want?" Tsunade spat.

"That's no way to greet guests of the village. We might have to speak to your council about replacing you as Hokage," Deidara laughed," you can come home with me instead."

"Quiet, Deidara." Sasori said. Deidara smirked but kept his mouth shut.

"We've come to collect a sort of payment." The shark-like monster chimed in, his hand resting behind him on the hilt of his sword.

"What payment are you talking about? The Leaf Village has never and will never make any kind of deal with the likes of you." The Hokage informed the three men who waited patiently near the lining of the forest.

"That's where you're wrong. You leaf folk are always so quick to believe in the good of the people. Such a pity." Deidara mused.

"What the hell are they talking about?" Naruto growled, his anger growing by the minute. He wanted to fight already; Kakashi rested a hand on Naruto's shoulder to keep him still. No sudden moves. If a conflict could be avoided they would try their best to do so.

"He needs to hurry up already. I have better things I could be doing." Sasori said.

"Who is he talking about?" Kakashi asked openly, peering into the forest for any more members. But all he saw were vast distances of trees and nature. Whatever they wanted, they were already in the process of getting it.

Itachi looked toward the gates of the village atop the roof of an empty shop. He could see everyone, even the Hokage, guarding the Akatsuki from entry. What the hell were they doing here? Itachi had no knowledge of their plans to invade Konoha and capture the Nine-tails. Was this a new plan conjured by Pain? Cursing, Itachi activated his sharingan, his heart thumping in his ears. Where was Hinata? He didn't see her among the crowd.

"Hello, Big Brother."

Itachi whirled toward the masculine voice that belonged to his younger brother, Sasuke. It was different now; it leaked with poisonous intent for revenge. Itachi surveyed his brother, having not seen him in years it was almost warming to his heart to see his kid brother. But the look in Sasuke's eyes showed that this wasn't a happy family reunion. Sasuke was here with a vengeance, a purpose Itachi made Sasuke swear to gain as soon as he gained enough hatred.

What have I done to you, Sasuke?

"You seem surprised to see me. Were you expecting a hug?" Sasuke said sarcastically.

It wasn't surprise as much as shock that overtook Itachi when his eyes landed on the cloak Sasuke donned. Sasuke's face lit up in a vile smirk.

"Believe it or not, we're actually the same size. It fits rather nicely, do you think?"

"That's my cloak?" Itachi breathed in disbelief. A pit opened in the center of his stomach, sinking deep, deep down. How could Sasuke take his place in the Akatsuki? What was happening?

"I got your ring, too. Kept my headband, though. Carved through it myself, with your face in mind."

"Sasuke what are you doing? You do not want to be with them."

"I'm doing exactly what you told me to do, big brother. I finally have a heart full of rage and loathing all because of you, and now I'm going to kill you."

Itachi's throat went dry. He tried to swallow but he couldn't conjure up enough saliva to do it. He glanced toward the gates, glad to see no fighting had broken out yet. It seemed as if they were waiting for something- for Sasuke. They didn't realize Itachi and Sasuke were here, which was a blessing. He quickly scanned the crowd again but saw no sign of Hinata's midnight violet hair.

"Oh, I think this belongs to you." Sasuke stepped to the side, displaying Hinata tied up and gagged, anger and fear in her eyes. She tried saying something to Itachi but her words were inaudible due to the cloth in her mouth. He saw a steak of blood running down her chin and an open cut by her left temple. He had hit her, which meant she put up a fight. Or he was just that cold inside. She struggled helplessly and Itachi's heart clenched. On impulse, he ran and jumped over to the building they were on. Instantly, he was repelled backward and before he hit the building behind him, he teleported onto the roof. Itachi regained his senses quickly but made no move to dart forward again. He stood and glared at Sasuke, his own anger coming to rise.

"Is she precious to you, big brother? Are you in love?" Sasuke sneered, grabbing Hinata by her hair and shaking her head. She tensed at the pain and tried to fight him off.

"What is it you want, Sasuke?" Itachi's tone was dark and malicious. Despite his desire for peace Itachi wanted to beat the shit out of his brother.

"I want to kill you. And I'm going to. Meet me at the Uchiha hideout or she dies."

"No, wait-"

Before Itachi could make it to them, Sasuke was gone, and so was Hinata. Breathless, the elder Uchiha fell to his knees, dismayed. Itachi clenched his hands as he tried to control his anger. He couldn't fight his brother, despite everything he had done to make Sasuke want him dead. If Itachi fought, somebody would die. If he didn't fight, somebody would die. For the first time in Itachi's life, he felt helpless.

What the hell do I do?

A/N: God, I am a terrible writer. Sorry sorry sorry for dragging. I'm dreading writing the rest of this because there's ways it can go and I'm scared. But I'm writing, and writing, and writing, chugging along. Thank you for the reviews and the love, I really appreciate it. Everyday I think about this story and how I need to post more chapters and even though I don't, im continuously thinking of what will happen next. Tell me what your thoughts are and I hope you enjoy!

Xoxo- Clover