Serendipity
Chapter Seventeen:
The crowded streets of Konoha shopping district were bathed in the nice afterglow of the setting sun. The purples and pinks dominated the sky, with just a hint of gold left. It was a nice day to go home and eat a hearty meal, maybe watch a few episodes of a good show.
At least, that is what he would be doing right about now, comfortable in his couch with kitty in his lap, if only it weren't for his friends.
Sadly, Itachi had a whim about going along with his friends crazy plans. This was no different. They were about to kidnap two of their friends.
Honestly, even he wondered if they were going a bit too far this time.
Deidara and Sasori had both explicitly expressed that they didn't want any raunchy bachelor parties before their wedding. Both men were happy to spend time together and hold one huge celebration together with friends. It shouldn't be much to ask, in fact, Itachi thought it was sensible of them to want something more meaningful for their last night as boyfriends.
The rest of their friends didn't agree with something so dull and domestic.
After marriage you were locked into a binding relationship, leaving no room for that one final escapade of dirty fun.
The reason for this was simple, yet complex.
It was said that your thoughts wouldn't stray too far from your partner once you tied that final space between your souls. Itachi had no idea if that was true or not. The thing that everyone craved to have sounded like a self damned prison created from the flesh of your lover, ensnaring the whole of your being with no hope of salvation.
It was romantic and insanity, wrapped in one package meant to shred you to bits and pieces, scattering you until there is nothing left.
Did demons even have souls?
Itachi didn't have time to muse about it because Kisame had finally given the signal.
They were tasked with kidnapping Deidara. The blond haired demon wasn't easily found without Sasori, but Konan had managed to get him to leave him for a few hours so they could go shopping.
So in the middle of a crowded shopping district, in the fading light of day, they were boldly making their move.
Before Konan and Deidara entered the mall, Itachi had appeared before them, in a flurry of crows.
Deidara didn't have time to register what was happening, before he fell unconscious. Kisame was there to catch his falling body, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Konan gave them a smile before checking her phone, and in seconds Pain drove up to them.
If anyone was watching, paying any kind of attention, or cared, they didn't show it and they didn't do anything to stop the sudden kidnapping.
Itachi popped the door open for Kisame to throw the blond into the back seat of the jeep. The blond was unceremoniously pressed to the very end, his face squeezed against the window.
Kisame climbed next to him and Itachi followed, closing the door behind them. Konan sat in the passenger seat, already calling to see how the others were doing with Sasori. The red head was going to be tougher, they knew, since he didn't easily let his guard down.
"Do they have him?" Pain asked as he peeled out of the parking lot and into traffic. He hit the gas, cutting someone off abruptly at the entrance of the highway. The person honked angrily at them, yelling loud curses. Pain didn't give a fuck, effortlessly merging into the fastest lane.
"Careful," Itachi said with irritation. He disliked how careless Pain was when it came to driving, his eyes set half the time on the radio than the road. It was a miracle the man hadn't already hit another car.
"I got this Itachi, relax," Pain muttered as he tried to find his favorite song.
"They have Sasori," Konan happily announced.
"Where are we meeting them?" Kisame asked, at the edge of his seat with excitement over what Pain might have planned.
"We're going to Classi's Rodeo," Pain smirked proudly.
It was the only place in the world that had hot ladies, cutie twinks, and big strong beefy men willing to dance in your lap and still demand respect that you don't touch them. There was a strict no sex policy for the employees, making it almost family friendly if you asked him.
Even though there was nothing family friendly about erotic dancing.
"Deidara is going to be sooo mad when he wakes up," Kisame said, more to himself than anyone else. He turned his phone around and angled it so Deidara was in the shot, he made a silly face before taking the proud selfie. "Look Itachi,"
Itachi shook his head at the photo and sighed.
He truly hoped that this wasn't going to blow up in their faces.
A few minutes later they had made it to Classi's.
The place was in full swing, people brimming out into the street.
Itachi stepped out of the car first, allowing Kisame to angle the blond into a sitting position. They placed sunglasses on him and between them, carried him to the entrance. It was supposed to make it look like Deidara was a willing participant in all of this.
Pain and Konan led the way, all four of them pretending that nothing was wrong. With the quick flash of a golden pass, the bouncer at the front immediately let them in. He didn't ask questions nor did he bat an eye at their strangeness.
For the next three hours the space inside Classi was exclusively booked by them for their party. They were VIP. No one else would be allowed in until then. That was the incredible thing about this place.
A few moments later, Zetsu, Kakuzu, and Hidan arrived with Sasori blinking in and out of consciousness. They had obviously ambushed him in a much more painful way than Deidara had been, if the bruise on the side of his head wasn't evidence enough.
"Let's get the party started, and then we will let them meet with each other." Pain said, waving them off to a separate room where a private dance had been booked for Sasori. Hidan grinned with a salute, shutting the door behind them.
"Done," Kisame called. He had just finished tying Deidara down. Out of both of them, they knew the blond was the most explosive. There was a chance he would run the moment that he awoke. "Alright, Itachi work your magic," the shark demon grinned.
Itachi leaned in, brushing blond hair out of the way and whispered the command for Deidara to wake up.
The blond gasped, coming to immediate alert.
The blond was suddenly assaulted by flashing lights brightly hitting his eyes. He jolted, wanting to get up but found that his body was grounded, tied to the chair that he was sitting on. His senses took in everything one at a time, from finding himself, to what was touching him, and finally his surroundings.
The atmosphere was warm and sultry leaving him in a state of confusion.
Sensual music filled his ears next, the lights stopped, flooding one point on the stage in front of him. He watched, enraptured as a silhouette moved around, gripping what was undoubtedly a pole. Then a beautiful man dressed in only acid washed jeans came to focus, moving on the stage, dancing lewdly.
Deidara swallowed hard at how low those jeans hugged those hips, the brunet gave him a look, walking towards him.
Why the fuck was he walking so close to him!
Deidara tensed, wanting to get away and find Sasori.
Snickering caught his attention next, and he turned his head to see that his traitor friends were recording the whole thing.
He should have figured this wasn't some sort of fucked up wet dream. It was his bastard friends playing some sort of games with him.
"You fuckers," he growled, baring his fangs towards them. He wanted to so badly rip his so called friends apart.
"Enjoy it!" Pain raised his cup at him, annoying smirk on check.
"Happy bachelor party," Kisame cheered, giving him a grin.
Deidara would have gladly kept glaring holes into them but his chin was suddenly turned by strangely soft fingers. He was so used to the rough fingers of his dana's hands that he found himself recoiling a bit at the unfamiliar touch.
Despite himself, his attention was pulled in by the pretty deep blue eyes of the stripper in front of him.
"Hey now, I like being paid attention too," the man purred. There was something about the way that he spoke that was soft, and yet demanding. There was power behind what was essentially a plea of attention.
Deidara blushed hard.
It was hard to look away from the sparkling glitter over the expanses of chiseled, hard, caramel skin.
The man swayed, running his fingers up over his bare chest, until they were pinching his dark, perky nipples. His waist kept gyrating, demanding the attention he said he craved. Deidara was blown out of his mind with slight horror and slight arousal when the man shamelessly planted himself on his lap, legs hanging of either side of him.
The blond gasped as the stripper started to grind against him, moaning softly.
Deidara himself let out a responding moan of his own. The next second he wished he could slap a hand over his mouth, because it had been embarrassing.
The fact that the stripper was on his lap grinding on him wasn't what caused it, but the fact that this man was rolling hard with something hot, it drew him into the dance. His focus was actually captivated and had his mind running with possibilities.
The brunet got to his feet, leaning away to show the expanses of his flawless, glittery skin. He gasped when the man bent back so far that Deidara thought he was going to break in half. The stripper then turned around, bent at the waist as he backed his ass into him, his jeans slipping low to show off a red string thong.
Deidara gasped when the stripper came back up, hands on his hips as he pulled the jeans all the way down. He danced, expertly kicking the jeans across the room. Usually other patrons would have hollered and collected the jeans as a prize, but besides the sensual music, the room was quiet with the limited audience.
Not that it mattered to the stripper.
He had all eyes on him.
Tilting his head, his eyes roamed over everyone there. He was taken and interested in the raven haired man who looked the least interested, with his arms crossed and face stoic. The stripper turned his eyes back the blond, waving his hips in a rhythmic motion.
As the song came to an end, he leaned in, breathing against the blonde's face.
"Congratulations on your marriage, big boy," he purred.
That snapped something in the blond. Deidara pulled and tugged on his binds, while the stripper pulled away with a short giggle.
He moved back to the stage, taking the poll.
"My fellow dancers join me on stage to continue this celebration!" he called. More lights filled the room, flashing back and forth and a nice beat boomed as more strippers joined. They were on the other polls, and on the tables, going wild.
"Now this is my kind of party," Kisame was giddy with joy.
"Let me go!" Deidara started to kick.
Konan and Pain approached him. Whatever they said to him caused the blond to relax and allowed himself to be freed. Once Deidara got to his feet, the door to the other room opened and Sasori stepped out, eager to meet with his soon to be husband.
The two hugged, before joining on some of the fun.
"Guess everything went well," Itachi said. He glanced back at Kisame to see him recording all the strippers. "Does Suigetsu know that you came here?" he asked with slight worry. The last thing he needed was to hear that the two had a falling out.
"Yeah, he told me to take lots of video and have fun. He said he'd have a surprise for me afterwards," Kisame was literally buzzing with the idea's running through his head. His lover never failed to please and surprise him.
Honestly, he was looking forward to seeing Suigetsu so badly after this.
"That's cool," Itachi said. He was bored, and wasn't sure what else he should do.
Just as he was thinking about sneaking away to get some fresh air, he was suddenly approached by the stripper that had personally danced for Deidara. Itachi blinked at the slightly shorter man who looked up at him with bright blue eyes, and a mischievous grin.
"Hey there hun, you looking for a dance partner?" he asked, cocking one hip to the side while bouncing impatiently in place. He licked his lips at the same time that he switched hips, cocking the other one. His lips puckered, awaiting a reply.
"No," Itachi bluntly said, but Kisame hit him on the back, pushing him forward. He hissed in pain, and shot Kisame a glare.
"Do me a favor and give my man Itachi here a show, he's such a prude," Kisame handed the stripper a few bills. Although they had all pitch in to prepay for everything, a little tip could get you bonus things.
The stripper took the money without hesitation, before snatching Itachi's hands in his and eagerly pulled him to one of the private booths. The strippers there moved away, giving them a semblance of privacy. The man pushed Itachi into the couch, taking a seat on his lap. He wasn't wasting any time when it came to this man.
Itachi flinched, watching closely like he was about to be attacked.
He was tense under the stripper's touch, but this didn't deter the man in his lap.
"Relax hun, I don't bite…" The stripper grinned, "That hard."
"I wouldn't let you," Itachi responded stiffly. "Get off,"
"I will," he giggled, doing his best to be teasing and flirty "If you help me..."
Itachi moved his head when the stripper tried to lean in close.
The stripper paused, looking at the raven before realizing that he was serious. Was it that he had said the wrong thing? Some people didn't like being bitten or licked, maybe he went too far.
To dissuade the situation he gave off a small, reassuring laugh.
"Really, relax man. It's all just sexual play. I wouldn't bite you for any other reason," the man moved to touch Itachi's chest, but his hands were caught at the wrist, locked in a powerful hold that threatened to break his bones.
The rush of that power sent a shiver down the stripper's spine.
It was rare to find a demon that held so much power in behind a lean body. He could imagine that the clothes this man was wearing concealed muscles and rock hard abs.
"Relax," he called once more, making his tone playful, "They call me Destiny. You can trust me."
"I don't think so," Itachi said.
Destiny gave him a wry smile before holding his hands up in surrender. Itachi released him. Destiny kept to himself for now, testing just how far he could push Itachi. For now, the fact that he was still in this demon's lap was a win in itself.
"Is it that you're upset that your boyfriend paid me to pay you attention?" Destiny pouted, crossing his arms.
"What boyfriend?" Itachi asked. Confusion was clear on his face.
"That tall shark demon that was with you…" Destiny made a face before he realized, "Oh, he's not,"
"No, he's not," Itachi agreed.
Destiny settled more comfortably where he was in Itachi's lap, subtly moving his hips to entice arousal out of him.
Score!
How lucky was he. This meant that this demon was free for the taking. He wanted him so bad.
"You have a nice friend then, to get you a dance," Destiny purred. "we shouldn't let it go to waste. You have nothing to hold back, let me show you a good time."
Itachi sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I rather not have to deal with this,"
"Why not, just let loose and enjoy a bit of my attention." Destiny begged.
"I kind of have a girlfriend." Itachi said what came to mind as fast as possible. He was hoping that it would make the man in his lap leave him alone. He wanted to push him away, but he also knew that he could be a bit rough with people. He didn't want to cause a scene or hurt someone despite being uncomfortable with his current situation.
Destiny laughed once more, "Kind of have a girlfriend?" he teased, "what is that supposed to mean. Is she or isn't she your girlfriend?"
"She's…" Itachi pursed his lips. There was no definite answer to what he and Izumi were. They were just dating and that was as far as it currently went.
Destiny leaned back, crossing his arms. "You know, I can understand if you're not interested in me, you don't have to make excuses. It's just a shame. I could show you a good time."
"Please get off me," Itachi said.
Destiny couldn't help a fond smile taking over his lips. He slid off Itachi's lap and sat next to him.
"You're something else, so polite and everything," Destiny said, "Most men would have pushed me off, or even cussed at me for daring to sit on their laps when they aren't comfortable. I've had a few get violent over it,"
Itachi wasn't sure what to say to that.
Destiny took his hand. "You're so kind. Maybe a bit too kind, it's so easy to see, I bet anyone could take advantage of you,"
"I wouldn't…" Itachi took his hand back, opened and closed his mouth, but wasn't able to finish his sentence.
Destiny laughed a bit, trying to cut the sudden tension. He gave Itachi a soft look while holding his hand up to his mouth, lightly touching the glossed lips with the tips of his fingers. A gesture meant to make him seem sweet and cute.
"You shouldn't hesitate too much. Just take what you want in life. You have no idea what you are missing when you aren't sure," Destiny murmured.
Itachi looked away from the man sitting next to him.
He had never been explicitly told that he was too kind for his own good. He wasn't sure how to respond to such an accusation. He had always been a quiet and calm child, giving little to no trouble to his parents until the one time he stood up for himself. His friends liked teasing him over it, telling him he should act like that more often but Itachi just didn't have him in him to do so.
He didn't feel entitled to have what he thought he should have, or to ask for his wants nor needs. Itachi went along with what life was willing to hand to him. He wouldn't fight others if they wanted the same thing he did, he'd let them take it.
He'd nearly lost Kitty to such a situation if he was honest with himself.
He had never wanted to face that kind of situation ever again. He would avoid it if he could. He'd do anything for Kitty to remain healthy and safe. Itachi frowned, wondering where such a deep possessive emotion was coming from. Once more he was surprised at how strong his feelings were for what would otherwise be an insignificant cat.
Destiny reached for Itachi's hand once more, drawing him out of his head.
"Hey, how about taking a bit of a risk." The man whispered, so much like temptation personified.
Itachi blinked, wondering where Destiny had gotten the drink from. Before he knew it, the man was pressing it to his hand.
Itachi denied it.
"No thanks." He said.
"Come now honey bunny, how are you supposed to relax if you don't allow yourself to have some fun," Destiny purred. "You're so tense when there's so many pretty candies dancing around for you to taste."
Fuck, he was right.
The dancing, the flashing lights, the fact that he was here and instead he was wishing he was with Kitty. That had to be strange. His friends were right, he was going to end up doomed as a crazy cat man.
No, he didn't want that.
Itachi took the drink, hesitating for one second, before he downed it. He figured, fuck it. This would be his first stupid risk, damn the consequences!
For once he didn't think about how he shouldn't be taking any kind of drinks from strangers. How dangerous it was that he wasn't sure if something had been laced into the drink. He threw caution out the door and savored in his recklessness. It was for him, his own damned choice, fuck all the voices in his head trying to hold him back!
From there, his night ended in a blur.
It wasn't until later that Itachi heard from Kisame that he'd been on stage, surrounded by several dancers. That Itachi had smiled a lot and acted a bit goofy, but other than that, nothing too bad had happened to him.
Not when his friends were there to thankfully look out for him and intervene. It was such a strange change, seeing as usually he was the one doing that for them.
It was nice to know that they would do the same for him.
Deidara was on edge with his nerves.
While he had been angry the night before because his friends had dragged him and Sasori to a strip joint, he couldn't help but also be thankful for them doing something nice for them. At the end of the night, it had been fun and he had gotten to see a happily drugged Itachi.
Not that any of them approved of such a thing.
Pain was rightfully holding it over the establishment for allowing something like that to happen.
That was beside the point.
In a few hours from now he was going to be officially married, in every way that he can be with Sasori. His nerves were twisting his insides that not even Itachi's sorry state, curled up in the couch around that stupid kitten of his, mattered.
What mattered was that he had to get ready. He was in an extravagant hotel, sleeping just a room apart from his beloved. He was surrounded by a few of his friends that opted to stay in said room with him, and it was all…
It was strangely all perfect.
"Deidara, there's this guy at the door saying that he has your order?" Kisame walked into the room, rumpled and disheveled. Behind him was Suigetsu who looked half dead in his feet. No doubt because of that extra little party that they had for themselves.
"Oh yeah," Deidara ran out of the room to the front door. He took the order from the man at the front and pushed a rack full of clothes inside. "Everyone, get dressed, we're going to have to leave soon!" Deidara called.
Groans and a few choice words met him, but he didn't care.
The blond was reminded once more that he had great friends when they all groggily got to their feet and went to get ready.
Deidara was the last one to finish getting ready.
Konan had helped style his hair, and was no fussing about adding a bit of make up to bring out his eyes or whatever. Deidara let her have her way, knowing that she would make him look great.
Itachi was sitting next to him, face plated on the table in front of him. The man hadn't touched any food, claiming his stomach wasn't feeling the best at the moment. His little devil of a kitten had eaten enough for both of them and was currently resting over Itachi's back, pawing at the base of the demon's skull.
"Itachi are you alright?" Konan asked with worry.
"Fine," Itachi responded, his tone calm and even.
"I don't think we should ever let you touch any kind of drugs ever again, I didn't think you'd roll so hard," Konan murmured.
"Yeah, never again," Itachi agreed. He honestly didn't remember much, but he'd seen some embarrassing videos starring him. If anything, this experienced had thought him that he hated not being in control of his actions.
"What ever happened to the cautious Itachi we all know and love?" Deidara asked, a bit mocking, "The one that will never get drunk or out of hand,"
"He was dead last night," Itachi uttered darkly, causing his friends to laugh.
"Well, we're glad he's back again today," Konan said. Itachi finally lifted his head to look at them and offered a small smile. Kitty took that opportunity to bump his head into Itachi's, begging for some kind of attention.
"We should get going soon, Sasori and the others just left," Kisame said as he walked into the room. He was fully dressed and had been stuffing his face none stop when he learned that everything was paid for.
"Alright, did you and Suigetsu arranged for the limousine?" Konan asked.
"Yeah, they should be here in ten," Kisame said.
"Finished," Konan handed Deidara a hand held mirror. The blond stared at himself in awe, amazed at how amazing he looked.
"Thank you Konan," he gushed.
"Please don't cry, I don't want you to ruin it," Konan pleaded.
"Oh he'll ruin that make up the moment he sees Sasori," Kisame scoffed. Deidara shot the man a death glare.
"Kisame stop being a butt," Suigetsu scolded as he walked into the room. "The limousine is here if you want to get going,"
"Yes," Deidara cheered up. "Let's go, and Itachi bring that little miscreant with you. He's part of the family now," the blond said as he readily made his way out the door, followed by the others.
Itachi blinked, surprised that the purring kitten hanging off his left shoulder was allowed to come to the wedding. Not that he would question Deidara's sudden generosity, Itachi moved to follow his friends, closing the door behind them.
A wedding between demons wasn't traditional, nor was it anything like how humans went about in their marriage.
There wasn't a priest that would bind you.
There were no vows or promises.
Instead it was a gathering.
There was guarantee and a bond.
Demons gathered with their fellow demons, those they had built a form of bond with, in this case friendship was that bond. It was a kind of kinship that almost made you family, a tribe, and it was this same bond that would help power the one that Sasori and Deidara exclusively wished to form with eachother.
The circle was drawn on the ground, baring the blood of everyone present, in the middle of a popular clearing meant for this kind of thing.
Deidara and Sasori stood at the center, eyes locked on each other.
Both of them chanted to the other the kind of contract that they would hold with each other, tying their lives together.
Once done, the circle lit itself in red flames, receding from the ground and toward the couple. It finished off as an enchanted golden ring for each, Deidara and Sasori, soldered into their skin so it could never be removed.
Sasuke watched attentively, shivering when cold followed the end of the ceremony. There were words of congratulations and best wishes uttered all around, like little curses being bestowed upon the freshly bonded couple.
Sasuke, in his kitten form, moved to press closer to Itachi's neck. He felt safe hiding there.
The energy that the ceremony was still giving off showed just how strong and well accepted the bond had been. Sasuke wasn't entirely sure what was going on now, but it was cold, with a lot of hushed whispers.
It felt like hours passed, making the kitten yawn and dose off. Part of the excitement of seeing a wedding had waned off, and another part of him felt drained with the events that had just taken place. It was almost dream-like and he was starting to fall asleep. The world around him feeling like he was under water.
His ears perked up when he heard a voice talking directly to Itachi.
"They look so happy,"
"They are happy," Itachi responded, making Kitty nuzzle him.
"I want that so badly though."
"You're already building something with Suigetsu, aren't you?" Itachi reminded the person he was talking to.
Who was he talking to?
"Of course! It just feels like it can't come soon enough,"
"Yeah," Itachi let out an exasperated breath, "Come let's get going, it's time to close the ceremony," Itachi said.
After that, Kitty wasn't sure what happened. He had fallen asleep and the next time he woken up, he was back home, with Itachi, tucked in their bed together.
A week later found Itachi muttering under his breath when he couldn't find the leash and harness set that he had bought for Kitty.
He was sure that he had placed it near the front door, for convenience. Itachi enjoyed going for walks with Kitty more often than not. It had become a routine for them. He was sure he had left all the essentials in an easy to find place.
Sitting back on his hunches from looking under the bed, Itachi started to think about where it was that he last saw it. Running a hand through his hair, he strangely couldn't recall the last time he had seen any of Kitty's accessories.
His days and nights blurred into one huge mess, all from the sudden workload he had gotten after he returned from Deidara's and Sasori's wedding. It didn't help that the two demons were off finalizing their bond and wouldn't return to work for a while. What sucked was that now their duties had to be split and he and Kisame had ended up with more work than ever before.
It had been a while since he last used it to go out with Kitty.
As much as he thought he enjoyed it, he didn't get to indulge in it as much as he would like.
With work being more demanding, Itachi's stress had risen along with it. He truly needed this time with Kitty right now.
Glancing over at the lounging cat on his bed, Itachi made the decision. He shouldn't need the leash anymore, as scary as it was. No matter that niggling feeling in his chest that Kitty could run away from him. That tiny little fear that he could lose Kitty…Itachi swallowed those feelings down and hardened himself.
He was being ridiculous.
He shouldn't hesitate.
Like Destiny had said, he needed to relax and just take prerogative.
Besides, he was running late at this point, he should really get going. Reaching to pet the sleepy kitty, Itachi soon had his full attention. Kitty yawned, stretching his body before sitting up with a soft meow directed at Itachi, head pushing into the demon's waiting palm.
The kitty softly purred, kneading his claws into the bedsheets under him when strong fingers caressed through his fur.
"We're going out to meet with Tamaki, Shinko, and Tenma," Itachi said while rubbing Kitty's belly. The tiny creature rolled over, exposing more of said belly. "Be good for me okay," he said. All he got in response was a cute meow and kitty's pretty red eyes squinting at him through chubby cheeks.
It was super adorable. He had to stop himself from taking out his phone to take a photo. He had plenty of them already.
Itachi braced himself, reaching to gently pick Kitty up into his arms, and started for the door.
On his way out he checked that he had his keys and wallet, before locking the door and stepping out to the nice sunny day.
Kitty didn't move much as he comfortably hung from Itachi's arm, looking half asleep. He couldn't understand the demon really. Sasuke had hoped they could spend the whole day in bed sleeping, but alas that wasn't meant to be and he had no say in it.
Sasuke glanced up, noticing that Itachi was deep in thought, checking his phone through the short walk to the park. Blinking, he turned to bury his face into the curve of Itachi's arm, snuggling into the warmth provided and started to doze off again.
Itachi was conflicted.
Tamaki, Shinko, and Tenma, although he had not known them for long, he could tell that they were acting weird. The fact that they had asked him to come out could mean that they were ready to confront him on what was making them uncomfortable.
Itachi couldn't come up with anything as to what the problem could be. He just hoped it had nothing to do with Kitty. The girls had been adamant about them meeting as soon as possible. They had made it very clear that they expected him to bring Kitty along.
Itachi didn't mind if they wanted to keep seeing Kitty.
He just hoped that this wasn't about to become bad news, or something.
So far they had been incredibly helpful in the aspect of keeping Kitty healthy and safe. Whether the collar Kitty had on canceled bad luck or not, Itachi didn't know, but it had been a quiet couple of weeks and he was thankful for that.
He only hoped these calm and peaceful moments lasted.
Looking around, he didn't immediately see them.
He pulled out his cell phone and texted them that he would be near the duck pond. There were benches that surrounded the small pool of water, located in the most prominent area so people could enjoy looking at the raft of ducks.
Itachi took a seat with his legs crossed, setting the pliant kitten onto his lap.
The sun was high and bright, but the day was a comforting warm. There was a nice breeze to compliment the day. It was serene sitting in the quiet of the park. It was vastly empty, with only a few elderly people walking about in the walking paths. At this time of the day, kids were at school, and grownups were at work.
Kitty sleepily blinked for a few seconds, his nose sniffing the air around him, and Itachi smirked the second he caught the wide eyed interested look on his kitten's face. The way his head snapped towards the ducks had him chuckling.
Small, piercing claws dug into the material of his jeans, gently pawing, but still a dangerous reminder of what the kitten had to offer. While his claws might not hurt Itachi all that much, the demon knew that Kitty would be able to rip into any of the ducks with them.
Strangely, he felt pride at that thought, although he probably shouldn't.
He didn't want Kitty going around hurting innocent creatures but the fact that Kitty could protect or fend for himself just swelled pride in Itachi. It wouldn't be all that long before Kitty was a full adult, and more capable.
Even so, he'd always be Itachi's little kitten.
Smiling softly at the low growl Kitty released, Itachi scratched the back of his ears, telling him to calm down. Kitty simply rolled over, pressing more of himself into Itachi's hand, forgetting all about all the delicious ducks he could bite into.
Just as the kitten had become nothing but a pile of goo on Itachi's lap, they were approached by two hyper girls.
"Itachi, you're here!" Shinko cried, moving to hug him from behind. Itachi gasped as his face was smothered into a round soft chest. It startled him, making his body freeze.
Kitty hissed at her, growling as he moved to claw at her arms that were holding Itachi.
Shinko simply laughed, grinning down at the protective kitten, but not removing herself from Itachi.
"Kitty you're here too!" Tamaki made a line for Kitty, offering him a soft plush. Kitty tackled it with his frustration, biting into the toy as she came to stand next to Shinko. "Hey Itachi, how have you been?" she greeted, offering a small smile.
She was a bit more cautious than Shinko was.
"I've been well," Itachi said, taking note of the small white puppy Tamaki was holding, "How have you guys been?" he asked, tilting his head when he heard Tenma make a groaning sound. Shinko laughed, removing herself from Itachi and giving Tenma a sheepish look.
She took a seat next to him before answering.
"We've been busy," Shinko said, "We have to prepare for the upcoming months that will get cold. We have to ensure that every one of our animals will be ready for any situation, are sheltered, and stocked with food." She explained.
"There's still a long time before all of that," Tenma grumbled, taking the other seat next to Itachi. He was tired. He hadn't wanted to come. He swore that both girls were insane with everything that they expected him to do.
Honestly, he felt like he needed to come just to ensure that they were alright and taken care of. He couldn't allow for anything bad to happen to them.
"Heh, you complain now, but you enjoy the winter months," Tamaki said.
"What happens during the winter months?" Itachi asked.
He knew that there were several months to go before winter was fully here, but he never understood what others did to prepare for it. Itachi's family didn't have much of a tradition. They just always attended party after party held by different companies, talking business and working on gaining favor with those in the same field of work.
The work enforcement was large, and each place had its own pull of power. Something his dad made clear could conflict with the regulations that were upheld, depending on where the crime was committed.
Getting and maintaining those connections was important above anything else, even family time.
It had been everything that Itachi had wished to escape.
"Oh, we gather together and spend a lot of time at home, caring for everyone," Tamaki said, a small sad smile taking over her face, "We have so many casualties during that time so we give our time to make sure that those that have no place to go are welcomed to come to us."
"I see," Itachi said.
Tamaki fidgeted where she was standing, clutching the puppy in her arms closer to her chest. Itachi watched her carefully, unsure of what was going on with all of them. They were giving him hard looks, and they weren't hard to miss. There was obviously something that they wanted to say.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, trying to cut the tension.
"Itachi…" Tamaki started to talk when the puppy in her arms started to bark, starling her. She watched as the white puppy continued to bark, eyes directed on Kitty. It wasn't an aggressive bark, but one of friendly recognition.
She had not been aware that her puppy knew Itachi's kitten.
The kitten in Itachi's lap let out a few meows before he jumped down, flicking his tail back and forth in similar recognition. Tamaki gasped when her puppy kicked out of her arms to run around the kitten in friendly greeting.
The two of them then took off together.
"Uh," Itachi got to his feet, ready to follow but Tamaki grabbed his arm, stopping him. Fear rose in her chest, hating the idea of Itachi getting near her puppy when she had yet to speak her peace.
"They will be fine," she said in an assuring way, offering her best smile.
"But," Itachi faltered, not all that confident that things would be okay. Worry and anxiety lacing in him now that Kitty was no longer in his sights. He wanted to change his kitten and reassure himself that he wasn't about to lose him.
"Well, hey anyways, as I was saying," she continued, trying her best to distract Itachi. "That thing that you said about where you work…" the girl shook.
Itachi gave her a confused look. "You mean Akatsuki?"
She flinched at the name.
Itachi watched her closely. This wasn't the first time that a person would have an issue with the company he worked for. Many didn't understand it. There were people actively trying to bring them down.
They thought that they were an out of control police enforcement because there was no one that they really had to report to but themselves. There wasn't a well-known person with a heavy tittle leading them.
"We're not evil nor are we trying to destroy anything, we just want to help and uphold that the way things are done can be done differently. Where everything can be fair…" Itachi explained, but could tell that she didn't believing his words.
"Itachi I work with creatures and have hidden many of them because of the laws and fuck, just the belief that demons hold on creatures! We've created a safe heaven and I let you in without asking you what you did for a living and that was my mistake." Tamaki started to cry, "Please I beg you never to reveal that information. Please don't tare down everything that means the world to me…"
"I'm not going to any of that. That is not our purpose at Akatsuki, why would we go hunt down anyone who isn't doing anything wrong," Itachi defended.
"Bull, we've heard it all before from other companies, Itachi," Shinko cut in now that Tamaki was wrecked in sobs. She stood to bring her friend into a comforting hug. "She came here to beg you not to hurt us, and we can only hope that you listen. We don't want to be your enemies. But we will if we have to be" Shinko turned a cold glare to Itachi.
It was biting and uncalled for.
Something he had not expected.
Itachi sighed, looking off towards the pond.
He understood where they were coming from and what their concerns were but he could only hope that they listened to him.
"Akatsuki was founded in the memory of Yahiko, someone that at the time before he changed his name officially to Pain, Nagato and Konan valued." Itachi clenched his hands, "It's not my place to tell you, but he was like their brother. He was a creature, half wolf. The system failed him, failed to protect him, or hear him out and at the time they had felt powerless…" Itachi knew this was not his story to tell, but he wanted to make it clear that his organization wasn't trying to destroy others. "They'd been unable to help or protect him and they hated feeling powerless. That is why they turned their anger and disillusion with the world into something that would help others like him,"
Tamaki, Shinko, and Tenma were giving Itachi skeptical looks, but they had read about so many murders, they could recall just about every name of every faded being. The name was a clear one, and they knew the case of Yahiko and how he had lost his life at such a young age.
They just had not known that something had been founded in his name.
"In a personal stance, I believe creatures should have rights." Itachi said before anything else could be said. "I want to make that clear. Besides what organization I belong to or anything like that, above everything I believe in the rights of all living beings,"
"Itachi," All three of his new friends looked at him with hope in their eyes.
"So, it is you Sasuke," Kiba grinned as he transformed into his human form. The boy shamelessly placed both hands on his bare hips and stood proud.
They had ran to a secluded side of the park. There were overgrown brush and large trees concealing the area. They hoped that they wouldn't be seen here.
Sasuke transformed to his demon form, crossing his arms over his small chest as he glared at the dog boy. To say that he was surprise to have Kiba call him out was an understatement. This idiot could have blown his cover in front of Itachi. Sasuke couldn't have that happen.
Not right now.
"Shut up, anyways. What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, his gaze hard as he frowned at Kiba.
"Tamaki wanted to talk with that guy, who is he anyways?" Kiba asked, turning his head to eye the man that Tamaki had wanted to come see so badly. It had been bothering him.
After all, Tamaki was his!
"That's my Itachi," Sasuke said, taking a moment to eye his owner. Itachi was so perfect and handsome, he was proud to call him his.
"He's yours?" Kiba tilted his head, looking back and forth, "Ah, he's your lover!" he accused.
Sasuke's face exploded into a bright blush, "Wha-what no! I mean I…" Sasuke stuttered, not knowing what he wanted to really say, "I mean I want him to…you know…he's you know…and I'm…but aagh,"
"The hell Sasuke," Kiba gave him a look, he had never seen the boy so flustered before. Usually Sasuke was all cool, eloquent, and shit. To see him act this way was worrisome. Was that Itachi guy maybe someone bad?
That could be why Tamaki wanted to come and talk to him.
Sasuke's gaze fell, "He doesn't know that I'm…you know, a demon," he muttered. His fingers clenched and unclenched as he avoided looking at Kiba. He hated having to explain himself over this. He figure there was something wrong with him living with a person that didn't even know who he truly was.
Kiba took a second to comprehend. Sasuke's nervous ticks and all were a dead giveaway of how serious this situation was to him. Still, that didn't justify Sasuke having to hide who he was. Itachi couldn't be that good of a person if Sasuke wasn't willing to tell him who he is.
"Why haven't you told him? Wait, is he one of those demons that would kill you just because you are-" Kiba started.
"No!" Sasuke cut Kiba off furiously. He didn't want Kiba thinking bad of Itachi. He never wanted anyone to think bad of his demon. He knew where the misunderstanding was coming from, especially with so many demons looking down on creatures. "Itachi isn't that kind of demon!"
"Then why haven't you told him," Kiba demanded, his tone furious.
Sasuke hesitated.
He knew deep down that Itachi wasn't going to hate him because he was a demon pretending to be his pet cat. On the other hand, Itachi might be disappointed and sad to learn that he wasn't his perfect, cute, little kitten.
What if he didn't like him anymore after that?
What if Itachi decided that he was grown up enough to take care of himself?
He had no doubts that Itachi would send him off to get a job and care for himself alone. Itachi might not want to keep him once he learned that he wasn't just a cute pet. Itachi worked hard to free and give opportunities to others.
He had no time to care of love someone like him.
Not with Izumi in the way.
Sasuke was losing.
He didn't want to lose any more than he already had.
"I'm not ready," Sasuke finally answered when Kiba called his name to get his attention. "I'm going to tell him when I'm ready. Even if he gets mad that I didn't tell him sooner, I'm just not ready."
Not yet.
First he had to find a way to get rid of Izumi.
Next he had to graduate school and prove that he was someone worthy of standing at Itachi's side. He had to be worth something more than what he was now, which honestly he felt like he was nothing.
He was a nobody and a useless nothing in this world.
He just wasn't ready.
"Well, why are you scared? If he's a nice guy I'm sure he'll understand." Kiba said. "You should be able to just tell him. I'm sure that you can live more comfortably then and you don't have to worry. If he doesn't care for you Tamaki and the others will take you in no worries-"
Sasuke's cheeks puffed up in anger, "I said I'm not ready!" he stomped his foot. "I'll tell him when I'm ready so stop talking badly about him!"
"Damn, okay chill," Kiba flinched away from the huffy boy. "I'm just saying you know. Things can be simpler if you didn't go around complicating shit,"
"Well, it is complicated, you wouldn't understand." Sasuke barred his fangs, his eyes flashing red momentarily.
"You know Tamaki knows that I am a creature and she still loves and cares for me. She's super understanding. Seeing as your owner went out of his way to get you a special collar from Neko-baa I'm sure he cares about you," Kiba tried to assure. He could understand the feeling of being protective over your owner.
The last thing he had wanted to do was insult Sasuke's precious owner.
"What are you and Tamaki…" Sasuke started to ask but stopped, his ears picking up the familiar sound of Itachi's call for him.
Both boys turned their heads. Their ears perked because they could hear their owners calling them. They quickly shifted back into their animal form and ran towards said owners.
Kiba was quickly picked up by Tamaki who cuddled him.
Sasuke jumped into Itachi's waiting arms. He purred when he felt his fingers dig behind his ears.
"I'm glad we were able to clear all of that up. It's fun being your friend Itachi." Tamaki said, looking more cheerful than one she had first gotten there.
"I'm glad as well." Itachi responded, he too look like he had unloaded a heavy weight from his heart.
"How about helping us with winter preparations?" Tamaki offered, "My little one seems to get along with yours. It'll be nice if they had another play date," she asked, looking hopeful. Itachi nodded his head, not wanting to deny her.
"Sure, that sounds great." He said. Itachi figured having friends and socializing Kitty might be a benefit. His kitty needed friends of his own.
Tamaki's smile widened.
With that they called it a day and headed their own ways.
Although, now Tamaki had other things in mind.
For a while now, she had been looking to figure out who could be a perfect mate for Kiba. As much as Kiba clung to her and claimed he was in love with her, she couldn't believe it. It couldn't work between them. There was no way.
So to see that her boy was interested in Itachi's little boy, she had to wonder if there was any kind of potential there. Itachi's kitty was strange for it to be a simple kitten. It was just a matter of figuring out what it could all mean. Creatures after all, were all strange and unique in their own way.
So, what better way to figure thing out, than setting the two up?