Chapter 78: Forceful admissions

This had to be a fucking joke.

Either that or Sasuke finally lost his gods damned mind because that was the only way his brain was properly processing what he was seeing. Because there was no way Kagome would ever do something like bringing the idiot who housed the monster that almost killed her to this place, carried on Suigetsu's back. Except that was exactly what he was seeing since the three figures grew closer with every passing second. What sort of face he was making, he wasn't sure. But it had to be especially bad for Juugo to physically twitch when nails finally broke the skin of his clenched fists and blood crashed against the floor. It made sense, he supposed, since the orange-haired shinobi was the one who pushed the needle into his arm. But the older teen had been following Kagome's direct orders, and the girl would be pissed if he punished one of her pets without a good reason. So Sasuke sunk his nails into his palm while he waited for Suigetsu to bring the young Higurashi matriarch back to him. The longer it took, the more on edge Juugo looked as he remained seated on top of a fallen branch.

It had nothing on how startled he got when Sasuke stood from the rock he'd been sitting on, crimson dripping from his closed hands.

"Kagome…" Her name left through gritted teeth.

"Suigetsu, Juugo…" Making a show of taking a deep breath, the girl smiled at the other two. "Could you go and check the perimeter for me?"

"U-uhmm…" the former Kiri-nin faltered, placing the jinchuuriki on his back on the floor.

"Go," Sasuke ordered.

It took a second for the two to leave, worried glances flickering from one of their two leaders to the other. Perhaps keeping them around wasn't quite as pointless since they seemed to look at Kagome for confirmation before fleeing what had to be a very uncomfortable situation. To think he'd ever harm the girl, regardless of how enraged he felt, was ludicrous. Before doing anything that could actually hurt her, he'd rather go blind. Still, it was a good thing her pets were loyal enough to be willing to risk his ire had the girl not reassured them it was ok to leave. Her safety should and would always come first. Even if she was currently testing every bit of self-control by kneeling down by the Konohan jinchuuriki. And going by the dark stains tainting her intact clothes, she'd been in close contact with him before coming back to meet with Sasuke.

"Kagome."

"He won't wake up, I've placed him under a genjutsu, and he's too tired to do anything about it even if he were to notice." She was ignoring him. Preferring to open the blond's jacket to get a better look at the damage she obviously planned on healing. "The trio of idiots taking our place will eventually escape my illusion, but we should have enough time to leave. On the off-chance they're less useless than I thought, Juugo and Suigetsu should be able to handle them."

His hand shot out, fingers digging into her wrist, they both knew violence was bubbling under the surface. And there was a very convenient and appropriate target lying on the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"It looks like the Kyuubi's chakra is just as corrosive to Naruto as it is to anyone else," she replied as if he was asking her about the weather. Still, her eyes never left his, though her tone became disdainful. "Haruno is their medic. Trained by Tsunade-hime or not, there's no way I'd trust her to deal with anything caused by the fox's chakra; she couldn't even treat herself."

"That is not what I meant." His grip on her shoulder tightened.

"You're asking things you already know the answers to, Sasuke." Her fingers wrapped around his hand, getting out of his grip without a fight as she stood to face him. "If you're against it, then … what do you want to do? What is your plan?"

As the second son of the main Uchiha family, the idea of friendship was something he'd never been taught to value. Itachi was his brother, someone he loved and admired. Kagome was his. His partner and confidante, someone who was always by his side. Back then, that was all he wanted, all he needed. So when Kagome appeared with the blond clutching her hand, he'd almost hated him. Anyone that could threaten to take what he loved away was unwanted, but the stubborn prankster wasn't the sort of person his parents warned him about, and while they fought often, Sasuke came to enjoy the time they spent together. Leaving the jinchuuriki behind was a choice made with the blond's best interests in mind, at first, at least. Up until that last moment at the Valley of the End, he hadn't intended to harm their childhood friend. But at the end of the day, his brother entrusted Kagome's safety to him, and for her sake, there was nothing he wasn't willing to destroy. Out of deference for her lingering affection, the Uchiha could ignore the boy's existence as long as he stayed far away from them. Just one look into her eyes now, however, and he knew this wasn't one of the things Kagome would easily give up on. Wanting to avoid a fight was the only reason they'd both kept quiet for so long. If the issue was forced and he refused to concede, though, she'd step back. Even if she hated his decision, she'd stuck by his side.

"And you know there's only one logical thing to do," Sasuke bit out, unwilling to let go.

"Is there? Can you really say that?" Her voice was still calm, a sign she'd been more than expecting this. "He is not the Kyuubi."

"He can't control that monster! You just saw that!"

"So you're just going to pretend all those years where he stood by our side never happened and kill him?" At last, she was beginning to get agitated. "Are they just worthless to you? They're using him the same way they were using us! The same way they used Itachi!"

"If it will keep you safe! He's not worth more than us!" Rage laced his voice as he yelled. And something shifted.

"…then do it." The girl's words were soft, barely above a whisper, as she unsheathed his brother's wakizashi and pushed it into his hands before stepping back. "I told you he won't wake up anytime soon, so there's no better chance to do it, is there? Dealing with Konoha will get more annoying sooner than we'd planned, but if we can't deal with them now, we'd be in trouble anyway. And you know I can't leave you, not ever. So go ahead, do it."

He knew that already.

Itachi may have never intended for their bond to ever get this extreme. But plunging the girl into that dark, inescapable maze of an illusion, along with the death-filled loop Sasuke was forced to watch, made it so they couldn't live without the other. No matter how much she hated what he'd choose to do, Kagome's love would never fade, not permanently. The steel felt cold between his fingers. She was right, ideally, they'd keep Konoha blind to their betrayal until the very last moment, but they weren't planning on dying after accomplishing their revenge, so they had to fight Konoha either way. Hell, the girl was basically giving him permission to do anything he wanted. And if it only took one fight with him to make the blond lose control. Then it was clear he had to do it….for her sake.

It would be easy.

Eventually, Kagome's grief would numb.

With the jinchuuriki trapped inside one of the girl's genjutsu, it wouldn't take much to just plunge the blade into the prankster's chest. Exhausted as the blond was, even the monster's chakra wouldn't be able to heal the damage once his heart stopped beating. He could end it once and for all. It would only take a couple of seconds. Even as friends, the blond was always more of a nuisance than anything else. Really, he'd be doing them a favor by ending this pointless chase. It would only take a couple of steps to be right in front of the jinchuuriki. This wasn't anything new. He'd killed before. Sasuke didn't care to keep count anymore. One swing would be all that was needed. He raised his arm, fingers tight around the hilt.

Just one swing.

The air rang as the blade sliced down.

It pierced deep, sinking until half of it wasn't visible anymore.

Breathing was hard; he could barely hear anything over his panting. Dark eyes were fixed on the spot the wakizashi landed, far from Konoha's jinchuuriki.

"So…you can't really sever this connection either…" Kagome spoke, her gaze on the blade that never touched the skin of their childhood friend.

"You knew that already." It wasn't a question.

"How long have we been together again?" Cynicism laced her question.

All he could do was huff and fall to the ground. Of course she did. Thinking back, Kagome would've never brought Naruto here if she thought there was even a sliver of a chance Sasuke would've gone through with an execution. Paranoia-driven was an accurate way to describe the girl's actions, keeping people at arm's length with politeness and completely unwilling to accept others into their small, broken world. But unlike the Uchiha, she'd been open to care for others before tragedy struck, and the blond was one of the few people she'd come to love.

"Just heal him." He sat back down with a huff. "Those imbeciles…you're sure they won't notice your genjutsu?"

"Oh, they will. It was a rushed job, after all. But it won't matter anyway. Their perception of reality has been slowed down to a crawl; by the time they throw it off, we should be finished here."

"What is your plan, then?" He was being petty; he didn't care. "He's going to keep going after us."

"How about making a gamble?"

His blood froze.

"You want to tell him the truth?!"

"Not all at once. It would be hard to swallow, and I don't think a decade of work would be enough for Naruto to master his acting. But he already knows something is off about our departure; you said it yourself, he'll keep chasing us…we could barely keep ourselves safe when we left, but things should be different now. For all of us." Azure eyes bore into him, begging him to listen to her.

A gamble indeed.

Naruto was way more capable than most people gave him credit. Sure, the boy was impulsive as hell, but the three of them managed to figure out a system that worked well enough. And while he and Kagome found a way to adapt to fighting with the strays Kagome picked up, Sasuke couldn't really feel comfortable leaving her safety to them the way he could rely on the prankster. With how frayed and twisted their bond had become he wasn't sure how this would work, but if this gamble paid off, the reward could be more than worth it.

"Besides, we might need a reliable set of eyes in Konoha. And soon." The sternness in her voice took him by surprise.

"Your shikigamis are not enough?"

"Not really…considering it looks like Kakashi-sensei figured out we were lying before we left." Soft pink enveloped her hands as she passed them over the boy's unconscious form. "Apparently, we should've dusted all of the archives because he recognized the signs of a clean-up and went ahead with the report to Tsunade-hime."

"…they know?" That…wasn't within their plans.

"As far as I can tell, all they know for sure is that Fugaku was planning something, and Itachi was likely following orders." Within her lazy tone, he could hear the stress she felt. "Doesn't look like anyone bothered to tell Naruto any of it. Though the ANBU who took Kakashi-sensei's place for this mission insisted that they are very much willing to negotiate and do some PR work for us."

Well…Sasuke supposed he could make an educated guess as to why he thought he saw someone else in the corner of his eyes when Juugo pushed him out of the improvised battlefield. If Kagome was outright telling him all of this, it was because she felt confident over the veracity of most details she shared. And the tension that left him when the realization that he didn't want to kill their childhood friend sunk in filled him again in a heartbeat. All their plans could crumble if Konoha decided to switch their target from the two of them, to Itachi. His brother was, in all likelihood, still loyal to the village, and there was a massive risk tied to such loyalty. They had to be the first to intercept him and get the truth from him. They had to get him to understand their reasons. No, regardless of whether they found Itachi, they needed someone to keep a close eye on whatever investigation the Fifth Hokage was leading.

Then again, the reason the girl called this a gamble was because there was a chance they could lose. Having to deal with unknown increased security would be a annoying to deal with. And counting with someone on the inside who could leak classified information could make their lives increasingly easier. When it came to finding someone within Konoha they could trust, there was no one else but the blond. But Naruto always had an easier time forgiving others. Between the three original members of team 7, the jinchuuriki was the least likely to hold a grudge. For the most part, Sasuke never cared enough to attempt to understand his reasons, but now that trait was a double-edged sword that could slice their own throats. If they told Naruto the truth and the blond decided that protecting the village was more important than helping them or even just keeping quiet could be insanely dangerous for them. His betrayal could spell disaster for all of them. Dealing with Konoha's general increased security would be a hassle but doable. If their targets learned of their real intentions, their odds would be worse than bad.

"What…if he doesn't agree?" He glanced at the girl who was closing the blond's jacket again.

"I don't think he'd give our heads to our enemies on a silver platter, if that's what you're asking." Kagome shook her head slightly before speaking up again. "But…if we lose this bet…maybe we'll finally be able to cut our ties."

Losing was never something Naruto enjoyed or even tolerated, but for some reason, sitting here on a branch with Kagome-chan by his side as they watched Sasuke try to beat the older Uchiha didn't sting as much as he thought it would. The blond wasn't a complete idiot. He knew that while he wasn't the worst, he was mostly self-taught. All of the children within the Uchiha house had been tutored since before they learned to speak, so agreeing to join in on some of their training sessions took more bravery than the child would ever admit to anyone. But the girl insisted, and Itachi-san assured him it would be alright. Better even since the younger kids would gain another sparring partner, and apparently, variety was always a good thing.

First, the Uchiha heir guided them through a series of katas before telling them to go at him. This was the 5th time they tried to beat Itachi-san. Unsurprisingly, and much to his eternal embarrassment, Naruto was always the first one to lose. While Kagome and Sasuke seemed to take turns for the place of the last one standing. It made sense. They'd trained together for forever, but that wasn't why he didn't feel bitter about his consistent losses. Cheering for Kagome-chan to win or sending playful jibs when the bastard was the last opponent was enjoyable. Friends, that's what was making the difference. He had friends now, so even losing was fun now. It was a novel sensation, and if sitting on the sidelines for a bit was the price to pay, Naruto was happy to pay it. After all, Kagome-chan was here with him, legs swinging with good cheer, sharing tips and tricks.

"I'll beat him, for sure."

"You'll have to train a lot." The girl laughed but not at his words but at how he jumped. "We'll all have to."

"Then I'll train, and then I'll become Hokage, believe it!" His fist rose in the air.

"…would it be so bad if you didn't?" Her voice sounded off, her cheer wasn't there anymore. "Would it be so bad if things were to stay the same?"

"What do you…"

"Though I suppose that's a pointless question. These days are long gone." He felt her stand up, but he wasn't sure he wanted to turn around. "No matter what we do, we'll never be able to get them back."

That definitely wasn't right. This wasn't how Kagome-chan talked back when they were children. Her voice didn't sound like that. In fact, the blond was absolutely certain Kagome never said anything like this. Not before or after they stopped worrying about anyone seeing him inside the Uchiha compound. He was sure his memories were right, so why…oh, memories…right. This was a memory of something that happened years ago, before the eldest Uchiha lost his mind and killed his own family.

Wind blew around him, lifting a rush of leaves, obscuring his vision for just a moment. Gray took over the scenery, all sound stopping as time appeared to freeze. The bright orange of his tattered shirt switched to the sturdy black and dimmer orange of his newest jumpsuit. The one he bought while he trained with Ero-sennin. And the Kagome standing on top of the branch wasn't a child anymore. She looked the same as she did back in Suna, with her black hair falling down in waves, and her clothes were way fancier than she'd ever worn inside the village. He could see the hilt of a wakizashi strapped to her obi, a set for the katana Sasuke attacked him with just a few…a few what? Minutes? Hours? Days? He wasn't sure how much time had passed in the real world, but the one thing he was sure of, was that this was one of the girl's illusions.

Curses ran through his mind. He'd lost control of the fox…again. He lost it and went ballistic on the Uchiha, probably harming innocent bystanders who'd done nothing wrong but being in the wrong place at the wrong time. His temporary teammates had to have noticed the surge of demonic chakra. At this point, he didn't even have the blurry and hazy memories of what went on while he had no control over his body. All he could find when trying to think back was a black void. Still, they must've gone to get him while he fought with the bastard. Of course, because Sasuke was there, the blond wasn't surprised Kagome had been close enough to serve as backup. In that case, it wouldn't be too surprising for her to place him under a genjutsu to be sure he stayed calm. Pushing through the haziness, he could even remember Kagome's wavering voice washing over him before finding himself in the middle of this dream. The one thing he really couldn't understand was that if the Higurashi got close enough to hold him, what has his team doing? Even if Yamato-taicho and Sai were willing to let the two runaways do what they wanted, Sakura-chan would never comply with anything Kagome could say. Resolute, the blond turned to look at the bright azure that was gazing at the frozen memory.

"Kagome, what's going…" before he could continue, her voice cut him off.

"You probably noticed already, but this is a genjutsu." She didn't turn to look at him. "But this isn't the kind of illusion I keep active control over, so I'm sorry, but this me only has a few selected lines to say, and I can't answer any questions. We can't afford to waste time."

Well…at least that meant no one could point out how red his face had to be. Kagome always did warn him he should try to be less impulsive.

"Things were so easy back then, weren't they? We just played around, and everything was painted black and white." The girl smiled wanly before speaking again. "But that's not the world we live in. And it's never been that way. That's why we had to leave the village. We really didn't have too many choices. Even now, we need to keep moving, no matter what." Her voice wasn't quite as melancholy as he'd ever heard, but it still betrayed how affected she was. "Although, at this point, trying to keep quiet isn't helpful either; it feels like we'll end up tearing each other apart if I let Sasuke keep acting like a stubborn child. Quite honestly, we should've trusted you sooner than this…I'm not saying we deserve to be forgiven, but I'd still like to apologize, you know, not just inside this illusion, but in real life."

The world changed around him, shades of gray blending with each other, pale shadows of past colors bled in, painting a washed-up version of another memory. He remembered this one. It happened shortly after he got begrudging access to the Uchiha district. Had he been asked if he'd ever been able to walk through these streets back when the clan was still alive, the blond would've laughed at the mere idea. But after Kagome's near abduction, Itachi loudly argued that were it not for the jinchuuriki, even the Uchiha prodigy wouldn't have been able to get to her in time. After making a show of taking Naruto to the hospital and getting Sasuke and Kagome to visit him, no one could object to his occasional presence inside the district. The prankster had really respected him. Cerulean eyes found the four figures laughing on the river bank, soaked from head to toe. They'd been playing around when the blond lost his balance as they ran across the bridge. Without chakra to boost her strength, Kagome couldn't pull him back, and Sasuke had less of a chance to hold both of them up. Itachi jumped right after them, even though all of them knew how to swim. It was just a pointless and mindless day, nothing particularly special about it, and yet, looking at this little snippet of memory, it felt so precious now. While still more restrained than the three younger kids, even the then-Uchiha heir was smiling…and less than a year later, Uchiha Itachi massacred his own family.

So…why?

This was Kagome's genjutsu. Everything here was picked by her…so why would she pick those formerly happy memories where the older Uchiha was so present? He was the culprit behind all this mess; he was why the thread or cord or whatever held their bond together became nothing but a barbed wire that kept cutting into them. Confusion sent his thoughts spiraling, mouth opening, almost forgetting his words wouldn't reach anyone.

"We can't just give you the full story just yet, in all honesty, it's more than a little hard to believe." The girl let out a somewhat bitter laugh and finally turned to look at him. "What I can tell you, is that things aren't as clean cut as the official story makes it out to be, and you need to be careful about who you can trust. Our replacements weren't chosen at random. And the Hokage doesn't seem to have the power she should have." Her voice was urgent now. "We really can't go back; it's far too dangerous. As for why we left…well, Kakashi-sense has always liked to keep his secrets, hasn't he? Even when it involves others. They've never given any of us the full story."

What…the hell was she implying?

After talking with Hinata-chan, he'd come to realize their motives weren't as simple as everyone thought, but even considering that, this all seemed to suggest a massive conspiracy. One Kakashi-sensei himself knew about, yet hid from him despite knowing how much this meant for the jinchuuriki. If the copy-ninja knew, the Tsunade-baachan was likely to know as well.

"You have to be careful with anyone you don't recognize from our Academy days. Even if you decide we're in the wrong. There are people in the village that won't think twice about eliminating bothersome pieces they can't control." The girl offered him a tired smile. "I'm sorry, this is all I can tell for now, you should be able to wake up in a moment, and we'll have won a bit of terrain…I don't think you'll return to the village, but don't rush in blindly, please?"

He didn't move even when he noticed the last lingering threads of reiki-laced chakra that wove the warm illusion she used to keep him asleep.

Sakura-chan seemed to be close by, and he could hear some irritation in her voice as she complained about doing everything right. Kagome must've left him in a random spot for his team to find, but if she wanted to have enough time to flee, she had to make sure no one could immediately follow. Placing Naruto under genjutsu was the right start, but normal illusions could be easily lifted by any of his so-called teammates. The fading traces of reiki likely explain why the process took long enough for them to be inside what had to be one of Yamato's wooden houses.

Conflicting emotions clashed within him. A part of him wanted to jump up, go back to chasing his childhood friends. And yet, the information he'd been given was making his head spin. With less of his characteristic energy, Naruto groaned.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto-kun," Yamato's voice cut Sakura-chan off before she could even start. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm…fine. I feel great, actually." Slowly, he stretched a little.

"Are you sure?" Green eyes peered at him, the kunoichi's left hand rubbing a reddened spot on her right arm. "Nothing hurts, nothing is sore or anything?"

"Huh? Why would I…oh."

The one time he'd badly lost control of the Kyuubi while training with Ero-sennin, Jiraiya told him the fox's chakra had actively hurt him, and he'd felt a bit under the weather for a day or so as his body healed up. But he felt better than ever, and the lingering warmth he could still feel was a trademark of Kagome's reiki. She hadn't just helped him calm down or let Sasuke get away. She healed him. And if the girl felt the need to treat him, it likely meant his injuries were pretty freaking bad…which also meant that Sasuke was by her side while she healed him and didn't put up much of a fight. Now that he thought about it…

Ever since the massacre, the Higurashi got into the habit of speaking in plural; after all, she often spoke for both of them. If she made the distinction of using singular, it was because Sasuke disagreed. It was impossible not to notice how often their opinions seemed to be different during the couple of times the blond managed to catch up to her. This time, however, Kagome used "we" for a lot of the things she mentioned, and one of those times she used plural was when the girl referenced how they should've trusted him with the truth sooner. The two of them were in agreement once more, and now wanted to try and talk with him. Oh, he had no doubt Kagome was the one who pushed the issue, and for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Naruto felt conflicted. On the one hand, he wanted to and did feel relieved and hopeful. On the other, he really wanted to punch the bastard in the face once or twice…at the very least. Not like he should let his thoughts out in the open, not with the girl's warnings ringing in his ears.

"How long was I out?"

"All afternoon," Yamato-taicho sighed. "Naruto, what did you see while you were…sleeping?"

"Huh?"

"That..that…Higurashi!" The pinkette exploded, fists hitting the floor. "She used a genjutsu on us too, but for whatever reason, we couldn't wake you up. What the hell did she do?"

Kagome never was one to say things outright. Chances were, there were far more clues hidden within her words than what he'd caught by himself. If he told Yamato-san, the man should be able to offer some help. Even if he decided not to, he could go to Kakashi-sensei directly and confide in him…except…if the white-haired jounin had kept secrets from him, could he trust him?

He honestly couldn't say anymore.

"It was just…a dream." He needed to think more before making a decision. "A nice memory from way back then."

"So you didn't notice it was a genjutsu?" Sai's voice rose above the other questions; it was toneless as always, though the blond would swear there was something different in the pale teen's expression. "I see you are as slow as you are brainless."

"Why are you always pissing people off, you jerk?!"

Irritated didn't even begin to describe what Sasuke felt like right now, Kagome didn't doubt it for a second.

It wasn't an unexpected reaction. The moment the girl decided to push the issue and force the Uchiha to confront his own contradicting emotions about their childhood friend knowing it'd end up with the two of them clashing. And even though she won the argument, Sasuke wouldn't suddenly let go of all his pent-up anger, not when it had accumulated over the years. Neither of them was what anyone could call a picture of mental health, perhaps not even back when they were children. But Sasuke only grew more emotionally constipated as time went on.

Most of the time, Kagome didn't mind it. Reading other people's emotions had always been a talent of hers, so really, she didn't need him to voice his feelings with flowery poetry or make grand gestures to comfort her. Subtle actions were more than enough for her to know how important she was to him. It was in how he held her even when she pretended the nightmares that still woke her up didn't bother her or whenever he only sighed and agreed to let himself get dragged around the few times they had a bit of free time. Talking about their feelings in general would always be the healthier option. And while Kagome could probably force herself to be more vulnerable, Suna would see a flood before Sasuke agreed to have a heart-to-heart. So why go through the hassle of having to argue with the boy to talk about it when all she needed was one good look to know what he was feeling? Besides, at this point, she knew how to handle his moods without it…Still, it had been so long since they got upset at each other.

After he conceded to her plan, he hadn't confronted her again, and though they never stopped running, things had been uncomfortable. Suigetsu and even Juugo kept glancing between the two of them. Well, it wasn't quite that the Uchiha was angry at her. Admitting to his mistakes had always been rough for him, and if Kagome had to bet, the person Sasuke was truly angry with was himself. Angry that he hadn't been strong enough to keep her safe in the Valley of the End, enraged that he hadn't been able to end the fight with Naruto before their childhood friend lost control of the monster. Probably guilty for hurting two of the few people he'd allowed to get close to him. Refusing to process his emotions, he had no one to target and no way to let it out.

Frustration built up inside her;. It would be so much easier if the Uchiha just targeted her. It wasn't like she couldn't take his anger, regardless of the form it took. No matter what he chose to do to her, she'd never be able to resent him. Not any more than Sasuke could hate her. He was fine with acting as a replacement so she could vent her anger but wouldn't let her do the same. Utterly ridiculous, considering her body could heal with minimal effort.

Letting him sort it out on his own time would probably be the best option, though that wasn't an option they could take, not when they were about to walk right into the middle of a trap. The last thing either of them needed was to be tense and anxious. Distractions could be dangerous, so while the girl wasn't sure forcing yet another confrontation was the smartest thing to do, Kagome needed him to let it all out, even if she had to goad him. That was why she'd insisted on taking the full night to rest in the city closest to the bait coordinates. Watching the Uchiha flop on the sofa and taking out one of the copies they'd made of her family's scrolls, irritation evident in his every movement, she made her decision. They were getting close to a breakthrough, and figuring out the code was important, but this wasn't the time for it. With a sigh, the girl made sure to lock the door behind her before going to sit at his side. He tensed for a second before taking a slow breath.

"You're still upset." She wasn't asking.

"What does it matter?" His tone was cutting.

"Would you have preferred it if I just let things stay the same?" Her voice was soft, and she let her hand move closer to him, not quite daring to touch him.

"…what if I did it?" Dark eyes turned to look at her, defying her with the grim suggestion of an end result that would hurt her. "What if I killed him?

"I wouldn't have brought him to you had I thought you would've done it." She couldn't let him rile her up.

"What if I did, Kagome?"

Ah, there it was, Sasuke's version of abandonment issues. His fears of being replaced with someone else had him glaring at anyone who so much glanced in her direction. No matter how much she reminded him of her promise to follow him to the depths of hell, no matter how much she proved she'd stay by his side, that fear would never fade. It was how she knew there was something wrong with them, the desperation he felt, the desire to possess her…it matched her own. It tied him to her.

Even if she would've hated herself for it, she'd never find herself not wanting him.

"You already know the answer."

His hand shot to grab her hair, fingers tightening around the nape of her neck, the scroll fell to the ground. There was nothing soft as he pulled, angling her head towards him, his lips on her trying to get rid of the space between them. He was deflecting the issue again, aggression present in his every touch, sending a flare of heat through her. This wasn't the best way to work through this conflict, but the fingers of his left hand pushed away the silk of her skirt to sink into her thigh, and her moan quieted down any complaint she could've had. This was far more pleasurable for her than any of the other options. And she was more than happy to take it if this was how he wanted to let his anger out.

"You're not leaving me," he said when he broke the kiss to let her breathe. "No matter what, you're not leaving."

Strong arms pulled him into his lap, giving her no time to answer before his tongue demanded access again. He didn't want her words, not at this moment, and Kagome simply let herself be pulled by his desires, pliable to his wants. Even now, being moved like a marionette under his strings, the girl could feel herself growing wet. Regardless of how kind or rough his touch was, it always led to the same result, her panting, short of breath, and begging for more. As long as it was Sasuke, she didn't mind how he wished to claim her. The nights she was held with gentle adoration got her off just as much as the nights bruises would paint her skin in more violent colors. She wanted him. It was just that simple. Twisted or not, Kagome was just as happy to leave her own marks on his body as she was to remain limp in his hold, taking anything and everything.

"Take it off," Sasuke ordered, his hands roughly pulling on her obi.

Kagome nodded, panting already while slender fingers hurried to let her hidden weapons fall to the ground so the Uchiha could go ahead and rip her clothes without accidentally hurting himself or breaking her more delicate weapons. The silken belt slid down, and that was all that was needed for him to push her on top of the short coffee table. He didn't bother to get her kimono off, simply pulling it open and tearing her underclothes to get access to her bare skin. Her gaze was unfocused as she looked at her partner, his breathing just as ragged as hers. More than hunger raged inside his eyes, and it was all the girl could do to keep still. He needed her to be his doll for the night, a receptacle for his rampaging emotions. After surviving the next day, she'd made sure to get her time taking her pleasure from him. For now, she could only admire the lean muscles she could see from his half-open haori and whine when he climbed on top of her, left hand roughly closing around her breast. Gods, he was going to take his time, wasn't he? Even though she could feel his length rubbing against her core.

"No matter what happened today or what happens tomorrow, you're mine."

It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway, arching her neck to give him more skin to claim. Pain blended with pleasure as he bit, hard enough for rivulets of crimson to escape before using his tongue to soothe the sting. Kagome keened, pushing herself against him in a subtle attempt to test his patience even as her hands remained uselessly limp at the sides of her head. Fighting the urge to claw at his back and draw blood of her own. She wanted to buckle,, get herself on top, and take him inside her, or at the very least, wrap her legs around his waist and force him to sink into her.

Not tonight, she reminded herself. Tonight Sasuke needed to get complete control so he could find some balance. So she let him wrench another moan out of her as his free hand traveled south to confirm how desperate she was for his touch. So much of their time spent researching and doing all they could to stay on top of the political game involved in their revenge, they had no choice but to restrain themselves. With how tense they'd both been recently, she wasn't surprised to feel him smirk against her skin when his fingers found how soaked she was from just this little, only to retreat and push her legs open. Mumbled affirmations of love dripped from her lips, another attempt to get him to finally give in and grant them both the pleasure they craved. Instead, his left hand moved up once more to grip her chin, forcing her to look at him, crimson flashing within his eyes for a heartbeat. A sign of how close to the surface his desperation was. And contradictory as it was, a part of her relaxed. He was going to make her beg, but by the time morning came, she'd been sure to have found her release more than once. Sasuke loved watching her fall apart because of him, for him.

"I won't let you leave me."

"I won't…oh!" His hand was back at her core, this time looking for the spot that made thoughts flee her. "I won't…not now…not ever…ah!"

"The world will burn if you even think…" he cut himself off, choosing instead to swallow her moans as his fingers entered her.

Ignoring her previous decision, Kagome's arms moved, softly wrapping around him. His movements faltered.

Silly, silly boy.

Always so worried despite knowing she couldn't even live without him. This is why this wasn't love. Love could vanish and fade. At times, it even changed into hate. But this…this obsession, this dependency that oh, so easily twisted her mind and morals to the point where even if he were to do something she hated she'd keep desiring him, this feeling wouldn't change. They might argue, maybe even fight, but Kagome would always stay by his side, and sooner or later, she'd forgive anything and everything.

"Even if the world turns against us," she whispered as she broke apart for a second, reciting the oath that had taken on a darker meaning. "Remember?"

"… we'll always have each other's backs…" he murmured before lightly brushing his lips against hers. "The three of us."

Her fingers trembled slightly as his motions turned soft, full of tenderness, left hand caressing her cheek, the same gesture he used to calm her down whenever her nightmares were too bad. The switch in his actions taking her less off guard than his reference to Itachi. It wasn't the first time his brother came up while their clothes came undone, but it usually wasn't this far into it, and she was usually the first to bring it up, though the implications of it fled her when his fingers began to move once more. With a sigh, she let her arms fall back to the table. It wasn't love, but it didn't matter because there was nothing she wouldn't do if it wasn't for his sake.

Taking her motion as the permission it was, Sasuke let his hunger and anger take over once more. Stealing her breath for just a moment before going lower down her body, leaving biting marks that would vanish as he went. His name left her lips in a scream as he took her flesh into his mouth at the same time his thumb began rubbing rough circles with his nail, only to be followed by a whimper when he stood back up. A harsh grip on her waist had her turned around, face down, knees scraping against the floorboards, and her open silk kimono forcefully bunched up to expose her entrance. The sound of fabric sliding behind her a promise that he'd finally let go and take her offer to use her body.

This was the night before the first big move they'd had to make in months; they needed to be rested and calm. Too many things hinged on the outcome of what was coming up. It was their best chance to get information on the person who'd been targeting her ever since they left the village; if they could kill them all in one fell swoop, they could even force the man in the baboon pelt to make a move himself. Naruto would likely manage to reach them once more, thanks to the time they were spending here, it would let them see the first results of their bet, and if they weren't careful, they could end up turning the blond into an enemy, making the next step of their plan more dangerous…but most of all…if what Sasori told her was true, she and Sasuke became prime targets for the Akatsuki. Which meant Itachi was likely to be there too, and this would be by far the best chance they'd have. As long as things went as planned, they'd managed to get their hands on the truth behind the Uchiha massacre by this time tomorrow. They could have Itachi by their side once again. They should be resting, not indulging in their base pleasures. But as he pushed into her with a single move, all she could do was moan his name.

They were never able to get a full night of sleep anyway.

A/N: Hope this slightly longer chapter helps to make up for the delay, exam week took me by surprise since two new curses got suddenly added to my schedule with no warning and magically I had no more free time.

But well, here it is, and things are about to come to a clash now and are gonna get complicated.

As always, thank you guys so much for reading and any and all reviews/comments/criticism is greatly, greatly appreciated.