The devil is in the details

The devil is in the details
Wrote by: Saara

Forewords: This fanfic contains lots of yaoi, violence and scenes, suitable only for adults.
Non is this story loyal to the original. So… live with it. Or leave right now XD
And I’m Finnish, so there might and will be grammar errors. I try my best to get rid of those, but since English is not my first/main language it is not easy.

Disclaimer: Naruto and all the characters belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

1: Strange reunion

It was dark. So dark. So cold… and so wet.
Slowly Sasuke recovered consciousness. His first memory was looking down to Naruto – as his team mate laid there near dead. And all that… because of him.
Suddenly he snapped out of his self-pity and sat up. How come he didn’t remember passing out? Sure he was in a weak condition, but not that weak. Or maybe the cursed seal was trickier than he could have ever imagined.
“So, you’ve finally awake… brother.”, said a calm voice near by. There was someone sitting besides a campfire. Who ever it was, he had brought him in to a cave and nursed his wounds. But why… who was this stranger?
“You…”, Sasuke whispered. He just couldn’t believe it.
Slowly the stranger turned his head revealed that familiar face of his.
“I-… Itachi…”, he could barely say that out loud.
He jumped back on his feet, but the pain took over. Sasuke let out a groan as he felt the stabbing pain all over his body. This wasn’t real! He was hurt. He was at this brother’s mercy.
“You should sit down and take your rest, Sasuke.”, his big brother said annoyingly calm.
Sasuke frown and tried to keep himself calm. But his mind was so cloudy. He dropped himself back on the ground and rubbed his painful shoulders.
He glanced at Itachi. All that man did was sit there and stare at him behind that dark hair and black cloak. What the hell did he want from his little brother? It didn’t make any sense.
“Where am I?”, Sasuke’s first reasonable sentence. He could have asked what did his brother want from him. He could have yelled and threatened to kill him. But for some reason, he didn’t care at the moment.
“Not too far from where I found you.”, was his brother’s answer. Itachi stood up slowly and dug something out from under his cloak. Calmly turning around, he walked to his helpless little brother. It was almost nostalgic. But how Sasuke didn’t seem to care for revenge nor running away, impressed Itachi for some reason. “Here. Drink this.”, he said and handed a small bottle for his little brother.
Sasuke looked at the bottle. And looked at his brother. The cloak was now open and Sasuke could see Itachi’s face. There was no smile. No anger. Just the same hollow expression he had ever since… he… his own clan…
Suddenly Sasuke startled and came out from his daydream.
“I don’t want you poisons…”, he hissed.
“It’s not poison, foolish little brother.”, Itachi sighed “It’s sake.”
Sake? Sasuke looked in to Itachi’s eyes. It wasn’t until then when he realised his brother didn’t have his Sharingan activated. That calmed him a bit. But still… sake?
“You… brought me here… and bandaged me… just to get drunk with me?”
There was a slight sarcasm in it. And Itachi smiled. It was a slender smile and you could barely see it, but he actually smiled. “I don’t have anything else with me. And both of us as missin-nins… I wouldn’t go walking in to villages… looking for medicine.”, he said “Not mentioning taking you to a hospital.”
He had a point there. Sasuke took the sake and opened the cap. He was just about to have a sip, but suddenly he stopped. He laid down the bottle and slowly looked up to Itachi again.
It was strange that he was sitting there in front of the person he wanted to kill the most. Yet he had no desire to… attack. Or anything. It could be the fact he was wounded and had used most of his chakra activating the cursed seal. But Sasuke doubted it.
“What is it?”, Itachi asked. Though you could tell from his voice he knew what was wrong. He just asked it to force Sasuke speak up.
“Why am I here? And What do you want from me?”, he finally spat out.
“Nothing…”, Itachi said and slowly turned around to return at the campfire.
Sasuke hissed. “Nothing? Sure you must want something! There must be some reason you brought me here!”, he yelled, as he tried to ignore the pain and not drop the sake bottle from his hand “I will fucking kill you! You hear me? I will have the strength soon!”
Itachi looked above his shoulder at his little brother. He almost felt sorry for that miserable boy.
“Is that why you were going to meet Orochimaru?”, he asked.
“It’s none of your bussiness!”, Sasuke hissed and turned his look away “It’s your fault! YOUR FAULT!”
Itachi sighed and sat down. “You are still as foolish as ever. Isn’t this what you wanted?”
Sasuke’s eyes opened wide. He could hardly breathe. Did-… did he just hear that right?
“Wanted, huh? All I ever wanted was to kill you…”, he hissed deviously.
Itachi let out a short and hollow laugh. “Kill me? When you joined the academy… all you wanted was to be stronger than me. Then I showed you… showed you how much far away I was with physical strength… you must’ve realised you had still a long road ahead of you.”, he said “You would’ve gotten there without Orochimaru’s help. But I see your childishness took over.”
“How can you say that… like killing our clan was just a measure of strength and power!”
“Isn’t that what being a ninja is all about?”, Itachi mumbled and lowered his head. Sasuke felt a weird twist in his stomach.
“…killing I mean…”, Itachi continued “You have to come across painful truths. Such as loss.”
For some reason it all began to surge out of Sasuke’s body. Before he realised, at tear rolled down his cheek and dropped on his bare hand.
“Yes… but…”, he mumbled, holding in his tears the best he could “It was selfish, you bastard! Because what you did… I was left all alone!”
“Chi…”, Itachi chuckled “I doubt it. As what I’ve heard… Naruto-kun was as lonely as you. But yet… you seemed to refuse to let anyone near you. You were alone because it was your own choice.”
Sasuke rose his look on his brother. As much as he hated to hear it, he knew Itachi was partly right. The pain of loneliness that he thought was all in the past, came back.
Sasuke realised what kind of fool he had been. Why did he turn his back to Sakura… and Naruto? The entire village. To seek power? From someone who only wanted to use him.
“I… am avenger, brother.”, he mumbled “It is my destiny to be alone. Because of you.”
“Orochimaru was after the Sharingan… either if I didn’t kill our clan.”, Itachi said quietly.
Sasuke startled.
“Nani?”, Sasuke mumbled. What that had to do with anything?
“Though I didn’t know this until after I joined the Akatsuki. And that was after I killed our family.”
“You sicken me!”, Sasuke hissed and finally took a sip from the sake bottle he was holding. The liquid felt warm. And in a moment the pain he felt, eased a little.
Itachi sighed. “Yet I was so foolish to let one of the strongest one of us go… and lead him right in to HIS hands.”
Sasuke froze. He was surprised. And shocked to see his brother’s humane side – not that blood thirsty animal he had thought he was for so long.
Itachi has actually been worried?
“Forgive me Sasuke.”, Itachi continued. Sasuke gasped. No. It wasn’t real. This was all just a trick. Maybe… maybe Itachi was afraid of what he might become one day…
…of course he was afraid. Such snaky bastard as Orochimaru thirsting for his body. For what? To destroy their home village… and kill everyone he cared for.
“Why should I… forgive you?”, he answered maliciously “What for?”
“For being a human… like you.”, Itachi mumbled “Making mistakes. I thought I was better than everyone. But I’ve turned in to same kind of monster as Orochimaru.”
In his mind Sasuke compared the near distraction of Konoha… in to the death of his family. Both felt bad. Both felt wrong. But even if his entire clan was dead, he still had a home.
Suddenly Sasuke felt sick. He felt so bad. He realised why Itachi was asking for forgiveness. He too had made a mistake. Thinking that his own self-pity was more important than Konoha.
“Sure…”, he finally got out of his mouth. Feeling like shit, Sasuke took a big sip of the sake.
Itachi turned to look at his little brother again.
That one word was enough to put a long awaited peace between those brothers.
“Arigato….”

Naruto woke up in to a tremendous headache. It felt like someone was poking on this temples with nails. He slowly opened his eyes as the bright light stung his eyes. Muttering something, he heard footsteps.
“Sa-…. Sasuke?”
“Yo! Kid…”, said a masculine voice. It wasn’t Sasuke. Yet it was so familiar. But where he had heard it before, Naruto couldn’t recall. He turned his head to look at the person, but the light right behind the stranger’s head blurred his vision. He rose his hand to cover his eyes.
“Where am I?”, he mumbled and realised he was all bandaged up in a hotel room. But who brought him there?
Finally the large stranger stepped away from the light and revealed that strange light bluish grey face of his. Naruto’s eyes wondered from the face to the person’s forehead protector. It had the mist village’s symbol on it and a large scratch in the middle.
“You… are…”, Naruto mumbled. But his head hurt still too bad to remember more.
“You remember me?”, the man said with a chuckle “Name’s Hoshihaki Kisame.”
Naruto sat up. The lost memories hit back at him. “You are…!”, he panted “You were with Sasuke’s brother… Uchiha Itachi.”
“Yup. That’s right.”, Kisame answered shortly.
Naruto would have started to yell and ask why was he there in the first place, but the pain in his entire body stopped him. He held his head, begging the pain to go away.
Kisame walked to the night table and grabbed a small bottle. “You should feel better by the morning, kid.”, he said and handed him the bottle “Drink this.”
Naruto looked at him confused. Why this all of the sudden? Why was a bad guy nursing him?
“What’s that stuff? And what am I doing here? Where am I exactly?”, he asked, drawing his look away from Kisame and the bottle.
So many question with one single breath. Kisame felt like the headache began seize him as well.
“Just shut up and drink this first.”, he hissed.
Naruto glared at the bottle surly. He crossed his arms and looked away again.
“How do I know you’re not trying to poison me!”, he muttered.
“Baka…. If I wanted to kill you… wouldn’t I have done it already?”
He made a point that was very clear, even for such person as Naruto. He quickly snatched the bottle and removed the cap. One big sip and as the stuff crawled down his throat, a shocked expression rose on his face.
“BLEEEH!”, he yelled “What the hell did you give me! Stupid shark!”
“I didn’t have enough money for medicine because this hotel room cost quite a lot… so I thought… as long as the Kitsune inside of you can heal you… I’ll give some of my sake to ease your pain.”
Naruto gave Kisame a long shocked stare.
“… SAKE? BAKA! I’m underage, Shark-san!”, he hollered and grimaced.
“My name is Kisame! Not Shark-san!”, he hissed “And stop keeping such a noise you dope. I said I couldn’t afford anything else.”
Naruto shook his head and rub the back of his neck. “I feel weird.”, he whimpered “Shark-san… I’m hungry!”
Kisame clench his fists. “Nani? Do I look like a servant to you?”
“Well… you’re not my enemy since you’re taking care of me until I’m healed.”, Naruto chuckled “So… be useful and get me some Ramen, would you?”
“Why… you insolent twerp!”, Kisame hissed. He shook his head and chuckled trying to calm his nerves. Itachi had asked him to look after Naruto after all. Maybe he can try push it a little and get that brat something to eat. As long as it helps him to get back to his health soon.
He sighed and walked to the door, as Naruto’s bright blue eyes watching his every move.
“So… ramen, nee?”, Kisame asked to make sure.
“Yosh!”
“What kind of?”
Naruto crossed his arms again. After a moment he gave Kisame a wide grin and said:
“Surprise me!”
That innocent face. Kisame couldn’t help, but smirk. That kid was such a dope that you couldn’t hate him for long.

Naruto couldn’t get his eyes off the hot bowl of chicken Ramen. He was nearly drooling as he clapped his palms together and yelled:
“Itadakimasu!”
Kisame let out a deep sigh. Such troublesome task. He began to wonder why ever did he agree to this. He wasn’t the kind of person to be baby-sitting.
“Eat up… and then go to sleep.”, he muttered and sat down on his own bed.
Naruto looked at him confused as he treasured that noodle soup he had on the wooden tray.
“You’re not eating, Shark-san?”
“Not hungry…”, was his answer “And the name’s Kisame!”
That didn’t bother Naruto. He held up his chopsticks and began to slurp the noodles.
He was middle of that feast when they were both interrupted by a knocking on the door.
“Nani? You were expecting someone?”, Naruto asked and continued his meal.
Kisame didn’t answer. He grabbed the Samehada and slowly walked to the door.
“Who is it?”
“Who do you think it is, un?”, said a strange male voice. Completely strange to Naruto at least.
“You?”, Kisame hissed and opened the door, revealing a feminine male with long blond hair and same kind of cloak that Kisame was wearing. “What the hell are you doing here, Deidara?”
The stranger smiled and drew his look on Naruto. “I came to see him, un… what else did you think?”
“I’ve paid this room for two so you can’t stay here.”, Kisame said and let the visitor inside “Though… you shouldn’t have come here in the first place. I don’t want to raise too much attention.”
Deidara sighed and sat down on Kisame bed, making himself right at home. “Oh, stop your bitching, un.”, he glanced at Naruto who was still slurping his Ramen “How can you stand be alone with this guy? Un, he’s a pain isn’t he, un?”
Naruto lowered down the bowl and grinned. “Shark-san is quite a good nurse. It’s too bad he’s a bad guy. He would’ve make a good doctor.”
“WHY YOU-…!!!”
Deidara burst in to laugh. “I see, un!”
Kisame was shivering back the door. He would’ve go and beat that brat to death if it wasn’t against his orders.
“Shark-san… now, why didn’t I ever come up with that?”, Deidara chuckled.
“Shut the fuck up or leave, Deidara!”, Kisame roared.
All he received with that was a careless grin from both, Naruto and Deidara.
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A/N: Ok… not very action packed for first chapter, but I promise; more is yet to come. “Stay tuned”. *cling*