Unanticipated Reunions and Alliances

DarkAngelJudas: Frankly, just a little. I love to freak people out! Yes I’m evil.
Disembodiedvoiceofthedying: I have been thinking about that curse mark for some time. Now Itachi is too.
Qwerty: Well, I’m one of those authors too. Ninja battles are a little hard for me to write. Sword battles, not so much trouble. I do gloss over battles in my other stories and for length reasons, probably will in future here. The Kisame battle was important though. The final battle with Madara . . . we’ll see what where the manga is at that time and see what other things Sasuke and Madara are capable of. If I don’t get more data on that, that battle might be glossed too. ;_;
My anonymous fan on fanfiction.net: Yeah, you’re seeing my little foreshadowing. This will probably not have a sad ending, but I’m pretty mercurial. I’m not the kind of writer to plan everything out (except on rare occasions, this not being one of them), so I’m not even sure how this one will end, but I doubt it will be sad. And your praise humbles me. Really reviews are like crack to a writer’s muse, in a good way. Thank you.

Now follow me on Twitter: misatospenpen

Long chapter. Finally, Itachi’s take on that night. It’s the emotional/character stuff that I live for. I think I should be sponsored by Prozac.

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The cavern was huge. Kakashi still had his chakra reserves and used his earth style to make a few private rooms and a wall just inside the entrance. It wasn’t up against the entrance, but acted as a barricade and bottleneck against possible attack. He put ceilings on the rooms to keep in heat.

“I wish they’d sent Yamato,” Kakashi sighed as he lay down next to Itachi in the temporary medical room.

Juugo brought in some firewood and Sasuke used a jutsu to make a small fire to keep his brother warm and put a hole in the ceiling to vent the smoke. Sasuke made a few hand signs and summoned supplies.

“Where’d those come from?” Suigetsu asked.

“Itachi prepared these supplies before we left, just in case,” Sasuke answered. He threw a pair of bedrolls to Kakashi and took one himself. The others took their bedrolls and some provisions; Suigetsu trying to hoard the water.

“Go find a river!” Karin screamed at him.

Once everyone left them alone, Kakashi stayed right next to Itachi and cradled his head while he was unconscious. Sasuke was healing at a remarkable rate with Orochimaru’s help. Fortunately for his brother, some of the chakra that had already contaminated Itachi’s chakra through Sasuke’s eyes and the chakra they exchanged to fool Samehada into thinking they were one person, was laced with Orochimaru’s charka and it aided his healing. The others had wounds, but none were serious.

Everyone was tried that afternoon except for Karin and Shikamaru, both of who had merely used up chakra and not fought hand to hand at all. The two of them sat up as the first watch while everyone else slept. Karin checked on the injured trio routinely while Sakura napped in the medical room.

Suigetsu woke a little after sunset and relieved Shikamaru. He and Karin ignored one another.

Sasuke and Sakura were dead asleep having lost the most chakra during the day. Kakashi dozed against the wall with his lover’s head cradled in his lap. Itachi only woke up once while they carried him here, so he was disoriented when he opened his eyes. Despite the pain in his abdomen, Itachi sat up. Kakashi woke up.

“Itachi, you alright?” he whispered.

“I’m not dead.” Itachi was looking at his brother with his back to Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckled quietly. “Not exactly what I asked.”

“What happened?”

“Kisame’s dead. Sasuke and I electrocuted ourselves, but we’re fine. The others only had minor injuries.”

“That’s embarrassing, being the only one injured.”

“Kisame feared you most of all; I can understand why.”

“Yeah.”

“Itachi, he said something before he died.”

Itachi looked over his shoulder at Kakashi. His expression scared Kakashi because of the level of emotion: fear and sadness.

“What did he say?”

Kakashi didn’t want to tell him anymore. “He knew you were alive. He said, ‘Tell him he was right. Tell him, I’m not so bad after all; I can still be hurt by broken trust and loyalty.’”

Itachi whipped his head back around to look straight ahead, away from Kakashi. Sasuke writhed in his sleep. Itachi clinched his jaw and the Sasuke settled.

“Can I go outside?”

“I’ll help you.” Kakashi helped Itachi up. Itachi grabbed his stomach, and slowly straightened.

“Is everyone asleep?”

“I think so, except the watch.”

They slowly left the room. They came across Karin and Suigetsu sitting at the extremes of the wall at the entrance.

“Suigetsu,” Itachi said as he got close to the Kiri-nin. “Were you close to Kisame?” Itachi asked.

“Not really.”

Itachi considered for a moment. “Take a walk with me anyway.” Both Suigetsu and Kakashi were surprised, but Suigetsu stood. Itachi put a hand out to stop Kakashi from following them, then put that hand on Suigetsu’s shoulder. Karin moved to the face the opening of the cave and watched the two until they were out of sight and kept tabs on their chakra after that.

Itachi led Suigetsu to Kisame’s corpse, still lying in the open. They stood next to each other looking down at the corpse.

“I’m sorry, Kisame,” Itachi said. “You’re people give your dead to the sea, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you mind if I cremate him? We’re too far from the sea and that’s the way our village disposes of our dead.”

“Go ahead. Like a said, I wasn’t close to him.”

They walked a few yards away and Itachi cremated the body with his fire jutsu. Once the body was fully engulfed in flames and burning on its own, Itachi lowered himself to his knees and prayed.

“He passed his sword on to you,” Itachi said without opening his eyes.

With a disgruntled sigh, Suigetsu knelt next to him and prayed as well.

Itachi opened his eyes after several minutes. “It’s the least I can do. He didn’t really deserve betrayal like that.” Itachi turned to Suigetsu, who took the hint, stood, and helped Itachi up.

The fire failed and nothing was left but ash and a few metal objects. Itachi got close and carefully picked up Kisame’s ring. South. Itachi had put on his own ring right before he approached Kisame and he was still wearing it. He took it off. Scarlet. He put the pair of them in his pocket. There were also metal clasps from his Akatsuki cloak and a piece of metal that looked like shrapnel that was in Kisame’s body. And something else. A metal shark’s tooth. Itachi took it and Suigetsu helped him up.

“I am sorry. Goodbye, Kisame.”

Suigetsu escorted Itachi back.

Back at the cave entrance, Kakashi started at the sight of the fiery glow in the distance. He stood, but Karin stopped him.

“They’re fine. It looks like Itachi is burning Kisame’s body.”

The fire eventually went out and then the pair returned. Suigetsu handed Itachi back to Kakashi and went back to his place as did Karin. Kakashi brought Itachi back to the medical room. Itachi pulled Kakashi down to sleep next to him. There were times before he fell asleep that he thought Itachi might be crying.

-----

The next day they destroyed the rooms and prepared to leave. Shikamaru, Karin, and Suigetsu were sent on ahead while Juugo, Sakura, and Neji moved with the three injured Sharingan users at a much slower pace.

Food was waiting for the slower group when they arrived a few hours after nightfall. The trio slept as soon as they finished eating. Shin had clean clothes and bedding waiting for them all. Sasuke was sincerely grateful, but just wanted to eat and sleep, not wanting to even take a long hot bath as much as he was longing one.

Kakashi and Itachi had moved into their own room soon after the brothers regained their sight. Juugo was now rooming with Sasuke while Neji and Shikamaru were allowed their own room and Suigetsu got a room to himself.

Juugo was hanging out in their room when Sasuke woke up late in the morning. His shoulder still hurt, but he’d completely recovered from the ill-advised double Chidori.

“Has everyone eaten already?”

“Kakashi and Itachi didn’t come to breakfast. Karin said they were still asleep.”

Sasuke got up and went to the kitchen, Juugo following. Juugo hardly let Sasuke do anything himself.

“I’m not broken or fragile, Juugo.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He started eating. “Where is everyone?”

“Going over Itachi’s information about the other members of Akatsuki I think. Shikamaru was working out strategies. I decided to come back and stay with you.”

Sasuke didn’t respond to that. Once he finished eating, he met with Shikamaru and Neji. He had to respect the chunin; he was brilliant.

“Well, the only possible location we have for any of their members is in Ame,” Shikamaru said. “But Itachi said that is not a good place to attack. I would agree. It’s a city, too many innocent civilians, buildings, and tunnels. And the two there are the ones Itachi knows the least about.”

“We’ll have to send out scouts to find the other two then,” Neji said.

“Has Itachi been out here?” Sasuke asked.

“I’ve not seen him or Kakashi,” Shikamaru said.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, trying to feel his brother’s chakra. Itachi was depressed, sad. Sasuke let the Sharingan fade.

“Thank you for working out these plans, Shikamaru. When Itachi’s better, we’ll go over them again. He knew some of these people; he may have further insight as to their whereabouts. Neji, we might send you, Karin, and Juugo out to locate the others. Juugo can communicate with the birds, so he can help search.”

Sasuke put a hand to his head. “Damn it, Itachi, lighten the fuck up,” he whispered. Neji couldn’t suppress a smirk. Sasuke straightened.

“You okay?” Shikamaru asked.

“Yeah. But I can feel Itachi’s emotions.”

“I thought you can only do that with your Sharingans active.”

“No, that just makes it more intense.”

“Is he okay?”

“Not sure. But Kakashi’s with him.”

“How can you tell?”

“He only feels that emotion when he’s with Kakashi.”

Neji and Shikamaru smirked at that.

“I’ll check on them.”

Sasuke couldn’t feel where Itachi was; just sense his emotions and how close he was to him. As Sasuke got closer to Itachi’s room, he realized Itachi wasn’t there. And then his chakra was cut off suddenly.

-----

Itachi and Kakashi were above ground training, their Sharingans active and uncovered. They both wore their old ANBU armor. After hearing that Kisame apparently never told the others he was missing, Itachi summoned his belongings from one of their cavern bases where he’d hidden them. Among his things were his ANBU armor and kodachi. Nothing had been touched. He checked everything thoroughly for anything unusual, but there was nothing.

They spared, purely taijutsu. They were about even in all things except speed and stamina, Itachi being faster and Kakashi having higher stamina. But with the injury to Itachi abdomen, he tired even faster and was no where near his peak speed. Kakashi carefully avoided aiming for his abdomen.

Itachi was holding his own until he suddenly collapsed. If it weren’t for his Sharingan, Kakashi would not have stopped in time to not hit him.

“Itachi? I knew it was too soon.”

“Just a cramp.” He cursed as he lay down and started trying to stretch the muscles out. “It’s a deep muscle. Kisame very nearly hit my spine.”

“Maybe he missed on purpose, just wanted you out of the fight.”

“No. The fish was beginning to shake.” He spoke in short sentences because of the pain. “It would have ripped me in half. It’s not in his nature to being merciful or forgiving. And he must have felt very betrayed. He wanted to kill me. I can’t blame him. I would have done much worse. But only because I’m capable of worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“If it had been me, Tsukuyomi for a week. Not three days. And not just him, but everyone with him.”

“I can understand you were partners for . . . eight years, but . . . that seems extreme.”

“He was in love with me.”

Kakashi froze.

As the pain faded, he could mange talking more easily. “I never reciprocated, but you must have noticed how protective and concerned he was of me. We had a good partnership. He felt betrayed.

“He joined Akatsuki with the promise of a world without deception. He was tired of living in a world of lies. I was fine with my own hypocrisy at first, but he really was nice to me and attentive. I even confided in him that over use of my eyes left me drained. I could have hidden it, but I began to trust him. Though only so much. He apparently figured out that I was going blind and I think he kept my secret. I can understand how betrayed he must have felt.”

Itachi stopped stretching for a minute. “My own words are haunting me. When we were first made partners, he thought he understood me, thought I felt the same enjoyment from killing my kin as he did. I threw his own past back at him and he threatened me, told me to be weary of him, that like sharks in the womb, he saw all, even his family, his siblings, as pray. I told him he should be weary of me as well. Then I said, ‘Those who turn their hands against their comrades are sure to die a terrible death.’ Then he said to me, ‘Then the both of us are already branded as terrible men, are we not?’ I may have been a spy in their midst, but Kisame was a comrade. I was a spy among my clan also, but they were still my family.

“But I responded, ‘We don’t know what kind of people we truly are until the moment before our deaths. As death comes to embrace you, you will realize what you are. That’s what death is, don’t you think?’”

“That’s what he meant by his last words to you.”

“Yeah.” Itachi bowed his body back to stretch the muscle more. “He was telling me he was human and not a fish. Reminding me of my own words. He was also wishing me my own terrible death.” Itachi relaxed. “Kakashi . . . I may die against Madara. Madara is sure to want vengeance on me. Sasuke and I are all that is left of his traitorous clan. He’ll probably target us. Kakashi . . .”

“You’re not going to die.”

Itachi wanted to warn Kakashi so he would not take it so hard when the time came, but he knew it was petulant to argue about such a thing. “Ah. I should have Sakura look at this, just in case.”

Kakashi hauled on him up by the arm.

-----

They didn’t get deep inside the base before Sasuke approached them. For Sasuke, seeing Itachi in his ANBU armor brought back good and bad memories. That night, Itachi wore this same armor as he stood over their dead parents, but Itachi would also come to his room in the middle of the night, still wearing this armor to let him know he was home and alive. He shunt aside the memories of that night; his brother was home as if from a mission, that was all that mattered.

“Itachi, are you sure you should be training so soon?”

“Otouto, you worry too much.”

“I’m not losing you again, nii-san. You did over do it, didn’t you?”

“Ah,” Itachi admitted, feigning chagrin. He grabbed Sasuke before he could register Itachi had moved. “I’m glad you’re worried about me, Otouto.”

“Hey, get off.” But Sasuke didn’t sound angry, but amused.

I should prepare Sasuke too, Itachi thought. But maybe I will survive all this. I hope, for their sakes. “Take me to your girlfriend to patch me up.”

“Nii-san,” Sasuke warned. Itachi laughed at him.

Kakashi watched them go, acting like brothers really for the first time. It’s about time, Sasuke, Itachi. I hope we finish this quickly so you two can go back to being nothing but brothers.

-----

Though the brothers were beginning to loosen up around each other, there was still a barrier there. It wasn’t a lack of trust, but just an unwillingness to completely let their barriers drop.

Sasuke felt it again. Great depression coming from his brother. Sasuke had his emotions so well controlled, he was sure Itachi could barely sense him at all. Itachi no doubt had practiced similar control, but he let his control slip with Kakashi. As close as they were, it seemed unhealthy in that respect; Itachi seemed to be losing all emotional discipline.

Sasuke found he didn’t really need to mask his chakra so much here. The place was secure and they were all at ease. He masked it anyway as he approached the room his brother shared with Kakashi. Using his Sharingan at its most basic level, he could see their chakra next to each other on the bed. They were just sitting together. He deactivated his Sharingan and sat down by the door and concentrated his hearing. He imagined how exactly they were sitting, their chakra being just a nebulous cloud. He imaged Kakashi’s arm around his brother’s shoulders, pulling and holding Itachi against him, Itachi’s head nuzzled under Kakashi’s chin. Sasuke felt that lick of jealousy in his chest again. Any fool could see how much they were in love. It was like a stab wound in Sasuke’s chest when he thought of it.

For a while they just sat there. Sasuke wondered if one or both of them were asleep. Finally, they spoke.

“I’m so glad it’s over. Not being able to see . . . I’ve never been so frightened. Not since that night.”

Kakashi didn’t speak, hoping Itachi would continue. As painful as he was certain the subject was, he was curious.

“I really was the most powerful Uchiha. At least, aside from Madara. I knew I could do it; no one expected an attack, especially an attack like that. But it was still one of the most powerful clans in the world, half of them among the most powerful shinobi. I was frightened, even with Madara’s help. But I did it.

“I think about the old graduation exam in Blood Mist Village—Kisame told me all about it; I saw the similarity; I couldn’t miss it. Perhaps I didn’t lose all emotion because I didn’t kill the single most important person to me. Or the second,” he added, obviously for Kakashi’s benefit.

“We each took half the compound, though I ended up doing the most of the killing. I saved my own house for last. I spotted Sasuke coming home as I went back; having gone passed it to the walls surrounding the compound. I knew I had to hurry.

“Father realized by that time something was going on. He was going to change into his armor and investigate; mother had a bad feeling and wanted him to stay. She made him hesitate long enough.

“I came in the room with a few drops of blood, little else. Remember how Kenji used to describe me as ‘dancing between blood drops?’” Kakashi nodded, remembering their fellow ANBU member who had a passion for poetry and was always describing his fellows in such terms. “I guess it was true. But father could smell the blood, smell the death that clung to me. Somehow, maybe it was my expression, but he knew. Mother asked me what was going on. Up until that moment, that was the most painful minute of my life, meeting my mother’s eyes knowing what I was about to do and that I had no time to do it, knowing Sasuke was coming.

“’Why, Itachi?’ father asked. I told him, ‘Your negotiations with the Hokage have failed. As an ANBU agent, this is my mission.’ I put my hand on my sword. ‘So they’ve decided to get rid of us,’ he said. ‘ANBU thinks it can wipe out the whole clan?’ ‘No, just me. And I have.’

“Mother’s first thought was of Sasuke. ‘Sasuke?’ she asked. ‘You wouldn’t kill your own brother.’ ‘He’ll kill his own parents,’ father said. ‘No, please, Itachi, spare Sasuke! He knows nothing about any of this.’ ‘I will not kill him,’ I assured her. ‘I will protect him.’ She nodded gratefully. Her last words . . . ‘Thank you, Itachi.’ I think she could die in peace if she knew both her sons would live.

“I think this gave father a moment of reflection, or perhaps he’d harbored these thoughts in the past, but he said, ‘I guess you are my son indeed. I shouldn’t expect anything different from a son of mine. A traitor.’ I think in that moment we understood each other more than ever before: he was a traitor to the village and a patriot of the clan; I was patriot of the village and a traitor to the clan.

“I heard Sasuke coming. I unsheathed my sword and killed them both in one motion. I called to him not to come in, but he did.”

Sasuke listened intently. He knew the general story of course, but to hear his parents’ final words, that their mother’s last thoughts and wishes were for him, it made him feel the loss again, but it didn’t shock or overwhelm him. But what he heard next did both. It wasn’t words, but sobs. Itachi’s muffled sobs were whispering at the edge of his hearing. He imaged Itachi’s head buried in Kakashi’s chest. It was hard to tell at the moment whether it was their parent’s death that was causing him pain or—

“What I had to do to Sasuke—” Itachi’s shaky voice was interrupted by more sobs. “I can never forgive myself.” Another few seconds of sobs. “I wouldn’t allow myself to think about killing him. I was supposed to kill him too. I told him not to come in because if he did, I would have to kill him. I had lied to mother. I was expected to kill everyone, even my little brother. But I made my decision within moments. I couldn’t do it. I decided everything in that moment, everything: letting him live, giving him a goal, joining Akatsuki, dying by his hand. I was supposed to stay in the village and be the hero who avenged everyone who died when the Kyuubi attacked. But I knew the truth and I couldn’t kill Sasuke. And if I let Sasuke live . . . how could I face him day after day having killed our parents? I decided to keep an eye on Madara and let Sasuke take my place in the village; he would be the hero when he killed me.

“When I left Sasuke I went straight to the Hokage and begged him to protect Sasuke, assured him Sasuke knew nothing, begged him to go along with my new plan. I even threatened him when he took too long to answer. I told him I would betray all of Konoha’s secrets to enemy villages; tell everyone how he and the elders had ordered the destruction of one of their own clans. Just let Sasuke live.

“He agreed. He swore that Konoha, not just him, would protect Sasuke and he would never learn the truth, that the Uchiha name would be honored and he’d never know any of it. But I can’t forgive myself for what I did to him. What I said to him. It felt like digging my heart out slowly with a dull kunai. However much I hurt him, I think it hurt me worse. I wanted to scoop him up and take him with me, but I knew he was too young. I think if I hadn’t said those thinks to him, used the Tsukuyomi on him, he might have followed me, even knowing I killed our parents.

“I would have killed myself that night, but I knew Sasuke would not survive it. He needed a goal. He needed to kill me, or at least think he killed me in order to unlock his own Mangekyô Sharingan. And I was the only one who had hopes of infiltrating Akatsuki. He’s alive. But I sometimes think, maybe I really did more harm than good.” Itachi was sobbing again.

However Itachi meant those words to be taken, Sasuke had his own interpretation. He made his way back to the room he now shared with Juugo. He passed his roommate distractedly. Juugo looked after him, concerned, but he let him go, knowing Sasuke wasn’t likely to speak to him and would take offence if pushed.

Sasuke didn’t meet anyone else.

Was he that much of a disappointment to his brother? Rather than sulk over it—or rather, after sulking over it—Sasuke resolved to try and change, for his brother’s sake.