It's Always Been Us All

Chapter Seventeen— Candy for a Party of 4?





Sasuke scoffed as he looked at the sleeping silhouettes of his teammates. Jiraiya had said it would be best if they camped out for the night, since they had already been traveling for hours before they had arrived, and they were tired. He hadn’t opposed. Mainly because he saw how tired Neji and Sakura looked. He figured that since they were more in number now, not to mention Jiraiya was with them, they were way better off than before.



The problem was that he couldn’t sleep though. He kept feeling his damned brother’s chakra signal... and it was way too close for comfort. The bastard was obviously following them. Not only that but the worst part of it was that his brother was good at manipulating their bond. It was as if though he were taunting him by not even trying to mask his chakra, only letting him know that he was close enough, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand. He could be days, or hell, even an hour away, and he’d still have no way of knowing unless Itachi wanted him to know.



He had half a mind to tell Jiraiya, because although he didn’t like to think of it as a dangerous situation, it definitely was if his brother brought along his shark-like friend. He didn’t want to risk putting the life of Naruto and Sakura on the line anymore than they already had been. Though he still found it awful lucky that they had gotten away with such little damage… Why had his brother allowed them to escape anyway? Why allow someone to escape only to chase after them once more? It didn’t make any sense whatsoever. In fact the idea alone was so bizarre that he was pretty sure Itachi had something up his sleeve, and no matter what it was, he would stop him because he would not allow anyone or anything to hurt his Naruto. Not when finally everything seemed to be so perfect between the three of them.



The raven looked over at Naruto and Sakura’s sleeping forms once more; he knew he wouldn’t be getting any sleep this time around. So with little thought, he crawled out from under the covers Sakura had so kindly made for him, if you call bitching about how guys can do nothing on their own, kind. He walked passed the legendary sannin who was snoring his head off and frowned when he realized that he looked a little too much like Naruto while asleep; it was freaky as hell, actually. He walked opposite of the direction where he knew Kakashi was keeping watch, though he was sure his old sensei already knew he was up. Kakashi had ways of figuring things out, way’s he had yet to discover.



He knew his feet were taking him back to the lake; the lake that now seemed to hold great importance in his life. He mildly wondered if the lake even had a name, or if other people had experienced the act of making love on its shore as well. Ugh, Sakura’s mushy shit is really starting to get the best of me… He didn’t like feeling like this though. Don’t get him wrong, he wasn’t about to run away, he wasn’t that stupid. But that didn’t change the fact that he was still feeling vulnerable as hell. What was he really expecting to get from this thing that they had going? How were they even going to go about keeping their relationship stable? He could already imagine Sakura’s mother having a heart attack at the mere prospect of her daughter having sex with two guys… two guys at the same time. What was he planning on telling her father…I love your daughter… at least I think I do, and I’d like to ask your permission to allow me and Naruto to fuck her on a regular basis. He couldn’t help but scoff at how absurd this all sounded. And it wasn’t just Sakura’s parents, it was everyone and everything… what would the whole village think of them?



He sighed as he looked up to the full moon. It was really a beautiful night, the stars and moon were painting a pretty picture across the lake, and he found that he never wanted to leave this place. And even though something in the pit of his stomach told him something very horrible was about to happen, the scene gave him a piece of calamity that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Because this is where he had for the first time felt true happiness, in Naruto’s arms, and he really wasn’t sure he could take losing his blonde once more.



“Why is it that he’s always on your mind?”



It was Dei-ja-vu… he fucking knew that voice. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.



“What’s the matter aniki… jealous?” He turned to face the cold eyes of his older brother, and flinched when he realized that his comment actually made the killing aura surrounding his brother increase.



“You have a mission you must complete,” Itachi said, taking a step towards him, red sharingan eyes stabbing daggers at him from his place, as he took a step away.



“My mission was to retrieve Naruto… the only mission I have left is to kill you,” he spat, trying to sound as sinister as he could and not wanting to let on how scared shitless he really was, how much he just wanted to crawl into Naruto’s arms once more and forget about the whole world.



Itachi actually had the audacity to smirk at that, “What’s stopping you?” He asked mockingly.



Sasuke’s eyes widened a bit and he shook his head as if though trying to deny seeing a ghost before him, “I will kill you,” he said slowly. He knew he wasn’t yet strong enough to kill his brother, he had managed to grow in power while training under Orochimaru, and he had also managed to kill the snake, but his brother’s power had also grown, which thinking about it clearly, was actually pretty scary as hell. Sasuke was no match for his anaki… he never had been, and he was beginning to doubt that he ever would be.



“Do you really believe I let you and your friends walk away unharmed out of the kindness of my heart?” Itachi spat as he stepped closer to Sasuke, taking his sweet time, letting the heat of his deadly aura invade Sasuke’s space, sending shivers down the younger Uchiha’s spine. He could still remember that tongue licking at his sensitive skin, that aura of evil so close to him almost managing to suffocate him; it wasn’t much different from now. As much as he would have killed for this much attention from his anaki when he had been younger… the thought of Itachi being able to defeat him at this specific moment in time and do anything he wanted with him simply scared the shit out of him, “Neji was not unharmed… he lost his hand! How is he supposed to fight with his techniques after that?”



Itachi actually smirked at that, “Well he’s fortunate to be breathing,” he stepped even closer, and Sasuke couldn’t help but step backwards once more.



Why was he being such a coward? He was one of Konoha’s strongest ninja for kami’s sake! Why did Itachi always have this affect on him? Why was it that while he was alone with thoughts of his brother he was always the brave one and always vowed to defeat him on their next meeting… yet every time he was face to face with the one that haunted him every night, he could do nothing more but cower in the shadow of what they had once had, hoping that his brother would show him sympathy and wouldn’t finish him off then and there.



“What do you want?” He asked sternly, determined to give his brother whatever it was that he wanted so that he could return back to Naruto and Sakura and make things better for them. So he could make Naruto believe in him whole heartily once more and to give Sakura the relationship she had always wanted— minus all the fluffiness.



“I need a spy in Konoha,” Itachi said curtly, looking him dead in the eye for once without the Sharingan glaring at him in all its power.



Sasuke actually scoffed at that, “I’m sure you have plenty.”



“I need you to retrieve a scroll for me as well. I’m sure you have easy access,” Itachi closed the final distance between them and leaned down so that his very breath blew gently on Sasuke’s lips as he spoke his next words. “It’s in the Hokage’s personal collection, do not disappoint me again otouto.”



“Why should I do this for you… anaki?” He tried to push his brother away, but Itachi’s chest pressed hard against his own and he had no choice but to clutch at his brother’s arms as the elder took the chance and forced a harsh kiss on him.



“Prove yourself to me and I’ll give you the thing you most desire,” Itachi said as he broke the kiss. “Prove that you’re worth more than the dirt I walk on.” Itachi shoved him away, and Sasuke gasped in surprise as he landed on his ass. “I’ll send an envoy to contact you when the time is right. You cannot escape from this otouto. You can never escape from me.”



“I hate you,” Sasuke spat with venom… he didn’t want this! He didn’t want to betray Konoha again.



“Not nearly enough,” Itachi said, shoving Sasuke down to the ground, and within a blink of an eye, he was gone, and Sasuke was left panting on his own.



What the hell was he going to do? Things had barely started to look up between Naruto, Sakura, and him. Tsunade had only now slowly begun to trust him; the village had welcomed him back after his first betrayal. What would Naruto and Sakura think if he did what his brother asked? Would they leave him? Would he be killed for treason? But most importantly, would he do as his brother asked?



Itachi could be deadly when things didn’t go his way. When it came right down to it, his brother was a spoiled brat that always, no matter what, got what he wanted. But why did he need him to do it? There were plenty of other people in Konoha more than capable of completing the task… but yet his brother wanted him. Could it be just another way of controlling him? He was almost positive that it was. Sasuke was only now starting to become accustomed to not having his brother on his mind at all times, was this be Itachi’s way of rectifying that? Was this his way of telling him that no matter what happened, no matter what he accomplished in life, he would be nothing until he got revenge on the bastard that ruined his entire being? He had to kill Itachi?



He stood alone once again by a beautiful lake, adorned with the reflection of the moon, distant snoring coming from somewhere within the woods. Somehow it looked even more beautiful than the night before, when Sakura had forced him to confess anything and everything that had been hanging on the edge of his heart. When all three of them had stayed up all night talking about what the future might have in store for them. They had fallen asleep together, Sakura secure between himself and Naruto… and it felt so damned right. Yet at the same time he felt almost as though he was somehow again betraying the people he most cared for in this world, because once again he was fooling them.

He’d never be who they wanted, needed, or even expected him to be. He hadn't done anything good to deserve such devotion from either Naruto or Sakura. Yet no matter what he put them through, they were always so damned willing to forgive him with opened arms. Always taking him back, always washing away his sins, leaving him more vulnerable each and every time he felt their love for him. It was sickening, and yet… he was addicted.

Or was it love?





AN: I know its been forever... im sorry guys, life happened, got married! Been married two months! xD Plz review, if anything im updating for the once fans that I had many many years ago LOL if you guys still exist! xD Lubb lots!