Yoru No Koishii

Hey, miss me? Sorry about the long wait, but I went back to school last September and was dealing with the troubles of a last minute move and school after that. Then my laptop got a virus and had to be reimaged, so I lost everything stored on it.

But anyway, here’s the next chapter, with a little bit of a surprise in it.

Enjoy.

******

Something’s going to happen. I can tell it. Maybe it’s another Uchiha trait nobody knows about, or maybe it’s just that my ninja instincts have become so honed. But I can tell. The air is alive with tension, and the carriers, well, except for the fox, have certainly noticed it. But there was a reason I keep him away from the others.

So I know what you’re asking. Why did I kill my family? Well, first off, I didn’t kill them. Well, I did, but it’s complicated, and you probably won’t believe me, but I’ll tell you anyway. Our leader has a jutsu, one he’s very careful about hiding. For all I know, it might even be a bloodline limit. It controls the victim, to an extent, amplifying emotions and feelings, and making them more susceptible to his commands.

He just happened to decide to use the ability on me.

It was foolish overconfidence that got me into his trap in the first place, and by the time I managed to snap out of it, I was standing in a street with blood on my hands, Otouto sobbing at my feet.

It could have been that that broke the spell. Despite what he thinks, and what I’ve led him to believe, I love Sasuke dearly. The time I’ve invested into making him hate me has all been purposeful. If he has something to focus on, he can grow stronger, and perhaps, someday, he will kill me. It will not displease me any, really.

“Uchiha.” I turn to look at Deidara silently, my expression as bland as ever. I’d kill the whole bunch of them if I thought I could get away with it. But no. If I’m ever far from the Leader, then Kisame’s with me, and that damned sword of his. He knows what’s going on, I’m sure of it. The same reason he was sent with Sasuke when he went to get Naru-chan, and after. Leader’s smart, I’ll give him that. Never trust an Uchiha out for your blood.

“Don’t forget that meeting later, yeah.”

“Hn.” I turn away, uninterested. Naru-chan is waiting for me, and I’ve decided to turn him loose in the garden with the rest of the carriers today. Whatever’s going to happen will be today, I’m sure of it. And Sasuke is going to be right in the middle of it, no doubt. Along with his suddenly tame tanuki.

And isn’t that a laugh. We were deliberately set up with the demons who were considered most likely to try to kill us. I would have been sure there would have been at least one attempt by the redhead to attack my brother, but so far, nothing. And now the restraints have been removed, even. I wonder what the others would think if they knew that every time Otouto walked down the hall with the redhead following grumpily, that they were in danger of being crushed in sand. Quite amusing.

I head into my room, only glancing to make sure Naru-chan’s where I left him, before continuing into the bathroom. I’ve been exercising, and I have no desire to sit through a boring meeting itching with dried sweat. The snake on my little pet is a nuisance, but I don’t pay much attention to it.

Ah yes, that. Leader likes to play with me sometimes, just to remind me of what power he holds. That, as well, happened to be one such time. I will admit that Naru-chan is quite, as my Otouto would say, fuckable, but I wouldn’t have gone about trying to seduce him so… roughly… on my own.

I told you you wouldn’t believe me. I don’t believe myself, sometimes.

It doesn’t take me long to come back out again, feeling much better now, and I order the fox in to get cleaned up as well. Hmm… maybe I should cut his hair, too. It looks nice long, but at the moment it’s obvious it hasn’t been well-taken care of.

While he’s in the shower I lay out the yukata that the Leader had made for him. I’m not quite sure why he made it in the style it is, but I suppose it looks nice enough. Might make fighting a little hard, with the way he usually bounces all over the place, but I’m sure he’ll manage. All those training sessions had to have helped somewhat.

******

It’s not long before I’m leading him out to the garden door. He’s thoroughly confused, I know. It’s impossible for him to hide any of his emotions, seemingly, but where I was taught that emotion hampers a ninja, he seems to thrive on it. Odd, really.

“Go play.” I tell him, and turn away, making sure the door shuts properly behind me. I’m sure Sasuke has planned a way to set them loose, so closing the door, really, is fruitless, but it’s best to keep up appearances.

Speaking of my brother… I pause as Sasuke comes down the hall, giving me his usual glare. The tanuki just ignores me, which is fine by me, but I can feel his chakra as they pass. I’d be very surprised if he didn’t have at least some sand hidden between that robe. I’m pretty sure that if the building wasn’t protected against such things, he’d have torn the cement down and into sand by now.

A moment later Sasuke passes me again, heading in the direction of the meeting room, and I fall into step beside him, earning myself a slight grunt. Predictable.

“I see you and your demon are getting along rather well, Otouto.” I say smoothly, and he scowls darkly.

“His name is Gaara.”

“I know. He was the kazekage, was he not?” Of course, I knew he was. Unlike some of the Akatsuki members, I prefer to stay abreast of current events as much as possible. Who knows when it will come in handy?

I can practically see the fury pouring off of him, but, for once, I don’t bother goading him at all. Whatever happens today, making him angrier probably won’t help, and might even hinder whatever he’s got planned.

We meet Deidara at the corner, and he falls into step beside us, yapping as he usually does. I don’t pay much attention, really, only listening to see if he has anything remotely interesting. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t.

He wonders aloud, as we step into the room, what this meeting’s about, and I have to agree with him. Though, there are only five of us left, so it could be about recruiting new members. That would be the reasonable assumption. But a good ninja never assumes. And whatever else I may be, I am a good ninja.

I glance around, frowning slightly. We seem to be the last to arrive. Well, except for Leader, but he’s always last to arrive, for some reason. Still… something doesn’t seem right today. The others can sense it as well. Deidara’s unusually quiet and Kisame looks a little nervous. Sasuke, too, is tensed up. Actually, the only one who seems to be relaxed is Satori, but it’s impossible to tell with him, most of the time.

We wait silently for a while, and I’m beginning to wonder where Leader is. I exchange glances with Sasuke, knowing that he’s wondering the same thing. We both come to the same conclusion. A trap. At the same time we move toward the door, testing it and finding it locked. Unsurprising.

I notice he’s activated his sharingan, and I look about as well. I don’t see anything, but the sharingan can only see chakra, not through things as the byukugan can. I wouldn’t mind having a Hyuuga here at the moment, really.

I look toward the other two, to find them looking at me calmly. Or us, maybe. Hmm… it’s interesting how much Sasuke and I seem to think alike. Had things turned out different, maybe we would have been unstoppable together.

But, they didn’t. And someday, he’ll kill me.

It should upset me, I suppose, and, partly, it does. There’s so much I won’t see, so much I’ve missed already. I know he has children, though he doesn’t know I know. I suppose he must feel much the same way, when he considers it. But I know it’s for the best. Better a quick death at his hands than the slow one I would risk at the hands of hunter-nin, or Konaha’s interrogators.

There’s a sound, and I tilt my head slightly to catch it, realising only too late what it is. Sasuke seems to realise as well, if the curse that comes off his lips is any indication, and we both move to the door again. It’s chakra enforced. Why didn’t I notice that before?

It doesn’t matter. There’s a huge whoosh and the room suddenly seems to be completely on fire. Sasuke’s making seals of some type and I find myself wondering just what techniques he’s learned over the years.

Then the sounds of the explosion drown everything else out, and I’m flying backwards, unable to protect myself, landing hard, the world going black.

******

Well, I’m proud of myself. I figured out a way to make Itachi not totally evil. Well, maybe. It’s a bit iffy, really, but it will have to do for now.
I don’t know what prompted me to write one in Itachi’s view, though I might do Gaara too, actually. It just kinda occurred. I watched the third movie last night, so that might have done it. But that still doesn’t explain Itachi… *Shrugs.* Oh well.