Ode to an Avenger

Ode to an Avenger

Part 03: Offer

"Speaking"
/Thoughts/
-Emphasis-
------ scene change

No, I have not learned the mastery of italics and bolding yet.

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Neji wiped the dots of blood from his face, disgusted by how they clung to the back of his hand as though begging for entrance, back into a living body, to be surrounded by that of their own kind, more of that thick liquid. Disgusted by how common this blood was, and disgusted that the body it came from dared to splatter his face. He was a Hyuuga, born and bred, and even though he was part of the branch house he’d learned from early on that they were the purest of the pure.

Turning his back on the corpse Neji saw Shikamaru tugging a kunai from the breast of another man. A quick look showed that he had not suffered any major injuries, and a peer with the Byakugan revealed the settling chakra that remained after their fight. More than Neji had expected. Good. With the missing nins dead, they could return to Konoha.

/To Sasuke./ Neji told himself with a small smile. There was always something gratifying about going home to someone that cared about his well-being, both physical and mental. It was a comfort that Neji allowed himself to have, after outright denying many others. True, Neji did not feel as comfortable living with Sasuke in the Uchiha compound than he would have liked, but he’d seen how attached Sasuke was to the house, and the memories. Neji had thought that staying there would be a truly bad idea. He told Sasuke that, who had merely pointed out he’d lived there all his life, and planned on continuing to do so. Neji silently disagreed with the idea, but kept his thoughts to himself and his wariness for Sasuke’s mental well-being carefully hidden.


“Ready to go back?” Shikamaru asked without standing from where he was wiping the bloodied kunai on the damp grass. His gaze shifted to the sky and saw the beginning of dawn edging its’ way over the horizon. He sighed, because the dawn reminded him he should be sleeping and not worrying about death and blood stains. He stood and turned to Neji, who was already ready to go with his pack slung over a shoulder and a twitch in his right eye, which told Shikamaru all he needed to know.

Grabbing his already prepared pack he slipped it on and nodded to Neji; as one they leaped up and into the dense trees, nimbly leaping through the foliage, stepping over jutting branches. They stayed silent as they made their way back to Konoha, with Neji speeding up until he is almost a blur, and beside him Shikamaru chuckled lowly.

“Honestly Hyuuga, your sexual tension is eating the air.” Neji glared darkly at him, but declined comment. After knowing him for so long, Shikamaru knew how to read his glares and when to fear for his life, and this was not one of those times. He simply offered a grin then turned his attention to the thinning forest. Breaking out and travelling at a more sedate pace now that they were in sight of their village, the ground was no longer a blur of brown and green.

At the flash of red Neji stopped, and stared at the blood that was stained into the packed dirt, a shaky circle before trailing off into a line that broke up every now and then, but remained steady to the village walls. Shikamaru wondered why Neji was glaring at the trail, his apparent anger mixed with a touch of concern. Dust particles kicked at his ankles, and Shikamaru found himself alone. He blinked the grit from his eyes and headed to the Hokage’s Tower, to report on the success of their mission.

Slightly surprised to find Neji there, he said nothing as he sidled in through the half-open door and waited. Neji and Tsunade were already having a conversation that didn’t seem to be boding well for the Hyuuga. Shikamaru figures that he shouldn’t have been surprised to see his teammate there; if nothing else Neji always followed procedure as precisely as he could, so if procedure required talking to the Hokage regardless of the trail of blood, Neji would do so.


“...about three hours ago. Kakashi is with him now,” she finished telling Neji. She looked from him to Shikamaru and beckoned him in, sitting behind her desk. There was a large scroll unrolled, the corners curling slightly as the dampness of the morning entered the room. Beside her stood Shizune, and he noted that both women looked dead on their feet. He figured whatever the scroll contained must be important to them.

Shikamaru stood beside Neji, bowing his head respectfully and intoning a “Hokage-sama” before meeting her eyes. Beside him he could sense how tense Neji seemed, and he glanced at him before turning his attention to the Hokage. She sighed and rubbed at her eyes, looking the epitome of exhaustion.


“Nara, would you mind filling me in as to the details about your mission? It seems Hyuuga has a severely limited mental capacity when his house mate is involved.”

/Sexual tension,/ Shikamaru told himself, and sighed at the distant look in Neji’s eyes. Not that it was easy to see, what with the issue of no pupils, but after working side by side for over one year, he’d learned to pick up on the subtle changes. /The worst thing she could have done was mention Uchiha’s name in any way, shape, or form./


“Yes, Hokage-sama. We successfully eliminated the missing nins which we located on the outskirts of Wave country, about two miles out. It was a standard mission.” Shikamaru concluded with a shrug, noticing that Neji said nothing, and instead stood rigid and stiff, as if he couldn’t wait to leave the office. Tsunade saw this also, and she sighed and waved Neji away.


“Obviously you won’t believe me until you see him. Go. And Neji”, she added even as he turned away, “hand in your missions report with Kakashi. Tell him he needs to be here at noon. And I -mean noon-. Give this to him, would you?”


Ahh yes, Kakashi with his chronic lateness. Neji nodded once and caught a small black oval that she’d tossed to him, and was out the door before she could blink.

“I’ll have your report later then,” Tsunade told Shikamaru. He began to nod but a huge yawn deterred his action, and he quickly covered his mouth and fought to keep his eyes open. The Hokage shook her head at him in slight amusement.

“Unfortunately for you, I have one request before you turn in for the rest of the night. If you would be so kind as to deliver these,” here Shizune came forward and handed small black talisman to Shikamaru, like the one given to Neji,“to Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, Anko, uhh...oh, just take this list and give one to everyone on it, hmm? Except Kakashi, Neji has one for him.”


Shikamaru cried in his head as he took the extensive list in the hand that wasn’t juggling the talisman and he prepared himself for a boring task. He was not up for this, but one look at the threat hidden behind the Hokage’s smile told him he better just shut up and get it over with.

/Geez,/ he thought to himself as he left with the list that contained every Jounin, some Chuunin and the ANBU teams names. /These sennin can be really intimidating when they want to be./

------


Neji tried to go home at a pace that did not seem rushed or worried. After about five seconds he thought /to hell with this/ and arrived at the Uchiha compound in a matter of eight point seven seconds. Record time, considering he was a bit tired from his mission. Coming to the front gates he saw, on his left, dried blood that had dripped down from the top of the wall and looked like a stroke of red paint made with a clumsy hand and large paint brush.

He fought down the panic that threatened to rise and overcome him by sternly reminding himself that the Hokage had said Sasuke would be fine, not to mention Kakashi was with him. Making his way through the empty neighbourhood that he never really felt comfortable in, Neji went over what Tsunade had told him. Wondered who had managed to wound Sasuke so badly, because ever since his return from Orochimaru, not many shinobi of any rank could lay a finger on him. This was what worried Neji.


/Maybe he ran into Orochimaru or a Sound nin,/ Neji considered the possibility. /Who else is there that I can think of?/

Even as he thought, the answer came to him : Itachi. Neji didn’t like this thought because it entailed many things, one of which was Sasuke was sure to fly off the handle at the mention of his brother. Itachi was a taboo subject where Sasuke was concerned; and probably the only thing that made Neji sometimes doubt his sanity. His brother was the reason he’d left Konoha four years ago, and he was the reason that Sasuke was so power-hungry, and he was the reason Sasuke went, put simply, insane when he was even hinted at. Not to mention that he was the reason Sasuke had such a poor excuse for a childhood and early teen years.

Then again, Itachi was the reason Sasuke and Neji came together. Who knew that the two of them were so similar and yet so contrasting that it was just obvious they were meant for each other? Who could have guessed that both of them were attracted by the bits of themselves they saw in each other, and yet the main pull was the little variations in their life? Itachi to Sasuke was the forehead mark to Neji. Both represented something that would control their lives, something that neither of them could get rid of.

Neji was relieved to see the main house rise up before him, its’ angled and raised roof peaks calling attention to it. He walked past the small garden inlaid with large flat stones on his way up the three stairs to the heavy wood front door. Open the door, step in, turn and close it while slipping off his sandals. He breathed in the scent, the one that was just so uniquely home that he always smiled at it, a smell of laundry detergent and beef and oak and apples.


Sasuke smelled like that too, Neji told himself as he laid his pack near the front door. When they were away from home for days and weeks at a time, he would catch a whiff of Sasuke, warm beside him, and be pleasantly reminded of their home, their living room, their kitchen, washroom, bedroom.

/Speaking of.../Neji began down the hallway to their bedroom, walking past the many doors and open rooms lining the hall on either side of him, wanting to see Sasuke now, to see for himself that he was indeed all right. Of course he trusted the Hokage’s word, but there had been an unsettled feeling in his stomach all the way here, ever since he saw the blood and known whose it was.

He would’ve walked straight past the kitchen if he hadn’t felt the low flare of chakra on his right. Instead he turned in there and saw Sasuke sitting at the small round table, an empty water bottle in front of him, and a tired-looking Jounin across from him. Kakashi glanced up when Neji entered but said nothing, choosing to nod once then stand. Sasuke stayed where he was, digging a blunt thumbnail into the grains swirling through the wooden table.

Kakashi moved past him then, and Neji remembered what Tsunade had told him. He took the smooth oval from his pocket and pressed it into Kakashi’s hand as he passed. Kakashi blinked and glanced down at it, and Neji saw his eye narrow before asking what time.


“Noon,” Neji told him, and he nodded again, and with a light wave went down the hall, the front door clicking open and closed softly. Neji moved into the kitchen, washing his dirtied hands in the sink and drying them with a paper towel. Sat down by the silent Sasuke, who was still intent on tracing his nail deeper into the table, and not paying any attention to Neji, or so he thought.


Five minutes of silence before Sasuke spoke up, as the sun began to shine through the window and into the chrome sink, creating a blinding glare that reflected off various shiny surfaces around the room.

“How did it go?” Mission talk, a safe topic that revealed nothing too personal or serious, required no emotional involvement in any way, therefore a relatively calm and uncaring one. Neji recognized this deflection tactic but said nothing about it.

“Fine. Only two missing nins, didn’t stand a chance. Shikamaru’s improved a lot over the weeks.” They had been easy kills, and the bloodline limit that was supposedly present in both hadn’t made an appearance. He wondered vaguely why the Hokage thought it imperative to send two Jounin-level shinobi to do the job. He figured she had her reasons and left it at that. He saw the bandages wrapped around Sasuke’s midriff, from hip to just under his arms, and couldn’t help the worried frown. That was a rather nasty cut. Or whatever had split him open like that.

“Neji...you killed them, right?”

Neji nodded slowly, averting his eyes from the wound and instead looking up at Sasuke, who remained staring intently at the table. He didn’t have to wait long before Sasuke spoke again.


“Did you...hate them?” Distant stare into the tabletop told Neji nothing of what Sasuke might be thinking, or hoping to gain by asking these questions.


“Did I...hate them?” he repeated. He’d heard Sasuke the first time, but...this was not a question he had been expecting. And, in all truth and honesty, he didn’t think he could answer.


“Yes...did you want to see them dead? Were you sick just by looking at them?” Before Neji could answer Sasuke had turned to face him. “Is that what we need? To kill, does it help if we hate? Because then, it might be easier. But, on missions, we just kill the people we were told to, but we’ve never seen them before, so how can we hate them?”

He blew out an angry breath, contemplative frown on his face as he faced the table once again. “I don’t think, even as shinobi, we can just hate for no reason, right? Because you can’t hate someone you’ve never heard of, can you. Maybe if you had a previous relationship with them you could, because you’d know what kind of person they were. So you could hate them for their flaws. But,” here Sasuke brought his thumb to his mouth and chewed it, “maybe if you loved someone, your feelings could turn to hate. That happens right? Love becomes hate?”

Neji barely had time to answer “Sometimes, yes,” before Sasuke was plowing ahead with his train of thought.

“Well...what happens when your hate that used to be love becomes love again? And you hate it, because you know it’s wrong, just really wrong, but you can’t help it and then the hate that was love and is love again sickens you. And it stops you, holds you back...” Sasuke sighed and looked down, allowing his hair to fall forward and shield his eyes. “It’s true then, I guess. Love does make you weak.”

“No it doesn’t.” Neji was quick to answer. He didn’t like what Sasuke was saying, afraid of where it might lead. “Love can make you strong, it can make you realize things you never knew before. Like how to be happy with nothing but one person in the world with you. It makes your heart strong–“

“Only so it can pump your blood out faster once it’s been torn up and brought down by -love-,” Sasuke spat, his tone venomous and laced with disdain around that last word. He abruptly shoved his chair back and stood before Neji could answer. “Love does make you weak, because it holds you back and prevents you from doing things, things that are important and need to be done but you can’t do them, because your ‘strong heart’ is too busy bleeding all over the place and it won’t let you do a thing! So then when the perfect opportunity comes up, you just completely fuck it up because you’re too busy remembering with your stupid heart about the love that was hate that was love and then you’re royally screwed and your whole life is just wasted. A complete and utter waste. So...love makes you weak.”

They both sat and stood in silence following Sasuke’s rant that seemed to leave him slightly short of breath, angry, short pants breaking through the quiet of the room. Then:

“Do I make you weak, Sasuke?”

The soft inquiry seemed to echo around the room, seeping in through the floorboards to be held forevermore and always heard, even when forgotten. And Sasuke stared at Neji, who was watching in silence, waiting for his answer, with a controlled nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach, even as he stared Sasuke down, for he had stood up during Sasuke’s rant and now stood at his full height, just a little taller than the Uchiha.


Sasuke was looking down again, but he pressed his tongue against his incisor, his ‘fang tooth’, until it stung and he felt the skin rip, and even as he stood there with blood on his tongue and filling up the crevices on his teeth like a pool being filled with water, he felt stupid and angry and embarrassed and like such an idiot. Because of what he’d said to Neji, without really meaning it, because he hadn’t meant it about -him-, he had been talking about Itachi. Except now, he hated Neji, for one brief moment, for making him feel this way, so undecided and vulnerable and confused.

He asked himself then, /could I kill Neji right now?/ Looking back up to Neji, and seeing the same person he had fallen in love with, so tall and sure and steady, calm like the sea. Which, Sasuke thought, was an oxymoron. Because the sea is not calm; rather it is unpredictable and rough and always moving and in action, but there are times when it can be as peaceful as a leaf floating to the ground, and those moments are rare and short, but are truly the most desired out of all the tempers of the sea. Yes, Neji was calm like the sea.


/If anyone has to make me weak, I’m glad it’s him./ So Sasuke thought, and because he didn’t know how else to cover up his immaturity and feeling of stupidity he shook his head and moved forward, wrapping his arms around Neji’s waist and tightening his hold, as all of a sudden he was just so relieved to be where he felt most comfortable, so...at home in his home. He liked the irony of it and smiled into Neji’s shoulder.

Sasuke sighed as he felt a warm hand trail down his spine, relaxing his tense muscles almost completely. They stood for another moment like that, quietly drinking in each other’s presence after their separation. Neji kept his touch gentle as he dragged his fingers over the rough bandages that he decided really didn’t belong there. The beige clashed terribly with the milky white skin. They broke apart, and Sasuke tentatively poked at his bandages, and winced as they stung.

“I need a shower,” he told Neji as he left the kitchen and padded down the hall. Neji stood for a moment, thinking about everything and nothing. Then he allowed a smile to creep over his face.


“Me too.”

------


Shikamaru turned and leapt from the doorway of Asuma’s house onto the neighbouring roof. - Finally- he was done. After he’d delivered the small black talisman around as Hokage-sama had asked him to, he decided that he would go home, shower, and sleep for possibly the next two days. Why the hell was he so tired? Just the thought of walking all the way back to his house...he squinted across the street to his place of residence.


/What a long trek.../he thought sadly. He sighed and was about to begin his arduous journey when he felt the slight weight in the pocket of his Jounin vest. Took out one last black oval and narrowed his eyes at it, scolding it for not being able to deliver itself. Shikamaru hefted a huge sigh and dug the list that had seemed never-ending out and peered at the last name.


Nara Shikamaru


He now decided that the Fates hated him, and were laughing at his misfortune. Not only did he have to write up his mission report, but he also had to shower and take care of the long yet shallow cut on his thigh. All this after he’d spent over an hour tracking down the Chuunin, Jounin, and ANBU teams that had all, in some way or other, been convinced he was an enemy and had eluded him to the best of their abilities. Holy crap he was tired. And now he had to report to the Hokage’s office by noon for a meeting, if the neatly written inscription of ‘Hokage’s Tower, Noon’ on the surface of the talisman in silver was any indication.


Shikamaru sighed again, and stepped off the roof, narrowly avoiding a stray chicken in his path before staggering to his apartment. Stopped at the bottom of the staircase that led up to his front door, and sighed yet again. Why had it taken him so long to notice this flight of stairs was horrendously huge? He wondered briefly if the Hokage would be mad at him for collapsing on his way up and missing the meeting.


He decided that she had no mercy, and resigned himself to the task of putting one foot on front of the other. This would be a long waste of his life.


------


Naruto met up with Sakura as he made his way to the Hokage’s office. He’d been surprised to receive one of the summons, as he knew they were only handed out to those that had a serious matter to discuss with the Hokage, or if she had some mission that was insanely difficult.

Naruto, being the naive fool that he was, had gloated to Sakura that he had been chosen for one such mission, the pride he felt only outdone by the excitement at what the details of the mission would entail. His tirade had gone on for quite some time before Sakura had told him to shut up, because she and just about every other shinobi (excluding the genin) in Konoha had received one. This had deterred him only for a moment, brain working furiously fast to come up with a logical solution.


He’d grasped onto the fact that his talisman was shinier than hers, and if he tilted it to the left and held it at a certain angle perpendicular to Sakura’s, it also looked bigger. Naruto had decided that this meant that he was probably going to be chosen to lead all of Konoha on a super dangerous mission.

He quickly shut up when he saw Kakashi heading their way, as well as Ino, Kiba, Asuma, Anko, and just about every other ninja that outranked him, if not in status, then in strategical thinking.


So it was a more sedate Naruto that walked with Sakura and other shinobi en masse to the Tower. As he walked he looked through the crowd for either one of his two favourite black haired pale kids that he’d grown so accustomed to seeing together, and was mildly surprised that he could not find Neji or Sasuke.


“Ehhh, Sakura-chan? Where do you think ‘joined at the hip’ are?” Sakura gave him a disapproving look that clearly told him she did not have any idea who he was talking about.


“All right, all right. Where do you think Sasuke and Neji are?” He edited his question for her benefit even as he craned his neck to glance over the massive form that was Shino, who had, rather unexpectedly, had a growth spurt that left him towering over the rest of the citizens of Konoha.


Sakura shrugged as she glanced around as well. “I don’t know Naruto. I think they both had missions a few days ago ,though, so maybe they aren’t back yet. Or they’re just resting up after their missions.” /Or maybe they’re too busy getting re-acquainted after the time they spent away from each other.../


She quickly snapped out of her dream-worthy reverie when they came upon the Hokage’s tower. She had been spending too much time with boys lately, she decided as she fought to keep down a blush as she made her way up the stairs. She would need to grab Hinata, Ino and TenTen for a girl’s night, if only to escape the lewd species that was -male-.


Then they were all filing into Tsunade’s office, low murmurs accompanied by occasional puffs of smoke as some ANBU decided to teleport in, instead of fighting their way through the crowd at the door. Inside, Shizune stood next to the large wood desk that Tsunade stood in front of, leaning back slightly as she waited for her (note the proudness of her possession) ninja to settle in. Then she grew impatient with waiting, so with a blast of air that reminded everyone very much like an angry bull challenging a hapless matador to battle, they all fell into respectful silence.

Tsunade waited until Asuma seated himself before addressing the gathered Konoha shinobi.


“As you all know by now, Orochimaru has been planning on revenge on Konoha on account of the fact he lost his vessel to us. It seems as though he’s gotten a new vessel that will tide him over for the next two years, but we can assume he still wants the Sharingan. We have recovered a scroll that appears to be what you could call a back-up plan if his Body Switch technique failed, which it did.


“It seems as though he is beginning to move into action. We’ve had reports that he had moved from Sound with a little entourage, including Kabuto and about four others that remain unidentified.” She moved to the side of her desk and allowed them a clear look at the scroll unrolled there.

On it in black ink was drawn the seals that both Sasuke and Anko bore. Beside it was neat writing that dictated what Tsunade spoke about.


“Orochimaru has a jutsu that is specifically made for activation of these seals. Keep in mind this is just a copy of the real ones. On his person (though he’s not much of a person) at all times he carries two scrolls, and each holds the seal much like this one, though it is drawn in the blood of the one who has the seal. In this case, it is the Uchiha’s and Anko’s,”she nodded toward the woman who stood near the back of the room.


“When he so chooses, he can cause these seals to react, and in doing so more or less controls the actions of the one he has marked. This is his ‘Curse Summoning Jutsu’. From what I’ve gathered, he can’t do this from a great distance, say Konoha and Sound. Last we heard, he had left Sound yesterday, placing him outside the borders of Fire as of this morning, if he were to take the direct route. If that’s the case, he will reach Konoha in a matter of days if this is his destination.


“The Curse Summoning Jutsu is just that; Orochimaru can summon the chakra infused by his curse seal and force it to become active. What control either Anko or Uchiha have over their seals now will be rendered useless, because on the scrolls he has, their blood is on them and cannot be reversed simply, if at all.


“For now, all I can suggest is the daring tactic of ‘wait and see’, if he does choose to use this jutsu. The only ones who can tell us that are Anko and Uchiha.”


Anko found herself the center of attention as the Hokage finished. She shrugged and fought the urge to rub at the curse seal which was pulsating lightly, wondering why Uchiha wasn’t here to share the burning looks.


“It hasn’t been ‘active’ or anything, if that’s what you mean,” she offered. “Just...little twinges every now and then.”


“Are there any specific times it reacts, Anko?” Tsunade wanted to know, watching the uncomfortable Jounin that was the focus of the shinobi’s looks. Anko shrugged her unmarked shoulder again.


“Not really, Hokage-sama. If I’ve been training a lot and using my chakra extensively, or any jutsu that Orochimaru showed me, then it burns a bit. Nothing serious, though,” she added as an afterthought. Tsunade nodded once, then scanned the group for...

“Kakashi. What about Uchiha?” Kakashi glanced over from where he’d been staring at Gai’s bowl cut. He really did need some tips on hair care...


“Has he, to the best of your knowledge, been experiencing any of these ‘symptoms’ as described by Anko?” She elaborated for him. He scratched at the back of his neck as he thought.


“Well, I can’t really tell with him, Hokage-sama,” he admitted sheepishly. “I don’t think so, as he hasn’t really changed in any major ways since he’s been back, but he underwent a major attitude adjustment in those years, so...”


Seeing her frustrated frown he added,” It’s not like he would say anything if that did happen. Sasuke’s not exactly what you’d call ‘social’”. Pause. “I don’t think that even a direct order from you would yield results, Hokage-sama. No disrespect intended.” Bright smile. Oh right, the face mask...happy eye arc.

-Slam.- Hands down on the desk, careful to avoid the scroll.


“Well he’s going to have to learn to share, that little brat, because this whole damn situation doesn’t affect him alone,” Tsunade spat, her rising temper finally getting the better of her. “I don’t know what the hell Orochimaru is planning; I don’t understand him and I don’t pretend to. All I know is that he is a very real threat to us right now, and we need to figure out what he is planning as soon as we can.”


“Hmmm...Tsunade-sama?” Oh good, Naruto had remembered his manners for once, although she wouldn’t kid herself and knew that it was only for the benefit of the others that were present. “Sasuke wouldn’t exactly be open about his curse seal, but I do know that with something this serious, he wouldn’t stay quiet about it either. It’s just a matter of asking the right person what he thinks.”


“And I assume you mean yourself to be the right person?” Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow. Naruto shook his head vehemently.

“No chance. The only time he talks to me is to insult me after I’ve so graciously kicked his ass. I meant Hyuuga Neji. They are living together and are...err...close. Ahem.”


“Ah, of course. In that case...where is he?” She looked around the room again but could not find Neji. Kakashi raised his hand slightly to draw her attention.

“Hokage-sama? He’s with Sasuke at their house. He just got back from his mission a little after dawn, so he’s probably there still. If you want, I could bring him here...?”

Tsunade recalled her early morning conversation with Neji, and his reason for wanting to go home so quickly. She shook her head, deciding that he’d be better off staying with Sasuke for now. “No, don’t worry about it Kakashi. He’ll stay with Sasuke until he’s sufficiently healed.”

Naruto and Sakura exchanged a look. Sasuke hurt? And badly enough that the Hokage was giving permission to both he and Neji to miss this meeting. They both reached a decision at the same time.


“Hokage-sama? If you’d like, Naruto and I can go over to see Sasuke and Neji later and tell them about what you’ve told us today,” Sakura offered.


“All right, thank you Sakura,” Tsunade nodded once. Then she sighed and faced the room at large.


“Now, Shizune and I may have found a way to ‘de-activate’, if you will, the scrolls that Orochimaru plans on using. Like I said, he has the blood copies, but we have the blood we need in reserves. Meaning Anko and Sasuke. I believe we can do a temporary jutsu that will render his scrolls useless. What I need is blood, enough to draw these seals,” she waved at the scroll in front of her, “from both Sasuke and Anko. I figure if we do this, we’ll be able to hold the curse seals at bay long enough for Orochimaru to try some desperate ploy that will screw him over.

“In the meantime, I must ask you, Anko, to please refrain from using any jutsu Orochimaru taught you, and practice all the control you have over the curse seal until we try this plan. Naruto and Sakura, you tell the same to Uchiha, all right? And I need both Anko and him to understand that they are not to be left alone. This means both of you will be put off missions until further notice. Like I said, I don’t know when Orochimaru plans to use his Curse Summoning but it can’t happen when you two are alone. I don’t know how badly it could affect either of you.

“So, I need Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi to kindly make sure that Uchiha is not left alone until we have tried out our plan. Anko, I trust you’ll find an appropriate person to accompany you until we do this. I know Uchiha is a prideful bastard so don’t let on that the three of you are more or less guarding him. I’m sending out some ANBU teams to determine the location of Orochimaru and keep us up to date; you know who you are. All right, then.” Tsunade finished and began to roll up the scroll. Glanced up and saw she was still being regarded in silence.


“What are you waiting for? Get the hell out!” Her words worked like a charm as the shinobi alternately teleported out or leapt from the windows, or just plain ran out the door. “Anko! Just a minute please. And you,” she told the former Team 7.


“Tomorrow I’ll need you back here, Anko. We’ll take some blood and try to work this jutsu. You three, make sure Uchiha has taken the medication he has to replenish his blood. I don’t want him passing out in the middle of the procedure. And it is imperative neither of you use your chakra foolishly, and do not, by any means, play around with anything -he- taught you.” Affirmative nods all around, and the Hokage waved them away.

Tsunade sighed as she sat down in her chair. Closing her eyes she rubbed vigorously at her eyelids. Her old teammate was proving to be much more trouble than he was worth, she decided.

------


Sasuke pulled his long-sleeved black shirt over his head, carefully arranging it over his fresh bandages. He shook his head in an effort to get rid of the clinging water drops on his hair. That had been exactly what he needed, a nice, relaxing shower with Neji. It always seemed to lift his spirits...among other things.

He and Neji had given up on sleep and decided instead to do some light training. It had been too long for both their tastes since the Sharingan went head to head with the Byakugan. Now Sasuke left their bedroom and sat in the front room, waiting for Neji who was most likely spending his insane amount of time fixing his hair after their shower. Who could have guessed Hyuuga Neji was as vain as he was? Probably another reason they went so well together.


Sasuke sighed as he leant back and rested his head on the back of the couch, ignoring the dampness that spread from his wet hair. He recognized the three chakra signatures that were speeding towards his house, and he felt nervous and anxious and truly angry all at once. He did not want to have to deal with his old team right now, especially not when he had just failed to do what they had to listen to for so long, when way back when he had solemnly stated he would kill ‘that man’.

He sat up and watched Neji come into the room, their usual sparring weapons ready at his side, and he quickly judged the distance between his house and the training grounds, and tried to figure out if they could make it there before his team arrived. If they were to teleport they could, because he knew he was in no condition to make a mad dash at the moment.


Sasuke stood and said to Neji, “Let’s go,” but before he could begin the seals needed Neji caught his wrist and told him what he already knew, that Team 7 was making their way over and they should wait for them. Sasuke sighed and glared and grit his teeth, making Neji realize all too late that he didn’t want to see them right now, but there was nothing they could do because there was a loud bang at the front door.


A second later Naruto was bursting through the door, his impatient attitude getting the better of him, followed by Sakura who was dividing her time between apologizing and berating Naruto for being so rude, and Kakashi who looked half asleep as he wandered in.

“Hey! You two missed the big meeting with the Hokage! Everybody was there, even the weird spandex guys, and we learned a lot about everything, and now you two don’t know as much as me, so I guess this just shows whose smarter now, right? And -what the hell happened to you?-” Naruto finished when he saw the bandages wrapped around Sasuke dipping out beneath his shirt.

“The Hokage said something happened but man! I mean, come on Sasuke, how weak were you to let that happen? You better have killed whatever bastard did that, ‘cause if not then I’ve lost all respect for you! Not that there was much to begin with, but it’s the thought that counts, right?”


“-Naruto!- Let Sasuke answer, will you? One thing at a time,” Sakura admonished. She turned and bowed her head to Neji. “Good afternoon, Neji-san. I’m sorry for barging in like this. Oh. Were you going somewhere?” She noticed Sasuke and Neji’s full sparring attire.

“No problem, Sakura. Yes, Sasuke and I were just going to do some training–“


“Whoa, you were going to go fight with Sasuke looking like that?” Naruto demanded, eyebrows raised. “Come on, Neji! Be a better boyfriend and take care of him, don’t go beating the life out of him!”

“Naruto. We do have a reason for coming here, remember?” Kakashi broke in finally. He didn’t think it was such a good idea for Naruto to bring up Sasuke’s condition when he was looking so frustrated already.


“Ohh right. Sakura, you tell them, I can’t really remember everything plus I’m wiped from beating you here.” With that Naruto flopped down on the couch Sasuke had recently vacated, spreading out as much as he could. Sakura gave him an annoyed look as she filled Sasuke and Neji in on what the meeting with Tsunade entailed. By the end, Sasuke was more annoyed than he had been, and Neji was, in his usual stoic way, contemplating just what it all meant, face unreadable.


“And the Hokage wants you at her office tomorrow, Sasuke, so she can try the jutsu with your blood. She figures it will stop whatever Orochimaru is planning.”


“She won’t be able to,” Sasuke said in a low voice after silence reigned for a minute. “I remember when...when he had me use my blood on his scroll. He said it was going to make the seal easier to use the way I wanted. He kept a vial of my blood and if he ever put some on the scroll, the curse seal would react and...”he trailed off and shrugged a shoulder. “She won’t be able to stop it.”

“Well not if you’re projecting such a negative image she won’t,” Naruto retorted from where he had sat up on the couch. “She’s the Hokage, and she may be super old, but she does know what she’s doing.”

“That doesn’t matter, idiot. It was drawn in blood. That’s the most powerful sealing you can use. Adding more of it won’t stop anything; it’ll probably just increase the chances of whatever Orochimaru plans on doing to a higher success rate.”

“You can tell the Hokage that tomorrow, then, Sasuke,” Neji told him. “Meanwhile, we should consider putting off training until then.”


Sasuke gave Neji a disgusted look. “I won’t go crazy or anything, you know. I know when the curse seal is going to act up and I can stop it until it does. It was only fully active when I–“ Sasuke cut himself off abruptly.

/When I was fighting Itachi,/ he finished silently in his head. He knew that the others knew what he meant when he said ‘fully active’. When his wings ripped through his back and, make no mistake, hurt every time, and he had claws and all semblance of his self was lost.

“When was it last active like that, Sasuke?” Kakashi asked then. He had a pretty good idea about when, but he wanted to know who it was that had forced Sasuke to draw on the seal’s power. “The more recent it was then the Hokage will need to know about it.”


/You don’t need to tell him who it was used against, just when. Relax./


“This morning, on my way back, so at about...two hours before dawn.” Sasuke couldn’t believe that less than twelve hours ago he had been fighting Itachi, living up to his Avenger name until -poof-, it all went down the drain and the Uchiha murders would never mean anything.


/Because I love him./ He reminded himself scathingly. He hadn’t realized until it was too late how weak he’d grown. It was pathetic, really.


“Really?” Naruto had sat up and was leaning over the back of the couch, looking at Sasuke. “Who’d you use that against?”


“...” Sasuke didn’t answer, instead opting to glare at the couch Naruto was sprawled along as he continued to push.

“I mean, they’re dead now, right? I don’t think that anyone can survive an attack when you’re in that level two, can they?” Naruto sensed the tension and was quick to add, “I bet whoever attacked you sure is sorry now, eh? What with being dead and all. But who was it? Obviously someone pretty powerful if you needed to use that. Heh, and here I thought I was your strongest opponent. Seriously though, was it a Sound nin or something? Nah, those guys are major weak, you could take them easy. Hmm...”


Sasuke felt his anger growing with each guess Naruto made, as he tossed out random names and reasons why Sasuke could or could not kill them easily, and all the while he wanted but didn’t want Naruto to correctly guess. He couldn’t concentrate enough anymore, and there was a whirlwind in his head that spun around one name, over and over until he was sure his head was spinning.

/Itachi Itachi Itachi Itachi Itachi/ until he couldn’t keep it in any more.

“Itachi.”


Naruto fell silent at that, his mouth hanging open in a small ‘o’ as the name hit home. Sakura bit her lip and cast worried glances his way but said nothing. Neji and Kakashi were both silent as well, waiting, watching, just like they always did.


“It was Itachi, Naruto,” Sasuke said in a flat voice. “I met him on my way back so of course I had to fight him, and of course I had to use my seal just to keep up with him.”


“S-so did you...kill him?” Naruto spoke in a hushed voice, as though he were listening to a story and didn’t want the ending to be interrupted. And Sasuke gave the low laugh that Kakashi recognized from earlier that morning, when he’d found Sasuke tearing up the room.


/Itachi’s room.../ Kakashi realized now, and sighed.


“No.” Sasuke’s tone was low and hateful now, his fists clenched at his sides but his face blank. “I didn’t kill him, but I could have. I didn’t, because I was stupid enough to think I would be able to. But of course I -can’t-, because he’s -Aniki- and I still–“ he stopped and sucked in a sharp breath, then shook his head.


The rest of them were silent, unsure of what to say, how to act, or if they should do anything at all. It was only when Naruto said his name that Sasuke reacted.


“-Don’t.- Naruto, just...don’t.” Without looking at any of them he formed the seals and teleported away, a small cloud appearing briefly.

“I didn’t mean...”Naruto stopped, unsuccessfully trying to explain himself, but Neji stopped him.


“He doesn’t blame you, Naruto. I don’t believe he is ready to talk about this yet.” Neji said without hostility. In all fairness, they were all surprised to learn this, that Sasuke hadn’t killed Itachi, and suddenly the questions Sasuke had asked Neji earlier made sense.


/I don’t know, Sasuke. I don’t know if you’ll ever be able to turn your feelings for your brother back into hate. But I do know there’s no point or logic in trying to force yourself to feel something that does not exist any longer./


------

Sasuke sat above the training ground he and Neji had been about to come to, near the top of the tree, leg hanging over the branch he sat on. Angry with himself for telling them what he didn’t want them to know, relieved that they knew it, and sick of feeling the way he did. And this was only day one.

How, he wondered to himself, could he be expected to carry on acting like Itachi no longer mattered to him? He had been Sasuke’s main reason to live, to continue to exist. Now, what was there? Sasuke realized that, by failing to kill Itachi, then his betrayal of Konoha, his time spent at Sound, training under Orochimaru for nearly three full years, his attempt to kill Naruto which he just could not get out of his head...all of this, a waste. Because Sasuke’s heart had to wake up, and his conscience had to kick in, and decide that Itachi was blood, and it would not be that simple to kill him.


Not to mention the fact that Orochimaru was trying some major plan, again, and this was sure to disrupt the relatively peaceful time Sasuke had spent in Konoha for the past year. Either Orochimaru was one year too late for his Body Switch, or two years too early. So now Sasuke could not be himself as he wanted to be, had to severely limit the use of his chakra, and not use any of the jutsu the snake sennin had taught him, and be extra cautious with the curse seal. Add that all to the mess with his brother, and he was officially confused, dazed, enraged, and miserable. Because now, he had no purpose.

/So what do I do now?/ He asked himself. /I can’t hate Itachi enough anymore, but I can’t love him enough to let him live for what he did. Then again, he might be dead already...I’ll need to find out. Maybe I can casually wander into the Akatsuki lair and inquire on his condition./ Sasuke sighed, thoroughly frustrated, and his feeling only increased when he felt someone approaching him.


Sasuke felt the slightly familiar chakra flare and sighed to himself, trying to figure out who it belonged to. There was a feeling that came with it, one that told him this was an enemy, and he better get off his ass and deal with it. So when he felt the air break with the force of a kunai hurled at him, he re-appeared seconds later behind the one who had thrown the weapon, which now lay embedded deep in the tree trunk.


The Akatsuki cloak flared out with the strong breeze, and the man gave a low chuckle.

“I expected as much from you, Sasuke.” He turned around and Sasuke found himself face to face with his brother’s partner, Hoshigaki Kisame. Sasuke stared impatiently at the shark man but said nothing. He knew he’d recognized that chakra, though it had been a few years since he’d felt it. Instead he had the Sharingan bleed into his eyes, and waited.

“Ah ah ah, no fighting now. I have an offer for you, direct from our leader to you,” Kisame told him with a toothy grin. He reached under his cloak and tossed a small object to Sasuke, who caught it and looked down at it, careful not to let the other man out of his sight.

Sasuke immediately recognized it as the ring he had seen Itachi wearing in every last one of their encounters for the past nine years. It had always been on Itachi’s right ring finger, as though an extended part of bone that pushed it’s way through his skin. But what did it mean, Kisame giving it to him?


Kisame nodded, eyes on the ring. “That’s yours now, if you want it. It seems as though Itachi has no use for it anymore. Doesn’t mean he’s dead,” he added, seeing Sasuke’s look. “We don’t take kindly to failures in Akatsuki.”


Before Sasuke could answer, Kisame went on. “I kind of liked having an Uchiha as my partner. I look forward to that continued alliance.” He smirked and added, “Think on it Sasuke. Until next time, then.” And just as soon as he’d appeared, Kisame was gone, no traces evident that he was ever there.


Sasuke glared down at the ring and allowed his eyes to return from the Sharingan. What the hell was that? Him, join Akatsuki? That would mean turning his back on Konoha, -again-, and trying to kill Naruto, -again-, to try to obtain the Kyuubi. It was so far-fetched, he decided, that he wouldn’t even think on it. Because it was out of the question, even the possibility of him joining Akatsuki. To succeed his brother...that actually sounded rather appealing, he realized with a shock. Succeeding the very same Uchiha Itachi who told him he would never be able to succeed him...


Before he could dwell anymore on this new concept, he shoved the ring deep into his pocket as Neji appeared behind him. Neither of them said anything, both facing south as they stood in silence. Then Sasuke felt a warm grip around his waist, and he was pulled back until he was resting against Neji’s chest. He closed his eyes and revelled in the moment, taking in the scent and the sound of Neji’s steady heartbeat through his shirt.

/This,/ Sasuke thought, /is okay. I’m fine right now like this. I don’t need the Akatsuki, because I won’t leave Neji. I don’t need to. Damn Itachi to hell. I don’t care if I ever see him again./


After a minute Sasuke leaned forward, and he was released. He put some distance between Neji and himself, then turned and faced him with a grim smile. Time to ignore and push past all the mingling thoughts that were jumbling together and creating a deafening roar in his head; sparring with Neji always made him forget everything but the Here and Now. Nothing else mattered as they worked through their usual routine. So, looking forward to the familiar comfort that was sure to come, Sasuke nodded once at Neji.


“Let’s train.”


-


-

-


I think you should know that I have very limited experience writing in this fandom. I’ve never seen or read in the series up past the invasion of the Sound yet, so characterizations for Akatsuki in particular will be off, probably. But I think Kisame is a very cool dude.
What a long chapter. I admit it was confusing, so anything you don’t understand, just ask and I’ll explain to the best of my ability.
Next update should be relatively soon. No promises though. Marilyn Manson is very big in my life at the moment. And you know what? I think I’m going to dramatically change the eighth chapter...someone died who I suddenly want to live. We’ll see. Thanks for all the reviews, you lovely, generous people.