Heart of the Ocean

Hand firmly locked in Naruto's, Sasuke walked through the B-Deck foyer and into the corridor, making his way toward his brother's cabin. "We'll just tell Itachi what happened," he assured the other. "We don't have to stay."

Standing in the hallway as if waiting for them was Kisame, a foreboding presence as usual. He gave them a toothy, shark-like grin, reaching out to brush his fingers against Sasuke's arm. "We've been looking for you, miss," he said in a simpering voice that made Sasuke shiver. The tall man ushered them along, his other hand reaching into his coat and pulling out the Heart of the Ocean necklace. Moving in accordance with Itachi's orders, he slipped the diamond into Naruto's coat pocket, before quickly settling his hand on the small of Sasuke's back.

Scowling a little, Naruto shook his head a little, tugging Sasuke a little closer to him. "He's with me," he said firmly, holding Sasuke tighter. "I'd appreciate you keeping you dirty hands off of him."

He definitely wasn't about to let some lowlife put his grimy hands all over Sasuke. Not now that he had him.

Still smiling, Kisame pulled back, nodding his head cordially. "Of course," he said simply, pulling back and walking with them the rest of the distance to Itachi's suite. Sasuke kept silent, frowning slightly, a little suspicious of the valet's uncharacteristically amiable attitude.

Itachi stood just inside of his suite, his arms crossed over his chest as he tapped his foot on the ground. His brother was taking far too long to get back to him. He wasn't just... going to let this happen.

Naruto held tighter to Sasuke's hand, leaning in to whisper in the other's ear. "We could... run away right now, you know..."

Swallowing, Sasuke shook his head, heart thumping hard in his chest. This wasn't going to be easy. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door, stepping into the suite. "Itachi...?" he said softly, clinging to Naruto's hand tightly.

Itachi glanced between the three entering his rooms, eyes narrowing when he caught sight of their entwined hands. "Sasuke. I've been waiting for you."

Sasuke's heart began to pound a little faster, his eyes darting around the room. To his confusion, the master at arms and two other stewards were there, all of whom appeared rather agitated. He swallowed, fixing his gaze upon his brother. "Itachi, something very serious has happened..."

Making a slightly offended sound, Itachi nodded. "You're right. Something very serious has happened. Two things very important to me have disappeared this evening. Now that one is back, I'm rather sure of where to find the other. Search him."

Naruto blinked, his eyes widening as he took a half step back. This was crazy! There was no way these people could really think that he'd taken anything.

Completely flabbergasted, Sasuke stared as the two stewards patted Naruto down, pulled off his jacket and began searching the pockets. "This is absurd!" he exclaimed. "We're in the middle of an emergency and you-"

He froze. Kisame had reached into the pocket of Naruto's coat and found nothing less than the Heart of the Ocean necklace, which he presented to Itachi smugly. Sasuke's eyes were wide and he shook his head, stepping back towards his brother. "I-it can't be..."

Itachi's brows drew together, and he crossed his arms. "That's it, that's mine. I want him arrested!"

Naruto shook his head, eyes wide and frantic. What the fuck was going on? There was no way... he had put that back, he was sure of it!! "Sasuke... Sasuke... I promise you that I didn't do this! You know me better than this, Sasuke!! Don't you believe this!"

Shaking his head, Sasuke wracked his mind, trying to make sense of this. "It couldn't be...I was with him the entire time..."

Itachi wore a look of disgust, shaking his head. "It would be easy enough for a professional. Perhaps he did it while you were putting your clothes back on," he said scathingly.

Naruto looked frantic as they began to tug him out of the room, his wrists cuffed together. "N-no, Sasuke... don't believe this! Don't you believe this! They put it in my pocket!"

The master at arms swiftly handcuffed Naruto while Kisame inspected the jacket. With a smirk, he said, "It isn't even his pocket. See the label? Property of A.L. Ryerson. Was that not reported stolen this morning?"

"No..." Sasuke murmured, shaking his head again and again. He felt hurt, betrayed and utterly confused. How could this have happened? He looked up at Naruto, distress evident in his eyes as they begged for some sort of explanation.

Shaking his head again, trying to struggle away from the men holding him, Naruto stared at Sasuke, his chest tightening at the look on the other's face. "N-no, Sasuke... I didn't... I mean, I was going to return it you know I didn't do this! Sasuke!!"

Itachi sighed, taking the jewel from one of the men as the blond boy was dragged out of his room. "It's all right, Sasuke. Everyone makes mistakes," he said coldly, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're safe now."

Disbelief turned to despair, and a tear rolled down Sasuke's cheek. Not wanting to be touched, he shrugged Itachi's hand off his shoulder, stepping away from his brother.

Eyes blazing angrily, Itachi shook his head, stepping closer to his brother and pulling back his hand to slap the other hard across the face. "You are the little slut, aren't you?" he spat angrily, growing more furious as the seconds past and he grabbed the other's shoulders, shaking Sasuke. "Look at me, you whore!"

Sasuke's head had jerked to the side with the force of Itachi's slap, and he froze in place, staring blankly forward. The sharp pain in his jaw was nothing compared to the dull, throbbing ache in his heart.

At that moment, an urgent knocking sounded from the door and a steward poked his head in, face pale and distressed. "Sir, I've been told to ask you to please put on your lifebelt, and for you and the lady to come up to the boat deck."

Dark brows drew together, and Itachi shook his head, frowning darkly. "Get out. We're busy!" he said firmly.

With a heavy sigh the steward stepped inside, striding past the pair of them to tug a pair of lifebelts from the shelf overhanging the dresser. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but it's captain's orders. Here you are, miss." He extended a lifebelt to Sasuke, mistaking the boy's heartbroken expression for one of fear.

Shaking his head, Itachi gave the other a furious glare, grabbing his life vest from him. "This is damn ridiculous," he spat, grabbing Sasuke's arm and tugging him into the hallway. "Come now, little Sasuke, we're not done yet."

Clutching his life vest in one hand, Sasuke allowed himself to be dragged out of the suite, his silk skirts trailing behind him. He felt something like a battered doll--played with, cherished and just as easily forgotten.

---

The master at arms' office was silent but for the caress of metal on wood, as Kisame sat at the desk, placing a single .45mm bullet on its surface and watching it roll off the side into his hand. Smirking, he glanced over at the thief, who was currently cuffed to a steel pipe, and then at the window, which was half submerged in water. Raising a brow, he caught the bullet once more, sighing lightly.

"You know...I do believe this ship will sink," he said softly, almost like an afterthought.

Naruto glared at the dark-skinned man, shaking his head slowly as he sat uncomfortably in position. He didn't know why Sasuke didn't believe him. He thought... that there was something between them, but instead all he could see was his eyes as he'd stared at Naruto. Chest tightening almost painfully, he shook his head. If Sasuke really didn't believe him... then maybe he was better off going down with the ship.

A feral grin spread on Kisame's face at the boy's dejected look, and he stood swiftly, crossing the room with an expression of detached amusement. "Oh yes, and before I forget...I've been asked to give you a small token of appreciation..."

Without warning he slammed his fist forward, burying it in Naruto's abdomen with a loud crunch. "...Compliments of Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto doubled over a little, his eyes closing tightly as he shifted in pain, letting out a sharp gasp of pain. "N-nngh... fuck," he groaned, glaring over at the larger man through blond bangs. Fucking assholes.

---

It was unlike anything Sasuke had ever seen. The deck foyer was absolutely swarming with people, all dressed in bedclothes and lifebelts--half looking absolutely dazed, the other irritated and angry. It was truly surreal; everywhere he looked he could see officers and stewards struggling to explain the situation to the confused passengers, the air of tension and unease made even more bizarre by the sound of the string band playing to the lively tune of 'Alexander's Ragtime Band'.

Sasuke's eyes darted around the bodies surrounding him, watching as droves of people left for the deck, and he knew that they were headed for the lifeboats. This was truly serious.

Itachi shook his head, glancing around at the surrounding area, dark eyes narrowed slightly. "What in the holy hell is going on here?" he asked, shaking his head slowly. It was as though some kind of mad chaos had taken over. "Goddamn English," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Do they need to do everything by the book?" He wanted nothing more than a glass of brandy and the opportunity to properly punish his brother.

Moving slowly through the foyer, Hatake Kakashi's breath caught in his throat. These people were his responsibility aboard his ship, and half of them... at least half of them were going to die this evening.

Eyes still frantically roving over the area, Sasuke gasped when he caught sight of Kakashi, the ship's designer. Not about to miss this opportunity for answers, he released his brother's hand, dashing over and intercepting the man, an urgent look on his face. It was hard to believe that only a few hours earlier he and Itachi had eaten lunch in the other's company, pleasantly discussing the grandeur of the remarkable ship.

"Please, sir," he begged. "I saw the iceberg...I saw it strike the ship, and I see it in your eyes. You must tell me the truth."

Shaking his head, the silver-haired man gave the other an apologetic look. "This ship... will sink," he said in a hushed voice. "In an hour or so... this will all be at the bottom of the Atlantic."

Staring blankly at the other man, Itachi shook his head. "My God... the Titanic? Sinking?"

Swallowing hard, Sasuke kept his eyes firmly fixed on Kakashi, his jaw set. It would do no good to panic, especially since he knew that so the majority of the other passengers saw this as merely a precaution, an annoying interruption. "You are...certain of this?" he said in a hushed voice.

Nodding, Kakashi kept his mismatched gaze on Sasuke, his heart beating rapidly. "Absolutely. Tell only who you must and get to a boat quickly. You remember... what I said about the boats, don't you?"

Sasuke's chest tightened, his eyes widening as he recalled what the man had mentioned at lunch earlier that day. In an effort to keep the deck clear of clutter, only a few lifeboats had been assigned to the ship--only half as many as they'd need to deliver all the passengers to safety. Face pale, the boy nodded slowly, stepping away from Kakashi. "Thank you, sir," he said softly.

Itachi shook his head, holding his life vest more firmly as he reached for his brother, tugging him out of the foyer and onto the deck. "We'd better get on the lifeboats. I'm assuming they'll be seated according to class. We'll be sure to get on one."

Snapping out of his daze, Sasuke stared at his brother, shaking his head slowly. "You...!" Angrily, he pulled his arm from the other's grasp. "Don't you understand? The water is freezing, and there aren't enough boats! Half the people on this ship are going to die!"

Shrugging a little, Itachi watched his brother carefully. "Not the better half," he said simply, glancing out towards the water momentarily.

Color burst into the black sky, momentarily illuminating Sasuke's stunned countenance as rocket after rocket was launched into the night. It had suddenly hit him, with the force and energy of a thunderbolt. Naruto was third class. There was no way he'd make it. Overcome, he staggered slightly, away from his brother, who stood there still and calm, a maddeningly smug look on his face. Disgust made its way into the turbid mix of emotions moving through Sasuke, and he shook his head, staring at his brother.

"You...unimaginable bastard."

Dark brows drew together as Itachi watched his brother, a small smirk still lingering on his lips. "Get on the boat, Sasuke. Get on the boat right now."

Something else was moving Sasuke, some unseen force that disregarded all logic, the same force that had nearly caused him to jump that night, that had sent him falling into the strange and nonsensical--into Naruto. He stepped back, shaking his head over and over. "No."

Scowling darkly, Itachi reached out for his brother, shaking his head and tugging the boy a little closer to him. "Where are you going? To him? Is that it? To be a whore to that piece of trash?"

Sasuke bore his teeth, wrenching his arm back, struggling to free himself. "I'd rather be his whore than your 'wife'!" he spat, the truth finally spilling out, something like a bird taking flight and ripping from his chest, stealing into the night.

Fury swept through Itachi and he squeezed his brother's wrist tighter, tugging him closer. "Don't you dare speak to me that way, Sasuke. I'm the only thing you've ever had. The only thing you ever will have. I am your future!!!"

Stumbling forward with the force of his brother's hold, Sasuke struggled more violently, bruising his arm against Itachi's grasp. His efforts were proving fruitless, so in a final act of desperation he sucked in a breath, gathering as much saliva in his mouth as he could before spitting at his brother, hitting him square in the face.

Staring at the boy, his eyes wide, Itachi's lips turned in disgust. "You little piece of shit," he growled, wiping the mucous from his face and stepping closer to Sasuke. "I swear to god that I'll take away everything you've ever had!"

"No," Sasuke said sternly, backing away. "Not this time." Without another word he spun around, moving as fast as he could through the crowd, shoving people away as he passed, turning his back on Itachi for good.

He had to find Naruto.