AGH! I am SO sorry for the months-late update! School has been in my way, so I haven't been able to update. Now, this was eight pages, going on to nine pages on Microsoft Word, so whatever it looks like on this site is not up to me. I felt as though I sort of rushed it, hence the fact that I haven't updated in so long. I'm sorry to those of you I have kept waiting, and I hope this doesn't happen again. D:

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Chapter five: Akatsuki's Unknown Future

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-Two days later-

"Deidara? Pein told me to have a word with you." Itachi said, stepping into Deidara's room, and singling for Naruto to leave. Naruto just spit his tongue out at Itachi, nodded to Deidara, and left the room. He even had the decency to close the door! How polite! Just like Kisame!

Once Naruto had closed the door completely, not caring if he was still around, Itachi spoke to Deidara. "Pein is considering you a possible traitor. Your recent behavior is becoming suspicious and that of a traitor's. You have been ignoring Pein's orders and doing as you please, which is not what an Akatsuki member is required to do. If your actions continue, there's a high chance you'll be murdered for traitorous actions."

"You're kidding me, right?" Deidara asked, glaring at Itachi. "Besides, if Pein wanted me to hear that, he would have said it to me himself. He wouldn't have sent you."

"Do you expect him to tell you about this over the radios on an S-Rank mission?"

"Nobody told me he'd left on a mission, h'm. And if he did, he could've either told me before he left, or he could've told me after his mission."

"I was merely told to relay this message to you. I didn't question him like you would have."

"Itachi, you need to watch your mouth, before someone snaps one day and kills you."

"Who's going to? You?"

"Did I say I would?"

"You implied so."

"Well, fine. Then, yes, h'm. I probably will just snap one day, if not today, and at least attempt to kill you. You're the most annoying Akatsuki member there is. Sure, I've argued here and there with Sasori about art, but that's nothing in comparison to how you've acted towards me. You're even more selfish and cold-hearted than Sasori-danna."

"Sasori and I are two different people. We hardly ever agree, and we don't usually get along. You can't compare the two of us at all. He has an easily lost temper, whereas I do not. He's also probably the most impatient of us Akatsuki."

"Either way. You're still the worst of us. You're the rudest of us, and don't care at all for your companions feelings."

"Is an Akatsuki member honestly supposed to have feelings at all?

"You have got to be kidding me, h'm." Deidara said, staring at Itachi in disbelief.

"Not at all, why?"

Deidara didn't respond to Itachi again before saying, "Well, if that's how it's going to be… then just because you're the one here… I'll start with you." Deidara growled, lowering his voice.

--

"So you're that other Uchiha, are you?" Kakuzu snickered, his voice slightly echoing through the night sky.

"Eek!" The Uchiha squealed, spinning around to face Kakuzu.

He gaped at Kakuzu for a few seconds, who then spoke when he found the Uchiha wasn't going to respond.

"I've been told by my superior to get you to come to my hideout, whether by force or by persuasion. So hurry up and think about it. What's it going to be?"

The Uchiha still didn't answer, which was beginning to slightly irritate Kakuzu. He honestly didn't feel like giving this mission much effort, as he had heard the Uchiha he was assigned to capture wasn't exactly the brightest of the clan. (Whether going by what's left of the clan or when the clan was still living)

Kakuzu sighed, then asked, "Your name… is Obito, is it not?"

"Are you a stalker or something? You wouldn't know my name unless you were stalking me… …Or you looked in a book of some sort…"

"Or my superior just knows your name since you're the last of the Uchiha clan, besides your cousins." Kakuzu rolled his eyes.

"Which cousins…?" At this, Obito's interest level seemed to rise slightly.

"Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke."

"You mean… that Sasuke? The Sasuke… who was part of Hatake Kakashi's Team Seven, when he was back in Konoha…? Along with the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki?"

"Indeed."

Obito stayed silent for a moment, then asked, "Where is he now?"

"Which?"

"Kakashi…"

"I have no clue at all. All I know for sure by talk between my teammates and I is that he's been given an incredible amount of missions lately. Although I have also heard that he heard something about you… and has been looking for you, since."

"…If Kakashi's looking for me, he's going to find me. I can't go with you."

"That's only what you think right now. But things won't be happening as you wish for them to. Not today, at least."

--

"Itachi, you have no idea how I've felt about you since the day I even met you!" Deidara shouted over the loud sound of his explosive clay.

"It doesn't matter how you've felt about me. No matter which you feel, love or hate, for your comrades, you still have to work with them when necessary." Itachi said causally, as though this were a normal conversation going on just anywhere.

"I do things my way! And if I want to hate and not work with you, I'll do just that! It's because you don't care about others that makes me wants to kill you even more!"

"Deidara, stop! What are you going to accomplish by fighting your own comrade?!" Sasori shouted to Deidara, grabbing his arm and attempting to pull his partner away from the fight.

"I'll accomplish killing him, that's what!" Deidara shot back angrily, glaring at his partner.

"Deidara, you can't just—"

"I can do what I want!" Deidara yelled even louder, pulling his arm away from Sasori.

"Not here you can't! Especially against your own companions!"

"Sasori-danna, don't talk like you don't understand! You and I have both gone through things we haven't wanted to, so you have no room to talk! If it came down it, I'm sure you would be fighting against Hatake Sakumo, just like I'm fighting Itachi!"

Sasori took a step back away from Deidara, shocked.

"See?! You're just like me! So don't act like you're the same as Itachi!" Deidara continued to shout angrily.

"Deidara, just… stop! You're going to get the others mixed up in this!" Sasori shot back.

"Does it seem like I care to you?!"

"…"

"…" Sasuke listened as Itachi and Deidara fought, and as Sasori and Deidara argued, staying quietly at the door of Itachi's room. He hadn't caught everything Itachi had said, but he caught just about all of what Deidara said, due to his constant yelling.

There were so many explosions, it was hard to tell if Itachi was even fighting back. Surely, he was, but Deidara's explosions were loud enough to be heard throughout the entire Akatsuki hideout. Sasuke soon heard Pein's angered voice from the same room as Deidara, Sasori, and Itachi.

"What are you two doing?! You aren't supposed to be fighting each other! Both of you, cut it out!"

"You understand Deidara started the whole thing, yes? I have no reason to fight him."

"Itachi, you sound like a child. Don't put the blame on someone else. You gave in to it and began fighting back. You're just as guilty as he is."

"I'm not guilty about anything." Deidara grumbled angrily.

"You started this, and he added to it. You're both equally guilty. But because you attempted to kill him, the outcome will have to be more severe."

Sasuke, having heard the word "kill", backed away from the door, shocked at what he'd heard. Deidara was beginning to sound pretty dangerous, and if was trying to kill his companions, something had to be up.

Deidara glared at the floor and didn't respond to his leader, who eyed him sympathetically.

"I'll talk to each of you later." Pein sighed, then turned around walked out the door.

The other members had overheard the earlier commotion and, worried, had been listening at the door to hear what was going on. At the point that things seemed to be getting very out of hand, Sasori had tried to step in. Apparently, though, Deidara wasn't willing to listen. Kakuzu would have surely tried to stop the two from fighting, and would've been able to do so much easier than Sasori, but he wasn't back from his mission yet, which honestly didn't help the situation.

-

While Pein spoke to Itachi, Sasuke had snuck through the hideout and found his way out of it. Itachi had actually yelled at Pein, and not just once, but several times, which wasn't normal. Not for him, and not in general. None of the members had ever raised their voices at Pein, besides Hidan, who didn't really qualify, since he was plain out ignorant in general, but Itachi wasn't one to raise his voice at all. It almost scared Sasuke to hear his brother yelling, and at his brother's own leader.

Because of this, and out of fear of what may happen between him and Itachi after this meeting that involved an exchange of yelling between Itachi and Pein, Sasuke had settled on attempting to run away. He'd probably only be abused by an angered Itachi anyway, if he'd decided to stay.

Upsettingly enough, Sasuke had gotten a little too far away from the hideout overnight, and was found by none other than Orochimaru.

He sighed angrily, (A/N: Everyone's angry in this chapter XD) and turned the other way, even though he knew he wouldn't get anywhere by just walking away.

"Pleasant meeting you here, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru snickered. Sasuke could hear the smirk in his voice, and twitched as soon as he'd heard Orochimaru's voice.

"Here? Where is here besides the middle of nowhere?" Sasuke rolled his eyes, anger able to be heard in his voice.

"Oh, what are you so angry about? Don't you want to come back with me?" Orochimaru continued to snicker menacingly.

"Tch… Hell no. And stay away from me, while you're at it."

"Why, because you wish to spend more time with your brother, instead?"

"I would rather him than you."

"But for what purpose?"

"The fact that he's not you. I don't like you; you're a freak. I don't like him; he's not a freak. Difference? You're a freak, and he's not."

"Do you honestly believe that?"

"Yeah, I do. Now move along and continue about your business."

"You talk to me like you're my master."

By now, Sasuke was completely losing his patience. At the moment, all he wanted to do was get away from Akatsuki, get away from Orochimaru… Get away from everything.

"Sasuke… may I ask what you ran away for?" Sasuke heard Itachi's voice call over to him.

Sasuke spun around wildly, not expecting to hear Itachi's voice here. For God's sake, he was in the middle of… nowhere!

Itachi sighed and walked up next to Sasuke, who stiffened as he was approached.

"H-how did you… find me?!" Sasuke asked, nearly paralyzed in shock.

"It wasn't all that hard." Itachi admitted, smirking. "You went down a straight path all the way to here."

"O-oh… I didn't even… notice…" Sasuke said truthfully, but still in slight shock.

"I'll take care of this guy, Sasuke. Back away." Itachi said, putting his hand in front of Sasuke, who nodded, and backed away.

--

"Dammit! How many times have I told you to let me go?! Let me go!" Obito half yelled, frantically kicking his feet and hitting Kakuzu with his arms, as he was being held over Kakuzu's shoulder.

"It was twenty-four, but you just made it twenty-five." Kakuzu responded, snickering.

"Gah! You weren't supposed to be counting!"

"You asked."

"I didn't mean it literally, and you know that!"

"Certainly, I do. But if I cared, you'd probably know it."

"…I already hate you…"

"Well, I would assume you wouldn't like me anyway, since I was the one assigned to capture you. However, both of your cousins are with us. So I don't see what the big fuss is. You'll be able to see them when you get there."

"Is Kakashi there?"

"No."

"Then I don't care."

"Then it sucks for you. I just thought maybe you'd feel more comfortable being around people you're related to."

"Sure, I will, but it won't be as big a deal as it would be if Kakashi was there."

"…Why are you so obsessed over Kakashi?"

"That's none of your business."

Kakuzu snickered. "You're right; it's not. I was just curious, is all."

"…"

--

"Has he done anything yet?" Sasori asked Pein, walking into Pein's office and sitting in a chair.

"Whom?"

"Deidara."

"Not yet, no. Why do you ask?"

"He's been acting pretty upset since you talked to him. It got even worse when Itachi blamed him for when Sasuke ran away. He locked himself in his room and hasn't come out since."

"Are you suggesting he might be plotting something?"

"I don't know. I'm sure he just locked himself up in there to calm down for a while, but I couldn't make the assumption that he's not planning anything. He's been in there for a while, so I'm sure he's calmed down by now. He may or not might be plotting something by now."

"Is it worrying you?"

"Sort of. I mean, he's never got like this before. Sure, he gets upset sometimes when he's arguing with someone, but he's never just totally snapped on anybody, either."

"I know… It's been on my mind, but I haven't been too worried about him. Once he calms down, he's usually fine. He probably isn't going to come out again until tomorrow, because he doesn't want to get into any fights with anyone else. Besides, he probably thinks someone will get on his back about earlier, which would just cause him to get upset again. And he has Naruto with him, so I'm sure he's fine. I doubt he'd get into any fights with Naruto."

"As true as that is, I still worry about him…"

"It's understandable."

Both paused for a minute, unsure of what to say. Sasori sighed after a while, then asked, "Have you spoken with Deidara about that fight he had with Itachi, yet?"

"No. I'll talk to him about it tomorrow. He'll just get upset again if it's brought up again today." Pein replied, closing his eyes a moment, then opening them again to look over at Sasori.

"That, too, is understandable."

--

"You're not going to attempt to run away again, are you?" Itachi asked Sasuke, walking over and kneeling down next to him. Sasuke, who was leaning against a tree, a little ways away from where Itachi and Orochimaru had fought, shrugged. "Depends. If someone tries to kill me or harm me any way, then I probably will."

"As far as I know, the only one who would harm you would be Orochimaru, whom I just took care of for now. I highly doubt any Akatsuki member would try to harm you. They have no reason to."

"What about Deidara? He didn't seem too pleased with you earlier. He might end up going after me, too."

"You heard all of that earlier?"

"How could I not have? Deidara was yelling at you the whole time, and blowing up tons of his explosive clay. From the sound of things during that time, it seemed like he was really meaning to kill you right then."

"I'm sure he was. But because he was, at the time, currently overwhelmed by anger, he wasn't really thinking of any strategies to defeat me. He was just attacking senselessly out of anger."

"Still… If he goes after me, I'm blaming you."

"You do that. And then you can blame him for me saving you."

"Blame is a good word for it."

"For now it is, and only to you."

"For now?"

"How do you know you'll always think lowly of me?"

"I don't. But I can't see you doing anything that'll make me think any better of you, either."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure something will come up." Itachi said, leaning in and kissing Sasuke's forehead.

"You know, kissing won't change my mind…" Sasuke whispered.

"It's not supposed to." Itachi whispered back.

Once Itachi had moved back away from Sasuke, Sasuke shifted a bit, then asked, "Are we going back to the hideout…?"

"Yes, why?"

"I don't particularly want to."

"I'm sure Deidara's calmed down by now. It's fine."

"You're sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

Sasuke said nothing for a moment, then sighed. "Alright…"

They both stood up, from then on ceasing all conversation as they headed back to the hideout.

--

I'll be adding larger ItaSasu moments from here on out. There will still be lots of Akatsuki moments, too, though.

I hope those of you who have had to wait all this time for the story's update enjoyed this chapter! T.T