Defective .:Yandere!Itachi x Fem!Reader:. AU

Defective: Diverged Paths, Converging

Sasuke tries to relax, but his body is on edge. It's the first time in a few months since he's been in a proper bed. A motel bed, however, is still a bed. The sheets feel stiff and the duvet itchy, and they smell of heavy detergent, but the room smells musty and damp. It's the best room they could get for what little money they had.

And he shares it with Karin, who curls up beside him, awake but silent. It's not the first time they've huddled together like this, and it probably won't be their last. They've been through so much, and through it all, they've found they can only rely on the kindness of humanity and themselves, but mostly themselves.

Sasuke wonders if it's time for them to split apart now. He's closer to home, and he doesn't think his parents, who were so strict on who he can befriend, will take in a stray. But the real question he asks himself is, does he really want to go back home? Is being a wanderer better than living with two narcissists as parents? Don't get him wrong, there's nothing romantic about being homeless and sleeping outside; Nothing utopian about having no one to rely upon and no one to care for him. There's nothing to redeem this lifestyle of starvation and isolation. So he asks Karin, "Is there anything you want to do?"

She shrugs. All her basic needs have been met for now. Clean clothes, shelter, clean body, and food. "We don't have any money to do anything fun." She clutches his shirt. "If it weren't for that guy, we wouldn't even be able to afford this room."

"I mean, do you have family?" Sasuke asks. "I might not be able to go home myself, but... I want you to get to a safe place."

Karin ponders all the family she has ever had. She vaguely remembers her parents, but that was so long ago. No family photos nor siblings to hold on to. All she can remember in recent memories is Orochimaru. He had kidnapped and held her hostage for so long, that he became her father. It wasn't until recently that she began to rebel. It was when she saw the news that a couple had committed suicide after twelve years of missing their daughter that she knew she had to get out of that place. She knew that story was about her. Little Karin, though they always pronounced her name wrong, like Karen.

She could hardly stomach what Orochimaru did throughout those twelve years. Taking in kids, brainwashing them, and keeping them like little pets to be toyed with. She doesn't know why she was taken. Orochimaru's interests preferred males over females, which further solidified the idea that she was just a toy. An experiment in which he hypothesized if he could pull off a daytime kidnapping and seeing how long the little brat could survive.

So, when she saw Sasuke, who resisted Orochimaru, she had to get him out of there. He had become her new family. She trusts him wholeheartedly. Back to the question, however, she dwells on it. Her mind reels back to her earlier days of adolescence. Red hair and kind eyes are all she can remember from family reunions. But she's been out of touch for over twelve years.

"I... Might have an aunt here."

...

Deidara tugs at his suitcase, pulling it over a crack in the sidewalk. The three wheeled suitcase hits every bump and root in the path, rattling with each movement. A motel sign hangs in the distance, a sign of relief and reprise for Deidara. He hasn't been traveling too long, but he felt uneasy the entire way.

For a while, Itachi had followed him, watching his every move and he made it obvious too. When Deidara reached a bus stop, Itachi sat with him, not saying a word, not moving an inch, not revealing a single emotion. Deidara dared to ask what his deal was, and received nothing in return. Just a pallid, blank stare. Thankfully, there was another person waiting alongside them---aloof and listening to music, but still present, and still a witness.

The first bus that came was the first bus Deidara hopped on. He watched Itachi from the window as the bus drove off, noticing how robotic the man seemed. He sat unmoving. Desolate and like a husk of a man.