Midnight Memories

I don‘t own Naruto nor do I make money from it.



Warnings: vampires, blood drinking, cursing, yaoi



Midnight Memories



Chapter Twelve



Naruto slumped against the door, Sakura and Kiba finally having left him. While he loved both like the brother and sister he’d never had, they could annoy him just as easily as a real brother and sister. It was annoying and endearing at the same time. With his mind focused on Sasuke locked down in the basement, he couldn’t keep his full attention on school work or friendships. All he could focus on was Sasuke and being near him. The entire time he’d sat with his friends, he could literally sense Sasuke pacing below.



The previous night, a dam had been opened, one that now rushed from the build up of years or maybe even centuries. His mind and soul were both complete and empty at the same time, an amazing feat to be sure. He wasn’t sure if he liked this feelings Sasuke brought to him. Couple finding out there were actual vampires in the world and add in the mysterious man who’d visited him; it all sent his mind into a tailspin. He wondered if it should be him that was driven insane and locked up in the basement with Sasuke. Most horror stories kept the crazy relative locked in the attic, Itachi had to be different and keep him locked in the basement. This wasn’t a horror story. Horror stories didn’t make you cry and in utter despair and longing.



Only two stories from him and already he felt the pull. Sasuke’s subconscious drew him towards the basement, much as it did the previous night. He could no more deny the pull than he could when he’d stepped down the proverbial rabbit hole and into this mysterious new world laid out before him. Tonight was different than the previous. The madness and desperation he’d felt before seemed tempered. It was still there, but to a much more muted degree.



He wasn’t foolish enough to believe Sasuke was sane. He’d seen for his own eyes just how mad he truly was but this left him hopeful. He could hope that his sanity would return. He needed it to return. He needed Sasuke to see him and know him--to know this Naruto, to forget all others before him. Perhaps it was a little too much of him to desire, but he’d felt like his entire life was a dream filled with the memories of the dead.



He couldn’t think of those past visions of himself as even facets of himself. It was like an experiment performed slightly differently each time to see the possible results--a practical joke by the powers that be.



“You’re thinking hard.” Sasuke’s red eyes lifted from where his head lay against his knees. He was still safely curled up in ‘his’ corner, but his eyes had lost some of the wild animal look they had retained the previous day.



“Just confused.”



“Shouldn’t that be my line? I am locked away by my brother, a threat to the world.” Blood dripped to the floor where Sasuke’s lengthened nails sliced into his palms. The smell was loud, it wafted towards Naruto to tease his senses with a metallic flavor.



“You’re hurt!” He stepped forward, approaching Sasuke with no thought of possible injury that could be inflicted upon him. All mattering to him was dressing any possible wounds on the other’s body.



“Stay back!” Sasuke jerked away as Naruto approached, his legs pushing his body from the corner and sliding along the wall to the opposite wall. His eyes frantically scanned the room, seeing things Naruto couldn’t.



“I want to help you, Sasuke.” Naruto stepped forward again, his palms extended.



“I can’t…think when you’re around. What I’ve done…it can’t be undone.” Sasuke’s hands lifted to sift through his mussed hair, fingers digging into his skull with almost desperation. “I can’t think--”



“Then don’t think…just let me take care of you. Me and Itachi--”



“Itachi!” Sasuke spat the name from his lips as one would the vilest thing. “He wants to take you.”



Sasuke paused, shaking his head in almost an argumentative way. He was arguing with himself, that much was evident. It was a war between sanity and insanity. “No, that’s not right--” Sasuke’s hands lifted to rub his temples. “I don’t know--”



Naruto was forced to the sidelines, only able to watch as his… He blinked, what was Sasuke to him? What was he to Sasuke? The emotions previously felt by his soul resounded in him. Love. Lust. Anger. Sorrow. Each warred with him, blending in a mesh of raw emotions he could neither sort, nor define in singularity. But they weren’t his emotions. They were merely echoes of his long dead incarnations. What [b]he[/b] felt for Sasuke was still a mystery.



He was just as lost as Sasuke seemed. He felt as if it was his fault. There was nothing he could have done. Their fates seemed to be on a track neither could deviate from. Knowing this didn’t make things right. “I’m sorry, Sasuke.”



Sasuke’s eyes cleared slightly from the words. Sanity temporarily winning the battle. “Not your fault.” Pressing his face into his knees, Sasuke’s shaking and rocking stopped to let them sit in mutual silence until Naruto took it upon himself to approach the still form once more.



The connection the two shared was more than a little strange. Had he not felt the hidden knowledge all his life, he might have reacted worse than he did. Even knowing Itachi wouldn’t allow anything to harm him; he felt their trials weren’t over. Things were still in motion, the track not yet at its final stop.



“What are we going to do?” Naruto asked the question in the broadest of way, not knowing what he wanted Sasuke to answer.



“I don’t know.” Sasuke flinched at the first touch of fingers on his arm but didn’t snap or bite. He sat like a wild dog receiving the first touch of love, unsure how to react but not desiring to bite the petting hand.



All they could do was wait. Their fate would come soon enough, forcing them into their final tests. Each understood the quiet before the storm, threatening their barely found understanding of each other. The newness of the bond felt flimsy and novel between them. It was different than before. Sasuke was a broken creature and Naruto was swimming in a haze, clouded by Sasuke’s past and his own fear of what do and how to respond. In the darkened interior of the Uchiha household basement, Naruto and Sasuke came to a silent understanding. Whether their calm would last was anyone’s guess.



~*~



“Itachi, I’m sorry.” Kurenai walked quickly behind the king, the darkness surrounding them belied the presence of other night walkers in the depths of the building. Kurenai reached forward with one of her hands, clenching into Itachi’s forearm. “Please Itachi--”



“Don’t speak to me. I’m only moments away from destroying you.” Itachi shrugged away her hand. His anger still burned brightly. If he needed to destroy the entirety of the council to prevent a ruling against his brother, he would do so without the slightest tinge of regret.



“Itachi, you know I’m only one voice in the council. Danzou--” Kurenai wasn’t foolish enough to grab at him again; instead she followed close behind him as he prowled through the long halls toward the council chambers. Had this not been a coup, he would have been present during the deliberation and sentencing. Anger aside, he was surprised Danzou had the balls to step forward with his petition for Sasuke’s death.



“Danzou will get his own comeuppance.” Itachi’s eyes narrowed, landing on the large ornate doors. The delicate carvings decorating the door illustrated the evolution of the nightwalker, from the humble beginnings before the time of written history to the prosperity they now experienced in modern society. In the center was a sacred circle, a sign the Wiccan followers had taken from the night walkers. What was done came back full circle.



“If you interrupt an adjourned meeting of elders--” Kurenai stood before him, her red eyes pleading. “You could risk losing your crown. Danzou would like nothing better than to take your place as king.”



“If I allow them to kill Sasuke so I can keep my crown, then I do not deserve it.” Itachi lifted a hand to cover his heart. “I am responsible for all my subjects, including Sasuke. He has not harmed a human since the last ruling concerning him. They have no right to attack him.” He conveniently left out the attack against Naruto hours earlier. It was neither here nor there.



Itachi pushed her aside, eyes lowered to the ground. “Sasuke is all I have left. I can’t give him up, even for my crown.”



Kurenai bowed her head, placing her own hand across her heart. “As you wish, my king.”



Itachi placed both hands on the door, growling low in his throat. An enchantment sealed the door, preventing any from interrupting the proceedings inside. The reinforcements behind it told their own tale of Danzou’s determination to keep Itachi from the council. It was a quite powerful guard. “If you think this can keep the son of Fugaku and Mikoto from you, you have become senile in your age.”



Itachi’s eyes flared crimson; his fangs were bared for the council, shining in the candlelight lining the passageway. It was a rare show of anger and power from their king. Hissing beneath his breath the words of a language long dead, lost even from history. It was the language his parents spoke upon their creation. There was no older language--not Latin, not Mesopotamian or Sumerian. It was the oldest know language. It was unknown to humans, long forgotten by all as more and more languages emerged as the people grew and were shaped by their beliefs.



Kurenai backed away slowly. Her fear bled into Itachi, feeding his bloodlust and making the chanting of words all the more emphatic. The barrier began to heat, becoming visible to the naked eye. Wind rushed through the hall, extinguishing each and every candle lining the walls--creating an enveloping darkness.



The hallway went silent, the chanting stopped and the magic surfacing around Itachi stopped its violent swirling of power. The calm lasted only seconds. He lifted a hand, placing it upon the door. “Open.”



The doors swung open, pushed by a seemingly heavy wind. All those seated inside lunged to their feet, shouts taking the place of once quiet conversation. Only Danzou and the Nara representative remained seated. Danzou’s arrogance having placed him at the head of the long council table--a position normally occupied by Itachi. “It appears I am late. Please forgive my tardiness.”



“My lord…and Lady Kurenai. I wasn’t aware either of you would be attending the council meeting tonight.” Danzou stood slowly, his traditional robes flowing around him in shades of red, black, and gold. His scarred face and black eye patch gave him an air of danger that was not a complete boast. He was, in fact, very dangerous. Once a former enforcer for Itachi’s parents, it was well known in the night walker kingdom of Danzou’s malcontent concerning the passing of the mantle of kingship to Itachi. That Itachi’s rule was considered one of the most prosperous only made Danzou’s hate for the Uchiha family all the more deadly.



“I am surprised at you, going behind my back--even sealing the council chambers. Your hate has become quite the problem.” Itachi glided towards the head chair, taking his seat--fully aware of the fear radiating from every member save two. Kurenai followed him in the council chamber, taking her designated seat which she had been forced to vacate in order to inform Itachi of the council’s unscheduled meeting.



“I only wished for the decision to be based fairly and not because your lordship wished it otherwise.” Danzou slid gracefully from Itachi, moving to his usual seat on the side of the long table. “Your person is…biased.”



“Is it? I seem to recall this issue having been decided several centuries ago. Why the sudden interest in my brother yet again?” purred Itachi, his eyes glowing with a permanent crimson gleam.



“Your brother is a danger to our secrecy--a danger to all humans if he is allowed to run about unchecked. He’s feral and must be dealt with! His history should be proof enough. Need I remind you of the events in Constantinople?” Danzou snarled, hate dripping from him like the poison from a deadly viper.



“He has not injured anyone since the last ruling.” Itachi wasn’t the fool many might think of him where his brother was concerned. Since the first ruling, he kept one eye on his kingdom and another on his brother. He might not know Sasuke’s location, every second of every day, but he would know if even the first drop of blood was spilled by his brother’s hand. That much he could do.



“It doesn’t stop the fact he’s a danger. His sanity makes him a risk. Better to put him out of his misery now than later after he slaughters some innocent,” Danzou argued.



“Do we have that right?” A quiet man spoke up from the table, drawing the attention of each elder. To the human eye, he looked no more than twenty. Every member of the council knew him to be nearly three thousand. Each night walker knew him and why he was a member of the council. His family, the Nara, was one of the most respected and deadly families under the Uchiha. Their keen intellect was a deadly weapon they wielded with exact precision.



Shikamaru Nara rarely spoke in the meetings, usually appearing nearly asleep. No one was fooled by the demeanor. He was listening and making his own judgments concerning the topic at hand. When he did speak, it was taken with great weight. It wouldn’t have surprised Itachi if Danzou had sought to prevent the Nara representative from showing at this particular council.



“For the sake of our kind, of human kind--I say yes.”



“If it makes it easier for you to take the throne from the ruling family, all the better?” A thin brow rose and dark eyes stared intently at Danzou--measuring him.



Danzou’s cheek ticked in anger. “It was never a consideration.”



“Indeed.” Shikamaru sat back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Danzou’s face. “It isn’t our place to dictate what might happen. It would open the door to more such ‘preventative’ executions. The Nara family stands behind the king in this case.”



“Coward!” Danzou shouted, rising to his feet to direct a hate-filled glare towards Shikamaru Nara. With the Naras erring on the side of the king, most of the spineless families would fall quickly in suit.



“You dare suggest the Nara clan of cowardice? Shikamaru, it is within your right to demand recompense for verbal slander,” Kurenai growled in Danzou’s direction.



Shikamaru merely shrugged, turning his gaze from Danzou and towards Itachi. “Heated words often tell of weaknesses otherwise hidden from view. I wouldn’t have allowed him to call a vote. I think the remainder of you should be ashamed and fearful of your lives. Such a coup against one such as Uchiha is a dangerous gamble to play, even with Danzou at your back.”



“Who said this was a coup?”



Itachi’s eyes shot towards Danzou. Fury rolled through him. Every eye at the table was fixed fearfully toward where the murderous malice rolled forth from Itachi’s every pore. “Repeat yourself.”



“This was not a coup,” sneered Danzou.



“Your arrogance knows no bounds. Why were the doors sealed? Why was I not alerted to a council conjuring?” Itachi’s nails lengthened to scrape along the polished wood tabletop--his teeth extending to such a degree, his voice slurred.



A shifting of bodies in chairs told of guilt. While a coup wasn’t what the council desired, Danzou had ways of ensuring support for his cause. Right or wrong never came into play when politics began to emerge.



Shikamaru pushed back slightly, his body tensed to restrain Itachi should he be provoked into violence. Danzou was a manipulator and where Sasuke was concerned, manipulation of Itachi was a simple task. It was Itachi’s weakness, one very evident to each member seated around the table.



“Come at me then, King. Smite me down with all your power.” Danzou stood, obviously goading Itachi into attacking. Violence in the council chambers was strictly forbidden. Any physical damage done to one part was met in equal amounts--a punishment to the attacker. Even the king was not exempt from such punishment. He would also be expelled from the council chambers for the duration of the meeting, giving Danzou what he sought from the beginning and another excuse to have Sasuke executed. Itachi knew this but his desire to attack Danzou was throwing his mind into a confused state.



Shikamaru was on his feet, hand clasped to Itachi’s arm at the first twitch of muscle--a preventative measure and a deadly one. Itachi could very well turn his attack on the other. “I think a vote should be called about whether to reopen the case concerning the king’s brother. If you wish to discuss his progress or decline, perhaps we should table it for another day when tempers aren’t quite so high.”



“The Naras, ever the voice of reason,” spat Danzou.



“I would suggest you close your mouth Lord Danzou, least I show you just how deadly my clan can be when called for.” Shikamaru’s eyes bled to red, showing how serious he was--unassuming nature falling away to reveal his true self.



“I second the motion to table the discussion on Sasuke Uchiha until a later date when all members of the council can be present.” Kurenai stood, her voice having more bite than it usually held.



The council members nodded. The Yamanaka representative stood. “So noted, the subject is tabled until the next council meeting.”



“I would suggest you not try to get around a perfect attendance at the next adjournment,” Itachi snarled.



Danzou’s visible eye narrowed. “This isn’t the end of this. Your brother’s life is only temporarily on hold.”



Itachi jerked in Shikamaru’s firm hold, pausing only when words hissed in his ear. “Calm yourself. Your brother is safe. Don’t risk your life or position on him.”



Though Itachi’s eyes remained crimson, he relaxed in Shikamaru’s grasp. “Fine.”



With all the flourish his position demanded, Itachi pulled from Shikamaru and exited the council chambers, followed by his supporters. When all was said and done, most of the council members followed Itachi from the room, their loyalty going to the stronger appearing member, and Itachi put up a very strong appearance--a very obvious reason why Danzou wanted to keep Itachi from the chambers.



“You should go home to your brother. You won’t have much time to prepare him. The council is going to want proof of his sanity or at the very least, a visible improvement, possibly even having him brought before the council.” Shikamaru lifted a slender cigarette to his lips, taking a seat on one of the many plush chairs lining the halls of the underground passageway.



Kurenai settled on the arm of Shikamaru’s chair. It was well known amongst the higher clans of Kurenai having become involved with Shikamaru Nara. It would make them a dominating force on the council should the need ever arise. After years of having her affections spurned by Itachi, Kurenai had finally turned her eyes elsewhere.



“Can I count on your support, Nara?”



“I’m no fool. If your brother is beyond repair, it would be best to put him down. The danger of keeping him alive would far out weigh the benefits.” The words from Shikamaru angered him more for their truth than any other reason. His body became taught, though his face remained neutral.



Shikamaru smiled. His lips twitched in amusement. “But, from what I’ve heard, he’s not beyond redemption.”



Kurenai lowered her eyes. “I saw how he reacted to the human. He’s not completely lost but he’s still a very real danger to humans…and to us.”



Itachi met Shikamaru’s eyes. “I can’t lose my brother.”



“Then, let’s see that you don’t.” Shikamaru stood, offering his arm to Kurenai. “I suggest you get to work on your brother. I doubt Danzou will allow the council to wait long before adjourning again.”



Itachi nodded. The sun would rise soon and he was weak. Sasuke would need feeding soon as well or he would seek out nourishment from nearby sources, namely Naruto. Exiting the building, he disappeared into the fading night.



~*~



Sasuke jerked awake, the burn in his stomach excruciating. He recognized the feeling. Hunger. The sensations rolling through him were only slightly milder than those he’d experienced upon waking from his forced sleep.



The steady thrum of a heart had his fangs lengthening, saliva dripping from the tips. His perpetually red eyes gleamed with an even deeper bloodlust. Hunger roared through him, urging him to attack--to drain.



He glided along the dirt floor, eyes locked on Naruto’s sleeping form. He’d told Naruto to stay away. Why didn’t he stay away? Hunger beat at him with every thrum of his heart, his mouth salivating with the memory of the rich flavor running warmly down his throat. “Naruto--”



Sleep heavy eyes blinked open, lips drawn down in a grimace. Sasuke could hear the popping of bones as Naruto‘s arms reached behind his head. He couldn’t take his eyes from the tone body stretching before him--a perfect example of a healthy human.



“Sasuke? What’s wrong?” A pink tongue darted out to wet dry lips, sleep fading from his eyes.



“I’m sorry.”



Naruto frowned, confused. “For what?”



“He’s starving. Long sleeps require massive feeding for several days until the body recovers from the long hibernation.”



Two pair of eyes jerked towards where the familiar redhead stood just beyond the barrier Itachi had erected. He neither smiled nor frowned. His eyes, a dark gray, possessed deep intelligence and hidden sadness.



“What are you doing here?” Naruto asked, feeling Sasuke’s unease as well.



Bloodlust altered from hunger to possessiveness. He didn’t like the feel of this man. He wasn’t human nor was he a night walker. His emotions and thoughts were impossible to read. Sasuke shook his head, his mind having trouble focusing on something other than Naruto. His body continued to scream for blood. Better to take this man’s blood than Naruto’s.



Pein noticed Sasuke’s difficulty, smiling. “I’m waiting.”



Naruto frowned. “For what?”



“For you.”



Sasuke pushed Naruto behind him. “You can’t have him!”



Lunging towards the doorway, his claws extended, he froze inches from Pein’s face. The barrier Itachi had set up kept Pein safe for the moment. Had Sasuke’s mind not been starved for blood, he might have been able to whisper the counter spell and escape to feast on the other’s blood. “He’s mine!”



“That’s not your decision to make. His fate still has to find its completion.” Pein smiled safe behind the barrier. “Come with me. It will be easier on Sasuke if he doesn‘t bear witness. I promise.”



Sasuke moved away from Pein, his fingers locking around Naruto’s wrists. He wouldn’t allow it to happen again. He wouldn’t let anyone or thing take Naruto from him. He would destroy the world to keep Naruto safe. “He stays with me.”



“You will only seal Sasuke’s fate if you stay with him, Naruto. You weren’t meant to bind yourself quite so close to him. His purpose was to ground your soul to this plane, yet instead your connection practically destroyed your other, a nearly unprecedented event.” Pein extended his hand, the tips of his fingers brushing the barrier but not passing. “Come with me.”



“I did this to him?” Naruto jerked, Sasuke’s fingers digging into his arms.



Sasuke growled low. “I don’t care, you can’t have him. He’s mine!”



Pein shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t say I didn’t offer to make it easier on you. Your fate is coming fast. It’s the final journey.”



Sasuke snarled, a sense of foreboding rushing through him. His hands pulled Naruto close. “He’s mine.”



“Wait a damn minute.” Naruto shoved Sasuke away, confusion evident on his face. “What are you talking about?”



“The sacred number has not been reached.” Pein twirled his cigarette between nimble fingers. “Aren’t you curious as to why your lover there is so fearful? He is an instinctual being and after so long with the experience, he knows the feel of it in the air.”



“No.” Sasuke’s fingers left bruises along Naruto’s arms.



“The feel of what?” Naruto’s voice remained calm while in his embrace. Sasuke pressed his nose to Naruto’s neck, his eyes never leaving the invading man with the hypnotizing eyes.



“Do you really want to know? Will it make it easier? You’re strong, stronger in this life than any of the others. Konan always said Sasuke fought his fate when she foretold yours. I always thought her appearance to him was a bit overkill. As if a warning would keep him from you. You wouldn‘t let him…neither would he for that matter, fight though he may.” Pein tossed the cigarette to the ground with a flick of his fingers. “Death comes. No one can stop it.”



“Who are you?” Itachi snarled, stepping from the shadows. “And what the fuck are you doing in my home? Did Danzou send you?”



Pein’s smile dropped, his face taking on an almost angry visage. “No one you would care about.”



“Who are you?” Itachi lunged forward, his claws extended to swipe at Pein only to move through empty air.



“You missed.” Pein sat on the basement stairs staring, his attention focused on Itachi giving Sasuke a chance to pull Naruto even closer, his breath ghosting along the smooth column of neck.



“Tell me who sent you, now!”



Pein stood slowly to his feet, dusting imagined dust from his pants. “No one you need to worry about, Itachi.”



Itachi snarled, “Danzou did send you.”



“I think you should worry less about Danzou and more about your brother and Naruto.” Pein’s features became like smoke before fading from the room in a gush of warm wind.



Sasuke was aware of the other’s departure, he just couldn’t bring himself to care. Naruto’s warm blood pulsed beneath the smooth tan throat. Small drops of saliva dripped from his teeth to splatter on Naruto’s neck.



The threat now gone, Sasuke’s hunger took over his mind. He desperately needed to feed on the warm nourishment Naruto‘s neck promised. “Naruto--”



Naruto’s breath hitched. His heart began rocketing through his chest, making the rush of blood all the louder. He could feel it, the lust and desire for his blood. Naruto knew. He might not have a name for the need but he felt it all the same, of this Sasuke was sure. The way his neck tilted expectantly to the side and how his heart began a rapid staccato in his chest.



Sasuke’s teeth grazed the skin, moments from sinking deep when hands pulled Naruto from him and forced him through the barrier. Naruto stumbled, the haze in his mind interfering with his coordination. “What?”



“You need to stay away from Sasuke. He’s half starved.” Itachi rolled his sleeve towards his elbow.



Sasuke’s eyes locked on the blue veins running beneath pale skin, hunger pushing aside Naruto in favor of promised sustenance. Itachi’s blood was powerful. Not nearly as satisfying as Naruto’s but with Naruto out of his reach and the hunger beating at him, Sasuke had no choice but to dive towards the offered blood.



Heat rushed into his mouth, thick and healing. His veins heated with the power rushing into him. The taste, thick and unappealing, offered nothing but strength but his body in the shape it was, refused to relinquish the nourishment. His hands clasped desperately at the wrist to secure his access to the warmth pouring rapidly into him.



Unable to stop himself, Sasuke moaned low. Strength flooded through him at an alarming rate. Itachi, planner that he was, had double fed to supply enough blood for both their bodies. His starved body soaked up every drop of blood, adding color to his cheeks and muscle to what was lost during his long sleep.



He could feel Naruto’s eyes on him, a hint of envy in his gaze. He tore his lips from the offered wrist, suddenly sick for enjoying the power flooding through him at Itachi’s blood. Along with the blood came some semblance of mental capacity. “Naruto--”



“You haven’t taken enough. You need as much strength as you can get during these next few days.” Itachi reached to pull him back, his body fighting.



The dangerous thirst had dimmed enough for him to realize he wanted Naruto’s blood. “I need Naruto.”



Itachi shook his head negative. “No. It’s too dangerous.”



“Why?” Naruto spoke up, his heart pounding loudly in his chest for both night walkers to hear.



Sasuke’s face grew dark. “Because I killed you.”



“It’s too dangerous for both of you in this state,” Itachi corrected.



“You can stop him before he hurts me,” argued Naruto.



Sasuke’s body shook, falling to his knees at Naruto’s approach. His hands lifted to cover his ears, blocking out the loud pounding of Naruto’s heart. He could practically taste the rich flavor he knew gushed in Naruto’s veins. Naruto was his addiction. He would give his very soul for another taste.



“Naruto, stay back.” Itachi moved to put himself between the two men when Naruto dropped to kneel before Sasuke.



“We’ve done this before, haven’t we?” Naruto lifted hands to remove the ones clasped over Sasuke’s ears.



Sasuke lifted his red gaze to meet familiar blue. He was haunted by those eyes, even during a supposedly dreamless sleep, he’d dreamed of those eyes. “Yes--”



“Then I don’t mind. I know you won’t hurt me.” Naruto lifted his arm as Itachi had.



“I have before.”



“I’m not sure what we are. Are we soul mates? Are you just an excuse to keep my soul here as Pein said? Are we just destined to hurt each other?” Naruto offered his wrist. “I don’t care. If I have to die…I want to die by your hand.”



Sasuke’s eyes widened. “I won’t survive you leaving me again.”



“I’ve never left you. Those Narutos before me, they weren’t me.” Naruto lifted his hand to furrow through his hair. “I’m me.”



Sasuke’s eyes closed at the touch. Naruto’s touch was gentle but insistent. He felt tugging and opened his eyes to see Naruto’s wrist before his eyes. He’d never received such a selfless offering, or perhaps it wasn’t selfless. He felt the excitement in each breath Naruto took. Naruto wanted this.



A quick glance to Itachi showed his brother frowning but not interjecting between the two. It wasn’t a blessing, but it was enough for Sasuke to release a sigh of relief. He lowered his lips to the warm flesh. His tongue darted out to taste the skin, salty with a hint of sweat.



He smirked at the way Naruto’s heart stuttered in his chest. Running his fangs along the skin, they both shuddered for different reasons. “Sasuke--”



Not wanting either to wait any longer, Sasuke pressed his fangs into the thrumming vein. A shock rushed through him. If Itachi’s blood was nourishment, Naruto’s was a gourmet meal.



Links clicked together in his mind, the years melted away and he felt revived in ways he never had. His internal organs began to heal from the years of malnutrition. His hands lifted to grasp at the wrist, sucking even more powerfully at the open vein.



Naruto moaned, falling to the floor to writhe as Sasuke sucked deeply of the flowing blood. Sasuke followed him down, lapping at the multitude of power and flavors rushing from the punctures. He snarled upon feeling Itachi’s hand reaching to pull him away.



“Sasuke if you don’t stop, you’ll kill him. Is that what you want? To destroy him again?”



Sasuke’s body clenched, aroused and full of Naruto’s blood. For the first time in years, his body longed to flip Naruto over--to pound in him hard and fast. Naruto would welcome him. He wanted it.



“Sasuke…stop…” Naruto panted from beside him.



The word was like cold water, dousing his passion and bringing him from the madness. He dropped the wrist, backpedaling towards the wall and away from Naruto before he drained him. Blood smeared his lips, his tongue darting out to savor the remaining flavor.



“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Sasuke shuddered at the memory of holding Naruto’s limp body in his arms for hour upon hour.



Itachi crouched, checking Naruto’s pulse only to have the other push him aside. “Sasuke…that was so…I can’t think of how wonderful that was.”



Itachi nodded. “Arousal is common on both parts from such a feeding.”



“You mean you…?”



“No!” Sasuke and Itachi shouted together.



“It’s more than just feeding. For arousal, there needs to be a connection and desire. Sasuke and I don’t have that,” explained Itachi.



“Thank the gods.” Sasuke muttered, having calmed a considerable amount since the blood began circulating through his system.



“Naruto, it’s nearly dawn. Why don’t you go out for breakfast. You’ll need the nourishment and Sasuke will sleep once the sun crests the horizon. He’s still weak, even with your blood.”



“But…” Naruto pouted.



“Go.” Sasuke glanced from his crouched position on the wall. “I’m fine.”



“Fine but I won’t be gone long.” Naruto sent a glance back towards both brothers. “Bye Sasuke.”



Sasuke glanced up in time to see Naruto disappear up the stairs. He didn’t move until he was no longer in sight before turning his gaze towards Itachi.



“Sasuke, we have to talk.”



To be continued.