Midnight Memories

I don’t own Naruto nor do I make money from it



Warnings: drama, vampires, cursing, blood drinking, supernatural events, I mean, geez if you guys are still reading MM then you know what all it has in it >.>



Midnight Memories



Chapter Fourteen



“How is he?”



Pein took his place at Konan’s side, frown creasing his face at the pale colored stone before him. A few of his fellow Watchers kept their distance, watching two of their strongest take more than a slight interest in the young Watcher lying unmoving upon the stasis slab.



It was hard not to be in awe of the image Pein presented. His slender frame belied the pure power flowing through him. He was easily the strongest amongst the Watchers. The piercings littering his body only made him all the more eye catching. They all knew his story and could not imagine he survived being long estranged from his bond mate.



Until the previous day, he was the only known Watcher to survive the soul extraction without the immediate presence of his soul bond mate. Now there were two. It would have been a concern had he not shown an interest in Naruto Uzumaki.



“Stupid. Idiot. Why don’t you fight?”



Pein paced around the slab of stone serving as a stasis bed. Watchers drew their strength from the world around them. And the world responded to them in turn.



Naruto showed no signs of connecting with the spiritual force of the earth. Pein could see the strands of life seeking to connect, only to be repelled. He slammed his palms upon the alter, willing Naruto accept the earth’s bond.



The stone remained clear and undiffused with the natural power Naruto should be exuding. The worried whispers of the others reached his ears, forcing him to tune them out as he focused on the young man before him.



It could be the connection with his other but…



“Wake up.” Pein shoved a hand through his hair, glancing at Konan before continuing his pacing around the slab.



The strongest of their kind were those bonded to long lived beings. Shape shifters. Nightwalkers. Magic wielders. Bonds to the supernatural were rare. Human bonds were more common but tended to be weaker and therefore, the Watchers created from them were weak. Such was the way of things. Balance was key.



Naruto was bonded strongly to a nightwalker. He should be excelling at his new life, not slowly drifting away. It went against everything any of them knew.



“He’s still not waking. His soul has almost shut down. I should have known you were an exception to the rule. There’s a reason why souls aren’t extracted without their bond mates present.” Konan shook her head in regret. “It’s a pity. I think he would have been strong.”



“He’s not gone yet.” Pein frowned as he approached the large alter made of clear quartz.



“He’s all but…” Konan sighed. “Look at the crystal. It should glow with his color. It barely has any light. He’s dying.”



“I’m not going to let him.”



A curious expression crossed Konan’s face. “Why?”



“I have my reasons,” answered Pein curtly.



“Do those reasons have to do with Itachi Uchiha?”



Pein snarled, releasing a string of curses in languages long dead. “My reasons are my own.”



Determination hardened his face as he placed a hand on Naruto’s chest, sending the faintest pulse of power into him. Before his eyes, the bond thread gleamed. Nothing appeared abnormal.



Appearances could be deceiving. His eyes narrowed, observing the thread--a spiritual connection to Sasuke.



Sending a second, much stronger, pulse; his eyes widened. From behind, he heard Konan’s gasp followed by those of the Watchers present. They couldn’t be seeing what they were. It was impossible.



“Nagato…”



“Unbelievable…”



What normally stemmed from the heart outward was wrapped around Naruto’s entire body. It flowed from Naruto, branching off in several areas to swirl in translucent strands over legs and arms. The strands seemed to stroke and caress every place they touched while forcing away the strands of earth energy. It was obvious to each person witnessing the Naruto was more than bound to his other. He was irrevocably connected to Sasuke in ways defying their ancient knowledge. There was no room in him for a significant bond to the earth. Sasuke Uchiha had claim to every part of Naruto’s soul.



He couldn’t be sure, but there was a very strong possibility Sasuke was wrapped just as tightly in similar strands. Pein’s hand dropped away and the visible connection faded away.



Bonds could be broken. If Itachi died, Pein would feel the emptiness of the bond loss but would be able to continue on. He could purposefully sever the bond, resulting in a similar effect. It would hurt but not kill him. The same went for all Watchers. In most cases, their mate was reborn and they were given the option of renewing their relationship, whatever it might be or merely watching from afar. It was one of the reasons for the name of their species.



Not all bond mates were romantically involved. Soul mate, as the term implied, was a joining of souls. Such things did not disallow from falling in and out of love with others. The bond only meant the two souls were compatible. If the souls joined on a physical level, it was their choice.



Naruto’s bond was different. If Sasuke died…so would Naruto. He was literally dependant on the energy flowing around him. The bonds had centuries to develop. It was no wonder Sasuke had been driven to the brink of insanity. With each life, the bonds naturally grew stronger.



“Shit…” Konan stumbled to Pein. “This has never happened…”



Pein was at a loss for words. “We need to take him to his bond mate.”



“We need to not do that…”



“It’s the only way,” argued Pein. “His mate isn’t of the most stable mind right now. If he goes under, he’ll pull the boy with him.”



“Then end it now.” She turned sad eyes to Naruto’s form. “For both of them. I can‘t see what will happen if they live.”



“No.” Pein eased his arms beneath Naruto. His frame continued to shift between solid and ethereal. He wasn’t grounded enough to retain his physical form. It was dangerous to move him in such a state, but he was rejecting the earth’s spiritual energy--his entire being, most likely focused only on the energy binding him to Sasuke. He had to hurry or Naruto would fade away.



“Nagato!” Konan shouted, racing after him. “He’s faulty. Even if you give him to the night walker, his sanity will pull Naruto into the darkness. Our kind possess too much power allow a loose cannon admittance.”



“You didn’t allow the others to destroy me.”



“That’s different. Your bond was barely there. You were in no danger of losing your grip on this world and you allowed the earth to power you.” Konan reached to touch Naruto’s cheek. “This one’s fate is interwoven too powerfully with the nightwalker…they share the same fate.”



“Your gift for reading the strands of fate is amazing but, I can’t let him die. He’s like me in ways you couldn’t understand.”



“You’re doing this for him!”



Pein sighed, looking down at Naruto. “I’ve done things in my many lives I regret. I refuse to allow Naruto to be one of them. You forget you aren’t the only one who watched him.”



Pein faded from view, leaving Konan alone. Her hand lifted to her heart, clenching in the robe. “You’ll only be hurt again. I can’t bear to watch you self-destruct again.”



“My Lady?”



Konan turned from where Pein faded from sight. “Yes?”



“Lord Danzou has arrived. He wishes a reading.” The acolyte bowed to her, his long hair falling around his face.



“He’s a bit pushy, isn’t he, Neji?” Konan patted the youth’s shoulder.



“Yes, Lady Konan. Does he think the strands will show a different fate for him?” Neji moved silently beside her.



“You know better than that, Neji. Fate isn’t written in stone. Our actions change our futures and our fates. Think of fate as a flowing stream. Anything can accidentally alter the flow but some times trying to purposefully alter it results in fate path becoming all the more determined. Danzou seeks to change things for his benefit. He is foolish.” Konan clenched her jaw in annoyance. “King Fugaku was in error to entrust Danzou with the secrets of our order instead of his son. But we can’t interfere with the choices made by others. Mores the pity. There is a great reckoning coming of which the outcome, even I can’t see.”



Neji paused, glancing at her through pale lavender eyes. “What does that mean?”



“I don’t know. I was foolish to suggest destroying the boy. He is the fulcrum of this coming storm yet I hoped to keep our Order out of storm.”



Neji frowned, “You sought to change the flow of fate?”



“Even one such as I can lose sight of what it means to be a Watcher. Perhaps I allowed Danzou’s aura to influence me,” mused Konan. “I suppose there is no getting around it. I don’t think he will leave happy today.”



Neji chuckled. “I don’t think he would be happy even if you told him he would rule the world atop the back of a dragon.”



Konan smiled, her heart lifted at the comment. “No, I don’t suppose he would. Fate rules our species. We are tied to the earth and charged with keeping the balance. It is why we can read the fates. Earth’s fate is our only concern. One such as him sees us as nothing more than seers. But it is not he who moves the pieces on the board…but us.”



“He wouldn’t like you speaking as such,” Neji laughed.



“Oh he would most definitely not like that and it makes the knowledge all the sweeter. Come, let us deal with him, then worry about Nagato’s little charge.”



She tucked a loose strand of blue hair behind her ear. The threads of fate had a way of surprising even the most devout readers. She would need an open mind for the coming events and hope for the future.



oOo



Sasuke was little more than a beast. What little furniture remained in the sealed room was in near shambles. Shards of wood littered the floor. Deep bloody furrows dotted the walls where Sasuke’s fingers dug in attempt to escape his prison. His eyes no longer held the slightest trace of sanity. He was nothing but a mad animal.



Itachi paced before the door. Sasuke followed the movement with rapid shifting of eyes. He would attack if given the slightest provocation. He had no mind for light as he was drowning in the darkness. His light felt all but extinguished. Only one name whispered in his mind.



Naruto.



The thread binding him to the world was stretched impossibly thin as if at any moment it would snap, leaving him to wallow in the darkness. There was nothing but the darkness. He withdrew deeper and deeper. There was no reason for him to push it away. There was no Naruto.



Blood dripped from his hands to splatter in small droplets along the floor. His fingers painted ancient runes into the wall, his mind unable to distinguish between the shattered thoughts spinning through his head.



Claws ripped at his chest, attempting to find the invisible place where Naruto marked him. He needed to feel Naruto. He wasn’t there. He’d never not been there. No…that wasn’t true. Naruto was there but he could feel the bond fading. Some instinctual part of his mind knew what this meant. If the bond broke, Naruto would be lost to him and he would be lost to the darkness.



“Sasuke…”



Red eyes darted towards the direction of the sound. He couldn’t answer. The dark place he resided in no longer allowed him that liberty.



“Sasuke…you have want to live…I can’t do this alone. I’ve felt empty for too long,” pleaded Itachi.



“He’s all but gone.”



Pein stepped from the shadows, in his arms cradled a limp form. Itachi’s shock was mirrored by Sasuke.



Sasuke snarled lunging from where he prowled. The barrier repelled him, yet he continued to attack it. This man--he’d done something to Naruto. The sight of the limp frame cradled in arms sent him into a frenzy. His blood, born of ancients, began to wear down the barrier Itachi had carefully erected. He would rend the other apart and bathe in his blood.



Itachi’s eyes flashed red upon seeing Naruto. “What have you done?”



“I’ve no time to explain. He’s fading. He needs to be with his other.”



Itachi snarled, reaching for Naruto--surprised the other didn‘t refuse him. The slender frame felt light in his arms, almost as if he was made of air. This was not a normal body. “Naruto is dead! You’ve desecrated his body.”



Pein relinquished his hold on Naruto and repeated his previous statement. “He isn’t dead in the sense you think and…he needs to be with his other.”



Itachi pulled Naruto tighter, feeling the heartbeat. Dark eyes went wide with shock. “He…He’s alive?”



“He has evolved.”



“What?” Itachi blinked at the other before gazing down at Naruto’s sleeping face. “Into what?”



Pein shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “There’s not time for explanations. Just do it. Give him to his other.”



Pein lifted a hand and pointed towards where Sasuke crouched snarling. Malice flowed from Sasuke in waves, turning the air cold with his madness. He knew they were trying to keep Naruto from him. He shook his head at the dark swirling voices echoing in his ears. It urged him to reclaim Naruto from them.



Itachi shook his head, cradling Naruto close. “He’s too far gone. He’d destroy him.”



“He’ll save him.”



Itachi stared at Pein, turning his eyes to where Sasuke watched from the doorway. He was no longer attempting to rip his way through, yet he wasn’t exactly offering much comfort. His eyes gleamed with predatory intent and his teeth extended past his lower lip.



“Naruto…” Sasuke snarled, his palm flattening against the barrier. “Mine…”



“There isn’t much time. Naruto will be destroyed without him. Give him to him.” Pein’s hand touched Itachi’s shoulder, making both men wince at the sensation.



“If he hurts him…I’ll destroy you.”



Pein stepped back, chuckling mirthlessly. “You can try.”



Itachi stepped forward, moving through the barrier. Sasuke continued to watch him, moving back as Itachi approached but made no move to attack. His entire focus was on Naruto’s frame cradled in Itachi’s arms.



He needed him. Naruto was too precious. His name spiraled through his mind, tattooing itself into his very core.



Itachi carefully laid his burden upon the floor. His eyes dropped to where Naruto looked to be sleeping before returning to where Sasuke crouched, entranced by the motionless form.



The smooth line of his neck and the hard hollows of his cheeks drew his madness tinged gaze. Naruto.



His name was a mantra playing over and over. Light, faint and painful, shot through his mind--sewing together pieces of his sanity and pulling him from the darkness he’d resided in for too long. It hurt.



It wasn’t a physical pain but one made of emotions and memories. His hand slowly extended forward, blood stained fingers stroking down the scarred cheeks. There was a pulse of life. It called to him.



He could do no other than move forward. His fingers traced down the tan neck and over the shirtless chest. Trails of blood were left in the wake of his fingers. He was marking Naruto in his blood.



His nails scratched lightly at the toned abdomen, tracing the way muscle roped over bone and sinew. Each hollow and slope was explored with the gentlest of touches. There was only one thought in his mind. He wanted Naruto. It was more than a physical ache. The nothingness pouring from the other made him want to refill him. He wanted to pour his very essence in Naruto--to fall into Naruto. He wanted to drown in his warm--to devour his blood.



His hands deviated to the sides, linking with limp fingers. “Wake up…”



The fluttering of lashes was the only visible response.



“Wake up.” Sasuke lowered his lips to kiss along the sternum, pressing his face to the warm chest.



He could hear each pulse of the heart, his own stuttering and matching it. Their blood rushed in time with the other. They were two halves of the same whole, bound irrevocably to each other.



He could feel it. The invisible threads tightened around him, pulling at his mind, body, and soul. Heat. Life. Desire. Hunger. They all merged together.



He was blinded by the essence of Naruto. His mouth watered for a taste. His body longed to be buried within the warmth. His soul was no longer his own but a part of Naruto just as a part of Naruto resided in him. Ten lifetimes. Death after countless death drove them to this point of no return. They could die in this moment. Darkness awaited them just beyond their realm of existence.



Or…they could live.



Sasuke?



“I’m here,” he whispered into Naruto’s chest.



I understand.



Sasuke pressed closer. Naruto’s words were not a physical sound but something spoken through his entire being. In that moment, they were one.



“What do you understand?”



I was created for you.



“I could have told you that, idiot,” purred Sasuke, lifting his face to stare at Naruto.



I’m tired



“Rest. I won’t go anywhere.”



Blue eyes fluttered open to stare at the ceiling. They shifted to stare at where Sasuke curled his body into him. “Can you see it?”



Sasuke’s eyes lifted to stare at the threads of silver woven around them. With each passing moment, they seemed to thicken and tighten though he felt no pain as they wrapped around him. He could see it. He could see his connection to Naruto.



“Good.” Dark lashes fluttered closed, his body relaxing into Sasuke. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let you die alone.”



For the first time in over a century, Sasuke’s eyes faded completely from their perpetual crimson into his more natural ebony. His lips lowered, pressing kisses along hard curve of jaw. He didn’t pause in his journey until reaching the pulsing ebb and flow beneath Naruto’s neck.



“I need you,” whispered Sasuke.



His lips mouthed the flesh of Naruto‘s neck, tugging at it with sharp teeth but never breaking the barrier of skin. He could taste Naruto. He carried the natural salty flavor of all humans, yet something was different. He seemed so much purer. His fangs throbbed with need to pierce him. His tongue tingled with the excitement of soon to be drowning in the flavor.



Naruto’s thighs parted, creating a cradle for Sasuke. His neck arched--pressed closer to the teasing mouth. “Yes.”



Both needed to affirm the presence of the other. They needed this ritual known only to each other. The temperature around them rose in tandem with their body heat. Their chests pressed to each other--Sasuke’s lips at Naruto’s throat and Naruto’s lips quietly urging Sasuke on.



It was a true exchange. Hunger or madness was no longer an issue. Sasuke’s teeth slid through tan skin--smoothly piercing the vein and withdrawing to be replaced by gently sucking lips.



Naruto’s body arched high, his eyes closed. Sasuke held Naruto still, his lips ravishing his neck. Warm, rich blood poured into him in a seemingly never ending flow. It was Naruto yet without the slight imperfections that tended to mar blood. This was what a perfect creature tasted like.



Sasuke moaned into Naruto, his hands clawing at Naruto’s hips to bring him closer to him. He was going to merge with him. They were going to be one creature--a beast with two backs.



“Sasuke…” Itachi stepped forward, earning himself a snarl and flashing of red eyes before Sasuke returned to his feast.



“Mine,” Sasuke mumbled into the flesh of Naruto’s neck.



“Sasuke, you need to stop. You’ll kill him.”



Even through the haze in his mind, Sasuke understood Itachi’s attachment to Naruto. He didn’t like it. Itachi would never steal him, yet he couldn’t help but feel wary of the other. He couldn’t risk Itachi wanting Naruto. He couldn’t have him. His hands pulled their bodies even closer--thrusting his hips hard against the cradle created between Naruto’s thighs.



Pein clasped his hand on Itachi‘s arm. “He’ll stop. He would never kill Naruto. Besides, you’ll find it much more difficult to kill him now.”



Almost on cue, Sasuke pulled away from Naruto’s throat, his tongue stroking over the seeping wound. The skin healed over with each gentle stroke until only a dark bruise remained. Sasuke purred at the sight, having marked Naruto for the world to see.



Itachi turned his eyes to Pein as if suddenly recalling his presence. “Who are you?”



A look of hurt flashed across Pein’s face before he clamped down on his emotions and sealed away his expression. “That’s a difficult question to answer.”



Itachi’s eye’s narrowed. “Try me.”



“I’m a Watcher and my purpose is to observe the world and keep the flow of fate constant. Naruto is also a Watcher but…I’m not sure how he will…he’s not like other Watchers.” Pein’s eyes trailed away to stare at Sasuke nuzzling his face over Naruto’s neck, chest, and abdomen with an almost longing gaze.



“What about Naruto…where were you while he died time after time?” Itachi snarled, forcing Pein against the wall. His fingers tightened around the slender neck menacingly.



Pein’s face never dropped its calm expression. “We were watching. We can’t interfere directly.”



“He’s a watcher…why didn’t you save him before? Was it to toy with my brother? Was it to see how far you could take him before he broke?” Itachi’s eyes showed his loss of control, bleeding a dark crimson. “Was it a game?”



Pein’s hand lifted to encircle Itachi’s wrist. “We couldn’t interfere. Each time a soul dies, things are imprinted on it. A dislike of a certain food despite never having tried it is common. A preference for blondes instead of brunettes is not unheard of. Those things are etched on souls and ignored by whatever force wipes the memories. Each time the soul is reborn, those small things are carried over. Naruto is special. He’s different. Detailed things are constantly etched on him and are unable to be removed, but there reaches a point when the soul can not be erased to the satisfaction of the powers that be. We pluck the soul from the still living body and ground it to earth. We…I draw my strength from the world around me. Naruto draws his strength from him.”



“What about Sasuke?”



“It’s complicated. No one knows why two souls are joined. The old soul mate idea is a crock of shit. It’s not predestined. Two living souls meet and resonate with each other. It doesn’t have to be sexual. Powerful friendship can be just as binding. The point of the other is something to ground them to the earth until they grow into their soul. With human souls, they stay close to each other and are reborn around the same time. With immortal beings…it becomes a bit tricky.” Pein fidgeted, obviously uncomfortable about the subject.



Itachi tilted his head, frowning. “Tricky how?”



“Immortals don’t forget. Would Sasuke be in the shape he’s in if he forgot Naruto as soon as he died?” Itachi frowned but said nothing, signaling for Pein to continue. “Naruto’s soul never forgot your brother. Each rebirth, his instinct was to find Sasuke. It’s the same with all soul mates. Find your other. Watchers always have bond mates but it’s rare for one of our kind to be connected to an immortal.”



Itachi snorted. “We’re far from immortal.”



“But you are long lived. How old are you? Were you alive when Christ walked the earth?”



“That’s beside the point,” evaded Itachi.



“It’s precisely the point. Night walkers don’t die because their body wears out. That’s as close to immortal as most creatures can come. It’s a pity Sasuke was immortal. He was forced to suffer.” Pein reached up to touch the piercings lining his nose. “Naruto’s different in other ways. Did you realize Naruto kept the same form?”



Itachi inclined his head. “I hadn’t thought much about it but yes. Is that unusual?”



“Very. Almost unheard of.” Pein frowned, dropping his gaze from Itachi’s intense one. “I was a woman at one point. Gender…physical appearance…none of it is stationary for a soul.”



“Why have I, ruler of all nightwalkers, never heard of Watchers?”



It was a good question and demanded an answer. Itachi knew of the witches, the shape shifters, the demons, and the nearly extinct nagas. He had never heard of watchers.



“We keep a low profile. Revealing us to you was a necessary evil. I couldn’t watch Naruto’s soul die because he was kept from his other. It is a tortuous thing to exist without one’s bond mate. The bond is painful if ignored. Naruto and Sasuke don’t have the option of ignoring each other. They won’t survive without the other.” Pein rubbed his chest, draw Itachi’s eyes.



“Sasuke never ignored Naruto. I think he became a little too obsessive of him.”



Pein smirked, glancing to where Sasuke practically curled around Naruto. “Perhaps.”



“Was your bond mate human?” asked Itachi curiously.



“No,” he responded curtly, his jaw visibly tensing.



Itachi didn’t respond for several moments. “Who is it?”



Pein’s face grew hard. He didn’t bother to hide his anger. He had to ask that. It was fine until he asked.



Now that Naruto was out of danger, the situation he was in burned him. He was jealous of what Naruto had. Naruto didn’t have to fight for even a glance from his other. The most he’d ever received from Itachi was a single night in his arms. He was gone come dawn the next day, leaving his then form bereft but not fully understanding why. All he was left with was a feeling of abandonment before being murdered the following night.



“You want to know who destroyed me? You aren’t worthy to know the soul who left me to die.”



It was Pein’s turn to flip the tables. His eyes became hard, his hands pinning Itachi to the wall. “We are silent in this world because we have the power to change it. That is a very dangerous thing to possess. One person from each race is given the knowledge of our existence. I wonder who in your race knows…”



“Who is it?” snarled Itachi, angry both at being pinned so easily and at some unknown individual under his rule possessed knowledge of such powerful beings.



“Think hard, maybe it will come to you,” retorted Pein.



“You think this is a game? Do you enjoy torturing others as you obvious enjoy torturing yourself?”



Itachi’s eyes were a deep crimson. Though any powers of hypnosis he might possess were lost on Pein, the other couldn’t help but stare entranced at how intently they sought to delve into his soul. He wanted to forget everything. His chest hurt him, but it was a welcome feeling. It let him know the bond was still there.



“You should ask yourself, who is truly doing the torturing? I’ve been tortured for nearly two thousand years. Can you say you are the same?” Pein released his grip on Itachi’s arms, moving several feet away.



“Who are you? What right do you have to act so superior?” Itachi stepped away from the wall, rubbing his arms where the impossibly tight grip had bruised his skin.



“Who am I? I’m the whore you fucked, offering the first pleasure from a customer I’d ever felt. I’m the warrior you watched die while you trailed around after your soulless father. I am the crippled child you held in your arms as my life faded. I wasn’t as lucky as Naruto. I never looked the same in each life. You should have felt something despite my appearance. You should have stayed.” If Pein had possessed fangs, it was highly probably they would be bared to Itachi.



“What are you speaking of?”



“Do you know what happens when a soul is on their tenth life? It is then they form the strongest of bonds with their bond mate. Five minutes. Five years. However long they have, the bond is strong. The bond is what holds the soul to this earth as it is extracted from the body. Rituals are performed. It is fairly painless.” Pein ran his fingers over the piercings dotting his face and ears, continuing his rant as if not hearing Itachi’s words. “Then, there are those whose cries are ignored. It doesn’t matter if the other didn’t know. It doesn’t matter if through the nine previous lifetimes that he died alone without his death being given a second thought by his other. Without the other to ground us, the process is excruciating…you weren’t there.”



Itachi’s jaw clenched, his eyes following Pein’s every move. “I don’t know you.”



“Don’t you? Don’t you feel it? It’s a small tingling in the back of your mind--some familiarity. When the tenth life comes, the other must answer the call. Sasuke…” Pein glanced where Sasuke was watching them intently. “He was a special case. His mind was so shattered; he couldn’t understand what he felt. But you…you felt it, and ignored it.”



“I don’t…”



“Stop!” Pein lifted a hand, preventing any further denial. “It’s a dagger being twisted inside you. The thread binding you to another is pulled tight. It demands acceptance or rejection. You rejected it. You blocked it from your being…and created me.”



Pein stepped backward, his body fading into almost smoke. “You asked who I was. I was Nagato but now all that’s left is Pein.”



Itachi opened his mouth but Pein was gone. He searched the room to no avail. Even the spicy scent following Pein was fading. He was gone.



“We’re both fucked up, brother.” Sasuke whispered hoarsely.



“Indeed. Was what he said… Sasuke, do you remember him from before Naruto? I can’t…I don’t…wouldn’t I have felt something as you did with Naruto?” Itachi’s face was unusually pale as he slumped against the wall.



“I don’t…remember. I wasn’t very old when I met Naruto. Not like you.” The room was silent before Sasuke spoke again.



Will he take Naruto from me? I won’t let him.” Sasuke’s arms tightened around the sleeping frame.



“I think Naruto is special. He can’t take him from you but…” Itachi pressed a hand to the ache in his chest.



“I feel different, Itachi. I feel whole.” Sasuke laid his head on Naruto’s chest. “I haven’t felt that in a long time.”



“What happened, Sasuke?”



Sasuke shook his head, attempting to verbalize what he’d felt. It wasn’t an easy task.



“I don’t know…I was in a dark place awaiting death when something pulled me back. I don’t remember much. It was instinct,” said Sasuke.



They could have sat there for minutes or hours. Neither could judge the time as both were lost in their own thoughts. Naruto slept peacefully, curled against Sasuke.



“My lord, we are here to judge your brother.”



Both brothers jerked their eyes from each other to the men standing just beyond the barrier. They were dressed as businessmen but only a fool would consider them safe. Even Shikamaru, who stood towards the back, exuded an air of danger. The only female present pushed forward to glance worriedly at the three figures.



“Itachi…you knew this was coming. I tried to stall as long as I could with Naruto’s…death…my God…I was told…Danzou said…” Kurenai’s red eyes grew wide as Naruto’s eyes fluttered open.



“Why are there so many people here?”



Sasuke’s lips quirked before drawing Naruto’s weak frame into his arms. “They are here to find me insane and put me down like a mad dog.”



Danzou’s face paled at Naruto. “Necromancy!”



“You’re an idiot.” Shikamaru stepped forward to examine Naruto. “Other than a rather large hickey, I don’t see any marks to claim necromancy. Of course, you can request a formal examination but honestly, the only place covered is his dick and his ass. If those are the places marked…”



Danzou’s face grew hard. “Fine. The boy’s alive. He isn’t the reason we are here.”



Itachi leveled a hard glare on Danzou. “I was expecting more time.”



“Why wait? Insanity doesn’t just go away. Look at the room. A madman destroyed this place. He’s not sane and must be put down as a danger to both our society, and the humans.”



The room was indeed in ruins. Blood flaked dryly from the walls where Sasuke’s fingers had drawn ancient symbols. The furniture lay in shattered heaps.



“Well, you would be mad too if Itachi locked you in a room.”



Every eye in the room focused on Naruto. He simply blinked innocently at them. “Well…it’s true. There are no windows…and no bathroom. I‘ll be the first to tell you Sasuke is smelling pretty ripe about now.”



“Can’t argue with that.” Shikamaru popped a cigarette in his mouth, inhaling the pungent smoke.



“You…Talk to him…he has been insane for years. You all know it.” Danzou one visible eye was flashing angrily at where Naruto cuddled close to Sasuke.



Shikamaru shrugged, glancing lazily at Sasuke. “What’s your name?”



“Sasuke Uchiha.”



“Who are your parents?”



“Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha.”



“How old are you?”



Danzou growled, “Any idiot can answer questions like that. Why are you locked away like a criminal?”



Sasuke’s eyes grew hard. “Because it’s not safe until I recover from my sleep. Any sleep over ten years requires mandatory incarceration for a time until the hunger becomes manageable. Itachi is just being an asshole and not letting me out.”



“He seems pretty sane to me.” Shikamaru turned to leave. “Keep him here for another week to make sure he’s got his hunger under control. I’m going home.”



Itachi’s lips twitched as the elders left one by one. Danzou remained, seething at the happy picture the three painted. His eye glared holes in both Uchiha.



“This isn’t the last of this.” With that he was gone.



Sasuke slumped against Naruto, his hands shaking. “I’m not in full control.”



“It’s the hunger. You were asleep for a long time.” Itachi placed a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. “In more ways than one.”



Sasuke nodded, burying his face in Naruto’s neck as a child might his mother. Itachi smiled and turned to leave.



“Itachi…”



Itachi turned to see crystalline eyes gazing up at him. “I’m sorry.”



“For what, Naruto?”



“For not being able to love you like you wanted.” Naruto’s teeth worried his lip.



“Don’t worry, Naruto. Our time, short though it was, is precious to me. What I feel for you could never compare to what you and Sasuke have. Even I see it as superficial. I knew it wouldn’t last, which is why I cherished it.” Itachi bowed his head to the two and left the room.



To be continued…