The Jutsu of Surrender

AN: o.o I didn't get that many reviews this time... T___T Do you not like the story anymore? Review, it feeds me and makes me write faster.

After two days of travel they reached the compound, sneaking in the back way since it was closer to the infirmary. Sasuke’s shaking had returned, the boy’s face ashen. He’d hardly been conscious during the trip, drinking and eating what a mouse couldn’t survive on. The cloak was stiff with dried blood, Itachi’s shirt in a similar state. “Hold on Sasuke, we’re almost there.” Itachi hurried down the well lit halls, sliding to a stop in front of the infirmary’s door. “Oi, could you get the door?” Kisame stepped in front of him, pulling the door open. “Thanks.” They walked in, Itachi’s eyes scanning the room for an attendant.

A short man looked up from behind a desk then arched a brow. “Itachi? Is that blood yours, or that thing in your arms?”

Kisame chuckled, “I seriously doubt he’ll appreciate being called a thing.” Almost on cue, Sasuke shifted, moaning for his aniki.

“He’ll comment on the matter when he’s better...” He turned his attention back the medical ninja. “It’s his blood, he ripped inside during a rape. Twice. And the other marks need tending too, but I’m more worried about... well his ass.”

The medical nin peered at Sasuke for a moment then turned, walking down the hallway to the right of his desk. “Go put him in the bed,” he pointed to the left, “down that hall, third door on the left. I’ll get everything ready.” He started picking up gauze and medicine bottles, placing them in pockets on the front of his smock-like shirt.

Itachi stepped forward, following the directions the medical nin had given him. Kisame followed; they were still officially on the job until Itachi dismissed him. “Look, I need to go talk to Leader about Sasuke living here. Would you stay with him until I get back?”

“Sure,” he shrugged, eyes lowering to the huddled mass in Itachi’s arms. “What do I do if he bleeds to death?”

The older Uchiha twitched in annoyance at the casualness of Kisame’s words. “How the hell am I supposed to answer that?”

Kisame shrugged again and held out his arms to take Sasuke. As Itachi began to pull Sasuke from him, his brother stirred and held more tightly to him. That attached already, and after all Itachi had done to him... He snickered to himself. Sasuke must not be the only one good in bed. That or they had some sort of weird dependancy on each other. Oh well.

“I’ll put him to bed...” Itachi glared at him. “Can you at least fake that you give a shit?” He then walked into the room that had been pointed out to him, laying Sasuke carefully on the paper covered bed. Sasuke’s finger held stubbornly to Itachi’s shirt.

“I give a shit...” Kisame stuck his head into the room, leaning against the doorframe. “What do you want me to do?”

“Just... I don’t know. Pat his head. You had a pet when you were a kid, right?” Petting Sasuke’s hand, he tried to soothe him enough to release the shirt. “Let go.” Sasuke’s fingers tightened in response.

“Pat his head?” Kisame slid to the other side of Sasuke, dropping one heavy hand into the spiky black hair. The boy squeaked, fisting his hands in Itachi’s shirt.

“Well do it more gently...” He sighed; freeing himself from his stubborn little brother was oddly hard. Though after what he went through, Itachi guessed it was natural. “Sasuke... It’s okay, let go now.” Sasuke whimpered, his fingers hesitantly releasing Itachi. Pushing Kisame’s hand away, Itachi stroked Sasuke’s hair, ignoring the way Kisame smirked at that. “I’m leaving a friend here with you, but I’ll be back soon.” There was a tiny, weak nod then Sasuke tilted his head into Itachi’s hand. Itachi glanced up at Kisame. “Be nice. Gentle too.”

“...Aa. I’ll try.”

“I’ll be back,” he mumbled, heading for the door.

Kisame hesitantly rested his hand in Sasuke’s hair, stroking it in a mostly gentle way. As soon as it was apparent that Itachi’s hand had left Sasuke’s hair, he whimpered. Cracking his eyes open, though as tear encrusted as they were, he saw Itachi wince at his whimper then touch his knee comfortingly before giving himself a shake and walking out. He hurt too badly to decipher what that meant. Orochimaru’s final cruelty was to leave him alive. There wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t on fire with pain, his skin sticky or hard with blood. Itachi... all he could think of was how safe he felt when his brother’s arms picked him up and carried him away. A part of him started to panic that the safety was now gone, but the still rational part of his brain reminded himself of Itachi’s words. He would come back, he left his friend who looked mostly bored with his attempts to comfort him. Not that Sasuke could blame him.

The medical ninja entered the room, shutting the door behind him. “Now, let’s see just what we have here...” He peeled back the cloak carefully, parts of the scabs sticking and pulling back with it, fresh blood welling to the surface. Softly clicking his tongue, the medical nin pushed back the rest of the cloak. “You sure were unlucky... I’m going to take a closer look at these scratches then address Itachi’s point of concern.”

His thoughts were quickly pushed to the side as a hiss escaped him. The tonic the medical nin applied burned the few freshly opened wounds. Kisame stroked his hair faster, scratching at his scalp. It was soothing, for some reason, so Sasuke relaxed and closed his eyes, concentrating on Kisame’s hand the hope that his brother would hurry back.


Itachi knocked on the ornate doors leading to the large office, waiting for permission before entering. Their home was underground, easiest to hide from prying eyes. The rock had been molded well into corridors and rooms for the Akatsuki members and staff. Blood red rock covered most of the compound, red mixing with brown the closer to the outside it was. The infirmary was one such example, it’s walls mostly brown tinted. Itachi sighed, hoping Sasuke’s examination was going well.

“Come in.”

Pushing open the door, Itachi proceeded inside, letting the door click softly shut behind him. “I need to discuss something with you.” He had to play his cards right, or Sasuke would be kicked out. Or killed, since he knew where they were located now.

“Oh?” Leader’s face drew into slight amusement, eyebrow raising as he crossed his arms over his chest. He sat behind a desk across from the doors, a bed to the right of the desk.

“...I’ve brought my brother back with me. I know we don’t have much room, but he’s a worth while project.”

“You have a soft spot for him. He will only serve to hinder you.”

Itachi twitched, the remark hitting too close to home for his comfort. Soft spot... he guessed he did... maybe... “He’s just a project. I’ll teach him, then kill him off in three years after doing some research. I won’t shrug off any of my duties for him.”

“Do you honestly think I don’t have you watched?” The reason he sent Itachi was to test his patience as well as to see how he would act. What his informant had caught was much more interesting. “He makes you weak.”

Itachi hadn’t counted on being watched. Damn him. Despite that set back, Itachi didn’t budge. “He will not. He’ll serve to further my strength, when I have someone worth sparring with.”

The man behind the desk paused, considering his options. Sasuke would drag Itachi down and fill him with the things he had been so blessed to be without. He wouldn’t just turn Itachi down, no... it would be more amusing to watch him squirm. “Fine. I’ll allow him to stay. On one condition.”

“Name it.”

“You return to my bed.”

Return to his bed... for Sasuke... He should probably be worried that it wasn’t a hard decision to begin with. Itachi looked away from those smug eyes. There was only one person in his past that he had allowed to touch him, though he’d been touched far more times than that. His father’s hands, Leader’s... It was all worth it. The end was worth the means. “If you’ll agree to let Sasuke stay, I’ll return. Not every night, just most of the week.”

“Very well,” he hadn’t counted on Itachi saying yes. Though now he had something else to look forward to. Leader licked his lips, smirking.

“Thank you for your consideration,” he said curtly as he bowed. Itachi’s stomach churned at the idea of returning to his bed. It was worth it... If he kept reminding himself of that, then it wouldn’t be so bad.

“Oh, you’re very welcome.” The smirk had leaked into his voice, filling it with his smug amusement.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

Leader waved a hand, dismissing him. “Fine. I’ll expect you back tonight.”

“...Hai.” He bowed again then left.

“Come on, Sasuke was it? Yes well, I have to examine that area and I cannot do that when you don’t cooperate with me.” The medical ninja tried to push Sasuke’s leg up, but the stubborn patient wouldn’t budge. Sighing, he looked up at Kisame. “Would you help me lift his legs please?”

Kisame shrugged then dug his fingers under Sasuke’s thigh to lift it. The boy instantly began to whimper, pushing down firmly against his hand. He smirked; the boy was stubborn, he liked that about him. “Oi, Itachi’s brother... It’ll be okay.” With his other hand he stroked Sasuke’s hair more gently than before. “Just let him look. The faster he gets this done, the faster you’ll be with Itachi.” That did it, the boy relaxed hesitantly after the mention of his brother. Odd little thing. The medical nin threw a thin paper sheet over Sasuke’s knees, pushing his legs up to examine the spot that had the worst injury.

Itachi frowned at the closed medical door then opened it slowly. His partner looked up then waved a little, hand returning to Sasuke’s hair not long after. Shutting the door behind him, Itachi walked to Sasuke’s side. With the cloak pushed away and parts of his skin cleaned, the extensive marks on his skin were easily seen. Long and wickedly curved scratches marred almost every inch of his body, save for his face and neck. Itachi touched his hand to Sasuke’s closed eyes, thumb caressing his cheek. “Otouto...” The younger Uchiha opened his eyes when the hand moved, glancing up at his brother.

The medical nin looked up at the sound of Itachi’s voice. “Well he’s pretty ripped up...” He sighed, “I hope one of you burnt who ever did this to a crisp. Anyway, the bleeding has mostly stopped now, but no heavy activities for a month. No sex, no jolting him around. Just bed rest. Uhmm... I have to apply this ointment to his anus, and he’ll need to have it applied every three days. It covers the wounds in a sterilizing shield.” Sasuke shook his head, eyes squeezing shut again.

“I’ll take care of it,” Itachi said quietly.

The medical nin gave him an odd look. “Ah... well that’s a nice brotherly thing to do...” Deciding to move along, he bent back down to the task at hand. “Okay, this will sting the first time it’s put on, so brace yourself.”

Reaching out to Itachi, Sasuke started shaking his head more vehemently. He didn’t want Orochimaru touching him like that, and he sure as hell didn’t want a total stranger poking around down there. The medical nin ignored his silent protests and prodded a gloved and ointment covered finger into his orifice, wiggling it around to spread the stinging medicine. Sasuke cried out, trying to move his legs together. Kisame’s hand held him firmly open, the medical nin’s other hand doing the same.

“Oi oi, don’t tense so much, you’ll push me right out or start bleeding again.”

Sasuke leaned his cheek against Itachi’s hand, trying to relax. Whatever to get it done and over with. Itachi’s fingers passed through his hair, soothing him further. He sighed when the finger left him and had to repress the urge to kick the midget ninja.

“All done.” He peeled the gloves off and dropped them into a waste bin. “None of the scratches are too deep, he won’t need stitches. There’s a bath that runs special herbal water at the end of this hall, go in there and wash him off... And I suggest bathing there until the end of the first week.

Moving away from the medical nin, Sasuke snuggled against Itachi. The older Uchiha almost moved away, unused to someone being so personal with him in the open. “Can you walk?” Lowering his eyes, Sasuke sat up with a wince, sliding his feet off of the bed. The second he put weight on his feet he crumpled, Itachi catching him. “That answers that...” Itachi gathered Sasuke into his arms, eyes resting on Kisame. “Thanks for looking after him.... I’ll treat you to dinner or something.”

Kisame waved his hand. “It was no problem. He’s not so bad, and the snake is a bastard. Anything else you need me to do before I get some rest?”

“No, I’ll take it from here. Go sleep, who knows what they may have us do later...” His brothers arms wrapped around his neck, face pressed against his chest. It was almost like he was eight again, the sweet and loving little boy he had been before his brother had destroyed his world.

“Alright, see you later.”

He watched his partner go for a moment before leaving the room himself. The white washed walls made the bright lighting even brighter, bouncing off the shiny rock walls. It was just below blinding, though he supposed the infirmary should be lit as such. The room at the end of the hall seemed darker, more soothing than the rest of the area. Itachi shivered as Sasuke’s face detracted from his observations, pressing against his throat. He yawned; neither had slept since leaving the hidden sound village, wanting to get here as soon as possible. “Let’s clean you off...” Itachi’s voice trailed off as his brother distracted him once more, kissing his neck.

The medical nin, who was following to point out where to find something to cover Sasuke in until some clothes were brought to him, stared a bit at the two. “Your lil brother sure is loving.” He coughed then pointed, “end of the hall, can’t miss it. Feel free to take the towel with you.” The youngest brother continued to kiss his neck. ...To each their own, the medical nin guessed, but he rather take his leave then.

“Ah, thanks...” he mumbled, rubbing his cheek against Sasuke’s hair. Sasuke closed his eyes, turning his face to kiss Itachi’s cheek. That made him smile, as small as it was, and he returned the kiss. The younger Uchiha kissed him back lightly, eyes still half open. Sasuke was acting odd, even for him. “Did they give you drugs?” Not responding, Sasuke buried his face once more in Itachi’s neck. “Mmm... Not complaining...” They reached the bath; a tile filled room with a cream colored ceramic square tub. There was a small pillow made from wash cloths at one end.

Itachi looked around then spotted a silver button on the wall next to him, some directions to the left. After pushing it, yellow tinted water flooded the tub from the lone nozzle, smelling faintly like several herbs he knew but couldn’t quite place. Sasuke kissed his neck lightly again, closing his eyes. “I’m going to put you in the tub... I’ll be close by.” His brother still didn’t speak, just nodded to show that he had heard him. Itachi made sure to drop the blood encrusted coat before lowering Sasuke into the tub, water instantly becoming murky. He contemplated draining the tub once more but decided against it. If he just kept refilling the tub, it would take forever to get Sasuke clean. Keeping one arm propping Sasuke’s back up, Itachi retracted the arm supporting Sasuke’s knee’s, fingers testing the water. “Hmm...”

The youngest Uchiha simply looked up at him, eyes guarded but there was still a bit of fear that lingered. Itachi almost missed those eyes that glared at him, filled with hate. It showed his spark, his will to endure all just to get what he wanted. Those eyes made him remember who he was, and what he needed to do. The way Sasuke looked at him now... it reminded him of when he was a child and the horrible things he put his sweet and loving brother through. Sighing, he looked away. “Is it too hot?” Sasuke shook his head a little. Itachi sighed again then waited until the water was higher to slowly slip his arm out from behind Sasuke’s shoulders. “Good.”

Sasuke caught the arm, eyes wide as he looked up at him. The loss of contact jerked him out of the haze his mind had been in. He didn’t want Itachi to leave him, he was unable to grasp why he would have let go, even if it was to turn off the water.

“Oi.... I’m not leaving. Just float and relax, I’ll stay in the room.” He shifted his weight to sit on the edge of the tub, as uncomfortable as it was. “I’ll be here until I need to shut off the water.” The tub was near full, but he didn’t mind waiting a little longer. Sasuke reluctantly let go of his arm, relaxing a little in the warm water. “Do you feel any better?” The older Uchiha couldn’t resist stroking his brother’s hair, pleased at the way Sasuke tilted his head into Itachi’s hand as he nodded. It was odd to see him so quiet, and he worried over how bad off Sasuke really was.

“He said...” Sasuke’s voice was hoarse, it made him want to cough and clear his throat, but he knew it couldn’t be helped. There was a reason he had almost lost his voice. “He said.... things about you.... while he was...” His voice broke, the memory making him shudder.

Itachi continued to stroke his hair, glad that he was at least speaking now. “What did he say?”

“...You’re playing with me...”

Itachi snorted, “if I was playing with you, I would have left you there after I saw how badly you were hurt. You’re not my toy,” he lowered his voice a little, ignoring the way concern leaked into his tone, “and you’re not broken.”

Sasuke looked up at him, tears in his eyes. “When he was doing it... I kept screaming for you... I didn’t even mean to... but your name was what came out... I don’t even know why...”

Unsuccessfully ignoring the tugging at his heart at Sasuke’s words, he looked around for a moment to make sure no one was watching, then leaned down and kissed his forehead. “I’ll be there the next time you call for me, I won’t let you get hurt like that again...” Sasuke nodded a little looking up at him again. “I’m sorry you had to go through it twice...”

“Twice?”

Itachi sighed, of course Sasuke would drag it out of him. As if it wasn’t bad enough that he had apologized. “I’m sorry for not being there when you called... and you were raped twice.” He stood then stepped over to the wall that held the button, pushing it to stop the water.

“I wasn’t... raped twice.”

He returned to the tub and leaned down as he brushed his fingers over Sasuke’s lips. “Okay.” A bit of Sasuke’s old fire returned to his eyes and Itachi sighed inwardly, glad that Orochimaru had indeed not broken him. Itachi searched the cabinets for a clean washcloth then returned to the tub, sitting on the hard edge. “Can you wash yourself, or do you want me to do it?”

Not wanting to appear weak to Itachi, Sasuke reached out for the washcloth. Itachi handed it to him with a shrug, watching him from his perch. Sasuke slowly started to wash himself, gritting his teeth and wincing now and then, remaining unusually quiet.

“If it hurts, stupid, I’ll do it.”

“...I can do it...”

“I know you can do it, but if it hurts, then give me the washcloth...” Itachi crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re so stubborn...” With a tiny smile, Sasuke handed the cloth back to him. He took it then braced himself over the tub, leaning against the other ledge as he washed the blood from Sasuke’s body, starting at his chest.

Sasuke leaned back, closing his eyes and allowed Itachi to wash him. His touch was surprisingly gentle over the still aching cuts and gashes on his body. Itachi’s hand traveled lower, brushing the cloth carefully over his inner thighs, then pushed his knee open. He flushed slightly, opening his legs a bit. The blood must have been especially bad there; Itachi’s hand lingered and scrubbed harder, fingers occasionally brushing his sac. Sasuke shivered and glanced away, annoyed that he was blushing like those silly girls that chased him. Itachi’s hand lifted only to move to Sasuke’s length, washing it off as well. He grunted in surprised and much to his dismay, his cheeks darkened further.

Itachi smiled a little at the blush and the annoyed look on Sasuke’s face, ignoring it for now. There was plenty of time to tease him for it later. His legs were easier to clean, and not as damaged as he had thought; the scratches mostly stopped at his knees. Rolling his back into an upright position, he stretched his arms over his head, stiff from the uncomfortable angle. “Nnn...” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sasuke shift to sit up as well, legs moving back together in embarrassment. He chucked the cloth into a sink at the other end of the room then pulled the chain up that held the plug. Despite the red water, Sasuke looked clean, so he didn’t bother to draw him another bath. “I’ll get you back to my room for now so you can rest. We’ll see about getting your own room tomorrow.”

“I could stay in your room if you wanted...”

Of course Itachi didn’t mind, especially when he was quiet like this. What could a mouse do to interrupt his usual routine? Leader’s face drifted into his thoughts, and Itachi hesitated. He could find fault or weakness in letting Sasuke stay close by. “Maybe... It depends on a few things.” Itachi stood, grabbing the last dry towel from a rack across the room.

“...Okay.” He didn’t know why he wanted to stay near his brother, but more and more his presence didn’t strike the need for revenge. Sasuke guessed it should bother him; it was his dream and goal to destroy his brother... Though how Itachi acted now, it was hard to see killing him. They were like family again. Or closer.

Itachi brought the towel back to Sasuke, sitting back down on the tub. “Arm?” Automatically Sasuke reached out, letting his brother dry the offered arm then lower it before drying the next. “Hn..... do you remember when I used to do this?”

“..Aa.” Sasuke let a very tiny smile sneak to his face at the memories.

“When you were two... Mom was really sick, and dad was away. So I took care of you...” He smirked, remembering one of the few good memories he had. “After your bath, you ran around the house naked. I don’t know how you ran so fast for having such stubby legs... I couldn’t catch you at all, plus you were still slippery... It took me a half an hour to finally toss a towel over your head.” Sasuke chuckled softly, letting Itachi dry the rest of him off. “You had a huge butt when you were a baby, I’m glad to see that you grew into it...” That was what he remembered the most, that jiggling wet butt running around the house as Sasuke giggled like mad. He didn’t even catch him, really. Eventually Sasuke fell over, he was laughing so hard.

Sasuke flushed then whapped his arm lightly. “Shut up.”

“Hn...” Itachi smirked at him, attention mostly returning to drying Sasuke off. He ignored Sasuke’s lower belly and instead dried off his legs. Once he was done with that, he returned his attention to Sasuke’s lower stomach, drying it off slowly.

The closer the towel got, the more Sasuke had to resist twitching. He wasn’t annoyed or embarrassed... he didn’t know what it was, but he didn’t want to just sit there and moan as Itachi innocently dried him off. Itachi lifted his balls and dried under them then a bit lower. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think of other things. By the time his brother moved his hand away, Sasuke was unintentionally half hard.

Itachi managed to keep from commenting or fondling him further. “Lean toward me and I’ll get your back.”

Nodding a little, Sasuke leaned forward. He was relieved that Itachi didn’t say anything to embarrass him further. Itachi quickly dried his back, then tossed the towel over Sasuke’s head, drying the bits of hair that slipped into the water. Sasuke smiled while he was under the cover of the towel.

Itachi lifted the towel then looked around the room. “I’m sure there’s a robe in here or something.” His brother nodded then shakily tried to stand, stilling after an annoyed look from Itachi. “Sit. You couldn’t stand a minute ago, you can’t do so now. I said I got it. I’ll take care of you for today...” He stood, thinking he saw something on one of the shelves. “I won’t be here with you every day, I still have... duties... but if Kisame isn’t busy, he’ll look in on you... maybe Deidara if we’re both out on a mission.” Lifting his chin, he raised himself to the balls of his feet, inspecting the high shelf.

“No one... has to go out of their way to take care of me.... I’ll be fine...”

“Don’t worry about it; until you’re back on your feet and completely healed, someone will always be here to look in on you. It’s nothing big, and they won’t bug you ever day... just now and then. Besides... ah!” Spotting a thin robe, he snatched it from the back of the high shelf. “Besides, if you’re polite to them, they might teach you something as well.”

“Alright...”

Itachi shook out the folded robe, draping it over the back of the tub and holding it open. “Here.” Sasuke moved into it slowly as Itachi pushed the fabric down his back, not wanting his butt to hang out as he carried him. There were enough perverts here. “Put your arm around me.” Sasuke did as he was told then was lifted a little while Itachi moved the robe under his rear, ignoring how it dampened in the remaining pooling water. “Tie it, and we’ll go.” Nodding, Sasuke pulled the robe closer around him then tied it at his waist. Itachi flopped the ends of the robe over Sasuke’s covered crotch in extra protection, then lifted him into his arms, this time lifting him free of the tub. His brother’s arms quickly returned to his neck. “...Feel free to back to being cute again. I like having my neck kissed...” He sniffed, not wanting to sound too nice, “and it would be a good thank you for washing your ass.”

Chuckling softly Sasuke nuzzled his face against Itachi’s neck again. It was soft and sweaty, strands of his hair clung to his neck. Gently he pushed away the hair then kissed his neck, closing his eyes. Sasuke knew he was being carried out, but he didn’t care to look around at his surroundings. Hopefully he wouldn’t be back to this part... and he was suddenly very tired and relaxed.

The medical ninja noticed as they passed by his desk and he stopped them, waving his hands. “Waaaait. I forgot this.” He handed Itachi a bottle of ointment. “It’s his butt medicine. Give it to him every three days. Come back if you run out.” With that being said, and with a straight face no less, he ducked behind his desk and pretended to file, back to Itachi. It wouldn’t do to have one of the higher ups see him snickering at their expense.

Sasuke twitched, nipping at Itachi’s neck in annoyance. “Some medical nin... he call it ‘butt medicine’?”

Turning, Itachi started to head to his room again, chuckling a bit. “Most of the people here are... eccentric. You’ll get used to it.”

“Hn.” Sasuke kissed and sucked lightly over Itachi’s pulse, wanting to leave a mark.

Itachi almost hissed, eyes fluttering closed. “Sasuke... do not do that while I’m carrying you...”

“Mm... you told me to...”

He forced his eyes open, holding Sasuke closer as he walked. “I told you to kiss, not distract me with things that make my mind wander.”

Summoning the sexist voice he could manage after barely recovering his voice he whispered against Itachi’s skin, “but you taste good, aniki...”

No sex. For a month. Itachi’s mind wandered for a moment before gaining control over himself, coughing a little to make sure his voice was steady. “Then by all means...” Sasuke happily returned to what he was doing. “Mmm...” He forced himself to take in a deep breath, trying to concentrate on walking back to his room. “Always keep my door shut. Locking it isn’t necessary.”

“Mm... Why?” He finished the mark, pleased with what he left, then nuzzled the spot once with his nose before moving to the hollow of Itachi’s throat.

“The public bath is just down the hall from my room. They make you keep the towels there, so bring a change of clothes... Kisame always forgets his, and his room is further down the hall. That’s why I want you to keep the door closed; he has no problem with carrying on long conversations while naked.”

Sasuke paused in dipping his tongue into the hollow of Itachi’s throat. “.....Ew.”

“Exactly. No one that lives near the bath keeps their doors open.” The younger Uchiha chuckled a little returning to kissing Itachi’s neck. Itachi shivered then scowled. “Almost there.” If Sasuke wasn’t hurt, he would have snuck him into a vacant room by now and bent him over...

“Mm... mhm...” His fingers played with the hair at the nape of Itachi’s neck, already had moved to another spot on his neck that he wished to mark.

Itachi shivered again. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Aa... are you?”

“...Maybe.”

Sasuke paused and looked up at him. “Maybe?”

He wanted to respond honestly, but he remembered what Leader had said about him being watched. “Hold on, we’re almost to my room.”

“Alright...” Unsure if Itachi was mad or not, he stopped kissing his neck. He probably went too far, got too familiar with who was supposed to be his enemy. Sasuke’s eyes went cold, just watching where they’re going.

Itachi almost wavered for a second until he hit the familiar hallway, knowing he was close to his room. Sasuke could think what ever he thought for a moment longer, then he could explain what was going on. For the most part; Itachi didn’t want Sasuke to know about the deal he had made.

“We’re here.” Itachi shifted Sasuke in his arms a little, pausing at the door. “It’s room seven, if you ever get lost.” He opened the door, glad to be home. There wasn’t much in the large room, just a simple bed and a dresser. The walls were painted a pale green, the smooth rock shining in the low light coming in from the hallway. Itachi shifted Sasuke again as he walked in, using his shoulder to flick on the lights. Kisame had already been there; Itachi’s bag was on the floor in front of the door. He kicked it out of the way, then moved so Sasuke could see the room better. “The two doors in the corner lead to the bathroom, the right, and the study, the left.” After using his foot to close the door, he headed for bed. Not that he was able to sleep anytime soon... Itachi sighed, tensing his shoulders to test their soreness. He wasn’t that weak, but Sasuke wasn’t that light, and having your arms up to carry a heavy load for so long. Stopping before he complained further, he set Sasuke on the bed, bending down to whisper in his ear, “just a moment longer, Sasuke.”

Sasuke winced a little as his wounds were jarred, but looked up at Itachi curiously. A moment longer until what? His brother looked around then made a few seals, too quick for his eyes to follow, accompanied by a brief flash of light. This only served to further mystify Sasuke; just what was Itachi doing?

Using the sharingan, Itachi scanned the room once more. “...It’s clear.”

“You thought,” he let his sentence trail off questioningly so Itachi could fill in the gap.

“Leader says that you make me weak. I don’t want to be too friendly with you around him.” Even though blocking him and his possible spies’ view was suspicious, it was easier to explain. “He might take back his deal...”

“What deal?”

“The deal that’ll keep you here.” He stood, glancing at the bathroom. There was a small shower there, and the bath was generally better to use... but he just wanted to shower then sleep.

“What kind of deal?”

Itachi leaned over and brushed his fingers over Sasuke’s cheek. “Don’t worry about it.”

The younger Uchiha opened his mouth to speak then stopped when Itachi started to strip. He watched him for a few seconds, eyes taking in what he could see. “...What are you doing?”

“You’ve drenched my clothes in blood. I rather not keep them on any longer than I have to.”

“...Gomen.”

“You didn’t do it on purpose, stupid, don’t apologize. Besides,” He sneered and pulled off his shirt, tossing it into a waste bin, “some of this is Orochimaru’s blood. Want to say goodbye to your master the proper way and burn them?”

Sasuke smirked lightly. Of course he rather see Orochimaru go up in flames, but his blood was good enough, he guessed. “I’d like that. You already promised to let me burn the leash and collar.”

Pushing his pants down to his ankles, Itachi stepped out of the heap of blood stained clothing. “We’ll do it tomorrow.” He felt Sasuke’s eyes on him, noticed out of the corner of his eyes the way they slid over his body. Interesting development; he thought the only time Sasuke had shown interest, it was from a need to be close to his brother. Not from actual want. Feigning ignorance, he rolled his arms at the shoulders, wincing a little. They ached, but not too badly. “Tonight we’ll rest, you need it.” Itachi stretched then turned his back to Sasuke and bent over, picking up his pants.

The younger Uchiha flushed brightly. “Are you trying to turn me on?”

“Heh... am I?”

“Yes.”

“Well good. You were driving me crazy.... crazier... earlier.” Itachi tossed the remainder of his clothes into the metal trash bin. The strong smell of blood was something he had learned early in his life to get used to; all ninja did. It was who it was from that bothered him. He had made his brother bleed before, but never this bad.

“Could’ve fooled me... saying maybe you were enjoying it...”

“If I was being watched, I didn’t want to say just how good it felt. The last thing I need is for Leader to know where my sensitive points are.”

“Oh... is he the one?”

Itachi tensed, not used to anyone bringing it up. “Yeah.” He wasn’t sure anyone else knew either, and he wanted to keep it that way. Though now, for Sasuke, he was going to go through it all over again. It wasn’t like last time, he couldn’t put up much of a fight. If he did Leader might make him get rid of Sasuke.

Distance and coldness in Itachi’s eyes was something he was used to; but the sadness that snuck in while his brother was lost in thought... It was unbearable. His brother was supposed to be cold, it made hating him and wanting his death easy. Sasuke frowned and tugged his brother down onto the bed. He doubted he could make it go away, but he would try none of the less.

The older Uchiha turned his gaze to Sasuke, emotion firmly suppressed once more. “What?” Sasuke kissed him lightly, the hand that had grabbed his wrist to pull him into bed slid up his arm, pausing to cup his elbow. He recovered from his mild surprise and returned the kiss, raising his hand to the equally pale cheek of his brother.

“What’s wrong,” he murmured against his lips, breath tickling them.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“...Tell me...” Sasuke kissed him lightly again. This new familiarity was strange, but not uncomfortably so. Itachi kissed the corners of his lips, obviously ignoring his plea. Well, they both were stubborn; Sasuke knew that well. He moved his hand up Itachi’s arm and to the back of his neck, kissing him more insistently. If Itachi wanted to distract him, he would play along. The kisses, as soft as they were, stirred a need in him.

“We should stop...” Before he pounced his once bloodied brother and drove into him as hard as he wanted.... Thoughts like that didn’t help. Or the images that followed. Itachi sighed, leaning away a little. “You’ve been through a lot.”

“We’re only kissing...”

“True,” but it did much more to him than what a kiss should, he supposed. Tilting his head to kiss him again, he stopped, blinking in surprise. Lifting a hand he touched a sensitive spot on his neck where Sasuke had spent the most attention earlier. “Did you leave a mark?”

Sasuke smirked mischievously. “Aa.”

Familiar with that smirk, Itachi rolled his eyes, chuckling a little. “What, decided to mark your territory?”

The smirk grew, “maybe.” Sasuke leaned in, kissing the mark. Yes, marking his territory in a way...

Itachi blinked at that thought. Maybe he was getting too close and allowing Sasuke to get too close as well. “Hn.” The boy was entertaining though, he hadn’t felt like this in... Quickly curbing that thought he nibbled on Sasuke’s ear.

“Mmmm....” He tilted his head a little.

Chuckling softly into his ear, Itachi’s breath teasingly brushed over the inside. Sasuke shivered in response, fingers curling in his hair. “I should at least put pants on.”

“Not necessary... I prefer you like this...” Tired of letting his brother take the initiative, he slid one leg between Itachi’s two strong ones, rubbing against him suggestively.

“Mmm..” Itachi bit his brother’s earlobe. “This is why you need a room of your own. If you stay here, I’m just going to be hard all of the time.”

Sasuke continued to rub him, smiling a little. “Doesn’t sound so bad to me...”

He hardened quickly at Sasuke’s ministrations, barely holding back a moan. It was almost like a war between them, one that Itachi found more fun in. “Mmm... yes but...” Itachi licked the outer shell of his ear, “that can kill a man.” He snorted, leaning back a little to examine his brother’s face. “Or is that how you intend to extract your revenge? Death by constant hard on.”

Sasuke chuckled softly at the idea. “Whatever works.”

Itachi caressed Sasuke’s side, following the natural lines of his body. Beautiful... that’s what his brother was. He had turned from an awkward but cute little boy to one who’s firm body begged to be touched. It was intoxicating, to have this to himself. “Indeed... possibly a death I wouldn’t mind so much...” Sasuke leaned closer, new position causing his thigh to rub more effectively against him. “Damn you...” His hips moved as if on their own accord, increasing the friction between them.

Not sure if he had done something wrong, Sasuke paused, eyebrows drawing together. “What?”

“What do you mean, what?” Itachi’s thumb stroked his hip. “You’re hurt, I can’t do anything I want to do to you...”

“Mmm... my mouth is fine... I could suck you off again.”

A light shiver ran through him at Sasuke’s words. “Hm... maybe...” Sasuke undid the knot that kept his robe against his body, slipping the thin fabric over his hips. Not wanting Sasuke to move around much, Itachi closed the distance between them, laying his body over him. “I think you’ve earned release as well.”

“Really?” He was unsure if Itachi was being serious or not. It wasn’t as if Orochimaru wouldn’t tend to him as Itachi had offered, but it was more for his enjoyment rather than Sasuke’s pleasure.

“Of course...” Itachi nipped at his nose. “That’ll teach you to deviate from my plan. But I fixed it, now you’ll be right where you should be...” His plan... Sasuke needed to follow it, or everything he had done was for nothing.

“I told you,” he murmured while nibbling on Itachi’s lips. “I don’t follow plans.”

Itachi smirked, glad that his brother was acting more like himself. “I’ve noticed.” The hardening length underneath him bumped into his own, sending tingling sensations through him. He wanted more, rocking his hips to gain more contact between them. Sasuke gasped and settled his hands on Itachi’s shoulders, eagerly rubbing himself against him. It felt wonderful, and to hear Sasuke’s quiet moans and noises of pleasure... it was all he could do to keep from moving a little lower and pounding into him. “Stop...”

“What? Why?” The words were gasped, Sasuke’s eyes glazed over with lust. Thinking wasn’t easy, especially with the sensations that had been coursing through him. Itachi made it even harder, lowering his lips to one nipple, nipping at it possessively. Sasuke’s head fell back, moaning while the nub was flicked with the tip of his tongue.

“I said you’ve earned it.” Itachi smirked up at him, licking the nub once more.

“But I... want to do something for you, too...”

“Moan, that’s enough for me right now.” He kissed down the center of his chest, following the slight line there. Yes, now that he had some time he would enjoy Sasuke’s body. It was a shame that so much of it was scratched, he would just avoid those areas. His lower stomach was pretty bad off, so Itachi skipped over that, licking the crease between thigh and groin. Sasuke watched him through half lidded eyes, chin nearly touching his chest just to get a good view. His inner thigh was scratched as well, so he kissed the bare spots, tongue sneaking out to catch any droplets of blood that had kept weeping from the wounds. Turning his head to rub his cheek against his thigh, he wondered if the rest of him tasted as good as his blood...

“Nnn... aniki...”

Itachi kissed the base of his length, finger tips brushing over the neglected thigh. “Do you want me to?”

Sasuke groaned his answer, “aa...” Gathering his thoughts, he managed to mumble out something else. “If... if you want to...”

“Hmm... then you don’t want it enough yet.” He wanted to hear Sasuke ask for it, beg even, if he had it in him. Itachi doubted that he would beg, but it would be nice to hear none of the less. Opening his mouth a little, his lips ghosted over the flesh of Sasuke’s length from base to tip. Sasuke’s length twitched, his hips arching as he moaned. His hot breath caressed over the tip of Sasuke’s member. “Tell me when you want it...” Itachi licked the V on the underside of the tip, tracing it slowly with his tongue.

Gasping, Sasuke mumbled “I... ohhh...” He could barely keep his eyes open, though doing so helped less. Watching Itachi made every action more enjoyable. His brother blew over the wetted spot and his hips bucked almost on their own accord, inhaling sharply. Itachi grinned devilishly at him, and Sasuke finally gave up. “Aniki... I want...” Somehow he had lost his breath, speaking harder than usual. His brother was impatient, and dipped the tip of his tongue into the slit at the top of his length. That didn’t help at all.

“Tell me...” Itachi whispered, kissing the head.

“I want... nnn...” The older Uchiha’s lips hovered over his length, ready to descent at his word, eyes watching him hazily. At least he wasn’t alone in his want. “...I want you...”

Itachi blinked, “you want me?” True, Sasuke was injured to taking him would be painful, but have his otouto take him? He didn’t know if he was willing to be uke for his little brother, but the thought didn’t seem too outrageous.

“...Want you to... do it, dammit!”

“Oh, right...” Itachi shoved those thoughts for pondering later and returned his attention back to Sasuke neglected length. Not wasting further time he took the weeping tip into his mouth, alternating between sucking hard at it and softly. As Sasuke’s fingers curled in the sheets, Itachi began to stroke the rest of his length. It was soft and warm in his hand, throbbing slightly at each firm pass of his hand. Sasuke moaned softly, lifting his chin as he clutched at the sheets. Itachi watched him, wondering when his brother grew up to be so delicious. Wanting to hear more sounds of pleasure from Sasuke, the older Uchiha slid his mouth further down, knowing how to adjust the position of his head to take him in fully. How he knew how to do such things didn’t matter anymore, as long as they were used on the moaning boy in front of him.

Sasuke groaned, the first loud noise from the younger Uchiha. “Gods...” Itachi was good at this. A hazy part of him mused if this was something he was to learn from his brother while here. Next time he would pay closer attention. Right... next time... he would pay closer attention to those lips and tongue moving across him. When Itachi sped his attentions to Sasuke, even that thought was driven out, as vague as it was. One hand snuck up his chest, nimble fingers playing with sensitive nipples, the other gently massaging his scrotum. Sasuke sucked in a quick breath, eyes springing open. No one had touched him so softly there before. Itachi rolled a nipple between his nails and the sides of his fingers, twisting it sharply before moving to the other. That was it... too much for him to endure any longer, though his pride tried to keep him from release. For once, his pride had nothing to do with his decision. “A...aniki!” Sasuke cried out, orgasm burning his veins, the world seeming to drop away from him for a moment.

The older Uchiha knew when it was coming, and adjusted for it, shoving his mouth down at the last moment, letting Sasuke’s seed leak down his throat, swallowing whatever flowed into his mouth. It didn’t taste unpleasant as he thought it would, in fact it was a little arousing. His own forgotten member throbbed painfully. There wasn’t anything he could do about it; the most logical way to handle it was to do it himself. Forcing sex on Sasuke now would probably kill the boy. His death wasn’t part of his plan, and... he remembered how small he looked on the blood stained bed, shivering in fear or pain. That wasn’t what he wanted for his brother either. Sasuke looked dazedly up at him, face almost as innocent as the days before they parted ways. Almost, there was still a spark of wariness in Sasuke’s eyes, unwilling to trust this new side of Itachi. It almost made him smile. At least the boy was learning. “Enjoy yourself?”

“Aa... y-you’re... really good at that...”

“I know.” Despite himself, he laid beside Sasuke, stroking his hair. It was softer than a boy’s hair had any right to be, but that generally was how it went. Not that he randomly groped people’s hair. Itachi sighed, playing with a few strands between his fingers. As soon as Sasuke was better, he would teach him what the boy wanted to know. He was a little disappointed; why hadn’t Sasuke stayed in Konoha? There were decent teachers there. Not the best, but decent. Now he had to take the matter into his own hands. Not quite part of his plans, but it was something he better learn to deal with. Besides... this new Sasuke was amusing, fun even. Especially to play with like they had.

The pleasure had left him not long ago, but apparently it drained away what was left of his energy as well. “I could still finish you, too, if you want, aniki...” He suppressed a yawn, inhaling deeply instead.

Itachi blinked, then looked down at Sasuke’s face. “I forgot I was going to handle that myself... you’re very distracting...”

“Want me to do it, aniki?” His voice expressed his desire to fall asleep, but his stubbornness kept his eyes mostly open to scan his brother’s face. Using old words, it felt odd but right now he didn’t care. He would call him whatever he wished later, right now he was too tired to spit out words of dislike or such. Aniki just felt better being moaned or whispered. Sasuke knew and didn’t care what that implied, he knew long ago that whatever he was, it wasn’t like everyone else.

“No, it’s okay. Just rest.”

“Mm... you sure?” He said even as he moved closer, snuggling against Itachi’s warm body.

Itachi draped his arm over Sasuke’s shoulders, fingers lightly pressing him closer. Something he remembered back at the snake’s nagged at his memory. “Oi, I have a question.” Sasuke looked up at him sleepily, mumbling some sort of accent. “What changed your mind so quickly, back there? One minute you were being an asshole, the next you were touching me...”

Sleep had invaded his mind, and despite his in depth training, he was still a little slow to the draw. The question mildly confused him. “Back at Orochimaru-sama’s, or just a few minutes ago?”

“Back at Orochimaru’s.... And stop calling him that.” Itachi scowled at him, eyes narrowing. After what he did to Sasuke, he didn’t deserve a term of honor from the boy. “The snake deserves no respectful words.”

Sasuke give him a slightly odd look then flushed in embarrassment. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, just answer my question.”

“You were just... acting sort of jealous, so...” So he felt the need to reward him for it. Inwardly Sasuke shrugged. A person doesn’t act jealous of someone they think nothing of, it was sort of like showing that he cared. Sort of.

“Hn. I’m not and never have been jealous of the snake,” his voice conveyed a little emotion. Itachi was slightly miffed that he would appear to be jealous of someone like that.

Sasuke kept his amusement to himself, not wanting to break their fragile accord. “Ah... alright...”

Something else bugged Itachi, though it really didn’t matter to him. It didn’t impact his future, or Sasuke’s. Still, he was curious... “Did you willingly sleep with him?”

“Not... at first.”

There was a long pause as he digested the way Sasuke answered him. “So just eventually?”

“When... he told me that was the only way... he’d continue training me.” In Sasuke’s mind he had no choice, but in a way, it was willing. He wanted to learn, and if sleeping with Orochimaru got him that power he wanted, then he would willingly do it. Just a sacrifice for power, a small one compared to what else he gave up.

“Ah, so it was just because you wanted more training,” he murmured, unaware of how relieved he sounded.

Sasuke nodded, “of course. I never actually wanted...”

Itachi looked somewhat mollified with his answers. Of course if it had been willing, it wouldn’t have been so easy to pluck him from the snake’s hands. “I had thought you had better tastes than that,” he mumbled to himself.

“After you and I... I wouldn’t. He didn’t give me a chance to say no today, but...” Actually no was said repeatedly, but on the off chance he had actually turned Orochimaru down, usually he backed off. This time no wasn’t an choice.

Itachi stroked his back comfortingly, a little uncomfortable with the turn of discussion. He hadn’t given Sasuke the choice to say no either. Did it make him as bad as Orochimaru? “It’s okay, I know...” No, it didn’t. Sasuke told him he no longer considered it as a rape.

The younger Uchiha nodded and shifted closer, closing his eyes. His brother’s arm snaked under his head, pulling him closely against his chest. He almost opened his eyes, but kept them shut. Whatever the reason Itachi had to be close to him, at the moment he wouldn’t protest.

“Sasuke... there will be some times that I’ll have to be gone at night.... value moments like these, I won’t be in the mood for them often.” After being touched by Leader, there wasn’t anything he wanted more than a shower and to sleep it off. Those horrible touches, the leer on his face as he loomed over. He knew what Leader’s real enjoyment was; to dominate someone so strong willed. Fine, he’d give him that if he let Sasuke stay.

Burying his head against Itachi’s chest, Sasuke murmured, “why will you have to be gone?”

Because I want you here, it what he wanted to say. “Because I have duties to fill,” is what he actually said. Itachi pulled back within himself, steeling for the inevitable. Besides, it was useless to care for someone that would just eventually kill him.

“Okay.” Sasuke kissed his chest lightly. “I...”

Itachi found that curious thread pulling at him again. He raised an eyebrow, craning his neck to look down at the boy. “You?”

That was the last thing he wanted to say. Bah, he needed sleep. “Never mind.” He closed his eyes again, nuzzling his brother’s chest. It wasn’t important, and it didn’t need to be said.

“Okay...” Itachi shivered, realizing his was still naked. The hardness had fled him somewhere in their conversation. He didn’t mind, sex or relieving himself of such problems weren’t usually something he did. Managing to grab the edge of the blanket with his toes, Itachi pulled it up as far as he could reach, lifting one hand from Sasuke’s shoulder to yank it up the rest of the way. Sasuke was probably cold as well, he thought to himself as he tucked the blanket around his brother. By the steady sound of Sasuke’s slow breath, he was already asleep, thin body curled against Itachi. Sleep tugged at his own mind, pulling his eyes close. He hadn’t fallen asleep next to someone snuggled again him since... well, since Sasuke was a child. There was someone else in his life at that time, but he slipped into Sasuke’s bed that night, because he needed the silent comfort. Sighing, he mumbled sleepily, “what are you doing to me... otouto...”