The color of wine and roses

Disclaimer applies (duh...)

Chapter 4


"Itachi ?! Where the fuck have you gone again ?!"

Fugaku's furious shouts woke Itachi up at sunrise. He winced hearing them. He so felt like sinking under the covers and going back to sleep. Now that he could sleep, here, overwhelmed with his otouto's warmth and the sense of security he radiated.

"Niisan ?" Sasuke asked sleepily from behind him.

Itachi sat up in bed with a sigh. Sasuke's small arms stayed wrapped around his middle though, holding tight with a surprising strenght for an eight-year old.

"Let me go." Itachi whispered, patting Sasuke's head to get his attention, which was already drifting away. "Otouto, I have to go out." He tried to reason to no avail. With another sigh he got down to prying Sasuke's arms away by force.

Fugaku chose that moment to barge into his younger son's bedroom. He stopped dead in his track in the doorway though as soon as he took in the scene.

"Really, Itachi... How old are you to be still going to sleep with your little brother ? It's so... It's like wetting your bed or something..."

Itachi's eyes glared daggers at Fugaku. He managed to dislodge Sasuke's arms from around himself and stood up from the bed.

"Unless..."

All of a sudden, his father paled and gulped. Itachi got a sinking feeling that he knew what Fugaku was thinking about.

"You didn't... with him... ?" Fugaku asked, pointing to Sasuke with an indignant move of his head. Somehow, he didn't seem upset enough for Itachi's tastes.

"Who do you think I am to do something like that ?!"

Fugaku just shrugged.

Itachi didn't spare him another glance as he walked past him out of the room and into his own bedroom, slamming the door shut behind himself. There were times when he felt potent hate towards that man. A feeling more raw and intoxicating than anything else he had ever felt towards anyone. It was one of those moments. Itachi's hands just wouldn't keep still while he was putting on his ANBU gear.

He barely heard the padding of small feet approaching him through the rush of blood in his ears.

"Why are you so angry, Niisan ?" Sasuke asked, furiously rubbing at his eyes, still pretty much clouded with sleep.

"I'm not angry."

"But you are ! This thing is swirling in your eyes !"

Right... Forcefully, Itachi made his eyes return to ordinary black.

"You're going away..." Sasuke whispered wistfully, surveying his ANBU gear complete with katana and a small backpack.

"I'll be back in a few days. It's just a mission."

Just a mission, indeed. But he wasn't lying, he would be back in the end, alive or badly wounded or just a handful of ashes and a name to put on some monument. But he would be back.

"You promise ?" Sasuke asked hopefully, perking up somewhat.

"Of course. Now go back to sleep while you still can. Ja." With that, Itachi leapt out of the window and raced towards the Hokage tower, eager to get away.

Was he really somehow looking capable of doing something like molesting his little brother ? Even in his very own father's eyes ? Were they really thinking he had no inhibitions whatsover and would gladly trot over those imposed upon him ?

Or maybe it was really there, somewhere inside him, the ability to be so perfectly selfish. Or maybe it was just that he was the last to realize that and it was there all along. Maybe despite how much he had sacrificed for his village, becoming its perfect tool at such an young age and living the bitter life of a shinobi with no complaints whatsover for so long, he really was just a selfish bastard when you got right down to it.

And everyone else had just realized that long before he did.


_______________________________________________


He was called in for a S-class mission. His first S-class mission.

Something he had never done before and waited for a long time to be judged worthy of doing, bringing the refreshing element of surprise with itself. None of his previous missions had ever been that potentially dangerous, that unpredictable and supposed to induce such a massive bloodshed. All in all, it sounded pretty exciting. Though there was some other feeling, too, besides excitement, one he couldn't put his finger on, twisting his guts as he was reading through the detailed mission overview.

For some, supposedly political, reason, a quite large group of shinobi from the Village Hidden in Rocks left their home village, thus becoming missing-nin and began moving towards the borders of the Country of Earth, trailed by the Rock oinin and decimated by them every single day of their march. Still, a group of sixty managed to tresspass the borders and was currently lingering in the mountains at the north-western edges of the Country of Fire. Rock oinin were eager to trail them even there, but such interference could not be accepted by the Country of Fire and thus, Konoha was called upon to get rid of the missing-nin. Since the Country of Earth held no interest whatsover in them being returned alive it was all about a massive assasination...

There was no saying how terribly fishy the report fetched by the Village Hidden in Rocks sounded. It seemed that in reality the group of missing-nin was purposefully cornered by the oinin in a way that forced them to tresspass the borders, but other than that they'd made it unscathed through the Country of Earth's territory. And then, since they'd ended up within the borders of The Country of Fire Konoha had been called upon to take care of them instead. There had to be a reason for the Rock oinin to let them go unscathed. Either they were extremely dangerous or it was again some political reason, totally irrelevant to the Konoha ninja.

The Rock had supplied them with files on all of the missing-nin also, but those files could have well enough been as fake as the report. Though if they were true indeed the group of missing-nin proved to be a bunch of genin, of kids roughly Itachi's age, with a few chuunin and jounin thrown in for a good measure.

What was it again ? Some kind of rebellion at the Rock Ninja Academy ?

Still, it was a S-class mission. Roughly forty seven percent of ninja participating in one of those came back alive. Maybe he should have kissed Sasuke goodbye on that morning ?

Also, because of the mission's highest status his team was getting serious reinforcements for this one. An especially apt two-men ANBU team joined Itachi's four-men one. The captain's position was to be temporarily transferred to one of the two shinobi coming in as a reinforcement. Since such a crucial change in his team's structure required his direct consent a frighteningly thick file on the ANBU who was supposed to take up the commander's position resided on top of the paperwork collected in front of Itachi.

Itachi noted that his time was almost up. The briefing would start in three minutes. He reached for the indecently thick file with his gloved hand and opened it up. Itachi expected someone strong and experienced in battles, someone they had for one reason or another judged superior to him as the team leader. But he did not expect h i m of all people. His superiors should have been aware by now of the grudge whole his clan held against that man.

Hatake Kakashi. And his sharingan eye stolen off of a dying Uchiha staring defiantly from the photo at the first page of the file.

Itachi didn't need to see more.

He knew everything by heart, anyway. Every single goddamn Uchiha did. The same way every single Uchiha of his generation was taught to feel hate and contempt towards that man around the time he learned to walk. The clan had never really gotten over the shame induced upon it by the fact that someone who was not even an Uchiha by blood was the greatest and most-widely recognized Sharingan user in the world.

Itachi knew he should have flat out refused to serve under the man. It was about the only thing a righteously proud Uchiha could have done in such a situation.

Itachi did nothing of the sort, though. It was enticing, to go on that mission knowing that as soon as the clan would get to know they would all throw a fit. The clan was so very proud of him becoming an ANBU captain at such a young age partially because Hatake Kakashi hadn't been one yet when he'd been thirteen. They were going to be really d i s a p p o i n t e d getting to know he'd been placed under the man`s command now.

Itachi personally didn't care whatsover. He rarely had the pleasure of meeting someone who seemed to be stronger than him. And maybe just because of that he was infallibly interested in such people. Nothing more, nothing less. Hatake Kakashi proved to be especially interesting at that. A former child prodigy, a student of the Fourth and last but not least the famous Copy Ninja. Itachi wanted to see from up close what it took to be recognized all around the world for one's power.

Such a nice occasion to disappoint his father for once, too. He would be forced to stand up for Itachi before the clan elders and he would be dying inside out of shame.

Itachi definetely hated him enough to want to cause him that kind of excruciating pain. The man deserved it, really.

Itachi had spent his life chasing his approval. He'd forsaken any kind of normal childhood, all of his innocence and most of his emotions. He'd become a ruthless assassin while he still should have been just a kid. He was probably the most amazing child prodigy Konoha had ever had. But it wasn't enough. His father's expections had been always a step ahead.

And now Itachi was just sick of that, because he wasn't a child anymore and he could see there was no humanly possible way to ever win his father's true approval. To ever satisfy his arrogant clan's craving for power and influence.

So he didn't bother anymore. He was still getting stronger, but not for them anymore, just for himself, because he enjoyed the feeling of power his strenght was giving him. It was the least he could do, really. Strenght was all he had.

Or rather... He'd been thinking it was all he had for a really long time. Until recently he'd realized the extent of his own beauty. And the power it gave him if only used correctly.


_______________________________________________


Whole day, they had been running, moving towards the area where some of the missing-nin had been last seen. His newly-formed team had been moving fast enough for Itachi's taste, though he could've moved way faster if he was alone.

They came to a halt only late in the night, in the usual middle of nowhere hidden in the darkness of yet another cloudy night. No words were exchanged as they set up their spartan camp. Food was distributed in silence and the masks lowered discreetly in the shadows. The overwhelming silence served to sharpen Itachi's senses temporarily. Two of his comrades starting to talk silently well in the distance were impossible not to overhear.

"Is that kid over there really your team's regular captain ?"

Itachi's eyes turned to slits as he listened on.

"But that's hopeless. He should be chuunin at the very most. In ANBU it must be worse than serving under a woman..."

Itachi stood to his feet, but didn't make a move beside that. He was eager to hear how his regular subordinate would answer.

"It may be a little... unsettling, but trust me, the kid's deadly efficient."

"Efficient my ass..."

Itachi's eyes flashed crimson under the mask for the briefest moment. He flicked to where the two ANBU were sitting and reappeared right in front of the man who'd insulted him.

"What ?" The man asked him boldly. "It is what I think: no ch i l d r e n should be allowed into ANBU and especially not on S-class missions. It'd be best if you went back to Konoha." The man continued, standing up. "We'll handle this mission way better without a little boy hindering our movements."

A long silence followed. The rest of the team appeared around them, surrounding them in a circle.

"Maybe it's you who should go back to Konoha since you can't accept your commanders' decision to make you work with the designated teammates. It says a lot about your ability to serve in the ANBU." Itachi replied calmly.

"I would have refused that mission if I knew beforehand there was a kid like you on my team. I just never suspected someone your age would be let on a S-class mission. Because that's unreasonable."

"There you go: questioning your orders." Itachi continued in a voice devoid of emotions. "Eager to become yet another missing-nin we'd have to slain ?"

The other ANBU shivered violently, before turning to one of the surrounding shinobi.

"Captain, I request for him to be formally sent back to Konoha. Not only is he obviously unfit for that mission, but also he threatens his own teammates."

"I request the permission to finish off that mission on my own." Itachi stated calmly. He could instantly feel all the other ANBU`s gaze on him. "So no teammates questioning my efficiency would hinder my movements."

"I refuse, both of you." Kakashi answered sternly.

The other ANBU had to value Kakashi's opinion highly considering that he relented right away with just an off-hand remark.

"I'm still questioning your efficiency." He addressed Itachi. "And I expect you to prove to me it's there as soon as possible. I'll be waiting for that. In return, I assure you I won't be hindering your movements on that mission. So quit with the arrogance, brat."

Itachi shrugged, a definite move of his shoulder blades under the close-fitting top. He could still feel their searching gazes on him, his new commander's somber gaze, too. He didn't think he'd overdone it, though. It just took that much to gain those men's, adult men's respect.

"We'll take the first shift." Kakashi addressed him. "The rest can go to sleep."

The other ANBU were gone in a second, disappearing in the thick bushes where their two tents were hidden and leaving them alone to guard the camp. Not that they particularly expected an ambush here, within the borders of the Country of Fire. Thus, the guard duty wasn't as great of a responsibility as usual. Itachi suspected he would be disciplined. Then let it be so. He wanted to see Kakashi from up close anyway.

They met in a clearing where they had been eating earlier a few minutes later, after having patrolled around the camp. Itachi sat down under one of the trees and pulled a kunai out to sharpen it. Kakashi was still looking at him and his gaze became only more intense as Itachi slid the mask off and let it hang on his back. It wasn't as if anyone could get close enough to see his face with his Kage Bunshin and Kakashi's dogs patrolling the forest, and they knew each other's identity anyway. And he enjoyed the other man's reaction.

For a long time, Kakashi hadn't as much as seen an Uchiha from up close. The clan had been throwing its ardent hate towards him in his face. They wouldn't speak to him unless absolutely necessary. Going on a mission with him was so out of the question he'd thought it would never happen again. And yet, here Itachi was. Most likely because the clan wanted to show him they finally had a genius greater than him. He wondered if they had told him to propose something as ridicoulous as finishing off a S-class mission on his own. Or if it was really his own arrogance talking.

He was only thirteen at that. Around the age Obito had been when he'd died. He was somewhat alike him and yet so different. So much more powerful and so very cold for a person his age. And yet, the mere posture of a thirteen year old boy, the pale skin, black hair and black eyes hiding the sharingan within them, seen from up close for the first time in so many years, made his guts clench painfully in recognition.

"How long are you going to stare at me like that, captain ?" Itachi asked finally in a tone that implied that he didn't really care.

"But aren't you here for this ? Haven't your clan sent you here for me to see their prodigy ?" Kakashi asked back in a lazy drawl that made something coil in Itachi's stomach.

"Wrong. My clan has nothing to do with me being here." Itachi pocketed the kunai and stood up. "They didn't even know I hadn't refused to serve under you."

"A rebellion, huh ?" Kakashi asked. It kind of made sense. Itachi was a team captain after all and his clan surely cherished that fact a lot. Their prodigy being his subordinate on this mission probably wouldn't have made them look good enough in their eyes.

"Only if it can be a rebellion to fulfill one's duty... First and foremost I'm a shinobi and an ANBU team captain. And it's not right to let my team go on a S-class mission without its priopriatary leader. I wouldn't just trust you all the way with it."

"I feel honored." Kakashi remarked sarcastically.

"But indeed, the way the Hokage just assumed you're stronger than me won't make my clan very happy. But why should I care about that ? If I didn't go on that mission we wouldn't have a chance to see if the Hokage was right."

Kakashi's brow furrowed the slightest bit under the mask as he looked down at the boy, now standing right in front of him. There was some trace of challenge in his otherwise bored black eyes.

"And if I didn't go..." He continued, his voice dropping to an almost raspy whisper. "...I wouldn't get a chance to see the man who shakes my clan so badly from up close."

The recognition downed on Kakashi at that moment. Because he had seen that boy already, not only among other Uchihas on official meetings called up by the Hokage, but also in one of the bars jounin frequented between missions, late at night. Sitting there all alone, sipping one drink for hours and looking so utterly uninterested it was an insult to the adult men who surrounded him. He'd been looking different on those nights, though. He'd been wearing make-up and somehow looking almost vulnerable, to the point Kakashi would have never guessed he was a ninja at all.

By the end of the night, he was always getting what he had been apparently asking for altogether. Kakashi had seen him leave quite a few times, and never alone, always with one of the jounin holding an arm around his thin waist.

Most likely, those guys were getting more than they'd bargained for, then.

"You mean: as close as you're seeing those other jounin who sleep with you ?" Kakashi asked, sounding totally uninterested.

"Maybe." Itachi answered without missing a beat.

"I'm not a pedophile."

"You're all saying that at first." Itachi answered with an aloof smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"You're awfully full of yourself. Has nobody ever refused you ?" Kakashi asked, mildly interested.

"Would that really be that much of a surprise ?" Itachi asked off-handedly. "You, of all people, should understand. I have this ability - I'm perfect at everything I'm doing."

"Just like that ?" Kakashi asked, quite amused by the boy's arrogance, actually. Even though it wasn't exactly Obito's boasting about his strenght it was still close enough. Or maybe he was just very intent on deluding himself.

One thing was certain though - Itachi had nothing to do with Obito's endearing innocence, no matter which way one looked at him. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing either...

Kakashi removed the ANBU mask off his face before looking down at Itachi again, mild curiosity shining in his lone exposed eye.

"Want me to show you the real way in which young talented Uchihas disgrace their legendary family name ?" Itachi's voice sounded hollow even as he was issuing the offer and the trace of amusement wasn't quite enough to change that, which made Kakashi wonder: what was wrong with the Uchiha in the first place to make him go around hitting on adult males at his age.

"I would've taken up on that offer. If only you were a hot woman twice your age. In skimpy clothing, preferably."

"You can imagine whatever you want. I don't mind." Itachi brushed him off, falling on his knees in front of him just like that. It was surrealistically unreasonable thing to do, especially for a thirteen year old boy, but not more so than offering to finish off a S-class mission like this one on one's own.

A small gloved hand settled on Kakashi's clothed lenght. But before anything more could happen, Kakashi kneeled down, getting eye-level with the boy.

"Tell me... Itachi, was it ? What is it you're trying to accomplish by doing something like that ?"

Kakashi sounded genuinely interested and Itachi actually thought about the kind of answer that would suit the man and make him play along.

"Sometimes... I feel like doing something a perfect shinobi everyone thinks I am would never do. It's a matter of staying human in my own eyes."

"This may not be the best way to do this, though." Kakashi spoke quietly even as, with a hint of understanding visible in his single eye, he let Itachi push him back and settle between his legs.

Itachi thought he could actually think of no better way as he was unzipping Kakashi's pants and reaching inside only to find him completely slack. But he was going to get what he wanted anyway. He wanted to do this. If only to be able to throw that in his father's face one day. The fact that he'd had Hatake Kakashi's sperm down his throat.

It was just one tentative lick. Then Kakashi's hand tangled in his hair and pulled his head back. Hard.

"I don't like the idea..."

He was still a lot like Obito, or so Kakashi wanted to believe. He was still a thirteen year old boy, and it wasn't right to let him go through with something like this.

"This is far from my first time, captain. If there was harm to be done, it's been done already."

The soft strands of Itachi's hair slid between Kakashi's fingers as he lowered his head again between the other's legs. The anticipation alone made the man hard already. Itachi smirked knowingly, the rush of excitement at having such power over someone supposedly more powerful than him making him shiver. He'd been realizing lately how the power was turning him on. How he was getting careful to hit on top-notch jounin whom he could consider stronger than himself. But it'd been never someone quite as powerful as this that he'd managed to get close to.

Sucking off another male was nothing but a simple motion to him anymore. Just like throwing kunai. Something he excelled at simply because there was no other way, not with his talent, not with the amount of training he'd gotten to perfect his skills. It took suprisingly much to make Kakashi come, though. Several long minutes Itachi spent repeatedly commiting the ultimate sin of deepthroating the cock of the man who was considered his family honour's nemesis.

Kakashi's hand petted his head on its own. The tips of his fingers marvelled at the softness of the black tresses, but his mind didn't even notice. It shut off everything but the pleasure and even that was dulled, and rendered so very bitter by the knowledge that, for some unfathomable reason, he'd let a confused kid manipulate him into something like this.

The mask that covered most of his face from view let him even come with an expression of eternal laziness only a true genius could muster.

The salty liquid shot forcefully into the back of Itachi's throat, making him swallow convulsively on instinct. He swallowed most of it eagerly, relishing in the knowledge of what exactly he was doing, let Kakashi's lenght slide out of his mouth and spit out the rest. Looking up into his single eye he managed to notice a trace of concern there. And newfound interest with which the eye studied his form, scanning it whole and finally stopping to look into his permanently bored eyes.

Itachi tucked the man's erection back into his pants for him, letting him know it was over, seemingly ignoring the fact that his touches made him start to harden again.

He stood up and dusted his uniform off the leaves, still looking the man in the eye, noticing the confusion starting to appear there too, and feeling more and more satisfied by the minute.

"Something's wrong, captain ?" He asked formally in a perfectly neutral tone of voice.

Kakashi didn't risk answering for fear his voice wouldn't sound quite right. He'd been just given the best blowjob of his lifetime. Just like that.

Itachi had done his fair share of rendering other's speechless in his life. It didn't embarrass him. In fact, it only concerned him as far as he could use that moment of Kakashi's weakness to achieve something. He still wanted more. A lot more.

Hook.

"What about not being a pedophile ?" He asked, in an almost amused tone of voice. He could tell the man wanted him now. Or at least was prone to beginning to want him.

"Actually... I think we could use some distraction from our perfection. Together."

They shared a smirk. Good.

"I have a certain rule though. I only let a man fuck me when I feel he's stronger than me. With you, I'm especially interested. I'm still an Uchiha, after all."

Kakashi looked at him questioningly.

"Let's have a bet."

Sinker.

A/N: Sorry for posting it unedited yesterday. I wanted to update already before going to work. R/R