Naruto fanfiction
Darkest Desires - Chapter One
Sasuke frowned in irritation as he shifted over onto his side, fighting the urge to sigh exasperatedly at the muttered sounds coming from his teammate, Naruto across the room. Sasuke had always been a light sleeper and he hadn't exactly been thrilled to find out that he and the number one loud-mouthed ninja were to be sharing a room for the night.
Kakashi had checked them in at an inn earlier that evening as a 'treat' seeing as how they'd spent most of the week camping out in the wilderness for training. Apparently, Sakura and Naruto's combined whining had gotten to Kakashi in the end and he'd finally relented and allowed them to spend their final night 'in luxury' as he'd put it.
The expression on Sakura's face had been amusing to say the least when they'd turned up to check into their accommodation for the night. The way Kakashi talked about it had led them all to believe that he was treating his students to a night at a top of the range hotel, but in retrospect, Sasuke supposed he really ought to have known better.
The place looked like as though it should have been shut down centuries ago and the owner of the inn looked about as old as the property itself. Even though there were plenty of rooms available (Sasuke wouldn't have been surprised to find out if they were the only guests staying over), Kakashi announced that he and Sakura would each have a room of their own while Sasuke and Naruto would share.
That hadn't gone down very well with Naruto of course and Sasuke wasn't too happy about it either, but their teacher had ignored their yells and protests, saying that three rooms was all he could afford. In the end, they'd finally agreed to share a room. Not like they had a choice or anything.
Naruto would have gladly offered to share with Sakura, while Sakura would have been more than willing to share with Sasuke, but Kakashi insisted that a lady should have her privacy. He'd suggested that Sasuke or Naruto could share his room, but both had quickly refused. Although they weren't what anyone could call the best of friends, they still preferred each other's company to that of their perverted teacher's.
Sasuke grumbled to himself as he remembered the way his teammates had whined all evening long. Naruto whined about the food while Sakura whined about the fact that the hot water tap in the bathroom wasn't working. Whenever Sakura wasn't busy beating Naruto up, they actually got along quite well together, with Sakura either agreeing to one of Naruto's pranks, or complaining along with him about something or other.
Sasuke didn't know how their teacher stood it every day, smiling in that irritatingly blissful way just like he always did. They'd given him a headache after ten minutes or so of their bickering and, once their meal was over, he'd excused himself for the evening and retired to bed. Luckily, he'd been allowed another half hour or so of peace and quiet before Naruto bounded into the room, whistling tunelessly in a way that made Sasuke want to smash his head through the wall.
Thankfully, Naruto hadn't been too annoying though and Sasuke was grateful for the fact that the blond boy had either been worn out by their week's training, or that he was just tired of listening to the sound of his own voice.
Sasuke had been even more grateful for the fact that they'd been able to have a bed of their own rather than sharing. Granted, they weren't that wonderful and Sasuke wondered if the sheets had been changed in the last four months or so, but it was still better than having to share with Naruto. They'd only ever shared sleeping space once before and that had been one time too many for Sasuke.
Not only was Naruto a sound sleeper, he was also a restless one too. If he wasn't snoring, then he'd be drooling. If he wasn't drooling, then he'd be mumbling. If he wasn't mumbling, then he'd be muttering and if he wasn't doing any of that, then he'd toss and turn and kick and shove, but never wake up through any of it.
It was the muted sounds of Naruto's voice that had woken him up right now and Sasuke nestled deeper into his bedding, resisting the urge to grab his pillow and hold it over his head to block out the noise.
Sasuke sighed to himself once he was finally comfortable again, but was prevented from drifting off to sleep again by the sound of voices in the room. He frowned slightly, still not awake enough yet to realise what exactly was going on. He stopped moving around and stayed still, straining his ears sleepily just in case there happened to be any signs of trouble.
There was no danger though, but it did sound as though Naruto was talking to himself...or to someone else...
Wait a minute...someone else? That was impossible though. There was no one else in the room with them, so how could Naruto be talking to anyone? Anyway, wasn't he supposed to be asleep?
Sasuke's brow furrowed and he opened his eyes just enough to be able to glance over at Naruto's bed across the room. What he saw made him wake up completely and it took every effort for him to keep from jumping out of bed and flinging himself at the intruder.
The rays of the moon pouring in through the open window was the only light that illuminated the small room, but it was enough for Sasuke to make out Naruto's body and another, taller figure sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning over Naruto and murmuring something into his ear.
Sasuke froze completely when he recognised who Naruto was with and he clenched his hand into a fist, wishing he had his kunai or a few shuriken with him. His bag was lying at the foot of his bed though and his other weapons were tucked away with the rest of his clothing in a corner of the room.
Dammit, how could he have been so foolish as to not have some sort of weapon by his side as he slept? He should have learned by now that a ninja always had to be on his guard. The thought had just slipped his mind completely though and besides, Sasuke hadn't really been expecting anyone to attack them in a place like this.
He could just leap out of bed and charge at the intruder with his bare fists of course, but that would mean announcing his presence and putting Naruto in danger. Although Naruto was currently defenceless, he didn't look angry or afraid, something that put Sasuke on edge and made him feel uneasy. Naruto didn't even seem surprised by the fact that the man Sasuke called 'brother' was currently sitting on his bed, the one who called himself Uchiha Itachi.
For a moment, Sasuke felt afraid. Afraid for himself, afraid for Naruto. He didn't know everything, but he was aware of the fact that his brother had some sort of...interest in Naruto, something similar to the obsession Orochimaru had with him.
Sasuke felt like shuddering at the mere thought of the one who had given him the curse seal and he felt his hand automatically start to move up to the base of his neck, but he stopped himself at the last minute and forced himself to keep still.
If Itachi had noticed his presence though, he didn't show it and Sasuke didn't know whether to feel relieved or angered.
'I don't have time for you right now...'
Sasuke bit down hard on his lower lip and kept on watching as Naruto and Itachi continued their conversation. What the Hell was going on here anyway? Sasuke wasn't aware of the fact that his brother and Naruto were on friendly terms. They'd met before, but that was when Itachi had attempted to kidnap Naruto and Sasuke hardly thought that an event like that could spark a friendship between the two.
He'd never spoken to Naruto about the night that his clan had been slaughtered by the very person he'd looked up to all his life, but as dense as Naruto was, he had to have guessed that something was wrong. Why trust someone who had tried to steal him away? Naruto wasn't really one of the smartest people around, but Sasuke knew that his teammate was usually a good judge of character and tended to trust his instincts. Then again, he was also a bleeding heart ready to listen to anybody's sob story. It was one of the many things that made him so irritatingly naïve.
Then again, Naruto had to know something about his brother though, right? The massacre of the Uchiha clan wasn't something that was spoken about freely, but Sasuke had mentioned the fact that he was an avenger and that he needed to kill in order to achieve his life's goal. He didn't know if Iruka or Kakashi had told Naruto anything about it in private, but as far as he was aware, Naruto was completely unaware of the events that had taken place when he and Sasuke were both still just children.
Well, it didn't really matter if Naruto knew or not. Sasuke was well aware of the fact that his brother was capable of manipulating and bending people to his will. Sasuke had experienced that strange sort of hypnotism for himself, the one that had made him relive the time he'd come home to find his parents along with the rest of his family brutally murdered.
Maybe that was why Naruto wasn't putting up a fight? Maybe Itachi was making him relive some sort of painful memory too? Naruto didn't seem to be controlled in any way though. He also didn't seem to be in distress. Sasuke couldn't figure it out. He would have been pretty distressed if he'd woken up to find his older brother looming over his bed like that.
He strained his ears again, trying to make out the sounds of their conversation.
"That still doesn't explain what you're doing here!" Naruto hissed quietly. "Do you really want to get killed that badly?!"
Itachi just laughed quietly. "Killed? By who? You? Kakashi? That girl who's always following you around? Or my little brother? You amuse me, Naruto. Really, you do."
Sasuke tightened his fist so hard that his nails dug into his palm. Was his brother threatening Naruto somehow? Naruto didn't seem scared...
"Why are you here, Itachi? It's dangerous!"
"Dangerous for your companions, maybe, but not for me."
"Dammit, you're such an idiot! You should never have come!"
"I just wanted to see you again. It's been more than six months after all."
Six months? Six months since what? Since when had Naruto and his brother been on a first name basis anyway?
"Itachi, I don't-"
The rest of Naruto's sentence was cut off when Itachi grabbed hold of him, framing his face with his palms and tilting Naruto's chin up slightly, leaning down at the same time so that he could press his lips against Naruto's.
Sasuke's eyes almost bugged out of his head at the sight and he felt sick to his stomach to see Naruto being molested by his murderous older brother. His body was screaming out at him to get out of bed and just help Naruto, but for some reason, he found himself unable to move. His limbs refused to listen to his brain's commands and all he could do was lie there and watch.
Naruto's hands fluttered helplessly for a moment before coming to land on Itachi's chest, pushing him away and breaking the contact of their mouths. Naruto's cheeks were flushed and his breathing had quickened a little as he stared up at the taller boy.
"We can't," he said shakily, darting his tongue out and moistening his lower lip. "We shouldn't. You have to go now."
"I'm not leaving," Itachi replied quietly. "Not yet. Not until I finish this."
He swooped down for another kiss before Naruto could say anything else, muffling Naruto's sounds of protests with his mouth. Naruto's fingers twitched against Itachi's chest and the taller boy responded by pushing Naruto slowly down onto his back. Naruto's arms moved up to wrap around his shoulders, pulling him closer for a moment before pushing him away again.
"Not here," he gasped as Itachi trailed his mouth down his neck. "Not now..."
"Naruto, shut up," Itachi murmured against his skin, sucking at the smooth, slender throat beneath his lips. Naruto gasped again and closed his eyes as he gave a soft, shuddery little sigh. When he spoke again, his voice was barely audible, but it was still enough for the other occupant of the room to hear it.
"Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan are next door...Sasuke's right here across from us...God, Itachi, just stop it already!"
"You talk too much," Itachi replied, sounding vaguely irritated. "I told you I'm not going anywhere." Naruto moaned when Itachi bit down on his neck and the taller boy raised a hand, covering Naruto's mouth with it. "Ssh! Don't worry about my little brother. Just remember to keep your trap shut."
Naruto gave another muffled noise and Itachi responded by clamping his teeth down on his skin again, causing Naruto to jerk underneath him. Sasuke could hear soft, suckling and licking sounds coupled with Naruto's sharp, shuddering gasps.
"We can't, we can't, we can't..." Naruto groaned, raising his hands to the back of Itachi's head and twining his fingers into his dark hair, tugging him upward and arching his neck in an attempt to meet his lips. Itachi obeyed his silent pleas and fastened his mouth onto Naruto's, slipping a hand underneath the younger boy's pyjama top and rubbing against his bare skin.
Sasuke remained frozen, but by this time, his worry and shock had turned into anger and betrayal. What the Hell did Naruto think he was doing? Was he insane? Why on earth would he be allowing Itachi to do this to him? Naruto didn't seem to be resisting Itachi's advances in spite of what he'd said and Sasuke felt his blood start boiling in his veins. It seemed as though they'd done this before, as though they were familiar with each other and again, Sasuke felt betrayed.
He and Naruto weren't exactly the best of friends, but still, he trusted the boy. Naruto was hotheaded and impulsive, but he wasn't stupid enough to go over to the enemy's side.
Sasuke suddenly found himself suspicious of the blond and he wondered if somehow, Naruto was in league with his brother, but still keeping up appearances to him and Sakura and Kakashi. Still, Sasuke couldn't help but feel puzzled. Naruto wasn't really the type to do something like that and besides, he would never betray his village...or so Sasuke thought.
He remembered how Naruto would go ranting on and on about how he would become the next Hokage and how everyone in the village would acknowledge his name and his talents.
Naruto could have been lying of course, but somehow, Sasuke doubted that. Naruto was a terrible liar and couldn't tell a fib to save his life, nor could he keep anything secret or private for very long before blurting it out to the nearest available person. What could Itachi possibly want with someone like Naruto?
Sasuke knew how competent his brother was and how he was feared by a great many ninjas in their village, so why would someone so highly skilled and experienced want anything to do with a loud-mouthed idiot like Naruto?
There was absolutely no way on earth that Itachi could see Naruto as some sort of threat either. Sasuke still considered himself stronger than his rival, but then again, he had felt like he'd been falling behind lately. Before, it had always been Naruto trying his best to catch up with him, but now it seemed as though things were changing, as though he was the one trying his best to catch up with Naruto.
Sasuke wasn't stupid. He knew that Naruto had become much stronger over the last couple of years and that there was something different about him, something...odd, something special. Sasuke didn't know what it was. All he did know was that if he didn't do something about it, he would just continue to fall further and further behind and he couldn't allow that to happen. He had to become stronger, had to defeat the man he called brother.
His mind cast back to the time when Itachi had appeared in their village to take Naruto away and he remembered the words that his brother had whispered to him, throwing him aside as easily as a rag doll.
'I don't have time for you right now.'
The only reason Sasuke lived and trained was to kill his brother, to show him just how much he'd improved from the child he'd left behind and to get revenge for what had happened to the rest of his clan. Itachi had told him to grow stronger and to learn how to defeat him, but when he'd returned, he hadn't shown the slightest bit of interest in Sasuke at all, instead choosing to ignore him for Naruto, of all people.
Sasuke felt a twinge of jealousy deep down inside as he thought about Naruto again and wondered just what Naruto had that he didn't. What was it about him that made Itachi so interested in him?
Dammit, who did his brother think he was? He wasn't a toy or a trinket to be played with and then cast aside. Itachi should take him more seriously, should see him as the threat he really was. His brother really was arrogant if he thought that Sasuke still wasn't any danger to him.
Sasuke found himself longing to creep out of bed while Itachi was still occupied and slit his throat or choke him to death. He'd longed to kill his brother for so many years now, but Sasuke knew that he would never kill his brother in such a cowardly way while his back was turned. He had to fight him face to face, had to show Itachi his power and strength, had to make him acknowledge the progress that he'd made. He'd waited so many years now to prove himself and to take revenge that he just wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than his brother's best.
Still, Sasuke knew that he shouldn't underestimate his brother. He was fairly confident that Itachi wouldn't try and kill him should he make himself known right now and he was pretty sure that he wasn't going to kill Naruto either. Sasuke wondered suddenly what they would do if he pretended to wake up and see them as they were now. Would his brother threaten him at all? Would he hurt him or Naruto? What about Naruto? How would he handle the situation?
Sasuke could inform Kakashi or Iruka, or even the Hokage that Naruto had allied himself with the enemy of course and Naruto would be punished accordingly. No one would ever trust him again after that and he'd most likely have his ninja privileges taken from him as well.
Something inside Sasuke jumped at the prospect of having Naruto out of the picture. Remove Naruto and the threat went away with him. Sasuke would then have a clear path to his brother and he also wouldn't have to keep worrying about Naruto bettering him in anything.
Then again though, Sasuke wasn't sure he'd actually be able to do something like that. Naruto irritated the Hell out of him, but he sort of cared about him...right? He wouldn't have bothered to save his life so many times if he hadn't. And anyway, wasn't the purpose of having a rival to push yourself and measure your skills against?
'Where's the teamwork?' Kakashi always asked. He liked his students to work together and look out for each other and eventually, Sasuke had come to learn the advantages of having other people to back you up...but how the Hell was Naruto being a part of their team if he was betraying their trust in him and dallying with the enemy like he was now?!
Sasuke forced himself to try and calm down a little. Maybe he was getting angry with Naruto for no reason. Naruto was still so naïve and vulnerable, so it wouldn't have been that difficult for his brother to take advantage of him. He was also impressionable and Sasuke could see why he'd be so taken with a man as powerful as Itachi.
Sasuke still couldn't understand why so many people seemed to hate Naruto. Sure, he was annoying and he'd apparently pulled quite a few idiotic pranks before, but that didn't seem enough of a reason for the cold stares the rest of the villagers would give him.
Naruto never mentioned anything about it though and Sasuke never bothered to ask. He'd thought it somewhat odd that the villagers seemed to have some sort of disdain for Naruto, but he hadn't really thought anything of it until now.
Sasuke suddenly realised that there still wasn't really an awful lot he knew about Naruto as a person. He knew that he was loud, liked jokes, loved ramen and hanging out with Iruka, but that was about it. He was also aware of the fact that Naruto didn't have any parents, but he'd never wondered how Naruto had happened to become an orphan in the first place.
Sakura had actually been the one to notice something odd about Naruto. Usually you couldn't get him to shut up for more than five seconds at a time, but whenever anyone would bother questioning him about his family or personal life, he'd close up tighter than a clam. Instead, he just shut his eyes and kept on smiling. He smiled so much that Sasuke wasn't really sure whether or not Naruto's constantly cheerful mood was actually genuine.
Maybe it really wasn't Naruto's fault. If he'd been an orphan and ignored by the rest of the village for most of his life, he was bound to get lonely at some point. Maybe even lonely enough to seek out the company of someone like his brother?
No, that was ridiculous. If Naruto wanted attention, he'd just go to their teachers, or bug Sakura, or challenge him to a fight...wouldn't he?
Sasuke continued to watch with slitted eyes as Naruto began tugging Itachi's cloak off his body, continued to watch as his brother returned the favour by helping Naruto out of his pyjama top. It wasn't long before both of them were naked from the waist up and once that task had been achieved, Itachi lowered himself back down onto Naruto and captured his lips once again.
Naruto arched underneath him as Itachi ran his hands possessively over the younger boy's deeply tanned skin, his own pale hands looking white and almost ghost-like in comparison. Naruto seemed to have given up all thought of protesting now as he just lay back and closed his eyes, his breath hitching every now and then when Itachi pinched or fondled a particularly sensitive spot.
Itachi began kissing Naruto's neck again, but he didn't stop there this time. He made his way slowly down Naruto's chest, only pausing when he reached the younger boy's stomach. Naruto's eyes popped open and he watched silently as Itachi drew the waistband of his pants down just enough to reveal a strange, intricate marking that circled his bellybutton.
Sasuke almost gasped out loud when he caught sight of it. He'd learned enough in his studies to know that it was some sort of seal, but for what, he had no idea.
Itachi seemed to know what it was though and his lips curved upward in a slow, calculating smile. Naruto shuddered and looked away, closing his eyes again. Itachi said nothing, merely smirked as he lowered his head to trace the tip of his tongue over the marking on Naruto's navel.
Naruto uttered a choked little whimper, but refused to open his eyes as Itachi began kissing the seal almost reverently, pushing Naruto's pyjama pants down even further and taking hold of Naruto's slim hips in his hands, holding the other boy steady as he nipped and nuzzled Naruto's flat stomach.
Naruto gave a low whine and pushed Itachi's head down further, his hips straining weakly against Itachi's grip. Itachi chuckled softly, but gave into Naruto's demands as he placed one last lingering kiss on the marking before carefully sliding Naruto's pyjama pants down his legs.
Sasuke knew that the decent thing would be to close his eyes completely before he saw anything else, but for some reason, he kept on watching. His long bangs covered the blush in his cheeks as Naruto groaned and spread himself out willingly for Itachi. Itachi narrowed his eyes as he settled himself between Naruto's parted thighs, lightly grazing his fingers over quivering flesh.
Apparently, Naruto seemed to have noticed that Itachi was still wearing his pants and he growled in frustration, propping himself up just enough so that he could reach down and undo them himself. Sasuke quickly closed his eyes then, not sure he wanted to watch the rest of the proceedings. He was supposed to be too caught up in his hatred to think about anything else, but the only things he felt right now was confusion and embarrassment.
It didn't even seem to matter that his eyes were closed though because he could still hear the noises they made from time to time and that was as disturbing as actually watching the act himself. It still hadn't quite hit Sasuke somehow that Naruto and his brother were about to have sex. Sex and his older brother just didn't seem to mix and as for Naruto...well, anyone who thought of that buffoon in a sexual manner had to be insane...which probably explained Itachi's obsession.
It bothered him too, of course, in more ways than one. Even if he didn't hate his brother so much, he still had no desire to be in the same room as him while he and Naruto...did whatever they were about to do. Why was Naruto even doing this in the first place? He acted like he knew what he was doing, like he was enjoying it and again, Sasuke felt vaguely disturbed.
Naruto was still only fifteen years old, the same age as he was and Sasuke barely even thought about sex, let alone actually having it with anybody. The only experience he'd had that could be considered even remotely romantic was that accidental 'first kiss' he and Naruto had shared over three years ago. Other teenagers his age had been dating for a while now while he...had continued to shut himself off from the world and lose himself in his training.
It seemed that he really didn't know Naruto as well as he'd thought. In Sasuke's eyes, Naruto had always been so predictable, but he never would have guessed that Naruto did anything like this in his spare time, and with his brother, no less. He'd never even know that Naruto must have had some sort of seal performed on him at some point either. When he thought about it...he really didn't know anything about Naruto at all.
Sasuke felt suddenly sick as he realised that everything he'd once held familiar had now vanished and that this Naruto was like a stranger to him now.
He clenched his eyes shut even tighter, but he couldn't block out the sounds of the other occupants of the room. Naruto's cries came louder and faster and Sasuke could hear Itachi shushing him, soothing him, but Naruto's little keens and whines didn't grow any less impassioned.
"Do you want to wake Sasuke up?" Itachi hissed.
"Unh...ohhh...nuh-uh..." Naruto managed, making Sasuke wonder what his brother could be doing to make Naruto so incoherent.
Naruto whined again, but this one seemed different from the others, like he'd just had something precious taken away from him or something. Itachi shushed him again and Sasuke found himself opening his eyes against his will, letting them slip open just a crack so that he could see what was going on now.
They almost flew open the rest of the way when he caught sight of the position they were in, Naruto on his back with his legs spread and bent at the knee, Itachi kneeling before him with Naruto's thighs hooked over his forearms. He was staring down at Naruto with narrowed eyes, watching the smaller boy as he shifted his head restlessly on his pillow.
"Itachi, please," he begged, jerking his hips.
"Not just yet," Itachi replied hoarsely. "Let me see it first."
Sasuke had no idea what he was talking about, but Naruto seemed to understand what he'd meant as he continued to shake his head more forcefully.
"Nooo..." he whimpered, twisting his lower body as much as he was able and whining again, his fingers clutching tightly at the sheets beneath his body. "I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't..."
Itachi's lips curved upwards again and he tightened his grip on Naruto's thighs before pushing forward and penetrating the boy beneath him with one smooth thrust. Naruto hissed loudly and bared his teeth, his hands scrabbling widely at the bed sheets.
"Open your eyes," Itachi told him, but Naruto shook his head once again. "I said open them!" Itachi's command was punctuated with a hard thrust and Naruto snarled suddenly, his eyes flying open to reveal not the usual sky blue orbs that Sasuke was so familiar with, but a sinister-looking crimson colour that wouldn't have looked out of place on a monster.
Deep crimson eyes met the blood red of the Sharingan and Naruto snarled again, the sound harsh and almost inhuman. It sent chills down Sasuke's spine, but it seemed to have the opposite effect on his brother, exciting him and spurring him onward as he continued driving into Naruto. Their bodies rocked together urgently and the bed beneath them creaked and shook under the strain of their passion.
Naruto was growling now, and again, the noises reminded Sasuke of some sort of vicious animal. Itachi was almost deathly silent in comparison, but the expression on his face was one of barely contained ecstasy as Naruto clawed at his shoulders, his back, any expanse of bare skin that he could reach.
Sasuke could see the deep red welts his nails left behind on Itachi's skin and he fought to quell the anxiousness he felt deep down inside. Was this really Naruto before him? He seemed like a completely different person, something primal, something Sasuke had never ever seen before.
Itachi picked up the pace suddenly and Naruto yowled, causing Itachi to clamp a hand firmly over his mouth. He gasped sharply when Naruto bit him, but didn't move his hand away as he began thrusting even harder.
Naruto struggled and squirmed, but Itachi kept a tight hold on him, shifting slightly to take Naruto in hand, pumping the swollen flesh and causing the younger boy's cries to become more frequent. The hand over his mouth kept him quiet though and Itachi hissed as Naruto bit him once more, harder this time as he bucked and shuddered underneath him, his eyes wild and unfocused as his body reached its release.
Itachi followed a few moments later, throwing his head back and groaning faintly as he climaxed, his body falling on top of Naruto's. The sounds of their harsh panting filled the room and they just lay like that for a while before Naruto mumbled something and shifted underneath Itachi, snaking an arm around his neck before going still again.
His eyes fluttered open again, their colour already returning back to their normal sky blue and he stared up at the ceiling in silence, his fingers rubbing absently against the nape of Itachi's neck.
"What can I do to make you leave everything behind?" Itachi asked quietly, his voice slightly muffled by Naruto's shoulder.
"We've had this conversation before," Naruto replied evasively. He sounded tired and unwilling to pursue the subject any longer, but Itachi propped himself up on his elbows so that he could look into Naruto's eyes.
"Why do you continue to linger in the village of the Leaf? Why not leave it all behind and come with me? I could give you everything you've ever dreamed of, you know. Why do you always refuse to give me what I want?"
"You don't understand," Naruto told him. "I can't leave. I still have things to do. I...I still have to achieve my dream of being Hokage. You understand that...don't you?"
"No, Naruto, I don't." Itachi reached up and ran a hand through the younger boy's sweat-soaked hair. "I don't understand because you have the potential to become more powerful than any Hokage that ever lived. Why is this ambition of yours so important to you?"
"It's not the power that I want," Naruto said quietly. "It's the name. It's the kind of recognition and respect that I've wanted all my life."
"You really think that by becoming Hokage, you'll suddenly gain respect from all the people in the village of the Leaf? I still don't understand it. You've been treated with fear and mistrust all these years and still you refuse to turn your back on them?"
"I...I can't leave them," Naruto insisted, but his resolve seemed to be weakening slightly. "I don't care if they hate me. I still have Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan...even Sasuke too, I guess..."
"And what can they give you that I can't?" Itachi wanted to know. "No one understands you like I do, Naruto. I could be your everything if only you'd let me."
"I can't go with you," Naruto said sadly. "I just can't."
"Why not?" Itachi's voice was soft and pleading and Naruto closed his eyes as his body began to tremble. "Naruto, I need you."
"No you don't," Naruto replied hollowly. "It's the chakra of the nine tails fox inside me that you want."
"You're wrong," Itachi said firmly. "I need both of you. Give yourself to me, Naruto."
"I can't," Naruto said in a shaky voice. "It wasn't supposed to be like this at all..."
"Like what?"
"I wasn't...I wasn't supposed to fall in love!" Naruto wriggled out from underneath Itachi, rolling onto his side so that his back was turned to the other boy. "I think you should go now."
"Naruto..."
"Just leave. Please."
Itachi sighed and kissed Naruto's shoulder gently before heaving himself up into a sitting position. "I can't wait much longer, you know," he said softly.
"I know," Naruto muttered, still refusing to look at him.
"I don't have much time. I don't want to force you into this and I definitely don't want to be your enemy, but I need your power. I need you."
"I know. Goodnight, Itachi."
An expression of sadness briefly flitted across Itachi's face and he sighed again as he began dressing himself, glancing over his shoulder at Naruto as he slipped his shoes back on before leaning down and kissing the younger boy's cheek.
"I'll be back," he promised.
Naruto didn't say anything.
Sasuke hurriedly closed his eyes the rest of the way as Itachi got up off Naruto's bed, wrapping his cloak tighter around himself before walking soundlessly over to the window. Before he could jump out of it though, he paused. "I know you've been listening, little brother."
Sasuke's blood felt as though it would suddenly freeze inside his veins, but he refused to open his eyes, or even acknowledge Itachi's presence.
"I would prefer it if you kept this to yourself," Itachi continued quietly. "If you don't, then you will find yourself dead before you even know what's hit you. Do you understand?"
"Leave it, Itachi!" Naruto said sharply. "Sasuke won't say anything."
"Make sure that he doesn't."
Itachi glanced back at Naruto lingeringly and then left without bothering to close the window behind him.
Meanwhile, Sasuke's head was still swimming with everything that he'd discovered tonight. Naruto was the demon fox. His brother wanted Naruto to turn his back on the village and work with him. Naruto had said that he didn't want to do such a thing, but he hadn't sounded so sure of himself to Sasuke's ears. Well, the strange sort of power that Naruto possessed was explained anyway, but all that remained now was whether or not Naruto could still be trusted. Should Sasuke see him as an enemy now? He'd refused his brother's offer after all.
"Naruto..."
"Don't say anything, Sasuke." The other boy's voice was harsh and Sasuke flinched at the coldness of his tone. "I know how fucked up this is."
Sasuke was silent for a moment before speaking again. "How long?" He'd expected Naruto to either evade the question, or simply not bother to respond, but Naruto surprised him with a muttered, "About a year or so."
Sasuke bit down on his lower lip. "I'm going to kill him. I'll kill you too if you try and get in my way."
"I know."
The silence between them stretched out longer this time before Sasuke said anything else. "What are you going to do then?"
"I don't know," Naruto whispered. "I really have no idea."
End. (Or is it?)
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