Prologue

Roar, Uchiha! The Four Pillars of the Main House!

毒

"TOU-SAN! KAA-SAN!"

The middle-aged couple in question looked up, charcoal eyes betraying the curiosity their facial muscles would not.

The man was tall, all tanned skin and black hair and authority. The navy-and-white yukata that cloaked him billowed out slightly as he turned, face set in an impassive expression.

The woman, on the other hand, was delicate, a porcelain doll with midnight hair and irises made of onyx gems, dressed in a simple yellow dress with dark gray long-sleeves beneath. She started, spinning on her heels to watch the intruder with shocked eyes.

The intruder in question? A reserved, twelve-year-old boy with his mother's looks, tear troughs cutting deep into his cheeks, wearing a high-collared gray shirt and white shorts. However, the normally-emotionless face was twisted into a grimace of fear and worry.

"Itachi? What is it?"

"A mononoke…a rogue mononoke…bit Sasuke."

Itachi panted, eyes completely dilated. His mother and father looked at one another, then back at him.

"I left my real self with him…it looks really bad…"

The boy forced a swallow, then turned and ran, the other two close on his heels, hoping that they weren't too late to save the seven-year-old child.

毒

The clone disappeared halfway to their house, but Mikoto and Fugaku knew the way. They burst into the room, and Mikoto's eyes immediately caught her youngest son, writhing in pain, blood pouring from his torn throat. The real Itachi kneeled beside him, trying desperately to stem the flow of liquid. With glowing greenish-blue hands, the teen ghosted his fingers over his little brother's neck, the warm, comforting energy lacing through the ragged edges of the wound and mending the shredded flesh.

Within seconds, the gash was fully healed. Then, the small, fine-boned boy shrieked again as it burst back open. The blood leaking from it now was black in color, thick, with the viscosity of heavy syrup. Itachi shook his head, pulling his hands away from his brother.

"I can't heal it…this is my fourth try. ANBU-required medical ninjutsu won't cut it."

Mikoto tied her hair back, already prepping herself for action. She used to work in the hospital, after all, and she knew her fair share of healing techniques, most more potent than her son's required emergency field knowledge.

"Itachi, run and get the Hokage. Fugaku, get ready to loan me your chakra. We're in for a long night."

毒

An elderly man in long, white-and-red robes stood at the window of his office, looking out at the village he ruled and smoking an elegant, black-and-gold pipe. The white haze filled the air with the scent of burning grasses and ashes, curling around the wrinkled, battle-scarred old ninja like a think, transparent snake. He half-turned at a peculiar sound, almost like a droplet of water hitting a silent pond, mixed with a muffled exhale. The remnants of white smoke, not his own, dissipated into the air as a rather ruffled-looking boy stood. With a start, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, realized his shirt was soaked in blood that was not his own. And judging from the terrified expression on the usually-apathetic youngster's face, he didn't want to know who it belonged to. He closed his eyes, a quick flare of chakra snuffing out his pipe as he grasped the boy's shoulder.

"Let's go, Itachi-kun."

Another swirl of smoke; another odd noise; and the previously-occupied office was empty, devoid of the two ninja it had once held.

The two ninja who had run to the aid of one of their own, attacked in their home.

毒

Fugaku Uchiha wasn't a very happy man to begin with. Sure, he had a beautiful wife, genius son, and another with the potential to become the most powerful Uchiha seen in years, but it just wasn't in his nature to be bubbly. It's said that the day he smiles is the day the world ends. Case in point? The day his youngest son, Sasuke, was born, he smiled for the first time in six years. Later that year…the Kyuubi's attack decimated the village, costing them the life of the Fourth Hokage. Similarly, several days after he smiled at Itachi's birth, the first catch-Tora mission was assigned to a squad of extremely unlucky Genin, who would swear that the animal was possessed by a demon from hell itself.

The point is, Fugaku was not amused. Not in the slightest.

"What the hell do you mean, you can't catch it?!"

"U-uchiha-sama…the mononoke is too powerful. None of our long-range attacks can make contact."

"What about close-range?!"

"Our men aren't willing…"

"I DON'T CARE IF THEY'RE WILLING! MY SON WAS ATTACKED BY THAT DAMN THING! YOU WILL ELIMINATE IT, OR I WILL ELIMINATE YOU!"

The poor Uchiha clan subordinate swallowed nervously as his leader's eyes swirled with untold power, red and black locked in an endless, whirling dance of fear, pain, frustration, and absolute fury.

"H-hai, Uchiha-sama!"

Fugaku grunted and looked back to his wife, funneling more of his energy into her system as she struggled with the grievous wound. Sasuke had lost consciousness some time ago, falling, exhausted, to the sheets of the bed where they'd placed him. His throat showed no signs of healing, and Mikoto was reaching her limit. But still, she persisted, keeping the bleeding at bay for as long as she could.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Itachi burst into the room, the Hokage trailing close behind. The old man bent over Sasuke, examining him with a practiced eye. The crow's feet around the corners of his eyes seemed to deepen as he shook his head.

"It's no use, Mikoto-chan. The virus has taken hold. All we can do now is wait."

"NO! There must be something…anything…we can do!"

"Mikoto-chan, I know it hurts. But Sasuke is too far gone. If you continue to heal him, it will only prolong his pain."

"But…"

"I know."

Fugaku could see the tears beginning to form in his wife's eyes, threatening to spill over. Roughly, he grasped her and pulled her into his chest just as she burst into wracking sobs. Itachi, meanwhile, stepped slowly over to his brother's bedside, watching as the boy he'd sworn to protect bled out onto the comforter. He stroked Sasuke's soft black hair, playing with the spiked bangs, winding them between his long, thin fingers. And it was at that moment that the bleeding stopped, and Sasuke drew his last breath.

The Hokage spoke as the rattling gasp left the youngest Uchiha's body.

"It has begun."

毒

Swirls of purple, navy, and black are lashing around him, tendrils of darkness pulling him deeper, further away from the white lights and warm voices. Sasuke's scared now, scared of the rapid pace at which he descends, until the tentacles let him go and oh Kami he's freefalling.

Sasuke's stomach drops and he screams, shutting his eyes against the wind whipping at his face, bringing his arms up in a futile cross-block, arching his back, bending his knees for the impact he knows is coming. But it never comes.

He abruptly stops, so abruptly that he's still shrieking as he lays suspended by a thousand shimmering wires. All of them are held by a figure cloaked in black, towering over him, hood shadowing the enormous face. By now, it's reeled him in, and Sasuke is settled on the giant, pale white palm. Curving purple nails, like the spires decorating the top of the Hokage Tower, curl around him in a cold, clammy cage.

"W-who are you?"

"I am known by some as Shiso, by some as Ryuk. You, young one, may call me Shinigami-sama."

"S-shini…gami?"

"That's Shinigami-sama to you, impudent child. I trust you know why I am here?"

"I don't even know where we are!"

"I am here…because you are dead."

The realization hits Sasuke like the huge, iron war-hammer his uncle Kinjo often favors. The memories he'd had suppressed are surging forward.

(A maniacal grin from the shadows; the stench of rotting breath)

(Breathing, ragged and uneven, from behind him)

(A footstep, then the sound of limp limbs dragging in the dirt)

(A face, skull-like, flesh peeling away from bone as the mononoke draws closer)

(His muscles won't move; he's frozen in fear)

(Too young to die, dammit, TOO YOUNG)

(The feeling of teeth, long, serrated fangs, tearing through his neck)

(He can feel the poison pouring from the mononoke and into his bloodstream)

(It burns)

(IT BURNS)

(MAKE IT STOP!)

Sasuke gasps, head thrown back as the wound that he'd received in the real world appears on his throat. He can hear the blood gurgling deep in his lungs as he tries to speak.

Shinigami chuckles.

"You've certainly got quite the imagination, haven't you? The pain in here is all in your head. You generated this reality when you died from blood loss outside. However, the mononoke was able to infect you. In short…"

"When I wake up…I'll be…?"

"Yes, child. The mononoke has insured your continued survival. Had you been of the 25% who do not develop your…condition, you would be dead."

"So…when will I wake up?"

"Right now."

A blinding light shines in Sasuke's face, and the tiny boy pulls his arm up to shield his eyes. Wincing, he feels a hand on his shoulder, arms circling his waist, and fingers on his forehead. Then, he's ripped into the sky, soaring into the air until all he can see is white.

毒

Sasuke's eyes flew open, and for a moment Mikoto was worried that he'd gone blind. There was no iris, no pupil, only bloodshot white. His thin chest inflated with oxygen, and he arched his back, rising slightly from the bed. His hands fisted, then relaxed, revealing ripped cloth and long, thin talons. In his open mouth, she could see inch-long fangs, shining bright white against the red of his tongue. His hair seemed to grow longer and wilder, the longest spikes reaching down to his waist and haloing his head. His pupils opened again, ringed by red that wasn't the Sharingan, and the sclerae bled black. His skin, normally pale, seemed to shimmer in the room's ambient light.

"Son of Kami…"

The whisper came from Itachi, whose mouth had dropped open sometime during Sasuke's transformation. He had his hands at the boy's chest, feeling desperately for a heartbeat where there was none to be felt.

"He's…he should be…"

The Hokage was the only one in the room not otherwise affected by the seeming gravity of the situation.

"This is normal, after all…fully transformed vampires don't have heartbeats."

毒

Wh…where am I? Why is everything so…bright?

Sasuke thought, groaning slightly as his vision phased into focus. Indeed, it seemed as though the colors of the world has spontaneously decided to enhance themselves while he was unconscious; the sky was a brilliant shade of azure, the walls of the room gleamed emerald, and his brother's face shone like it had been carved from thousands upon thousands of diamonds. Everything seemed to be made of precious stones, and the light refracting off of the different surfaces was more than enough to make Sasuke wince in pain and shut his eyes.

Slowly, stiffly, he attempted to sit up, supported by Itachi's warm, familiar hands on his spine. His bangs seemed longer than they'd previously been, and Sasuke wondered just how long he'd been out. At least a month, from the look of his hair, but with the worn looks on his parents' and brother's faces, it could've been a year.

"Sasuke-kun, can you hear me? Can you understand me?"

"H-hokage-sama?"

Sasuke hated how his voice cracked, how weak it sounded. If he wanted his father to be proud of him, he had to sound strong!

"Sasuke-kun, do you remember what happened?"

"I…I don't know…"

"That's alright. You've been unconscious for five hours while your body reconstructed itself on a cellular level."

"…in Japanese?"

The Hokage sighed as the boy cocked his head, jewel-like eyes regarding him with curiosity, unaware of what had occurred.

"Your body isn't what it used to be, Sasuke-kun."

He handed the boy a small, handheld mirror that Mikoto had produced from the depths of her vanity. Sasuke took it, and his eyes widened almost immediately.

"Is that…really what I look like?"

毒

Mikoto could sense an oncoming emotional breakdown. It was in the way her son held himself, in his bearing as he stared down into the looking glass, his monstrous persona gazing back at him through wide, ruby eyes rimmed with black. The eyes of a demon. What Sasuke thought he'd become.

"Sasu-chan…come here."

She commanded in a soft, motherly voice. Sasuke didn't look at her as the mirror slipped from his limp fingers, shattering on the floor. He was biting his lip, and Mikoto could see beads of blood forming where the new fangs dug into unscarred flesh. His hands went to his face, covering it, as he curled into himself. She could hear him now, hear the tremble as he spoke.

"I…I'm a…"

"Sasu-chan."

"Don't look at me! Please!"

"Sasuke?"

"We…we learned about mononoke in class. Earlier in the year. And…how they kill anyone they come near. How they drink your blood until there's none left. Please, don't come near me…I'm one of them."

Sasuke finished speaking, silent tears trailing down his cheeks, and tried to put his head back between his knees. However, before he could, a painful flick was delivered to his forehead.

"I-itai~!"

"Foolish otouto. You seem to think that you will kill us all. Your point, as usual, is completely illogical. We are in the same room as you are, in your transformed state. You have not killed us yet. Therefore, you are no mononoke, and you are not a monster."

"Aniiki…"

毒

Itachi settled himself on the bed next to his little brother, whose face was still splotched with red from crying. Stroking the boy's long hair, he pulled the small body close to him, inhaling the cinnamon-spice scent of his skin. He felt his mother slide in next to him, and sensed his father move to her side. The Hokage watched the scene from the door, seemingly able to recognize that this was a private, family moment.

"Sasuke…no matter what you are, what you become…we'll always love you."

Their mother spoke gently, fingers twining with her youngest's. Itachi continued the rhythmic strokes, his nails scraping lightly against Sasuke's scalp. Their father said nothing, merely enveloping them all in a warm bubble of chakra, his equivalent of a hug. Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned into Itachi's chest, letting his brother's heartbeat and the feeling of his fingers combing through his hair lull him into a dreamless sleep.

"I'll leave supplies in the pantry. When you need more, come talk to me. I can get it fresh from the Nara, or from the hospital."

He turned away, and the three caught the flash of a flask, and the thin wash of red that coated the sides of the bottle. And the full impact of the situation settled in then—Sasuke was, irrevocably, undeniably, a vampire, that he needed blood to survive, and that the childlike innocence he held now would desert him in a matter of months.

The reason?

You can't get blood without the pain of others.

毒

Sasuke woke up some time later, curled atop his brother, listening to the strong, sure pulses of his heart. He noticed his father's chakra had left the house, while his mother's was flitting about in the kitchen.

She seems worried.

He could tell by the way her energy writhed, flickering like candles are wont to do in the wind, swelling and ebbing like the tide. He lay his head back down as Itachi's arm came up to wrap around his waist, a comforting gesture of familial love. He looked up into warm, charcoal-bright eyes, streaked with lighter ash gray and small specks of dark, dark crimson, so dark it was almost black. The iris formed a natural, star-like pattern of slightly darker gray around the pupils, almost like a many-pointed star or many-petaled flower. He'd never noticed how beautiful his brother's eyes were until now, he reflected, because he'd almost never seen them this close.

The teen in question smirked gently, eyes lightening.

"Konichiwa, otouto."

"Aniiki? Why are you still here?"

Itachi closed his eyes; the movement softened the deep tear trenches that stretched from the inner corners of his eyes to midway over his cheeks in long, diagonal lines, the results of a seven-year career as a high-ranking ninja in one of the most powerful villages in the world.

"Because I want to be."

He seemed to be staring at something only he could see, out the window and over the thousands of trees that ringed their homeland, over the distant mountains and the top of the setting sun. Sasuke didn't question his brother, merely shifting again in lean, muscular arms to rest once more over the rhythm in the center of Itachi's chest.

He could hear the flow of blood through his brother's veins, as well as the faint hum of chakra coiling around his muscles, fuelling the lightning-fast reflexes that the Tokubetsu Jounin was so famous for.

The thoughts drifted away from Sasuke's grasp, though, when a small tendril of energy wormed its way from Itachi's palm to the center of his back. His own, small stores of chakra welcomed the invading substance, which spread itself out to thinly coat every part of his being. It was intrinsic, powerful, caring, peaceful, and intensely focused. It was the essence of his brother, the true person beneath the icy-cold front he put up for the outside world, and it was unique.

Sasuke smiled again, Itachi's chakra humming through his soul, and channeled a bit of his energy into the warm fingers that stroked his spine slowly. The brothers shared their energy and, as their heartbeats slowly fell into sync, dropped off into a calm, peaceful sleep.

In the kitchen beneath them, Mikoto smiled a secret grin.

毒

~Tsuzuku~

A/N:

Oh, thank Kami-sama! It's done, finally! This was REALLY hard to write w/o having the characters act too OOC…I'm aware that Itachi isn't really accurate, and neither is Sasuke ('cuz I kinda-sorta gave him the thought patterns of a 12-13 year old…oops?), but for Fugaku and Mikoto…well, they never really were introduced/developed in the manga OR anime, so I'm going with assumptions. Mikoto is like she is in most, if not all, other stories. Fugaku cares deeply for his family, and so does NOT act like a complete and total ice-block around them.

Fugaku: I am not a block of frozen water. I am a fire-style ninja. This is an illogical conclusion.

KatanaBladeArtist: Shut up, you. *slaps with paper fan*

Fugaku:…

Itachi: LOL, hi~!

KBA: Itachi…you're so OOC in this chapter it's not even funny. Anyway…please do the intro piece for the next one?

Itachi: :3 OK~! *in Pokémon announcer guy's voice* Our young hero, six years after his first Transformation, tries to become a ninja! Join us next time for: Enter, Sasuke! The Academy Graduation Exam!

This chapter's page break is doku, or poison.