Warnings include but are not limited to: Unbeta'd, Intentional OOC, AU, Death being extremely fickle about who stays dead, and General Strangeness that will make sense...eventually.

Disclaimer: Based heavily on the game(s) Bioshock but twisted to suit my own needs. I do not own Bioshock, Bioshock Infinite, or Naruto! I just like to play God occasionally with other people's creations. Also the lines used for quotes in this chapter are also not mine. Kudos to anyone who knows which two songs the phrases come from!

You have been informed!

Rapture in Columbia

Chapter 1 - The Lighthouse

'Murderer! A prodigy...shame he ended out being a... I hate you! Please don't allow anything to happen to Sas - '

'I promise... You always say that - '

'Forgive me...'

'Forgive...'

Floating...the echoes ring and fade...he's floating and there is nothing...no pain...no pain...

"Wake...hey! Wake...up!"

In the stillness, the echoes sweep him up, there's an insistence, he's drowning!

It's all wrong!

Where is he...bright! It's too bright!

"WAKE UP!"

Uchiha Itachi opened his eyes, blinking rapidly against the glare of a setting sun.

A boy with blonde hair and shockingly blue eyes stared down at him with a tentative smile. "Oh good, you're not comatose. I thought I was stuck here with a half-drowned vegetable there for a minute. That would have sucked, right?"

He remembered the battle. Not just a battle, but THE battle - the Fourth Great Ninja War and his efforts to stop it before it could happen having ultimately proven fruitless.

Itachi was certain after his body turned to dust, his soul had journeyed to a place where the living could no longer call him. There had been a weightlessness like someone had snipped the line between him and the world and he'd drifted away. Despite the fact that the peace he longed for was not what awaited him, at least it was an absence of all things cognizant. It had been like a deep and dreamless sleep.

He had no idea how long he'd stayed that way- it could have been only days or maybe a millennia had passed him by. Perhaps that would explain his strange circumstances.

"Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry for the rude awakening - but you were just kind of floating there, you were breathing - barely - and you're the first person I've seen since I woke up -"

The blond's fretful babbling flowed over him like the water soaking the edge of his cloak. As his eyes adjusted - he immediately noted that there was no blurriness, it was as though he'd never suffered from deteriorating vision - Itachi started to take note of his current surroundings.

First and foremost was himself. He felt remarkably hale, with vision restored and nothing of the previous pain and the insufferable need to hack up his lungs. The key difference being he couldn't detect his own chakra flow and with further internal experimentation, could not activate the Sharingan. So whole purely in the sense that his body was without obvious illness and musculature intact, which was much more than he should have been expecting to begin with. He couldn't be concerned about being thoroughly disconnected from his chakra when he shouldn't have a body at all.

"I'm not sure what this place is...can't open the door, tried..."

Itachi sat up slowly, noting the slight ache of having been sprawled out on a stairway, though not bruised thanks to the buoyancy of being partially submerged in water.

"Crap, I should have pulled you up out of there - sorry, wasn't thinking - "

"Perhaps a wise decision, Naruto-kun..." Getting his footing on the slick stone, Itachi climbed out of the water, eager to shed his heavily drenched Akatsuki cloak.

Sudden silence descended upon him, and Itachi flicked a glance at the now rigid posture of the other man.

Blue eyes were narrowed with suspicion; Naruto seemed caught between staying perched on the stairs, close to Itachi, or moving up to the landing away from him. His expression didn't sit well on his features, almost as if he was struggling to come to a decision about something, especially now that he had a clear view of Itachi's appearance. "How do you know my name?"

Face carefully void of all emotion, Itachi examined the young man for the first time. He looked the same, yet there were subtle details that gave him away as not being the person Itachi remembered. His clothing for one, while being the sturdy construction of ninja wear and the usual orange and black colors, were rather worn and faded. His headband was conspicuously missing, and the whisker scars on his face were more prominent than he recalled. Thinking of scars, he noticed pronounced scarring on the visible parts of Naruto's body, as if none of them had seen proper medical attention. This Naruto, all in all, was rougher around the edges and had a look in his eye that was instinctively wary...a guardedness that Itachi had seen in the other jinchuuriki except him.

"You do not recognize me."

Naruto lost some of the tension in his shoulders and eased up from his crouched position. Though he slanted a foot sideways on the stair, clearly a preemptive measure to beat a hasty retreat if he deemed Itachi a threat. Another red flag as the brash youth that Itachi had known was not the one standing in front of him.

"Should I?"

A trick question. He said nothing, his hands loose and in plain view next to his sides, face still apathetic under Naruto's scrutiny.

"You look like Uchiha...but they were all killed by Danzo's followers years ago." Naruto canted his head left then right, as if he were looking at something in a museum rather than another human being. "Actually, you remind me of my friend Sasuke's brother." A flash of pain darkened his eyes to a slate blue. "Before the public execution anyway."

Itachi didn't flinch. "Execution?"

Hands curled tightly into fists, Naruto spat, "All the Uchiha were executed for mutiny, treason to the village, and plans to assassinate the Hokage. At least that's what Danzo claimed." And then he literally spat, sharply over the stair rail into the rippling water, "It was only the older Uchiha that wanted to kill the Hokage; everyone knew that. Except they didn't stop them from killing my father, and after the Uchiha succeeded, Danzo's men stepped in and took over. All bearing the name Uchiha were put to death - even the kids."

Mutiny...treason...

Spare my brother!

It felt like someone had driven a nail between his eyes. Itachi grunted, doubling over with the agony blossoming in his head, his vision grayed out and white noise in his ears.

Calloused hands gripped his shoulders and dragged him up, preventing him from falling face first back into the water.

Gasping for air, Itachi tasted copper on his lips. He blinked away the fuzziness and brought shaking fingertips to his nose. They came away bright red.

"Shit - okay? I'm - lean forward - " Naruto's frantic curses and apologies came in brokenly over the fading static.

"Fine. I'm fine." Itachi willed his racing heart to calm, ignored the lingering ache trapped in his skull, and stood up straight. He patiently pinched the bridge of his nose though there was no real need - he could already feel the flow of blood slowing down.

Reluctantly, Naruto backed off, his hands still half-raised in case Itachi made another dive for the ground. "Yeah...all right. Still, you can't be him, because he's dead..."

Neither agreeing or disagreeing, Itachi took off his cloak and carelessly used the sleeve to mop up the blood on his face. While he did that, Naruto turned away, appearing to examine their surroundings more thoroughly though he kept shooting him furtive looks that were tinged with an oddly hopeful fear. Pretending not to notice, Itachi followed his example and looked around.

The stairs he was on came straight up out of the clear water, leading up to a giant stone lighthouse. It was the only building as far as Itachi could see, and the sky hadn't changed any from the reddish gold of sunset the entire time he'd been awake. Tilting his head back, he considered the statue dressed in the flowing robes of a Kage holding the rotating light at the top between it's hands. On either side were empty coffins, and at it's feet were the bodies of the deceased, crouched in supplication. He immediately thought of Kabuto, covered in scales, maniacally directing the army of dead he'd raised to do his bidding.

"Super creepy, right? Like I was saying before, I tried the door but no go."

Itachi dropped the bloodied cloak on the stairs and walked up the last couple of steps to Naruto's side. "This Danzo you spoke of -"

"Later. I'll explain after we figure out how this place works. Deal?"

Not entirely comfortable that this Naruto seemed relatively ahead of his game, Itachi resolved to be patient. History would reveal itself with time - he'd lived a life of desolation as proof that nothing remains in the darkness forever.

Naruto for his part did a good job of hiding his previous discomfort and shot him a wide grin that was all teeth, clearly eager to move on. Allowing his apathetic frown to soften, showing him that they were in this together for the time being, Itachi surveyed the ten foot tall doors that were the only entrance to the tower. The handles were a polished silver in the shape of a crossed sickle and scroll. There was no visible locking mechanism however without chakra enhanced strength, the doors could simply be too heavy to move.

It disturbed him that he didn't have enhanced senses to ensure safe entrance. Burdened as his ninja identity had been, Itachi had relied greatly on those skills to stay several steps ahead of anyone and anything. Now he had to rely on instinct and judgement alone to determine if the way forward was secure.

"Either we find a way in...or stay here for seemingly all eternity." Except there was a very real possibility that they'd get in and find that while it was nothing more than a lighthouse and they'd still have nowhere to go.

Naruto's nose scrunched distastefully as the unspoken crossed his mind as well. "How 'bout we push on the count of three and bust our way in? I'll go crazy if I'm out here much longer."

Itachi nodded his assent and braced his arms against the left side of the door. Naruto positioned himself similarly, his right arm brushing Itachi's left, and took a deep breath. "All right! One...two...THREE!"

Both men threw their weight forward, feet sliding on the wet stones. Slowly but surely, the giant door moved under their combined efforts. When there was enough room for him to slip through, he stopped pushing, and gestured for Naruto to follow him in.

The fading light from outside barely illuminated a couple of feet ahead, otherwise it was all shrouded in darkness. Opening his eyes wide to make the most of the soft illumination, Itachi could make out the outline of what appeared to be furniture. He felt Naruto's quiet presence behind him, and was glad he hadn't had to give forewarning to caution. This Naruto seemed to understand the importance of stealth in the presence of the unknown. Being completely silent, he moved towards the motionless shapes.

As if triggered by his presence, a light flared to life above what was in fact a desk and chair. Itachi tensed, ready to defend at a moment's notice, but after a few seconds, Naruto released a gusty laugh behind him.

"Looks like we really are alone here!"

Well, maybe he didn't know the importance of not blowing their cover too early.

Not letting his guard down, Itachi noted that the light above the old wooden desk was not the only light to have come on. To their right was a staircase that spiraled up the interior, lit every few feet or so by wall sconces. Naruto wandered towards the stairs, and Itachi sighed softly at his loud reckless footsteps while he investigated the desk.

There were faded posters stuck to the stone wall, too worn to read, but there was a shiny glass photo frame propped next to a stack of moldy books. He didn't open the drawers in case of booby traps, deciding the risk was too great given the poor quality of light. Bending over to look at the displayed picture rather than picking it up, he was surprised to see that there was not a picture in the frame but rather an elegantly scripted quote in a bright red ink.

It's Either Genocide, All the Planet in Uproar

Never Good but Rules of Paradise are Never Nice

The Best Laid Plan of Mice and Men are Never Right

"Huh. There are other things like that on the wall going up the staircase."

Naruto's hushed voice was right next to his ear, and it was thanks to years of being an elite mercenary that kept Itachi from reacting with anything other than calm poise.

There were very few people that could catch Uchiha Itachi unawares, and apparently this Not-Naruto had just joined that exclusive club.

Itachi fluidly turned around, the subconscious comfort he felt before around Naruto disillusioned at this new development. He'd underestimated the other man because he kept viewing him as the brash boy who had insisted his little brother was worth saving, but this person was proving to be rather more enigmatic.

Again, there was a flash of a toothy smile that would have fooled anyone else into letting down their guard before Naruto moved back to the spiral stairway.

At the second sconce Naruto stopped, jerking his head at the decoration on the wall. "What do you think?"

Itachi came to a halt a couple of stairs lower, giving himself a foot of space to keep a suitable eye on his companion this time. He read the quote out loud, enunciating awkwardly at the abrupt style of script.

Lost Destiny, Far Outcry, They Hear You, No more

Numb Feeling, Whole Dizziness, Deep Scars, No Pain

"Sounds like it goes with a beat." Naruto had a quirky little smile like he was having a joke at the other man's expense.

Itachi cocked an eyebrow. "As in..."

"You know, like a rap!" Naruto started bouncing from foot to foot, swaying his hands back and forth punctuated by weird slapping and stabbing motions.

"I see." Itachi's deadpan stare told him that he looked like an idiot and he was lucky no one else was present to witness their interaction. In no way did it look like he was amused even if he found Naruto's patented buoyancy heartening. While unnerved that he'd so skillfully snuck up on him moment's ago, Itachi sincerely doubted that he was in any danger, at least where Naruto was concerned; it seemed some personality traits couldn't be removed no matter the grisly experiences.

Naruto coughed in happy embarrassment. "Anyway...aren't written phrases like that supposed to be more...uhh...optimistic? It sounds rather helpless with the not being heard and scars bit."

I am an avenger...you will pay for what you have done!

Saying nothing, Itachi gestured for them to continue up.

They stopped thrice more to read the quotes, and puzzled over their significance - Naruto verbally and with plain curiosity, Itachi mentally and with growing unease.

As they climbed to the top, Naruto stopped commenting on the meaning of the words and seemed to be piecing together music to flow with the wording, if his humming was anything to go by.

Itachi was thankful for the minor distraction as his own reaction to the words was far more troubled. The words perfectly reflected the dark history of his and his brother's lives from gruesome beginning to haunting end. It was uncanny the blunt accuracy of the expression and it led him to the conclusion that his arrival to that place, with a strange but familiar personality by his side, was no coincidence. Someone or something wanted him there for a very specific reason.

"So altogether now!" Naruto sprinted the last steps to bar Itachi from the expansive landing. He beat the air with his hands, and bobbed his head to a rhythm he'd come up with that went surprisingly well with the words.

"Lost Destiny ~ Far Outcry ~ They Hear You ~ No more!

Numb Feeling ~ Whole Dizziness ~ Deep Scars ~ No Pain!

No Sanity ~ Body Aching ~ Control Your ~ Own Fate!

Invisible ~ Real Enemy ~ Ruin Your Mind ~ Deep Down!"

With every punctuated cry on the last word of every line, Itachi felt his unease solidify into a lead weight of foreboding.

"Darkness ~ Endless ~ Despair ~ Fear No More!

Coldness ~ Blackened ~ No Sound ~ Feel No Pain!

Captured ~ Helpless ~ Ultimate ~ Dreadful Fate!

Powerless ~ Lifeless ~ No Breath ~ Falling Down!"

A couple of more odd hand gestures and Naruto crossed his arms in front of his torso, his face comically contorted to look tough. "Oh yeah! I'm the boss!"

Snorting delicately, Itachi couldn't quite stop his lips from twitching up at the corners, temporarily allowing himself to push aside his suspicions.

Satisfied with his audience's approval, Naruto bowed out of the way.

Awaiting them at the top of the lighthouse was a raised platform, with two luxuriously red velvet seats trimmed in gold. A stand bearing a golden plaque read : Only those who have sacrificed One for the Many may be reborn and admitted into Paradise.

"Paradise...riighht..." Naruto scoffed, eyeing the chairs with distrust. "What are the odds those chairs blow up when someone puts their ass down in 'em?"

Pleased by this shared opinion, Itachi didn't agree outright. Carefully walking around the perimeter of the dais, he tried to find anything that might support it. He looked for trip wires or ninjutsu tags and even attempted to feel for any weird energy signatures that might instinctively give him goosebumps. Several minutes passed by like that, with Naruto fidgeting off to the side, before Itachi finally conceded that there was nothing obviously wrong...other than their own misgivings.

"Past experience dictates that the only option presented is often the option that precedes a dangerous setup and possible assassination." Itachi walked back to Naruto's side, his usual bland expression belying his dark pronouncement.

"Uh huh... I'm sure we're going to end up fighting some big bad something or another, but where are we supposed to go?" Naruto flung his arms out in aggravation, the universal gesture for being stuck between a rock and a hard place. "I don't like swimming THAT much."

It struck Itachi how very easy it was to banter - or his equivalent of it - with this Naruto. There was a moment of nostalgia for his former partner Kisame before he responded. "I will - "

"I get it! We might as well do it together. Even if you aren't - " a slight pause in which Naruto looked like he was choking, "I'm not going to let you be the test dummy, and there are TWO chairs. Whoever set this up wants both of us or there would only be the one." He said this with the utmost certainty that nothing was going to happen unless they were both there to suffer the consequences. Blue eyes met black with the force of a typhoon, challenging Itachi to say differently. "You look like him but you aren't HIM. I know you think the same about me, but it means SOMETHING. I'm not stupid and I'm sure you couldn't be if you tried. Might as well go with it."

Itachi nodded calmly in the silence that followed his long-winded declaration. "I am thankful to know that while you are not the young man I once knew, you share some of his most admirable qualities."

Rubbing a hand through his spiky hair, Naruto mumbled. "You're pretty good too...now can we get a move on? I'm sick of this place and all it's damn water and weird poems."

"Hn." Itachi walked up the dais, and chose the chair on the left. Naruto took the opposite and with one final shared glance verifying there was no turning back, they sat down at the same time.

A few quiet moments and Naruto started, "Seriously, what the he-"

Metal restraints shot out from underneath the armrests, turning Naruto's curse into a squawk of outrage. An alarm blared from somewhere above and the stairs that had led up to the platform fell away to allow a thick metallic shell to shoot up around them. Directly in front, a panel of glass gave them a better view of what was happening on the outside. The ceiling and walls that had surrounded the top of the lighthouse were crumbling away, revealing the perpetually red streaked sky. A rumbling beneath their feet suggested that they weren't going to stuck in the middle of an endless ocean for very much longer.

Naruto was doing his best to try and wrestle free of the restraints, swearing and snarling and doing a fair job of competing with the siren.

Itachi had a white-knuckled grip on his seat and was hoping death would arrive more swiftly than it had done previously.

The rumbling underneath reached a fever pitch before they started accelerating rapidly into the clouds, the din from the alarm falling away with their ascent.

The speaker box next to the glass panel hissed to life. "You have been Judged and deemed Worthy."

A/N: So I know this is reminiscent of my other fic except this is going to be a lot more dramatic and gruesome (fingers crossed!) than TIB. I needed something to entertain myself with that wasn't a crackpipe of satirical romance, and well, after beating Bioshock Infinite I found myself making character comparisons and literally fangirled at the idea of Itachi being Booker Dewitt. But no worries! My story is going to be a lot more than a simple rehash of the game! I has big plans, my pretties! Reviews are love!

EDIT: I was a bad author and forgot to properly credit song lyrics in the original upload so I am addressing my error now. Lyrics used from Nujabes' 'Feather feat. Akin and Cise Star' and Shoji Meguro's 'Backside of the TV' belong to their respective owners and again, are not mine. I do highly recommend giving them a listen as I enjoy the heck out of their work. Spread love and appreciation, my dear readers. ^-^