Thicker Than Water

Celestia193's Author's Note: Alright, so this story was a request from one of Silver's readers, and one that we tossed around a bit before sinking our fangs into. It's going to be angsty, sexy, and awesome.

Silver's Author's Note: This story will be one of several collaborations that Celestia193 and I are planning to release this summer. As Celestia said, this was a request. It's also a yaoi story with two male x male romantic pairings. If that's not your thing, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still here, we hope you enjoy this story and reviews are always appreciated. Happy reading.

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto and make no profit off of any of our fanfics.

Chapter 1

In the grand open courtyard of the Great Lord's castle, six figures do battle, five against a single opponent wielding a shining silver sword. Silver steel armor catches the glare of the torches as the lithe, agile figure darts back and forth, blocking and dodging, parrying and returning viciously accurate thrusts of a hand and a half sword.

Three of the figures surrounding the first fall back, stumbling and growling as they try to find their feet. Two more take their place, only for their feet to be swept out from under them, and blood drawn as the single fighter's sword flies through the air like a lightning bolt.

The sharp clang of steel on steel rings through the air as clearly as a bell. the scraping of sword on sword fills the din of the night, the only sign of life in a largely dead castle. And stepping through his first opponent's guard, the young man catches her by surprise, striking a blow to her shoulder that draws blood. As soon as blood is drawn, the woman withdraws, as per the rules.

However, the second fares no better as he lunges at his prey, only for his prey to become hunter as the young man deftly turns the blade aside, and a crackle of light accompanies the cracking of a bone. The second fighter withdraws.

Like a dance, the young man takes on the last three, parrying a blow to force one of his opponents to strike another on the opposite side, providing him the opportunity to strike at his opponent's side, sliding through cloth as easily as through butter. The two opponents both withdraw.

The last one thinks to surprise him, only for his sneak attack to be deftly dodged, and a sharp crack is heard as the jewelled pommel of the young man's sword clips his last opponent's chin, breaking the delicate bones of the pale one's jaw. The last one growls, refusing to withdraw, and forcing the young man to become aggressive, swords clanging once more as he twirls his opponent's sword from their powerful grip, flinging it into the dust as he knocks down and stands over his opponent.

"You are done." Though he knew that, were they fighting to kill, and had he no sword, this training match would have ended very differently. Five opponents stand defeated in the shadows, red eyes glaring at the young man with the long hair as black as night. The young man who was the only human who remained a non-feeder in this vampiric court. Just as he had since first arriving a decade before.

He was a boy of only thirteen when the man came from the castle to his clan's lands. Many might consider it an honour to be found worthy of notice by the inhabitants of the castle nevertheless the Great Lord himself. Save, of course, for those who lived in fear of them. To those who dwelled within the many castles strewn about the landscape, humans were playthings, entertainment, food. To be summoned to the castle could be construed as high praise. for one had to be beautiful, talented, or powerful in order to catch their eye.

For the young heir to one of the magical human clans that continued to exist at the 'mercy' of the Great Lord, these requirements proved a curse, for there was no hiding him from sight. There could be no hiding him when he continued to blossom.

And his father had already denied the summons twice. He feared, as he sat in his family's training hall, that there would not be a third time.

A powerful knock sounded on the heavy oak door. The boy's voice remained cool and calm, even as it trembled slightly. "Yes...come in." They had come for him again, and he knew it.

"You're Itachi, I take it?" A silver haired vampire walks towards him. His style of gait was deceptively casual. "You're a man now by our standards. At thirteen, the decision no longer belongs solely to your parents." He smiles at him, revealing his fangs. "So I would urge you to come. I have no wish to have any of this be unpleasant." Kakashi really didn't want to throw his weight around some poor kid who happened to be magically gifted. It wasn't a fair fight, no matter how talented the boy was.

Itachi nods solemnly. "...And if I go with you, my clan will remain safe?" His family's safety was all that mattered now, because the truth was that he no longer had a choice. But he could still bargain his life for his clan.

The poor boy. He was so noble. Thinking of his clan, when he should be more worried about himself. The rewards and risks of being a human inside the castle walls were both great. "Yes, they'll be safe." He smiles at him. "The Lord will have no reason to bear a grudge towards your clan if you go." If he didn't, well Kakashi would try to calm him and hope another whim struck him before Indra destroyed the proud coven.

Then the decision had been made for him. "Take me, then." Itachi rises to his feet, standing a mere five feet tall as he looks up to the vampire before him. "There will be nothing for me here if I stay." Only corpses and fire. And Itachi would die before he saw such a fate befall those he loved.

Kakashi nodded at him as he led Itachi out of the building and into the awaiting carriage. Surprisingly enough, it wouldn't be that long a ride. Only a half a day's leisurely pace on carriage and two days walk on foot. How strange that two such different worlds were so close together, he mused.

But as Itachi made to step into the carriage, he heard the tiny, rapid footsteps he knew better than his own. He curses quietly as he turns his head to see a tiny ball of energy with spiky black hair racing towards him. "Sasuke..."

"Itachi! Where are you going?" The small child looked at his brother with frightened eyes. "He's a vampire!"

Kakashi chuckled at that. "He's a perceptive one." He smiled at Itachi reassuringly. "He's got good eyes, but my name is actually Kakashi by the way, boy."

Sasuke bit his lower lip at that as he raced over towards Itachi. Maybe he had decided that the silver haired vampire wasn't as big threat because he had laughed or maybe Sasuke had just been that desperate to 'save' Itachi. Who really knew?

Itachi took a deep breath, perhaps one of the few he had left. "I know that he is a vampire, Sasuke. And I am going with him to the castle." He had to ward his little brother away. His father would only have one heir now, and Itachi would do whatever it took to protect his little brother. "You cannot come with me, you were not invited."

Tears and confusion welled up in Sasuke's young eyes as he stared at his brother in horror. "Why?" It was obvious what was going on in the young boy's mind, but he was still innocent enough not to hide his feelings. "Father already told Lord Indra no twice..."

"Because they are powerful, more than anyone here." Itachi's gaze hardens slightly. "Lord Indra has seen my power and wants me for himself. So I will go with this man to live with the vampires, and I will never return to this place. Forget that I was ever your brother, and I will forget that your clan ever lived." If this was would keep his little brother away, Itachi would say whatever he had to.

The tears now flowed freely. "They already sunk their fangs into you." His eyes flashed red for the briefest of moments. "You're dead! You're dead!" Probably because that was the only way a child could really understand even slightly what it meant to be a vampire. "You said you'd always be there, but now you're just like them!"

Not yet, but there was every chance he might be. Whether a feeder or turned or made into a servant, Itachi didn't know what his fate would be. But it stabbed at his heart to see his brother's tears, his rage. "Yes, they have. Now run back to your parents and let them dry your tears. I will never do so again."

Sasuke's hands twitched and for a second, the faint smell smoke drifted over. The child did the 'smart' thing though, bowed to Kakashi, and ran off. It looked like Sasuke had either figured out how to make fire or was close enough to it, that he had almost openly courted death that day had he actually attacked the carriage or even worse, them.

"Smart kid." Kakashi watched with what might have been a flicker of sympathy. "I won't tell his Lordship he shows promise, unless you wish it."

Itachi's gaze darkens as he steps into the carriage. "No, I would rather Sasuke remain unknown to him. Receiving myself as tribute should be more than sufficient. I am the pride of my clan, and your Lord will have to be satisfied with that."

"As you wish, I thought you might have enjoyed his company." He urged the driver off. "I know it can be lonely for humans at the castle who possess your potential."

Better to be alone than to lead his foolish...precious little brother straight into the dragon's den. "No, I doubt I would have the time to look after him there while serving your Lord's demands." And Itachi would rather keep all fangs as far away from Sasuke as possible.

Kakashi sighed as he looked out the carriage. "If you play your cards right, you can be quite happy with your new lot in life." He glanced at Itachi with pity. "That's what I did after my father's death. Were it not for the Lord, I probably would have died a beggar or in a workhouse somewhere. Your situation is different, but the end result is the same." They both knew it, but it needed to be said. "You can choose to thrive, adapt and live, or be foolish and go to an early grave."

"I will do what is asked of me in exchanged for my family's safety." Whether that be to simply be a pretty decoration, serve Indra personally, die for Indra's satisfaction, or hone his talents and prove himself. "I would prefer to live, to fulfil this bargain on my skills alone, but I realize that may not be an option." Itachi closes his eyes, tears dripping silently down his cheeks. "Everything I do is for those I love, even if I may never see them again." Even at only thirteen, if this was the sacrifice asked of him, he would make it for them. He would.

Kakashi nodded at Itachi. It was a quiet resignation then. That was the rarest reaction that humans had. Most were either overjoyed, terrified, or furious. Which meant that Itachi might actually live long enough to see his next birthday if he kept his cool head.

His many long hours of training as a child were what keep the boy on his feet the whole two days that they walked to the secluded castle. The entire time, Itachi politely took what was given, did as he was told, and remained quiet, his eyes cast down with respect to the vampires they met at the entrance to the castle.

Locking away a great deal of his pride, the greatest strength and weakness of the Uchiha, Itachi walks two steps behind Kakashi at all times. He looked up only when the architecture of the courtyard and entrance hall required him to. And since entering the castle, he had not spoken a single word.

"Pretending to be mute is an interesting strategy and it may work for some, but not on Indra." Kakashi felt compelled to warn him as he leads the boy straight to their Lord. "Master Indra, I have brought the boy." He bowed with a flourish as his lordship had always been amused by such things.

Itachi kneels, pressing his hands to the floor, and his forehead to his fingers. "Your Lordship...I am Itachi Uchiha. I apologize for not heeding your earlier summons."

Indra looked at him with interest. "I'm well aware that likely wasn't your doing." Exceptional, of course. As he knew he would be. "I bear no grudge towards your father. Were I human and I had a son with your gifts, I wouldn't desire to send you away either. Though I trust in the long run once the sentimentality has worn off, you'll see that they gave you a boon by not keeping you from your destiny." Whatever that would be. It was hard to tell how a boy would react to this environment, especially one just on the cusp of manhood. Caught somewhere between a child and an adult. An interesting time indeed.

Slowly, Itachi sits up, but remains kneeling on the floor with his gaze cast down, ready to receive instructions. "Is there anything you would have me do, My Lord?"

"For now, I shall have Kakashi take you to your quarters and we will dine together at supper tomorrow." He smiled. "It's been a long carriage ride and a traumatic few days for a mortal such as yourself, you'll require rest before we decide what you would be best suited for."

"As you wish, My Lord." Itachi bows once more, then rises gracefully to his feet, turning to follow Kakashi out of Indra's throne room.

Kakashi lead him off to his private quarters. They were surprisingly luxurious. If nothing else, Indra clearly had bigger plans for Itachi than to turn him into his next meal. "This will be your room from now on."

"I see." Itachi surveys the room apathetically, toeing off his shoes as he steps further inside. They could have put him in the cellar, and he wouldn't have cared. "Thank you for guiding me here."

As the door behind him closes, the boy climbs into the large bed, pulling the soft sheets over himself and disappearing into them. Slowly, a soft weeping fills the air and the child's quiet, heartbroken sobs are carried away on the breeze through the open window.

Red eyes flash as steel sword is returned to its sheath, before fading back to a shimmering, smoky onyx. Ten years it had been, and the boy who had once come here was now a man. A favourite of Lord Indra's, he enjoyed many a private privilege in the castle. But only in the castle, which had been his sole home in the time since he first set foot inside the gates.

And as per the usual, Itachi could feel a familiar pair of eyes on him as he put away his gleaming sword. "You know, Kakashi, if you wished to spar, you could have simply said so instead of watching me."

"I enjoy watching your progress." Kakashi chuckles as he turns a page in the book he was reading. "Besides, I'm afraid that I don't have time today. Our Lord wants me to make certain everyone is prepared for Lord Nagato's arrival." Which of course probably meant the other vampire lord was likely already in the castle because Kakashi couldn't be on time to save his life.

Itachi rolls his eyes at the lazy vampire. "I suppose then that it is lucky that I have nothing to prepare save for myself." And that was only if Lord Indra should call for him. Which was more likely than not. After all, Lord Indra did like to show off his magically talented human 'son' to his guests. He glances up to the parapets, where Indra occasionally liked to watch his practice from. And perhaps not so surprisingly, he found intense red eyes staring at him, coupled with an approving smile.

"That's him." Indra nodded at Nagato and Kisame. "Itachi. He's come along magnificently in the past few years. I plan to have him turned soon." On his twenty-fifth birthday most likely. Though the vampire lord knew there was a chance that he'd eventually indulge his whim and turn the 'boy' earlier.

"Yes, he's certainly an interesting one." Deep lavender eyes roam over the young man in the courtyard, a single eyebrow rising as the human bows respectfully before returning his attention to the silver-haired vampire. "Observant and respectful. You have trained him well."

"Pretty too." Kisame laughs as he watches the fight. "That's something you usually don't see. Most of the time either someone's a fighter or a looker." It was hard to believe that a human could go toe to toe with that many vampires. "If he's already holding his own against that many vampires as a mortal, he's going to be a firecracker once he gets his fangs."

"Oh yes, he can certainly be a little firecracker when sufficiently riled." Indra smirks smugly. "He proved as much his second night here at dinner. It was quite the show that he put on for us and most amusing to watch. True, he was only thirteen at the time, and none expected him to defeat a vampire ten times his age, but he lasted far longer than even I expected."

That shocks Kisame even more. "He survived?" Even with Indra's help, the demon would have expected Itachi's throat to have been torn out before the vampire lord could intervene.

Lavender eyes roll. "'Clearly, Kisame." Though Nagato would indeed admit to being intrigued. It was no ordinary human who could fend off a vampire, and certainly not one over a century old. There was only one explanation. "He is magically gifted, then?" It was the only way a human might have survived long enough, child or not, against a vampire.

Indra smirked at that and nodded. Yes, Itachi was gifted in so many ways, but magic was indeed one of them. It was one of the first things that had caught the vampire lord's eye about him. "Yes, he is." Very gifted, Indra thinks to himself as he watches the remnants of the battle below. "He's an Uchiha. From my line...many generations removed, of course."

"Of course." Nagato surveys the damage of the battle, noting that the five vampires with whom the young man had been sparring were none too pleased about being bested at swordplay. He possessed a fluid and elegant style, though with no shortage of power and sudden agility. "He is impressive. Had I not known better, I would have suspected him of already having been turned."

Indra laughs softly at that and nods. "I've considered turning him before my original decision, but so far I've resisted the impulse." Barely.

Well, Kisame could understand Indra's fascination now. It was like watching a baby shark learn how to hunt or something. Kisame just hadn't decided what kind of shark Itachi was. Maybe a dolphin was more accurate though. He wasn't going for the throat, but the human wasn't playing around either. Dolphins were like that.

The human looks up to them once more, eyes flashing red for a brief moment, before turning away and accompanying the silver-haired vampire back inside and out of sight. Nagato could certainly see that the quality of this human was very high, higher than he had seen in a very long time. "Will he be joining us for dinner tonight?"

"If you wish it." Indra nods. "He normally dines alone or with me for safety reasons, but I can hardly begrudge you your curiosity."

"I must confess myself to be rather curious about the boy." It was not often that a human caught Indra's eye, and Nagato found the possibilities surrounding this boy's power rather intriguing. "What do you perceive as his level of intelligence?"

Indra smiles at that as he looks down at Itachi. "Exceptionally so, but he tends to be a bit...reserved at first." He shakes his head. "He got it into his head that vampires tend to react better if you speak only when spoken to and keep your head down short of battles." He glances at Kisame. "Most likely intelligent enough not to ask why your skin is blue which is rare for a mortal."

Nagato's lips curl at the mention of a great source of his favourite bodyguard's ire. It often irritated the man if the first thing out of a human's mouth was a question as to why his skin was blue. "I see, observant and prudent. It has likely kept him alive longer than his pride would." After all, there was nothing that would get you killed faster than insulting a vampire, especially if you were human.

It wasn't the question itself that was annoying. Kisame was hardly shy. It was more so that everyone kept asking it. It got old after awhile. "Sounds like it." He ignores the gentle ribbing. "Can't wait to meet him."

"Then I will have my table set for four." Were this a regular dinner request, Indra would allow the entire court to attend. But after the first rather too interesting dinner that Itachi attended, having his human attend court dinners were occasions that were few and far between.

"Very good." Nagato glances at Kisame, whom he noted had even more growing interest in the human boy. "I will be retiring to the guest chambers after dinner. If you would like to indulge in some after-dinner exercise or entertainment, you may do so." He trusted that Kisame wouldn't become carried away and do something to offend their host.

"Sounds perfect." Kisame smirks as he looks around the beautiful castle. "I can't wait to explore and don't worry, I'm not planning on destroying the place." This was especially the case when he had a pretty little future vampire to entertain himself with.