Hi there, this is my first Naruto fanfic, so go easy - Um, I used my two fav boys, Neji and Itachi, the two prodigies yerning for freedom. If you don't like yaoi themes go away. Please review, tell me what I did right, let me know if you want more na?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it.

Neji sighed as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Moonlight filtered down through thin clouds, causing the village to be illuminated in the pale cold light. Neji's breath manifested in front of him slightly in the chilly night air. Konoha was not famous for being overly cold or hot, but at night, the temperature could drop enough to cause slight frosts.

Having just returned from a mission that had lasted the better part of a week, Neji was tired and wanted to get home. However, the Hokage had requested that he report on details of the mission as soon as possible, an activity that had taken several hours. Landing lightly in front of the Hyuuga compound main gate, he sighed heavily. He really did not feel like having to report the mission over again to his uncle.

Glancing off to the side, Neji jumped onto the wall and ran lightly around to the back of the compound where his room was situated. Although Hisashi had allowed Neji to interact and even join the main part of the Hyuuga clan, Neji had elected to stay in his father's house in the part of the compound that was designated to the branch family. After years of being trapped in the fate of the branch family, Neji still found it hard to break away, although it had always been his dream.

Leaping from the wall, he landed by the pond, wandered forward to remove his shoes and stepped onto the veranda. When he slid back the door he smiled at the sight of a futon and change of clothes neatly laid out. Hinata-sama had obviously known that he may want some privacy when he returned. Picking up the clothes, he moved towards the bath down the hall.

After finishing his bath, Neji returned to him room. However, as he stepped into the room he froze. He sensed a presence that had not previously been in the house.

"Byakkugan!" Neji activated his kekkei genkai and searched the house. His breath caught when he located someone standing just outside the door of his room.

"Who are you?" Neji called, "I can see you!"

A figure moved around the side of the sliding door. Neji tensed and readied to defend himself if needed.

"Those eyes of yours are quite useful," the figure said in a deep voice.

Neji glared, seeing that the other man's chakra was centralised around his eyes also. Neji knew this was no member of his own family and the only other people known to have eye just were Kakashi and...

"Uchiha?" Neji asked cautiously.

The figure chuckled and stepped forward, into the light of the lamp.

"Very useful indeed."

Neji's Byakkugan receded in shock as he stared at the person in front of him.

"Uchiha Itachi, correct?"

He had only seen the S-ranked missing Nin once before, when his brother, Uchiha Sasuke, had brought him back and dumped him in front of Konoha hospital emergency. However, he had only heard stories of the Shinobi that had killed his entire clan and then disappeared. He had also encountered the man's partner when he and his team had been ordered to assist Naruto in the return of the Kazekage Gaara. Neji could not help but wonder why this man was now in his house in the middle of the night.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here, yes?" Itachi asked casually.

Neji noticed that Itachi no longer had his Sharingan activated and was standing in a relaxed pose.

"Something along those lines" Neji said, feeling that the Uchiha was not going to hurt him.

"No reason really," Itachi replied, smiling slightly, "I just felt restless at home, so I went for a walk and happened to see an interesting person returning for the night."

Neji blinked and stared.

"You don't even know me."

Itachi smiled again, turned and sat on the veranda.

"Sometimes knowing someone can be a handicap when you simply want company."

"Company?"

Itachi glanced over his shoulder and smiled.

"Right..." Neji sat in his futon, rubbing at his hair with a towel.

"The moon is nice tonight" Itachi remarked.

Neji raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Reaching over to the small table beside his futon, Neji picked up a comb. As much as he hated the activity, he had learned as a small child that his hair would easily knot if he did not comb it.

"You have a lovely garden" Itachi remarked after a short time.

Neji paused his combing and glanced over in Itachi's direction. The former missing Nin was sitting calmly, staring out across the garden. Neji sensed a serene nature about the man even though he had a reputation of being a ruthless killer.

"I suppose..." Neji remarked then hissed slightly as the comb snagged in his hair. When he looked up again from disentangling the comb, Itachi had disappeared.

Snorting softly, Neji finished with his hair and lay down to sleep. That Uchiha was certainly a strange person.

Neji sighed as he relaxed in his room. Tsunade had given him leave for the next two weeks. Aside from the occasional sparring match with Hinata or Lee, Neji had spent most of his time relaxing or working on practice attack and mission plans in preparation for his upcoming Anbu exam. He wanted to make sure that he was prepared in every possible way.

Neji sighed as he sensed a familiar presence.

"You know," he said, setting down a scroll, "this act of yours is getting to be taxing."

Itachi moved from the shadows of the garden into the light from the house. He was smiling again. The strange expression made Neji both nervous yet comfortable at the same time.

"You certainly are studying hard," Itachi said lightly, indicating the papers and scrolls spread out around Neji.

"I have an exam coming up," Neji said, beginning to gather the material and pile it into a box. He disliked people observing him study after being watched all his life.

"So I've heard," Itachi smiled. "Anbu?"

Neji hesitated before slowly nodding. Itachi merely turned and sat on the edge of the veranda. Neji glared at Itachi's back before standing and moving to sit beside Itachi, though he left a considerable gap between them.

"If you say something about the moon again I'll hit you," Neji growled.

Itachi snorted then chuckled. He glanced sideways at Neji, an amused look on his face.

"Fair enough."

They sat quietly for a time, staring up at the sky, watching the stars.

"Why do you always come here?" Neji asked after a while, shifting his body.

Itachi glanced over at Neji for a second before looking back at the sky.

"Like I said; company."

"You're annoying, you know that?" Neji said bluntly.

Itachi simply smiled; "I've been told that"

Neji snorted and turned back to the sky.

"I heard that, when you came back that Hokage-sama granted you passage," Neji said quietly after a while.

Itachi glanced at Neji. A look of intensity crossed his face before it relaxed.

"Yes, she did, since I proved my loyalty to the village."

Neji blinked; what could that possibly mean?

"What did you-?"

Itachi cut him off with a smile, "No need to dwell on what is in the past."

Neji glared, but did not press the mater. He continued to stare at Itachi, studying the former Missing Nin's face. Itachi suddenly glanced at him. Neji felt his face flush and quickly looked away. He heard Itachi chuckle lightly.

"See something you like?"

"What?!"Neji spluttered, "What are you implying?!"

Itachi smiled, "Nothing really, just asking, because I certainly see something I admire,"

Neji jerked back at Itachi's words. That was the last answer he was expecting.

"You what?!" he hissed.

Itachi chuckled again, but said nothing. Instead, he reached his hand up towards Neji's face. Neji jerked back even further and swung his wrist up to stop Itachi's advance. Instead of having his hand knocked aside, Itachi gently grabbed Neji's wrist.

"I see something I admire," Itachi repeated, leaning closer to Neji.

Neji felt his face flush at Itachi's nearness.

"Your eyes," Itachi whispered, fire seeming to blaze in his own, "they remind me of the pale moon on a winters night. Magnificent."

Neji shut his eyes and breathed heavily. When he opened them again, Itachi had vanished. Breathing heavily and sweating slightly, Neji leaned back against the support beam on the veranda. Neji had no idea how to react to the incident that had just taken place, nor the feelings stirring inside him. He only hoped he would be able to make sense of it all.

Neji shifted irritably. His body was telling him he needed sleep, however, he was unable to do so. Neji's mind was alert and refused to allow him a moments rest. Ever since Itachi Uchiha had visited him and acted the way he did that night, Neji had been unable to sleep successfully for the past week. His lack of rest was starting to take its toll on his daily life, his team were starting to notice his negligence at training and his studies were also suffering.

Itachi had visited twice more after that night. Neji had reacted angrily during the first of these visits, throwing kunai and preparing himself for a fight. He had demanded that Itachi leave and stop harassing him. Itachi had simply smiled and vanished. When Itachi visited the second time, Neji had ignored him and merely continued with his studies. However, he had been somewhat distracted.

Currently, Neji was trying to concentrate in his studies once again, but he found his mind wandering.

"What they hell is wrong with me?!" Neji spat, shoving a scroll away.

He felt confused and a little apprehensive. He did not know how to deal with the feelings inside him or the thoughts in his head. He had never once felt the way he did now and it scared him a little.

"Damn Uchiha" he mumbled.

"Wouldn't be anyone I know would it?"

Neji froze. He activated his Byakkugan and located the Uchiha. Itachi was again standing in the garden.

"You!" Neji spat as he rose slowly from his futon, never taking his eyes off Itachi.

Slowly, Neji moved forwards, his hand reaching inside his yukata for a kunai. Itachi watched him calmly, seeming unthreatened. Neji's temper piked at Itachi's apparent indifference. He threw the kunai without much warning. Itachi moved like lightning, the kunai imbedded in the fence that surrounded Neji's house. Neji saw Itachi reappear towards the west of the garden, under the sakura tree. He turned and leapt from the veranda, running at Itachi.

"My, my; you're fired up tonight," Itachi chuckled as he dodged the first of Neji's soft palm Taijutsu.

"Shut up!" Neji spat.

He continued to thrust his open palms at Itachi; however, he failed to make contact.

"Why-are-you-here?" Neji punctured each of his words with a drive of his palms.

Itachi, however, continued to avoid his attacks.

"What do you want?!" Neji yelled throwing an attack at Itachi's head.

The Uchiha's head seemed to slide out of the path of his palm. Neji felt Itachi's hand come up and seize his wrist, it seemed to happen in an instant, and even his Byakkugan could not follow it. Neji vaguely realised that Itachi was likely using a Genjutsu on him, something the missing-nin was notable for. However, Neji's mind did not really process this information as something he could use in defence. After grabbing his wrist, Itachi swung Neji's body around and pinned him against the trunk of the Sakura tree. Neji mind went blank as he felt Itachi's hand push his wrist into the wood lightly, but firmly, effectively pinning his hand next to his face. The Uchiha's other hand came up to rest beside his left elbow.

"Let go!" Neji shouted, his eyes flaring with hatred towards the man who had him trapped.

Itachi did not comment; his eyes were ablaze as he stared hard at Neji.

"What...what do you-"Neji faltered, he felt those feelings swell up inside him again, making his throat stick and his breathing stifled.

"Why do your eyes hold so much sadness?" Itachi said quietly.

Neji ground his teeth, feeling the lump in his throat grow bigger. Something stung at his eyes.

"You appear to have a happy, stable life, and yet you suffer inside don't you?" Itachi whispered.

Neji shuddered, and felt tears well up in his eyes.

"Stop it," he uttered softly, closing his eyes and looking away.

Itachi pulled back slightly.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, bringing his hand up from Neji's side to touch his cheek.

Neji twitched at the contact and drew in a sharp breath.

"Hmm?" Itachi removed his hand from Neji's face and let go of his wrist.

"I...you..." Neji struggled to form words, his hands fisted at his sides.

Itachi smiled softly and stepped back slightly, giving the young Shinobi some space. Neji kept his face turned down and his body shook softly.

"I'm...so confused" Neji muttered softly, feeling tears start to fall from his eyes.

What were these feelings? Why was his chest tight and his throat constricted? He shivered slightly in the night air. He brought his arms up and wrapped them around his body. Itachi sighed softly. He wanted to help the young man, but he felt that there were certain things Neji needed to discover on his own. He reached out and touched Neji gently on the shoulder; when the boy did not flinch or move to stop him, Itachi moved his hand to Neji's back and guided him back towards his room. Neji went quietly, grateful for the support and that not many people stayed near his father's house, so it was highly unlikely that anyone would have heard or witnessed the exchange. He felt incredibly embarrassed at his behavior, having never shown so much as a small temper outburst to other people.

Itachi guided Neji to his futon and helped him sit down. Neji sat and pulled the blanket over his legs which he left crossed. Itachi knelt beside him, making sure to be a comfortable distance away.

After a while, Neji sniffed and rubbed his arm across his eyes, drying his tears. He felt ashamed for acting like a child and showing his emotions so easily to a man he hardly knew.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, keeping his eyes on his lap.

"For what?" Itachi asked.

Neji took a deep breath, calming his nerves somewhat, "For acting the way I did, breaking down like that."

Itachi smiled, "Sometimes it's good to let out pain like that, keeping things locked up inside can be bad for you."

Neji glanced up him, seeing Itachi smiling, he blushed.

"Is that why you came here? Too give me psychological advice?" Neji retorted at Itachi, a little harshly.

Itachi smiled again, "No, I came because you interest me."

"I, what?" Neji looked up, confused.

"You interest me," Itachi said again. "You are very much the same as I when I was your age, although don't show it easily and may not even know it yourself."

Neji was taken aback; "Just how am I like you?" He asked, his eyes narrowing.

Itachi chuckled, and glanced around the room. "You want to be free."

Neji blinked.

"You wish to be free of this houses bond, of the restrictions your family places on you," Itachi continued.

Neji stayed silent, stunned by what Itachi was saying, surprised that Itachi was stating the whole truth.

"You want to be your own person, released of your bonds. Free," Itachi paused and reached up towards Neji's face, "of this."

He touched the seal on Neji's forehead lightly with his finger tips. Neji gasped softly at Itachi's comment, he dropped his head to stop Itachi from seeing the tears well up in his eyes. The Uchiha's words touched somewhere deep inside him, causing his chest to ache.

"Mm" was all he said.

Itachi smiled and reached up behind his own neck.

"Here," he said.

Neji looked up, blinking his tears away. Itachi was holding out a necklace to him. Neji realised that it was the one Itachi always wore around his neck. He looked at Itachi, confused.

"I got this when I left the village and joined the Akatsuki," Itachi said quietly, looking at the necklace somewhat sadly. "Even though it came to me at a time when I caused a lot of grief and pain..."

Neji held his breath as Itachi recounted what appeared to be a painful memory.

"It also was something I obtained when I gained my freedom from certain circumstances." Itachi continued bitterly.

Neji blinked but continued to listen quietly.

"So, I want you to have it, perhaps it could mean freedom to you, in a better way than it did to me."

Neji's throat seized up and he fought back more tears. He accepted the necklace gently. Itachi smiled softly.

"You should sleep now," he said.

Neji nodded wordlessly. He placed the necklace beside his pillow and then lay down on his side. A moment later, he glanced up at Itachi.

"Will you go home?" he asked hesitantly.

Itachi smiled, "Sometime maybe, but not right now."

Neji blinked then nodded. He felt sleep pull at him. As he drifted to slumber, he hoped Itachi would still be there the next day.