Obedience
The moon was almost full as it shone through the leaves of the forest that shielded the two Uchiha as they met in the dead of the night. The wind was still, as if the entire night were holding its breath, watching the man and the boy through its thousands of eyes.
Madara, the elder, held Itachi, the younger, tightly against his chest, trailing light kisses across his forehead. Itachi clung to his sensei, breathing shakily at the feel of Madara's warm lips against his cold skin. His eyes stung. No, they weren't his eyes… They were different, more powerful, bought through the blood of his most dear friend. As if sensing this, the elder Uchiha gently kissed his closed eyes, murmuring his approval for another job well done.
"I'm so proud of you," he whispered in his student's ear.
I will not cry, Itachi told himself. He was stronger than that.
"I hope you know," Madara continued in a low murmur, "that I love you."
Itachi bit his trembling lip. "I… I love you too, Sensei…"
The elder smirked slowly. He trailed his fingers down the boy's neck, making him shiver against him. "Do you really, Itachi?" he breathed, his lips following the trail created by his touch down his student's neck. "Do you really love me?"
Itachi moaned softly. "H-hai, Sensei…"
Madara sucked gently on the boy's collarbone, eliciting more delicious moans from his student. "How much do you love me, Itachi?
The question caught the younger Uchiha off guard. "I… do everything you tell me to," he said unsurely. "I… killed Shisui like you asked me to…"
"Then love is obedience?" the elder asked, breathing hot air against the wet mark he had made.
Itachi nearly moaned, "Hai, Sensei…" No one else could get such reactions from the stoic 14 year old. In Madara's arms, under the watch of his powerful eyes, Itachi felt protected from the war-hungry world that waited outside their forest sanctuary, eager to tear him apart and devour him completely. With Madara, he was safe, both from the darkness outside and the more frightening darkness within. He would obey him no matter what.
"Then, Itachi…" Madara murmured slowly. "if you truly love me…"
"Kill all the other Uchiha. Destroy each and every one of them."