Safety

He was in one of the most vulnerable positions he could ever find himself in. He was sleeping in the arms of a killer. A man who's mere name could strike fear in even the most courageous hearts, a man who's eyes could tear a person down slowly and mercilessly. His, and his entire village's, enemy.

Uchiha Itachi was renowned all over the world for his coldness and cruelty. He killed his entire family without any signs of regret. Hundreds of innocent people died by his hands. No matter how much he could try to cleanse himself of the deaths he had caused, his hands will forever be tainted with the blood of the innocent. He was known for destroying a persons psyche, driving them so insane that they would do anything, even take their own life, to get away from it. From him. He was a genius, one of the best shinobi to have ever graced the lands.

Rumours and stories surround him like the oxygen he breathes. Hyuuga Neji had heard all of them. Of course he would have. They both originated from the same town. The famous story of the Uchiha clan's massacre was known to everybody from Konoha. It was considered a historic event. But not the most surprising one either. Konoha was getting known for its traitors. He still wasn't certain wether or not he entered that category. Traitor...A person who betrays his country. That wasn't him. He never divuldged any of his village's secrets to Itachi. He knew all the secrets anyways.

No, he was no traitor. He may be betraying the trust put onto him by the people of his village, but he was not betraying the village. But even then...Neji was only human after all. No matter how much one may push them away, throw them aside, hide them, feelings are still there. There in the back of one's mind, guiding every choice one makes, every action one does. They make one smile, they make one cry, and they make one scream. They're what makes a person human. Neji could have tried to fight his love for Itachi, and he had, but like everyone else, Neji was a slave to his heart.

He is normally so rational. He thinks with his mind, uses logic, and that's why he's considered a genius. Not only because he thinks with his mind, but because he knows how to use it right. Rational...The act of being reasonable, sensible; capable of thinking. He is talented in the area of rationalizing. But he quickly found out that when it comes to matters of the heart, more specifically love, it's impossible to reationalize. One musn't do what one thinks is right, but what one feels is right.

It wasn't right to love him. He didn't think it was right to love Itachi. He'd heard the rumors, the stories. The stories of blood, cruelty, and heartlessness. And the one that made Neji most fearful to start anything with him, his inability to love. There would be no point allowing himself to love a man who could never feel the same for him. But from their first meeting Neji knew right away that there was something there. Something strong, powerful. An instant connection. When their eyes met that first time, Neji also knew that he wasn't the only one to feel it.

The connection grew stronger each time they met. Neji couldn't stay away from him, and he guessed the feeling was mutual because Itachi always came back. They met as often as they could, wherever they could. Neji couldn't stop thinking about the stories he'd heard, and quickly realized just how wrong all those stories were. Itachi's wasn't nearly as horrible as everybody made him out to be. He was nowhere near as mean as the stories had depicted.

Every kiss, stroke, and touch...They were all gentle, soft, caring, and Neji would almost say loving. He'd heard that Itachi fed off the pain of others. But after a wonderful night of...Neji knew it was more than just sex, but love making didn't seem like the right term. After a night together, he could honestly say that there was absolutely no harshness in Itachi's actions at all. There was never any pain, just pleasure. Laying together afterwards he would feel important, treasured. The way Itachi would stroke his hair, and whisper in his ear sweetly how beautiful he was...Neji would almost go so far as to say he felt loved.

He knew without a doubt that he loved Itachi. There was no question about it. At first he felt guilty about his feelings. He felt disgusted with himself for loving one of Konoha's biggest threats and dangerous enemies. He would try to ignore his feelings. Pretend they weren't there. But then he realized that he couldn't ignore his feelings. No matter how much he may try, they were always there, pestering him. Telling him to get over his fear, because that's really all it was, and allow himself to love. To love somebody completely, to put complete and utter trust in somebody else. To leave himself vulnerable to them. When he finally accepted how he felt, he was more relieved than he thought he would be.

Itachi would tell him he loved him. Neji doubted it. He'd always been told how heartless he was, how he wasn't capable of love. Though most of the other rumours he'd heard about Itachi had been proven false, he couldn't shake the feeling that Itachi was only saying that to make him feel better. But he would always say it without hesitance, and he would sound so sincere, Neji came to believe him after a while. He still had moments of doubt, but the look in Itachi's eyes soon became enough to change his mind.

"He's cruel." "He's a monster!" "He can't possibly be human."

Rumours. Stories. Insults. Words of fiery hatred. Words of fearful admiration.

Neji had believed them for so long. All of them. A man who could do such things couldn't possibly be anything less. He couldn't possibly be nice, caring, and he was certainly not human. The idea was impossible. Neji had accepted it all like they were facts. Everybody said it, so it must be true. Right?

Because of Itachi, Neji learnt a very interesting and important lesson. Don't judge a person based off what people say. Because everything he'd ever been told about the Uchiha had been wrong.

After a night of love making, Itachi would tell him he's beautiful, then would suggest they get some sleep. He would agree. At first Neji had turned away from Itachi because that's when he would realize the full extent of what he'd done. He'd just slept with the enemy. But now he did it because he loved how Itachi would wrap his arm around his waist and pull him as close to him as was possible. Feeling his warm body against his own was calming. That and simply the other's presense was enough to lull him to sleep.

There was no position more vulnerable than sleeping in the arms of a killer. That's what most people would initially think. Neji would agree, if it were any other killer in his bed. But having Itachi hold him while he slept was the most comforting thought in the world to him. At first he had been a bit afraid. Then he realized something.

He had never felt safer than when he was being held by Itachi. As much as others feared him, Neji loved and trusted him. He was safe in his arms. His presense alone was enough to sooth and calm him, but when he was in his arms...He felt sheltered from the rest of the world. He felt protected from the cold and vicious world outside of his bedroom. Nothing could possibly hurt him. When he was on full alert, ready to fight, he didn't feel nearly as safe as when his barriers were broken down, he was sleeping, and in the arms of his lover.

Because to Neji, there was no place in the world that was safer to be than in Itachi's arms.

AN: Hello! The idea for this came to me quite some time ago, but I finally got around to writing it last night. I hope you could understand what I was trying to say! I, myself, had a hard time understanding some of it...But I hope that didn't stop you from liking this one-shot! I wrote this in a bit of a different style than usual.

Thanks for reading!
-MewMew