Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
I'm sorry if all the characters are a little OOC. I just can't help but want to work with an innocent Naruto and strong willed Itachi. This is a request fic I was more than happy to do for Drakshah
I hope they enjoy it as much as I have typing it!
Itachi couldn't remember a time he had lusted after something so strongly. He had always been composed, measured . . . Perfect. Every inch of him was a controlled weapon that could be unleashed by his will and his will alone.
So why was it, that a pair of blue eyes that shone beneath dish towel hands could throw him off his balance?
He was a master of his craft, a god built beneath years of discipline and training.
Yet he still held this emotion deep within him, deep where he could only reserve a small bout kindness toward his birth mother when he saw her once in a blue moon. He sat on his cushion, overlooking the garden as he pondered his thoughts, pondering, but still on heavy guard. When his sliding door opened he didn't bat an eyelash to the pretty small girl in her off-white kimono bowing low to the floor.
"Uchiha-Sama, please forgive me for interrupting your meditation but it is urgent," her soft voice uttered, breaking him from his thoughts. Itachi only gave a small grunt of acknowledgment to her.
"What is it?" he asked her. She continued to bow low to the floor.
"Your father Fugaku-danna has asked for a gathering in the family room," she said. Itachi took a deep breath and stood to his feet, back still to the girl. The servant couldn't help but glance up from where her head faced the floor. Itachi was a brilliant creature, both in beauty and intelligence. Dressed with the family fan crested beautifully across his back in the richest colors that could be produced.
Red and white, blood and snow. The fan of the legendary Uchiha clan. The tool that fanned the flame of power, bigger and brighter with every stroke of a strong family member. The girl blushed when Itachi moved a stubborn length of hair and tucked it behind his ear with a pale hand. He looked at her then and she quickly looked to the floor, his gaze always being the only thing to throw off even her most secret fantasy.
His eyes were death itself, two black holes of misery and despair. They could chill anyone who looked directly into them, like a hand squeezing your throat.
"You are dismissed," he told her. She nodded, still looking at the floor and gently closed the sliding door closed. As soon as she was out of his sight she stood up and scurried to the kitchens, wanting to get as far away as possible.
Itachi scowled but did not turn around. When he did, he grabbed his hair tie off the table and easily gathered his hair as he walked and tied it in a low pony tail. He walked into the hallway, specifically reserved for only him and a few servants which whom he allowed like the girl. He only allowed her because she was the daughter of his mother's childhood friend.
He opened into another hallway and walked the length of an outside porch that lead to the main household. A place where people with Uchiha blood may enter and enter only.
He stopped dead and narrowed his eyes when he felt a sudden drift in the air around him.
Shink!
He quickly lifted his hand and caught the small shuriken intended for the back of his neck. He brought it around to his eyes and huffed an annoyed breath.
"Are you trying to anger me?" he questioned, turning slightly to face the back of him.
He heard a chuckle as his cousin Inabi Uchiha jumped down from the side roof. Inabi was a branch member, not full Uchiha blood. He only received possibly half of the bloodline from his father's side. The man had long black hair, slightly longer than Itachi's own, loose around his shoulders and back. The symbol on the back of his robes was slightly small and high up on his left shoulder, showing his family status. The same went for his two idiot brothers' Yashiro and Tekka, each sired from the same father but different mothers, the man got around.
Itachi ignored his cocky smile. The man had always been jealous that he was the son of the head. Inabi had always wished that his own mother could have been picked as a favorite among Fugaku's.
"Not at all my dear cousin, just heading in the same direction as yourself. You looked distracted in your thoughts, but of course as always your up-to-par," he said, voice smooth but highly lynched with sarcasm. Itachi didn't have time for his childishness.
"If your done taking up precious air and my precious time, I'll be on my way," Itachi replied, turning back around and starting to walk. Inabi scowled at his back and stared hatefully at the large and centered crest at the back of his robe. It was as if the shirt mocked him of what he could never be in his own family. Inabi ground his teeth together in anger.
"Of course! Lest I keep the head's son from his precious time. Not as if he has the effort to waste it on a simple thing like conversation," he called to Itachi's back. Once again Itachi ignored him. Inabi decided he was sick of looking at the other and turned to jump back on the roof, going to look for his brothers.
Itachi arrived at the main house, walking to the family room in the heart of the manor. He slid open the door and noticed the faces already present. His father's half brother Madara stood off to the side conversing with his own blood brother Izuna. Izuna as usual had his hair tied back neatly all the way to his waist while Madara let his own wild mane grow however it pleased. They must have been joking or something, Izuna's cheeks were red and he was laughing as Madara talked and waved his hands around. Their bond was unbreakable and there were rumors that under the competitive brotherhood attitude, Madara had taken Izuna as his lover. It wasn't a proved rumor, but they didn't seem to be denying it either.
He looked to his left and saw Kagami, one of the elder main members sitting on the cushions, smoking his pipe. The man was very old and his hair seemed to grey more and more each day. His uncle on Madara's side, Teyaki and his wife Uruchi sat across from Kagami talking and sharing the smoking pipe. Fugaku's cousin and right-hand-man Yakumi whose face resembled much like a fox leaned against the wall talking with Shisui, whom Itachi respected as an older brother much more so than a cousin. Itachi and Shisui were really the only main members who were youngest so it was expected of them to soon marry and produce heirs. Itachi's heart suddenly constricted when a pair of blue eyes clouded his thoughts.
He didn't dwell on it when the sliding door to the far right near the fire pit opened and Fugaku stepped in, hands hidden in his sleeves in front of him. Every member of the room bowed as the man entered, Itachi's birth mother not a few steps behind him. The woman was beautiful and had sired a son at a very young age. She was only thirty-five and soon Itachi would be hitting his eighteenth birthday. Fugaku sat down on his cushion with Mikoto slightly behind him on another cushion. Everyone took a seat and he nodded at his family.
"Thank you for coming, I'm sorry to summon all of you in the middle of the day, but my dear nephew Shisui has an announcement to make," the man smiled, looking to the boy. Shisui nodded his head and looked at everyone around the room.
"Everyone, I'm getting married!" he smiled brightly. Everyone broke out into pleased comments and applause. Itachi smiled at his cousin when the other looked his way. Mikoto finished clapping and stood to envelope her nephew in a hug, her kimono wrapping around him like a large loving blanket. The rest of the conversation consisted of where the wedding was and who was invited. Itachi managed to get close to his mother after being greeted by Madara and shy Izuna. The woman smiled brightly at him and enveloped him in a hug.
"My son, how are you? You seem so pale, are you eating?" she asked him. He smiled and tucked some hair behind his ear.
"I'm fine. I've just had much on my mind. Between studying and training I've no time for myself," he replied. She frowned and tapped his nose.
"You should always make a little time for yourself. You should sleep more darling, your eyes are positively blood shot today," she mentioned.
His mother was the only person who saw his true side. He limited himself a little to his father, the man was at times easily angered or held himself seriously. Even around certain family members he restrained from showing too much kindness, except Shisui, that man would always be his brother.
A tentative knock sounded on the door and Itachi looked toward it. His breath caught when a blond head poked around and a pair of blue eyes looked around the room. The most trusted family servant and adopted son of Fugaku Uchiha stepped in and bowed deeply to them all.
"What are you doing here? Get out you brat, this house is for pure bred Uchiha only!" Yakumi who had been silent the whole time yelled. The blond flinched and Itachi growled at the fox faced man.
"Be quiet Yakumi, I say who is or is not allowed under my roof. Continue with that attitude and I may consider moving your roof to one of the abandon sheds at the edge of the village to live in shame for a while," Fugaku hissed at him. Yakumi quieted immediately, fearing the wrath of the head and the imminent danger of disgrace. Naruto Uzumaki Uchiha continued to bow to his stepfather.
"Forgive my intrusion Fugaku-danna, but there are some important guests for the wedding that wish to congratulate Shisui-nii-sama," the blond spoke, voice still slightly shaky from Yakumi's outburst. Fugaku nodded and looked at his nephew.
"Come, let's not keep them waiting," he replied. Fugaku nodded them all a goodbye with a lingering look to his son who remained quiet and staring at Naruto. Fugaku coasted a confused gaze over him before blinking and walking off, leaving the room. Mikoto stayed behind to comfort her adopted son while others left and Yakumi took off quickly in silence. Itachi was the only one who remained. He stood up and his mother caste concerned eyes on him.
"Darling, you should take a nap, there is plenty of time before supper," she said. Itachi nodded and bowed to her.
"Yes, that sounds good. I'll see you at dinner mother," his eyes never left the floor near Naruto's feet. He wouldn't be able to look the other in the eye without feeling confused, yearning or desire.
"Um . . . Itachi-nii-sama?" the blond asked quietly.
Hearing the blond address him made goose bumps crawl up his spine. He turned back around to Naruto who shyly held one hand to his mouth and the other by his waist. He bowed and stood back up to speak to him.
"Your new robes arrived from the village. They are being cleaned now, would you like me to deliver them to your room later tonight?" he asked. Excited at the fact that he would be in close range of the blond. Itachi nodded boldly.
"Of course, knock on my screen, I'll be in my room for the rest of the day," he answered. Naruto bowed again and Itachi left the room. Mikoto noticed the strange behavior and tilted her head slightly in confusion.
Itachi walked briskly to his room, his feet heavy on the hardwood of the porch. His heart was beating quickly at the thought of being alone with Naruto away from prying ears and eyes. Technically not only did Naruto serve the Uchiha family, he was an adopted branch member under his father. Itachi had not heard the full story, but he knew that Naruto was brought here one day by his father. From what Itachi knew, Naruto had been very young, a salvaged child from a war bound continent.
Itachi stopped his thoughts when he heard grumbling and growls. Effortlessly, Itachi leapt up and landed on the side of his roof. He walked to the other side and looked down into the branch family's main house courtyard. Yakumi was talking to Inabi, waving his hands around as he spoke angrily.
"That little shit gets more privileges than even the branch family!" Yakumi raged. Inabi nodded and crossed his arms.
"I heard that the kid's father was Fugaku's lover before the ninja war. The kid's dad died on the battlefield or some shit, what a crock!" the raven spit out. Itachi stuck close to the roof and moved a little closer.
"Bet that brat gets his kicks from being treated like a prince. Someone ought to show the kid a good Uchiha ass kicking," Yakumi sneered. Itachi growled and stood straight up.
"I think we should find him right now and drag him off to the woods. Dig him a nice grave and bury him alive!" Inabi laughed.
Itachi had enough. He jumped from the roof so fast that even a fly couldn't move quickly enough to get away. Before they knew what hit them, Itachi landed a solid punch into Yakumi's face, smearing the grass with his blood. Inabi looked in shock and opened his mouth several times like a gaping fish. He was too stunned to move but by the time he did it was too late. Itachi swung his body around and landed a solid kick to his middle, cracking his ribs and ripping the air from his lungs. He flew back with so much force that his back made a large cracked indent into the side of the courtyard wall. Inabi slid down it, completely unconscious. Yakumi got up on shaky legs to see who had hit him. When he saw that it was Itachi his eyes bulged before becoming enraged. Itachi quickly wrapped his hand around his throat, cutting off his air and lifting him from the ground. Itachi had his sharingan activated and he stared at the other dead in the eyes.
"If you ever talk about Naruto like that again . . . I'll not only kill you, I'll kill you slowly by locking you in a nightmare so bad you'll want to end your own life as soon as possible. Understand me Yakumi Uchiha?" he growled lowly. The man gasped for breath and frantically nodded his head.
"F-fine! I-I was j-just j-j-joking!" he cried out. Itachi dropped him to the ground like a sack of garbage before turning away.
"I'll be watching you," he whispered. Itachi walked away and bumped into a servant who bowed upon seeing him.
"You there, call a medic, Yakumi and Inabi got into a bad fight in the courtyard. Tell no one after you leave here about it," he ordered. The young male nodded and bowed deeply as Itachi left.
Naruto smiled as he carefully swept the outside walkway near the bathhouses. He hummed deep in his throat as he moved the broom back and forth over the white stone. Unaware to him though, someone was watching him from a nearby roof.
Itachi felt so restless after his little skirmish that there was no way he could just take a nap. He had this sudden urge to just be around Naruto, watch over him and make sure he remained safe. The boy's humming soothed him as it reached his ears. He followed Naruto from the kitchens to the garden in the main house to the bath houses now. Naruto had been running around greeting people and doing chores, anything to help with the upcoming wedding. Itachi felt a little jealous that Naruto showed so much attention to others and he was so reserved and shy when in the same room as Itachi. The raven couldn't blame him though, Itachi always gave off this air of seriousness when around the blond. Naruto moved again and Itachi was about to follow. His head whipped around though when a presence showed up behind him. He turned and raised a fist to punch whoever dared come near.
He was a little surprised when his uncle Madara smiled at him and easily caught his fist.
"Why, fancy meeting you here. My little brother went to greet some guests so I got bored and lonely. Would you care to join me for afternoon tea my dear nephew?" the man asked. Itachi knew his uncle wasn't asking, but more like telling. Itachi caste one last look to Naruto without making it too obvious. Itachi nodded and gently took back his fist.
"I would be honored uncle," he said, face in all seriousness.
The female servant bowed when she finished serving the tea. She exited quietly, leaving Madara alone with his nephew Itachi. They sipped tea silently for a moment before Madara sighed in happiness.
"I can't believe Shisui is getting married! He's still so young, only twenty. He'll be a married man and head of his household by the time he is twenty-one. It will be good to have some new faces and new blood around the house. I do so miss the pitter patter of little feet!" he smiled. Itachi nodded but did not look up from his tea.
"He is very happy, and I am happy for him. I've seen his bride, she will bring much honor to the Uchiha name," he commented. Madara waved his hand in the air.
"Oh pish posh! Stop being so formal! I could care less if he was marrying a gorilla! Screw formalities. I just want to hold a little one in my arms again!" he gushed. Itachi looked up from his tea with a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't take you as a family man uncle," Itachi asked. The older man smiled.
"Oh yeah, I love kids! When you were little, I never wanted to set you down! Even when little Naruto was a baby I had a hard time letting go!" he smiled. At the mention of Naruto, Itachi couldn't help but get curious.
"How old was Naruto when he came here? Why did father bring him to the Uchiha?" he asked. Madara raised his own eyebrow.
"Why the sudden interest?" the man asked. Itachi shrugged and looked toward the window.
"I just realized something in the past year," he said. Madara nodded and got more comfortable.
"Let's see . . . Fugaku, I and Izuna had just returned from fighting in the ninja war when you were only about three I believe. We met a brave ally by the name of Minato from a neighboring continent. We all quickly became close friends and fought to protect each other's backs. He had a son whom he was very determined to protect and allow to grow up in a war free world. Naruto must have been about a few months old, no bigger than my hand," Madara said softly, holding up his palm. Itachi looked the appendage over before nodding for him to continue. Just thinking of the blond as a tiny baby surrounded by war made him angry and swell with determination to further watch over the blond.
"We were in the battlefield when the enemy launched a surprise attack. I and Izuna were injured but Minato caught the worse end of it. By the time medics arrived after the battle it was too late. Minato died in Fugaku's arms," he whispered sadly.
"I could see everything in their faces, the sadness, the unfairness . . . But most of all the connection. I don't think or believe your father was in love with Minato, but they had created such a strong bond in just a few short weeks," Madara whispered.
"Fugaku swore to take care of Naruto and raise him in a loving environment. A place where he could grow up freely. Minato died with a smile on his face that day."
"Did the war end soon after that?" Itachi asked quietly, completely absorbed in the story. Madara nodded.
"Yes, some allies pulled through and we won the war after those long hard months. Fugaku returned home a hero and holding his companion's infant son. I think in a way, Naruto was a blessing in disguise. You see, your father was suffering from a recent tragedy before he left for war," Madara said. Itachi tilted his head only slightly.
"What was it?" he asked. Madara's face grew sad.
"Did you know your mother was pregnant for another child when you were young?" he asked. Itachi's eyes widened but he calmed his heart.
"No, I remember no such thing. I have a sibling?" he asked. Madara sadly shook his head.
"Unfortunately not anymore. At the time, well . . . You were to have a younger brother. The baby died shortly after birth from health problems, your father was devastated. I believe they named him Sasuke just before they buried him," he finished.
Itachi swallowed the saliva in his throat. It explained allot as to why his father spent so much attention on him as a child, losing his little brother had been a hard blow. And his poor mother . . . must have been heart broken. The thought that Itachi was to be a big brother made his chest swell and at the same time deflate in a horrible loss. He technically was . . . An older brother still, his sibling breathed for only a short time before the breath left his body. That in enough means that unknowingly Itachi was and is now an older brother.
"I believe Naruto was the balm to your father and mother's heartbreak. He was someone who needed a family and we all had so much love to give. Your father may seem like a hard stern man, but he would give his life if it meant keeping us all safe and alive. His family means everything to him . . . You mean everything to him."
Itachi looked away, unable to handle the look of pure love in Madara's gaze.
"If you have so much love to give, why haven't you taken a wife?" Itachi asked. Madara's face grew into a different emotion Itachi couldn't recognize.
"When Izuna was treated for his injuries in battle, they gave him a special medicine he had to ingest daily. Sadly, in order to save his life, the medicine had a nasty side effect. My poor brother . . . My poor Izuna was left sterile after treatment, unable to reproduce," he explained. Itachi felt his heart fill with sadness. His uncle Izuna was such a loving person. If anyone deserved to start a family, it was him.
"But why don't you have children?" Itachi asked again. Madara smiled sadly at him.
"Knowing I could for some reason gives me more pain then without. Izuna would watch on the sidelines as I went on with my life and he was lost behind me. You see, both of us are competitive and that was one competition that Izuna would lose even before anything started. I'm sure in the end he would encourage me to have kids, but I know he would be sacrificing his heart in order to do so. To watch your family have children, knowing you could never have any of your own to join them . . . Would kill a person's soul I think. Besides . . . I've never really wanted any. I enjoy watching other members' children, helping to raise I believe has more benefits then doing the raising. I guess that is the only way I can explain it."
Itachi nodded, head swirling from the new information.
"You love him don't you?" Madara asked. Itachi's head whipped up.
"I can see it. You don't need to be ashamed. That boy has so much love to give, and god knows, it doesn't hurt to show him a bit more love. I think . . . Both of you were fated for one another," he said.
Madara reached across the table and gently cupped Itachi's hands that were holding tight to his tea mug. Madara stared at their joined hands for a moment before he looked up into his eyes.
"Don't hesitate to chase love if it presents itself. You are an Uchiha and an Uchiha always gets what they want," he smirked and winked. Itachi swallowed the saliva in his throat before nodding and smiling, feeling like a child again.
"I think . . . That is the one bit of advice I might be willing to be able to follow, coming from you," he smirked back. Madara laughed and took his hands back and placed them in his lap. The sliding door suddenly opened and his uncle Izuna stood there, confused as to why his brother was laughing so hard. He blinked his large onyx eyes as he stepped in and closed the door behind him.
"Aniki, your face is red," Izuna's soft voice said. He sat at the end of the tea table and swept his long hair over his shoulder. Itachi watched as Madara finished laughing and instead gazed at his younger brother. Itachi saw a burning emotion cross his uncle's vision and simmer behind his eyes. It seems that maybe certain rumors around the estate were true after all . . .
Itachi stood to leave and he bowed to his uncles.
"I will see you both at dinner," he said.
Just as he was about to leave, Madara called out to him.
"What will you do about Naruto?" his uncle asked. Itachi faced him and smirked.
"Win him over of course, what I want, I get."
Itachi left and closed the screen behind him. Madara watched him go with a soft smile on his face.
"Itachi seemed really at peace just now. How did you do that?" Izuna said softly, running his hands through his now loose hair. Madara groaned at the sight and easily slid closer to his younger brother. Madara caught the younger around the waist and pulled him close, stroking his soft hair and kissing him on the lips. Izuna pulled back with a blush on his normally pale face.
"W-what put you in such a good mood?" he stuttered. He whimpered as Madara undid his robe and slid hands up his stomach to circle his peaked nipples.
"I guess a simple conversation can soothe ones soul, and now my precious Izuna . . . I need some soothing of my own," Madara husked. Izuna didn't protest as his brother carried him to the bed and pushed him down onto the cool sheets. The rest of their clothing was removed. Nothing but the sounds of wet kisses and slick sweaty skin filled the air as the two lovers became one over and over before the dinner bell rang.
This is part one. Part two will be finished shortly!]
R&R