2001
The clock dongs loudly, twice and deeply. Naruto looks up from his textbook surprised. He twists away from the kitchen island and glances at the clock. It's taken him a month to learn to read the damn thing. He was once told gravely and rather condescendingly by a seven year old that it is an astrological clock. Around the outer edge are the twelve zodiac. Constellations dot the center of the clocks face and rotate randomly. Well, not at random, but it's a complex pattern Naruto hasn't bothered to learn. The middle ring has the normal roman numerals for hour and minute. Presently the long iron hand is pointing to an II encircled in navy blue and a sliver of yellow paint. Stretching a hand over his head Naruto yawns and ambles into the living room.
"All right Sasuke," he calls out. "Time for your medicine."
The flat screen is on, tuned into the late showing of The Twilight Zone. The black and white light flashes over the room. At first glance it seems modernly decorated, if expensively so. If it weren't for his nosiness Naruto wouldn't have noticed the oddities about the house, like the fact that the last astrological clock was built over a century ago or the fact that half the books are printed in foreign languages. There are tall windows on the back wall, each covered with flimsy silk that wavers in the night breeze. Through them Naruto glimpses a sliver of a moon hanging in the starred sky.
"Sasuke?"
He finds the couch empty.
"Not again," Naruto moans. "Little demon." But he says it under his breath and with an affectionate smile for his missing charge.
Naruto checks behind the TV stand and the chairs in the room before heading to the next one. He checks the downstairs library, bathroom, a sitting room, and the foyer.
"Sa-suke," he sings to the dark house. "You can't hide forever."
He heads back through the living room, scanning it in case Sasuke is slinking from room to room. As he's passing back into the kitchen a shadow detaches itself from the breakfast nook and flies at Naruto. He has time to turn to it before it tackles him. Naruto tumbles back and ends up on the floor with a dark-haired boy straddling his stomach with thin, pale legs.
"What was that for?" Naruto asks chuckling. Sasuke places his hands against Naruto's chest and pushes him flat to the floor as if he can hold the muscled blonde down. His palms brush against Naruto's nipples, unmindful of the stimulation. It rubs the rough texture of his Henley shirt into the sensitive spots. Naruto ignores it as best he can. The child glares down at his babysitter.
"What are you pouting for, I'm the one on the floor," Naruto says.
"I waited forever. You're slow."
"How long were you there?" Naruto asks.
"Before the clock rang," Sasuke informs him. "But you weren't paying attention."
"Sorry 'bout that. I guess I neglected you huh? You weren't lonely were you?" Naruto teases.
"I wasn't!" Sasuke protests shrilly.
"Then why do you look so happy to see me?"
"I'm not!"
"Sure you're not," Naruto grins. He sits up and lifts Sasuke off of him from the hips.
Sasuke clambers up onto a tall chair at the island as Naruto goes to the fridge. He pulls out a jug of tomato juice from the fridge, a glass from the cabinet, and snags the blue vial of dissolvable pills from beside the sink. He crushes the white pill into powder and stirs it into the tomato juice. The spoon clinks against the glass and Sasuke shifts in his seat. Naruto adds some ice cubes to the mix and hands it off to Sasuke.
Sasuke frowns at it and glances up at Naruto hopefully.
Naruto smiles. "Drink up S'ke."
Sasuke obeys with a disgruntled expression. He tips the glass to his mouth. Beads of cool perspiration slide down the glass surface and pool at the child's fingertips. It slips from between his small hands a half foot above the table. Already watching, Naruto catches it and rights it before it can tip and spill everywhere. His triumphant grin is met with a glare from Sasuke.
Naruto hands it back to him. "Finish it."
"I don't want to," Sasuke mumbles.
"What?"
"I don't want to," he says loudly. He shoves the glass, still mostly full, away. "It's disgusting."
"Come on Sasuke. We do this every time."
"Uh-uh." He shakes his head, his bangs flying back and forth.
"Please?"
"No."
"You can't leave that chair until you drink it."
"No," Sasuke whines.
"What do you mean 'no'? That wasn't a question, that's the rule."
Sasuke whines in his throat.
"Sasuke, you hafta take your medicine. You'll get sick if you don't."
"No I won't!" he shrills.
"Come on drink it," Naruto urges.
Sasuke buries his head into his arms and refuses to look up. Naruto sighs at the temper tantrum and goes around to the chair. He picks the child up and slides into the seat, settling Sasuke back onto his lap. Sasuke squirms trying to free himself but Naruto wraps his arm around Sasuke's waist to keep him from sliding away. He grabs the glass with his free hand and draws it closer.
"I don't want it!" Sasuke yells. His feet paddle through the air, kicking back and forth violently. His heel rams into Naruto's shin and he winces.
"Hey, stop it."
"Naruto, don't make me drink it," Sasuke begs. He twists so Naruto can see the tiny tears gleaming in his large dark eyes.
"No puppy eyes. Drink."
"I don't-."
Naruto's cell buzzes beside his textbook and Naruto swipes it up. "Stay here and finish that." He gestures to the red juice with his phone before answering. "Hey Sakura." He wanders into the living room because it's his girlfriend and doesn't want anything adult to slip out around Sasuke.
On the phone Sakura is drunk and slips into the emotionally distressed role very quickly. She slurs out some excuses and some tears and breaks up with him for the third time that month. Naruto urges her to go find her friend, walks her through the process, and hangs up, thoroughly tired of their practiced routine.
He stalks back into the kitchen and tosses his cell angrily on to the island. It slams into a bowl of fruit. Sasuke whirls around at the noise. He's in front of the sink on his tiptoes, rinsing out his glass. Naruto smiles tightly and Sasuke turns back to the sink. Somehow Sasuke has managed to turn the faucet on but now that the glass is sitting in the bottom of the sink and overflowing with running water he can't reach the faucet to turn it back off. He hops a couple of times trying to swat the handle down. On the next hop Naruto boosts him up, lifting him from behind. Sasuke pushes the faucet off and Naruto sets him back down.
Sasuke darts away as soon as his feet touch the ground.
"Hey there." Naruto swoops down to grab him and holds him bridal style in front of him. Sasuke wiggles his whole body and Naruto almost drops him before securing a tighter hold under his knees and shoulders. Sasuke's shirt rides up exposing his stomach and the top curve of his hips. Naruto can even see an indent of his ribs. "That's suspicious S'ke. Why were you trying to run away so fast?"
Sasuke growls in his throat and starts to twist his body again. Naruto whirls him around in tight circles until he stops struggling.
"Did you finish all your medicine?" Naruto gives him a stern look.
"Yes."
"Really?" Naruto squints down at him suspiciously.
"Yes." Sasuke is staring up at him earnestly and Naruto believes him. "Lemme down," the boy orders.
"You want down?" Naruto grins mischievously.
Sasuke glares. Naruto swings his small body up and over his shoulder. He holds him there and carries him into the living. Small fists rain down on his back and feet flail through the air. Naruto deposits him on the leather couch. Naruto collapses next to him. Sasuke climbs onto his knees and pushes against Naruto with his scrawny arms. Naruto wraps an arm around him and falls down against the couch cushions, pulling the boy with him. Sasuke scrambles off of him, kicking him in the gut on the way to the other side of the couch. Naruto groans at the onslaught of bony limbs and sits up.
"We need to fatten you up," Naruto says stretching over to poke him in the stomach.
Sasuke frowns and slaps his hand.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asks sombering a bit.
"Nothing." His lower lip comes out.
"Sasuke." Naruto pokes his shoulder.
"What?" Sasuke pouts glumly.
"What's wrong?"
"Who were you talking to?"
"On the phone?"
Sasuke nods.
"That was Sakura."
"Your girlfriend," he says knowingly and darkly.
Naruto shrugs. "Not anymore."
Sasuke looks surprised. "You dumped her?"
Naruto laughs lightly. "Um, no. Not really."
Sasuke shuffles closer. "Are you gonna get her back?"
"Eh." Naruto shrugs half-heartedly.
Sasuke closes the distance between them and nestles into Naruto's arm. "You don't need her," Sasuke tells him.
"Think so?"
"Yes."
Naruto sighs happily. "You're right." He ruffles Sasuke's hair. "Ya know, you're smart. If you could go to school I bet you'd be the top of your class. And you'd have all the girls fawning after you."
"I don't like girls," Sasuke says.
"They're not all bad. Remember when I brought Sakura over here? She said you were really cute."
"She was annoying," Sasuke huffs.
"Yeah, but hey, I was talking to her about your condition 'cause she's studying to be a doctor and all and she got all excited and started talking about finding a cure. Wouldn't that be cool?"
Sasuke gives him a look filled with superiority and condescension but otherwise doesn't bother replying.
"Yep- you're gonna be a lady killer one day," Naruto decides and sighs morosely to the ceiling. "Did you get your chores done yet?"
Sasuke nods.
"Good boy." He slings an arm around Sasuke's shoulders and hugs him tight. "Twilight time?"
Sasuke nods and immediately turns his attention to the TV. A few minutes pass and Naruto hears his phone buzzing in the kitchen. He ignores it but it goes off again and Naruto grudgingly rises from the couch. "Sasuke do you want something to eat?"
"No."
"Are you sure?" Naruto stops at the doorway to ask. "How come you hardly ever eat? You're so skinny."
"You can't cook," Sasuke reminds him bluntly.
"That's not true! I'm an awesome cook!"
"You burnt dinner Thursday," Sasuke points out.
"Haha, yeah, but that was an awesome game of ninja wasn't it?"
"You lost."
"Nu-uh. I totally won!"
"No you didn't."
"Well you cheated."
"No I didn't."
"Sasuke," Naruto whines. "Go watch your show!" He points to the TV and Sasuke rolls his eyes before turning back to it. Naruto goes into the kitchen and checks his phone. Three missed calls and a series of blubbering texts from Sakura. He's unwilling to call but he sends off a quick text saying he understands, et. cetera.
"Sasuke I'm making food," Naruto yells into the living room. "I know you hate meat so should I make you a salad?"
Sasuke ignores him and turns the TV up louder.
Naruto takes two steaks from the fridge and unwraps the brown paper that covers them. "Do you want Ranch or Italian?"
Sasuke whirls around and the remote whips through the doorway making a beeline for Naruto's face. Naruto ducks and it smashes into the counter.
"Make it bloody," Sasuke orders.
Naruto grins and kneels down to fish a pan out. When he turns he jumps.
"Jesus! Stop being so sneaky!"
Sasuke smirks at him from his customary chair at the island. "You're deaf."
"You gave me a heart attack!" Naruto tosses the pan onto the stove and goes into another cupboard for the spices. When he turns back Sasuke is leaning over the countertop sniffing at the steaks. Naruto can see his body sucking in air and his eyes are slitted at the corners. For a moment he's struck by how predatory the boy looks, like a starving wild cat. Sasuke sniffs again and his dark eyes turn on Naruto.
"Sasuke?"
Sasuke blinks and sits back and Naruto's trepidation fades back. "What?"
Naruto eyes him. "I know you like 'em bloody but you can't have 'em raw."
"I wasn't going to."
Naruto doesn't respond. He sets the plastic container of spice in front of Sasuke. "Rub that in." Sasuke's reaching for it when Naruto yells, "Wait! Go wash your hands first." Sasuke rolls his eyes but obeys. After Sasuke is done preparing the meat Naruto throws it in the pan. After only a couple minutes Sasuke whines.
"It's not done yet," Naruto tells him.
"Yes it is. You're ruining it!"
"No, I'm cooking it. I don't want you getting sick."
"I won't!" Sasuke assures him childishly confident.
Naruto levels the spatula at him. "Sit back. Watch a master at work."
Sasuke just whines again, his eyes locked on the sizzling meat.
Naruto slips Sasuke's steak onto a plate as soon as he deems it safe. Sasuke ignores the knife and slides the whole thing to the edge of his plate before forking the steak into his mouth.
Naruto laughs. "Oh god Sasuke. Where'd all your princely manners go?"
Sasuke glares over the steak before ripping some off with his teeth. As he chews it noisily Naruto grabs a napkin. He grabs Sasuke's chin, ignoring the growls emanating from the child, and wipes the grease and bloody juices off. He takes Sasuke's fork and knife and cuts it into small cubes.
"Here," Naruto says handing him the fork. Sasuke wrenches it from his grip and stabs the meat. Naruto heads back to the stove and finishes cooking his own steak. As he's tipping it onto a plate Sasuke starts coughing roughly. Naruto drops the pan down and darts to him, alarmed.
He pats his back but Sasuke shrugs him off. "You okay?" Naruto asks. "You're not choking, right?"
Sasuke coughs into his tiny hand, turning away from Naruto and shaking his head. "Thirsty," Sasuke grates out in a rough, quiet voice.
Naruto grabs him a glass of water and helps him drink, keeping a palm on his back. Sasuke takes a few gulps but then pushes it away. He twists away from Naruto and jumps from the chair.
"Hey, you okay?" Naruto stops his escape and kneels in front of him. "Do you feel sick? Should I call your mother?"
Sasuke shakes his head viciously from side to side and buries his head in Naruto's chest. Naruto strokes his dark head.
"Can we go watch the TV?" Sasuke asks muffled.
"Sure." Naruto's brow is still furrowed with concern but he gently picks Sasuke up and carries him to the couch. Sasuke tucks his head into the side of Naruto's neck and wraps his arm tight around his neck. He doesn't let go or move off him when Naruto sits gently on the couch. Naruto rubs a hand up and down his small back. Every now and then Sasuke will cough again. He muffles them and keeps silent but Naruto can feel his body kick back with the force.
Sasuke's nose nuzzles into his neck and Naruto flinches. Heat is rushing to his ears and throughout his body but he doesn't know if it's just worry or…something else he refuses to acknowledge. Suddenly he's overly conscious of Sasuke's legs wrapped on either side of his waist and the fact that he's sitting right in Naruto's lap. He's unbelievably light but he's warm and his weight is centered right over Naruto's groin. Sasuke's breath hits his neck as the boy mumbles something.
"What was that?" Naruto asks in a hushed voice. The Twilight Zone is still on but it's fading into the background of Naruto's mind. The voices are dim in his consciousness.
"You smell good," Sasuke says into Naruto's ear.
"Uh…"
Sasuke tucks his head down again and Naruto tries to focus on what he should be doing in this situation. Because something is very, very wrong. He flinches noticeably when something wet and hot slides across the skin at the base of his neck.
"Jesus!" Naruto gasps. He shoves the boy away, holding him away at arm's length. Immediately he notices Sasuke's dazed expression. His dark eyes are hazy. They slowly focus onto Naruto's own wide, blue eyes. Sasuke's eyes are dilated. The dark pupil reflects the gold light spilling from the kitchen and the shifting dim white and grey light from the TV. Naruto swallows at the cold disconnected look in the boy's gaze.
"Sasuke? Hey, are you okay? Do you need to go to sleep?"
The boy blinks and his eyes clear minutely. "It's the middle of the day."
"Yeah, but, not really. It's the middle of the night. Um, I guess it's the middle of your day still but," Naruto babbles nervously. "Uh…"
Sasuke's head falls forward and he shudders.
"Hey," Naruto says softly. He hugs him close again, blue eyes filled with worry.
"My stomach feels weird," Sasuke mutters.
"I'm calling your mom," Naruto decides firmly.
"No," Sasuke groans into his neck. "I don't want her."
"Sasuke you-urh," Naruto's words choke off. A pair of small soft lips is moving against his flesh, a feather-light caress up and over his collarbone. Sasuke's hands are on either side of his neck, pressing down on the space before his shoulders. The lips part against his skin and something hard skims the surface. Then there's something sharp and a blossom of pain and Sasuke is biting him. Naruto gulps air, somehow managing to choke on it. Sasuke's teeth dig deeper under his skin. Heat is radiating from the site of the intrusion and coursing through his veins. It isn't just pain- there's arousal and it's headed directly to Naruto's groin. He awkwardly shifts his thighs closer together, panting beneath the boy. The teeth draw back- Naruto can feel them sliding out of the holes, out of his skin. It releases a flood of hot liquid. It tickles his skin as it runs down. The thin river of red disappears into the hem of his shirt, staining the Henley. Sasuke's hands grip his shoulders tighter and his mouth fastens onto the wound. His lips tighten instinctively on the skin, locking in the pool of blood. Naruto shivers. Sasuke moans and the teeth graze his skin again. A flash of pain jolts Naruto. He grabs Sasuke's hair and twists away, freeing his neck.
"Naruto…" Sasuke whines quietly. His blunt fingernails dig into the hollow of Naruto's collarbone.
Naruto can't answer. His throat is dry. His eyes are locked on the streak of blood that runs down Sasuke's chin. Naruto's thoughts are frantic as he searches for something to ground him, anything. He tears his gaze from the blood stained lips of the child. He stares at The Twilight Zone and tries to reaffirm his grasp on reality. Oh the irony.
Sasuke however has a different agenda and very little patience for Naruto's inner turmoil. He chomps down on his neck. His teeth bury themselves, seeking out a vein. Sasuke rocks forward and that barest amount of friction sends Naruto's awareness into overdrive. Sasuke's butt rocks back down into his lap. Naruto gasps and arches beneath him, driving the teeth deeper still. He's hard now. Naruto grabs Sasuke's waist and shifts his body to straddle his thigh instead of grinding into his erection. It's little relief to his growing lust for the child.
Sasuke's arm is around his neck, his small body pressed to Naruto's front. He's still sucking at his neck. Naruto can feel the draw of blood. It becomes a pulse of its own. The mouth suctions his vein, the body presses forward, the hips curve and lurch down onto Naruto's thigh. He can feel the small bulge of Sasuke's erection against his leg. Naruto lets his head drop heavily to the back of the couch. He feels dazed, drawn into the surges of Sasuke's body against his.
Cautiously his hands travel beneath the boy's shirt. His fingers slide up his lower back, feeling the feverish skin. They skim over his sides and feather across Sasuke's flat stomach. Sasuke pushes forward against the pressure. His hips are still rolling and jerking, making friction with Naruto's leg. Naruto's hands move to his hips. He guides the boy's movements, slowing them, drawing them out. Sasuke moans in delight when Naruto's leg lifts and presses into his erection, nudging against the bump.
In turn Sasuke's knee presses forward into Naruto's hardness. Naruto gasps at the contact. His mind is racing at the implications of this, wondering how he can be doing this, wondering how it can feel so good, wondering why he can't seem to care enough to stop. Naruto's hand slides from Sasuke's hip to his groin. He rubs it gently as Sasuke jerks against him. The teeth in his neck dig in harder and harder. Sasuke whines when Naruto stops rubbing him and then gasps when Naruto's hand burrows beneath his waistband and fondles him skin on skin. Sasuke's sounds in Naruto's ear send shivers into him. He pushes Sasuke's pants down over his butt and massages the bare flesh there.
Sasuke whimpers and moans into Naruto's neck. All too soon it ends. His mouth detaches. He gasps once and a sound like a cat's whine escapes his blood-wet lips. His hips push against Naruto and his body shudders. Shocked at the realization of what was happening to the boy's body, Naruto can only hold him tightly. Sasuke rubs his head against Naruto's shoulder and small moans escape him as he rides out the pleasure of his first orgasm.
While Sasuke breathes heavily Naruto pulls his pants back up. His neck itches as liquid creeps down his skin.
Sasuke's knee presses into Naruto's erection as he steadies himself in Naruto's lap. He pulls the bottom of Naruto's shirt up over his nipples and before Naruto can voice a protest Sasuke's teeth are diving beneath his skin, just below his heart. It jolts his entire system. There isn't a sensation of pain this time, only cold numbness spreading through his limbs. His eyes grow too heavy to keep open and it's all his lungs can do to keep drawing in slow steady breaths. Distantly and yet everywhere in his body Naruto can feel his heartbeat, and a second foreign echo that flutters faster and faster until the two heartbeats are overlapping. Through a muffling fog he can hear the sounds of a wet tongue lapping up liquid and a series of slurps and light sucks. His body throbs. He has a growing awareness of being hot, too hot. And then the throbbing is receding from his limbs, sinking, and pooling into a concentrated area between his legs. His cock throbs and pulses. A pinprick of feeling returns to the skin under his heart where Sasuke's teeth are retreating. Naruto gasps suddenly as waves of pleasure beat under his skin. He comes, hard, and moans.
The room slowly reorients itself around him. He sits up slowly. Sasuke is still in his lap, straddling him. The boy is panting heavily. His eyes are glowing red. Naruto can see Sasuke's chest expand with air as he sniffs at the air, inhaling Naruto's own scent deeply. The blonde doesn't realize that he is crying until Sasuke brushes a finger across his cheek, smearing a tear. Naruto skims his own fingers across his cheek to feel the moisture.
Sasuke's soaked lips are drifting closer. They brush along the side of Naruto's jaw. Naruto jerks from the contact but Sasuke's mouth catches up. His lips dart forward and brush against Naruto's. The blonde gags at the taste of his own blood and pushes Sasuke away. He swipes his own blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Oh god," he chokes.
Sasuke tries to kiss him again but Naruto holds him back. "Don't," Naruto says harshly.
Sasuke is stricken. Suddenly his dark eyes are overflowing with tears and filled with fear. A sob rips from his chest.
"Sasuke…"
Sasuke shoves away from Naruto and scrambles out of his lap to the other side of the couch. Choking sobs wrack through Sasuke's body. Naruto's heart twists; because they aren't a child's fake sobs- they're real and rooted in fear and panic.
"Sasuke, shhh, it's okay." Naruto lays a hand on his arm and, because Sasuke doesn't flinch or push him away, he continues to wrap his arms around the boy. He draws him back into his lap, ignoring the feel of his own wet pants. His gut tightens with self-disgust.
Sasuke sobs into his shirt. He pets the top of Sasuke's head, drawing back his hair from his tearstained cheeks. He cups his cheek in comfort but frowns at the heat of Sasuke's skin.
"Shit," he mutters. Sasuke looks up, surprised at the curse. Naruto tries to smile comfortingly. "Sasuke you have a really high fever."
"I feel fine," Sasuke sniffs.
"You're burning up S'ke."
"But that's…" Sasuke trails off and refuses to look at him.
"What is it?"
"It's normal," Sasuke tells him in a hushed voice.
"Normal? What do you…" Naruto swallows and his fear hikes up a level. "Sasuke, did you take your medicine?"
Sasuke looks away.
"Sasuke, it's alright. I need to know in case you need help. Okay? Did you take it?"
"No," Sasuke says miserably. He looks like he's on the verge of tears again.
"Stay here." Naruto makes him lie down on the couch and folds a blanket around him. He gives him a pat on the head and turns to the kitchen but Sasuke grabs his hand and nips the fingertip of his middle finger. Naruto freezes until he lets go. He rushes to the kitchen. There the clock- fucking star clock- says it's past 4:00 already. Naruto grabs his cell and dials Mikoto.
"Naruto, is something wrong?"
"I forgot to give Sasuke his medicine," Naruto rushes out. "He's got a fever now."
"A fever? That's- oh lord. Naruto, have you been with Sasuke the whole time?"
"Yes."
"And has he…done anything strange?"
"Uh. Yeah," Naruto admits faintly.
"Stay there," Mikoto orders. "Try to get him to take his medicine. Double dose."
"Okay," Naruto says weakly and hangs up. He grabs the pills and splashes some tomato juice into a plastic cup.
In the minute he's been gone Sasuke has fallen asleep. Naruto stands over him, struck at the sight, and shudders in fear at the arousal he feels towards the adorable little creature curled up and breathing softly on the couch. The daze he felt before takes hold of him before he shakes his head, trying to clear it.
"Sasuke," he calls softly to the sleeping boy. "Wake up." He sits on the edge of the couch as Sasuke sits up. He sets the cup on the coffee table and shakes out four pills. He crushes them in his palm and dumps the dust into the tomato juice. "You have to drink all of it."
Sasuke wrinkles his nose and turns away from them.
"Come on," Naruto urges. "It'll make you feel better."
Sasuke throws him a disgusted look. "I feel really good."
"You have a fever," Naruto says. "Take this." He holds the cup out to Sasuke but the boy slaps it from his hands. It tumbles to the floor, spilling across the carpet.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelps, surprised at his vehemence. He growls under his breath. He's too afraid for Sasuke to be angry though. He ignores the cup and grabs four more pills.
"Chew these and swallow, please Sasuke," Naruto begs.
"I don't need them," Sasuke insists.
"For me Sasuke, please?" Naruto's fingers comb the hair at the base of Sasuke's head. He places a cupped hand, the one with the pills, over Sasuke's mouth and tilts his head back, forcing him to swallow. As soon as he does Naruto releases him.
Sasuke glares. "Happy?"
Naruto smiles. "Very. I'm gonna clean your mess up. Try to-."
Sasuke is coughing loudly. He has a hand to his throat, as if something's choking him from the inside.
"Sasuke!"
"It burns," Sasuke chokes out hoarsely. He erupts into coughs before leaning over the couch and puking. But the only thing that spews from his mouth is blood. Sasuke is crying as he wipes his mouth clean. Naruto folds him onto his lap and holds him tight. Sasuke clings to him, nuzzles his head into Naruto's chest. Naruto rocks him back and forth until he calms and grabs the blue vial. He juggles the bottle awkwardly around Sasuke's body and shakes two out.
"Take these for me won't you?"
"They made me sick."
"Sasuke, you take those every day. That's not what made you sick."
"Yes they are," Sasuke insists.
"He's right," a new voice says.
Naruto's head whips around and his wide eyes land on a tall man, a beautiful man, handsomely dressed in somber colors with a ponytail of long hair.
"His body is rejecting them. He can't take them anymore now that he's had the real stuff."
"What?" Naruto asks. "Who are you?"
Sasuke places his hand on Naruto's cheek. "That's my brother. Itachi."
"Ah. That explains how he got in the house," Naruto mutters.
Itachi strides through the room. His boots step delicately around the pool of blood. His eyes glare at Naruto as he bends over him.
"You have no idea what you've done," Itachi hisses over Sasuke's head before lifting the boy up out of Naruto's lap.
"It's not his fault," Sasuke tells his brother. "He doesn't know."
"Yes, well," Itachi replies tightly. "That's the first thing I'm discussing with our mother when she gets home. That she left you alone with one such as him for this long is beyond ridiculous."
Itachi sets Sasuke down in a chair and kneels in front of him. He peels a glove from his hand and draws a fingernail- painted a deep purple- across his own wrist. Blood beads along the cut. He offers his wrist to Sasuke. Sasuke crinkles his nose.
"I don't want it."
Itachi's brow furrows. "Sasuke," he says cautiously. "I know what it's like the first time. Now that it's awoken you must be dying of thirst. Drink."
"No."
"How much have you taken?" Itachi demands.
"Not much," Sasuke mutters sulkily.
"Sasuke, I need to know. If you've killed anyone we have to clean it up."
Naruto's eyes widen. Sasuke glances in his direction worried and somewhat embarrassed. "I haven't."
"Then why aren't you thirsty?"
"I…I want one of them."
"Why?" Itachi asks disgustedly.
"They smell yummy."
"Fine. You, blondie, get over here."
Naruto rises but Sasuke's voice stops him. "No! I don't want him."
Itachi rubs his forehead. "Why not?" he asks irritated.
"I-." Sasuke's eyes dart away from his brother's piercing gaze. "I don't want to hurt him."
Itachi's laugh is sudden and loud. Naruto jumps at the sound. "Foolish little brother. Haven't you realized yet? Your babysitter won't live to see the sun rise."
Before the words even register in Naruto's mind Itachi is somehow behind him. Two hands, one bare, the other still gloved in black leather, grip his biceps and force him forwards toward Sasuke.
Sasuke jumps from the chair.
"Don't touch him!"
"Sasuke, I'm trying to teach you a valuable lesson," Itachi's mockingly patient voice speaks from behind Naruto. Naruto jerks his arms but is held fast. His arms are pulled back behind him, straining his shoulders and a single, impossible strong hand holds his wrists. A gloved index finger draws a line across the front of his neck.
"Nii-san no! He's mine."
Itachi chuckles. "Sasuke, Mother has raised you in their world as much as possible, but it's time to learn our ways. Humans aren't possessions- they don't have that privilege. They aren't desirable and they aren't worth fighting your own kind over."
"He is mine!" Sasuke says shrilly. "He's my lēof!"
The word is foreign to Naruto's ears but it's clear Itachi recognizes it and his anger is immediate. There's a sickening crack from Naruto's wrist. He screams and Itachi releases the broken limb, tossing him to the ground viciously.
"Naruto!"
Itachi kneels on his stomach. He looks up at Sasuke to deliver a warning. "Stay back Sasuke. Or your plaything will be irreparably damaged." He turns his attention back to Naruto. His ponytail slips off his shoulder and dangles over Naruto's chest. He pushes Naruto's shirt up.
Naruto's widen at the sight of his own skin. "What is that?" he asks. He looks to Sasuke for an explanation. An eerie pleased smile is playing on the boy's lips. His eyes are locked on the mark on Naruto's side. There are black lines, looping curves and unreadable figures that start over his chest. It streams down over his rib cage and a few loose lines linger over his stomach.
A growl builds in Itachi's chest at the sight of it. His lips curl away from his teeth, making his larger than normal canines all too noticeable. His eyes are glowing red. The growl rips from his throat and he swipes a hand at Naruto's cheek. His nails leave three lines of blood in their wake.
Sasuke tackles his brother as soon as the hand falls. It's a short match. Itachi soon has him pinned against a wall. Itachi bites into his own thumb and as blood streams down it he forces it past bared teeth and into Sasuke's snarling mouth. Naruto can see the boy's pointy canines. Itachi is grinning as he presses his bleeding thumb down on Sasuke's tongue.
That's the last thing Naruto sees before white spots bloom in his vision and something akin to lighting sears his skull. He screams but he isn't aware of it. The pain behind his eyes spreads quickly. He gags on air, gasping for breath that goes to his lungs like water. His heart thuds painfully and heavily. Pain pricks at the inside of his veins only to be licked up by excruciating fire. There's a dull roar in his ears. He hears an echo of two overlapping heartbeats and then it fades.
Slowly he begins to register sounds around him. He can hear soft sobs somewhere very close. Feeling returns as well. A warm body is pressing up against his side. He thinks he can feel a hand tangled in his hair. His fingers move slowly, feeling the carpet beneath him.
There are voices coming from the kitchen. "No, it's already too late," Itachi is saying. "They are bound lēof. The contract's complete."
"He's too young," Mikoto protests.
"It doesn't matter," Itachi says.
"Oh lord. What will happen with the Hyuugas?"
Itachi laughs harshly. "You'll have to call the engagement off. Obviously."
Mikoto sighs. "How did he even learn to do the contract?"
"I was going to asks you the same thing. You know how smart he is. Yet you've been leaving him here with a human for the past two years. Didn't you think he'd find things out eventually?"
"I have to feed," Mikoto says.
"Is that all you do?" Itachi asks. His voice is dripping with disgust. "I'm taking Sasuke," Itachi says. "He needs to learn how things really are."
"He's too young," Mikoto says.
"You can't hide him from everyone forever. The sooner he learns the better. Maybe if he has someone to teach him his curiosity won't get him killed."
"You can't take him," Mikoto says stubbornly. "Things don't have to be like that."
"They are like that, no matter how much you close your eyes to your own people's suffering," Itachi hisses.
"He's my son."
"He's my brother. And I won't let him be killed. The Knights could come for him one day."
"What about Naruto?" Mikoto asks quietly.
"I'll take care of him."
"You can't kill him," Mikoto rushes to remind him.
"Oh, I'm all too aware of that," Itachi growls.
Footsteps approach and the hand in Naruto's hair slides to his chest, his heart.
"He's mine." Sasuke's voice is thick from crying but it is steely.
"Sasuke, step away," Itachi commands.
"No," the boy says willfully.
"Sasuke," Naruto whispers. His eyes crack open. The light from the kitchen hurts. He squints and seeks out Sasuke.
"Naruto." Sasuke's voice cracks. "Are you okay?"
"'M fine now." He ruffles Sasuke's hair and smiles. It fades from his lips as he shifts his gaze from the beautiful boy to his stoic brother. "I won't tell anyone," he promises. "Just, let me come with you."
"You were listening," Itachi states.
Naruto nods. He sits up slowly, mindful of his aching wrist, and gathers his feet into a cross-legged position. "Let me follow you. I care for him." He smiles to Sasuke. Sasuke smiles back.
"I'm taking him away," Itachi speaks to Naruto. "You won't be coming." He picks Sasuke up and holds him to his chest.
"No!" Sasuke screams. "He's mine! He's supposed to be with me from now on! That's what it said!"
"Tell him goodbye," Itachi says gently.
"No!" Sasuke tries to kick and claw at his brother but Itachi ignores his struggles entirely.
Itachi looks down at Naruto. "For his sake, stay away from our world. You'll only bring him pain if you try to follow. Sasuke, we're leaving."
"No! Naruto!"
"Sasuke stop fighting," Itachi sighs. "We really have to get you new reading material. You are pathetic."
"Let go!"
Itachi tchs and drops him unceremoniously. Sasuke runs to Naruto and clings to him.
"He needs me," Naruto says with confidence.
"No. You are simply a liability." Itachi kneels down in front of them. Naruto eyes him suspiciously and not without some fear. Sasuke growls. Itachi smirks and in a quick strike bites into Naruto's neck. Naruto swallows a hiss of pain as his skin is pierced only to realize Sasuke is screaming. His young voice is filled with pain. Naruto yells and tries to shove the man away but it is of course useless. Itachi takes a long suck of blood and Sasuke passes out. Itachi releases Naruto.
"Do you see?" Itachi asks Naruto. His voice is hoarse, his lips coated in red. "You are nothing but a liability. He will feel this every time you allow someone to feed from you. If someone were to find out about you it would be disastrous. To both of you."
"I understand," Naruto says quietly. He hugs Sasuke close to him one last time before Itachi takes him from Naruto's arms. As they leave, Naruto's gaze is solely on Sasuke. The child is lying in his brother's arms. His hand is curled into a fist at his chest. His eyes are squeezed shut. It's the last time for many years that Naruto will see him.
a/n: this is actually a prologue/companion to another story but at the moment this storyline is complete. still working on the companion story.