THIS IS A YAOI FANFIC! AKA: BOYxBOY AKA: IF YOU DON'T LIKE DON'T READ!

Gah, I hate starting off my nice little authors note with nothing but screaming crap people should clearly know when click on a "romance" story, and searching for "ItaxNaru" and then messaging me and saying "ewwww nasty." Ha if you don't like it then don't freaking search for things to complain about! ….

But on a positive side! Thank you to all my reviews! I was so surprised when I posted my last chapter and the next day, BAM tons of review alerts! 3 you all make me feel so loved! Haha thanks for the glomp. Tee hee you know who you are! And the constructive criticism!

So I hope I have improved from your criticism:3 but any way…please enjoy! And remember to RxR!!!

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A Crimson Red Lies Within The Snow!

Chapter 3

The tension grew fierce between the two of them. Naruto still had his back pressed against the door. Praying for some way to run and be free from this nightmare. His breath hitched Itachi stepped closer to him. Those crimson eyes trying to read his own. The sudden courage Naruto had felt only moments ago had quickly vanished, and fear flooded his body as his eyes became dazed.

"Don't fear me, Naruto." Itachi coaxed as he let his fingers slide playfully Naruto's cheek. Naruto shivered, the cold emitting from his fingertips burned against his warm skin. He was speechless; there was no reply his body could muster.

"I mean you no harm." Itachi cooed as he etched forward, catching blue eyes in a trance. Naruto was mesmerized, that gentle voice, those delicate touches. Surely this could not be the man sent to take him away?

Itachi gave a small smile, "funny how it was only hours ago you couldn't stop talking," why did his voice have to be so soothing and inviting? Naruto relaxed a bit at the thought, he blinked once or twice before looking over Itachi's face. He seemed flawless. His eyes were what caught his own first.

They were intimidating, yet sincere at the same time. He hadn't even noticed Itachi's face had gotten closer to his own. His concentration was broken when he felt those icy fingertips slowly graze across his lips. Breathing unevenly he felt heat rush to his cheeks, he shifted a little when itachi let his fingers leave his lips and return to the warmth of his cheeks.

Itachi let his arms drape over Naruto's head, becoming parallel to each side of his small frame. His hands pressed against the wall as he leaned in close enough to whisper into Naruto's ear. "Say Something, Naruto-kun…" his velvet voice pleaded.

Naruto felt his heart skip a beat. He opened his mouth to say something, but felt a gasp rush out instead. He hadn't even noticed he'd been holding his breath. 'Say something! Anything!' His mind yelled. He would do anything to hear the voice. So kind and gentle, just once more.

He swallowed to try and ease the rush burning throughout his body. "You're," He paused as he tried to gain composure. "You're not going to, kill me?" He asked in a hushed whisper. He could hear Itachi slowly inhaling and exhaling, his warm breath tickled his ear. "No." Itachi whispered back.

Slowly Itachi leaned back to look at those blue orbs. He moved his head so the tips of their noses touched. He placed one of his hands underneath Naruto's chin. "You saved my life, I'm in debt to you." He smiled for a moment, closing his eyes and tilting his head so their foreheads touched. "No one has ever shown me that much kindness."

If Naruto was red in the face before, he looked like a tomato now! "B-but-" Naruto stammered as he tried to add it all together. His mind quickly raced back to the previous night, when he'd been running for his life, carrying a helpless crow cradled against his chest.

"Why?" Naruto finally asked as the scene quickly faded and his head had been pulled back into reality. "Hmph." Itachi let out a soft laugh. It was elegant and almost whimsical. "You already know the answer." He teased trying to remind the flustered boy.

He Slowly shifted so he could stand up straight. He glided across the floor and stepped into the light emitting from the moon, casting itself across the apartment's floor. "You saved me, and now…" He made a slight half turn as he sent a smile towards Naruto. "I'm your slave."

Naruto, still woozy from the contact from Itachi stared in disbelief, he thought he was hearing wrong. 'Slave?' his head began to spin. He staggered forward, grabbing his forehead he thought aloud, "Why would I need a slave?" He was dazed. What was this man trying to do to him? Was he just messing around with him? Was this some kind of joke everyone had planned for him? He couldn't really tell for himself anymore. He could only feel his knees begin to wobble as he tried to make sense of it all.

Itachi's smiled quickly faded as he turned fully around to face a baffled blonde. "Yes." He said with a small nod. Itachi couldn't help but laugh as he watched the hundreds of mixed emotions play across Naruto's face.

Naruto contemplated for a moment, why would he Uzumaki Naruto, need a slave? He'd been self-reliant all his life. He'd never been treated so, so…kindly in his entire life. No one dared to come anywhere near, let alone touch the so-called "monster."

Itachi let out a small sigh as he watched Naruto argue with himself. Returning to his rescuer he cupped his chin with his right hand. Naruto immediately snapped out of his self-argument. His heartbeat doubled its regular pace. Was Itachi going to kiss him again?

Itachi let his thumb stroke his cheek as he tilted his head to the side and traced Naruto with his eyes. Naruto felt his heart jump into his throat. He could feel the beats pounding in his ears; he wouldn't be surprised if Itachi could hear it as well. His eyes grew wide as Itachi leaned in with a dazed look on his own face. Leaving his face mere inches away from his own.

"I suppose if you ever needed anything, maybe wanted anything?" Itachi's voice melted the last bit of self-awareness Naruto had. "A-anything?" Naruto mimicked. Itachi gave a slow nod and continued smiling. Just looking at Naruto's flustered face gave Itachi the satisfaction he wanted.

Naruto struggled to keep his head on straight. Why on earth was he feeling all these emotions? He never had before, but he liked it. The sudden impulse, the way his face got hot when he heard Itachi speak to him. It made him feel invincible against the world.

Itachi chuckled. He took a few steps closer to shorten the gap. Pulling Naruto's stare from his chest up to meet his own eyes. His blue eyes were glazed, and his cheeks were a light pink. Placing his other hand on the side of Naruto's face, he bent down and tilted his head to the left. Naruto's chin still caught in his grasp.

Naruto felt just as shocked as the first time, he saw Itachi's face coming down at his own, his eyes were closed and his mouth slightly open. Taking a deep breath he closed his own eyes, and waited to welcome those lips that he'd be separated from earlier.

The gap grew shorter and shorter; he could feel Itachi's breath tickle his lips. They were seconds away from the smell of each other's fragrance when a loud knock on the door could be heard.

Naruto jumped as he pulled away from Itachi. Snapping out of his daze he looked at Itachi with fearful eyes. The worry and fear suddenly washed Naruto's bliss away. Itachi looked a bit hurt, Naruto could see it in his piercing eyes. He reached out to touch him, trying to make amends for the sudden separation. But Itachi merely backed away and let his form shrink down into that little crow Naruto adored.

Another loud bang crashed against the door. "Hey dobe! Open up! Hurry!" Several thuds followed after. Naruto gasped, "Sasuke." His voice trembled; he turned to face his old friend. The crow took flight and soared across the room onto Naruto's shoulder. Naruto looked at him with pleading eyes as he begged for forgiveness. But instead the crow nipped his ear to remind him of their rude intruder waiting at the door.

Seeming to get the signal Naruto hastily ran to the door and opened it to find sasuke with his smug smirk across his face. "Geez you really are a heavy sleeper!" He said as he pushed past Naruto and let himself inside. He crossed the room until he was in the middle of the floor.

"Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked still dazed from earlier, as he closed the door behind him. Sasuke didn't take his tone into to much concern; he thought he was still groggy from just being woken up. "Oh I just happened to be in the neighborhood and-" Sasuke stopped when he saw Naruto giving him the, 'shut up I know you're lying look.'

He sighed and let one arm fall to his side as the other stayed firmly on his hip. "Okay, so I really just wanted to see if you were ok-" but he interrupted himself again as he saw the crow nestled on his shoulder. "A Crow?" Sasuke questioned as he walked up to get a better view of the bird. The crow's feathers began to stand up on end as if it were a cat or something. Naruto jumped in surprise, Itachi really must not like sasuke.

Sasuke stopped and jumped in surprise as well to the crow's reaction. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Guh, it's an ugly thing anyway!" he yelled back defensively. Naruto glared at sasuke. How could anyone say something so poorly of Itachi? "What's with you?" Sasuke asked as he folded his arms over his chest again. Naruto just huffed and folded his own arms and threw his nose up in the air. The crow seemed to be laughing at his reaction.

Arching an eyebrow sasuke let out a sigh of anger. "Look you don't have to get all defensive it's just a stupid bir-"

"It's not stupid." Naruto Interjected as he let his eyes send an icy glare towards sasuke. A shiver ran down sasuke's spine. Why did Naruto always get him with those damned eyes! Those thrilling, baby blue eyes. "I saved him the other night." Naruto said smiling as he gave the crow a little pat on the head. "Saved him?" sasuke said, suddenly interested.

Naruto nodded as he played with his fingers, "uh-huh." Sasuke looked surprised. He gave another look of shock as he realized that that's how he must of gotten hurt the other day, when he wouldn't even tell him what was wrong. "All that for a crow?" Sasuke said in a tone disgust, trying to mask his admiration of the charitable act.

Naruto winced at sasuke's words. He made it sound like a bad thing. "Yes." Naruto said as he hung his head, like he'd suddenly become ashamed. He felt the crow shift on his shoulder. He turned to meet its gaze. The crow's head was tilted to the side; it waddled towards naruto's face as it snuggled against his neck and the base of his jaw. Naruto became a bit more relaxed as he turned to see Sasuke's grimace smacking him right back in the face.

"What?" Naruto said a bit annoyed with sasuke now. It really wasn't like sasuke to come here in the first place anyway. "Tch, nothing. Just make sure you're on time tomorrow." He grunted as he walked past naruto again and quickly left out the door.

"What's with him?" Naruto said somewhat confused as to his sudden leave. But it didn't seem to matter any more. He was there with his little crow again. His best friend.

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"Gah the nerve of that idiot! Saving some bird that could be carrying salmonella! Tch, with his luck it wouldn't surprise him." Sasuke yelled furiously as he kicked away rubble that was randomly lying on the streets. Why did he have to come tonight? Why couldn't he have just waited till tomorrow?

He sighed, he knew that that wasn't the thing that was really bothering him. The thing that was really bothering him, was that Naruto hadn't said a word to him about his daring rescue. Not like he expected a full fledge confession from him, for past reasons at all. But not even bragging about it to him? It just baffled the Uchiha. "I just wish I could get inside your head you moron!" he said rubbing his temples.

He quietly walked up to his doorstep, taking one last sigh he entered into his eerie house. A home he had to enter and feel nothing but fear, depression, and hopelessness. And it was all because of his brother, "That bastard." He spat out as he climbed into bed. Letting his hatred brew even stronger as he drifted off into sleep.

A smile was left on his face when he'd finally found slumber. That smile was left to remind him that one day he would kill that man, no matter what the cost. He would kill Uchiha Itachi, if it were the last thing he ever did.

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Holy freakin crap I think my brain just exploded! D: But it's an update! So HOORAY! Please tell me what you think:3 Member to RxR! xD thanks and have a great day! Oh and BTW happy single awareness day yesterday! I hope it was full of mushy crap:P lol. Later!

cheetle