III - Reasoning

He woke up with the image of the boy in his head. A tiny little bundle, quiet, crying only when hungry or utterly distressed. He loved him as any parent loves his child, but at the same time it was so hard to accept him. He became a better man than he ever was. That was unacceptable... because such a man would be lost when the Mugen Tsukoyomi will start. Now he waited for the full moon. He had the eyes he needed; he had Pein at his feet.

The only one still standing in his was was that son of his.

In order to protect something, one must sacrifice something else. Be it friend, sibling... or child of mine...

Madara laughed bitterly as he took up the mask to hide the hideous face that was no longer his. This body belonged to a boy that he 'harvested'. Good genes, but that unfortunate boulder fell onto his face and right half of the body. This corpse wore the name of Obito, but it's mind was no more then a toy for the legendary Uchiha's, trapped in a eternal genjutsu that only he could control and so Madara endured, outliving everyone he met in his life... except that child, but he'll meet his end soon enough.

No more sleep for him tonight.

He ventured silently, cat-like, to the veranda. To his surprise, the Akatsuki leader was also there. Pein greeted him with a gentle, almost caring, smile and the reincarnated soul skipped a bit.

He put this on his precarious mental state, thinking of a past that weakened him.

"Mind joining me here?" the girger kept up that sweet expression.

"Of course..." but with this a fear of being submissive grew inside him and a hole made it's way in his stomach, reducing the organ to a tiny, suffocated sack.

"I didn't want to trust you, Madara. But I don't know... I find your presence reassuring. I found the man to enforce my decisions and conviction. And to think that I once killed you. Kukuku. We're both strong men that will sacrifice to reach their ideal."

Those words... They stirred like a fire inside him, a violent, hungry flame that consumed this body. They made him sick. He was the strong one. HE WAS THE GOD!

The Uchiha turned to the side, catching Pein's both wrists and forcing him to the wall.

"Don't talk to me about trust, about reassurance or the irony of it all. You don't know what I've sacrificed boy to reach where I am. You call yourself God. You got here because of me, because you bear my eyes. You unworthy prick. You had nothing! Even before me! You took my son's eyes! Don't talk to me about sacrifices! He sacrificed more than you ever did! WHAT DID YOU SACRIFICE FOR THIS! Your body? Maybe those piercings are just a form of masochism. Your family? When did you ever had to face your child in a fight, or the one you loved so dearly and wore your seed inside her!? WHEN PEIN! WHAT DID YOU EVER SACRIFICE! Not even your love! You take that young Uchiha for granted, seeking comfort in his arms only when you feel like it, leaving him in other's hand otherwise. He's sick! He's dying! And you couldn't care less. And not even for you precious world peace or organization! WHAT DO YOU EVEN CARE FOR YOU ARROGANT SON OF A BITCH?!"

The ginger's rinnegans were wide open in absolute horror. A hideous frown darkened his face and with one thrust of that body Madara was shoved from his side. Shinra Tensei.

"I never did say you weren't a man of sacrifice, Uchiha. But I am a man of sacrifice! I had absolutely nothing! when you got none what is there to be sacrificed beside yourself?! AND I DID THAT! This is merely a corpse! A husk of what i was! but it is in it's perfect form! and you can't say you're in the same instance as me, Madara. That is not your body. We're both monsters. One of us maybe more. I do admit that. But we're on the same page. And thinking that we got have the same ideal. ..." Pein got closer, kneeling beside the man and gripping his wrists the same way he had them caught moments ago. "You make me desire more."

The raven haired laughed darkly in a powerful outburst. "Do I?" Madara caught the palms holding him and twisted his legs around the ginger's ones, so that when he'd turn the other's body will hit the floor. The shock of being tossed to the ground made the Akatsuki leader release his grip. He caught the opportunity and sat atop him, pinning his shoulders. "Such an ungrateful brat. But yes. We are alike Pein. Much less than you would think, but we are alike. I'm interested in what kind of desire do I spark within you boy." With a wide grin he moved his hips back and forth atop Pein, intentionally rubbing his crotch. His smile widened as he felt Pein getting harder and closing his eyes as he did so. "Oh, in that way you meant. In the end what more can you wish. You have the whole world at your feet, including someone to love you. But you still want more."

Madara's expression turned bitter with disgust.

The ginger didn't let him leave, pinning his hips where they were, using the immense force invested in him through the rinnegan.

"You can't say you didn't want more yourself. You are here now, although I killed you. You want me. You need me. For what I don't know yet. But I will find out. You're far from your pride. You're an old lion with your prime gone, but still pretending to be a king." With a grin growing on his lips Pein used his ability to manipulate gravitational force to make Madara's body thrust as it did before. "We're on the same page. Madara, however you think you own me, you don't. But it applies for me as well. I can't own you. That's why..." his pierced hand stretched and grabbed the Uchiha's belt, opening it. "... you spark desire in me."

***

"Itachi..." Pein spoke up next morning, waking up next to the brunet. He caressed his skin, brushing away loose strands of hair. "Why do you love me?"

The Uchiha smiled: "It's not something that I can actually explain into words, but a feeling deep down. But above that, you offered me the warm embrace I was missing and a resolve to the haltered I seeded in my brother. You kept me whole. I can't thank you enough for that."

The leader sighed, remembering how, from love for Itachi, he took over the fight right after the older brother fainted, taking him to aid as quick as possible and explaining to Sasuke what were his siblings' intentions, leaving the impression he might have already sacrificed his life for him. And so the last Uchiha survivors came at peace with themselves and Sasuke went to see the world with eyes unclouded by hate.

Recalling the events of last night and the feelings evoked by this little talk they shared, Pein understood he can't give up to neither of them: there were two different shades of love and he needed them both. On the other hand, now, he would have wanted a better lover for Itachi... but he quickly brushed of that feeling, he was as good as it could get.

A knock at the door disturbed their intimate moment.

"Pein, we need to talk." It was Nagato. He was pissed, but trying to keep his calm about it. he knew him all too well. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

And shamelessly he barged in. Itachi tried to make himself presentable, while Pein stepped out of his sheets completely nude.

"If you weren't who you are, I would have blasted you to pieces."

The red-head was unfazed by his leader's threats: "I will not compromise what we're reached because of you and d-... Madara. I will not tolerate you falling to Madara, do you understand?"

The tone of the one recently named Uzumaki woke in Pein an anger he never before witnessed. he tried using Shinra Tensei to pin Nagato to the wall, but the man responded with an equal attack.

"YOU DON'T COMMAND ME!" the ginger burst out loud.

"Neither do you. The rinnegan you have is mine. I know everything you do, I can block all of your attacks and I can defeat you if I wish to. Don't forget that eye was a gift, because I didn't want you to die before me. But worse than dying before me, I can't you have subdued to someone we have already defeated. If you do this, I swear, it won't end well for neither of- "

"Nagato. Pein." Itachi spoke up, interrupting both of them and while the ginger got consistently pissed as this conversation went on, the red-head's stark expression melted and, sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair. "I believe you can get to an agreement without using violence or drastic measures."

"Yes..." the Uzumaki agreed. "Pein, all I ask of you is that you don't meet my father so often. Most notably, not in the way you did last night. Excuse me and my rudeness, I am very thankful for your forgiveness, leader-sama."

Itachi was the one to smile and pardon the man: "Apologies accepted."

It was clear Pein was boiling, and that with this his wrath will turn against his beloved Uchiha as well, but the brunet knew how to take it.

"You can't pardon him for me." he growled.

"Pein, if you go on like this, you'll lose both of us, and however much to care for Madara he can't be your most trusted adviser, loyal friend and lover as well."

The ginger's rinnegans gape wide open. "You..."

"No, I don't know what happened last night between the two of you, but I can think for myself. Do you really think Nagato would have been like this otherwise. Madara is his father! and he's not in the most pleasant relationship with him. Seeing you getting intimate with him must have disgusted him beyond anything."

And Pein felt pity, sorrow and regret all at the same time, filling his mouth with a disgusting taste of guts.