Author's note: I'm sorry guys, I have a problem with being patient and if I finish my first draft I just want someone to read it so bad that I forget to correct so many things. Don't worry though, I promise I'm trying to change, it's just hard you know.
So I got a request for a seme Naruto, are all of you the same? The story would indeed contain itaxnaru and naruxita so don't worry.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this.
Chapter Four
Something tickled his forehead and he tried to swat it away but he couldn't move his left hand. Something heavy was on it. The tickling continued and he really really wanted to scratch it, he turned his head to one side to escape the feeling yet it moved to his ears and neck. He tried to say something but his throat was so dry and patched to his lungs.
"He is waking up, "someone said.
Itachi did not recognize the voice, it sounded gruff and belonged to a man. He tried to open his eyes and they wouldn't work. They felt glued shut and no matter how he tried he couldn't. Why was everything so foggy, he couldn't remember what he was doing here or how he got here or who he was. Nothing made sense. He started to feel agitated and that was not just because the tickling was still going on, he felt like he shouldn't be there, like something was wrong. What was wrong was he didn't know where he was, who the person or persons, as he felt someone breathing over his face and a hand fall on his head, were.
"I think his fever broke. "Another voice, younger and lighter than the first, Itachi would not be surprised if it belonged to a woman.
"Yeah, I would be worried if it didn't. "
"I'm so glad. You think he'd be hungry when he wakes? "
"Yeah I'm pretty sure he will be. I will go see if I can hunt something. "
"Don't go too far Zabuza. "There was worry in that voice that made Itachi believe this woman was most likely the wife or sister to the man.
"When do I ever- "he stopped for some reason and there was silence. "Yeah. Don't worry too much. "
When the man left Itachi felt the woman exhale, her clean breath ghosting over his forehead which had started to sweat. Her hand slowly glided a damp cloth on his Forehead, it was so soothing and though he still needed to know where he was and who they were and also do that thing that nagged at his mind but he couldn't remember what it was, he couldn't help his weakened body as it dragged him to the depth of a dreamless sleep that he somehow knew he did not deserve.
The next time he came to the feeling was gone, the tickling, replaced by warm breeze. He felt cool and refreshed but he still couldn't move his hand, he tried and a sharp pain tingled all the way to his head. A groan escaped his lips before he could help it, he didn't want the people that own this place, wherever it was, to know he was awake yet it had been too painful and it slipped out involuntarily. He tried his eyes again and thankfully this time they opened, he didn't know what he'd do if they hadn't, surviving that fall had not being his plan but neither was going blind. If he went blind now then he didn't know what he'd do, he just knew he couldn't afford it.
So his eyes opened and they stared at the white ceiling of what appeared to be a small room, he couldn't tell if it was somewhere familiar simply by looking at it so he tried to turn his neck, it hurt, dearly. He must have cricked it when he had gone back to sleep in a bad position. Still he struggled with the pain and managed to turn left. There was a door but there was no door, it was an entryway covered by a tattered looking hide of some animal he couldn't identify. It was definitely nowhere he's ever been that was for certain now. Which meant two things, he had been captured by those despicable but fear inspiring blue eyed vampires or he was in the house of a really poor person who may or may not be his saviour. He quickly ruled out the former because he couldn't imagine any blue eyed vampire living in such a place, not with the way Elfim was. That place only had things of quality that was the envy of every nation beyond light city.
Itachi saw movement behind the curtain and shut his eyes so that anyone who entered would not know he was awake. Someone entered the room and with him a refreshing smell, like butter milk mixed with something spicy. It didn't seem very womanly since when the person spoke it appeared to be the voice of the woman who took care of him when he first awoke.
Carefully, Itachi attempted a peek. He opened one eye up to a tiny crack but all he could see was the blurred version of the entryway. He opened it slightly wider and moved them a little to the left where a small looking man in short briefs and white shirt gone brown stood in front of a broken mirror tying his excessively long hair. The body started to turn and Itachi closed his eyes quickly.
"Hey, are you awake? "
Itachi wasn't about to answer, he stayed quite still and made his face remain slack. He heard the man exhale, "you should wake up soon, how long are you going to sleep. "
Itachi waited until it seemed that the man had left, the smell of butter milk taken with him. So the person he had thought a woman was actually a man. That was not reassuring at all. He started to seat up despite the world of pain that caused his left eye to tear up, he felt like his ribs were broken, his head had started to pound and now he was sweating and panting. He didn't think he could make it out of this room but he needed to try. He had no reason to think that man was not dangerous however kind he appears.
Itachi almost crumbled to the ground upon standing but caught himself on the bed which was actually made of straw. The pain on his left leg was blinding, a groan escaped his gritted teeth and he exhaled fast hoping it would cool the burning ache. He sat on the cemented floor and held his left leg, his brows furrowed at the sight of bandages wrapped around it. Was it broken? It must be, it hurt like it was. Now how would he leave this place with a broken leg.
Not to talk of leaving, his noise had brought someone coming in through the curtain.
"Are you alright? What are you doing up?! "The alarmed voice wasn't helping as the pain did not go down a notch. hands wrapped around his underarm trying to pull him up, probably back to the bed but he wasn't helping and the man seemed pretty weak. Was he really a man, he looked too good to be a man, Itachi tried to distract himself from the pain by taking note of the large frantic brown eyes and heart shaped pale face whilst the man struggled with his weight.
"Zabuza quick come help me! "
Another man hurried into the room, he looked like a thug, very much like the ones who went about bullying people in hunters academy. His dark brown hair cut short and he was wearing a dirty sleeveless shirt and a black torn at the hem trouser.
Itachi started to loose it when the man lifted him like he weighed nothing and put him on the bed. Itachi had the fleeting thought that the man was not from light city, he was too dark skinned to be, before he lost consciousness.
Once again, he came to. The pain had lessen to none and his eyes opened this time without difficulty. It was dark, there was no window in the room however the curtain was not letting in any light. Itachi stayed in that position for a while, a little afraid to go through the pain of moving. He needed to move though but he told himself just a little longer, he'd be ready. He wished he'd slept a little longer, no maybe he shouldn't have woken up at all. Why did he survive. That fall he had been certain would kill him yet here he was, alive. The pain he felt that time proved it so now what was he going to do. Obviously he needed to get out of there but then what, return to the village? What could be waiting for him at home. Sasuke, his mother...where they... were they even alive? Itachi shied away from the thought, he couldn't handle it. Is father was already dead, killed by the blue eyed vampires, if he thought about even the possibility that Sasuke and his mother were dead as well he did not know if he'd be able to go on. He'd not be able to continue living. Sasuke was only eleven years old turning twelve on July and his mother was frightfully ill, there's no way they could have escaped those vampires. Unless, he didn't dare hope but if they were not at the village the time it happened then... Itachi did not want to know and at the same time it was killing him not to know.
A light source, a candle most likely, came closer until the man he'd confused for a woman entered the room. He stared at Itachi for a while then a wide smile spread across his lips, Itachi did not see what was so good it excited that much joy.
"You are awake! "He seemed truly pleased and dropped the candle on the only table in the room near the moss caked walls. "How are you feeling? "
Itachi swallowed and opened his mouth to say something but his voice came out sounding like he had a strong dry cough. "Oh wait don't say anything I will get you some water "
like a breeze the small man flew out of the house and inside again with a clean cup of water. He wrapped his thin arm around Itachi's shoulder and fed him the water. It was refreshingly cold and had a sweet taste, Itachi wonder what it was instead of worrying about why it had such a taste.
After the man fed him all of it he set him down on the straw bed and pushed Itachi's bang From his face, it was a kind gesture and it stirred up Itachi's emotion. His mother used to do that for him when he was sick or about to sleep. It was a long time ago yet right at that moment it felt so vivid that Itachi had to look away to hide his emotions.
"Better? "
Itachi nodded and turned back again once he got his face back to his normal slack expressionless facade. "Thank you. "He said, his voice sounded dry and hoarse but his throat no longer felt like it was permanently glued shut.
"It's nothing. My name is Haku, do you remember yours? "
"My name is Itachi. "He paused for a moment, wondering if it was even necessary to ask but did anyway. Even if he wasn't completely grateful for being saved he still wanted to thank the man. "Did you save me. "He asked.
Haku had a warm kind smile on his face and Itachi honestly couldn't think of him as a man when he looked like that, he was too beautiful and gave off a motherly air about him. "Yeah, I saw you floating near the village so I did. You were hurt pretty bad. "
The way he said it made Itachi think he must know something. Something about him but he didn't know if he should ask. "Where are am I? "He asked.
"You are in Konoha, it's not far from Uchiha village. "
Itachi looked at him a moment longer and realized Haku must know who he was. "I see. Thank you, for saving me. "
"It's no problem, I'm practicing to be a doctor anyway and you are my first real patient."
Itachi looked at the man and couldn't find anything wrong with him, he was kind, warm and not at all a dangerous person. "How long have I been your patient?"
"Only over a week. You healed quickly, maybe it has to do with your hunters aura, it is really strong. "
Not nearly strong enough or he won't be in this position. To be so easily hurt by a fall down the hill, how pathetic. It did not matter that he survived that fall he should have just died there. "Thank you very much.
Two mornings later Itachi found he could walk with a stick, not very far or for very long but with this he no longer had to over stay his welcome. The thug looking man had come many times over those two days and though he had a disagreeable air about him he tried to be nice yet Itachi got the idea that the man thought of him as a burden.
When he walked out of the room he had used for one week and two days he realized that outside was a bust of life and activity. It had been so quiet inside that it came as a shock to see so much people walk-in about talking, buying, selling and so on. Houses just as small as the one he'd stayed lined the streets with half tents to hold their goods which they sold. In fact the one he had stayed also had one of those tents and it seemed Haku's main trade was on herbs and milk. That explained the smell he had on him all the time.
Itachi blinked away his discomfort at being in the mist of this much people and gripped the walking stick tightly before taking two more practice step outside the tent. Something crashed to the ground in front of him and hands, familiar thin ones thankfully or he was about to use his walking stick as a weapon on the person, wrapped around him. "Where are you going, you can't walk on that foot yet. "
Itachi looked down at the long hair that belonged to Haku and couldn't help the surprise. This man was excessively affectionate but He'd never held Itachi like this before. It was a little uncomfortable but Itachi bared with it. "I'm going home Haku, I told you yesterday. "Itachi said.
"You said you would go home but you didn't say it was today. You are not healed yet. "Haku raised his wide brown eyes and looked at him and Itachi almost sighed. He used one hand to pull Haku away from him and tried to smile.
"Haku, I have to. I'm grateful for what you've done for me but I can't stay here anymore. "He tried to sound calm and reassuring. What Haku did for him he'd never forget but he didn't want to be a burden anymore.
"Why not? No one is complaining, I don't mind taking care of you until you are back to full health. "
Itachi knew it was the truth. That there was such a person who would wholeheartedly give himself to caring for a stranger Itachi never thought such a person existed until now. He was grateful for meeting him and he would never forget Haku hence he must leave whilst he was not yet a burden. "I know but I must return home, there are things I must do. "
Haku looked torn. "But you are not healed yet how would you make it home by yourself. You don't even have a horse"
"I would give him one Haku so you won't have to worry."
Itachi found Zabuza standing beside the tent with his arms crossed over his chest. He spied Haku giving Zabuza a glare and he smiled. Over the two days he'd distracted himself by trying to figure out their relationship, the two men cared about each other yet they were not brothers and he couldn't say they were friends since they argued a little too much.
"No one asked you Zabuza " Haku said.
"Hey I'm offering. "
" I don't want him to go okay. "
"Why, he obviously wants to. "
Haku turned his gaze on Itachi and they seem to plead that he not go. Itachi smiled with what he felt was a genuine affection for this beautiful man. "I will be fine, I promise. "With that he followed Zabuza to where he kept his horses.
Apparently Zabuza traded in horses, he was also the second in command of this village. Itachi noticed the pistols he kept behind him in his trouser and had wanted to ask because even though he could feel the energy radiating from them he could not believe it. "Zabuza, I have wanted to ask but I never thought it was appropriate to but are those hunters weapons? "
He had Lost his sword after the fight with the Nines and it had felt like he'd lost a limb. He knew he'd need a hunters weapon if he was to travel back to the Uchiha village yet he was not strong to get one.
"Yes why? You think cause I'm not a hunter I don't got to own one. "Zabuza replied and turned his hard narrow brown eyes at Itachi. Itachi refused to flinch at that gaze and met it without so much as a bat of his eyelashes.
"No, I just wanted to know if they were and if so where you got them. "
Zabuza looked at him for a moment then turned away to start preparing the straddle for one of the horses. With brown fur and lean legs the horse looked strong and like a fast runner. It could even be one of the best of the bunch. "Yeah well I got it from the sorcerers mountain that's all I'm going to tell you. "He said.
"That's plenty."Itachi said and took the reins from Zabuza. If it was the sorcerers mountain then he must be from the Fire city. Itachi had always suspected as much and this confirmed it.
It was a struggle to get on the horse but he managed, standing with his right leg first before throwing his bandaged left leg over the other side. "Tell Haku I'm grateful and it was nice meeting you Zabuza. "He kicked the horse forwards and had to stop when Haku suddenly blocked his way, arms held wide.
"Haku what are you doing you fool that was dangerous! "Zabuza yelled and appeared to drag him out of the way.
"I'm going with you! "Haku shouted at Itachi and his eyes went wide.
"What! "He shared the same sentiment with Zabuza who had eyes wide and his hand clamped on Haku's.
Itachi did not comprehend Haku sometimes but this was too much. "Why? "He asked.
"Because you are my patient I know you are going to need me. "Haku said it in such a way that made Itachi realize he must know something.
"What do you mean. "He narrowed his eyes and looked Haku up and down with suspicion.
Haku shook off Zabuza's hand and moved to stand on the side of the horse. "You'll see ".he held out his hand to Itachi and Itachi did not know whether to take it, Zabuza obviously wanted Haku to stay and not leave with the stranger he saved and Itachi was also of the same mind but Haku had a stubborn look that said if Itachi didn't let him on the horse he would do something drastic. With a sigh Itachi reached out a hand to take Haku 's and pull him onto the horse.
The look of utter despise on Zabuza's face was more than he could take so he averted his eyes. "I will be back Zabuza "Haku said and Itachi kicked the flank of the horse to propel it forwards.
On horse back it took them two hours to get to Uchiha village or what was left of it. Itachi didn't stop at where the gate used to be where now lies a pile of burnt wood. He went straight for his home in the middle of the village forming a forked street.
At break neck speed they arrived and he almost forgot his bad leg to jump down but Haku stopped him short of that. The building itself, a one storey seem to be the standing but only just. It's roof was gone, damaged by fire and the walls were charred but they were made from brick so it did not collapse.
Itachi hurried inside as fast as his bad leg could go. He found it empty as he had half expected, but the blood, God there was so much of it. Dried and caked on the floor and walls. So many people died here, vampires don't leave blood, they turned to dust or lights in the case of the fullblood. This had to be the blood of someone. Itachi almost crumbled when he saw his mother's knitted scarf stained with blood but nothing broke him more than those two daggers stained with blood. He fell to his knees in front of them and panted as he tried to reach for them, his vision blurred and he couldn't take it, a groan escaped him.
"No... "he muttered shaking his head. He couldn't pick up the blades. They lay there within reach and they terrified him and made his heart break into pieces.
"No "he cried out loud, so loud because he feared if he didn't he would tear to pieces. He would burn inside out. They are dead? He didn't realize until that moment how much hope he still had in him until there was none and it hurt. So much. He couldn't help the sounds he was making as tears spilled out of his eyes.
Someone hugged him from behind and he turned subconsciously into it seeking salvation, seeking reprieve from the pain. Sasuke, Sasuke. Oh how could he have left them alone, he should have been there. His little brother, he was only eleven, he would turn twelve come... July. Sasuke, he is dead. So were their mother and their father. He had no one left. The blue eyed vampire took it all, they destroyed him. How was he going to survive this? How could he go on. He couldn't.
He felt someone rocking him side to side while saying things he couldn't hear but they felt good and his heart ached a little less. "You are not alone "he heard those words and he really couldn't believe it, dearly, he wanted to for what was he but a dead man walking if he didn't .
Hours flew by and an old woman came to speak with him. She showed him where she and the survivor's buried their dead but she was not sure which was Sasuke and his mother but they showed him his father's. The survivors had gone to the place of battle and retrieved the bodies of the fallen.
Itachi fell to his knees in front of his father's grave and looked at the one they'd titled as his grave. Apparently they thought he died with the others and Itachi did not try to correct them. He might as well be. He knelt there for hours until Haku came and dragged him away. He didn't put up much of a resistance.
As they returned to Konoha, Haku's village, Itachi said nothing. He could only think about what he should do now and he couldn't help that his mind returned to that battle fought on the hill. It had gotten dark whilst they were still on their way back. Itachi decided he'd go once he got to Konoha, he'd go to Elfim. He didn't know what he'd do but he would find out once he got there.
"I'm leaving for Elfim tomorrow. "He interrupted whatever Haku was saying and met the brown eyes.
"Going for revenge? "He asked.
Itachi did not know, was there even a way he could get revenge. Those monsters could not be killed.
"I hope you know how futile that is. Why don't you stay here until you've finished mourning and think about this a little more. "
"I'm going "was all he said and Haku must have heard the finality in his voice or decided to take up the argument another time but he didn't say anything else. It no longer mattered what he thought, it was the decision he'd made and nothing would change that.
As they arrived at the village Itachi noticed something was amiss. The busy road they had passed was void of people and the lights were turned off.
"Something is wrong "Haku voiced his thought. He sped up their horse and arrived at the center of town. Itachi sensed them then, Normals.
"Haku get off the horse slowly and find somewhere to hide "he said with a dispassionate voice and hoped Haku would not question him and just do what he said.
Haku did exactly that and Itachi got of the horse too, he didn't have a hunters weapon but something sharp would do. He scanned the place and found an axe buried in a log of wood just as he started for it the wind picked up and two Normals had leaped into the opening.
Hissing with their fangs on display they were disgusting.
Itachi twisted his lips and leaped for the axe, he turned just in time to bury it into the head of the first Normals that leaped at him and when it fell Itachi ignored the complains of his broken and still healing leg did a quick turn while pulling the axe out the Normals head he swung it upwards and buried it through the chin of the other Normals that had run towards him. He pulled the axe from the vampires brain and looked around to see more had gathered. He suddenly felt good. Despite all the pain, both physical and emotional he was going through his body was on fire. A blood thirst for every vampire that walked the earth but first he planned to start with these ones. He counted about fifteen but it didn't matter. Come at me, he begged. Let me use all of your as a warning to every vampire that lives. Come.
They did and Oh it felt good to bury that axe into their flesh and rip it out. The sound, the blood. It was euphoric.
By the time all fifteen or was it twenty, he had not counted, had died he was sopping wet with their blood and of course when their body turned to dust so did their blood. His face blackened with it.
He flung the axe aside and turned to see Haku and some other witnesses look at him with various levels of horror. It probably had to do with the way he had killed those vamps, torn them limb from limb. They must have thought he was crazy, maybe he was Itachi thought. He just about had enough of those vampires.
"Haku, Zabuza is... "someone was whispering those words to Haku and Itachi saw the man's face go white before he took off in a run without so much as a look Itachi's way.
When Itachi finally made it to where there was a large crowd everyone seem to want to stare at him and at the same time keep their distance. He find he didn't mind so much, he didn't want to be touched by anyone anyway.
Itachi found a gap open for him as soon as he came close and soon he found Haku holding a bleeding Zabuza. It seemed his wound was from the neck even though there were cuts in other places.
Itachi narrowed his eyes, had he been bitten?
His eyes scanned for something sharp and he found those hunters weapon, the pistols Zabuza had being carrying on the ground. He walked towards them and picked them. When he turned towards Haku he found the man staring at him with wide eyes, he could see the fear in them. Why would Haku be afraid of him all he just wanted to do was kill Zabuza before he turned which he would after being beaten by a Normals. Itachi pointed the gun at the shaking body and suddenly Haku was in front of him hands wide.
"No! Don't kill him "he cried.
"I have to, he is going to turn into a vampire soon, it's the only way to stop it. "Itachi said.
Haku shook his head. "No, please. "
Is it that Haku did not understand or was he being intentionally ignorant. Itachi said nothing but continued pointing the gun, he'd not let a vampire live that was his resolve. He would never forgive those damned blue eyed vampires. Not one of them.
"Kill the king and they all die! " Haku shouted, Itachi could see the desperation in his eyes.
"What "he asked without moving his lips much.
"You want revenge right? If you killed the king of the blue eyed vampire they all die. "
He is lying. Itachi had never heard of something so ridiculous. He had read books after books of the Nines and who they were what they do but nothing about the king being the key to their death.
"What are you talking about? "
"I heard it, from one of the blue eyed vampires. He said that their king was their life source that's why they never let him out of the castle. It's too risky to let him out. "Haku said quickly.
Itachi thought about that. It didn't seem like Haku was lying just to get him to not kill Zabuza even if that was the point but it felt surreal. Just kill the king? It can't be that simple yet it was worth investigating. It was true about the king of Elfim being locked up in his palace, never coming out once but no one ever related it to that being the reason. Itachi exhaled and dropped his hand. "What will you do? "He asked.
Haku swallowed "I will take care of him, please... just go to Elfim like you said you would. "He said.
Itachi looked away from those eyes that seemed about to cry and nodded. He wondered if it was too late to say thank you. If Haku would even appreciate it after what just happened.
"Tell him I will be taking this. "He held up the pistols. "It's no use to him now anyway "he turned and started down the road wanting to turn back and look one last time at the person who comforted him at the time of his pain but he didn't. He tucked the pistols into his inner coat and thought of what route to take to Elfim. He decided to cut through the forest of light. It was quicker, he'd be in Elfim in four days tops on horse.
To be continued...
Author's note:
So here is chapter four done. I hope it was good. Please send me your feedback, anything at all to boost this Author's engine. Thanks for reading. Till next time;)