Centuries

Silver's Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. We hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 10

Anko had done her research since Orochimaru gave her the assignment. If she was going to grab the Uchiha, her best way to do so would be to go through Kakashi. The middle of the family tree so to speak. Sasuke's childe and Itachi's Sire.

So here she was at a bar that she knew Kakashi favored from her research. "I'll have a glass of AB Negative." She smiles at the bartender as she waits. The dress was somewhat modest by her standards, but certainly getting attention. Small sleeves that bared all of her neck and her arms, which was considered by many vampires to be as erotic, if not more so than subtle hint of cleavage she was flashing in the slinky black dress that hugged all her curves, and only covered her to mid-thigh. After all, if one was going to catch a large fish...one had to use the proper bait.

It was still a little early, of course, for the older vampire to be arriving, but the bar that catered to supernaturals was already ablaze with life, lights, and more than a little alcohol. Or blood, as the bartender was pouring. "Warmed, chilled, or straight?"

"Just straight is fine." She smiles at him as she idly tapes her foot on the floor underneath her.

"Alright, here you are." It was something of a courtesy offered to the vampires here, since some preferred their blood on ice, and others preferred it…at ninety-eight point six degrees. And generally, when dealing with vampires, it was best to just ask. They could get violent if they were given their blood wrong.

She nods and sips it as she looks around. "Thank you." Anko wasn't here for a drink, after all. She had a job to do. No matter how distasteful she might find it.

And it was precisely eight minutes later that a head of silver hair made itself known in the bar. An arbitrary time for a man who most certainly marched to the beat of his own drum. Before then proceeding to toss the drum down a flight of stairs. And as he found himself a table, his usual table, his first action was to wave over one of the serving staff, and…as anyone could have predicted, start flirting.

"Well at least it was reliable." Anko thinks to herself. He was a flirt. "OH NO! MY DRESS!" She wonders if the other information was reliable. It was a shame to get blood all over her new dress, but if he was anything like his records indicated...Kakashi would come to help.

She felt a little bit guilty about making the bartender out to be a klutz, but it was that or pretend to trip. She didn't really feel like making the other vampire think that she couldn't handle walking on her own...so she had gone with this option.

Reliable he was, with his hearing as sharp as a dog's. "Are you alright, Miss?" He could tell that she was a vampire, even without the obvious smell of blood everywhere. He notes the overturned glass, and the blood drenching her dress. Well, at least it was a black dress, though it would take forever to get the stain and smell out.

"Oh yes, I'm fine." She sighs as she looks down at her dress. "Well at least it was black, I suppose." Yes, her information was definitely accurate.

"Because heavens forbid that a vampire wear white." Kakashi smiles mischievously. The vampiress was likely only a few decades his junior, young, but not so young that she would have her Sire hanging about.

She laughs at that. "Yes, white wouldn't be very practical for our kind." Anko smiles at him slyly. "Besides, I was never the pure type I'm afraid."

Now there was a woman who knew what she wanted. "Well, I can't say that I've ever been the type to deflower young ladies." He did like his partners to be a bit more on the…experienced side. There was just more to do that way.

"Well I'm certain that will depress many a young maiden, but their loss might be my gain?" She smiles at him. "I'm Anko."

"Kakashi." Well, this was a promising start to the evening, even if the woman had blood spilled all over her dress. "I can't say that I've seen you here before."

"You wouldn't have." That much was true. "It's actually my first time in Los Angeles." She smiles at him and places her hand on his thigh. "I'm here on business, but who knows…I might be able to mix in a little pleasure here and there."

"That so?" Kakashi chuckles. "So, should I expect an overprotective Sire to come out of the woodwork any time soon and try to take my head off?"

She shakes her head. "I doubt it. He knows that I'm a big girl now." Anko smiles slyly at him. "I can put on my own stilettos and everything. All by myself." She caresses his cheek. "Of course, I don't mind someone else helping me to take them off or showing them off if the right vampire comes along."

"The right vampire?" The thought almost made Kakashi laugh. "What about…the wrong vampire?" His hand rises to cup her chin, tilting her head a little to the side. "Would they get to see you work those stilettos?"

"Maybe, though he would have to be the right kind of wrong." She smirks at him. "I rarely go for women. They tend to be a bit on the catty side for my liking."

Ironic, but he'd take it. "Well, if you'd like to inspect to make sure I'm not…I think I could sit still for about…a minute." Sue him, Kakashi's patience was worse than Itachi's.

"You are quite the confident one, if you want me to inspect you here." She nips his ear playfully. "I'm very thorough when I make such inspections."

"Is that so?" Intriguing… "Then I think I could find a more…appropriate place to conduct such a…thorough inspection. And, of course, what sort of gentleman would I be if I didn't offer to return the favor?"

She smirks at that and nods. "Indeed. You wouldn't be much of a gentleman at all, I suspect." Well Orochimaru had said to bring Itachi to him, and Sasuke, if possible. But he'd never specified she couldn't have some fun along the way.

Fledglings. An absolute pain in the ass. Always so annoying and entitled, and fond of challenging their elders! They had no respect these days!

Sasuke was…in a word, fuming. Itachi just…had a way of getting under his skin, and it made him extremely uncomfortable. As if Sasuke would ever let a baby vamp… No, absolutely not. Sasuke still had his pride. And not to mention the fact that…immortals were off limits. If he got attached to one…it just wouldn't be fair to either of them.

On the other hand, Sasuke finds himself shoving his face into his pillow, twitching as he tries to ignore just how worked up that damn baby vamp got him. The curse of being an eternal teenager…hormones that never went away. He was stuck. He would never grow out of it.

Fuck…

"I know that I'm risking getting my head bitten off for this, but I gotta ask." Suigetsu materializes in Sasuke's room and sits on his bed. "What's got you so pissed off? I could hear your flailing from my room."

Sasuke turns his head slightly, red glowing eyes peering out from behind dark hair. "What has me pissed off is that people seem to be forgetting that I'm a demon of a vampire with a body count in the thousands, that they should be running the hell away from, instead of trying to tease or 'fix' me."

Ah. So that was it. "The baby vamp pissed you off, huh?" Suigetsu shakes his head. "Well, it's only natural that your Childe and Grandchilde wouldn't be scared of you." They were family. "Pretty sure I know what happened. Itachi has some kind of thing for you. I guess he likes the types that might bite his dick off?" That must be it. "You pulled your usual persona and knowing the fact that he's related to you, he's probably a proud asshole." Very proud. "So he tried to pull rank on someone that he couldn't pull rank on and now, you can't beat the hell out of him because he's kinda family and you wanna fuck him anyway."

…Sometimes, Sasuke really HATED Suigetsu. "I'm not going to fuck him." And Sasuke did NOT like having people try to pull rank on him. The only one who could do that was…Indra. And he hadn't seen the ancient vampire in decades. "And he's not kind of family. Legally, his last name is Uchiha." Whether Itachi used it or not.

"Alright. I didn't realize you were a romantic." Suigetsu shrugs. "Make love, whatever you call it." The whole family dynamic was weird. "My lover is half succubus. You know she's been going on and on about it for the past few days. This weird thing you two have." He didn't get the whole being able to eat sexual energy thing exactly, but whatever. He rolled with it because it meant he was one happy merman.

Of course she had. "Itachi is attracted to me." Attracted enough to become jealous, at least. "And I can't indulge in it, even if I wanted to." He was a ticking time bomb, and if he got involved with someone…and it went somewhere, he'd end up breaking their heart. "So tell Karin to just suck it up and shut up."

"I don't see why not." Suigetsu rolls his eyes. "I know you're intent on riding off into the sunset, but he already met you. Whether or not you become lovers…at a minimum, he's losing a family member."

"…Then there's no reason to make things worse than they already are." Sasuke sighs, eyes dulling a little. "He'll have Kakashi…and whatever I can teach him." Which was preferably as many of the clan's traditions as possible. "He'll…be fine without me."

Suigetsu knew it was stupid, but he swats Sasuke anyway. "Well if you're so sure that he doesn't need you any more than he needs Kakashi, how about you prove it?" It was a gamble, but in the worst case scenario, Sasuke would get some extra blood in his system and it wasn't like he could get much more hopeless than he was now. "Unless you're scared of losing a bet with me."

Twitch. "I'm never scared of losing a bet with you. You just make stupid-ass bets that are utterly ridiculous, and completely pointless."

"Then you've got nothing to worry about." Suigetsu smirks widely.

Ruby eyes glare at Suigetsu challengingly. "This had better not be stupid." Though with the merman, that was usually a given. "What were you going to try and goad me into?"

He smiles at him slyly. "Biting Itachi or at least nipping him." Suigetsu chuckles. "Make up an excuse, if you have to. Say it's some crazy welcome to the family ritual, if you're skittish about it, or that you're hungry. Either way, he'd probably let you. See if he's your bloodmate and if he's not, well he'll get over you eventually riding off into the sunset. A decision that I still don't support by the way."

"There isn't going to be a sunset involved, dumbass." Honestly, what was Suigetsu thinking? There was no way, that after four centuries of…nothing, that Sasuke's perfect mate was going to just drop into his lap. It was improbable, at the very least. "Besides, what makes you thin that Itachi could ever be…" No…it was impossible. And holding out hope would just be deceiving himself.

"It's a one in a billion, well over seven billion chance." Suigetsu smirks at him. "You're too scared to take those odds?"

Sasuke's eyes flash angrily as he sits up. "Fine, if it'll shut you and your banshee up!" There was nothing more annoying than when the merman and the succubus were in cahoots with each other. They had a habit of making Sasuke's life rather difficult.

Suigetsu smiles. He'd won. "Good." He had so totally won. Sasuke just didn't know it yet!

Annoying. Utterly and completely annoying. What the hell did Suigetsu think he was playing at, making a dumb bet like that? "Damn it…" Sasuke was so close to just turning the merman into sushi. It would serve the idiot right.

And you know what? If Suigetsu wanted to propose something so stupid, then Sasuke would do it on his own time. Fuck Suigetsu's expectations, Sasuke wasn't going to rush into anything. The last time he rushed into something…people died. He didn't want Itachi to be next. Couldn't…have that kind of blood on his hands.

They were far too filthy anyway.

Sighing, he wanders into the library, looking for something to take his mind off of unpleasant things. He had some newly recovered texts to go over. He could always brush up on his Heian Period Japanese and get back to work on translating those…

Little did Sasuke know it at the time, but Itachi was already in the library, more specifically, he was looking up historical firsthand accounts from some vampires who were even older than Sasuke. Surely, there had to be something he could do to tug him away from the edge.

Unfortunately, such accounts were few and far between, and most of them were on the older side, the vampires who wrote them…conspicuously absent. The further back you went, the less there was to find. What could be found was…scattered, fragmented, and written in old languages that had only been partially translated by a ninja's steady and determined hand.

"He's already read this." If it was useful, Sasuke would have already made use of it. "Dead end." There had to be something he could do, though.

Halfway across the library, Sasuke sighs. "I've read almost everything in this library." Sasuke's ears had twitched at the sound of Itachi's voice, not having sensed his presence at all. He wasn't sure whether to be alarmed or impressed. "I've been working on translating what I can." But it was a very difficult endeavor. "What are you looking for?"

Itachi almost jumps out of his skin when he realizes that he wasn't alone. "Whatever you haven't read then." It was depressing, but maybe there was something he could use. Something he could use to help Sasuke that his grand-sire had missed.

A strange request, but if Itachi really wanted to read obscure texts… "Indra left a journal around here somewhere. I hadn't gotten around to translating it. There's a few dictionaries lying around if you feel like helping." It was a tome older than even Sasuke was. "He got it from the west a few decades before turning me. Just look for the thickest leather-bound book you can find."

"Alright." Itachi nods, feeling a bit better about that prospect. "I'll get started then." After all, Indra was even older than Sasuke and he seemed sane enough. Maybe. "Out of curiosity, does Indra have a bloodmate?"

Sasuke pauses, before collecting his books and moving to one of the many worktables, one that gave him a better view of his descendant. "I don't know. He's never confirmed or denied it." And eventually, Sasuke had stopped asking.

He would have said something, if he was Mated. "Oh I see." Indra was older than Sasuke and he had no mate. He wasn't thinking about ending it all. So his insight would prove invaluable! Well at least that's what Itachi hoped.

"He has a brother in Scotland, and was turned over fifteen hundred years ago." Even to Sasuke, Indra was something of a mystery. "He's the only person I know who has killed more people than I have. And he has a habit of disappearing with Asura every few decades." Sasuke flips a page, pulling out a blank book, beginning his translation of the very first page of a text on Heian Period philosophy.

Two vampires running around together who were well over a thousand years old. "They must be close then." The mind certainly boggled at the possibilities.

"Depends on the century." Sasuke's hand moves quickly, splaying characters neatly across the page. "Asura's descendants mostly live in Scotland, have for over a thousand years now. There's a few hundred vampires from the Uzumaki clan living there." Of course, there would be more, except that only some of the clan elected to be turned. There were two branches of the clan, and it was only once a decade or so that someone elected to join the immortal branch. The Senju branch of Asura's descendants…had not elected to become immortal like their cousins. "You've met Naruto, haven't you?"

"I've met him once or twice." Itachi pauses as the image of a rather bubbly blond comes to mind. "Kakashi is fond of him."

"Yes, I seem to remember those two getting into a lot of trouble together." And it was more than a little annoying when Sasuke had to go and drag them home before they did something stupid. After all, Kakashi had been a very young vampire, and Naruto was overly energetic, and extremely persuasive. "Anyway, the Uzumaki are Asura's descendants, just like the Uchiha were Indra's."

"So Naruto is my cousin in a way?" Interesting. "So you had family besides me." Even if it was more distant.

"…I suppose, if you go back fifteen centuries." That was a little far removed, even for Sasuke. "I only met them for the first time when I was your age. And they're…" how could he put this delicately. "They're good people, but they're not Uchiha. They left Japan a long time ago. Asura's blood is the only reason they're really related to us at all. They kept the name of one of Asura's children, when he was still human, but they've thoroughly assimilated with the natives." How else would you get a 'Japanese' clan of redheads?

"So they're definitely Scottish then." For some reason the idea of a bunch of red headed vampires was an amusing one to him. "Alright then."

Sasuke sighs, resting his head on his hand. "Anyway, the journal should be…" Where had he tossed that thing again? "Right, in the Moon Room. That's downstairs." It's where he kept most of the materials regarding supernatural species. "You should be more comfortable in there." He'd renovated and designed it himself just for vampires. It was dimly lit, with white lights, instead of ones that gave off a sun-like yellow glare. And it's a place that Sasuke would sometimes retreat to…if he wanted to lose track of time.

"Alright." Itachi smiles at him. "Don't work yourself too hard." Which, knowing Sasuke, was a very real danger.

"Hn." Sasuke's hand goes back to work, eyes flashing from the book, to the dictionary, and then to the page he was copying the text to. There was still work to be done, no matter how tired he was.

He was the most stubborn vampire that Itachi had ever met. He was clearly going to have to check on Sasuke after awhile. If the man was still mortal, he probably would have worked himself to death long before now. "I'm the baby vamp?" Itachi rolls his eyes at the thought. "He's the one who doesn't know how to take care of himself." Well more like he didn't care to do so, Itachi mentally corrects himself as he steps into the Moon Room.

The theme of the moon room was just that, a starry sky decorating the ceiling overhead, with a large circular stand in the middle of the room, sitting over an even larger circle of white on the floor. On it, a similarly circular mattress, covered in black silken sheets and a plethora of pillows. Around it lay stacks of books and scrolls, and a desk pushed up against one wall, shelves scattered around the rest of the room. It was even equipped with a professional grade bar, likely stocked to the brim with alcohol.

"He wasn't kidding." Itachi blinks at the rather extravagant room as he sits down and prepares to get to work.

The large, leather-bound tome sat on top of a dusty pile, the cover weathered, and the pages yellowed with age. Ancient. Older, even, than Sasuke. It was thick and heavy, as though decades of knowledge was stored within.

It almost felt like some kind of blasphemy to touch it, but Itachi did. "Let's see if he left us anything useful." He muses as he slowly and very gingerly flips through the ancient pages.

December 4th - 1603

The child was turned today. I had planned on waiting a few years, until he was fully grown, however that thrice-damned snake forced my hand. No matter, he is still in excellent form, and will prove to be most capable, I'm sure.

He accepted his new identity as well as could be expected, but appears melancholic. His attention is fixed on that mask. Curious, and perhaps a quirk to investigate at a later date. For now, he must learn to feed properly. Once he has, it may be safe to allow him to leave the castle. He seems to object to being confined, however, has accepted that it is for his own good.

It is strange, having a childe after so long. I had nearly forgotten what it was to be a father. But I am certain that with time, the boy will come to have affection for me, and I for him.

"That's actually touching." In a strange way. It was likely the closest to paternal feelings that a vampire of Indra's age could have come to. "Well it looks like I'm on the right track." He flips another few pages, scanning the contents one by one. They largely detailed daily life, and the ways that Indra was raising Sasuke to be a good vampire ninja.

January 2nd - 1604

Sasuke is becoming restless. The Shogun has granted permission for Sasuke to remain with me without the need for compulsion, however, Sasuke still feels the pull towards Edo. It may be prudent to take him out on a hunt to calm his nerves, else he risks running away in the middle of the night to pursue enemy forces.

I sometimes ask him to tell me of his own hunts, how the humans train to hunt other humans. He's a bright boy, with a healthy thirst for blood, great strength, and unwavering loyalty. He is capable of following orders precisely and swiftly, and has the disposition for giving them in return. He will make for an excellent protegee.

"Again, touching." Even if a bit disturbing. "Hmm. That doesn't really help with now though." Itachi needed something to help motivate Sasuke not to just quietly fade off into history. But there was so much more to read.

July 21st - 1610

He has returned from yet another mission for the shogun. Sasuke is often gone, masquerading as the vicious, bloodthirsty assassin known as Taka. He is the winged creature that haunts the country. However, in those rare moments when he removes the mask, I see the child he once was. He wishes to visit his family.

I have told him that it is inadvisable, as they would know that there is something gravely wrong with the boy. The boy should be a man, well into his third decade, however, he remains an adolescent, a child. He believes that simply wearing the mask, and concealing his face from them will allow him to approach them. However, I doubt that they would so easily overlook the fact that he has not grown in seven years.

It is a worrying thought, that he might grow disconnected from himself, from his own identity. Therefore, I make sure to impress upon him that he is an Uchiha, and that is something to stand by and be proud of. He knows his duties, and so long as he holds true to them, he will survive. I fear for what might happen should the world change once more. He is young, adaptable, yes. But the child loves too strongly.

I fear what may happen, should his heart be broken.

He sighs at that. "Well his fear wasn't unfounded." So that was what had gone wrong. Indra had drilled into Sasuke his ninja duties too hard and when their family died, he couldn't process it. "Damn it." He flips his way through the book, searching for an answer.

April 7th - 1617

Sasuke strength grows by leaps and bounds, as does his foolishness. He foolishly believes the tales of destined mates…unquestioningly, readily. He is a romantic, it is as clear as day, however this girl that he is enamored with is no blood mate.

I have attempted to bring the affair up with him, but he refuses to listen, calling me an irritating old man who knows nothing about what lies in his heart. And…perhaps I am old, but I know more than he does…the pain of deceiving oneself.

Though I wish that this happiness would last, I know well that it will not. And coddling the child will only make future disappointment worse. Some says…I find myself wishing that I could hide him from the cruelty of the world, but that would diminish his knowledge, his independence, his strength…and ultimately his value as well.

Telling him of the old stories was a mistake. He believes that finding your one and only is so easy, and that even one of our kind could simply grab hold of happiness. It is…not nearly so easy as he believes. I have tasted the girl's blood for myself, and there is no difference in the taste. It is simply excellent blood, not the divine sweetness of a destined mate's.

I must be sure to contain the damage when the boy discovers the truth for himself.

It was hard to imagine Sasuke as a romantic. "I wonder who she was." Someone had clearly captured Sasuke's attention at least for a time back then. "Well maybe, there will be something more useful towards the end." He flips the book until he was only a few pages from the last entry.

September 14th - 1645

Sasuke is drifting from me. He disappears on the word of the new shogun for days at a time, returning drenched in the scent of blood. His control is flawless, of course, but he is withdrawing from me.

I believe that it is because his father has died. Sasuke left to stay by his father's bedside as the man died. And remains even now to attend the ceremonies. His siblings are aware of his…condition, his parents were just as aware. It will remain a family secret, to be shared only with whomever sits in the seat of Shogun.

However I can see clearly that the boy's heart is wounded. He is learning the curse that comes with being like me, like all of our kind. To remain the same as those you love age, grow sick, and die around you.

He continues to visit the flower cities. I believe that he finds sympathy and comfort among the oiran, who so often see their fellows passing on. His few attempts to find a mate for himself have each failed, and he appears close to giving up the venture.

Perhaps I should have taken his older brother, the third of Madara's children, and turned the child as well. Then, Sasuke might not feel so alone. He has an incredible capacity for love, but in hiding his face, and keeping his secrets, he isolates himself even from others of our kind. He feels no connection to them, and is far too used to the human way of things.

He informed me that he will be leaving to take up residence in the Shogun's home once again. He intends to become nothing more than a ghost. And he is at an age where I cannot, in good conscience, stop him.

He walks a path of blood and death and darkness, and has yet found no light with which to sustain himself. It is a path that I once walked. But Asura…he is my light. I can only hope that one day, Sasuke finds his.

Itachi frowns at that. Indra had seen it happening in slow motion, while he lived with the aftereffects. "Is he really too far gone?" If he had been that way since 1645... Or was it a periodic bout with melancholy that gripped him and released Sasuke at random?

"Itachi?" Sasuke glides down the last few stairs silently, dark eyes searching for his descendant, whom he found sitting on the bed. "Is Indra's journal really that interesting? You've been down here for hours." He couldn't see how anyone could stomach reading that long about what was probably a book full of Indra's political machinations and ways of manipulating the shogunate and the imperial court.

"Has it?" He smiles at Sasuke. "I must have lost track of time." He rises to his feet as he strides over to him.

"Clearly." Sasuke rolls his eyes, eyeing the book suspiciously. "So, does he admit in there that he was the one behind the death of General Totoyomi?" He always did kind of wonder…

"Perhaps he does, but if so...I haven't gotten to that part yet." Translating did take some time. "I'm afraid that translating that dialect to English will take some getting used to."

"At least you're not translating the Heian texts." Sasuke sighs, shaking his head. "In any case, it's getting late, and you haven't eaten yet."

Itachi smiles at him slyly. "Was that an offer?" If nothing else, he could keep Sasuke from doing something stupid by irritating him.

Sasuke bites back a scathing retort as Suigetsu's bet comes to mind. Maybe… He rolls his eyes and snorts quietly. "Are you that hungry?" He hadn't seen Itachi drink any blood since getting here, so maybe the young vampire really was getting hungry. …Well, it's not like he'd never done that with Kakashi.

"I haven't been feeding that much recently." Itachi found that his irritation, infatuation, and concern for Sasuke had eclipsed almost everything else.

Great, Sasuke had a hungry baby vamp on his hands. "Hn. And you chastise me for not drinking as much as I should." His fingers tug on the zipper that trailed down from his jaw to his shoulder, unzipping it halfway. Part of this was actually funny, in a way, though. "You're going to end up as spoiled as Kakashi…"

He rolls his eyes at that. "I doubt that will prove to be the case." Kakashi was Kakashi. "That vampire truly is one of a kind."

"Yes…he is, isn't he?" Sasuke chuckles softly, approaching Itachi, before stepping around him and sitting on the bed. "You're not a messy eater, are you?" He tilts his head to the side, eyes fixed on Itachi as he exposes his smooth, pale neck.

"I'm an engineer. I don't really do anything messy." He assures Sasuke as he sinks his fangs into the other man's neck.

Sasuke flinches slightly. It had been over a hundred years since he last allowed someone to feed on him, and Itachi's technique left…a fair bit to be desired. "Do you usually drink bloodwine, or feed from humans?"

"Mostly bloodwines. I wasn't aware that you required the gentle technique that feeding off a human mandates." He chuckles as he laps up the blood and then he stops laughing at his grand-sire's sulking. He'd only tasted a drop or two before and it had been incredible, but this was on a whole other level.

"It's not my fault that I'm sensitive there." Rolling his eyes, Sasuke runs his fingers through Itachi's hair, pulling him off slightly as he readjusts himself, breathing to loosen the muscles. "I at least hope that you wait for the poor humans' muscles to relax before just going in like that. But I suppose you're a bit you to have developed more of a personal style of biting."

"I'm very gentle with humans." He looks up at him after retracting his fangs to speak. "I figured an ancient vampire ninja would be able to handle a love bite." Itachi smiles at him teasingly as he licks the mark. "I should go easy on my elder, I suppose but just so you know, you taste really, really fucking good." He half purrs and half growls with pleasure before going back to drinking.

"Smartass baby vamp…" Sasuke grips Itachi's hair, hard, shivering at the feeling of Itachi's tongue against his skin. "I haven't done this in over a century, so forgive me if I'm a little sensitive to being bitten like a SHARK."

He chuckles at that. "Well I suppose it runs in the family." Itachi continues drinking from him. "Being a smartass and a predator. You fancy yourself a hawk. So I may as well be a shark."

"Hawks are…cooler." Sasuke blinks, a few spots dancing in his vision. Itachi was drinking…a lot. "You really like the taste of my blood, huh?"

"Such a vain hawk, but I suppose it is to be expected when you have such exceptional feathers and blood." He licks the bite mark soothingly before drinking a little more.

"Yeah…" Sasuke sighs, his eyelids growing heavy. He leans his head on Itachi's shoulder, feeling kind of light-headed. "Do you…feel better, now?"

"Much better." He smiles at him. "You can drink from me if you want, I know that I drank more than I probably should have."

It was tempting, but… "I'm okay." He wasn't and Sasuke knew it, but he didn't want to take advantage of Itachi. "It's not so bad." Sasuke had felt a lot worse when he was first weaning himself off blood. The numbness would go away soon enough.

Itachi tilts his head. "Alright, if you're sure. I really don't mind though." It was only fair. "It's not like you could actually hurt me by taking too much."

"Hn…" Sasuke groggily opens his eyes, the color flickering back and forth from onyx to ruby and back again. "Suigetsu…made a stupid bet…said…I should try drinking…your blood. …Stupid asshole…" That merman knew that Sasuke didn't drink from people anymore.

"That does sound like Suigetsu." Itachi shakes his head in amusement. "Well I can't in good conscience be the reason you lose your bet, can I?"

"…" Sasuke's eyelids begin to slide shut again. "…You're an idiot too…" Still…maybe just a little wouldn't hurt. He was running pretty low on blood as it was. He glides his lips slowly along Itachi's neck, barely noticing the soft, spicy scent of Itachi's skin. His tongue pokes out, gently caressing the pale skin there, before he grazes just above the vein with his fangs, sucking on the skin a little, sensitizing it, before slowly sinking his teeth into Itachi's neck.

He shivers slightly, but not from fear. Definitely not from fear. "Yes, I suppose that runs in the family too." Itachi manages to still himself though as Sasuke bites him.

Unable to muster the energy to glare, Sasuke notes that chocolate seemed to be a family thing too. Milk chocolate, sweet grape and strawberry wine, and with a snap of cinnamon and nutmeg. Sweet and rich and spicy. And…it suited Itachi. It tasted…like nothing Sasuke had ever tasted before. He could get drunk off this blood, easy.

Itachi sighs in pleasure at the feeling of Sasuke feeding off of him. He'd never really let someone feed on him before. Did it always feel this way?

So good…but somewhere at the back of his mind, Sasuke knew he had to stop indulging. He could hurt Itachi badly if he didn't cut himself off early. No matter how good the young vampire's blood tasted. So, he retracts his fangs, licks up the last few drops of blood, and leans tiredly against Itachi. "…You're not getting out of meditating, you know."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He smiles at Sasuke. "I think my Sensei would be very displeased with me, if I was to skip my lessons."

Smirking softly, Sasuke huffs amusedly. "Smartass…" Sleep…sleep was good.

"I must take after you then." He shakes his head and pushes Sasuke down. "You really should get some sleep."

But the old vampire was already out like a light, not a sound coming from him, and not a single twitch either. Just the shadow of a smile on his face.

Itachi smiles as he pulls the blankets around him. "Well that's better." At least he didn't look nearly so tense now. A decent meal had probably done him some good.