There were vampires around him, but he wasn't afraid. He could almost feel their curiosity as they stole glances at him throughout the meeting, though they were pretending to keep their attention on the youthful blond as they debated politics. They had to keep up the lie that Deidara had told to avoid treachery, but Itachi was quite happy to be included in the Master of the City's council. He listened closely, feeling comfortable in the room next to Deidara, taking notes.

The two of them had arrived back in Germany only a few days before. It was still early in the evening when they had arrived back in the castle and as they made their way from the car to the castle, he had been flattened to the ground by a huge grey wolf who hopped around him, licking his face happily until a few other wolves, nearly twice its size, hurried up yelping in a chiding sort of way. The grey wolf wagged its tail and bounded off.

"Guess Rose missed you," Deidara had whispered with a grin.

Itachi had gone to visit her in her room first thing in the morning, bringing her the presents he had brought for her – Italian candy and cookies, art paper for water colors and a few fashion magazines. She was thrilled about them and had him sit at her small table and made him a cup of tea and they tried the sweets together while he told her all about his trip – though he avoided nearly all of what had happened and focused on the sightseeing and showing her the pictures he had taken.

"Itachi?" Rose began after they had sat in silence for a little while doing their school work at her little table. "What's a Human Servant?"

Itachi looked up at her curiously where he had been copying down notes from his history book. She was looking at him with her green eyes wide and her head tilted to the side, like a dog listening for something far off… a dog… a wolf. "It's a human who has a special connection with a vampire," he explained to her. "Where did you hear about them?"

"People have been talking since you went to Rome," she said quietly, as though she were worried someone was listening at the door. "I can hear them, even though they whisper." She gave her ear a little tug. "They don't talk around me, but I can hear them when I'm in the hallway."

"Who?"

"Sam… and … and Grey and Kit mostly," she said a little regretfully. She then sat up straighter in the manner that children do to appear more adultlike, nose turned up disdainfully. "I think they're jealous and being stupid! Why is it called 'Human Servant' anyway? I don't want to be someone's servant."

"I don't know, Rose, that's just what vampires call it," Itachi said quietly. "I don't want them to be jealous of me… it's not that big of a deal…"

"If it is something important, I think you're better suited for it anyway," she said giving her hair a flip importantly. "Because you don't let Deidara run all over you like they do." She gave a little giggle. "They're just being silly. Don't worry about them!"

She hadn't meant to worry him, but it still made him feel uncomfortable. The other humans were still friendly to his face, hiding their jealousy, but he could sense some animosity from them still. He was new, why was he getting this special treatment? He didn't think any of them knew what a Human Servant was any more than he did, but he had to play the part. One of the things he now had to do was join the blond at his meetings and take notes because Deidara hated doing so. It made him happy to have a job for the blond, even though he had had to remember many different rules and laws that were, in part, common knowledge among paranormal creatures; on top of that, he had to do it all in German which was intense practice for him. Luckily, Deidara was able to explain things to him later even though he gave the appearance of not listening well.

The vampires on Deidara's council were polite to him, though most didn't speak to him. They all seemed older than Deidara, though he wasn't sure if they were older when they were changed or lived as vampires longer than Deidara. Sitting around the table, it looked as though Deidara were a school boy getting scolded by the school's administration rather than consulting business transactions. He imagined none of them were too pleased to be working under someone who had the appearance of a teenager, but then he remembered Deidara's anger in Rome. Not even the council had challenged something like that.

That night they were discussing passage of other non-human travelers who wanted to pass through the city either as tourists, while they were passing through. One of the vampires wanted to tax them higher, charge them payment to bring in more money. The tax would apply in addition to other fees to any paranormal creature that wanted to move into the city until they established loyalties with Deidara. This would bring in more profit to the city, and also minimize situations if the visitors couldn't control themselves. There were six vampires in the room with them, Deidara was sitting at the head of the table, slouched sideways in his chair. To his right were a man and two women; opposite them was another woman and two men. Itachi was sitting upright in a chair next to Deidara with a notebook in front of him, jotting things down that sounded important or he didn't understand.

Listening to the discussion, Itachi frowned over his notes. As the man sitting diagonally across him finished his argument, Itachi drew breath to counter what he had said, but quickly snapped his mouth closed and tried to become invisible. He had become so comfortable, he almost joined in as though this was a classroom and he was welcome to speak up. He hoped no one would notice, but all seven pairs of eyes turned to look at him, the vampires missing nothing.

"Sorry," he mumbled, but Deidara nudged him with his elbow, indicating he wanted to hear what he had to say. Swallowing thickly, he glanced up at the waiting vampires and spoke. "I… I don't think raising the taxation and fees are a good idea."

"Why is that?" one of the women asked, though her tone was curious not challenging. Itachi recognized her as the first vampire who had snapped at Rose when he had first arrived. She seemed formidable, a cross school teacher, but now she seemed more intrigued than malicious towards him.

"Well," he started, digging the tip of his pen into the paper before him. He glanced at Deidara who was looking up at him patiently and took a deep breath. "The city itself already pays taxes to the City Master, right?" There were a few small nods around the table. "If visitors who put money into the economy are being taxed more to enter, less people will come in like you said, but it will put a strain on the businesses who thrive on visitors. I think it would cause more of a financial problem in the long run. And Deidara is only in charge of the vampires here… if he tries to take control over other paranormal creatures wouldn't there be a revolt? And… if it's a matter of safety, that's for the city's residents, the vampire ones, who is in charge of that. Wanting to cut down for that reason just sounds lazy and I don't think it qualifies as an argument." It was the longest speech he'd given in German and he felt proud, but also a little uncertain as the man narrowed his eyes at him, but Deidara burst out laughing.

"He's seen through you," a woman said to her neighbor, chuckling as the others joined in.

"That's not the point," the vampires growled at Itachi. "What would you understand ab—"

"He understands just fine," Deidara purred around his laughter that was dying into a snicker. "And I agree with him."

"OF course, you do," the vampire muttered. "You'd agree with anything he—"

"I agree with him because he's right," Deidara said, not unkindly but in a matter-of-fact tone. "Your argument would mean that you expect me to take responsibility for all the Non-humans in the city and Itachi is right, it would be a disaster, un."

"You already rule over the dogs," the man across the taxation vampire.

Deidara's glare sharpened. "Don't insult the wolves like that," he growled. "I don't rule over the wolves. Our relationship is good faith."

"What good is good faith," the vampire grumbled.

The blond gave the table a good kick that caused the table to jab into the vampire's chest. "You'd be surprised how helpful werewolves and witches are," he glowered. "We don't take advantage of other creatures here. I'm taking your suggestion off the table. Anything else?"

"Is anyone sending their humans into the world this autumn?" the blond woman at the other end of the table asked. Itachi listened curiously as the vampires began listing names of the humans who would be staying with them and where the others would be going. He quickly jotted them down, trying to organize them by which vampire they belonged to because he hadn't yet learned the names of any of the other vampires' humans. There were a few who were going to travel for a vacation, some going to college, but a number were staying in the castle with their vampires.

"Jack is going to France to study," Deidara said when it was his turn. "Kit is staying and so is Wes, but the others haven't decided yet, un."

"And your Human Servant?" the formidable black-haired woman asked, smiling at Itachi.

Deidara tilted his head back to look at him, fingers twisting the bangs that fell from the loose pony tail. It was a curious look, asking him if he wanted to leave or stay. He had a choice? Was he allowed to go out? "I'd like to stay with Deidara for now," he answered quietly.

"I look forward to seeing you around the city then, and hope you enjoy the seasons changing," she said, her smiling growing friendlier. "I think that is all for tonight."

Itachi folded his notebook up and settled back in his chair as the vampires stood, nodding their heads to the two of them before leaving. He wondered if they had ill thoughts towards him behind their politeness or if they were alright with him being among them. Maybe they were just indifferent. He couldn't tell and it made him nervous because he didn't know how he was supposed to act in this fake role of his. He stared down at his notebook, thumb rubbing over the soft skin cover that made it look ancient, but it was newly purchased for him by Deidara when he asked if he had wanted to join him in meetings. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Deidara looking at him and turned to see him peering at him from over the arm of his chair, body twisted in an awkward position. His eyes were dancing in his head and he wasn't even trying to hide his face splitting grin.

"Yes, I want to stay," Itachi sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He felt, rather than saw Deidara inch closer, sliding like a cat onto his chair with his arms wrapped around Itachi's midriff. "Is everyone gone?"

Deidara climbed up to rest his chin gently on his shoulder, silent for a moment or two then nodded. "Yes, they're gone," he said, his fingers gently petting his chest in a way that barely bothered him anymore. "What's wrong?"

"What are you going to do if they find out I'm not your Human Servant?" he asked in a quiet voice. The blond hummed quietly and slid his fingers under his shirt, not doing anything improper, just feeling the warmth of his skin; he hadn't thought of anything yet. Itachi's lip slid between his teeth to chew, the small pain bringing a clear thought to his uncertainty. "Wouldn't it be safer for you to just make me your Human Servant for real?"

The blond sat up and stared at him, shifting to the floor so he could rest his chin on his knee. There were a million things on Deidara's face; Itachi couldn't shift through them to read a single one. Finally, the blond spread his fingers delicately over Itachi's knees. "That is a very… heavy thing to propose, un," he said, keeping his eyes on his hands. "It can't be undone. You could die becoming one, un… I don't want you hindered because you're worried about vampires rising against me." He gave Itachi a small smile and stood up, offering his hand to Itachi. "I don't want you to be unhappy. Let's get you a snack before the sun comes up, then I'll put you to bed."

He watched Itachi give a little sigh before taking his hand and standing. Deidara blinked and stared down at their hands as his human began walking towards the door and he hurriedly followed, trying to suppress the happy grin that wanted to explode all over his face. Itachi had never taken his hand before. Sam and Grey were in the kitchen, separately making their own food. They both looked up and greeted them before returning to their meals. Itachi let go of his hand and went into the fridge to pull out leftovers from his earlier dinner while Deidara heated blood for himself.

"How did the meeting go?" Sam asked, stirring her bowl of food.

"Itachi told them off," Deidara said, grinning around his cup. He glanced at Itachi as the brunette choke a little as he tried to swallow and protest at the same time. "Some of them thought I should tax all non-human visitors and Itachi set them straight, un."

"It just didn't seem logical," Itachi muttered, turning his back to them with his ears a little pink to eat the remainder of his sandwich.

"It doesn't," Grey said with a smile, sitting down at the kitchen table. "It's good that you're confident enough to speak up now. You were really shy when you first came here."

Itachi's face turned a little pinker and he seemed to be trying to turn invisible, but didn't reply. "Deidara," Sam said, munching on her salad. "Kit asked me to tell you she wanted to see you. She seemed pretty insistent."

He looked over at Itachi who glanced back at him with a reassuring nod. "I can go to bed myself," Itachi told him.

"Alright," Deidara sighed, giving him a gentle poke in the back as he turned to leave. "Good night, you three."

He wasn't an idiot. He could smell the discomfort in the house. The animosity. The restlessness. He knew what Kit wanted to talk about because he could smell her emotions even though she was so good at hiding them on the outside. He listened to the distant voices, the hum of the modern electricity. Some of the vampires scorned the accommodations having lived in a time before them, but he was intrigued by the evolution of society. He stopped in front of Kit's room, closing his eyes to listen through the wooden door. Kit was someone he could always find, having spent decades with her. He had never had a human as long as he had had Kit. He still remembered when he found her, living on the streets and dressed as a boy in Finland. Her hair a reddish blond and her eyes pale as their ability to see deteriorated. A girl going blind would have a difficult time in her world, but a boy could still do work that didn't involve selling her body. He could smell through her disguise, a woman's scent even though her appearance was flawless. He had been hungry, and he fed on her, ignoring the marks on her body that showed the struggle of her twenty years of life had brought her. She had begged for death, but he hadn't wanted to kill her. Instead he gave her his blood to help her recover from the feeding and when she awoke, it was with a startled cry. The blood from his arm and the venom of his fangs had renewed her sight. She could see and no longer begged for death, but requested that she go with him. She would do anything for him, she insisted, work as his servant, she was good with numbers.

Sixty years she had been with him. She had been 21 then, and barely looked thirty save for the whiteness of her hair. Her eyes remained perfect and she kept her promise, working for him and traveling with him until he had settled as the new City Master here ten years after they had met. He could feel her in the room, unhappily sitting on her sofa in front of the fireplace. She didn't look up from her book when he entered and shut the door behind himself. She turned her nose up and pulled her book closer to her face when he walked his fingers onto her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked, giving her a pout and climbed over the back of the sofa when she didn't say anything.

"How are you?" she asked, turning a page.

"Fine," he replied, settling down next to her. He waited, but she continued to read her novel. Octavia Butler. "Kit," he complained, pouting at her and poked her shoulder again. "What is it?"

"Have you forgotten about us?"

He tilted his head and leaned forward to put his face between her and her book, but her hand came out and gently pushed it out of her way. "What do you mean?" he asked, sliding closer and giving her shoulder an obnoxious poke. "Why would I forget you, un?"

"Just a fun new toy, huh?" she questioned, turning a page.

"Kit—"

She turned to him and he cut himself off as she deliberately put a bookmark in and set it down. "You made him your Human Servant," she accused him. "I heard from Belle and Markus. If you wanted a Human Servant, why didn't you choose one of us? We've been with you longer than him. We know more—he's a child. Vampires don't usually trust humans enough to make the exchange."

"Is that so," he mused as he leaned back against the sofa. "I wasn't aware."

"You're full of shit," Kit grumbled, sliding up to straddle his lap. "You don't trust us humans at all. You make us so desperate for you that we'd never hurt you. We're so weak there wouldn't be a point to a Human Servant. We're enough to let you connect with your humanity."

"Is that what I'm doing?" Deidara asked with a little chuckle, sliding his hands up her waist. "Trying to connect with my humanity?"

"No," she finally laughed, leaning down to kiss his neck. "You haven't got any left. I love you anyway," she assured him. "But does Itachi? He didn't like you at all when he first came here, I don't know why you brought him here."

"You've never disliked the humans I've brought home before, un," Deidara muttered. "I brought him because I like him, just as I liked you, just as I liked Sam and Grey."

"He doesn't appreciate what you are," she said, pushing his hair back off his face. "You still warm yourself up before you go see him, don't you? You don't have to with us. You don't have to pretend. We were better."

"I don't like you speaking ill of people in this house. You're all mine, Kit, un," Deidara sat up a bit, but she placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled her shirt off, pressing her warm living skin against his own cold one.

"I care about you," she said, pulling him closer. "I'm worried something will happen to you because of him. Am I so terrible for being worried about you?"

"I guess not, but be nice to Itachi, okay?" Deidara frowned a little as she kissed him.

"Don't you trust me?" she asked, tugging at his own shirt.

"Yeah I trust you," he said with a little smile as she kissed him again.

Despite the fact that he had told Deidara he would go to bed, Itachi didn't feel tired just yet. He had been staying up later and later these days, but he still made sure he was awake for his lessons with Grey and snack and play time with Rose. He still felt a little anxious about having spoken out during the meeting; Deidara seemed pleased, but it wasn't his place. If Deidara expected him to keep talking, he was going to have to study more to gain more knowledge of the topics they were covering. The library was where he went, grabbing books on politics and finding his favorite chair to sit by the large fireplace that was now lit nearly all the time for him.

He wasn't sure where to begin. He was only a high school student and never studied specific classes like university level. He had chosen a few about politics and a few about vampires, hoping to find something on Human Servants in them, maybe something that would give him some idea of what it was like to be one, what he was supposed to do as on. He wished he could ask Tal, but he was terrified he would say something wrong and give away the lie. How did one become one? What did it feel like? Could he change his mind? No, Deidara said no, he couldn't.

Staring down at the book without reading it, Itachi clutched the book tightly. The way Deidara had made him feel when he drank the blond's blood caused him to believe that he could survive being the blond's Human Servant for real. Maybe. What was a Human Servant? It sounded simple when Deidara had explained it, but if that were true the blond wouldn't have looked so serious. He just didn't understand how being a Human Servant was different than the other humans who lived and worked for the vampires. He enjoyed feeling wanted by Deidara and wanted to help him more, show his appreciation. Maybe Deidara didn't want a Human Servant, maybe he just didn't want him as a human servant.

"Itachi."

Looking up, he stood and gave a nodding bow to the black-haired vampire at the door. "What can I do for you, ma'am?" he asked, a little nervous. None of the other vampires had ever sought him out before, or spoken to him without Deidara present.

"I just wanted to talk to you before you went to sleep," she said, taking a few steps into the library, but keeping some distance between them. He wondered if she could smell his worry.

"Talk to me?" he asked, closing his book and sitting when she gestured for him to do so. He made the same gesture for her.

Smiling, she sat down gracefully in the overstuffed chair opposite the fireplace from him. "I don't believe Deidara introduced the vampires in his home to you. I am Belle."

"He'd didn't," Itachi replied, shaking his head. "Nice to meet you… Frau Belle," he added because she seemed like the type of person who insisted on formalities.

"And you, Itachi," she said, smiling as she tilted her head to look at him. "Deidara doesn't trust other vampires around his humans – with good reason, I believe."

"He also doesn't really like formalities," Itachi admitted, a little apologetically.

She chuckled appreciatively, her imposing demeanor fading a little. "What are you reading?" she asked conversationally.

Instinctively glancing down at the book in his lap, he held it up to show her. "I was looking for information on vampires," he told her. "Even though Deidara doesn't mind, I don't think I should speak up in his – your meetings without having more information about what's being discussed."

"That's wise of you," Belle said with another smile. "But much of what we discuss is similar to what humans discuss. It is our job to make sure that peace remains within our city. There are many times when an outside voice is beneficial. Deidara is a … unique vampire because he is concerned for the non-vampires in the city as well."

"But he's not in charge of everyone in the city, right?" Itachi asked, leaning forward. "He hasn't explained to me what a Master of the City does."

With a nod, she folded her hands over her knees and somehow sat up straighter than she already was, holding the appearance of a teacher about to give a lecture. "'Master of the City' is the title given to a Master vampire who controls the vampires in their territory. It is their job to keep the vampires who live here in check, so they're not murdering or turning humans. You become a Master of the City by murdering the last one." Belle gave a wily grin, seeming not to care that Deidara had done so. "From what I've come to understand, this area had been Deidara's home when he was human. I believe he just wanted to stay here and, like his Maker, didn't want to follow another's rules. Anyway, the City Master only rules over the vampires, however, the Bürgermeister is—"

"Sorry," Itachi interrupted. "The what? I don't know that word." He reached for his dictionary and looked it up while she waited. 'Mayor' was the translation. "Oh, I see. The city's mayor?"

"Yes, his name is Hans and he is one of Deidara's humans," she said with another smile. "So, Deidara, in part, controls both the humans and vampires. However, most paranormal creatures do not like interacting with one another. Too much bad blood in our history, but there's always exceptions. Deidara has made very strong alliances with the local witch coven and werewolf pack, which has earned the respect of the Fae, though they have no interest in involving themselves with us. The Alpha of the pack that lives in the city was having problems with Shadow Hunters… they had killed all but one of their young pups."

"I heard… Rose is the only one left because they kill the pups before they turn," Itachi commented, listening intently.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "Deidara's property with this castle is very big. It overlaps with the werewolf pack's territory, but Deidara has purchased a magical barrier around the territory. Nothing that hasn't been invited can enter and killing on the lands would be a personal offense to Deidara. The wolves come here to change and hunt, and Rose is permitted to live here in safety until she is an adult. When the girl reaches maturity, she will continue to run with the pack outside of the property."

"Do the other wolves… live outside?" he asked, frowning a little.

"No, certainly not," Belle replied with a light laugh that wasn't mocking him. "When they are not wolves, they live as humans in the city with their own homes, families and jobs… they just come here to change and hunt."

"Oh, I see," he said, fiddling with the edge of his sleeve.

As he thought over what she had said, he felt her eyes on him, watching with a calculating expression. "Itachi," she finally began. When he looked up at her, she opened her mouth, then suddenly closed it. "Sorry, never mind, it wasn't important," she shook her head, but still gave him a long look. "If you're looking for certain kinds of information, that book on the northern third floor will help you," she told him, pointing up to the third floor wings. He could barely see up that high and rarely went up there, but somehow, he could tell which book she was pointing at, just visible from where he was sitting. "Good night, Itachi," she said rising, "I look forward to seeing you in future meetings. And, should you choose to learn a fourth language in the future, I would be delighted to instruct you in French."

Curiously, he watched her close the library door behind herself, wondering what she had been about to say. After a few moments of silence, he set the book down on the table and began climbing the stairs to the second level and then took the spiral staircase up to the alcove she had been pointing to. He had never been up here before, the books were in languages he didn't know or recognize and there was no label for what the books contained. The book that Belle had been pointing to was old and hand bound with thick leather reinforced with something heavy and hard. On the cover was English lettering branded into the thick leather along with a crest, but he didn't know the words. He stared at them for a moment long before he went back down the stairs to the desk by the window and took a sheet of paper to copy them. The windows were dark, it was one in the morning, but the fireplace created a reflection that made the stars outside invisible unless he pressed his face to them.

"Libro Animas," he sounded out quietly, frowning at them. He decided that it wasn't English, or German, but another language using similar text symbols. Carefully, he opened the front cover and stared with a disappointed sigh at the jumble of foreign words.

He pushed his hair off his forehead and glanced at the large clock ticking away. He didn't know how the book was supposed to help him if he couldn't read it and he didn't want to stay up all night translating it once he figured out what language it was in. Looking back down at the book, he jumped in shock. The letters were slowly beginning to break apart and crawl across the page, their shapes spreading and rearrange themselves into new words and a new language. Japanese.

"What the…" he murmured, rubbing his eyes and wondering if he was more tired than he felt. When the words were finished moving they were entirely in Japanese and readable to him.

"'Here contains The Book of Souls, an historical account of the creatures Vampires and the so called 'Human Servant','" he read in a whisper. His heart suddenly jumped into his throat and he stared at the closed library door. How had she known he had been looking for books on Human Servants? Did she know they were lying? Would she blackmail them?

Breathe. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Jumping to conclusions was how he would get them into trouble. When his heart had settled, he opened his eyes and began to read what seemed like someone's diary.

Little is known of the exact science of the magic that allows a Vampire and Human to share their souls, however, it is known that the Union of a Vampire and Human is stronger than any other known union between Humans, Nonhumans, and Transhumans. It is rumored to be stronger than the mating bond between the Werebeasts. Each Union is unique to the participants and differs from that of a subordinate to a Vampire in that the Human shares a varying power with their Vampire. The bond lasts until one member dies, or is severed by blood magic.

In relation to the history of the Vampires on Earth, the Union is a relatively new discovery. The first known Human Servant was created when a Vampire fell in love with a Human. Rather than see the Human age and die or suffer the pains of vampirism, she formed a connection between their souls, binding them eternally as one entity in their separate bodies. The Human has not aged or changed since the Union began, indicating a new difference between subordinates and Vampires, for subordinates still age despite the consumption of vampire blood. Since that time, each pairing has different advantages and disadvantages to one another depending on the members of the Union.

Souls? Itachi scratched his chin softly, then began flipping through the pages, watching the letters rearrange themselves into spreads of information about Vampires and their Human Servants. In the past two hundred years, there had only been twenty-six Human Servants. Five of them were now dead. He looked at the names of the first two with a slight frown. He was finding as he learned other languages that Japanese characters were limiting in their design of foreign names. 'Ataru' and 'Kari' were probably not how the foreign names were pronounced.

The book's pages were thick and yellowed with age. As he looked through the pages, he wondered if he would be able to contact any of the other Human Servants. He flipped to the last page written, though the book had space for more, and began reading about the latest Human Servant created, a woman named Linda and Rachel. Linda, a human, had been made one against her will fifty years ago by her vampire who had been caring for her as she became terminally ill soon after coming into her vampire's service. The vampire, Rachel, couldn't accept that her new human was going to die and made her a Human Servant in an attempt to save her. The connection and the disease drove the human to insanity. Not wanting to read the details, Itachi skipped to the end of the page and saw that she had committed suicide by dousing herself in gasoline and lighting herself on fire. Rachel, in her Suntime death, could do nothing. She too was driven mad with despair, having felt both the pain her Human Servant had felt, as well as the pain of being torn from her in death. Smoldering in the sun, she had walked to the House of Angels and was not seen by another of her kind.

Itachi watched the last few letters rearranging themselves at the bottom of the page. 'But she too is now dead.' said the words.

He turned the next page and saw it was blank. So there were pros and cons to being a Human Servant, but what it was still didn't make complete sense. It was a connection of souls to a vampire. Belonging to someone wasn't something he was used to; caring and being cared for. Not since he was a child. He flipped back to the first Human Servant, reading about the love and care between the two of them. He wondered if he could ever meet the two of them. Magic was new to him, but knew this had been very strong and difficult magic to have done with no knowledge of it before. He wasn't one for romances, but he enjoyed reading the beginnings of their story which was the longest of the collections of stories. He wondered if someone could care for him that much. Since his parents had died, people looked at him as though they were waiting for him to snap, not really wanting to help him. Then Deidara came along…

His thought stopped abruptly by something moving on the empty page. Ink crawled across the center of the page and came to rest in the shape of new words.

'Will you be next on my pages, Itachi Uchiha?'

Slamming the book shut, he stared at it wide eyed then hurriedly rushed up the stairs to put it away. What kind of book was this?! He didn't even bother to put away the other books before he left for his own bedroom. It had once seemed large and frighteningly unfamiliar, but he found comfort in the room now which was warm and more inviting with the comfy sofa by the fire and curtained bed. He changed into his pajamas and climbed up onto the huge old-fashioned bed and pulled the covers up to his shoulders. He was oddly cold, even though the heating pad at the bottom of his bed was warm. The book's words burned behind his lids when he closed his eyes. The book had written to him. What kind of book was that and why was it in Deidara's library?

His map was resting, folded with care, on the nightstand. He debated looking for Kit's room to ask Deidara, but decided against it. He didn't want to disturb them. He would ask Deidara later… or someone else. He had had enough of that for one night.