Chapter 10 – Prodigy

Sasuke opened his eyes but his vision was still darkened. He attempted to raise his hands in order to get rid of the piece of clothing that was blocking his eyesight, but found that his wrists were tied behind his back. He shifted on the uncomfortably hard ground and got onto his knees, wanting to stand up- but he was shoved back down. Crimson swirled in his onyx eyes as Sasuke activated his Sharingan. Only seconds later the blindfold was removed and the young Uchiha glared into pale golden, snake-like orbs.

"You have ten minutes left." This voice, always withholding a malicious tone, a suppressed scornful laughter. The smirk that revealed sharp little teeth, making him look all the more like a snake in human form.

In a split second Sasuke jumped onto his legs and aimed a kick at Orochimaru's stomach, but the man dodged his attack, smirking as Sasuke winced at the sharp pain shooting through his side.

"You broke your promise" He hissed, once again attacking Orochimaru- without success.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bastard" Sasuke growled. He pulled at his ties with all his strength, and finally they tore, falling to the ground and allowing Sasuke to move. He performed hand signs, arms still behind his back, before raising his left hand. Tamed lightning crackled as he ran towards Orochimaru, bathing the dimly lit room in unnaturally blue light.

"Chidori!"

Orochimaru stepped to the side, but it was too late. The young Uchiha struck his chest, causing his enemy to hiss at the pain and stop moving momentarily. Sasuke took advantage of this and formed a blade out of pure electricity. Without hesitating he stabbed through the man's chest. Orochimaru's eyes widened and he coughed up blood. A smirk made it's way onto Sasuke's lips. He took a step closer, twisting the crackling blade.

Little did he wonder why Orochimaru made no attempt to fight back…

"Where is my brother?" A voice cold as a winter's clear night sky, onyx eyes staring into golden ones.

"So you… didn't find out… yet."

Crimson pierced gold with burning hatred, visible despite the apparent apathy.

"What do you mean?" He didn't sound confused in the least, but threatening. His voice was thick with hatred and a suppressed but nontheless burning passion that Orochimaru didn't quite understand.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. I've fulfilled my part of the deal."

The young Uchiha gave him another hateful glance before pulling out the lightning-blade and slowly letting it disappear, and took step back.

"Your time is running out, Sasuke…"

Another glance. "I'm not going to fight Deidara. Plus, my wounds aren't even close to being fully healed yet."

The man smiled with his head held to one side. "You have no choice." A snake crept out of his sleeve. Sasuke watched in disgust as the man before him slowly transformed into several slimy white snakes.

What the hell was going on-?

Before Sasuke could react, he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder.

"Did you know that refusing to fight is punished with death?"

The young Uchiha shook his head, but it was not the question he was saying no to.

"I'm not going to fight and kill Deidara. They are going to lose two good fighters if I do."

He whirled around, grabbing Orochimaru's wrist. But it slipped from his grasp, once again changing into a snake's form.

"I have a trade to offer" Orochimaru said calmly.

Sasuke raised a single eyebrow in question.

"You can let somebody else go instead of you. Someone who's chosen randomly. And, if that's what you want, for Deidara as well…"

Sasuke didn't react.

Let himself be replaced? That was… despicable. It was shameful.

But was there any other way for him to survive? Sasuke didn't care for the men out there. They were strangers to him, and he had no intentions to change that. Nevertheless, he felt bad for deciding to agree on Orochimaru's offer. Not because he felt pity for the two unlucky people who would have to fight instead- but because he felt like he was avoiding danger. He had been saved by Raven two times already. Sasuke wanted to be able to take care of himself. He had always been, why should that change in here?

And if he was really just living for himself, then it didn't matter anyway.

"I'm accepting your offer."

…

"All captives are to come to the training grounds."

Itachi had been sitting with his back leant against the dark rock, allowing himself to indulge in old memories. His closed eyes slowly opened and he pushed his hair back from his face before renewing his ponytail. It was approximately ten minutes until the duel in the arena would start. Itachi had withdrawn to a quiet and lonely place to think about what he would do.

He didn't doubt Sasuke's abilities. But his little brother was injured, he was still weak. Had it been any other prisoner; he wouldn't have worried. But Deidara was different. The blond bomber was skilled, and his appearance often caused people to underestimate him. Itachi had fought Deidara once, and he'd been inpressed by the man's abilities. He respected Deidara, even though he had defeated the blond. For that very reason he'd let the bomber live. Itachi didn't like to kill people for nothing.

He allowed a quiet sigh to escape his lips as he gracefully got onto his feet and began to walk down the path to the training grounds.
What had happened? Was there a chance that Sasuke had been dismissed? The older Uchiha walked by a group of men who were probably on the way to the training grounds as well. Upon seeing him, they stopped talking and moved to let him pass. Itachi ignored them, knowing that they would only be afraid if he acknowledged their presence by looking at them.

Itachi Uchiha had been brought to the arena one and a half years ago. Ever since then, he had followed their will. Being brought to the prison, he had shared a tent with some other men at first. All too soon he had been summoned to the fighting arena. Unfortunately, that day had been one of those feared dates when only one man was allowed to leave the arena again. That man had been Itachi. From that occurrence on, everybody had respected him. A pleasant change after being looked down at for his first few days, but Itachi did indeed notice the fear and hatred that arose behind their friendly façades. He couldn't stop it from happening. Every time he was appealed to fight in the arena and returned, drenched in the blood of his former fellow- sufferers and showing nothing but empty eyes and an emotionless expression, their anxiety would grow.

And out of fear, resentment is born. Burning just beneath the calm surface it stirs up and the flames of hatred are being fanned.
After a while Itachi was ordered to move into his very own tent. He wasn't sure whether it was to prevent something bad from happening, or if it was meant to widen the gap that had torn open between him and the other prisoners. He didn't really care anyway. He spent his time losing himself in thoughts and memories. He began to hate himself even more than he did before. Having time to think about what he'd done, how much he had hurt his brother, made Itachi look at himself with revulsion. Of course he knew what he had done from the start. Also, he knew what he would do before he even translated it into action.
Telling himself that he had had no choice, Itachi tried to banish those dark thoughts. Despite being strong on the outside as well as on the inside, he couldn't stop himself from falling into emptiness. He had long since given up hope, knowing that there was no other way to escape this place than to ascend the stairs leading up to heaven or whatever was to come after death. All that kept him alive were memories of happier days. Back then, when he was still young and innocent.

Itachi's lips curled up into a smirk in view of this thought.

He had never truly been innocent. Aside from being a prodigy with exceptional talent, Itachi Uchiha hadn't been perfect at all.

Ever since the day his little brother was born, Sasuke had been all Itachi really cared about. Upon holding the boy in his arms for the first time, Itachi had fallen in love with him. What was just brotherly love and affection in the beginning grew into something more intense- something forbidden. Itachi himself had been way too young to feel such a strong affection towards anyone, but Sasuke had still been small child. Knowing fully well that what he desired was wrong, Itachi had to restrain himself from touching and holding his baby brother the way he wanted to. He regarded himself as sick, twisted, insane- nevertheless he loved and desired Sasuke with all his heart.

Growing up, Sasuke seemed to become more beautiful with every day passing. Itachi didn't understand why people always compared the boy to him, for to the older of the Uchiha brothers Sasuke seemed to be way too perfect and lovable to be put on a par with him.
Itachi felt his heart clench at the thought of the time when he and Sasuke had shared their first kiss. Knowing that the boy possibly felt the same way about him, that he didn't regard Itachi as sick- it had meant everything to the older Uchiha.

But he had finally come to see that a love such as theirs wasn't possible, no matter how hard they would try. Thus, Itachi had tried to act like he normally did. He had put on the same emotionless mask he wore in front of other people. He had tried to reject Sasuke when asked for a second kiss. He had tried to distance himself from his precious little brother when he found out about Konoha's plans.

It had worked for a while. It hurt Itachi to see his brother's sad and disappointed eyes staring at him whenever he walked by without acknowledging Sasuke's presence, and he had needed all of his willpower to keep himself from pulling his Outoto close and tell him how much he loved him. He had managed to stay strong- with one exception. A single incident had cast a slur on his image of the perfect older brother…

…

Orochimaru had dismissed Sasuke and told him to go to his tent in order to get some rest and get well again, for he certainly would have to fight sometime soon. He actually felt tired, so he had lain down on his sleeping mattress. He couldn't sleep though, so Sasuke decided on just closing his eyes and lose himself in thoughts. At some point he still must have fallen asleep, or perhaps it was another memory overcoming him like a vision- because Sasuke suddenly found himself sitting on a couch in the middle of the night, his mother smiling at him before ascending the stairs up to his parent's bedroom.

...

It was already late, but Itachi still hadn't returned from his mission. Despite the soft words from my mother telling me not to worry and go to bed, I had refused to do so.

I wanted to see my aniki, and I wondered why he wasn't back yet- normally, Itachi finished his missions early. I feared that something terrible might have happened to him, something fatal- and it made me feel sick and worried. I sat down on the sofa, watching my mother leave. I felt tired and wanted to go to sleep, but my worry for Itachi prevented me from going upstairs and cuddle up into my bed sheets. I shifted on the comfortable sofa, feeling a bit lonely and anxious. It was dark- my parents had turned off the lights- and a deathly silence had settled. I almost screamed when the door suddenly swung open, Itachi becoming apparent in its frame.
Itachi stumbled into our living room, carelessly throwing his katana aside. I stared at him in disbelief. He did neither look nor act like the brother I knew. His ANBU uniform was blood stained, his usual ponytail was messy, and he wore an angry expression, something that was rare for the always so collected Uchiha.

"You're back" I exclaimed softly. Itachi looked at me. Something in his eyes changed and I heard him sigh before he sat down onto the couch opposite to the one where I was seated.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" he asked quietly, probably not wanting to wake our parents.

I considered pretending not to know what he was talking about, but I was too worried.

"You look… different" I murmured, looking down to avoid eye contact.

A short, hard laughter resounded, leaving me to wonder what exactly was wrong with Itachi.

"I'm drenched in blood, Sasuke", he responded, sounding annoyed. I shifted uncomfortably.

"But… you act different as well, aniki…"

He sighed again. "The mission was exhausting."

I looked up and met his gaze. I didn't believe him. I knew my brother better than most people did- and even if most of the time I couldn't see through him at all- I felt that something was weighing on his mind.

"Aniki, I-

"Come on Sasuke. Come over here."

I examined him carefully. He looked upset, at the same time sad and dejected. I was scared. I had never seen Itachi like that before. He stared into empty space, his fingertips tapping on the sofa's armrest.

I shifted on the sofa opposite him; making his attention snap back to me.

"What are you looking at?", he snapped. I flinched. Itachi had never gotten angry in front of me before. I suddenly felt like running up the stairs and hiding in my room.

"Nii-san… What happened on the mission?" I asked carefully.

"What does it look like?" Itachi pointed at the crimson stains covering his clothes. I bit my lip, thinking about what I should do. Itachi wasn't himself. And I was scared.
Just as I was about to rise from the sofa - he reached out a slender finger, and beckoned me to him. Upon seeing Itachi's gesture, I slowly rose to my bare feet and silently walked over to him. He smiled and patted his legs with one hand, gesturing me to sit. I obliged, not wanting to fuel his anger. I straddled onto his lap without question, feeling relief upon seeing that my brother relaxed a little. I jumped as Itachi suddenly grabbed my wrist and then, after placing my left hand onto the armrest, intertwined his fingers with mine. His other hand snaked around my back, holding me steady. His fingers cascaded up and down my spine, making me shiver a little. My heart thudded in my chest. What was he doing? Hadn't Itachi said brothers weren't meant to touch each other in ways like these? And yet, he leaned in closer, looking deep into my eyes as he did so.

What I saw in them scared me- it was desperation. Anger, a sad hollowness, and desperation. He slid his hand down my spine before letting it slip underneath my shirt and stroking my bare skin. A weak smile made its way onto his delicate lips and he leaned in further, then placed a soft kiss on my forehead. I suppressed the urge to shift and get closer to him. I was still scared. Itachi was acting different, there was something in his eyes, that sad smile, in his voice- that made me want to escape his hold. But I couldn't.

Itachi moved back a little, but he was still just a few inches away from my face.

"Aniki, what are you-

I was silenced by his lips crashing onto mine. His fingers clutched at my back and he pulled me closer. I felt trapped, the /impression of being pressed against my brothers chest made me feel slightly claustrophobic- but at the same time, I didn't want those soft, warm lips to leave mine. The way they felt against my own was maddening. Even if I was young, I knew how sinister this was. But strangely, the thought of this caused something inside me to twitch. A moan escaped my lips and I started to kiss back, parting my lips slightly- and it wasn't long before I felt my brother's tongue against my own. I twined my free hand around Itachi's neck and shifted in a desperate attempt to get even closer. Itachi's left hand trailed down my back once again and he began stroking my thighs. Another quiet moan, and I felt Itachi smile into the kiss.

We continued kissing for while, some kisses deep and passionate, the way Itachi ravished my mouth almost desperately, some tender, lips barely touching.
Suddenly, my brother pushed himself away from me. He was panting heavily, and so was I, but I managed to speak between my breaths.

"What's wrong, aniki?"

He smiled bitterly. "This is wrong" he murmured, once again leaning forward and resting his head against my delicate shoulders for just a few seconds. He then pulled back and looked deep into my eyes. I lost myself in the sight of the beautiful dark orbs, seeming so endlessly deep and mysterious, and admired the long dark lashes that framed his eyes.

"You need to sleep, Sasuke", he said softly. I nodded and got up, albeit reluctantly. I didn't want to let my brother go; I wanted to feel his warmth, his touch, his affection.

"Aniki… will you come and sleep in my bed?", I asked.

His smile faded. "No, Sasuke. I'm sorry."

I swallowed and tried not to show my disappointment and hurt.

"Goodnight, aniki", I whispered. Itachi nodded, suddenly looking tired.

"Outoto" he murmured, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back.

...

Itachi stood near the crowd of men that had gathered in front of the dark wall, but he kept to himself. He spotted Deidara standing next to Sasori. The blond looked fairly confused- he should have been in the arena by now. Itachi's gaze went on to Sasori. The red head turned, and dark eyes met muddy brown ones. A look of distrust made itself visible on the doll- like features, and Sasori examined the raven haired man for while before turning back to Deidara.

Itachi turned to look at the high wall in front of him.

He and the red head were on what one could call 'good terms'. They did not exactly like each other, but they got along. Itachi trusted Sasori more than he trusted other people, and he knew that it was the same on the puppeteer's side.

"Due to unexpected happenings today's duelers have been replaced. The fighters who will now be announced are to start directly after this announcement."

So Sasuke didn't have to fight. Itachi felt relief overcome him. And Sasori would be glad that his little blond didn't have to fight, too, he thought with a thin smile on his lips.

But the smile faded when he heard the next words.

"The new duelers are… Sasori-" – somewhere near Deidara screamed in protest and anger- "-and Raven."

...

This is the longest chapter so far. Yay. Idk, but I like it somehow. Let me know what you think!

I'm VERY happy to tell you guys that I have an amazing beta-reader now- Greening, thanks again!

Alright, that's it. I'll update as soon as possible.