Fallen Angel

Authors' Note: Thanks for the reviews. We hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 26

"You really want to decorate him in rubies, don't you?" Shisui chuckles over the phone at the thought of a similar comment made by Sasuke during a video call with the family a couple of months back. Apparently, Sasuke now had matching earrings and a necklace, both picked out by Itachi. When he'd commented that Itachi just liked making as much of Sasuke as red as possible, his little cousin had blushed so adorably. Though that might have been because Shisui pointed out a few badly concealed hickeys littering Sasuke's...everywhere, it seemed.

Itachi was already regretting his decision to have Shisui on call for this. "I'm never taking you shopping for anything again." He rolls his eyes. If Shisui wasn't going to take this seriously, he'd just do it himself. Well with some help from a certain fairy, Itachi thinks to himself as he storms inside.

"You know I'd just call you again if you hung up on me." Shisui smirks, watching his cousin's face with amusement over the video call. "But fine, alright, let's find you the perfect piece of metal to pop the question with. You keep giving him rubies, so I can see a theme going on here. Were you planning on making it all a matching set, or going for something a bit different?"

"Whatever calls to me, I suppose." Itachi gives him a dirty look for the piece of metal description.

"Alright, alright, settle down. I'm sure that Sasuke will love it, no matter what you give him." Shisui holds his hand s up in surrender, not willing to provoke his cousin's ire any further. "So, you usually give him silver because he wears a lot of black, and rubies because they match his eyes. At least that narrows down the field a bit. And-" He blink, tilting his head slightly. "I see fairy wings approaching. Looks like you'll have an expert helping today."

Good at least someone could shop professionally. "Good evening, Hinata." he smiles at her. "Have you come to assist me in finding a ring for Sasuke and not strangling my cousin?"

Hinata sweatdrops. Couldn't her job not involve getting between the Uchiha cousins? "Yes, I believe that I can help you to pick out a ring. But strangling your cousins isn't nice, not even when they deserve it." She would know. "Though I was wondering when you would come in, I've been preparing a collection for you to look at."

"Yes, so I'm told." Itachi chuckles at her. "Though some days, I struggle to remember why that it's so frowned on. That was kind of you to prepare one in advance."

She nods and gestures towards a small case sitting securely locked to the counter. "I took your preference for rubies into account, but I've also included some sapphires to compliment his hair, and traditional diamonds to flatter his pale skin, with bands of gold, silver, platinum, rose gold, titanium, and carbide."

"That's nice." He nods at her. "I'll have a look at them." He doubted he was going to change his mind on the ruby theme, but one never knew.

Wings flutter happily as Hinata glides towards the counter with Itachi in tow. Gems aplenty glitter from inside the case. "Sasuke is a size seven, right? If not, I can have whichever ring you like refitted." Though he struck her as a size seven whenever he grasped a cup or bottle...or a pole.

He nods in confirmation. "Yes, he is." The fairy certainly had a good idea.

Hinata beams brightly. "Perfect." Then this would be as easy as pie! Well, eating pie, making it was a whole other story.

Sasuke was going to be so surprised!

Sasuke was pretty sure that this was some sort of ploy to keep him out of trouble, but honestly he didn't mind it all that much. Sure, he had to start coming into the bar earlier to deal with the lunch and dinner crowds, but since Itachi was gone most of the day lately anyway, it was fine to have his lover pick him up at eight every night and leave most of the club crowd to Gaara's shift.

Itachi's visa had come in a couple of months ago, and it wasn't long before Child Services snatched him up for his psychology degrees. Apparently the RCMP needed some help with the cases of the children rescued last year, because more than a few were turning out to be problematic. Sasuke knew what that was like, and he didn't begrudge Itachi the long hours he'd been working lately. After all, Sasuke still got to sleep in before work, and Itachi still got up with enough time to leave, even if they didn't go to bed until one in the morning.

After all, eight until one was their time. Five whole hours when the rest of the world could fuck off and leave them be.

As usual, Sasuke was at the bar by eleven, and the tv went on to play in the background while he set up the bar. Despite Itachi's scepticism, Sasuke found that he actually liked working the bar. Most people were on the annoying side, but he brushed them off easily enough, especially since he now displayed his tattoos proudly, the crow concealed by an angel with black wings, and the magnolia in full view for anyone who wanted to see his soulmate's claim.

The hovering screen across the bar flashes and, admitting a little bit of curiosity, Sasuke turns up the volume. And he was glad he did, because it looked like someone had been busy these past few months. A small smirk curls his lips as Sasuke fingers the necklace he sported over his zip-up, sleeveless black shirt.

"One year ago, the prolific shadow killer, Sasuke Uchiha was arrested after the murder of Orochimaru Sannin, a prominent medical researcher who was found brutally murdered in his home last year by two American intelligence agents and members of Calgary's RCMP." The pretty reporter on the screen who usually smiled as she delivered the news was stern and determined today, with no hint of her smile in sight. "But, since the killer's death five months ago, new information has come to light regarding the crimes of his victims."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "Shisui and Itachi sure work fast." He looks into the slightly ajar door to Gaara's office. "Hey Gaara! You might want to come see this."

Gaara quickly strides over to see what was going on. "What is it?" He looks up when he sees the breaking news banner. "Well, it's about damn time that humanity caught up with the truth. Took them long enough." No, he wasn't bitter at the fact Sasuke had nearly been killed over scum like that because humans were too stupid to listen to the truth. Nope. Not at all.

"Yeah." It was definitely about time that they caught up. And Sasuke fought not to cringe as a rather unflattering picture of him flashed up on the screen.

"Accused of one hundred and forty-eight murders, it seems that this killer chose his victims rather carefully." Images of some of his victims before their deaths replaced his, circling through a number of 'donated' pictures. "From kidnapping and murder to human experimentation and black market trafficking, this vigilante killer's victims aren't the squeaky clean, law-abiding citizens they pretended to be."

Next was a couple of faces he'd never really wanted to see again. "Orochimaru Sannin, the killer's last victim, is currently under posthumous investigation, along with Danzo's Shimura on human trafficking, abduction, torture, and murder charges related to the kidnapping and sale of supernatural species and meta-humans for live scientific research, of which it is believed Uchiha himself was a victim in childhood. According to informants in the CIA and FBI, including two relatives of Uchiha, this terrifying killing spree was a massive attempt to deliver the justice that courts failed to do for the victims of the crimes committed against them, often taking their lives."

Last on the screen was a picture of Sasuke dressed all in black, wielding a blade that looked almost startlingly like his. It wasn't a photo, but an artist's rendition of him with smoke twirling around him, almost like a pair of broken wings. "Ruthless killer or angel of justice? Who was Sasuke Uchiha? The seven volume compendium written before his death allegedly outlines massive crime networks all across the planet, many members of whom met their end at his hands." And, with a last, dramatic huff, the journalist lays down her notes. "With secrets like this unveiled, the question of who is taking up his crusade is still met with mystery, but we'll have more on this story in the days to come. So stay tuned, and we'll see you again soon."

Sasuke was frozen behind the bar, his mind spinning after the report. There it was. His story was out in the open, or at least it was getting there. "...It seems that Itachi really has been busy." This explained what his soulmate had been working on in the time before his work visa came in. After all, he had to be doing something while Sasuke was at work.

"Well, if you had a dumb soulmate, I would have had to smack you." Gaara smirks and shakes his head. "At least one of you has to be sensible about things." It certainly wasn't going to be Sasuke. "Nature is all about balance after all. But are you alright?" He looks at him in concern. "Now, they know more or less the real you. The court of public opinion can be cruel sometimes and even though you have a new identity, I know that might be hurtful to deal with."

Sighing, Sasuke shakes his head. "I...don't know." Mostly, he was just in shock. Whatever he had expected them to say, it wasn't all of this. Sure, they didn't quite make him out to be a hero, but...considering that he killed a lot of people, this was about as close as he was likely to get. "Considering that a few months ago, it couldn't have gotten any worse, I'd say that this is definitely an improvement." The stories from during his trial, though he hadn't seen them at the time and was forced to look them up on the internet later, were decidedly not so nice. He'd deserved it, of course, but the stories were still hard to hear.

"Well at least you've got a sexy psychic to cuddle up to." Gaara smiles at him slyly. "So that should make it easier to deal with."

Though it was probably Gaara's intent to make him blush, Itachi's almost constant ministrations had, in Sasuke's mind, helped train up something of an immunity to such comments. Not that it stopped him from smiling at it all. "Yeah, I suppose. Though don't think I don't know who got me on the news again in the first place. He's on the warpath now."

Sasuke knew very well that Itachi had sworn vengeance against the people who had made him suffer, and exposing what had happened was likely only the first step. In fact, Sasuke wouldn't be surprised if he heard a news story about those two old prosecutors getting arrested sometime soon.

"Remind me again why I'm not allowed to just rip their throats out?" Gaara's tone turns sickly sweet. "It seems like it'd be easier." Probably a certain fairy's influence on him.

"Because Itachi wants to destroy them himself and I'm not dumb enough to get in his way this time." Sasuke wasn't sticking his hand into that mess again. "But if you'd like to fight my soulmate over it, be my guest. Just know that if you almost kill him, you'll end up having two baby vamps on your hands, and I don't think you want that hassle."

Gaara smacks his forehead and pours himself a strong shot of Irish Whiskey. "You're right." He gulps it down. "Better just to let him get his pound of flesh. An eye for an eye and all that." He was not dealing with two baby vamps. No siree.

"Oh, good, so then I take it that your threat to turn me into a vampire is rescinded?" Sasuke smirks, refilling Gaara's shot glass for him.

"Most people would view that as a generous offer and not a threat." Gaara rolls his eyes and shakes his head again. Why was his charge so masochistic? "Though it has been for the moment until the next time you decide to be foolish."

"So...according to Itachi, that'll be sometime between tomorrow and next week." Because his soulmate had such faith in him that Itachi truly believed that Sasuke couldn't go more than a few days without doing something foolish.

Gaara nods at that. Yes, that seemed reasonable. This was Sasuke after all.

At eight, Sasuke finally leaves Gaara to handle the bar as he takes his jacket down from its hook. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." It had been a long eight hours, though that was largely because Sasuke kept getting distracted by what that story had talked about on the news. They'd brought it back for a debate session at around six, and it had made quite the buzz, especially with the supernatural clientele, several of whom applauded his actions. Not that anyone in the bar other than Gaara knew that 'Alexei Mires', the hot and very gay bartender was actually a former serial killer.

The vampire nods in acknowledgement. "I'm sure that you have lots to talk to Itachi about." He winks. "Or moan about anyway. Good night."

"Hn." Sasuke rolls his eyes and slides his jacket on, zipping it up nearly to his throat. "The only moans you should be concerned about are Hinata's." And maybe he should tell a certain fairy that Gaara was getting a little too invested in his sex life. Hinata would straighten him out real fast.

Gaara shrugs and smirks. "You're the one that brought it on yourself really by meddling so much with mine."

Amber eyes narrow, but Sasuke drops it, knowing that there was no way to win here. "Fine. But seeing as I don't need you to meddle anymore, you can drop it, just like how I did when you finally vamped up and scored your fairy." Or rather, his fairy scored him, but Sasuke would give Gaara points for not blowing it. And speaking of those who shared tattoos.. Sasuke heads for the door, correctly identifying the Porsche parked outside. "My ride's here. See you."

The brat was impossible sometimes. Mikoto and Fugaku should have given him a few spankings as a child, had Orochimaru not intervened. Anyway, Gaara downs some more whiskey. Speaking of his fairy, Hinata should be showing up soon.

Sasuke sidles outside, approaching the electric Porsche as he shakes his head. "You know, you're a real piece of work, 'Tachi." And as usual, the passenger side door is unlocked and waiting for him. He slips inside and Settles himself in the seat next to an unforgettable face. "I take it that you set up that news report today?"

"Yes, I did though I have obviously been planning it for a very long time." He smiles at Sasuke slyly. "I thought it was rather thorough myself."

Thorough was putting it mildly, especially after the evening debate session. Sasuke almost felt like his whole life had been picked apart and analyzed, then slammed back together for the world's viewing pleasure. Though admittedly, in a much less negative light than before. "And the picture of me with my sword and a pair of smoky wings?"

"That was just artistic license." He chuckles. Itachi didn't see what that had to do with anything. "You didn't like it?" He had thought it was rather well done himself.

"It's not that I didn't like it, it's just..." How could he put it without offending Itachi? "It's still hard, getting used to someone being able to see me like that. Most people seem to latch on to the picture of me as a kid, or the picture of me after I got arrested. The other one was..." Sasuke takes a deep breath. "It looks...how I felt. Straddling the line between light and darkness, ready to tip over the edge at any given moment, to be blown away like smoke, even while on my self-appointed crusade." Sure it was mostly just a pretty picture. But it fairly accurately depicted how he felt inside, just in less abstract terms than Sasuke was used to using.

Itachi sighs and kisses his forehead. As always, everything would be complicated with Sasuke it seemed. That was fine though. He'd find a way to handle it. Besides, it was over now. His fallen angel just needed some reassurance. "Had I asked you to choose a picture, you wouldn't have." He smiles. "Perhaps I chose poorly, but it's over now and those that wronged you are being punished."

"You didn't choose poorly. You chose too well, that's all." Sasuke sighs and smile, leaning into Itachi for a brief moment. "So, I saw Orochimaru and Danzo's names being dragged through the mud today, and I've seen the stories online. Apparently a lot of resolved cases and cold cases are being reopened and a lot of people who'd been put in prison are set to have appeals made for retrial. You've been busy, haven't you?"

Itachi smirks at him and kisses Sasuke as if he wanted to devour him again. "Yes, I have." Mostly because he did, but also to keep his lover from thinking such things for any longer. As far as he was concerned, all was well and the guilty were well on their way to being punished.

Sasuke inhales sharply, his eyes sliding shut as he presses back into the kiss, returning it with the fiery passion that had only grown over the last few months. "Mm...'Tachi."

Itachi smiles and kisses him, running gentle fingers through blue and red-tinted hair. All was right with the world.

They were surrounded by the glimmering lights of downtown Toronto by the time Sasuke finally realized that something was up. And Sasuke was absolutely sure that they were going in the wrong direction. "Hey, Itachi? I think you missed the turn for our place about...fifteen minutes ago." His lips curl in amusement, sure that this was just another example of Itachi getting lost in HIS city. "Do you need to let the car do the driving...or for me to bring up the gps, or...get a map and read you the directions?"

Leave it to Sasuke to be sarcastic on the night Itachi was going to propose. "We're not lost." He shakes his head as he stops in front of the CN Tower. "We're exactly where we're meant to be."

Sasuke's eyes widen at the sight of the giant tower, his favourite place for looking out over the city and getting his head clear. "Well, someone's been talking to Gaara." The vampire was the only other person who knew that this was Sasuke's secret spot. "What, did you feel like going up for one of the last rides of the day?"

"Something like that." Itachi chuckles. "You'll see soon enough." He wasn't going to spoil the surprise this early on.

As they stepped through the front doors, a few stray people milled about. It wasn't the busy season, and very few people came up this late at night this far into fall. "It's the CN Tower, it's not something I haven't seen before." Though now, Sasuke was suspicious. Itachi just so happened to be bringing him to his favourite place in the city and Sasuke was expected to just...what, wait until Itachi explained what was going on?

A guard stood by the central elevators, watching for funny business that tourists and curious residents might try to pull. Sasuke knew that the man took his job seriously, after all...he'd snuck past him on more than one occasion.

"I've got us tickets and reservations." Itachi smiles at Sasuke. "Should be a new experience for you." Not to have to sneak in that was.

Okay, that WAS a surprise. "You want to eat at 360?" Sasuke definitely hadn't been inside the restaurant portion of the tower before. He usually just sat outside on the roof after phasing through one of the maintenance hatches. Not one of the safest things to do, but since when had Sasuke been into doing things safely?

"Sure because it will only be the two of us." He laughs at the other man's surprise. "Is that a problem?"

"Hn." Sasuke snorts. With amusement as Itachi flashes their tickets at the door to the elevator. "Not at all." If Itachi wanted to surprise him with a date, that was fine. It wouldn't be the first time. "Good thing it's a Friday, otherwise you would have to go in to work tomorrow on no sleep." Because they both knew just how their date nights tended to end up.

"I'd manage, even if that wasn't the case." He chuckles as they head upstairs towards the charming restaurant together. Tonight it would be just the two of them. "I always do."

Sasuke rolls his eyes, then directs his gaze out the glass walls of the elevator. By now, because of the many renovations done to the tower over the decades, half the tower was made of hippo-proof glass. It shows a magnificent view of the city and Lake Ontario as they rise hundreds of meters into the sky. When the elevator finally stops and they step out, Sasuke tilts his head in slight confusion. "Itachi...did you do this?" There was no one else in the Sky Pod as far as he could see, and the restaurant was completely empty, save for the almost invisible staff. Not to mention the single table set up with rather lavish decorations.

"Well not exactly." He kisses Sasuke's cheek reassuringly. "I paid the staff to do it, but essentially there's little difference really."

A soft smile curls Sasuke's lips , growing a little as they approach the table, and the colour scheme becomes evident. Ruby red roses, a crimson table cloth, ivory porcelain, sterling silver cutlery, and crystal wine glasses. "Someone really went all out tonight." He shakes his head at Itachi. "I suppose this slots you into the category of a classical romantic."

That was one way to put it. "Yes, I suppose that's always been my niche." He chuckles. "You're the sarcastic romatnic."

"I'm more of a romantic on the inside, things just sound sarcastic when they finally come out of my mouth." And Sasuke would admit as much openly. "So, now that you've got me here..." Sasuke smirks as he moves towards a seat on one side of the small table. "I suppose it would be inappropriate to scandalize the wait staff."

"Most likely." He laughs at Sasuke's suggestion. "Though they were paid well enough that I believe they're more than willing to look the other way."

Sasuke's blood heats at the implication, but he takes a breath to cool it as his smirk returns. "Maybe next time, since you went to all the trouble of setting this up to surprise me with." Though it did amuse him to hear the sounds of an acoustic guitar playing throughout the airborne restaurant.

"Next time then." Itachi smiles and pulls Sasuke's chair out for him.

Holding in a laugh, Sasuke sits gracefully, further amused by Itachi's efforts to play the gentleman when they both knew that he was anything but proper when they were really alone. "So, what shall we be eating tonight?" He noticed that there was a rather expensive bottle of champagne sitting on the table. It wasn't his usual go to, but he doubts that vodka shots would be very romantic.

"A bit of everything." He smiles at his beloved. "Gnocchi, chicken parmigiana, risotto, and for dessert, we're having tiramisu."

This time, Sasuke doesn't bother to hold in his chuckles. "Going full on Italian, then." He could work with that. "I haven't had good Italian food since the last time I went to Rome." And they certainly had a lot of delicious foods to buy there. His gazes flicks away from Itachi for a moment as their entree arrives on a single plate. It was a generous helping, to be sure, but Sasuke suddenly felt like a star in a romantic comedy. He rolls his eyes, the raises a challenging eyebrow. "One plate, hm?"

"Yes, I thought that would be best." He smiles at Sasuke and kisses him. "Soulmates should share everything. Don't you agree?"

His soulmate could be so cute sometimes. So, Sasuke nods and opens his mouth slightly, the tongue stud glinting in the dim light. "Yes, I think that's an appropriate assumption to make."

Itachi laughs as he places a bit of the gnocchi into Sasuke's mouth. "Good. I'm glad that you agree." Hopefully, Sasuke would still feel that way when he showed him the ring.

Sasuke smirks, chewing on the first piece of gnocchi slowly, staring straight into piercing smoky coal eyes as he licks his lips. "It's good."

Itachi chuckles as he continues feeding him. There was something far more sensual than usual about the way Sasuke consumed food and he doubted that was a coincidence.

After an excellent round of feeding each other gnocchi, then breaded chicken topped with pasta sauce and cheese, and a pile of perfectly cooked rice, Sasuke bit into the soft layers of the tiramisu, then washed down the coffee-flavoured cake with half a glass of champagne. He was on his fifth glass, but he was barely tipsy in the least. And while champagne was not his drink of choice, the light sweetness of it helped to cut through the richness of the meal.

"Make sure to drink that glass slowly." He laughs softly, knowing what was coming. "You wouldn't want to choke." That or swallow the ring.

Sasuke rolls his eyes as he takes another sip of the bubbly liquid. "I know how to drink my alcohol Itach-" He blinks as something hard rolls against his lips. He looks down past his nose, tilting the glass slightly so that something metallic catches the light. "Itachi...?" He takes another wary sip, draining the glass and pulling out the metal circle with his lips.

He sets the glass down and picks up a napkin, gently removing the circle from his mouth and drying it as he turns it around to examine it. A large ruby sat in a silver band, cradled by seven tiny diamonds on either side. And Sasuke wasn't stupid, he knew what a ring like this cost, and he also knew exactly what it was for. Slowly, he looks up into Itachi's eyes, the words lost on his tongue as his heart pounded loud and strong in his ears.

"I believe you see why I told you to drink slowly this time now." The expression on his face was priceless and positively endearing. "I love you, Sasuke. We've been through far more together than most people who have been married for decades. I'd like to make it more...official." Itachi swallows once, the words falling thickly from his tongue. "Sasuke...will you marry me?"

Honestly, Sasuke couldn't say a word. His throat had closed up tight and he felt like his head was spinning. But over the last few months, he'd learned that when in doubt...sit on Itachi's lap and kiss the answer into him. That usually got the message across. So he gets up from his seat, the ring held protectively in his left hand, and he sits down on Itachi's lap, pressing their lips together in a fiery and passionate kiss.

Itachi happily returns the kiss. Sasuke had always been better at expressing himself physically than verbally, much to his delight. "I'll take that as a yes then." He chuckles.

"Yes." Sasuke pants a little breathlessly, his onyx eyes glowing with emotion. "As if I could ever say anything else..." He leans against Itachi's shoulder and takes the ring in between his fingers, examining it closely. "You and your rubies..." He huffs out a laugh.

"They suit you and you know it as well as I do." Itachi smiles.

"I'd be worried if they didn't..." Sasuke slides the ring onto his finger, admiring it a moment longer. He was engaged. Engaged to be married. "You know, a year ago, I would have never thought that this was possible...that it was possible for someone to make me love them this much."

"I would have been skeptical as well." He smiles and kisses Sasuke's forehead. "Skeptical, but hopeful."

"Then you came to find me." Itachi had found Sasuke in so many ways. And he'd helped Sasuke find himself, too. "Your little fallen angel."

Itachi nods as he kisses him again. Indeed. Sasuke really was his fallen angel in so many ways.