Centuries

Celestia193's Author's Note: Well, one step forward, two steps back. …You'll see what I mean later on in the chapter.

Silver's Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. We took a pretty 'traditional' route when it came to the subject of intimacy for vampires and other supernaturals in this story. That means that monogamy isn't necessarily the default state, unless you find your bloodmate (or another species equivalent, if we aren't talking about vampires). And yes, Sasuke is cocky as Hell to Itachi in this one, but they'll get there. Happy reading!

Chapter 4

Well, Sasuke had to give Kakashi this much. His collection of erotica was nothing to sneeze at. He had some from all across the globe, including some supernatural-specific publications. Kept secret from the largely unknowing humans, of course. But still, a thousand items dealing just with erotica? That was excessive, even by Sasuke's loose standards. Which meant that it suited Kakashi perfectly. "I see that his collection has grown in the last few decades."

Ignoring the erotica, Sasuke spots a pair of couches in a cleared space in the middle of the large room. It wasn't nearly the size of his clan's library, of course, but it was decently large for a vampire Kakashi's age, when collecting only for himself. "In any case, the purpose of this visit is supposed to be for me to meet you. And I also assume that means get to know you." Because Kakashi would never let him hear the end of it if all they had was a meal, a few drinks, and then Sasuke disappeared again.

So, Sasuke sits himself on one of the couches, staring intently at his descendant. "Kakashi will likely be out all night, and so, we have until he gets back to 'get to know' each other. Whether or not he showed up to his date on time will determine whether or not he'll pester me about you."

"Yes, that would seem rather agreeable." Itachi smiles as he sits down on the other couch and watches his ancestor. "I imagine you have an impressive collection in your own library though." Books were a safe topic or at least he supposed that they should be. He truly knew almost nothing about Sasuke at this point.

"I do." He had been spending the last sixty years working on restoring the Uchiha library. There were many pieces that had gone missing thanks to thieves, and Sasuke was determined to restore every single book and scroll to its rightful place, no matter what measures that took. "The estate where the Iga province once lay contains the clan's library." Though his residence in Tokyo was more for convenience than anything else. It was a place to come and go from, not large, not excessively luxurious, but it served its purpose. He simply preferred old buildings to new ones.

Itachi smiles at him, sensing this was a serious subject for Sasuke, but trying to lighten the mood. "And what does a four hundred something vampire read about in his spare time?" It seemed like the proper thing to do.

"Philosophy, history, mythology." Things that were older than he was, for the most part. Sasuke could live through the modern things, but it was the unknown that intrigued him the most, rather than humans doing the same stupid things over and over again. "I've been working on tracing my ancestry back to Indra, but I'm still missing several crucial documents."

He might look young, but Sasuke obviously was more than just handsome face. He was also something of a scholar it seemed, even if it might have been motivated more out of a need for closure than anything else. "I imagine that would be difficult. Documents from your era are rare enough, but from between yours and his...well that's even more so." Predatory. Those eyes were definitely predatory, even more so than the 'average' vampire (if such a creature existed). They were also tragically beautiful. So sad when their kin were mentioned.

"Yes, they are few and far between." And that was a great frustration in tracking down his own ancestry. But There was no need for Sasuke to vent his frustrations now. "And yourself? I presume that you prefer more modern texts than I do."

"I consider myself...relatively balanced between older works and more current ones." Itachi's smile grows at the question. "Mythology and history certainly hold appeal for me, but I suppose that one's birth era leaves a mark and in some ways, I never truly quit my human profession. New developments fascinate me as well."

"New developments?" That was a little vague. "In what area?" Sometimes, Sasuke forgot that vampires did once used to be human. Of course Itachi had had a job before being turned. And…apparently still did.

"Mostly in space exploration, but also in oceanography and science in general." It was stunning to realize that everyone walking around with a cell phone now, possessed far more technological power in their hands than had been used to fly a ship to the Moon! "The unknown will always be an intriguing and frightening concept for humanity and vampires alike, I suppose. Whether that's in the sky, the ocean, or elsewhere."

"Space exploration?" It was a topic that Sasuke had never really touched, preferring to learn by looking back, rather than looking to the stars. But maybe that was because he was old. "That's a very specific field. I take it, then, that you are either a physicist or an engineer?"

"Mechanical Engineer. I actually worked on the team that first landed on the moon, briefly." Itachi smiles wistfully at the memory. "I was rather young and they didn't put just anyone on that project. I joined in the last year or so of it."

"I see." Sasuke's lips curl in amusement at the information. "Well, the Uchiha always did have a reputation for producing geniuses. It seems that reputation continues to be well-deserved."

Such modesty, though Itachi was more than content to bask in the subtle praise. "I suppose that's true. We were all...so happy there. It was something that we were all doing that was positive." A reprieve from the struggles that were going on both at home and abroad. "A matter of national pride and scientific achievement. It was a beautiful thing to see." And it had also been his last night as a human, when they pulled it off.

"In an era of negativity from the Cold War, right?" Sasuke had found all of those human machinations to be rather pointless. "I've found that humans in this era have a bad habit of waging war over nothing, and tossing around dangerous weapons like dango sticks." In his day, barely anyone died, compared to the past century of warfare. "But it is good to see that you found something productive to do, at least." And it had likely kept Itachi safe, which was good.

"Well yes, that was the driving force behind the U.S. increasing it's focus on its space program." He concedes that point. "Well I'm sure that I don't need to tell you how...things were back then. You lived through it as well." The assassinations, the fight for Civil Rights, and Vietnam stood out most in his mind. "So it was nice to have something...to focus on that actually made people happy for once." Instead of seeing them get beaten or blown up.

"I suppose that makes sense." Sasuke sighs and shifts onto his side, laying himself down comfortably on the couch. "I was in Europe at the time. I'd gone there after fleeing Japan. So I've heard things about what happened here in that era, but a castle in rural Scotland with Naruto and his fairly ancient coven for company wasn't exactly the best way to know what was going on across the ocean." His eyes fall on Itachi, softening a little. "But from what I do know, it must have been hard to grow up here after all of the hysteria, only to be plunged into more."

"Well most of the time, I probably would have preferred to be in Scotland." Being born into a Japanese internment camp hadn't been the ideal place to start his human life, but Itachi was barely a toddler when they left. "Unfortunately, for most of its history, it seems this country has been involved in one war or another."

Though the prejudice against Japanese Americans certainly hadn't vanished immediately after World War Two ended. Thankfully now though, things had radically shifted in this era. Gone were the days where he was looked upon with distrust or scorn for his Japanese Heritage. Instead, he received neutral or curious reactions for the most part and many 'kids' and adults these days seemed to find Japanese culture 'cool'. Probably something to do with anime, samurai, and ninja, he suspected.

"Yes, this country seems to be something of a bad influence in this era when it comes to warfare. No one gets straight to the point anymore. It's inefficient, wasteful, and the civilians suffer the most." At least Sasuke knew that he'd prevented a lot of civilian deaths through his work. And by keeping the shogunate stable, there was peace for two and a half centuries.

Though, the fact that Itachi had lived through that only added yet more failures to Sasuke's list. And that weighed heavily on his heart. "If I had known that there were members of the Uchiha Clan still alive…I would have come to find you. I'm sorry for not looking as hard as I should have."

"There was no possible way that you could have known." He smiles at him. "Besides, I was lucky. I was born near the end of World War Two and was able to get out of Vietnam by going to college. I was part of history and well now, I have Kakashi and a fang-tastic smile." Itachi chuckles lightly at his own pun. "So it all worked out in the end."

That did nothing to ease the guilt. Because Sasuke should have known. "I'm glad that you didn't have to fight, at least. War is messy. It's bloody and dirty, and unless certain measures are taken to avoid large-scale conflicts, a lot of people die because there are others who don't like the status quo."

Itachi sighs and nods. "Well I am as well. I saw enough of the fallout from the war to realize that I was extremely fortunate, even the Internment Camps weren't that bad." He probably shouldn't have said that. "Anyway, Kakashi says that it's rather hard to get a hold of you. What are you doing these days? It must be a challenge to find new ways to keep yourself occupied besides chasing down the result of Indra's...exploits."

Sasuke's eyes narrow at the mention of internment camps. It seemed that there was another failure to add to his never-ending list. But…it had been over half a century ago, and thus, there was nothing he could do. Again, he was useless.

So, he decides that answers would be better, rather than dwelling on another pile of what ifs. "Business, mostly. I've been working on it ever since leaving Japan. I got Kakashi started as well." After all, a vampire needed a steady source of income, and regular jobs wouldn't cut it, since a vampire didn't age. You could only hold down a stable job for so long, before people around you realized that there was something up.

Sasuke probably didn't do as much as Itachi likely thought he did. Sure, he could travel the world, study, maybe even teach. "I move around a bit, keep to myself, work out deals with museums to have scrolls and books returned." He smirks slightly. "Work around dealing with bureaucrats if they're stubborn about holding on to stolen property. Sometimes I'm dragged out for a night out in downtown Tokyo against my will. I doubt it's as glamorous as Kakashi makes it out to be."

"I'm sure it's not half as exciting as Kakashi has lead me to believe, nor half as dull as you're trying ot make it seem." Itachi smiles at him. "Though I"m quite certain the women of Tokyo appreciate it greatly when someone forces you to go out on these...excursions."

Shooting his descendant a dry look, Sasuke shakes his head. "I'm more than capable of finding myself companionship when I need it. Shimabara and Yoshiwara might not be around anymore, but I still know how to find suitable humans to seduce." He eyes Itachi, taking in the young vampire who, unfortunately, looked older than he did. "If you were human, I'd probably have you charmed into my bed as well. I usually manage it in less than half a minute, no compulsion required."

Itachi blinks rather stunned at Sasuke's bluntness. "Well I'm certain that you have no issue finding partners when the mood strikes you." He smiles, trying to get over being dumbstruck. "And I probably shouldn't have assumed that you prefer women. Though as I'm not sure what makes you think you could seduce me so easily or that I would be open to a seduction from men in general." In truth, he saw no reason to discriminate in that matter with regards to sex. He'd taken men and women to his bed.

"I'm a vampire, we tend to swing both ways more often than not." Apparently, Sasuke was going to have to educate the baby vampire a little. "And I learned how to charm people from the geisha and oiran of Edo and Kyoto's red-light districts. It made being a ruthless assassin a lot easier to have a pretty face, and a charming demeanor. So, I learned from the best." Including learning how to cross-dress so effectively that he'd really been mistaken for a woman many times. "I didn't spend ALL of my time in the flower cities sleeping with the prostitutes."

He found himself left more than a little speechless at that. "And here you were, trying to claim that you were a boring old man." Itachi chuckles, still not sure how to respond to any of that. "While I'm certain they were attentive instructors, I really wouldn't assume their techniques would work on everyone." His ancestor certainly didn't lack for confidence it seemed. "Though I'll admit that you're correct. I'm not adverse to taking men into my bedroom." Truth be told, he slightly tilted more towards men than women.

"I never said that I was boring, just that this life isn't as glamorous as you might think." Sasuke sighs, images of blood racing through his mind, sending a shudder up his spine. When you had a body count like his, you were anything but boring. Anyone who studied a few of the fuzzier Japanese myths would know that. "You're right, though, their techniques probably wouldn't work on everyone." There's a glint in his eyes, now that the memory has passed. "But the foundation they laid out gave me a lot to work with, and a lot to build on. Not to mention, I've lived about fifteen to twenty times as long as your average geisha."

The word average didn't really belong in the same novel, let along the same sentence as Sasuke. "You were implying it, but noted." Itachi wasn't blind. Sasuke was anything but average.

"I can imply a lot of things." Dark eyes watch the young vampire closely. "Watching others figure out what is the truth and what isn't is how I weed out the people who aren't worth my time." Though, maybe he could embarrass the kid a little. "How much did Kakashi teach you about the subject?"

Itachi raises an eyebrow. "About which subject?" Kakashi had taught him many things.

"Cute." The younger vampire amused him, but Sasuke's interest had been piqued. "I imagine that you are significantly less innocent now than when you were first turned. And I simply wondered whether or not Kakashi had neglected your sexual education."

Oh that. Itachi shakes his head and gestures around towards the library filled with erotic literature. "You're right. I'm far less naive than I was about such things when I was turned, but as you can see that is one area where Kakashi was very attentive." Not that he had been a blushing innocent at twenty-five, but he was over seventy now. If he wasn't less innocent than decades ago, then he obviously would have been doing something very wrong!

"Good." Though when Sasuke turned Kakashi, the samurai was hardly an innocent, himself. But there was still quite a lot that a vampire could teach a fledgling. "I do hope that he at least took something of a hands-on approach. It's the most effective way to learn." He would be ashamed if Kakashi skimped out on those sorts of lessons. After Kakashi started sneaking into Shimabara, Sasuke had taken it upon himself to make sure to educate Kakashi in a more practical manner.

"Are you asking if Kakashi is my lover?" Itachi tilts his head in confusion. "I know such things aren't uncommon amongst Sires and their children, but that's never been the case between us." The Sire-Childe bond was powerful, but it could manifest itself in several different ways. The most common being a parental bond, but lover bonds were also viewed as quite normal. And then there were the more...transactional bonds, to put charitably. Vampires like Orochimaru turned people to have minions.

Sasuke stares unblinkingly and almost innocently at Itachi. "Kakashi may prefer women, but if a man is 'pretty' enough, he'll go for it."

"I think he views me more as a son than a lover in all honesty." Itachi smiles at him.

"Really…" That was strange, considering that Itachi was quite the looker in his own right. But Sasuke supposed that as long as Itachi's education in the carnal arts wasn't lacking. "Well, it's good that he has someone to be responsible for, anyway. Someone who isn't actually two hundred years older than him." It annoyed Sasuke that Kakashi sometimes acted like he was the older one, just because Sasuke looked so young.

He nods at that. Itachi could tell that he was surprised. "In his own strange way, he's very paternal." He could just imagine how that had likely driven Sasuke insane considering how young the other man looked.

"Yes, I know, and he loves to drive me half insane with it." Sasuke chuckles at his own misfortune. "But he means well, even if he's one of the most annoying vampires I've ever met." Which made it all the more ironic, as his Sire.

"Did you ever sire anyone else after him?" There was a chance that Kakashi might not have even been Sasuke's first childe, now that Itachi thought about it. "Forgive me, if that was too personal." Curiosity had momentarily dispelled his manners.

"No, I didn't." Sasuke didn't really see the point in making more vampires. Not when there were freaks like Orochimaru who were doing it way too much. "Besides, my job was to kill people to secure the power of the shogunate, not make their enemies immortal. Kakashi was…a special case."

Itachi laughs softly at the description. "That's definitely true." That was one way to put it. Kakashi was certainly a special case.

Sasuke grows quiet, observing Itachi carefully. The more relaxed posture, the amusement dancing in his eyes, the still composed demeanor, curious and cordial at the same time. He was…very different to Kakashi, and Sasuke had to wonder just how someone like Kakashi picked up someone like Itachi. "How did you meet Kakashi?"

"It was a long time ago…" Itachi sighs at the memory. "After the Moon Landing, we all went out to celebrate. We went out drinking as you might suspect." It had all been so normal. "We were all so happy and got a bit carried away. We stayed out late and were finally leaving the bar when there was an ambush. Vampires." His voice chokes up a bit.

The images of his dying friends and colleagues still haunted him to this day. "None of us knew what was happening at first, most had their throats ripped out instantly. Others tried to run, but no human is faster than a vampire." How could a mere human ever hope to stand against an immortal? "I tried to save them, to fight back, but...I ended up getting mauled. The scent of blood must have attracted Kakashi and…well, he saved me." By turning him.

"And history repeats itself once again." Sasuke found it rather ironic that this same situation kept happening over and over again. "Let me guess, even though you knew you were dying, you still clung to life anyway? Like a stubborn samurai on a battlefield, or a young shinobi who still had an oath of loyalty to fulfill…"

"Well I'm not sure if I was anything as grandiose or regal as that, but essentially." Itachi nods.

"Circles within circles…" Sasuke felt rather tired, but he refused to go to sleep before morning. "The fact that you were stubborn about it is what attracted him to you, me to him, and Indra to me. You should be proud, it's not easy to catch the eye of a vampire you've never met before. And certainly not easy to get enough sympathy from one to turn you at the drop of a hat. It means that he saw something in you that he liked, and that he wanted to preserve."

Itachi nods at that and smiles. Well that was a rather positive way of looking at it. "That's true and thanks to him, I've been blessed with a wonderfully long and happy life." At best, he'd be an old man by now, with grandchildren. At worst, he might already be dead, if he was still a human.

Sasuke's expression falls, eyes fixed on the dark leather of the couch. "Yes…a very long life." It was as much a curse as it was a gift. "Take this piece of advice from an old vampire. The first few centuries are a rush. Nothing can hurt you, you don't age, you don't change. And there's the trap. Eternal youth seems like a miracle at first. But eventually, you discover just how much of a curse it is."

"That's how you truly feel about it?" Itachi looks at him with worried eyes. " That it's a curse?"

"It is what it is. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it hinders. And when you've seen the kind of death and destruction that I have, it become harder to see immortality as a good thing." Sighing, Sasuke shakes his head, turning onto his back. "Besides, you're not the one stuck as a horny teenager for the next…however long 'eternity' lasts."

"Well I have to concede that must get rather frustrating at times, but seeing as you're so confident you can charm anyone into your bed with ease...well that doesn't seem like it would be an overly complicated problem to solve." He chuckles at the thought.

"Not complicated, just annoying. But it passes the time." Sasuke had a lot of time on his hands, and he had to stay sane somehow. "Humans can be hard to get attached to."

Because of the lifespan issue. "I know the feeling. That's why I won't make an advance unless it's clear they are looking for...a temporary companionship." That was the nicest way Itachi could put it.

"It's why I prefer them." And if they got really pushy, Sasuke could just compel them to forget. "The geishas and oirans were easier. People in this era get too attached, too quickly. Some humans are fine, but some…want things that I could never give them." There was too much blood on his hands, too much darkness around him for that to be possible.

"My taste is different." Though Itachi could understand Sasuke's reasoning, it just felt sad to listen to. "In most instances, if given the choice...I'm more likely to be attracted to another supernatural. They're less...fragile."

"Yeah, there's that." There were some supernaturals with human lifespans, and Sasuke would sometimes sleep with them. But like the humans, they were an afterthought, a way to pass the time. "Do you think that Kakashi is going to keep Shizune?" It would be good if he did. Kakashi needed someone steady, someone with a long 'lifespan'. But Sasuke hadn't seen either of them in a long time, so Itachi would know better if it was a possibility.

He pauses as he considers that. "He's fond of her. She's more than just pure physical gratification." Though Itachi doubted Kakashi was in love with her or going to fall in love with her. "Though I would say that it's more a friends with benefits situation than anything permanent. They like each other and they like the sex, but I'm not sure that it's anything more than that. I give it at most a thirty percent chance of becoming something more." He was an engineer. "It's possible, but not likely." It was natural for him to see things in terms of numbers.

"Well, one can hope." Some vampires were happy, Sasuke knew that, and he hoped that Kakashi would be one of them. "In any case, I doubt that you want to hear an old vampire complain about how much immortality sucks. I'm starting to think that you have to be insane to enjoy it."

"Well honestly, if you live to be over a hundred...I think most people would be insane." He smiles at him. "Though it is rather comical to hear you use modern slang. I don't know why I find it endlessly amusing, but I do."

"I could start speaking the way I did during the Warring States Period." Sasuke raises an eyebrow at the young vampire. "Is that what you'd prefer?" The Japanese would be absolutely archaic, and even if Itachi spoke the modern dialect fluently, he wouldn't likely be able to understand a five hundred year-old version of the language.

He smiles at Sasuke. "You should speak however you like, I'm just saying that it sounds funny to hear a vampire your age speak like a university student." He'd probably look rather sexy in a Yale getup. Just the sweater and...Itachi blamed Sasuke for discussing the carnal arts so much for that thought.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, huffing indignantly. "I try to keep up with how university students speak, that way, I don't seem out of place when I actually leave whichever estate I've decided to stay in. It would be strange to them for an eighteen year-old to be speaking archaic Japanese."

It was just...frankly adorable to watch him sulk. "That makes sense, but it doesn't make it any less endearing." So he kisses the other vampire on instinct.

He was going to tell Itachi to shut up, before the baby vamp kissed him. …Kissed him. …What the hell, it felt good. And he was basically Sasuke's grand-childe, so whatever. If Itachi wanted to learn a thing or two, he could teach him.

Reaching up, Sasuke grabs Itachi's hair, twisting his fingers into the long black locks, and plunging his tongue into Itachi's mouth without even waiting for an invitation. His tongue flicks across the roof of Itachi's mouth, before wrapping around the baby vampire's tongue, enveloping and tugging on the soft, wet muscle.

Itachi was surprised when he felt Sasuke kiss back. And not just kiss back, but make love to him with his mouth. He wasn't in any mood to protest though. He happily returns the kiss, moaning quietly into it as he explores the other vampire's mouth with his tongue, silently mapping every corner of it.

Humming encouragingly, Sasuke allows the invasion of his mouth, using his tongue to guide Itachi's to the most sensitive places there. Itachi was good, he'd give him that, but there was still quite a lot for him to learn. Like how to make a human reach the brink of orgasm just through the extremely sensual nature of a kiss that took decades to master. Itachi sighs in pleasure at the kiss and runs his fingers through Sasuke's hair, deepening it further.

After several minutes of nearly shoving tongues down throats, and teaching Itachi to stimulate every little nerve of the mouth, Sasuke breaks the kiss and slowly drops his hand. "I hope that you took notes, because THAT is how you kiss."

"You're rather cocky." Though he had a right to be. "I'm sorry though, Professor. I seem to have forgotten my notebook."

Sasuke rolls his eyes as he looks up at Itachi. "Well, hopefully you learned SOMETHING, at least." Honestly, children these days were so easily distracted. "You still kiss like a baby vampire." Better than a human, but nowhere near his own skill level.

Itachi gapes at him. "Excuse me?!" Sasuke did not just insult his kissing skills!

The elder vampire pats the young one on the shoulder as he sits up on the couch. "Don't be offended, you're plenty advanced for your age, and with an experienced teacher, I'm sure that you'll progress quickly if you pay proper attention."

Itachi had no idea how he wasn't supposed to be offended by that. "I'll make you retract that statement!" Honestly, older vamps!

"Yes. Continue to practice, and I'm sure that you will." Well, Sasuke felt satisfied that he and Itachi had 'bonded' as Kakashi wanted. "Besides, it's not your fault that Kakashi neglected to teach you in a more practical manner. You would have learned faster that way."

"So what you view making out with young vampires as a public service?" Itachi supposed that was one way to spend your semi-immortality.

Sasuke stares at Itachi blankly. "You are the second vampire I have ever kissed. All of the instances before have been educational. I try to avoid hooking up with other immortals."

"So it was just me and...who else then?" Itachi almost wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"Kakashi." Sasuke would have thought that would be obvious. "I am his Sire, so it was up to me to teach him, or to leave him to learn on his own. And for the sake of the geisha and oiran, I thought that it was best to do the former."

He'd just kissed Kakashi's ex. "And you two aren't...involved anymore?" Just to be clear.

"No, of course not." The elder shakes his head. "Not since well before you were born. If we were, I wouldn't be encouraging him to find a mate." Sooner, rather than later, because Sasuke wanted Kakashi to be happy.

"Oh good." He didn't want to come between anything. "I'm still not a baby vamp kisser."

"No?" A raised eyebrow is accompanied by Sasuke's signature smirk. "Then I suppose that you prefer the term 'fledgling'?" It denoted a vampire the next stage up from a baby vampire, and two up from a newborn. But Itachi was rather cute when he got upset over being called a baby.

"I'm not a fledgling kisser either!" The man was utterly impossible. "You didn't seem to mind my kissing a moment ago!"

"Was I supposed to mind?" He'd kissed plenty of people before. Humans really liked it, after all, and Sasuke indulged them, since they provided a decent, if fleeting distraction. "If it will make you feel better to have me fluff your ego, your skill is far superior to that of humans."

"Slightly." Itachi sighs. Why was he so upset about this? The man had just finished telling him that he didn't really form emotional attachments with his lovers. "Never mind. I probably shouldn't have kissed you. You just looked so adorable when you were sulking, I got caught up in the moment."

"There's no harm done." And, seeing that Itachi was feeling a little on the awkward side, Sasuke rises to his feet, and walks silently over to one of the few bookcases NOT filled to the brim with erotica. The child was likely embarrassed, and Sasuke found that the best remedy for that was giving a youngling space.

He sighs as he watches Sasuke. "Yes, I suppose not." Itachi didn't want to ruin his relationship with his ancestor over one kiss. No matter how amazing it had been.