Centuries

Silver's Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. There is some minor Sasuke x Kakashi in this chapter, but it is more a reference to a preference stage in their relationship than anything else. This story is still firmly an Itachi x Sasuke one. Anyway, we hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 5

By the time Kakashi arrived home in the morning, he had the distinct suspicion that Sasuke was likely asleep in the guest room. Even now, Sasuke still preferred to sleep during the day, unlike Itachi, who was used to being an early riser. The two were so different, yet so similar, that it was rather astonishing.

But, what was important was finding out how their evening went. He'd left them alone precisely so that they would have time to bond without him hovering. So, after walking through the door, he heads for the kitchen, certain that Itachi would be there, eating his rice balls for breakfast, like usual. "Itachi?"

Itachi was indeed there and pouring himself some blood. "Kakashi." He shakes his head, already knowing what he was going to ask. "He didn't attack me. So I suppose our relationship is cordial enough."

"Well, that's good." Not exactly the reaction Kakashi was hoping for, but it was looking kind of okay so far. "Not that I thought he would. But it's always nice to see that my assumptions are correct." Still, that was a slightly frosty response. "Did something else happen?"

"Nothing worthy of note." Itachi shakes his head. "Don't trouble yourself over it. It's just we are worlds apart." That was putting it mildly.

"I suppose that's true." And Kakashi was certain that Itachi didn't know nearly the whole story. "Compared to Sasuke, you're still a bright, optimistic, and fairly innocent young vampire. I was too. And I suppose that I still am, to a certain degree." He approaches the counter, reaching out a hand, and placing it on Itachi's shoulder. "But that doesn't mean that you can't bond with him. If you give him time, I'm sure that he'll come to love you as much as he does me and Indra."

"Somehow I find that doubtful." Itachi shakes his head at that. "I don't think that he's going to want to see me again, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Well, that was…interesting. "And just why would you make that assumption?" Kakashi was fairly certain that if Itachi was right, something would be broken. "Did the two of you have a fight?"

"I wouldn't call it a fight exactly." Itachi just knew when he was getting a brush off and wasn't the type to throw himself at him. "No punches were exchanged and there was no shouting."

"I see…well, Sasuke does tend to avoid fighting nowadays, so I suppose it's not that surprising that it wouldn't be violent." It was actually one of the more shocking changes that Kakashi had seen in Sasuke over the many decades. "But that doesn't mean that no one was hurt."

"Just my ego, more than anything." He shakes his head. The last thing he wanted was for Kakashi to get into a fight with Sauske over him. "As I said, it's nothing of consequence."

Oh boy, that wasn't good. "Then I take it that you've had a run-in either with his pride, or his habit of keeping someone at arm's length." Or worse, both. "In all of the years that I've known Sasuke, those two things are usually what unsettle people the most about him." Even Kakashi had found him becoming distant, as the years wore on, especially after Sasuke had let him go to run off into the world.

He shrugs at that. It was accurate enough. "Both. It was my own fault really." Sasuke had essentially warned him.

"Itachi, it's not your fault." Kakashi sits himself next to his childe, shaking his head. "There are things about Sasuke that you just don't know. That's not your fault. Just like it's not Sasuke's fault that there are things in his past that make him want to push people away. It's for their own safety, as much as his. At least in his eyes." How could he really explain this? "The fact that he agreed so quickly to come and meet you, and made a last minute trip across an ocean should tell you that he's at least willing to try and get to know you. That's more than most of the planet can say."

"I don't blame him for it." It was a common reaction in vampires his age. Sex lost most of its intimacy. So why should kissing be any different? "I'm the one that made the mistake."

Kakashi quickly realized that he was going to have to use a different tactic in this. Approach the problem from the periphery. "Itachi, do you have any idea why Sasuke turned down a second glass of bloodwine last night?"

"I theorize that he half starves himself out of some sense of guilt." It wasn't...completely unheard of, but he'd never heard of a vampire Sasuke's age doing it.

"Not exactly." Kakashi wasn't privy to every single one of the details, but he knew enough to have a pretty clear picture. "As you know, Sasuke was a ninja, born into the final years of the Warring States Period. At that time, many of the ninja clans were being used by one side or another, and around the time of Sasuke's birth, many of Iga's clans were being killed because of it. But, the Uchiha thrived by serving under the warlords who were trying to unite the country. And later, Sasuke himself served as the personal assassin of Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, recruited at the age of thirteen to kill Tokugawa's enemies." But that was only the beginning.

Kakashi thought it was rather deplorable to force someone who was barely a teenager to fight, but times were different then. "There was an incident while Sasuke was serving under Indra, who had been going by the name of Kenji Taira to get close to the Shogun, for the purpose of testing Sasuke's potential. The incident, incited by Orochimaru, ended with Sasuke dying in Indra's arms, and waking up transformed into a vampire." But that was all back-story, and not at all the main point, though crucial for understanding it.

"Now, there is a myth in Japan, not well-known, but for those who know the signs, it's a rather obvious one." In fact, until he was turned, Kakashi hadn't truly believed it, himself. "That a demon with the face of a bird was sent by a god, either to punish the emperor, the people of Japan, or perhaps simply to protect the Shogun and destroy his enemies. This demon worked in the dead of night, slaughtering the enemies of the Shogun, and draining the corpses of blood. Rather like a vampire, wouldn't you say?"

"You're saying that Sasuke was the 'demon' and he was draining their blood." Itachi still didn't see what this had to do with Sasuke's starving himself. "Forgive me, but I'm not sure what that has to do with his diet and stoicness now."

"It doesn't. It just goes to show that before, Sasuke was very different to the person you see now." Kakashi had seen it in the later years, but not the bulk of the killing, himself. "For two hundred and sixty-six years, it worked out very well. Sasuke would kill the enemies of the Shogun, and thus, have all of the blood he could drink. Perfect for a new vampire. But it was towards the end of the war that brought down the shogunate, that Sasuke lost his taste for blood."

Kakashi hadn't thought it possible for a vampire to be so put off by the very thing that they needed to survive, but he supposed that seeing the ground covered in the blood of your kind was enough to do it. "The night that the emperor's soldiers attacked the Uchiha Clan's estate in Iga, Sasuke was nearby, trying to assassinate some of the important generals. We thought that they were simply marching through the province, but it turned out that they were there to destroy the last remaining ninja clan, loyal supporters of the Shogun."

"It was the night when the ground was soaked with Uchiha blood, despite Sasuke's valiant efforts to save his family. Until I found you, we were both sure that no one survived the night. And a week later, after burying the dead, we fled the country, sealing up the estate, and taking what we could carry with us." They'd fled to Europe, to Scotland, where no one would think to look for them. They stayed with Naruto and Tsunade and Jiraiya, and the Uzumaki coven with their boundless energy and vibrant red hair.

That didn't solve the problem though. "But Sasuke was never the same. He stopped killing entirely, and for the first few years, we had to force him to drink blood. He was disgusted by the notion of drinking it, after seeing so much of his family's innocent blood spilled. They were his reason for continuing on as a vampire, his reason for fighting. And without them, his spirit simply broke. He'd lost nearly everything he'd ever cared about, I was all he had left, and it took him another four decades before he let me strike out on my own. He was scared of losing me. The various geisha and oiran that he took likings to were temporary, but he still cared enough to visit them and stay, holding their hands as they passed. But after that night, he closed himself off. He seems to have gotten a bit less cold in the last few years, but…" Well, there was only so much that Kakashi could do about that. "In trying not to have his heart shattered again, he's forgotten how to live."

Itachi was more than a little dumbstruck by all that. "I don't know what to say." That was quite possibly the saddest thing he'd ever heard. "In light of that, I can't imagine he'll ever speak to me again."

Kakashi shakes his head, snorting softly. "Trust me, Itachi, whatever happened between the two of you cannot be nearly as bad as some of the things I've done, and despite all of it, even if he doesn't show it outright, I know where my place is in his heart. And I'm sure that you'll have a place as well if you try." And the silver-haired vampire did hope that Itachi would try, because he didn't want to see the unspeakable happen to his own Sire. "Besides, I wasn't late to my date last night, which means that you're going to be going on vacation to Japan!"

"Kakashi, that is a VERY bad idea!" He knew that his Sire meant well, but this would only end in disaster! "I can't go to Japan with him!" Not after he had kissed him!

"Yes, you can. And you should, it will be fun." Honestly, Kakashi didn't know why Itachi was making such a fuss over this. "Wouldn't you like to see your family library? You may have gone by another name as a human, but legally, your last name is Uchiha." Since it had never been legally changed from Uchiha in the first place. "You are entitled to certain benefits, and Sasuke is currently holding on to those. I'm sure that he would be, at the very least, glad to have some family again. Apart from Indra."

He shakes his head. Itachi was curious, but he didn't want to use Sasuke like that. "Kakashi, I don't need benefits. I'm more than comfortable enough living on my own assets." He was going to have to be blunt. "And I doubt he's happy to have me around anymore. I kissed him."

Kakashi blinks. Well, that was unexpected, he didn't think they'd do THAT. But…maybe that wasn't a bad thing. "…If your goal is to have him hate you, I guarantee that you're going to have to try a lot harder than that. One kiss isn't going to turn him off getting to know you. …In fact, if anything, it might help."

"I don't want him to hate me." It had been a foolish impulse to kiss him. "We were talking and he started sulking about something. It was just...endearing and I kissed him without thinking about it." Itachi sighs as he remembers the incident. "He kissed back, but Sasuke has made it rather clear that he doesn't have interest in other supernaturals for the most part and when he is interested in sex, it's not about an emotional connection. Which is fine." He'd be a hypocrite if he held that against him. "I've indulged in physical gratification from time to time myself."

"It was just I lost my temper when he kept saying that my kiss was good for a baby vampire. Good for a fledgling." Lacking overall though. "That I'd get better with a teacher, but it hurt my pride. I realized I had made a mistake and that was the end of that. He hasn't said anything to me since."

"Hm…maybe I was wrong not to teach you how to kiss." Kakashi did regard Itachi more as a son, than a potential lover, but the boy was more than attractive enough that kissing him would have been no chore. "Anyway, I'm sorry about Sasuke, he's just gotten very bad over the years regarding how to express his feelings. Because the reason that he avoids supernaturals, is that if he got attached to one with the same lifespan, he's afraid that he would only end up losing them, just like everyone else. So, it's not your fault, he's just afraid." And not unjustifiably so.

Itachi sighs as he glances at Kakashi. "I'm not some lovesick newly turned vampire who thinks that a single kiss means that we're destined to be with one another forever." He might be a romantic, but he was also a realist. "It was more his assessment that rubbed me the wrong way, but I better understand his rather...academic view of sex now."

"Academic indeed." Kakashi chuckles at Itachi's description of his Sire. "He is certainly a very thorough teacher in ALL aspects of being a vampire. Though, I suppose that being turned when he did, and by whom he was, it should be no surprise. Besides, he said similar things to me for quite some time after I was turned. So you shouldn't take it personally."

"..." He tries to imagine Sasuke's condescending praise being levied at Kakashi. "And yet, somehow you are still alive. I can't imagine you reacted to such things well." He could imagine Kakashi lunging at Sasuke and the bloody outcome that would result form such a decision.

Yes…Kakashi couldn't say that he reacted particularly well the first time. "Sasuke is…very good at subduing fledgling vampires without harming them. Though I suspect that most vampires with two or more centuries on you would find it an easy feat." And it had irked Kakashi the first couple of decades, before he had reluctantly accepted that besting Sasuke was an unlikely outcome, at best. "Besides, he might smack me to try to teach me a lesson, but he would never truly harm me. He may not like to admit it, but he's extremely attached to me."

Apparently, more attached than Itachi had initially thought. "Oh yes, he mentioned in passing how ATTACHED the two of you were to one another as well." He didn't know whether he was teasing his Sire or if he felt bitter about that fact. Itachi suspected it was a combination of both.

Kakashi raises an eyebrow at the bitterness in Itachi's tone. Oh…OHHH…now THAT was interesting. "Well, yes. I suppose that my techniques were rather mediocre as a human. Enough to get by, but nothing particularly impressive. I think that his pride as a Sire wouldn't allow his childe to visit the geisha without at least SOME advanced skill in the carnal arts." Was Itachi…jealous? "But yes, he was a VERY attentive teacher."

"I'm sure that your kissing techniques were far more than sufficient and that he was just being arrogant." This time Itachi couldn't help, but roll his eyes. "Which may have more to do with his age than anything else in all fairness, but does grate on one's nerves."

"And that was precisely my reaction, though…in a less forgiving way." Yes, Kakashi was fairly certain that there was…something there. Itachi was interested in his ancestor, though to what degree, Kakashi was still debating. "Though I forgave him almost instantly during the first 'lesson'."

He was going to get eyestrain, if he kept rolling his eyes. "That's because, forgive me Kakashi, I mean no offense when I say this, but you suffer from nymphomania." Well more like Kakashi enjoyed his 'affliction'.

"It's not suffering if I enjoy it." And besides, Sasuke's teaching methods had been…well, extremely practical and flexible. And Kakashi had enjoyed them all thoroughly. "Besides, he's no Shizune, but he has a rather nicely shaped ass."

"You're saying that you prefer Shizune to him?" Kakashi needed to get his eyes checked, if he was speaking from a purely aesthetic perspective. "Well I guess if one prefers women, the banshee does have the advantage. This is especially true after Sasuke opens his mouth."

Well, Kakashi found the last point hard to argue with. "Sasuke is…difficult to handle at the best of times. In all honestly, I believe that the only being alive that could truly bring him to heel is Indra. But I suppose that he does have the familial advantage. Though I personally do prefer women, there are a few men that have encouraged me to make use of the lessons in both being the aggressor, and…not."

He gives Kakashi a flat look. "Yes, that's true and I really do not need to know which positions garner your interest the most." For all practical purposes, he thought of the silver haired vampire as his father at this point. Kakashi was attractive, but Itachi really didn't want to dwell on his fatherly figure's exploits too much.

The elder vampire holds up his hands as he senses his Sire approaching. The man was completely silent, one had to give him that much. He doubted that Itachi even knew that Sasuke was coming down the stairs. "Alright. But variety is the spice of life. Best to learn that while you're still a young vampire, otherwise human ideas about sex might get too ingrained into you." After all, vampires were extremely…creative, when they wanted to be. It was just another way to stave off the boredom of immortality.

"I'm quite comfortable with variety." He shakes his head. "I just don't need to imagine you participating in said variety."

"Alright, but that's good. Because Sasuke is too." Kakashi smiles at the sight of his approaching Sire. "Isn't that right, Sasuke?"

The eldest vampire stares flatly at Kakashi. "One, you know that I'm not a morning person. And two, it is too early in the day to be talking about sex." And, as he passes by the youngster on the way to the fridge, he nods slowly. "Hello, Itachi. I hope that you slept well."

How had he snuck up on Itachi without him noticing?! "Well enough." What else was there to say other than he didn't realize Sasuke had preferred time-slots for…well, inserting things into certain slots.

"Good." Sasuke pulls some leftover tomato salad from the fridge, deciding that it was as good a food as any for breakfast. "And Kakashi, if you're going to tease your childe, you should probably do it where I can't hear you, otherwise next time, I will make sure to embarrass you."

Kakashi laughs sheepishly. "Alright, fine." Though he was rather amused by how quick Sasuke was to jump to Itachi's defense. "Now, about that promise that you made last night. I think that it would be good for Itachi to spend some time in the country of his ancestors. As far as I know, he's never been there."

If looks could kill, Itachi was sure that he have just staked his Sire through the heart. Kakashi couldn't be serious.

Sasuke doesn't even bat an eye at the 'demand'. "You want me to let him stay with me in Japan." Kakashi wanted Sasuke to have company over. It was yet another transparent attempt by Kakashi to insert people into Sasuke's life. But…he did agree, so… "That decision is not mine, but his. If he wishes to accompany me back to Japan, then he may do so."

Never mind staking Kakashi! "Well I wouldn't want to intrude..." Why was he in the middle of this? If he said no, Sasuke would consider that a rejection of their familial bond, likely forever. If he said yes, it was going to be horribly awkward.

Sasuke pauses, scrutinizing the young vampire. "The estate is mine, and unless I say that you are intruding, you are not. But if you are uncomfortable with the idea of going overseas, that is fine. Neither of us will force you to do anything against your will." And just to make his point, he shoots a stern look at Kakashi, who wisely chooses to remain silent.

"Well if you're sure, I suppose a short visit wouldn't hurt." Kakashi would never let him hear the end of it if he said no. "We do have so much to learn about each other, after all."

The old vampire nods quietly. "Yes, there is much to learn."

Smiling widely, Kakashi claps his hands together. "Alright, Itachi, why don't you go and get packed. I'm sure that Sasuke would rather leave sooner than later, and sleep most of the trip away." His Sire did hate traveling during the day, a dislike from long ago in Edo.

Itachi merely nods as he goes to pack. This was going to be quite possibly the longest and most unpleasant vacation in the history of his existence. He couldn't believe the nerve of his meddling Sire!

A mere two hours later, the private jet was slowly making its way down the runway, heading north-west to Japan. "I can still have the plane stop, if you'd rather not come." Sasuke eyes his descendant cautiously. The fledgling seemed anxious and uncomfortable, and it wasn't something that Sasuke liked to see in people he was supposed to be 'close' to.

"If you want, I can leave now." He looks out his window, not daring to make eye contact. "I know that you don't want me to come to Japan with you and are only doing this to humor Kakashi, but I made up my mind."

Sasuke takes the decision unblinkingly. "Very well." Then, he reaches towards a small cupboard built into the floor next to his seat, opening the door to reveal a large selection of spirits. "What do you prefer to drink?"

"It depends on the occasion really." It took him a moment to realize that Sasuke was offering him alcohol. "I'll drink most things, but I like beer the least." It was too watery and plain for his taste. "Wine, vodka, and champagne are my favorites, though." The last part felt silly to admit to a vampire like Sasuke, but it was the truth.

"Good, if beer was your favorite, I would have to disown you." Sasuke extracts an extremely old, rounded bottle of Peloponnese wine. "This should suit you, then. It's a strong rosee from Greece. Not quite as strong as vodka, but it's a fruitier wine that isn't staggeringly sweet."

That was rather specific. Maybe Sasuke hadn't soured on him after all, if he was taking such pains to recommend a wine that he thought Itachi would like. "That does sound intriguing and you're joking about the beer preference, correct?" It was hard to tell. He said it in such a matter of fact way.

"Perhaps." Sasuke extracts two glasses from the upper compartment of the cabinet, before uncorking the bottle and swirling the contents. He pours the dark pinkish liquid slowly, letting the wine touch the air for the first time in what was probably centuries. "I leave the beer to human college students."

"Yes, that's always been my philosophy as well." Itachi chuckles as he takes the wine and sips it.

Sasuke allows his to breathe a little longer, before sipping at his, and feeling the sweet and sour taste roll over his tongue. "You went to college yourself. What makes you so different from them? Apart from the fangs."

"Oh, well I haven't been to college in decades." He laughs at that. "Life experience, I suppose."

"Of course." That was a reasonable answer, after all, Itachi had lived long past his college days, even if he had once been part of that crowd. "Did you enjoy your college years?" Sasuke couldn't imagine how anyone could stand to learn in such small and crowded classrooms, listening to self-professed experts on their subjects, who did not always practice what they taught. Humans were becoming very strange.

Itachi smiles at him and chuckles. "Oh yes, yes I did." He smirks at that thought. The sixties had been both a perilous and wonderful decade. "When I attended, it was just becoming more fashionable for women to do so."

"I see, that's good." Sasuke drains the last of his glass, before reaching into the cabinet again, pulling out a bottle of scotch, and proceeding to uncork it, before drinking a mouthful directly from the bottle. "What about before college? What was your childhood like?"

"While not ideal, it could have been far worse." He shakes his head. "None of it was my parents fault. It was just tough to be born into a Japanese-American family at the end of World War Two and to deal with the stigma associated with that even after the war." And Itachi was pretty sure it was a good idea not to tell Sasuke anything more about the internment camp. One slip was more than enough.

"Yes, there was quite a lot of hysteria, wasn't there?" Sasuke felt a small pang of guilt shoot through him. "…Nothing like that will happen to you ever again." No matter how stupid some humans insisted on being.

He chuckles at the sentiment. "That's kind of you, but I assure you that even though you may see me as a "baby" any vampire is more than a match for whatever humans might throw at us." Well for the most part. A stake through the heart did come to mind.

"It's not because you're young." Sasuke puts down the bottle of scotch, watching Itachi closely. "It's because the responsibility falls to me, not you. And it has fallen to me for over four centuries to protect our family. I failed once. I will not fail again." Even without drinking a great deal of blood, Sasuke was still far stronger than he was a century and a half ago. Under his gaze, no harm would come to Itachi, not from humans, and not even from vampires.

"Well if you're that determined to be my protector, I suppose that you would have to move in with Kakashi and I or I would have to move in with you." He shakes his head in amusement. "You can hardly keep such a vow, if you're a world away."

Sasuke's eyes narrow slightly at the boy who didn't seem to take such a thing seriously. "I have been tempted to bring Kakashi back to Japan, where I would be able to keep a closer eye on him. But considering that he is at an age where he should begin looking for someone to spend the centuries with, I thought that it would be an intrusion to suggest it." And so, he'd kept his distance after setting Kakashi free. "However, if you find that you like Japan, and wish to remain, I will not stop you." A small, sad smile crosses Sasuke's face. "After all, I made that vow a very…very long time ago."

He really did seem to think that Kakashi was on the verge of finding his bloodmate. "Kakashi has been a vampire for two hundred years. He hasn't found his bloodmate yet." Itachi smiles at him. "So is there really any reason to believe that he would have less of a chance finding them in Japan?" As for the rest, well Itachi would humor him. "I know that you made your vow and you intend to keep it. I guess we'll see how Japan and I find one another."

"I'm sure that you'll find it interesting, at the very least." Though Sasuke wouldn't be opposed to relocating to America for a while. "And whether or not my childe finds his mate remains to be seen. He seemed to have no luck in Japan before, so maybe the wider selection in America will help." Sasuke could only hope, really. "Despite what you seem to think of me, I do only want Kakashi to be happy. Well, and more punctual, but I've resigned myself to never getting that wish."

"I'm sure that I will and I know that you care for Kakashi." And possibly for him in some abstract way. "Though you're right, he's never going to be more punctual."

Sasuke smirks. "He wouldn't be Kakashi if he was."