Centuries
Celestia193's Author's Note: Well, we've got lots of sexual tension starting to build, and...two oblivious vampires. I'm sure that you can all see where this is going. Now, let's all prepare to welcome Aoda, your friendly ninja estate dragon.
Chapter 9
Two calls in two days? Kakashi wasn't sure whether to be flattered, or worried. If nothing else, it felt like things were moseying along well enough. Either something good had happened, something for him to encourage, or Sasuke had done…something to drive Itachi away. He really hoped it wasn't the latter.
"Hello Itachi." Kakashi smiles hopefully into the phone. "Are you still enjoying Japan?"
"I'm not sure if enjoy is the right word when I'm worried about my ancestor, but I tried his blood." Kinda. "I nipped his ear after he gave me a sword lesson."
Kakashi blinks. "He's giving you sword lessons already?" Normally, he would have made a dirty joke about it, but this was Sasuke they were talking about, and sword lessons were…a very intimate affair with someone like him. "…Has he invited you for another?"
"He says that if I want, I can have another lesson at sundown." That really wasn't the point though. "Which was kind of him and I'll take him up on the lesson, but that's really not my concern at the moment."
Oh, so Sasuke was inviting Itachi to a repeat, that was good. "And what is your concern, exactly?" Kakashi was sure that it wasn't something earth-shatteringly bad, otherwise Itachi wouldn't have mentioned the lesson at sundown.
"Well I nipped him." Fuck! The other vampire had tasted good. "It was only a drop or two at most. His blood tasted even better than yours." Itachi pauses for a moment. "No offense. I assume it has something to do with him being an ancient vampire."
Wait, what? Kakashi goes quiet for a few long moments. "The age of a vampire usually has an impact on the power and potency of the blood, rather than the taste." He couldn't imagine Orochimaru's blood tasting very good, and the vampire was older than him and Sasuke combined. "There are some people whose blood just tastes very good, and Sasuke is certainly one of them, but…what did it taste like to you?"
"Oh I see." Itachi tilts his head as he considers that. "Maybe, it's because we're related then." That might be why. "Melted dark chocolate and luxury sake." The kind that ran top dollar because it was made in the traditional way.
Kakashi's eyebrow rises. "Well, that's certainly an apt description." It was the kind of description that you would expect to be made about the blood of royalty. Which, incidentally, didn't actually taste all that great. "…How did it feel to drink it?"
"Yeah. I thought so." How did it feel to drink it? "It tasted really good, but like I said it was only a drop or two. I didn't really have time to analyze it."
Hm…drat. Kakashi was going to have to try throwing the ball a bit harder. "Would you want to drink it again, if given the choice? And you do prefer it to mine?" He wasn't offended by Itachi saying so. In fact…he would be downright ecstatic if Itachi truly did feel that way. Because this was slowly starting to show the signs he'd been hoping to see, just not this quickly, and not necessarily from Itachi. But, whatever worked. And if it helped to save his Sire in the process, all the better.
He'd be an idiot not to want to drink it again. "Of course, I'd like to drink it again. That's damn fine sake!" Oh wait. Itachi was getting distracted here. "And your blood is exceptional Kakashi, but I'm afraid to tell you that I do prefer him. Again, I believe it may have something to do with his age or just the familial bond."
Maybe…well, all there was for it was for Kakashi to try and push it, subtly, but push it all the same. "When I was a young vampire, Sasuke often had me feed on him instead of on humans, to make sure that I could control myself with them. He continued to allow me to feed if I felt the need for blood, just like I did with you." It was just one of those things that tied their Sire-Childe bonds together. At least in their line of vampires.
Though, Kakashi felt that a warning was necessary. "So, while he is not averse to being fed on by people he cares for, and I would encourage you to try and get a better taste, be careful with him. In his state, he's more fragile than usual, though if he does end up lacking in blood, it would be easier to get him to drink some. He may be stubborn, but he's not unreasonable." And if Itachi could get Sasuke to start drinking blood more regularly…well, that could only be a good thing.
"Well I could try." Though Itachi wasn't entirely sure that would work. "He's very stubborn though and could probably tell, what I was doing." Sasuke was also a highly intelligent vampire. He might figure it out.
"And you are far more charming than you give yourself credit for." Kakashi was confident in his childe's ability to win an argument if he really put his all into it. "I'm sure that you'll figure something out."
Itachi sighs and nods. "Yes, I kinda have to." For Sasuke's sake.
"Good." Because from what Kakashi could see, Itachi might be the only one who could.
Finally. The elusive Uchiha had finally resurfaced. And this time, it was with that baby descendant of his. Orochimaru could…taste the exquisite blood already. Practically nobility among the shadows of Japan, the Uchiha were an unfortunately rare breed, one that he would very much like to…collect.
Thankfully, with Indra currently unable to be found, the ancient vampire was likely in no position to stop him, at least not quickly. And that would give Orochimaru more than enough time to put the next step of his plans into action. With the both of them vampires now, though unfortunately not sired by him, he would never have to worry about being…gentle.
Of course, he had rectified those situations long ago. Not personally, but…that's what minions were for. And he had always made sure to have a small coven of them, a dozen or two under his command at any given time. They were useful and easily influenced. And easily disposed of if they grew too old, too powerful, and too headstrong to be controlled anymore.
The Uchiha boys would be, Orochimaru was certain of that. But…given time, taking one would bring the other to heel, he was sure of it. Sasuke had always been the sentimental type, even if he didn't care to show it. And that…Orochimaru could take advantage of that. "Anko."
"Yes, Orochimaru?" The man had sired her and she had once idolized him, but now she feared him more than anything else. "What is it that you desire?" For to attract his attention in any way, usually didn't end well.
Desire…yes. "There is a place not far from Kyoto, where an old acquaintance of mine lives." Orochimaru certainly did desire the beautiful young vampires, both turned when they were at their most radiant. "I would like for you to pay him a visit."
That didn't sound good. "Yes, My Lord and what is the nature of this visit?" Anko was afraid she had a good idea what the nature was though and well God help the poor son of a bitch.
"He…has a fledgling vampire staying with him that I desire. One who holds a great deal of promise. He's from Indra's line." It was almost a guarantee that when Itachi grew older, he would become extremely powerful. And Orochimaru did like being able to control powerful individuals.
"I see and what do you wish me to do with this fledgling?" If he wanted her to acquire him, Indra would likely take revenge. "Indra has disappeared for the time being, but My Lord this could be risky if something were to happen to this fledgling."
"I doubt that Indra has ever met the child, and he withdrew himself from the world long ago." Even Orochimaru didn't know where the ancient vampire had ended up. "But all I wish is for the boy to be…persuaded to come here for a visit." Once that was done, Orochimaru could easily take care of the rest. "His name is Itachi, and he is staying with a relative of his. But you needn't worry about the older vampire, he starves himself of blood. His power is not what it once was."
The vampire was probably on his way to the afterlife in that case. "Very well and if gentle tactics don't work?" Anko looks at Orochimaru with concern.
"He's younger than you are, coddled by his Sire, and from what I have been able to see, he is something of a pacifist, and has never actually produced a body." Rare, for a vampire, but not entirely unheard of. Orochimaru would be sure to rectify that, of course. "I'm sure that he would pose no threat to you. I would, however, suggest that you avoid the other vampire, his Grand-Sire, now that one…he has left a trail of bodies behind that makes even someone like me look peaceful. Even if he is being foolish by denying himself blood."
"Of course." Anko swiftly takes off, not at all looking forward to this mission. Though she knew it was her life or theirs. "And I'll always choose mine."
Itachi goes to meet Sasuke for his sundown training. This would likely prove one way or another to be quite illuminating.
"Good, you're here." Sasuke was still dressed entirely in black, though, similar to the attire he'd worn to the club. Formfitting, but easy to remove if he felt too warm. That wasn't usually a concern as a vampire, but sometimes, a training session could get rather strenuous. "Follow me." Yes, he trusted his friends in the house, but the things that he was going to show Itachi were just…not for anyone else's eyes.
"Alright." Itachi follows his ancestor. It was disturbing to see a man who was over four hundred years older...who had such a charming backside. "What did you have in mind?" Vampire or not and the fact that he was Itachi's ancestor just made it even more surreal.
"I am going to train you the way that I was trained." To Sasuke it was a rather simple thing. "The humans may not know that you are an Uchiha, but that doesn't change the facts. So, it would be wrong to keep this part of your heritage from you." And to that end, Sasuke turns from the main courtyard, heading off in the direction of the trees that surrounded the estate.
He looks around, suddenly on guard. "I'm not sure if I should be excited, terrified or both." Itachi chuckles at the thought.
"Don't worry, it's not as though I've stocked the forest with lions, tigers, or bears." Though Sasuke had certainly thought about it, to keep strangers away from the estate. But honestly, he really didn't want to deal with the legal issues that the humans would raise if someone did something stupid like try to trespass.
"I would hope not." Itachi smiles at the thought. "They're beautiful creatures, but most of them are endangered."
"…" That was a good point, and not one that Sasuke had considered. "In that case, maybe I should. They'd be safer here." He looks towards the rolling hills and the waves of trees before them. "Right, I told you that there was a dragon that lived out here. Would you like to meet him?"
Sasuke had certainly gone senile. "Sure. I'd love to meet your dragon." Dragons didn't actually exist.
"Alright." Sasuke smirks at the expression on Itachi's face. The poor baby vamp was about to get the shock of a lifetime. "AODA!"
Aoda immediately comes flying out. He was glorious. Easily, the size of a two or three story building with his massive wings and shimmering purple scales! Itachi blinks at the sit and lands flat on his ass.
"Still think I'm crazy?" Sasuke chuckles as the serpentine dragon curls its tail around him. "Hello Aoda." He runs a hand along the dragon's scales, rubbing and scratching here and there. "I brought you a new friend. This is Itachi."
"You were serious about the dragon?!" All Itachi could do was gape.
"Of course I was." Sasuke looks fondly up at the dragon. "I found him long ago when he was just a hatchling."
"Yes." Aoda leans his head down, big eyes blinking at the young vampire before him. "Is this your hatchling? He looks like you. Very nice scales."
"Thank you." The snake had just complimented him on his skin. Well, at least that's what Itachi thought. "Though...not exactly."
Sasuke shakes his head. "He's my sister's grand-hatchling." Well, as close as he could figure without saying a boatload of greats. "Be gentle with him, he's never seen a dragon before."
"Oh, I see…" Aoda lowers his head to rest it on the ground, though his head alone was still taller than Itachi. "Hello hatchling, I am Aoda, protector of all that belongs to Master Sasuke."
It was a dragon version of Jugo. "Pleasure to meet you, Aoda." He cautiously pats the massive creature's head. "I'm Itachi."
As Aoda growls happily, Sasuke smirks, shrinking a little into Aoda's tail. He knew what was coming in three…two…one… A giant tongue shoots out of Aoda's mouth, swiping straight up Itachi's body, leaving a trail of dragon drool down Itachi's front.
"Hey!" He was covered in dragon saliva? "...You were serious about the golden retriever thing." Aoda really was a dog in a dragon's body.
"Yep." Despite himself, Sasuke can't hold back his peals of laughter at the sight of his descendant covered in dragon spit. "Come on, there's a creek that you can wash off in before we start training." He extricates himself from Aoda's tail, landing lightly on the ground. "It's not far from here. Aoda will keep watch."
Yeah. That would be good. "I feel as though I should be honored." Mostly though, Itachi was more than a little grossed out as he went to wash off.
Aoda follows closely behind as Sasuke leads the way to the creek, before making himself scarce to respect his descendant's privacy. Aoda, on the other hand, keeps a careful eye on the young vampire as Itachi approaches the water. "Master Sasuke laughed for you."
"I believe he was laughing more at me than for me." Itachi chuckles. "But yes, I suppose that's accurate enough." He bathes, trying to clean himself off.
Aoda 'tries' to be helpful by scooping up some water with his wing and pouring it slowly over Itachi like a shower. "The name Taka suits Master Sasuke, doesn't it? He sounds much like a bird when he laughs." It was a nice sound, but one heard rarely.
He enjoys the strange version of a shower. "Yes, it's a nice laugh." Though Itachi wasn't entirely sure what Aoda was playing at.
"It would be nice…" He uses his other wing to scoop up even more water. "To hear it more often." The dragon hadn't seen a smile like that on Sasuke's face in a long time. "Will you be staying for a long visit, or a short one?"
"Yeah." Itachi nods at that. "It would. And I'm not entirely sure how long I'm staying." Sasuke seemed to be doing better today, but Itachi didn't have the heart to leave him.
"Oh." Aoda tips the second wingful of water over Itachi, washing away most of the remaining slime. "I hope that you decide to remain here a while longer. Master Sasuke seems to enjoy your company."
As much as Sasuke enjoyed anything, Itachi supposed. "I think he's just happy to be able to pass on family traditions." And who could blame him?
Aoda tilts his head, letting the last of the water fall away. "I am not a family tradition." At least, he didn't think so. "You may be right, but it is good to see him happy again." He waves his head back and forth, looking through the trees towards the training ground. "He seems very lively now."
"Well no. You aren't." Damn. He'd probably offended the dragon. "It's obvious that he thinks very highly of you, Aoda. It's just...well, being able to show another relative your fighting technique and your home is...symbolic."
"Yes, as is showing them a secret known only to a few." Aoda taps Itachi gently on the brow with his snout, trying to clear the young one's confusion. "Only Master Sasuke and his childe have seen me. You are the third person to have ever set eyes on me. You are…special."
He blinks at that. Itachi hadn't been aware that Aoda was such a selective privilege. "Well then I'm deeply honored." He licks his fangs a bit nervously. Could Sasuke actually have feelings for him after all?
Aoda waves his giant head up and down. "Come, hatchling, Master Sasuke is waiting for you." He begins weaving his way through the trees, slowly enough for Itachi to comfortably follow, but faster than any human could walk.
His life had taken a very bizarre turn, Itachi thinks to himself as he follows the dragon. "I'm coming!" And with that, he dashes off after Aoda.
Sasuke sat in the clearing, absolutely still, and even more silent. Had it not been for the fact that he was completely visible, it would have been easy to miss him. It was at odds with his restless nature, but a necessary part of training, and good for maintaining discipline. Meditation, a tool for all great warriors.
Unperturbed, even when the sounds of a slithering dragon, and jogging vampire made their way through the woods towards him. It had taken longer than Sasuke expected, but he had learned many lessons in patience over the centuries.
It was like a vision from out of a dream, Itachi muses as he takes in Sasuke's appearance. He seemed to have simply become one with his surroundings. Truly, it was a thing of beauty.
Sasuke's eyes open slowly, finding Itachi. "Sit." Now was the time for learning, no matter how mundane it might seem at first.
Itachi sits next to Sasuke. "Alright?" He didn't say it but the word 'and' hung heavily in the air.
Sasuke watches Itachi for a moment, then sighs and shakes his head. "It seems that Kakashi neglected the basics with you." Not that he expected Kakashi to take the lessons of an entirely different style completely to heart. "Just…sit. Listen. Observe your surroundings without observing them. Focus without focusing. Let your mind breathe…"
"My apologies, but that made absolutely no sense." Focus without focusing? Observe, but not observe?
So, this was the frustration that his father had gone through in training him as a child. "Meditation. You learn to know your surroundings, to take advantage of them unconsciously. It is the first lesson that an Uchiha learns when they are taught to become a ninja." He smirks at Itachi. "But I wasn't very good at it in the beginning either. I was always told that I was too restless."
"Yes, I can see why that might be a concern for you." Itachi chuckles and shakes his head. "Alright. I'll try." Though he didn't expect much to come of it. "It just seems...very strange."
"I know." But it was something that came with time, practice, and sometimes a natural disposition towards it. "Just…clear your mind, and make a void inside of yourself for the sensations of the world to flow into. For that, you need inner peace, and to be QUIET." Sasuke shoots Itachi an annoyed look.
Itachi had the decency to look sheepish at that last part. He nods and silently tries to concentrate.
Sasuke nods in approval, before closing his own eyes again, returning to the still, receptive state in which he had been when Itachi first entered the secret training grounds. He found, when he was a child, that it was easier to mimic your teacher, than to follow verbal instructions. Perhaps he was not the only one with a restless nature.
The younger vampire watches him. He felt anything, but meditative around Sasuke. If anything being near him only made him more sensitive to his surroundings, not more relaxed. Kakashi's plan just kept coming back to him as did the taste of Sasuke's blood and his kiss, however brief both instances had been they were now both intertwined and firmly branded into his mind.
It was amusing, but irritating at the same time to hear the gears turning in Itachi's head. "If it helps, breathe." Sasuke no longer felt the need to breathe in order to meditate, but then again, he'd learned this while he was still human. "Count the timing of your breaths until you achieve a state of mental quiet." Because obviously, whatever was going on in Itachi's head was far from quiet.
"Alright." Feeling guilty at having disappointed the other man, Itachi does as instructed. Slowly, but surely he feels his mind begin to settle.
At feeling the slow calming of Itachi's mind, and the near stillness of his body, Sasuke smiles. "Good." It was a bit of a rocky first attempt, but then again, most first attempts were like that. "Feel the energy around you and let it fill you up." There was a becoming one with nature that had to be mastered first, something that could benefit even vampires.
It was hard to focus on anything other than Sasuke's voice, but Itachi eventually manages it. There was just such a silken quality to it that it made almost anything seem elegant really. Though, maybe that was just the blood talking.
Smirking, Sasuke rises silently to his feet, stepping through the grass like a ghost. "Alright, now tell me what you hear." There was an entire forest around them, and a plethora of sounds to choose from.
"Birds, insects...probably bees, water running, Aoda slithering, Karin fucking Suigetsu, and...you." He pauses at that last part. "You're stepping through the grass."
"Well, one of those I didn't need to hear." Sasuke walks in a half circle to stop behind Itachi. "But yes, you're starting to get the point." It was the first few steps, but ones he'd learned long ago. "What else? What can you smell? What can you taste? Your eyes are important, but they're not everything. You can be easily blinded."
"One of the things, I smell...you don't need to hear either." The scent of their 'lovemaking' was also lingering in the air. "I smell freshly cut grass, fallen rain, fish...though that might just be Suigetsu and...freshly baked cookies?" Probably Jugo. The giant seemed to like baking.
"Good." That meant that Itachi had at least a range of a kilometer with most of his senses. He couldn't pick up everything quite yet, like the smell of the soft earth beneath their feet, or of the bamboo leaves waving in the breeze, but at least he wasn't blind in his other senses. "Now taste the air." He bites his hand a little, drawing just a few drops of blood. "Tell me what you taste."
"You cut yourself." He didn't need even a second to realize that. "I taste your blood."
"And?" That wasn't nearly enough. "What do you taste?" Sasuke knew that he might be pushing a little, but no ninja ever became strong without being pushed. Sometimes hard. Sometimes off a cliff. Sometimes literally off a cliff. Fun times…
"There are other things, but melted dark chocolate and expensive sake are the most prominent." That was after all, what Sasuke tasted like to him.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow at the description. Chocolate and sake, huh? "That…is what my blood tastes like to you?"
"Yes, that's what your blood tastes like to me." Itachi nods. "Why, is it not supposed to taste that way?" Had he offended him somehow?
"I just hadn't heard the chocolate part before." Sasuke had been told by Kakashi that his blood tasted like good rice wine, but the chocolate part was new. "It's just…surprising." Though maybe not. Dark chocolate had a habit of being on the bitter side.
"Oh, well it tastes that way to me." Itachi nods as he tries again. "Besides that, I taste the water in the air and the cookies." He was still positive that was Jugo's doing.
"Good," Sasuke flicks his hand, flinging the tiny droplets of blood into the grass. "That's a good start. You managed to sense about…five percent of what was going on around you." Though maybe that was being generous. "Now, open your eyes, and try telling me what you think that exercise was really about."
Itachi tilts his head and smiles. "I think it's your very unique way of family bonding." And that Sasuke liked fucking with his head.
Sasuke brings his palm to his face. "Amusing…really." He sighs, shaking his head. "That was an exercise in awareness. It was to test you and see how aware you could be of your surroundings. Spying, tracking, stealth, all of these are elements and tools in a ninja's arsenal, and they are among the basics from which the family style is drawn. They're the lessons we're taught before we ever even pick up a blade."
He pulls out his chokuto, proceeding to draw a circle in the grass around Itachi. "Did you pay attention to the insects around you? The feel or smell of the ground beneath you? Did you feel the magnitude two tremor that happened three minutes and thirty-two seconds ago?"
"Yes, to all those things minus the scent of the ground directly beneath me." It was hard to tell if Sasuke was being smug, actually trying to help him in some way, or both. Probably both though. "And no offense to the insects, but I'd rather do this." Knock him off his high horse a bit. So that's exactly what Itachi tries to do. He tries to tackle Sasuke, after making sure the chokuto was out of his hand.
Not even putting up a fight, Sasuke raises an eyebrow as his back hits the grass. "And…you're proving what, exactly?" That he could play around like a kid and tackle someone when he got frustrated? Or that he could tackle an old vampire when Sasuke let him?
"That you weren't aware enough of your environment!" This vampire could be rather infuriating at times.
Sasuke stares up at the fledgling, a smirk on his face. "You rushed at me at about twenty-three miles an hour, leaving me three eighths of a second to dodge, which was two eighths more than I needed."
"Are you sure about that?" Itachi quirks an eyebrow.
"Yes." Sasuke stares unblinkingly back at his descendant. "Just like now, if I wanted to, I could throw you a hundred meters into the trees with very little effort."
He shakes his head at Sasuke. "You are quite possibly the cockiest being that I have ever met." Itachi looks down at him. "You're fortunate that you're cute and you taste good."
Sasuke's smirk transforms into an annoyed glare. "You really want to call a four hundred year-old vampire cute?"
"Well yes, I believe that I just did." Sasuke would just have to deal with the very accurate label. "What is my disturbingly well preserved ancestor going to do about such a state of affairs?"
"Hn." Sasuke snorts with amusement, before whirling them over faster than a blink of the eye, pinning Itachi on his stomach, arms behind his back. He leans down to whisper in the young vampire's ear. "Now THAT was cute. But you're still a fledgling, so try to remember that the next time you think you took the upper hand."
Some grumbling occurs as Itachi tries to buck his ancestor off him. "You're resting on your laurels quite a bit." It was going to get him in trouble one of these days. "You may be four hundred, but you don't take care of yourself as well as you should." Someone was going to take advantage of it one day.
Sasuke's grip slackens, and he presses one hand to the ground, lifting his feet into the air and over his head, landing in the grass a few feet away from Itachi. "Yes, but it still wouldn't be wise to underestimate me. I'm plenty strong, even without guzzling blood. And most vampires aren't trained the way I am to begin with." And then there was his intelligence, which he knew was nothing to sneeze at.
"I understand your reasons." Itachi shakes his head and sighs. "And I suppose you're too old to really change your ways at this point, but I really wish you wouldn't...well that you would see to more than just your bare minimum requirements of survival."
Taking the revelation unblinkingly, Sasuke glances back at Itachi. "Kakashi told you?" It would figure that the nosy pervert would have a hand in THAT little piece of information being spread around.
He couldn't lie to Sasuke. "He told me, but I would have realized you weren't drinking regularly sooner or later." And he would have asked about it. That implication hung heavily in the air.
Of course Itachi would have asked. "If you asked Kakashi, then you would know that I haven't always been like this." No, there had been a time when Sasuke gorged himself on blood until he could drink no more. This was…as close to going cold turkey as a vampire could get without killing themselves.
"I know that." Itachi nods and pauses. "I know that every vampire has a history and it's not always pleasant. I'm more concerned about your present and future though."
The future that ended a long time ago. "I know that you mean well, Itachi, but the fact is that all I have left is to make sure that you and Kakashi are happy and safe, and to finish restoring the clan library. This is my sentence. My punishment for all of my failures." Most prominently, not being able to save his clan that night. Because yes, he did blame himself for it. If he'd been a little faster, a little stronger… But there was no point. There was no turning back the hands of time.
And with resignation written all over his face, Sasuke finds deep worry for him in familiar dark eyes. "Once that's accomplished…I don't care what happens to me."
"Well maybe you don't care what happens to you, but we DO!" Itachi hated the fact that he was half screaming at Sasuke, but he couldn't help it. "You didn't fail and you don't deserve a punishment. You're not a god, Sasuke! Those were just dangerous times." He didn't have to punish himself like this. "No one could have stopped what happened and if you truly want to keep Kakashi and me safe, did it occur to you that half starving yourself means you're weakening yourself!? Which makes it harder for you to do that!"
"…" Sasuke didn't need Itachi to tell him that, he's already heard much the same thing from Kakashi a long time ago. "You're still young, Itachi. You don't know the kinds of things I've seen, the kinds of things I've done. If you were a lawyer today, you'd try to lock me away for the next ten thousand years. I'm drenched in blood, and I'm sure that Kakashi has made sure that you're still perfectly innocent. The last thing you need to do is worry about a vampire with a body count several miles long. I may be weaker than I could be, but I'm not helpless. I am still very…VERY dangerous. And that's what I plan to make you." Just without the body count.
"Well I'm not a lawyer!" Damn it. Sasuke was being so unreasonable. "I'm an engineer. We don't lock people up, we find a way to solve problems." And Sasuke had a problem. A big one. "I'm also apparently more of a masochist than I thought..."
"And why's that?" Sasuke raises a quizzical eyebrow. "Because you want to 'fix' me?" He doubted that even Kakashi could do something like that.
"Because I've attached myself to someone who has already willingly shoved a foot in the coffin." Itachi sighs and looks at him. "I'm not your age. So I can't pretend to understand exactly what you're going through, but I know what it means to give up. To be waiting to die. I was doing that before Kakashi found me."
Sasuke's expression softens a little, and he closes his eyes, remembering the pain and fear involved in his own turning, when he was convinced that he was going to die. "Some things…are too broken to be fixed. Or they've been broken so long that no one has the parts anymore."
Itachi shakes his head. "I don't think that's the case with you. I think you're more stubborn than anything else." He pauses. "And arrogant, definitely an arrogant, but you have a good heart."
Said heart almost…beats a little. Just a little flicker, a flutter, something…warm, soft… Something Sasuke hadn't felt in…well, he didn't know how long it had been, he didn't really know what it was. Hope, maybe? A naive notion, but… "Well, if you think that you can fix a broken old vampire, you can go right ahead and try. But I bet…five years worth of acquiescing to whatever you like, that you won't succeed."
"I'd never be able to match you for material wealth." They both knew that. "If you wish to throw away some of your riches though, well I'll happily take them off your hands because it is a wager you would end up losing. Which would do you some good." Itachi nods. "It would teach you some humility."
Now that made Sasuke chuckle. "Well then, I look forward to your efforts." And honestly…part of Sasuke wouldn't mind losing that bet. "But I wouldn't bet on your ability to teach me humility."
"Well I acknowledge that it will be a difficult task." He sighs somberly. "Though I'm sure it won't be nearly as difficult as landing on the moon."
"Then good luck, because I've been compared to the moon before." And Naruto to the sun. An odd comparison for a vampire, but then again, Naruto was an extremely odd vampire.
"I can see why." Itachi chuckles as he smiles at Sasuke, brushing a stray bang out of his eyes.
Sasuke's eyes follow the movement, before snapping back to Itachi's. "So, what precisely are you planning on landing this time?"
"Well I though that since the civilized approach hasn't really worked thus far, I could always fuck your brains out." Itachi smiles at him with a straight face.
Sasuke resists the urge to gape at the baby vampire. "You are either the most audacious baby vampire I've ever met, or you're insane to think I'd bottom for you." That…was not a position that Sasuke typically took unless he was training a baby vampire, meaning Kakashi, or really…really bored with topping.
He shakes his head. "It was...a joke, Sasuke." The other vampire had made it rather clear what he thought of Itachi in that department. "Though I'm rather disappointed that you're so monolithic in your lovemaking style. Four hundred years and you never bottomed?"
The elder vampire shoots the younger an irritated glare. "I didn't say that. I'm flexible when I want to be. It's just not often that I can find someone who can compete with me on my level." He typically stuck to humans, and they were very…easily seduced.
"Yes, as you said it's going to be very difficult to teach you humility. "Itachi rolls his eyes.
Scoffing, Sasuke shakes his head. "Well, you can go ahead and try. But in the meantime, practice meditating here. We'll have another lesson tomorrow." He turns towards the house, looking back once over his shoulder. "Because teaching you stamina is apparently going to be very difficult." Mental stamina, but if Itachi wanted to tease like that, Sasuke could play ball. "And it's going to take…forever."
"I have plenty of stamina!" Itachi huffs at him in outrage! "If anything you are the one who should be concerned about stamina. Can you even perform at your age?"
Sasuke twitches. "Well enough to have a snow demon screaming my name all night long." Honestly, just what kind of training did Itachi think he'd had as a human?
Itachi flinches a bit at that. "Probably because he was afraid that he was going to melt. Snow demons, you know.. a fragile lot!" What was he doing? He shouldn't have provoked Sasuke like that.
"What, are you disappointed that you weren't the one screaming my name instead?" Sasuke smirks at the look on Itachi's face. Jealousy, it was always so amusing to see in young ones.
"I think you've got your order mixed up." Itachi had had about enough of this. "It would have been the other way around." Though he was certainly going to leave with the upper hand at the very least, he thinks to himself as he turns to leave.
"Tch." Sasuke glares at Itachi's back. "Idiot." Like he would ever be screaming Itachi's name. Besides…he didn't sleep with immortals.