Centuries

Silver's Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. We hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 22

After a rather enlightening conversation with Indra, Itachi eagerly races back to his Mate's side. "Hopefully, he's still asleep." He smiles to himself as he walks back into their bedroom.

Sasuke's eye's flutter open just a crack when he senses Itachi entering the room, before sliding shut again as her turns over onto his stomach behind the dark red curtain. A curtain that pulls itself back, seemingly by itself.

He smiles and gets into the bed with him. "Guess you slept through it." Itachi smiles and kisses the top of his head before assuming the Cuddle Position.

The curtain swings shut again as Sasuke flicks his fingers and leans into Itachi's touch. "So how was Indra?"

"You're such a faker." Itachi laughs as he cuddles to him. "Different than expected, but as I'm still in one piece, I think he likes me."

"Suigetsu woke me up." And he hadn't been able to really fall asleep again since. Thankfully, Sasuke had gotten over his initial grumps. "What did you two talk about?"

Well quite a lot of things. "Mostly us, how old he is, and his bloodmate." Itachi smiles at him and kisses his forehead. "Some other things as well, but that was the bulk of the conversation." There was no need to bring up Indra's warning.

"Hn, did you get the 'been around since just after Rome fell' spiel?" Sasuke smiles slightly as he nuzzles against Itachi's neck, sliding an arm around his mate's neck.

"Yes, he did." It was quite the spiel. "I take it he talks about he good old days often."

Sasuke smirks slightly. "When he gets going, he can tell stories for days without getting tired. That's just the one he likes to start with." He runs his fingers through Itachi's hair, frowning slightly as he opens his eyes. "Itachi? What happened?" Something felt…off.

"Orochimaru happened." Itachi rolls his eyes in annoyance at his beautiful hair getting mangled. "Indra was kind enough to fix the worst of the damage. It will grow back normally at some point."

Running his fingers through Itachi's hair again, Sasuke finds it ending around the shoulder blades, instead of well past them, and a thought occurs to him. "…When I cut off his fingers…" That must have been when it happened. "Sorry…I just didn't want him touching you like that. He could have kept hurting you, and I had to get you away from him. I should have just cut his whole hand off…"

"I'd rather lose some of my hair than my head." Itachi kisses him and smiles. "It's fine, Sasuke. It will grow back." Besides, Indra had adverted the worst of the damage.

His mate was so kind…so forgiving. Sasuke didn't deserve it, didn't deserve to be treated so gently. "…Why me? Why is it that someone as good as you…is cursed to be with someone as terrible as me?"

Itachi gives him a look. "Sasuke, you aren't terrible or cursed." He swats him lightly. "So stop thinking of yourself that way."

How could he stop? He was blood and death and destruction. His appearance signaled doom. No swat to the head was going to change centuries of history. "You saw me. You saw what I am, what I do."

"It's what you do to protect the people you care about." Itachi shakes his head at him. "That doesn't make you evil." A little less gore would have been appreciated, but Itachi would always be grateful to Sasuke for saving him.

Blood gathers sluggishly in Sasuke's eyes. Being evil wasn't a requirement for being a monster. "I killed three humans while you were being kidnapped. Irredeemable criminals…I drained them all dry. Then, when I came for you, I paused…every so often I would pause, and drink the blood of the vampires I killed. I gorged myself on blood, because I knew that I would need the power to face him." And it had worked. "…It was disgusting." But he valued Itachi's life far above theirs, and far above his own.

Itachi sighs and holds him. "Sasuke, you did what you needed to do and you probably spared more lives than you took." He wouldn't have his Mate thinking of himself like this.

The blood spills from Sasuke's eyes, running down over the bridge of his nose and into his hair, probably onto the sheets as well. "I don't deserve you…"

Itachi licks away the bloody tears. "Most would argue that I don't deserve you." He smiles softly at Sasuke. "So don't worry about this anymore. It's over, Sasuke."

But they don't stop, the bloody tears just keep on coming as Sasuke cries silently. Never sobbing, for it was not something that a dignified shinobi, let alone an Uchiha did. But that didn't mean that he could stop the tears. Everything just…hurt so much. He couldn't stand it. His head hurt from the sheer amount of blood slithering through his veins. After the initial rush of power, he felt like he was going to explode, or vomit, or…something.

"Sasuke, you look like you're going to be sick." He probably had ingested too much blood. "Perhaps, you should go to the bathroom and just...let it all out?" It wouldn't be pretty, but it would get it out of his system.

Sasuke shakes his head. If he did that, he'd never stop, and he would be right back where he started. "If I throw it up, the same thing will happen again the next time I drink blood. And the next time…and the next time…" If he was going to live, he couldn't do that again, couldn't go through the stages of withdrawal and rationing, and the sheer humiliation involved with getting off blood, and then slowly getting back on it a little.

It sounded like it was going to come out whether Sasuke wanted it to or not. "Alright." So Itachi wouldn't press the issue. Nature would probably take its course anyway.

It hurt, though, but…Sasuke could think of one way… "Orochimaru didn't feed you, did he?"

"No. Why?" Itachi looks at him in confusion.

His system would have converted all of the blood by now, it would taste good. At least, so Sasuke hoped. "Drink mine." It could lower the pressure, take away some of the sick feeling. "It's…more powerful now, potent. If you drink it, you'll start getting stronger."

Well it sounded better than watching Sasuke throw up for God knows how long. "Alright. Tell me when to stop." Itachi sinks his fangs into the other vampire's neck and begins drinking.

Sasuke's hands find Itachi's hair, his back, and hold him tightly as the blood flows quickly from Sasuke's neck, far too quickly to be natural. He wouldn't tell Itachi to stop, he would leave that up to Itachi, to take as much as he wanted, as much as he could. His blood would make his mate more powerful, he could share a little of his power with Itachi, and Itachi could relieve Sasuke of the pressure that threatened to burst open.

He was chalk full of blood. Itachi's fangs had barely pierced the skin when the blood started gushing as if it was an oil well or something. Itachi drinks quickly though, trying to relieve the pressure from Sasuke. It was powerful blood. It must have already been absorbed into Sasuke's system, but he was like a balloon that was filled with water at this point. Only a few drops away from bursting most likely.

Shuddering, Sasuke sighs quietly as the pain in his head slowly starts diminishing, the pressure relaxing just a little with every gulp Itachi took. "Good baby vamp…" Itachi was drinking like it was his first meal.

"I'm not a baby vamp." Itachi growls at him as he continues drinking. Honestly, he wasn't a baby vamp. "How did you hold all this blood inside you?" He was like a waterfall at this point.

"Willpower?" Sasuke would shrug, but if he did, he would dislodge Itachi, and probably spray blood all over the bed. "Honestly, I just…didn't really notice it. I needed the power, and that's all that mattered. My blood density used to be higher, when I was drinking a lot of blood regularly, so I could hold more. I guess I just…fell out of practice."

Yeah. That sounded reasonable to Itachi. "Looks like your blood density is still incredibly high." Still, he continues drinking. Until his stomach began to feel slightly uncomfortable. "That's as much as I can drink without throwing up, myself."

"Sorry…" Sasuke presses a hand to his neck, trying to stem the flow of blood as Itachi withdraws his fangs. It wasn't quite enough, though, and thin rivulets of blood spill down his shoulder and back. "…The sheets are going to need changing." But at least he wasn't going to end up puking all night long. It was so much better to have Itachi drink from him, than to just…yeah.

"It's alright." Itachi smiles at him and caresses his cheek. "Are you feeling better?" He hoped that he was because drinking more probably wasn't a good idea.

Sasuke nods slowly, blood still dripping from between his fingers. "It's going to take a while to heal. It's relieving the pressure the fastest way it can, now." And that meant bleeding until his blood pressure came down. And that meant…very bloody sheets.

"Good." Itachi kisses his forehead. "I'm glad though we could always have Kakashi drink some more from you, if you like."That would relieve more of the pressure.

And drag his childe away from his new friend? Yeah right. "If you really want to get between him and that girl right now, you're crazier than I thought." He wasn't blind, he saw the way that Kakashi looked at her.

"If you need it, he'll just have to deal with the interruption." Sasuke's health came first.

"No…I don't need Kakashi." Sasuke could feel the pressure diminishing quickly now, and he felt like he could breathe again, even if he didn't need to. "…I do need a bath, though." He could smell his blood everywhere. He'd probably spilled several pints of it onto the sheets.

"I'll go start the bath." Itachi smiles at him as he gets up and proceeds to do exactly that. "He's so damn stubborn." The young vampire shakes his head at that thought.

"Always have been, always will be." Sasuke stumbles slightly as he leans against the door to his bathroom, glancing at the giant tub that was quickly filling with water from several taps that Itachi had twisted open. "Or did you not figure out that it's an Uchiha thing?" His yukata was soaked with blood, utterly ruining the blue fabric. Oh well, he would just get a new one later.

"I've noticed." Itachi shakes his head in amusement. "Why don't you get in, My Love?" He looked so disoriented. The young vampire couldn't help, but feel bad for his mate.

"Yeah…" Sasuke sheds the yukata and removes his hand from his shoulder, letting the last wave of the crimson liquid pour onto the floor as the holes in his neck slowly close up. It was still uncomfortable, but he no longer felt like he was in immediate danger of puking his lungs out. Yes, his lungs. Because puking up your own organs would feel amazing.

Still, he slips slowly into the water, shuddering slightly at the sheer warmth of the water, and lowering himself into the filling tub as he sits against the side, leaning his head down as if to sleep. "…Join me?"

"Of course." He smiles and swiftly joins him in the tub after disrobing. "That's better." He kisses Sasuke.

"Yeah." Sasuke kisses his mate back, nipping at his tongue slightly just to get a small taste, just a few drops of Itachi's sweet blood. His mate. His mate who loved him. Who wouldn't leave him. Even now…that he'd seen firsthand what kind of person Sasuke was. "…I love you."

Itachi smiles at him. "I love you too. Though it's probably not a good idea for you to be drinking now." Even if it was only a few drops.

"I know…" But Sasuke was ever the reckless one. "I just…wanted to taste you. The other blood…it could never compare to yours." It was disgusting, absolutely vile. But Itachi's…it was like ambrosia, truly.

"I'm flattered." He snuggles up to his Mate. "Now, just relax and let the water wash away your cares."

"Mhm…" Sasuke snuggles back, not that he would EVER say it out loud, OR let Suigetsu walk in on them doing this. "Wait…" He frowns slightly. "Suigetsu said something earlier…about wanting to get a playmate for Aoda."

"Hmm. That's news to me." Itachi shrugs and laughs. "Who knows, maybe, he just wanted to get a puppy or something." With Suigetsu it could literally be anything.

Somehow, Sasuke doubted it would be as simple as that. "Since when does Suigetsu ever think small?" No…the merman was up to something. Dammit, Sasuke never should have given his consent while he was still half asleep. "Remind me to never agree to anything Suigetsu says right after he wakes me up." He'd only agreed to get the idiot to leave him alone.

The younger vampire laughs at that and smiles. "Yes, I'll remind you." Goodness knows what the merman was actually planning.

Guren. That was the name of the witch that Orochimaru had used to aid in Itachi's abduction. This was one of the names that Indra knew rather well, though was surprised not to find her corpse strewn about somewhere on the battlefield. She was human, of course, as those witches who became vampires, though few and far between, exchanged their magical powers for vampiric ones.

Still, even if she was human, there was no chance in any of the realms that Indra was simply going to let her live. She was, after all, one of Orochimaru's most devout servants. The woman likely required no compulsion, only the promise that Orochimaru would turn her before she fell from her prime.

Well, whatever bargain they struck no longer mattered, in the grand scheme of things. For the ancient vampire did not intend to allow the wretch to survive until the next sunrise. Such was the punishment for endangering his family.

Which is why, come midnight, he stood before a rickety old house, almost stereotypically what one would expect of a witch. He could sense the woman within, hear her heartbeat, smell the scent of a far too sweet perfume. It was truly nauseating.

But, as he was a classier vampire than most, he did the polite thing, walking right up to the front door, and knocking on it, certainly loud enough for her to hear. After all, what sort of witch went to bed before two in the morning anyway?

Guren hears a knock at her door. "That's strange." Who could possibly be calling on her at this hour. "I guess I might as well see who it is." She shakes her head at the thought as she throws a bathrobe on and some fuzzy slippers before doing exactly that.

As soon as she opens the door, her eyes widen in horror. "I-Indra." She knew what the ancient vampire looked like from Orochimaru's descriptions of him. Guren also knew that if Indra was here, it was likely she was about to die. That didn't stop her from screaming and trying to run though. Instinct was a powerful thing, even if it was futile.

He caught up with her in an instant, seizing her by the back of the neck, and lifting her a few inches into the air. "Guren, I presume?" She certainly matched the picture he'd found of her. "It seems that you helped to abduct my great grand-childe." And judging by the way that the woman's heart was racing, she knew precisely what was about to happen. "You are correct." He smirks wickedly. "I am Indra."

"Orochimaru was never going to kill him." She gulps as she tries to free herself from his grasp. "I swear!" These could very well be her final moments. It couldn't possibly end like this, could it?

"Perhaps, but that hardly matters when he sought the death of my own childe by abducting his mate." Indra was no fool, he knew that Orochimaru wanted Sasuke dead. Well, that wouldn't be a problem anymore. "Your beloved master is dead, and now, you will go to join him in Yomi."

Guren screams and tries to hit him with a magical attack. A desperate effort to save herself from this demon.

The magical blow merely glances off the ancient vampire, and he simply holds her even higher from the ground. "Do you truly believe that such petty tricks would work on me?" He'd met witches far older, and far more powerful than her. Petty parlor tricks weren't going to cut it. That, and he did so love causing fear in his victims. He found that their blood tasted much sweeter when they were terrified.

"Let go of me!" Her voice sounded shrill even to her own ears as Guren tries to free herself from his grasp. Death was imminent if she couldn't manage that much.

"Hn." Indra snaps her neck in an instant, halting her struggles as he lowers he back towards the ground, down into his arms, in an almost…intimate embrace. Intimate, were it not for the fangs plunged into her broken neck as he drinks in the taste of terrified, magical blood. Hm…spicy, he liked it.

Kakashi was pretty sure that if he wasn't a vampire, those scratches would never heal. Those who ever called Anko tame were ignorant, at best, and downright stupid at worst. "Well, you've certainly ensure that I'll be wearing respectable clothing choices for the foreseeable future." He rolls his little hellcat over, pressing a searing kiss to her neck. "The boys would never let me hear the end of it if they saw these." He chuckles as he twists his arms, examining the dark red scratches there for a moment.

"You were the one who said demure didn't suit me." She smiles at the 'praise' and sighs in pleasure at the kiss to her neck. "Are you saying you would prefer me to be more gentle?"

He chuckles against her neck. "Not a chance in hell. You're perfect just the way you are." Fiery and passionate, and every inch the crazy dominatrix he thought she was. Alright, perhaps Itachi had a point about him being a masochist. But how could he resist when he had a lady who looked and smelled so…delicious…

She shivers at the feeling of his breath against her neck. "Good. I can be though." Anko smiles at him. "Though I suppose that I'm just used to fighting, even during sex and that's when I find it most enjoyable." It came with the territory of having been sired by Orochimaru. She had constantly been fighting in one form or another for decades.

Licking at her skin where her shoulder meets her neck, Kakashi tilts his head, tickling his lover slightly with his spiky silver hair. "Well, then I suppose it's a good thing that I spent most of my human life, and a great deal of my immortal life fighting for one cause of another. Bringing that to bed simply makes it more exciting." Gently, as opposed to her usually rather 'enthusiastic' approach, he sinks his teeth into her neck, wishing to finally know what her blood tastes like after hours upon hours in the throes of passion.

"K-Kakashi!" Anko gasps when she feels his sharp teeth piercing her skin in a manner she could only describe as gentle. "Well I'm glad you feel that way." So sweet and tender. She supposed that he really was something of a romantic.

"Mhm…" Kakashi's eyes flicker open, glowing scarlet as the taste of sweet and spicy blood hits his tongue. Like good Thai food, or spiced rum, delicious, but with a hell of a kick. Something that very much suited Anko, and that Kakashi was certain that he could get drunk off of. "You taste delicious…" Even better than when he had her legs thrown over his shoulders, and his head pressed…yeah. It couldn't even compare.

"I'm glad you approve." Anko runs her fingers through his exotic locks and nips his neck in return, savoring the taste of his blood. She'd never tasted anything like this before. "And you taste so good." It was Heavenly.

Incredible…her blood tasted even better than Sasuke's. Kakashi blinks. Wait a minute… Itachi had said something similar, about Sasuke's blood tasting better to him than Kakashi's. Typically, there was very little that could ever compare to your Sire's blood in taste. Except, perhaps… "Bloodmates…"

The man was certainly a fantastic lover. The best that Anko had ever had, but she hadn't expected that. "Do you really think so?" She tilts her head to the side. "You do taste amazing, but how can one ever be sure about such a thing?"

Kakashi detaches himself, licking up what remains of the blood. "You taste better than Sasuke, even at his most powerful. Dark chocolate and top shelf sake, an exquisite combination, but…" He picks at her spiky purple hair in wonder. "It seems I prefer the taste of rum and sweet and spicy Thai sauce."

"Mmm that is rather specific." She smiles slyly at him. "I think that I'll take that as sufficient confirmation." Anko pulls him down for another kiss. "Shall we celebrate our discovery in the traditional fashion?" By fucking each other's brains out.

Kakashi chuckles kissing her fiercely as he rolls them over, planting Anko firmly on his lap. "I think that would be a fine idea." After all, the danger had largely passed, and Itachi could take care of Sasuke while Indra tracked down whoever needed to die. Kakashi had time. Hell, he had nothing BUT time. "Shall we attempt to break my sire and childe's record of a straight week?"

She laughs softly at that. "I do love a vamp with ambition." Anko smiles and wraps her arms around his neck. "Yes, I'm sure that we can make a good stab at breaking their record." And likely some furniture in the process.

The troll stares at the vampire incredulously, not believing his ears. "You want me to get you what now?" Mirrors in a dozen different shapes and sizes, and enough of them to cover a large room? What the bloody hell could he want with THAT?

"I want you to get me the mirrors that I have described for you." He raises an eyebrow at the troll's response. "I fail to see the problem. Have I not provided you with more than enough money to acquire them?"

"No, no, I can get them, I just don't see what you could possibly want with THAT many mirrors!" Chouji flails a little. He was the cook, not some interior designer! Sure, he acted as steward sometimes, but that was because no one else knew how to do the job.

Itachi shakes his head and his eyebrow stays raised. "Do I need a reason in order for you to get them?" Honestly, usually Chouji was far more cooperative than this.

"Fine, fine!" Chouji throws up his hands in surrender. "I'll get you the mirrors as quickly as possible." If he ordered them from a home decorating store in Nara, they could be here by…morning, probably. "Does Sasuke know what you're up to?"

"No." Itachi smiles at him slyly. "This surprise for my wonderful bloodmate."

If anyone else had said that, Chouji would be running for the hills. But since Sasuke often indulged Itachi in whatever he wanted, then maybe…just maybe Sasuke would like this surprise. Despite not really liking surprises all that much. "Alright, I'll get you the mirrors. I know a place in Nara where a friend of mine works. She can get you all of the mirrors you want. And probably a thorough interrogation on just what you're doing with them, but I'll tell them to send the usual delivery guy and keep her away from the truck."

That sounded perfect. Now, he was getting somewhere. "Good. Thank you." Everything was going exactly according to plan. Sasuke was going to love this.