Sasuke flew through the darkness of the forest that lay just outside of the city, his eyes blazing red, his fangs stretched out while he hissed and snarled out his frustration; anger and hurt. He dodged trees, leaped over large shrubs and vaulted himself off of mounds of rocks. He swung around limbs of trees and lept over streams. The anger thrummed through his veins, he thrived in the anger that pulsed through his body pushed him faster while long fingernails left grooves in the bark of trees as he aimlessly slashed at the tall timbers. Time stood still as he raced through the darkness, trying to evade the pain and anguish that he felt from the complete rejection and dismissal from Naruto, the blond's last words still echoing through his memories.

How could he be so foolish and fall into simple human emotional attachments? What was it that got his human self so involved emotionally with Naruto? He was an Uchiha, a superb clan that have shown for centuries how intelligent, resourceful and most definitely able to govern control of their species. Their human traits were just a small part of who they were, but those traits were also respected by the clan. The Uchiha clan understood that being a vampire couldn't exist without being human but that didn't mean their kind had to act all human, though if one chose to be more human, that person was left to follow their own beliefs. Sasuke all but prided himself on suppressing his human emotions. He considered those soft human emotions useless, a troublesome issue that gets in the way of advancing forward. History has shown that human emotion, such as sadness, grief, love, have gotten in the way of success and at times been a hindrance. His aniki insisted he was making the process of emotion too difficult, but Sasuke merely shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Sasuke simply existed in his world, working, studying, learning, and he still had no desire for any type of interaction with a partner, mate, whatever. But Naruto...stirred something deep rooted and he let his anger bubble upwards in order to release the disgust he held for his remaining humanity.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Sasuke flipped through the folder of the next client with a bored expression, going over the request. His well-groomed face remained stoic as he went about his job. It was the same everyday, every week, every year. Sasuke kept his daily routine as orderly as possible. From the moment Sasuke would begin his day, until he went home and took his synthetic cocktail. Each day hummed forward like the last, and that was how Sasuke liked it. Routinely and predictable. Sasuke was always controlled, even while he remained human. His stable, immovable predictability made him practical over the many years he's roamed this earth. His lethal ancient body carried many years of precision, and a hint of regality from an ancient time.

His instincts made any blood substance taste like ash, which was nothing new, but since that taste of the blond, his gums ached at times when he recalled the seductive essence. In retaliation to the persistent instinct,he would go for a run, under the light of the moon and at times without. His claws would slice through thick trunks of trees and even boulders were no match for his channeled fury. His inner being would twist his core painfully, trying to force him to seek out the captivating scent of the blond and increase the burn in his throat.

~Put him out of his misery~

The whisper echoed through his subconscious and Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose hard, bringing his senses back to the forefront of his mind. He was working, he had a job to do, no matter how menial it was, he would move on. He slapped the client folder closed, dropped it in the filing slot and made his way to the staff room of the clinic.

Dropping into a small cushion chair, away from the usual gathering table that the staff used, he dropped his head back and closed his eyes. The continuous burn of his throat ached, but he chose to ignore it and listened to the silence of the room. The serene silence was short lived when he heard his aniki's footsteps on the linoleum. 'Of course he would be here,' Sasuke scowled inwardly. He left his eyes closed and continued to ignore his older brother's presence.

"Otouto."

Sasuke frowned and rolled his eyes behind his closed lids. 'Oh naturally, nii-san would not hesitate to disturb me.' "Hn," he hummed out, still refusing to open his eyes to acknowledge him.

"Are you getting enough to eat?" Itachi raised his eyebrow in question.

"Hn," Sasuke hummed out again, trying to sound as annoyed as possible.

"You seem-peckish."

Sasuke inhaled a deep breath of irritation before moving his head slightly to glare at Itachi, lifting his eyelids a fraction to do so. Itachi just snorted in response. Sasuke moved to sit up and dropped his head and rubbed at his temples. "What do you want nii-san?" his voice laced with fatigue and irritation.

"You haven't been yourself for a few weeks, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," was the common answer given on a regular basis by the raven haired vampire. Moving slowly, Sasuke stood from his chair, intent on leaving the room. He wasn't in the mood to be interrogated by his aniki. He stopped abruptly when his brother gripped his arm. He narrowed his eyes warningly at Itachi.

"Don't hide it from me otouto, I know you better than that." Itachi's eyes were firmly fixated on his brother, his voice was clipped and serious.

Sasuke hissed in response and jerked his arm out of his brother's grasp. "Whatever," he spat out and marched from the room. Itachi's lips dropped to a sad frown watching his otouto's back.

Sasuke shoved his hands into his jacket, his lips pressed tightly together, his eyes watching the ground as he walked quickly. His mind a flurry of angry thoughts at his aniki, his work, his inner being demanding he feed and causing discomfort throughout his physical body. Every thought that crossed his mind just pissed him off more, leaving him on the brink of just letting go. What would it be like to fulfill his thirst, taste the substance that his kind was born for. Filling his mouth, coating his taste buds, feeling the rich blood coat his throat and filling up the pores of his vampire body. His strength would be at full capacity, his senses more powerful than usual and the pain that riddled his body now would be smothered. His nails extended and poked into his palms while his fists were clenched. He grit his teeth hard, feeling his mouth salivate excessively, his gums painfully pinching at wanting to release his weapons so he could satisfy his growing hunger. His body heat began to rise in excitement at the possibility of releasing his inner being and allowing it to roam free as it was born to do.

"NO!" Sasuke screamed out as he punched the stone wall that was at his side. He held his fist in the cracked dent he created, panting out heavily in anger and frustration, feeling the swirl of heat manifest within his gut, pushing, pressing, clawing its way through his body. He mentally struggled with himself, but it wasn't working.

He swung his head around, nostrils flaring, eyes bleeding red and his pupils scanned the area. His fists were clenched at his sides and his body shook with the desire to find a prey. The night was cool, white puffs of moisture escaped his mouth with each frantic breath he took and disappeared just as quickly as they appeared. No humans seemed to be out this late, most likely indoors or huddled in warm areas with these cold nights. His blood red eyes fell upon a small four story dilapidated apartment building, looking as if a strong wind could cause it to fall and crumble immediately. His nostrils inhaled the air deeply and his senses tingled with the taste of human blood that filled his head. A snarl of a smile appeared on Sasuke's lips, his canines peeking out between those thin lips and he crouched low before releasing into a strong leap across the street. A swirl of wind picked up the dead leaves briefly where Sasuke's form once stood and settled quickly, as if nothing was ever there.

His dark form clung to the side of the rickety brick walls, hiding in the shadows of the building. His claws helped him move silently and swiftly with shadow, his nose guiding him to a window that was open a fraction of an inch. 'Foolish move human,' Sasuke's dark mind chuckled deeply while he slipped his clawed hand under the aging wood of the window frame, pushing it up easily. His lithe body easily slipped through the now open window, his nostrils inhaling the scents of the room and effortlessly finding the trail of the thick heady scent of human blood. Moving through the furniture in the room like a twirling wind, his body slid to a single closed door, the essence of blood spilling out from the small crack beneath the door. Sasuke's hands splayed across the aging wood, his nose practically pushed up against it, taking in the intoxicating scent and his mind flooding with desire with the meal that lay upon the other side. He was drunk with blood lust, eager to devore himself in the taste and scent of human blood.

Reaching for the discoloured doorknob, his hand shook and refused to move and Sasuke hissed out in anger.

'Stop! No!' Sasuke screamed from within his mind. His human morals breached the surface of his mentality, struggling to overcome the inner beings savage thoughts of feeding on the human that lay behind the door.

The creature within hissed again, reaching for the doorknob again, snarling in anger when his hand trembled and his body stumbled back. Sasuke's hands squeezed tight and he brought them up to his red eyes, pushing hard into the sockets, fighting against the overwhelming need to feed. "NNnngghh, n-no...I can't-" Sasuke spat out as he continued to pull himself away from the bedroom door, panting heavily while his human mind pushed the inner being down into the dark recesses of his mind.

He continued to step back away from the bedroom door, his back finding a wall and he pushed himself against it as his fight with himself continued. With each breath, the inner being began to retreat deeper into his mental depths and Sasuke found himself sliding down to the floor taking several deep quick breaths to gather his self control once more.

Finding himself more in control, though his eyes still bore red, he quickly glanced around and determined that he needed to get out of this home quickly. Shifting himself off the floor, holding his hand against the wall for support as his legs still trembled slightly from the antagonizing mental fight he just had. Taking each step carefully, he forgoed going through the window and decided on using the front door instead. Finding his way out easily, he slipped out the entrance door into the dimly lit hallway of the apartment complex. He leaned against the now closed apartment door, leaning his head back and taking deep breaths. Running a hand through his dark locks of hair, he scanned the hallway, looking to see where the exit was.

His nose twitched suddenly when it caught an all too familiar scent. 'Naruto?' Sasuke took in the area once again with more clarity to find that he was actually in the apartment that Naruto resided in. The blond's apartment was actually a few doors away and he shook his head with irritation on how he actually ended up here of all places. He caught sight of the exit sign and made a beeline for it. His plan was to get the hell out of there, not looking nor caring on what lay behind him or beside him, but a wall of thick aroma slammed into his senses. His footing stumbled slightly and he reached out towards the wall once more to catch his balance. Once again he was assaulted with the rich succulent of Naruto's blood and he held his forehead once a wave of dizziness fogged his mind.

The dark entity within him swirled and reached out, eager to grasp the enticing human once more and Sasuke felt the pain between his eyes. Leaning his shoulder against the wall, he held his position in order to find his bearings. The reminder of what Naruto had said those weeks ago, what he had done, what he was doing to himself, slammed into the forefront of his mind, a chilling reminder of Naruto's decision that Sasuke had to accept. The scent was overpowering and Sasuke could not help but inhale deeply, just this once, a reminder of what Naruto had and Sasuke's chest tightened at the luscious fragrance. His gums pinched with a reminder of what he could have, causing Sasuke to flinch at the pain but the pungent smell that replaced the sweet scent suddenly had his nose wrinkling up in disgust.

'That smell-it's more powerful than last time we-' he thought half heartedly, recalling the rotten underlining odour of Naruto that one time he was last in his apartment. He opened his eyes to focus on the closed apartment door and reluctantly took closer steps. Against his better judgement, he splayed his hands open on the closed door, dipping his nose closer and inhaled a deep breath.

He nearly coughed in disgust as the pungent smell assaulted his senses and washed over practically every area on his body, making him feel as if he had been caked in sickness. He threw his hand over his nose and mouth, his eyes watering from the poison smell and stepped back away from the door. His eyes scanned the area of the door, taking in the rotting areas of the wood, the cracks, peeling paint, the small opening beneath the door and contemplated his next move. He should leave, Naruto made his point clear all those weeks ago - but…'Put him out of his misery-' Hissed the dark entity's voice in his mind. His human morals fought his inner being instincts and Sasuke frowned at the door, dropping his arms to his side. Several moments passed, Sasuke's inner monologue continued to argue when he stepped forward, his lips pressed tight in a determined frown and he turned the handle of the dilapidated door, breaking the lock easily with his strength.

The noise was barely a whisper when the lock broke and Sasuke slowly pushed the old wooden door open. The sour scent was stronger now, and Sasuke had to fight with all his willpower not to want to vomit on the floor.

~Put him out of his misery…~

The voice deep within his mental psyche echoed through the walls of his mind. His red eyes roamed the room as he stepped within the dark of the room, he felt as if he was swimming through the heavy bitter scent laced with the delectable unmistakable flavorful of Naruto's blood. His mouth salivated without his consent as he looked to where he remembered where Naruto's single mattress was.

The room was filled with filth on the floor. His vampire eyes took in the sight, his night vision pristine and he stepped around empty take out containers, instant ramen containers, soiled clothing, and the area looked as if it hadn't been cleaned for weeks. 'Typical of a drug addict,' he snorted to himself. His eyes flickered to the lump under a single blanket on the small mattress tucked into the corner, a soft thumping resonated through his ear canals. The sound of a beating heart - but… it was very quiet, slow…

Sasuke slipped over the lump on the bed, moving the blanket down from where he thought Naruto's head would be. Slipping the blanket down slowly at first but then ripped it away quickly and effortlessly with a whisper of a sound flowing through the room. 'Holy fuck…'

It was Naruto all right, but the movement of the air lifted the rotting smell that was clearly coming from Naruto's pores. The hair upon his head was limp, wet greasy strands sticking to his forehead and side of his face and appeared to be the colour of dirty dish water, was the best way for Sasuke to describe it.

His eyes were closed and so sunken into his sockets, Sasuke almost thought Naruto was already dead and decomposing. He could clearly see Naruto's cheek and jaw bones beneath his sagging skin, which was now nothing but sickly gray in colour. Dried skin littered his face, some of it looking dangerously close to cracking open with the slightest touch.

Naruto was fully clothed, wearing a thin long sleeved shirt filled with stains and holes. His legs were covered with sweat pants that looked too big, equally stained and full of holes. His toes were peeking out from under the sweat cuffs. His arms were wrapped around himself, and Sasuke looked at Naruto's fingers that looked like chicken bones that could be broken with a push of his finger.

~Now!….now put him out of his misery…~

The tremor was stronger now that Sasuke could see the effects of Naruto's lifestyle. The stench of rotting blood was drenching Naruto's body, he thought he could practically slick his finger through the scent, that's how thick it was. But Naruto's heart beat...it was strange sounding. Curious, Sasuke leaned in over the still sleeping man and moved one of his sleeves back. What he saw didn't surprise him, but it was certainly worse than it had been weeks before. The holes that littered his arms were black, bruising was no longer in different stages of healing, they remained black and blue all over, traveling up past his elbows. He scrunched his nose up in disgust, but jerked his hand back when an ever so whispered whimper escaped Naruto's dried cracked lips. Those lips, once plump with pink, were now nearly white with traces of blood on the cracks.

Sasuke scrunched his nose at the sight of Naruto's abused arms until the subtle scent of something else triggered his instincts. Blood…

His nose guided him to the area of Naruto's groin and he tilted his head in question. Why would blood be coming from down there? His curiosity getting the best of him, he easily slipped the silent blond's sweat pants down slightly, not surprised that they moved easily since they were so baggy. His long slender fingers pulled at the stretched out elastic, no longer able to hold a pinch on Naruto's hips and the sweat pants fell to reveal worn out underwear that was equally faded from overuse and holes. His breath hitched at the sight of several speckles of deep blackish copper coloured stains, some dried and crusty, others still sticky wet. Blood… the spots located all on the front of his underwear. A memory flashed through his mind immediately, the first time he met the blond, in a washroom at the bar, oh so many months ago. The splashes of blood in the urinal, the anguished look on his face and the tears that dropped into the porcelain sink.

Sasuke stepped back and stood up straight, looking over at the still blond. His mind raced through his years of medical training, trying to think of what recreational drug could cause a human to bleed from his urinary tract. Nothing came to mind…

Nothing stood out in his mind but possibly….cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide. His eyes snapped over to the blond's face again, his eyes scanning over him quickly. His heart… it barely pushed out a beat and Sasuke could hear the blood pumping achingly, almost painfully slow. He leant over the blond again, placing his hand on his shoulder and shook him. "Naruto," he whispered out harshly. Not too quiet, but not overly loud either. No response-

He shook him again, with a little more vigor this time, "Naruto, wake up…" he called out again, a little louder. No response-

Sasuke slipped an arm under the blond's neck and shoulders and lifted his torso slowly. He grit his teeth at feeling how cold the blond's skin was, the blood inside feeling it was at a stand still. Naruto's head fell lifelessly back, his white cracked lips falling open slightly as his jaw flopped open loosely. "Naruto, wake up dobe..." Sasuke called out, no longer whispering and he wiggled his arm to shake the blond awake. Naruto's head slumped back and forth with the shaking. His eyes never flickered, his lips lay limply open and his heartbeat was but barely a thump in the few minutes that passed.

"NARUTO!" Sasuke now growled loudly as he pulled the limp blond higher up into a sitting position, cupping his chin with his free hand and shaking Naruto's head vigorously. "Wake the FUCK UP!"

Naruto's head fell back lifelessly, his eyes remained closed, a wisp of a breath escaped his lips. Sasuke's mouth fell open, his eyes wide, taking in the listless shell of the breathtaking blond he got to know. "No-no no no NO NARUTO, WAKE UP!" Sasuke now screamed at the blond, his voice on the edge of panic. He tapped those cheeks gently and shook the blond's body slightly with more persistence. No response-

'Phone!' Sasuke screamed in his head, arms shaking now as he gently laid Naruto's body back on the bed, he scrambled through his pockets to find his cell phone. Swiping it open, he dialed the numbers that he had never done before-9-1-1. His arms fell heavily when the call was completed and he reached out his trembling fingers and pressed gently on the blond's forehead. Cold. Sasuke bit his bottom lip when he felt a prickle of pain behind his eyes, a lump in his throat and he pushed his fingers across the delicate skin of Naruto's forehead. 'Don't die…' He dropped his head to the blond's now quiet chest.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The noise of the lights, the sick people, the constant smell of antiseptic and death floated through the air. Sasuke's head was in his hands, his fingertips massaging his forehead as he struggled to keep the scents and sounds out of his head. His ass was getting sore sitting on the sterile hard plastic chairs in the hallway as he waited within the walls of the hospital.

The ambulance attendants had found a weak heartbeat, then stuck the blond with needles to keep his body stable and carted him away out of the dilapidated building. Their looks were professional but Sasuke could feel the disgust and irritation radiating off the attendants as they looked upon the blond and his dwelling. Sasuke threw them all a look of a promise of extreme pain and suffering if either uttered a word of what they were feeling. He wasn't family, nor was he a close friend, therefore he was left to sit and wait in the white walled hallway, with all the regular people. A familiar pressure pressed upon the crown of his head.

"Otouto?"

Sasuke wiped his face with his palms before looking up at his trusted aniki. His eyes took in the kind face of his brother before he nodded in response.

"I am surprised to see you here, but not disappointed." Itachi's eyes looked over his body, his face before moving to sit beside him. He looked over at Sasuke with an unspoken question on his mind, why?

Sasuke sighed softly, rubbing a hand through his hair before slouching back into the uncomfortable chair. He forgot that his aniki was often at the hospital delivering blood between hospitals and assisting in running tests on various types of samples for various drug testing among other things. "I found Naruto-overdosing…" he cringed slightly at the word. He wasn't sure if that was what was happening, but he only had a theory thus far, and Sasuke didn't like being unsure. For one, he knew that Naruto was an abuser of drugs-was he though?

Itachi frowned slightly and looked down the hallway to the observation rooms. "Well, it was uncommonly nice of you to see he got medical attention, but-"

Sasuke stood up suddenly, the chair moving back a few inches, scraping against the floor and hitting the wall. "I'm going," he bit out quickly and began to walk towards the exit. "Goodnight nii-san," he called out.

Itachi pinched his lips together in thought. 'How strange…' He gracefully stood up and headed in the opposite direction from his otouto.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Itachi found Sasuke once again in the large leather arm chair, nursing a large brandy glass of essence and the fire crackling in the impressive fireplace. His face was stoic, his dark eyes didn't waiver while watching the flames dance. Itachi took a seat near Sasuke, settling himself smoothly and quietly, like a falling leaf.

"It's been a few days, otouto, since you have been to work. Is this a vacation leave?" Itachi smirked slightly at the joke. The Uchiha brothers really didn't need to be employed at the family medical facilities or labs, but when one lives as long as they did, it was easy to become bored sitting around at home.

Sasuke didn't even flinch at Itachi's attempt at humour. He simply pulled the large glass to his lips and sipped.

"Hmm… must be something serious to make you so solemn." Itachi crossed his one leg, resting his folded hands on his lap and tilted his head in interest towards his guarded otouto. Sasuke didn't react to Itachi's teasing and now his interest was peaked.

In truth, Sasuke's mind was layering the information he knew of Naruto and assessing what he knew, the insinuations that were presented to him and lastly the significance to the new information that he had gathered. After that night, his mind was littered with facts, visions and what his medical training had taught him all through the years.

The memory of seeing Naruto at the bar, he was brighter and healthier then, but there was the obvious sign of blood in the urinal, not to mention Naruto's distraught behaviour. And when he met Naruto in the lab, his arm was already bruised and full of healing holes-Sasuke frowned at his first impression of the blond. The nights he spent watching the blond, as he went to work, then went home, his visit to the church, there was really nothing more. Sasuke watched his drink swirl in his glass, the lights of the fire causing small glimmers of light to reflect across his eyes. The night he found Naruto with that derelict filthy man in the alleyway….his blue glassy eyes, dilated pupils and slurred speech. Naruto was obviously on something then, but were there any other symptoms? Shakes? Sweats? Paranoia? Twitches? Intense scratching? Irritability?

'No...there was nothing like that,' he scoffed at himself. Even when the last time he saw him, only dilated pupils, glassy eyes and slurred speech, with a bit of instability. Certainly not the effects of a more serious drug addiction. His fingers squeezed his glass harder than necessary, causing a small crack to appear.

"Otouto!"

Sasuke whipped his head to the side, seeing Itachi's eyes wide with surprise and concern. "Hm?" he asked nonchalantly. When did Itachi get here? He seriously didn't realize that he had come into the room. Sasuke gave Itachi a stoic look, hiding his own surprise at seeing him there. Itachi's eyes flickered to the glass still in his hand. Sasuke tipped the glass slightly, noticing the small crack in the grass. "Hm, interesting," he whispered out in an apathetic voice.

Itachi leaned back in his chair, his eyes diagnosing his otouto's response and body language. When Sasuke didn't elaborate on anything else while he examined the crack in the glass, Itachi knew that his otouto was obviously troubled. "Talk to me Sasuke," he breathed out.

Sasuke turned to look back at Itachi, one perfectly shaped eyebrow arched up, giving a stunned look that screamed-what?

Itachi smirked slightly before bending one leg over the other and resting his folded hands on his lap. "You have been distant, more broody than usual, had been going out every night, which is something you never do, and not to mention, you haven't been working. Clearly," Itachi lifted a hand and turned it palm up, pointing it towards him, "your thoughts have been detained."

Sasuke frowned slightly before lowering his glass on a table beside him. He rubbed at his forehead briefly and glanced at the flames that had died down to small flickers. "It's nothing nii-san," he exhaled.

Itachi narrowed his eyes in response. "I know you were building a friendship with Naruto," he muttered out, his voice holding an edge of finality. He wasn't surprised to see the flicker of surprise in his otouto's eyes. "Not that it's a sin to do so otouto, but why did that stop?" Itachi had seen the positive changes in his otouto when he began being around the blond more, though he remained silent, not wanting to spook his otouto. It was rare for Sasuke to even associate with his own kind let alone a human.

Sasuke glared at his brother which did nothing but amuse Itachi.

Itachi chuckled softly. "Come now otouto, I've known you for a long time, and don't think I can't read what goes on with you." He shifted his body slightly in the chair before moving up and adding another log to the fire. He stood there briefly, watching as the flames licked at the fresh wood, quickly lapping it up and engulfing it in new flames. He didn't miss the movement of his otouto behind him. Sasuke silently came and stood beside him, staring intently into the new flames as the light reflected off his orbs. It was then Itachi knew his otouto would confide in him, finally.

~some time later...~

Itachi rubbed his chin in thought as he sat on the large chair by the fireplace that now held glowing embers in the pile of ash. Sasuke sat in the other chair, his hair tousled from running his fingers through it consistently. Sasuke was currently rubbing his temples, as if nursing a headache, but it was most likely from the mental strain of sharing his knowledge in the past hour or so.

Sasuke had shared his observations of the blond when he first met him up until he found Naruto near death in his bed. He had clenched his teeth in frustration when he discussed his blatant beliefs on what the blond was doing and apparently was-a messed up drug addict. His sighs grew longer as he explained as his mind began to think of other possibilities that could be leading to Naruto's current condition. The bloody underwear, the bruising up the arms, the lab requests and of course his apparent deteriorating physical condition.

Itachi gave his otouto a sympathetic look, not missing the stress that emanated from Sasuke. 'The guilt he is feeling is apparent...how deeply he actually cares for the blond human.' Itachi smiled softly thinking to himself.

"I saw the chart on Naruto the other night," he said softly and carefully. Sasuke's head snapped towards Itachi. "You recall, the night you brought-"

"I know when," Sasuke snapped back, his voice laced with irritation. He knew that Itachi shouldn't have done such a thing, it was patient confidentiality, but nothing like that ever stood in the way of their kind, but the Uchiha brothers did have some morals. Not to mention that they were certified lab technicians and Itachi did work at the hospital already. It was highly unlikely that Itachi would be singled out for breach of confidentiality.

"Naruto is a very sick man otouto."

Sasuke's black eyebrows furrowed immediately, his lips pinched tight in a frown at the explanation and his chin dropped causing a shadow to cover his eyes.

Silence settled over the two brothers and Itachi intently watched his otouto, knowing that Sasuke's unresolved questions about the blond were starting to come into place. Several moments passed before Sasuke moved out of the chair in one swift flowing movement, his body was but a flicker of a shadow when he left the room. Itachi gave a sad shake of his head at the now empty chair, knowing that it was most likely not going to be a pleasant reunion between the two.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

The final chapter will be posted in a couple weeks, (so lets shoot for August 27 or if I finish earlier, I will post earlier) since I'm still doing a holiday thing and I have to work some days! I hope this story is somewhat enjoyable, as this is my first vamp fic, and there are times that I struggled slightly. I have a very special friend that is being a beta for this story for me, kudos to that friend.