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Chapter 23

Itachi wasn't so sure about this idea. Sasuke had hardly left his room in days, only emerging to sneak food from the kitchen, before retreating to his silent sanctuary, where he spent the better part of a week submitting his midterms online. For the first few days, he seemed his usual, surly self, coming out of his room if he was coaxed or manhandled. But then, he started sleeping more during the day, throwing pillows and books at anyone who dared enter his room, before locking them out completely.

Since then, nothing. At this point, Itachi was growing concerned. Sure, Sasuke had always been a little anti-social, thanks to their time with Orochimaru, but he'd never been this standoffish and prickly before.

"Itachi, it will be fine." Shisui's hands slip over Itachi's shoulders, massaging gently around his neck to relieve some of the tension settling there. "You know how hard he's been training lately. All we need to do is play to that a little. I'm sure he'll come out if he thinks he has something to gain from this."

"He will, but that doesn't mean I like the idea of the two of you fighting." Itachi knew that Sasuke was strong, and getting stronger by the day, and he had an inkling of Shisui's skills after seeing the way he so effortlessly handled Rai and Baru. Still, this seemed like it might be playing with fire. "What if one of you gets hurt?"

"Well, that's what we have you for." Shisui hums, his smile extending right into his voice. "Or is this your way of saying that you don't feel like going to medical school anymore?"

"It still is but you know that's not what I meant." Itachi swats Shisui upside his head. He loved the vampire. Truly, but now wasn't the time to be joking. He knew what would happen. Shisui would hesitate and Sasuke would take the training session too seriously. Someone WOULD get hurt. "Given your 'solution' I suppose its' better if I take the lead. Diplomacy is an option, even with teenagers."

Itachi shakes his head, reaching for the door. To his surprise it was unlocked. Frowning at this unexpected discovery, he slips into Sasuke's room. "Sasuke, there are limits to the hermit lifestyle even for you. I think it's time that you socialized with someone other than your wall."

It takes him a moment to realize he was talking to thin air. His foolish little brother was nowhere to be found. Itachi could only smack his forehead in frustration. "...I surmise it would be best to try the dojo next."

Shisui chuckles and presses a kiss to Itachi's cheek. "What did I tell you? The kid is hyper-focused on his training. And that might just be the key to getting him to open up." He twirls his fingers into Itachi's hair and tugs gently. "Let's head downstairs."

Itachi sighs, leaning into the kiss. It was a good thing he was already a vampire or his hair would likely have already resembled Kakashi's at this rate. "Fine. We'll try it your way. Though for the record, I think it's a terrible idea."

"It will be fine, I promise." Shisui takes him by the hand and walks backwards down the stairs, looking for all the world as confident in his steps as he did walking forwards. "So stop worrying so much, unless you want your hair to turn silver."

"...Are you a mind reader now?" Itachi arches an eyebrow, a bit intrigued but mostly terrified at the thought. "And my hair isn't turning any color without the assistance of dye now. I'm a vampire."

"Itachi, if you don't want me reading your thoughts, then you need to hide them better." Shisui smirks as they reach the bottom step and reaches up to pinch Itachi's nose. "You wear them all over your face."

He flicks Shisui's forehead in retaliation. "I see. Well, I guess we may as well put your talents to good use. Let's see if you can read Sasuke's thoughts so easily."

"Alright, then." Shisui tugs Itachi in for a brief kiss, before pulling away and rounding the corner under the stairs. Three doors down the hall, the sound of air moving rapidly greets them, leaving Shisui to cautiously put his hand on the door.

The moment the door slides open and Shisui steps inside, Itachi's heart nearly starts beating in panic as a wooden pole stops two inches from Shisui's throat. "What are you doing here?"

Puffing up like an angry and deadly cat, Itachi watches as Sasuke tilts his head up, his head wrapped with a blindfold, but his posture sharp and precise. The precision with which he'd struck at Shisui was impressive, as was his restraint.

"Sasuke, put down the stick. I'm not going to let you impale my lover. That's my job." Itachi frowns, the transformation was stark. He wasn't sure if he cared for it but perhaps there was merit to Sasuke's approach of throwing himself into training. All things in moderation though, he would rather not have Sasuke collapse from overdoing it. "We came to see you. You weren't in your room. So, the next logical choice was the dojo."

Sasuke reaches up and pulls the blindfold off, his eyes adjusting rapidly to the introduction of light as he blinks at the two of them with a frown. Then his gaze flicks to Shisui, and after a moment, he pulls the wooden staff back and steps back into the dojo. "…Sorry, I thought you were Kakashi coming in here to bother me again."

His little brother whirls the staff around, locking it against his side as he crosses the room to one of the many weapons racks. He seemed very…familiar with the weapons, and the transformation was stark in other ways. Gone was his usual baggy turtleneck, exchanged for a tight blue shirt without sleeves and loose grey pants belted securely around his hips. And fastened to the back of the belt was a shortsword, similar to one that Itachi had often seen Kakashi exercising with from time to time.

"Do you often aim a large stick at Kakashi? I rather think that's more of an incentive than a deterrent to him." Itachi smiles, closing the distance between them and poking Sasuke's forehead. "I'm glad that you've found a new outlet for all your energy and it's easy to see that you've come a long way. I imagine you know more about these weapons than I do now."

"Probably. I mean I have to know how to defend myself with deadly force if I'm going to be the only human in a room." The bitterness in his voice is apparent, one that echoed of the angry resentment and fear that Sasuke had carried as a child. "If you're here to tell me to take a break, I'm fine. I've still got a couple of hours left before I'm done."

"Sasuke, your dedication is admirable but I think you've overlooked one very important fact during your training. All the practice in the world means little if you're too tired to put into action." He shakes his head and embraces Sasuke. He was the most stubborn person Itachi had ever met and that was saying something. He was an Uchiha. "Besides, indulge me. At least come and have dinner with us before you get back to it."

"Itachi-" Sasuke tenses, an argument bubbling up on the tip of his tongue. Then, suddenly he sighs and shakes his head. "Fine…I suppose I'm about due for some food." Then he looks up with a defiant spark still in his eyes. "But once I'm done laying down after dinner, I'm coming back in here and you can't stop me."

Itachi quirks an eyebrow. He could damn well stop Sasuke if necessary. Though he knew such drastic measures would only harden his foolish little brother's resolve. It was...a start. "Agreeable. Come on. I imagine you've worked up an appetite by now."

"Yeah, whatever." Sasuke knocks Itachi's hand away and turns back to the wall to place the staff back on its rack. Then he runs his fingers through his hair, brushing a few sweaty locks back from his forehead. He turns, his gaze hard and focused as he stalks back towards the door, slipping past Shisui as silently as a ghost.

"Be honest. How concerned should we be?" Itachi bites his lower lip so hard, he could taste his own blood as he glances at his lover.

Despite Itachi's unease, Shisui actually smiles. "Not as concerned as you think." There's a spark in his eyes as he saunters over to Itachi and slips an arm around his waist. "There's only one person I know who talks about laying down after having food between training sessions. And I think it's a good thing that Sasuke's mind turned there instead of shooing us off."

"I'll take your word for it. I understand why he's acting this way but I know him, Sasuke puts his entire soul into achieving his ambitions." Itachi wraps his arms around Shisui's neck before placing a kiss against his forehead. "Seems to be a family trait. We probably shouldn't keep him waiting. It was hard enough to get us to stop. He'll flee at the first opportunity."

Shisui wraps his arms tightly around Itachi's waist, holding him close as he presses their foreheads together. "Itachi, I have an idea. Do you trust me?"

"Of course, I trust you. " Itachi smiles, leaning into the soothing touches. He didn't know what he'd do without him.

"Alright, then go and look after your brother. I have a call to make, and I'll join you in the kitchen shortly, okay?" Shisui kisses his nose and licks the blood from Itachi's lips. "Everything is going to be fine, I promise."

"Alright. I trust you." He returns the kiss with a smile. If Shisui didn't think there was cause for concern, he was probably right. After all, Shisui had seen the best and worst humanity and the supernatural world had offered.

"Good, now get going." Shisui smirks and gives Itachi a firm pat to the ass, pushing him off in the direction of the kitchen.

Itachi winks before heading off to join Sasuke. "So, what would you like to have for dinner?"

"Doesn't matter." Sasuke picks moodily at the fruit bowl set on the kitchen island. Tension bunches his shoulders, settling there as he can't seem to decide whether he wants something from the bowl or not. "As long as it's got protein, that's all that matters."

"I think I'll put on some steaks then." Itachi shakes his head as he looks in the fridge. He'd found that he liked meat a lot more after becoming a vampire. "So, I assume you've practiced with every weapon in that place by now?"

"Just about." Sasuke's voice grows flat, uninterested, even as Itachi locates a pair of aged tenderloin steaks and removes them from the fridge. "Kakashi finally gave up trying to keep me away from them a week and a half ago."

"Impressive. How did you manage that?" Itachi sets an oiled pan to high heat, then waits for the oil to snap before adding the steaks. He could at least make sure his brother had a good meal.

For a long minute, Sasuke says nothing. The silence stretches on and makes Itachi a touch uneasy, before Sasuke finally breaks it. "He caught us sparring in the dojo with a pair of the bo staffs and finally realized that he wasn't going to be able to keep me away from the weapons."

"Caught US sparring?" Itachi shoots Shisui an accusatory look. When had his sneaky lover managed that? "I see you have already started training him."

Shisui holds up his hands as he steps into the kitchen. "I'm guilty of nothing, I haven't started sparring with Sasuke yet." He walks past the island and ruffles Sasuke's spiky hair.

"Then who were you training with? Obito?" Itachi tosses Sasuke a curious look. There were only so many possibilities. His little brother's world had expanded as of late but it was still small enough to be cause for concern.

Itachi knew that he hadn't trained Sasuke. Shisui wouldn't lie to him. It couldn't be Kakashi by the process of elimination. Obito was the most likely candidate but Itachi couldn't discount the possibility someone from the clan had been training Sasuke. Izuna might have a soft spot for his little brother for obvious reasons and Madara appeared to be the type that would delight in training his fellow Uchiha in combat. He'd probably think it was an amusing challenge to train a human who wanted to fight on par with vampires.

"I think I can guess who Sasuke's mysterious sparring partner is." Shisui sits across the island from Sasuke, a kind smile on his face. "Kakashi walked in on you sparring with my niece while she was here, didn't he?"

Silence reigns as Sasuke glares pointedly across the island at Shisui, a dark emotion flickering through his eyes that seemed like more than just anger to Itachi. "Since when is that your business?"

"You sparred with Ciara? How'd that go?" Itachi knew damn well the earth was still standing perfectly still but it felt was though an earthquake was taking place in his soul.

His earlier conversation with Shisui was still etched into his mind as fresh as paint that had just been splashed across a canvas. Maybe they really were mates. If such a revelation was true, Itachi was happy about it. Though his enthusiasm was tempered by trepidation.

Sasuke had grown up in a world where at any given moment he could have been killed or turned into a vampire. The only person he'd been able to trust for years was his brother. Hardly the type of upbringing that nurtured the necessary skills to achieve a successful romantic relationship. Let alone the sort that made it easier for a teenager to find their true love essentially the very next breath after he'd regained his freedom.

Sasuke didn't even feel safe in his own skin. Itachi had a hard time imagining he'd open up to someone else. He'd likely to try to deny the bond. Justify it was being anything else except for a soul mate connection. Sasuke had a will forged in steel...and now his body was growing stronger to match.

If Itachi wasn't a vampire, it would have been difficult to smack some sense into him but he still had the advantage. He'd intervene if he had to. After all, that's what elder brothers did. They meddled with love even if it made their foolish little brothers 'hate' them in the short-term.

Sasuke's eyes narrow on Shisui as if cursing the man for outing him. The guardedness in his gaze most resembles the walls of a castle, standing tall, proud, and immovable. "It was fine." His gaze flicks to Itachi, holding the flames of jealousy in their depths. "At least she's willing to spar with me despite being human."

Shisui's lips twitch slightly. "Sasuke, considering that Itachi and I found the two of you cuddled up afterwards on Obito's favourite couch, I think she rather likes that you have a heartbeat for her to fall asleep to."

Itachi shakes his head, closing the distance between him and Sasuke in the span of a single heartbeat. He pokes his little brother's forehead with a smile. "Shisui, stop teasing him. I know it frustrates you, Sasuke but can you really blame me for not wanting to fight my most precious person. Very little good will come of it. I might hurt you or if you win, I know you'll never let me live it down for all of eternity. Really, it's just my own cowardice at play."

Dark eyes stare up at Itachi, and despite the tension in Sasuke's frame, he does relax marginally. "Fighting is the only way I'll ever get any stronger. If everyone treats me like a kid that can't protect themselves, it's all I'll ever be. At least…she doesn't treat me like I'm going to shatter the second something goes wrong."

"Because she knows what you have the potential to be." Shisui chuckles softly and slides off his stool to mind the steaks sizzling in the pan. He checks the searing, then adds butter, rosemary, and a few cloves of garlic, covers the pan, then turns off the heating element and shoves the pan into the oven.

When Shisui returns, he wraps his arms around Itachi's waist and rests his chin on his shoulder. "What do you think, Itachi? Should I tell Sasuke about his present now?"

Itachi leans back into Shisui. Feeling the strength of his arms around him and the warmth of his skin was a soothing anchor. Sasuke's emotions were deeper and more unpredictable than the oceans. Not only was he a teenager but he was a deeply traumatized one who might be in love and not even realize it. "I think you're both right. I suppose it's easier for Ciara to see the future than me. I'm focused on keeping you alive long enough to reach your potential but...perhaps Shisui's present will help us achieve a happy medium."

A hint of wariness blooms in Sasuke's gaze as he tenses up defensively. It hurt to see, but Sasuke had more reason than most to be suspicious of 'gifts.' "What do you mean by a present?"

Another chuckle rumbles deep in Shisui's chest, vibrating softly against Itachi's back. "If you go outside, you should be able to see it in a minute or two. I made sure to have it delivered as quickly as possible."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow, then looks at Itachi suspiciously, as if asking if he had anything to do with this mysterious surprise present.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Sasuke." He chuckles, poking his little brother's forehead again. He understood why but one day, Itachi hoped the man would be able to lower his guard again. To enjoy life without worrying that every minute might be his last. "Though indulge him. Would it really kill you to have a little faith in my lover? Do you really hold my judgment in such low esteem?"

Sasuke's gaze flicks between them, watching them both for a moment. Then he sighs, his shoulders slump, and he rolls his eyes. "Fine. But you know that I hate surprises."

"Oh, I think you'll like this one." Shisui presses a kiss to Itachi's cheek and loosens his grip, letting his arms fall away as he steps back out of the kitchen and into the hall. "As I said, it'll be outside." Shisui saunters to the door, turns the handle, and pushes it open. A cool breeze wafts into the house, carrying on it the scent of rain and the distant sound of thunder. "It's too big to bring into the house."

Once more, Sasuke's brow furrows. "Is it a car? You do know that I can't drive, right?"

"It's not a car, but I can definitely give you driving lessons later." Shisui's gaze dances with sparks of glee. "If I can ever tear you away from this present."

With another roll of his eyes, Sasuke ambles up to the door, peering outside in confusion. "…So, what is it?"

Itachi's own brow furrows, a touch of bewilderment crossing his mind as well. What was Shisui on about? He couldn't see anything out there beyond the front lawns and gardens. Until he glances at Shisui, who motions for him to look up as the thunder grows louder.

At the giant shadow moving through the sky.

"...I see that your niece is rather fond of dramatic entrances." Itachi could only stare up at the sky in disbelief. If seeing was believing, he ought to be a believer now. Of course, he understood on an intellectual level that Ciara was a dragon but knowing that and truly KNOWING it were two radically different beasts. "Though now that we're free and have all the time in the world, it might be best to look into getting Sasuke a license. It's a rite of passage really."

Shisui smirks at him and laces their fingers together. "Then I'll start his lessons next week. Assuming that he can make time in his busy schedule."

He looks up just as the tips of giant wings break through the clouds several thousand feet above their heads. The shadow grows larger, more defined, illuminated by a few bolts of lightning streaking across the sky. And as the shadow descends, the storm above slowly begins to dissipate. And from the sky flies a green-gold-scaled dragon half the size of the villa, its wings beating powerfully as it breaks its downward glide a hundred feet above them, its wings billowing out like a parachute as it drops down about ten feet a second, shaking the earth and digging up a good portion of the front lawn as it lands close enough that Itachi can feel the mighty exhalation of its breath catching in his hair and clothes.

Sasuke was struck just as silent as Itachi for a moment. He recovers far quicker from the shock far quicker than most, though. In almost no time at all, he strides forward towards the incredible, scaly creature. "Ciara?"

The dragon sets down a large duffel bag half the size of Itachi's body, nudging it out of the way before its form begins to twist and shift, growing smaller and more compact as fire flares around it. Horns and wings and scales recede, shrinking with every step Sasuke takes towards the creature. Long, dark hair replaces the horns, and the emerald colour of a leather jacket replaces the scales as Shisui's niece steps out of the fire and onto the less scorched portion of the lawn.

Her golden eyes gleam brightly before fading to match the colour of her jacket, and a soft smile plays about her lips. "Hey, Sasuke."

"Hey, Sasuke? That's all you can say after showing up as a dragon and turning back into your travel-sized version?" Sasuke stares at her like she'd grown another head. Though Itachi privately thought it had less to do with her transformation and more the extravagance of her little show than the actual supernatural twist itself.

"Hey, I wasn't being dramatic, I was just in too much of a rush to go for stealth!" She raises her hand and pokes Sasuke's chest, right over his heart. "If I was being dramatic, there would have been lightning crashing right to the ground, and I could have caused an earthquake strong enough to make the windows rattle."

"What my brother means is that he's happy to see you." Itachi shakes his head. "Would you like to come inside the house or should we just leave you two to the dojo?"

With an impatient huff, she looks over Sasuke's shoulder, her eyes pinning Itachi in place. "Kitchen first, Uncle Shi-Shi promised there would be food."

Shisui laughs and squeezes Itachi's hand. "I knew she'd be hungry after a high-speed flight. The only way to get her here in less than six hours is to have her fly down from the Rockies."

"A fucking earthquake?" Sasuke eyes Ciara. It was clear he wasn't sure if she was joking or not and honestly, neither was Itachi at this point. Though he did have to give his little brother credit, he had yet to balk. Sasuke crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow before turning his demanding gaze Shisui's way. "So, this was your surprise? You summoned a dragon in like...a few minutes?"

"Seems that way. I'm at a loss for what Shisui plans do for your birthday at this rate." Itachi chuckles, shaking his head as he opens the door. Well, a promise was a promise. "Anyway, let's get some food. There's no need to let a good meal go to waste."

"I hope you made plenty, do you know how many burned calories it takes to move a sixteen thousand pound dragon three hundred miles in fifteen minutes?" Ciara reaches down and scoops up her duffel bag, hefting it over her shoulder like it weighs no more than a teddy bear.

"Yes, I know." Shisui chuckles, exuding a warmth that gently tickles Itachi's ears. "There's steak ready for you and Sasuke to share, and I can have four pans of dumplings ready by the time you're done with the steaks."

"Three hundred miles in fifteen minutes?" Sasuke looks at her like she was insane. "Never mind. I guess that's normal around here." He shakes his head, grabbing Ciara's hand, pulling her inside to put away her things.

"I'm impressed my little brother has the balls to manhandle a woman who can cause earthquakes and lightning strikes." Itachi tilts his head, looking at Shisui, feeling a bit helpless. "...I suppose we ought to get started on those dumplings. I'd rather not have a hungry, irritated dragon train with Sasuke."

"Agreed, though I suspect she's much less irritated now." Shisui pulls Itachi back inside, just catching a glimpse of his niece's heels as Sasuke leads her upstairs with her bag. He presses another reassuring kiss to Itachi's forehead. "I wouldn't worry about those two, they might still be trying to figure out what they each want out of this bond of theirs, but if she really doesn't like being pushed and pulled around, she's more than capable of making that known in a hurry."

"That's what I'm worried about. Sasuke is strong and durable but even a love swat from a dragon could be rather intense." Itachi sighs resting his chin on Shisui's shoulder. He did love having him here. "But I trust you and Ciara. She'll have her hands full with him."

"She will, especially with their bond already starting to take effect." Shisui nuzzles into Itachi, then slips away and tugs Itachi back towards the kitchen to get started on the second course. "I'm sure that you've noticed that Sasuke's been getting stronger lately, faster. I swear the kid's even grown a couple of inches in the last couple of weeks."

"I've noticed. Sasuke is at that age, though and he has been training hard." Itachi looks at Shisui, wondering if he should be worried. "Are you suggesting it's more than that?"

"It wouldn't be unusual." Shisui shrugs and strides to the fridge, pulling out four pans and several containers of pre-made dumplings that he'd put together the night before. "That sort of bond usually empowers a dragon's mate, makes them much stronger than they were before, better able to protect the dragon when they're in a more vulnerable form. Usually the partners would be older than Sasuke is now, but since he's still young and growing, that might play to his advantage. And as much as he's been training hard, even a few weeks of intense training aren't enough to get you from being able to lift a hundred and twenty pounds to dead-lifting two hundred and fifty. Not without magically enhanced steroids, at least."

"Let's not tell him that. If he finds out he's got a magic boost on his side, I know my little brother. He'll definitely overdo it." Itachi sighs, deciding it was best to focus on assisting his lover with the cooking for now. He'd worry about the rest later. "It's looking more and more like a mating bond. I just hope your niece can handle him. Dragon or not, Sasuke can be quite...intense."

As the dumplings start to sizzle and the scent of pork and chives fills the air, Shisui wraps an arm around Itachi's waist and squeezes tightly. "Everything is going to be fine, Itachi. After all, they'll have the two of us to watch over them, right?"

"Mmm. You're right. They do." Itachi tilts his head back to kiss Shisui. "And I suppose compared to everything else we've been dealing with playing the part of matchmakers should be a piece of steak."