Note from AU: Sorry it took to long to get this chapter out to you all. I've been busy with work and getting ready for a convention and all that stuff. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I"ll try to get the next one out much faster then this one was.
Itachi laid Sasuke down on the couch of his living room. Sasuke had been dozing lightly on his brother's shoulder during the walk to the cottage, but as soon as he was released he woke up. He sat up a little and looked around the small home that was now Itachi's, courtesy of the elders.
"I shouldn't be here…" Sasuke whispered more to himself then to Itachi.
Itachi's face was very close to his brother's because he had yet to stand up from letting go of Sasuke and he looked into the black eyes, his own still holding the uncaring expression they always did. "You can leave if you want. I'm not tying you to the bed." Sasuke could feel Itachi's breath on his cheek as he spoke.
Sasuke hesitated briefly before shaking his head, "I don't want to be alone."
"I thought so." Itachi stood up and walked towards his kitchen to see about something for Sasuke to eat. Before he reached the doorway however, Sasuke started to speak to him.
"I don't understand it…Just this morning he told me he loved me…what changed? What did I do that was so horrible to bring this about? Everything seemed so normal before he went to see the Hoka…." Sasuke stopped and his eyes widened to twice their normal size.
Itachi stopped and looked over his shoulder at his brother. "You think Tsunade told him to stop…don't be stupid." Itachi turned away again and continued into the next room. Sasuke stared after him, realizing that it probably was a stupid idea after all.
"Then what happened…" His whimpered, looking down at the wooden floor of the surprisingly warm cottage. Sasuke looked around the room, taking in the scene around him. The walls were bare and the furniture was sparse but not so much that company would be sitting on the floor. There was a couch and table and a chair. There were three small rooms branching off of the main room that he currently sat in. It was a small and cozy home, which was surprisingly for the cold-blooded murderer that resided in it.
Itachi returned with a tray that had tea and some snacks. He sat the tray down on the table and Sasuke immediately noticed there was only one cup. Itachi turned and walked into one of the adjoining rooms, which Sasuke could only figure was the bedroom.
Sasuke crawled off the couch and knelt on the ground in front of the table to drink his tea. He lifted the small cup to his lips and blew on the warm liquid a little before bringing it the rest of the way to his mouth and sipping it carefully. The drink felt good going down his dry throat. His brother didn't emerge from the dark bedroom even after Sasuke had finished the tea and the cookies.
Sasuke walked over and sat on the sill of Itachi's window, looking out into the woods around the secluded home. He had never set foot inside the cottage before. He had never wanted to be in his brother's territory. But now..he needed that close companionship. Sasuke needed someone he could trust and who he cared for to latch on to. And deep down he did still love and admire his older brother. He still wanted to kill him…but beneath that was the love any man had for his brother.
Itachi finally exited the bedroom and walked past Sasuke as he headed to the door of the cottage. As his hand touched the door handle, Sasuke called out to him. "Where are you going? Don't leave me alone…please…" His voice was small and as he looked at him, Itachi saw the little boy that he had left behind.
"I have something I must do…I won't be long." With that said Itachi walked out of the cottage and headed towards Konoha. Sasuke watched the back of his brother as he disappeared among the trees, curious as to what his brother could possibly have to do in town and hoping that he kept his word for once and returned soon.
Itachi stood in the doorway of the bar, his face displaying nearly nothing as he stared at the man a few feet away from him. There was a slight glint of anger in the black eyes that sent a shiver down Kakashi's spine as he looked over at him. Even he had that slight twinge of fear deep inside of him of the man that had heartlessly slaughtered his entire clan. It would be crazy for him not to be afraid.
"What do you want?" Kakashi growled, setting down his drink and turning a little in his seat. His mask was over his face, showing that he hadn't actually been drinking anything, he had merely needed something in his hand to occupy himself with. He assumed that Itachi was there to see him and if he was a betting man, he would have put down money on it. It would be stupid to think he wasn't there because of what had happened earlier with Sasuke.
"No one is allowed to hurt my brother," Itachi said with a monotone voice. Itachi took a few steps closer and as he did so the other people at the bar started to sit up a little straighter and turn a little to glare at the black and red caped menace that was amongst them. Everyone in the village knew of the restrictions on Itachi, and any one of them would jump at the chance to send Itachi straight to the elders for execution.
Kakashi turned back to look into his drink, spinning the glass a little in his hand, watching the liquid inside of it move. "Except for you, you mean? Seems you have hurt him plenty over the years. Besides, I don't know what you are talking about."
Itachi stopped when he stood just behind Kakashi. His eyes boring holes into the copy ninja's back. "That is my own business. It is a brother's job to test and torment his younger siblings. That is the past and I am addressing the present now. Answer this question for me, Kakashi…why?"
Kakashi refused to turn around. "That is my business and I would prefer you didn't argue with me about it here." His own eyes were now putting holes into the bar next to his cup. He didn't like how Itachi was addressing this in such a public place. This was a secret he didn't want the entire village to know. He was sure the idea of him being involved physically with one of his much younger students would not sit will with many of the people he dealt with every day.
"If you don't share then I will bring to you the same pain you have brought to Sasuke." Itachi slowly started to unbutton his coat.
Kakashi turned around slowly in his seat and glared up at the man behind him. He wasn't sure what Itachi was planning, and frankly he didn't care. He felt so bad about what he had done earlier that anything Itachi did would almost be a blessing. Death might even be the only answer to the internal suffering and guilt that Kakashi was currently feeling. "Bring it on then, because I'm not saying any more."
"Stubbornness is not an admirable quality," without saying anymore, Itachi activated his Sharingan and as soon as his eyes met with Kakashi's, Kakashi's head started to ache and the world around him shifted. This was actually the last thing Kakashi had expected Itachi to do, especially after all the elders had said to him. Because he had not expected it, he fell into the trap of the Mangekyou Sharingan quite easily. Kakashi braced himself for whatever nightmare Itachi set on him.
Kakashi now stood before a lake, the moon shining off of the water. Beside it sat the familiar back of his former lover. The scene started to play out, just as it had the night before, only this time Kakashi saw what happened. Itachi stood next to him, quiet and not appearing to be threatening at all, but Kakashi knew that he was controlling the scene that was about to play out before him.
Sasuke had his back to Kakashi, but from the trembling of his shoulders Kakashi knew that he was crying. This alone was enough to break what was left of his remaining feelings that he had done the right thing. He had never seen Sasuke cry before and he had hoped he never would.
"Ninja's don't show such things as tears," Itachi voice said from Kakashi's other side and he saw another Itachi walk out of the trees and towards the younger Uchiha. Kakashi watched as Sasuke refused his brother's attention at first but slowly the conversation between them changed.
When Sasuke latched onto Itachi's cloak and started to break down even more, Kakashi fell to his knees, the guilt of his actions flooding his body. He hated seeing Sasuke like this, it was even more painful then the actual breaking up that had occurred. "Sasuke…." Kakashi whispered as he reached out one hand, as if touching the boy in his nightmare and trying to take back what he had said at this point might make things better.
"You care enough about him to cry?" Itachi's double said softly and Kakashi held his breath as he waited for the response.
"I love him…" was the whimpered response and this brought tears to Kakashi's own eyes as he turned his face away to look out over the water of the lake.
"Sasuke…." Was all Kakashi could say as he continued to listen to the conversation next to him. "what have I done?...I was a fool…"
"He can't hear you. You are too late for such words," The real Itachi said as he watched Kakashi.
"I just don't understand what I did wrong…" Sasuke voice came to Kakashi's ears once again.
Kakashi turned back to the pair, "Nothing…you did nothing wrong…I had to do it…at least I thought I did…I wanted to protect you…"
"Its foolish to try and make things right now." Itachi reached down and grabbed Kakashi by the neck, lifting him to his feet. "This will be the last scene you ever see. It will replay over and over in your mind until you can no longer stand it. I will force you to experience the same heartbreak…to see what you have done to him," Itachi's voice was cold as he momentary blocked the scene to come face to face with Kakashi. He knew that Kakashi still loved his brother, and knew that this scene would cause him the most heartbreak and mental pain. "Regret the pain you caused my brother for the rest of your short life, Hatake Kakashi." Just as Itachi finished saying this the scene started all over. Sasuke was once again crying beside the lake. Kakashi's body trembled as he watched it all begin again.
"You bastard…" Kakashi muttered.
"I do believe you are the bastard now. If you hadn't of hurt my brother like this, you would never have had to feel the same pain." Itachi left go of Kakashi and Kakashi found himself bound to a tree, unable to move. His head was tied in place so that he couldn't look away from the depressing scene before him. The real Itachi left the nightmare just as the scene started to replay a third time.
Sasuke awoke with a start, sitting up abruptly from where he had fallen asleep on the couch as he had waited for Itachi to return. Something was happening and although he didn't know what it was, he had to stop it. He rushed from the bed, stopping only to put on shoes before running from the house, listening only to what his heart was telling him. Moving in the direction he felt he should go. "Kakashi….Itachi what are you doing…."
He should have realized it sooner. As soon as his brother had said he was going out Sasuke should have followed him. He knew what his brother was capable of and he feared the worst as he ran into the main part of town. He stopped briefly and looked around for any sign of his brother or Kakashi. Not seeing either he headed further into town, stopping occasionally to ask random people if they had seen either man. He got curious glances from some people as he didn't have a shirt on. He had removed it when he had settled in for a nap on the couch and hadn't thought to pick it up when he had left Itachi's home.
"Please Itachi…not again…please…" Sasuke's heart was in his throat as he continued his hunting. As he saw the crowd gathering in front of the bar that many of the ninja's often went to, he knew he had found the place.
Sasuke pushed his way inside and what he feared most was then right in front of him. His brother had Kakashi by the throat and Kakashi's eyes were glazed over. His brother had used the mangekyou sharingan, just what Sasuke had hoped he would refrain from using.
"ITACHI! Don't do it!" Sasuke's voice came from behind him and Itachi broke his gaze into Kakashi's eyes to look over his shoulder at the trembling figure of his half dressed brother. Just as he looked away, Kakashi collapsed forward, deep in a state of unconsciousness. Sasuke rushed forward to catch him, only getting there with enough time to stop his head from hitting the hard wooden floor. "KAKASHI! Wake up Kakashi!" Sasuke cradled Kakashi's head in his lap as he gently shook his former lover. "Damnit Itachi! Why did you do this? He didn't deserve this…"
Sasuke looked up at his brother and he thought he saw a slight smirk come briefly to his lips. Itachi buttoned up his coat and knelt down, picking Kakashi up gently. As his head was level with his brothers, he whispered into Sasuke's ear, "forget the lover you once knew. As I showed him your pain he did nothing but laugh." Itachi stood up with Kakashi in his arms, watching the shocked and pained expression on Sasuke's face.
Itachi turned and carried Kakashi out of the building and towards the hospital. He knew that as soon as word got out that he had used the magekyou, the elders and Tsunade would be calling on him. He also knew that Tsunade had the ability to heal Kakashi, in fact he was almost counting on it.
Sasuke still sat on the floor of the bar in a stunned silence. His tears had tried and instead his body was trembling a little from the anger that had now built up inside of him. He stood up slowly and walked out of the bar. He saw Itachi headed in the direction of the hospital and he turned and headed in the direction of Itachi's home to wait for his brother to return.
