The next morning, Naruto had to say, he was not expecting to see what he saw. Itachi, a vampire he had feared ever since Naruto laid his eyes upon him, was wearing a light blue Sanrio character apron over his suit, listening to classical music, and making a large western-style breakfast. Naruto supposed he should be happy the apron wasn't pink and frilly, but the sight was still unsettling.
"Please seat yourself, Uzumaki-san. Breakfast will be finished shortly."
How could Itachi say that like it was normal? Granted his voice still lacked any emotion, but the lines were delivered as if they were a family, and that it was perfectly normal for a kidnapper to be cooking a large lavish meal for his captive. Was this guy mentally sound?
Naruto clumsily fell into his seat, too shocked to even make a comment. Maybe the apron was all that was lying around, but he wouldn't be caught dead wearing Hello Kitty.
Then again, perhaps he was being biased. The first time Jiraiya had gone on a business trip, leaving Naruto alone, he was 10. The trip was only two days, but Naruto wanted to prove he could be left alone without Jiraiya worrying, so he took it upon himself to do the chores. The only problem was he couldn't find a cleaning apron. Frustrated, he took some of the money Jiraiya had left him to go food shopping and to pick up an apron.
The store only had one apron left due to a late shipment. It was pink and frilly with an anime magic girl on the front. The anime had been popular back then though Naruto didn't think anyone would remember it now. At the time of purchase, Naruto was just happy to have one.
He took it home, put it on, and got to work, thoroughly cleaning his house, vacuuming, washing the windows, cleaning the bathroom, sorting the garbage, pre-prepping dinner and a bento for tomorrow, and doing the laundry. It was when he went to hang up the laundry outside that got him in trouble.
Using a step stool, he clipped the fresh laundry onto the clothing line, careful to make sure nothing wrinkled. It was a sunny day and the breeze was great. Naruto remembered how calm everything was at that moment. Sure, he was lonely, and he hadn't met Kiba yet, but Jiraiya and Naruto had finally worked out a living situation, both opening up to each other little by little. It only took 4 years, but they were getting there.
They were locals, of course, high schoolers, who walked by. Maybe there had been an assembly that day or there were doing club activities, but they had been in uniform on a Sunday. Spotting Naruto, they stopped at his gate and began throwing snide remarks in stage whispers.
"Hey, look over there. Look what he's wearing."
"Does he actually like those types of things?"
"Pff, he's some sort of weirdo. I can't believe he walked outside in that thing."
"Maybe he's a homo or a tranny or something."
"So he's a pervert. Always the quiet ones."
Naruto's ears turned red in embarrassment, and his eyes teared as the urge to bury his face in the blanket he had just proudly hung up moments before swayed in the wind. That was the turning point in Naruto's life. Tired of being talked about, tired of being villainized, he couldn't take it anymore. He fought back.
Ripping off the apron, he marched up to those three boys. Shouting insults, calling them pedophiles for staring at him for so long, not knowing when to keep his mouth shut. They beat him up, badly.
They left him on the ground, laughing as they went on about their business.
Naruto, bleeding, hurting, and all alone, sat up. He didn't cry. He had only cried once since coming back with Jiraiya. That day had almost been his second, but crying didn't help anyone, let alone himself. This was nothing to cry over. He picked himself off the ground, brushed himself off, and got angry instead. He tossed the apron away from him with a loud yell and marched back into the house.
He finished the chores and sat alone at the dining room table.
In his head, Naruto marked that day as the day he truly lost the last of his innocence. He no longer stayed quiet, standing up for himself and getting into fights constantly. Those boys still lived there. Grown-up, they were better at concealing their hate for him, but his reputation kept them from confronting him now.
"I don't know why you make such a lavish breakfast every morning. It's not like you've eaten since the 19th century." The man, who Naruto learned was named Kisame after he had shown him his room the night before, sat in the corner of the kitchen where Naruto had not noticed him immediately.
He was wearing a dark cloak while cleaning his nails with a kitchen knife. He had paused to shoot a look of disgust at Itachi when he merely raised an eyebrow at him.
Itachi piled a mountain of food on a plate and placed it in front of Naruto. "I'm sure he is hungry. No need to starve him." As he said those words, Itachi stared at Naruto until Naruto felt thoroughly uncomfortable.
"You are a real creep," he muttered standing. "And take off that damn apron already. I'm sure you'd make even Satan uncomfortable at how wrong that is."
Itachi ignored him but did take off the apron, hanging it on a hook on the back of the door. "Bring Uzumaki-san to the study when he has finished. You know what to do after that."
"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Kisame rolled his eyes
Itachi left the room, his shoes tapping against the wooden floors, fading as he grew further and further away.
Naruto stared at the mountain of pancakes. Would he be able to taste them like the food last night?
He picked up his fork and cut into the stack slowly to buy himself time and mentally prepare himself for disappointment. When he put the pancake into his mouth, he was pleased to find that he could still taste it and delighted at how sweet and buttery it was. He had to admit, Itachi appeared to be a good cook, though he never had so much meat on his plate before. It was a little greasy for his liking, but he still ate it happily.
Halfway through his stack, he heard music drifting from the hall. The sound of a Japanese Koto being expertly played. To be honest, Naruto always avoided the sound of the Koto when he could. It always gave him a headache. Not figuratively as many people believed, but literally. His head would begin to pound, starting from his temples until it grew into a migraine.
This time was no different. Pressure began to build at his temples. Instead of pounding, however, it just made him lose focus. His eyes were clouded with an image, an illusion or maybe a memory. A woman with beautiful red hair, dressed in an equally beautiful kimono, plucking at the strings of the instrument with a serene smile. Naruto couldn't see her face. It was blurred, but her smile was familiar and safe. She was seated on tatami mats, and the sliding doors open to a courtyard with a giant tree planted in the center. Soft translucent lights, the shape of humans but the size of dolls lingered in the trees' branches, swaying in the wind as the music played.
He was seated on her lap, his hands reaching for the instrument as she played around him. She laughed a soft melodic sound that made him smile until he was pulled away.
"Hey kid, you have a seizure or something?"
Kisame had shaken his shoulder hard, causing Naruto to dump an excess of syrup onto his pancakes and plate, not knowing when he had picked up the jug to do so.
The music had stopped, having changed back into Western classical music.
Food ruined; Naruto pushed his plate away. He wasn't that into sweet things. Food drowning in syrup was a bit more than he could handle.
Kisame tossed the plate into the sink. Literally tossed. The plate broke on impact, but the man couldn't care less. "You know where the study is. Go straight there. I got better things to do than babysit some kid."
"I thought you were supposed to bring me," he remarked.
He twirled the knife in his hand. "Keep pissing me off brat, you'll regret it soon enough." He said it with an ecstatic grin, clearly knowing something he did not. Any appetite he still had was quickly forgotten with that grin.
Quickly, Naruto left the kitchen and traveled the few doors down to the study. He pushed the door open just a crack, seeing if Itachi was already there. While the music played on a phonograph in a corner, Itachi was nowhere to be found. A perfect chance to snoop if he did say so himself.
Closing the door behind him, Naruto got to work, inspecting the bookshelf first. In almost every movie, the secret passage was always behind a bookshelf. Unless there was a trap door somewhere, Naruto hadn't seen an entrance into this basement during his snooping the day before, meaning it had to be hidden. As clichéd as it was, the bookshelf was a good start in his opinion, but also the most distracting. He had seen several books that caught his eye. Antique books that he had read recently that inspired his current interest in classical literature and these books were the first editions.
He didn't get very far in his search. By the second bookcase, the door creaked open. Prepared, Naruto grabbed one of the books he was interested in and plopped himself down on one of the sofa's available.
It wasn't Itachi as he thought, but instead a young child, carrying a silver tray with tea. He used his back to push open the door, so he could slip into the room, pausing once his eyes laid on Naruto. His small nose scrunched up in distaste. His young appearance wasn't what drew Naruto's eye. When the child had first entered, Naruto swore there were cat ears on the child's head.
The child got to work, placing the tray on the coffee table and poured the tea into two green, Japanese style teacups. He then distributed the cups, one in front of Naruto and the other to the seat across from him.
The child worked without sparing a glance at Naruto and without a word. Naruto, admittedly, had a soft spot for young kids. They could be jerks, but at random times really sweet. He could not help but wonder why he was there and if he too was a captive of Itachi.
"You're really good at pouring tea," Naruto commented. "Did you make it by yourself too?" Naruto's intentions were good. He meant it as a compliment. As a kid, Naruto loved every bit of praise he could get.
The child, however, glared at him, and Naruto noted he had two different eye colors. "I don't talk to kids, let alone humans." The child turned his head in a childish huff, picking up the tray.
Naruto was bewildered, not only by the hostile treatment but his words too. "Look whose one to talk. I'm almost twice your age."
"Are not. I'll have you know that I'm turnin' 54 this year. I'm way older than you, you stinkin' human."
The age didn't sink in until Naruto's original urge to give the kid a small bop to the head calmed down. Wait, did he say 54?
"Kira, manners to our guest." Naruto had not heard or seen Itachi enter the room, and Naruto had been facing the door the entire time. Appearing from behind, Itachi walked past him taking the seat across from Naruto.
The child named Kira quickly stood and bowed. "My apologies, Uchiha-sama," he replied earnestly.
Itachi leaned forward picking up the cup Kira had placed moments before. "Kira is very gifted in making tea. I encourage you to try some."
At this point, it was becoming clear that Itachi liked feeding him. Almost every meeting had involved food somehow, but it did give Naruto somewhere to focus his eyes on since he could not look him in the eye. He picked up the cup but did not drink.
Itachi drank from the cup, perfectly composed as usual. Kira had moved to stand behind him, waiting on Itachi like a servant. It was disturbing to Naruto to see a child like that despite his supposed age. Kids should be out playing, not waiting on psychopaths.
"For the foreseeable future," Itachi began, "you will be training with Kisame. While my brother has done an adequate job, it will not keep you alive against any real opponent you may face."
"Is that so? And why do you care if I'm alive or not?"
"Because," Itachi said, placing his cup down and folding his hands in his lap. "You are and will be useful to me. If you die, it becomes an inconvenience I rather not incur."
A depreciating laugh left Naruto, dropping the cup purposely to stain the carpet beneath him. "Useful? A piece of trash like me? What use could I possibly have to an asshole like you."
"You and I both know what you show in front of people is nothing more than a pretense." Itachi didn't react to the drop cup or rise to Naruto's rude behavior. Instead, it was Naruto who ended up freezing at Itachi's words. "You pretend that the words of others do not bother you, and you brush off every nasty comment thrown at your integrity and honor. Deep down, however, every word, every cruel thing ever done to you makes your soul bleed and each passing day, you question your own self-worth and purpose of living."
"Shut up," Naruto whispered, his frame shaking with barely controlled emotion.
"Rejection and anger is basically the only thing you know. Even the people closest to you lie. You know that, but you never question them, not wanting to confirm the truth that you already know."
"Shut up! SHUT UP!" Naruto screamed, standing. "Don't pretend you know me! You know nothing about me!"
"On the contrary. I have been watching you for quite some time."
Naruto felt his anger about to boil over. The part of him that he hid even from himself. Burying his misery under fake smiles and laughter, just so that he wasn't completely alone. He was terrified of being alone, of being a burden, but he was always angry because he did know there was distance between him and his loved ones. Distance both he and the ones he cared about created intentionally. Perhaps that's why he had grown to respect Uchiha Sasuke so much and grown to worry about him though the vampire didn't need it.
"Now is not the time to discuss what I do and do not know about you, Uzumaki-san. You are currently at the halfway point. Half human. Half vampire. You have the ability to use both to your advantage. The non-reliance on blood and versatility in chakra technique of a human, but the regenerative powers and enhanced strength and speed of a vampire. This rarity is of use to me, and I need you to be able to access both consciously."
That's right. Naruto had not gone through the final change yet. It had slipped his mind that he was supposed to be, and yet Itachi was talking like it would never happen. "Why do you say it like it will stay that way? I'm supposed to finish the change soon."
"Are you?" he asked in a way that clearly stated Naruto was never going to complete it. "For now, humor me and join Kisame in the training room."
"If you think I will be joining your side, you're stupider than you look." Defiance was all Naruto had at this point, but it sounded weak. He felt like he was slowly being backed into a corner. Itachi did not give a single inch or show a weakness of any kind. He was smart, calm, and always in control. How could Naruto handle someone like this on his own?
"And what side would that be, Uzumaki-san? Do you even realize what you are facing?"
Facing? What did that mean? He was minding his own business until this jerk came along. "Do you mean hunters vs. vampires?"
Itachi stood. "Your naivety will get you killed, but for now, I suppose it is better for you to learn on your own. My place is not to inform you of the world, but to train you. Proceed to the basement. Kisame will be waiting to begin your training."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then, Uzumaki-san, you will have no use to me, and your hope to be rescued or find an escape will be quickly cut short." Itachi placed out a hand which Kira quickly reacted, handing him a newspaper. "You may leave."
"You may leave," Naruto mocked under his breath, pausing slightly to see if Itachi would take offense. The vampire's only reaction was a glance up from the paper before continuing his activity.
He feared Itachi, but the vampire was also correct. If he didn't keep himself alive, he couldn't increase his chance of survival. There was little he could do other than go along with him for now.
Recalling where he found the stairs the previous day, Naruto followed his orders and descended into the subbasement holding trepidation of what may become of him.
"What do you mean my brother has kidnapped him?" The air around Sasuke, fluttered, ruffling his air and clothing before settling. Since his awakening, he was having trouble controlling his abilities. Anytime his emotions ran away from him, it would activate, leaving him exhausted. He had not recovered from using it so extensively during his fight, and the bursts prevented his full recovery of chakra. He did not remember it being so hard to control before.
"Yes, we managed to hack into the cameras in the police station, and we are fairly certain it was him," Sakura informed him. She was still dressed in her nurse's uniform, but she school bag and clothes in a chair beside her. "We saw them pull out of the station and head west a few blocks, but the CCTVs were wiped or altered after that. They went completely off the map."
"Couldn't you follow the CCTVs that were wiped?" He asked impatiently.
"We tried, but all the CCTVS were wiped at different intervals, randomly within the next three towns and there are many rural areas as well that don't have them. It will take a while to find a pattern or trace where the interference came from."
Sasuke restrained another wave of chakra flowing through his body ready to lash out at the girl. While he wasn't fond of her, Uzumaki had feelings for her. His eyes instead shifted to her superior and mentor, Tsunade, sitting quietly at her desk deep in thought. "What else are you not telling me, Tsunade."
The woman's eyes snapped up, meeting his stare with a dark one of her own. Perhaps she was intimidating to other humans, but she was young enough to be his great-granddaughter. Leader of the hunters or not, her attitude was not something he was going to put up with when Uzumaki was currently in the hands of his brother.
"Nothing a blood-sucker like you need to know about. Naruto will be found. He has a habit of surviving every situation he gets himself into."
"I doubt he's met a 'situation' like my brother," he retorted. His brother was cruel and liked to play mental games. Uzumaki wouldn't be able to outmaneuver his brother, and he'll end up obeying his brother's desires knowingly or not.
"No, but he's met worse." Tsunade's eyes glazed over, recalling something unpleasant.
"What do you mean worse?"
Tsunade remained silent for several long seconds until she addressed her subordinate sternly. "Sakura-kun, would you please escort Uchiha out please."
Sakura bowed to Tsunade, "Yes, Sensei." She grabbed her bag and motioned for Sasuke to follow her.
Sasuke followed. Not because he wanted to be civil or because he wanted to get along with the hunters, but because his urge to kill her was strong.
He hated hunters. Hated how they believed they were right and just. It did not fly by him that she had admittedly detained a member of the council like it was not a breach of a treaty, and he could be certain they did not treat that council member as a guest. Deidara had no idea what had happened to Sasori and had been worried. He was not so sure that it wasn't the hunters who had killed his mentors in the council. What else would humans take away from him?
Sasuke spent the rest of the night, meditating, trying to reign in his chakra and regain control of it. With the news Naruto was missing, he was finding it hard to sit still. His mind kept drifting back to the fact that he was worried at all. In the past, he would have just left Naruto to his fate. Why was this unsettling him?
Sakura came to escort him out of the hospital early the next morning. Something he was more than happy to do. If he stayed with the hunters any longer, he wasn't sure if he could keep to the treaty.
"I should thank you for stopping Yukina-hime. It means a lot to us." She said she was thanking him, but there was enough prejudice in her voice to see it was out of duty and not sincere.
"I do not want nor need your thanks. I did it out of respect for a woman my family had held in high regard." His biting words made Sakura's lips thin. "How did a tramp like you become a shinobi?"
This time she didn't hide her disdain for him. "That is a rumor I purposely spread. Sometimes spreading rumors about yourself is the best way to achieve a goal. Not that it matters to you." She crossed her arms. "You should be grateful to Sensei for even extending a helping hand to you. I think ending you would have been a wiser option."
"How kind of you," he replied sarcastically. "It's nice to see that the shinobi have corrupted their youth with the humans first and only movement. It is as strong as ever"
"They didn't teach me anything. Vampires killed and turned my parents into ghouls when I was 9." There was a glint of metal in her hand. "I learned on my own that evil like you should be eradicated."
"And where does this vengeful ambition place in your interest in Uzumaki as your boyfriend?" He was curious about her motives. Sure, she had acted as a proper girlfriend, but there was always something off about her interactions with him up to and even after she had dumped him.
"To keep an eye on him and protect him, something he no longer needed since you have taken him in."
A smile curled on his lips. "Oh, so playing around with a young boy's heart under false pretenses fall under your self-righteousness?" He leaned forward. "Do you know what hypocrite means?"
"Back away!" She swung her knife towards him that Sasuke easily dodged.
"Tell me, little girl," he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. "How exactly do you plan to eradicate me if you can't even protect yourself."
"Uchiha," the soft, yet sharp use of his name, grabbed Sasuke's attention. Gaara stood near the exit of the hospital, hands in his pockets. "I would have thought teasing children was beneath you."
A beat then a soft chuckle later, Sasuke released Sakura's wrist. "Sorry. I found it hard to resist." He walked over to Gaara. "I believe we have something to talk about."
Gaara nodded. They walked outside the hospital, sitting on a nearby bench. Sasuke put up the hood of his sweatshirt when they walked out, keeping his head down so that no one could get a good look at his face, a hassle but one he was used to.
As they sat, Sakura left the hospital as well, meeting a boy in front of it. Sai if Sasuke's memory served. He took her bag, and they left holding hands. "Was she dating him while with Uzumaki?"
Gaara nodded. "She spread the rumor, and he teased Uzumaki about being a virgin."
"And you left that alone?"
"Overall, there were good intentions behind it, but not anymore."
Sakura and Sai entered a car driving off together. Really, how much of Uzumaki's life was controlled? Everyone around him seemed involved with hunters. From his guardians, to even his girlfriend, and Uzumaki had no idea. All that control and keeping Uzumaki in the dark, only for Sasuke to disrupt that. He felt no regret for uprooting their plans.
"When we were children, Uzumaki and I were held in a medical facility against our will. In my case, my father put me there. In Uzumaki's case, he was kidnapped and taken there." Gaara stared at his hands. "There is something inside us. Something that's been there since we were born. Something many hunters consider demonic."
Sasuke thought back to Uzumaki's physical appearance, and Gaara's words confirming some of his own theories.
"The man who held us, his name was Orochimaru. He experimented on us without care to our feelings. We were numbers, not people. We may as well have been mice in a lab to be disposed of whenever he wanted. Eventually, Uzumaki's father came to save us. He got out. I did not."
"And Uzumaki doesn't remember?"
"No," Gaara shook his head. "Bad things happened that night. I don't know the specifics, but he must have blocked it out."
Sasuke mulled the information over in his head. Something demonic, Gaara had said, but that didn't quite seem right either. "Why are you talking about this now?"
"I can't trust that Tsunade-san will keep him safe." Gaara made sure to meet his eyes. "He has been through a lot. He doesn't deserve to be killed over something that was out of his control from the beginning. I don't want him to know that he has no control. Will never have it. I don't want him to realize that no one around him who knows the truth will never care for him and will always be scared of him. I wanted him to have hope." Grief slowly overtook his face. "But his past is coming back, and it will hit him full force. I can't be there for him… but you can."
"Why are you so convinced that I will go out of my way to help him. This isn't what I bargained for when I decided to change him."
Gaara's lip twitched. Standing, he adjusted his school bag on his shoulder. "You know, there are better ways to get back at the girl who used the guy you like, but they also say love can make you childish."
"Implying something?"
Gaara shrugged. "Do you think I am?" he asked. His watch beeped, signaling the change of the hour. "I should leave. I have some things to take care of." He bid him farewell, leaving Sasuke alone on the bench to think.
The words stuck, like gum to the bottom of a shoe, long after Gaara had gone. What was Gaara trying to imply? That he had feelings for Uzumaki?
The thought was preposterous. He didn't love or get attached. He lived for one purpose, and only one. So what if Uzumaki made him feel like a child, or that he had enjoyed teasing him, or that he took his mind off revenge for the first time in over a century. His worry for him was purely platonic.
Rubbing a hand over his face, Sasuke muttered under his breath. "Fuck."