A/N: I was just browsing through my fic folder and came across this. This fic was supposed to have been my submission to the Itachi Uchiha's Club Swap at Y!Gallery, but instead of finishing this one, I started "Unmei no Koe". Since it's almost finished, I thought to myself 'why not? better show it to the world than to keep it stacked and forgotten forever.

This was written based on one of Daydreamer79's prompts for the swap, so I dedicate this to her.

Pairing: Sasuke/Itachi/Naruto;

Warnings: Thressome, Incest. Don't like, don't read. Simple, yes?

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-san.

Betaed by the lovely fangirlandiknowit!

Of Sorcerers And Commoners

Part I

The small tavern was filled with noise as groups of men, scattered about the place, chattered loudly and laughed exuberantly. Their good spirits were nothing more than a result of having already had one too many cheap drinks, and of having several voluptuous, almost completely visible pairs of breasts jumping around teasingly in front of their faces.

The waitresses – and also common hookers – flirted with the costumers with practiced ease, more than willing to offer their services in hopes of earning an extra coin for the night, and the men, all but happy to feel wanted, pulled them to their laps and buried their noses in the women's bosoms.

The air reeked of sweat, alcohol and roasted meat, a scent all too familiar to the lonesome figure sitting in a corner near the small window at one of the tinniest wooden tables. Dark charcoal eyes watched the general commotion with interest, fingers of both hands absently caressing a mug filled with beer.

Itachi Uchiha was a regular customer. Not rowdy or disheveled and dirty like the other men there – even though he kept to himself and made sure to wear the plainest garments he possessed – the truth was that he stood out spectacularly, what with his quiet, yet obviously educated demeanor and his well-kept good looks. His complexion was fair, a great contrast to his black hair and eyes of a grey so dark they seemed black also, and it wasn't counter producing that he was tall and slender, albeit well built. There was an air of aristocracy and elegance about him that didn't go unnoticed.

The hookers all dreamt of the day when the handsome young man would go to them to quell his desires, and secretly, they betted on what kind of woman would suit his tastes. Slim? Stuffy? Did he prefer them young, or did he have a thing for older, mature and more experienced ones? Blond, brunette, or ginger? Maybe he enjoyed them with a good shrubbery between their thighs?

It was clear that he wasn't from around there. No one knew who he was, and no-one dared to ask. Some said he was a knight, others said he was a traveler, a man of knowledge. Itachi, however, was all that and perhaps a bit more, but not really.

Itachi lived in an environment where he did not need to quell his thirst with such poorly made beer. Had he wished for it, he could've done many more beautiful – and cleaner – women than those sex driven, pestilent females. Back at home, all he had to do was to snap his fingers and everything he wished for would be thrown at his feet, just like that.

Nevertheless, once in a blue moon, the young man enjoyed leaving the safe realm of his daily life to blend in with the people of that faraway village, away from home, just because he could. After all, he had come from poor, soiled streets such as those, but the fates had smiled upon him, and now he was no longer a "smelly commoner" as Sasuke, his younger brother, liked to call them.

Also, Itachi had no interest in women. For all the people knew, he might as well be a man of God, except he wasn't – far from it, actually. What he was, though, was a man desperately trying to find completion in the arms of someone willing. But the quest wasn't as easy as it seemed, and finding such a person was becoming increasingly harder. Not that it wasn't surprising, considering how suffocating the country's religion was.

It had been a while since Itachi had found someone interesting, but he wasn't planning on giving up his quest for that perfect someone, no matter how many times he failed – he just hadn't been lucky so far. If he were to be honest with himself, the only reason why he hadn't given up on looking for an assistant was because he could truly use someone's help around his quarters. Of course, he also needed that same someone to be able to keep up with his needs, ones that were fueled by his love and sexual desire towards a particular individual, the only person in the world Itachi wasn't allowed to have.

Now, the Uchiha didn't believe in God; there were things about him that defied everything Christianity stood for, and he had a way of perceiving the world that would certainly get him killed if he let others have a look on how his brain worked. Still, there were things about him that even his common sense knew were just wrong, and in no circumstance would he do something to scare away the only person in the world who understood him completely.

"Hey, lady, can you get me a piece of bread and a mug of wine?"

Apparently, Itachi's luck was about to change. His eyes darted to the direction of the loud, obnoxious voice, to find a young man standing in front of the tall counter. It didn't take much for Itachi to understand that that person was the same as him.

The young man wore worn out clothes that had seen better days, so dirty and thorn were they everywhere. His skin had a tanned tone to it. His eyes were the bluest Itachi had ever seen, and his hair looked like it might be blond, but the filth in it made it impossible to tell, so now it looked like it was light brown. He looked attractive, but the poor state he was in masked his real appearance.

"Have ya got somethin' to pay with?" the old, thin woman behind the counter asked, not even looking at him.

"Ah...well, no." the man muttered embarrassingly, rubbing the back of his head and letting out a silly chuckle.

"Then there's nothin' I can do fer ya."

"Huh? Come on, lady, I need to eat, I'm starving!" The man implored, putting his dirty hands on the counter brusquely. "I'm sure I can do something for you in exchange for food! How about I do you a little favor down there, huh? It must be a while since you've had a little fun."

The woman finally looked up and let out an undignified growl, and the next thing Itachi saw, she was swinging her arm and hitting the young man in the top of his head with a large clay mug, causing him to gasp and clutch his head in pain. A few people who had been watching the scene laughed shamelessly.

"Get out of my establishment!" the woman yelled, pointing at the door, with her rotten teeth clenched. "This is a classy place, not fit fer useless rascals like ya! Ya don' belong here!"

Itachi thought that the scene was highly amusing, and yet, he felt sorry for the dirty but lively young man, who was obviously starving, if the devastated look he gave the woman was any indication.

So he got up silently with grace and headed towards the counter just as the man was turning around to leave and dropped a silver coin in front of the owner.

"Please, excuse my friend's ill manners," he said, smirking at the greedy way she eyed the money, her expression changing suddenly. The man stood, rooted to the spot, and looked at Itachi with wide blue eyes that resembled finely polished sapphires gleaming under a summer sun. "I'm sure he means no harm. Please, do get him something to eat, Madam Welsh."

"Huh," the woman huffed, snatching the coin from the counter. She bit down on it and, confirming it to be real, sent a disgusted look in the young man's direction. "The lad is lucky to find a gentleman like yerself to pay fer his food. Let's hope he can be thankful fer yer kindness."

"Hey, I don't bite the hand that feeds me, just so you know!" the man yelled, outraged, but the owner just ignored him and started filling a mug with wine. He turned to face Itachi, his eyebrows furrowed in suspicion as those blue eyes raked over the taller man's form from up and down.

"You..." he said. "...are like me."

"Oh, you can feel it, too?" Itachi inquired, smiling a bit. "For someone with an energy so uncontrolled like yours, I must say I am impressed."

The man pursed his lips together and looked around almost conspicuously before lowering his voice.

"I appreciate the food and all that, but I know that kindness does have a price," he said seriously. "Especially for someone of your...level."

Itachi understood the insinuation, but that only made him smile all the more honestly. The boy was smart, and from the way he spoke, he had been educated. Things were looking up for him.

"My name is Itachi Uchiha," he introduced himself politely, as though he was speaking to a noble rather than some dirty commoner. "And I do not want anything from you in return, for it would be undignified of me to demand something of someone in need. However, I wonder if you would care to keep me company at my table while you eat?"

The man still didn't look convinced, but ended up nodding, once.

"Sure," he agreed. "I am Naruto Uzumaki."

oOo

Even if Naruto seemed suspicious of him at first, once he started eating and drinking, his spirits were lifted and the torrent of blabbering that left his mouth was unstoppable.

He was an orphan and belonged to a village in the north of the country and had always possessed special powers – powers he didn't know how to control properly. He had tried to hide this particularity of his for years. His grandmother was the only one who knew about his powers, but she had passed away a few months ago, and in his grief, his magic had somehow been unleashed and he had accidentally burned down the house they had lived in. Someone saw the uncontrolled spell, and at once, all sorts of rumors spread through the village and he was accused of being Satan's pawn, so, of course, he had had to run away. He started a quest to find someone like him who could teach him how to control his magic. He had run into a few experienced sorcerers so far, but they either practiced the art for purposes that didn't bode well with his ideals or demanded a little too much from him. Now, Naruto admitted to being used to offering sexual favors in exchange for other favors, but there was a limit to what he'd do.

Sex is sex. I enjoy it, and I'm fine with it, no matter the gender, he had stated around a mouthful of bread and meat, already extremely comfortable around Itachi. But I do have standards, and I will not allow people to push me around. I just want to find someone who can teach me properly and a place where I can settle down once and for all. I'm not afraid of hard labor.

It seemed too good to be true, in Itachi's perspective. Even though Naruto looked like he'd seen better days, there was a certain energy about him that was contagious, not to mention that his aura was positively refreshing. His intuition told him that, in spite of his strong personality and ideals that wouldn't bode well with any normal catholic, Naruto's soul was pure. He was probably someone genuinely good.

Itachi had had many assistants over the past few years, but they had all been hired based on looks or sexual preference alone, and he hadn't been lucky so far. Some of them had been enamored with the prospects of wealth Itachi provided and tried to chew more than they could swallow, not only being useless as assistants, but also useless in the bed. Others had been liars trying to make use of their knowledge that Itachi was a sorcerer to try and give him away in exchange for gold or some other kind of reward. Needless to say that Itachi was too efficient in his own way to let either of them get away with it.

He knew he was the one at fault, so desperate had he become in wanting to find himself someone who could be both a confident, a right arm and a lover, and he had seen it all coming, only he had hoped that, for once, his perceptive opinion of people was wrong.

Since he had always been right, he trusted himself into believing that that dirty young man might just be the real thing, and the fact that he also possessed unusual powers only made it better. Sure, Itachi had met a few people like him throughout his life – he himself had been taught by one of the most powerful sorcerers out there – and he knew that there were groups scattered about the country (and possibly the world), hidden in the shadows, practicing their arts. Some of them, like the Uchiha himself, camouflaged themselves and used their powers publicly without truly revealing themselves.

Somewhat inspired by Naruto's easy conversation, Itachi revealed a bit about himself as well, but not too much, at least not for now. He told him in a subdued voice about his past and how he and his younger brother had also become orphans at a young age.

Naruto listened to his every word as he stuffed all the food he could get in his mouth, bright eyes genuinely interested and focused on him.

After a while, Itachi decided to tell Naruto about his own little quest for an assistant, and the supposedly blond man almost choked, blindly excited at the prospect.

"I'll do it!" he exclaimed exuberantly as he got up, dropping a large piece of bread before realizing what he had done. Feeling people's stares all around him, he sat back down and lowered his voice, eyes filled with life and hope. "No one has ever been this nice to me, and you are a powerful one, I can tell. I'll do anything, and I'll follow you anywhere; you won't regret it, I promise!"

Itachi just had to smirk at the man's naivety, because, really, he should know better after what he had already gone through, even if Itachi did look like someone who could turn his life around for the best.

"I am a busy man, Naruto, and working for me is a lot of hard work," he explained slowly. "I have taken the role of a physician, so I do a lot of travelling and have to tend to a lot of people throughout the country."

Naruto looked exceedingly impressed, having forgotten all about the food. "I'm ready for hard work! I would be more than happy to be of assistance to someone like you, who likes to help other people! Really, that's just…"

"I'm sorry to shatter you dreams, but that's not all I'm looking for in a person," Itachi interrupted, almost chuckling at the abrupt way Naruto's mouth closed. He felt a little sorry about the sudden change from hopeful and excited to hesitant and heartbroken in Naruto's expression.

"So…what are you looking for?" he mumbled.

"Someone who is abnormally capable to deal with him in bed."

Both men turned their heads to the side to see a cloaked figure standing there. He was tall and imposing – only slightly shorter than Itachi himself was – and possessed the same dark eyes and dark, ravenous hair. No less handsome, there was an air of arrogance and contempt about him that was a little hostile as opposed to Itachi's calm, welcoming demeanor.

"Sasuke," Itachi said pleasantly. "You finally came. This is Naruto Uzumaki, and we were just discussing business. Naruto, my younger brother, Sasuke."

Naruto was now gaping in awe as he looked up at Sasuke, who only eyed the stranger in front of him with disgust.

"Of course, your preys are all very interesting at first glance," Sasuke said with cold sarcasm as he scrunched up his small, pretty nose and slammed the straw basket filled with all sorts of plants he had been holding on the table. "I picked up the herbs we needed for this season, but I think we might have to return in a few weeks since I couldn't find large quantities of each of them."

Itachi nodded in approval while Naruto blinked up stupidly at Sasuke.

"What?" the younger Uchiha snapped, annoyed by his intense stare.

Naruto shook his head from side to side.

"I'm sorry, I just…you're very handsome," Naruto said, a faint tinge of pink marking his features underneath the filth. "Good-looks must run in the family. I didn't think I'd see someone like Lord Itachi again."

Itachi's eyebrows rose at that, while Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"You," the youngest one hissed, "Have got to be the smelliest person I have ever had the misfortune to come across."

Sasuke turned around and walked away, his black cloak bellowing behind him as he made his way towards the old staircase at the far end of the room – leading to the modest bedrooms upstairs -, Itachi watching him with amusement while Naruto looked affronted and offended.

"That is no way to talk to someone you have just met!" Naruto yelled after him, only to be ignored. He then turned to Itachi once Sasuke had climbed the stairs and disappeared to the upper floor. "Your brother is very rude!"

"Yes, he does have a strong personality," Itachi agreed, laughing softly. He couldn't quite place the feeling of relaxation and empathy he felt around Naruto, but he knew for sure that, as far as first impressions went, he liked him. "But you really are in desperate need for a bath."

Naruto all but frowned at him.

"As I have already told you, it's not like I can just take a bath whenever and wherever I want," he defended, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, as we were discussing before Sasuke's arrival, you can become my assistant and I will assure that you will never have to offer sexual favors in exchange for food, shelter, or a bath."

The pout Naruto threw at him was simultaneously stupid and endearing, which was saying a lot considering it came from someone who literally looked like shit.

"If what your brother was saying is the truth, you also want me to sleep with you, so what's the difference?"

"I'll be your only partner, if that's what you wish" Itachi said gently. "You'll have everything you need to live the life you want, and to be the kind of person you want. I'm not exactly wealthy, but Sasuke and I have enough to be comfortable, of that I can assure you."

oOo

It was clear that, even if Naruto was a humble person, he had a lot of dignity and an unshakable pride that one could almost say neared the levels of arrogance. He believed in himself and in his qualities, and Itachi was sure that, if he took the wrong step towards the young man, Naruto would promptly flee to never be seen again – which was something amazing considering that most people in his position would probably humiliate themselves a hundred times before getting back on the streets. However, something told him that the empathy he had felt with Naruto was not one-sided. He couldn't say for sure if Naruto had come to stay, but he hoped so.

Itachi liked Naruto's straightforwardness and confidence, so different from his previous not-so-called lovers. It wasn't like he knew Naruto. For all he knew, the boy could be a charlatan like them, even if his gut told him otherwise. He liked Naruto enough, as far as first impressions went, at least, and he had had a good feeling about him. Even so, and in spite of their tiny banter, it was obvious that Naruto had felt some sort of empathy with his little brother as well, which wasn't surprising since Sasuke was, indeed, a very attractive man.

Maybe it was the influence of their nature as magical beings, Itachi pondered, watching as he leaned against the door of his decadent bedroom while Naruto scrubbed himself with a cloth inside the copper bathtub. Itachi was powerful, and so was Sasuke. Even though Naruto's magic was wild and untamed, Itachi could bet he would be someone very strong and very capable if taught correctly. It was easy for one to be drawn in by power, even if unconsciously.

Itachi had told Sasuke that Naruto had agreed to be a part of their little family, so Sasuke was still sulking in his own room, just like he always did whenever someone new crossed their paths. It was useless to blame him since Itachi was well aware that Sasuke was probably more than fed up with having to deal with his various lovers/assistants that always failed to get either of their jobs done properly.

Itachi heaved a sigh – thinking about his issues with Sasuke was always bound to give him a headache.

His feelings towards his younger brother came a long way back. They were nothing new to him and he had already settled within himself that he would keep away from him in those terms because it was just plain wrong, even for someone who didn't believe in God and defied God's laws.

He knew Sasuke was different from him since he had bedded both men and women. His brother was someone who did whatever he pleased and didn't take lightly to receiving criticism if not requested. Even though he was only nineteen, arrogant, thickheaded and cold, he was also a perfectionist and someone who poured his heart and soul into everything he did. He worked hard to achieve his goals, and Itachi knew that, no matter what flaws he possessed, he was the embodiment of perfection – the person he knew to be perfect for his high standards. One could probably say that he was being a narcissist considering that he and Sasuke resembled each other and shared many qualities, but he didn't care.

There was no escaping, or explaining the pull Sasuke had on him, both physically and intellectually, but even though he was sure about his own feelings, he could never ask Sasuke if he felt the same, even if he knew Sasuke loved him dearly. He would never willingly put Sasuke in a position where he would have to be confronted with such a strong issue and thus risking their relationship as it was now. He could never commit such a sin towards the person he loved the most in the world.

So, to quell his hunger, he had been desperately trying to find a lover who could keep up with the raging beat of lust inside him, someone who would want to love him hard enough for him to forget that impure part of his feelings towards his younger brother.

He could be wrong, but he was strongly counting on Naruto's determination to do it.

"I'm done."

Itachi was shaken awake from his thoughts by Naruto's voice as he looked up to see Naruto standing inside the tub.

For a moment, the Uchiha was taken by surprise as he took a good look at Naruto's now pristine clean form. The man was lean, but had light, yet fit muscles underneath sun kissed, flawless skin. Without all the filth, Itachi could confirm his initial thoughts because Naruto really had blond, golden hair and a good face, not spectacularly so, but attractive enough, with well-defined lines, strong cheekbones, and a perfect nose. He could've easily been mistaken by some kind of prince if dressed in proper garments. In each of his cheeks, three parallel whisker marks could be seen, resembling whiskers. It was strangely suiting.

Moved by intuition, Itachi's eyes lowered to Naruto's crotch as he noticed that, not only was he of satisfying size, be he was also half hard.

By far, Naruto was the best looking person that he had ever taken in.

"I'm glad to see that I got your approval," Naruto said, smirking knowingly as he stepped out of the tub slowly, his feet creating small puddles on the dirty wooden floor, blue eyes never leaving Itachi's attentive gaze. "The way you are looking at me is kind of exciting, to be honest."

"It is nice to see you like this," Itachi whispered, nodding once.

Licking his lower lip slightly, and inwardly praising himself for his choice, Itachi leaned away from the door and took a few steps towards the naked blond, Naruto lifting up his chin in acknowledgement, determination, fear, and yes, a flicker of excitement making those eyes gleam with life.

It had been a while since Itachi had last been intimate with someone, so of course, his body was being very quick to react with every step he took towards the young man. He was very, very pleased by Naruto's appearance, and the way Naruto was looking at him, fearless and determined caused his muscles to begin to have that prickly feeling caused by anxiety and the need to just let it all out in that same moment.

But Naruto might just be it, so he knew he couldn't just attack him like some wild beast.

Just as he was about one step away from his target, the door slammed open, startling the two occupants of the room, and Sasuke barged in, stomping furiously towards Naruto, who looked positively horrified.

Itachi was going to open his mouth in questioning when Sasuke violently reached out to wrap a hand around the back of Naruto's neck and pull his head aggressively to him until the tips of their noses were touching.

"I'm sick of this stupid game, and I'm tired of useless people just wasting his time, and mine," he hissed angrily to Naruto. "You think you got what it takes? You think you are different from the others?"

"Sasuke?" Itachi whispered, stunned. "What…"

"Show me that you are different, and make it good, because if you don't, you won't be leaving this place with us tomorrow." Sasuke cut, still glaring daggers into Naruto's wide eyes.

The next thing Itachi knew, Sasuke had slammed his lips against Naruto's.

Time seemed to freeze, for both Itachi and the confused blond, whose eyes were still opened. For a brief moment, his orbs rolled to the side to meet Itachi's, who was rooted to the spot as he watched in composed surprise, the action of Sasuke's mouth starting to move to kiss Naruto properly. The eye contact seemed to have lasted forever, because Naruto seemed to understand something just then. Whatever signal Itachi had unconsciously sent to him, the truth was, Naruto recovered quickly from the shock, his eyelids fluttering close as he parted his lips to brush them against Sasuke's demanding ones. As soon as his mouth cracked opened, Sasuke took the chance to shove his tongue inside demandingly and press himself against Naruto's still wet body, the remnants of water on the other's skin quickly soaking the front of his shirt and trousers.

Mesmerized, Itachi couldn't even blink when Naruto's arms surrounded his younger brother's neck and pulled him close as his fingers grabbed the hairs of Sasuke's nape roughly, his head tilting to the side to provide better access as the kiss deepened, tongues meeting past their lips with a ferociousness that was more competitive than it was lustful, and still, the sight was more erotic than anything Itachi had ever seen.

In all his life, he had never once seen Sasuke being intimate with another person, only heard the sounds and grunts of him and his lovers coming from his room back at home, and even if he had touched himself often, thinking about Sasuke in the middle of sexual passion, it was something that he had feared to actually see because he had always felt an irrational jealousy towards whoever it was that Sasuke chose as a sexual partner.

This however, was unexpectedly…

Naruto broke the fervent kiss by biting on Sasuke's lower lip and pulling at it roughly before letting his teeth release it. He shoved Sasuke away, sending him stumbling backwards ungracefully until his back hit Itachi's chest, who grabbed his shoulders to steady him.

They were panting as they stared at each other, Naruto's arousal evident due to his very naked form, and Itachi could feel Sasuke's violent heartbeat slamming against his ribcage.

"Not that I don't find you immensely attractive, my young Lord Uchiha," Naruto said calmly, wiping a bit of saliva from the corner of his mouth, "But if I am correct, this isn't about you at all, so I'm not sure how you could even begin to think that I have anything to prove to you. Unless, of course, you are also interested in bedding me?"

Still a little shocked, Itachi felt Sasuke tense in clear anger. Naruto smirked, a knowing look making his eyes twinkle. Before Itachi could even blink, Sasuke was shaking his hands away from his shoulders with a growl and promptly throwing himself at the blond.

TBC...

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