Itachi woke up in the middle of the night feeling blah. He could not sleep at all because of his dreams about his past. He could still hear the screams of the people he killed ringing in his ears even though most of the people he had managed to kill without them ever knowing. Still…this bothered Itachi somewhat because never in all his life had he dreamed about that grand day; the day he made a believer out of everyone.

He shuffled across the room and headed out the door. He had no idea where he was going but his body just moved anyway. He needed to get out of that room and go somewhere…anywhere to see if he could make sense of these changes. He'd been feeling like this for several weeks now and just recently the thought of killing his younger brother sounded boring. He stopped suddenly at a door. Turning the knob slowly, he entered the room. There was Hinata curled up on the bed sound asleep. Though she was sound asleep, there were hints in her facial expression of discomfort and worry. She was frowning slightly and every now and then she'd twitch. Tiny whimpers escaped her throat and Itachi wondered whether or not she was having a bad dream. He shut the door and quietly ghosted across the room taking a seat on the bed. He leaned over and got the hair out of her face before placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She stirred in her sleep but she did not wake. She muttered something incoherent before rolling over to face the wall. Itachi couldn't help but wonder what was worrying her so.

A part of him knew that he probably had a lot to do with it. By taking her away from Kakashi he knew now that he'd caused her great ill, but why does it matter? Why did it matter all of a sudden? Normally things like this never even crossed his mind. Crying women were usually put out of their misery by Kisame and as cruel as it sounded, it wasn't really cruel at all. A young woman who was witness to her entire family being killed was probably much better off dead than alive. Some would even beg to die. And so…he obliged. He laid down flat on his back next to Hinata and just listened to the sound of her breathing. It was comforting in a way he never thought possible. Maybe it was because it had been so long since he'd heard the sound of breathing besides his own…or Sasuke's. Hinata cried out in her sleep again making him jump. He leaned over and shook her lightly.

"Hinata?" She rolled over to face him. Her eyes were barely open and she mumbled something else that sounded like 'good night'. Then she scooted closer burring her head in his chest. Itachi gasped at the sudden intimacy. The warmth she brought to his body was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He normally paid no heed to any women as he preferred the latter sex, but for one night his body and mind decided to go with the flow. He turned to his side, throwing an arm around her. After a while, he noticed her body was no longer twitching and she was no longer talking in her sleep. Soon the sound of her light breathing and the feel of her warm breath on his chest made him go right on to sleep.

X-X

Kakashi woke up and let out a sigh. Today was the day he was to be released from the hospital but judging by the look on his superior's face, she was ready to scold him for no good reason.

"Alright Lord Hokage. Let me have it."

"Oh Jiraiya and I aren't here to badger you. Well…okay. Maybe HE was here to let you have it but we just wanted to give you a quick briefing."

"Alright. What's up?"

"Well, Jiraiya got back to the village yesterday and he has some news about the Akatsuki."

"Yeah. As you know I've been trying to keep an eye on them. Well…I haven't seen Itachi or his friend Kisame in a while but then Lady Tsunade here explained to me about the incident."

"Oh don't remind me," he groaned.

"I'm sorry about Hinata and Naruto. I know that they are both very capable shinobi. Besides, you forget that the idiot was being trained by me. I'm sure they're alright."

"Unless they're already sucking the bijuu out of him," Kakashi grumbled.

"Ahh but see that's what I wanted to tell you. I don't think the Akatsuki have Naruto."

"Huh? But he was taken by Itachi. There's no way in hell they got away that easily."

"Yeah I hear ya but…Maybe they're still with Itachi but the others don't know about it just yet."

"Are…are you sure?" Kakashi asked. This may be my blessing…

"Yeah I'm quite sure. In fact, none of them have any idea where he's located. They all have some kind of locator ring that's activated by running chakra through it. From what I hear, Itachi hasn't been wearing his ring and neither has Kisame."

"Could this mean trouble in paradise?" Tsunade asked.

"I don't know but it is kind of strange. Itachi has been down with the Akatsuki since he was fifteen so for him to just rebel as it sounds is truly remarkable," Jiraiya noted.

"Yeah but just because he hasn't handed Naruto over yet doesn't mean anything," Kakashi added. "I've faced this guy in combat before and I can assure you it's not because he's had a change of heart. The guy's a cold hearted lunatic."

"That's what everyone thinks about Orochimaru, but I know differently," Tsunade said softly. The two men just stared at her curiously with their mouths wide open.

"Tsunade? Is there…something we should know?" Jiraiya asked. His voice was a little higher pitched and he was doing nothing to hide his jealously. Tsunade only shrugged.

"No, there's nothing you need to know. I'm just saying…Orochimaru is just an ambitious, powerful shinobi who doesn't know when to quit. He also hates losing so when people tell him he can't do something he goes out of his way to prove them wrong."

"A lot of compliments for someone who tried to kill me two years ago," Jiraiya grumbled.

"Oh please. He'd never kill you and you know it. He needs you to take care of his pest problem in the Akatsuki first," she snapped. "Besides you two are like Sasuke and Naruto…but not really," she added thoughtfully.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped.

"Are you gay?" she challenged.

"WHAT?! NARUTO'S GAY?!"

"Um…I don't mean to be rude but can the two of you focus. I need to get Naruto back before Sasuke decides to take matters into his own hands. I also need to get Hinata back before the Hyuuga's put a hit out on me."

"Oh…yeah…about that. Um…Hiashi's not very happy with you. Although Hinata's never been on top of his list of worries, she IS heir to the Hyuuga throne," Tsunade scolded.

"Oh damn. You sure do have a nice way of comforting people."

"Don't worry about it Kakashi. Besides, I'm planning to go with you and Sasuke to look for Hinata. Gaara and Temari are already out searching the area. I figured you'd be leaving soon since Sasuke's driving everyone crazy."

"Uh…yeah. Um…I'm going to shower and change then I'll meet you at the gate in an hour. Get Sasuke for me will ya?"

"Don't worry. He was at the gate four hours ago. I highly doubt he slept a wink last night."

"Me too."

X-X

When Hinata woke up, she felt better than she had in days. She was also warmer than usual. Odd… She lifted her head and realized that she was not alone. Who is this? He finally opened his eyes and met her gaze. Both just froze on the spot staring at one another. Hinata's calm gaze suddenly turned fearful. Itachi reached out to touch her cheek but she closed her eyes tightly frightened to death. She stayed like that for several seconds waiting for something to happen but it did not. She slowly opened her eyes again and found the elder Uchiha staring down at the floor.

"I see you are terribly frightened of me yet you do not know me very well. Why is that Hinata?" Is he really asking me this question? Hinata looked away from him and thought about his question. Why was she frightened of him? It was the kind of question that would catch anyone off guard, especially if deep down there was truth to it…and it was. She really didn't know Itachi and all yet when she first laid eyes on him she found him terrifying. Then there were his eyes; so cold and full of nothing. The cold eyes were certainly something that she'd grown accustomed to over the years. Never once had her father looked upon her with love. There were only cold, emotionless eyes full of retribution. 'You must be strong for the clan'… Neji's eyes were the same way until he fought Naruto at the Chunin Exams. Now every time he looked at her, she was pretty sure that she sensed something caring about them though she was still too afraid to approach him and find out.

She turned her head and faced Itachi. Though she could not see his eyes, she could tell by the way he was sitting that he was troubled; possibly lonely yet for someone like him she supposed it would be hard to find time to fill that loneliness with a companion of some sort. So why exactly was she afraid of him since he had the same eyes as the father she's loved all her life? She let out a deep breath and somehow found her voice to speak.

"I…guess I'm afraid of you…because…I have been taught to fear…you," she squeaked. He looked up at her suddenly feeling just a little taken back by her words. The question he'd asked was meant to be more or less rhetorical since he never imagined that she'd answer but…he was glad that she did.

"I see," he said softly.

"I…your eyes…I guess…would be the other reason," she whispered. He stared at her curiously unaware that his sharingan eyes were flashing. They were more or less flashing because of the strange emotions he was trying to battle. Hinata's eyes went wide with fright and he quickly turned away. He stood to his feet and left the room without another word. Hinata let out that huge breath she had been holding and fell back onto the bed. Just another day in paradise…

x-x

Sasuke sat on a tree branch that was hovered over the village gate playing with his kunai. He'd been there for quite sometime since sleeping had been impossible the night before. All he could think about was Naruto being touched by that bastard of a brother of his and it made his blood boil. It probably wouldn't have bothered him this much had he not just recently realized how much the idiot meant to him. The first time he parted ways with Naruto was to get some training from that freak Orochimaru. Naruto sacrificed body and mind to get him back because he cared for him. However, the first few times it did not work. He didn't realize how much he cared and missed him until he had heard that Naruto was dead.

He could remember that day like it was yesterday. He'd heard that the Leaf Village was being attacked by some nearby village who had their own bijuu. It was a black bear and it was huge. Somehow the bear got loose and Naruto was stuck fighting him while everyone else did what they could to protect the villagers. During that battle, he had to use that fox's cloak but it was no use. He was bitten in the side by the bear, his ribs cracking from the pressure of its jaws. One of his arms had been broken and he was bleeding to death from the bite marks. Kabuto had been sent by Lord Orochimaru to watch for an opportunity to go in for the kill. He returned sometime later with news that the Leaf Village had prevailed but that the kyuubi was found dead. The news came to as a shock to him.

He knew he'd tried to kill Naruto on many occasions but he'd never actually succeeded. For someone else to just bust in the Leaf Village and kill his ex best friend was just unimaginable. He had to see for himself. He took off from the hideout at full speed for the Leaf Village. No longer was he concerned about killing his brother nor did he care about being killed for treason. He needed to see Naruto. He had to prove Kabuto wrong because deep down he knew Naruto was a survivor. He didn't have to worry about being stopped at the gate. When he got there, most of the shinobi were still fighting the enemy while Ino was hovered over Naruto, crying in the palm of her hands. Sasuke landed and broke into a run towards them. It was raining and so his foot steps were heard because of the splashing. Ino looked up but to his surprise she didn't react. She stared up at him sadly before running off. Sasuke just stared down at the lifeless body of his friend in disbelief. Naruto? Dead? No way…

flashback

"Naruto…NARUTO!" He dropped to his knees and examined his friend, his crying becoming more hysterical with each passing second. His hands were now covered in blood and he was beginning to shake. "NARUTO PLEASE! DON'T DIE ON ME!" He quickly ripped the blonde's jacket off revealing the pale skin of his chest. There were deep scratches along it and some were still bleeding. "DAMMIT KYUUBI! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HIM!" he screamed. He placed his head over his chest listening for a heartbeat but he heard nothing.

"Oh…oh God…" he cried. He pinched the blonde's nose and covered his mouth blowing air into his lungs. Then he pressed his stomach several times before repeating the process. Still nothing. He did this for at least twenty minutes never aware that he was now surrounded by several leaf shinobi. All of them were watching him sadly as he fought to bring the blonde back. No one gave a second thought to the fact that he was a wanted ninja. They only saw him as a comrade fighting for another comrade and the entire scene had many of them in tears.

Fifteen…twenty minutes later and Sasuke broke down. He grabbed his blonde friend pulling him close, clinging to him like a blanket as the rain drenched their blood stained bodies. No one said anything. No one bothered to tell him to leave. They just watched the heart-wrenching scene before them praying silently to the heavens to bring the blonde back. All was eerily silent except for the rain splattering to the earth. Sasuke slowly removed the blonde's headband and stared at it. There was a single scratch on it from their first big fight. He kissed the headband before tying it around his forehead.

A cough…sputter…more coughing…Sasuke's body just froze. Eyes fluttered opened to reveal beautiful, sparkling blue eyes he thought he'd never see again.

"Sa…Sasuke?" Sasuke was too shocked to speak. Naruto? He just stared down at his friend getting lost in those blue eyes of his. Naruto reached up and touched his forehead protector before smiling. "I've…missed you…Sasuke, but you're…a little late…second best…" he managed before passing out again.

Sasuke never left the village after that day. He stayed in the Leaf Village and did everything he could to help out. Naruto was in the hospital for almost a month. Even with the kyuubi's healing powers, they were not enough to heal Naruto on its own. That bear had done serious damage to his body rendering him from any outside activity. Sasuke visited him everyday and for the first week, he stayed the night with him. Everytime Naruto opened his eyes, he was there. He wanted to be the one Naruto woke up to everyday. A part of it was guilt. Another part was loyalty but now he knew that it was mostly out of love. He had always loved Naruto but it took a freak accident and a kidnapping to make him realize it. He hadn't been treating the blonde very nice lately but he promised himself that if he could get him back from his brother, things would be a lot different than before.

sasuke

"HEY SASUKE! YOU READY?" He looked down to see Master Jiraiya and Kakashi heading out of the gate.

"You have no idea," he grinned.

X-X-X-X-X

Itachi headed straight for Naruto's room. Hinata had him all mixed up and hopefully arguing with the blonde would help him make sense of things. He turned the knob and entered the room. Naruto was still sleeping but he figured he would be. After all it was still pretty early. He stopped short of the bed and frowned. Unlike Hinata, Naruto was sleeping peacefully as if he hadn't a care in the world, which immediately struck him as odd. How could anyone sleep soundly in a situation like this? Itachi approached the chair next to the bed and just took a seat. He decided to let the blonde sleep instead of awakening. Besides, the fact that Naruto was sound asleep seemed to calm his already bad nerves. Hinata…afraid…Naruto…unconcerned. Was Naruto sound asleep because he wasn't the least bit afraid of him? No, don't be silly Itachi. The boy was frightened to death when you touched him the last time… But why was he sleeping so peacefully? A few minutes later the blonde began to stir. His eyes fluttered open and he grumbled.

"Dammit. It was all a dream."

"Good morning Naruto." Naruto's body just froze at the sound of that cold, emotionless voice. He turned his head slowly and found himself face to face with the older Uchiha.

"Uh…"

"I know this comes as quite the shock to you but I'm just as shocked as you are. I woke up not too long ago after sleeping with Hinata."

"You did WHAT?! HAVE YOU ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?! SHE'S…SHE'S LIKE ROYALTY AND…"

"I'm not having a very good morning Naruto so it would be in your best interest to calm down." The kit decided to shut up because there something menacing about the way the words rolled off Itachi's tongue. It was enough to make anyone fearful for their life. "Now then. I did not sleep with her in the way that you think. I just…slept next to her. Believe it or not, I did it because she was having a bad dream."

"Wha…what?" Itachi…bad dream…being nice?

"I figured this would shock you a little but it's part of the reason I came to talk with you."

"Talk…with…me?" he whimpered. Ok. Now this guy is really starting to freak me out. Just what is his deal? He's usually threatening to kill me or do Hinata in but he's here to talk? Like we're friends? No wonder Sasuke used to worry about him all the time. He's got major issues!

"Yes. Just talk. Like you would talk with my brother."

"Uh…I'm not…trying to piss you off or anything but um…" Itachi stood to his feet and started towards the bed. He reached in the pocket of his pajamas and pulled out a small key. He undid the latches around his arms that bound the kit to the bed but he left the ones on his legs.

"This should help you relax a little more." Naruto only frowned. Relax he says. RELAX?! I'm not relaxed. I'm freaking terrified right now! "Now then. Let's talk."

"Uh…ok but…you came here so…"

"I want to know why you slept so soundly last night."

"Huh? What kind of question is that?" Itachi glared at him with those cold eyes and Naruto squeaked. "Uh…you were serious? Well…um…I don't know why I slept so good."

"But you've been kidnapped and taken away from your loved ones. Doesn't that make you worry?"

"Aye, I do worry but not so much."

"Why is that?" Odd. Why wouldn't he worry?

"Well," he grinned. "I suppose it's cuz I know that my friends are alright. For instance, at this very moment I'm sure pervy sage and grandma Tsunade are doing everything they can to find us. Kakashi and Sasuke have probably been giving everyone hell the last few days because both of them can be hot heads. I have no reason to worry because my friends are strong and I know they'll come looking for me."

"I see." They were both silent for a moment before Itachi spoke again. "How can you be sure that they're really ok? And why is Hinata so much more afraid of me than you are?" This question really caught the kit off guard and he half wondered whether or not to take it seriously. The elder Uchiha looked up at him but something had changed about the way he looked. His eyes, they were still cold and cruel looking but there was something else there. There was a look that Naruto had no problem recognizing because he'd seen it so many times before. Gaara…Neji…Sora… I understand now…

"You can never be 100 percent sure that someone's ok but…sometimes when you really, really care deeply for someone, even when they are away you can feel their presence and then…if something bad happens to them, sometimes you'll get that feeling that something's wrong. I haven't had any bad feelings about Sasuke or any of the others but I know that they're alright because I can still feel them, even when I sleep. Knowing that they're ok allows me to forget about my problems because it could be worse. I could be…all alone and I know from experience that the worse feeling in the world is loneliness. That's a feeling I hope I never have to experience again," he ended softly. Both were silent for several seconds before Itachi spoke again, his voice barely audible.

"So…I suppose I can just assume that Hinata lacks the confidence that you have in your friends. Am I correct?"

"Well…Hinata's background is very similar to yours and Sasuke's I suppose."

"In what way?"

"Her father is the head of the most powerful clan in the Leaf Village. She was his first born which makes her next in line to lead the clan but…I don't think she really wants the job. Plus, her father spent years telling her she was weak and it shot her self esteem. While I know in my heart that she'd make a strong leader someday, I can't help but agree with Hinata that Neji would be better suited for the job but because he's just a lowly side branch cousin, the clan's elders wouldn't allow it anyway."

"I see."

Itachi turned away from Naruto and stared at the ground taking in all of this new information. Everything the kid said made some things a bit clearer for him. He could definitely relate to the princess. He could recall his father grooming him to lead the Uchiha clan someday but he hated it. He hated the early morning lectures. He hated the training. He hated it…all of it. There were days where all he wanted to do was go hang out with some friends but as time passed he knew friendship would have to wait. His little brother Sasuke tried so hard to be like him and he hated it. Some days he wished he could pull Sasuke aside and force him to go make friends and enjoy his youth but…somewhere down the line things went horribly wrong. He couldn't remember exactly what drove him to snap…but it happened and did he regret it? No…not really. If he had it to do over again he'd still kill every last one of those overbearing elders and their families. They took away his life and now all he knew was killing and power, but even as he sat their thinking about it, it still seemed boring and unappealing.

"I…Itachi?" He looked up at the blonde who'd whispered his name. He was staring at the covers with a sad expression on his face. "I…I know we're enemies and I know that once this is all over we'll be forced to fight each other but…I want you to know that right now you're not completely alone. You…you can always…talk with me because…even if I hated your guts I wouldn't wish loneliness on you. I believe everyone should have someone, even Orochimaru and…even you," he whispered. The elder Uchiha stood to his feet and quickly exited the room. He closed the door and just leaned against it, his breath coming in short spurts. He clasped his hands over his head and dropped to his knees. What's wrong with me? Hopefully he'd find the answer soon.

AN: Well…long delay but you got a decent length chapter as a reward. I have no idea when the next update will be. It all depends on how demanding my class schedule is. Also, just so you know this story will probably have a cliff hanger ending and some of you will hate it. I can't help it. I can never really 'end' a story so to speak just in case I get bored and think of a sequel. In the event that I do go with the cliff hanger, I am not planning to write a sequel. Honestly, I really don't have the time right now. Now about the update…I made Itachi a little OOC, but seriously, he'd be so boring if he was a cruel bastard all the time. And besides, I am convinced that deep down he just needs a therapist. No one is really ALL bad. They had to have been good at some point in their lives. Yes, he's bisexual. I honestly like Itachi better when he's gay but right now he's bi. And you know the ending that I had originally planned has just been thrown out the window. Expect a sticky end for someone…or some ones. I guess that's all. Review if you want.