Title: Killing Loneliness

Title: Killing Loneliness

Pairings: ItaNaru SasuSai

Warnings: Let's see…we have yaoi and vampires and blood play oh my! Plus some probable OOCness…it just happens okay…oh and some swearing, yep definitely swearing. And cutting though it is very minimal.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I claim to own them. So please draw some more yaoi fanservice Kishimoto. That one SasuSai panel was not enough.

A/N:

Shadows: So yeah it was Sai. Congrats to Broken Sexed Up Bloody Kitten. Please leave your chosen yaoi pairing in a review plus any specifics you want and I'll get working on that oneshot for you.

Twi: I can't believe the first person who guessed got it….and why did everyone else think it was Neji???

Ruki: It's because they're weird… (mutters off to the side) I can't believe one of the idiots won…

Twi: oh….okay

Ruki: Oh and for all the idiots who asked me what kataho meant…it was under the IMPORTANT READ FIRST thingie last chapter in the opening author's note…

Shadows: Wow…she's actually pissed for once.

Twi: She just doesn't like idiots.

Shadows: Well anyways on with the story!

ACCTUALLY IMPORTANT READ FIRST: The first section is very confusing to read…unless you're me of course. Since none of you are me, however, these are how things work for the dream sequence:

"Voices talking"

Subconscious talking

'Naruto talking'

"Outside voice talking"Chapter II

A Dream Breeds Curiosity

This world, this world is cold But you don't, you don't have to go

You're feeling sad you're feeling lonely

And no one seems to care…

Hold on…if you feel like letting go

Hold on…it gets better than you know

Hold on, by Good Charlotte

I was running.

No, I was chasing.

Yes I was chasing after that man again. That man whose face I had never seen in any of my previous dreams. Always that back in that red-and-white cloak with the sprawling black kanji I could never read. Always that mop of golden hair, the same shade as mine, visible above the high collar of the cloak.

"Matte!" I yelled at the man. I saw him turn his head slightly. "Matte! Tou-san!"

Then I felt like I was sinking, sinking into a suffocating pit of darkness. The man I had called father wasn't there anymore. Then the voices started. Oh God, not the voices.

"Father?! You demon, you have no father!"

"Yes you are the spawn of a whore and the devil!"

He left you to suffer…he left you to be hated…

"You're a monster! You have no soul, no heart!"

"Why don't you die?! We don't want you alive!"

He left you in a city of people who want to kill you…

"You must be punished! The monster must be punished!"

'Why…?'

"You will never be loved."

'Didn't you love me tou-san? I remember your voice telling me you loved me. Was it a lie?'

"What we say is the truth."

He left you…'No…no don't say it…no…'

"He hated you. No one could love a demon as a son."

He left you all alone…

'nonono…not alone…please not alone!'

"Shhh…It's okay. I'm here. You're not alone."

I wasn't sinking anymore. In fact it felt like I was floating, floating up toward that voice. It was soothing unlike the others. I wanted to find the source of that voice. As I broke the surface and felt myself waking up, I smelt the scent of lilies and water and felt the distinctive feeling of a hand upon my forehead.

I slowly opened my eyes to find those red eyes of the vampire staring into mine. It was his cool hand against my forehead in a comforting gesture and that soothing scent of his surrounding me. This vampire, considered a demon whose sole purpose was to murder to sustain his life, hadn't killed me though he had the opportunity to, hadn't looked at me with hate or said those wounding words. He was here by my side comforting me though he had no reason to.

Then all too soon he was pulling back. No, I didn't want to be alone! I didn't care that I should be fearful of him, that I should want him to leave. I just didn't want to be alone anymore. I reached my hand out and grabbed the bottom of his shirt. He paused, looking at my hand on his shirt, then he returned his gaze back on me.

"I'm just going to get you some food. I'll be back in a few minutes."

I reluctantly let go, not wanting him to leave but somehow knowing that he would come back. My eyes never left him as he left the room, quietly closing the wooden double doors behind him. I sat up slowly taking in my surroundings. I was lying on one side of a huge bed, its crimson wood headboard set against a wine-colored wall. On the other side of the room was probably a large window but it was covered by black floor-length drapes. Did this mean that vampires really couldn't go out into sunlight?

To my right were two separate doors that probably led to a closet and a bathroom. To the left were the double doors the vampire had left through. The room was huge but if felt empty. There was plenty of furniture – a pair of dressers set against the walls, a black leather couch, two matching armchairs, and a coffee table set up near the probable window. Sure it had the look of a room for some rich person but it was empty. It was devoid of anything personal. It was just a room that would always be exactly that – a room. Not a haven for a weary soul or stressed mind, but a room that was merely used for necessity.

I noticed my tan, well-worn bag on the nightstand next to me. I reached into it, my hand feeling old leather stretched flat over a stiff rectangle. I gently pulled the old tome out of my bag and was glad to see it was still intact. Deciding to make use of the time to myself the vampire had given me, I cracked open the book to the page with the previously mentioned vampire's portrait. If this vampire and the one in the book were the same than I had some emergency studying to do. At least I would know his name.

Uchiha Itachi

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

As much as I wanted to deny it Sasuke had been right. There was no doubt in my mind that this boy was to be my koi, my kataho. The moment I had brought him home marked, I had felt it. This was his home now as would any future home I might have be his as well. He belonged next to me for eternity, an antidote for the loneliness I no longer felt when I was with him. I could only hope that he'd be willing to stay with me.

Well I'd have to wait until he woke up. Hopefully he wouldn't run away as soon as he could. I would let him go though. It was his choice and I would not force him to stay. Of course if he left it would mean that I would be eternally lonely since we only get one kataho and one chance to bind them to us. I had seen vampires who had lost their chance. It was not a pretty sight.

A moan came from the bed next to me. I watched the blonde as he tousled in the sheets. He seemed to be having a nightmare and, though my heart ached to help him, I knew it was not a good idea to wake him. Nightmares must be faced or they will haunt you waking mind. Besides I knew he needed sleep no matter how fitful it was. His injuries had healed visibly, but I didn't want to risk his health when I did not know what had caused the extraordinary healing he had already had.

"matte tou-san…matte" he mumbled in his sleep. He reached his hand out as if to grab something before he curled into himself. "Why…love…tou-san…voice…loved me…lie…"

I moved closer to the blonde trying to hear the mumbled words coming out of his mouth. It sparked some curiosity within me that wanted to know why his father was involved in his nightmare.

"no…words…no…nonono…not alone…please not alone…" His voice became more desperate. He was writhing in the sheets, now flat on his back. I couldn't stop myself from placing my hand on the boy's forehead.

"Shhh…It's okay. I'm here. You're not alone." The words that I spoke surprised even me. The last time I had ever comforted someone was Sasuke when we had first been turned and had watched the rest of our clan be slaughtered.

I watched as he relaxed into the touch and started to wake up. His eyelids fluttered open and I was staring into eyes so blue they made sapphires look like common stones. However there was a dullness to those eyes which I immediately recognized. Most called them the eyes of the dead, for they belonged to the walking corpses that were the people who had given up on life but couldn't die. They lacked the gleam of life in their eyes and it was highly noticeable to my kind. Why were his eyes like that?

I drew back thinking I should go talk to Sasuke about my kataho and give the blonde some time to think. His hand grasping my shirt in a surprisingly tight grip stopped me in my motions. I saw the fearful look in his eyes and, for some reason, I knew he was afraid not of me, but of me leaving him and not coming back.

"I'm just going to get you some food. I'll be back in a few minutes." It was a good excuse for me to leave his side. He would need to eat and upon closer observation he was too thin to be healthy for his body type. He reluctantly let go and watched as I backed out of the room and closed the double doors behind me.

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Sasuke's number. He picked up after the first ring.

"Yes, aniki?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Are you home?"

"Yes," he answered like a teenager whose parents had called to check on him to make sure he wasn't holding a house party while they were out of town.

"I need to talk to you. Meet me at the kitchens." My voice remained calm and neutral.

"Okay." He was back to bored now.

"…Sasuke?"

"Yes?"

"What does you kataho eat when it's cold?"

A few moments of silence passed then "You brought home already Itachi! I honestly thought you'd be your usually stubborn assed self and ignore my advice. So have you marked him ye-"

"Answer the question." I interrupted his rant.

"oh…uh…miso ramen would probably be best. So where are you hiding him aniki?" his tone was mischievous and I knew that if I didn't prevent him, he would soon be searching the mansion for him.

"Kitchens, then I'll talk."

I shut my phone cursing the inquisitive brother I had that also happened to be my current source of knowledge. It took me only a few minutes to navigate the maze of corridors and stairs that made up the multi-level mansion that I lived in to find the kitchens. I hardly ever came here since I didn't have to rely on solid food to survive. However the kataho and marked humans of the other vampires living here meant that it was fully stocked and staffed by a live in chef.

I gave my order of miso ramen and tea to the chef then waited for my outoto to come. He arrived a few seconds later with a smug smirk on his face. He was gloating and I knew in his mind he was imagining me praising his genius just because he had been right – once.

"So you brought your kataho home."

"Hn."

"Marked or unmarked?"

"Marked. I had no choice."

"Huh? No choice?" The smug look turned into one of confusion.

"He was dying. I used the mark to save his life." My voice was monotone. It needed to be.

"How?"

"He was bleeding out from multiple stab wounds. The mark increases blood production and heals wounds faster. He also seems to have some other form of accelerated healing that is all his own." Even to me my words seemed robotic and cold as if I had only saved him because he seemed like an interesting subject for experimentation.

A brief silence and then…

"He was lucky you were there." Sasuke was a blessing.

"Hn." A brief smile tugged at my lips.

A few more moments of dead silence passed as I thought over my next words but it was Sasuke who spoke next.

"What else?" I was really starting to question if Sasuke was psychic or not.

"He is terrified of being alone and…" I hesitated.

"And…?"

"He has the eyes of the dead."

Sasuke looked shocked before his face turned contemplative.

"I wonder what could have caused that…" he mumbled.

"He kept talking about his father in his sleep." I suggested.

"I think a visit to the town's record hall is in order. What is his name?"

"……."

"You don't know, do you?"

"Ramen's done!" yelled the chef before setting the tray with its bowl of ramen and cup of tea on the counter nearest to me. I grabbed it before heading back to my room. I heard Sasuke sigh as he followed behind me.

"Guess I'll just have to ask him myself."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

I didn't get much of a chance to read about the vampire. Only a minute after I had opened the book the door had opened to reveal someone I had never seen before.

"Yo Itachi! Have you seen Sas-?" The ebony-haired boy stopped talking when his onyx eyes spotted me. A plastic smile graced his lips. "Well you're not Itachi."

I didn't say anything as the boy made his way over to the bed. His face unnerved me. It wasn't ugly or misshapen; in fact it was the opposite. It was just that that plastic smile he had plastered on that pale, perfect face was the fakest smile I had ever seen.

"I wonder what you're doing in Itachi's room," the boy continued to talk as if he were talking to a lost pet. "He's never let anyone share his bed before. I was starting to believe he was asexual or something."

I grew more nervous as he came closer. I wanted to scream or yell for help but I knew I couldn't. Besides, who would come to save me?

"Still I didn't think he would sleep with a guy that looks like he doesn't have a dick."

I could physically feel that comment hit a nerve. I stood up to bring my face level with his, the black sheets that had been covering me pooling on the bed and at my feet.

"Why you-"

"Oh so you do have a penis." The boy's eyes were not on my face but considerably lower. I followed his line of sight down to find that I had actually been naked under the sheets. I felt a massive blush take over my face and I 'eeped' before wrapping a sheet around me quickly, leaving only my head exposed.

"So who are you blondie?" The teem asked with that annoying fake smile still plastered on his face.

"My name is…" I hesitated before I realized that whatever pain I would be given would be more if I lied, "Uzumaki Naruto."

I waited for the hateful words or even physical harm to come. Surely he would recognize my name even if he had not recognized my face.

They never came.

Instead he had smiled and started to introduce himself. "Well I'm – "

"Sai!" shouted a voice from the door. "There you are. We're going out to the city so go get ready."

"Okay Sasu-koi." I saw Sai give a genuine smile to the shorter raven-haired man that stood in the doorway, his eyes full of love and adoration. In turn the raven had returned the love-filled smile with one of his one before turning and leaving, Sai quickly following behind him.

Once the two had left I noticed the other raven in the doorway. It was the vampire and in his hands was a tray with what appeared to be a bowl of soup on it. I don't know why but I felt relieved that he had come back, that he had simply done what he said he would. My knees started to feel weak when his crimson eyes suddenly locked with mine and I let myself fall back to sit on the bed.

I watched as he gracefully strode toward me and placed the tray gently on my lap, though he did not let go of it until I firmly gripped it myself. He fluidly sat down in the wooden chair that had placed by the bed, the same one he had probably been occupying earlier while I was asleep. His eye never left me and I couldn't stop looking at him either. I hadn't had a chance to truly look at him until now. Long raven hair was tied back at the nape of his neck, yet smaller pieces rebelled from the restraintment and beautifully framed his pale face. Not only his face but also the rest of the skin that covered his strong, feline frame was unnaturally pale, not hindering his looks but perfecting them. There was the slightest hint of color on the lips that I knew were hiding the fangs that distinguished him as a vampire – a monster – and not as a human. Yet his most striking feature were the bright crimson orbs that served as his eyes.

"Eat." His voice broke the silence, startling me from my observations. "It's not poisoned if that is what you are worried about…or would like something else to eat?"

I tore my eyes away from him to look at the tray that rested on my lap. On it was a bowl of what appeared to be miso ramen and a large mug of green tea.

"Oh, no, it's fine," I picked the chopsticks up off the tray and prepared to dig in. "Itadakimasu."

I ate slowly, too uncomfortable to up the pace while feeling his eyes on me. It must have bored him to watch me eat and I felt his eyes start to stray to either side of me. Just as I had finished drinking the broth from the bowl and was reaching for the tea, his hand snaked out and grabbed the book that had been lying on the bed next to me.

"That's –!"

"Shisui's book. I had always wondered where it had ended up." He seemed to murmur to himself, his eyes becoming distant. I had reached out and tried to snatch the book out of his hands, compelled by some unknown reason. A sharp pain suddenly flared at the junction of my neck and my left shoulder. I fell back on the bed and curled into a ball, clutching the pained spot with my right hand. I heard the clatter of the tray on the floor and the breaking of ceramic but it seemed a thousand miles away. The pain I was feeling overwhelmed all my senses to the point that all I could sense was the pain.

A cool hand descended on the pain-filled spot and gently nudged my hand out of the way. As soon as it touched the spot, the pain ceased to exist. I let my body uncurl itself and eventually turn myself onto my back. I felt utterly drained and exhausted, too weary to even open my eyes. The demanding pull of sleep tugged on me with more strength than I could resist but I did not want to return to those voices that I knew awaited me in my nightmares.

"Sleep," the voice of the vampire continued gently. "Your body needs its rest. I'll still be here when you wake up."

Soothed by those words I let sleep over take me. For the first time in years my dreams weren't haunted by the voices.

K.I.L.L.I.N.G.L.O.N.E.L.I.N.E.S.S.A.D.R.E.A.M.B.R.E.E.D.S.C.U.R.I.O.S.I.T.Y.-E.N.D-

A/N:

Shadows: Is it just me or does Naruto tend to be asleep most of the time in our fics?

Ruki: It's just you…(goes to hunt annoying people)

Twi: Ok….oh and a last-minute announcement!

ANNOUNCEMENT:

All stories on hiatus for the month of November as I will be participating in NaNoWriMo and will not have time to write anything else. Hopefully when I get back though, I'll have a 50,000-word Bleach fanfic to post. I'm thinking about doing a GrimmUlqui/GrimmIchiUlqui. So yeah everything on hiatus. Oh, and it's the one-year anniversary of Akatsuki Randomness which was first posted under the title Akatsuki Halloween. That means its been one year since I first posted anything that anybody actually reviewed. I feel so accomplished…

Read and Review people! I know you wanna press that review button, dontcha?