Warning: More of Itachi's back story will be revealed. By now you should have a pretty good idea of what went down so if it bothers you skip Kisame's flashback. This story is rated M for a reason and the rating will definitely apply to Chapter 8.

-o0o-

Neji pictured himself, back facing the classroom while he had his nose in the corner. He could hear the snickering of his classmates as they pointed and mocked him. Upon his head was a pointed hat with the word 'dunce' written on it. That was what he felt like at that moment, because only a dunce would ask, "Are you going to kill me now?" to an obvious killer.

You really do have a death wish. He bitterly thought to himself. The look on Itachi's face when he asked the insane question was a tad discomforting. The man looked up at him as if he were a lost child in the supermarket. Maybe it was a part of his act before he killed someone; to look as humane as possible. At that moment, Neji had the urge to reach out to him, give him a hug or a pat on the back. Anything would do because man, he looked so lost.

What happened to the strong man that had kicked his ass in the alley? Now Itachi looked as if he were having an internal battle with himself. As if an angel was on one shoulder and the devil on the other. Neji wondered who would eventually win his favor.

Regardless of what the man decided, Neji did not want anything to happen to Tenten or anyone else he cared about. With a deep sigh, he unfolded his arms and faced Itachi head on. "If you promise not to hurt Tenten, I'll leave here with you, no resistance. I would prefer for her not to find my body."

"Are you that eager to die?" Itachi asked quietly.

Neji was shocked by the man's tone of voice; it was different from the usual aloof, condescending tone that he used. "Do I really have a say in the matter?" He asked.

"You said that you did not plan on telling anyone about what you saw. Why?"

The answer was on the tip of his tongue, yet Neji was not willing to admit it to Itachi, let alone himself. It was wrong, all of it was wrong. He shouldn't even be having this conversation so casually. Neji's gaze shifted away before he answered. "I'm not aware of the circumstances surrounding what happened and I would look like an idiot if I jumped to conclusions."

Because he was looking off to the side, he failed to catch the brief look on Itachi's face before he shoved the emotion aside. "Why are you making excuses for me?" Itachi asked.

"I'm not!" Neji answered defensively. Even though it was pretty obvious that it was a lie. He knew it, Itachi knew it, and hell the world's biggest idiot knew it.

Itachi stood up from his seat causing Neji to face him again. Slowly, he made his way to where the brunette was sitting. The Hyuga watched his every move; he had the gracefulness of a jungle cat - a deadly predator. When he was standing only a few paces from the chair he opened his blazer to reveal the gun in its holster. Itachi watched Neji's reaction, taking in every flicker of his eyes, and tightening of his jaws. Yet, again he saw no fear, only acceptance.

In the face of death was when a person revealed their true self and the moments before death were when Itachi really got to know a person. In that instance he learned more about Neji than he ever would by holding a conversation with the man. Neji yearned for an escape from his confines, his cage, and wanted Itachi to be his savior- in a sense. The raven was not shocked by the revelation; it had been there all of this time. From the night he saw him in the club, to their scuffle in the alley and even now.

"Why did you come to my hotel that night?" Itachi needed to be sure. "What were your expectations?"

Still staring at the gun, Neji answered. "Sex with a random guy that I just met in the club."

Gritting his teeth, Itachi placed his hands on both of the chair's armrests and leveled his face to Neji's. "Answer me truthfully." The dangerous edge to his voice was unmistakable.

Because when I first gazed into your dark eyes I wanted to get lost in them forever. Fuck, I can't say that. Instead he said, "I felt a magnetic pull towards you...It's hard to explain."

"Did you feel it in the alley as well?"

Neji glowered, "Before or after you attacked me?" His patience was growing thin and he didn't really enjoy the mini interrogation session. To top it all off, Itachi was invading his personal space and the man's scent was making his head feel dizzy. Neji's eyes rose, raking slowing up Itachi's face until he reached those dark orbs. The color of a bottomless chasm.

The kiss caught them both off guard.

It was nothing short of a paradox, the way the two men responded so eagerly to the unexpected kiss. Without breaking away, Neji placed his arms around Itachi's neck and stood up. There was no need to battle for dominance. They were equals - both wanting to get lost in the pleasure. Itachi's hands never lingered on one area for more than a second. They started in Neji's hair, then his shoulders and finally stopped at the waistband of his sweatpants.

A loud groan passed through Neji's lips when he felt a skillful hand grip his erection.

-o0o-

In the guest room, Tenten got out of bed and walked over to her suitcase. "Looks like I'm going to need these." She said as she pulled out a pair of earbuds.

Once she was back in bed she smiled contentedly to herself after slipping them on. She whispered, "Take one for the team, Neji."

-o0o-

Itachi relished in the way Neji responded so beautifully to him. He knew that what he was doing was wrong, but it felt so right - God it felt so right. There was a couch close by, and Neji's bedroom was surely right down the hall. All he had to do was choose which one he would prefer and have his way with the man. But he could not allow things to go too far.

Reluctantly, he removed his hands from his sweatpants. With a low growl, Neji protested the action and reached for the zipper of Itachi's slacks. Then he caught a glimpse of the gun out of the corner of his eye and quickly retreated. It was a painful reminder of the reality of the situation that they were in.

Taking a step back, Neji closed his eyes and raked his fingers through his hair. "You really did kill him..." he said mostly to himself, but Itachi heard him. There was no denying it; he was a killer.

"Neji I-"

"Why did you do it? Out of pleasure? Out of necessity? Protection?" Neji tried to keep his voice as level as possible. "Just tell me."

"Why should I? It wouldn't change the fact that I killed someone."

"I know that you did not do it out of pleasure. Last night when you kicked me out of your room it was out of concern, wasn't it? You think I'm too fragile or some shit just because I've never been intimate with anyone?" Neji honestly had no idea how he came to those conclusions, but he was going to just run with it. "Even tonight in the alley, you could have easily killed me. But you didn't...and you won't."

Itachi had no clue when or how he went from wanting to kill Neji to just wanting him, but it happened. He graced the man with a genuine smile. "You're right, Neji. I do not kill for pleasure. Nor will I kill you." In a matter of seconds his smile morphed into his usual mask of indifference. "But who could ever love a monster like me?"

Without waiting for an answer Itachi headed for the front door and walked out leaving Neji standing there alone.

If he would have stayed long enough he would have heard Neji's answer.

"I could."

Kisame stormed out of Madara's office with a look of disgust on his face. He had been approached by the man five years ago with an invitation to join the Akatsuki. The pay was pretty decent and who didn't like getting paid for something they enjoyed doing? A fucking imbecile that's who!

The man only had one condition on his behalf; keep his identity a secret from the other members. Kisame never questioned him on his reasoning for doing so, he honestly didn't care. Five years, he had carried out his jobs alone. For five fucking years. No matter how difficult they were. But now Madara decided to team him up with someone. A thirteen year old boy at that!

The large man growled as he snatched open the door to his truck and got in. Apparently, the boy was Madara's own nephew. Kisame had never truly understood the concept of 'family'; his father ran off when he was an infant. His mother ditched him at the steps of the local orphanage when he was a toddler. So at a very young age he taught himself to rely on himself only.

Humans were selfish, fickle creatures. It was better to walk through life alone in his opinion.

Although, he would not deny that he felt a little ill when Madara told him about the boy's first solo mission. Shimura Danzo was a well-known pedophile and despite his old age he was far from a decrepit old man. It was a suicide mission, simple as that.

Kisame knew that it wasn't his responsibility, yet he just didn't feel right allowing the boy to walk into that lion's den alone.

Parking his car two blocks from Danzo's estate, Kisame grabbed Samehada from the backseat and moved stealthily to his destination. Well as stealthily as someone of his stature could be. The Akatsuki had been trying to assassinate the man for years now, but he was always two steps ahead of them. It would seem that Madara was growing desperate now.

He was surprised once he made it to the side gate of the estate that there were no guards standing there. Normally, the place was surrounded like a freaking fortress. Still, he remained in the shadows and watched his surroundings.

The courtyard was completely empty and he actually walked straight into the mansion without any disruptions. It was...odd. The mansion was eerily quiet as he slowly made his way up the stairs, his long sword gripped tightly in his hands. Years of underground work made him wary of how quiet it was. If it were a trap would he be willing to get himself killed over some brat?

It was too late now, and he wasn't leaving until he did what he came to do.

As he finally reached the top of the stairs he could smell the strong metallic scent of blood in the air. There were bodies, several of them lining the hallway. Quickly, he counted twenty of Danzo's guards. Not one of them was alive.

The trail of bodies ended at the master's bedroom, the door was opened and Kisame could make out a small form lying in the middle of the floor. He had witnessed some pretty fucked up things in his life, but nothing, absolutely nothing prepared him for the sight.

It was hard to tell if the carpet had always been red or if it was because of all the blood. Once in the room, he could see Danzo - well he thought it was the man- lying in the bed- dead. With a grimace, Kisame took in his 'partner's' condition. He was completely naked, and bruised all over, but the rise and fall of his chest let him know that he was still alive.

Kisame grabbed one of Danzo's coats from his closet and wrapped the child in it. During the walk back to his car he could hear the boy crying in his arms.

"Don't worry kid, you're safe."

There was a sharp knock at the front door, and Kisame did not even bother getting up to answer it. A moment passed before the door was opened and Itachi was walking through it. The Uchiha and Sasori were the only people that knew where he laid his head and it was not the first time that the former stopped by unexpectedly.

"Itachi. What brings you here at," Kisame glanced at the digital clock on his wall. "2am?"

The man in question stared blankly at the massive fish tank that took up majority of his living room. There were actual levels to "Itachi's blank stares" and only his partner was capable of reading all of them. After ten years of working together, they had a bond that neither of them would ever openly admit to. Right now, he was serving him with the, "self-pitying" look. It was a look that Kisame had not seen since Itachi was sixteen.

With a low chuckle, he got up from his couch and stood next to the raven. They both watched as the fish swam serenely. "These are new." Itachi finally spoke up.

"Had them imported from Kiri." Kisame admired the cerulean blue fish. "Of course, I had to pull a few strings."

"Hn."

In a gesture of endearment, he roughly patted the younger man on his back. "So, you haven't paid me a visit in a while. Not since Sasuke started asking about the bird and the bees." The large man chuckled. He was the only member of Akatsuki that knew of Sasuke's existence. Although they had never officially met, Kisame had helped the two brothers out in more ways than one.

Usually, Itachi would give the man a glare that could freeze hell over, but he did not mind at the moment. He had assumed that as the years passed so would the void inside of him. Ten years was more than enough time for him to be accustomed to his predicament. But, it had only been suffocating him, steadily eating away at his insides until he was hollow. Hollow would be the perfect way to describe him; well until he saw Neji. It was almost immediate - the completion that he felt when their gazes first locked.

Kisame didn't know exactly what was going through Itachi's mind, but if he was giving off the "self-pitying' look, he could only imagine. So instead of waiting for the man to speak up -which would be possibly never- he decided to just wing it.

"You know," Kisame slid him a glance out the corner of his eye. "You aren't like the other members. We all had shitty childhoods, not saying that you didn't! But we never really had parents or any crap like that." He knew that he was rambling now, but it was how he got his point across. "You were raised in a pretty stable household with a mom and a dad, the whole bit. You were thrown into this life head on; no warning, no nothing. So of course you would want to go back to that sense of normalcy. Me, Hidan, Sasori, hell even Deidara. We all signed up for this shit! We don't have anything to go back to or someone to even go home to!" Kisame was yelling now. "Who cares if you've done some fucked up shit, Itachi?! None of this was your choice! Unlike the rest of us, you have a fucking soul! Only a person with a soul could sacrifice so much just to keep their brat of a little brother comfortable! This job man... we've seen some fucked up things- we've DONE some fucked up things! Things that nightmares were made of. But forget about all that, for once in your self- righteous life, do something for your fucking self!"

Once the speech was over Kisame blinked and scratched the back of his head. "Listen to me blabbering like an old fool. Never thought I would be like this at only 29!"

"You're 39, Kisame." Itachi said the corners of his lips were slightly tilted upwards.

"Same difference!"

Itachi let out a deep rumble in his chest, after a moment Kisame realized that he was actually laughing. Slowly, the large man turned his head to take in the sight. He watched in both astonishment and wariness as the man's shoulder's shook with the vigorous laughter- that was borderline maniacal. He felt as if he were witnessing a once in a lifetime comet all by himself- no one was going to believe him if he told them.

Absently, Kisame scolded himself for not having Samehada on hand. If Itachi was laughing surely he was intending to go on a killing spree, right? Seeing that he was the only person in the vicinity that made him the first to go. Then he glanced at his fish as they continued to swim, oblivious to the danger before them. If Itachi even attempts to harm my fish!

Once the laughing stopped, Itachi looked as if he had just yawned rather than cackled. It was mildly disturbing.

"Shit Itachi, what in the hell has gotten into you?"

Itachi sighed tiredly and headed for the exit. He had gotten what he'd come for. Before he walked out of the door, he looked back at his partner -his only friend- of ten years. "Thank you, Kisame." And he left.

Kisame scratched the side of his head in confusion and just stared at the door that his partner just walked out of. Now the dull stares he could handle. As creepy as it was, he could also deal with the maniacal laughing, but there was no way in hell that he was going to put up with Itachi saying...thank you. "What the fuck is the world coming to?"

It had felt like the longest weekend of Neji's life, but now it was finally over. Sunday morning came, and Tenten had to return to her campus. Now he was home alone trying to get his mind off of the dark-haired man that had been the main focus of his attention since he met him. After, he was left standing in his living room - with an erection- he took the longest shower in history.

He wanted to wash away the scent of cedar wood that seemed to linger long after Itachi left his apartment. The man's touch left a tingling sensation on every inch of Neji's body. He had convinced himself that if he scrubbed hard enough he could wipe it all away from his memory.

But who could ever forget a man like Itachi Uchiha?

After dropping Tenten off at the airport, Neji skimmed through the local papers and news channels for anything on a murder Saturday night. A part of him was not surprised to see that nothing of the sort was mentioned. Not yet anyway. Itachi's admittance to not killing out of pleasure had Neji momentarily enraged. Who would force Itachi to do such a thing? He felt an irrational sense of rage at whoever was responsible then again he reminded himself not to jump to conclusions. Surely, Itachi could handle himself, he was a big boy.

Several times, he tried to figure out why he cared so much about anything concerning the man. It was infuriating not being able to comprehend his thoughts and emotions toward a person; he was supposed to be a genius. A prodigy is what they proclaimed him as. Yet, here he was struggling to identify with his emotions towards someone.

With an exasperated sigh, Neji reached for his laptop and decided to kill - no pun intended - some time by working on a few projects that were due weeks from now. It was late now, almost midnight to be precise. Tomorrow he had classes bright and early; he also had to train with Hinata. "Back to my boring life." He droned.

It wasn't long before he lost interest in his studies and opened up a new tab.

Swiftly, his fingers typed in the desired website. The website that he had never thought about visiting before in his life. When he was on the official home page, he scrolled through endless pictures and videos of men engaging in sex with other men. Neji did not dare look up porn websites while he was under Hiashi's roof. But now, he lived alone so he saw no point in being discreet about it.

Majority of the videos had bizarre titles like, "Hot slutty twink fucked hard". Frowning, Neji opened another tab and typed in the word 'twink'. His search lead him to a website dedicated to shedding light on homosexual terms and their meanings.

"A stereotypical twink is between the ages of 18-22 and has little to no body hair..." Pausing, Neji recalled what Akio said about the title of one of his films with bears. Maybe he was not referring to the actual furry mammals. He decided to look up the word on the website's search engine. It did not take him long to realize that the man was definitely not referring to Smokey the Bear type bears but instead large hairy men. Though, he was still not interested in allowing a...'bear' to fuck him. Nor was he interested in twinks.

The only person that he was interested in was...

"No, not going to think about that asshole." He muttered to himself.

Instead, he continued to research different terms. Fifteen minutes later and he felt as if he knew enough to browse through porn videos and know what the titles meant. He also came across a helpful article on prepping; shit could get ugly if you did not prep.

Faintly, he wondered if Itachi was really that experienced; would he be a gentle lover? Shaking his head, Neji knew that Itachi was anything but gentle. If anything the man would be fierce, yet passionate.

The video Neji eventually chose started off with a little kissing then eventually a blowjob. He of course was familiar with the concept of giving/receiving a blowjob even though he had never experienced it. Without really trying to he imagined himself as the one on his knees while he sucked Itachi off. Neji tried to think about the kinds of faces and sounds that the man would make. Was he vocal? There was nothing more attractive than a usually stoic person fully succumbing to pleasure.

Shifting uncomfortably, Neji glanced at the bulge in his jeans. To think that he was more turned on by thinking about sex with Itachi rather than watching the two men going at it on his laptop screen. Frankly, he found the film to be rather dull. Everything was all wrong: The setting - like who fucks in a pizza parlor? The cheesy music that was playing in the background and even the men were all wrong.

Neji decided to just close out all of the tabs and put his laptop away. It was late and instead of fantasizing he needed to be sleeping.

He was in the middle of undressing for bed when there was a knock at his door. Deciding to not bother with putting his shirt back on he went to answer the door. The closer he drew to the door, his heartbeat quickened with excitement. That could only be one person at this hour...

It was difficult to explain the contentment that he felt when he opened the door and Itachi was standing there. No words were exchanged; he just moved to the side and allowed the man entry.

Hesitantly, as if testing the waters, Itachi stepped over the threshold, his eyes never leaving Neji's. If words were spoken Neji couldn't tell; his heart was loud enough to blot out all sound it was hammering so loudly in his chest.

With his foot, Itachi closed the door and leaned against it. The fervency of his gaze made Neji feel like a deer caught in headlights-he was so entranced.

"Do you know why I kicked you out of my hotel room that night?" Itachi asked his voice deceptively calm.

Not trusting his voice, Neji just shook his head. He took a step closer and could literally feel the man's body heat radiating off of him in waves.

Roughly, Itachi gripped the belt loops of his jeans and pulled him flush against his body. "Because, I didn't want to hurt you," Itachi whispered.

"Well actually," Neji cleared his throat. "I did a little research and it hurts for everyone's first time. It's perfectly natural."

Suddenly, Itachi reversed their positions and pressed Neji against the door. Slowly, achingly slow, he trailed kisses from Neji's neck to his ear. "There are other ways that I can hurt you," he bit down hard on his sensitive earlobe causing the man to moan loudly. "Physically." The kisses continued until he reached Neji's temple. "Mentally." Then he captured his lips in a tender kiss.

It was nothing like their first two kisses; this time it felt as if the raven was trying to convey all of his thoughts and emotions into the act. Neji felt his desires, but also his guilt that was as heavy as an anchor. The depth of his emotions filled him with sorrow, but what could he do to ease the man's pain?

Itachi finally broke the kiss. "Emotionally," he said breathlessly.

"Then why did you come?" Neji hated how unsteady his voice sounded. Their bodies were still very close and it was having a huge affect on him.

"I'm selfish. I know that I'm bad for you, but it doesn't stop me from wanting you."

"Stop acting like I'm some porcelain doll, Itachi!" He was at his wit's ends. "I am the only one that can make that decision for me! You say that you want me? Well, I want you too, so now what?"

When Itachi didn't answer, Neji continued. "Do you think me fragile? Something to be treated with care?" His pale eyes hardened. "I can assure you that I can handle whatever you've got!"

Itachi took a step back. "Okay."

"I told you- wait okay? That's it?" Knitting his eyebrows together, Neji pushed himself off the door and gave the man a questioningly look. Well that was anticlimactic. He thought to himself.

"I assume that the door directly ahead leads to your room." Itachi casually asked.

Still confused, Neji nodded his head. "Yes."

"Well are we going to stand here and talk or are we going to find out how much of me you can truly handle?" He drawled.

Neji closed his eyes and let his head fall back against his pillow as Itachi nibbled and licked all the way down his body. Once they were in his bedroom, he soon realized that Itachi was not the gentle type - not by a long shot.

He had thought the man was joking when he asked him where he kept his dress ties. So he decided to humor him and tell him that he kept them in his closet. After grabbing two of his ties - his favorite ones he might add - Itachi pushed him down on the bed and tied him to his headboard. Now here he lay, completely naked and at the mercy of Itachi Uchiha.

"Neji, you must know that once I have you," Itachi ran his eyes over the gorgeous man that lay before him. "There is no turning back." His voice husky with arousal.

"I understand."

Neji Hyuga was unaware of how those two words spoken in the heat of passion sealed his fate.

TBC