Power and Possession

by sabakuXnoXsalem

'Sei Ryoku to Ryoudo' That was Madaras answer when asked what he lived for. If people count as possessions, Itachi could agree. So could Sasuke. How will Naruto protect his friends from the Uchiha spell without being caught in it himself? What secrets will come out? Yaoi,Demon/VampyThemed,dirty rotten tricks &a dash of deception. ItaMada, MadaIta, SasuNaru, Nejigaa, fullsumm inside

11. Forseeable Disfunction

Greetings once more~ So, I'm not doing Mpreg! :D

Also, sorry if this story seems scattered, I'm obviously in desperate need of a beta, hahaha~

You can always leave questions/complaints/concerns in a review or PM.

Chapter Ten 'Recap': Naruto gets his 'student-mission' stuff, Jiraiya and Tsunade are acting all funny, OH NO! It's Itachi! OH NO! It's Sasuke! Sasu and Naru argue like any lovely couple, then realize they need to zip it, Itachi gets annoyed and visits his sensei, gets pissy because Madara did something with Sasuke that was 'Itachi's thing', Every one is unreasonably sassy, Sasu and Naru argue some more, Mada and Ita argue, fight, get frisky, get interrupted (fucking Sasuke/Iruka...)... It's just too much, you get the picture.

On with the show.

Chapter Eleven~: Foreseeable Disfunction

Itachi

My eyes blink open tiredly, temporarily blinded by something too close to my face to be seen properly. My brows furrow in drowsy confusion as I freeze and try to figure out what my face is currently buried into. I lick my lips, and consequently licking what my mouth is pressed against and taste flesh.

Oh, it's just Sensei.

...Naked.

I gasp almost silently and jerk back, making Madara squirm a bit and turn on his side, making his back face me while my wide eyes try to wake up and take everything in.

I had been touching Madara's naked body, Sensei was sleeping in the same bed with me naked, Sensei didn't have clothes on, did I mention that Madara was naked?

I place my hand to my head, trying to sort my thoughts properly.

Last night when I stripped down to nothing, I had expected to wake up to Madara fully clothed, curled up far away from me on the bed. I had planned on teasing him, watching him stare at me longingly yet glaring at the same time. I hadn't expected him to wholeheartedly accept my challenge and do some teasing of his own.

I smirked, shaking my head at his away-facing form.

Uchiha Madara, the one person I couldn't predict.

My eyes wander up and down his body, scowling at the sheet that covered his hip just to spite me. He looked so good, and it seemed that he was almost glowing, but it was most likely my infatuation with him making imagination go wild. Surely someone couldn't glow in the dark.

My hand(yes, the one with a mind of it's own) crept towards the sheet, moving it down as I got closer to Sensei once more. An evil smirk devours my lips as I imagine Madara's face if he were to wake up to my tongue between his cheeks. I can only imagine the battle that would go down, and I doubt I could flee to safety in time. I decide against it in the end, glancing at the clock to see that I had only awoken about twenty minutes before my designated alarm was set.

No one had time for the chaos that would have ensued after a wake up call like that.

My smirk breaks into a full on grin and I have to stop myself from laughing at my humorous thoughts. It still would have been rather pleasing for both of us. I would get to mess with Sensei and I have yet to meet a man who would turn down a mouth at his more sensitive parts, so Madara would benefit from my wake up call as well. But alas, doing something like that would only get me the cold shoulder, so I once again deny myself of what I want.

Still, that doesn't stop my hand from pulling down the sheet.

I pull the thin fabric lower, fully intent on completely revealing the thin, muscular body that had been a mystery to me my entire life, aside from the few short glimpses I had stolen a few nights ago while Sensei bathed, but something catches my wondering eyes.

At his lower back, very low, there were four faint vertical lines, each about five inches long. They looked eerily similar to claw marks, as if someone had tried to rake their nails down Sensei's back but only accomplished marring his ass. Well, not really his ass, but almost.

I trace my fingers over the scars wondering how they could have gotten there when I hear, and feel, a low purr vibrate through him. I pause and look up to find him still sleeping. My eyes go back to the scars and I get closer to inspect them further. There's a foreign, instinctive feeling tingling in the back of my head, telling me to make them disappear.

That was a rather strange thought to have, considering I was not a healer and there was no way for me to accomplish such a task, but I went with my gut and let instinct take over. Oddly enough, that instinct told me to lower my lips to the scars, almost like a mother would kiss a child's 'ouch'. I do so, leaving my mouth there for a bit before doing the same to the other mysterious marks that littered his body.

I work my way up his back, unsure of whether or not to be pleased with his battle memorabilia. On one hand, it infuriated me to think that someone had laid their hands or weapons on what was mine, leaving a mark that didn't belong to me. On the other hand, these scars told stories of thousands of victorious and outstanding battles, showing that my mate was strong.

There was also the fact that all but maybe three of these scars happened before I was even born, so he hadn't even been mine yet, therefor I had no right or reason to be angry.

Still...

As I thought, nothing happened to the scattered lines. Perhaps my instincts were wrong. Is that possible in a demon? I had never met one with such dull, mixed-up senses, so maybe it was just mine?

Reguardless, I kiss every scar, secretly making it mine in my head before I get to the mark that really did belong to me. He squirms a bit when when I press my mouth to the Kanji, sighing when I let my tongue encircle it, tracing the Uchiha runes that surrounded the seal. He woke with a pleased hum, turning to look back at me as I hovered over him.

My hand sneaked around his waist and I pulled his back to my chest, maintaining the eye contact. If my boldness backfired then I could easily blame it on the 'game' we had both silently agreed to playing. Luckily, there were no objections, only a slight jump in surprise.

I didn't really want to blame this on a game, though. I wanted this to be real, I wanted Sensei to take me seriously. Sure, both of us knew what it was, this bond, but if we used our little game of seduction as a cover, then our actions could only be us trying to be victorious. This desire wouldn't be mine, it would be me trying to win a childish contest.

I wanted to make sure Madara knew what I felt. I wanted him completely.

And as I watched his eyes move to my mouth, I knew I wasn't alone in this. I wasn't the only one affected.

He licked his lips, craning his neck ever so slightly to give silent permission, beckoning me to his sweet mouth. I close the distance between us, softly at first, but he wasn't having that. He leaned back against me, my chest still pressed against his back as he tried to get on said back, pulling me closer to him, over him.

I hovered there for a bit and he pressed against me, his hands running over my naked chest and back.

Someone woke up on the right side of the bed this morning...

I bite at his lip and he groans, one of his hands snaking down to grab a handful of my ass. I gasp and my eyes and mouth snap open, making him smirk and plunge his tongue between my lips. I didn't really know how to feel about someone taking control of a sexual situation, as it had never happened to me before.

When Madara's wondering hand began massaging, I decided I was cool with it.

We tried to position ourselves to achieve a bit more... 'close contact', but found that one of the blankets vehemently disapproved of such behavior, acting as a cloth barrier between our heated bodies. My frustrated growl turned into a moan as Madara disregarded the blanket's opinions and pressed our lower halves together in a rather fluid movement.

Both of us jump as the alarm clock screams, but I silence the obnoxious wake up call with a wild swing of my hand, slapping the nightstand desperately trying to locate the proper button to do so.

I was so fucking tired of interruptions.

I feel Sensei's deep, taunting laugh against my lips and I bite him in retaliation. Instead of discouraging his smirk, the action seems to make his teasing worse.

"Temper-temper, boy..." He says as our mouths separate. I ignore him, my mind much too focused on the feeling of his barely-clothed(damned sheet...), fully hard manhood pressing against me. When I roll my hips against him he bites his lip and I feel his nails scrape against the skin of my lower hip, pulling forth a disturbing idea.

Is that how those claw marks got there? Had someone dragged their nails up Sensei's lower half in stead of down? The mere thought left a bad taste in my mouth, imagining Sensei positioned between some whore's legs, pleasuring them.

And the bad part was that his merciless nails felt good upon my skin.

I had never been a masochist, and honestly, not much a sadist(though many would disagree), but when Madara touched me, hurt me, it didn't fully register as discomfort. I felt a foreign monster within me yearning for that careless contact, wanting nothing more than my master's wrath.

Good God, what's wrong with me?

"Itachi...?" I snap back to reality, my eyes focusing on his watchful ones. Had he read my face or had he simply sensed my confusion? I wondered if my mixed emotions had shown through my eyes, if knew exactly what had been swimming through my mind, just because he was Madara.

The alarm clock beeped once more, telling me that it had only been snoozed, not silenced. I take the interruption as an escape, pressing a soft kiss to Madara's mouth as I crawl off of him, shut the alarm off, and walk to the bathroom to shower.

I felt concerned eyes watching me walk into the bathroom but I ignored them, stepping into the shower in a daze. As I washed myself, I became immersed in some of my distracting thoughts.

Why was I so hungry for Madara? Sure, I had always craved his attention, his affection, everything, but I had never been so consumed with anyone in my life. As a child, I had followed Madara so closely, almost like a pest, but now that I was grown, it wasn't enough any more. I wanted everything, the pleasure, the pain, and I wanted it all, so there would be none left for anyone else.

It was obsessive, greedy and stingy, but that was simply how Uchiha loved.

And the thought of love brought thoughts of pain, another thing that bothered me. I had always assumed that contact had been what made me crave battle with Madara, but perhaps it was Madara in general.

My hand thoughtfully touched my hip as remember the beastly feeling that had erupted when he dug his nails into me. He probably drew blood.

I shivered as the thought only seemed to excite me more.

That was the feeling that really made my skin crawl. As I had said earlier, I am no masochist, but it seems as thought Madara's apparent quirks were rubbing off on me. It was ridiculously sexy that he seemed to take pleasure from pain for some reason, but I had never experienced that myself.

It was an unexplainable craving, a shocking sensation that I can only blame on Madara, because who else could bring out such a demon in my sexual personality?

I'm suddenly reminded of our first 'encounter' when we arrived here, how violent and blood thirsty it had been, how I had wanted to make him bleed.

Is that what he felt too? Is that why it felt so good to fight him? It was almost sick how we only wanted to hurt one another.

But if both of our bodies wanted it, was it really 'sick', or was it simply out of our control? Was it just another carnal craving? Did this feeling even belong to me? Madara had said that our bond made us linked, so could I be feeling what he felt? If so, there were definitely things Sensei was hiding from me...

Madara...

He seemed to be the only thing running through my mind, now-a-days. Even at this very moment where I desired solitude to organize my thoughts, I wanted him here, I needed him.

I jumped as arms encircled my waist from behind. Speak of the devil...

I relax and let him pull me to his naked chest, holding me to him in a tight embrace. I must have been extremely lost in my thoughts, because it was difficult for even Madara to sneak up on me, yet he had. I sigh as he rests his chin on my shoulder as speaks, "Something troubles you, boy?" but I stay silent, not willing to answer in favor of leaning into his touch.

Madara didn't pry though, something I truly liked about him as a person. Instead, he simply nodded at my lack of response and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. We had been standing like that for not even a minute before he began to place meaningful kisses to my neck, making sure to give extra attention to his stamp of ownership.

I'm normally not the vocal type, but I can't hold back a few noises of approval, egging him on. Soon, my head is tilted completely to the side, giving Madara all the room in the world to go to town on my neck; and go to town he does. His mouth had me practically melting and I knew we were way behind schedule, but getting to 'work' on time wasn't exactly dominating my mind when tingles began to travel through my body.

He gave a particularly hard suck at my shoulder and I groaned, letting my head fall back and rest on his shoulder. I feel his smirk against my jaw as he trails light, intoxicating kisses up my neck, right below my ear, "Hmm, 'Tachi... I like the sounds you make..." And his mouth is against my ear, tongue teasing sinfully.

Fuck, that feels good...

"Sense-AH!" I gasp as the water goes cold. How long had we been in here?

I jump away from Sensei, making him almost slip as I push him to get out of the shower and run to the bedroom. Dripping wet and naked, I glare at the face of my clock, mentally face-palming at my carelessness.

The first bell would be ringing in approximately thirteen minutes. Fu-

"What's wrong with you, boy? Thoughtlessly shoving..." I pause in my frantic dressing to glance at him. He was standing in the doorway, glaring at me with his all.

...And he was in nothing but a towel.

I quickly pull my undershirt over my head(my eyes) and run to the closet to get my button-up. It's a good thing I got out of that shower, because if he would have made me come, it would have been me 'losing'. Even if I wanted Madara to be serious, that didn't mean I was going to have him dangling his 'victory' over my head.

Yeah, I couldn't seem to make up my mind about that particular topic.

Anyway, it's not like it would have been difficult to make me climax if he really tried, so I didn't think that was what he had been aiming to do back in the shower. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but it would be nice to think that he truly wanted me like I did him, that the game was irrelevant to that.

I walk out of the closet to see him on all fours crawling across the bed. He reminded me of a cat, the way his eyes squinted ever so slightly, the way his back arched just barely. It was tempting beyond belief, and when he crawled towards me seductively I had to swallow harshly, trying to hide the fact that he had my mouth watering.

"What are you doing, Madara-sama?"

He looks up at me, probably noticing the slight pinkness to my cheeks and he smirks. "I want to sleep longer, boy."

I glare, "We are going to be late as it is," I grab a few garments from the closet and toss the at him. "Put these on."

He frowns, tilting his head in an irresistibly innocent fashion. Ha, Madara 'innocent'.

"Who are you to order me around?"

I smirk, crawling toward him, equally cat-like. "If not me, then who else would?" And his eyes are on my lips again. I lean forward but stop before we make contact, smirking. "There's no time for that, Sensei," He growls as I abruptly stand and leave the room. Heh, I could be a tease too, if I wanted.

"Get dressed, Madara-sensei. We're already late." And he was mostly at fault, but I wouldn't say that out loud. Besides, like hell I was going to discourage his advances. It kinda made me dread the Akatsuki meeting scheduled for tonight, because time with the Akatsuki was time away from Madara.

I'm surprised when he leaves the room fully dressed and ready only five minutes later, but I suppose it makes sense since he wasn't exactly professional looking. His hair was still wild and he was only clad in a turtle neck and black jeans. Tight black jeans...

"Let's go," I say nervously, and he silently follows, easily keeping up with my 'speed walk' pace. I hold back a sigh when we make it to the hall way as the bell rings. Damn, almost made it, too.

We're about to turn into the corridor of our respective class rooms when he grabs my arm and turns me, slamming our mouths together cruelly before walking past me, leaving me to stand breathless and disoriented in the middle of a hallway. My lips tingled slightly from the force of the kiss, but I relished the feeling. It seemed that Madara liked kisses.

The thought gave me a small smile. It was so odd and almost... silly. Uchiha Madara, ruthless warrior, closet romantic. I honestly wasn't any better, though, being Uchiha Itachi, the man who murdered his clan who just so happens to be a cuddler. I was feeling rather giddy, though, knowing something like that about Madara. A small, hummed laugh escapes my lips as I replay the kiss, how he fled immediately after.

It's okay, I like kissing you too, Sensei.

Another thought enters my head, that maybe I'm thinking too much, that I'm just letting my imagination run wild. Madara is a very enigmatic man, so I couldn't go assuming anything, nor could I always take his word. I frown, walking around the corner to greet a few prompt students, unlocking my classroom to the sound of their half-assed complaints. Honestly, who complains when your teacher is late?

I steal Madara's idea and introduce myself to my new students silently, writing my name and instructions on the board. As if the first day didn't annoy me enough, my second-day students were twice as rambunctious and talkative. Today I would suffer class periods five through eight, one through four being tomorrow once again and so on in that alternating pattern.

I hoped that Madara's students could behave themselves, because I really didn't need him getting frustrated and killing someone. Madara only had patience for a select few, and I doubted that he would be too forgiving if one of those humans got too annoying.

Part of me hoped they were horrible, though, so they could exact the revenge that I could not. Even though I was happy with Sensei here, he was still bringing confusing thoughts and a shit load of trouble that I didn't need.

But I can't help my smile. Even if he's trouble, I couldn't get enough of him.

Madara was being rather open with me. I found the idea exciting, my Sensei, openly wanting me as I wanted him. Of course, we couldn't just publicly display such affections, but in private, there was no stopping us. Besides, I didn't want Sasuke finding out any way.

That would be bad...

Despite the minor faults, this situation was proving to be pleasant, not nearly as awful as I had first assumed. I now had something, someone, to live for. It was so much better than what I had dreamed as a child. Sensei was here, acknowledging me, responding to me. I had thought Sensei would push me away, deny and reject me completely, but that wasn't the case at all, luckily.

No, it's not luck, Sensei and I need each other, or at least, that's how I want it to be...

Love, no matter how innocent and secret or intense and deranged, made men pathetic.

Here I was, The Great Uchiha Itachi, doubting myself, trying to desperately reassure myself that someone reciprocated my feelings. I could have anyone I want, even without Sharingan-hypnosis, but I was struggling with one measly man. In any other case I wouldn't be worried, after all, who would reject the love of Uchiha Itachi?

But this was no 'measly man', this was Uchiha Madara.

My thoughts revolve around him through out my classes, and I can't wait for third, or 'seventh', class today, since it was a conference/break period. I would be able to sneak off to Madara's class room and be near him...

When the dismissal bell rang for my second class, I raced out, beating my students to the door and rushing them out into the hallway. I want to see him, damn it. I looked across the hall, watching as students slowly left and arrived to his class room, wishing we could be back in our 'home'. Was it healthy to need someone like this?

Probably not.

But, as I hurry across the hall to his class room, I can't find it in myself to care. I was slowly getting what I wanted.

My hand flies to my neck. I didn't know whether to damn or appreciate this bond...

I walk into the room, effectively silencing a few students who had me as their Japanese teacher. When they realized I wasn't concerned with them, the volume of their chatter slowly and nervously rose back to it's original dull roar.

Upon the sudden silence, Sensei had lifted his head from it's spot upon the desk. He looked as if he had been in a dead sleep, his eyes harsh looking and the bags under them a bit darker. Perhaps it had been naïve, wishful thinking, but I had hoped that seeing me would have brightened his features, but he only grimaced and buried his face into his arms with a groan.

Apparently, my presence was rather offensive.

I lift an eyebrow, quite offended myself, but take a seat next to him any way. Strangely, he shies away from me.

I watch as his body shakes, a light sweat breaking out making him look slightly feverish. He lifts his head, trying to look away from me but I see his eyes.

They were red again.

It wasn't Sharingan, as there were no tomoe and his chakra was not focused in his eyes. Still, there was an unsettling energy coming off Madara in waves and my gut said his diluted red eyes and sickly pallor were no coincidence. I wrack my brain trying to think of what could be going on with him and his odd behavior but come up short.

I had never encountered such a dark, empty energy.

It seems that Sensei only knew how to bring me distressed thoughts...

Sensei, what's wrong with you?

Madara

God, tonight couldn't come fast enough.

How was I going to get away without Itachi knowing? Luckily my immortal 'contact' was in the area so I wouldn't have to travel far. Still, I didn't want Itachi asking questions. How was I supposed to rendezvous with my food source with that brat hanging all over me?

Not that I didn't like that... heh...

Still, "Hey, boy, I have to go meet an immortal so I can feast upon his demonic blood. Why? Oh, it's just because I actually want to do that to you, but my conscience won't let me."

Yeah, I didn't think that would go too smoothly...

It was pretty tempting though.

Hmm, I haven't seen my immortal ally in quite some time, I can only imagine what that crazy bastard was up to now-a-days. As unpleasant as he was, he was the best choice. Contacting him secretly had been hard enough, but God bless those cellular phones. I don't know why Sasuke was so against them, they were pretty useful, and it seemed as though Itachi was not the only demon who made themselves familiar with technology.

It was almost too easy to track him down, though, so perhaps Sasuke was right in his distrust of the devices.

Speaking of Sasuke, he just walked into my class room. He's early for third period...

I really hope he didn't want to talk to me or something. I couldn't face anyone right now.

I bury my face into my arms, both to avoid eye contact with anyone and keep the light from my burning eyes. My body was aching, my blood was pounding in my ears, the sunlight was starting to affect me.

I groan when I feel Itachi enter the class room and my muscles tense up. He was really the last person I needed around me, especially when he insisted on smelling so good. Or maybe he only seemed that attractive because of the bond? It was a thought that had been bothering me lately.

Did I want Itachi or did my blood want Itachi? Uchiha bonding rituals were no joke, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that all of these feelings stemmed from the mark on my neck.

But it couldn't be entirely at fault. As weak as it made me feel, I knew Itachi had lived up to his name and weaseled his way into my heart as a boy. The little pest...

Even now I felt those eyes watching me, concerned, worried. It was good to know I had a place in his heart as well.

I lift my head, blinking my stinging eyes open. I made sure not to look at Itachi, because it felt like he would make me go crazy. Instead, I looked straight ahead, catching two heads of bright read hair. The first was a disturbed looking young man who looked to have two black eyes and a rather empty gaze. The other was the female that had been following Sasuke around lately. The boy felt human, but the girl was a different story. That ridiculous chakra could only mean one thing.

The blood of a Kyuubi vessel.

"Uzumaki, approach my desk." Half of the room freezes, reminding me that many of the students were familiar with that legendary name. I feel Itachi and Sasuke eyeing me strangely, as well as a few others but my eyes never leave the Uzumaki girl.

She tried to seem like she didn't know who I was talking about, but the act was forced. Her powerful chakra flowed through her nervously as she sputtered but I wasn't listening to her. Among the few young demons in the room, many smelling of Konoha, many smothered, she stuck out like a sore thumb. That could be due to my history with Uzumaki and Senju clans, but it was still significantly different.

She nervously, but wisely, followed my demands, walking cautiously to my desk. Her caution indicated that she was sensory type, and a good one at that, but that was nothing too unbelievable for someone with such pure Uzumaki chakra.

I could easily skip my rendezvous tonight and take her blood instead...

No, I think mournfully, that wouldn't be wise. If she practically stalked Sasuke then she was well aware of his Uchiha heritage and they seemed to be rather familiar with each other. The last thing I needed was her blabbing to Sasuke that Kurosawa-sensei been nursing her jugular...

Damn, what I'd do to be an actual vampire, because having the ability to make someone forget would be pretty damn handy in situations like these.

Sure, Sharingan could do similar things, but my eyes had always been more suited to travel and control, or, to word it more accordingly, possession. I had always admired Itachi for his eyes, so strong and powerful. Every Uchiha's Sharingan was capable of 'hypnosis', but it really depended on the person, and my mate shined in that particular field. Pride swelled in me as I thought of the boy's power, simply because he was mine...

But so did a slight jealousy, because I lacked that kind of control, that talent, and if I were to try sweep away the girl's mind, I'd end up killing her. Control was just as important as, if not more than, power.

I didn't even need my eyes to obtain her fear, though. Her slight quivers made me inwardly smirk. Ha, some Uzumaki. They were well known for their spunk, but this pretty young thing seemed quite lacking.

The silence of the class room disturbed me and I looked past the girl to find every head turned toward us. I glare, about to order them to speak, when Itachi takes over, igniting the chatter once more as I addressed Uzumaki. I could feel his eyes, though.

I speak quietly, my low voice making her tense even more. "Uzumaki... Exactly how old are you?"

She looks confused so I begin to doubt myself. I had thought that she could possibly hold the Kyuubi, as she is the only Uzumaki I could sense.

She answers in a surprisingly strong tone, letting the Uzumaki spunk come out. "Old enough."

I frown, never having been one for the clan's personality quirks. "Years, girl." She grimaces bravely, her dislike over-shadowing her fear of me.

"Plenty." I glare, making her overbearing confidence falter. "... Seventy four." Damn, young, but not young enough. Itachi and Uzumaki shared suspicious expressions, both directed towards me.

Asking her if she had contact with other clansmen would be a waste of time. If she did, she would hide them as they were all 'in cognito' since after their so called 'elimination'. There was also the chance that she really didn't have contact with any fellow Uzumaki, as most of the remaining clansmen had split up a long time ago.

I gave her a look that let her know I had my eyes on her before waving my hand in dismissal.

She gave one last glance to my red eyes, then made haste back to her seat. I watched as Sasuke's eyes followed her, then glanced to me. I gave him a quick smirk and he raised his brow curiously. I turned away, not responding to his silent conversation. It amazed me sometimes, how similar and different Sasuke from his brother.

Itachi had just finished smooth conversation with a rather eloquent student. Wasn't that the student in advanced class? Was his schedule switched? I shrugged it off, listening to the last bit of their exchange. The boy was rather bright, disturbingly so. His eyes were not calculating, though, but rather tired. Any conversation with Itachi was bound to be quite stimulating, but this child seemed ready to pass out. His droopy gaze moved to me as Itachi dismissed his conversation.

I didn't like that narrow-eyed, knowing look. He reeked of Konoha, making me want to grab his pine-apple looking head and smash it into a desk, and judging by the current condition I was in, it was quite possible that such a thing could happen.

Come to think of it, though, the smell of Konoha was rather strong, especially with those damned Hyuuga around. Was it some kind of new trend to let young demons run wild in a human world? And here I thought Itachi had been original...

I glared at nothing in particular. If there was one thing in this world that I resented more than anything, it was the village I co-founded. It burned my pride to be lumped together with Senju, and what's worse was that they apparently put up statues at our battle site after my 'death', according to my descendants. Forever a monument of that day will stand, a reminder to all that power was no blessing, that it brought a fall. My fall had been my confidence, my blindness, my anger.

My revenge.

At times I wished I could go back and change things. Perhaps if I hadn't let my fury get the best of me then I could have planned out the last Kyuubi attack a little better, then all of the Konoha brats of the world wouldn't be here to remind me of all of my failures.

So many failures.

Yes, as my father always said, I always lived up to my name, in the end. The victorious stain, the flawed leader, the Uchiha black sheep. He had been the one to curse me with that name. Needless to say, I had not mourned his death.

No, I was not the one to kill him, such a thing was still unheard of in that time, but I was still responsible for his end. I, the ugly blemish, was the one to bring the crimson era of Uchiha spilling Uchiha blood.

I was the one to curse our family, and part of me took pride in it. I was both the up-rise and down-fall of the famed and feared Uchiha clan.

A glance at my former charge brought a nervous thought to my head. Would Itachi look at me the same if he knew? Would his eyes for me change if I told him that I had been the first to partake in the corruption. Sure, I had not planned on my actions bringing forth an epidemic, but it had still been me, the one who inspired such disgusting rituals.

I may not have been the first to live off an other person's blood, but I had been the first to take a fellow clansmen's.

I had taken Izuna's eye and ruthlessly drank from his neck. It had been an attempt to escape the angel of death, but along with life, it had brought titanic power. I had always secretly envied my younger brother anyway, for he escaped the accursed 'blood'-gene, which was probably why my father favored him.

My mother was his older sister, I suffered the same fate as her.

Sometimes I wondered where the line went wrong. We had all started as the oldest son of the legendary Sage, but I couldn't believe that the Sage of Six Paths had put the thirst for blood inside of him. The legend was well known, the start of Demons and Immortals. It said nothing of 'vampiric' tendencies.

Vampires were another case entirely, but how did their main habit entangle itself into our blood, my blood?

There were a few before my mother and I that were pegged with the curse, so it hadn't truly started with me, but they had all been killed off or simply withered away, being taken by the sickness of our curse.

I had only been the first to perfect the true immortality, but it had been at the cost of my own 'foolish younger brother'.

With the eternal eyes and the cursed blood, I was incapable of true 'death', the closest I could ever come was comatose.

And if I finalized the bond between Itachi and I, he couldn't die either.

But one couldn't be sure, since there was always that chance that Itachi lacked the vampiric trait.

His eyes sparkled with the desire to turn red as they grew hazy during our last few encounters, but that could easily be due to my influence, so I couldn't be sure of his blood.

Sasuke seemed to exhibit signs of inheriting the gene, and many other traits, from his mother naturally, but I just couldn't see it so clearly in Itachi. The inheritance of that particular Uchiha bloodline seemed to trend, usually showing up in the first born child, but Itachi was so different from the other Uchiha. The clan bonds were one thing, but if you were of the special bloodline it was even more significant, so depending on the pair, it could get complicated.

What if I failed when I perfected the bond? If Itachi did not carry the same traits as I, meaning the bloodline, then instead of making his immortality true, it could make me...

...mortal.

He would truly be a weakness then. If he died now, I would probably put myself into an eternal sleep, my only way of 'dieing'. That, or turn myself in to the council and have them seal me again. But if I were capable of death, then Itachi would be the one to bring me to my end. If he died and we were bonded, I wouldn't be able to live on.

I gaze at him, noting how he met my eyes without hesitation.

I wanted it, still, though. True immortality meant nothing to me if Itachi wasn't fully mine. I couldn't keep kidding myself, telling myself that I would prevent it. There was still a chance that he had the gene, and if not, I just wouldn't bite him.

...Ugh, that would be awful...

But still, a fifty-fifty chance of having the gene wasn't so bad, so I had hope.

I just prayed that Itachi was like me, so we could be complete, and because vampiric, not vampire(1), immortality had it's perks.

It wasn't a curse for nothing, though. While no one could kill me, I could still feel pain. Death was not a possible escape that, but I suppose that's why I didn't let pain hurt.

There was also a darkness that bled into your soul like dye in water. It was an uncontrollable monster that resided in the back of your mind, always wanting blood. It was an animal that would strike at any moment and bombard your common thoughts with carnal ones. Mate, kill, feed.

Could someone with Itachi's heart handle it?

The eyes that watched me without fear said yes, but I knew better. Itachi was special, that's why council chose him to end the Uchiha. It angered me to know they had used him to end my mistake. Itachi was a black sheep, too, but for different reasons.

I had been too Uchiha, while Itachi... Well, he didn't belong in the clan I had created.

Still maintaining eye contact, I smiled at the boy. My Itachi. Such a good heart, like liquid gold protected by a diamond-strong wall of hate and death. He frowned at my smile, unable to read into my thoughts. His heart didn't thirst for war like his clan's had, Itachi thirsted for love.

Sasuke's love.

My love.

It wasn't hard to love Itachi, it wasn't even hard for me to admit it to myself. We just fit so well together, there was no reason to deny something so obvious.

Still frowning, his hand reached for mine but I pulled away, rejecting the gesture. I wasn't doing it to be cruel, I really did want to give into my emotions and love Itachi, but in this blood thirsty state, physical contact was out of the question.

He looked a bit down-heartened, shrinking back into himself and facing away from me. Don't worry, boy, I'll love you when it's safe; for both of us.

Heaven knows Itachi needed it.

I suppose it didn't hurt me, either. I just hope that I could give Itachi the love he deserved.

I watched him through out the rest of the class as he did my job for me, playing teacher. He interacted with people fluidly, despite his general distaste for idle chatter. A few cocky humans engaged in friendly banter, something that was a guilty pleasure us three remaining Uchiha. After watching the humans for awhile, the other young demons loosened up a bit.

They had probably sensed Itachi's power, despite being unaware of his identity. The humans were none the wiser, so, not knowing their place, they treated him like they would any young adult, oblivious to his intimidating aura. I'm sure it was quite refreshing to Itachi.

I personally had never been too fond of humans, the short time with them after the Senju battle had been spent using them for sex. Not all sessions had been as rewarding as the occasional romp with a fellow demon, as you could rough them up and not worry about breaking them, but it was still sex, and as an Uchiha, I was a very lustful creature.

Humans had taught me a few things, though. While being gentle had never been my style, I taught myself to be that way. It had, quite surprisingly, become a very useful skill indeed. If I had not gone into hiding with humans once before, learned from them, I would have never been able to be there for Itachi, a sad young boy who ended up seeking comfort in only me.

I gaze warmly upon him, imagining his childlike features relaxing completely in a memory. It had been the first time I comforted him. I had ran my gloved fingers through his hair, over his face with feather-lightness, surprising him. He was probably unaware that Uchiha were capable of gentleness. I had been too.

Could it have been my influence that made him grow into the beautiful, loveable creature he was?

True, Uchiha didn't love gracefully, but even now, talking to strangers, he looked warm. Yes, Itachi deserved all the love in the world, but I wasn't sure if I had that surplus of fuzzy feelings to drown him in. My love was possessive, twisted. There were always two sides to every story, every person, but the more prominent side tended to be the ugly one.

Yes, there were definitely warm and fuzzy feelings, but you couldn't ignore the other side of my love for him. The sick, monstrous, all-consuming love that made Itachi my world. The love I liked to blame on the bond instead of my nature.

Love was not a word with one definition. 'I love you' meant too many things. To humans, those words only shed a blinding light upon affection, romance and kindness. That was their 'love'. To tell Itachi that I loved him would not be so pure and attractive. My love for him was so much more than that, taking multiple definitions, not just the pretty ones.

Itachi knew this, too. It was a silent knowledge, one that didn't need to be addressed. His love for me probably carried many of the same definitions, the good, the bad and the ugly. Love didn't mean the same thing to us as it did to most, therefor I didn't fret over loving Itachi. After everything we've been through, we both needed someone who could relate. A fellow stain, a fellow 'bad omen' who was just as disfunctional.

Yes, I can love you, boy. It may not be the love you deserve, but it's the kind you understand.

Sasuke

Today was just too complicated for me, it seemed.

That stupid blonde practically tip-toed into the room, sitting next to me of all people. I braced myself for another petty argument, hoping that it wouldn't escalate into something that would lift Madara's snoozing head from his desk. Secretly, I was a bit apprehensive of my oldest relative, but I had many a reason for feeling that way.

But Naruto didn't, or at least, he shouldn't.

Watching Naruto eye Madara so warily made me suspicious. He shouldn't know who Madara is. Orochimaru had told me how secretive Konoha was about the past and I was positive that Madara was one of their 'hush-hush' topics.

This idiot, though... He was not as human as his energy claimed. He was most likely immortal, but it was hard to tell which kind. It was possible that he was an ex-mortal, but that didn't seem to fit. No, his senses were far too keen. He must have come from a well-bred clan of immortals. Senses like that simply did not happen for those of human, or ex-human, nature. It was possible that his sensory skills were as good as, or better than, Karin's, which said something considering the fact that she was of Uzumaki heritage.

Even she couldn't discern clans based solely off chakra, but Naruto had picked all three of us out without even putting forth any effort. How could he know?

Something was off about him, I could feel it in my core. We were connected, somehow, but there was no way to explain it, and the connection was vague. It was as if someone had put Naruto into some kind of bubble, like a force field, making it impossible to see past his disguised chakra.

If you were born of non-human blood, there was no hiding it. Not from other demons, at least. Some ex-mortals could hide, and demons could hide their power, but it was impossible to make a fellow demon believe you had humanity.

So how was Naruto doing it?

He was too powerful to be an ex-human immortal, but he wasn't a demon and even clan-immortals couldn't hide.

There was no way he was human, he knew way too much...

I looked back to the front, ignoring the presence of my brother as he walked in. He had been acting so strange around me lately, as if I had done something wrong. I did my best to avoid him, stay out of his way, but it was difficult. One, he was one of my teachers. Two, I had somewhat missed him over the years, and three-

I didn't fucking do anything!

I honestly couldn't understand his glares, and frankly, I didn't need them. I have a lot of shit on my plate, too. I have to run from Orochimaru and make sure that blonde loser didn't cause us trouble. I'm actually protecting him and he's being a dick for no reason.

I inwardly shake my head, looking at nothing in particular as I secretly watch everything around me. That Naruto was watching me like a hawk, and Gaara was watching Naruto while getting watched by Neji who was occasionally sparing suspicious glances at me and Itachi was watching Madara while Madara was watching Karin while-

Wait, what?

"Uzumaki, approach my desk."

What the fuck is going on here?

I see Naruto tense up even worse than when we met, but I ignore it in favor of watching my relative and comrade interact. Karin struggles, trying to deny his accusation, but there's really no hope. She may not be able to sense who he is, but she senses his power, so she's not stupid enough to disobey.

I try to listen to their conversation, everybody does, but a firm glare from Itachi has everyone minding their own business once more. Itachi steals the attention of a student who was far too attentive of teacher-student conversation, so it's hard for me to hear Madara and Karin over their monotonous voices. All I can get from the interaction is Madara asking her age and lineage, then simply dismissing her.

I narrow my eyes, frowning as my suspicious gaze meets Madara's smirk. I huff silently and turn away, not taking well to being teased. Naruto is still watching them, but I can't imagine what for. His eyes simply move about, and I swear I see him almost nod. Suddenly his eyes widen and I quickly look to the front, trying to catch whatever scandalous scene he was watching, but I saw nothing. It was just Madara staring at Itachi, and Itachi wasn't even looking at him, still talking to that nosy student.

I'm about to look away, having lost interest after Itachi's conversation ended, but I see a sudden movement. Itachi reaches out to Madara for some reason, but Madara pulls back his hand coldly, making Itachi's face fall. It was the strangest thing...

My mind struggles to understand, thoughts going a mile a minute, trying to get a general idea of what I had just witnessed. It seemed like nothing, but Naruto had a strange expression on his face that said otherwise.

I watched with keen eyes through out the rest of the class, not letting a single action go unseen from my relatives, or Naruto for that matter. The latter had a disturbed, yet knowing look, but a small piece of the puzzle evaded me, so I could not share the look. I grew bored of watching Madara watch Itachi teach, so my full and undivided attention was given to my seat mate.

I frowned as the gesture was not returned. Perhaps that particular puzzle-piece was what made him unable to grow bored of my elder Uchiha. Narrowed eyes accompanied my frown and I begin to wonder if my kind can get wrinkles. Not only does this faux-human know too much, he seems to know more than me.

As if feeling my questioning eyes on him, he looks toward me and I almost get lost.

Those eyes were an extraordinary shade of blue, like the clear-blue water a thirsty man dreamed of. I stared into them, never having been one to back down or be embarrassed. When he continues our staring contest, I conclude the same about him, and we stay like that.

My pupils never leave his, but they take in everything around those entrancing orbs. His yellow hair and colored skin are extravagant, ones I've never seen mesh so well, so naturally. It seemed they were both kissed by the sun, and rather sensually, but they could still be compared.

His eyes though, they were so layered; deep and pure. It made me wonder why Deidara's were not the same, despite them being of the same blood. From the dreams that plagued my sleep, I could remember my family members sharing the same eyes, talking with the same eyes, all moving and seeming the same way, so what made any other relatives different? Why did Deidara's eyes not shine with so much to say?

Another thing that nagged at my mind was the fact that Naruto had such a strange birthmark that was currently absent. Sure, I had noticed yesterday, but it hadn't truly bothered me until I could stare. My eyes soaked in the smooth, flawless cheeks, unmarred by the lines from the picture I had seen. I found that my eyes missed them. They gave him a bit of character that had been quite flattering, but now that they were gone, the blonde's face was lacking something that mad him 'Naruto'.

The bell rung, making both of us blink. I watched as Naruto gathered his things, looking away as if I weren't there. There were so many questions surrounding him, questions I couldn't ask here, and I could only look forward to our meeting.

I followed his form with my eyes as he forced himself into the crowd leaving the room, obviously trying to go unseen by the elder Uchiha. I looked back to my relatives, seeing them engaged in a staring contest of their own, one that Itachi seemed to be winning. It could be no true victory, though, as Madara's fingers twitched a nervous impatience and his shadowed eyes remained half-lidded in apparent exhaustion. I could tell that they were communicating, I just couldn't understand it, but I watched anyway.

It, for some reason, pulled at my chest(perhaps that was my heart?) like a relevant poem, composed into a helpless music. It was something in my core that understood what my brain could not put into words, so I continued to watch them as they continued to not notice my watching, a habit that I had adopted as of late.

It was as if their eyes had a tangible connection that someone could reach out and touch, a smooth ribbon that tied them together as student and pupil, as Uchiha, as broken creatures.

I shake my head and silently leave the room, my footsteps struggling and lacking a common rhythm. I felt myself almost choke as the emptiness in my very soul became poisoned with a drowning want, a need that I thought had died with my clan. The visible connection between my living clan members has stolen the numbness from my chest, giving back a crippling, dying desperation to dwell in it's place.

My non-physical insides clenched, the mournful hurt begging to be released through my eyes. I stumble, feeling attacked. I had never received such a merciless onslaught of emotion, at least not this kind. Fear and hate had been prominent, but never their painful inversions. My brain scrambles for a cure, but I can only see intuitive sky-colored eyes.

I distance myself from the blue-tinted feelings, my brain having grasped a foot hold to pull myself out.

Naruto.

He would know what terrible sickness has taken me, he knows so much. Plus, I couldn't help but remember the weightless feeling that had overtaken me at the sound of his laugh, the polar opposite of the heaviness currently living in me. If he could not explain the feeling, he could surely cure it.

I wander the grounds, not finding it in myself to attend my last class of the day. I spend the spare time thinking; What has made me feel like this? Would that Dobe really know? How am I supposed to ask him, much less corner him in order to do so?

I walk around the campus without a destination for a good two hours, school already having been dismissed, when finally, like an answer to my prayers, the once-damnable hunk of plastic in my pocket vibrates. I look at the screen, reading the reply to the sole text in my 'sent' folder.

The response to 'Hello, Dobe.' had come a day late as 'Hyuuga is gone, come to my room.', but that's all I receive. There's an oddly suggestive ring to the words, but I ignore my brain's attempt to pervert the demand. I assume that the lack of dorm number means that he's going to make me track him and I can't help the growl that escapes my throat. As if today hadn't been annoying and tedious enough, let's just add to the building stress.

I change direction, my senses searching for him, and eventually I make it there; my tracking skills somewhat rusty. When the door is finally opened to me, after a bit of griping on my part, I am greeted in the strangest way.

"You are invited in."

… What?

Naruto

This was it. The moment of truth... The 'talk' with Uchiha Sasuke...

If 'Sasuke' was even his real name...

I had planned on waiting until the weekend to have conversation, just so I could find somewhere secret or something, but today had changed my mind completely.

This had to happen ASAP.

I had walked into my English literature class expecting some stranger to give us 'busy work' to do until Kakashi came back, but instead, there had been a familiar stranger.

Now I know what your thinking; What the hell is a familiar stranger?

Well, my non-jinchuuriki friends, a familiar stranger is what I call someone Kyuubi knows, but I have never met.

For example- Gaara, well, more like Shukaku, was a familiar stranger.

For another more relevant example- Uchiha Madara was a familiar stranger.

When I had walked in, Sasuke had already sat himself in the back, watching me as I inwardly fought through a panic attack.

Uchiha Madara is my English teacher.

Uchiha Madara is calling himself 'Kurama', the name of the Kyuubi.

Madara knows I'm here, he's taunting me, trying to draw me out...

I could only hide my inner turmoil so well...

Kyuubi was worse off than I was, unsure of whether or not piss himself or go into an all caps rage. I was quite fine with pissing myself, honestly.

I thought all of the Uchiha, minus Itachi, were supposed to be dead! Sure, Sasuke could be counted as a technicality, but why couldn't these stubborn bastards just die!

I stiffly walk to the very back of the class, holding my breath for some reason as I sit down next to Sasuke, who was still watching me by the way. I don't know why I sat next to him, but I excused it as wanting to use him as a meat shield if shit hit the fan.

Sasuke was smirking as he watched me squirm in my seat, not willing to take my eyes off of Madara. I was in shock. First Itachi, now this? What was their purpose here? I let myself sit and day dream, my imagination running wild with possibilities of how and why they were here.

For some reason, Sasuke and Itachi holding hands over a pentagram came to mind, as if they were using Orochimaru-style witch craft to raise Madara from the pits of hell. Maybe that's why Sasuke and his brother are here, they made a trade off to get their ancient ancestor back so they can all rule the world and enslave us and they were here to get Gaara and I so we can be their weird pets and-

Shut up, kit, you're annoying me.

Then what do you think it is?

Kyuubi doesn't answer me, so I keep my eyes on Madara.

He looks... well, I never imagined him to look like he did. I always thought of the statue outside of Konoha, but the only reason he really looked like that was his hair... The Madara statue always made him seem so Godly, like no matter how tall you were, he would be looking down at you.

Well, he was actually pretty tall, but still!

Now, he was just... casual looking, and it was really weird. He looked a little less intimidating without his armor, and the fact that he had just stolen candy from a student didn't exactly help his case. He wasn't even really paying attention to anyone, even Sasuke. The lack of interest in his descendant made me doubt that he even knew Sasuke.

I watched as Madara zeroed his eyes on something, a person, almost glaring. God, I would hate to be them, because now he was living up to his scary name quite well.

He craned his neck a bit to get a better look at them and I noticed a strange looking mark on his neck that his hair had obscured before. It was Kanji, but I couldn't see what for-

Oh my God, what if it's a curse mark? What if Orochimaru enslaved Madara with his zombie technique! I honestly couldn't decided which was worst, a world run by Uchiha or a world run by that creepy bastard.

It's not Orochimaru's. That's an Uchiha symbol. Madara would have to have been dead for Orochimaru to resurrect him.

Oh... I knew that...

I was coming to just accept Kyuubi's knowledge about stuff like this, try and use it to my advantage instead of letting it through one ear and out the other.

I tried to get a better look to see what it said, but the guy had so much freaking hair! Is that even professionally acceptable for a teacher? Then again, he could have just used his evil eyes on the principal or who ever hired him...

Speaking of teacher stuff, shouldn't Iruka or Anko recognize them? I needed to push them together as soon as possible, one of them would be able to report it discreetly and then the-

Madara is not from their generation, and only Uchiha could see Uchiha records. They wouldn't be able to pick him out of a crowd.

That's true, if it hadn't been for Kyuubi recognizing his scent then I would've been unaware as well.

But aren't Anko and Itachi the same age? And Iruka can't be more than five years olde-

If Itachi was only involved with Konoha through ANBU assassins, Iruka would have never seen his face, and like you said, he's aged-

But what about Anko?

Do not interrupt me!

I stiffen in my seat at Kyuubi's tone, catching Sasuke's attention once more. The fox has been pretty edgy about this Madara thing, but I couldn't really blame him, I was freaked out too.

Uh, go on?

Anko is Orochimaru's ex-apprentice, yes?

I stop myself from outwardly nodding.

Uh-huh.

And she is ANBU?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that she was there when Kakashi was, and Kakashi says he remembered Itachi when he was young.

Kyuubi seemed to think for a bit.

There is a chance that they have encountered one another, but it is slim since she had been of Orochimaru. Our real chance lies with Hatake Kakashi.

Kyuubi doesn't speak after that, leaving me with my own thoughts of this situation, this legendary demon.

Madara. In clans, names mean so much, especially in ancient, important clans. It made me want to laugh at the sheer irony of Itachi's name, because calling your child a weasel, basically a 'bad omen', was practically asking to get wiped out.

But why name Madara like they had? Sure, Madara was probably like Kyuubi, old as dirt, but even he had parents, right? Why would they name him 'speckled'? 'Stain'? It was like calling him an impure mistake, tainted and flawed. No wonder the guy tried to take out Konoha, he was probably all fucked up from his childhood. It seemed most(all) Uchiha were...

Maybe Madara had been a mistake? An unplanned child or an unwanted second son? Everyone hated the guy, even his own clan-

Speaking of his own clan...

I hold my breath as I watch Itachi walk in and sit down next to Madara, speaking fluid Japanese that was too hard for me to hear without using Kyuubi's ears.

And like hell I was going to use Kyuubi's ears in his presence. I had a feeling that even now he was feeling around for me, for Kyuubi, like he could sense us if there were a sudden spike in chakra.

I held the necklace through my shirt.

As I watched Itachi and Madara's interaction, I can't help but feel that my last assumption was wrong. Perhaps Madara wasn't hated by everyone, because Itachi sure seemed to fancy him. There was a comfortable air around them that hadn't been there with either until they came into the other's presence, but there was a slightly playful tone between them, despite Madara's tired silence.

Uchiha can be playful?

Itachi flicks his tied hair behind him as speaks, trying to coax Madara conversation, drawing my attention to a mark on his neck.

He has one too, just like Madara... He also had quite a few hickies...

I suppose I hadn't noticed the mark yesterday due to my inability(fear) to look at him. Now, though, while they were so distracted with each other, I could watch discreetly.

I could see this mark well, as it wasn't obscured by wild hair. I narrowed my eyes to read 'speckled' and tried to figure out what kind of-

What the...

Why would Itachi have Madara's name on his neck?

The answer to my question does not come so immediately, but I here a shocked gasp from Kurama as he slowly comes to speaking.

They're mates.

And I could hear the disbelief in Kyuubi's tone, almost breathless and on the verge of hysterical laughter, not knowing how else to react. The information seemed as new to him as it was to me.

But-... They're both-... And aren't they related?

Kurama smacked his gums as he dramatically licked his teeth.

It's different with their kind, kit. It is the same for my kind. They are bound and there's nothing they can do about it. I just think it's humorous that it happened to Madara of all people...

Why? I don't understand how him being 'Madara' really makes it diff-

Trust me, kit. It does. Madara is... 'different' all by himself. And with Itachi and Sasuke being descendants, they are different as well, even in clan standards...

I rolled my eyes, trying to digest the vague information as best I could.

Like, because they kill people all the time?

Kyuubi mused to himself, making me wish I could read his thoughts like he could read mine. Honestly, it wasn't fair...

Madara is like a certain human folklore, and the other two as well, I can smell it on them, just not as overbearingly strong.

Human folklore? Like mermaids?

No, idiot. They are like... The 'vampires', but different, for demons I suppose.

For the first time that class, I wasn't watching Madara. I looked at the boy next to me, sheer terror painted across my face.

Red eyes, black hair, white skin, beautiful. Jesus Christ, why hadn't I seen it before?!

"What's your deal, Dobe?" He was giving me that look... Oh no, he was trying to seduce me into giving him my blood!

I stared at him a little longer, absorbing his annoyed and slightly freaked out expression to figure out that drinking me dry wasn't even one his mind, and that he was just naturally seductive.

Wait, that could be a vampire trait too! That explained everythi-

"Uzumaki, approach my desk..."

I went completely deaf, dropping my train of thought completely. It was like everything went into slow-motion, so much so that it was almost frame by frame. No one moved, though, making reality seem paused. It didn't even feel like reality to me.

This is it. He saw me...

He knows...

It was the first time he had truly spoken, and his eyes no longer sleepy and intimate, but strong and intimidating like his deep, booming voice, almost as if it were reflecting his power.

The silence had become so unbearable that it brought a ring to my ears, low pitched and steadily increasing in volume. Sasuke wasn't looking at me, that was all I could see since I hadn't moved, and I broke myself out of the trance to look dead at Madara, who wasn't looking at me at all.

He hadn't looked at me this entire time, not once in class.

But, how did he know my name?

I followed his line of sight to that spunky room-mate of Sakura's, watching as she glared at everyone who stared as she spoke, "That's not my name, sir." She lied smoothly, almost robotic in her tone of voice. "You must have me confus-"

"Approach. My. Desk." His voice left no room for argument, even Itachi had backed away from him, his eyes on Karin as she nervously walked forward.

The younger Uchiha at the desk glared across the room at the nosy students, promising torturous punishment for all who continued to look at them, and the entire class immersed themselves into meaningless conversation, making it hard to eaves drop on what was being said up front.

Not even Neji or Gaara were brave enough to keep staring, but I think they just wanted an excuse to talk together.

Hell, even Itachi wasn't involved in the conversation. He was speaking quietly with Shikamaru, probably with the pretense of not listening to the interesting conversation happening near them, but I could tell both of them were secretly eaves dropping.

Hm, it was pretty interesting to think that Itachi was trying to be a 'good mate' and know his place, keeping his nose out of Madara's business, or at least pretending to do so.

I hear Kyuubi scoff, probably at my lack of understanding. Well, I didn't see him putting forth any theories...

The room was loud with chatter now, everyone afraid to cross 'Kurosawa'. The humans- because he was their teacher, the demons- because they could smell power on him.

No, the only people who kept watching was me and Sasuke, though I was doing so as discreetly as possible.

Sasuke seemed worried, almost, exceedingly focused on what was going on up there. Maybe Karin was his secret girlfriend? Maybe she let him drink her blood... What if Madara and Itachi wanted some Uzumaki blood, too?

Oh God, I have Uzumaki blood!

Uzumaki clansmen are famous for their chakra and power, not their blood.

But wouldn't that be in my blood?

That may be, but he is mated, he is not interested in her, or you for that matter, he wants only his mate.

It was a hard concept for me to grasp, wanting only from one person, pining only for one person. It was like they were married. I wondered if they were in love, if they did kinky vampire stuff in bed.

From what I hear from Deidara, Itachi was kind of a frea-

Wait! If Madara only has eyes for Itachi, why isn't it the other way around?

What do you mean, kit?

Well, Itachi and Deidara messed around a lot. If Itachi was all hot for Madara, why go to Deidara? Doesn't he 'want only his mate', too?

It could be many things. Madara's blood is much older, much more pure. The bond could be appealing to both parts of Madara's blood, his Uchiha blood as well as his darker, 'special' blood, so it would effect him more than it would Itachi. Or perhaps it could be that Madara has only just emerged or been unsealed, as the monster cannot die.

Woah, woah, woah! He can't die? Even immortals can die!

You and I refer to different immortals. He cannot die, his blood will not let him. He can go into a coma if not given sufficient sustenance or provisions, but at receiving those things he will awaken. He is like a parasite, a vermin...

Fuck.

Well, at least that theory explained Itachi suddenly cutting off Deidara. He had his mate back, he didn't need a fuck-buddy any more.

But wouldn't it be the same if they both had the same blood?

Well, it could be the purity thing. Madara, despite the meaning behind his name, is indeed pure-breed. Inbreed, even. He has old, untainted blood of the dark Uchiha. Itachi has had many generations before him, so his blood, despite it's similar darkness, wouldn't be quite like Madara's.

That makes sense I guess... I could only assume that Kurama was talking about the vampire-stuff when here referred to 'darkness', but the gist was clear. Itachi comes from Madara's mutated line of Uchiha.

Ha, Itachi was fucking his uncle... or Grandfather... or... Whatever, they're related! It's weird!

I look toward the front, my eyes alternating between Itachi and his mate. They look close to the same age, but I suppose that didn't mean anything for immortals. Hell, I was going to be forever twenty five when my body stopped growing.

But they were a little different.

I shiver, Doesn't that make Madara a pedophile? Ew, talk about bangin' a grampa... No wonder the guy looked so distracted, he was probably trying to remember where he put the Viagra...

I first encountered Madara before I was even fully grown, that shall tell you how old he is. As for the male enhancement, Uchiha Madara has always been a very sexual creature, most Uchiha are.

… What do you mean the first time you encountered Madara?

And Silence. Of course.

… I will explain at another time, Kit...

Sure you will.

I brush it off, looking for where Karin had scurried off to in my musings. I figured she would've jumped out the freaking window to escape that glare Madara had been giving her, but oddly enough, she was just sitting back in her seat.

It was like Madara had just called her up there to stare at her or something.

I look to Sasuke, watching as he listened to what Karin was saying to Sakura across the class room. Sasuke would have heard Madara, right?

I pretend he isn't there as I gather my things, jumping into the exiting crowd so I wouldn't be seen by either of my Sensei.

Now, here I am, waiting for his slow ass-

I hear a knock at the door, followed by a muffled 'Let me in, Dobe.' and I open my door.

"You are invited in." He gave me a look.

"What are you talking about, moron, no shit I'm invited in..." I frown.

Don't you have to invite vampires in before they can enter your house?

… Your idiocy still catches me by surprise sometimes, Kit.

Not nice...

Sasuke sat on my bed, glaring at me. I was about to say something but he interrupted, heading straight to the point.

"How do you know I'm an Uchiha?" I sighed, going with a half-lie, knowing he had been in my house, in my room.

"Well, you know Deidara..."

"Your brother." He said with a smirk, trying to rattle me with his 'significant' knowledge, making me no longer feel the need to say anything delicately.

"Yes, my brother, the one your brother was fucking every other week." He backed up, obviously unaware of Itachi's activities.

I continued, "That's how I recognized Itachi, he left his scent all over my brother's bed sheets, and when I saw how similar you guys looked, I knew you were related."

Sasuke glared at the floor, probably uncomfortable with seeing his 'prim and proper' brother in a sexual light.

Hey, if I have to listen to Deidara's sexcapades, I definitely don't want to hear him complaining!

Hell, I probably knew more about Itachi than Sasuke!

Speaking of that, I have to ask,"You know he is in Akatsuki, right?" Sasuke lifted his head slightly, raising a brow.

"Yes. You are awa-"

"Yeah, Deidara is too."

He looked down at his hands before speaking, "I know quite a bit about them from-"

"Orochimaru?" I guess, and it seems my assumption had been correct when he lifts his head in a glare.

"-Yes, Orochimaru... He was apart of the organization, and since Itachi was too, I heard about it quite a bit..." I lift my brow.

This was news to me.

If Orochimaru had been in Akatsuki, then he had taken part in the hunting of my fellow Jinchuuriki. If there were monsters like that snake involved, who knows what kind of other evil bastards were looking capture us?

All of the recent attacks from them had been fruitless, but Sandaime thinks they were tests. It makes sense, to me at least, but the council of won't have it. They simply assumed that Akatsuki wasn't as strong as they seemed, but even I knew that to be false. Akatsuki would use different tactics to initiate battle with one of the nine Jinchuuriki, then leave after a certain point in the fight.

Killer Bee told me that they exhausted Yugito Nii to the point of almost collapsing, before they just up and left. She had heard them talking about coming back to take her after they got the ichibi. If they were trying to capture her, why not capture her when she was vulnerable, why just leave?

The council was sure that Akatsuki was simply over-estimated, but Uchiha Itachi was apart of it, so I had no idea where they got that notion.

And that freak Orochimaru was involved?

It seemed that I, not to mention my allies, was missing many pieces to this puzzle.

Pieces that Uchiha Sasuke just may have...

"I... I need to know what you know." He didn't seem to fancy the idea of sharing those pieces, making me think that he didn't know as much as he let on...

"Why..."

I huff, "Look, we can't keep 'throwing each other under the bus' in public. One loose comment and Neji or whoever will report both of us to Konoha!"

"So your village is Konoha?"

Damn it!

I glare at his smirk. He thinks he's in the clear, that nothing will happen to him.

"Your clan was once apart of Konoha. If I go down, Uchiha, I'm taking you with me."

The smirk falls, "Oh? And how would you go about doing that, Dobe?" The way he cranes his neck is slightly intimidating for some reason, it gives me the 'familiar stranger' kind of feeling, so I ask Kyuubi what it means.

It is indeed an intimidation tactic. He is trying to threaten you.

Ha!

I stand, towering over his still-sitting form. "I could go about it many ways, Uchiha. I could start with revealing your connections with Orochimaru, or even better, I could report all three of your creepy asses to council, and then they'll-"

"How do you know there are three of us?" Damn my big fat mouth...

He stood up, slightly taller than me(It was his spiky hair, I promise.) and stared me straight in the face.

"You know, Dobe, you were acting pretty strange in Kurosawa's class, as soon as you walked in. You may smell human, but you've got some pretty keen senses, don't you think?" I glared up at him, not backing down as he continues.

"And don't think I didn't notice how you froze when he spoke. That only leaves two possibilities." Okay, now I'm backing down. My eyes widen and moved around the room, around Sasuke's smirking face.

He smirks, knowing he's correct, "One could be that you know exactly who he is, which is strange, but another could be that you were the Uzumaki he felt..." I look at him slightly confused as to how he knew that before realizing that he was trying to bluff to protect Karin.

"It's obvious that Karin is Uzumaki, her bright red hair, her chakra, her personality-" I cut myself off, not wanting to give away that I knew so much. Jeez, for someone who was trying to keep secrets I sure was good at blurting them out...

He smirks, "Hn, so it's both?"

I sneer as he moves closer, our eyes now about six inches apart and I feel like I could reach up and touch the line of tension between our eyes.

Sasuke's voice seems take a devious tone, "You are Uzumaki, is that what ties you to Madara, perhaps? Your ancestor's affiliation with the Senju clan?"

My head hurts, and for some reason I don't know what to say. Kyuubi is silent, musing, so I do the same, formulating a symbiotic plan. I had always been known to think on my feet.

The pros and cons were of equal weight, making for a difficult decision, and I struggled to come up with a solution to my current dilemma.

An Uchiha that has figured out my name, who knows my village, as well as my rank, my comrades and my brother.

Then again, I also knew his name, his ties to Orochimaru, and his family.

But he also had Madara, who was presumably on his side.

But I had Konoha, who in turn had Council, and as crooked as the Council was, they would have to take the side of the obvious 'good guy', The Leaf Village.

Madara still sounded pretty intimidating, though, even against the world...

"Well, Dobe?" Ugh, this is so hard! There's so much to lose, but if I play my cards right, there's so much to gain.

I look up at him, into his eyes as he battles some inner turmoil of his own. We both had questions, and we both had answers.

But was getting answers worth it?

In his eyes, I could see many different things; desperation, insanity, loneliness, evil, hatred, and strength. But among those, as well as many other awkward and introverted personality quirks, I saw a strange form of loyalty. I could imagine this man(demon, or whatever,) protecting something.

And that's what I stuck with.

I inhaled, ignoring the fox's raving in the back of my head. "Uchiha, I need..." He lifted an eyebrow and squinted his already squinty asian eyes, making me pause and think of my dream where he walked in purple fire.

I shake my head, forcing out the words, "I need... We both have things to hide from, and I think we should help... hide each other."

He gives me a strange look. "What do you mean, Dobe?"

I look down and bring my hand to scratch behind my head, a nervous thinking gesture I'd always had.

"Like a pact, y'know? We're pretty much on opposing sides, right?" He frowned.

"Hn. You could say that,"

I sigh, "Well, if we have someone watchin' our back, it'll be pretty difficult for someone to take us out, don't you think?"

He gave a half-nod, making it hard to tell if he agreed or disagreed. Jeez, this asshole sure had something against being cooperative...

"Ugh, Look, I could watch out for Council and Konoha, because they would be the ones to handle you, and I could keep them off your back, as well as your relative's." I say, not hiding my obvious dislike toward the thought of his kin.

Sasuke smirked, amused at my disdain for the other Uchiha. Jerk.

His smirk revealed unnaturally white teeth when he opened his mouth to speak. "And in turn, I protect you from whom?"

I hesitate. I didn't really like the way he said 'protect'. It's like I could hear the personality flaws I saw in his eyes. The insanity.

At this point, I hear a particularly loud growl from Kyuubi, but I had long tuned out his words. He wouldn't see it this way, but having the youngest Uchiha on my side is the wisest thing I could do, especially since he already knew so much, so I wasn't about to let his grudge cloud my judgement.

"I need you to protect me, and in turn my friends, from Orochimaru, Akatsuki, and... Madara."

Sasuke frowned. "Akatsuki... They are only against you if you are a..." He lifted an eyebrow but I didn't answer his silent question verbally, something that apparently annoyed him.

He glared and his eyes flashed, making the chakra of the necklace around flare as Kyuubi's energy spiked angrily in response to his threat.

I will gouge out his spinning red eyes!

But they never turned red.

Well, actually, I wouldn't know, since I threw a mean uppercut to his chin, pushing his head, and eyes, up and backwards with the force so he couldn't get into my head.

"Don't even think about it, you bastard!"

He bounces back, gripping his jaw and glaring even harder.

"What the fuck, Dobe?!"

I glare back, "I know what you were trying to do! There's no way I'm gonna let you control me with your creepy eyes!"

Sasuke straightens his posture, still glaring at me, less angry, more confused.

"What are you talking about..."

I feel Kyuubi send me unsure vibes, "Well, I... I thought you were gonna put me under genjutsu and, uh, control me or something..."

Sasuke's expression turned icy and he stepped toward me, sending chills down my spine.

And I wasn't sure if they were good or bad...

"Uzumaki," He paused to smirk at my frown, "You will tell me where you have learned these things about me, now, or my relatives will get it out of you."

What?!

What a fucking asshole! Was he really going back on our deal before it's even made?

"Listen, you prick, I-" and all of the sudden, he's in my personal bubble.

I close my eyes when I feel his energy shift, and I just know his eyes are doing that freaky kaleidoscope thing.

Thirty seconds pass in silence and I reluctantly crack open my eyes. All I see is spikey black hair.

I open my all the way and look down, "...What are you doing?"

He lifts his head and I can't help being captivated by the red eyes that meet mine. They look different from the eyes I saw in my dream, the strange patterns being replaced by these weird comma things that seem eerily familiar.

"Dobe, what is this necklace?" I blink, breaking myself out of a slight daze of deja vu, struggling to come up with something believable, asking Kyuubi to help me out.

He can see the Senju chakra surrounding your body. You've dug this hole yourself, get out of it yourself.

Kurama, this is me and you!

It wasn't me and you when you decided to make a deal with my mortal enemy. You know nothing of these monsters!

"Dobe, are you seizing? Answer me, idiot."

I blink back into reality. "Uh, that's kind of a small part of this deal we're making..."

Don't even! He is the very flesh of Madara, you cannot trust him! He will remain loyal only to his kin!

Well, that's gotta count for something, right?

You don't understand-

"I'll show you..."

I release a deep breath, slowly removing my shirt before gripping the little blue chrystal.

"Listen, Teme, I'm trusting you. If you kill me, you will spend the rest of your life running, I promise it."

Sasuke snorts, but stops me before I can remove the necklace.

"Tell me what you're about to do." I sigh.

"I need you to help me figure something out, because the damn fox sure as hell won't."

His eyes narrow, "What?"

"The little dots in your eyes, they, uh... Look, I'll just show you!"

Sasuke's hand reaches out, grabbing my arm to halt it's movement, but the necklace repels him.

When it drops to the ground, the seal becomes visible once again.

He gapes at my chest, "What are you?" And I have to laugh at him.

"It's not obvious yet? Just tell me what these little apostrophe's are, and no Sharingan funny business, got it? I swear, if you try to hypno-"

He sighs,"You have Itachi and I confused, I can't control you or hypnotize you, I can only achieve a lesser hypnosis. Tsukuyomi isn't my forte, Amaterasu is."

I don't know what the hell those things are, but I assume that they're Uchiha techniques and that he can't warp my brain like Itachi or Madara would.

"What about the black fire?"

He narrows his eyes once more, "That is Amaterasu, how do you know these things?"

"Look, just tell me what's all over my seal, damnit!"

Sasuke sighed, annoyed with me already. "They are called tomoe. What is that?" He asks, pointing to my seal.

I nervously pick up the necklace and he watches in amazement as my seal and whiskers disappear.

He moves to touch it, but is once again repelled. "You can't touch it with your Sharingan activated..."

He rubbed his eyes, "How do you know these things? Why do you have something like that?"

I look down, thinking. If we did this the way I planned, then he would need to know certain things...

No. Don't do this, Kit. We can't trust him...

I ignore Kyuubi, "Uchiha Sasuke." He looks up, glaring, angry that he had yet to get his answers. "We are both hiding, and the consequences of either of us being caught would most definitely be worse than death." Sasuke looks serious now, and I continue. "We can keep each other's secrets, because, like I said earlier, if I go down, you're coming with me, and so will Madara and Itachi, especially Madara, becau-"

"How. Do. You. Know? You have yet to answer me." He still had his Sharingan and it made his glare even worse.

I sigh, looking to the ground, "I-I need you to agree to watch out for me, first. I'll do the same for you."

There was a long silence, a few minutes I guess but it felt painfully awkward and long.

He moves his hand forward, a gesture of agreement, and I try to shake it, but the necklace rejects his contact.

"You need to deactivate your-"

"Take the necklace off. If we are on the same side, I will not harm you." Sasuke smirked, making it sound like he meant the opposite. He made it seem like I needed his protection more, like I couldn't hurt him too.

I growl, gripping the necklace as I glared at him. "Don't think I can't kick your ass, Uchiha." and I drop the necklace once more, making him gawk at the large seal that took over my stomach as it squirmed with Kyuubi's angry red chakra. I force my chin down, trying to look at the weird line of comma on my upper chest, almost decorating my collarbone.

"So, they're tomoe, huh?"

"Those aren't tomoe... What are you, Dobe?" I looked up to see his Sharingan spinning madly, taking everything in.

He can sense me...

That's weird.

I grab his chin and force his eyes to mine, but nothing happens.

Do not even think about it-

"How do you get in my head?" He blinked before his eye twitched and rapidly changed, looking like the eyes in the dream, and suddenly, we were in front of Kyuubi's chamber.

Sasuke looked around, seeing me standing in front of him. He took a step forward before he saw the enormous cage behind me, his movement faltering.

"Dobe, what-"

Young Uchiha...

Sasuke's eyes alternate between me and Kyuubi, unsure of what exactly was happening. He glared, not knowing what else to do.

"What the hell is going on?"

The Kyuubi laughed and I kept silent, knowing better than to talk about Kyuubi like he's not there. It would be even worse in his chambers.

Such eyes, you remind me of Uchiha Madara.

Now I glared. I didn't want to be in a pact with someone similar to that monster... I suppose that's what Kyuubi was trying to say when he told me not to do this...

Oh well, done screwed myself now...

I lift my head and meet Sasuke's wide eyes.

"This is what I'm hiding, Sasuke, this is how I know everything. Protect me from Madara and Itachi and I'll protect you from Konoha and anyone else who would destroy you. Do we have a deal?"

Sasuke looked from me to the giant fox demon three or four times before nodding hesitantly, probably just to get the hell out of here, and Kyuubi forces him out of my head.

Uchiha breaks the genjutsu with a gasp, making it sound like he had just resurfaced after being held under water.

"You're a Jinchuuriki..."

I didn't meet his eyes, but I nodded.

He's silent for a bit, "Orochimaru was interested in your kind for awhile, when he was apart of Akatsuki, before left to pursue me after Itachi joined..."

I look up, eyes wide. "Orochimaru... Pursued you? You're the escaped apprentice?!"

He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, but made no move to deny it. This guy is the reason Gaara's father is dead!

Well, the guy was kind of scum anyway, but still!

"So... You escaped Orochimaru and seek refuge from the guy who killed your family? And Madara, who's responsible for so many deaths, is just conveniently here? What the-"

"Dobe, don't talk about this like you understand." I shut my mouth, looking at him from under my lashes. The puppy-dog eyes seemed to work on even Sasuke when he glared and sighed, sitting on my bed and explaining the Orochimaru situation.

"I didn't flee... Madara told me that-" He stopped himself, obviously struggling with telling me this.

I sit next to him, leaving a large gap between me and my new ally. "You know, this probably fits under the category of secrets that I'll need to know. I'll keep my word, Teme. You can trust me."

He frowned, probably not used to trust but continued after awhile of silence. "Itachi killed the clan because they were corrupt. It was an order from the council, and he did it to protect me."

I gaped.

Sasuke sighed, telling me about Orochimaru, the memories he had taken, the things Sasuke had done under Orochimaru and the night Itachi took him.

My mouth opened and shut multiple times before I actually thought of something to say, still trying to wrap my head around the truth. "So... Itachi isn't, um, psycho?"

He gave me a look that suggested he was both annoyed and amused. "No, Dobe. He's my brother."

I smiled, making him look uneasy. "What's that grin about, Dobe?"

I tried to hide it, but I was never good at hiding smiles. "Nothing, you just make me miss Deidara. Y'know, he's protecting me too. I just, I dunno..."

He smirks at me, "You're a complete sap, Dobe." I growl.

"Sorry for having feelings, you cold bastard!" He rolls his eyes and we stay quiet for awhile, thinking.

It was mind-blowing, finally understanding why Deidara and Itachi got along so well. They were both good guys parading around as heartless assholes. It was good to know that there were still people out there who weren't the mindless killers they were made out to be.

But Madara was still crazy. I just couldn't see that guy as anything other than evil, and I sure as hell couldn't see him cuddling up to anyone, especially not Itachi of all people.

"So... Does the whole Madara and Itachi thing freak you out at all?" I mean, knowing your brother is sleeping with your distant relative has got to bother him a bit, especially with Madara being a billion years older than them.

Surprisingly, though, Sasuke just shrugged. "Not really, I keep getting vague memories from my childhood about them. They were always together, even when Itachi was young, so it doesn't really surprise me. I guess you just build up a connection with your sensei..."

The way Sasuke worded that was vague, like he didn't want to reveal his brother's relationship. I chalked it up to him being embarrassed about it, ignoring the blank spaces in his statement in favor of taking in the understandable parts.

"Madara was Itachi's sensei?!"

He glared at my shocked face, "I thought you knew that already..."

I shake my head, sputtering a bit, "Jesus, the fox can only sense so much!" At reminding myself of the fox's existence I remember to put my shirt and necklace back on.

Sasuke grimaced, "I don't like that necklace..."

I roll my eyes at the comment, lost in the new information with Kyuubi.

It explains Itachi's skill and control.

We should watch how they interact.

Don't get noticed, Kit. You've already fucked us over.

"What are you doing, Dobe?"

I look up to find him staring at me. "Talking to Kurama." He narrowed his eyes.

I realize his confusion, trying to explain. "It's Kyuubi's name. Only Madara and I, and now you I guess, know that. I think Madara is using it to lure out the Kyuubi." I stop, looking down before meeting his dark eyes. "That's why I need your help, bastard. He can't find me. If he does, it won't be good for anyone."

For a second, I tensed, ready for him to say 'Ha, fuck that, I'll just kill you and hunt your friends.'

Instead, he grimaced, but nodded, looking away once more to get lost in his own thoughts.

I thought you said they were heartless?

I never said that, they have hearts, but only for themselves. He is doing this to protect his own kind.

I thought about that for a second, frowning. So am I? He's kind of protecting his family, so he can't be pure evil...

You misunderstand the Uchiha, kit. They are all linked, and they can only appreciate things of their own nature. He's protecting his family out of instinct, it's wired in him. It is not 'love'.

Part of me wanted to believe Kurama was only exaggerating, or that perhaps his demon-speak simply wasn't giving him the ability to find the right words that fit the proper meaning. I suppose it was me trying to find the good in people, because Kyuubi was making Sasuke and his relatives seem like animals.

I glance at him, taking in his appealing features, avoiding his piercing eyes.

I don't think I understand what you're trying to say... They are... wired?

I hear a rumbling sigh echo through my head and I feel Sasuke watching me as I converse with the Kyuubi.

You have noticed that they all look and act similarly, correct?

I nod, then mentally slap myself for doing so.

They... What is the word... they 'conform' to the dominant Uchiha.

What?

An Uchiha by himself is trouble enough, kit. But when they are grouped together, they all take from a leader. It is how Madara had so easily corrupted the clan and became such a tyrant in his days.

I tried not to outwardly gape with Sasuke in the room.

So they all turn into puppets? And the 'Alpha' Uchiha is the puppet master?

I can feel Kyuubi getting frustrated. It is not so simple. The dominant one does not do it on purpose, and the other clansmen do not become clones of the leader. He simply rubs off on them almost. It's how they stay close-knit and loyal.

God, nothing made sense!

Kyuubi continued, sensing my frustration. It is basically a way to be sure the other Uchiha can all agree on one thing; whatever the leader says.

So the strongest dude is in charge and everyone suddenly jocks his personality?

They are still themselves, they are just subjected to his tendencies. If the 'Alpha' is violent and blood-thirsty, the clan will be prone to such acts, but they will not exact them. It will just be a loud calling, to do as the leader, but they are still unique to themselves.

So why don't they just choose a strong, chill guy? So they'll still be dangerous, but they won't be psycho.

He growls, becoming irritated with my lack of understanding, or quite possibly his inability to explain.

Uchiha cannot 'choose' who it is, and it is not always based off of raw power. Even if Madara had been the strongest of his time, it was not his strength that put him into power. The dominant Uchiha is usually someone who is manipulative, cunning, and fearsome, but it is also someone who is attractive.

...So you have to be sexy to be top dog?

Attractive, kit. One who attracts. As I said, Uchiha do not 'choose'. It is the nature of the leader that brings him to power. Uchiha Madara had been able to suck people in, make it easy for them to follow him without him trying. It is certain, unexplainable things that 'attracts' the Uchiha to their leader, Madara had simply been a bad decision on nature's part. No one that corrupt should be so seductive.

Why were Uchiha so complicated?

So, basically Madara's 'aura' is what made him leader? I had a strange image of pale skinned and dark haired youth all watching Madara, unable to control the need to conform to his ways. It was creepy.

Were they aware of it? Was it something taught, or was it a feeling in their gut when they saw him? It made me curious about them. Gazing at Madara for the first time, did they think 'He is our leader.' or was it simply a pull, some force that compelled them.

I looked at Sasuke, who was once again watching me with those eyes. Perhaps he was an animal. I suppose I would expect stuff like this from the Inuzuka clan, as it seemed natural, but from them it was almost spooky.

I didn't want Sasuke to be like Madara. He was a bastard, but there was something about him that called out to me. I wondered if he was like me and Gaara.

Tch, it figures, I always get myself lumped together with the emotional baggage kids. I couldn't help it though, some people just needed some lovin', and I was a pretty affectionate guy who happened to have lots of love to go around.

But could I buddy up with Sasuke, work with him, protect him if he were slowly turning into Madara?

Sure, Kyuubi said they were still themselves, but if Sasuke became the monster that Kyuubi made Madara out to be...

He is a monster, kit. His ways are not the only things about him that are contagious to his kin.

Huh?

His similar folklore. If Sasuke and his brother are with Madara, the same disease will awaken within them. They were spared when the clan was eliminated; there were no Uchiha of that specific bloodline for them to conform to when they were done aging.

So Sasuke isn't a vampire-thing? Whew, big sigh of relief. A small part of me that had been nervous relaxed.

Not yet, kit. But at this age, he should begin his 'freeze'. With Madara's presence, he is sure to become blood-thirsty.

And the nervousness is back. W-would he eat us?

It is a possibility. Are you dedicated to protecting him?

My brows furrow at the question, thrown off by it's randomness.

I never go back on my word, Kurama. You know that.

A sigh is heard, Then you can stop it, maybe.

...Whaaat?

They are not 'vampires'. This rare kink in their gene pool simply mirrors some aspects of those legends. Where vampires are born with the need, those select few Uchiha with the trait have it awakened.

So all I have to do is check up on him, cool. I kept imagining myself walking up to Sasuke every now and then, whispering to him, "Been craving people-food lately?". It was a funny thought.

He will crave, kit. He must be watched if he enters that state. If he tastes blood at that time, there is no turning back. It will be an addiction that he couldn't drop and he will reach a high, both in mind and power.

I looked to Sasuke, unsure of what emotions were flickering across my face. Judging by Sasuke's expression, they weren't the kind he liked seeing.

"If you're going to talk to yourself all day I'm leaving." With a frown, he made his way to the door, intent on walking out. Without really knowing what I was doing, I grabbed for his sleeve, pushing down the flinch when his cold eyes glared at me. He seemed so lonely and it made me think about what Kyuubi had said about his family. Just because he protected them, didn't mean he had their love.

I can't imagine Itachi being the overly affectionate type, not like my brother. I would have been like Sasuke if it hadn't been for Deidara, always talking with me when he came home, joking and playing around.

Did Sasuke have people to joke around with?

His hard gaze was boring into me, "What, Dobe?" I falter, letting go of his shirt.

"Uh..." He raises his eyebrow.

"Yes?"

I say the first thing that pops into my head, "Do you want to hang out?"

He stares at me incredulously and I mentally face-palm. Why do I always have to blurt out the most awkward things?

"What did you say, Dobe?"

I sigh, looking to the side, wondering when the floor got so interesting.

With a breath, I try to find the words to explain myself. "Well, I thought since we would be looking out from each other from now on that, I don't know, we could get to know each other? You know, talk? Have an actual conversation that doesn't involve you being a prick." It made sense, and it was a pretty valid argument, so he couldn't call me an idiot.

"You're an idiot."

Okay, so he could.

I thought he was about to bolt, but instead he turned so that his entire body faced me once more and he stared at me almost suspiciously, as if he were weary of my intentions.

"What would we talk about, exactly?" I frowned, shrugging.

"Well, we could just talk. You could tell me about Orochimaru or your brother or something. I personally love talking about my brother, my teachers too, but that could be because they're all eccentric..."

He narrowed his eyes at me, making me stop mid-ramble.

"You only want to know about those things to betray me, Dobe."

He had an angry sneer eating up his face and I became annoyed, but I also became a bit sad. Gaara used to say things like that. He even had a similar look when he said it. Sasuke needed someone to trust, that much was obvious.

"I'm on your side, remember? I'm going to watch your back with my all. I never go back on my word. Besides, if I sell you out, I'm sure you'll do the same to me, and I don't need you putting out a hit on me or my friends."

Sasuke looked unsure so I grinned and sat down on my bed, waving him over to sit down as well. He awkwardly followed my lead, and as soon as he was seated, I began talking. It was mostly a rant, my muses, my complaints and quite a few of my secrets. Kyuubi was threatening to set my body on fire with his crazy chakra but I ignored him. I felt bad that I/Kyuubi knew so much about him and he knew so little about us. It was kind of an unfair advantage to have in our deal and I'd always been a noble guy.

We chat for awhile, mostly me talking and answering the questions that had been bugging him.

"You... dreamt about me?"

I turned read, scratching behind my head again.

"Eheh, kind of... I think it's because my bed smelt like you after you slept in it, and, well, Kyuubi is all Uchiha-sensitive..." He smirks as I awkwardly explain the dream, even let's his eyebrows twitch when I get to the part where I thought he was hot.

I so could have left that out...

I had been talking for a straight half-hour before he replied to anything. I'd been ranting about how confusing the crazy seal on my body was becoming and how I was scared to tell anyone else about it and he had hummed. It wasn't much, but it showed that he was listening. I began asking his opinion, engaging him so that I wasn't talking at him.

"It seems to have everything to do with Madara's awakening." And I frowned, but nodded, pleased that he was helping out.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you say those marks showed up about a week ago, that's when Madara resurfaced." I hum in understanding, nodding.

Why didn't Kyuubi just tell me that?

I feel the fox bristle within his chambers when Sasuke speaks once more.

"Your reaction shouldn't be so intense though. I haven't had very much physical training with Sharingan, as there were no Uchiha when I was with Orochimaru, but I did study the history of the clan, as well as our roots to the Rikudou Sennin." I lean forward, listening intently to what could possibly be the answers Kyuubi refuses to give me.

"I think the the 'tomoe' on your seal are actually magatama, a decorative sage jewelry he wore and channeled his chakra through. They're extremely old, ancient even, and haven't been used in like two thousand years."

I raise my eyebrow, "I don't understand what they're doing on me, though..."

Sasuke glanced at me, then to the necklace hiding my seal once more. "Orochimaru wears a form of magatama through his pierced ears. He told me about them, how his own family wore them for centuries in hopes of attracting the Uchiha clan, mostly the main family, AKA, Madara's descendents. Apparently, Senju and Uchiha directly descend from the Rikudou Sennin."

"Okay, but-"

"Don't interrupt, Dobe. I'm getting to it." I nod, pouting, and he rolls his eyes.

"What I'm saying is, the fact that these are showing up on you, or Kurama I guess, is strange, because if what you've told me about the Kyuubi-Konoha attack is true, they shouldn't be there."

I frown, then frown harder as I feel Kurama sink within me, like he's crawling to the very back of his cage.

Sasuke continues, "Even if Madara made a mental and physical connection with Kyuubi, they shouldn't be so tied to each other. After a genjutsu is ended, so is the mental connection."

I let it soak in, trying to figure out what it means.

Kurama... What haven't you told me?

...Madara controlled me.

I roll my eyes. Duh, I knew that.

No, kit. He controlled me, I was his.

Sasuke watches me with concerned eyes, "What is he saying, Dobe?"

I shake my head, unable to answer.

I don't- What do you mean?

Exactly that, you little worm, he owned me.

Like... Like a pet?

Like a summons.

My eyes pop open as my jaw drops.

No way!

To have Kyuubi as a summons?! What kind of monster is this guy?!

"What is it, Dobe?"

I shakily relay the message, watching as he frowns.

"It seems we are learning many things... Why would the fox hide that from you?"

It's a rather humiliating concept, kit. He knows everything about me, as I know everything about him. We were completely connected, yet we were not equal. Madara is no pleasant master.

Do you think it is the same with Itachi?

I hear a rumbling laugh, Only time will tell that, kit, but their bond is a bit different, and I haven't been truly connected with Madara in centuries.

How did you escape?

The same laugh rings again, but louder. There was no escaping, kit! I was torn from him by Senju in their last battle. The worst kind of pain. That is how I got stuck in your family line. An even worse fate than Madara.

I gave a nervous laugh, unsure if he was joking. Surely he isn't serious, right? As if Madara was better than Uzumaki or Senju?

It is half serious, Kit. Madara is a foul creature, but he had reason. Your ancestors lived off of luck, and were often overly confident about their good fortune rather than their power. Only a handful of your ancestors were powerful, even less were tolerable, speaking to me like a vermin.

Woah, there's some family history I could have lived without...

"Dobe?"

I grimace, "I have a name, you know..." Sasuke only smirked.

"Do you?" I laughed. Hey, this guy wasn't half bad. He was even pleasant in his own socially retarded, cold bastard-ish way.

My laugh slowly died off and a comfortable silence settled between me and my new ally.

"Sasuke?"

He turns to me, "Hn?"

I smile briefly and roll my eyes before speaking again, "What do you think of the Senju clan?"

Sasuke looks down, his expression stony and unreadable for a few moments.

"I have those dreams that give me short, miniscule flashbacks to my family. A few gatherings, nightmares, one-on-one talks with my mother and Itachi, never my father, and the occasional tag-along behind Madara and Itachi. Out of all of those, I've only heard neutral things about Senju. Madara hates him, but no one else ever spoke much about it." I nod, frowning.

I would hate to think of my ancestors in such a bad light, to be called more unpleasant than the Uchiha, at least ego-wise, but I'm sure Sasuke hears awful things about his ancestors all the time, so I can't whine about it.

"I see..." is my sighed reply.

I feel Sasuke's eyes on me. "I don't think I will ever fully remember my clan, or my own personal history before Orochimaru for that matter, so I have no personal opinion of you for that. Other than the fact that you're an annoying idiot."

I snort, "I could easily wipe the floor with you, if you wanna keep it up."

He gets up, "As much as I want to see you embarrass yourself, I have things to do. We should definitely reschedule that fight, though, loser."

I grit my teeth, but accept the insults in good nature, reminding myself that the guy is a bit handicapped in the personality department. He opens the door, "Give my most hateful regards to Hyuuga." and he moves to leave.

"Teme,"

Sasuke turns his head, still walking out as I come up behind him and grab his hand.

"Wha-" But he stops as I give the hand a firm shake.

There's an awkward look that overtakes him, but he grunts and returns the gesture.

"Thanks, Teme."

I shut the door as he turns and releases my hand, leaving it unlocked because I'm sure Neji will walk in any minute.

After all, Gaara can't keep him busy that long, right?

I laugh, sitting on my bed and closing my eyes.

Fox, you've got some explaining to do.

---

Kabuto

I rushed into Orochimaru's chambers, holding three scrolls in one hand as I drag a kicking and screaming sacrifice behind me.

The doors open by themselves and I can finally let go of the tarp that I had placed the man in.

"Kukuku, Kabuto," A silky voice slithers through the room.

I huff to catch my breath, "I brought him, Orochimaru-sama, but he didn't make it easy. The sedative wasn't strong eno-"

"It's fine, Kabuto, drag him to the circle." I follow the order, smiling when I feel a cold hand slide up my back and run through my tied hair.

"Thank you, Kabuto, shut my doors." I do as he says once more, then move to sit behind him and watch his most infamous technique.

Edo Tensei.

That Uchiha brat was giving Orochimaru hell, and we didn't know how, but the part of his curse mark that let us track him had been rendered useless.

We raided the nearest villages in our search for him, but he was never found. I suggested Konoha, as he was raised just outside of there, but Orochimaru shot it down. He argued that he was in no health to be facing people who knew his methods, and that he had a better idea.

I watched with a smirk as the life left the man in the tarp, jumping into the circle where a vile of cells lay. The vile soon morphed and grew into their original owner as Orochimaru completed the technique, smirking at his genius.

Who better to find a little Uchiha brat than this?

"Where am I?" A surprisingly soft voice questioned, frowning.

"Hello, you may call me Orochimaru. I've brought you back from what I presume to be an unpleasant eternal rest." A warm colored eyebrow was raised in response and the once-ghost lifted their arms to look at their corpse-darkened skin, touching their long, half-dead hair mournfully with an angry frown.

"I assume you want something in return for 'mercifully' reviving me?" Orochimaru and I shared a sick smirk to hide our frown. I could see this turning into trouble.

Orochimaru's tongue slithers out to lick his lips, "Hnn, I'm sure it shall be an easy task for one of your caliber, hmm? You don't have the limits I do, as you are dead."

Surprisingly lively eyes rolled and the soft, warm voice turned icy and annoyed, catching me off guard.

"Spit it out, you damned snake."

Orochimaru only smirked, "Kukuku, I need you to find and return me my little Uchiha..."

---

Oh snap. Who did Orochimaru revive?!

You'll never guess! ...Okay, I guess you might. Try, though! It will entertain me...

Sorry for the wait. Computer issues and all that. Plus classes started back, and that always sucks.

Anyways, tell me what you think?

Much love to my lovely and faithful reviewers/alert-ers/favorite-ers! Here are your threes/hearts!

Pekudi! 3

Mortimermortman! 3

Maximoffsforever! 3 (Who I love PMing, SHMI forever!)

Rafiky! 3 (a new reviewer!)

& RedRoma! 3 (another new reviewer, as well as a new MadaIta fan!) I'm thrilled I've converted you ;)

I'm pretty eager to post this, so I don't really feel like going back to look up all who follow this story, but know that I love you too!

MAGATAMA: Japanese 'tomoe' looking jewelry. Amaterasu=sister of Susanoo: god of sea and storms. Just fun info.

(1) – Madara: "I'm not a fucking Vampire!"

~SaLEm