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

13. For Old Time's Sake

Sei Ryoku13

Ni Hao, everyone. Sorry it took so long, yada yada... No one reads these anyways...

But, who cares, I wanna talk. So, I've been catching up on the Manga and I now want to hang myself for making Hashirama a dick in my story. I totally should have made Tobirama a dick. Hashirama is a pretty cool dude, a really cool one actually. He's such a lovable goof, while Tobirama... I don't have any 'appropriate' words for how I feel about him...

Eh, whats done is done. It's my story, I'll do what I want.

Honestly, I have no idea what happened last chapter, it's been too long. Plus, I'm in a shitty, lazy mood, soooo, no recap for you~. Hope you don't despise this.

Chapter Thirteen

For Old Time's Sake

---

Itachi

I lay silently on Madara's chest, too content with our arrangement to question him. He held me close to his side, allowing me to get in that comfortable position and he had yet to stop petting my hair. Madara hadn't said anything about it either, simply staring off into space as he caressed me. His expression kind of frightened me, it seemed as if he were on the verge of insanity. His eyes were wide and unfocused, lost in thought, yet at the same time they seemed calculating, thinking rather hard.

I couldn't figure out what tormented his thoughts, even with the strange 'telepathy' our bond offered. It bothered me to see him so disturbed, especially since I had a feeling it had something to do with me. Sensei's eyebrows slowly knit together in what seemed to be despair before he shook his head and finally looked down at me, straight into my drowsy, confused eyes.

His own eyes darted back and forth between mine, like he was checking for something, then he smiled at me, a warm, real smile that I hadn't seen since a was a youngling. "You haven't laid like this in awhile..." He said. He seemed so sad and his voice was just a whisper, like I was dying.

I reply just as quietly, "You haven't held me like this in awhile..." and it was true. He never seems to mind when I cling to him like this, but he only ever clings back when one of us is upset. I lay like I did as a child, one of my legs between his, one arm thrown over his hard chest. I would bury my head in his neck if I weren't so preoccupied with watching his face.

Madara moved the hand that was previously petting my head, bringing it down to stroke my cheek, then to caress the ever-darkening bond that inked my neck. My eyes flutter and closed as this brings new sensations, sensations that made my eyes burn and my blood rush a little faster than normal. I open my eyes to find him looking back with concern and... worry. He moves his hand away, then his eyes.

This frustrates me, and the angry sensation only seems to make my blood rush faster.

"What is wrong?" I ask in an annoyed tone. Too many things have remained a mystery to me, and I no longer could bear to be out of the loop. Something was off about him. Something was off about me. Hell, something was off about Sasuke!

Madara rasped out a bitter reply, "Nothing is wrong, per say. Just a bothersome 'right' about certain things." I frowned, having always hated his cryptic answers to my questions, especially when I was a youngling. I had no time for his riddles! He must have felt my expression somehow, because I heard a dry chuckle escape from his dry chapped lips.

I sigh, letting his laughter warm me. This warmth seemed to have a calming effect, letting me breathe for a second and dissect my thoughts and reactions. I relaxed and took a look in the proverbial mirror. It seemed that I was only upset because I was confused, so I didn't want to take out on him entirely, but he was hiding things from me and I can't help but wonder if I have somehow fallen victim to this disease of paranoia.

The last thing I can really remember was my fifth shot at the bar, then I fought with Kurosawa on the hood of my car in a chilly parking lot. Whatever came next was a blur of emotions and foreign sensations. The pleasurable burn of the haze had been there, that I was certain of, but what initiated it was a mystery. Madara must have done something to set it off, since I only seem to feel this delicious loss of lucidity around him.

I focus on the sensations I had felt earlier in the night, the fuzziness of the alcohol, the red tint that the world had taken on, and the violent lust for everything that was Madara. After that, my entire body throbbed with feeling, a raw, seductive, utterly satisfying feeling, like the one I got after taking out the clan. It was a pleasure that I simply could not put into words, and it felt like I was being slowly immersed into the bond that tied Madara and I together. I had been a hairsbreadth away from being completely and irrevocably consumed, so close to reaching the climax of this deadly, overcoming sensation, then the next thing I know, I'm being hosed down in the kitchen.

I sigh and try to bury my head into Sensei's chest, fisting his damp shirt. Madara knew what was happening, and I'd bet anything, even our bond, that he knew exactly what I was feeling, what I've been feeling.

"My eyes burn..." And they did, but not as bad as they had. I really only said it to see how he would react.

Strangely, he caressed one of my lids as he stared away from me, speaking softly, as if trying to sooth me, "Don't worry, boy... It will pass." And he sounded sure. How could he have possibly known this if he had no prior knowledge of what was happening to me. I was right. He knew.

I mulled this over before nodding, then speaking once more. "You seem to feel better, Sensei..." I was referring to the night his scars disappeared, when he behaved so awfully. By the way he tensed I knew he had figured out what I was talking about, but he still answered evasively.

"So do you... How is your hangover?" He replies in a tone that suggests that he knows what I'm doing.

I lifted my head from his chest, but he kept a firm grip on my hips so they remained close to him. I stared at him but he refused to meet my eye. "Madara-sama..." If possible, his eyes focused harder on the wall he continued to stare at, almost desperately. I feel myself become enraged at this behavior.

"Madara, this is no hangover. You can't lie to me anymore." I only receive a smirk and a bitter laugh.

"I haven't lied, brat."

My eyes throb as I activate Sharingan, hellbent on forcing the information out of him, but he gasps and jumps out of bed. At first, I think he is trying to flee from my eyes, but this isn't so, as he no longer seem to be concerned with me. I follow his lead as he crawls to the head of the bed on his knees and claws at the blinds and the covering that blocked out the light to look out from the window. He seems to have forgotten my presence and doesn't even acknowledge me as I approach his turned back like a predator.

Instead of attacking like I feel I should, I watch him. He scans the skies, eyes flitting every which way, changing from black to red to crimson with dots, narrowing, pupils shrinking. I watched, fascinated as his brows violently scrunched and a frantic rage took his face.

"Can you feel that? Is it just me?" but these questions aren't for me. He's only talking to himself, it seems. The blinds make that god-awful noise as he releases them to run to the bathroom, and with a flinch, I follow behind him, watching as he stares into the mirror.

He stares at his reflections face for a bit, eyes dashing from feature to feature before he finally moved closer and activated Sharingan, only to back up and repeat the process of inspecting himself. He lifts his shirt and stares at his abdomen, something I take part in as well, before he sadly pulls his shirt back down and looks back to the mirror wearing a confused expression. I watch as Madara's eyes twitch and refocus, finally seeing me behind him the the mirror.

My mate quickly turns around, taking my face in his hands and frantically searching as he had done with his. Whatever he's looking for doesn't seem to be there and his hands slowly slide from my cheeks, our eyes remaining connected.

"What's wrong, Sensei?" my voice is quiet and neutral, so as not to make him defensive. My attempt is fruitless. His eyes narrow in suspicion and he backs away. I watch my mate's mouth open and close, unable to properly word his thoughts before another thought suddenly attacks him.

"Where is Sasuke?" I raise a brow. What a random question...

As random as it seems, my lack of answer troubles him greatly. Madara huffs in a frustrated matter before dropping to his knees. I'm almost worried that he's blacked out or fainted, but his head lifts, still facing the ground. I can only watch as he begins to carve a strange symbol into our floor.

"What are you doing, Madara-sama?" He doesn't answer, but continues to draw until I can identify the spell he is trying to set.

"A tracking spell? Do you think Orochimaru has come for him?"

His head shakes, then snaps up to face the living-room.

I follow the gaze but see nothing. "What is i-" but I'm interrupted by a panicked knock on the door. Madara springs up, completely forgetting his half-drawn spell in favor of practically tearing the door off the hinges to open it.

The first thing presented to us is the face of a small female child as she was almost thrown to us. I quickly take her out of the reckless hands and place her at my side where she grips the leg of my pants in an unsure way, staring at the one to bring her here.

Umino Iruka mindlessly babbles, sweat dripping from his brow. "I'm sorry, I couldn't think of anyone else that she would take to and- and- I already took her from her last baby-sitter, and I can't take her where I'm going because, I-"

Madara interrupts him, "What's happening?" the question has no innocent or curious tone, only one that commands Umino to get to the point.

The demon's hands ball into fists, one of those fists wiping perspiration from his cheek. He takes what I assume is supposed to be a soothing breath, "M-My village is under some sort of attack, and my..." He stops and looks at us with a blush, "-my mate is there, possibly hurt, as well my people, and I can't take Miko there and put her in that kind of danger."

Madara and I turn our heads to stare at the girl, presumably 'Miko'. She shies behind me, pulling my pant leg over her eyes.

"She likes Karasu-san for some reason, that's why I brought her here. If everything is alright, I'll be back in the morning. If I don't return, take her to Konoha Gakure, that's my village, they'll know what to do." With that, he left his child with two of the most dangerous creatures known to man.

I'm about to joke about this fact to Madara when he cuts me off. "Where is Sasuke's place?"

I open my mouth to speak but I am once again cut off. "No, I'll just find where his scent is strongest." And he takes off down the hallway before I can say anything. If I were anyone else I'm sure my mouth would be hanging open in disbelief. I slap my hand onto my bond mark, angrily sending my thoughts.

So you're just going to smell him out like some dog demon? How barbaric...

I grimace after so long of receiving no reply. I sincerely hope that he feels every ounce of my frustration burning him. I sigh and step out of the hallway and into my 'home', pulling Miko, who was staring after Madara, back in with me.

I drag my feet and slump on the couch, my two fingers massaging my temple. Madara and Sasuke were about to face my interrogation, they had no say, but it would be up to them whether it accompanied Sharingan or not.

"That man is pretty..." I move my eyes to stare at the little girl. She stare back at me with features similar to mine in their contrast, despite her eyes being bigger and much more innocent. I sigh, painting on a warm face so that I may not scar her for life with my 'mean' eyes.

With the gentlest smile I can muster, I reply. "Yes, yes he is." and as I think about what she said I become amused. If only Madara had heard her say that... What a funny comment...

"You're very pretty too, though." And it has lost it's humor.

I try not to let my smile fall, but I can't help it's faultering. "Thank you, Miko."

"You're welcome."

---

Madara

I'm almost wishing I had placed a bond of some sort between me and Sasuke, now. It would certainly be easier to find him. Hell, I could have just teleported to him, but no, things could never be simple for me.

So you're just going to smell him out like some dog demon? How barbaric...

Itachi tried to sound mad and slightly apathetic, but his angry confusion at my behavior poured into his message. Any lesser man would have curled into a ball at the terrible sensation, but I was on a mission. I had to find Sasuke.

I had been sitting there, holding Itachi as if he were going to disappear, because to me it felt so, when I feel this quake. It wasn't so violent that it physically started me, but it was definitely moving. It was as if the ground had rippled like water when touched, it made me nauseous and strangely fearful- not for myself, but for my kin.

There was only one that I would so instinctively beware of...

Senju.

I knew it was impossible, I killed him, watched him explode into so many pieces that reassembling him would be- well it just wouldn't be! There was no way it could be done!

I ran down the halls, dodging those who guard them, until I come to a door. Sasuke's scent was rather strong behind it, so I phase through. What meets me is a large man of boyish looks and orange hair reading atop a bed.

I address him, "You, where is Sasuke?"

He glances up with a content, unbothered face and shrugs. "He came in earlier to grab his gear, you just missed him awhile ago. He may be with Suigetsu or Naruto-san. If he's not out killing people, I'd look for them."

"What rooms?" My tone suggests my urgency, but he replies with the numbers in a fashion that suggested he found me unthreatening. I glared at him for good measure before teleporting through the halls.

When I phase into the room of Suigetsu, I'm greeted with the sight of the weird looking white haired boy smooshed up against the wall in fear. This was a reaction I was more accustomed to.

"Where is Sasuke?"

His eyes shift a bit as he thinks, "Uh... If he's not in his room with Juugo then your best bet would be that he's with-"

"Naruto?" He nods warily and I dash off.

This room is particularly hard to find, and I can't imagine Sasuke being able to stay in such a room for very long. Sure, it wasn't as disgusting as that Deidara's house, but there was still something off about it, some vibe that left me sneering in slight disgust. When I got to the door, I made a rather frustrating discovery.

I couldn't phase through.

"Hn..."

This had to be the work of Senju seals, as no other seals were made that specifically repelled Uchiha.

I slowly reach for the door knob, hoping the same damnable seals weren't on that as well. My face tenses slightly as my fingertips touch the knob, but nothing happens. The door itself was seal-free. I twist the knob, meeting the resistance of the lock with a frown. I shrug, breaking said lock with a flick of my wrist. This 'Naruto' must be of human descent, that or he is a very lackluster non-human, otherwise he would know that a locked door is no discouragement to a demon.

I step inside slowly, trying to hold back the urge to vomit as I sense spells, much more potent in energy, that are unmistakeably Senju. My eyes scan the room, landing on the occasional seal, before finding the source of Sasuke's scent. There on the floor is a pile of the clothes he had been wearing today. My eyes narrow.

If his 'gear', as the orange-haired boy said, is what Sasuke is wearing, then he is probably in the Hidden world. I feel the sneer once again take my lips at the thought of going to retrieve him. It had been a swear of mine to not return to Konoha unless I'd be destroying it, but I couldn't let Sasuke ruin Itachi's little reuse.

The things I do for that boy...

I teleport to the forest of my last prison before taking off into a sprint, headed for where I see the most commotion. I could only assume that Sasuke had something to do with that commotion... The only other thought on my mind as I continued onward was what would possess Sasuke to come here...?

---

Naruto

"Put your mask on, we'll be seeing people soon." Sasuke nods, following the command as he continues to follow behind me. I had worried that some of the younger generation would recognize his features, but he had done rather well in disguising himself. Since he couldn't use a henge spell, because of the Hyuuga, he flattened his hair and took a mask similar to Kakashi's. The only thing that troubled me now was that his mission gear had 'Sound Village' written all over it. I looked back at him again before grimacing, glad that he couldn't see my expression.

This was the third time I'd caught him staring at me. Each time his expression was blank, but Kyuubi-the ever talented Uchiha reader- tells me that the small wrinkle in his eyebrow suggests he's confused and frustrated. Not the 'I don't know where we're going' confused, but the 'Is that emotion or indigestion' kind of confused.

I flush under my mask, once again thankful it was there to hide my red cheeks.

I don't know what you're getting excited about. He's probably only sweet on you because his inner Madara wants me.

Ouch. Kyuubi really knew how to raise self esteem. You're not that great either, you know...

The fox chuckles and brushes off the comment by asking, Besides, what happened to 'comrades'? Last time I checked, comrades didn't try to court one another.

He had a point. Getting close to Sasuke is good, but I'm not sure getting too close would be wise.

"Move it, loser, you're too slow..."

Plus, the guy's a bit rough around the edges...

We're getting close, kit. I smell your group.

I speed up, hoping that Gaara was in that 'group' that Kyuubi smelled. Sasuke sped ahead of me, probably trying to punctuate his previous command and insult, and my muscles twitch as I follow Sasuke's swift example. As we match up, neck and neck, his eyes smirk at me and his brow twitches with a silent challenge. He wants a race.

And they say I'm a child.

I snort, "This is serious to me, Sasuke. This is my village, my people." He sobers, pushing his desire for rivalry aside as his head snaps forward, leaving me to watch from the side as his eyes bleed red.

"Exactly why we shouldn't be lagging. If this is as fast as you can go then you are more of a dead weight than an ally." I watch with hidden eyes as he completely disappears from my field of vision. Che, Cocky bastard.

Fine, if he wants fast, I'll give it to him.

The wind in my ears slowly becomes louder than any human can tolerate and I feel the hard ground beneath my feet crack and break with the impact of my harsh footsteps. I hadn't been able to run my fastest in awhile since Gaara mostly traveled by sand, and Sakura's forte had always been brute strength over agility. If I had used my real speed, I would probably end up leaving them behind in missions quite often. It took me a bit to reach top speed, having become accustomed to traveling their way. I finally found Sasuke up in the trees, moving at a speed that was almost too fast to see.

I couldn't wrap my head around it. If I'd have been standing still in the forest then he could have raced by and I would have never known. The only hint that he had been there would have been the subtle rustling of leaves. Sasuke only seemed to get more mysterious as I dissected him. I almost wished he had less clothes on so I could see exactly how his muscles moved and reacted to such an accelerated pace.

I blushed at the images this thought gave me and stumbled, having to flail a bit to regain balance and speed. He looked down from the trees out of the corner of his eyes, only slowing enough to make sure I hadn't lost my footing. With a small, bastardly smirk and a mouthing of the word 'Dobe', his image completely disappeared once more, making me gape.

Just when I thought he couldn't get faster.

Kurama laughs mockingly, unimpressed. Don't be dazzled. He did not train for his speed in the same way you did...

I push forward, determined to at least keep up. What do you mean?

An Uchiha's body is made for such speed because of their eyes, this is why many of their 'diverse' ocular abilities, as you will find, have something to do with travel, be it dimensional or otherwise. Sasuke's body flicker techniques are advanced, but not astounding, suggesting that he is not as gifted in this field as Madara, or as I suspect, Itachi. They would be unimpressed.

I huff. Jeez, tough break. Even if it came naturally, it's still impressive to me as a non-Uchiha. Though, I always seemed to admire geniuses. Kurama's complete dissatisfaction with Sasuke made me sympathize with him better. If Kyuubi, someone with only secondary knowledge of the Uchiha way, looked down upon his skill, then I could only imagine how out of place he felt standing next to his kin.

Then I suppose I admire his Sharingan rather than his agility. I've never seen someone move like that, nor have I lived inside someone who moves like that, so I thinks it's cool.

If rolling eyes could make a sound, I would have heard it echo through Kyuubi's chambers.

Oh please, brat. Teleport about four hundred feet from here and I'll let you 'understand' the amazing 'mystery' of his illusion with some decent eyes...

I frowned at that. I was four hundred feet behind?

My body jolted to it's new diestination as I followed Kurama's demand and I spun around, looking for Sasuke. I felt the strange throb as Kyuubi gave me his sight and I watched in amazement as Sasuke came racing toward me.

He did not run as freely as I did, I observed. His face blank, all except that trademark pull of his brow that betrayed his slight concentration. I watched Sasuke's Sharingan shift rapidly, catching every aspect of his surroundings. His every step was planned out twenty steps before it happened, his every muscle worked in tandem, and every move was calculated and choreographed according to whatever variable he encountered. I couldn't even keep up with the movement of his legs, not while watching everything else.

Do you see now?

Ha, yeah. It's even crazier than I thought.

The Kyuubi sucked his teeth, It is not so through an Uchiha's eyes. Don't go praising him, you'll look weak. Just focus on your objective and save your puny village.

I nodded to no one and turned to run, knowing Sasuke would catch up with no more effort than already given. He seemed sincerely determined to aide me and my people as soon as possible, and by the time the forest thinned to village, our blood was already pumping enough adrenaline to aide six battles.

We slowed as we reached the gates and I observed the village walls to be just fine. How strange. I had assumed the attack had been from Orochimaru of Sound, but he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to be subtle since Konoha is too familiar with him, and his invasion of Suna had shown that he like leaving visible reminders of his presence.

I kneel and Sasuke stops behind me to watch as I place my hand on the ground, feeling for all of our security measures, then checking on the spells that I had placed my self.

I look back at Sasuke and whisper, "This was an inside job, none of our defensive lines have been disturbed."

"Hn..."

"Che, I hate that 'hn' shit so much! I-"

"Is this the time, Loser? We still have to go find your ginger boyfriend."

I jump up, "Right!...-And Gaara's my best friend, NOT my- Hey come back!"

Would you look at that. Already bickering like a married couple.

Sasuke races ahead at the sound of a loud explosion and I follow behind, quickly surpassing him when I realize that the explosion came from the Hokage tower.

We begin to run into various battles, each battle getting larger in size and number of participants as we near the very back of the village where the carved faces of the Hokage reside. Out of what seems to be no where, a cloaked figure jumps out at me with purpose, with a certain edge that suggested this was no case of mistaken identity. Despite these sign of murderous intent, I hesitate. The mask he was wearing belonged to Konoha. I'm about to strike at the last second when his blood rains onto my own Konoha mask.

It was like slow motion in that instant. The image of the glowing, crackling katana slicing through the man's abdomen, the pale knuckles that peeked out at me as their fingers gripped the hilt. The picture that burned itself into my mind, though, was Uchiha Sasuke's eyes as they watched his sword divide it's victim in two. The image was all the more disturbing since I witnessed this between the figure's two halves as they gruesomely split apart.

Kyuubi's resulting chuckle echoed not only through my brain, but through my body with heavy vibrations.

Kekeke, If there is one thing that every Uchiha is good at, it is murder. Remember that next time you feel the need to frolic with him.

Kurama's words chill me a bit, but I was more bothered to find that he was enticed by Sasuke's display of beastly skill. I find the feeling to intensify as I realize that I, too, found this enticing.

Looking for a mate already, kit? Kekeke...

"Dobe, let's move."

I nod, desperately trying to ignore Kurama. I couldn't let Sasuke continue to cloud my thoughts when my dear ones were in danger, so I ran behind Sasuke as we mowed down any who came at us on our way to the main battle.

Suddenly, Sasuke's chakra signature completely vanishes, making it feel like no one was there at all, and he stops dead in his tracks not ten feet from the door of the Hokage tower, making me violently collide with his back.

Ha, it seems you've found his strong suit. Hide and seek.

I frown, not finding now to be a good time to practice stealth. "Teme! What the hell gives, you bastard?" I walk around him to glare but he doesn't face me. His Sharingan eyes are trained on the broken glass of the Hokage's office several stories up and his voice is almost uncertain as he speaks in a hazy voice.

"...I can't go in there."

I scoff, "This isn't the time to get cold feet. You can't be battle nervous right no-"

"No, Naruto. I-... I can't. My body won't-... I feel..." It was like he was hypnotized, and I could almost see how his body was repelled when I looked at him.

Only one thing could create such a repulsive reaction to Uchiha...

I narrow my eyes. I didn't have time to think about this. "Sasuke, do what you can down here. Defend anyone with the Konoha emblem. I need to check on Sandaime!" The last thing I see is a twitch and a nod before I take off, jumping up to the Hokage's floor level. I peek over the sill of the window through a broken piece of glass and my eyes widen. The flame of Kurama's rage burns in recognition and I stare at the wreckage of the room and bodies that lay on the floor, if only to keep my eyes off of the only standing man. Wood had grown from the floor, holding many men down so they could not rebel and their attempts at escaping are sadly futile.

Senju! These damned war-heads die hard!

My breath fogs the shard of glass as I watch the armored man place his foot on the chest of Sandaime, who lay of the floor.

"I will ask once more, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Where is my possession? Where. Is. My. Necklace?"

My eyes tear up as I watch Senju's foot press on Sandaime's chest. Sarutobi coughs up blood as result and attempts to speak through it.

"I... no longer have it... Tsunade... no longer has it..." Senju moves to kick him but is stopped by a strong hand. My eyes and Senju's eyes follow the arm of said hand simultaneously to see a beaten Kakashi.

The first hokage sighed in a frustrated manner. "I must finish this task before I can return to my eternal rest. To accomplish this task, I need that necklace, then I will leave this world once more. The longer I am here, the longer I shall disrupt- of or against my will." I didn't quite understand.

Edo Tensei... Says Kurama with a venomous voice.

He was revived?

This is Orochimaru's doing.

I watch as Hashirama narrows his eyes, ducking his head lower to get a better look at the man holding his foot. His brows raise before abruptly lowering once more as he sneers at Kakashi, "It is bad enough to be an Uchiha, but it is much worse to impersonate one..." Senju's hands clap together in a seal and wood sprouts from the ground to wrap tightly around Kakashi's middle.

"I suggest you release my foot, you disgusting wanna-be leech." Kakashi's grip is knocked loose by Senju's jerking leg and the owner of said leg addresses Sandaime once more.

"Now, you know I don't want to bring any more harm than my presence already has, but I cannot be responsible for those under Danzou, and you know that they value no life, so you should definitely tell me who has my necklace..." I gasp aloud.

Danzou's root is fighting for Senju?

Danzou has ties with Orochimaru, and was associated greatly with Senju in the feud with the Uchiha. It is very likely that Danzou has ordered Root to keep Konoha guards away from the Hokage so Senju can conduct his business in peace...

I knew Danzou was scum... I felt Kyuubi's rage building and mixing with my own.

When Kurama's voice and my own voice echo through my head, I realize just how quiet it is. I tense, completely aware of the uncomfortable silence, and in this case, silence was bad news... The crystal around my neck glows in a way that hadn't burned so badly since I first got it.

An amused chuckle comes from inside Sandaime's office. "Who knew that my treasure was so close to me? How long are you going to hide from me, you cowardly thief of possessions?"

"Che," I jump up into the office and watch as he turns to face me. "Don't think I'm afraid of you, I was not hiding for that reason..."

He laughed again, "If you knew my name, then you would not confused bravery and stupidity so easily. Let the grown folk to their business." And he turned to kick Sandaime once more.

"DO NOT!" Kyuubi's voice booming from my mouth stops Senju in his tracks and it's my turn to speak. "I am no coward compared to a Titan kicking an old man. I know who you are, Senju Hashirama, I've heard much about you."

Senju turns once more, "I recognize that voice far too well. You are the new Kyuubi vessel? This explains your thieving of my necklace, then." He steps toward me. "Give me that necklace, descendant."

I look to the ground to see Kakashi shaking his head, but Sandaime was still...

I wish I could remove my mask so he could see the hate in my eyes. I know that Edo Tensei removes will and moral from it's victim, but it was still unforgivable.

"You bastard..." A rough growl ripped from my throat and I charged mindlessly. Kakashi could scold me later, I wanted to hurt Senju. My body ached with the amount of chakra I was releasing, but I couldn't help it. With Senju's necklace, Kurama's chakra was suppressed and I couldn't use it. I released as much of my own chakra as I could to combat the feeling and level everything, but in the end all I could do was bear the pain. Senju looked lost with his eyes trained on my obese rasengan, larger than normal even for me because of how much energy coursing through my chakra channels.

Wood jumped from the ground in front of Senju in defense, but like hell a shitty chakra tree was going to stop me. When his shield broke, his wide brown eyes swirled blue as they showed the reflection of the rasengan aimed at his face. I didn't feel the satisfying sensation of his skull busting with the force, I didn't smell his burning flesh, and my front was not splattered with his blood.

I grunted in surprise as the tree I had punched through grew around my arm, trapping it. I began jerking about, snarling like Kurama, as we both shared a distaste for being trapped. My struggle ceased as my attention was grabbed by Senju as his upper half reassembled like a million pieces of paper drawn together.

He is already dead, kit. He will not die, no matter how many times you annihilate him.

Senju moves forward, watching his hand meld back together. "I haven't ever seen that before. It's rather effective." His eyes train on me, "Unfortunately for you, though, I cannot die."

I stared at him through the eye slits in my fox mask, thoroughly confused now that the shock had allowed me to collect my thoughts if only a little. What kind of Hokage allowed an attack upon himself?

It is not his reflexes, he is toying with you. He has you trapped. Senju allowed the attack on purpose.

My eyes widen and I growl. I'm such an idiot! I knew I shouldn't have charged in there! Now I really was going to get scolded by Kakashi!

I continued to mentally face-palm, all the while still trying to jerk my arm back. Okay, so thought before action was not a common practice of mine... Senju sighed and stepped forward with his arm extended and planted it one my chest. Kyuubi suddenly went ballistic, thrashing about his power so much that even my skin began hurting. My brain was taken by the image of Madara and Senju Hashirama in battle, images flashing in my head chronologically as I witnessed the fight progress.

Wood bursts from Senju, wrapping around Kurama and a fast approaching Madara in midair. I feel the blinding pain from both Kurama and Madara as they are ripped from each other and separated by Senju seals. As I flash back to reality, I feel my skin crawl with increasing intensity with each inch that disappears between Senju's hand and my chest.

"Get back, Senju! I'll devour you!" The hand pauses, but I hear a chuckle escape from Senju.

"Kyuubi, it doesn't matter who you're caged by, either way you are always trapped. Be it by a wicked Uchiha, a Senju, or an Uzumaki. You are always controlled, just as you are by this boy and my necklace at this very moment."

The hand moves forward and grips the ANBU breastplate, tearing it from my body. I grunt, but refuse to show any more pain or fear than this. I move back to avoid his touch, but it's futile. I'm trapped in place and I can't kill him, so I can only grit my teeth and expect the worst.

I'm surprised when a gentle hand flattens against my chest and creeps up to pull down the collar of my black undershirt. The crystal that was laying underneath was snatched and Kyuubi's demonic energy flowed through me violently, instantly burning away the foreign wood holding my arm in place. I mentally thanked Kurama for his care in not searing my clothes off and turned to face Senju, only to discover that he was gone...

My nails grew to claws and Kurama's image slowly began taking over mine in our fury, but before I could destroy anything, a weak voice stopped me.

"Na... ruto... boy..." I turn to see Sarutobi Hiruzen staring at me with squinted eyes and a bruised face. I run to his side, taking off his robes to see his broken body, damning myself for not learning any healing spells from Sakura.

"Hey, you geezer, you'll be fine!... Let me go get Sakura or Tsunade and they'll fix you right up!" I move to leave, the fake grin on my face beginning to falter, but a limp grip on my gloved hand stops me.

"Naruto... I'm not an immortal demon, I am a bles...sed one... My strength and body expired long before my Hokage title did..." My eyes water and I shake my head, but he continues... "If Elders would allow it, I'd leave that title to you... just... defend The Leaf in my stead..." His eyes close and I shake him awake frantically.

"Hey, Old Man! Who's gonna put up with me, huh? Konoha needs you!" The eyes try to close once more, but I don't let up. "Geezer! Get up, you old-!"

"Naruto... Let him go in peace..." My wet eyes are still red with Kyuubi's rage as I face Kakashi. He was badly beaten as well and his Sharingan continued to bleed. Despite the signs that Kakashi fought quite hard, that he defended our leader with all his might, I am cruel when I address him.

"And what the hell were you doing?! Sitting around reading porn while Sandaime was beaten? What kind of 'protector' are you? How could you-"

"Naruto!" My teeth click from being slammed shut so quickly. "Naruto, Senju Hashirama, one of the greatest demons in the world was responsible. We attacked with our all but he simply wouldn't be killed. This is no one's fault but Orochimaru's for resurrecting him..." I know. I knew this, but I wanted someone to blame, someone within my reach to feel my wrath. It was clear that Kakashi couldn't take Senju, the fact that he was still caught in the wooden seal-trap was proof enough.

My hands cradle my face and I sob, my chest ached with more emotion than Kurama knew how to filter. I know it was wrong to take it out on him, but knowing and feeling were two different things, and at the moment, feeling was taking precedent. How many people died today? How many are out there dieing? My head snaps up, "Oh God, where's Gaara?!" But Kakashi speaks before I can bury myself in worry.

"Gaara is on the ground fighting off Root. He can hold his own against them easily..." Just as he says this, Iruka busts through the doors.

"Kakashi! Are you alright-!"

"I'm fine, how is it outside?" Iruka races to Kakashi's side, looking to the ground at the body that was slowly losing heat before stealing himself to stare back to his significant other. "Kakashi, it was madness down there. We were being over come by root, Gaara was seen fighting unmasked by the Hyuuga cousins, but I'm not sure if they know who he is, and half the village suffered severe physical damage. Everything was starting to go down hill and all of the sudden the Root started dropping like flies!"

My eyes widened in suspicion as Iruka continued. "It was a masked demon, but he wasn't of Konoha or of Root, other wise I would have suspected that Sai had blown his cover as a double agent in Root. Then, several witnesses say that some shadow demon appeared and grabbed him and they just vanished! Danzou has gone missing as well, along with his high-ranked root members, according to Sai."

Kakashi's eyes are calculating as they absorb this, then he gives me a suspicious look. "What a shame that this powerhouse of a fighter was unable to aide us any further. Perhaps Sandaime could have been saved..."

The mood depresses once more as each pair of eyes looks to the body I sat next to. I chew my bottom lip, shaking my head because I simply couldn't understand the motive.

"Why?... What does that Snake want that he can't obtain him self?" I shake my head again, choking on my grief because I simply couldn't swallow it with all of the other emotions swirling in my head. Fear and paranoia that Sasuke would be caught, sorrow for the ones I've lost, anger directed at Orochimaru and Senju, and that all too familiar feeling I thought I had escaped from; the feeling I'd been abandoned. I needed my brother, I needed Gaara and Sakura, I needed Sasuke- my new friend and allie.

The rustling of clothes and leaves is background noise to me as Kakashi frees himself from his wooden trap with Iruka's help and puts an arm around me. "It makes sense, I guess. Only a Hokage knows how to break into Konoha completely undetected. Plus, Orochimaru has been hunting that apprentice of his... It's been madness all over the Hidden world, so I imagine that Orochimaru's using all resources to find him."

I exhale a shaky breath as I absorb this information. "That, or he's using one resource strategically." It makes sense. Kurama is always talking about Senju and Uchiha, as well as their history. That has to be why he sent the first hokage here.

Iruke frowns, his fingers scratching his chin in thought. "Perhaps he thinks Senju Hashirama has a better chance of this apprentice." If even Iruka is assuming so, then I can't be far off. I stand abruptly and move to leave this scene and hunt Sasuke down, praying that his disappearing act could fool Senju as well, when Iruka's radio goes off.

"Ino-Shika-Chou reporting! We have located Danzou at the valley- What the hell was that?!" We all turn to aim our ears at the radio through which Iruka replies.

"Iruka to Ino-Shika-Chou! What do you see?!" Half a minute of static meets us before a reply.

"We're fighting off some of the Root!... Two figures appeared releasing oppressive, immensely powerful chakra! E-everything has gone dark and one of the figures is fighting Danzou!"

I choke on air, knowing that Sasuke has to be at least one of those figures and I turn to race out but my body is halted by Kyuubi.

The other figure is either Itachi or Madara. Without the Senju crystal, you will be discovered. You cannot go.

"Naruto, what are you doing?"

I turn, glad that they can't see my mouth open and close in search of an answer.

"Uh... I'm going to find Gaara!" I quickly make a low level clone and send him to do what I originally planned on doing. "Go to The Final Valley! See about that fight! Make sure they are okay!" My clone nods in a deeper understanding upon hearing the emphasis on 'they' before jumping through the window and racing off to where Sasuke was. There, two birds with one stone.

Now I can only hope that my loved ones were all okay...

---

Sasuke

We had been running for some time, only ever pausing to eliminate any 'obstacles' that tried to hinder our advance. It was smooth, nearly effortless traveling for a pair so skilled in the art of combat, so I felt no need to change form or even evolve my eyes from basic Sharingan, nor did I feel the need to change my aura to a more threatening feel. The adrenaline coursed though me almost lazily, just present enough to make my body aware of battle.

As soon as we approached that tower, though, my muscles locked up and my entire signature disappeared as if out of sheer instinct. Something in my blood held me back, making my stomach flip in the most nauseating way imaginable. My eyes twitched and my pupils dilate rapidly, forcing Sharingan to leave my eyes instead of evolving further as they normally would in such a situation.

Naruto is talking to me but I only unconsciously register what he's saying and respond as best I can. It's almost as if the words fall on deaf ears, but the droning sound of Naruto's voice in the background is some how registered in my brain. As soon as his back turns, mine does too. I did not feel fear, per say, but a repulsed feeling, something in my gut that desired nothing but distance from what ever was up in that tower. It was uncomfortable and I felt suppressed, so I fled because I knew I could not defend Naruto in such a state, dumb founded and therefor useless.

As I ventured through the miniature war-zone, I took out anyone who fit Naruto's description of 'enemy', imagining that they were his personal enemy. This fueled my battle fury quite well and I was covered in blood within minutes, my mind forced to focus on death rather than the mysterious feelings clouding my head. As I was slicing through my umpteenth victim, Madara appeared out of no where, sucking me into the dark transportation technique I had only seen once, from that time at Deidara's house.

The next thing I see is a water fall and I'm facing a statue of a vaguely familiar face, one I'd seen quite a bit in Orochimaru's labs. I shiver a bit, opting to face other questions instead. I turn back to Madara, "What the hell was that?" Being caught in that technique left me feeling strange, even more darkly empowered than Orochimaru's Curse Mark.

He's panting of to the side, bracing himself on his knees for a minute before looking at me with bright red, glowing eyes. "That was me coming to fetch you like a dog! Do you feel the air right now? Something is not right! I want to get back to your brother immediately, I-"

"Uchiha Madara... It's been quite awhile, hmm?" says an old raspy voice. Madara stiffens, and if I were any other person I would have watched in 'horror' as his skin became not ivory, but pasty white- then, deep bruises slowly appeared until they darkened black around his red eyes. His lips pulled back in a sneer to reveal the sharpest canines I had ever seen outside of legend scrolls.

Madara turned slowly and I moved with him to watch the interaction from a better view point. I frown as I recognize Danzou. I'd seen him lurking with Orochimaru on 'business', though I had no knowledge of his relations to Konoha or Madara for that matter. It seemed as though Madara didn't recognize him as well as I did, though. His mouth opened and his voice seeped out even smoother and deeper than normal. "And who are you to know my name from my face alone?" The old man laughs and cradles his wrapped arm suspiciously.

"Well it has been awhile and we have both changed a bit, me more than yourself, as you haven't aged since our last... meeting. Judging by that mark on your neck I can assume that you have found someone worth your time? I suppose Senju simply didn't cut it..." He chuckles darkly once more, his already narrowed eyes shrinking.

Madara hisses, "What do you know of my past and present, you-" He stops and his eyes narrow in what seems to be recognition before a frightening smile spreads over his face.

"Hn... I know who you are now, you little brat. That's quite the ugly scar you've got on your chin. I would say it's healed rather badly, hn, young Danzou?" Said man stops laughing and scowls.

"Yes, well, I'm sure you kept quite a few of yours from your time in Senju's chambers-"

"SILENCE YOURSELF!"

Danzou's mouth snapped shut and Madara composed himself, as best he could, at the very least. I suspected that his image was the last thing on his mind at the moment, because even before Danzou appeared, Madara had seemed a bit 'off'. His eyes kept changing color and his once casual 'aloof' behavior was now interrupted by what seemed to be a nervous twitch.

Madara stepped forward after a second or so of silence. "Do you remember the last thing I said to you, Danzou?" My eyes look to said man.

Danzou tensed, as if ready for battle, leaving me to assume that the last thing Madara had said to him had been a rather bloody threat. Even I tensed, ready to jump out or jump in if such a battle ensued, because quite frankly, I feel that fighting alongside Madara would be both good and bad. Unless of course you were Itachi, as they seemed rather accustomed to fighting together...

I'm jarred from my thoughts when, instead of initiating a fight, Madara sits down, grinning.

"So you do remember, Danzou? Are you ready to suffer the fate of Senju Hashirama? Hn?" Madara's eyes shift to me, then back to Danzou with an even bigger smile that revealed his disturbingly large teeth.

"Well, as much as I'd like to end you, I'd like even more that your death be slow. You see, young Sasuke here-" He motions to me, causing Danzou to interrupt him.

"Is your mate?" Madara becomes furious, and if I were any other person my face would have been bright red.

"NO, you insolent fool! Sasuke here, my descendant, is rather hungry for battle..." Danzou's eyes move to me and I offer a blank stare, gripping my Kusanagi.

Madara wanted me to fight in his place? Honestly, I had mixed feelings. Part of me was glad to fight the man in charge of this 'Root' who so opposed my Allie, part of me was annoyed that I was fighting Madara's battles, then part of me was honored for the same reason. Either way, I was going to kill Danzou.

Said man seemed to be as mixed up as I was, "You want me to fight this child before I kill you?" Madara laughs, and I find the deep vibrations both soothing and terrifying.

"Heh, no, Young Danzou. I want to see Uchiha Itachi's younger brother kill you..." Madara smirks as we make eye contact and when Danzou gasps in realization, I take my queue and attack.

Danzou just barely dodges me, instead attacking my ancestor. Madara laughs, waiting until the last second to vanish and reappear on the other statue's head in sweep of black smoke like he had done when he snatched me from battle. I attacked Danzou once more, simultaneously setting lightening traps around the waterfall if he happened to survive.

My sword pierced his back, shoving through and breaking the ribs that sheltered his lungs. Another layer of red joined the collection of various blood samples that coated my front and the satisfaction it brought me left my body tingling. I felt my gums throb uncomfortably as my own canines grew like Madara's. I quickly changed into my cursed-seal form, not comfortable with the thought of looking as psychotic as Madara currently did as he danced on the head of Senju's statue. I shuddered, pulling my katana from Danzou, prepared to watch his body fall, but instead of collapsing he just faded away. My eyes narrow before transforming to Sharingan.

I glance around in search of his form only to find him on Senju's head with Madara. I quickly use a body flicker to transfer myself over to them, appearing a few feet away and running forward. Madara was fighting back effortlessly with only hand to hand combat as Danzou attacked with strange techniques that I was unfamiliar with. With glowing hands, Danzou swung at Madara's neck not making any real contact, only the glow of the energy grazing his neck. I expected Madara to spring forward and resume fighting carelessly as he had been, but this wasn't what happened. Instead of brushing this attack off as he had been doing previously, he growled, roared and snarled like a beast, the sounds from his throat not matching up with his exterior. I watch in horror as Madara crumples, holding onto his neck for dear life.

He pulled his hand back to stare at the blood, then he placed it back on the wound to feel the torn flesh there. Madara's breath came out as sharp panting, and he seems panicked, not knowing what to do with this wound, almost like he couldn't believe it.

"So it's true, then, Madara... an Uchiha's bond is an Uchiha's weakness... I only wish Hashirama-sama hadn't left so quickly. If only you had gotten here a few minutes earlier." Madara's resulting gasp sounded wet, as if he were choking at the sound of this information, or perhaps his own blood.

"Yes, it's true. Senju has been revived by Orochimaru's Edo Tensei. Sad that you missed each other, I'm sure the reunion would have been... eventful to say the least." Danzou's voice is tasked from exerting himself, and he unravels the wrapping around his arm, looking prepared to dish out a final blow to end my ancestor.

My eyebrows nearly met in my utter confusion, because I simply couldn't fathom that Uchiha Madara could end. Could that measly bond truly be such an Achilles heel? A simple bond between student and master? My muscles twitched to move between Danzou and Madara, a strange instinct to do not only Madara's bidding, but Itachi's. I felt it in my blood, something telling me that this action would not just save Madara, but please Itachi and have me in his favor.

I couldn't think for too long over these troubling thoughts, because as soon as I jerked to move, Danzou was annihilated by Madara. His head had just snapped up and Danzou... exploded. It happened almost too fast to see, and if I hadn't had Sharingan, I'm sure I would have missed it. It was as if Madara had just... had enough. I quickly bounce back and snap out of my daze and gag a bit, spitting out chunks of Kami-knows-what, since my mouth had been open. There was a crater in the head of Senju Hashirama's statue as well as swaying cracks that suggested we leave or fall with it. I coughed violently, Sharingan eyes straining to see past the smoke as I crawl toward Madara's grunting and growling form. When I reached him I flipped him over, afraid to look into his red eyes for the first second. His body language reminded me of someone stuck in a Sharingan illusion, entranced and immobile, but his eyes had no tomoe, just a glowing red.

"Madara." No response. "Madara! Hey!" Nothing. He just continued to shudder, his eyes switching from red to a swirly purple to Sharingan. Each shift left me with a different sensation, as if being his descendant had me connected to him in some way. I suspected that it was because he was the head of our clan, our dominant leader, but my brain wouldn't accept it. His eyes were Sharingan again, and my head throbbed in response, every cell in my body moving. It was as if Madara was commanding my body to help him via Mangekyou, but my body couldn't figure out how.

"M-Madara!" Nothing, once more. His eyes changed to the glowing red and my head ache receded, only transforming into an awful fever, so hot that the cool Konoha air around me became humid. I stared at him as his gaze glazed over in what looked to be shock. With a grunt, I captured the idea that I could fix whatever was wrong with his neck wound, but when I pulled his hand back, he swung his other clawed hand at me, eyes shifting as if he could not see me, as if he could not see who was touching him, therefor assuming I was an enemy.

I backed away that time, unsure of what to do after what I saw. It appeared as if whatever energy Danzou had swung at Madara was eating away at the blackening mark on his neck. Madara's blood was pouring from the wound, trying to force the infection of Danzou's energy out and heal the mark, but it was a tied battle, and it was literally driving Madara insane. In that instant, I knew I could do nothing to help him. I only let myself despair for a second before I got an idea.

Still in curse-seal mode, dug my elongated claw into the wound on Madara's neck, earning several wounds of my own as Madara brutally attacked me with surprisingly coordinated flailing claws, but it had to be done. When enough blood coated my hand I jumped back to put space between us. I bit the thumb of my other hand hard enough to draw blood and slapped the hand down onto the swaying rock, then with the hand covered in Madara's blood, I quickly drew the summons seal, writing the Kanji for Itachi's name in the center. Then, using the image I had copied via Sharingan, I drew the bond markings I had memorized surrounding Itachi's name on the mark on Madara's neck. I shoved as much Chakra into the summoning as possible, hoping if not for Madara's sake, then for mine and Konoha's sake that Itachi would appear, because Madara looked ready to bring a new hell.

A black smoke exploded from the summonings, reminding me of Madara's teleportation technique, and I jumped back, unsure of what would happen. I had never seen anything like that in a summonings, but then again, I had never used a bond and another person's blood as a medium. Pretty good hunch, if I do say so myself, and there was a brief swell of pride in discovering a new method of summoning.

As I had said, though, it was brief.

When the smoke finally cleared, it was indeed Itachi that revealed himself, confused and disoriented. I was about to tell him what had happened when he clutched his neck and his anguished face immediately turned to Madara's seizing form, as if he had sensed him. Weird.

I watched, slightly disturbed, as Itachi desperately gathered the grown man in his arms. I moved to warn him against doing such a thing, sure that Madara was going to rip him to shreds or combust him like he had done to Danzou, but I silenced myself to watch the odd interaction. They had always behaved strangely around each other, but this took the cake. My breath escaped me as I watched Madara's body go limp in Itachi's apparently soothing hold, said man's hands moving the hair from Madara's sweaty face. The latter looked weaker than I had ever seen him, and I imagine weaker than Itachi has ever seen him, if the panicked expression on his face was anything to go by.

Madara's deep voice sounded even deeper, and was airy as he spoke, "Itachi... 'Tachi..." His eyes finally focused, stuck on Itachi's face, and the corner of his mouth perks up pathetically in what looks to be relief.

I had never seen Itachi in such a state, but he nearly screamed, "What happened, Sasuke?!" My mouth opened and closed, frightened and freaked out by this new Itachi.

"H-he... Danzou used..." I blinked multiple times and shook my head, "Danzou struck him in the neck, he freaked out and..." It was all I could get out, my speech having left me as I watch Itachi kiss Madara's forehead in a way I thought only mothers kissed their crying young. Itachi raised gentle hands to remove Madara's hand from the wound on his neck, Madara reluctantly allowing this as he twitched once more. I watched and listened as Itachi let out what sounded like a choked sob as he stared at the bloody, chakra-burned mess before staring back at Madara.

"Tell me how, Madara! Let me help you!" Madara's eyes jerked away from Itachi, leaving me to think that they were speaking in some code that I didn't understand. Suddenly Itachi grit his teeth, grabbing Madara's jaw to turn his head, trapping him in Mangekyou. Everything was happening too fast for me to comprehend, too fast to stop but just fast enough to continue watching. Madara goes completely limp and Itachi's grip on his sensei's jaw loosens until he is caressing the man's face. This quiet only lasts so long as the sound of furious footsteps creep into my consciousness and I see multiple root members charging up Senju's busted statue, having defeated most of the Konoha opponents below.

"Aniki!" I turn and try to warn him, but he's too sucked into Madara's mind, either ignoring me or not hearing anything around him. A grunt escapes me and I turn away once more to defend them in their vulnerable state, grabbing my sword with hands that had thick veins pumping too much adrenaline. I bust a hole through the first attacker with Chidori, sparta-kicking his fresh corpse off the side to knock some others down. I peer over the edge to see some of the surviving Konoha fighters following the root members up the statue, trying to keep them from coming up here with me and the one who killed Danzou. I quickly eliminated the ones that escaped their reach, sighing in relief as I see a few Konoha reinforcements coming to aide, even a quick yellow head of hair that I suspected to be Naruto.

With a pleased expression, I turn to tell Itachi. "Aniki, let's get the hell out of he-" I choke on my words at the sight that greets me.

Itachi was cradling Madara's body, his hand gripping the man's hair as he burrowed his face deeper into the man's neck. Itachi's face was dead white, his eyes surrounded with black, and his mouth bloody. I see Madara twitch and I unconsciously scream "Aniki, stop!" for fear that Itachi was killing his sensei, but when Itachi pulls his mouth back, I see the wound begin to sizzle and heal. Madara falls from Itachi's lap with a tired thud and Itachi pants and coughs off to the side, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

I take a step towards him, concerned and slightly mortified, but trip when I see one of the Root sneaking behind them. "Itachi-!" but before I can even finish my warning, a fiery force suddenly slams down on the man.

Susano'o.

The hand of Susano'o not only flattens the sneak attacker, but the surface he was standing on, and as the head of the Senju statue crumbles apart, we Uchiha fall with it. I quickly sprout the wings of my curse-seal form and try to save my kin, but I simply cannot fly fast enough with all of the rubble raining down on us. One of the large rocks fall onto my back, preventing my wings from working properly, so I plummet down with them anyway.

I slam down to the unforgiving ground with quaking force.

"Ugh, fuck..." I groan as the dust clears. I sit up to see the root surrounding us, the Konoha reinforcements having backed off to avoid the falling debris of the collapse. "Aniki!" I don't have to search long. I find him directly behind me, guarding Madara with his life.

He stands, grabbing me by the shirt to hoist me with him. "Sasuke, have my back." I nod with wide eyes, unsure of what he means until I see his hand seals. I quickly mimic them with a smirk, liking where this was heading.

"Goukakyuu!" Fire is seemingly thrown from our mouths, quickly burning those who surround us to a crisp as we rotate with our backs together, covering each other. Those who escaped the 'ring of fire' charge at us when it's over, but are quickly taken out. Itachi doesn't even have to use Sharingan as he fights them off, effectively breaking them with his swift, efficient strikes. It happens almost too fast, and instead of fighting off the Root, I'm left to admire Itachi's skill and grace as he drops them one by one, moving almost like a dancer. The last one falls, bringing me out of my distracted daze, and I'm prepared to face the questionings of Naruto's allies(since they happened to be racing toward us), when Itachi snatches my collar, and in a haze of illusion, we disappear back to Itachi's apartment in the unhidden world.

I blink when, instead of meeting the eyes of Naruto, my eyes see the wall of Itachi and Madara's shared apartment.

"Karasu-san! Where did you go before, Karasu-san! It scared me!" I turn my head to see a small girl running toward Itachi and Madara clumsily. I quickly return to a more human looking form before she sees me.

She stopped when she got closer to the pair, "Oh! You brought back the pretty- hey, what's wrong with you guys?" Her curiosity quickly changed to wariness upon further inspection of the two. I moved forward to grab her as Itachi bared his teeth upon her close proximity. He slowly turned back to the demon in his lap, licking the blood from his lips as he play with Madara's matted hair. He didn't quite feel like Itachi for a minute, reminding me more of an injured animal, or a mother protecting her injured young, but after being assured that Madara was in fact all right, Itachi eventually came around.

"Sasuke..." I started at the sound of his raspy voice, my grip on the little girl a bit tighter. I had no idea why she was here, but I couldn't let anything happen to her that would bring suspicion to Itachi.

Itachi's eyebrows furrowed before softening, "Miko, come here, I am fine..." The little girl looked up at me before wiggling out of my arms and slowly walking to Itachi's. Said man moved to take her hand, but both parties froze when they saw that the hand he offered was covered in blood. Itachi slowly hid the hand, and 'Miko' took an unsure step forward, peering at Itachi's face through her hair. Itachi beckoned her closer, and when she moved, his eyes rapidly transformed into Mangekyou, then the red color like Madara's, and the girl collapsed.

I gaped in shock, "Aniki! You didn't-"

"No, I did not, Sasuke. Why would I place her in Tsukuyomi?" I closed my mouth, unable to give an answer that wouldn't get me slapped.

He sighed, "I just made her forget that Madara and I left. Her father's mate is Hatake Kakashi, a demon that was in ANBU with me. I don't want her talking about me to him." I hesitantly nodded in understanding, picking the girl up and placing her on the couch before watching Itachi wake Madara up.

"Madara-sama..." Itachi stroked the man's face with the back of his hand, making his eyes flutter open in confusion. Itachi gently nudged him to get him up, "Let's get you to bed, Madara..." And Itachi hoisted him up, supporting Madara's dead weight as he took the bleary-eyed demon to his room. He stopped in the door way and turned his head back, one half of his face slightly obscured by the messy hair of Madara's lulling head.

"Sasuke... Thank you for summoning me..." I nod nervously and he narrows his eyes. "We will talk further another time... Go to your dorm room."

I watch the door close, my ears ringing as the room becomes silent. Instead of following Itachi's order, though, I go to spend the last hour of night in another room.

My allie's room.

---

Itachi

I had been sitting on the couch, letting Miko play with my hair. She had a few spurts of talkativeness, but for the most part she remained silent, which really helped me think. I was beginning to worry about my kin. Madara had left some time ago, so I was a bit concerned. Had Sasuke truly gotten himself in trouble in the Hidden world? What would possess him to go?

My brows furrowed and I began to suspect that the emergency in Konoha that Iruka left for had something to do with it and I began to panic, especially with the terrible feeling that was creeping through the bond seal. The sensation slowly intensified, and I had to put my had over my neck to vainly try to keep myself from hyperventilating. Something spiked and I began sweating, and if I were any lesser man I would begin crying for Madara. Something was definitely not okay, and I can feel the Madara through the bond. Something must have happened and he is calling for me.

I launch myself off the couch, surprising the little girl standing behind me. "I'll be back soon, Miko."

I made multiple seals and activating Sharingan to teleport to Madara through our bond so I could appear next to him immediately. Instead of that, I double over as a sharp pain sears through my bond. It's almost nauseating, but what disturbed me more was that this pain was coming from Madara and I couldn't go to him.

"Karasu-san! What's wrong?" I honestly didn't know, myself. I knew that I could go to Madara through the bond, but for some reason it just wouldn't work...

I placed my fingers on the bond mark and called to him as loud as I could. Madara! Madara-sama!

Nothing. No reply. It was just me sitting in silence, listening hard for something I could only hear in my head. Nothing. Whatever this pain was, it was stunting our connection, making it impossible for us to properly communicate. My eyebrows furrow and I stand to pace around the living room.

"Karasu-san? Are you okay?"

I don't stop pacing. "...I'm fi-" the words were halted when the seal on my neck begins to burn and tingle, and suddenly, I'm two hundred feet in the air, staring at a sweaty, bloody... monsrous looking Sasuke. I was ridiculously confused at first, but my surroundings were familiar, though I couldn't place where I'd seen them. It didn't matter, really, as I wasn't given much time to dwell on it before Madara's mark began burning like a new sun. My head snapped to the side, immediately finding him despite the dust and smoke everywhere. The oxygen was ripped from my lungs when I see the state my beloved one was in. I had never seen Madara this way, and I honestly had no idea how to process the image my eyes tried to absorb.

I quickly, and gently, pick his tense body up from the hard ground and into my lap and his body goes lax. Each of our breaths leave in shudders as I do my best to make him comfortable, moving his damp hair from his feverishly sweaty skin. I unconsciously begin to rock him slightly, as he often did to me as a child when I laid with him.

A dazed, rough, and deeper voice began to hum my name. "Itachi... 'Tachi..." I felt panic swell in my throat and salty liquid swell in my eyes. Madara finally looked at me, his eyes locked onto mine and not moving. He was so out of it as he smiled slightly, pleased that I was at his side. I stared straight back at him, trying my hardest to place my normal mask back onto my face but I continuously failed.

I felt emotion tear it's way up my throat, "What happened, Sasuke?!" It was more of a scream than a question, really, but I look to Sasuke expectantly anyway. He gaped like a fish, unable to get words out as he stare at me in my most vulnerable state.

"H-he... Danzou used..." He paused, fumbling over words as he tried to collect himself. "Danzou struck him in the neck, he freaked out and..." In the neck? I felt dread wash over me as Madara shivered ever so slightly. I unconsciously put my mouth to his forehead, but it felt as if I were preparing myself for what I was about to see rather than comforting him. With a deep, silent breath, I make to move his hand from our bond mark. I feel his muscles resisting, as if he thinks that his hand is protecting our bond, but when the muscles finally give, I realize that he is only protecting me from seeing such a dishonorable wound upon my sensei.

It was disgusting, and painful to look at beyond all words. I stare at the wound, time frozen in my mind, it seems, because everything around me was blurred and unmoving. Whatever Danzou attacked with was definitely an awful poison, something I had never seen before because I had no idea that anything could affect Madara that way. The flesh of our bond mark was torn and blackening, wet with blood and a dark drainage of some sort seeping from the wound, as if trying to force whatever infection out. I shuddered, my breath shaking from my chest, resembling a sob instead.

I felt it in me once more, that familiar feeling that told me that I knew exactly how to soothe my mate, a feeling that left little tingles of 'Haze' creeping into my brain and taking over my body, but I had no idea how to use this instinct. I became hysterically furious, shouting "Tell me how, Madara! Let me help you!" and I was positive that Madara knew exactly what I was talking about because he jerked away, preferring to agonize rather than reveal his precious secrets. My blood boiled, something deep within my being violently raged at being denied the right and ability to come to the aide of my beloved. The sound of my teeth grinding together clicks into my head and without any real thought, my furious hands tightly grasped the lower part of his face hard enough to bruise even his skin.

He couldn't resist in his current condition, so jerking his jaw to face me was effortless, and he was immediately trapped by eyes. When our conscious minds mix together, his body finally relaxes, muscles limp as his physical self is lifeless. His mind, though, is an entirely different story.

It seems like a thousand images are swimming through the link between our minds, like floating pictures or screens moving past, back and forth, side to side, around and around. Some were random, but there were a few of these images that repeated, that were on multiple screens in different directions. Not many minds worked like this, though I assumed the lack of organization was due to the shock his body was currently going through, so for awhile(inside his mind it seemed hours, but outside it was seconds) I just watched the images zoom past, mixed up and frantic like his current emotions and physical reactions.

I looked at the images moving slowly, looming in the back of the foggy black field. These seemed to be memories of the deep past, memories and thoughts so ancient that they held moving pictures of Madara before he stopped aging. I admired the visuals, eyes softening at Madara in his youth. He was a serious, mean child with long, messy, spiky hair and eyebrows that only ever seemed to slant down. I watched him play and fight with his younger brother, I felt the mixed feelings he had towards said little brother. So much love, partnership and devotion, so much hate, rivalry and facade. I saw his first meetings with the dreaded Senju clan and their future leader, Hashirama. I marveled as he grew older and he became more and more acquainted with blood than he already was, be it in war or ritual. My brows furrowed on the outside world.

From these thoughts slowly flowed images of Madara with his face buried in a wet, red neck. I saw bright glowing eyes and dead-looking flesh, first from Madara, then his victims. Humans. Madara was eating human beings. Image after image assaulted me and I could do nothing but live through them, the feelings of satisfaction, the quenched thirst and extinguished burning, the pure lust and power when he fed from a demon of equal strength, and the despair and victory when he ended his brother in a similar fashion.

From then on, Madara did not feel compassion, it seemed. Every thud of a corpse hitting the ground was as unnoticed as one's own heartbeat. Senju battles blurred together in our now-shared peripheral vision, and his pure despise boiled the blood in my veins as our eyes zeroed in on Senju Hashirama. I was eager to feel Madara's adrenaline flow through me, but as soon as Senju's eyes met ours, the change in scenery was instantaneous. Dread nestled into my bones when I realized how familiar my surroundings were. This was the dark chamber that I had once seen in my previous ventures into Madara's brain, only this time, I was watching through his eyes, no longer viewing the happenings as an invisible by-standard.

I suddenly see Senju in front of me with a familiar looking rod of metal. I had seen it only once before... when Madara and I were tied together. I hear Madara's incomplete thoughts begin to ring through our link, sarcastic sounding and almost insulted as Senju stepped forward, as if trying to intimidate Madara with the rod. Said man's body fought to stay upright and maintain eye-contact with Senju, not willing to submit by looking away, but far too exhausted to keep his head up and speak those mocking thoughts that sat on the tip of his tired tongue. I felt the exhaustion that weighed Madara down and immediately wanted out. Our body ached and stung, and I felt the energy being sucked out of us. Our lungs worked and worked to keep breathing, and Senju Hashirama's voice hummed unintelligibly in the background. How long must Madara have been trapped here? What kind of seals were these that they drained Madara so completely?

A whipping rod stung the underside of my chin to force my face up and Senju begins making snide comments about how compliant Madara is, and said Uchiha replies by spitting in his face, as he was unable to convey his feelings verbally. I felt my mate becoming unsettled with Senju's words.

I watch from Madara's eyes in slight disgust as the Shodaime smiles and smears the slimy, saliva of my mate between his fingers.

"Tell me, was that meant to heal or harm?" Madara sucks air through his teeth, the only sign that he is sweating inside. I personally did not quite 'get' the reference, but judging by the way Senju smirked and licked his fingers I would have to say the Shodaime's knowledge was not going to be used in our- or Madara's- favor.

"You know, I've never trusted an Uchiha to his word, but when the council proposed this 'engagement', I was intrigued, and curious to find the outcome of such a bold move." Engagement?

Madara's thoughts became nervous, and all I could do was listen on, as I had never been apart of this memory. "I thought-'Now why would the Uchiha council members think that such a think could stop an eternal war?'- and wow, I must say, The Uchiha family history left me amazed." This left me to wonder exactly how long Konoha had been planning the annihilation of the Uchiha clan, but Madara's thoughts lied somewhere else.

I inwardly-of course, since I am only inward at this point- jump at the feeling of cold metal trailing down Madara's neck and chest, and it is at this point that Madara comes to realize he is armorless and vulnerable, and these feelings are given to me against his will.

I growled possessively as Senju's eyes followed the path of the rod, bearing my teeth at the lustful expression he wore, but my challenge and displease was unheard and unseen by Senju, or Madara for that matter.

"Now, to find information on the Uchiha bloodline was hard enough, but finding information on the secret Uchiha bloodline, I had to call in a friend..." Madara's eyes slowly move to the cloaked figure creeping from the shadows but is unable to recognize him. I, myself, though, have a sense of unwanted familiarity with the stranger.

My metaphysical body jumps within Madara's mind as the whipping rod slaps against my mate's face to steal his attention from the shadowy figure. How dare he... The respect I held for Senju Hashirama and his Konoha seems to wilt with each passing second of actually experiencing the man first hand instead of in story. The core of my demonic being, the confusing fire of The Haze builds in me as my fury emerges from my cold mask. That strike had drawn the blood of my mate.

I listen with a filter of hate in my ear canal. "You see, in my clan, 'bonding' is not so deep and consuming, so the fact that it is for an evil, lifeless Uchiha fascinates me." I find this rather insulting, yet I can't help to smirk as I feel Madara's desire to spit in his face once more, but this fiery spunk only seems to amuse the Shodaime.

He smiles awfully and gives a dark chuckle, making me snarl to no one in particular. "I think its funny that you still have this much fight in you after three weeks of starvation..." Starvation? Lack of food could not possibly leave Madara's body so drained...

"After learning about the 'marking' ceremony, I understand why my informant here-" He gestures behind himself, "-warned me that you would come to kill me. I would have honestly done the same in your shoes. I also understand why the council was so sure it would cure the clans. You would be inseparably bound to me against your will, but would be unable to run or fight." He pauses in his rambling to mock Madara"How intimate for a clan so cold..." Senju's brown eyes meet with Madara's tired ones, and I wish this weren't a mere memory I was living in so that he could see me and my fury. He cannot, though, and he continues talking down to my beloved, crazed eyes looking into Madara's."You would think of no one else but me, your greatest enemy, and if the clan-heads aren't fighting, then neither are the clans, and you just wouldn't have that." He leans in to us, "But it must happen. The Uchiha clan will fall with this ceremony and the Hidden world will watch the Senju rise above your crumpled form, praising our glory."

I have never felt such rage in my body... I wish I could be released from Madara's mind and kill this man. Konoha's co-founder, leader, idol. I killed my clan in the name of his and Madara's village. The mere thought of Shodaime's name being thrown together with Madara's made me sick, and I felt sure that next time I were to go to Deidara's house, I would tear down it's walls and burn them with an eternally black fire.

I didn't want to hear this any more, knowing that this would only feed my new found hatred, but I listened on, because this memory was a part of Madara... "Getting all of that processed was helpful, but it seems without a bond-ee's Fire Technique, the ceremony is impossible. I thought, how could I possibly get this Uchiha to allow the Senju mark upon his body?" He stopped and looked at Madara's vulnerable body. "That's when my friend came into the picture. You are of 'Special Blood', isn't that right? That vicious 'breed' within each of the ocular clans." His grin seemed to be growing insane. Madara was becoming weary and curious of this 'informant', not liking the person's knowledge of what appears to be Madara's secrets.

Senju began to flaunt said given knowledge,"Your saliva is capable of becoming medicine or poison on whim, you live and thrive on flesh, and become titanically powerful after such feasts." Ha! This dolt is describing Madara like some kind of Dracula-medicine man! I expected to feel Madara's similar mocking emotions flow through me, but he seemed to growl in defeat, as if this knowledge were accurate.

I had never witnessed this side of the Shodaime- not that I had witnessed any side, but I'm sure he did not reveal this manic behavior to his people..."-But, without such feasts, your body and eyes are weak to sunlight, and you become like any other Uchiha, only after awhile, you can't even use Sharingan, and you only spiral further downward. I imagine my clan's anti-demonic seals don't help. Can you feel your 'Secret weapon' being suppressed? Your hunger eats you alive, doesn't it?" His references are lost to me, but Madara shivers, and a beast within him shudders a weak hiss. It sounded as if Senju thought Madara was of the vampire legend, but that... wouldn't make sense. I had never heard of such a thing being of reality, and though Madara was old and definitely around when said creatures ran rampant, there was no way he'd let himself become one of their victims... Besides, even in this era of a blossoming Konoha the vampires were presumed to be in hiding, and in my time(1) they are assumed extinct.

Madara, though, was still unsettled and quickly gazed to the informant in the shadows, trying to pinpoint the man's class and place so he could figured out how said informant had this knowledge, but found that he was unable to. Our attention was quickly brought back to Senju, though.

"According to my informant, I don't even need this!" The Uchiha bonding rod was tossed to the side with a swift hand and Madara and I shared an equal amount of surprise and disturb. As Senju's face got closer Madara and I both visibly tensed, but probably for different reasons... I was sure Shodaime was going to kiss my mate...

Suddenly, I could no longer see Senju's face, only a wall of the chamber. I felt his calloused fingers on Madara's chin as he squeezed, having had to use such force even in Madara's weak state to jerk his head to the side. Then I feel his teeth digging into Madara's neck, and then his mouth began sucking. Madara somehow stifles his grunt of pain, only throwing his head back. Emotions whirled in each of us, mine being confusion and disorientation and so many other thoughts zipping to and fro, each little thought firing off in my brain at a frantic pace that even a Sharingan wielder would be unable to track.

Madara's, though, were entirely different. I felt his control and dark mirth seep into me as his amused laughs echoed from the walls of his mind, but were unheard on the outside. With these sounds came the first full-sentence thought I had truly heard from him. They think they have me...

Madara's brain began working at a break-neck pace, flinging moving images about, memories of actually seeing vampires, memories of fellow Uchiha members. As these thoughts fired by me, I realized that Madara was comparing the two, pointing out their differences. I almost threw up as I watched what I assumed to be a vampire boil to death under a hot sun, then watched Madara walk through a summer day with ease. Then, he walked in the sunlight on a different day with less ease, red, wet skin glistening with sweat and almost visibly in pain with his muscles quivering to hold his body up.

Everything that Senju listed was placed before my eyes, variations of this categorized in either fact or false and my eyes almost rolled back for being so overloaded.

Madara was a lie. Madara was a secret. Madara was a betrayer, a murderer, a monster, a parasite, a conniving dictator of men and darkness, a shadow of every creature's fear.

And this Madara was tied my very soul, each crazed grin and insane peel of laughter, each merciless bite and deadly stare, each sweet kiss and warm embrace, each soft caress and soothing whisper.

Madara was a trick, and I did not know what he was to the world, because all I knew is what I had seen.

And at this moment, I feel as if I had seen too much, but not enough. Madara was two different people, it seemed, two people identifying as one person, one body, one mind.

I couldn't even gasp in horror when the Shodaime pulled away with a bloody face, I had already been shaken far too much. So much information shoved down my throat with no real explanation or understanding. Madara's smirking lips were shoved into Senju's throbbing neck and there was no hesitation on my mate's part. As soon as Senju's blood passed into Madara's mouth, everything went to hell. The world around me was as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button. I felt like I was the eye of an underwater tornado, watching the proceedings of Madara's bite swirl around me. The feelings of pain and revenge came even faster as I watched the torture at a nauseating speed and even in the outside world my eyes watered, but everything happened too fast for me to let tears fall, because after Madara was left there, expected to die because they were unaware of his inability to do so, Madara struck back.

I did not get to witness all of Senju Hashirama's demise, or the demise of his informant, because before I could watch Madara's pain end, I was thrown back into reality.

"Mada-..." The air was pushed from my lungs and I almost dropped my mate to the ground. How... How was I forced out?

My eyes moved back to Madara, but he was still dazed, trapped in Tsukuyomi, only I was no longer there with him. This had never happened before... I pulled him to me once more and looked around.

As usual in Tsukuyomi, a mere three or four seconds had past. My breath left in a shudder as I looked down to the surface everyone was fighting on. Never had I ever felt so repulsed to be standing atop this statue. Never before have I resented being of Konoha to such an extent...

Madara's deep, victorious chuckles still echoed through the chambers of my own mind and I was sure that I would be unable to sleep for days, if not weeks. As the sounds faded I looked at Madara's face, sleeping with open eyes. Was he dreaming of Senju? Did he feel that pain? Could... doing that really save him?

I stare at his eyes and their twitching, fluttering lids, then my gaze falls to the sickening, dieing wound on his neck. My hands tremble and for some reason I salivate as I bring him closer to me, to my face, to my mouth... The smell of his blood brings that infamous haze and my eyes begin to sting, my nose twitches in distaste as I smell the Senju energy from Danzou's attack lingering on the wound, but I steel myself, close my eyes, open my mouth and dig my teeth into the wound.

For the first time, I whole-heartedly follow that instinct, that Haze.

Madara immediately seizes up but I ignore him in favor of sucking. Oddly enough, my tongue begins to tingle and burn when his blood invades my mouth and I close my eyes tighter and try to force myself to swallow.

No, boy! That is no longer of me!

Startled by the sudden voice, I rip my mouth from Madara's neck, probably tearing it further, and spit the blood from my mouth just before it slides down my throat. What?

That blood is tainted by Senju, we cannot drink it...I nod to the voice in my head, recognizing first to be Madara's, but the second to be... mine? I shake my head to clear my thoughts and look down to my beloved. Had I been wrong in my instinct? I had felt in my core, in the haze, that I need to rid him of that poison. I shake my head and repeat my blood-guzzling actions, but cannot seem to swallow while still mentally tied to Madara. I frantically cough and sputter to get the blood out of my mouth, and I repeat this process a couple times over until all I can taste is Madara. Still, when I feel that the poison is out of his body, the wound's healing is slow. Hope had almost left me, but what seemed to be a random thought invaded my mind.

It was the day Madara had been asleep next to me and I had seen the scars that were scattered all over his back. I remembered kissing them, claiming them, hoping they would fade away. I relived this moment in flashes, There was a brief moment of hesitation as I wondered why this memory would pop into my head, but with an unsure quirk of my brow, I slowly leaned forward, now aware of why my mouth had been salivating. Instead of my teeth, I placed the wet flat of my tongue upon the wound, grimacing at the full flavor of dead, ruining flesh.

I felt like a cat, grooming him, gently running my tongue over him until my eyelids slid closed and I heard a deep hum vibrate from the throat that my lips were pressing against. My hand tangled itself into Madara's sweaty, matted hair to hold him in place when he finally began to squirm. Every action now was instinctual. I was an animal, only relying on the most basic functions of communication and being. The lack of control made it feel like I was dreaming, and my eyes watered and twitched in a way that felt like they were adjusting to the light.

I hear a voice outside of our link suddenly, but it sounded smothered, or perhaps like it was talking to me through a cave or through glass.. "Aniki, let's get the hell out of he-" Sasuke.

I try to tune him out, pushing my face deeper into Madara's neck, letting his blood smear on my mouth and cheeks. As the skin regenerates, I come to realize how much I adore the taste of Madara. He twitches as I savor the slowly purifying blood that covered my lips, and I let my saliva mix with this elixir until it felt like we were sharing this pleasing sensation. "Aniki, stop!" I hear behind the glass, but his time the voice is a bit clearer and I am awake enough to remember where I am. I give one last long, wet lick to the bright red and pulsing flesh before sitting up and watching in awe as it sizzles back to life. I had never seen such a thing on an Uchiha, only on tailed beasts. Madara lazily rolls from my lap and lays there as I pant loudly, my lungs taking large gulps of oxygen to calm myself. I cough rather violently as one of these breaths suck some of the blood from my lips to the back of my throat, causing me to choke a bit. Once I've relieved myself of this coughing fit I wipe some of the dripping red from my mouth with the back of my dirty hand.

I stared at the ground with a fierce intensity, trying my hardest to focus on something because the world around me was spinning. It was like having Sharingan activated in battle, everything was almost too slow, only this time all of my senses had advanced, not just my eyes. It was like I could feel and hear every tremor and quake of the statue we were on like the world had been hooked up to a boombox that happened to be resting on my shoulders. I could feel each individual pore on my body leak with sweat. My mouth couldn't even handle how delicious Madara's blood tasted right now, and I could smell, and therefor taste(ew) the sweat of Madara, Sasuke and... Whoever was trying to sneak up on us.

"Itachi-!" But I was already moving. The long arm of Susano'o is sprouting from my body almost on it's own. I was still a bit dazed, so I was not prepared for the resounding boom of the arm of Susano'o as it slammed down. This was definitely some kind of high. (2)

Unfortunately, it seemed that in this state I was rather unaware of my own strength, having had my senses amplified so much. The force of Susano'o crumble's Senju's statue and I quickly take hold of Madara's semiconscious form and clutch him close to me as we plummet. I brace myself, as there is really nothing I can do about our fall while holding dead weight, and position Madara's body against mine and away from the ever-approaching ground. My eyes remain wide open through out our descent, and even as my back makes a thunderous impact with the mercilessly unyielding ground. It should have at least hurt, but it seemed as though the amount of adrenaline rushing through my veins was far too great, leaving me completely numb. My eyes stayed wide still, and searching as the dust cleared from the small crater we had made. Once I realized that the presumed enemy had surrounded us I sprung up into standing, my head pointed down and my teeth bared unconsciously.

"Ugh, fuck..." I hear from behind me, but I don't take my eyes of of the cloudy looking silhouettes, I do however kneel down to properly situate Madara's limp form between us. "Aniki!" Sasuke shouts, and I kneel, moving quickly to silence him, as I did not want listening ears to overhear our relationship if I decided to leave survivors.

I return to my standing position, bringing Sasuke with me by gripping the front of his shirt. "Sasuke, have my back." He nods with wide, confused eyes, but quickly catches on when his activated Sharingan catches the movement of my hands.

"Goukakyuu!" Never before had the flames ever burn so wildly. The hot gust was almost obscenely large and as uncontrollable as a back draft, so much so that it almost pushed me back into Sasuke but I held my ground. We moved in a circle, frying those that were too slow to escape, but those who did quickly advanced when we ran out of breath. This did not faze us, though, especially not in this state. It was all too slow, each step, each swinging fist, each 'quick' hand sign. The knuckles of my fists swiftly jabbed pressure point until each root member crumbled like a masterless puppet. I do not know why I leave them alive after witnessing Senju Hashirama in such an uncensored atmosphere, after watching him torture the one I loved. I should have killed them all. I should have carved Madara's name into their chests with Amaterasu and let them burn until they were begging for their last breath, until they regretted ever idolizing the Shodaime.

I didn't, though. I don't know why... Was it because I am weak? Was it because I had always remained loyal to this damned village? Was I a fool?

No, I am strong and wise, so it couldn't be that.

Is it because I am not, nor will I ever be, like Madara?

The last one falls, bringing me out of my distracted daze, and stare at the masked root member in black. I just stare. I don't have time to contemplate my place in the world, though, so with a slow blink I move to retrieve Sasuke before the approaching Leaf make it to the battle site. Smoke. Black, black smoke. It moved like blowing sand, so fluid. Maybe it was blowing sand, black blowing sand. This is what I think as I stare at Madara's mysterious face while his cheek is pressed against the wood floors of our apartment.

I briefly wonder if he hates the wood floors, if they remind him of the Shodaime. Should I think about linoleum?

"Karasu-san! Where did you go before, Karasu-san! It scared me!" I turn my head to see Miko clumsily toddling toward us and for some reason I tense. I narrow my eyes, mostly at myself and my reaction. My brain knows that she could never pose any threat to Madara, even in his condition, but my body readies my teeth and claws to destroy her if she continues to approach.

Thankfully, she stopped when she got to a certain point, "Oh! You brought back the pretty- hey, what's wrong with you guys?" I am not myself. Words would not come to my lips, only harsh breaths and hungry growls. My teeth were bared at her and, as crazy as it sounds, I was about to hiss and snap my teeth before a human looking Sasuke grabbed her and pulled her back. I slowly turned away from them to stare at Madara's sleepy looking eyes. They were open just barely, as if he had just woken up from a long slumber, and yet, he still looked so tired. What I could see of his iris was dim red that peeked out from long black lashes and I stared into them, hoping they could see me while I licked the blood from my lips. With a barely visible smile, I began to play with his dirty hair, sticky with sweat and blood and oil from his scalp. It was a good, long minute of silence until that instinct within me was calmed and silenced, assured that Madara was content and in no pain that I could relieve. My eyes stung once more and I wondered if this eye-watering sensation I had been feeling had simply been due to a transformation. Were my eyes like Madara's now? What exactly had happened?

I looked away from Madara, now capable of tending to the rest of the world around me.

"Sasuke..." He jumps, his grip on the little girl a bit tighter. He seemed lost and unsure, but he didn't look ready to release Miko for anything.

Sasuke thinks... that I will hurt this child.

An old pain in my chest reawakens, and I can't help but to envision Sasuke's young, scared face on the night of our clan's end. Does Sasuke see me as the monster from that night? Or does he see me as a different monster? I can honestly say that my head had been much clearer than it was now on the night of the massacre. Sasuke doesn't know that though.

Sasuke doesn't trust me...

My eyebrows furrowed with hurt before softening, "Miko, come here, I am fine..." The little girl looked up at Sasuke before wiggling out of his arms and slowly walking toward me. I moved to take her hand, but we both paused rather abruptly when we saw that my offered hand was covered in drying blood. I carefully, slowly hid my hand from her vision, and Miko eventually took an unsure step forward, peering at my face through her dark hair. I beckoned her closer, urging her forward that much more so that she would be in range, and when she moved to look up at me, my eyes spun hypnotically, skewing the world around her before she fell, and my eyes warped back.

"Aniki! You didn't-" Said eyes snap back to Sasuke sharply, interrupting and silencing him.

"No, I did not, Sasuke. Why would I place her in Tsukuyomi?" His jaw snapped shut, probably stopping him from saying something he would regret. It didn't really need to be said, though, I could hear it easily enough. "Because you are a monster, aniki. You are merciless, even to children." That is at least what I assumed he thought of me at this point, what with that horrified expression on his face.

I sighed dramatically, slightly offended that Sasuke was so wary of me now, "I just made her forget that Madara and I left. Her father's mate is Hatake Kakashi, a demon that was in ANBU with me. I don't want her talking about me to him." The last thing I need is Hatake Kakashi mobilizing Konoha's army into my fucking living room...

After a moment, Sasuke nodded in understanding, picking the girl up and placing her on the couch before watching me wake Madara up. I needed to sleep, desperately, and my insides still didn't feel right, so I had to get away from the other occupants of the room, then, I could seal myself into the safety of our bewitched bedroom until I felt well in control again.

"Madara-sama..." I caressed his pale face with the knuckle of my cleanest hand and a small smile takes my lips once more when his eyes flutter open in confusion. I gently nudged him to get him up, "Let's get you to bed, Madara..." And I hoisted my beloved up to a standing position, supporting Madara's weight with his arm over my shoulder and my arm around his waste. He stumbled, still in a daze, but holding the weight of another was no real task for me, and even as he sagged at my side, leaving me to literally drag him, I walked him to our room, intent on ridding us of the grime that had taken to our bodies and going to bed.

I stop, though, remembering that my little brother was still here.

"Sasuke... Thank you for summoning me..." If he had not called for me... I'm not sure what would have happened to Madara, or him for that matter. Then again, there is also the fact that if Sasuke hadn't been fooling around in the first place, Madara would have never left my arms to become hurt. My eyes narrowed and stung once more, surely red with the despise I currently felt towards Sasuke and his reckless behavior. "We will take further another time... Go to your dorm room."

I don't turn to watch him leave, too focused on pulling Madara into the sanctity of our room. Despite his exhausted stumbling, I bypass the bed. I too was rather exhausted, but we were both quite disgusting, so I kick open the once-closed bathroom door and nudge it closed behind me with the very same foot. I lift Madara a bit higher on my body so I could support him with one hand while the other turned on the shower. Once the stream began to warm I placed him on the edge of the tub, letting him lean on the wall as I carefully undressed him.

Dust and dirt from the fall of Senju's statue had mixed with the sweat on his skin despite the shelter of his clothing, as a result, a salty smelling layer of filth was caked onto his body, and mine as well, I'm sure, but I wasn't exactly paying attention to myself as we got naked. I first pulled of his shirt, my heart hurting as he grimaced when I have to tear the shredded part from his scabbing lesion. I could hear the terrible sound of his skin ripping further but he did not bother to flinch away. I nervously went to my knees, normally bold hands timid as they shakily unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I tugged them down, sitting up to hold his waist up so that I could pull them all the way down his grimy legs.

Naturally his boxers clung to his pants, and I looked up to find Madara's flaccid manhood staring me in the face.

Any lesser man would have wept at the awkwardness.

I turned a bit red, and in any other situation I'm sure Madara would have mocked me, but he was far too out of it to even realize I was stripping him. I forced the air from my lungs in what could have been called a 'huff' and slowly, gently eased him into the tub. It was an odd feeling, thinking that I had to be delicate with Madara of all people, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. When I pulled my hands out from under him he drooped and slid down a bit before his head lulled to the side. It was like he was dead.

I stared at him for the umpteenth time that night, completely lost. My mind simply could not wrap itself around this image, this 'weak' Madara. It was most definitely not a mere injury that has shaken him like this, so I can only wonder what was said when I was away...

"H-he... Danzou used..." Yes, Danzou. That's what Sasuke had said. Danzou had to have been the one to say these things, and when Madara's accelerated torture flooded into me, I can distinctly remember a a young but familiar face.

But what had Danzou said?

I sigh and look away to undress myself, peeling off my shirt and shimmying out of my pants. I was about to climb into the tub with Madara when I caught my reflection. My jaw slowly fell and my glowing eyes mimicked that action as I stumbled toward the sink that sat below the mirror. I turned my head in every which way, not believing what I saw.

It was me, but it was not me in any way, shape or form. My once milky skin was whiter than a Hyuuga's gown, with a touch of grey that just said 'corpse', vaguely reminding me of Sasuke in that cursed form, my tint being much less drastic. My already bagged eyes were rimmed with bruises so dark they could look intentional. My lips lacked any color that indicated that I was indeed alive, and when I moved them and caught a glimpse of my teeth I almost blanched even further, if at all possible. I looked like... a beast...

I brought my hands up to my face to feel, fully intending to poke my pointy teeth and bandit eyes, but instead jumped a bit further out of my skin. My hands... they were colorless at my fingertips and my veins showed bluer than what was thought possible as they protruded that much more. I couldn't find it in myself to be disgusted at the moment though, because I had just noticed the obscene claws that my semi dull nails had grown into. I picked at the nails curiously, finding them to be tough and thick, and they were strangely blackish, as if I had traded hands with a mechanic.

I ran these claws over the opposite hand, too amazed to flinch when they effortlessly parted my skin, but I did flinch when the skin immediately pulled itself together. It didn't even have the chance to bleed...

I looked into the eyes of my reflection once more and my mind flashes back to the last dream I had involving the massacre. In the mirror, where my face should have been, I saw the face of my mother.

And then, I saw the face of my bond-mate.

With shaking hands I turned from the mirror and glanced at Madara, only to rush forward to turn off the faucet to prevent our bathtub from over flowing. I didn't know how long I had been staring at myself, but in that time Madara had managed to plug the drain with his foot, making the water nearly spill over.

I sigh in relief, bent over and holding myself up with my arms braced on the edge of the tub. I turn my head to find Madara's tired eyes on me, his jaw relaxed, leaving his mouth slightly hanging open. I huffed at him, feeling like I was taking care of a sickly child, and I was slightly reminded of when he first came home to the Uchiha building, vomiting and weak.

He seems to know where my thoughts are going because he offers a weak smile, a mere quirk in the corner of his mouth that looked out of place when lumped together with the dead look in his eyes. I ignored it and looked away as soon as it faded from his face.

I nudge Madara's foot over and the dirty water tornadoes its way down the drain with various gurgling sounds as I carefully step into the murkiness and begin rinsing the grime from my own skin. I grabbed a rag, squeezing a fair amount of body wash into it before taking it to my smothered skin with hasty movements, trying to get it over with as soon as possible. It made me uncomfortable to do this while Madara just sat there and watched me.

I looked back a bit awkwardly as I massaged shampoo into my hair before turning on the shower head once more to rinse said soapy mop. I sigh, feeling clean and relieved, and I open my eyes to see Madara in the very same position, laying there, eyes looking unfocused but watching. We stayed like that for quite awhile, until it was so silent that my ears began ringing and my hearing range naturally expanded until I could hear the snoring of neighbors. His eyes never moved, never twitched, he reminded me of a preserved animal, stuffed until it no longer looked real. I was the one to blink and break our empty, one-sided staring contest, so I moved to step out of the tub and dry off a bit before coming to bathe him.

I toweled myself down haphazardly before fishing some boxer briefs and sweatpants from the chest of drawer. As soon as I had managed to pull these clothes over my damp legs, I made my way back to the bathroom.

My feet made a pitter-pat sound as they slapped into the small puddles next to the tub, but I ignored the feeling of cold water coating my toes in favor of tending to my mate. He was still dirty, but at least now he didn't look like a mummy. I took a few moments to reassure myself that "He's Madara, he'll be okay. He's just fine. We'll figure this out..." and got to my knees to begin cleaning him. I grabbed the rag that I had used and rinsed it, because it's not like he'd care...

I grabbed the drain stopper from the side of the tub and plugged it up, finding that this would be a bit easier as a bath, since Madara didn't seem up to cooperating with me, so I didn't see myself holding him up so he could shower. With yet another sigh and squeeze of soap I began cleaning his legs, occasionally checking the temperature of the running water. When the bathtub was half full I turned the faucet off.

I continued to gently scrub in a fashion that I only hoped was pleasant. It felt good to take care of him, despite the unfavorable circumstances in which I was forced to do so. I tried not to think about it, continuing to move up his body with my soapy rag. I cupped water in my hand and let it pour onto him to get the upper part of his body wet, as it was not submerged in water and had been out of the way of the shower's spray.

I ran my hands over his chest as I cleaned him, using this excuse to touch as much skin as I could, but I quickly lost interest when I discovered that he would not even respond to that. I quickly gave up, ashamed at the indirect rejection, and moved on to shampooing his hair. The white foam that my massaging produced was quickly changing to a reddish brown color, making me briefly wonder about the ratio of blood to sweat and dirt in his hair. His face remained expressionless throughout this entire process, no eyes closed in bliss as I toyed with his wet locks, and no scowls took his lips when I washed him like a servant.

My hands pulled Madara's hair to the other side of his neck to try and keep the shampoo and other soap from finding its way into his wound while I attempted clean the area around it. I dabbed the bright red flesh with a clean wet rag from the towel cabinet, removing the dirt and dust that had scabbed with his blood. The skin had thankfully begun the healing process, and at the very edge of his shrinking would was the ink of our bond rising back to the surface of his skin. I had been rinsing away the suds when he finally twitched back to life.

It had been a small movement, a mere shifting of positions as he moved his hips back a bit, but it had been enough to make me pause in dumping the water over his head. I held the full pitcher away from him, watching as he moved a bit more, then suddenly he jerked forward, hitting my elbow and making the large pitcher fall from my hands.

Needless to say, water was everywhere.

I blink a couple times before releasing an annoyed sigh, and with a shake of my head I move to glare at the one who seemed to think this was a water park. What met my narrowed eyes made them narrow further. Madara was glaring straight ahead, his legs stretched out before him with his arms limp at his sides and his entire shoulder... steaming... It wasn't like the slow simmering that had taken his shoulder back in Konoha when I bit him, either, this was like someone had dropped an iceberg into the mouth of an erupting volcano.

I gawked at the scene, moving my face closer to examine his burning wound. It was like the water had hurt him, since the sound of his breathing was easier to equate with a constant hissing, but the broken skin was being seared away. Within a minute, all that was left to show for a wound was new, raw flesh and my bond mark shown darker with the sensitive skin. I scoffed in disbelief, for lack of something better to do, but promptly choked on my words when Madara's head abruptly quirked to the side like a curious animal's, his ear now pointed directly at me, having located the sound of my scoff immediately. The very movement was unnatural looking, and as his head slowly turned to me I found myself backing away.

Madara carried the features that had taken over my own. His eyes were red with blackness bruising a mask around them, his skin was a blinding shade of sick white, nails turned claws even darker than my own- everything. Those eyes of his chilling me as they locked onto the bond mark on my neck. This was all too unbelievable, an awful coincidence, so much so that I was sure I was dreami-.

Dreaming...

My eyes widened as deja vu overwhelmed me. The dream, the one I had just before Madara re-emerged. He had this same face, as did my mother. If I hadn't been so stiff I would have shaken my head in disbelief.

Something inside me... had known about this...

The once-humid bathroom was suddenly freezing, the temperature continuing to drop as Madara slowly lifted out of the bath until he was standing there, staring at me as if I were an enemy he had never seen before. In any other situation I'm sure I would have found myself to be hurt upon receiving such an unfamiliar stare from him, but at this very moment those feelings were far from me since I too wore that expression. Our faces mirrored each other, as if we were meeting for the first time, because the Madara that stood before me had a very different feel about him.

I jumped as he took a sudden step forward, his naked form creeping toward me, and I flinched when the claws upon my hands grew sharper, as if anticipating an oncoming battle and readying themselves for my self defense. It was the first time that haze, that instinct within me began taking physical form, and it literally felt as if I had swallowed a little gremlin, because I felt like there was something inside my chest cavity trying to claw it's way to the outside world. My hands twitched and my chest shuddered upon each breath as this possessor got closer and closer, his dark red slitted eyes trained on my every move, even the jittery spasms, his eyes moved over my body, everywhere, catching everything. Even when the muscles of my legs twitched under my pants, those eyes moved there.

He finally stopped advancing, this man I refused to call Madara-sama, but his eyes remained all knowing. Finally, those eyes stayed connected to mine and I suddenly saw why they caught the movements. As fast as every twitch came and went, his eyes evolved to Sharingan, then immediately devolved. I had never seen such a thing happen so fast, in the blink of an eye. It was not natural, and I suddenly felt even more on edge.

I could not escape from such eyes.

I saw his muscles tense along with mine, as if he had read my mind and was preparing to chase me down, but I simply could not sit in wait like cornered prey, so I did it. Flitting my eyes in some random direction to throw him off, I ran, nearly crashing into the door in my haste. As soon as I passed through the threshold of our attached bathroom I braced my foot against our bed's box spring to better push the door shut behind me before locking it. I breathed no sigh of relief, however, because before I could even facepalm at my blatant idiocy, Madara's ghostly form walked straight through the locked door and solidified right in front of me.

I turn to face him, the backs of my legs flush against the side of the bed, and I force my eyes to meet his.

Madara's eyes were narrowed and his brows quirked down, as if pointing to the little crinkle in his nose that resulted from his crooked smirk. He was amused. This was an animal's game. I could think of nothing else to compare it to, not using our mouths to speak, but instead to growl and hiss. We were living off of our most basic instincts, fight or flight, predator and prey.

His arm raised ever so slowly to plant his hand upon my chest and he shoved me down onto the bed with the strength of his wrist alone. I fell back without fight, not sure that I could resist even if I wanted to. He had the eyes of a hunter cat as he sensually crawled his way up my body. My head tilted back to shy away from him as he tried to invade my face's space with his own. I quickly discovered this to be a mistake, though, finding that it was just his sneaky way of tricking me into exposing my neck, making me vulnerable. With my head tilted back, my body-language spoke of complete submission and surrender, and with his weight resting on my hips, I had no where to escape when he slowly ran his tongue from the base of my neck to the end of my chin.

I shivered pleasantly.

Is that all, Itachi-kun?

My eyes snapped open -I had not even been aware of the fact that I had shut them.

He was hovering above me, looking down his nose at me with an open mouthed smirk that revealed long, pointy canines very similar to my own, if not more frightening.

You are just going to lay there? We are disappointed, Itachi-kun...

My brows furrowed and my head quirked to the side as I propped myself up with my elbows. Madara's mouth hadn't moved. He was talking to me through our bond?

The red eyes flared, not liking my lack of response. A clawed hand wrapped around my neck so abruptly that the force pushed me back onto the bed, surprising me so much that I didn't even get the chance to enjoy the feeling of his hips grinding smoothly against mine.

My eyelids clamp together hard and I fought to keep my throat from closing. It was that same unrestrained power that had me gasping for air the night I came home from the last Akatsuki meeting. He was straddling me now, hand occasionally squeezing in a teasing manner.

Heh, and you call yourself our mate? You are weak, little Uchiha, reveal your inner strength and come play with me...

I grunted as I mustered up the strength to push him off, but by the way he delicately landed on our bed, head cushioned by the pillows, I could easily judge that he was toying with me, allowing me to move him. I quickly flip our previous position so that I was on top, but I didn't bother sitting on him as he had done to me. I grabbed one of his knees and shoved it off to the side in my frustration before forcing myself between his spread legs. His deep laughter echoed in my head, but my ears did not hear it outside of that, despite his open-mouthed grin.

I glared down at him, not appreciating the way he talked down to me.

"You are not Madara..." Another echoed chuckle.

If we are not Madara then who are we, I-ta-chi-kun?

We?

I growled in frustration, not liking his games. This imposter had the very same liking for vague answers as my Madara, but I wasn't going to fall for it. This creature was so much darker than Madara, so much colder, yet difficult to detect. Sure, my Madara would feel that way to everyone else on any day, but they weren't me. They weren't bonded to him, they did not love him or know him or bend to his will. To me, Madara's cold eyes were playful, his disgusted sneer was a facade, and even his harsh, uncensored words were two sided.

In this Madara, however, there was no deeper layer, nothing to look past. This was it, the end, nothing more to gaze through, nothing to further investigate. Therefor, this Madara could not lie or trick you with false faces. It through my insides completely out of whack, staring at this animal of a man with such sneaky openness.

I shifted my position to straddle him, forcing his arms under the weight of my knees so he could not move them. I was under no false impression that this would stop him, and I was quite aware of the fact that he let me do this, even without scoff that escaped his pale lips. It was more of a show that I wanted control, and he was going to give it to me, one way or another.

"Define we." I commanded.

He grinned a vile grin as he sent his thoughts to me. We. This Madara, and that Madara.

I refused to believe it, quickly growing angry, and before I can stop myself, my hand swings violently, making hard impact with his face.

I for some reason expected this creature to throw me off and strike back, or perhaps not move his face at all and take the hit like a brick wall, but his head is smacked to the side dramatically and his laugh once again echoes through me.

Are you angry, beloved? We hold you so dear, you know... this is only this Madara's second time to be near you, yet you already know how to excite me... do you know what that means, Itachi-kun?

This time when I hit him my hand is fisted. Yes, I am angry, and no, I do not know what that means...

Nor do I know what 'This Madara' means...

Does Madara have another personality? No, if he did, it certainly would not dare to call itself Madara... And if it was our second time meeting, when was our first? Madara has never talked to me like this, and the only place that I can see his secrets is... in his head.

"Where have I met 'this' Madara?" I question, more looking for confirmation.

He turns his bruising face a bit, still having to stare from the corner of his eye. As much as I enjoy this treatment, I am beginning to pity that Madara... To return from such an emotionally devastating battle, only to be brutalized. I am quite sure that he is in no mood for such adventurous behavior after what he was told tonight... You are a bad mate to us...

I hit him once more, this time because his words hurt. "You talk too much..."

Another laugh, another stare. With his mouth never speaking, it disturbed me to think that maybe he was just speaking through his eyes. I felt the tingle of communication in my neck, but those eyes were so... piercing. They knew what to say to hurt me.

The eyes are watching my face, probably seeing straight through my hateful expression, but I look away. Yes, they knew how it left an ache in my chest to not know what was going on, not knowing how to properly aide him my mate like a mate should.

Itachi-kun... My eyes move to glare at his face. Itachi-kun, if you'd do it, you could know everything... about us... I kept a poker face, but there was no denying that he had my attention.

He smiled, eyes wide and sincere, so much so that it had me doubting that this Madara could lie to me even in words. His excitement at having my interest had him leaning forward, no longer trying to pretend that my knees were pinning him to the bed. Become one with us, Itachi-kun. The signs are here, clearly visible. You can no longer say you are oblivious, beloved one...

"I don't want to hear this from you-" A harsh scoff.

You will not hear it from that Madara... He hides further in denial than you do. Complete us, Itachi, take it from us and we shall eliminate Senju once again!

I sneer, "You obviously don't get out much. Senju is long gone, lost in the past. I even saw his demise when I invaded Madara's mind. And I will only complete our bond when Madara wants to-"

HA! Do not try and be bashful with this Madara! Whose red eyes do you think you're staring into when you hover above us? Every participant wants it... This Madara, that Madara, this Itachi, and so does that Itachi, I can feel him...

I move to speak but he interrupts. That Madara is holding back, he doubts you. He doubts himself. This is why we should complete the bond now, right now. That Madara would no longer have to be concerned with your death, because you will be complete, like us, and unable to die, and then you will meet that Itachi. And then, no one can stop us, not even the Elder Council!

I sigh, "There is only this Itachi, I am not occupied by whatever you are. And Council can do nothing to me or Madara, regardless of the state of our bond. Especially not Madara, since, as you stated before, he cannot die. Your story is awfully mixed up." I smirk. "I'm beginning to think you are nothing but a bad salesman."

His reaction is not what I expect. The creature frowns, his eyes conveying unyielding amounts of hurt. Pain, something an Uchiha knows too well, and I have just brought more of it to my mate. I didn't even know what it was that I said to give him such an expression. Still, one who brings his loved one heart-ache is no man...

"Why are you making that face, 'Madara'?"

One does not even need to be familiar with Uchiha body language to see that he is upset, as this extension of Madara(that is what I'm calling this creature) doesn't seem to feel the need to hide his feelings. His eyes look away from me and he turns his head to the side to sulk. You do not believe me, Itachi-kun. You do not know the truth, and that Madara is too cowardly to tell you on his own. And yet when this Madara tries, you do not believe me. He turns his head and his red eyes narrow and flash.

You want to know, correct? Or do you wish to continue in wondering? His eyebrows were raised, as if he was truly curious or unaware of how I yearned to know Madara.

I glare, and I'm beginning to think that he's playing me. "Your question is stupid, too rhetorical and obvious to earn my answer."

He grins and licks his lips. Of course... You want all of Madara... This and that, flowing through your very veins... I swallowed, not liking how the once frigid temperature was rising. He effortlessly lifted himself, doing so slowly so that my legs merely slid down his arms instead of me falling. I now sat straddling his hips, my twitching hands resting on my thighs because I didn't know what to do with them.

Madara's bandit-like face slowly moved closer to mine, his eyes flashing rapidly as they once again drank in my every movement. This time, however, I stay deathly still, not seeing any chance for escape since my last attempt had failed miserably and I was currently sitting in his lap. His head would slowly tilt to one side, then sway to the other in an entrancingly fluid movement. I would assume that he was trying to hypnotize me, like one would do a snake, if it weren't for the fact that he had Sharingan. After all, why go through the trouble of using such a tactic when one could simply flash their eyes?

I resisted anyways, not letting my thoughts lull me into a false sense of security. I kept tense, ignoring my body's natural reaction to relax under my mate's alluring red gaze. I felt like he was truly hunting me now. If I closed my eyes, I'm almost sure that he'd go in for the kill. I was trapped in a vulnerable position and I felt as if Madara were circling me as if I were his dying prey.

I hadn't known I'd been holding my breath until my lungs began screaming at me. The burned and I wanting to gasp for air, but I stayed calm on the outside, stealthily taking long, silent sips of oxygen through my nose to hide my body's panicked weakness. Unfortunately, this attempt was in vain. Madara resembled the the Cheshire cat upon my first tiny inhale, and I had the vague impression that he had known the very moment I stopped breathing. He licked his lips, his face coming even closer to mine.

I expected his breath to be cold, since this Madara's mere presence seemed to cause a temperature drop, but it was deliciously hot as it fanned over my face, though it smelled like his blood. Strangely enough, I didn't find this odor unattractive. He seemed to know this well, and his face moved past mine, our cheeks rubbing affectionately until his lips were at my ear. We want all of you, boy... His hands moved up my shirtless torso with need and his breath escaped as a shudder. We want you more than you could possibly know... We want to taste you in our veins, Itachi-kun...

The oxygen is forced from my thirsty lungs as he shoves me off of him and onto the ground where I land on my back. I have no time to lift myself because he's on me faster than I can think. Bright red eyes smile, but his mouth sneers to show off sharp snapping teeth. He literally snaps at me like a hungry lion.

Haha! If I am such an animal, then why don't you bring out yours to play with me?! I missed that Itachi earlier this evening! At the moment, it doesn't occur to me that I hadn't said the hungry lion bit out loud...

I growl and swing, landing a solid hit to his jaw so hard that he flies sideways, but he's already jumped up before the walls can even vibrate. He is crouched, feet shuffling as he stalks forward with hyper movements. My body stays tense. A growl groans from deep in my chest, and everything is hazy, but not with need this time. My body begins to move on it's own, reacting to Madara's on-coming attack a whole second before he actually springs forward. Even I have never engaged in such a fast battle, and I better sense Madara's movements than I see them.

I catch him as he pounces on me, holding his wrists above me briefly before switching us around and pinning his back to the floor. A low, devious chuckle echoes in my head and I look down to see his head tilted back, his eyes closed sensually. It was with an aroused hum that I realized that I was hovering over Madara's naked body, resting between his legs as I pinned him to the floor with an unforgiving harshness. For a moment, I become overwhelmed with the urge to lovingly destroy the body beneath me, to conquer this icon of a demon in a disgustingly sexual show of dominance.

Almost frightened by the thoughts, I jump away from my mate, unsure of what was coming over me. No, 'gentle' had never been my middle name, but the ferocity with which I wanted to thrash my beloved easily caught me off-guard, especially since the thoughts were only half mine...

I was given no 'time-out' to reflect upon this, however, because Madara's submission to my will seemed to only be relevant when he thought I was going to bed him -or floor him in this case. He was up once more, a devious, hungry look in his eyes. He jumps at me, but I twist so that he falls at my side.

Heheh, come on, Itachi-kun! Let it out! I can see it in your eyes! Hell, I can see it on your fa- I can't handle it, the taunts, the words, how spot on they were. I snapped. I tackle him as he tries to get up, gripping his hair so I could swing his face into the leg of the mattress. Everything around me stops as I hear the gruesome crack. Madara's head lulls to the side as I release his hair and the bed leans a bit, the leg having been snapped slightly. I was not so concerned with this, though, because when I moved Madara's hair from his face, a bloody, sunken-in forehead greeted me.

I thought I could feel my heart breaking. Something in my chest sent a wave of hurt to the rest of my body, and my bond sent the wave of self-hate. The little 'gremlin' in my chest that was aching to get out was deadly still as the frigid cold of what just happened seeped into me.

"Oh God, Madara..." My eyes watered and there was nothing that could stop the tears from spilling over. He had just been left a poisonous, rotting wound, and as soon as it heals, I -his own mate- crack his skull!

His head rolls out of my lap and my hands come to cradle my face. No, he won't die even from this, but how long until he recovers? Will he come back as this Madara or that Madara? I didn't even know which one was mine any more! What the fuck is wrong with me?! My chest and throat tightened as I freaked out, the muscles in my body tensing so much that I begin to shake. I was on the verge of hyperventilating when I hear a raspy voice.

"Oh, fuck..." I lift my face from my hands immediately. There was Madara, gripping his head as he struggled to sit up. His eyes squinted and his brows were so furrowed that they were almost touching. He sucked air in through his teeth and I watched in absolute horror as the 'dent' in his face crackled and moved until it was corrected. If I weren't so accustomed to such things I would have found it horrific to watch, but I was actually much relieved to see this happen, rather than remain an injury by my own hand.

"Madara-sama...?" He blinked and rubbed his head before looking around, then his eyes finally found me.

"Ugh, what happened boy? I feel like a human who was hit by one of those trains..." The blood dripped from his closed head wound into his eyes and he blinked lazily.

My response was stuttered out, at first, before I remembered how to breathe properly. "You went to go get Sasuke. You had been gone for some time and I- before I could even comprehend what was happening, Sasuke somehow summoned me t-to where you both were..." He screwed his eyes shut, trying to remember.

I continued, "When I got there, you were... Danzou had struck you where our bond was... For some reason, I... I don't know, something in me knew it was bad... You weren't even all there, barely conscious. I didn't know what to do, there was blood and... and whatever else all over you and your neck was almost entirely shredded and black and you wouldn't tell me how to help and I..." I stop, not sure how to continue without incriminating myself. This whole time I had been watching his face. The pained wrinkles had slowly dissipated and his expression was one of grim understanding. He seemed to remember at least part of what happened, but I felt that I needed to continue, thinking that maybe if he knew what I knew, he would tell me the rest, that he would finally explain himself, myself, everything to me.

"I brought you back here. It felt like you were dead, but after awhile, it seemed as if you were going to come back. You were in the tub, and... I poured water over you..." His eyes crinkled as he winced a bit, probably predicting what had happened, but I continued anyway, at least for my own sake.

"I didn't know what to do... Your face changed, my face changed. You attacked me-"

"I did no such thing, boy." He finally interrupted, grimacing as the sudden movement of glaring at me left his head aching. I sat silently, gazing at him with a mask upon my face. He continued, "I would not attack you in that state, you are my mate. If I 'attacked' you, it was with no intention of harming you..."

I knew that now, as I reflected back upon it. With that strength, I could have easily been annihilated, but he had only toyed with me.

I felt slightly embarrassed at being caught in a lie, in an over exaggeration, but his defense only confirmed that he was knowledgeable of what had happened.

I decided to embarrass him as well, "Then why approach in such a way at all? In that 'state', what were you trying to accomplish as you chased me into the bedroom and forced me onto the bed? When you told me to 'do it' to 'complete us', what did you mean?" I was successful in making him turn red, but only half successful since his red cheeks were the result of fury instead of embarrassment.

Madara turns to yell at me but the movement proves to be too sudden and he clutches his still aching head, opting to simply glare at me. I glare back, having my own reasons to be upset. There were so many things that I did not know about Madara, things that were purposefully hidden from me about him, about myself. I can only wonder how a glare looks on my face when my features are so amplified. How long will I have these dark circles? How long will my nails be obscene? How long will my teeth stab into my mouth? Hell, how long will I have to look like the fucking Grudge?

The pain Madara experiences slowly ebbs away, and the glare he gives me loses it's intensity. He stands, wobbling a bit, but catching himself on the bedpost... which promptly collapses, bringing Madara down with it.

I bite my lip to keep my mask in place, not sure if I want to laugh or wince at the bewildered expression on his face before he glares fire at the guilty bed. "What the hell is wrong with our bed?!" I decide that laughing works and let a small chuckle escape.

"I may or may not have smashed your face into the leg of it after you attacked me." He didn't bother glaring, or correcting me, but instead gave me a flat look that roused another quiet chuckle. Madara sighed and attempted to get up once again, much more successful this time when he uses the wall as leverage. He stays still a second before carefully moving to sit on the bed. Neither of us pay any mind to the way the bed sways, but I do shiver as it reminds me of our frightening plummet from Senju's statue. I move to stand as well, making my way to sit next to him on the bed. Madara faces away from me, his hands moving to his lap to avoid mine. We stay like that in a pregnant silence for a good five minutes, and then even longer as the sun begins to rise. The muscles in my jaw twitch with the desire to break this silence but my mouth remains closed.

Madara's face moves to his lap as the first rays of the sun shine through our windows and into his eyes. I watched in amazement as the darkness encircling his eyes became even blacker, and that whole half of his visible skin began to sizzle under the sun's attention. Madara only lifted his hand closer to his face, inspecting it as it reddened and his whole body began sweating. Horrified, I sprung up and closed the blinds and curtains, shrouding the entire room in darkness. I saw the glow of my red eyes reflecting off of my alabaster skin.

Silence seemed so much quieter in the dark.

"I've lost a lot of blood..." It was a statement that wasn't really necessary, but I could tell that he was trying to relieve the silence for my sake.

"Yeah, you did." I return to my spot next to him, the both of us inspecting his skin in the dark. "You had already been bleeding profusely for some time before I got there, and then some when I-..." I stop, unsure of how to continue honestly. How does one explain that they sucked harmful energy from another's neck?

I didn't have to go on, though, "I feel it, Itachi, there is no need to explain." He says as his pale hand reaches to touch his healed neck.

We fall into silence once more.

After awhile it seems like he's staying quiet on purpose, testing how long he could put off explaining this mess, so I shift and sigh loudly. I wasn't going to brush these things off anymore, and I lacked the patience and information to figure it out on my own. I simply couldn't do it with all of the other stress. Just as I'm about to sigh obnoxiously again, he opens his mouth.

"I'm burning like this because I am 'malnourished'." It was a simple statement. The vagueness and randomness of it was just his style, and I could tell that he wanted know how much I knew as well. He was going to make me work for it, answer my own questions based off of whatever little tidbits that he decided to share with me.

Damn, can no one of this clan just spell things out?

I hold back a real sigh, my mind flashing back to the bloody memories that I stole from Madara. Did he know that I had invaded his mind? Probably, other wise he would not expect me to figure this out for myself.

Still, I didn't want to sound stupid, so I needed more information.

"I'm going to assume that whatever you have, I have too. My mother as well." I tried to make it sound unsure on purpose, afraid to be too incorrect in front of him. His eyebrow raised and he nodded, seemingly impressed at my guess.

"It's not a disease, boy, but yes, you are like me." I look down, staring at the talons on his hand frowning. I hadn't really thought it was a disease, but I suppose I could have worded it a little better. I had been assuming that we were cursed, my 'wild imagination' running with the idea that some vampire had doomed our bond and that I had become this way because I bit him.

It was just a fleeting thought, I promise.

After watching my face contort, ugly in thought, he decides to be merciful, "It is an Uchiha thing. I suspect that sometime early on in our bloodline that something was altered somehow, because we couldn't just wake up like this, right?" By the end of the mini-speach he is no longer talking to me, but more asking himself. This was fine because I couldn't answer anyway, so I remained silent, waiting for him to tell me what I wanted to know.

It also pleased me to know that I wasn't the only one wondering.

Madara seemed to go on auto-pilot, explaining in a way that was well rehearsed and familiar. "With in the Uchiha clan, there are a select few of special blood, little one." I raise a brow at the term 'little one', having never heard Madara call me, or any other, such a name. "These Uchiha are capable of awakening darker power, and shall advance much quicker than the others of their clan. You are like me, Madara, and you will grow up to be stronger than even your father, and those before him... You are special, and all you have to do to awaken this specialness is consume and be consumed by the blood... Remember, Madara, once you start, you can never stop... You must continue to drink it, or you will become like a normal Uchiha, like your brother and father, only you will be even weaker!" It doesn't take me long to realize that Madara is reciting what was told to him as a child first learning this. By the broken, disconnected nature of this explanation, I can assume that these are only excerpts from what ever Madara was taught through out his life, and by the glazed over look in his eyes, I could tell that it was difficult to repeat.

I'm about to interrupt him, but he continues. "If your cousins get in your way again, kill them. Uchiha blood will be rich with power, and it is far more potent... Never drink from them in bed!... You are above your father in rank... Do not tell anyone of this darkness, not even your brother... Do not fear your appearance, little one, you are beautiful this way..." It was as if Madara was in a trance, mumbling everything that he had been told about this 'blood' that we had, even mimicking the tone of voice that these fragments were spoken in as they were listed like commandments.

He trailed off a bit before finally looking to me, unsure at first, but the resolve to go through with this 'story' was visible in his face. "My mother told me that..." He said, and for the first time there was a sense of openness between us. The expression on Madara's face seemed to reflect his inner struggle, and it made me wonder how much trust he had in me to tell me such things. It was clear in his eyes that said trust did not come easily, so I tried to stay equally open to encourage him to spill more of his guts.

Madara's black-rimmed eyes narrowed in thought, like he was trying to figure out what to say, how to explain all of this to me. "... I received this gene from my mother, so naturally, she was the one to nurture this part of me, but it was kept secret from my father and brother, since they were... 'normal' I suppose you could say... Back then, it didn't matter as much if the secret got out that you were of that bloodline. People simply feared you, and, in turn, hated you, so it was easier to keep your offspring's heritage a secret, so they could better live..." I raised a brow. "Your mother, Mikoto, is also like us. She is a more direct descendant of mine, and she also kept it a secret from your father, like my mother had done with my father. I'm sure the secrecy was taken even more seriously, though..."

I drop my brow, mumbling. "Yes, I'm sure, since she kept it from me as well..."

Madara eyed me, and I found it strange when he jumped to her defense. "Times changed fast, especially for those who had to keep part of their children secret. When I was a youngling, I watched my mother eat men alive, and she had me accompany her. They were dark times, so I don't expect you to understand, but the way we were raised then, and they way you were raised... it's just different, Itachi..."

I frowned. The way he was talking, unsure, as if he were walking on eggshells, it unsettled me. As if feeling my confusion and wariness, Madara tried to get to a point. "Look, awhile after my prime, after I 'disappeared', Senju isolated the Uchiha clan, turned everyone against us- and being the creatures we are, emotions ran high and we eventually turned on ourselves. This, of course, was not a direct influence of Senju, because Uchiha slayed one another on a regular basis back then, but those of special blood began exposing themselves and the clan split up to follow them, like miniature clans... It was like a civil war."

He seemed a bit indifferent, shaking his head like one would roll their eyes.

"Did people follow you? How many of our clan did your group slaughter?" My question held no hate or betrayal, just curiosity. It's not like I could really get offended by Madara killing clan members. He followed me around while I burned down the entire family tree.

Madara seemed to realize this as well and smirked before answering me, "Oh, I'd already killed my fair share of clansmen. I consumed them on some level or another as well, especially the ones of a purer blood. I did this even to my parents..." He huffed a bit in thought before his gaze returned to me once more. "This was long before my prime though. I had returned from my little 'vacation' to discover the clan grounds in ruin, and I was told of the battles by old, faithful followers." His gaze hardened and he glared at the ground.

"It's funny, really. As soon as the leader leaves, everyone loses it. Because of all of the recklessness, for the first time ever, the Council had to step in to handle Uchiha matters in my leave. There were now restrictions and secrets and more bodies than even Sharingan could count. We were now a clan in the darkest of shadows and I hated everyone from proverbial throne. There was no real clan anymore, so I felt no need to lead the self-righteous scum that no longer needed me anyway."

Madara's jaw became tight, "I began questioning everything life as an Uchiha had taught me. I hated what the clan had become, and I hated what it had always been. I began to think about why I killed my own brother to have the power to lead such a hopeless clan. In my hate, I killed off the majority of the remaining Uchiha of the special blood qualities, leaving only those who had control of their power and deserved to live." He turned to look at me, his gaze softening.

"Your mother was one of them. She had been pregnant with you when Council finally got ahold of me and sealed my body- for killing so many as well as for my previous crimes against the world as a whole." He raised a brow humorlessly, "Having your soul and body separated is nothing pleasant, I assure you, quite painful, really."

For the first time in awhile I spoke up, curious. "What did you do? How did you spend your life without a body?"

He smirked and huffed a breath through his nose, an action that could be poorly defined as a chuckle and he shifted to lay down on the bed, placing his feet at the end of the bed so that I'd either have to move or be his foot stool.

I silently placed his legs on my lap to rest. Madara folded his hands behind his head and against the pillow as he stared at the ceiling for a moment, then he spoke. "I stayed on the grounds for my first imprisonment. During my last battle with the first Hokage, I had lost certain things- my summons, my armor of special properties that I wore later on... I eventually got my armor back, much later, but without the connection to my summons, my energy was different and hard to adapt to. Most of the time, I let my presence remain undetectable. I was only seen by the Uchiha messengers or those of Special heritage until I could cope better with the loss of my body. I trusted few, Mikoto being in that small circle of trusted descendants."

Madara smiled a genuine smile as he paused, looking at me. "What?" I ask, slightly disturbed and confused by his expression.

His lip turned up in a funny half smirk, showing one elongated canine before he answered me. "Nothing, it's just a bit funny to me how things work out, how fate digs her claws into everything. Well, fate or Mikoto..."

I raise a brow, only half understanding.

The smile fades a bit and his bright eyes face the ceiling once more. "Fate had to have had something to do with it, you know, boy?"

I shook my head. Always with the vagueness... "No, Madara-sensei, I don't know... What are you talking about?" He frowns, seemingly lost in thought, but with a sigh, he speaks once again.

"When I was 'invisible' to most, if you will, I rarely strayed from your mother's side. Your father is not like you or your mother, so he could not see me hanging around until I gained full control of my lack of physical form, which was a bit later." He grinned a shit-eating grin that made me want to roll my sore eyes.

"I accompanied Mikoto to the market and such when your father was busy. Hell, I was there when she picked out half of your baby things." I raised a brow, an action he smirked at. "Yes, and I was even there for your birth. I was a bit wary of you, as you did not cry... and honestly, I had sometimes wished that you were my offspring instead of Fugaku's..." I openly gaped at this.

"Um, may I ask why?" He raised a brow and smirked.

"Sure, you can ask."

I glared, but was forced to actually fall into his stupid trap. "Why?"

He smirk fell into a frown as he spoke, a rather jealous frown. "Mikoto was too good for your father. She was strong and clever, she was the kind of woman who knew exactly what was going on around her and knew when to keep quiet- honestly, she probably knew about the massacre beforehand. She was the perfect mate, and the only female I would ever think of reproducing with."

A jealous fire from within began to burn with hate towards my mother, but on the outside, my nose only wrinkled in distaste at the thought of them together. Madara saw this and smiled, as if pleased by my reaction. "Don't worry, boy. It had little to do with feelings of more than loyalty, and she had been betrothed to your father before her birth, so it would not have happened. Due to her blood, she was more devoted to Fugaku than he would ever be devoted to her, but she would never betray that bond."

I frowned, acknowledging the statement and looking to the ground before nodding in understanding.

"After your birth, Mikoto looked after you like any other mother of her kind. She fed you and taught you and protected you with all her might- though, affection was frowned upon by Fugaku, and her own parents were of purer blood, similar to myself, so she was unaccustomed to such behavior herself. You were a strange child anyways. You rarely smiled and you only cried when you needed something and no one was around, you were wary of many adults, even myself when I had no body, and you never disobeyed. You were... odd."

I nodded. I pretty much knew this, as not much had really changed, but I hadn't really heard it from another point of view. I did understand my mother better, though. My father had been cold, but my mother... she kind of had a nothingness about her. Completely unreadable when she wasn't acting. You just kind of knew she cared. It was like a mother lion and her cub, really.

I zoned in and out as Madara numbly explained what I already knew, or what I had guessed, about how our relationship progressed from my early childhood. I listened anytime he focused on his perspective, eager as always to learn more about him.

"... And the last time I had been in the unhidden world before now was after my last battle with Senju. I had been there for Kami knows how long- I lost track of time- so I had to once again catch up on the Hidden world since I had to command Uchiha once more. Then, the spontaneous decision to exterminate them came about, of course, this was after I had lost it and tried to retake control of the Kyuubi-" Madara's mindless rambling ceased as a soft knocking pierced through our false calm.

---

Madara

My voice died in my throat as our heads snapped to the direction of the front door. There was a brief pause of indecision from Itachi, then a small, but immediate panic. I raised a brow, forgetting the previously grey mood.

"What are you fretting about, boy?" His tense face turns towards me.

Itachi's shaky hands slowly raise until they're in front of his face and his bright red eyes flick back and forth between the two claw-like body parts before finally settling on me.

"How... How do I make this go away? We can't be seen like this, and unless it's a human at the door, I can't use genju-"

"Calm yourself, boy." I begrudgingly raise up to stand, turning my body away from him to get his greedy eyes off of my crotch.

Yeah, I noticed.

Itachi's eyes follow me curiously as I move to the closet and retrieve a robe to wrap around my body. Once I solve the issue of my nakedness, I move on to the next big problem. With a grimace, I glared at my taloned, white hands, momentarily unable to appreciate their corpse-like qualities in this unfavorable situation.

"Well?" I hear Itachi prompt from his place on the bed. I grimace a bit more. I couldn't just drink a potion like last time- I didn't have the necessary herbs and this needed to be done quickly, but exposing secrets... This revealing thing isn't easy. My body and mind already feel odd after unleashing so much truth and knowledge, and trust is a powerful and destroying thing, so naturally I would feel wary of showing Itachi how to 'turn this off' and rid me of my greatest defense. This was yet another reason that I prohibit the use of Sharingan between Itachi and I. Between those of the higher bloodline, it was well-known that one of the only reasons that common Sharingan was still used was to keep up appearances, 'predict the future' in battle, and also, to disarm a fellow Uchiha of the same blood.

This was not something I felt comfortable sharing. With this knowledge, Itachi would not only be my weakness, but he would be a weakness that knew how to make me even more vulnerable. Since Itachi and I were bonded, I was even more susceptible to the influence of his eyes, no matter what form was being used against me. Any other person's influences would be easily thwarted, as I was the strongest, not to mention the dominant, Uchiha, but with this power, Itachi would have full control over me.

With a suppressed shudder of discomfort, I knelt down in front of my mate's lap and locked red eyes with him. I pursed my lips, my eyes dancing to each little feature, drinking up how attractive the physical attributes of our blood looked on Itachi's already beautiful face. As my eyes consumed this, they took with them the tenseness of each individual facial muscle that revealed Itachi's inner thoughts. I was once again soothed by Itachi's openness around me, somehow reassured that Itachi wouldn't take advantage of this and use it against me. I had to remember that this was my beloved.

His eyebrows creased a bit more, obviously impatient after we hear yet another quiet couple of knocks upon our door. With a resolved huff of air through my nose, I place my hands on Itachi's face.

"First, boy, you need to figure out how to go from those eyes, to your Sharingan. You may find it easier to transition by reverting back to your blac-" And of course the genius immediately transitions to Sharingan with no more than a squint. Most Uchiha of our pedigree struggle with the switch in the beginning, but not Itachi. I smirk and he frowns, not seeing what is so funny.

Here's the hard (uncomfortable) part. "Put me under."

Itachi gapes at me, caught off guard. "... Sensei?" I bite the inside of my cheek. At least he understands the gravity of the situation. I find myself warming at his unwillingness to cross my boundaries again, but it has to be done if he wants one of us to answer that door, and it's a bit trickier to rid someone of the visible signs of this when in it's elementary stages.

"With your Sharingan. Put me under." I repeat. "Then pierce your skin somehow and bleed yourself into my mouth. You will then have control of me." His eyes almost cross in confusion and I watch as he bites his lip, unsure.

"How will that make this go away?" I pull my hands from his face, moving until I have one of his hands in one of mine.

"I'll get to that." He nods, face reddening a bit at his interruption. "You will then place a hand to your mark, and then another to mine." I move our hands to said positions in example, my own face turning a bit pink at the unexplainable intimacy of this act. Our noses almost touch and my eyes unconsciously flutter until they are half-lidded.

"Then..." I whisper against his mouth, "... you have me. What ever you tell me partaining to this blood, I will do it. With this, you will even have the ability to control my thoughts, and even stop my heart- Just by the will of our bond that ties us." I will not die, of course. My body will simply not be- but still, this control I give him...

The visitor knocks once more and Itachi hurriedly breaks out of our mini-trance, nodding nervously.

I lick my lips and Itachi allows me one slow breath before his dazzling eyes begin spinning and I am lost to the world. This type of hypnotism is unique to bond-mates, and it is -in my oppinion- the most beautiful manipulation of it's kind. I had only ever seen it done between other's who were bonded, but I had admired the act, and I had never imagined that I would one day experience it. Unlike other genjutsu, I was completely aware of my surroundings. I could see everything, but there was a warm, red-orange tint about my vision, and the only thing I wanted to see was Itachi's eyes. My body was completely relaxed, and had it not been for Itachi's eye-contact and control, I would have immediately collapsed like a rag-doll.

As my glazed eyes mindlessly stared into Itachi's spinning orbs, I wondered how it felt to be on the other end, to have my own unique Mangekyou reflected onto my mate's eyes. It felt to me like yet another pretty mark of possession, and Itachi seemed to mirror my feelings on the matter, if his expression was anything to go by.

I watched(there was nothing else I could do, really) as Itachi bit his thumb hard enough to break skin, inwardly drinking up the sight of his blood. He stared at the reddened thumb, too, before slowly bringing it closer to my lips. Before the blood even touched me, the very smell had my mouth watering embarrassingly, but I didn't have the control to swallow it down before Itachi could feel it with his thumb.

If he noticed, he ignored it, because his face was completely unreadable as he let me taste his blood. All too quickly he pulled it from my mouth to place his hands over our bonds. If I could have controlled my body, I would have groaned and sucked the boy dry through that thumb! So focused on that taste, I barely registered the weight returning to my limbs as I regained control and human-like features.

"Madara-sama?" I blink, shaking my head before licking my lips and meeting Itachi's eyes.

"Yes?" I say, a bit dazed.

He raises a brow and smirks a bit, "The door?"

I blink repeatedly before looking away. "... Right." I stand and shakily move to the door, eyeing the tiny sleeping form of the little girl that was dropped off yesterday evening.

I frown as I walk to the door, swinging it open just in time to meet a fist that barely froze before knocking on my face. I cross my eyes to glare at the offending knuckles before uncrossing them to stare at their owner. My brow can't help but raise in question when I see this man, however.

He was quite the oddball...

The fist falls to his side, allowing me a better, unobscured view of this masked man. He wore a navy blue mask that covered the bottom of his face, much like the one I wore when I first arrived in California. This mask was accompanied by his hita-ite that covered his eye. Judging by the fact that he wore this in this world, along with the fact that his clothes were torn and bloodied to hell, he didn't exactly have the opportunity to change, and I'm left to assume that he was involved in that mess in Konoha.

Plus, he had Konoha's symbol on his forehead, so...

I was in the middle of hating his silver, gravity defying hair when a lazy, playful voice demanded my attention.

"Yo." My eyes narrow. I don't like him. "I'm Hatake Kakashi."

I frown. I hate him even more. I've heard that name. Umino called this man his 'lover', if I'm not wrong. The presence of this man made Itachi uneasy... It was also the man that I was substituting for.

I don't bother gracing him with a response. Unlike his other half, Hatake seemed to understand my silence. His visible eye squinted in what I assumed to be a smile and he spoke in an amused voice. "I'm here to pick up my daughter, Minako." I side-glanced to the couch where the little girl was sleeping before glancing back at him.

I wasn't really sure how to go about this. I didn't want to touch the child, but I didn't want this man in my house, and I'm sure Itachi shared my feelings... With a resigned huff of distaste, I left the doorway and picked up the sleeping child, holding her away from my body as I carried her to her other father. Before I could get her off the couch, her eyes opened... and so did her big mouth.

"...Pretty? Kurosawa-san, where is Karasu-san?" I grimaced at her curiousity, but Hatake just gave that smiley-squint.

My deep voice sounded too loud as I answered. "...He is in his room. Probably sleeping." Shut up, child...

Her big eyes blinked as I passed her to Hatake, nearly tossing her as to not touch her father. "Oh, can I say bye?" The request was entirely innocent on her end, but Hatake's encouraging lifted brow left my eyes narrowing dangerously. Normally, a child would be reprimanded for the bold, almost rude request(3). It was obvious to me that this Hatake was on to something about us.

Well, if he thinks that his daughter's doe-eyes will work on me, then he has underestimated the Uchiha.

"No." And with that, I shut and lock the door. Frowning, I turn and walk back to my room, smirking at Itachi's pacing form. He looks up as the door shuts, "Do you think he knows?" Itachi could obviously hear the man and identified him. I shake my head negatively and he relaxes, gently sitting on our lop-sided bed.

I take a seat next to him, touching his face and thumbing the dark coloring under his eyes. The process to returning his face to normal is a bit longer and more complicated, and it required a few herbs from the Silent Forest, where Uchiha got most of their herbs. With one more stroke of my thumb, Itachi's eyes met mine.

"Now it's your turn, boy."

Okay guys, I really wanted to keep going, but I've made you wait SO long. Sorry it's probably not what you were hoping for (smut), buuuuut, I like teasing because I am evil. I DO hope you enjoy it, though. I have many more twists and ideas, so please don't lose faith yet.

Sorry if this sucks.

I'm going to go ahead and thank all who review and favorite and alert and message me to check up on the progress. I really do enjoy talking to readers or skyping, just to learn more about you guys and what you like!

Thanks for being faithful.

---

(1) When he says 'this era', he's talking about the era when Konoha is starting and Senju Hashirama is still alive. When he says 'my time', he's talking about current time or real time, outside of Madara's memory.

(2) Sooo, you know when you take medicine that makes you super drowsy and you feel kind of high? Like you accidentally drop something and the sound of it hitting the ground surprises you to the point that you freak the fuck out? I wrote this part while I was like that, so it made more sense then.

(3) In my household, I am not sure if it is a cultural thing or not, but it is extremely rude to enter someone's room, especially the master bedroom with out the owner of that bedroom. Even with them accompanying you, it's still odd. I usually just wait at the doorway unless they formally invite me in, you know?

PLEASE REVIEW! It really does help me along. It's also annoying to see the visitors/views so high, but only recieve a handfull of reviews or any type of feedback!

Until next time.

~SaLEm