A/N: Oh…my…GOSH! I am ready to commit suicide here! My class is killing me and it's taking me forever to write! Jeeze! Oh well, here's a new chapter for all of you. I am so happy that this story is suddenly so popular. I really am. Thank you.

Also, I've decided that since Itachi is with Sasuke and they are going to be spending some time together, I figure I have some memory moments too. Depending on how long I make the memory, they will either be their own chapter like this one or they will just be part of a chapter. Now the memories bit will only come up when something similar to what happened in the memory will happen with Itachi and Sasuke. Sort of like small reminders of Itachi's once happy life with his otouto. I hope you all like this one.

I do NOT OWN any of the Naruto characters or the storyline. If I did, the Uchihas would rule the world along side with the Akatsuki. Or at least Itachi and Sasuke. Thank you for those who have reviewed and I am so happy to receive so many of them. I hope you all like this memory and tell me how it went.

Ch. 9: Memory 1: Maturing

"Nii-san!"

Hearing the small, angelic voice, Itachi looks over his shoulder and sees his little fourteen year old, seven year old looking brother running towards him with a small flower necklace in his hand. Or it could be a flower crown. It's too small to be a necklace. But as the little boy is running to a thirteen year old looking, really twenty six, Itachi, Sasuke trips on a rock and falls head first to the ground. Or he would have if a pair of arms didn't catch him first. The little boy looks up and he sees his brother as his savior once again. Looking at his adorable face, Itachi couldn't help but smile at him.

"You really should watch your step, otouto," he says. "I wouldn't want you to get hurt and you know how mother is if there is even a scratch on your face."

Sasuke makes a pout and he stands up to get out of his brother's hold so that he could yell, "I can handle myself just fine, nii-san!" He even crosses his arms in front of his chest and glares at his older brother for treating him like a kid. He is still a kid. Itachi still smiles at him before poking Sasuke's forehead with his index and middle finger. It became an off switch to Sasuke's upset behavior.

"Foolish little brother." Then the older brother lets out a soft giggle and it causes Sasuke's cheeks to take a small shade of red at the beautiful ring of his brother's laugh. When Itachi was done, he looks at Sasuke's hand and asks, "What do you have there, otouto?" Sasuke looks at his hand where the flower crown is. He forgot he had it when he fell.

"Oh, nii-san!" He presents the flower crown to his brother and says, "This is for you. I was able to sneak some Luna flowers and tie them together." The love and joy on his face is absolutely adorable and so beautiful. Itachi didn't expect the flower crown to be given to him. He only expected Sasuke to say that he stole flowers from the garden and made a crown with them after Itachi showed him how.

He had to ask. "For me?"

"Yes, for you." The little boy pouts again. "Did you not just hear me?"

The smile that came back on Itachi's face became genuine and so gentle with love. It was a smile that Itachi had a hard time showing others. He only shared them with certain people. It became the smile that surprises Sasuke the most.

"Thank you, Sasuke," Itachi says. "Do you want to put it on?" It took a moment for him to answer because the smile caught the little boy off guard but Sasuke nods and places the flower crown on his older brother's head. Itachi adjusts it a little before saying, "It's beautiful, Sasuke. You did a very good job weaving it."

Hearing his compliment causes the little boy to blush, look to the side, and dig his foot in the ground. "It's not that great," he mumbles. Then his voice got softer when he says, "You're the best at it."

"Being the best isn't always great, otouto," Itachi tells him, the smile still on his face from how cute his brother looks right now. Sasuke looks at him in confusion when he said that and Itachi explains, "According to everyone around me, they say I'm the best at everything. But I'm not. I'm just me and that me isn't perfect."

"I think you are." The blush on Sasuke's face grows deeper before saying again, "You are perfect, nii-san. You're great at everything. Unlike me."

Hearing the last thing he said, Itachi took it the wrong way. His smile dissolves into a small frown with a curious expression as he asks, "Do you hate me for it, Sasuke?"

"What?" Sasuke asks, taking his older brother's question in surprise. "No!" he yells, immediately. "I can never hate you, nii-san! I love you." Then he covers his mouth in shock and looks down at the ground, blushing a very deep red, a darker shade than blood. Itachi blinks in surprise of his brother's words. He continues to only stare at the boy a little while longer, seeing how totally embarrassed he is and how he dares a look up to see the older vampire's expression. His scared expression, in a twisted way, is one of Itachi's favorite expressions Sasuke has. It only shows how innocent this little vampire is.

Itachi's hand moves its way to Sasuke's head again and this time he starts petting the soft raven strands on his head. He smiles at the boy again and says, "I love you too, otouto. But I'm not perfect at everything." His hand moves to Sasuke's face and his fingers brush away the hair covering his little brother's face from his. "There is one thing you're better than me at."

Dazzle by his smile and his words, Sasuke loses that fear and his brain became a temporary blank. "Uh? What?"

"You're the best at being my little brother. I would accept no one else but you." Itachi's hand moves away so that he could tap the tip of Sasuke's nose. The little boy crinkles his nose at the gesture and he tries to look annoyed.

"Well of course. I'm your only little brother."

"All the more reason for me to love you more than everyone else. There is no one in this world who I can ever love more than you, otouto. But what about you? Is there someone you love more than your nii-san. Because if there is…" He quickly grabs the little boy and traps him in his arms before tickling him in every sensitive ticklish spot Itachi knows Sasuke has. "I will torture you senselessly." Sasuke bursts out laughing from his older brother's merciless fingers. He tries to pull away but Itachi's got him trapped in his arms. He's trapped and his adorable laughter fills the night air, mixed with Itachi's own soft laughter.

Then the older vampire prince notices something.

"Sasuke," he calls, stopping his tickling. The little boy stops laughing when his brother stopped and called his name. He looks up and Itachi asks, "Open your mouth."

Confused by his command and how serious his voice sounds compared to how it was seconds ago, Sasuke obeys. He opens his mouth and Itachi grasps his chin and opens his mouth wider to see extended fangs in the little boy's mouth. They weren't there before.

"You're maturing. You're early."

When he releases his little brother's mouth, Sasuke pouts again and points out, "You were earlier. Father and mother said that you gained your fangs when you were six years younger than I was."

"That's not the point. Have you tasted…blood yet?" His words distracted Sasuke from the tone of his voice and how upset and serious he sounds saying them. Seeing his confused face, Itachi explains, "Now that you have your fangs, you can no longer consume solid foods."

"I know that," Sasuke answers him, "and no. I haven't tried it yet. But nii-san…" The little boy's face looks back down at the ground, averting his gaze from his brother's and his voice is small and fragile. It took Itachi off guard and the seriousness lightens up in his voice.

"Yes?"

"I'm scared to try it."

This really surprised him. Itachi has experienced many young vampires who became more than excited when experiencing their first bite. Most run off to try it the moment they see that their fangs have at least grown an inch. Never has vampire heir ever met someone who's afraid to experience their first bite. "You are?"

Still looking down, not wanting to show the distress in his onyx black eyes, Sasuke nods his little head in small movements. "A lot of people told me that when they got their fangs, they were all talking about how they enjoyed their first bite on a human. How they liked it when they were screaming, how they were struggling, and how they kept pleading for them to stop. How can anyone be that heartless? I don't want to consume blood if I have to do that."

His words and the quickness of how they escaped his little mouth became enough evidence for Itachi to hear how scared and upset he is by this. It really shouldn't be that much of a surprise. Since the day he was born, Sasuke has anyways been the innocent once. The white little cat born in a dark, dark world. It's one of the main reasons why Itachi feels so drawn to him, why he feels so comfortable with him. Now that this little white kitten has to go through one of the darkest traditions of the vampire world, being terrified is a natural reaction.

"Sasuke, do you want me to tell you a secret?" Sasuke shyly looks up at his older brother, only to then feel Itachi's breath heating his ear. Itachi whispers to him, "I don't like it either."

This time the youngest prince gasps as Itachi pulls away and looks at him directly in the eye. Sasuke didn't hide away this time as he asks, "You don't? Then how was your first bite?"

The way he suddenly has this feeling of curiosity of his brother's first bite became quite amusing and at the same time…very sad.

"Did you think I was one of those cold-hearted vampires who didn't listen to the plea of their victims?"

Realizing how his brother took his words, Sasuke had to quickly tell his nii-san, "Ah, no. But it was your first bite so I…" Now he looks ashamed for allowing his words to sound how little he thinks of his older brother. Instead of looking depress, Itachi chuckles at the boy's expression. He's so cute no matter what expression he puts on his face.

"It's okay if you did. I think of myself as a heartless being myself." But even though he's smiling and the depression is not shown on his facial features, Sasuke can clearly see the sadness in onyx eyes similar to his own.

"But nii-san…" He tries to approach him a comforting gesture but Itachi raises his hand and stops him from continuing. He just wants the little prince to listen.

"You know Hatake Kakashi, correct? He was my first bite." He pauses to let the words sink in and Sasuke widens his eyes as his thoughts for the spiky hair, half-a-face man. That guy looks older than Itachi by at least a few years. But he says nothing as his older brother continues the story. "Father told me he was a willing sacrifice. He had no home, no family; he was a perfect sacrifice. There is nothing like your first bite. It becomes the first and longest moment of your life where you feel like an uncontrollable monster and you like it. You feed on that blood greedily. You don't remember who you are or what you have under your mouth. All you know is that the blood rolling down your throat is your life. Your life that you're taking to survive. It was when he was crying and mumbling that he didn't want to die that I stopped. I realized that the life I claimed to have been mine wasn't really mine. I was stealing it from someone else. It took all that I had to stop myself and all I could do was stand there as Kakashi's body was at my feet. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done and all I could do afterwards was stand there in horror of what I've done."

"But you didn't kill him, nii-san. He's alive now."

"Yes, I know. Because I didn't kill him, I ended up turning him into a vampire. Then I became his master and taught him everything he needed to know about being a vampire. Then I released him and he became someone who makes his own choices and decides how he wants to live his own existence. Although around that time, I too had yet to learn what it means to be a vampire. To this very day, I still don't understand it and I don't think I want to."

On his older brother's face, little Sasuke can see so many negative emotions. Some he couldn't identify but he knows that he should be concern about them. For now, he can see that his brother has dire thoughts and distraught feelings about being a vampire. He also sees shame, contempt, and above all, complete and utter disgust.

"N-Nii-san," he calls, his voice a little shaky. He wants to ask for the reason behind these feelings he can see on Itachi's face but when his brother looks at him in curiosity to what he has to say, he couldn't ask. Instead, he asks, "What does…blood taste like? Why is it so irresistible for us?"

"Because it's our nature. We are beings who consume blood, rather we want to or not. We need it to survive." Sasuke wanted to slap his forehead and then slam it into a wall. He tried to avoid the question of why Itachi looks so bitter to the idea of how vampires live and he ends up asking a question that was right on the money. For now, all he can do is listen to what his brother has to say with wonder and the wiliness to take everything that's being said. "What I can tell you is that it tastes like iron. But it's the most delectable thing you have ever tasted. It tastes even better than the tomatoes you love so much and the taste of it will be so delicious that it would make everything you have tasted seem bland and tasteless. Then you can't get enough of it. You will want it, crave it more than anything. Many who have experienced their first bite become willing to devour blood three times a day as if it were a daily three-course meal. Those are the bloodthirsty kind of our race and they are the most wicked ones of us all."

Again, Sasuke can see the bitter and loathing on his brother's face and as of right now. It scares him.

"Do all bloods taste the same?" Maybe saying something childish or naïve will help lighten the discussion. It worked, a bit. Hearing that question, Itachi's lips curl up into a small and gentle smile before answering again.

"Some, yes. Humans have different types. Such as type A, type B, type AB, and type O. However, every blood has their own personal flavor. Don't tell Kakashi, but his blood tasted like prunes." This causes both of them to giggle; Sasuke a little louder and more carefree than Itachi's. "Would you like to taste mine?"

"Uh?" This came out of nowhere and it confuses the little maturing vampire greatly. "Taste your blood?" he asks, making sure he heard his brother correctly. Why would Itachi even suggest such a thing?

Itachi can see the puzzlement on the boy's face and all he did was smile and explain. "Normally, human blood is consumed for first time biters but you told me that you're scared to bite a human and you're afraid of not being able to control yourself. If you bite me, I'll tell you when it's enough and stop you. This way, you don't have to worry about killing me. I won't die and leave you alone."

"You promise?" Sasuke asks, his voice now small with uncertainly but wiliness to do it if Itachi says it's really okay.

The older boy nods. "I promise."

Even though he now has permission, Sasuke still looks unsure and hesitant. "I don't want to hurt you." He needs a little push. That's all. Itachi grasps the little boy's wrist and pulls him into his arms again. Sasuke instantly blushes when he's leaning against his brother's chest, the warm, strong arms wrapped around him, and his nose touching the hollow skin of Itachi's throat. But while this was making the little boy feel warm, he can smell Itachi's scent emitting from his skin. To the boy, it's very intoxicating. His mouth became filled with drool right there and he can feel the length of his fangs extending a little more the longer he's there in that position.

"Go on now, otouto," Itachi presses on, holding the boy tighter. He can tell that the boy is already starting to give into his desires for blood but he's hesitating.

"But I don't…"

"Just fallow your instincts. The rest will come naturally."

Sasuke pulls his head back just a little bit to look at his brother's bare neck. He couldn't believe he was going to do this. He leans back to the skin and his tongue sticking out. Like a little cat, he licks a small area on Itachi's neck and man, did his skin taste good. If his skin alone is this good, one could wonder what the blood would be. Sasuke's onyx eyes became clouded with the bloodlust and they started to fade to red. Then he opens his mouth and his extended fangs are longer than they were before. He first brushes his fangs against his older brother's skin, still nervous about biting. His small motion causes no sound from Itachi but it does cause the older male to close his eyes in the tiny amount of bliss. Then came the fangs. They were hesitant but nonetheless, they pierce through Itachi's flesh and his blood bursts into Sasuke's mouth. The older one winced from this new sensation and tensed as Sasuke keeps a tight grip on him to keep him from leaving. Then after the pain, came the pleasure. All of Itachi's experiences of biting are of the victims screaming in pain till they could no longer breathe. He thought it was the most painful thing to go through but this bite. This bite he's having from his little brother is completely unexpected. When the pleasure came, he relaxed and lets out a deep and long exhale. He holds the little boy closer as the pleasure continues. His little brother takes a deep suck on his blood before waiting a few seconds for the blood to come to the surface before taking another suck. Then Itachi begins to gasp and pant in this unbelievable feeling. Then the soft, low moans came. He didn't want it to stop. That's why he frowned and let a moan of disapproval and disappointment when Sasuke stopped. He pulled his fangs away and kicked the remains of blood off of Itachi's skin, a small way of saying 'I'm sorry'.

The little vampire pulls away, licking his lips of blood and looking like the innocent, little boy he's always been."Are you alright, nii-san?"

It took him a while to answer but eventually, he answered. He just needed a moment to catch his breath. "Yes, I'm fine. How do you feel?"

Sasuke became shy again. He looks down at the ground and his finger found his lips. "Content," he answers.

"As expected." Sasuke looks up at his older brother and the older male gives him a reassuring smile. The has nothing to be ashamed of. "Tell me, what do I taste like?"

"You taste better than tomatoes." He answers that with his adorable, innocent voice and it causes Itachi to start laughing. Sasuke continues to watch him as Itachi continues to laugh a moment longer before speaking.

"Well I'm glad to hear that," he states. "I didn't think there was ever anything you liked better than tomatoes."

As beautiful and genuine his smile is and how it bedazzles the young boy, Sasuke didn't relax like how he used to. "Nii-san," he calls.

"Yes?" Itachi answers.

"Why didn't you stop me?" That took Itachi off guard. Sasuke looks at his older brother hard with an accusing stare as he scolds, "You said you would but you didn't."

He's worried, that's all. And it is Itachi's fault for getting caught up in that bliss but he couldn't help it. But the older vampire prince has to give his little brother some credit. He has by far greater control than any first bite vampires Itachi has seen. Even he didn't have a good control over his bloodlust. "I didn't think you were done. I was still okay before you stopped."

"Liar. You were panting."

Itachi smiles at how childish his brother is acting, but still all the more cute. "One day you'll understand. I've never been bitten before so it was an experience. If you're still uneasy about drinking the blood of a human, you can always drink mine. Although, I don't know if vampire blood is more appealing than human blood." He starts laughing again to reassure the little boy but all he does is bring about curiosity for Sasuke.

By the time that Itachi stopped when he didn't hear Sasuke join him, he was surprised to see Sasuke prick his finger with his fang and then presenting his now bleeding finger to him. His finger became so close to Itachi's lips. In fact, Sasuke didn't stop there. He uses his blood like paint as he starts coloring Itachi's lips with his red blood. Itachi felt a slight shiver when some bit of blood dripped into his mouth and on his tongue.

"Ne, nii-san. How does my blood taste?"

His onyx eyes are big with curiosity and he tilts his head to the side but Itachi didn't hear him. Or he did but his words went out the other ear. His thoughts are all on the drop of blood he was able to taste and the rest of it on his lips. He licks his lips clean of the blood and he lets out a long exhale. A small dose of Sasuke's blood made him shiver and a little more made him feel free as though, he had chains and Sasuke's blood was the key. It set him free and bolts of electricity went running up and down his spine. It was heaven. He had to have more. He grasp the hand before him and uses his tongue to lick away the extra blood that rolled down Sasuke's hand the blood that continues to leak out of his wound. Sasuke's cheeks became red when he sees how beautiful his older brother looks consuming his blood. When the blood was gone, Itachi opened his eyes to reveal that they're already crimson red and his fangs are extended and sharp.

"Better than how I remember dango."

Ne, so how was that? Tell me how it went okay?