A/N: Hello my fellow fans. Finally the chapter you have all been waiting for! Now I hope this chapter is to your liking because it'll be a while before I update again. I have to go back to school, -groan-, and I won't be able to write so much until I get used to my new schedule. It's been fun in the summer but now I must take things slow. I'm so sorry… But I'll try to update as soon as I can and write as much as I could. I won't waste a single moment of my time!

I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself, because I would so have Sasuke come back home instead of losing his mind and killing people left and right and I would bring Itachi back to life, somehow… Anyway, thank you for those who have reviewed and please keep them coming! Comments and criticism are welcomed! I really do hope you enjoy this super long chapter and enjoy the ending. Thank you and enjoy!

Ch. 17: The Things I Would Do For You

"And what would you like, Itachi-sama?" the human maid asks with a happy, friendly smile on her face. Never mind that the guy she's asking tried to kill every vampire in the world and never mind that he himself is a vampire. She seems completely at ease with him and there is a speck of flirting in her eyes as well. Not that he couldn't tell. He could. He's been playing roles similar to her for a long time before he came back home. But besides that, the maid is asking what Itachi wants to eat as if he were in a restaurant sitting at a table and she's a waitress.

Before he could answer her, Sasuke yells out, "The chef's sweet special."

All eyes turn to him when he said that but he's just sitting next to Naruto with his elbow prop on the long rectangle table and his chin resting on the palm of his hand. He's upset and he's refusing to look at anyone right now.

"I think I can order for myself, little brother," Itachi says, his voice and face still looking like that of an emotionless doll.

But Sasuke just tells him, "You don't know what we have here, so just shut up and take it!"

Across from him is Suigetsu and he asks, "Don't tell me that the great Uchiha Sasuke is jealous, now is he?" with that teasing smirk plastered on his face like always. While Itachi raises a brow, Sasuke glares more than just daggers this time at the human worker.

"Shouldn't you be working in the bathroom, Suigetsu?" he asks dangerously. So dangerously in fact that the human maid is more afraid of the younger prince than anyone else.

Indifferent to his glare, Suigetsu answers, "I'm taking a break as well. Besides, as a humble worker of the Uchiha castle, my first priority is to the royal family. Itachi included."

"Pft! You just want to get out of working, you lazy ass," Karin snorts, sitting not that far away from her temporary ex-lover but sitting next to him none the less. Now the white hair human is glaring at her. Juugo and Kimimaro, who are sitting across from Itachi, just let out a sigh from this scene. Rather they're on 'on' or 'off', they're so trouble-some.

Trying to continue with her job, the human maid asks, "Uh, Sasuke-sama. Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"

"No, I'm fine," he mutters, bitterly. Then he whispers, "I didn't even want this stupid snack anyway." Naruto was the only one who looks upon his friend with deep, deep concern. It's obvious that he wants to say something but he knows that it'll all be useless for the blonde to say,

The maid then stutters, "W-Well then, I-I'll go and get the other orders ready." Then she bows and ran out of there as if Sasuke was the most intimidating creature on the face of the plant, which he is at the moment.

Now with the maid gone and off to get their food, Kimimaro says, "So Itachi-sama, do you wish for me to answer your earlier question or would you rather talk about something else?"

The expressionless vampire answers, "I would like for you to answer my question. By your appearance, I suspect that you were nothing more than a child when I was at war with your family. By them alone, they were war hungry, vicious hunters."

"Yes, they were. My father the worst of them all." A sad expression appears on the white hair vampire's face as his eyes became distant and lost in the past. "My father was enraged with your strength when you defeated his so called 'ultimate force'. So enraged that he showed no mercy on me as a father or a trainer." The last part just barely sounded like a whisper. Juugo grasps Kimimaro's hand in a tight and comforting squeeze, distracting the vampire for a moment, and giving him a loving smile of encouragement. His lover gives one back in return. By these small actions alone, anyone can tell how deep and strong the bond between them is. In a way it made Itachi uncomfortable but he doesn't show it. It definitely shows on Sasuke's face but no one is really looking at him, besides Naruto.

The couple gives each other one more squeeze before Kimimaro returns to his tale. "Like you, I was known as the Kaguya's clan's prodigy. The most skilled with a sword, the best reflexes, and I could perform the swiftest and quietest kill. But unlike my clan, I guess you can say that I wasn't a fan of violence or war. My mother died giving birth to me and I lived my life with the only option to get my father's attention – through killing vampires and showing no mercy to the humans that have fallen under the vampire's control. For a while, I believed that was my purpose in this blood soaked life and yet no matter how hard I tried, I yearned for so much more. Something different than what I was living in." During his story, Kimimaro's face appeared sad and tragic. It's hard on him to look back on his past that's surrounded by murder and darkness. Like he is the innocent, naïve child that was force to live in such a cruel, dark world. It reminds Itachi a bit of how he saw Sasuke when he was a child and what he would have seen if his little brother lost that beaming-with-happiness smile.

When Kimimaro says the next part, his face practically lightens up with glee and a sign of a small bit of happiness he was able to experience in his human life. "Then I met Juugo. A slave sold to the family and I was fortunate enough for him to become my personal servant. He gave my life a new meaning, he would listen to my deepest thoughts and desires, and he would praise me without achievement. He was everything that I lacked and so much more. My opposite and yet, my other half." Then he looks back at Juugo and the love blossoms again for everyone to see. It just seemed so real and so close that anyone could practically taste it. They're able to live for each other and be unafraid to say words of love to the other. They looked like the perfect example of soul mates. Just looking at them could make anyone feel awed, or jealous, or happy, or even a bit sad. Anybody would just be willing to die for just one moment to share a moment like that with their true love.

Naruto had to cough to get their attentions back to reality. Surely caught them by surprise and they turn to look at the happy goofy smile on the jinchuriki's face.

"Oh forgive me. I did not mean to wonder," Kimimaro excuses. Itachi simple gestures 'It's alright. Continue with your story.' Seeing his understanding, Kimimaro is liking this long hair vampire all the more. "I'm sure you were aware of the sickness that was passed down the family line. As being the most skilled warrior of the clan, I was also the sickest. As the years passed by, my body became weaker and my father would be even angrier. How I would be the most powerful weapon and yet I was made with cheap materials. Then about eight years ago, I supposed you can say that Sasuke saved me."

Expression still did not appear on Itachi's face but his voice at least sounds surprise to hear this. "Sasuke?"

"Yes," he answers. He even takes a small side view at the teenager but he's still looking away from everyone else. He obviously doesn't want to take any part in this conversation or storytelling. But Kimimaro didn't seem to mind. "He came one night, unexpectedly and slain every single member of my clan."

Flashback eight years ago…in Kimimaro's POV…

"My lord, my lord!"

I was in my room at the time that was only a screen door away from the room one of the guards came bursting in to report to father. It was just me in the room since Juugo went to the kitchen to prepare my tea for my sickness. I became rather surprised by the guard's terrified and eager behavior when he came in and bowed to my father in respect.

"What is it?" my father asked.

As best as he could without trying to allow fear to control his words, the guard reported, "W-We're under attack! A single vampire is coming this way and is killing everyone in sight!"

"What?"

Even I was surprised that a single vampire, after already slaughtering millions more before this one, would cause so much fear and mayhem that the guard was portraying.

"Ah-already he's passed through the inner gates! He's passing through our defenses as if he were on a stroll in a park!"

Slash

And then just like that with an extended sword of lightning, the guard that was cowering before my father became beheaded and my father suffered a deep gash in the chest. I was astounded by the sight before me. A single vampire got in so deep into our base in such a short period of time and as I saw the vampire's shadow through the screen door, he appeared unharmed. I never thought it was possible. Instead of worrying for my father who was then lying on the ground dying, I was concern if Juugo unfortunately crossed him and ended up dead. I will admit that I was terrified and I was literally shaking in my bed by how powerful Sasuke's mere presence became through that thin door.

When he stood before my father, I heard my father say, "You… You're just a kid? How could someone like you get in here?"

"How could a kid defeat your so called ultimate force twelve years ago?" Sasuke asked before raising his sword over my father's chest. "It's the same question." Then he stabbed him and killed my father.

At the time, besides being petrified by him, I was confused on why Sasuke wouldn't just devour my father's blood or the blood of his victims. He only allowed his sword to taste their blood. It was quite an unusual vampire behavior and I was starting to believe that it was really a hunter with the strength and swiftness of a vampire. But my confusion soon sufficed when he entered my room.

Like my father, I too was shocked by his age. Surely vampires are much older than humans but by vampire years, Sasuke only looked about twelve or thirteen years old. Still just a child and I'm almost embarrassed to say that I was captivated by his beauty when I first laid eyes on him. He who has just killed an entire vampire hunting clan, covered in their blood and yet, he looked so pure. Like no mere darkness, killing, or even death could touch him. He could have been bathed in their blood and my thoughts would still be the same. His ivory skin that glowed all on it's own like a full moon in a pitch black sky, his body standing firmly before me with dignity, honor, strength, and grace, his raven black hair looked so soft and light appearing as spiky as it did, and his onyx eyes were like black endless pools, clean of any filth and just full of so many hidden emotions that appear too great to be kept hidden away. His mere beauty dissolved away the fear I felt so strongly before and all I could do was just stare at the untainted being before me. In a way, he made me feel like I wanted to protect him as if he were a precious gem that must never fall into corrupted hands.

"Even when I first saw him, despite the situation I found him in, I must confess that I too had the same intentions," Juugo intervenes. "Oops. Sorry for the interruption, Kimimaro."

"It's quite alright," he assures. "Sasuke is, after all, so adorable and irresistible, isn't he?"

"What are you two, my parents?" the moody teenager asks. Okay, so he was listening to this story-telling.

Anyway…

Then Sasuke asked me, "Are you the heir of the Kaguya clan?"

I could have said no. Said no and hope that he would spare my life so I could at least know if Juugo was okay. But I didn't feel like I could lie to him. I just couldn't.

So I answered, "Yes."

He approached me then and I didn't flinch away. I knew that my life was in danger and yet I did not shy away. I just sat there looking at him and he stood before me with death-filled, cold eyes, still hiding away emotions that were banging against his cage he kept them in. He said to me, "Then as the heir, you will suffer for your family crimes." He grabbed my hair and exposed my neck so he could lean in for the bite.

"Wait," I managed to say. He stopped. "Have you come across a human with orange hair and red eyes? A human around the same age as me?"

He answered, "I only murdered members of your clan. Your servant is alive." I was so relieved to hear it that I didn't mind if he was going to bite me or not. "Although, you should worry about your own life than his. Your family took something very precious from me twenty years ago and now you will pay for it." Then he bit me.

I'm sure that you understand what a bite of a vampire feels like. It was so painful that my muscles tensed and my first reaction was to pull him off of me. But in my weakened state, I couldn't and his hold on me was too tight. He wasn't trying to be gentle with it either. I wanted to scream but my throat felt paralyzed and with each second that pass, a large portion of my blood would be taken. I was losing my strength quickly. Then like all bites, I felt that immense and undeniable pleasure. It's something that can't be avoided in a bite. I'm even unsure if it's appropriate for me to say that I was in rapturous ecstasy. From trying to push him off of me, I was holding him closer. I wanted more of that pleasure and I did not want him to stop. However, his goal was draining me dry.

I lost my vision long ago and all of my senses seemed to have stopped with the more blood I was losing. Soon the pleasure started to fade away and I was left to feel the pain of blood loss. It was right before I was going to lose conscious from lack of blood that he stopped.

Sasuke didn't plan on it but an arrow shot out of nowhere and it was aiming for his head. When his fangs pulled away, pain shot through my body like an explosion. I know now that it was the venom of his fangs that immediately began to turn me into a vampire the moment his fangs retracted. I didn't know at the time if it was my cry or if it was Juugo's battle cry when he came charging in with a sword to separate Sasuke from myself. He dropped me and backed away before Juugo could slice him and I'm left on the ground twisting and shaking as if I were having a seizure. I heard words being exchanged between Sasuke and Juugo but I couldn't really figure out what they were. All I knew was the pain in my body was changing me and I wanted it to stop.

I heard that you fainted, Itachi-sama, so you're fortunate enough not to endure what I had to go through.

From what Juugo told me, he said something like, "Stay away from him!" to the vampire boy.

Then Sasuke asked him, "Why do you protect him so? I understand of the Kaguya clan's merciless and uncaring nature and yet you saved him of your own free will instead of fleeing and enjoying the freedom I have given you."

Juugo stood in front of me protectively with the sword ready in his hand. He knew he couldn't stand a chance with someone who just killed my family but he was there with no fear, willing to protect me. "You don't know him. I am willing to protect Kimimaro till my dying breath!"

The only sound that kept the silence from drowning my room was the sound of my breathless cries and my body twitching and the sound of my bones cracking against each other. Juugo told me that Sasuke just kept staring at them with observing eyes for the longest time, as if he noticed something and was examining it. It became a long time before he spoke again.

"Alright then," he said. "Carry him and follow me."

If I was not in pain I would have been just as confused as Juugo was. Sasuke explained, "He is changing into a vampire from the venom as we speak and in three days, his transformation will be complete. As his biter, I will become his master and it will be my duty to teach him the ways of my kind and to teach him how to surpass that burning hunger. Stopping the transformation is out of the question. He will become the very thing he has killed all his life. If you still wish to stay with him, then you are welcomed to come along and live in my castle with him. And if you desire, you may work to earn your right to become a vampire."

…flashback ends.

Kimimaro finishes, "Of course, Juugo was confused with his last words but that was the last Sasuke was willing to speak for the night. So then we arrived at the Uchiha castle and three days later, I became a vampire. Sasuke taught me on how to control my hunger, how to use my hidden power, and everything I need to know about the vampire world that I would never have known if my clan was alive."

Then cutting in, Naruto exclaims, "I still remember yelling at teme that night for just getting up and leaving without so much as a warning. We were all screaming, 'Don't go running off like that! We already lost one prince, we don't want to lose another!' or 'How can you be the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki's protector if you just leave him here? What if something happened?'" Getting him to stop, Sasuke wacks him right upside the head.

"Okay, dope. No one needs to hear all of that."

But hearing the protector part makes Itachi's slender brows slightly rise up in surprise. 'So that explains why Sasuke is always with him,' he concludes.

It's not that Itachi was an idiot. He noticed how his little brother has been ordering the vampire god's vessel around like a strict parent and the teenager mentioned about babysitting both Itachi and Naruto. But it never fully came to him to think that his little brother is the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki's protector. That job is passed down to a vampire of high level power. Usually it would be the head of the Uchiha family to obtain that job; in this case, Madara. Itachi figured that his father was just too lazy to watch the hyper active vampire and since Naruto is the same age as Sasuke, it just made sense that the blonde would hang out with him. Now hearing that his little brother took out the Kaguya clan as if he was cleaning up the trash and he's the vampire god's vessel's protector, that's something to be awed at; even though he's not showing it.

"You've become strong." All eyes turn to Itachi when he said that. "To defeat the Kaguya clan and become the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki's protector. Well done."

For just one moment and one moment only, Sasuke's eyes slightly widen in surprise of his older brother's words and his cheeks became just a little red. The look on his face is that of bewildered nd being touched by Itachi's words. His older brother complimented him. Although he did in the past, this is the first one Itachi gave to the teenager after returning back into a vampire. Of course Sasuke would be surprise to hear those words, and be left a little breathless.

'…I said I would…'

But that face left as soon as it came and Sasuke's back to his foul behavior. "Hmpth." He looks away and says, "Don't flatter me. It's your fault you were so weak and this job was supposed to belong to you, but someone ran off to become human so I became the replacement."

Well the moment was good when it last.

"Was father too lazy to take the job then?"

"What do you think?"

Brothers…why can't they ever get along…especially these two?

Trying to lighten the mood again by changing the subject, Karin this time asks, "Well, ah, Itachi-sama. Are there anymore questions for Kimimaro or Juugo?" There she goes with that sweet voice of hers again that's driving Suigetsu up the wall.

Itachi stares at his brother a little longer and his stubborn behavior, before asking, "If Kimimaro-san is a vampire and Juugo-san is human, why do they smell the same? Their scent is similar."

Juugo answers, sounding rather grateful for the change of subject, "I suppose that's where the new mating laws come in."

"It happened by accident, really," Kimimaro excuses. "It happened shortly after I was released from Sasuke's care. Juugo was helping fix the roof that Naruto-sama unfortunately made a hole in." Sasuke glares at Naruto at the mention of that and Itachi just looks at them from the corner of his eye before giving his attention back to Kimimaro. Yep, that sounds like something Naruto would do. "But then Juugo slipped off the ladder and fell three stories off the ground." Kimimaro's grip on Juugo's hand tightens when he mentioned that. His lover had to pat his hand to reassure him that he's right here and that was a long time ago. Remembering that day must have been the scariest thing to have ever happened to him. "Since vampire blood is basically like a cure all and he was dying on the ground right in front of me, I didn't hesitate. I bite my wrist and had him drink my blood from the wound. I only planned to give him a little bit but his wounds were worst than what I expected. He had to take a lot more blood for complete recovery than what I anticipated. Then out of lack of blood and me not being that old as a vampire, I bite him out of instinct. Sasuke had to save us once again and he stopped us before either of us drained the other dry. What we've done was similar to how two vampires would mate, but biting a human as he or she drinks your blood only created what humans would all an engagement. It later became known as a 'claim'. A bond that binds a human and a vampire together, similar to the mating bonds of two vampires but different. Unlike when the two vampires mate before or after they have their orgasm, there is no need for that when a vampire 'claims' its human."

Finally Juugo adds, "What we learned from this was the human will live as long as their vampire partner. We even age the same way and the vampire would only drink the blood of that human. However, one big difference between this 'claim' bond and a mating bond is vampire can put a 'claim' on another human or a human can be 'claimed' again by another vampire if their partner were ever to die. Being able to live and age as long as a vampire or not, a human is still a fragile being compared to that of a vampire. A new law was added that if any vampire drinks the blood from a 'claimed' human, than that vampire's fangs will be pulled and will not consume blood until his or her fangs have grown back. They're also not allowed to eat until then."

So this 'claim' is what Suigetsu and Karin were referring to. Since Karin is unaffected by the vampire venom, Suigetsu, being the jealous type with her that he is, his only option is to become a vampire himself and 'claim' her. Since it processes is like an engagement, as the mating between two vampires is like marriage, it sounds perfect for those two couple being the 'on' and 'off' couple that they are. A marriage sounds like too much of a commitment for them so an engagement fits them perfectly.

Now that's cleared and Juugo brought up another topic in hand, Itachi asks, "How is it possible for a vampire to consume food? Food becomes tasteless in our mouths once we've matured."

Naruto answers, "That idea happened a while ago before either of us met Suigetsu, Karin, Juugo, or Kimimaro." Then he nudges Sasuke, who looks surprisingly and unusually tensed. "Why don't you tell him, teme? You should be the one telling him all of these things."

"I don't want to tell him a fuckin thing!" he yells, standing up suddenly and speaking down on the vampire god host. His last bar of patience just flew out the window and went to the other side of the world. His sudden behavior took a lot of people at the table by surprise. Especially when he starts screaming, "What the hell is wrong with you and every fuckin person moving in this castle? How can you all just accept this guy and just spill the beans about every frickin thing about our lives, huh? He LEFT us twenty years ago and came back with the intentions of trying to murder us all and you just want to welcome him back with open arms and open files! Why not have Karin show him how our security runs while you're at it?"

"You're behavior is very immature, Sasuke."

Rather everyone expected it or not, it didn't change the fact that they were all surprised to hear Itachi say that, looking and sounding as calm and collected as ever. He just sits there, staring at Sasuke as he throws a tantrum. The teenager wasn't just tense when Naruto nudged him, he became unpredictably, very short-tempered.

"For accomplishing great power and completing heroic achievements, I would think that you have grown up since you were a child. But all you've become is nothing more than a selfish, little brat."

If Itachi's eyes haven't appeared cold before, they do now. The air in the room just suddenly feels very, very tense. Almost like Itachi turned the whole room into ice itself. The air is too cold, it becomes a bit difficult to breathe, and from the very core of your very essence, you can feel the every fiber of your being shaking with the intensity of his stare. It was like he became the demon lord himself. This beautiful, demonic vampire with eyes that could kill and decapitate you without mercy or hesitation. This stare even causes Suigetsu to just shut up like an obedient work dog and it even causes Karin to shake and tremble where she sits. Kimimaro and Juugo are completely speechless by how powerful his gaze on Sasuke is and Naruto just became a total blank. This stare scares him and even causes cold sweat to roll down his face. Compared to Sasuke, Naruto's protector is a little kitten compared to this tiger.

Sasuke on the other hand, he didn't expect his brother to look at him like that. But he doesn't appear that affected by it like everyone else. Only that one moment of shock that Itachi, his older brother and servant, would give him that look. He gains back some of his composure and he faces his brother head on. His fists are gripped into tight balls and he says, "If growing up means accepting you back into my life after the pain and suffering you caused, then I rather be a brat for the rest of my life than accept you, nii-san!"

When Itachi heard those words, his eyes widen in mild looking surprise while on the inside, he's more shock and speechless than the couple sitting across from him. He heard words like that years ago but to him, he just heard them recently.

"If growing up means sneaking off to Kyuubi knows where and separating yourself from everyone who worries and cares about you, then I would rather stay as a child for the rest of my life!"

Seeing the look on his brother's face and realizing the words that just escaped his own lips, Sasuke has that same surprise look on his face as well. His anger took too much control over him and he just blurted that out. For one second and one second only when he looked away, his face became crunched up in guilt and shame before being quickly replaced with frustration.

Without so much as another word, he turns around and heads for the door. It was a good thing that it was a double door; otherwise, he would have hit the maid that was pushing the cart of food that everyone else but him ordered. She let out a yelp when he came bursting out the room and stomping off to who knows where. While many watch him go with confusion of his behavior and one continues to stare at him with surprise, Naruto is the only one looking at his direction with very deep concern. So much in fact that he turns to Itachi with a pleading look on his face like a lost child looking for answers, only to see that same surprise expression that hasn't left the long hair vampire's face. Then…

Bam

"Ugh! Damn this whole castle to hell!" they hear Sasuke scream after probably punching and destroying something in the hallway with his bare hands.

That bam defiantly made everyone, but Itachi of course, flinch from how loud it sounded and how it just echoed through the hallway. The maid was almost too scared to speak when she asked, "I-..Is everything alright?"

No one really had a good answer for her. Some of them are trying to recover from Itachi's demonic death glare and are now getting over the shock of Sasuke's sudden extreme temper. He's usually so calm and it takes a lot to push his buttons. It's like what Suigetsu said about something in him has changed but how it looks, maybe it's not a good thing after all.

To try and reassure the frightened maid, Naruto's face brightens up and he says, "Oh, Sasuke is just having a bad day. Don't mind him. He's probably going to go to the training room to blow off some steam. Did you bring the food?"

"Yes, Naruto-sama."

Now that the worst is over and Naruto's face is just beaming with joy with the delivery of his ramen, things begin to calm down. As the maid passes out the food, Itachi looks back down on the table to let his mind wander. What Sasuke did, lashing out at everyone, that was highly inappropriate but he does have every reason to be upset. It's not normal to accept someone like Itachi with his vampire killing record to be accepted so easily with only the punishment of turning into a vampire and becoming a servant to his little brother. But the words he said and after that dream Itachi had, they affected him in a way he hasn't felt in a long time since Shisui died in his arms.

"And here is the chef's sweet special, Itachi-sama."

The maid's voice and the sudden appearance of his plate takes Itachi off guard for a second, especially the food being presented in front of him. Before him on a small white plate is dango of all different kinds; mitarashi dango(covered with a sweet shoyu sauce), anko dango(topped with red bean paste), goma dango(sesame seed), and even hanami dango(three colored dango; red, white, and green). This plate looks more like a dango sampler dish than the chef's sweet special. And Sasuke ordered it for him…

"If there is anything else that you'll like, let me know," the maid says with her empty cart standing besides the door.

Kimimaro nods at her and says, "Thank you." She bows down respectfully and then leaves the room to let the vampires, and three humans, enjoy their meal.

Naruto instantly turns to Itachi and says excitedly, "Go ahead, Itachi-teme. Eat up! Trust me. You're really going to like it."

Well there isn't any doubt about that. Dango used to be Itachi's favorite food before he matured. He hasn't eaten it since then. Even after he became human in the Akatsuki. That part of him that used to eat dango all the time didn't feel like him anymore. Like he became someone entirely different compared to that little boy he used to be.

Itachi first takes the mitarashi dango and, just like how it was in the Akatsuki, everyone stops what they're doing to watch him eat. He's used to the staring and he's more fixated with dango right now. A part of his brain is saying that he's unsure on rather or not he should really eat but since the other two vampires at the table are going to be eating something, might as well go for it. He pops one into his mouth and pulls it off the skewer to chew and the second he did, the flavor just burst into his mouth of sweet and salty shoyu goodness. The best part, he was expecting to taste ash for eating human food. Not this undeniable desire to devour the plate as if it were the first meal he ever had in his life. It was like he just realized how starved he really was. The look of utter shock and sweet surprise became a major relief to everyone on the table. Even Naruto looked so greatly relived to see the older looking vampire so surprised, and very happy.

"Good huh?"

Itachi stares at the rest of the mitarashi dango in his hands with the dumbstruck expression still on his face and he tries to ask, "H…how..?"

"Like we said before, most of the updates that happened around here were created by Sasuke alone." Itachi turns his attention to Naruto as the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki explains, "He put in as much dedication into his studying as he did in his training. I'm pretty sure that the idiot memorized about every book in the library." Well hopefully not every book for the sake of his once innocent and young mind. "He studied the nutrition that blood carries that our vampire bodies need and did many experiments on how to apply that to regular food so we could eat again. Since I was hanging with him at the time, I suggested of just adding blood to the recipe. Tried and we added blood to the ramen broth. It was the best thing I ever tasted and ever since then, I fell in love with ramen. That solved the cooking but Sasuke went farther by trying to figure out how to eat fruit or vegetables again, while also being human safe. His experiment plant was a tomato plant. That teme would drive me up the wall at times. He would stay up all day and all night studying and experimenting and sometimes I had to order him to get to sleep. I don't remember the full details of it, but Sasuke figured out a solution and he practically devoured the tomato plant like he hasn't it in years, which is hypothetically speaking. Ever since then, we used his formula to grow the plants and the cooks wouldn't get upset if one of them cuts a finger and blood drips in the dish. So now, we consume food just like humans and we have three square meals of it too. But we still need pure blood. You can say that the food is only like a fake substitute in replace of the real thing. What usually happens if a vampire drinks pure blood then they don't eat very much afterwards. You can tell when a vampire is just craving for pure blood when they eat a lot."

"But that rule doesn't apply to you, Naruto-sama," Suigetsu says cutting in after taking a few bites of his pudding. "You would eat ten bowls of ramen for every meal before and after drinking real blood."

The blonde just rubs the back of his head. "Hehehe, what can I say? I love ramen!" He takes his chopsticks, picks up a big amount of the noodles, and blows on them before slurping them up like a happy child and candy.

Then the white hair human adds, "Another great thing about Sasuke's formula is that since it's also human safe, it also multiplies the blood cells in our bodies and increases our blood supply so we won't get drained completely if a vampire decides to take a taste at our blood two days in a row. We assume that the formula possible has risks but we've been living in peace for so long and have been extra careful to know what they are. Probably doesn't matter anyway since we're basically all still alive and we've been devouring all this food for years now."

By the time he was finished, Itachi didn't fully realize that he was munching on the rest of the mitarashi dango until he notices that he's only holding the wooden skewer. The incredible part is the once burning feeling in his throat he got after getting beaten up by Kakashi has now eased away until he can hardly feel it. These foods are amazing and his little brother thought of it?

"Did Sasuke think of the sun protection barrier as well?" the long hair vampire asks, now being fascinated with his little brother's accomplishments and while picking up the goma dango.

"You bet!" Naruto answers, his mouth half full of ramen. He swallows before getting all excited as he explains, "He found out that it's the sun's UV rays that cook our bodies like oil and a frying pan. The rays are a lot more sensitive to our skin than it is to humans, despite how indestructible it is compared to human skin. Every armor has a weak spot, they say. During that new challenge, that guy gave me even more stress on that more than anything. I kept thinking he was trying to commit suicide by burning himself. But he kept telling me that there is no one who he would experiment on like some useless sacrifice so might as well do it himself. I still remember the gallons of blood I forced down his throat so he wouldn't die on me!" Just remembering those times causes Naruto's soul to just leak out of his mouth and try to fly to the sky to heaven. Must have been a nightmare on his stress levels.

"Oh yeah!" Acting like he just remembered something important, Naruto goes to his pocket and takes out a needle full of a dull yellow liquid with the lid on. Itachi stares at it curiously as the blonde vampire rolls it down the table to him. He examines it closely once in hand and after he finished the goma dango and picks up the anko one this time. "You can have that! I got extra."

The look on Itachi's face when he looks back at the Kyuubi's Jinchuriko makes him explain, "That's another formula that Sasuke made as like a plan B should the barrier fail on us. Call it a sunscreen for us vampires but it's a lot stronger than ordinary sunscreen and it spreads through the body quickly before releasing its protection formula through the sweat glands in the body. Like a cure for the sun. Simpler, effective, and the quickest way to apply it instead of rubbing it on our skins. Every vampire in this castle has one and doesn't go outside without one because you can never know what's going to happen. But the teme made that formula after constructing the barrier for the castle.

"The barrier is not perfect. If I could describe it, I would say that the barrier covers and protects the castle like an ice globe that shots out from the stone wall surrounding it. However, the barrier is fragile but reforms itself as quickly as it can. Anything can go through it but the UV rays. If it's something small like bugs or birds, then no one will notice because the barrier would repair the hole they made instantly. But if it's something big, than it takes longer."

Amazing. Just absolutely amazing. Nothing else could describe the things that Sasuke has discovered and accomplished since his brother's absence. And they call Itachi a prodigy when Sasuke clearly deserves that title. In a way, the boy would make a better king than Itachi would. It's like Sasuke was giving the vampires a chance to see what the world is like to humans or returning those small enjoyments humans have given up on in order to become vampires themselves. Over the years, the boy truly has grown up to be a magnificent vampire; and Itachi had the nerve to say that the teenager hasn't grown since the last time they met. Talk about a stupid move.

As Itachi looks down at his plate with three skewers clean of dango and only the hanami one left, he twirls that one around a few times. His face is back to being a blank again but through those satin black eyes, Naruto can see that he's thinking about what happened earlier. "Hey, I know that after that little episode a while ago, you think badly of him but believe me. Sasuke is just as an amazing person you were when you used to live here." He got the older Uchiha sibling to look at him side eye with that blank expression still but Naruto continues. "We said before that these updates were made as like a message for you to come back home if you were still alive somewhere. Many started to believe you did die somewhere but neither your parents nor your little brother ever even considered the thought of it. If you ask me, I think that Sasuke thought only of you every day he studied and experimented, and in his training I always noticed he was trying to be just as great of a warrior as you are now. You were his everything. His idol, his inspiration, his obstacle, and most importantly, his most precious older brother he wanted to return home."

Even though he won't show it, Itachi really feels like dirt right now. It's not common for him to feel guilty, especially since being in the Akatsuki, but right now it feels like everyone is slapping him back into reality after the loss of his love. It never fully occurred to him that maybe he was being blinded with his great loss to see that he still had someone who thought of him as precious; someone who would have comforted him after Shisui's death if he had returned home. He swore to never let his emotions get the better of him and now look at where he's at. Who's the real selfish brat here?

He feels worst than dirt. He feels like shit.

Leaving his snack unfinished, Itachi sits up from his chair and heads for the door. Everyone watches him as he makes his grand exit without so much as a word to excuse himself or of any telling to where he's going to go now.

"Hey, Itachi!" Naruto calls right when Itachi has his hand on the door handle. He looks at the blonde vampire god host and he has hot ramen noodles cooling on his chopsticks in front of him. Instead of eating them, he's looking at him from the corner of his sky blue eyes. Then he orders, "You are not to follow any of Sasuke's orders for the rest of the evening."

Well he sure as heck didn't expect that. The confusing part is Itachi feels willed to obey his orders. He's not his master but he is his god, for say. If the Kyuubi's reincarnation orders a vampire to do something, they have no choice but to obey. It's like every vampire in the world is the Kyuubi's servant and him their creation master. Technically, he is and so it makes sense to obey. But why is Naruto saying these words to him?

"I have a feeling he might be doing something he doesn't want you to see so if he orders you to do something, you can have your own choice to what you want to do about it. I can't free you completely from him but I can free you for the night." Then he gives the expressionless man a goofy, friendly smile.

While still having not a single emotion pass his face, Itachi tells him, "I'm not going to search for him. My foolish little brother is on his own."

The blonde just shrugs. "Well it was just a precaution then. Nighty-night!"

Itachi nods to return the saying and then he's out the door and gently closes it behind him. Instead of walking right away, Itachi leans on the door a little bit for just a moment of thought. That's the only reason why he left. He needs to think and a walk might do him some good. Sasuke didn't give him anything else to do for the day, he completed his gardening duties, and Naruto did give him 'permission' to do what he wants for the night. Maybe a walk in the garden would be nice. He got the order to protect himself if Kakashi attacks again so he should be fine.

Kakashi…

Itachi was so caught up with the new updates of the castle that he forgot to ask why exactly Kakashi thinks of him so bitter and who this Obito character is. But yet again at the moment, Sasuke is clouding up his mind and he seriously needs to clear it.

He was just about to leave when he hears Karin plea, "Ne, Naruto-sama. Please tell me that Sasuke's been eating these past two days since his brother's been back."

Wait! What?

Itachi hears Naruto sigh from the other side of the door before admitting, "This is the second day he's skipped out on a snack or any kind of meal for that matter."

Suigetsu tries to say, "Well he just had a lot of blood, right? He did bite Itachi-sama, after all."

"Yeah, but when he bite Kimimaro, he ate the night before even though it was just one meal. Sigh. Sometimes I really just want to punch some sense into that guy. Besides that blood consumption, the last time I ever saw him eat anything was picking at small stuff at least once every several days. Now he's eating absolutely nothing."

Is Sasuke…trying to starve himself?

"When was the last time he consumed real blood?" Kimimaro asks. "If he had a large portion of blood after a long period of time since his last bite, his body will react in many dangerous ways."

"I know and that's what worries me. The last time that guy drank any real blood was nearly four months ago."

"But that was when I fed him." Suigetsu must have glared at Karin because then she asks in a rude tone, "What?"

But that was all Itachi needed to hear.

So that's why Sasuke was so touchy when he yelled out like that. Only moments after he yelled did the food come in and the teenager did look tense when Naruto nudged him. The smell of food was starting to push him over the edge and Itachi sure wasn't helping. But now is not the time to be feeling guilty about that. The older Uchiha all of a sudden has this desperate need to find his little brother and make sure he's okay because like Kimimaro said, a large portion of blood after a long period of time is not a good thing. It's the same as starving yourself for weeks and then suddenly eating a buffet worth of food. You get sick afterwards and who knows what 'sick' means in vampire language.

With silent steps, Itachi sprints off in search of his little brother.

"Madara, what's that?" Mikoto asks, approaching her mate from behind.

The vampire king sits at his desk with a letter in his hands and when he heard his beloved queen approach him from behind, her arms circle around his neck and her chin resting on his shoulders, he turns to her and flips the letter over to hide its contents. "Oh nothing, Mikoto. Nothing to worry about." He even places his hand over one of her delicate ones to assure her but she eyes the letter, not believe her king's words.

"It's news from Izuna, isn't it?"

No use hiding it. Madara lets out a sigh before he pats her hand and says, "We have at least five days before something extreme happens. But we might be expecting something in two."

Mikoto can hear the unhappiness in Madara's voice as she hears this. She sounds unpleasant herself as she asks, "Only two days? But the boys are not getting along as well as we hoped. Must time be so short?"

"I'm afraid so. I'm even shame to say that there is really nothing we can do about it. It's up to them to fix what's been broken."

Mikoto nuzzles her head closer to her mate before saying, "I believe in them. They might still be on bad terms now but I have faith in them. They are our children after all."

Hearing some encouraging words, Madara couldn't help but let a small smile grace his lips. "Of course." Then he turns his head to plant a small but loving kiss on his queen's lips. She accepts it with a smile.

"But Madara dearest," Mikoto calls after breaking the kiss.

"Hm?"

"If our boys mate with each other, what would you do?"

Madara raises a brow when he heard that. "Why ask such a silly question, my love?" He completely turns to her and pulls her closer so that she could sit on his lap and he can wrap his arms around her slender waist. "I've always suspected that their bond was something special and different compared to a usual bond between siblings. If there is real love between them, why would it matter if I have anything against it? I may be a king but there are things I cannot control, or even the Kyuubi himself."

Hearing his answer, Mikoto giggles. "That's why I chose you for my mate, Madara. You're so accepting and so sweet."

"As are you, my dear." Then he kisses her again and she accepts it in full gratitude.

One thing was for sure, Sasuke was not in the training room. That was the first place Itachi checked since Naruto suggested it. The Jinchuriki is with Sasuke twenty-four-seven, supposedly, so he should know the young raven hair prince more than anyone. But he wasn't there. So then Itachi asked any servant he can find if they've seen him. All of them shook their heads in no. Still unable to show it on his face, Itachi becomes more and more concern for his baby brother every moment that passes without finding him.

'Where is he?' he wonders, after asking probably the twentieth servant he asked tonight. He's been asking so many humans, and some vampires, he's lost count. Not that it matters anyway. 'Where could he be?'

As the long hair vampire leans against the wall, his hand over his eyes, he takes a moment to think of where his little brother could have gone. As his hand moves up to his forehead and pushes his bangs up, he thinks, 'If he's anything like the little boy I used to know, it would be a lot easier to find him. But it's been twenty years. Habits and places to think could have changed. The only thing that hasn't is his habit of climbing trees.' And just like that, a thought pass through his mind like a woman in a yellow dress after a long line of people dressed in dark clothing. 'The garden!'

When Sasuke was younger, he would always climb trees and enjoy the view from the heights. Itachi always had to ask him to come down before the kid hurt himself. Besides that one time when the boy fell off because of his hunger, he never got hurt and would always land on his feet. Just like a cat. Even now as a teenager, Sasuke still does that. He wouldn't have climbed up a tree to watch his older brother nearly getting barbequed by a pack of hellhound puppies. Climbing up trees and observing from above. Hopefully Sasuke would be in one of those trees because that's where Itachi sure as hell is going.

Knowing his next destination, the older Uchiha sprints off again in a run with silent, elegant steps.

After many turns and long hallways, Itachi was only a few more turns away from the garden, and not once passing another servant, when the smell of blood hits his nose like a giant boulder pushed off a cliff. He had to stop suddenly from how much of an impact the smell had on him. From how powerful the scent is, there must be a lot of it and…it's not that far away. Just to check and deeply hoping that it's not, Itachi takes a small easy breathe of it. His body flinches when he recognizes it. It was the first blood he tasted since he's been a vampire so he knows it well by taste and smell. This blood belongs to his brother.

'Sasuke!'

With this confrontation, Itachi rushes to the smell, only to hear the sound of coughing echoing through out the hallway. The source of the smell and the coughing reveals itself to be a closet not too far from the entrance to the garden. Sure enough, he can hear his brother coughing on the other side of the door and his worry almost made Itachi want to tear the door off the frame. But he restrains himself from doing that in caution that he might frighten his little brother. Who knows how close to the edge Sasuke might be and if he's pushed any further, he might end up doing something drastic. So slowly and carefully, Itachi grasps the closet's door handle and silently twists it to gently open the door. Besides the massive wave of blood hitting him like a bullet shot out of the gun, Itachi's almost horrified at the sight before him.

Inside, Sasuke is on the ground, hunch over with both of his hands covering his mouth from the coughs. Neatness and order is essential while working in the royal vampire castle and from the looks of it, everything is a mess. There are things on the floor, brooms and mops either broken in half or completely destroyed on the ground in a pool of Sasuke's own blood that he's been coughing up. Then just to make it worst, the teenager vomits out more blood before coughing again. From the amount of blood on the ground, it's amazing that the teenager is still conscious. The amount of it on the ground may very well belong to a human who died by bleeding to death. Itachi can see that his brother is trying to gain back control over his own body but in his condition, it's very, very hard.

It was like the teenager was trying to get to the garden to clear his mind when his hunger started to get the better of him. Then he hid in this room to hide from anyone who could just happen to pass by and start panicking over hi,. The hunger must have been unbearable and trying to take total control over it must have been worst. Sasuke must have been fighting with two separate minds in his head; one sounding like a blood-thirsty monster and the other trying to remain sane. That could explain the mess and then finally, Sasuke ended up throwing up his own blood and then continued this ongoing cough, letting more seep through his fingers.

"S…Sasuke?"

Hearing his name and being called by that voice, Sasuke gasps and turns around to see Itachi standing at the doorway of the closet, staring at him with shocked, disbelieving eyes. Now the older Uchiha can see his little brother's miserable state. His skin is now sickly pale instead of the beautiful shine it had before as it also looks so thin and breakable to the touch. There's perspiration all over his face and neck and there's blood dripping from the corners of his mouth to his chin. The teenager's eyes are not only red from lack of food and blood but they're also blood shot. There are dark circles under those blood shot eyes and wrinkles all around them as if his eyes were sinking back into the sockets. When Sasuke looks up to see who called him, his eyes appear wide and almost wild as his hands, that are now covered in blood, are also trembling.

"Ee..Itachi?" he calls, his voice very hoarse and almost silent like a whisper. For a moment, Itachi couldn't say anything. It was too much to just look at the state his vampire master has become before him. Soon the shock became overcome for the both of them and Sasuke becomes the first by getting angry at the sight of his older brother standing in front of him. "What the hell are you doing here? Get out!"

But nothing happens. Itachi feels no desire to obey or feel as though he's being forced to leave his little brother to suffer in a closet by himself. This surprises both vampires when nothing happens. Then Itachi remembers Naruto's words.

"You are not to follow any of Sasuke's orders for the rest of the evening…I have a feeling he might be doing something he doesn't want you to see so if he orders you to do something, you can have your own choice to what you want to do about it. I can't free you completely from him but I can free you for the night."

'Naruto-kun,' Itachi mentally calls in his head. 'Thank you.'

But seeing Itachi not obeying his orders, Sasuke gets furious, adding another wrinkle to his already horrendous looking face. "I thought I told you to get out! Go! Skat! Leave me the fuckin hell alone!" Still not feeling the desire to obey, Itachi becomes determined to perform his next move. He needs to be strong for this.

"Not until you tell me what you're doing, little brother. Locking yourself in this closet when it's obvious you need to feed," he answers, sounding all in control and calm, unlike the miserable wretch Sasuke appears to look. The younger of them growls.

"I don't need to explain anything to you, Itachi! Just leave me the fuck alone!"

Itachi heard similar words like that before.

"No! Leave me the fuck alone, nii-san! I don't want to talk to you!"

Itachi felt a slight pang at the memory of those words and he suddenly approaches Sasuke. To the younger prince's surprise, his older brother is kneeling right before him and his hands grasped his pale, skinny wrists. Sasuke's bloodshot eyes widen when he sees the firm determination in Itachi's onyx eyes.

"I'm not leaving you, Sasuke!"

Four words, that's all it took for Sasuke to be stunned where he sits on the ground. He no longer says anything as Itachi tells him, "When I woke up as a vampire, you told me my blood belongs to you. But you don't take it. You could have but you chose not to. Now look at you. You haven't eaten in days and now you're suffering from malnutrition of lack of food and blood. Do you think I want my little brother to suffer like this any longer? You may have excellent control but even you have limits."

Sasuke could have given in right there but he doesn't. He can't give in. He can't. He needs to get away because, like Itachi said, he can feel his control slipping away again after only gaining a little of it back. With those hands grasping his wrists, he can feel the blood pumping in Itachi's veins and how with each passing pulse, it was calling out to him. He needs to get away.

The teenager looks away from the older vampire and tries to pull away while trying to still sound angry so he can say, "You have no idea what you're talking about, Itachi. I can take care of myself. I may be a brat but I'm not the same little boy you left behind!" He felt Itachi flinch for only a second before those strong, firm hands let his wrists go and then grasp his arms.

Soon, Sasuke's in the arms of his older brother, his mouth and nose pressed right up against the neck, and being coated with the warmth and security of the long hair Uchiha's body. He tensed up when Itachi's scent fills his nostrils. He tensed up so much, he didn't notice the hold around him getting tighter but he does hear Itachi's next words. "You are not a brat. I am. I left and abandoned you for twenty years. You worked so hard to call me back but I never did. I stayed away, recklessly controlled by my own emotions and never caring about the effects of my actions. It was wrong of me to call you that when you have every right to be angry. For what I've done, I deserve worst punishment than simply being turned and living in this castle as if nothing has changed. But Sasuke…You've kept your vow. The only thing that has changed over the years is you have become stronger and will one day make a fine ruler. A far better king than I would ever hope to be. You are my little brother and it pains me to see you like this. You don't have to believe me but please, as my master, take my blood and stop that pain you're feeling right now."

This pain in his chest…

This ache in his heart…

What is it?

Itachi has learned to dull and suppress any kind of pain rather it be physical or mental. He's even learned to block off emotions. But coming back home and spending time with the people here, it's like someone gave him the key and unlocked all that's he's locked up in the past. Even memories of not only his most precious love but also of his precious otouto and how much the boy used to mean to him. All of his efforts to become the perfect vampire-killing doll and his wall he worked so hard to build up are now crumbling away into dust. Light has forced its way back into his life and the one who created that hole in that never ending darkness Itachi used to be surrounded with is none other than the person he's holding so closely in his arms.

"But…nii-san…"

When Itachi heard that, he became surprise. So much in fact that he slightly pulls away to see Sasuke looking at him as if he were a child again. That tiny little boy with the most adorable, hesitant gaze the older Uchiha used to know and loved so much. When Sasuke called him 'nii-san' again this time, he sounded exactly as he did when he was a child.

"I don't want to hurt you…"

Now he's saying the same words he used to say when he first bite his older brother when he matured. In a way, it made Itachi feel very nostalgic. Then after so many years, Itachi's perfect lips curl up in a gentle, loving smile. He releases one hand to poke his little brother in the forehead, just like how he used to. It makes the younger one of them look shock beyond belief as Itachi assures, "I'll be fine. I won't die and leave you alone, Sasuke."

For a moment, it almost looked like Sasuke was going to cry. But he looks down and his bangs cover his eyes before Itachi could confirm it. The teenager leans his forehead against his brother's shoulder, inhaling his wonderful scent. "You promise?"

Itachi holds him closer. As one arm wraps around the smaller vampire's waist, the other is lost in his raven hair locks to push him closer to his neck. "I promise." And this time, he means it.

Before Sasuke bites him, his arms shockingly rise up and then cling to his older brother as if he were holding on for dear life. In a way, it surprises Itachi but at the same time, it brings him utter bliss to be holding his little otouto like this again. Then the teenager begins to advance to the bite. The long hair vampire suddenly feels a tongue licking against his skin and a small shiver rushes through his body from the simple contact. His little brother always did bring up these small reactions in the most simplest and easiest ways. He can hear Sasuke let out a shaky moan from just tasting his skin and for an unknown reason, it arouses him. After the tongue come the fangs. They didn't bite him just yet. It almost felt like either Sasuke was taking his time or he was still trying to stay in control before he could completely lose himself. His long, sharp fangs brush against the small wet area he just licked – the very tips of it lightly scratching against the skin. Itachi can feel a moan just begging to be released from the feeling of Sasuke's fangs on him but he keeps it back. He needs to be in control when it's obvious that his brother cannot.

Then he takes the bite.

This time when Itachi feels Sasuke's strong bite on his neck, he didn't stop the sudden gasp that escaped his open mouth. His mouth is partially open as if releasing a silent cry of how strong these fangs are when they broke through his skin. His muscles tense and Sasuke's hold on his body tightens as his nails dig into his brother's skin. That first gasp wasn't the only one that came out as the bite deepens. Itachi releases several as he had to free his brother's waist in order to use it by holding himself up before he could collapse on the ground. Now sweat begins to appear on his skin as the pain continues. He grits his teeth to try and bear with it and his eyes are closed shut. Sasuke greedily sucks his older brother's blood and his nails dig in deeper as his hunger thirsts for more. Itachi needs to calm down and breathe. It'll be over soon. He just needs to stay calm…

Then the pleasure comes flowing in. Itachi releases one last sigh out his mouth as his expression relaxes and Sasuke's nails stop digging so deep into his skin. The older vampire begins to stroke his brother's head as if he were calling him a 'good boy' as the pleasure arouses him even more. He hears Sasuke moaning in gratitude, which provokes Itachi all the more, and the teenager continues with his greedy, large intakes of blood.

"Slowly, Sasuke," Itachi cools, his voice sounding as if he were breathing. "Not all…at one time." And then he begins to pant.

This pleasure… oh how he missed it. Before, he would have it almost all the time and it sort of became an addiction to him. Sacrificing his blood for the sake of the most incredible pleasure his baby brother would give him every time he would bite him; he would do that in a heartbeat. He never fully understood why he would love it so much. He just knew that after that pain of Sasuke's fangs in him, he would feel that pleasure and it was always something he would look forward to. Now feeling it again, it was like a shot of alcohol after being sober for so many years without professional help. So good and he yearned for more.

Not too terribly far from the two siblings came the running footsteps of their parents. Madara and Mikoto were simply taking a walk together in the castle when they smelled the faint scent of Sasuke's blood in the air. Instantly, they came running to see what was wrong, using their highly sensitive nose to follow the scent and track it to the source. Right when they turned at the corner, they see the closet door open, leaking out the strong scent of Sasuke's blood and now revealing their sons inside and sharing a bite. They stopped where they are and their sons are so caught up in their own feelings of ecstasy to notice they're there. It took them a moment to get over the shock but when they did, relieved smiles appear on their faces.

Mikoto turns to her mate and says, "I told you they would patch it up."

Madara smiles warmly at his queen, raising one arm to rest on her shoulders before saying, "And I told you that there is nothing to worry about." He pulls her close and kisses her head as she giggles from the small offered affection.

"Come, let's go," she tells him, "before they see us. We'll send in a maid to clean up the mess in about an hour."

Hearing that now causes a slightly perverted smile to appear on Madara's porcelain face. "Do you believe they might do something, my dear?" She shrugs her shoulders.

"You never know."

They smile at each other one more time before walking away to give their boys some privacy, now with relief lifting up their spirits and the certainty that nothing bad will happen.

Meanwhile, Itachi now lets out small but deep moans escape his lips every time his baby brother took a suck on his blood. Sasuke must have listened to him because unlike his once greedy and demanding takes, they've slowed down and softened, causing the pleasure to intensify all the more. Nothing could beat this impeccable bliss Sasuke so generously is giving to Itachi at this moment. Absolutely nothing.

But then things begin to dull out.

The pleasure that was once so intense begins to fade away and Sasuke still has his fangs in his brother's body. The raven hair vampire prince is starting to drain his brother dry. Feeling the loss of the pleasure's full capacity snaps Itachi's mind back to reality after being clouded with lust and the yearn for more. His blazing red eyes that have changed since the bliss engulfed his entire being blinks in realization before looking back at the boy on his neck with a small but strong control.

"S…Sasuke…" he tries to call, his voice so soft and weak it would be amazing if he heard him. And he did. Hearing his name being called causes the teenager to stop. "Th…That's enough…"

Slowly but surely, Sasuke releases him. He pulls his fangs back and Itachi practically lets out a shaky breathe from how slowly and how slightly the pain was when he pulled away. Then Sasuke licks away the remaining blood on his older brother's shoulders and moaning from the luscious taste of his skin and his sweat. Nothing could taste any more mouth-watering than him.

Itachi takes a few minutes before he could speak again. As Sasuke leans against his shoulder for a moment of rest and both of them pant from what just happened. It felt like both of them ran a hundred miles at full speed without stopping and are now totally exhausted; one from the long and difficult torment of trying to stay in control and the other from the intensity of a vampire's bite. It was amazing on how much of a voice Itachi still had when he asks, "Do you… feel better now… otouto?"

"You…" His voice sounds like a breath as Sasuke continues to pant to regain the air back into his lungs. His eyes are no longer red from hunger or blood shot, the dark circles have disappeared, and he looks just like his usual, beautiful self but his onxy eyes appear to be a bit hazy. Like he's not fully here. "…taste better than tomatoes."

Hearing that causes the older brother to let out a small and light hearted laugh. Oh, he remembers the first time he heard that line before and the memory return causes him to laugh just like that. He pets his baby brother's head again as he says, "Well I'm glad to hear it. I didn't think there was ever anything you liked better than tomatoes." Then his petting stops and a serious look appears on his face. He holds his brother a little closer before nuzzling his nose into the soft, raven hair. 'Never again,' he declares in his mind. 'I'll never leave you again, Sasuke.'

"You know something. I was happy when I recognized you."

Itachi didn't expect to hear that. He looks down at the boy who spoke just now and there's a small bit of confusion in his eyes. Then he feels Sasuke's arms wrap around his torso to pull the boy closer to him and feel more of his comforting warmth. In a way, it makes Itachi surprise. He was expecting Sasuke to return to his stubborn self but now, he sounds like as if he were still a child. What the older Uchiha couldn't see was the small genuine smile on Sasuke's lips when he spoke again.

"I really was. You finally came home. You finally came back to me after so long. But knowing why you came back and that your sword was threatening me, it made me very sad. My brother that I wanted to come home after all these years was gone and replaced with someone who wanted me dead. Someone I didn't recognize. I was really sad, nii-san. Then you said you hated me. I wanted to die so badly after I heard that."

In the beginning, Sasuke actually did sound happy but then that happiness soon faded away into sadness and the boy's hold only tightens even more as he buries his face into the nape of his older brother's neck. Remembering that as if it were months ago but really only a few days, the guilt comes back and this time, they slightly appear on Itachi's gorgeous features.

"Sasuke, I didn't-"

But he couldn't finish.

"Nii-san…" Suddenly Sasuke's hold releases Itachi's chest and his hands smooth their way up to the man's face. They cup that stunning, elegant face before the teenage prince raises his head up to face his brother. "Why…why did you leave me behind?" Looking at him face to face, it was like Itachi is seeing a depressed and broken self of Sasuke when he was a child. His onyx eyes are filled with so much sadness and angst and they shine in the small light from the hallway outside the closet. This teenager that portrayed the strong, independent facade is now appearing before his brother in a fragile and delicate appearance. It looked like at any moment now, the boy was going to break down crying. "You broke… so many… promises. Did you have any thoughts at all to how I would feel about you leaving? How hurt I would be? Why… couldn't you choose me?" Either it was Itachi's imagination or the effects of the lost of blood, but Sasuke's face is moving closer to his. Now he can feel the boy's breath on his lips and taste that undeniable taste of blood. But it's not the blood that surprises Itachi. It's how close his little brother is to him. "I was, and still am, willing to do anything for you. You have no idea how much I've missed you. I'm so… so sorry."

Itachi wanted to ask what he's apologizing for, again, but it's so hard trying to speak or even think when someone's little brother's delicate looking lips are closing in on his own. "Wait, Sasuke. What are you-"

But he couldn't finish it, again. His little brother closes the gap between them and then plants a soft but desperate kiss upon his lips.

It was at that moment that nothing made sense anymore.

And there you go! Enjoy the little cliff hanger. Oh don't worry. I'll have the details to the kiss next time. But how was it? Good? Bad? Itachi's finally starting to wise up, huh? But what is Sasuke so sorry about? Gotta wait and find out. I promise that I will upload as soon as I can once I get settled in school. Shouldn't take me too long. Thank you and review, please! See ya!