Disclaimers: Naruto is not mine, sadly. This is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.

Warnings: This story includes strong language, violence, sexual assault, torture, sexual content (yaoi), & angst.

It's All In Your Head

Chapter 41: Respond

--

Itachi yanked him forward, ignoring his guilt and his prisoner's obvious fear, and forced their lips together. He could feel Naruto stiffen in his arms, and a single solitary tear slip down his cheek, but his desire quickly consumed all thoughts of shame and regret. He tilted his head deepening the kiss, hoping to entice the blonde into kissing him back. It was disappointing that he wouldn't, but it still felt good to be this close, and he suddenly felt an intense craving for more.

He ran his tongue along his bottom lip, trying to get him to invite him inside, but his mouth stayed sealed shut. Refusing to take no for an answer, Itachi reached up and gave his hair a sharp yank. Naruto gasped and he shoved his tongue inside. Itachi knew he'd try to lash out, so he grabbed his jaw and squeezed hard, forcing his mouth to stay open as he explored it.

"Nnmmphh!" Naruto cried out, his desperate plea flooding the raven's mouth. And still Itachi ignored it, his thick desire clouding his judgment and leaving him apathetic to the blonde's panic.

Another tear fell from horrified cerulean eyes. Naruto tried to pull back but an arm snaked around his waist, pulling him to the edge of his chair. Itachi shoved a leg between his and moved his knee against his crotch, wanting to feel him get as excited as he felt. Naruto flinched, but he couldn't break free.

Itachi growled, a deep primal sound as he sank deeper into the feel of him. His fingers dug into his hip, clenched tight around his jaw as his tongue probing deeper, his lust unrelenting.

He was tempted to take it further, so fucking tempted, but a whimper slipped free of the blonde and Itachi found himself reluctantly pulling back. His hand fell, his arm slipped free from his waist, and he watched with growing regret as the blonde turned away, forcing back a sob.

Shit..

This wasn't what he wanted. He had hoped to convince Naruto to choose him instead of Sasuke, even if just for the short amount of time he had left. But it looked like he had destroyed any chance of that happening with just one selfish kiss.

Part of him wanted to apologize, to try to find a way to fix his mistake, but his sense of pride and practiced apathy was far stronger. Itachi had many regrets in life, but he couldn't remember the last time he actually apologized for any of them.

So, he didn't.

Instead he sat back in his chair and quietly observed the blonde, watching as he rubbed the tears from his face and sank back against his seat, wanting to be as far from him as possible.

He could see that he was struggling to regain some sort of composure, and after a while he managed to find his voice- albeit a small, broken one. "I.. I want Kyuubi back.."

Itachi licked his lips, the taste of his captive still on his tongue. He refocused on the blonde, trying not to think about the stirring in his groin. "That wasn't enough."

Naruto's head snapped up, anger pulsing behind the horror in his eyes. "We had a fucking deal!!"

"We did" the raven said smoothly. "It was for you to give me a chance in exchange for Kyuubi's return." He leaned in, onyx eyes narrowing as the blonde violently flinched back. "You didn't kiss me back, Naruto. I have a hard time believing that you gave me a chance at all."

Fresh tears filled and distorted his gaze, shielding him from Itachi's hungry stare. "You- you forced me to.." he swallowed. "You wouldn't stop."

"I could have gone a lot further" Itachi growled, his voice low and dark. He could see the blonde tremble at the sound of it and tried not to add that to his already consuming guilt. "I only stopped because you wanted me to."

Naruto gritted his teeth together, fighting back his fear. "You got what you fucking wanted!" he screamed. "Just give Kyuubi back!"

Itachi sighed, then reached out and grasped Naruto's chin, jerking his face forward, wanting to see those huge eyes and tempting lips. "I will. When Sasuke gets here, I will return Kyuubi to you."

"That's not what you said before" Naruto choked. "You told me to fucking trust you!"

"I also told you to give me a chance" Itachi argued. "Kiss me back, like you mean it, and I will consider your end of the deal met. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait."

"I thought I was wrong about you" he murmured, "but you really are a monster.."

Itachi's eyes hardened. "Don't tempt me, Naruto. If you insist on thinking the worst of me, I might decide there's no point in holding back."

Then he suddenly rose to his feet and stormed out of the room, slamming the door on his way out. Finally alone, Naruto dropped his head in his arms and let the rest of the tears fall- moving down his face, past swollen lips and his throbbing jaw, and slipping down his neck before finally,

mercifully,

letting him go.

--

Naruto?

Naruto, can you hear me?

Sasuke tried mentally calling out to him for the umpteenth time, but there was still no response. He was sure that the jutsu was still working; that wasn't the problem. It had stayed after three years of distance and silence between them- there was no reason for it to disappear now. He was clearly just too far away to hear him.

Unfortunately, he didn't know how far.

He wanted to believe he was getting closer, but hell- he could be moving further and further away without even knowing it.

It was a disheartening thought, to say the least, but all he could do was mentally call out for him and and hope that eventually it would work.

Though, that was beginning to feel more and more unlikely..

"Hello Sasuke. I don't think we have been properly introduced."

The Uchiha glared over at the green clad teen out of the corner of his eye, irritated with how familiar the guy was with him. He already had to deal with Sai's awkward, occasional approaches- he really didn't feel like adding another into the mix. And yet, no matter how many times he glared at anyone who got too close, this one just couldn't seem to take a fucking hint.

"That's not a problem for me" Sasuke finally replied.

Again, it didn't seem to phase the brunette. And he continued to keep pace with the raven, eager to find a line of conversation he would actually respond to.

The team was once again traveling through the surrounding forests- following leads that they had gathered from several villages nearby. They had started at dawn, and the morning was quickly moving into a humid afternoon, which only added to Sasuke's irritation. To the point where being civil was no longer something he cared to attempt.

"I really have no interest in talking to any of you" he snarled.

The brunette ran a bandaged hand through his roughly chopped hair, forcing back thick bangs with a heavy sigh. "I suppose I can understand that" he muttered. "I did not mean to cause you any grief" he added, "I just heard you asking about Naruto earlier and-"

Sasuke jerked his head to the side, finally ready to give the guy his full attention. "You know something?"

"Well, I know that Naruto is a very private person" he started, "but he did come all this way to find you, so you two must be close."

"We are" Sasuke said resolutely. "And he would want me to know what happened to him."

He was pretty sure that that wasn't true, but this guy didn't need to know that. Especially if he was willing to fill him in on what happened to Naruto over these last few years. He glanced over to the others. They were far enough back where it shouldn't cause any problems. As long as they talked quietly, he should be able to learn more without being stopped.

Lee nodded to himself, apparently convinced. "Well, there's a lot I don't know" he started, "but I guess a few years ago things started to get.. pretty intense for him."

Sasuke's expression darkened. "Intense how?"

"I heard that there were a few guys who had attacked him-"

Sasuke flinched. Does he mean the assholes who tried to rape him? Fuck.. did they go after him again?

"Did they.." He couldn't bring himself to say it. "Did they hurt him?"

Lee turned his attention back to the trees they were leaping between, but he could see something serious flicker in those wide eyes. The sight of it made his stomach churn.

Please tell me they didn't-

"I guess they attacked him in a back alley. I heard that his clothes were torn and he had some bruises, but he fought back against them. Some villagers saw him fighting them and said that the Nine Tails' chakra came out. That Naruto was.." Lee paused.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "That he was what?"

"A monster.." he said quietly. "Their words, not mine" he added hurriedly. "But it got around, and a lot of people freaked out. They tried to appeal to the Hokage to do something about it, but Lady Tsunade said it was self-defense."

Sasuke had a bad feeling about this. "I take it the villagers weren't satisfied with that."

Lee shook his head. "I didn't see it myself, but a guy from my squad saw Kakashi step in.." He grimaced. "Just thinking about it makes me sick."

The raven was getting impatient. "What happened?" he growled.

"A mob of villagers cornered Naruto. I heard that they broke into his house while he was sleeping, but some others claim it was when he was coming back from training." Lee shrugged. "Whatever it was, I guess they got their hands on some chakra-blocking rope and they caught him off guard. They tied his hands behind his back and dragged him into the woods. They.. made a noose."

Sasuke's stomach plummeted. "What?"

Lee swallowed. "They.. were going to hang him."

Sasuke's steps faltered, and he almost fell, but he managed to regain his footing and continue running beside the brunette. His mind was spinning, and he couldn't seem to land on a solitary question, but Lee wasn't done.

"Neji came across them and was about to step in when Kakashi showed up. I guess he went crazy.."

Lee glanced over to make sure the silver-haired jonin wasn't listening before continuing. "He almost killed them. All of them. A ton of villagers ended up in comas and some had their bones like.. shattered. It was a bloodbath. He got in trouble for it later, but I don't think he cared. Neji didn't say exactly what happened with Naruto, but I guess the villagers got.. really close."

Lee glanced over at the raven and paled. Sometime while he was explaining Sasuke's sharingan appeared, and it looked all the more fearsome with his boiling rage behind it.

"Kakashi and Naruto were really close after that" Lee went on, hoping to calm the raven. "Naruto moved in with him and they were pretty much always together."

Those blood-red eyes widened. "Moved in with him?"

Lee nodded, not seeing the flash of jealousy. "Yeah, Kakashi has been like a father to Naruto. They are very close."

That finally calmed Sasuke and the crimson in his eyes slowly faded to black. "Kakashi does seem to care about him" he thought aloud.

"Oh yes. He has been protecting Naruto ever since that day. And training him too. Naruto is a lot stronger than he used to be. The villagers don't bother him anymore."

Sasuke quietly thought over everything Lee had shared with him. He couldn't believe that the villagers had snapped like that. He suddenly remembered that horrid dream Naruto had in Orochimaru's dungeon- the memory of a feral crowd of villagers closing in. He could still hear the sharp snap as one of them broke his wrist, and Naruto's piercing scream.

Fuck.. he's suffered so much.

Especially after I left.

Guilt flooded through him at the thought. This wouldn't have happened if I had stayed. I know that, and I'm sure Naruto knows that too.

Shit. How am I ever going to convince him to forgive me?

The only shred of hope he could hold onto was the fact that Naruto had come to him. Despite the horrors he faced because Sasuke left, and the way Sasuke had left, Naruto still searched for him. Had even let Orochimaru capture and imprison him, just to get him back.

Maybe he will forgive me, he thought, but will I really be able to convince him to abandon the Leaf? Can he walk away from the people he has now, from Kakashi, if it means being with me?

He didn't want to force him, but he was having a hard time believing that Naruto would leave him with any other choice. Knowing what happened to him- what those fucking villagers did, what they tried to do- he just couldn't look the other way. He had already come to despise the village; this only solidified that hate.

And his resolve to take Naruto away from it.

There was still one obstacle he would have to manage if that was going to happen though..

Sasuke glanced over at the silver-haired jonin as he rushed forward to join him. Obsidian eyes narrowed.

Kakashi might be a problem.

--

The next few days after the kiss were.. uncomfortable, to say the least. Itachi didn't bother to hide how he felt, what he wanted, and Naruto constantly kept his guard up, forcing himself to stay ready for an attack- one that he felt could appear at any time. So far Itachi hadn't tried anything, but he didn't think that would last forever.

All he could hope for was that Sasuke would show up before the eldest Uchiha's patience wore thin, and his desire became something he could no longer resist. Naruto could see in his dark eyes that that moment got closer each day, and it made him incredibly nervous.

Though they were healing, Naruto's feet were still shredded to rags- which didn't help his situation. Having Itachi scoop him up in his arms, hold him close as he carried him in and out of various rooms- especially the bedroom- was clearly testing his restraint.

It was another night like that, stuck in Itachi's arms as he carried him to bed, but this time instead of dropping him down onto it he paused at the bedside and just.. stood there. Naruto shoved his arm against the Uchiha's chest, avoiding his butchered hands while trying to snap him out of whatever trance his obvious lust had put him under. He didn't even react to it.

"Let me go" Naruto had said firmly, hoping it would be enough to bring him back to his senses.

"I.. don't want to" the raven admitted.

Naruto swallowed, trying not to let his fear and imagination take over. "Just.. just put me down and leave."

"And if I stay?"

Naruto quickly looked away, his jaw clenched tight. "I won't let you touch me."

"I'm touching you right now" Itachi murmured, his voice husky and heavy with want. His grip tightened as he lifted the blonde closer. He lowered his mouth, his breath slipping through Naruto's hair and down his neck. "And you don't seem to mind."

"Yes, I do!" he snapped, jerking his head back to face him with an angry glare. "That's why I told you to put me down!"

"Naruto, the way Sasuke left.. you know he doesn't deserve you. Why continue to wait for him?"

The blonde looked pained as he looked away once more. "I can't change how I feel."

"Neither can I."

A chill crawled up his spine. He could feel his fingers tremble, his throat go dry. "Please let me go."

"I think you would like it."

Naruto flinched.

"I could make you feel good." Itachi's fingers massaged into his hip, sending a new wave of fear through his captive. "Really good."

"I don't-"

"Let me touch you, and Kyuubi will be free. Before Sasuke gets here."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to touch me back this time" Itachi said. "I just want to make you feel good."

Naruto stiffened in his grasp, his discomfort palpable. "That's never going to happen" he grated out.

"You know.. I am going to die soon.." Itachi lowered him on the mattress and grabbed his ankle, keeping him in place. He dropped a knee down on the bed, then his hand, as he drew close. "Maybe it'd be worth just doing it anyways."

"I thought you wanted to prove that you're better than the rest of them" Naruto breathed, his heart racing as long ebony strands dropped down towards him, as a face so like Sasuke's steadily moved closer.

"Maybe I'm not."

"I don't want to be afraid all the time" Naruto choked, wide blue eyes pleading.

"I don't want that either."

"I.. I'm afraid of you" he quietly admitted, hating the truth of it.

A hand slipped into his hair as another grabbed hold of his wrist and forced it down on the mattress. "I can change that" Itachi murmured.

Naruto shook his head. "Not like this."

Itachi didn't say anything as he lowered his body onto the blonde's, pressing his core firmly against him. Naruto tried to yank his arm free but froze in terror at the feel of the raven's thick erection, warm and insistent against him. "Itachi, don't-"

"I like the way you say my name."

Naruto's mouth snapped shut, but the raven wanted to hear more. He rolled his hips against him, grinding his hard want into the blonde as he gasped in shock and fear. Itachi liked the sound of that too.

"St-stop."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Itachi breathed. He moved against the blonde again, forcing his way between his legs.

Naruto tried to pull free but it just excited the raven more, so he quickly stopped. Itachi moved against him again, grinding into that sensitive spot and Naruto was horrified to find his body reacting to it. Something sparked in those dark eyes, and he knew that Itachi could feel it too.

"You like it, don't you" he breathed.

"N-no. I- I don't want this."

"I'm sure I can change your mind about that too." Itachi thrust against him and dropped his head into the crook of his neck, overcome by the feel of him. He wanted him so fucking bad.

"Let me go" Naruto pleaded.

"Not yet" he moaned. Itachi thrust against him again, his cock throbbing for more. His hand slipped free from his hair and snaked between them. He found the button on the blonde's pants and gave it a tug. "Let me take these off."

Naruto's free hand grabbed his wrist hard. "Don't!"

"You'll like it."

He flicked it open and yanked the zipper down with it. Naruto managed to pull his hand away, but Itachi was a lot stronger and quickly found his way back.

"I won't go all the way" he breathed against him, his hands moving lower.

Blue eyes widened. "No.. no, stop! Stop!!"

Naruto?!

Naruto's breath snagged in his throat.

Sasuke..?