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 44: Collapse

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Itachi threw his little brother to the ground, then turned to face the furious blonde. He had a feeling he knew what that voice was, but it didn't stop the utter shock from jolting through him at the sight of it. Naruto was no longer the helpless little prisoner he had been for him thus far.

Whatever he was now was somewhere between the blonde he had been falling for, and the beast he had been ordered to retrieve all those years ago. His hackles stood on end as he faced off against the Uchiha, the promise of death flickering in those reddening eyes. Fiery chakra consumed him, tearing into his hands, and pulling his face into a tight fearsome snarl. The Nine Tails was altering him, consuming him, and Itachi was completely at fault for it.

He should have thought more about this, should have considered the repercussions of attacking Sasuke in Naruto's mind, but truth be told his little brother had thrown him off a bit. Itachi had always been in complete control when it came to the illusions his Mangekyou created. In fact, he had thought it impossible for anyone else to do so in this place. And yet, Sasuke had been able to use a summoning jutsu without his knowledge and attack him with his conjured beast. That shouldn't have been even remotely plausible.

But he did it, and it had distracted Itachi enough for him to make a grave error.

He had discovered three years ago what happened when Sasuke was in danger, when he faced pain in front of his blonde companion. It was the very reason Itachi had used Sasuke in the first place, why he had fully intended on capturing both of them back when he was a loyal member of the Akatsuki.

Sasuke's pain was the answer.

With it, Naruto unwittingly unleashed the Nine Tails' chakra- to the point where he was utterly consumed by it. Itachi had been pleasantly surprised when he stumbled across this fact three years ago, but his feelings towards the matter had greatly changed since then.

Now that he wasn't seeking Naruto for the Akatsuki's benefit, the release of the Nine Tails was nothing but a hindrance to his real plans.

He didn't need that damn beast getting in his way.

Itachi had done so many horrific things.. things he couldn't fix, mistakes he couldn't take back. It was too late to change, too late to beg for forgiveness or penance. And he wasn't that person anymore.

He.. wasn't sure he had ever been.

Life as an Anbu puppet had made him something less than human. It was the only way to carry out the kind of orders that they gave him. You had to be cold, unfeeling, and without remorse. He had managed to find that part of himself for the village, and he grabbed onto it with everything that he had. Eventually it became a habit and, after a while, an identity. The only one he had left.

People didn't really change, perspective did. Itachi could not change who he was, even if he wanted to. That dark, apathetic being would always all that he had to offer- no matter how badly he fought it, or how a certain small blonde had managed to temporarily distract him from it. This will always be the person Itachi Uchiha is. So, at the very least, he needed it to mean something.

The thought of being a monster for nothing was nothing short of painful.

Sasuke could hate him for the horrors he had inflicted on their clan, their parents- that was to be expected. In fact, he counted on it. Sasuke needed that hate to seize him fully so that he could kill his past, and his brother with it. As long as he eventually came to regret his own hand in the Uchiha mess, he would walk away with something far greater. Itachi took so much from him- he needed this to work. For his little brother, and for himself.

His own life was a small price to pay for Sasuke's future.

Itachi put no thought towards any religion, had no interest in pondering over an afterlife or rebirth, and he had no interest in salvation. If people really were born with a soul, he destroyed his a long time ago. And he was fine with that. Suffering was inevitable- if more of it was awaiting him after this life, then so be it. And if not, that was also not something that concerned him. The finality of death was not something he feared- everything came to an end.

In his experience, life was the true burden. He would welcome his death with open arms.

If he was being honest with himself, he had hoped that he would be able to experience a few worldly pleasures before his time had come…

His eyes drifted down the blonde's body on its own accord, before finding its way back to his feral mouth and burning gaze.

Yes, it would have been nice to experience just a little bit more. Especially with someone who reminded him what it felt like to care, to want to be better than he was. Someone who made him feel like a man- deep in his core and in the heaviness of his heart.

Naruto sparked that in him.

He saved Naruto from his brother because he knew he mattered to him, and it would break Sasuke in all the wrong ways if he hurt him the way Orochimaru had intended for him to. But then.. then Itachi realized that there was more to the blonde. A lot more.

Naruto was.. curious, and introspective. Hostile and temperamental as hell, but with a learned caution- like he wanted to push boundaries but he knew how dangerous it could be when they snapped. He was jaded, and vulnerable, and.. beautiful. And the more Itachi paid attention to him, the more he began to understand what drew Sasuke to him in the first place.

Naruto was better than the Uchihas. He was innocent in such surprising ways, desolate and yet resilient, and passionate when it came to defending the people who mattered to him. A loyalty unmatched- far beyond what the Anbu were forced to give Konohagakure, and what the rogue nins offered the Akatsuki.

And Sasuke doesn't fucking deserve any of it.

Naruto never even considered giving it to anyone else, and it made Itachi want to seize it for himself even more. His loyalty, his heart.. his body. He wanted all of it.

Sasuke had interrupted him when he got close before and now thanks to him the Kyuubi was making a full return, and the likelihood of having another taste before succumbing to his little brother's murderous rage seemed pretty nonexistent.

I probably could have planned this better.

The possessed blonde took a predatory step towards him, pulling Itachi's thoughts back to the reality he had created.. and fucked up, all on his own. "Kyuubi. It's been a while."

"Itachi. You should know better by now."

A thick demonic voice slipped free of the blonde shell- startling in its contrast. The light in those deep blues were flickering out, a hazy red swarming in to drown out what was left. The whisker-like scars on his cheeks darkened and his mouth stretched wider, the skin taut as it made room for the massive canines elongating past his lips. One sliced through the tender flesh, but the blonde didn't even flinch. It would seem that pain was far beyond him now.

Itachi took a step towards him, eyeing the crimson trail that slipped from his torn lip. "So, the Nine Tails is still controlled by the mere emotions of a teenage boy." His sharingan flashed. "How pitiful."

Pitiful, Kyuubi repeated.

I had the same thought. How can two Uchihas become such spineless things, he growled.You crave this body that badly?

"Naruto?"

The blonde eyed the other raven as he unsteadily rose to his feet, his charcoal eyes wide with concern as he stared back.

"Pftt- you Uchihas are one in the same."

Sasuke flinched like he had been slapped. "NO! I am nothing like that fucking bastard!" He tried to run over to him, but Itachi forced his body to freeze once more.

It was still his illusion after all.

"Fuck! Let me go, bastard!"

Itachi ignored him, keeping his full focus on the unpredictable beast instead- the one he clearly had no control over. This might be Itachi's illusion, but this was their mind. Truth be told, if the Kyuubi wanted to break through it, he wouldn't be able to stop it. Not when it has already been so weakened by Sasuke's damned serpent.

So, there must be a reason that it hasn't yet.

"I suppose I should have kept a better hold on you" the eldest raven murmured, hoping to antagonize the demon into speaking. If he was anything like his blonde host, he was likely to take the bait.

Or maybe enough of Naruto is still in there to do it for him..

"If you were going to keep drugging him through sustenance, you should have kept him better fed."

Sasuke recalled seeing a memory- of Itachi forcing Naruto to eat.. and of how fucking angry he got when he tried to resist. So that's why..

"Kyuubi!" he called out. "Help Naruto escape. Just get him out of here and away from the barrier. Itachi won't stop. Please, you have to get him away from here!"

The fox eyed the desperate raven, tilting Naruto's head in a way that seemed just different enough to reveal that someone else was there in his place. "He doesn't want me to kill you" he growled.

Those reddening eyes flickered over to Itachi.

"But he didn't say anything about you."

Itachi tried to force the blonde's limbs still, just as he had done to Sasuke, but he pushed through it- breaking past his control like it was only a slight inconvenience. Itachi tried again, and failed again. Crimson eyes widened. This was.. unexpected.

He was not used to failing like this.

Naruto shifted out of view then reappeared directly in front of him. He threw his arm out fast and slammed his fist into his face, hard. Itachi flew off to the side and crashed against the wall before dropping heavily to the floor. He pushed himself back to his feet quickly and wiped the back of his hand across his lip. He looked down and saw a smear of blood.

He shouldn't be able to do this in an illusion, he thought. In MY illusion.

"You seem surprised, Itachi." The fox bared his teeth, stretching his face into a wicked, unnatural smile.

Making Naruto into something he wasn't.

"Are things not going as you had planned?"

"You're quite protective of him" Itachi said smoothly. "Seems abnormal for a demon and his host."

Naruto's cruel smile fell, curdling into a grim snarl. "Someone should be."

"Kyuubi!" Sasuke screamed. "Goddammit, please! Just get Naruto out of here!!"

"You dare order me around, human?!" he snapped. "I may not be allowed to kill you, but that doesn't mean I won't maim you. Don't tempt me."

He's.. different than how he was before, Sasuke thought. His voice shot through the space around them- another private thought shared with everyone in Naruto's mind.

"Some change for the better, Uchiha. Too bad I can't say the same for you two."

Kyuubi tilted Naruto's head the opposite way, wild red eyes quietly observing the unwelcome guests in his domain. "But maybe I shouldn't…"

His head ticked, his grin widened.

"It'll be a lot more fun if I haven't."

"Stop!" Sasuke shouted, hoping to snap the fox demon out of whatever evil deeds he was stewing over. "Naruto needs your fucking help, asshole! Just get him out of here!"

Naruto's head ticked, like a broken doll- wound and forced to move. It made Sasuke sick to think about him like that- trapped in someone else's prison, a captive in his own body.

I can't just leave him like this.

Sasuke fought against Itachi's hold on him, screaming as he forced his leg forward. Then another. He looked up and watched his blonde suddenly jerk his head to the side, his eyes unblinking as he smiled back at him.

"Don't stop now, Uchiha. Look how far you've gotten."

Sasuke grimaced and gritted his teeth together as he fought harder against the invisible restraints holding him back. He tried to keep his eyes focused on the blonde, but the moment he blinked he was gone.

What?

A loud crash and Itachi was on the ground, his hollow eyes staring up as Naruto hovered over him, a malicious look in his eyes.

"What if I kill you instead?" the Nine Tails snarled.

Sasuke stared at the two, alarm slipping to confusion. Instead? What is he talking about..?

Itachi jerked his head over to where Sasuke was, something akin to fear flashing in his eyes when he heard his thought. If his plan was going to work, Sasuke couldn't know about it. He looked back up at the blonde perched above him. He sighed. "Must you always ruin my plans?"

Another feral grin, then a hand far stronger than Naruto's grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. Itachi refused to make a sound, refused to struggle in his grasp, but it took everything in him not to. Because even in his own illusion- he felt all of this.

He's completely taken over it. I don't know how, but Kyuubi controls this illusion now.

The thought was unsettling, to say the least. And it left him with very little options. He had to end it, before the Nine Tails completely destroyed any chance of his plan's success.

A sharp sound, like breaking glass, filled the space around them, and shards of darkness broke free, collapsing into abyss, into the nothingness that his illusion was becoming. Kyuubi looked up, surprised to find Itachi's creation crumbling around them. He may have been able to take the reins on this one, but he didn't have a Mangekyou. He managed to manipulate the Uchiha, to beat him at his own grotesque game, but he couldn't create one of his illusions.

Demonic power allowed him to do all kinds of horrific, wonderful things- but that wasn't one of them.

Before it could completely come to an end, Kyuubi flashed out of view and reappeared before the younger Uchiha- the one that the damn kid still pinned over, for whatever reason. He eyed the raven, making sure his disapproval was made perfectly clear, then grabbed him by the back of the head and jerked him close.

"What are you-"

"There's something he wants you to know."

"NO!!" Itachi shot to his feet and threw himself towards them, but it was already too late.

Sasuke's dark eyes stared up at him, wide with horror. "Itachi..?"

His own crimson eyes widened and then the illusion, his little brother, and the truth, was out of his hands.

Everything had collapsed around him.

Everything.