Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Dead By Eclipse ❯ Chapter 5

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto.

A/N: the images of Naruto being lifeless and what not are memories Sasuke has of a dream he had of Naruto dying from Dead By Dawn. I didn't exactly reference it in hopes you guys would remember, but just in case, I'm telling you now.

Warning: chapter contains references to sexual content and possible obscene language.

Chapter 5- In the Wake of a Nightmare

My nine year old feet struggled to keep up with my aniki's long strides. The Konoha shopping district was buzzing with life this early morning, and the louder it became, the tighter I squeezed aniki's hand. But it was okay, because I was here with aniki this morning, and as long as I was beside aniki everything would be okay.

I looked from the smiling, joyful faces around us, then back to my aniki's calm, expressionless face. His dark hair and pale skin held him out from the crowd. It was striking how perfect his face seemed, without a crease from a smile to flaw it. Perhaps that is why he never shows emotion, I thought in passing for a moment, to be perfect.

"Hey, Itachi! What brings you to the market today!" A familiar voice called out.

I looked forward to see Shisui standing in front of aniki. His very face shot forward a pang of jelousy and envy, as my aniki devoted all of his attention to Shisui.

Aniki was silent, before he replied, "Tofu."

"Ah, Mikoto sent you to town again." Shisui smiled. "Well, why don't you come have breakfast for me before you head back."

My eyes widened as I looked to my aniki for his response. Aniki's face remained calm as he barely tilted his head to indicate a nod. I fisted my hand on my aniki's as I glared at Shisui, a stab of betrayal tainting my heart as the jelousy overflowed. This was suppose to be our morning, not his. He always gets aniki.

"Otouto, take this to Mikoto." Aniki handed the tofu to me wrapped in wax paper.

I looked from the neatly wrapped package, then up to my brother's solumn eyes, before casting him a defiant look. I scrunched my nose and tightly fisted both hands.

"No! You bring it to Kaasan! Kaasan asked you to!" I shouted angrily.

"Otouto, enough." Aniki replied calmly as he pushed the tofu into my hands.

Reluctantly I took it, as I glared in spite at Shisui who was giving me a confused look. It only made me hate him more. He could not possibly be that stupid. He knows exactly what he is doing.

"He's my aniki! You can't have him!" I yelled angrily at Shisui as I gripped the tofu.

Shisui blinked surprised for a moment, then laughed as he held his head. He shook his head one time before he looked down at me smiling.

"Is that what you think, Sasuke? That I'm trying to steal your big brother? It's not like that-"

"Don't act like I'm stupid! I hate you!" I shouted back cutting him off.

And before either could say anything, I turned and ran, the jelousy spinning my mind into a blur.

I stared down at the chunk of bread and the few pieces of smoked meat. It was a big change from what Itachi had me eating. It seemed fitting, that when Itachi finally gives me all of his attention is when I try to escape it. A small chuckle escaped my lips. And after all those years of trying to obtain it... but still, just the thought of Shisui burns me with rage.

"Is something funny?" Kira asked, eyeing me strangely. She took a bite of the tough meat that reminded me more of jerky as she motioned to my food. "You need to eat. You may not get another chance to."

I ignored her as I continued to stare at the food. Even now Itachi was under my skin, as I found myself consumed with thoughts of him more than when I was with him. My mind rolled over the recent events: first the "presents" he left at the inn, and then what happened in the bar. It does not make any sense. If I was his prey, than wouldn't he kill me instead of sending me to kill someone else? Or at least bring me back to his cabin?

My thoughts could only end with one conclusion... he was toying with me. I balled my fists on the ground crushing the bits of hard clay in them. The squawks of the forest birds filled the air, as if laughing at my stupidity. I bet Itachi is laughing with them right now, laughing at me. The rage boiled up beneath my skin as I stared at the food before me.

"Calm down cutie." Ryoko winked her golden eyes at me, flashing me a pearly smile.

I glared at her, the mere sound of her voice edging my rage on. I bet he's watching me right now, laughing, seeing what his frightened little puppet will do next. My mind seethed over the thought as my muscles shook lightly with the anger.

Ryoko winced back at the look in my eyes. "Jeesh, okay." What crawled up his butt this morning.

My mind slowly spun to the realization... yes, he is watching me right now. A smile crept up my face. And I can show him just how much of a puppet I am.

I gave Ryoko the kindest smile I could produce. "It's not you. I was just thinking about something."

Ryoko looked back to me and nodded somewhat curiosly. I continued, the smile still on my face. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't think I introduced myself earlier."

I reached out and took her hand in a gentle hand shake. Ryoko glanced down quickly as our hands touched, a blush spreading across her tanned skin. She smiled and giggled. "Well, this is a sudden change."

It took every ounce of my strength to say the next words, as I swallowed back the vomit that threatened to come up. "I realized I shouldn't be so cruel to such a pretty girl."

Ryoko's eyes widened as sparkles of glitter lightened them, and a smile spread across her face with an even redder blush. I could hear Kira snorting a laugh from behind me, while I gritted my teeth to keep the seductive smile on my face.

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Kisame took a bite of his rationed bread and chewed with discontent. "Needs some meat in it." He muttered between his bites. They were both high up in the tree tops.

Itachi stared down hard at the scene before him. He was leaned casually against the tree trunk, his left leg pulled up to his chest as his right dangled carelessly off the branch. His left arm was slung over his leg while his right rested over his abdomen. His face gazed calmly down on Sasuke showing no emotions, while his eyes burned a dangerously through the trees.

"This is a bit dangerous leaving your brother with Kira. You remember who she belongs to, right?" Kisame muttered between another bite of food. "Unless you're trying to get rid of him."

"Quiet Kisame." Itachi said in a sharp, calm tone.

Kisame looked from Itachi down to Sasuke, and could not help but chuckle beneath his breath. So you are suicidal as well, kid. Nice knowing you.

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"So what do you like to do for fun?" Ryoko asked with a light blush on her face as she twirled my finger with hers.

I contemplated her question, and realized I could not begin to honestly answer it. I thought back on my life in Konoha, the long hours of training and anger punched into the tree stumps. I could still see the shops with worn paint peeling from its side, the old blood soaked into the wood staining it an unnatural dark shade of brown, and the silence... the oppressive silence that whistled through the streets with the wind and clattered the mangled doors against the frame.

"... I train." I answered, the fake smile stretching across my face as I painstakingly stroked her curious fingers in mine.

"Train? No seriously, what do you do for fun." Ryoko giggled, her golden eyes flashing into mine.

The boards of the Uchiha mansion would groan in the middle of the night echoing through the empty house, as the brisk air circled the drafty room like some haunting spirit who cannot leave. And as the cold pricked up young skin, I became convinced it would never leave.

"Then what do you do?" My muscles began to tire beneath the plastered smile, as I desperately switched the focus off of me.

Ryoko's golden eyes flashed even brighter, "Why don't I show you? Come on a date with me, right now."

And at that moment, those eyes chilled me to the bone, how they shone with life and excitement and promises of a better time. I could see all of him in her eyes, as Naruto stared out at me from her. And a pain etched through my heart... He said I was a brother to him...

I wonder if I still am...

"That's not such a good idea. Not with those two watching." Kira spoke in a commanding voice.

Ryoko looked to Kira in surprise. "Someone's watching us!" Her voice was taken off guard, and she almost shouted it.

"Not so loud, idiot." Kira snapped. "I don't know who they are. They manage to stay well hidden even from me, and I don't recognize their chakra, but they've been trailing us since we left the town. At any rate, they haven't attacked us or made any movement to make me believe they will, so let's just get some sleep. We'll take turns keeping watch in shifts."

Ryoko's face slumped to disappointment. "Yeah, sure.." She let out a sigh as she glanced over to me.

I looked at Kira with doubt. "It's morning."

"We sleep during the hot part of the day and travel late in the day and at night when it's cooler..." Kira spoke with confidence, her eyes serious and set. Then her voice took on a suspicious tone. "You don't seem that surprised someone is following us."

I kept my face still as I kept eye contact with Kira. I want you to kill them. A chill crept down my spine. "I sensed them as well." Came my self assured lie.

The truth remains; I have never been able to sense Itachi or Kisame, but especially Itachi. Even when we were younger, his movements were invisible to me. And as I held my steady gaze with Kira's serious eyes, the gap between Kira and Ryoko became increasingly evident. My thoughts could only unwind to two possible conclusions: Kira is either an ex shinobi turned bounty hunter, or a liar...

"Well, I guess let's go to sleep then." Ryoko muttered in disappointment.

I turned to face Ryoko's downcast face, and the thought of Itachi being forced to watch this caused a smile to creep over my face. A surge of power and control filled me, and without a second thought caught her face with my hand. Her golden eyes flashed to me in confusion, and a sickening image of Naruto with dim, blue eyes staring lifelessly at me, a trickle of blood crawling out the corner of his mouth which hung open with wordless accusations.

I squeezed my eyes shut blocking out the image, as I leaned forward and seized her lips. I molded my lips to hers as I heard a feminine moan escape from her lips. She eagerly kissed back as her tongue begged for entrance to my mouth. And I found myself imagining this was Itachi's tongue commanding an entrance as I eagerly opened up and sucked his tongue in and slid my tongue into his silky cavern.

It was then that I realized I had been holding my breath, and I broke as I sucked in the air greedily. I opened my eyes, and was slightly surprised to see a breathless Ryoko, face reddened with lusty eyes staring at me and red swollen lips. I blinked a bit, as a sickening realization sunk into me... I had imagined I was kissing my brother. My stomach turned violently as I clutched it, and filth crawled over my skin.

"Alright, you two. There's no room for you to get, so knock it off." Her tone sounded disgusted. "Let's go to sleep. I'll take first watch." Kira motioned for us to follow her as she led us to a nearby cave.

My tiny feet padded up to my aniki's door. Slowly, I pushed the door open, the light from the hallway filtering through the dark room until the light rested on a shadow lying in aniki's bed. My six year old body slid in through the crack, as I padded across the room and pulled myself up onto the bed.

I looked down at the mat of covers, and the form that occupied them. Long, black hair was sprayed over the pillow as pale skin seemed to shine beneath it in the dark. My small hands pushed gently on the form, watching for some form of movement.

"Aniki... aniki, I couldn't sleep." I whispered. "I had a nightmare."

No movement. My brows furrowed as I rolled the form over, and the filtered light washed eagerly over the form. My eyes widened as my mouth dropped, and terror over took me as I stared at the image beneath me. Tiny droplets of blood sprayed over my kaasan's face as her dark, empty eyes stared up at me. Her jaw hung open with slack in a silent scream as her thick dry tongue rolled out her mouth. It seemed unnatural the way her head bent alongside her body, and as my eyes trailed down to her neck...

I screamed, my voice cracking through the silent room in an eerie pitch. I stared at her neck, the strangely clean cut that separated her head from her body, as her head rolled a bit further until it was down in the covers resting her ear against her shoulder. Her silky black hair spilled over my hands, tracing soft kisses along my skin as if to tell me goodbye long past her death. And it was then I noticed a warm liquid creeping between my fingers, and I lifted my hands to see blood staining into my pale skin painting them an eternal shade of red, and the blood caked further down into the creases of my hand. I stared in horror, as a dark shadow came down upon me, engulfing my kaasan and I.

I turned slowly, to see a black form behind me, crimson eyes shining with the blood of my clan, and the sharp coppery scent of it surrounded him. I stared up at the familiar eyes that had been stained red with her blood, as eternal of a mark as the blood on my hands.

"Aniki, why?" I begged him, demanded from him the answer, my weak voice shaking with fear.

And then came his ghostly reply, that sounded strangely near to my ear despite his distance from me, I could almost feel the breath on my neck, smell the blood on his breath...

"How I long to see scarlet on your pale hands..."

I shot up in the damp, cold cave, my gasping desperately for air. I hot sweat sheened on my skin chilling me in the cool air of the cave. I felt my tense muscles relax at the realization of it being a nightmare. I closed my eyes, and heard the pounding of my heart dull in my ears, as the thready pulse beneath my skin died down to a gentle thud. I opened my eyes, and turned to the two girls who were calmly asleep: Ryoko was fisting the covers holding them close to her body with her brow lightly furrowed, and Kira laid on her back with her arms folded over her chest.

My eyes rested on Kira. "Hmph. Some guard."

My eyes went back to Ryoko, the mat of red hair that clung to her skin now with sweat. I slowly shifted out of my covers and moved towards her, as I leaned over her small form. She seemed young, around fifteen years. As I stared down at her, I could not help but wonder why Itachi would want me to kill them. Was it jelousy perhaps? Did Itachi see the girls wanting me in the bar? An amused smile crept over my face as I pictured my jelous brother demanding their deaths, but the smile slowly faded as a cold child traveled up my spine. What if I refuse?... I looked down at the perfect opportunity for murder. Find out, Otouto.

The fact still remains, I don't know where I am. My heart began to pound in my ears again, pushing pressure up beneath my skull. I do not know where to go. I slid the needle shuriken out of the holster on my leg, my hand shook violently. But I do know my brother is waiting for me outside of this cave. I held the needle shuriken up to Ryoko's neck, looking down at her sleeping form as her breaths came out evenly, unexpectantly. My hand shook lightly, as I steadied my breath, taking a few practice breaths as I prepared my muscles for the movement.

"Sasuke." Her lips muttered in her sleep.

I stared down at her, my eyes widening in surprise, as I slowly squeezed them shut and edged the needle shuriken from her throat. I just can't do this. I took a deep breath. No, I won't do this. Not to another person who trusts me. My mind wandered back to Naruto, his bright lively eyes.

"So are you going to put up your weapon, or are you just going to sit there?"

My head snapped to Kira. She still laid there, arms crossed over her chest and eyes closed. I watched her still form carefully, had she really been awake this whole time? I shook my head. If I can't even sense her in this cave, then how do I expect to sense my brother? Then another chilling question rose to my mind... was she going to just let me waste her partner?...

I rose in one fluid motion and walked silently to the mouth of the cave. Enough games, it is time for Itachi to recognize me.

"Where are you going?" Kira questioned from behind me.

"Out." I answered curtly, as I exited the cave. And Kira's violet eyes shone on me from behind.

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I walked through the dense forest, the morning birds already silent in the midafternoon sun. I could feel its heat beating on my shoulders as I moved swiftly, silently through the trees. I looked up top, my heart beating wildly with anticipation, as the tree tops hung far out of reach of my eyes in the dense forest. This moment, this life,... it all felt surreal, so fake, like I have lived my life in the wake of some nightmare I cannot wake from. I closed my eyes, and steadied my breath as I mentally assured myself of my decision.

Slowly I lowered my head, as I rose my voice up through the forest with as much strength as I could muster. "Itachi, come out! I'm through with these games!"

Silence greeted me, as I kept my eyes tightly closed. The beat of my heart in my ears moved through at a steady pace, dulling the silence to a roar.

"The games ended in the bar." Came Itachi's calm reply from in front of me.

His calm voice cut through the silence, almost making me jump. I kept my eyes tightly closed and my breath in one clean motion, as I steadied my muscles. But I could not help but resist a small smirk that rose to the surface. So I was right...

"Jealous, Itachi." I chuckled. "I knew that's why you wanted them dead."

Silence followed, as birds suddenly squawked overhead fleeing wildly from the scene. I felt an oppressive chakra push down on my chest, as I sucked in my next breath at the sudden closeness of Itachi's voice.

"No, Otouto." Itachi's hot breath grazed over my face tickling the fine hairs of my skin. "Only Ryoko."

My heart leaped in my chest at his confession. An image of a jealous Itachi watching as I kissed Ryoko, and a laugh escaped my mouth at the thought. All those years I envied Shisui as Itachi bathed him in his attention, and now Itachi was having to eat it.

I felt the ground disappear suddenly beneath my feet as my back was slammed hard into the rough bark of a tree, the wood clawing my back through the thin shirt. The tips of my feet barely grazed the ground, as a strong hand gripped the bottom of my throat, pulling me to my brother's height. I could feel his dry, smooth forehead resting on my damp one as his crimson eyes burned through my tightly closed lids.

"Amused." Itachi's smooth velvet voice reverberated through my head, blending with my pounding pulse.

"I'm not killing anyone! If you want them dead so badly, you kill them!" I shouted in his face.

His grip on my neck thightened, as my breath became forced through his constricting grip. I brought my leg up to kick him, but his body leaning into mine as his legs pinned mine against the tree. I felt his grip tighten further on my neck causing my breath to come through in a whistle, and my hands desperately began to wedge themselves between Itachi's grip and my skin. It was then I felt a pressure bear down on my chest, pushing me further into the tree.

"It would lack pleasure." Came Itachi's cold, even reply, as his smooth voice brushed over my skin.

The intentions of those words struck me, as my desperate mind clawed at my throat for air. Itachi would get pleasure from watching me kill someone? My lungs began to burn from the thin amount of air that was coming into them.

"But, why?" My breathless voice gasped through his grip.

I felt a sharp sting as his nails traced beneath my lip, followed by a wet heat as blood trailed down beneath my mouth. I could feel his bloodied eyes taking it all in. Itachi's wet tongue trailed behind his finger, tracing the blood slowly, sliding over my smooth skin. I felt a pleasurable chill wash over me, as my skin crawled with his sickness. My lungs burned further, spinning my oxygen starved mind.

"To test your mettle." His lips moved against my skin slowly, kissing the words into my being.

"What? You are doing this to test my abilities?" I gasped through the tight grip in mixed confusion and rage.

"No, Otouto. Your mettle." His calm, even voice lowered, warning me to not make him repeat himself.

"But for now..." Itachi's lips claimed mine, completely cutting off my oxygen from already starved lungs.

The kiss was possessive, daring me to protest. His soft lips slid over mine, commanding them with their movements, as his teeth clamped down hard on my lower lip. I let out a whimper, as the hot blood chilled me sending a pleasant shake down my spine. His teeth slowly slid off of my lip, and his mouth reclaimed mine, sucking the blood from the bruised skin.

Itachi released my throat, and I greedily sucked in the air, my chest rising in labored movements. Itachi caught the front of my shirt and held me up with it against the tree, his body still pressed hard against mine. I could feel the blood of his eyes burning through my closed lids. His breath came over my face in a swift movement with each word he spoke, as his next words sent a chilling flood over my skin that crept down to my core.

"... Open your eyes."

A/N:

Please review and let me know if you guys like where I am going with this. I'm not really sure if this chapter and the last one are any good, so I'm a little nervous posting this. So let me know if this chapter was any good, please.

As for Itachi's intentions in getting Sasuke to kill those girls, well, if you fully understand how I am using the word mettle, then you should completely get it and already know where I am going with this. If not, don't worry, cause it will become very obvious what his intentions are by the end of the story.

I found this chapter fun to right cause of how Sasuke teases Itachi. I would have kept writing, but this damn arthritis is acting up in my hands (yea, I'm 23 and I have arthritis. My friends find it funny too.) and I just can't type anymore. So you'll have to stay on the cliff hanger while I make a note in wordpad as to what I was planning to write next. :)