Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Dead By Eclipse ❯ Chapter 9

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

Disclaimer: nope, don't own Naruto.

A/N: Oi, why is everyone around me sick? Why does everyone keep getting me sick?... but at least I'm off for a couple of days from work and I can just relax and do as I please... :)

Kisame: Hey, Itachi! Why do those kids get to eat real food?

Itachi: *crunching on a soldier pill*

Kisame: I'm sick of these pills! I want some eggs and bacon... *drools*

Itachi: ... I have a fish I smoked into jerky before leaving... *pulls fish out of rapper*

Kisame: !!! *thinks to self... that fish looks familiar...

Itachi: want some? I got it out of your fish tank.

Kisame: ... !!! ... ! ... NO! Aunt Kiko!!!! YOU BASTARD!!!

Itachi: ...

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

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Ch apter 9- Illusions

"Are we there yet?" Ryoko whines for the millionth time, golden eyes flashing with growing boredom.

"For the last time... No!!" Kira huffs, increasing her speed of travel to match her impatience.

I suck in a small amount of breath as I exhale. The growing conception in my brain that I have run too far. I have tried to escape for too long, and now it is catching up finally... and my mind spins as the scenery grows increasingly familiar.

I giggled as I shoved my seven year old hands into the snow. The wet cold stung through the cloth gloves for a moment, followed by a warm chill as the ice melted near my hot skin. I giggled again and scrunched my nose up as snow flakes landed on my face. The snow bit and licked my skin, creating small red spots across my snow white skin. I licked my lips again as the cold continued to redden and burn them.

A large pair of hands grasped my wrist and lifted my hands gently out of the snow. My eyes fluttered upwards to meet his calm, dark eyes gazing down at my large shining ones. For a moment there, I could only stare into his eyes. Brother's eyes were always so dark, and if I looked long enough, I was certain I could drown in the depths of those bottomless black orbs. And such was the case today, as he held me silently in my place while his eyes darkened beyond reason as he eyed my cherry red lips.

But if you had tried to run from these girls, he would have caught you. My mind sings it to me knowingly while his command to murder them echoes in my head. But you did not even try to escape from this... you are not even fighting his command... and you know you won't even try to protect Ryoko, you coward, just like you did not try to protect him.

A flash of Naruto in my head, his blonde hair, how his eyes squint when he smiles, the whiskers on his face. I can imagine how his eyes lit up with life, and how he looked at me with adoring trust. Are there people you love, Naruto? I can hear his laugh, as annoying as it is to me, and I can see his confident smile, as he gives me the thumbs up... the closest to approval I have ever received from anyone. Why, Sasuke? Are you and Sakura in trouble? And Naruto said he loved me, as indirect as it was, it is closer than any admittance he ever gave.

"Aniki?" My young voice questioned him, as a pleasant chill ran up my spine, one I can still blame on the cold.

I watched his dark, hungry eyes stare at me, his face calm and stoic. I sat there, near giddy, as I bathed in his attention eagerly drinking up every drop of it. The cold gnawed a bit further on me, and I ran my small red tongue over my raw lips darkening the cherry color even further.

"You shouldn't tease, Otouto." His voice was notably lower, dangerously calm, as his face remained still eyeing my lips closely.

I squirmed beneath his stare, my energy beginning to dislike his strong grip on my wrists. I screwed my eyes in confusion. "I'm not teasing you!"

A flash shot through the depths of his eyes, one so quick that I would have missed it had I not been looking for it. And in that moment I felt special, my emotions elated me to a higher plain as I soaked myself in this moment of attention. Aniki was finally watching me, not Shisui. This is my moment, and nothing will take this from me.

My brother leaned in closer, until his breath blew over my face warming it. His eyes held mine, and I lost myself in their depths. "Then give me." Came his calm reply, as he eyed my lips hungrily.

A light blush drew across my cheeks, as sickness settled in my stomach. Why can I not stop thinking about Itachi? The farther I run from him, the more he fills my thoughts. The girls are arguing again, and I can hear Kira's voice as she grows increasingly angry with Ryoko. I watch Ryoko's back, as her red hair bobs behind her in the breeze, and the blood seeps into her blue kimono from where I knifed her back.

I gasp sharply, my heart quickening, pounding against my chest. I close my eyes tight and shake my head violently erasing the image, and open my eyes. I stare intently at her back, her unharmed back free of blood, as the sweat rolls down my body. The night air seems to have chilled suddenly, as the air bites through my damp clothes. I take another shaky breath, as I tell myself, you can still turn and run... they are arguing. They will never notice.

But I am not turning to run. Despite all the running I have done, how far I have run from Itachi, from my troubles, how I have tried desperately to just lose myself in the run, to banish all my problems from my thoughts with the feel of the forest floor and the speed of the wind in my face... I have not turn to run from this, or to even try to.

And I have to ask myself,... why am I still here?

And the thrill, the excitement, the knowledge that Itachi's eyes are on my, my aniki, my hero, it went straight to my head in a euphoria stronger than any drug I could take. I giggled excitedly as I lept forward past his descending lips and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck burying my face in the nook of his neck. I then squeezed hard to the extent that would have choked any normal person.

"I love you, aniki!" I squeeled excitedly, squirming against the warmth of his body.

My brother's strong hands came to my shoulders and gently pushed me down away from his body. I frowned, as I squirmed harder against his body rubbing him against me harshly. I felt his body tense against mine for a moment from them friction, and for a moment I thought I had won as his grip laxed... but then he gripped my shoulders harshly and shoved me back.

I stuck my lip out at him as I stared up into his empty, dark eyes in disappointment... and then it occured to me, that he was not smiling. His face was calm as ever with his skin a ghostly white in this winter snow. There was no redness or flush of life on his face. It was as porcelain and pristine as a doll. His muscles were not the slightest bit tense, and there were no lines drawn in his face for emotions save the two lines that descended down his cheeks from his eyes giving him an aged appearance far beyond his years. And his eyes,... his eyes were as dark, emotionless, and empty as ever.

I suck in the air greedily, the breath forcing life into me with each intake, as I exhale shakily. I mentally relax my tense fists as I watch Ryoko's back. And I realize, that it has never left me. The look of pain twisted onto Naruto's face from my betrayal,... a look of pain I have never seen beyond my own face. And I can still see it clearly, the look of impending death in his eyes, the searing pain... and I can feel the guilt swallow me again as I watch Ryoko's back.

And even if all other knowledge is unknown to me, and all else in the universe remains a mystery, this I do know... If I betray her, I will surely die inside.

And my heart clenched as I fisted my hands, my nails digging into skin. It is this pain that assures me, I am still alive. I can still make a choice, and I can still survive this knowing hell.

"Aniki... why don't you smile." I asked, as I stared up at my brother, questioning eyes glistening through the winter's snow.

The look Itachi gave me from this was unreadable. His face remained calm, completely still and void of emotion. He tilted his head lightly to the right and slowly blinked his empty, black eyes. He looked to me calmly, as he remained completely silent regarding me in the cold whistling wind of winter as it whipped across the ground. And I thought for a moment that perhaps I had asked a taboo, as he just sat there looking at me calmly with no expression, and I squirmed under his void eyes.

"Why do you ask." Came his calm reply.

And I could have glared at him as I huffed in annoyance. But I can never glare at my aniki. It is difficult to glare at those you hate. "That's not an answer aniki! Why don't you smile!"

Because you never smile... In all these years, I cannot recall a genuine smile.

This silence continues to reign between us. It is polluting, how silence kills so gently what love could endure if so given a chance.

"Happiness is an illusion..." And his voice came to me, spoken from the dead as if it holds knowledge of life. "...just like pain is, Otouto."

The scenery is becoming increasingly familiar. The trees flow past me with memories of team seven and missions traveled to and from in the past. I suck in another shaky breath, as my pulse threads quicker beneath my skin now. It is dizzying, how the blood is rushing to my head. I can almost point to the areas where we once stood, where we once spoke together. The farther we run, the closer it is thrown in my face now,... there is nowhere left to run. The decision is now.

I stare at Naruto's back in front of me, as I chase after something I can never take back... and my stomach turns over into knots. I moan lightly, as I grab my gut, and I felt my footing slip from beneath me as I fell to the forest floor. The ground greets me unforgivingly, as the throb courses through my body, and I crawl to my knees, gripping my stomach hard.

"Sasuke! You okay!" I hear Ryoko call out as she lands next to me.

Sasuke, are you okay? I can hear Naruto echo from the past, and my stomach turns harder. At this moment, I would give anything to just stand and run, to run somewhere far away, like I have been doing since I left Itachi. I want to run again, and forget everything in the motion of the earth beneath my feet. But I cannot run any longer... all time has already been spent.

I clutch the ground hard as dirt forms in my fist, and I squeeze it menacingly. The muscles burn beneath my skin as the fire pulses throughout my body, and the anger is consuming... but it is all my anger, and i hate myself right now for even having to consider this, just like I considered Naruto for my own sake.

I jump lightly at Ryoko's touch on my shoulder. "Sasuke,... do you feel okay?" Her voice is laced with concern, and I can feel her watching me.

"Hmph, slowing us down again, boy?" Kira hisses in annoyance.

I suck in another breath, as I force my body again to relax on my command, and I run my nails back over the dirt as I release my fist and flatten my hand on the ground. My breath burns now, as the air feels raw inside my body, and my pulse echos a gentle thud in my ears.

"I'm fine..." I answer, assuring myself as well.

I glance up to Kira, and I can see her sending Ryoko a cold, commanding stare. I see Ryoko exchange a look of almost disappointment, pain in her eyes. Pain... She looks to me with near pity, and disgust rolls over me at how weak I am, at how weak I must look to Itachi kneeling here in the dirt.

A flask is held infront of my face, and I meet Ryoko's apologetic eyes. I wonder briefly why she is looking at me like this, am I really this pathetic?

"Here, drink some water. You'll feel better." Comes her gentle reply.

And I nod, as I take the flask in a shaky hand. The mettle feels cold from my sweat, as I grip the cap in my slick fingers, squeezing it extra hard to unscrew it from my sweat.

"Thank you." I whisper as I bring the flask to my lips... and I have to wonder, when was the last time I thanked someone.

Pain...

"An illusion?" I asked my aniki questioningly.

I stared into the endless depths of those eyes, as he slid the gloves off in one smooth motion. I felt my brother hold my hands, and I was surprised at how much colder they were than the air around them. I watched almost in a trance as he brought one hand up to his mouth, those pale lips encircling my finger tip, and he held my finger there between those lips gently,... almost too gently.

I felt a blush spread across my cheeks, as I thought how loving it must be for a brother to kiss his little brother's hand. I felt the inside of my chest warm at the notion of the loving gesture, and how special I must be to him for aniki to do this to me. And then a searing pain shot down the tips of my fingers, and I shrieked as I tried desperately to pull my hand away, but his grip was stronger than me.

I could only watch as his teeth sank deeper into my fingertip, the blood trickling down my hand in a branching manner. Itachi watched me calmly, his face showing no effect from my struggle to free my hand from his mouth.

"Aniki! Stop it! You're hurting me!" I pleaded.

His eyes showed a light hint of satisfaction from my plea, as he stopped biting my finger and began sucking it instead. I felt his tongue as it traced the cut, and then began to twirl around my finger exploring every crevice of skin available. I giggled insanely as the pain quickly turned into pleasure as his tongue tickled my skin. It lightly occured to me... how strangely cold his mouth was on my skin.

"Stop it!" I giggled innocently. "You know that tickles!"

I felt his grip loosen and I pulled my hand back quickly, still giggling lightly as I rubbed the tickling sensation from my hand. I glanced up to him adoringly, a light blush streaking my face as my large eyes glistened with affection to him, almost as if shyly thanking him for this attention while begging for more. And I could see Itachi's empty, dark eyes darken over even more from this knowledge.

And it seemed almost unnatural the look on aniki's face. He sat there calmly looking to me, not a trace of emotion on his features, and those exceedingly dark, blank eyes holding me with an offset disregard. But this was just aniki, and it was not what held my attention. What I watched, fixated on, was his ghostly skin which seemed to pale even further as the dark, crimson blood seeped from between his lips, and then trickled down his smooth porcelain skin to the very base of his chin. Red on white, and it contrasted his unnatural perfection even further.

"Understand, Otouto." I gasped at aniki's smooth voice, how it flowed like silk, as every spoken word allowed more of that scarlet liquid to paint his lips the deepest red and then flow down such perfect snow white skin staining it crimson.

"An illusion..."

I giggled as I smiled brightly and leaned in towards his ear. And as I whispered into his ear, my breath brushing against the soft hairs of his neck, I could have sworn... and I wonder, was this just an illusion, some illusion cast by my emotionless brother...

When his breath hitched in his throat...

I heard a crash as the flask was knocked from my hand and skipped across the ground spilling the liquid out of it before I could even wet my lips. I shot my eyes up in a glare to meet Ryoko's wide eyes who was staring back in surprise.

"What was that for!" I shout at her angrily, as I run my tongue along the inside of my dry mouth.

Ryoko blushes, as the surprise vanishes from her face. She clasps her hands in front of her hard as she looks to me again apologetically. "I'm sorry... I was just thinking, I would like for you to be happy." My eyes narrow further at her. "I mean, you never smile. Why is that?"

I gasp lightly, as I felt my entire body tense. Aniki, why don't you smile? I breathe deeply, as I collect myself and regain my composure standing smoothly from the ground. I stood straight, tilting my head upward towhere it would seem I am looking down on her. I clench my fists tightly, trying to give a confident, sure appearance.

"Aren't you going to answer me?" Ryoko answers quietly.

"No." I said forcefully.

"Hmph. So that's it then?" I glance over at Kira who was glaring at Ryoko. "That is the side you choose? Fine then. So be it."

Kira reaches over her head towards her back and then down into the back of her shirt. She raises her arm solely as she pulls out her kodachi (kodachi- a short sword that is two feet long). Kira sets her face into a stone cold appearance, as she stares at Ryoko with promises of death.

"I was going to make this easy. All you had to do was feed him the sedative in that flask... but you can't even do that right, can you Ryoko?" She spoke icily.

Ryoko flinches at the implication, as Kira finishes unseathing the sword and holds it directly infront of her, pointing it at Ryoko's heart.

"This isn't right! I don't care how high the bounty is on his head, he's a good person! We shouldn't hand Itachi over." Ryoko speaks passionately, in a pleading voice to Kira, tears beginning to brim her eyes.

I could feel the breath catch in my throat at the mention of my brother's name.

"Itachi... how do you know my brother!" I shout.

Ryoko looks to me in confusion, her eyes questioning. "Itachi, I don't know your brother." Ryoko then shakes her head as if shaking away the confusion. "Listen, you can drop the act. I know who you are."

I glare at her, the anger surfacing in me as I clench my hands at even the vaguest implication of my brother's name towards me. Ryoko reaches into her kimono and pulls out a flier that she holds out infront of her. I blink a few times, as if to blink away the illusion staring back at me, as the anger and confusion slowly vanish from my head.

Staring back at me on the flier is a picture of my brother as he was when he left the village. His face is much younger than he is now, and he appears much closer to my age. Written above the picture is his name and the bounty offered by the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Cutting your long hair isn't going to disguise you Itachi." Ryoko spoke matter of factly while giving me a 'I'm not that dumb' look.

I smirk as I let out a small chuckle. Itachi... they think I'm Itachi! The chuckle became louder as I netted my fingers through my hair. The laugh is mixed with amusement and anger... anger at the thought of being confused with the one who murdered my clan. Anger at the thought that we still look that much alike.

"What's... so funny?" Ryoko mutters in confusion.

"That picture is five years old. That's my older brother, Itachi, you morron." I smirk confidently while harshly spitting my words through my angry smirk, as Ryoko begins scanning over the flier for the print date. "I'm a bit young to be Itachi Uchiha."

Ryoko blinks as a blush of embarrassment forms across her cheeks. "Oh..." She laughs nervously as she rubs the back of her head.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha." I say in a matter of fact voice.

"... I know that." Came Kira's cold reply.

Both Ryoko and I look to her in confusion. Kira is still eyeing Ryoko coldly.

"You... knew he was Sasuke? Then why did you suggest going after the bounty in the bar?"

Ryoko giggled excitedly in the bar as she looked to Sasuke across from the table. Her eyes shone with mischief as she leaned over to her partner.

"Hey doesn't that look like Itachi Uchiha to you?" Ryoko whispered in anticipation.

Kira held Sasuke in disregard, and then a flash of realization struck her eyes. "Yes... he does look like Itachi, doesn't he...." Kira's eyes shone with intent, as she looked to Sasuke darkly. "How about we collect the bounty?"

"Because you thought he was Itachi..." Kira spoke in an ice cold voice, as she took one confident step towards Ryoko.

I shot Kira the cruelest look I could form, as I grit my teeth. "What do you want."

"I want you Sasuke. You are far more valuable than Itachi." Kira took another step towards Ryoko.

"Why... why did you lie to me." Ryoko whispers.

I look to Ryoko and blink a few times. The look of pain and disbelief written across her features... I could almost see Naruto standing there, I could almost hear him whispering the question to me.

"You were a pawn. But now you are a broken pawn. Hn, so weak. You just had to fall in love with him."

"But... wait, you mean, you were..." I watch as Ryoko spoke, the shock straining her voice, as her face began to twist with the realization.

"Your usefulness has run out. Lord Orochimaru has new plans for me... a new role for me to gather information in. And when I bring lord Orochimaru Sasuke, my love will reward me to the fullest." Kira spoke hastily, the excitement poisoning her voice.

Orochimaru... I briefly think to myself as I try to place the name with a face, and then a sickly pale face with purple streaks and long dark hair enters my mind. He's the one that gave me this cursed seal during the chuunin exams. But what does he want with me?

I watch as she draws her sword back, and then leaps for her attack head on. I almost laugh on the inside as she attempts to attack Ryoko head on with such slow speed. Even a genin could evade this! No one ever attacks head on...

I slowly realize that I do not hear any movement to my side, no attempt of Ryoko to evade the maneuvar. I look to my side to see Ryoko standing there in shock, staring straight ahead in paralyzing disbelief with her face contorted into anguish. It is then that it occurs to me... She is just going to stand there, and let Kira run her through.

"Ryoko!" I scream, as my mind and body separate from itself, and my body begins to move on its own accord.

I throw myself towards Ryoko as I wrap my arms around her still frame and begin to push her out of the way. In a split moment, I can sense Kira's oppressive chakra ontop of me, and I wonder how I could have yet to notice how massive her chakra is. My body continues to push her from the path of her sword, as my mind begins to scream to me how my time is ending, how if I do not pull back I will die.

And I can feel my heart beat stronger now, I can hear my breath clearer now, and all the senses around me, the grass and the cool night air, it all smells sharper now, and I can feel the moist air cling to my skin through my sweat as I feel the cold blade of the kodachi slice through my skin deep into my muscle.

And I can hear every thought that races through my mind, I can hear each individual one screaming to me now so clearly, as the pain numbs my mind while this blade cuts me that much more deeper...

But one thought screams louder than the rest, as it slowly drowns the others out.

...Aniki... my love is not an illusion...

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A/N: What Sasuke thinks at the end is what he whispered into Itachi's ear during the flashback. The flash back of Ryoko and Kira talking in the bar is from ch 4, I just added the words that they were whispering to each other that I left out in that chapter as to not ruin the surprise.

So there you have it. The truth about Ryoko and Kira. I hope it was not too drawn out and anticlimatic. Basically, Kira is serving Orochimaru in the Sound. Kira's role as a bounty hunter is just a cover she uses for gathering valuable information for Orochimaru in the many different countries and what not. Ryoko is not a servant of Orochimaru and is a real bounty hunter.

Sasuke does not know what Orochimaru wants from him. This story takes place after the chuunin exams but before the Sound Five visits him. In other words, in this fanfic Itachi got to Sasuke before Orochimaru could make his offer to Sasuke. So Sasuke was never asked to betray Konoha and come to the Sound by the Sound Five.

There are not that many chapters left in this story... in fact it is very close to the end. There will probably only be two more chapters.. three at the most.

I would like to thank all who have reviewed. Thank you so much! I love reviews! :)
And I'm glad the clock in the last chapter was not cheesy. The whole dream clock thing was more of a reflection of how Sasuke felt like he was being imprisoned by Itachi. It was meant to reflect how Sasuke feels like Itachi is slowly killing him on the inside.

This chapter was written a bit differently than the others, in that the flashback was written almost throughout the whole chapter. It is suppose to show how Sasuke cannot stop thinking about Itachi now that he is away from him, in contrast to the beginning of the story when he was with Itachi. When he was physically with Itachi he could not have dreams or flashbacks or memories, all he could remember was Itachi's eyes. /Before it was nightmares of my clans murder, nightmares of what I lost... but now it is just his eyes in the shadows or the light, always watching me./

Anyways, I hope you liked it! Please review!! :)

Kisame: hey Itachi, we've been sitting up here watching these kids for hours!

Itachi: What's your point.

Kisame: well, nothing, it's just that we've been sitting here constantly... 24 hrs a day... 7 days a week...

Itachi: And?...

Kisame: .... ............. ........................ .....

Kisame: I got to go to the bathroom...

Itachi: ....