Centuries

Celestia193's Author's Note: The first two chapters of this are back-story for the most part, but we'll do some time-skips to bring the story forward into modern day. This IS a yaoi starring our two favorite Uchiha, but it will take a few chapters for them to meet, being turned in different eras and all. But I hope that you enjoy these exotic twists, because they've been very fun to write.

Silver's Author's Note: As Celestial193 said, this is a Yaoi Sasuke x Itachi Vampire Story. That means that there will be at least one male x male romantic relationship between vampires. In this story, the family tree got switched up quite a bit. We also did a pretty classical take on vampires when it comes to relationships. If any of those things bothers you, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still here, we hope that you enjoy this story and reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer: We own nothing and make no profit off of any of our stories.

Chapter 1

Edo (Tokyo) - 1603

A young man with the mask of a bird hiding his face stalks the halls of Edo Castle, the home of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the newly established Shogun of Japan. This was his place, ensuring the continued survival of his clan, even when the other ninja clans of Iga were falling. No matter how harsh the storm, the fire of their clan would not be put out.

By integrating members of the samurai class into the clan, and thus gaining social stability and acceptance, they could continue to bear arms and fight, as they had done for centuries. And by having the ear of the new Shogun through loyal shinobi serving under him and his generals, all would be safe. The Uchiha Clan would be safe as the Edo Period dawned.

And so it was for the clan head's youngest child, born into the end of the Warring States Period, the warrior who had served under General Totoyomi, and then under Tokugawa, himself, who had him recruited half a decade ago, at the age of thirteen. To have him serve as a spy and assassin.

Sasuke Uchiha took great pride in being among the best his clan had ever produced.

Footsteps echo through the hallway, quiet, but not unheard to the ninja's ears. And he knew the gait well, it was one of Tokugawa's retainers. Specifically, it was the retainer always sent for him. His master was calling for him.

"Taka." The old, white-haired retainer comes to a halt just behind the assassin, kneeling quickly. "My Lord summons you."

Of course he did. Sasuke had known that the moment he heard those footsteps. "I will join him shortly." Though he wondered just what his mission would be this time. "Return to your duties."

"Of course, Sir." The retainer scurries off in an instant, almost as quickly as a shinobi. Sasuke did find himself wondering just how many of these old retainers were more than they appeared.

Nevertheless, a summons was just that, and it would do no good to ignore it. Thus, Sasuke turns himself down another hallway, leading deeper into the castle, and towards the Shogun's personal chambers. They never met out in the open, for conversations could easily be overheard. But it was no great secret that Tokugawa had a shadow. The secret was in the identity of that shadow.

Sasuke kneels outside the sliding door at the back of the Shogun's chambers, only sliding the door open a crack. "You summoned me."

"Good, you've come." Tokugawa's gaze lands on the small crack, revealing Sasuke. "This is Kenji Taira. His clan has decided to join our cause." The shogun smiles at that. "They have vast farming lands, but of course I would like for you to go with him to ensure that there aren't too many pests amongst them." Those who would stand against him. "Rats and insects. Things of that nature."

Spies and assassins. His lord was sending him to clear out the lands of the Taira Clan. He was well aware that the Shogun was scouting the clan, looking for suitable brides for his family. It seemed that this was going to be an act of good faith. "Yes, My Lord."

Across the small room, on a silken pillow, sat a rather distinguished looking noble. His age was difficult to determine. He carried himself like a man who was the Shogun's age, but his face was younger. Perhaps forty. "It is a pleasure to meet you Taka." He smiles at him with all the cunning charisma of a predator. "I've heard so much about you and how beautifully you fly."

Though he could only be seen through the single small crack, Sasuke could sense the nobleman's eyes on him, as though they saw through him, and knew far more than they should about him, about what he had done, and what he could do. And those eyes and features…they were so familiar. Perhaps the man was a relation of some of the samurai who had come from neighboring lands like the Taira's Ise, and joined the clan. But this man…he could have passed himself as Sasuke's father, and he doubted that none would be the wiser. "I do as I am bid."

He chuckles at that, as though thoroughly amused by his answer. "Such modesty is unexpected from an accomplished youth such as yourself. I must confess that I did not share such a noble trait in my own youth."

Sasuke remains silent, for it was not his place to comment on such an observation, whether it be true or false. There was something…off about this man, that much, Sasuke knew. And his instincts were a force that he had learned to trust. "How long is this mission to take, Lord Tokugawa?" How long would he have before his Shogun expected him back within the castle?

"As long as as necessary." The Shogun smiles at his shadow. "Though I suspect it shouldn't take more than a lunar cycle at most." That should be enough time, surely.

"As you say, My Lord." If it was merely a month, he would not need to take a great deal. A horse, and what he could fit in the saddlebags. "When do I depart?"

Kenji smiles at him. "As soon as you're able. I fear that there is much we will have to clear to make the fields well again."

"Understood, Lord Taira." There was an almost sick kind of thrill that races through Sasuke's bones. He was a ninja, a shinobi, a warrior who struck in the dead of night. And an assignment was just one more way to excel and prove his worth, to prove that he was as valuable, if not more so than his elder siblings. "I will await you in the stables." The time to move was now.

Two weeks passed by in the blink of an eye and while Indra didn't say this much about mortals these days, his descendant did continue to surprise him. He dispatched the 'insects' and 'rats' with astonishing ease and seemed to take even the smallest task on as if it was the most sacred one possible. He had the eyes of a hawk.

"You've done well." He smiles at him. "The Shogun will be very pleased with your service." Of course, Taka didn't know his true identity. Had he known that Kenji Taira was actually Indra, he likely would have run in terror or tried to slay him. For he was the demon that captivated and terrified in equal measure all who dared to call Japan their home in their dreams.

"Come. Let us dine and we will return to him tomorrow." Indra was a vampire. His kind were few and far between, but that was only to be expected. The wolves should never outnumber the sheep. "It is never a good idea to begin a journey at this hour." It was almost a shame that the boy had been born a sheep when he was just as much a hunter as Indra. It was only that Taka hunted traitors, whereas he hunted for survival (and pleasure).

Taka touches his mask, which he removed only to sleep and to eat. And those were two things he was reluctant to do in the company of others. "The invitation is appreciated, Lord Taira, but I would eat alone." As he always did.

He shakes his head and smiles at him. "Well forgive an old man, I had to ask." He turns to walk back into the castle. "An old fool such as me does love company. Though I imagine the women back in Edo are rather saddened by your aloof nature."

The young assassin shakes his head ever so slightly. "They do not know I exist." Such was the life of most ninja, to remain in the shadows until they were called. "I show my face to none but the Shogun, and my clan."

"You truly are young, if you do not realize women are often even more enamored by a mystery than they are a handsome face." Kenji smiles at him, playing the part of a friendly old lord to perfection, in his mind. "You'll see in time. Goodnight, Taka." And with that, he strides forward towards the grand estate. Until disaster struck.

Screams pierce the air, prompting Taka into action immediately. "Lord Taira, you must return inside, bar the gates, and lock the doors!" The lethal chokuto produces a sharp chime as he unsheathes it. He could see forms in the darkness of the town, approaching the estate like ghosts in the night.

Indra smirks at that. This boy truly had no idea who he was addressing. "It would be more prudent for you to follow that advice." Perhaps, he had been forced to unveil his hand sooner than expected, but that was no matter.

Despite the 'warning', Taka snaps his sword to the side, before racing into the darkness, relying on his hearing more than his sight. There were four, five, no…there were six attackers. Rats, the lot of them. Insects buzzing around his lord's ally. It could not be allowed to stand.

But, from the darkness emerges a seventh figure, close to Indra, knowing full well that this man was not of the Taira Clan, though he might have convinced them that was the case. "It has been some time, hasn't it, Lord Indra Otsutsuki?" A pale face with yellow eyes emerges from the darkness, watching the young shinobi curiously. "And it would appear that you've obtained a new plaything."

"It has been awhile." He barely refrains form rolling his eyes. Indra would have preferred never to see this particular immortal again. "Accurate enough, but it seems you have obtained several." The elder vampire smirks. "Orochimaru, when are you going to learn that it is not the quantity of followers one obtains that matters, it is the quality?" The other vampire had delusions of grandeur. He would never be Indra's equal, but he was a cunning thing. Cunning enough to be at least mildly irritating.

"Quality, hm…? Perhaps that would be so, if that were not clearly a human." Orochimaru's eyes glitter at the sight of the child charging his fledglings. He was quite a spirited little thing. And had good instincts, if the trouble he was giving Kidomaru was any indication. "I wonder how the boy appears behind that mask. From what I see, he appears quite…delicious." And feisty, too, to be able to dodge Kidomaru's claws and fangs, and stab that sword through the young vampire's chest.

This time Indra really did roll his eyes. "Then your children are truly weak, if they can barely handle one human." He would have to go to Taka. To protect him. He wouldn't allow this snake to have him.

Yellow eyes glow brightly in the darkness, and most of the screams fade to nothing, the rest of his 'children' coming. A silent command to his coven of fledglings to take the young one, or kill him. It would be a pity to waste the scraps, but Orochimaru was sure that he could salvage a little of the blood that Indra seemed so attached to. "Tell me, what does he taste like?"

"He tastes like your death." Indra smirks as he lunges forwards. "You shouldn't challenge your betters. It will never end well for you."

Orochimaru bares his fangs, his glowing eyes filled with rage and envy. Indra was the bane of his existence, and the greatest obstacle on his way to the height of vampire society. Fortunately, he was fast, and it wouldn't be so easy for Indra to catch him. "And you should take care not to underestimate youth!"

"I never underestimate youth." His fangs gleam in the moonlight. "You merely overestimate your own worth. It's a common mistake for children to make." It was time that he taught this child why he ruled these lands and Orochimaru was nothing more than a promising upstart. "Allow me to correct your inaccuracies by sending you straight to the underworld!" And with that, the two vampires clash.

It was a flurry of fangs and claws, and the cold, sluggish blood of a vampire. Orochimaru's feral hissing, a sound uncharacteristic of a vampire, fills the air, along with the scent of iron as he drives his claws towards Indra's face. And in the background, there were the dying screams of the twin, silver-haired vampires.

Indra was less than pleased by the clawing of his face, so he bites into one of Orochimaru's hands. "You'll rue the day you challenged your superior." He snarls around the flesh as he tears it off. "Let this be a lesson to you. Call off your children and I still might spare you."

Hissing at the deep bite marks in his hand, Orochimaru makes to plunge his hand into Indra's chest, or at least attempt to reach for Indra's heart. Really, this man was nothing short of a demon in human form. Though perhaps they really were demons at times.

And that's when a scream ripped through the air, and the scent of human blood made Orochimaru's nostrils tingle. The snake-like vampire turns his eyes towards his four remaining fledglings, who have begun swarming the human. Blood had been spilled, and they wanted to drink it. "It would seem that your little human is no match for my fledglings after all."

"Six vampires against one human. You must be so proud of your trash." Indra hisses as he flits over towards the ninja and vampires, easily tearing off their heads in a matter of seconds. "One should take more heed to keep a tidy house." His fangs were still bared at Orochimaru as he bites his arm, forcing himself to bleed and shoving the blood into Taka's mouth. "Perhaps, I'll let him dine on you for his first meal." He smirks. There were few things more vicious than a recently turned vampire.

His minions were dead, standing no chance against the ancient vampire, and the boy was worthless to him, dead or a vampire. And, caring nothing for the bodies of his fallen fledglings, Orochimaru disappears back into the darkness to the sounds of the boy choking on blood.

And choking, Sasuke was, but mostly on his own blood, not even tasting the extra blood dripping into his mouth. His chest was bloodied, and his mask lay shattered on the ground as his dark eyes wandered over the face of the man above him. "F-failed." Dying before completing his mission, or before returning to his liege was failing.

"You didn't fail." Indra smiles at the poor boy. "This is only the beginning."

Coughing up a huge glob of blood, spattering it all over his front, he shudders violently. "S-Sasuke." Just speaking was a battle. "U-Uchiha. From…I-Iga. F-Father is-" He coughs again, the trembling of his hands weakening. "C-Clan Head. M-Madara U-Uchiha."

He holds him quietly, stroking the boy's hair. "I already knew that. My true name is Indra and now, you are the closest thing I have to a son." He was his blood and his childe. This one had...potential.

"I-Indra?" Despite everything, Sasuke still stubbornly clung to life, even as his body began to lose its warmth, his heart stuttering and slowing. "W-what are…you?"

"A vampire. And now, you will be as well." Indra sighs as he looks down at him. "Don't fight it and it will be easier." He didn't enjoy seeing his descendant in pain.

Sasuke's eyes widen, his heartbeat increasing just for a moment, before he takes one last shuddering breath, the light of his life flickering out as he goes limp and still, no longer breathing as his warmth fades slowly into the night air.

Indra sighs at Sasuke's motionless form and carries him back into the estate. His servants knew better than to question him. "I will need blood brought to me." He glances towards the compelled human. "In a glass." A newborn vampire wouldn't have control. Any feeder that got near Sasuke when he woke up would be drained dry.

"Yes, sir." One of the servants, the feeders, races off to the kitchen to fetch the glass. Very few knew that the Taira lord was a vampire, and all were under his thrall. If their lord had taken on a childe, it was their duty to take care of them.

"Well if nothing else, I do have good servants." He smiles as he takes Sasuke to his bedchambers and lays the man on his bed.

The boy's face was already naturally pale, but looked even paler under the light, against his raven hair. Eighteen, no older, but already a beautiful young man. Aristocratic, almost regal features that suited Kyoto's imperial court, more than being hidden behind a mask, never to be seen.

He chuckles at that, feeling an odd surge of something that he supposed was akin to fatherly pride. "Well, he certainly does take after my side of the family." Indra could see why he wore the mask now. He'd never get anything done, if he didn't.

His head hurt. That was the first thing he knew. Everything else was…fuzzy, at best. He…wait. Who was he? He winces, slowly opening his eyes, only for the light to burn them. …Sasuke…his name was Sasuke. Uchiha. He was…a ninja, right? Everything was so fuzzy. And his head ached like it had been struck with the broad side of a katana.

And his throat was so dry that opening his mouth to breathe better made it feel like it had been filled with sand. He hadn't been to a beach recently, had he? Where…was he, anyway?

"Easy, you've just made the transition." Indra smiles at him as he holds a flask to his lips. "Drink this, you'll feel better."

Sasuke opens his lips obediently, letting the liquid within the flask slide slowly past his lips. It was…the taste was very difficult to describe. It was good, like expensive sake, but it was like nothing he'd ever tasted before.

"Good. Just keep drinking. It will make you strong." It was a good sign that Sasuke wasn't protesting his first feeding. Indra would have had to resort to underhanded measures, if he had.

More of the liquid hits Sasuke's throat, and he nearly chokes on it, before gulping it all down. He didn't feel…warm, exactly, but he felt…tingly. And it made his heart- His eyes flash open as he sits up, only for him to close them again against the harsh light.

…He couldn't hear his own heartbeat. He couldn't feel it. "What happened? Why am I…?" Sasuke was so confused. And his skin felt…cold? Was he sick?

"You're now a vampire." The child must have realized his heart wasn't beating. "That's why your heart no longer beats and it never will again." Indra watches him with wary eyes, half expecting a panic. "You were attacked by vampires and I had two choices. I could change you or I could let you die. But as my blood runs in your veins and you fought so valiantly, I chose the former."

He was…he was a vampire!? And those people from last night, the ones who couldn't seem to die, they were… "…Is that why it seems as though I stare into the sun every time I open my eyes?"

He nods at his childe. "That's right. It can be overwhelming at first, but eventually you do adjust to your heightened senses." He smiles at him, trying to offer reassurance. "The first days are the worst. After that, most think that they were practically blind and deaf as mortals, compared to now."

Mortals…humans…he wasn't… Sasuke lowers his head, eyes opening only a little as his hands grip the blanket on his lap. "You said that your blood…runs in my veins?" He was descended from a vampire? Those were supposed to be myths, coming along the Silk Road from the West. "How?"

"Before I was turned into a vampire, I did sire a son. You are from that mortal's line." Indra remembered the babe, holding his son, raising the boy, and being turned when his son was grown.

That made sense. Sasuke just wasn't certain how he was supposed to feel about that sort of revelation. He was…supposedly, anyway, immortal, undying, no longer truly alive. "…How long will I remain here."

"Well that depends on how long it takes you to control your newfound abilities and thirst and how long you wish to stay here." Indra watches him carefully for any sign of anger or panic.

Sasuke's wants and wishes aside, and even his thirst, he couldn't stay more than two weeks, at the most. "The Shogun will be expecting my return before the moon is full again." And if he didn't return, it would be assumed that he was a traitor. "My clan…they need me to remain with the Shogun."

"It wouldn't be advisable." He shakes his head. "We can fake your death so no fault will be given to your clan."

Despite the pain in his eyes, so used to the darkness, Sasuke opens them fully, glaring at his ancestor in the harsh, dim light. "I made an oath to serve the Shogun. That may mean nothing to a vampire, but when a shinobi makes their oath, they do NOT break it."

"If you go to him now, you're very likely to kill him and break your oath in a far more permanent fashion." Indra frowns at him. "It is your choice, but I wouldn't recommend it."

Sasuke grits his teeth, his hands clenching almost painfully. It was true. If he returned…he might very well kill those that he was supposed to protect. If he returned, he could very well kill the Shogun, if he did not, he would be a traitor, no matter how Indra justified it.

Indra… Sasuke blinks, a potential alternative coming to mind. He turns to his ancestor, surprised by the red eyes for a moment, but only for a moment. "The Shogun believes that you are Lord Kenji Taira?"

He nods at that. "Yes, he does." Though Indra failed to see how that mattered in this circumstance.

"Then ask him to give me to you." It was the only way Sasuke could see to preserve his honor, that of his clan, and preserve his oath as well. "A year, two, three, however many you believe it will take. To him, you are a noble. It could be construed as a sign of good faith. And it would allow me to return when I am able to…control myself."

"I can do that." He shakes his head. "I would estimate at least five, if you don't have control by then...well I suppose I can ask for more time or we can fake your death."

"I will have control by then." Of that, Sasuke was certain. "A shinobi trains their entire life to achieve peerless self-discipline. Applying those principles to learning how to be a perfect vampire should not be too difficult."

Indra smiles at that. He truly did have his spirit. "Good. I'll hold you to that." Though the boy really had no idea what he had just gotten himself into.

For the next two and a half centuries, the appearance of a hawk foretold death. A demon, known only as Taka, a monster that drank the blood of its victims, would secretly serve the Shogunate until its fall. Then, disappear into the pages of history, as nothing more than a myth.