A/N: Heh, first of all I've got no idea of where this crawled out from. Once again, I've managed to pop out something that's totally unlike my usual material. (scratches head with confusion) (Or actually, this is a bit like my other oneshot – 'Frozen' – but from a whole another perspective and with a very different touch.) I just felt this HUGE urge to create something like this, so… (grins sheepishly)

RAMBLING/CLEARING OUT THE PLOTLINE/JUSTIFICATION TO THIS/READ BEFORE STARTING: So basically, this is a somewhat ramblish collection of tiny shots about Itachi's tale. This describes his relationship with the few people who ever mattered to him, and in a way what he felt for Konoha as well – the lyrics, I think, describe his feelings pretty well. There's love of a brother, a friend, and something close to a lover. (sniffs) Damn, I still miss Ita-kun!

WARNING: Contains YAOI, but DEFINITELY NOT incest. And, eh, I think I should give you warning of blood as well… This also includes an OC character (which I had to add due to the manga's plotline), but only for a brief flash, so no worries.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto, or even 'Call me' from Shinedown. (sniffs loudly) Damn, how unfair! (keeps whining until gets swatted by Sasuke) (I strongly suggest you to listen to that song while reading, btw! Not only is it good – at least in my opinion… – but it also sets a great mood for this one.)

Okay, okay, because you're probably sick of listening to me babbling already… (And I need to get this shipped out before I change my mind.) Let's get rolling! I REALLY hope you'll have a pleasant ride!

Now that the world isn't ending, it's love that I'm sending to you.
It isn't the love of a hero, that's why I fear it won't do.

(Chad Kroeger/Nickelback: "Hero")

Itachi's Song

/ Wrap me in a bolt of lightning
Send me on my way still smiling
Maybe that's the way I should go,
Straight into the mouth of the unknown
I left the spare key on the table
Never really thought I'd be able to say
I merely visit on the weekends
I lost my whole life and a dear friend /

For as long as he'd been a ninja, Uchiha Itachi had detested the scent of blood. That's why it took his all to not vomit while he watched Shisui's lifeless body slump to the ground with a nauseating thud. Even the Hokage's voice echoing in the back of his head didn't bring him much comfort at the moment.

/ " They're dangerous, Itachi. They have to be stopped before they end up destroying everything we've been trying to protect. You're the only one who can do this." /

He lifted his gaze towards the sky, suddenly very glad that it was raining.

Thunder flashed, giving the roar he couldn't.

-

Not much later, even more blood of those he'd once upon a time sworn to protect stained his weapons, and this time metal screeched with desperation and fury on his behalf. While crimson stained walls like a dark, sickening painting, he shattered his all.

His family. His brother. His whole life.

Some hours later, he met a dark figure in the forest. Even for a ninja of his skill level, it was hard to not show a trace of emotion. " Was that enough of a proof?" he inquired in a voice that wasn't the one he'd grown accustomed to.

Uchiha Madara's eyes flashed in darkness.

Much later that night, sky cried for him once more.

The next day, he met Hoshigaki Kisame for the first time.

/ I've said it so many times
I would change my ways
No, nevermind
God knows I've tried /

To call Itachi and Kisame's progress as partners slow would've been an outrageous, ridiculous understatement.

He hadn't signed up to the Akatsuki to be a babysitter, Kisame announced several times, always making sure that Itachi heard it too. " If I don't get me a partner who doesn't have their baby teeth anymore, I'm leaving", the blue skinned male all but roared firmly.

But Itachi changed himself, at least on the outside. Piece by piece, he deadened the tiny, sharp pieces in him that still missed the life he'd once had, furiously tried to force himself into being the person Konoha now needed.

He wasn't the ninja or brother he'd once been, he told himself every night when lifting his gaze towards the sky, eyes shining lava and yearning. There was no retracing his steps. And little by little a part of him believed those words. He accepted his fate.

Over years he defeated Orochimaru, completed several missions, shed more blood than he would've ever wanted to see. To prove his intensions and value, he even went as far as killing a person to whom he'd once given his heart, and in several ways himself as well.

But the tale of his new life in the darkness wasn't only about longing, endings and death.

For the rainy night when he made his first kill as a official member of the Akatsuki was the first time he and Kisame shared a bed, more out of lust than anything else. And that time certainly wasn't the last, no matter how hard they told themselves and each other that it'd end to that one night.

And soon enough, the line between what he needed and what Konoha needed became blurred.

/ Call me a sinner, call me a saint
Tell me it's over I'll still love you the same
Call me your favorite, call me the worst
Tell me it's over I don't want you to hurt
It's all that I can say

So, I'll be on my way /

One night a couple of years after his fateful decision, when his eyesight was already deteriorating, Itachi woke up from rather bizarre nightmares to hear thunder roaring outside the Akatsuki's lair. He blinked furiously to rid the hazy blur that'd appeared into his eyes. He had to hold his breath for a while to be sure that it wouldn't shudder once he'd let it out.

He shivered uncharacteristically when feeling movement against him. " Itachi?" Kisame's voice was somewhat sleepy while the older man pulled him slightly closer. " Did you have a nightmare or something?"

He closed his eyes when a sharp, hungry kiss was placed to his skin, arched his neck to grant the other an easier passageway. " Hn."
Kisame spoke after a couple of more kisses to some of his most tender spots. " I take that as you don't want to talk about it."

Allowing his muscles to work on their own for once, and needing warmth almost more than ever in his life, he wrapped a pair of arms around Kisame while the man lay still once more, playing with his raven locks.

Silence lingered for so long that he thought the man had fallen asleep until there was a rather quiet, husky question. " Do you ever regret?"

He shuddered when Kisame's soft, tugging movements at his hair poked a particularly tender nerve. " Regret what?" Of course he knew already, but he needed time to come up with a satisfactory answer.

If Kisame knew he was stalling, the man didn't let him notice it. " Everything", was the man's simple, deceitfully careless response. " Joining the Akatsuki, betraying your village, killing your clan." 'Us', wasn't mentioned, but he was pretty sure he heard it anyway.

He had to wait for a couple of beats before he was sure he'd be able to sound convincing enough. " No." Surprisingly enough, he just about believed the answer himself. He'd done what he did to protect his village, the world, and Sasuke – for the world he believed in. Fair enough, the choice hadn't been his to make and the price had been even higher than he'd expected, but he considered his sacrifice small compared to what would've happened if hadn't stopped the course of things. " I did what I did out of my own free will. My life is here now." He glanced towards the older. " What made you ask?"

Kisame shrugged. " You're so… different from the rest of us. If I wouldn't know your history, I'd say you're too… pure for this place."

It was his turn to shrug, and it came dangerously close that he didn't blush. Taking them both by surprise, he shifted himself so that he was all but sitting on Kisame, his long, for once open hair falling close to the man's face. " Maybe that makes me the worst of us all."

Kisame grinned toothily before attacking his lips. " Loyalty isn't exactly a requirement for the Akatsuki's members", the man murmured in between kisses. " But you do know that I'll kill you if you ever betray me, right?"

Only common sense and a rush of emotions he hadn't expected kept him from chuckling darkly while he let passion sweep him away from the world he lived in.

By the time Kisame would find out his secret, he'd be dead already.

/ I finally put it all together,
But nothing really lasts forever
I had to make a choice that was not mine,
I had to say goodbye for the last time
I kept my whole life in suitcase,
Never really stayed in one place
Maybe that's the way it should be,
You know I live my life like a gypsy /

It was raining bitterly once more when Itachi ran into someone he would've never though he'd see again three years after the massacre.

Sarutobi (1) Rania's blue eyes were filled with fire and resolution while she stood only some steps away from him, long blonde hair waving like a war flag in the wind. " I would've never thought you'd actually return", she stated in a voice that bit deep to bone.

Without saying a word, Itachi allowed his fingers to dance, something that felt like a rope tightening around his throat until he could barely breathe.

Only three years earlier they'd been best friends – many even thought they'd been lovers. She was still one of the few who knew the secret behind the Uchiha massacre. And now, it'd come to this. Once more during his life, he found himself wishing that fate would've followed his desires for even one time…

" This needs to be done", he stated in a hollow tone, far more to himself than her, a storm of emotions wiping his face blank. " For Konoha." If he'd let her – his target – live, he'd jeopardise everything. All he'd sacrificed and thrown away would be in vain. He couldn't let that happen, no matter how sick this made him feel.

Rania pulled out her long, slender sword that shone when a lightning struck nearby. Her eyes blazed. " Then let's give them one hell of a show."

Thunder and steel roared as loudly as his mind when blood appeared to stain the battlefield.

-

When Kisame appeared to the scene about twenty minutes later, he ran into a very surreal sight.

There, right before his surprised eyes, Itachi laid a young woman he assumed to be their target to wet ground, moves bizarrely gentle. The Uchiha's eyes – praised for their amazing gift – seemed blind to the rest of the world. No matter how against all reason the thought was, for the first time ever he found himself wondering if the younger male was crying.

He didn't speak until after ten minutes. " Did you get what we came here for?"

After a moment the other nodded slowly without removing his eyes from the girl, hiding something into the covers of his cloak. " Of course."

" Good." He shivered though he didn't know why – he'd always had a good maintenance of cold. " Then let's go. Pein will kill us if we catch a cold."

As they left, he couldn't help noticing how reluctantly Itachi seemed to leave their target behind, although the raven hid it well. Neither said a word during their journey back to the base.

He didn't touch the Uchiha for almost two weeks after that day.

/ I've said it so many times
I would change my ways
No, nevermind
God knows I've tried /

One night, when he could be sure that no one would see him, Itachi paid Sasuke a night time visit – surrendering under a moment of weakness, almost throwing away everything he'd struggled for.

What he found made him wish he hadn't showed up after all.

Alone in the darkness Sasuke tossed and turned in a deeply troubled sleep, cold sweat could be clearly seen on pale forehead. Barely coherent whispers carried to his ears. " 'Tachi… No… Please… Next time…" The boy grit teeth, fists balling. " Stop… Kill you…"

Working against all the screams of his reason, he approached the boy instead of leaving, stood by the bedside. " I'm sorry, Sasuke", he whispered to the keen shadows looming everywhere around him, and placed two fingers to his brother's forehead. The younger frowned and made a sound of discomfort, but didn't wake up. " But the next time will be the last."

Because the next time you'll see me, he swore as much to himself as the sleeping boy. You'll kill me. This'll all be finally over.

All of a sudden he felt a breathtaking desire to break his brother's slumber, but managed to stop himself.

Sasuke hated him, detested him, just like he'd wanted – just like it had to be. He couldn't destroy everything he'd worked so hard for now.

And so he disappeared, just like the thick, heavy shadow he'd become to Sasuke, sending a soundless prayer that his brother would live up to the expectations he had on the boy before it'd be too late.

-

When Sasuke woke up the next morning, he wondered why there were traces of dried tears all over his cheeks.

A couple of months later they met face to face for the first time in years. And the final, dark yet much needed seed of hatred became planted.

/ Call me a sinner, call me a saint
Tell me it's over I'll still love you the same
Call me your favorite, call me the worst
Tell me it's over I don't want you to hurt
It's all that I can say

So, I'll be on my way /

The first time Itachi came to realize that he had symptoms of something serious was about three months after his confrontation with Sasuke. And it was then he understood just how limited the time there was left was. For the first time in his life he was afraid – not of dying, because as a ninja he'd accepted that long ago, but of never managing to accomplish his complicated mission. Of leaving Sasuke behind unprepared, of his whole life having gone to waste.

As sharp as his hearing was, he didn't manage to hide the blood he'd just vomited before Kisame entered the room and saw it. Their eyes met, and he could immediately see a clear spark of understanding. The other sat to the floor behind him. " It's not just a flue, is it?" The man's tone was firm, knowing, and he understood that there was no point in hiding things anymore.

He sighed and leaned his head backwards against a warm chest, too tired to care about maintaining his cool shell, to remind himself that he hadn't come here to get attached.

A hand he found disturbingly comforting appeared to caress his hair. " You should talk to Pein. I'm sure he has a cure of some sort."

For a little while he amused himself with revealing what he knew already, based on the information he'd happened to run into. There was no cure. And even with the strongest of medication, he wouldn't have long to live. Time was truly slipping away.

Instead, however, he got up with a surprising amount of grace and allowed the dark dressing gown he'd worn float softly to the floor.

Even without turning, he could imagine Kisame's expression. " Now what are you doing?"

" Taking a bath", he replied, managing to sound so casual that he baffled even himself. " The steam should help with my breathing."

It didn't take long before he heard the older one's clothes fall amongst his to the floor.

He and Kisame had shared a bed for countless of times before that. But that night was the first time they really made love, so long as it was possible for people like they.

/ I'll always keep you inside, you healed my
Heart and my life... And you know I try /

When waking up that morning about three years later, Itachi knew the dawning day would be his last. His moves were stiff when he got out of the bed, slowly pulling on clothes while pale sunlight danced on his milky skin.

Bed sheets sighed when Kisame also woke up. Without looking he knew the man had shifted to face him. " Where are you going this early?"

His eyes, for once black instead of red, darkened. " I… need some fresh air."

After being the man's partner for so long, he felt Kisame's nod, sensed something suspiciously close to worry. Already fully dressed and tying his hair, he felt familiar shivers when the other's bare arms wrapped around him, and hot lips found a cool spot from his shoulder. " Do you want company?"

He arched an eyebrow with curiosity, moving his head so that he could see a part of the other's face. " Well aren't you affectionate all of a sudden."

The man's shoulders rose barely traceably. " Even I have my weak moments." There was a moment's pause while they both wandered in their thoughts. " You know… There's something I've been supposed to ask you for a while now."

Whatever the question would've been, Itachi never found out. Because after what can barely be called a knock, Zetsu entered the room. Seeing their position and Kisame's naked form the man quirked one eyebrow, but was wise enough to not ask a thing. " As soon as you're done, come to the main hall. Sasuke's been spotted nearby with those teammates of his. I think he's coming this way."

As soon as the man was gone, Itachi allowed his eyes to flash with something that'd never been seen in them before.

So the time had finally arrived…

" Well how about that", Kisame stated, clearly not even sensing the boiling underneath his skin. " What do you want to do?"

He gathered breath for a little while before speaking out in a voice that didn't sound familiar even to him. " You keep company to those friends of Sasuke's. I'll go and greet my brother personally."

" Sounds good to me." Surprising them both, Kisame laced fingers with his. " I'll see you soon, right?" If it'd been anyone else speaking, he would've mused that the voice seemed to be looking for a reassurance of some sort.

Unable to speak at the moment, he granted his partner's hand a tiny squeeze – giving the bleakest possible goodbye – then walked away without glancing over his shoulder. (He'd never been one to look back, he mused while going. Why should he start when heading towards his death?)

It was the last time Kisame saw Itachi alive.

The sky cried again later that day.

/ Call me a sinner, call me a saint
Tell me it's over I'll still love you the same
Call me your favorite, call me the worst
Tell me it's over I don't want you to hurt
It's all that I can say

So, I'll be on my way
So, I'll be on my way
So, I'll be on my way /

/ " Brother?" inquired a sleepy six years old Sasuke. " Will you read me a story?"

There was a surprisingly loud sound of disappointment when the older poked his brother's forehead gently. " I'm sorry Sasuke, but I have a mission tomorrow and I need to talk to father. Maybe some other time."

Dark eyes shone with hope. " Really? The next time?"

" Of course." The older ruffled Sasuke's hair rather affectionately. " There'll always be a next time." /

Owari.

1) To those left wondering… Nope, that name was no accident. Feel free to use your imagination. (grins)

A/N: Uh-huh…

I still have no proper clue of where that one came from, but I feel oddly content now that it's out of my system. (grins)

What do you guys think about this lil' piece? Good, satisfactory, bad, deletion material…?

PLEASE, leave a review – I'd REALLY like to hear your opinion!

Thank you so much for reading!