Title: Not This Time.
Series: Naruto: Shippuuden.
Rating: R(M)
Genres: Action-Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance, Family-Friendship, uhh...I dunno?
Warnings: Swearing, violence (when is this new?), sexual-themes? The author creating a weird love triangle? Uh...the author throwing the canon to the wind...? Yeah...

DSK: This fic sort of follows the canon and then breaks away into my own timeline that Jamie and I created. Yes, we have too much time on our hands with all of this creating...xD

It was bad enough he was chasing after one Uchiha. From Kiri to the remains of Oto and back again, in an insane game of cat and mouse. It was bad enough he was wasting his time and life away, having fallen for the Uchiha. It was bad enough that he'd finally cornered them, engaging in a near-death fight with them. And it only got worse when he awoke and found himself in the presense of the other Uchiha.

Why were the fates so cruel?

Shikamaru stared warily up from against the tree he was leaning against. His body was shivering, wrapped in a blanket with a coat over it. Said coat belonging to a one Uchiha Itachi. Neither spoke from the time he'd awoken. The dark haired Akatsuki member silently handed the Chuunin a bowl of rice, which the other accepted reluctantly, picking at it for a few moments before taking a testing bite. When he didn't die after a few minutes, he deemed it safe enough and continued eating until he'd finished it all.

He found all of the wounds he'd recieved in his fight with the Uchiha's younger brother were either healed or wrapped. He'd looked questionably towards the deadly male, but all he recieved was a blank stare. Averting his eyes, he proceeded to stare up towards the sky a little, but not enough to take his concentration away from who he was with.

His body shivered again, pain aching from several of the wounds--he could tell they were already infected. But he'd be damned if he'd ever admit it to anyone. The silence went on for what seemed like eternity to the Konoha genius, but could have only been an hour or two. Three, at most. The chuunin felt around, feeling all of his weapons and gear still intact, untouched and left alone by the elder Uchiha. Did he not think he were a challenge, or was it something else?

Finally breaking the silence, Shikamaru spoke. "Am I allowed to leave?"

The Akatsuki member's gaze rose, settling on him, drawing a shiver of slight fear to the Chuunin's body. The gaze was unsettling, he couldn't read the other at all. Nothing, there was no trace of any thought or emotion. It scared him. This was what Sasuke feared; this was the same person whom Sasuke swore vengance to, the same person labeled a Genius and prodigy of Konoha. Wasn't this to be the same Fate the younger Uchiha would suffer once his goal was acomplished?

Another tremor ran through him at that thought. No, he couldn't allow that. Not even if he had to chase the other down again and fight once more, he wouldn't allow it. To hell with the mission, he'd gone way too deep this time. He'd let his emotions sink into the equation, overestimating his own restraint and will-power.

"Yes."

He nearly startled, snapping back to reality and back from his thoughts at the single word. Yes? He was... But...why? He wanted to ask, but thought better of it. Even if he did, he would perhaps not get an answer. Or if he did, perhaps it was one he would be better off not knowing. He carefully pushed the blankets off of his body, willing his sore and tired body to move. He hid the pain as he slowly stood, taking his time to acess the damage he'd taken and his limitations. Minimal, but could cause him casualty if approached.

He looked away from the Uchiha, frowning. "Uh...thanks, I guess... If that's actually appropriate for the situation," He mumbled, scratching the back of his head. What was one supposed to say after being healed by his infatuation's brother, whom had sworn vengance to?

The other didn't respond verbally, just gave a sharp nod. Shikamaru sighed heavily, stretching, his back clicking several times, making him wince at the sharp pain that stabbed through his ribs. He clenched his jaw, but took a slow step, stepping over the blanket and cloak, but bent, picking the black cloak, almost intently studying the red cloud pattern as if it would tell him something before he continued to walk and stopped to the side of Itachi, facing out and silently handed the coat back.

The taller Uchiha's pale and long fingers closed around it, the tips of his cold digits barely brushing over the shadow possessor's as they took the long article of clothing back, emotionless onyx eyes moving to stare up at him. And all the Nara heir could do was helplessly stare back, almost desperately wishing inwardly that they belonged to another Uchiha, one who's eyes were not cold and unreadable, but still alive with life and emotion. Anger, maybe, but still emotion.

"Your interest in my otouto will be your downfall, Shikamaru-kun." Itachi spoke, his voice level, but soft. It never changed. It made an involuntary shiver run up his spine. He stared, trying to piece words together, but his mind didn't want to work. "What else am I supposed to do, then?" He finally replied. "I'm only human, being a Shinobi comes second, Itachi-san. My feelings for your younger brother should be of no concern to you, especially if it ever came to my health, right? Unless you have ulterior motives, of course."

He started to move, but the other was faster and had stood, turned, and snatched his wrist in a tight grip, unallowing, superior. Commanding and cold all at once, he stopped moving the instant he felt the fridgedness from the Uchiha's fingers sinking into his skin. The other's eyes had bled to red, the Mangekyou clearly seen. An unreadable sign passed over their eyes, but Shikamaru couldn't react fast enough to comprehend it, he didn't understand.

"It is of my concern," The eldest Uchiha replied smoothly, though the Shadow-user cringed at the underlying hintings of emotion he could barely sense. "Sasuke will always be of my concern, whether or not you will ever understand that. You can't save him from the path he's chosen." The Nara heir was tempted to smirk cockily, mirroring the very expression of the brother Itachi was speaking of and reply 'just watch me', but he was no fool. One did not get away with saying such things to a killer. Least of all one of the most notorious such as Uchiha Itachi.

"I will get him back, and if I must stake my life to do it, so be it. Call me foolish, but even I can be driven if I want it enough," Shikamaru replied, turning his head away from the Uchiha, unable to take staring into the swirl of red that he longed to see on another's face. He only wanted to see the Sharingan from one person, and this was not the one he sought, no matter how similar the differences were. He could not betray his own feelings for a substitute, lying to himself would get him nowhere.

But yet his heart fluttered when he felt the older Uchiha's grip loosen, before gently pulling him, coaxing him to turn around to face them. His pulse quickened by the barest of caresses to his cheek before Itachi's cold fingers tilted his chin up, his eyes snapping back to lock on the red-whorls of the Sharingan, falling into them yet again as they attempted to draw him in deeper and deeper. This was--

He felt himself leaning into the taller, a wave of emotions and thoughts hit him all at once, making him dizzy, butterflies swarmed his stomach and his breathing kept hitching, unable to stay even as he could feel the subtle prods to his mind from the Sharingan. He could feel the attemps of a Genjutsu. Focus. He had to focus. But he couldn't look away, the Uchiha held too much power over him.

"Interesting... You can resist and ward the effects of the Sharingan..."

Shikamaru's eyes widened a little at the other's voice. It had lost some of its monotone, the tone changing in the slightest. The way it resounded in his mind--a shiver wracked his body in response, trembling. He wanted to move, but could not. This... Why did Itachi make him feel like this? Why did he have so much control over him? He wasn't--could never be--so why was he--? His cognitive responses had slowed immensely and he had to fight to think clearly.

"I-I've become used to it... The only genjutsu I can't resist from the Sharingan--ah--..." His voice was weak and broken, filled with rasps from his sudden lack of air, his eyes felt like they were swimming deeper and deeper into a void of blood and darkness, the two combining in a swirl until there was nothing left but despair. Was this--?

"The Tsukuyomi." Itachi's voice responded without hesitation, and the only thing the chuunin could do was nod in reply.

"Not even another Sharingan user can stand up to its power," Itachi continued, though they both knew this knowledge well. And it was the knowledge of such that warrented the spike of fear that Shikamaru felt when the other's hold tightened again, this time, their other hand rising up to clasp the hold of his other arm. Even at his height after three years, Itachi still towered over him, like a looming darkness to block out the shades of light. Even his own shadow feared his darkness.

"With the power of it, I could rip everything in your mind asunder; I could tear all of your mental psyche to pieces," Itachi continued quietly. Shikamaru only nodded again silently, already acknowledging and known those words to be true. "But the power comes with a price, as all things do..." The elder of the two sighed lightly, but the adept and observant chuunin noticed the differences. The Sharingan-wielder's eyes looked tired; his expression, though indifferent, was worn and heavy, everything in his stance sagged a little, but still alert and aware.

He knew the elder was worn thin. For what reason, he didn't know. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, yet...he still wanted to ask, but he kept his mouth shut. He knew well enough that Itachi wasn't finished. "Eternal darkness is the price for this kind of power," Itachi said emotionlessly, his tone heavy, but the Nara heir could still hear the deep-settled weariness in it. "The more you use of its gifts, the more you sink into the darkness. The price for this power is high, whether it's through achieving it by your own means, or killing one close to you. Too high, for the consequences of such power are not worth the effort."

Shikamaru's brows furrowed. So...Itachi was going blind. But... "Why tell me this?" He asked slowly. The other's eyes looked back down at him, as they had closed momentarily. The Sharingan was no longer active in them now. "Because I'm tired," The nuke-nin answered honestly. "I'm tired, Shikamaru-kun. I'm tired of this game of cat and mouse with my otouto. If you plan to keep chasing him, then you must know. You must know so that you can prevent my foolish otouto from falling into the wrong hands yet again. Madara will stop at nothing to have him."

Shikamaru frowned darkly. "Madara..." He repeated softly, curiousity finally rising to his eyes as his expression became grim. "Tell me," He said in a resolved, but heavy sigh.

Itachi let go of Shikamaru's arm and wrist and slowly sat back down in the place he had been sitting in. Wordlessly, he motioned for the Konoha chuunin to sit as well. "It's a long tale, one that dates back before the existence of Konoha, even. During the third great Ninja war, did it all start. What I am to tell you, you will tell no other. This information is only for the purpose of knowing and preventing Sasuke from becoming Madara's puppet."

"Who would believe any information I got from Uchiha Itachi willingly? Besides, I keep things to myself, why bother with such a troublesome thing as spread it around like a wildfire gossip?" The shadow-user responded blandly with a blank look. Returning the look, the Uchiha nodded sharply again and began to recant his tale.

-TBC-

DHC: Yes, readers, it ends here. Please don't kill me for cutting it off here. You'll soon find out everything I've planned. And I think you can see where it sort of parallels the canon in this...hopefully.