Slave to a Shark - Chapter 13 – Boyfriends

StaS

It was working exactly as planned. With this, Itachi would have his control back, he would also no longer owe Kisame - well he would still owe Kisame - but the guilt would be lessened. Itachi repeated this over and over again in his head, compartmentalizing the mixture of feelings he felt as Kisame leaned to kiss him in earnest.

The moment their tongues met in a frantic dance unwanted images filled Itachi's mind, repulsion seemed to travel through his very veins as the sheer pain and suffering of his past, his torture surfaced. Itachi pushed Kisame away and gasped, tears were threatening to spill and Itachi refused to let them. He could not, he could not... And yet...

Itachi groaned.

"Itachi?" Kisame asked in alarm as Itachi retreated into a shell, his entire body shaking.

"I... I can't... I'm sorry... I don't.. I..." Itachi began babbling.

"It's okay, it's okay." Kisame answered softly, knowing better than to touch, as much as he wanted to.

"No it's not." Itachi choked. "It's not okay."

"Itachi..." Kisame began, then suddenly stopped as if he realized something. "Come meet me when you feel calmer. I'll be outside, feeding the birds."

Itachi felt a burst of anger, and his eyes glowed a sharp crimson, swirling swiftly. How dare Kisame treat him like a child and just leave him there! And yet, that's what he was right now, wasn't he? He had ruined it, had ruined everything.

Depressing thoughts tumbled down on Itachi like an avalanche, and he slumped down as if the weight of the worlds was on his shoulders, and in his mind, it was.

Itachi was, in a small part of his mind, grateful that Kisame had left him alone. It was a mere thirty minutes later that Itachi had gathered himself, washed his face, and strode outside to meet Kisame, who was breaking small pieces of bread and throwing them towards the birds.

They sat side by side in silence for a while, listening to the birds. Itachi refused to speak first - and luckily Kisame seemed to pick up on it.

"Itachi." Kisame began. "What I did to you is... Utterly wrong. What I feel for you... Is not lust, but love. I have gotten to know you well Itachi, you carry the burdens of the world on your shoulder at all times, you are always thinking of everyone but yourself. Even with me, you are not thinking of yourself or your own desires - you didn't truly want me, instead you were trying to want me."

Itachi wanted to protest, to deny everything. Yet he held his tongue and simply asked "and your point, Kisame is...?"

"You don't need to do it." Kisame answered, not looking at Itachi. "Itachi you have all of me no matter what happens. If we don't have sex, ever, I will still always love you and support you and you can do all these things. You don't have to feel like you are using me, I consent to it - no I desire it. I want you to do what you do even if it means using resources only I can provide. You are bringing peace, how could I ever object to it? I wish for it too, but I was too cowardly to do what you could." Kisame shook his head. "Itachi I do not need sex, and I never will. If you can't even stand to be near me that is fine by me too, please don't force yourself. The worst thing you can do for me is to stop caring about you."

"I enjoy your presence." Itachi answered simply.

Kisame breathed out, almost in relief. "Then we can stay together as long as you wish. As friends, as more, whatever you wish. We can even be boyfriends - life partners - and sex doesn't have to become a part of our lives."

"Really?" Itachi asked, intrigued.

"Yes, really." Kisame answered. "I have said it before, but I love you. I know you aren't entirely opposed to us being in a relationship, and if you so desire we can be. Or we can be friends. Or anything."

"Friends. We already are, I want something more." Itachi admitted. "But I can't... That... I didn't realize it would be so difficult."

"Baby steps. If you truly want to, we can do it slowly." Kisame said softly. "But know that there is absolutely no pressure to do it. Ever. And I will never give up on you for it."

"How can I believe you?" Itachi asked.

Kisame was quiet for a moment before he faced Itachi's swirling red eyes. "You can have faith in me. However, if you cannot, you can make me your slave. I'll take the mark and wear it happily. I trust you entirely, Itachi. "

Itachi's eyes widened and he took a deep breath, and in that breath it felt like the worlds burdens were lifted from his shoulders. "I don't understand why."

"I could give a million reasons why." Kisame said softly. "But they don't matter. What matters is what we decide between us, you as you are, are perfect."

Itachi smiled because he knew - he knew Kisame believed every word he said. It was truth. Kisame was not capable of lying to his sharingan - not that Kisame was in the habit of lying much to begin with. Somehow, that made everything better.

Itachi slowly held out his hand to touch Kisame's and said "let's take things slowly then. Be... Be my boyfriend Kisame."

Kisame couldn't agree fast enough.

StaS

"Get off me you foul beast!" Shisui screeched, tossing Jared off.

Jared allowed himself to skid across the floor, his eyes locked with the sharingan. "You teased me."

"That doesn't give you the right to plunge your tongue down my throat!" Shisui spat back, rage glowering over his features.

"You responded to me touch." Jared answered. Jared was too old to play games, he recognized already his own growing lust and wasn't going to beat around the bush.

"Yeah.. Well... Shut up." Shisui responded lamely.

"I like you." Jared said nonchalantly. "Go out with me."

"What the hell, no!" Shisui answered in disgust. "I'm leaving - No wait..." Shisui tried to muster the strength to attack Jared but found he had no strength left, all of his power had been used and left him drained. "Yes, on second thought, I'm leaving."

Jared watched, amused. "Why not?"

"Why? Because you're older than my great grandfather! Because you don't ask out a guy you just brutally attacked, took as a slave, stalked, or.-"

"Why not?" Jared repeated.

"Wha- because you- you just don't!" Shisui answered, slamming his foot down.

Jared approached Shisui until they were too close for comfort, and Shisui didn't back down, didn't fall back away from Jared. He stood his ground and glowered instead.

"I'm too old for games." Jared said simply. "I realize now I have an interest in you. Why not take our relationship to the next level?"

Shisui grimaced. "What do you consider a relationship you sicko?"

"Why don't you find out?" Jared asked, his eyes narrowing and his voice a low, dangerous whisper, yet Shisui could still make it out. "You can't get rid of me, you can't kill me. You cannot accomplish your goals while I stand in your way. Why not join the enemy, as it is? You enjoyed the last few moments, did you not? So, why not go out with me? You can let out your sexual frustrations freely, and still achieve your own goals."

Shisui had already been thinking the exact thing Jared offered. "I don't trust you." Shisui said, grinding his teeth.

"I don't trust you either."

"So what are you then, my boyfriend?" Shisui asked, and Jared smiled, raising his hand ever so slightly.

"Yes."

Shisui smacked Jared's hand in fury, somehow this felt like losing even if he was technically winning. The smug expression Jared wore did nothing to make Shisui feel any more comfortable.

"Fine. Now that we are dating, take me to Itachi."

"Ah but why don't we go on a date first?"

"Jared!" Shisui growled.

"Date first." Jared wiggled his eyebrows. "We have much to discuss after all."

"Fine." Shisui ceded. "What's a date for vampires? Do we hunt humans down? Suck their blood at a movie theater perhaps? Make a game of it, who can-."

Jared broke off Shisui's talk with a short kiss to his lips, which Shisui leaned into, a movement that caused Jared's stomach to flutter in what he recognized as pleasure.

"Perhaps something a little less exciting." Jared purred. "Like a picnic."

Shisui couldn't contain his groan of disappointment. Trust his luck to get him saddled with an old man who considered a picnic a date! Shisui wanted to take back his decision but instead ground his teeth.

He didn't trust Jared, he didn't even like the man. But one thing was certain - he needed to kill Jared if he wanted to get to Itachi, and Jared might just have all the answers he needed on his power, and even if he didn't, Jared would still have knowledge that Shisui needed... Such as information on Kisame Hoshigaki and the Uchiha slave trade. On Tohru...

StaS

Sasuke sighed as he relaxed into the cool pool of water outside. Suigetsu had caught some fish and was roasting them near the pond they had found.

"I can't see any sign of civilization." Suigetsu said from the fire, as Sasuke rose in his nakedness, not even ashamed or uncomfortable. The sun was beginning to set and fireflies lit the air around them. "I climbed the highest tree to see."

Sasuke picked up his clothes off the ground and pinched his nose in disgust. His clothes smelled awful, and we're in bad need of washing. Wearing them would make him feel dirtier than before the bath. How counter productive.

"We don't even have money, even if we found civilization... We would have to steal clothes." Sasuke winced.

"Yeah I guess." Suigetsu shrugged. "Let's follow the sunrise in the morning and see where it takes us."

Sasuke nodded, sliding down across the fire with a sigh. He reached out and picked up a fish on a stick and glared.

"It's burnt."

"Well what do I look like, a world class chef?" Suigetsu snapped.

"You would be more useful as one." Sasuke snorted, biting into the fish.

StaS

That night, Itachi went to Kisame's room, where Kisame was already lying in bed, book in hand.

"Is something wrong, Itachi?" Kisame asked, looking up from his book.

"I was wondering if maybe... Could I sleep next to you?" Itachi asked cautiously.

Kisame blinked and then closed his book. "Of course."

Itachi smiled, climbing into bed next to Kisame.

"I never noticed that you didn't wear a shirt to bed." Itachi said as he noticed that Kisame was wearing nothing but silk boxers.

"I ... I wasn't expecting company." Kisame stuttered. "I'll go put on clothes."

"No it's fine. It's fine." Itachi pulled the blaket up and lay down. "I don't mind."

Kisame didn't look convinced but he nodded, placing the book by the bedside. "Can I touch your hair?"

"My hair?" Itachi asked, thinking it was an odd request. His hair was wirey and thin. It never quite recovered from the days when he was malnourished and tortured by Kisame, not that he wanted to think about that.

"Yes I've always... I've always liked it."

"Well sure." Itachi said, feeling a sensation in his stomach that felt oddly like discomfort. He didn't think his hair was all that great. Was Kisame trying to make him feel like he was beautiful? It was having the opposite effect.

Yet Kisame's calloused fingers gently massaged Itachi's scalp, almost with an alien tenderness and Itachi sighed, leaning into the touch. It felt... Nice.

Kisame smiled softly at the image as Itachi closed his eyes, running his own fingers through Itachi's hair.

When Kisame realized that Itachi was asleep, he turned off the lights and settled down, watching Itachi rest in the dark until sleep took him as well.

StaS

Not much happens in this chapter I suppose... And yet so much does.

Thoughts on the multiple relationships?

This chapter is dedicated to Jessi-Mini