The Setting Sun

Chapter 1: A Companion

His eyes were squinted behind the cover of his ra'di but he could still make out the walls of Suna. Far. A league or more. The sandstorm at his back would overtake him long before he reached the city…yet there was no place in which he could weather the storm other than the city. He weighed his options. Truthfully, the storm would not affect him overmuch if he adjusted his ra'di to cover all parts of his face and head. His cloak kept him miserably hot in the desert's temps, but also did the job of protecting his body from the sun. It would suffice to protect him from the elements, but he'd come a long way. His water had run out nearly two days ago. Trained he might be to survive these conditions, but his alma was not.

He cast a glance at him now. "Fare you well enough to go on?"

A nod.

"I wonder. That chest you carry is not light. We've been without water for too long." He looked around carefully. The sand dunes were devoid of anyone but them. "If I thought the storm would last only part of an hour I would have us wait it out. That storm will last days, I fear. Come." He crouched, that the boy could sit his back.

The boy's eyes widened behind his own ra'di.

"There is no help for it. You worry needlessly. There is no one here to observe us."

To employ the Arts at all, though, before he'd Ascended was strictly forbidden unless the matter was life or death. He was certain that their current plight met these criteria…it just wasn't his life that was in danger.

-oOo-

Inside the city, the fabled walls of Suna —hard-packed sand, twelve cubits thick—did much to keep out the storm. Suna's residents were all indoors and the markets closed. He and his manservant made it inside just as the massive gates were shut. "Not before time," a gate guard greeted them. "Another instant and you would have been locked out. Mark your names in yon ledger." He gestured to the guardhouse.

He was not required to make his mark anywhere before his Ascension. To illustrate, he withdrew his badge and held it up.

Behind his ra'di the guard's face went slack. The ra'di itself was hastily pulled down, exposing his face. He placed his hands on his knees and lowered himself in half. "My apologies, High One! My humblest apologies. My eyes and tongue are yours to take if I have given offense. My service, my life, is yours."

He put the badge away inside his cloak. "Unnecessary. No offense was given. I require accommodation. The essential comforts for the duration of my stay."

"Yes, High One. But of course. Shall I notify His Eminence and Glory of your arrival?"

"As I have yet to take vows or Ascend, no. The accommodations."

The guard bowed lower, if that was possible. "At once. I will see to it personally."

They were left. The guard disappeared at a dead run, re-wrapping his ra'di. The other guards at the gate were stiffer than they'd been before he'd shown his pass, standing at strict attention, gazes respectfully averted.

The original guard returned with a curtained pelangki and four burly carriers. This was set down in front of him, the curtains untied and held aside. The guard was bent double again, awaiting his entrance.

It was no less than his due, but his legs were more than able to carry him; his manservant's weren't. To refuse in the name of the boy using the pelangki would shame the boy, who would refuse to the death. Even if pressed.

He bent and entered the cushioned interior. "Make haste," he told the bearers. "We are weary." The curtains were tied down in deference to the storm and the pelangki lifted.

Ordinarily the swaying of a pelangki on the move lulled him, but tonight he was on edge. Until they reached shelter and his manservant was seen to he would remain vigilant.

The speed of his bearers impressed him. Running in a sandstorm wasn't easy. Especially not carrying someone his size. He was set down not thirty minutes later. He exited with alacrity and moved toward an abode of three stories. The windows were lit, but this was all he cared to notice. Once indoors he ignored everything save a low table set with gold and silver plate. Unless he partook of the refreshments first, his servant would stand where he was until he dropped dead.

He reached for the grapes, popped a handful into his mouth, and gave a quick nod of permission. Only just was he able to keep from pouring water for the boy himself.

The boy had already set his chest down. Now he hastened to the table and filled a goblet. Only when the boy poured a second goblet full did he feel himself breathe free of his tension. He looked around.

Architecture that he'd learned was classic Suna: arched doorways, intricate tile work. Wide, airy rooms surrounding a courtyard that was opened to the sky. The room he stood in was just off the entrance to the building. The walls were lined with low couches the color of apricots. The house itself was made of the peculiar pink sandstone Suna was known for.

To keep the boy eating, he downed a goblet of mint water himself. "Well," he said when the boy seemed restored. "Let us see the rest of the place. I don't imagine we'll be here long, once my business is concluded, but the storm may keep us here. As well we inspect the place. And I'd like a bath."

The boy hefted the chest and followed his master from the room.

Four days of missed trade had the slave markets in full flourish not an hour after the storm passed. Itachi hurried through them on his way to the western wall. Something set the short hairs of his neck on end as he was pushing through the crowds. He stopped at a platform crowded with young girls and pretended to inspect one. The trader in charge materialized at his side.

"Ah, she is a fine piece-" the trader's eyes made an accurate assessment of Itachi's attire. "-my lord. Not yet five years, and quite skilled with her tongue. Unbreached, but if you'd like your flesh a bit more seasoned…?" He indicated some of the older girls in the back.

Itachi let his eyes rove over them as well, listening to the list of their praises with one ear.

There. Right there, at another platform across the midway. Now that he was focused on him, Itachi could sense every detail of him without turning to look.

A man. And he used the term with caution. No man he'd ever met approached the level of power he was sensing. No man save one. Even that exception fell short, but then that one wasn't strictly a man either.

He turned his head as discreetly as possible. No one else on the crowded midway took note of the man. That was expected. Few trained in the Arts. Fewer still to the level required to sense even a tenth of such strength. The trader's litany of merits switched to pleas as Itachi pointed himself toward the man across the midway.

Tall, the man was. Robed and veiled. A high priest? Perhaps. Priests were robed, but never trained in the Arts. They were agents of peace and worship, not war. And this man had his power unmasked. Completely uncaring of who sensed him or if his levels invited a threat. Such arrogance was never found in priests.

Unable to stop himself, Itachi began threading his way through the crowd. When he was halfway across, surrounded by swarming people, he unmasked his own power.

The way that tall, robed body turned told him volumes. Fluidly. The hands previously tucked into the wide sleeves were withdrawn to hang loose. Itachi caught sight of a ring on one hand, but that was all. As the man was looking directly at him, he continued across the midway until only four or five paces stood between them.

Between veil and hood was a narrow shadow of space. Itachi could not make out the eyes but knew they were on his face. He took in the area around the man without taking his eyes off the man himself. The expected frenzy of traders and buyers, meek slaves, and rowdy travelers, all drowning in the oppressive Suna sun. This man was an island unto himself. Calm. Still. Aware. A youth stood behind the man, carrying a chest on his back. He, too, stared at Itachi. The boy had turned when the man had turned, so they were together. The platform the man had been inspecting was crowded with naked men and women. Itachi brought himself to his full height and bowed from the waist. "You seek a slave, High One?"

"Yes."

The accent in the voice was not local, Itachi noted. Nor was the voice old. "Are you particular to the sex?"

"I am not."

"In that case, I have a slave unmatched by anything on the market that may be of interest to you."

"You are not dressed as a trader. Nor do you bear the chain of ownership. Be gone with your trickery."

Itachi stepped closer when the man turned away. "Truly I am no trader, nor do I bear chains…but I am in possession of the individual nonetheless. I will bring him to a meeting point of your choosing. You need only say the word. What risk could there possibly be to one such as yourself?"

A pause, as the offer was considered. "Very well. Bring your slave to the northern estates. Moonrise. Last house on the left of the pathway. And Dakhna…"

Itachi paused mid-bow at the insult.

"Should you prove false, your life is forfeit."

He completed the bow. "Moonrise."

Sasuke hurried to the door the moment he saw the latch turn. He snatched it open before Itachi could enter. "What news?" he said. "I was worried. I felt your chakra."

Pushing back his hood, Itachi went to the center of their one room and looked around. "Success." He gave a nod, located his satchel, and began packing. "Success has smiled upon us this day."

"Then you've secured our passage on a caravan to the east?"

"No."

"I do not understand." He noted that Itachi was only packing his own things. "Was that not the reason we made all possible haste to Suna? A sandstorm and Akatsuki at our heels? You said the east was our last resort, our last refuge. That if we could lose ourselves there we stood a chance of petitioning the high-level practitioners to stand with us. And a caravan was our best chance at traveling east undetected. If not this, then what success do you speak of?"

"The gods have given us something far better than a caravan, which, we must admit, could be overrun by our pursuers at any time. No, Sasuke. The means to keep you safe, truly safe, has all but fallen into our laps."

"But what is it?"

"I have sold you."

"Do not jest."

"I speak truth. I sold you for a slave." Itachi's brisk packing never faltered.

Sasuke's eyes followed him around the room. "What? You did what?"

"Sold you. It was the only way to keep you s-"

"I am Uchiha!"

Sasuke was pressed to the wall, a hand like steel clamped over his mouth, before the echo of his shout faded. "And that is the last time our name will be uttered south of The Mists," Itachi hissed. "Are you mad, to go yelling our name where any ear could hear? Have we not taken pains to conceal ourselves? Suffered in the name of survival?" He pushed off from Sasuke's face. Turned, surveyed the room.

Sasuke rubbed his jaw. "But slavery? I cannot. Itachi, I cannot."

"You can and will. I have not watched my people hunted, watched them slaughtered one by one, left my home, to have that madman win. We are the last. I am your brother. And I will see you safe no matter the cost."

Sasuke heard this, but studied his brother's face. It was pained. "Am I the only one sold, then?"

"Yes."

"And what of your safety?"

"I will be far less visible on my own. Besides which, someone must set a misleading trail for our pursuers."

"Itachi. Our alliance is the very thing that has kept us safe this past year. You and I. Together. Guarding each other."

"And yet they hunt us still." He turned and pinned Sasuke with a look that was close to hopeless. "They shorten the distance between us and them by the day. By the hour, it seems. We cannot take them on and prevail. Not without aid. Brother…'tis an extreme solution, slavery, but it is our only chance. We must part. Divert them. Throw them off our scent."

"All right." Sasuke nodded. Swallowed. "All right. I have never doubted your judgment, I'll not doubt you now. But what is to prevent me being pursued despite traveling with slavers?"

"Slavers? I said nothing of slavers. I did not sell you to traders, but to one man." Itachi moved closer, eyes and voice betraying wonder. "Sasuke. Never have I felt the likes of this man. His strength shriveled the skin on my balls. The enormity of it. The amount of power… Believe me. I did not come to the decision to sell my only brother, the last of our clan outside myself, lightly. But neither did I hesitate. If there is a shred of safety to be had, any at all, it is at his side."

"But then come with me! Surely this man can protect two slaves as well as one?"

"No." Itachi drew back, resumed packing. "I must lay out a false trail, as I said."

It hit Sasuke suddenly that he would shortly be parted from his brother, whom he'd never been apart from. A cramp of panic, of pain, tightened his jaw. "How long am I to be… How long?"

"Until."

"When?"

"Until."

Sasuke closed his eyes. Breathed. He caught his brother's arm as he passed and pulled him into an embrace. "I will get free," he hissed into Itachi's ear. "I will find you. We will prevail."

Itachi held him in turn. Cupped a hand to Sasuke's head. Inhaled the smell of his hair. Kissed him. "This is hard enough. Do not undo our sacrifice with selfishness." Then, because he knew his brother, he said, "If a time comes when I deem it safe…I will find you and free you. Until then, wait." He pulled back.

They stared at each other, acknowledging the lie in their hearts, if not with words.

Itachi touched one forelock of Sasuke's hair. Fingered it. Squeezed his shoulder and ran his eyes down Sasuke's body. "Well, then." He cleared his throat. "I suppose we should make you presentable." He turned away.

It was the first time Sasuke saw him cry.

-oOo-

Itachi requested a bath be sent to their room. While he perfumed the water with oils, Sasuke asked questions. "What is this man like?"

"I haven't the first notion. Cannot even tell you what he looks like. He is tall, however. Quite. Close to five cubits. Broad of shoulder. Robed as a priest. A servant who shadows him."

"Will I be expected to lay with him?"

"I wouldn't exclude the concept entirely. He was inspecting flesh when I came upon him. One typically buys a slave to service them in a number of ways." He straightened when the water was ready. "While we're on the subject, you will need to remove all body hair."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose. "What else can I expect?"

"I imagine he'll want to examine you thoroughly. I will of course demand the heavens themselves in payment for you. The better to impress upon him a sense of your value. He will guard such an expense with his life." He set about selecting Sasuke's best shruda. "Get in."

Sasuke slipped into the tub. "He may refuse to pay."

"He will pay."

"We shall see. What else?" He closed his eyes as a pitcher of water was emptied over his head.

"The matter of the chain."

Sasuke surged from the tub, only to be pressed back down. Water sloshed over the rim. "I will not be chained."

"Indeed you will." Itachi was grim. "All slaves are chained and you will be no different."

"I will not. You ask too much of me. I will not."

Itachi scrubbed Sasuke's hair with the soap and chose his words carefully. "It is onerous, I'll not deny that. The chain binds slave and master intimately with their chakra. Never to be undone unless the owner himself undoes it. Your will can and will be subverted. You will be commanded. Possessed. Controlled. For one such as you it is the greatest crime. But you are strong. Stronger than any man or woman who has worn the chain, I'll warrant. You will wear it. Accept it. And maintain yourself. You will not forget who you are."

"Never."

"That is well, then. That gives me peace."

Once Sasuke was dried and oiled Itachi took up the shruda he'd selected and draped it about Sasuke's body. The garment was simple. An open robe of midnight blue, fashioned of raw, heavy silk, and belted with a rope of silver as thick as his wrist. Sandals completed the look. Itachi stood back to survey his handiwork. He nodded. "Acceptable. Now for that hair."

Sasuke's hair was thick and exceedingly coarse. Itachi took up a piece of deer fat that he'd requested with the bath. He set to work rubbing Sasuke's hair and scalp with it. He didn't stop until the dark strands gleamed and his arm was tired. Next he took up a brush and tried to flatten the hair into some semblance of submission.

"That is the best I can do," he said when he gave up. "It will have to suffice."

There was a strained silence.

At last Itachi said, "Cover yourself. Presentation is everything. He'll not see what he is purchasing until I've extracted a few conditions from him."

Sasuke looked through his things and selected the plainest cloak he owned, one of pure white velvet. He arranged it so that the oversized hood hid his face, and tucked his hands into the sleeves.

"Perfection." Itachi mastered himself with an effort, but gave in to another quick embrace. When he released Sasuke, it was to say, "Let us go. Moonrise is nigh."

They walked to the northern edge of Suna. A pelangki would have drawn attention.

While the rest of the city was dry, dusty desert, the north was lush with grass and date trees. Fountains tinkled from the lone spring that fed this oasis. The houses were of pale pink sand, large and stately. Nearly every one had gazelle or sheep or goats roaming about a section of the low-walled gardens. All of the residents glimmered in their satin robes and sequins; night was when the rich came out to enjoy the coolness of the desert breezes. And such a night it was! Stars like jewels against the vast blackness of the overhead sky. The very air was different, light and scented with the wealth of Suna's nobility. Every blade of grass, every stone, every marble sculpture designed to bring beauty and comfort to the eye. Another world, was Suna's northern prefecture, one far different from the crowded, noisy, smelly markets of the city proper.

-oOo-

The path they walked was white stone, finely crushed. The last house on the left of this opulence dwarfed every home they'd seen. Was in fact second only to the palace of His Eminence and Glory, itself barely visible farther north as a fantastic construct of red sandstone. The house they approached was rose-colored, and therefore belonging to someone poorer than His Eminence and Glory, yet richer than the pale pink houses they'd already passed. Sections of this house were higher than others. Balconies dotted here and there, as well as date trees. No gazelle or sheep here, but several white peacocks strutted along the verdant grass.

Itachi stopped at the ungated entrance. "I'll not get a chance to say a proper farewell once negotiations are concluded," he said. "So I will do so now."

Sasuke blinked several times to keep his eyes clear as his brother said words of love he seldom expressed. This past year had taken Itachi's smiles. His verve. He was quiet now. Watchful. Mistrustful.

"Don't leave me."

Itachi was quiet a moment. "I must."

"They may catch you. You may die."

He put a hand to Sasuke's shoulder. "I will live. This I promise. Now I beg of you a promise."

"Anything."

"Do not forget me."

"Never. I would sooner-"

"Do not forget yourself."

Sasuke held his protests.

"Above all, Sasuke, no matter the provocation, nor what this man does to you, do not show your eyes. No matter the circumstance. Not for any reason."

"Not even to save my life?"

Itachi thought carefully. "Not even then. I have performed the jutsu that seals your eyes upon death, but should an assailant see those eyes before you best him…no. You would suffer worse than death. What this world would do to you in the name of acquiring one of the last pairs of-" He did not name their eyes, cautious even now. "Do not show them."

"My promise," Sasuke vowed.

"Then it is time." Itachi started forward.

Sasuke hung back and looked at the manse. At his brother's back. "I love you, Itachi. You do not forget that, nor forget me."

Though they were on the second floor, the sound of the knocker hitting the door was loud enough to be heard throughout the entire residence. He nodded at the boy to answer it.

And now I will have satisfaction, he thought.

Immediately after his meeting with the stranger this afternoon, he'd come back to the residence. Fantastic speculation on what kind of individual would be offered him plagued his mind through his bath and mealtime. Even during his brief nap, the idea pricked him. More titillating still was why he was being offered anyone at all by this stranger.

Earlier, while perusing what the flesh peddlers had to offer, it astounded him to feel such power at his back. He'd turned, expecting to see…well, not what he saw. A man of average height and build, wearing a cloak of such dark red it was almost black. The hood of the garment framed a face quite handsome, but it was the power in the man. The chakra was of a level he'd never personally encountered in anyone outside his handlers. That the man could sense and interpret his levels as well had been cause for greater surprise. He'd stood in delicious anticipation of what would happen next. Perhaps I'll be attacked, he thought. The prospect excited him.

To be offered a slave was the last thing he'd expected. The stranger bore not a single thing to identify him as a trader, for one. For another, one did not approach one such as him with an offer to trade anything. Things were given him, without payment. The only reason he'd consented to view the offering was because he could not fault the stranger for his lack of respect; his identity was not known in the land. And because he'd never been so curious about anything in his life.

He could hear his manservant returning with two sets of footsteps behind him. Comfortable on his cushions, he reached for a handful of dates and popped one into his mouth. Now. We shall see what we shall see.

It was the boy who answered the door, Itachi saw. Free to do so, he scrutinized him properly as he and Sasuke followed him through the halls and rooms.

Young. Perhaps a year or two younger than Sasuke. Sable hair in a thick braid that reached his waist. Brown eyes that somehow missed nothing even while remaining downcast. Strong. Very strong. Deadly if crossed, most likely.

A glance at Sasuke showed he'd drawn the same conclusions.

They were led up a marble staircase adorned with iron grapevines, down another hall, this one open to the main courtyard on one side, and finally to a room with a triple arched doorway. The boy passed through without stopping. So did Itachi. Sasuke did hesitate, but only for a moment.

Itachi took in the opulence of the room in a sweeping glance, but all of his attention went to the pile of white cushions along one wall and stayed there.

The man reclining on those cushions —even beheld—could scarcely be confined to the term human. He was yet larger, somehow, than he'd appeared when standing. Perhaps because his robe was discarded. He and Sasuke stopped before the cushions. The boy knelt to one side of them, but the man seemed uninterested in their arrival. He tossed dates and nuts into his mouth without looking at them. Itachi looked his fill.

The blond hair was almost impossibly thick, and so long that it was gathered into a tail and loosely looped around the man's neck. That neck, it must be said, was also thick, leading to very wide, powerfully built shoulders. Chest, arms, torso…hairless and muscular. Very…uncommonly…muscular. Veins twisted along the forearms. The hands were heavy, long-fingered, square-tipped. The man's bottom half was clad in a garment of the same orange material as his robe had been.

Itachi looked back at the face, where he was startled to note that the eyes were looking at him in turn. Apparently they were to be acknowledged at last. Blue. I've never seen blue eyes before.

The man's eyes drifted to Sasuke…and he slowly got to his feet. Looked Sasuke up and down, then took a single step that put him no more than half a pace from them. His eyes never left Sasuke's lowered head. I have him, Itachi thought. Praise the gods.

"Unclothe him," the man said. "I would see this offering."

"No." Itachi kept his gaze on that potent blue one. "Once he is yours, you may see him. But not until negotiations are complete."

"Do not test me, Dakhna. Your insolence is tolerated only because of your ignorance. I'll not be denied."

"And I'll not be cheated."

A pause, wherein they each measured the threat of the other.

Itachi knew he was laughably outmatched, but the man's yen for Sasuke was palpable. It gave him the advantage. "Shall we proceed or do we walk?"

"Proceed." He stood stiffly, all but quivering. His eyes were glued to Sasuke's form.

"Very well. I will receive questions, if you have any."

"The offering is powerful. Has power."

"Yes."

"Equal to your own. Nearly."

"Yes." At the man's glance, he added, "He is trained in the Arts."

"No slave, anywhere, is ever trained in the Arts."

"Truth."

"He is no slave."

"Truth."

"Yet still offered."

"Yes."

Silence. "I do not trust you." The man seemed to wake from a trance. He blinked. Lifted his head. Stepped back. "Whatever your reason for offering him unseen, I want no part of it. Leave. And give thanks that I have pardoned the insult done me this day." He turned for the cushions. The boy stood to lead them out.

Itachi bowed from the waist…then straightened and removed Sasuke's cloak. For good measure, he took the midnight blue shruda as well and folded both garments over his arm. "Forgive me."

The man glanced over one shoulder and froze.

Itachi held in his relief at seeing the man's eyes widen. He touched Sasuke's arm to signal that he should lift his head, that his face could be seen as well as his body.

The man circled Sasuke slowly. "Such magnificence," he murmured. His hand hovered over one pale shoulder but didn't touch. "Such superb musculature… Gods, the perfection of him."

He completed his circuit and now stood facing Sasuke, one hand behind his back, the other on his mid-section. Many minutes were spent in silent contemplation of Sasuke's face. The hair drew a wondering frown. Caused him to step very close, bend to it, and sniff. When he straightened, he studied the face once more. "Look at me."

Thus far, Sasuke had kept his eyes lowered. He saw the man upon entering, noted his size and strength, and knew beyond doubt that there was no way in this world or any other that he could submit to such a creature. But his brother was right. Capture was a matter of time. Their pursuers were already in the city, looking for two. Separation was a risk, but it was also their only recourse for survival. He couldn't deny that nothing he'd ever seen matched the strength of the brute inspecting him. If there was safety to be had it was at his side…yet that did not guarantee he would be safe from the brute himself. These thoughts were visible on his face, he knew. He'd been happy to hide within his hood, head down. But now he was exposed. And had been given a command. Jaw clenched, he raised his eyes. Blue that glittered with barely restrained cupidity met him.

The man gave a slow, wide grin that revealed prominent canines. "Aaaah! The violence of his eye pleases me beyond words. You spoke truly, Dakhna, he is no slave. Unbroken, this one." He forced himself to look away, as if Sasuke's beauty was a drug he needed to abstain from. He focused, instead, on Itachi. "List his virtues."

"He is strong, as you can see. Unmarked. Never sick. Beyond intelligent. He has mastery of the elements, as far as the Arts are concerned. Accomplished swordsman. Brilliant strategist. And…he is unbreached."

The man drew in a quick breath. "You are certain?"

"I am."

"How old?"

"Eight and ten."

The man moistened his lips. Moved toward Sasuke. "I will inspect him now." He looked to Itachi for permission.

Itachi bowed in acquiescence.

He began at Sasuke's head, burying his hands in all that hair with a faint sound of greed. Brought his nose down and inhaled long and hard this time. Parted the strands to inspect the scalp. Moved to his face. Thumbed the lids wider. Tilted Sasuke's head back to peer into his eyes, look up his nose. Applied pressure to Sasuke's jaw. When his mouth opened, he inserted two fingers and prodded the teeth. Inspected the teeth and tongue. The area around them. Withdrew his fingers and sniffed them. Sucked the saliva from them and pursed his lips as if analyzing the taste.

He moved to the rest of Sasuke's body. Kneaded his neck, shoulders, and arms. Laced his fingers with Sasuke's and bent the digits back. Inspected the nails. Placed his palms on Sasuke's chest. Waited as he timed both heart and breath. Ran his thumbs over the nipples, whereupon he was rewarded with a hiss of indrawn breath and one of Sasuke's arms lifting reflexively to push those hands away. The man waited to see if he would. Sasuke didn't.

There was a quick appraisal of each sturdy leg, both feet, and the breadth of Sasuke's back before he sank to the balls of his feet behind Sasuke. He placed a hand on one flank. "Bend."

Sasuke remained upright.

The man looked at Itachi, who caught Sasuke's eye. Sasuke swallowed, but bent from the waist.

The man placed his hands on the muscled halves of Sasuke's arse and pressed them apart. Studied the pucker of flesh. Smelled it. Tasted it with a flick of his tongue. Laid the pad of one thumb to the hole and pressed. Pressed harder, almost penetrating, until the arse in his hands tightened in discomfort. "Unbreached, as told," he muttered.

Finally, he went around and adopted the same position in front of Sasuke. He stared at Sasuke's shaft, where it hung against his eggsac. Put his hand on the flaccid length.

Sasuke's knee slammed into his face.

Itachi backed away at once, as did Sasuke. They each had their chakra engaged to the fullest degree possible, all but searing the air around them. The boy was also on his feet, unmasked.

Only the man remained unmoved. In fact, he was still down on one knee. One forearm on the upraised knee, his other hand splayed against his thigh. His eyes were downcast. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth. The nose was actually skewed to one side. To their shock and fear, the nose began righting itself with small crunching sounds of realigning bone.

The man stood and looked at Itachi, who braced himself for a fight to the death.

"Name your price."

Something cold and hard settled in Itachi's innards. "No. You mean to harm him for drawing your blood."

"He is stronger, more beautiful, more perfect than any slave ever sold. Untainted by disease. And utterly untamed. I mean to have him. Name. Your. Price. I'll not ask again, Dakhna."

Without lowering his guard, Itachi straightened his spine. "I would have assurances. In writing."

"I've neither the time nor the inclination to summon a scribe."

"Then you must swear. In chakra. On the chain."

The man's jaw flexed. As yet, his power was leashed, but he was approaching the limit of his patience. "Who is he?"

"Unimportant. Who are you?"

"Important."

"Assurances. On the chain. Or we take our leave. What say you?"

He said nothing. But he crooked a finger over his shoulder at the boy. A moment later the chest Itachi had seen with him in the market was brought over, with the addition of an oblong wooden box of rare sandalwood. The boy opened the lid of the oblong box. The hinges were silent, the interior lined with kanji carved into the wood itself. There, gleaming like polished jet, lay the double loop joined by a single chain seen on all slaves and their owners. It was said the chain itself was more chakra than metal. The loops and chain stretched to accommodate any size slave, or any distance up to a furlong. And the chain was unbreakable once forged. Able to take on the imprint of an owner, and enforce the owner's will upon a slave.

They were not easy to obtain. The traders in their guilds had access to them, but if acquired on its own, they were said to cost enough to feed a village.

They each stared at the loops, now small, and the connecting chain until the man placed his fingertips on the chain, looked at Itachi, and said, "What are your words?"

"That you cause him no harm, show him no cruelty, and shelter him from all hurt and suffering. That you do not, through deed or word, put him at risk of harm, hurt, suffering, or cruelty from another. And that you do not sell him, give him, or leave him with another for any reason."

The words were repeated. The man's chakra glowed from his hand to the chain. "And now," he said. "Your price."

Itachi looked at the chest, which the boy now opened. It was filled with gold coins, gems, and pearls. He sifted a hand through these riches. Selected a black pearl and held it up to the light. Dropped it back into the chest with a gesture at all the wealth. "A kingdom in jewels, to be sure. But insufficient."

The man blinked, but gave the tiniest nod to the boy without taking his eyes off Itachi.

The bottom of the chest was removed to reveal a separate compartment. Inside lay a length of ivory satin the boy carefully unwrapped.

Itachi knelt at the chest, mouth slack. "Are they real?" he breathed.

"Quite."

Three large, uncut gems lay side by side, each larger than his fist. There was a yellow diamond and an emerald, but by far the largest was a blood red ruby. Of all the stones in the world, rubies were the rarest. Coveted and hoarded to the point of death. Itachi cradled it in both hands and lifted it out as if the gem were a living babe. "This." It was worth all the riches in the chest a thousand times over. "I will have this as payment…and fifty black pearls of comely size." The thought crossed his mind that he should take the contents of the chest altogether, but the man would have Sasuke in his possession; he could not then leave the man without the funds to keep him. "That is my price."

The boy located and found the pearls. These he put into a fur-lined pouch, along with the ruby. The chest was closed. The boy retired with it to his corner by the cushions.

Itachi produced a bill of sale he'd prepared beforehand. It contained Sasuke's description. Now he added the payment to it, and signed with his chakra thumbprint. The man pressed his glowing thumb near Itachi's. All anonymous documents we signed this way. Itachi duplicated the document with a hand seal, and handed the copy to the man. The boy came and took it.

It was done. Itachi waited for whatever happened next.

The man hooked a finger beneath the chain and lifted it from its box. The loops clanged when they came together. A surprisingly light chiming sound.

"You are mine now," the man said, circling Sasuke once more. "Until I deem otherwise, you shall be called Nameless. He stopped in front of Sasuke and held up the chain. "You will swear on the chain to obey me in all things. Now. Before this man who's sold you leaves."

Sasuke looked at his brother, but Itachi's face was free of all expression. And because he'd already agreed to this, because it would mean their survival, he made his face blank too. He grasped one loop. "I swear to obey you in all things." His chakra flared a moment in response. He could feel the bind in his body and clenched his teeth.

The man took the loop from him, opened it, and placed it around Sasuke's neck. Once closed, the opening fused into solid metal once more. It was incredibly lightweight, Sasuke found. The other loop went around the man's left wrist, where it shrunk to size. The chain hung between them.

The man looked from Sasuke to Itachi. "Leave."

Itachi bowed himself out.