A Matter of Trust (Vampire!Itachi x Reader)

A few nights before Itachi murdered his clan, he had visited you. The visit broke your heart, your life nearly going with it. You were unbelievably close to Itachi, that the idea of him doing what he did made you feel sick. You remember him being upset, so you were trying to console him, but no matter what you said he remained stoic, almost in regret. After a few minutes, you only remember a searing pain across your heart and blackness. You had woke a few hours later in your bed to find your front door open with the rain pouring in and Itachi gone. Your chest was bandaged and there was a deep cut across the area where your heart was. You were shocked. What was Itachi doing? More importantly, why was he acting like this? The next morning, you found out about Shisui's murder. The night of the massacre when you nearly lost your life once more, you discovered Itachi had done it.

He had the Mangekyo.

You figured that you were the first attempt for it.

It had been a while since the news of the elder Uchiha brother's death. Everything was quiet in Konoha a while after it, even though it was obvious that the peace wasn't going to last. Life had pretty much returned to normal, apart from the mute silence that followed after either of the Uchiha brothers were mentioned. Now, instead of Sasuke and Itachi, they were known only as "the older" and "the younger" or just "the brothers". You supposed it was to cover up any sadness or pity, or even hope anyone (with no clue about Konoha's original plans) held for the younger of the two. He had his "revenge"...why not come home? Where, no matter how he was treated, people did actually care- the original execution order of the Uchiha clan kept under lock and key and forgotten by many...

You had also thought this about Itachi a while after he left. If he had returned before Sasuke or disease had...well... if he had returned, you would have been...happy. After discovering the whole Uchiha conspiracy unintentionally a week after his leave, you were sworn to secrecy and disallowed to speak of the Uchihas. After a few weeks, the leaders of Konoha at the time decided you were not to be trusted had you 'deleted'; they had you removed from everyone's memories. Your mother's, father's, friends'... and you were sealed away for 6 months.

It was like you never existed.

When they thought it was safe enough, you were thrown into the Uchiha compound where you lived with Sasuke (who did not have his memories erased due to Itachi's threat) until he left. You promised to keep the compound clean to both the brothers.

So it became your home.

---

"Thanks for all the hard work, ________!" The old woman behind the counter smiled at you. You pulled on your coat and grabbed the few books you bought through your wages.
"No problem, Mrs Davison. I needed the extra money, and plus, I love books!" Mrs Davison, or Marie pulled a book that looked especially old out from who knows where.
"Why don't you try this one? It's got a thrilling plot and it's about vampires..." Your eyes lit up. Mrs Davison just knew how to make your day.

You were working part time in the local bookstore to get some extra money, Konoha had decided to act as if two people were living in the Uchiha compound in the last few days and were charging you because of it's "rustic" history.

You stared out of the large front window and sighed. It was raining- again. And it was dark. And looked cold. The dusty bookshop seemed to become even more appealing than it usually was.

The bell on the door rang as Mr Davison rushed in, dithering and soaked to the bone. "Evening Marie" he said, kissing his wife on the cheek, "_______," he nodded in acknowledgement, which you returned.

"_______ and I were just talking books, weren't we dear?" she said, smiling. You nodded with a "mmhm!" and a smile. Mr Davison smiled warmly.

"You two and your books." he chuckled, "Anyway, this old man's getting hungry and tired..." he grumbled. Mrs Davison rolled her eyes.

"You and your food." she retaliated, giggling slightly. You couldn't help but smile at the scene of the happy couple, a tickilish warmth spreading through you. Their attention suddenly snapped back to you, and your smile and the warm feeling both stayed.

"_______, you're heading home right?" You nodded at the man's question.

"Oh hurry dear, it's really dark now! Your parents will be worried!" Marie said. The warm feeling disappeared as did your smile, but the couple didn't notice. The book shop owner handed you another book. "Give this to your mother for me, I'm sure she'll like it." she smiled, "I found it quite interesting." You applied a fake smile.

"Then I'm sure she'll definitley find it interesting too." You answered

After a few goodbyes you sprinted home...away from the couple that you were so happy for- Marie and Tom Davison.

Formerly Marie, Tom...

and _______ Davis.

Not letting yourself cry, you decided it was time to leave Konoha. You knew you swore to the brothers to keep the compound in check, but you couldn't take it anymore. Working for the parents that think their daughter died on a mission and selling you bestfriends books to place and read to the grave of 'Joanna Davison' on her death's anniversary was killing you deep down inside. The fact that Konoha's officials changed your parents' last names and created another, less lively you disgusted you. You had never told a soul about the conspiracy, and neither did you wish to.

You had packed bags and written notes for the ANBU that "checked" on you every week. You were ready to leave and you took one last walk around the place you called home for most of your life. You inwardly apologised to Itachi and Sasuke.

Grabbing your bags you headed to the door to make your final exit. As soon as you got into the hallway for leaving, you sighed. It would be a huge dent your life but- Your thoughts abruptly stopped as the door imploded with a colossal crash, sending you off your feet and into the wall behind you. Your head bounced off the concrete with a sickening crack and your eyes slid shut, but not before a flash of crimson filled your vision.

---

"Thanks for all the hard work, _______!" The old woman behind the counter smiled at you. You pulled on your coat and grabbed the few books you bought through your wages.

"No problem, I needed the extra money, and plus, I love books!" Mrs Davison, or Marie pulled a book that looked especially old out from who knows where. This seemed eerily familiar...

"Why don't you try this one? It's got a thrilling plot and it's about vampires..." Your eyes would have lit up, only for the fact that you had gone through this earlier today. You pinched your arm.

"Yowch!" You yelled, jumping. You hadn't noticed the door bell ringing softly or Tom rushing into the store sopping wet.

"_______ and I were just talking books, weren't we dear?" she said, smiling. You nodded hesitantly. Mr Davison smiled warmly.

"You two and your books." he chuckled. You jumped again.

"Do you not feel tired and hungry, Mr Davison?" You asked, just to be sure this wasn't happening.

"Who's Mr Davison, _______?" he asked.

"Wha-what? You...are...?" You stumbled around your brain. What the hell was going on? The couple chuckled.

"I think our ________ may be getting ill" Marie laughed, "Come on you two, time for dinner!"

She said...our _______...

"Sounds great, mom." You clamped your hands over your mouth as the word slipped, preparing for the worst.

"It does, doesn't it? For once your Father's on time for it!"

The only person who could mess with memories like this was dead!

With an idea of what was going on you promptly approached the nearest solid object, and knocked yourself out again.

---

The result of knocking yourself out in the Sharingan induced memory relapse was to wake up in the real world, and as soon as you did, you headed to the kitchen to arm yourself with a very, very sharp knife. After that, you attempted to get to your bedroom without making a sound, shut the door and got your back to the wall. Your shoulders were shaking uncontrollably, eyes stinging and heart heavy with pain. That was just fucked up and it made you angry.

But why did you bother?

"I already know you're here, you bastard." You ground out, unwillingly letting the knife slip from your grasp. "What do you want Itachi? You've not even been here ten minutes and it feels like you've tried to carve my heart out of my chest again." You chuckled dryly, "Still have the scar."

There was the slight rustle of fabric behind you, but you couldn't turn to see the cause of the sound.

"You were going to leave." The familiar voice made me choke with shock.

"Yes, I'd had enou-"

"You promised you'd sta-"

"AND YOU PROMISED YOU'D COME BACK- THE NIGHT AFTER YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!" The sudden burst of rage managed to fuel you enough to snap out of the reverie the sharingan had put you in, and you spun around, your fist flying and making contact with his cheek. He grunted, stumbling a few steps back, and you glowered at him, your stomach burning with a sudden urge to throw up. "You left me, thinking Sasuke had killed you. You'd left everyone that way." You scowled at the very alive Itachi in front of you. The anger was slowly increasing. " My parents' minds were wiped of my very existence. Because. Of. You." You accentuated each word with a jab to his chest, tears slowly rolling down your cheeks, your face flushed from rage. Itachi's face remained stoic, his torn Akatsuki cape drawn right up to his nose so you could only see his expressionless eyes. You stepped back, laughing dryly, arms flung out either side of you before dropping to your sides. "And this is what I get?" Your eyes narrowed, taking a step forward, "You fucking with my memories like that and not even an apology?"

His head suddenly whipped to the side, his eyes searching for someing outside the window. "We need to leave." He stepped forward, reaching for your arm and you snatched it out of his reach, stepping back.

"No! I'm not going anywhere with you until I get an explanation."

Footsteps rained over the roof. ANBU were here.

He reached for you again and you pushed him away once more. "No. You need to leave. Not me. I got your point."

"You'll die." He stated. Your eyes widened. What?

Before the question of why even escaped your lips, he answered. "I'm different than what I used to be, _______, and Konoha already know. They know that you're who I've come for." He growled harshly, grasping your upper arm. You gaped at him as his usual crimson eyes flashed a blood red.

You heard ANBU soldiers streaming in through the demolished door of the main segment of the compound. You were barley pushed out of the way by Itachi- who you never even saw move- as a silver kunai whizzed past where your head had previously been. It embedded itself into Itachi's shoulder and the wall and you pressed yourself against the opposite wall, eyes wide on Itachi in shock. Itachi hissed loudly at the wound as it sizzled. You slid down the wall, hands shooting up to cover you mouth as if trying to catch the whimpers escaping it.

You had never seen a silver kunai before- they're meant to be steel. Silver's too precious- and dangerous to use. You had read stories about special sections of the ANBU using them to hunt down demons and vampires. But they were just myths...right?

ANBU poured into the room, their leader grabbing you and roughly dragging you to your feet into the middle of the room. He flipped his mask up and glared at you.

"Where is he?" he demanded, grabbing a fistful of your shirt and pulling your face near his.

"Who?" You cringed away, all knowledge of the past few minutes stunned out of your mind for a second with the pure velocity of the events occuring.

"The vampire!" Oh, the vampire. He must be the reason for the silver kunai. Wait, what?

"What are you talking abou? There's no such thing as vampires!" You gasped out. Another ANBU stepped forward, his voice muffled by his special ops mask.

"I think she's telling the truth." he said. The leader nodded, then turned to you, wielding a normal steel kunai.

"Then Konoha no longer has any use for her." He smirked at you, and then turned to give orders, "Split up, find Itachi. That kunai hit him, so he's going to be weak without blood. His little girlfriend here will be dead before he can use her."

Your eyes widened. Itachi was...? "Wait! No!" You begged as he drew back the kunai.

You were about to close your eyes when you felt it. It was like a cold breeze, but not gentle. It was sharp and gave you goosebumps that screamed at you to run, to get away. It was the same feeling you had when you were living your altered memories.

Everything in the room had frozen when you opened your eyes, and you stumbled away from the leaer of the ANBU, his face stuck in a contorted snarl and the kunai on track to where your neck would have been if you had not moved.

You felt an arm wrap around your shoulders and an arm wrap around your waist as a weight slumped onto your back, forcing you to the ground. You let out a groan as you turned onto your back to see Itachi collapsed on top of you. He was breathing heavily, face creased in pain, and blood dripping from his shoulder.

It was the sight of the dangerously sharp fangs in his mouth that made you freeze. He clenched his teeth, huffing and looking at you through narrowed eyes.

"Do you trust me?"

~Flashback~

The academy had been attacked. That's all you remember. You were 12. It was the day you quit ninja training. Itachi was 13, already shooting off ahead of anyone else. He was attacking the offenders whilst you were stranded in the burning academy, your legs trapped under a burning beam. You were in there for what seemed like hours. You were slowly wiping out. Then you heard those words.

"Do you trust me?"

~Flashback End~

The rest of the room suddenly seemed to catch up in the time you and Itachi spent on the floor, and all hell broke loose.

"Yes."

Before the word had even escaped your lips he had buried his face in your neck and attacked. A surge of adrenalin shot through your veins at a gulping sensation and your inner prey instincts made your hands shoot up into his hair and tug, trying to escape, which only made the predator feeding off you groan in delight, the fighting appealing to his inner animal. His hand delved into your hair to force your head back for better access whilst his other arm slipped under your arching back, pulling you tight to his chest.

The majority of the ANBU team had betrayed their brothers, leaving rapidly from whence they came, whilst the others were moving to attack Itachi, but it felt like slow motion. You felt your energy draining. "Itachi, stop....please..." You felt almost as if he was pulling your very life from your body. He suddenly released your weakened body and it hit the floor with a dull thud, numbness preventing the pain from registering. An animalisitc snarl was released somewhere above you, and blurred blinks only saw red from then on, ears only hearing fuzzy screeches of pain.

Someone's blood stained boot fell into your peripheral vision and your eyes slid shut as the screams stopped and you were lifted into a pair of arms.

You may have been dying, but you had never felt so safe as you did in those arms, and you smiled, knowing Itachi had won.

---

The cool water pattering against your face as your body swayed side to side in the air was soothing. You could feel the warmth in your chest slipping away. He did this. But. You had already forgiven him.

Blackness.

He knew you were there waiting for him. He knew you had forgiven him, had always trusted him unlawfully. That's why he came for you, because he felt the same way. He knew if anyone could help him, could make him feel safe again, it was you. You couldn't leave him just yet. He's carried enough guilt for one lifetime.

---

Your eyes fluttered open, only for you to realise you were sat in someone's arms, body heavy and useless. Itachi was asleep with you in his lap, his upper body slumped over you. His hair was dripping wet and he had an orange glow cast over his pale features from the nearby fire. However unlikely it was, there were streaks down his face,a stray tear still sitting his cheekbone. His wound was gone. You spent a minute taking all of him in. Itachi, who had quickly become someone you deeply cared for, was back, for you. You smiled painfully and willed your arm up to catch the stray tear. They had never suited him. He shivered slightly and moved into your touch, but there was no other reaction.

"'Tachi..." You whispered, your voice hoarse. His eyes snapped open, widened, and there was a moment of stunned silence before he pulled you to his chest, burying his face in your hair and inhaling as if someone was going to tear you away from him right there.

"I thought I'd killed you, _______." He mumbled into your hair. You froze slightly, your heart tensing with warmth.

"It's okay." You finally soothed, raising your hand to play with his hair and gently massage his scalp as he rocked you back and forth, "I'm okay. I'm right here."

He rested his chin on your head, looking to the sky. "Thank Kami." He lowered his face, holding you by your shoulders to asses damage as he had repreatedly done since the escape you had made together. He touched his forehead to yours, holding your head gently in his hands, his eyes closed. "Thank Kami," He repeated.

Then he closed the distance, and kissed you.