Naruto 1. Chapter 1

**Captive by Hope in the Shadows**

**Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Naruto.**

**Warning: Lemon, Angst, and poorly written smut dialogue**

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I was a captive now. I wanted to curse the heavens for the loss of my freedom, for sticking me in a cage that I could not escape, for abandoning me to people who meant me harm. I wanted to curse Sasuke for making me put so much effort into incapacitating him, to curse at Kakashi for choosing to protect the traitor from people Sasuke didn't need protection from, to curse Sakura for making me promise to bring Sasuke back to her, to curse the village that was rejoicing the loss of its demon, to curse my own father for putting the damn Kyuubi into me in the first place.

But I couldn't because I had been captured.

I had finally beaten Sasuke into incapacitation so I could take him back to Konoha, finally fulfilling the promise I made Sakura all those years ago. However I had used all my strength to do so and I was on the verge of collapse. It was at this moment that the Akatsuki decided to make its move. I had watched in shock as Itachi Uchiha and his blue-skinned partner appeared at the top of the crater that had been created during my fight with Sasuke. I had watched as Kakashi looked from Sasuke to me to eventually settle on Sasuke, had seen his eyes with their protective determination choose Sasuke. He had chosen to protect his beloved traitor over a faithful demon.

Itachi had ignored Kakashi as he gathered the unconscious Sasuke and took him away from the battlefield. Itachi had been focused on me. It was strange having this cold-hearted man's full and complete attention. It was unnerving and yet at the same time I strangely wanted it.

It had not taken much to knowk me out, just a press to a single pressure pint. It had been surprisingly gentl compared to what he had done to incapacitate Sasuke when I had first met him.

I had woken up in an actual cage. My first attempts at escape enlightened me to the fact that I had no access to my chakra. It was at that moment that my mind had become one of a hopeless captive. I was stuck in this cage and there was no way for me to escape.

They had won.

I had lost…and I was going to die.

I don't know how long I had just sat there in the middle of the cage doing absolutely nothing. It seemed like forever but I doubt it was more than a few hours. I was just waiting for them to come, to take me from this cage and lead me to my death.

It was Itachi who appeared on the other side of the bars. I didn't acknowledge his presence by looking at him. I knew that he could tell that I knew he was there. I just stared at my feet preparing myself for the death I knew was coming.

I watched out of the periphery of my vision as Itachi entered the cage and walked towards me. I didn't want to see the captor who would soon become my executioner.

"Why have you succumbed to despair Naruto-kun?"

As confused as I was by him asking that question I didn't look up.

"Wouldn't you if you knew that the only thing that awaits you is death?"

"Heh."

I looked up. Did that actually occur? Did Itachi-fucking-Uchiha just chuckle? That small smirk-like smile seemed to prove it.

"Death is the only thing that awaits us all with certainty," his eyes, not his crimson sharingan but his deep onyx ones, locked with mine and I saw something in them that I could not identify. "However your death will not happen by me or the rest of the Akatsuki."

"Huh?" I didn't understand. Weren't they going to kill me by extracting the Kyuubi? "But don't you need the Kyuubi?"

"If it was possible or necessary for us to extract the Kyuubi we would have done it by now." There was no hesitation in his voice.

"Oh…" I looked down again. Now that I knew I wasn't a doomed soul, I could feel my heart clench tightly in my chest and my grips on my sanity start to fade. If I wasn't going to be killed did this mean that I was to be locked in this cage for the rest of my life? I couldn't use my chakra, I couldn't escape. I was nothing but a caged animal.

Suddenly there was a pale hand on my chin, tilting my head up. I was forced to look into those onyx eyes again and this time I could identify the emotions they held. There was compassion in them, but underlying that compassion was an unsated lust.

" You have a choice Naruto," his voice was…nervous and yet confident at the same time. His dropping of the honorific on my name had not escaped my notice either. "You can become a member of Akatsuki and get to leave this cage, or you can stay in this cage for the rest of your life. Either way you will remain with Akatsuki."

It shouldn't have been a hard decision – either be free from this cage of forever be contained withing it. I no longer felt any loyalty to the village that had so obviously abandoned me. I wanted to choose my freedom but the words wouldn't form. In my frustration tears began to fall silently down my face.

Itachi's hand let go of my chin choosing instead to wipe my tears away.

"You wish to be free, do you not?"

"Y-yes," was my strangled response.

"Then your choice is obvious," his hands left my face and he started to turn away. "But you must make that choice and until you do, I can do nothing."

As he started to walk away my body reacted and flung itself at his legs, halting his progress. Suddenly the words were easy to say and they flowed out like a limitless well.

"I choose to be free from this cage!" I shouted into his cloak. "I choose to be free and I'll do whatever it takes to do that! I choose to join the Akatsuki!"

I looked up to see his eyes, his face. I was glad I did for there on his face was a true smile, a sight so rare I thought it didn't exist.

"Good. I did not want to love a soul that was held captive by something other than me."

His words shocked me and the passionate, needy kiss that followed did it to an even greater extent. I was loved. Not only that but I was loved by a man that I would never have guessed in a million years would love me.

His teeth nipped at my bottom lip and a small gasp escaped me completely unbidden. Itachi took advantage of the opening I created to slip his tongue inside my mouth and I felt him explore every crevice of it. As one of his hands placed itself in my hair and the other teased at the hem of the scrap of fabric that had once been my shirt, he pulled back and I gasped for breath.

"You are now free but I wonder," he paused making sure my half-lidded eyes were focused on his. "Will you let me keep you heart captive?"

I nodded without hesitation and initiated the next kiss myself, though it was not long before Itachi took it over. The remains of my shirt were torn from my body and one hand slipped itself just below the top of my pants, pushing the cloth down in an urgent nature. Not wanting to be denied the sight of his body, my hands started to fumble with his cloak, clumsily waiting to be shrugged off at an opportune time.

He broke off briefly, removing the cloak and the shirt that had been worn underneath. Once the unwanted pieces of cloth had been removed he pulled me close once more. As his mouth traveled the expanse of my body, licking and nipping at various points causing moans of pleasure to escape my mouth, I barely noticed him move us so that I was lying down on the discarded cloak. His hands deftly rid me of my pants, revealing the heated arousal I had formed.

Through lust-glazed eyes I watched him smile, obviously content with the undeniable evidence that I was aroused by him. Then his head moved down and his tongue flicked at the bulging head of my erection, before his mouth completely encased it in its moist warmth. I moaned at the sensations I was feeling. Pressure was building up in my groin in an almost pained pleasure.

"Unh…Itachi…"

I could feel him smirk around my cock. However, my attention quickly turned to focus on the fingers at my lips. Something instinctual made me take them into my mouth and suck on them and I heard Itachi let out a small moan which sent pleasant vibrations through my cock. Once I had completely covered his fingers in saliva he took them from my mouth and moved them down the length of my body to rest gently against my entrance.

He removed his mouth from my cock and I whined at the loss. But he was looking at me, waiting for my permission to continue, to prepare me so it wouldn't hurt as much when he took me for the first time. I closed my eyes and nodded my head, a smile gracing my lips with the knowledge of how much Itachi actually cared for me.

One finger slipped inside me. It wasn't painful but it wasn't comfortable either. A second finger soon followed and he started to scissor them, stretching the tight ring of muscles. When a third finger joined the others, I couldn't stop a small cry of pain from escaping my lips. He stilled at the sound and I felt more than I saw him watch me. His head swooped down and he plundered my mouth again. His fingers began to move again while he distracted me until he found a spot inside me that gave me unimaginable pleasure.

"Aaah!" I started to push back on his fingers wanting to feel that intense pleasure again to ease the burning heat in my groin. He kept stretching me for half a minute before slipping them out.

I whined at the feeling of being empty though I knew something much bigger would be filling me up soon. I felt him place the tip of his erection at my stretched and quivering entrance. With one last confirming look at me he slowly pushed the head in.

I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood, not wanting him to know how much pain I was in despite his careful preparation, how I felt like I was being split in two, how there was no pleasure to this pain. But he noticed nonetheless and stilled in his movements. His hand came up to my face to wipe away the tears I had not been able to hide. When he started to pull out though, my hand grabbing his arm stopped him.

"No…" I rasped. "Don't…"

He shook his head. "You are in too much pain. I don't want to hurt you."

"I'll be fine." I pleaded, not wanting another person to abandon me. "Please…"

He closed his eyes in thought and I held my breath. He thought for so long I thought for sure h was going to leave. But he opened his eyes and pushed forward giving me an answer without words. I gritted my teeth and made sure no pained sounds escaped. He stopped when he was fully seated in me.

"Unh…" he groaned. "So tight…so good…"

Itachi's words gave evidence that he was trying not to move, to give me time to adjust. I watched as a thought suddenly occurred to him and he looked up at me.

"Is this your first time?"

I nodded and felt my cheeks heat up. He however just smiled and kissed me gently for a few brief seconds before he pulled back.

"I'm honored that I'm the first one to enjoy this," for a brief second his eyes turned cold, dangerous, "and the only one who will enjoy this."

With those words he pulled out almost all the way before slamming back in. I moaned at the feeling of him moving in me, at being filled again despite the pain that accompanied it like a bitter aftertaste. The rhythm he set at first was tortuously slow to the point where I couldn't take it anymore.

"Please 'tachi…faster…" I begged, tears of frustration replacing the tears of pain.

I was rewarded for my pleading with a suddenly faster pace and an almost unnoticeable smirk gracing the pale face above me. I could hear myself moaning wantonly as he repeatedly pummeled into me. And then my world exploded into white hot pleasure as he hit a spot inside me with incredible strength and accuracy.

"Oh god 'tachi! There…feels so…good!" The volume of my voice fluctuated erratically as he kept hitting that spot inside me. The pressure in my cock was building painfully, not having enough friction for it to find relief. I reached my hands down so I could give myself that needed friction but they were slapped away before they could touch my burning need. I whined in protest at being denied the ability to give myself release.

"Please Itachi….I need to…I need to-"

"I want you to come with me." His voice was riddled with pants as he fastened his pace. One of his hands snaked down between us and started to pump me harshly. He was close and so was i.

"Now."

His command and a final harsh pump brought me to a release and I screamed his name in pleasure. At the same time he was finding his own release, filling me to the brim with his cum, claiming me as his.

He pulled out and collapsed on the cloak next to me, breathing heavily so unlike his usually unnoticeable respiration. He laid there until his breathing returned to normal. Once it had he stood up and started to put his clothes back on.

I laid there, suddenly feeling sore, dirty, and – my eyes did not leave his back as he continued to dress without the slightest attention toward me – used. My mind had been clouded by both the promise of freedom and of love, but now as the pleasure faded a part of it began to suggest that the pale man's words had been but a lie to get me to have willing sex with him. And with how fucked up my life had been so far I had no reason but to think that that was the truth.

I turned my head away, not wanting to look at the man who had captured my heart with a cage of lies. That was until I found myself suddenly in his arms, his cloak wrapped around me. His eyes bored into mine and the lust I had previously seen in his eyes had given way to unshakeable love.

"You said I could hold your heart captive and so I shall. I do not lie with matters of the heart."

I buried my face in his chest and let the tears of joy that gathered in my eyes to overflow and cascade down my face. As he carried me out of the cage that had held my physical body captive I felt a new cage form around my heart. For Itachi, with his undeniable and unshakeable love, now held it captive.


	2. Chapter 2

**Captive by Hope in the Shadows **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I claim to.**

**Warnings: Crappy dialogue and unfortunately too much of it probably**

**a/n: **Alright you crazy people! You want more? I'll give you more! Just don't expect fast updates with my hectic life and the fact that I have only a vague idea of where this is going. So leave me reviews and ideas and inspiration. You guys are my muses this time!

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**Chapter 2**

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Time seems to crawl by slowly when you keep track of it in its precise seconds, minutes, hours, days. But once you lose that track and its precision time seems to just simply float on by, neither with great haste or unbearable slowness. It's probably why it seemed so hard for me to imagine that a whole year had passed since I had joined Akatsuki.

A little over a year ago I had been captured by the criminal organization known as Akatsuki after I had fought with one former traitor known as Uchiha Sasuke. Or at least that's what the official report from Konoha says. The truth had varied greatly. I had fought with Sasuke in order to subdue him long enough to bring him back to Konohagakure to fulfill the whims of a girl who had been rejected by above named Uchiha. When two members of Akatsuki had shown up with the obvious intent of capturing me, my supposed sensei Kakashi had chosen to save the traitorous Uchiha and had left me there knowing that I would without a doubt be killed. That was the last time anyone from Konohagakure had heard of me.

They just figured I had met the early demise they all seemed to expect of me.

They had even etched my name into the memorial stone as if to say there was no way I was still alive. I had seen it myself one time while I had been on a reconnaissance mission. I had laughed out loud at the irony of it but on the inside the anger and resentment I had started to feel towards the village had only seemed to grow. I no longer had any qualms about putting Konohagakure into harm's way even if I was doing the harming. Sunagakure was an entirely different matter however. From what I had heard and sometimes witnessed myself Gaara had never given up hope that I was still alive and always followed whatever leads he got with an almost obsessive determination. It had felt somewhat good that there was at least one person who had not accepted my disappearance as my death.

"What are you doing up Naruto-kun?"

I turned my head to look at the person sleeping next to me, the reason I had not fallen into despair at my captivity. He had offered me a way out of my cage only to end up capturing my heart.

"It's nothing, Itachi," I assured him, rolling over to cuddle against him. "Just thinking."

"About what?" he asked while sleepily kissing my forehead.

"Just that it's been a year already," I answered lavishing in his affection. "It seems like it was only a short time ago that I was chasing after Sasuke, but at the same time it feels like _this_ has always been this way."

"That's just how time is," he said wrapping an arm around me to pull me closer. "Even though it is always passing by at a steady rate it confuses us into thinking that is slower or faster than it actually is."

"So what was this year like for you?"

"It was wonderful," he said with a sleepy smile. "And I know the next one will be as well. Now you better go to sleep if you want to be alert for the mission tomorrow."

"Un," I mumbled affirmatively before I drifted off to sleep in his arms feeling for all the world that I belonged there.

~--~--~--~

I yawned as we watched our target go about as if he believed he would never be a target for assassination. It was laughable really. Especially since he was giving up his village secrets just because he had been dissatisfied with their treatment of him. Luckily the secrets he had were ultimately useless for anyone else to use against his village but it had been enough for his village to get rid of a traitor. Now if only the bastard wasn't hanging around Gaara.

The traitorous leach had nearly adhered himself to the Kazekage and the irritation was clearly visible in Gaara's mannerism. But as stated before the leach had no self-preservation instincts. I itched to get rid of the bastard right then and ther-

"We are not risking your cover no matter how much the target is bothering Kazekage-sama," Itachi said with a tone that warranted no objections. Too bad that I still objected.

"But-"

"No," he said turning his sharingan on as warning. It still bothered both me a little whenever I saw them. I know he never used them on me without a genuine purpose but it was the fear of them that Kyuubi had subconsciously instilled on me that made them such a good threat towards me. "I know you still care about Gaara but we can't let you blow your cover. If Konoha found out that you were still alive they'd be obligated to pursue you and take you back dead or alive to save face. It's bad enough you leave little clues for Gaara to give him hints that you're alive."

"Meh, you're right," I agreed reluctantly, my hand moving to scratch the back of my head. "And I hate that you're right. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to play dead."

"I wish I hadn't of had to play the mass-murdering traitor, but we all can't have things that are out of our control. That's just how fate is."

"Uh huh…" Something caught my eye. "Hey do we still get paid even if we aren't the ones to take out the target?"

"No we don't," Itachi responded with a confused look on his face. "Why are you asking about that?"

"'Cause Gaara's about to kill him."

"Oh."

"…"

"…"

"Just make sure you keep yourself hidden at all times and don't bring attention to yourself," Itachi ordered switching into what Kyuubi and I called killer mode. "And no giving the Kazekage another lead."

"Alright, alright," I agreed with a sigh, standing up from where we were staked out on top of some civilian's house. I stretched out my slightly stiff muscles quickly and adjusted my black bandana to make sure it covered my hair. I had already hidden my whiskers under makeup, an almost daily ritual now. I shrugged off the Akatsuki cloak though, not wanting the extra weight slowing me down. "Be back in a minute."

With that I was off, jumping from ledge to ledge to quickly make my way down to the courtyard outside the Kazekage tower. I could feel the sand shifting under my feet as Gaara was getting more and more agitated and ready to strike. I saw my target in front of me, still painfully oblivious to his imminent demise. A kunai was in my hand almost instantly. A second later it was plunged into the target's jugular before being just as quickly withdrawn. I'd be gone before the man fell to the ground and bled to death.

Well I would have been except for the sand that snagged my ankle.

I landed ungracefully on my face, hands splayed out in front of me. I started scrambling to get free when I felt more sand starting to wrap itself around my other leg, but it turns out even I can't get free of Gaara's sand that easily. Soon I was wrapped in sand from my neck down and was facing all three of the sand siblings.

"Normally I would thank you for getting rid of a pest like that for me but I doubt that you are a hunter nin from this man's village because I know that they are not large enough to have them and have been giving such work to the Akatsuki."

"Heh, got me there. I am Akatsuki." I replied casting my voice deeper to hopefully prevent Gaara from recognizing it. "So watcha gonna do with me Kazekage-sama?"

"I would like to kill you here for you being part of that demonic organization," Gaara said before an absolutely sadistic look appeared in his eyes. "But that would get me nothing in the end. Instead I'll see what information I can get out of you."

Now to say I was scared would be an understatement. Being interrogated by Gaara was on my top ten don't-want-to-do list. However it seemed that I wouldn't have a choice in the matter.

"What happened to Uzumaki Naruto?" Crap. He had to ask that question. I really didn't want to lie him either.

"No clue. I joined up right after that and they never thought to tell me about it." Well that was true enough for my conscience. It would have to be until Itachi figured out how to free me.

Tsukiyomi could fool Kankurou and Temari but not Gaara, because genjutsu fooled living things not sand. With the unfoolable sand Gaara would be able to tell if I was escaping or not. Itachi would have to figure out a different way to get me out.

"Do you know if he is alive or not?" he asked as the pressure from the sand increased.

"I told you I don-"

A gust of wind picked up and the bandana, which had loosened during my struggles, flew off revealing my bright shock of blonde hair.

"Na-"

My Akatsuki cloak was suddenly thrown over my head and I heard Itachi touch down in front of me.

"Kazekage-sama, I humbly request that we continue this conversation in a place where unwanted eyes cannot see and ears cannot hear."

"I expect you to explain everything." Even though I could not see, I knew that Gaara's glare would be icy-cold and demanding.

"Agreed." Itachi said without hesitation.

~--~--~--~

I had been led by Itachi's hand on my arm and Gaara's sand around my ankle to the Kazekage's office. It had been hard to tell at first when the cloak had finally been removed for all the walls including the ceiling and the floor had been covered with a thick layer of sand. Luckily Gaara had left the light fixtures exposed so we would all be able to see. But after seeing Gaara's expression it made me wish I couldn't see.

To most people the expression on Gaara's face would be unreadable but to people who actually knew him his face was full of subtle giveaways that could form numerous complex expressions like the one that was currently on his face. His eyes showed betrayal in them and yet they were glossy from unsheddable tears of joy. The set of his mouth told me that he was also angry at me.

"Why haven't you told anyone that you're alive?" Itachi opened his mouth to answer but Gaara instantly added, "I want him to answer me."

"I had to pretend I was dead," I answered. "If Konoha knew I was alive they would be obligated to send a team to retrieve me for appearance's sake. And frankly I don't wish to go back to a village that chooses traitors over those that are loyal."

"I understand why you couldn't let anyone from Konoha know, but I fail to see why you couldn't tell me."

"We were just being overcautious," Itachi put in.

"I really wanted to tell you too, but they wouldn't let me. The most I got away with was leaving you all those clues and they always scolded me for that." I put on my best pleading face and hoped that it would work.

Gaara sighed. Victory! "I forgive you for not telling me but I'd like to know how you ended up a member of the Akatsuki when last I heard you had been captured by them so they could presumably extract Kyuubi out of you."

"Well that is kinda what happened but I guess the Kyuubi is too powerful for them to extract. So while they were debating on what to do with me…" I started to explain.

"I went to where he was being held and offered for him to join Akatsuki or remain in his cage." Itachi finished for me.

"You put him in a cage?" An aura of fury started to leak from Gaara.

"I was a captive at the time Gaara and I hadn't quite processed Kakashi's betrayal," I tried to assure him. "I probably would have tried to return to Konoha if I hadn't been in that cage. I would've returned to a place where I was miserable and lived with people who saw me as little better than a monster. You know how that's like Gaara, how horrible an existence that can be."

He nodded in agreement and the furious aura retreated. "So you chose to join Akatsuki?"

I nodded a smile breaking out on my face. "I'm really happy Gaara! They treat me like an actual person and they're not really as bad as people make them out to be!"

"But they're making you kill people…"

"Konoha would have forced me to kill people. In Akatsuki I can choose not to," I explained to him. "I'm more free now than I ever was in the village."

I wanted to celebrate my victory when Gaara sighed in defeat. "But what of the other bijuu and jinchiuuriki?"

"We've stopped pursuing them now that Naruto is one of us. I believe that even if we were to gain the power necessary to extract and seal the Kyuubi, none of the members would be willing to do it. We're all too attached to him." Itachi answered. I don't know if it was a good thing or not that he left out how if anyone tried to extract the Kyuubi that he would kill them without hesitation.

"I see. Then I'll make sure that Sunagakure no longer gets in the Akatsuki's way, though I will hold off on ending the truce between Sand and Leaf until the most opportune time."

"Eh?" That last part caught me off guard. "Why break the truce?"

"I do not wish to be connected to a village that is going to be led by a traitor."

"I still don't know what you mean…"

"He's talking about the Hokage in-training," Kankurou spoke for the first time. "It seems that the next Hokage is going to be none other than Uchiha Sasuke."


End file.
