WHISPERS OF DARK DESIRES || ITASASU

Chapter Four: Like breaking a dam

The sun was already high in the sky by the time Itachi and Sasuke made their way to the clearing—a stark contrast to their usual early-morning training sessions. The air was crisp, the world seemingly untouched by the tension that simmered between the brothers. But despite the idyllic surroundings, there was an edge to the atmosphere, a weight that neither of them could shake. It had been there since the night before, festering in the silence, growing more suffocating with every passing moment.

Itachi moved with the same calculated precision he always did, his eyes sharp and focused. But beneath that calm exterior, he couldn't ignore the hesitation he'd noticed in Sasuke, the way his younger brother's movements had become more cautious, more restrained. It wasn't like Sasuke to hold back—especially not against him. And yet, there it was: that brief flicker of doubt, the split-second pauses whenever their sparring brought them too close. Itachi didn't need to read Sasuke's mind to know what was causing it—he could see it in the way Sasuke's Sharingan wavered, in the uncertainty that darkened his gaze.

They squared off in the center of the clearing, the tension between them crackling like electricity. The world outside their bubble faded away, leaving only the rush of blood in their ears, the sharp sound of their breathing, and the silent promises of violence hanging between them.

"Don't hold back," Itachi warned, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. His Sharingan was already active, spinning slowly as he watched Sasuke's every move, looking for any opening, any sign of weakness. "Hesitation will get you killed."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his own Sharingan blazing to life. "Don't lecture me." But even as he said the words, his body betrayed him. His movements were just a fraction slower than usual, his strikes lacking the full force they usually carried. He was second-guessing himself—questioning every attack, every moment where the distance between them closed too much.

Itachi deflected a strike with ease, his gaze never leaving Sasuke's. He could see the conflict written all over his brother's face—the war between the instincts he'd honed for years and the turmoil that had taken root in his heart. When Sasuke moved in for another attack, Itachi stopped mid-counter, freezing for just a moment. That split-second was all it took for Sasuke to hesitate again, his momentum faltering.

"Enough," Itachi said, the word sharp and cutting. He straightened, lowering his guard, his eyes narrowing in frustration. "You're holding back. In a real fight, this would be the moment you die. What's wrong with you?"

Sasuke's chest heaved as he stood there, fists clenched, eyes blazing with a mix of anger and something deeper, something darker. "You really want to know what's wrong with me?" His voice was strained, barely holding back the storm that had been raging inside him for weeks, maybe even longer. "You want to know what's been eating me alive?"

Itachi's expression remained impassive, but there was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. "Yes. Stop running from it. Face it."

That was the breaking point. The dam Sasuke had built, the walls he'd kept so carefully maintained, shattered in an instant. All the anger, the confusion, the desire that had been tearing him apart exploded out of him in one reckless, furious move.

Before Itachi could react, Sasuke closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, his Sharingan burning with a wild intensity. And then, without a moment's hesitation, Sasuke grabbed Itachi by the collar and yanked him forward, crushing their lips together in a fierce, desperate kiss.

The impact was hard, rough, laced with all the emotions Sasuke had tried so hard to bury—the anger, the frustration, the desire that had gnawed at him for so long. It wasn't gentle; it wasn't careful. It was raw, almost violent, a collision of everything he'd been holding back. His hands fisted in Itachi's cloak, pulling him closer, pouring every ounce of pent-up emotion into that one act.

For a split second, the world seemed to freeze. Time itself held its breath as the shock rippled through both of them. Sasuke's heart pounded in his chest, the taste of adrenaline sharp on his tongue as he pressed harder, not giving Itachi a chance to pull away, not giving himself a chance to second-guess what he was doing.

Itachi's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't pull back. Instead, he let Sasuke push, let him take whatever it was he needed from this—if only to see the truth behind it. The intensity of the kiss burned, stoked by the fire that had been simmering beneath the surface for too long. And beneath the anger, there was something else—something that had been building, growing more potent with each unspoken word, each lingering glance.

When Sasuke finally broke away, he was breathless, his chest heaving as if he'd run a marathon. But his gaze never wavered from Itachi's, searching for a reaction, for some sign that he wasn't the only one who felt it—the darkness, the pull, the hunger that refused to be silenced.

Itachi's face was unreadable, but his eyes held a smoldering intensity, his Sharingan still spinning slowly, as if processing what had just happened. "So that's what you've been hiding," he murmured, his voice low, almost contemplative. There was no mockery, no judgment—only a quiet acknowledgment of the truth that had been laid bare.

Sasuke's breath hitched, his resolve crumbling even further. "I don't know what this is," he admitted, his voice trembling with the weight of the confession. "But it's been driving me insane. I can't focus, I can't think straight. And every time you push me, every time you get too close—this is all I can think about."

Itachi's expression softened, but the intensity in his eyes never faded. He stepped closer, closing the distance between them once again, his hand reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair away from Sasuke's face. "You think this makes you weak?" he asked quietly, his voice laced with that same strange tenderness he'd shown before. "You think it's wrong because it doesn't fit into the narrative you've built for yourself? You're not alone in this, Sasuke. I see it too. I feel it too."

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock, a shudder running through him at the quiet admission. For a moment, the world seemed to tilt on its axis, everything he thought he knew shifting into something new, something terrifying and exhilarating all at once. "You... feel it too?"

Itachi's hand cupped Sasuke's cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over his skin. "I've felt it for a long time," he whispered, his voice barely audible, as if speaking the truth out loud might shatter the fragile moment between them. "But I waited for you to face it. You needed to see it for yourself—embrace it—before we could move forward."

Sasuke's chest tightened, the fire inside him flaring hotter as he leaned into Itachi's touch, his usual resistance melting away like snow in the sun. He was scared—terrified, even—of what this meant, of the abyss he'd been staring into for so long. But there was also a strange sense of relief in letting go, in finally admitting to the pull he'd been fighting against for so long.

"It's still dangerous," Sasuke murmured, his voice laced with both fear and longing. "If I let it consume me, I won't come back."

Itachi's gaze held his, unwavering, as he leaned in closer, their foreheads almost touching. "Then let it consume us both," he whispered, the words a promise, a challenge. "We can face the abyss together, Sasuke. We've been walking this path for years. There's no need for turning back now."

The air between them crackled with tension, thick and heavy with unspoken emotions. Sasuke's breath hitched as he felt the weight of Itachi's words settle into his bones, the reality of their situation sinking in. But for once, he didn't feel the need to run, to push Itachi away. Instead, he let himself fall into the pull between them, allowing the darkness to wrap around him, no longer resisting what had always been there.

And as the shadows deepened around them, the clearing became a sanctuary—an isolated world where the rules no longer applied, where they could finally confront what had been haunting them both.

For the first time, Sasuke wasn't afraid to fall.