Veil of Darkness | Yan! Itachi x Reader |

Chapter 7

The evening sky hung low over the campus, a heavy blanket of grey clouds swallowing the last remnants of sunlight. Y/N had lingered too long at the library, buried under a mountain of books and assignments. Now, the campus was nearly empty, the usual bustle of students and faculty long gone. The only sound was the distant hum of streetlights flickering to life and the faint rustle of wind through the trees.

Y/N pulled her jacket tighter around her, quickening her pace as she crossed the quad. There was an eerie stillness to the place at this hour, one that set her nerves on edge. Her footsteps echoed in the silence, the only noise in the desolate expanse of the university grounds.

Why didn’t I leave earlier? she thought, her heart beating a little faster with each step. The library had felt like a safe haven, a place where she could immerse herself in work and drown out the creeping unease that had been haunting her for days. But now that she was alone, that familiar sensation was back—the feeling that she wasn’t really alone. That someone was watching.

She shook her head, trying to dispel the paranoia. But it clung to her, like a dark cloud hovering just out of sight.

She made her way down a narrow path that cut through a secluded part of the campus, a shortcut she had taken a hundred times before. The trees lining the path cast long shadows, their twisted branches reaching out like skeletal hands. Y/N picked up her pace, her eyes scanning the area out of habit, though she told herself there was nothing to worry about.

But then, she saw him.

Itachi stood at the far end of the path, his figure half-shrouded in darkness. The sight of him stopped her in her tracks, her heart lurching in her chest. He stood there, motionless, as if waiting for her.

Her breath caught in her throat. Of all the people she could’ve run into tonight, it had to be him.

She hadn’t seen him since the last class. Hadn’t wanted to. Every interaction with him left her feeling uneasy, his presence heavy and suffocating in ways she couldn’t explain. And yet, here he was, in the last place she expected to see him.

As if he had been waiting.

“Professor?” Her voice came out more uncertain than she intended, wavering slightly as the word hung in the air.

Itachi’s eyes locked onto hers, dark and intense as ever. His lips curled into the faintest hint of a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. No, his eyes were focused on her with a burning intensity that made her skin crawl.

“Y/N.” His voice was smooth, almost casual, but there was an edge to it. Something that sent a chill racing down her spine.

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to take a few cautious steps forward. She couldn’t just stand there, frozen under his gaze, but her instincts screamed at her to stay the fuck away.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, trying to sound casual, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her.

Itachi took a step closer, his movements slow and deliberate. The shadows seemed to cling to him, wrapping around him like a cloak. He was calm, composed, but there was something about the way he looked at her that set her nerves on fire.

“I could ask you the same question,” he said, his eyes never leaving her face. “It’s late, and this part of campus is… isolated.”

There was a strange undertone to his words, one that made Y/N’s pulse quicken. She forced herself to meet his gaze, even though it felt like staring into the abyss. “I was studying. Lost track of time.”

Itachi nodded, taking another step closer, closing the distance between them. His gaze softened, but not in a way that comforted her. If anything, it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

“And here I thought you were avoiding me,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Y/N’s breath hitched. His words were so casual, yet there was an unmistakable weight behind them. Avoiding him? Was he serious? She hadn’t even spoken to him outside of class. The last thing she wanted was to draw his attention any more than she already had.

“I—no, I haven’t—” she stammered, trying to find the right words, but they wouldn’t come.

Itachi tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes studying her with an intensity that made her want to shrink away. “There’s no need to lie, Y/N. I know when someone’s avoiding me.”

He took another step closer, and this time, she took a step back, her heart pounding so loudly she swore he could hear it. Her back hit the rough bark of a tree, and she realized too late that she was trapped. There was nowhere else to go.

Itachi stopped a few feet in front of her, his gaze boring into hers. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating, and Y/N had to fight the urge to run. But where would she go? He was too close, and the path behind him was deserted. She was alone with him, and there was no one around to hear her if she screamed.

“I’ve been watching you,” he said, his voice low, almost hypnotic. “You’ve noticed, haven’t you?”

Her stomach twisted. The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. I’ve been watching you. The dreams. The uneasy feeling she couldn’t shake. It had been him all along.

The realization hit her like a punch to the gut, and she felt her throat tighten. She wanted to deny it, to pretend that this was all some terrible misunderstanding, but the look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know.

It wasn’t paranoia. It wasn’t all in her head.

Itachi had been watching her. Following her.

The air between them seemed to thicken, charged with a dark energy that made Y/N’s heart race even faster. She opened her mouth to speak, to ask him *why*, but the words wouldn’t come.

Itachi stepped closer, his voice barely a whisper now. “I’ve been watching you for a while, Y/N. You’re... different from the others.”

His eyes flickered with something dangerous, something possessive, and Y/N felt her breath catch in her throat. There was no mistaking it now. This wasn’t some innocent crush. This wasn’t admiration. This was obsession.

“You don’t belong in the shadows,” he continued, his voice smooth as silk, but laced with something far more sinister. “You belong to me.”

Y/N’s pulse raced, her mind spinning as she tried to process his words. Belong to him? The very idea sent a cold shiver down her spine. She had to get out of here, had to put distance between them, but her body refused to move. It was as though his presence had paralyzed her, trapping her in place.

Itachi’s hand moved toward her, his fingers brushing her cheek with the same calculated tenderness that had haunted her since that day in his office. But this time, it felt different. This time, there was no mistaking the dark intent behind his touch.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” he murmured, his voice soft, but dripping with certainty. “You can’t deny it, Y/N. You’re drawn to me.”

His fingers trailed down her jaw, sending a jolt of electricity through her body. Y/N clenched her fists, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps as she fought to keep herself grounded. She wanted to scream, to push him away, but the words died in her throat.

“I—” she choked out, her voice barely audible.

Itachi leaned in closer, his breath warm against her skin. “Don’t fight it. You know what this is.”

His eyes gleamed with something dark, something dangerous, and Y/N felt the last remnants of control slip away.