Veil of Darkness | Yan! Itachi x Reader |

Chapter 10

Y/N’s life had become a maze of carefully placed steps, every turn leading her back to him. It wasn’t obvious at first. No, Itachi was too smart for that. His control was subtle, woven into the fabric of her daily routine in ways she couldn’t see until it was too late. By the time she realized what was happening, it was already too late to pull away.

It started with small things. She had been sitting near the back of the classroom for weeks, trying to maintain a distance from him after everything that had happened. But one day, when she arrived to class, her usual seat was taken. Not by another student, but by one of the classroom assistants. Y/N frowned, hesitating for a moment as she scanned the room.

Itachi was already there, standing at the front of the room, his eyes locked on her the moment she stepped through the door. He didn’t say anything, didn’t even make a gesture, but she felt it. That pull. The invisible thread connecting them, drawing her toward him.

There was only one seat available. At the front. Right in front of him.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she walked toward it, her body moving on autopilot. She could feel his eyes on her the entire time, like a heavy weight pressing down on her, suffocating and thrilling her all at once. She sat down, her hands trembling as she placed her books on the desk.

The class began as usual, but Y/N couldn’t focus. She couldn’t even hear what Itachi was saying—his voice was a low hum in the background, almost like white noise. All she could think about was how close he was, how his presence seemed to dominate the entire room.

And then she felt it.

His hand, brushing ever so slightly against her shoulder as he passed by. It was so quick, so subtle, that no one else would have noticed. But Y/N did. She froze, her heart skipping a beat as a rush of heat flooded her body. She told herself it was nothing, that she was overreacting, but deep down, she knew it wasn’t an accident.

He was testing her.

The days that followed blurred together, each one bringing her deeper into his web. He began to exert control in ways she hadn’t expected. First, it was her assignments. She had always been a good student, but now, her grades were fluctuating wildly. One day, she’d receive an A on an assignment she had barely worked on. The next, she’d get a C on something she had spent hours perfecting.

It didn’t make sense.

Y/N found herself staying after class more often, desperate for answers. She needed to know why her work was being graded so erratically. Itachi would always meet her questions with the same calm, measured tone, his dark eyes piercing through her like he could see into the very core of her soul.

“You’re distracted,” he would say, his voice smooth as silk, making her shiver. “Your focus has been slipping.”

“I don’t understand,” Y/N stammered one day, her frustration boiling over. “I’m doing the work. I’m putting in the time.”

Itachi leaned forward, his gaze never leaving hers. “Maybe the problem isn’t the work. Maybe the problem is where your mind is when you’re doing it.”

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat. His words lingered in the air, heavy with meaning. He wasn’t talking about the assignments anymore, and she knew it. But what could she say? How could she respond to that without admitting the truth? That she was constantly thinking about him? That his presence consumed her thoughts, whether she wanted it to or not?

She said nothing, and that silence was all he needed.

---

It wasn’t just the grades, though. It was everything.

Itachi began to control the small details of her life in ways she couldn’t escape. She found herself sitting in the same spot every day, the seat directly in front of him. No one else seemed to notice, but Y/N knew. She knew that seat was meant for her, that it was all part of his plan to keep her close, to keep her under his watchful eye.

And every day, she found herself more drawn to him. It wasn’t just fear anymore. It was something darker, something she couldn’t quite name. The way he looked at her made her feel... seen. Like no one else had ever truly noticed her before. Like she was the only person in the room when he was around.

It was intoxicating.

One evening, after a particularly grueling class, Y/N stayed behind once again. She hadn’t meant to. She had planned to leave right away, to put as much distance between herself and Itachi as possible. But something kept her there, kept her rooted to the spot as the other students filed out.

Itachi didn’t look up right away, his eyes focused on the papers in front of him. Y/N hesitated at the door, her hand on the knob, ready to leave. But then he spoke, his voice low and smooth, sending a chill down her spine.

“Y/N.”

She froze. How did he always know when she was there? She hadn’t made a sound, hadn’t done anything to draw attention to herself. But he always knew.

“Come here,” he said, his tone more of a command than a request.

Her feet moved before her brain could catch up, her body drawn to him like a moth to a flame. She hated how easily she responded to him, how powerless she felt in his presence. But at the same time... she craved it.

She stopped in front of his desk, her heart pounding in her chest as she stared down at him. He looked up slowly, his dark eyes locking onto hers with that same intense gaze that made her knees weak.

“Is there something you need?” His voice was soft, but there was an edge to it that sent shivers down her spine.

Y/N swallowed, her throat dry. She hadn’t planned on staying. She hadn’t planned on talking to him. But now that she was here, she couldn’t bring herself to leave.

“I just... wanted to talk about my grades,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Itachi’s lips curled into a small, knowing smile. “Your grades are fine. You’re overthinking it.”

Y/N frowned. “But they’ve been so inconsistent—”

“It’s not your grades you’re worried about,” he interrupted, his voice dropping to a low murmur. “It’s me.”

Y/N’s heart skipped a beat. The air between them felt charged, heavy with unspoken tension. She opened her mouth to protest, to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come.

Itachi stood, moving around the desk with a predatory grace that made her pulse race. He stopped just in front of her, so close she could feel the heat of his body, smell the faint scent of his cologne. Her breath hitched in her throat as he reached out, his fingers brushing against her arm.

“You don’t need to be afraid,” he murmured, his voice smooth as silk. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Y/N’s body betrayed her, leaning into his touch despite the warning bells going off in her head. She should be afraid. She should be running. But instead, she was standing there, frozen, unable to tear herself away from him.

His hand slid up her arm, his touch gentle but possessive, like he was claiming her. “You belong to me now,” he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear.

Y/N’s knees buckled, and she had to grab the edge of the desk to steady herself. She knew she should pull away, but something deep inside her didn’t want to. The darkness in his words, in his touch, was intoxicating. It was wrong, and she knew it—but she liked it.

She liked the way he made her feel. Like she was the only person in the world that mattered. Like he would do anything to protect her, to keep her.

Even if it meant destroying everything else in her life.

Itachi’s control over Y/N’s life tightened with each passing day, but instead of fighting it, she found herself sinking deeper into the web he had spun around her. He was everywhere, in every part of her life. Her grades, her seat in class, even the way people looked at her when she was with him. It was all part of his plan.

And the worst part?

She didn’t want him to stop.