So much to do, so much to see

Fandom:Naruto
Characters: Hayate and Itachi
Summary: On the night of the Uchiha massacre, Hayate sees a faceless demon on his porch.
Notes: Itachi and Hayate are a blast for me to write. I love them both dearly.

Weeping Demons

Hayate never thought he'd see an ANBU cry.

He did, that late night. Hayate felt cold, though he swore the night was warm. He looked at the blood flecked appiration on his porch and his blood froze. There were soft, red foot prints on the porch, just dark marks in the flickering light of the candle Hayate clutched in his numbed hands, but Hayate knew they were made of blood.

The faceless ANBU mask turned towards Hayate slowly. It was unreal, almost like a screaming nightmare from Hayate's childhood. The bloody ANBU made Hayate feel like a child again. He wanted to go hide under his covers from one of Konoha's demons. Hayate was a ninja, fully trained and deadly, but he could only stand and stare at the ANBU, clucthing his candle.

Then Hayate saw the silver tears trailing out from under the mask. He saw the quiver of the naked shoulders, and heave of the armored chest. The ANBU was crying. The demon of the night was almost sobbing on Hayate's porch, and suddenly the faceless mask looked lost and wretched.

Hayate breathed, and he realized how small the ANBU was. He saw an inky fall of black hair, and the bangs stuck in the tacky blood on the mask. He saw the thin little hands gloved in black. He knew the straight carriage of the head, the careful hold of the shoulders, the careful dignity of it all. Hayate exhaled, and with that breath a name passed his lips.

"Itachi."

That breath blew the ANBU away into the night, black ponytail snapping out behind him as he left. Hayate stared at the bloody footprints on his porch, and felt the drying blood with his fingers to assure himself it had been real.

The next day Hayate heard about the Uchiha massacre, and wondered if a heartless killer should cry.