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Of Silver Linings and Blue Yonder	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 18517 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or make any profit of it. Kishimoto owns it

Chapter List
- 34
- 35
- 36
Author's note: First of all: many apologies for not updating sooner. I know it's been quite a while since I last added a chapter to this story, but I've been busy with my studies, original projects and fics with an every two weeks deadline. I'll try to have the next one out sooner!
Second of all: this particular chapter is dedicated to RedCeleste, because it's her birthday today! Happy birthday!
Warnings: Set in the past, right after the birth of Akihito; drama; a bit of angst; Sasuke's pov
I hope you'll like it!
Chapter 35
"So, have you heard anything yet of your head of the department – what's his name again? That weirdo?" Suigetsu frowned, tilting back his bottle of beer to take another swig out of it, stretching out further onto the couch.
"Zetsu, you mean?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, briefly looking up from his notes.
Suigetsu grinned and pointed at him, nearly dropping his bottle. "That's the one! So, have you heard of him yet?"
"No, I haven't," the dark haired man replied curtly, staring down at his paper with a frown.
It had been a week since he had helped his brother's mate give birth – literally helping him as Mizuki had turned out to be an incompetent bastard. Despite not being allowed to assist during deliveries, he had stepped in when he had noticed the birth going dreadfully wrong. He knew he had risked getting kicked out of the course for going out of line like that, but had he had any other choice? If he hadn't stopped Mizuki, Deidara would most likely have ended up with tearing and his baby injured or even dead.
Risking getting kicked out or losing his nephew due to his sensei's incompetence … The choice had been quickly made. He and Itachi might not have been on the best terms before – what they now were was something he hadn't contemplated yet – but he didn't deserve to lose his child.
The day after the birth Sasuke had gone to Zetsu, the head of the department, to inform him of what had happened. The sooner the man had heard his version of the events the better, because Sasuke wasn't naïve enough to think that Mizuki would just remain quiet about this case. No, given how arrogant he had been even when his mistake had been pointed out, it was more likely the older Alpha would attempt to shift all the blame onto Sasuke.
"Is that good or bad news?" Suigetsu mused aloud, staring up at the ceiling.
Sasuke shrugged, turning over the page in his book. "How should I know? Guess I'll have to wait and find out," he retorted annoyed. He didn't want to admit it, but Zetsu's radio silence was setting him on edge. Perhaps a week wasn't long enough yet to start worrying, but he would like to know as soon as possible just how fucked he was by making the decision he had.
"Change of subject then," the purple-eyed man decided, tapping his finger against his lip. His unnaturally sharp teeth flashed when he inquired, "So still getting harassed by your psycho ex?"
His answer was Sasuke's heavy textbook flying straight at his face. Suigetsu was quick enough to block the book with his arms and while the impact must have hurt, he snickered, sitting up. He dumped the book on the table and leant forwards; his nearly empty bottle dangling between his legs. His eyes glinted when he smirked, "Not a good subject either?"
"Get the fuck out of my apartment before I shove that bottle through your throat," Sasuke stated flatly and gazed at the other man coldly; his fingers gripping his notebook tighter.
Suigetsu laughed, but raised his hands in defeat. He placed the beer bottle on the table and stood up. "Don't get your panties twisted, Uchiha. I'm going." He left the apartment snickering; Sasuke's glare burning a hole in his back.
Not for the first time Sasuke wondered how the hell he had ever become friends with that idiot.
The next couple of days passed by in a flurry of classes, assignments, one test and assisting Tsunade – a busty, blonde woman who took shit from no one; something she had made abundantly clear when he assisted her on his first day. He managed to keep his head on straight whenever it was necessary, but late at night when the bustle of classes was done for the day and he had finished his assignments, he couldn't help but worry in the back of his mind what Mizuki was potentially planning.
He very much doubted the man would leave it at that – not after being embarrassed by a mere student at a client's home. But what more could he do aside from giving his version of the events? Only wait and pray they wouldn't kick him out of the course.
Needless to say his nights were quite restless.
He was just leaving his last class on Friday, already going over the chapters he needed to read and that one report he needed to complete for Tsunade before next Thursday, when a dark red haired girl popped up in front of him, chewing her gum obnoxiously loud as she held out a hand to stop him.
"Uchiha-san?"
"That's me," he confirmed, watching her with a frown. Please don't let her ask me out on a date, he thought dismayed, already silently gearing himself up to reject her. Since his break-up with Sakura, several girls – and even some boys – had grabbed their chance to ask him out and it was becoming quite aggravating. Especially because he wasn't interested in any of them.
"Zetsu-sensei asked me to tell you your presence is required at his office," she told him bored, flipping her curly hair over her shoulders; her scent informing him she was a Beta. "Didn't tell me why, only that. Good luck with whatever he needs from you." She offered him a sympathetic look before turning around the corner.
Instantly lead seemed to fill his stomach, drowning the relief he felt at not being asked out, and he swallowed with difficulty; his fingers tightening around the strap of his satchel. For a moment he stood frozen like a statue in the middle of the hallway; students pouring out of the rooms and into the hallway like a river, their chatter jarringly loud around him.
There could only be one reason why Zetsu was asking for him.
Taking a deep breath, he turned around and made his way to Zetsu's office, grinding his teeth together whenever someone roughly bumped into him. There was ringing in his ears and his palms felt stupidly clammy when he walked around the corner and the office came in view. He paused in front of the door, taking a moment to steady himself; the noise of people talking dying out as they either left the building or entered new rooms. He raised his head and knocked on the door; the sound echoing loudly in his ears.
"Enter," Zetsu's voice rang out, muffled through the wood.
When Sasuke entered, he was instantly greeted with a smugly smirking Mizuki, waiting next to Zetsu's desk. The sight of him alone was enough to set his teeth on edge and he barely resisted the urge to curl his hands into fists. Not wanting to give the other man the satisfaction of a reaction, he glanced away from the Alpha and looked at Zetsu, who was sitting behind his desk; his yellow eyes staring at Sasuke unfathomably.
"You called for me, Zetsu-sensei?" Sasuke asked politely, halting in front of him.
"Yes, indeed," Zetsu said, folding his hands on top of some papers. His moss green hair shone dully in the light of the lamp. "First, my apologies for taking so long to review the events which took place at the residence of Uchiha-san. It's a delicate situation, which required extensive reviewing."
Sasuke nodded, linking his hands behind his back, so neither one of the older men would notice the slight tremble going through them. He was aware of the heavy gaze resting on him, but he refused to meet it; focusing his attention solely on the man in front of him.
Zetsu pursed his lips before uttering a soft sigh, placing his hands flatly on the papers. "Taking into account both yours and Mizuki-san's stories, I've come to a decision. I'm sorry, but Uchiha-san, you are hereby removed from the course and will no longer be able to attend the rest of your classes or graduate."
There was nothing but ringing in his ears first, blocking out all other sounds as he stared stumped at Zetsu. He saw the man's mouth moving, but none of the words filtered through. This couldn't be true, right? Sure, he had broken one rule, but Mizuki had nearly fucked up the delivery! If Sasuke hadn't stepped in, Deidara and his baby would have been in serious trouble.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't understand," Sasuke cut off Zetsu's rambling, who stared at him surprised. Heart racing like mad in his chest, as if he was running a marathon, he continued, "Why am I getting kicked out of the course? I'm aware I shouldn't have interfered, but if I hadn't, the both of them could have been in serious distress, with the baby potentially dying!"
Mizuki sighed loudly, rolling his eyes up at the ceiling, as he waved his hand at Sasuke, who bristled in return. "See what I meant, Zetsu-san? He refuses to acknowledge he was out of line and - "
"The only reason I was out of line was because you couldn't be arsed to do your job right!" Sasuke snapped back angrily, taking a step towards the bastard. "If it hadn't been for me, they would have - "
"That's enough, Uchiha-san," Zetsu interrupted him. His voice was soft, but hard and Sasuke froze. "You're no longer a student at this university. Please leave now or I'll have you escorted outside."
Sasuke stood there for a moment longer, trembling in fury as he imagined punching the smug look off of that son of a bitch's face. Mizuki faltered for a few seconds, feeling the oppressive aura of the enraged Alpha, but Sasuke whirled around and left.
Telling himself a prison sentence wouldn't be worth smashing that guy's face in.
The sky was already dusted a light purple with a faint orange hint when the door to his apartment was opened and he stumbled inside, dropping his bag right next to the entrance. He kicked the door shut and stood there for a moment in the dim apartment before kicking off his shoes aggressively, letting them thump against the wall.
Making his way further into the apartment, he didn't bother turning on the light and instead made a beeline for his couch. He dropped down in it and buried his face into his hands; fingers digging in his hair and clenching around the black strands. His breathing was harsh and loud in the otherwise silent place and he stared down blankly at the carpet.
What the fuck was he supposed to do now? What the hell …
He had worked so fucking hard to become a doctor! The moment he had made his resolve, he hadn't looked back and had done everything in his power to succeed. He was so close, this close to finally graduating and setting up his own practice. He would help everyone who needed him, but especially Omega, giving them a place where they could be assured they would be treated right.
Be a doctor who wouldn't treat them like that sorry piece of shit who had called himself Konan's doctor had done.
He had turned his back on his family's expectations, had had several fights with his older brother and had been nearly disowned by his own father, all because he had followed his dreams. All because he had dared to stand on his own two feet and defy their expectations.
And what did he have to show for his defiance now? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Mizuki had made sure of that.
His dream had been in reach, he had been so close to touching it and hauling it in, and now he was left with nothing.
Kicked out of the course just because he had dared to stand up against his teacher. Booted out of the university because he hadn't been able to watch his brother-in-law and nephew suffering at the hands of that incompetent bastard.
Shit, what was he going to do now?
He took a shuddering breath and watched listlessly how two drops of water fell down on the carpet and became absorbed by it. He was crying.
He couldn't remember the last time he had cried and he clenched his eyes tightly shut, rubbing briskly over his face. He was pathetic, crying just because he had been kicked out of the course, but …
He had worked so hard for his dream. Had spent night after night, day after day behind his books, making sure never to miss a class if he could help it. Had been consistently at the top with every test, every exam. For fuck's sake, he had even managed to get accepted by Tsunade as her student, which very few people managed to accomplish!
But now he had nothing anymore. His dream like smoke escaping through his fingers and he was left to watch as it dissipated in the air, leaving nothing behind.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
He slammed his fist on the couch, screaming through clenched teeth and a blurry vision. One of his neighbours knocked loudly on the wall, yelling at him to knock it off, and he shot up, ready to shout back at them, when his pocket suddenly vibrated and he started.
Snatching his phone out of his pocket, he stared at the screen, watching how Itachi's name kept flashing up as his mobile vibrated and rang in his hand.
Hastily he rubbed his hand over his eyes and cheeks, taking deep breaths to calm down. Once he was sure he was composed – or as composed as he could be at the moment – he accepted the call and lifted his phone to his ear. "Yeah, Itachi?"
"I figured since it's Friday evening, you would have some time to catch up a bit," Itachi said; his voice smooth and deep as always, though there was a hint of exhaustion lingering in it.
"Eh, yeah. How are Deidara and Akihito doing?" Itachi had texted him his nephew's name the day after he had assisted with the birth, sounding elated even in the message.
"They're doing fine," the older Alpha replied and there was no mistaking the pride warming his voice. "Deidara had his check-up a couple of days ago and there aren't any complications. Akihito has been keeping us up for the past week, but well, that's to be expected I suppose."
"I don't hear him crying now," Sasuke remarked, sitting back down on the couch and running his free hand through his hair. They had had one phone call last week, which had been cut short when Akihito had kept on wailing, clearly disliking not having his father's attention on him.
"That's because he ran out of energy and fell asleep," Itachi explained dryly. There was a pause before he asked in a neutral voice, "How are you studies coming along?"
Sasuke stiffened, his hand clenching into a fist on his thigh, and he breathed out slowly. "They're coming along, you know. Like always," he said, forcing himself to sound light-hearted.
"Did something happen?" Itachi suddenly questioned sharply.
"What? No, nothing happened! Why would something have happened?" Sasuke protested, squashing down the panic which threatened to bubble up.
"You sound off," his brother answered suspiciously. "Sasuke, what happened?" he demanded, voice hard and unreeling.
"Nothing, all right? Sorry, but I have an assignment which really needs to be finished," the younger Alpha stated abruptly and hung up before Itachi could say anything else. He gazed at the bright lit screen for a few seconds before silencing it and tossing it on the table and curling up in a corner of the couch.
He knew he couldn't keep it a secret forever that he had been kicked out of the university, but the wound was too raw now. He just needed a few more days to come to terms with it and figure out what the hell he was going to do now.
He just needed some time.
He must have dozed off, because when he opened his eyes next, his living room was darker than before; the only light coming from the moon half hidden behind some clouds, casting a silver sheen across the floor.
There was someone at his door, fiddling with the lock.
Awareness flooded over him instantly and he shot up; his eyes immediately going towards the kitchen where some large, sharp knives were kept in the drawer. Jumping off the couch, he ran into his kitchen and pulled open the drawer roughly, snatching a long knife out of it. The metal blade caught the moonlight, rebounding it.
None of his friends had a key to his apartment – that would have only spelt disaster in Suigetsu's case – and they would have texted him or called him to let him know they were coming over.
Tightening his grip around the knife's handle, he waited in tense silence around the kitchen corner, hidden from sight to anyone entering his apartment. The sound of the door being unlocked broke through the silence and then the door swung open, flooding the entrance with the artificial, orange light from the hallway.
Raising the knife slightly, Sasuke waited and –
"Sasuke? Where are you?"
Sasuke's shoulders sagged and his breath escaped him in a huge 'whoosh' as he put the knife down on the counter. "What the hell are you doing here, Itachi?" he groaned, leaving the kitchen and entering Itachi's sight. "And how the fuck did you even get in here? I didn't give you a key." He gazed at the older man suspiciously.
Itachi raised an eyebrow and closed the door after flicking on the light, making Sasuke wince at the sudden influx of brightness. "Picked the lock," he replied casually and Sasuke gaped at him. Since when did his brother know how to pick locks?
"As for why I'm here," Itachi paused and narrowed his eyes. "You sounded strange on the phone and I wanted to know what was going on. You didn't pick up your phone anymore, so I decided to come over."
"Did you ever think that my not picking up the phone was a sign that I didn't want to talk to you?" Sasuke retorted sarcastically, even if he felt more at ease now that it wasn't some stranger breaking in into his apartment.
"Yes, but not when you sound that odd," Itachi said determined, taking a couple of steps closer. "What's wrong?"
Sasuke scoffed, walking back to the couch. "Nothing's wrong, like I told you already," he said irritated. "I'm just busy with classes, that's all."
"Sasuke, you can't lie for shit to me," Itachi stated bluntly and came so close he was practically cornering his younger brother against the couch. He snatched Sasuke's wrist when the Alpha took a step back in an attempt to put some distance between them. Dark eyes regarded him intently when Itachi said, "Tell me."
"Seriously, Itachi, nothing's - "
"Otouto."
That one word, that one simple word, cracked something inside of him and he quivered, his eyes starting to sting once more with the threat of hot tears. He didn't want to tell his brother, not like this, not when he was so stupidly fragile, not when …
"They kicked me out of the university," he admitted, his voice small and choked up as a lump formed in his throat.
Silence stretched between them before Itachi pushed him gently down on the couch and sank down next to him. "Tell me everything," he ordered softly, taking up the big brother role like there had never been any arguments between them.
Sasuke did; the quiet strength and presence of his brother next to him pulling the words out of him. He told him about his first meeting with Zetsu to explain what had happened during the delivery, and the long wait, before he had been called back today and was told he could no longer attend the classes.
When he was finished, he fell silent for a moment, feeling oddly empty and his head light. "I'm sure Mizuki twisted the whole story, but I can't do anything about it," he said bitterly, rubbing angrily at the stray tears dripping down his cheeks.
"You maybe not, but I can," Itachi said calmly; the first words he had spoken since Sasuke had broken down and confessed what had happened. "I was planning to sue him anyway, but I got distracted by Akihito and Deidara." He sounded chagrined when he admitted that.
Sasuke shook his head, sitting up straight. "Look, don't worry about it, all right?" he said exhausted, running his hands across his damp and heated face. "I'll figure something out."
"Sasuke, let me help," Itachi sighed.
"I'm not a little kid anymore who you need to help, Itachi!" Sasuke lashed out; shame curling up inside of him at having let himself go like that in front of his older brother. He was twenty-one, for fuck's sake. There had been no reason to break down like that!
Strong, slender fingers gripped his chin and turned his head around so he was forced to look straight into his brother's patient face. "No, but you're still my little brother," Itachi murmured. "Let me help, Otouto."
Sasuke's breathing hitched and he closed his eyes; a lonely tear escaping down his cheek. He was pulled into a hug and he went willingly; his brother's familiar scent covering him like a cloak and soothing him like it had always done.
"It'll be all right. I'll make sure of it," Itachi promised in his hair.
Sasuke's fingers tightened into Itachi's immaculate shirt, wrinkling it. Itachi had never broken a promise before, he remembered. He rested his head against Itachi's shoulder and nodded.
Trusting his older brother to make everything right again.
Sasuke didn't know what Itachi had done. The older Alpha had only told him he would take care of things before leaving the apartment that Friday night after staying for a while with his brother.
The entire weekend had been spent mostly lounging around in his apartment, doing his reading and assignment in an attempt to distract himself. He didn't even know why he had bothered to keep up with his studies now that he had been kicked off the course. Itachi had promised him everything would be all right, though, and that had been reason enough for him to open his textbook at the right chapter and start reading it.
He and his brother might have their differences, but the older man had never broken a promise he made with Sasuke. Never.
On Monday morning he woke up to an e-mail of the dean, explaining that an error had occurred and he was enrolled once more without any further issues with his credits.
Still staring at the e-mail – he had even double checked to make certain it hadn't been some kind of prank – he picked up his phone and pressed Itachi's number in.
His older brother picked up immediately, despite the fact he must have already been in his office at this hour. "Yes, Sasuke?"
"I'm enrolled again," Sasuke informed him; his eyes gliding over the lines in the mail. "They said it was an error and that there are not going to be any further issues with my credits."
"That's good to hear," Itachi said approvingly. "You can start your classes again without falling behind."
"Yeah," Sasuke said slowly, clicking the e-mail away. "What did you do?"
The other Alpha hummed. "Just took care of it like I said I would," he replied smoothly. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for class?"
Dark eyes chanced a quick look at the clock of his laptop. "Yeah, you're right," he admitted and hesitated for a few seconds, biting down on his lip. "Thanks, Itachi-niisan," he said softly.
"You're welcome, Otouto," Itachi said warmly and Sasuke thought that the first stone in the barrier between them had been taken down.
They said their goodbyes and Sasuke went into his bathroom to take a shower, ready to start his first class of the day.
Mizuki didn't show up anymore for the rest of the semester and rumours went around that he had received several lawsuits for malpractice and had been forced to quit his job. Zetsu was also suspiciously absent, replaced by Tsunade until the university found a replacement.
Sasuke couldn't care less about what had happened to them. He was back on track to graduating soon and fulfilling his dream; that was all that mattered to him.
That and having his brother back, even if the road to completely tearing down the walls was still long.
They'd get there, though. He was sure of that.
AN2: I have to confess it was quite odd to slip into this particular universe again after weeks of writing nothing but Crossing Boundaries LOL So if the writing feels a bit off at some points, my apologies!
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me!
See you all in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
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Of Silver Linings and Blue Yonder