Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Artist	By : emochickenbutt Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Itachi/Sasuke Views: 2684 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I do not make any money from writing this.

Chapter List
- 4
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No, I am not dead. yes, I suck at life so much that it was impossible to tell that I was working on this at all. given the absurd wait I've put you through (between real life and several characters suddenly popping up in the story even though I explained to them very clearly that they did not belong here) so let's just get this going.

***

“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to see you yesterday.”

“It’s fine.” Sasuke responded, waving off the apology. “Being busy sucks, but there’s no helping it.” His schoolwork had needed attention but it would have been worth skipping it to spend time with Itachi.

“I missed you for more than a week. I barely had time to sleep, much less a chance to contact you. I thought being back, I’d make it happen, but that didn’t work out like I thought it would.” He glanced at his companion, eyes narrowing as he judged the age of the bruises. These types of bruises don’t usually show up for a few days, but that didn’t stop him from feeling guilty that he hadn’t noticed the signs of their formation. The marks weren’t very dark, but it was clear that they had been made by fingers. “So what’s the story with those bruises on your neck?”

Self consciously, Sasuke touched the place where he knew the marks were, feeling only the slightest soreness. The bruises looked worse than they felt. “I did mean to tell you. You were falling asleep, remember? And then I went to silence my phone, and when I came back, you were out.” HE adjusted his scarf to cover the marks better.

Reluctantly, Itachi nodded. “Point.” His fingers tightened on the wheel in an attempt to channel his anger. Just the thought of someone wrapping their fingers around that pale throat made him wish he’d taken up martial arts in his spare time. “Are you really okay? How did it happen?” It just didn’t make sense why these things kept happening to him. A nasty twist in his gut reminded him that this could very well be his fault—his half-brother had been sent back right after he arrived, and the timing of the bruises was four or five days ago, which would fit within the possible timeline. Damn.

“Thursday night Kiba invited me to go with him and some of the other guys from class to this party, and I was tired, so I went upstairs to take a nap but while I was trying to sleep some guys I knew showed up.” He took a breath. “They were some of Juugo’s old buddies. They thought it’d be fun to mess with me.”

“And they tried to strangle you?” It sounded like the words were having a hard time leaving Itachi’s mouth. No wonder, when Sasuke noticed how tightly his jaw was clenched.

“They considered renewing Juugo’s scars, but apparently he’s getting out soon so they decided to leave that to him. Wanted to leave something on me though, something that proved they got to me.” His arms crisscrossed over his chest, fingers playing with the rough fabric of the seatbelt. Despite how he felt, his voice did not waver. “Anyway, we fought, I got away, but thanks to that incident, everyone at class knows all about it—well, and what they think happened between Juugo and me. They’ve got my name and they looked me up, and the obnoxious ones pity me while the more obnoxious ones hate me because they think—like Sakura’s roommate’s boyfriend said—that I’m only with you for your money and that I’m the worst thing for you.”

“But—!” Itachi began to say, then abruptly pulled into an empty lot where the old Laundromat used to be.

“What?” He turned his head, looking at the man in confusion for why they had stopped, made even more incomprehensible by the unreadable expression. Itachi’s unexpected actions tugged at emotions Sasuke let begin gathering dust, and his subconscious nervousness manifested itself in his fidgeting with his seatbelt buckle.

Itachi moved to face his boyfriend directly and paid no mind as he bumped his head on the ceiling; it was more important at that moment that he look Sasuke in the eye and hold his gaze. “I’m so sorry.”

“For what?”

“I know you’re not with me for my money—honestly, my funds are running out, but it’s not like we’ve discussed money very much at all. You’ve probably been the best person to come into my life, because since I’ve met you, I’ve felt different, and alive, and…” his hand found its way to the side of Sasuke's face, a reassuring warmth; “and on top of that, seeing the bond that can’t be severed between you and Naruto, though you’re unconnected by blood, has made me really think about how I handle my family.

“And I’m sorry that I wasn’t here when you needed me. That I couldn’t protect you. It’s possible that this is connected to my half-brother. After all, he was sent away somewhat disgracefully, or so mom told me, and even when father’s assistant talked with me when I picked her up, he said that Sai’s been acting strange, even for him.”

“It wasn’t him.” Sasuke shook his head a bit, unintentionally dislodging his boyfriend’s hand, causing it to fall from Sasuke's cheek and returning to the steering wheel, which his fingers gripped harshly. “No, these guys were getting revenge for what they thought I did to Juugo. It’s a completely separate issue from your half-brother.” Though now that he thought about it, he might as well share. “Speaking of, though, there were a couple notes in the mail—silly things, vague warnings, and I think that might have been him, but nothing’s happened. There’s no way you can blame yourself for not being here, either. Your mother needed you, and family should always come first.”

This didn’t seem to be the answer Itachi wanted, but he accepted it and gave him a peck on the lips before reentering the main road, heeding the time that blinked green on the radio screen.

Sasuke was catching onto Itachi's guilt complex by this point, so he elaborated. “You’re my boyfriend, not my bodyguard, it’s not like it’s your job to protect me, even if you’d like to, and if I do get hurt it’s not your fault unless it goes directly to you. None of this ‘indirectly, technical fault’ thing. You’re only responsible if you throw the punch.” There was a paradox here, and it was about time to address it. “You’ve said before that I remind you of your cat—that I’m someone who needs protecting, which I can’t deny completely. But, you also want me to fight. Except you can’t have both.”

“Why not? I want both.” He sounded like a man who was used to getting what he wanted, and the childishness of it almost made Sasuke giggle.

“If you’re protecting me, then I’m not doing anything on my own. But if I’m doing it all on my own, you aren’t protecting me from it all. We need to make this a partnership, you know? I *do* want to do things on my own—that’s why I got this job in the first place.” He paused, reflecting on the sort-of favor he was asking. “But if I can’t do it on my own, if I need help, I’d like to rely on you.”

“Of course,” Itachi answered, surprised. “There’s no shame in asking for help, and I’d love to be the one you turn to.” It was his turn to pause, and he thought over what Sasuke was suggesting. A compromise; he could live with that. Previous relationships were nowhere near this balanced, and he appreciated Sasuke all the more for it. “Partnership, hm? Then I won’t hesitate to ask you for help if I need it, either.”

“So we’re good, then.” He smiled in relief at the easy settling of their conflict. “And it’s not like there was any lasting damage from the other day, anyway.” Sasuke added, settling himself back into his seat.

“We’re good, but the rest of this situation isn’t. You could have gotten permanently hurt!” Itachi's frustration lessened his own, like a vicarious release.

“I guess… well, the semester is almost done, and then we won’t have to see these people ever again. Well, I won’t, anyway, so I’d rather end on good terms. Not that I’m forgiving them, but really, most people had nothing to do with it, and on Friday they just supported the few who actually were involved. Anyway, I’m sticking with you from now on, and we’ll watch out for each other.”

Sasuke smiled. “Not that it matters, but the fight this past weekend was four on one, so I’d say I’m not so terribly off as you thought.” He tried not to smirk, because given the atmosphere it just didn’t seem appropriate, but it was hard to squash it down. When they’d met Itachi had criticized his apparent lack of strength, yet who had been proven right?

It seemed that Itachi recalled the same words that Sasuke did. He powered through the pinkening of his cheeks at being proven wrong so thoroughly, diverting Sasuke. “Still, I’m sure Naruto wasn’t thrilled.”

“Ugh.” The whole weekend he’d felt Naruto’s frequent gaze, and they were the wary type of looks like when in the supermarket a child is told ‘no’ by a parent and all in the vicinity warily watch for the start of a screaming emotional breakdown. Even at his lowest point, Sasuke had never been that bad; at least Naruto tried for subtlety. “I was a bit worried that he’d never let me leave the house again. At least I know he was kidding about going with me wherever I went.” He felt this was enough discussion about his problems, however, and he wanted to verify Kiba’s story anyhow. “Completely unrelated, but I heard an interesting story about your first day of class.”

The older man groaned and gave him a side glance. “Oh, of course you did. No matter who you heard it from, I’m sure it’s wrong. Well, parts of it, anyway,” he amended. “One day I’ll tell you the whole story. It’s not very exciting, but I’d rather you know why I can’t trust Orochimaru.”

Now was as good a time as any to mention that he unintentionally became better acquainted with Orochimaru, but as they exited the car, Itachi changed the topic to clear the air before they entered the classroom. “So I just want to make sure—you see no need for me to say anything to my classmates?”

“None at all. I’d rather just do this as usual. I’ve dealt with people talking about me and this sort of thing growing up, but I do want to have a talk with Kiba at some point. He was supposed to back me up and he didn’t, which isn’t unexpected, but he broke his promise to Naruto, and that’s a betrayal of Naruto’s trust. I don’t know how or when I’m going to tell Naruto that Kiba’s not the man he thinks he is, but nobody is allowed to do that to my best friend.”

Seeing his boyfriend with a fierce expression was new; he couldn’t quite dismiss the feeling that Sasuke had changed during his absence, and when it came to how he felt about it, he was equally divided between pride and regret. He followed the younger man down the hallway, admiring the determined set of his shoulders and focused stride, though honestly Itachi couldn’t help sneaking a glance or two at Sasuke's finely shaped posterior.

Standing outside the door to the classroom was Kiba, looking at his feet, teeth gnawing on his lip nervously while he fidgeted with his phone, though he never glanced at the device once. At their footsteps approaching, he looked up. His eyes darted down again guiltily a couple times as they came within speaking distance, though when they were close enough that Sasuke wouldn’t have to yell to talk to him (that’s not to say that Sasuke was not going to yell) Kiba fixed his eyes on Sasuke.

“Before you yell at me—” Kiba began with a slight stammer, “though you have every right to—I’d just like to apologize for being a dick. I should’ve stopped Sakura when she picked that dress, and I shouldn’t have ignored you and I should have believed you especially because I trust Naruto’s judgment and I should have supported you at the party when you left—or left with you—or spoken up when Suigetsu started saying things about you that just didn’t fit with anything Naruto had said about you.” He paused for breath, organizing his words to the core of what he was trying to say. “So… I’m sorry I’m a dumbass. I don’t know how to make it up to you, but after class I’m going to talk with Naruto, tell him how I let him down, and then... well, I don’t know what after that. Just, I know I was wrong and I know I’m pretty stupid most of the time, and it’s all that’s been going through my mind all weekend, and now my head hurts.”

“That’s your brain trying to comprehend its own stupidity.” Sasuke threw back without thinking, but Kiba accepted the comment as if he deserved it. Despite Sasuke's best efforts to hold onto the feeling of being wronged, he was moved by the apology. Kiba had admitted to everything Sasuke planned on calling him out on, and besides, Kiba had come to him instead of ducking responsibility brought Sasuke to the conclusion that he should forgive Kiba, at least for the wrongs against himself. “You are pretty stupid, but everyone has their moments, I guess. At least you have the guts to apologize.”

The brunet looked at him with an expression of disbelief. “Wait… you mean, you don’t hate me?” Sasuke shook his head. “Really?” Sasuke shook his head again, growing a bit impatient. “So, you forgive me?” Growing reluctant in the face of Kiba’s need for reassurance, Sasuke nodded. “Oh, thank you, you won’t regret it, I promise.”

The man moved forward to hug him, but Sasuke threw a hand up to stop him, unintentionally knocking a bit of air out of the man’s lungs. “We’re not best friends or anything. You start back at the beginning, okay? You don’t get to pretend we’re friends just ‘cause you know Naruto from work.” Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, eyebrows pulling together as he contemplated how far he was willing to go with this. “You are going to apologize to him, right?” The man nodded vigorously, silent for once. “In person?” This time there was a bit of hesitation, but he nodded again, firmly. “He has detention duty today, but I can give you directions to get to the school.”

“Yeah, that’ll be fine. I’d rather tell him now, that way he’ll be cooled off by the time the holidays come. I don’t want him to spend Christmas angry, especially since he’s already got my promise to help out with kids from his old home, and I’d hate to ruin his New Year by telling him after the holidays are done.” As he and Itachi followed Kiba into the classroom, Itachi mouthed the word ‘dress’ at him accompanied by a raised eyebrow, which rose further when Sasuke's cheeks grew a bit rosy. “Please, just don’t ask.”

Upon entering the classroom, Sasuke remembered the awkward feeling from before. However, while two or three glared at him—students who had been at Thursday’s party—the majority seemed to be going about as usual. This made Sasuke feel a little silly; of course they weren’t all going to be glaring at him and hating him. Sure, there was nonsense and drama here, but this wasn’t high school—they’d had the weekend to cool off, and had clearly decided that it was too much effort for anything beyond the odd glance. This was a place of adults, beyond the silliness and over dramatization of younger years. Oh, how he loved college.

His intent was to walk with his head held high back to the changing area and wait for Kakashi to tell him who would dress him today—his only hope was that it would not be another dress, because regardless of the circumstances he did not want Itachi to see him in a dress. There were some humiliations he would not allow, his pride be damned—he’d back down from the challenge this time, if it came down to it. However, Kiba unexpectedly continued to talk to him, and he did so in his usual loud, top-of-his-voice way. “So today’s your last day, huh? Do you have finals for all of your classes?”

Itachi purposely brushed against Sasuke's arm and when the younger man looked him in the eye and nodded to let him know he’d be fine, he went to set up his stuff hurriedly, using this rare opportunity that Kakashi was on time to talk to his teacher about making up for the work he’d missed.

Sasuke assessed the reactions of the few that apparently hadn’t forgiven him—noting that Orochimaru was absent—(and he had to remember to tell Itachi that Orochimaru was the one that helped him, and maybe that would lessen the tension between them), but Sakura & co. seemed to be less annoyed now that Kiba was openly being friendly to Sasuke. Well, they stopped giving him unwarranted dirty looks, though the three girls on the left side were whispering to each other and if Sasuke wasn’t wrong, it sounded like they were talking about gathering up a donation for the poor little orphan or something. He was starting to think he preferred the glaring—at least when people had pitied him in high school, they’d just given him extra cookies at lunch or slipped packs of gum in his locker. But if these people were going to give him money—wait, that would be good. He could give it to the kids to buy presents for each other when they went holiday shopping in a few days.

Answering Kiba’s question, he replied, “Yeah. I have five finals, but one is more of a final paper so I don’t have to sit for that exam, but then one’s tomorrow, then next Monday and Tuesday, and the last is on Wednesday.” Not for the first time, he wondered what the grading system was like for an art class; but because he was trying to rebuild a friendship here, now didn’t seem like the best time to comment on the apparent lack of a system. He didn’t want to make it seem like he thought this class had little practical value. “What about you? Do you have a lot of studying to do?”

Inuzuka crinkled his nose in disgust as he set up his materials. “I procrastinated and played too much this semester. I got a lot of work done here, and I’ve improved a lot—see?” Kiba pulled out a drawing that was dated months before and there was indeed a drastic improvement when held it side-by-side with his drawing from last week, though truth be told even the first picture was better than anything Sasuke could do. “But my other grades have fallen. I’m terrible at calculus and I hate reading, so I’m going to be stuck inside until my finals are over. They’re only general ed classes, though, so the testing shouldn’t be that intense.” He turned in his chair to face Sakura, clearly to ask her about her testing situation, but before his mouth even opened to form the words, he processed the mixed look she was sending Sasuke's way, and so he turned right back to the young Uzumaki. “Anyway, I have to thank you. I mean really all you did was sit there, but from what Kakashi told me when we conferenced about my portfolio, getting to know you helped my technique practice.”

“Thank you. Really, I’m the one who’s grateful here.” He raised his voice so he could be heard by those who wanted to listen; the quiet chatter slackened. “Other than the incident last Thursday, which really just comes down to zealous gossip, it’s been fun getting to know everyone.”

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.” Kiba startled a bit and Sasuke just barely held his ground as seemingly-out-of-nowhere the art teacher appeared between the boys. “I’ll miss you, kiddo. It’s been nice having someone nearly as gorgeous as me in the same room.” His comment had the desired effect of drawing the attention of all his students to himself amid eye-rolling and giggling.

Kakashi didn’t need to raise his voice to be heard by all; he announced the winner with no fanfare. “So out of all your portfolios, Kiba’s was the best,” the smile on the man’s face looked about to break his face, it was so wide. “That means he chooses what our model wears today. Keep in mind that this is our last session with him. Next class we’ll be going over the final requirements of your portfolios so you can officially hand them in. For now, try to get in any angles or details you need because, like I said, this is Ritsuka’s—excuse me, Sasuke's last day.”

“Come on.” With a bounce in his step, Kiba pulled Sasuke to the back room to pick out something to wear. He looked around for a minute or two, rifling through several stacks of clothing before turning to the younger man. “Is there anything you want to try? It’s your last day, so you might as well.”

“Are you sure? This is your final chance to work on anything you want. That’s what Kakashi said.”

“Yeah, I know, but the only thing I was having trouble with the other day was your hair and I got that figured out now. There isn’t anything in particular I need to practice atm.”

Sasuke suppressed an eye roll at the abbreviation and tried to think of something good. “All right, so something that can be drawn as a whole. Nothing too complicated.” Maybe if he picked something super manly, it’d cancel out the atrocity Sakura tricked him into the other day. He noticed a realistic looking prop sword. “How about a swordsman?”

“You were a knight before, remember? I think it’d be too similar, plus we’ve got to keep it simple.” He gestured to a sand-colored robe and pants, along with a bright, bladed plastic weapon. “Are you familiar with Jedi?”

“Yes,” Sasuke said with a sigh. “Naruto’s made me watch those movies over and over, but it’s not really my thing. He’s more of the nerdy type than I am.”

“Alright, we gotta choose fast though,” he urged, dropping the lightsaber and throwing his eyes about the room. “Oooh, here’s a tool belt. If we can find a hardhat, you should do construction worker.”

It wasn’t Sasuke's ideal choice, but since he couldn’t think of anything else, he helped Kiba locate the appropriate headwear. Jeans and a reflective orange vest were easy enough to find, but apparently there wasn’t a single t-shirt to be found, not even of any sort. “Well, Itachi will surely love it,” Kiba said, looking on the bright side metaphorically, but he was looking at Sasuke's bare chest while he said it.

Sasuke would rather not go mostly shirtless, partly because he wasn’t sure if Itachi would be irrationally jealous (and he was of two minds about which he preferred when it came to that) but also it was undeniably cold in the classroom, and the vest wouldn’t cover enough and he’d be freezing before long… but Kakashi was knocking on the door and the rest of the class waiting, so he acquiesced. The work boots were thick, so his feet would stay toasty, but he had goose bumps all over his whole upper half.

A couple playful cat-calls greeted him, and he with only a touch of self-consciousness adjusted his tool belt. Hardly bothering to be subtle about it, he turned to see his boyfriend’s reaction as he positioned himself on the podium. While looking none too pleased (but also very pleased if the glint in his eyes was anything to go by), Itachi carried on as usual; the rest of the class did as well, and all in all it was a pleasant final day.

Afterwards, when they’d finally made it to the car and Sasuke was looking forward to hanging out with Itachi since they hadn’t been able to all last week, he was disappointed to hear that Itachi had other plans. “I’m sorry, Sasuke. It’ll have to be next time.”

Sullenly, Sasuke sucked on the flavored candy cane that some of the girls had been handing out during art class. “Are you mad that I wore that outfit today? Is that why?”

“No, it’s not like that. Besides, as long as it’s not outrageous or terribly indecent, I have no control over what you wear. It’s your body and your decision. I don’t find overbearing jealousy romantic, and I doubt you do.”

Although Sasuke knew it was improper to distract someone from driving, he leaned over with a hand on Itachi's shoulder and kissed his cheek, right next to his mouth. Close to the older man’s ear, he said, “that’s one of the things I really like about you. You’re so rational.” If Sasuke didn’t know better, he’d think Itachi was a little embarrassed, though saying those words himself showed more boldness than he usually felt.

“Logic is just so sexy. I can’t seem to help myself,” Itachi said, and they shared a laugh.

They shared a kiss when they reached Sasuke's home, and the younger man walked inside, reluctant to part from his boyfriend so soon but hurried by the cold. He set up his homework area at the table so he could study and work on his final projects, yet the ringing of the landline had him running to answer it before he could begin. With trepidation, he answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Is this Sasuke?”

He knew that voice, though his brain couldn’t find the face it went with. “Yes?”

All the blood drained from his face as he absorbed the words coming to him from the speaker. “I thought you might like to know that we have Naruto.”

* * *

As Itachi pulled out of Sasuke's driveway, he thought over his decision again. Pretty much all he wanted to do lately was spend time with Sasuke, but it had led to slacking in other areas of his life. For one, his workout routine had gone to hell. The weather was cold and the days were short, so it was hard enough already to convince himself just to run. Yet stress was building up in his life, and it needed an outlet. His worry over his mother’s situation was his latest concern, true, though she refused to tell him any details as of yet. And there were other problems, too. His academic career hadn’t exactly been easy—he’d earned every grade he’d received and admit without arrogance that he didn’t have to work as hard as his peers despite the age difference.

His customary confidence didn’t help him much in art, though. It wasn’t really at all what he’d expected, and though he enjoyed it, he had a feeling that this wasn’t what he should be spending time on nor could he make a career out of it. For that was his third major concern: money. He wasn’t used to monitoring what he spent, and it wasn’t until he went to register for next semester that he realized he had enough money for the next semester, but nothing after that. To make it worse, there was only money left for tuition in the spring. Once that was deducted from his account, he would have a couple hundred left which wouldn’t nearly cover supplies for his classes, not to mention rent, utilities, bills, and food or gas for his car. It all gave him a rather uncomfortable feeling, and he couldn’t quite figure out what he should do.

No. He knew what he should do—quit art school, treat it as the indulgence of a hobby that it was, and find a job at a law firm again. He hadn’t hated the work, and nobody he’d ever worked with could honestly say that he was anything but excellent. Still, to just go to back to that after such a short break…

His thoughts were clearer while he was physically doing something, so he stopped home to grab his workout bag and headed to the gym.

When he’d left his father’s law firm, he had only really taken what he’d earned (the car was questionable, but his father still had the Lamborghini, so no guilt there), though officially, he never quit any of the exclusive clubs that he and his family belonged to. Stepping into the building, however, he realized that going there meant that he would most likely run into former coworkers and rivals. His father would never be there, and his half-brother preferred the solitude of their home gym, but the Fitness Center and Spa might not be the de-stressor he sought.

Worth the risk, he thought, as the attendants happily welcomed him. Although it seemed such a long time since he’d come here, it really wasn’t all that much time at all; the world flowed differently for the lower classes, he supposed, though he had enough self-awareness to realize how snobby the thought was. Still, being here reminded him of all he had during his generally carefree days, when his biggest worry was how to mess with Sai and keep him occupied with someone else. Now, though… well, he couldn’t go back. He never thought his father would chose money and exploitation over his own son.

He laced his sneakers nice and tight, focusing on the feel of the shoelaces. He came here to clear his head, not to dwell in nostalgia. Shorts and t-shirt feeling a little more snug than he remembered, he claimed the nearest machine and got going, losing himself in the rhythm of his music and the comforting mindlessness of his feet pounding against the treadmill.

The machine beeped at him twice then slowed down, and his confusion cleared when he realized he’d run for an hour already and the treadmill was just going into automatic shutdown. Stiffly he climbed off and motioned to a nearby attendant, who handed him a water bottle and wiped down the machine for him. He reentered the locker-room, feeling light and almost giddy, though he knew his muscles would get back at him the rest of the week. He opened his locker, trying to decide if he wanted to shower here or go home first. There was a message from Naruto, a jumbled voicemail that was just background noise.

Thoughts making him heavy again, he took a seat on the bench. Sasuke was another reason for worry. He felt it was only a matter of time before Sai tried something, and if the recent incident was any indication, Sai was growing bolder. Silly, harmless pranks of the past had a completely different meaning in the context of Sasuke's life—the man had faced enough trouble, and Itachi didn’t want Naruto to get caught in the cross-fire, either. Was there maybe a permanent solution, something that would keep Sai preoccupied long-term? Finding a girlfriend for Sai didn’t work (complete failure), nor a boyfriend (only less of failure because father’s reaction was amusing), and he seemed to have no interest in anything not commanded by their father or possessed by Itachi.

“I guess I’m running again,” Itachi mumbled to himself, a habit that he realized he must have picked up in art classes. All those kids talked to themselves and mumbled, and now on top of his relationship worries, he had picked up on their uncultured mannerisms. Fantastic.

“Excuse me.”

Well, damn. Itachi knew he sounded crazy, talking to himself, but proper etiquette in this situation would surely be to ignore the crazy person, right? “I’m sorry,” he apologized, standing and returning his phone to his locker and keeping his head down, embarrassed. “Just thinking out loud.”

“No, I mean I know you.”

Hopefully it doesn’t show on my face how much I hope that isn’t so. “That would be my luck lately.” A pleasant surprise it was, however, as Kisame had been one of the few people he honestly liked. Except, there hadn’t been any contact between them since Itachi left, so this might not actually be a happy meeting. Kisame certainly wasn’t sending any non-verbal signals—seems he’s finally got a hang of ‘the neutral expression’ we practiced for so long.

“Hello, Itachi.”

“Hello, Kisame.” Itachi hated these kinds of moments. He still couldn’t get a read on Kisame. Though his body language didn’t project any hostility, his voice sounded like he was holding back antagonism. “How have you been?”

The narrowing of eyebrows betrayed Kisame’s confusion and, worse, anger. “Didn’t know you cared.”

“What? Of course I care.” He knew people considered him to be a cold person, but he didn’t realize that people thought he was that heartless. “We worked together for years. Of course I care how you’re doing.”

“It’s not like I could tell, you know.” His arms dropped to his sides, fists balled up.

Itachi recalled that Kisame had once mentioned he had anger management problems in middle and high school. He really, really hoped that he hadn’t done anything to make Kisame that angry. He hadn’t had time to learn martial arts yet, and it would be embarrassing to have to call for help in this place. Still, he wasn’t really sure why Kisame was so angry at him in the first place. “Well, it’s not like you contacted me, either.” He snapped.

“You’re impossible, you know? I thought we were friends, and then you just walk out! If you hate me, than just say so!” Large hands gestured emphatically.

“I don’t hate you!”

“Then why didn’t you let me know what was going on?!” There were traces of hurt in the words now. “Every time I asked, you said you were fine!”

“So you’re upset that I didn’t tell you everything I was thinking?!” There hadn’t been anybody he could confide in; at that time, he couldn’t trust anyone, especially those in the office. “It’s not like you were my boyfriend or anything!”

Kisame looked a bit stung by that comment. “That’s not the point! You’re supposed to tell your subordinates before you abandon us!”

“I wasn’t going to force you all out of jobs just because I was leaving mine! That wouldn’t be fair at all”

“…”

“…”

“Well that’s actually pretty nice of you!”

“Yes, it was!” He stopped, finally noticing they had inadvertently chased out all other occupants of the locker rooms. “Why are we shouting?”

“I don’t know.” Kisame smiled then, and Itachi figured he was partly forgiven. They sat on the bench side by side, staring at the lockers.

“I didn’t mean… I never realized that anyone would feel abandoned if I left.”

“Not everyone thought that way, but… yes, some of us did.” A pause. “I did.”

“I’m sorry. I was sure I was doing the right thing, but I was also quite sure that it wasn’t the smart thing to do, and it just wasn’t—”

“I liked you.”

“I liked you, too. Like I said, I never hated anybody; there were just irreconcilable differences with my father—”

“No, I mean I /liked/ you. Was actually convinced that I loved you for a while.”

“Oh.” There was an awkward pause, and Itachi desperately sought for something before the silence got worse. “That’s, err…”

“Not anymore. I think I just got caught up in the upheaval when you left, and there was stuff going on with my family at the time, so… you know, it felt like a really big deal at the time, but looking back, I think I just needed to get laid.”

“I… see.”

Kisame laughed. “No need to be awkward about it now. It’s in the past, and it wasn’t serious, so don’t worry about it. So tell me, my little sister’s best friend goes to that art school—the famous one, that had the pottery exhibit that nearly hurt someone? She said that she saw you.”

“Yes, I attend art classes there. For now, anyway.” Itachi frowned. “I didn’t realize I was that recognizable.”

“No, it’s not that. She heard the Uchiha name, and then I guess when she passed by you, well, you look too much like Fugaku-san for there to be any mistake.”

“Hn.” He didn’t like being told that he looked like his father. He resembled his mother enough, but he inherited his father’s cheekbones and, according to gossip at the water cooler, the same intimidating aura. “So what about you? What are you up to?”

“Still at the firm, though it was a bit touchy there for a while. Especially recently.”

“Why? Is Fugaku okay?”

“He’s fine. As fine as I can tell, anyway, because you know he doesn’t really communicate with a lowly subordinate like me.” His big hands slicked back his sweaty hair from his eyes, the deep shade appearing almost blue when wet like this. “I mixed up some files. Right papers, wrong folders, that type of thing, but it caused a lot of trouble at the DA’s office. I think I nearly got fired then.”

“That doesn’t sound like you. You’re clumsy, but you always double check yourself and you’re generally the first person to catch your mistakes.”

“You really do know me. Actually, I broke up with my partner the week before. He said I wasn’t vocal enough. Wanted ‘I love you’ fifty times a day, apparently.”

“Was it true?” asked Itachi, thinking that Kisame didn’t seem to have that problem when it came to /him/.

“I guess.” He shrugged, rather obviously trying to appear unbothered. “I didn’t realize it was a serious issue to him or that it was a pivotal argument at that time, so I told him that he was vocal enough for the both of us.” Itachi winced imagining how well that went over, and Kisame nodded. “I don’t mind a screamer, but he was over the top, you know? Anyway,” Kisame carried on with a hint of embarrassment, “next day when I arrived home, all his stuff was gone and he’d left a note—a /note/—saying that it was over.”

“Sounds rough.”

“And what about you? We hear things through the grapevine. Things like Sai chasing off not one or two but a total of five of your boyfriends.”

“Not exactly true. The first he bribed, and the next two he seduced, but the three after that he harassed—mildly, but still—so I think that brings the interference count to six, not counting while I was still here.”

“Wow. That’s impressive.” The scalding look had Kisame rethinking his word choice. “Not that I think he’s amazing, more like… he must really hate you, to put that much time into making you unhappy.”

“I can’t argue with that.” His phone remained regrettably silent in his hand. Didn’t Sasuke ever miss him? The man hadn’t texted him even once. “My boyfriend right now, though... he’s tough. I doubt Sai will have ever meet someone like him before.”    “Do you remember that one blond? The loud one, a while back, nearly started a fight with the security team?”

“The man that burst into your office after convincing the secretary that he had an appointment? I don’t think anyone will forget. It was the first time any of us saw you lose your cool.”

Itachi could only chuckle at the memory of his first meeting with Naruto. “He insisted that if I really was the best, then I would help him for free.”

“You never got a penny out of him, did you?”

“Not a cent. Considering who it ended up helping, I’m glad I didn’t.”

“You mean… really? Hmm. Funny how these things work out.”

“Yes.” Itachi replied quietly. His thumb hovered over Sasuke's name in his contact list, considering texting him. He didn’t want to be pushy, though, so he shut his phone with a sigh.

“You really like him, don’t you? I’ve never seen you act so much like a regular person as you did just now.”

Itachi rolled his eyes. “A regular person, hm?” Kisame was a blunt as ever. That was one of the things he’d liked about the man, however. Not everything had changed. “I really like him. At first I thought I just wanted him, then I thought it was more of a protective instinct, but the more time I spend with him, the less I want to be away from him.” He adjusted his ponytail, a little embarrassed. “I can’t stop thinking about him. Even with the recent family issues, he’s practically all I think about.”

“Then I’ll give you some free advice: tell him. Never assume that he’ll ‘just know’ or that you’ve said it enough.” Kisame grabbed his bag and headed for the door. “I have an early day tomorrow, so I’m out. Keep in touch this time, alright?” Itachi waved back until the door swung shut again. Packing up his own things and finally fishing out the sweatshirt he’d begun looking for half an hour ago, he reflected that Kisame gave surprisingly good advice.

* * *

Sneaking out of class had been easy enough, and regardless of complications in their friendship, Sakura and Kiba had made a pact to cover for each other no matter what, so Kiba knew he’d be fine. The clock in his car told him that if he had stayed in class, he’d only just be leaving now; grateful for Sasuke's advice, the brunet climbed out of his car and speed-walked his way into Naruto’s school. Children were everywhere in the hall and a few gave him odd looks as he made his way to the front office. Once he had a visitor’s pass and had gotten directions to the proper classroom from the vice principal—a large, muscular man who managed to make the instructions rhyme—he navigated to Naruto’s classroom, trying to put together what he wanted to say.

The door was opened, he saw as he approached, though since he still hadn’t figured out the best way to say what he wanted to say, maybe just hanging by the door for a sec couldn’t hurt. He heard three voices, one he recognized and two that sounded like little girls, so there obviously were still students in there. That must suck, since school is over so it’s not fair that Naruto didn’t get to go home yet. But peeking inside, Kiba realized that Naruto looked perfectly content as he pulled another textbook off the shelf and leafed through it as he spoke to the two children (actually a boy and a girl, oops, though the boy’s voice hadn’t dropped yet cause he was still such a kid so it’s totally okay that Kiba thought they were both little girls.) Were middle schoolers always this young? Anyway, the blond totes fit as a teacher.

Kiba saw the stiff set of Naruto's shoulders, too, and seeing the evidence of already present stress sent Kiba on an extended guilt trip. His palms began to sweat even though he’d removed his gloves, but as he started to loosen his scarf as well Naruto looked up and stared him right in the eye, as if he knew Kiba had been there the whole time.

“Sasuke told me you have detention duty today,” Kiba’s stupid mouth said, even though that did not explain why he had come to Naruto's school.

The blond eyed him carefully. “I ended up switching with someone else. I can leave as soon as the other teacher comes back from the restroom… ah, speak of the devil.” A merry looking brunet entered, and Kiba waited for Naruto as he got his stuff and exchanged farewells with the other teacher. Naruto kept his toothy smile on as he waved to his students until he and Kiba were in the now deserted hallway.

With half a glare formed, he turned on Kiba. The Vice-Principal, known to students and teachers alike as simply “Mr. B,” had told him through the intercom that he had a visitor coming to his classroom, and while his first assumption had been Sasuke, he had a feeling sooner or later that Kiba’s guilt would bring him to Naruto. After being avoided at work since the incident Sasuke had at the party, Naruto found the brunet’s silence suspicious. Well, it had only been a matter of time before Kiba came to him. “So what do you want?”

“To apologize.”

Sincere enough, Naruto supposed, and the steady eye contact affirmed Kiba’s too-often-hidden maturity. “For what?” Naruto knew very well ‘what,’ but the blond felt this young man would benefit from voicing his transgressions.

“For not doing all in my power to help out Sasuke. I could have stuck up for him better, and I should have protected him any way I could, just like I’d promised you. I didn’t watch out for him. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, lemme know.”

“For starters, I got a ride to school today so I’d like a ride to my second work.” The original plan had been public transportation, but this would be quicker, minus the danger of falling asleep on the bus and sleeping through his exit stop. “Though that doesn’t even begin to cover it. I wish I could beat you bloody, but this isn’t the right environment for that.” He gave his best smile as he cracked open the front office door and poked his head in. “See you tomorrow!” The secretary returned his words and he shut the door.

He couldn’t drop his smile until they left school grounds, so he spoke through his grinning mouth words that did not match the cheer on his face. “If I had my way, I’d douse you in burning oil, then chop off your manhood and feed it to goats.” The brunet’s face had gone pale as milk and the car keys he’d pulled out of his pocket fell from his hand. “Don’t worry,” he chuckled merrily, “I am not so cruel. Simply apologize to Sasuke, and I won’t have to break your hands.”

“My hands?” He stood aghast, the threat making him forget that he’d already done so. “But—I have finals coming up, I’d fail everything! They’re all I have!”

“The way you failed me, betrayed my trust and allowed my best friend to be hurt? You’ve seen the bruises on his neck, haven’t you? The scars on his leg? Had circumstances been even slightly different, he could have been hurt much worse, even permanently.” Maybe he should break Kiba’s hands anyway, just so this boy would understand how Naruto had felt when Sasuke walked in the other night, pretending he was fine but looking just a bit too fragile…

“I—” but whatever Kiba was, he apparently didn’t have words for. The sounds of the parking lot—teachers continuing conversations, cars starting up, buses pulling out onto the main road, and students who wouldn’t (couldn’t) go home blasted their music from the tennis courts next to the school—these noises, though clearly audible, seemed like a whisper on a faint breeze compared to the silence between these two men.

Naruto found himself unable to look at Kiba anymore, and climbed into the man’s car, brushing crumbs off the seat before sitting down. The car shook as Kiba got behind the wheel, but Naruto ignored him completely. Though his anger remained strong, his disappointment grew equal to it. Was there truly no one he could rely on?

“I can be really useless, I know, but I swear I didn’t know what was happening to him. I saw him go upstairs, and he looked really tired so I figured he just wanted to lie down. I never saw the other guys go up, and when he came back down they were all shouting at each other and he left right then. Once he left, I should have tried to get people to listen, because Sakura’s boyfriend wasn’t telling the story right, and the next day I should have treated him like normal. I already apologized for being a dick to him, but he was angrier with me for betraying your trust than for my lack of helping him. He’s had some trouble, true, but he’s a good kid. He’ll be okay.”

That would have to be good enough. “Alright. I don’t totally forgive you, but for now I’ll let it pass.” He pulled a full-sized energy drink out of his bag and chugged it all in one go, too tired to bother noticing the impressed yet concerned look on Kiba’s face. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Um, do you want me to walk you in?” Kiba asked, though Naruto couldn’t see why he bothered asking when he was already out of the car and walking beside Naruto. ‘Ruuuuuude,’ the blond drawled in his head, wondering which level of weird it would be to gesture along with his thoughts. Naruto stumbled, but caught himself with a hand on the wall. “Dude, you don’t look so good.”

“One. Don’t call me ‘dude,’” his chest felt heavy, and it was like his lungs had to work harder to get the air in. Unnerving, but not unfamiliar. Too much caffeine did that to him sometimes. “And two, the caffeine hasn’t hit me yet. I’ll be fine in a moment.” He leaned against the wall to steady himself and fiddled with his jacket, focusing on feel of his zipper to repel the dizziness.

“Look, I’ll take your shift, let me just get you back home.”

And lose the hours? Not a chance. He needed the money, therefore he needed to work. It’s not like he could work the way he did in college; he was a respectable person now, after all. “Absolutely not. See? I’m all better.” His head had cleared, that wasn’t a lie, and if he could make it to his lunch break in a few hours, then he’d get his hands on some more soda. As if he had no lingering lightheadedness, he strode into his workplace and straight to the back, where he quickly changed his clothes, stowed his bag and briefcase full of school papers, and clocked in. When he came back out to the front, he was marginally dismayed to see Kiba talking to his manager. Best to cut that birds’ wings, Naruto thought, before it tries to fly.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Manager, how are you?” Naruto greeted with enthusiasm and projecting an energetic façade, in hopes of dispelling any doubts Kiba may have planted.

The man smiled at the nickname, but frowned as he turned and saw Naruto’s face. “I’m doing well, but I’m afraid Kiba might be right. You look pale. Do you want to sit down?”

“What?” Abandoning cheerful and energetic, he scowled and crossed his arms across his chest. “I’m fine. And of course I’m pale. Between the shorter days and all the snow we’ve been having, the sun and I haven’t seen each other in some time.”

“You’ve been working hard, very hard lately, and Kiba’s volunteered to work for you. You’ll be better off if you go home and get some sleep.”

His head felt like it was getting tighter as the thought of a smaller paycheck loomed. Over his manager’s shoulder, he saw a tall man with dark hair and skin like snow enter the restaurant. The face looked familiar, and when their eyes met, Naruto saw recognition spark. The man moved out of Naruto's narrowing field of vision, and the unexpected element of the strangely familiar man ripped a tear in his hold on everything. “No! I’m not letting *him* work in my place. He‘s a slacker and he’s always skipping out on work and I can’t believe that you’re taking anything he says as credible! I’m fine! I don’t need any help!”

There was so much more he wanted to say, all those words he’d bit back because he knew they wouldn’t get it or wouldn’t care, but he felt the uncomfortable sensation of a hundred eyes staring. It prompted him to look around, and he saw that both customers and employees were staring at him. He faced his manager, realizing his mistake too late.

“Naruto, you’re shouting.”

‘Well, duh,’ was Naruto’s first instinct, but something told him that wouldn’t be appropriate at this time. “Sorry,” he said instead, “I’m going to… er, maybe sitting down might a thing I could do.” Was that a sentence? The blond tried to put all his focus into dissecting the sentence, but it wasn’t working.

In his life, he’d passed out a couple times from not sleeping, drinking too much caffeine, not eating enough, and working too hard, and he’d even been hospitalized once way back in high school, so Naruto was perfectly familiar with the feeling of his body shutting itself down. The point of his vision narrowed rapidly to the confused faces of his manager and Kiba, and he realized he would not be making it to a chair. Although he felt his mouth moving, his ears couldn’t hear the words and with the feel of the cold tiles smacking into his back he couldn’t even spare a thought to hope he didn’t hit his head too hard.

*

Watching Naruto fall was eerie, as if everything moved in slow motion. Kiba tried to move forward, but he wasn’t nearly quick enough. As the first person to reach Naruto, naturally he was the first to panic. Grabbing the bond’s shoulders, he yelled at his face, “Hey! Wake up! Come on, are you okay?” He knew better than to shake the blond, but it was hard to resist the impulse.

Luckily, the manager had a bit more sense. “Clear away from him, give him some space. Has someone called the paramedics?”

“Don’t.” It was barely a whisper, so Naruto repeated himself, louder this time. “Don’t. If you call them, they’ll try to make me stay at the hospital. I can’t… I don’t want that.” Wisely, Naruto did not try to sit up, but he opened his eyes and carefully patted the back of his head to make sure he wasn’t bleeding. And he thought his head had hurt earlier… that was nothing compared to this.

His manager, like so many people, was helpless against those blue, blue eyes. Though they were not close friends, the manager understood enough of the blond’s situation to know that he meant that he couldn’t afford going to the hospital, and so he gave in reluctantly. “Is there someone we can call for you?”

“Yeah.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it over, gradually becoming more aware. There were people crowded around him, despite the manager’s insistence that they back off, and Kiba was removing his jacket and placing it under Naruto’s head for a cushion. “Call Itachi. He’s a nurse, so he can take care of this.” There was a chance that Itachi was at his house and with Sasuke, which would mean that Sasuke would find out, but there was no other option.

The manager nodded and began to search for the proper phone number on the blond’s phone, but before he found it, Kiba had already phoned Naruto’s house. If he had the strength, he might’ve smacked Kiba, but he couldn’t convince his arms to do it.

“Is this Sasuke?” Kiba asked. A pause. “I thought you might like to know that we have Naruto,” Kiba continued.

“What are you doing?” Naruto whisper-shouted, the most volume he could muster at the moment, and swatted at Kiba’s leg, feeling an infinitesimal burst of strength at the man’s idiot wording. It sounded like he’d been kidnapped or something. The man frowned and walked away from his reach; Naruto’s attempt to follow him brought more dizziness so he slid back down, following his manager’s urging to lean against the partition.

“When I say we, I mean, this is Kiba, and I’m at our work cause I drove him here after I apologized and he wasn’t looking so good and I’m pretty sure he needs to sleep or something so if you could come here and get him home that would be great. I’d do it myself, but I need to stay and cover his hours.”

The conversation carried on, but it was too late now. Hopefully, he could downplay it enough later that Sasuke wouldn’t worry about it. Sasuke needed as few distractions as possible to study for his finals and get his projects done, and Naruto did not intend to let worry for his well being be a distraction.

“Should I still call this other guy?” his manager asked, still holding the blond’s phone, and Naruto knew he was lucky to have such an understanding boss.

“No, that’s alright. He’s probably already at my house anyway. He hangs out with my roommate.” Embarrassed at his actions and show of weakness, Naruto could not bring himself to look his manager in the eye or look around at any of his coworkers or customers, most of whom were still staring at him despite the employees assuring people that “everything was fine” and “there’s no need for concern, it’s under control” and “no, I don’t think an incident with an employee qualifies you for a discount.”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this for a while,” his manager said as he crouched next to his fallen employee, not looking at Naruto’s eyes either. “But I think it might be better for you if you had more time to rest. You’re already teaching full time, and while you do have incredible energy and endurance, I don’t think you should be trying to keep up with all the hours you’ve been taking on.”

Naruto began to feel dizzy again. “Are you… firing me? You could at least wait until I had the strength to stand, you know.” He lacked the vigor to even sound bitter, though in this case that was a good thing.

“No, I just think you need to cut back on your hours. You may the money, but it certainly can’t be worth the cost of your health. You can’t buy healthy, you have to live it.”

As much as he wanted to roll his eyes, the man had a point. “I’ll agree to cutting back to twenty hours a week.”

“Ten.”

The tone gave no room for argument, so Naruto figured he’d let it slide for now and renegotiate when he looked more convincing. “Fine. Ten.” He turned to Kiba, intending to ask when Sasuke (and Itachi) would arrive, but he saw again the dark-haired man. Sitting at a bare table by the door, legs crossed and arms folded, his expressionless face betrayed nothing as he walked out. The fact that he hadn’t purchased anything and how closely he’d been watching Naruto gave the blond the feeling that not only was this man the one who had tailed him briefly at the mall, but he had come into here expressly to observe him.

While much less impulsive than his high school and college days, Naruto began to have that feeling that he shouldn’t be doing this much. Part of the discomfort in his stomach was undoubtedly caused by the massive amounts of caffeine warring with his lack of sleep, but a greater part—way more than he’d been able to admit to himself lately—was because he’d taken on too much. Every morning he woke up worrying about money; as he brushed his teeth, he tried to work out how many days more he could stretch the toothpaste. Each meal he ate seemed a smaller portion than the last; whenever Sasuke wasn’t home, he turned the heat down so it wouldn’t kick on at all; and each night as he laid warm in bed, unable to sleep between guilt from deceiving Sasuke like this and anxiety over how to pay his bills, he’d nod off to visions of what life would be like with no bills or if he ever found his family and they turned out to be wealthy…

On the rare paydays when he had a bit of money leftover, he felt so rich that he didn’t have to decide between buying cheese or eggs but could get both. But there was another way. He could abandon his pride once again, and all this work wouldn’t be necessary. More than that, he couldn’t handle this. The stress between jobs and taking care of his best friend—who, through no fault of his own, heightened Naruto’s constant state of stress—and trying to do all he could for the children left in The Home, all this was in no way relieved by the private pursuit of his dreams; no matter how much he wanted to find his family, after nearly three months with nothing to show, he’d have to call it off.

Speaking of calling it off, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this was not an impulse he was feeling but the culmination of months and months of stress built on a life where the very foundation was stress and unrest and so few stable elements… well, there was only one thing to do.

“I quit.” Oh, those words were delicious.

“What?” His manager looked very worried, and Naruto almost took those words back. This man had been indulgent with him, and to let him down just before the holiday season could ruin their friendship.

Sasuke came bursting through the doors, heedless of customers and employees alike, rushing over to where Naruto was attempting once more to stand. “Are you okay? What happened?” He helped the blond to stand. “Do you need anything? I parked right out front; you don’t have to walk far. Do you want to go to the doctor? What do you need me to do?” His cheeks were bright rosy red from the cold and from rushing about, yet underneath the red, the skin was paler than usual. His rapid breathing and sweaty palms shakily supporting the blond reminded him why he didn’t want Sasuke to know that anything had happened.

Naruto let go of the nearby table he’d pulled himself up by and placed it on Sasuke's cheek, checking the temperature. He was no doctor, but it felt colder than it should have. “I’m fine. Everyone’s just overreacting. Get the car going again, I’ll be out in a moment.” He shushed the protest. “I can walk on my own. Kiba’s getting my bag from the back, but I just need to confirm something with my manager.” Showing a surprising amount of tact that may have been worry that Naruto would be angry with him again for calling Sasuke here in the first place, Kiba said nothing but did as asked and retrieved Naruto’s bag from the back.

Clearly wanting to argue, Sasuke left. Poor kid probably only acquiesced because he thought Naruto might collapse again. Though without the weight of his second job, he already felt much better and the need to puke his guts out had diminished. Turning to his manager, he continued, “sorry, but I really can’t handle this much stress. Obviously, I’ve been in denial about what I can reasonably accomplish, and this definitely isn’t something I can keep up with. I don’t mean to do this to you at this time, but I really don’t think there’s any way I can make it work.”

A heavy sigh and a slump of shoulders were the only indicators of disappointment. “No, it’s alright. You’ve already done more than any employee I’ve ever had, and you’ve helped me out more times than I can remember. I’ll feel better knowing that you’ll be healthier this way. Though I have to ask, are you able to finish out your shifts this week, or should I start finding someone to replace you?”

Kiba returned, and handing Naruto his bag, decided to stick to his fairly new resolver to be a better friend. “I’ll take all his shifts. If I’m already working that day, then I’ll work a double.” Naruto’s leftovers of guilt from quitting so suddenly vanished completely, and he shook hands with his manager and Kiba before walking out with his back straight.

Sasuke, having grown impatient waiting for him in the car, stood outside the vehicle, heedless of his own shivering. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes.” Naruto almost tripped stepping down from the curb and leaned against the car for a moment, soaking it in. Not everything was okay; there were so many things that were not alright that a list of the things that were would be shorter. But everything /felt/ alright in this moment, so he didn’t bothering quelling his laughter as he slid in. “Yes! Everything’s alright.” The headrest had never been comfier. Through the slits of his nearly-closed eyes, he saw the worried look Sasuke was trying so hard to be discreet about. “Really, Sas, I’m just feeling very light right now. A lot of feeling all at once, so it’s like… I dunno, it’s just a good feeling. When we get home, I’m going to sleep. For real.”

“Hn.” Naruto was too happy to point out the inadequacy of the response; he just enjoyed the blank feeling of his mind.

There were silent the whole ride home and walking inside, though once there Naruto’s sort of woke up. “Hey, where’s Itachi? Isn’t he always with you?”

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. “Stuff to do,” he replied with a frown, settling himself at the table where he’d clearly been doing homework before. “So what happened? Do I get the story, or what?”

“Nothing much. Just an overload of caffeine, and then Kiba overreacted. Of course, when one person panics, everyone panics, as I’m sure you can imagine. One minute I was clocking in for work, the next people where calling emergency numbers and making accusations that my boss was overworking his employees.”

“Well, that escalated quickly.”

“Exactly. Yes, I was tired, but that’s all there is to it,” he lied firmly. “Anyway, I’m to grade some papers, then sleep, so goodnight.”

“Wait!”

Naruto stopped in the doorway, startled by Sasuke’s shout. “Yes?”

“Aren’t you hungry?” The boy was standing, hands flat on the table. “You can’t have had dinner already. Let me make you something.”

Such a sweet kid. How could anyone have ever thought of hurting him? The earnest eyes were undaunted by Naruto shaking his head no. “You’ll feel better with solid food in your stomach, won’t you?”

“Not at this point. It’s too unsettled now. I’ll sleep it off and eat like a wolf in the morning.” He took a step, then paused again and turned back. “Thank you, though. Make sure you get enough sleep, too.”

“Yeah.” Looking defeated and still a bit unsettled, he sunk back into his homework. Naruto stumbled down the hallway, dropping his bag the moment his bedroom door shut. Maybe he had asked the wrong question, he mused as he fell face first on his bed, too tired to bother changing into pajamas or getting under the covers. Maybe he should have asked Sasuke if his boyfriend—what was his name? Orochimaru—had been here. That’s probably why Sasuke was being weird; Sasuke was probably just annoyed that he got pulled away from boyfriend time with Orochimaru…

Unaware of how wrong he was, sleep swallowed the blond easily.

* * *

Neji’s search for his cousin Hinata was not entirely fruitless. Using his charm and the little influence his last name lent, he’d checked numerous colleges in the area. Hinata was a far more popular name than he had imagined, and since when Hinata struck out on her own, she took her mother’s maiden name (it seemed like half of every school here had the surname Saitou) she was even harder to find. At first, he thought the first name that matched was her, but it wasn’t until several girls later that he became reasonably sure that he found the Hinata Saitou he wanted. They’d exchanged a couple of emails, and though she proved insider knowledge of the Hyuuga family, he was suspicious that she did not want to meet but rather wanted him to call off his search. Unwilling to give up, he promised to stop looking if she’d meet with him just once. After a few days of no reply, she agreed to meet him.

She had chosen a public location, not too far from his college; quiet, but loud enough to mask conversation or to protect her should Neji turn out to be less than he had said of himself. Clever, he thought, clever and cautious. She seemed a bit skittish in the emails, so he made sure that he was late. She’d no doubt get there early to pick a good spot, one that would give her a chance to escape if she changed her mind or he turned out to be a psycho. Clever, but not clever enough.

He purposely arrived late. She would surely still be there, out of curiosity, and as he carefully inspected each face upon entry, he discovered he was right about everything. She was near the back, facing the entrance but only a few steps away from the emergency exit, and right next to a table full of loud giggly girls that, should Neji try anything less than chivalrous, would probably beat him to death in a gesture of misguided feminism.

When she saw him, she smiled in a way he’d never known she could. Hinata stood to greet him with a hug, brushing her asymmetrical hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. “How are you?” She spoke as softly as ever, though there was an assertiveness underlying it that would not be ignored. “I couldn’t be too careful, I thought, but I’m glad that you really are my cousin.”

He held her tight for a moment, relieved his search was over and delighted that she seemed to be doing so well. "In a way I’m glad you were so cautious. It’s reassuring to know that you take care of yourself.” He sat down opposite her as she resumed her seat. “You’ve changed so much.”

“Yes. Getting away from father really gave me a chance to be my own person, and I would say that I’ve thrived.” She sipped her coffee. “Not that it was easy. For a while I barely made rent, and then when it came to tuition and other school fees, there was no one to co-sign for loans. I almost gave up then. A few times, I nearly went back. But I’m so glad that I didn’t.”

“You could have come to us.”

“And put my uncle in an awkward position? I couldn’t do that to him.”

‘As thoughtful as ever. It’s good she kept her best traits.’ Neji leaned forward and rested his chin on top of his hands. “As much as I am glad that we’ve met, I have to admit there is a particular reason for my search.”

“Ah. I didn’t think that merely finding me could be the sole aim.”

“It’s not that we didn’t want to find you.” He shook his head, ponytail loosening with the force of his emotion. “It’s not that at all. I asked father for years, and each time he said that we had to give you a chance to find your own way, and that he didn’t want to be the one to drag you back into the family. But I never… whenever I went out, I looked. If we were at the bookstore or a coffee shop, I’d take a look at each face, just in case you might… it’s not like it seemed that you wanted to be found anyway.” He shook his head again, this time dismissively. “Well, we can talk about that later. That’s not what I have to tell you.”

Gently, he took hold of her hand. “Regardless of how things were between you both, I’m sure this will be hard to hear. Hinata, your father has passed away.” The Hinata of his childhood would have fainted, and the one he’d met last would have broken down completely, but the woman before him hardly reacted at all. Not a muscle altered her calm, composed expression, nor did her eyes show anything other than a slight shock. Had not her hand tightly squeezed his own, Neji would have repeated himself, thinking she hadn’t heard.

“I…” Hinata looked away a moment, allowing the longer side of hair to cover her face for a moment, then she coughed and faced her cousin again. “Somehow, I think I knew.” She nodded slowly, and retracted her hand. “Yes, somehow, I knew it could only be this.”

Quite at a loss, Neji just looked to where his hands were folded, resting on the table. She needed time to deal with the shock, no matter what she said, though it really didn’t feel appropriate to give the comforting speech he’d been preparing on the way here. “It was a bit ago, and the funeral’s already over, but if you don’t mind… and I know in your emails you sounded like you just wanted to be left alone, and I know that this is a lot to deal with right now, but if you don’t mind, come back with me to my house for a bit. Please,” he said gently, as she clearly didn’t want to be pushed in any which way, “please, even for just a little bit. Allow us to comfort you.”

A shaky hand found her coffee cup, and she downed the whole thing suddenly. “I’ll think about it. I agreed to meet you here, planning to say that I’m happy with my life and I just want to be left alone, but… I don’t want to abandon my family.” She paled slightly. “Hanabi… how is she?”

Neji winced, and that told her everything. “Alright. Just let me finish this.” As she calmly ate the rest of her scone, Neji became aware of a familiar voice nearby. He couldn’t quite place it, but a casual look over his shoulder showed him a face Sasuke had introduced to him recently; though it was a side glance of his profile, the man had such unusual golden eyes that he is difficult to mistake. Neji’s natural instinct was to go greet the man, but given the situation with Hinata, he wasn’t going to leave her alone for even a minute. But something else gave him pause. The other man at the table with—one of those ‘maru names, Sessho? No, Orochi—with Orochimaru was facing Neji’s direction, so he could see everything the strange man was doing, including holding both of Orochimaru’s hands in his gloved ones.

Something about it seemed odd, but Neji couldn’t argue with what he saw with his own eyes: Orochimaru, the man whom he had been under the impression that Sasuke was dating, was now publicly holding hands in a coffee shop with another man.

Yet Hinata was ready, and he couldn’t very well have her wait while he dealt with the man apparently cheating on Neji’s best friend. As he escorted her to his car, as she gracefully accepted the offer, having taken public transportation to coffee shop, Neji subtly took a picture, just managing to capture both of their faces. They settled in the car, and as he began driving, he felt an unusual urgency.

“Hinata, feel free to tell me no, but my friend just might be about to get into trouble and I just need to call him and give him a heads up. Do you mind?” She answered in the negative, and he located Sasuke's number in his cell phone. It rang twice till a groggy voice picked up.

“Hey. Did I wake you?”

“No, just studying. Haven’t said anything aloud in hours.” He yawned. “So what’s up? How did your meeting go? I didn’t get your text until this morning, but I was thinking about you. Crossed my fingers and everything.”

“I can tell you about it later, but I need you to listen. You know I love you right?”

“Umm…”

“No, not like that. You know what I mean. Just, you know that I wouldn’t say things that could hurt you unless I had to, right?”

“…Neji, where are you going with this?” Sasuke definitely didn’t sound tired now.

“I could be wrong, and I took a photo just to be sure, but I think I saw your boyfriend at the coffee shop with another guy. They were holding hands, and sitting really close to one another, and I’m sure there’s another possibly explanation, but I at least want to give you a chance to do… whatever it is you want to do.”

A slight ‘thud’ on the other side, then silence.

“Sasuke? Are you there?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m here. I’m… well, it might be something totally normal, right?” Neji felt like his heart was being squeezed. He couldn’t watch Sasuke do this to himself again. “Itachi said he would be studying all day today, but I guess something could have come up…”

‘Itachi? That’s a weird nickname,’ Neji thought, though tact reminded him this wasn’t the time to mention it.

“WAIT!” Neji nearly slammed on the brakes. Hinata looked strangely at him, rising out of her stupor at the jerking motion of the car.

“What? You’re going to make me crash!”

“When did you meet Itachi? I don’t remember introducing him to you.”

“Is… that time that you came over, for Toph’s celebration dinner… was that guy not your boyfriend?”

“What? No. He was just dropping me off and he got pulled into the celebration. He didn’t want to be rude so he just went along with it.”

“So Orochimaru is /not/ your boyfriend?” He confirmed.

“No. The man I’m dating is called Itachi Uchiha." He sighed in relief. "I'm glad that was so easily resolved. He’s not perfect, but if he says he stuck home all day studying, then I believe him. He wouldn’t lie to me.”

* * *

At the time that Itachi told Sasuke that he would be studying all day, it wasn’t a lie. He hadn’t known that an email from one of his former assistants was sitting in his inbox, inviting him to a café they had previously frequented. Had it been just about anyone else, he might have refused, but considering his longtime relationship with the sender, he decided to give it a chance.

And so Itachi was, in fact, in a coffee shop during the time of the conversation between Neji and Sasuke.

"Hello." He had to resist the instinct to smile; nice as it was to see his old friend, the email had come after a long time apart and the last he'd seen of her, she was at the law firm, still going along with his father's manipulations of the law. For all he knew, she’d gone and allied herself with Sai. His half-brother paid all his people well, and Nodoka had been rumored to have money problems. Recognizing the man with her as one of his peers from his time in medical school, and a none too friendly one at that, he sat in the empty seat across from his former assistant and friend. "You wanted to meet with me?"

"Hi!" She said with a steady smile. She looked the same as ever; quietly pretty, but it really only showed when she was happy like she apparently was now. "Yes. This is my husband, Jirou. On the way here he said he's known of you, back when he was in medical school." Nodoka sipped her coffee, elbowing the frowning man next to her. "Be nice, dear."

His frown deepened. "Hello." Jirou said sullenly. That was apparently the extent of his civil energies.

She ignored him, and at the slight glare Itachi noticed Jirou sending his way, he decided to ignore the other man as much as possible. "Don't mind him. He only recently found out that Fugaku-san wanted us to marry, and now he's grumpy. Order something, would you? We're paying, no arguments." The waitress arrived just on time, but if she hadn't Itachi intended to assert his part and pay--but one did not make a scene, especially about money, in front of other people. Just because he didn't have his father's finances to draw from didn't mean he couldn't afford a meal.

"I can pay for all this, you know. Surely I owe you." He said quietly once the waitress left to bring them their food.

Nodoka waved her hand at that. "Who owes who has nothing to do with it. I asked you to come here, so we're paying."

"Why did you? Ask me here, I mean."

"Hmmm." She fiddled with a sugar packet. "Well, the main reason is because I haven't seen you in forever, and I still think of you as a friend." Her hesitant smile was directed at him, though she continued to tease the edge of the paper. A few more tugs and the paper would rip and spill the sugar.

He had assumed that she would have a message from his father, some sort of demand that he return the car or that he convince his mother to submit to his tyrannical rule once more. A friend? Well, even she admitted there was more to it than that. But he couldn't help but be a little touched. "I hadn't heard from you in so long. After a while, I assumed your job was more important." Hiding emotions was an Uchiha thing, and Nodoka's best efforts were meager. A guilt-ridden frown deepened on her face, and her husband patted her arm lightly, glaring a bit once more at Itachi. "Don't feel guilty--you needed a job, I understand that. I just... I didn't know that you still cared." That was much clumsier than he'd anticipated. "I mean, we had fun in college, and then at work it was like you were the only sane one there, but then after I left I didn't ever hear from you, so I thought you'd outgrown me."

"We did have fun at university, didn't we? Sometimes I still think we should have conquered the world." She finally looked at him, reassured by his smidgen of a smile. The sugar packet was emptied into her steaming mug, and she grabbed another. "It would have been nice, yes, to simply ring you up whenever the paralegals started driving me crazy, or call you when one of the lawyers started hitting on me, but it wasn't so simple. Your father seemed to blame me personally for your leaving, not to mention you not marrying me and us all working within his domain. Then there was that little snot--sorry, I mean, there was Sai, who consistently asked where you were and what you were up to. On top of all that, I had just met Jirou," the man glanced up from the muffin he was eating with a gentle glance at his wife, paying attention for probably the first time since he'd greeted her friend, "and you moved several times anyway, didn't you? After the third or fourth new address and phone number didn't work, I had to assume that the little snot was accessing my information in order to get to you and that you were better off without any connection to the office at all."

"So you didn't hate me for leaving? For rejecting you?" It was stupid to be apprehensive about her answer, of course, but he couldn't help but wonder if he'd unintentionally caused pain to more than his mother. The few friends he had were precious, and he really was starting to understand that he shouldn't assume that he had acted in their best interests anymore.

The sugar spilt on the table this time. "No, you dumbass. You were like a little brother to me, and I only went along with 'dating' you because your mother was so sweet and I didn't want to disappoint her. I heard that Kisame finally admitted his crush to you though.” She gave him a look. “You are oblivious to at odd times, but did you really not notice how he felt about you?"

Itachi cringed. “Not at all. Do you keep in touch with him still?”

“Not since the wedding, but then the other night he called and said that if I wanted to try being friends with you again, it could actually happen. I’m glad he called.”

“Me, too.” He smiled a little, the realization that he had truer friends than he thought warming his expression. "Why have you contacted me now? Was Sai really looking into your files?" He drew his phone from his pocket as he spoke, poised to call the Uzumaki residence. "If that's how he's been finding me, then he's probably been finding my newer friends through that address. I wouldn't put it past him to follow them home and harass them from there." It's happened before, he thought, and if Orochimaru following him that day was what he thought it was, than he owed that man more than another punch. "Do I need to call them? I can't ask them to move, but I could at least put them on their guard."

"You should be all right. All of you. Once Jirou proposed, I quit immediately. He's a doctor, and because he's the second son he has more freedom--as long as he's successful, anyway, and we're doing just fine. Actually," she paused to stir yet lump of sugar into her mug--surely more sugar than coffee by now-- and patted her husband’s hand, encouraging him to put his phone back down. "I was recently hired at a smaller firm, more focused on the community. Apparently, they saw that I'd been your assistant and decided to hire me on the spot. I'm reasonably certain that you're safe, at least as far as I can tell."

This was indeed reassuring, and other than an unsubtle bored sigh from her husband, now not-so-secretly playing a game on his cellular device, it seemed there was nothing to do but enjoy the time they had to catch up. "So what's happened with you? I followed you through a few moves, and last I heard you were planning on going back to school. Something fun, this time, I hope? I would've thought that the nightmares of law school and then med school had scarred you from ever reentering an institution of learning. Then again, your abilities always surpassed ours despite the age difference, so a little genius like you probably enjoyed every bit." She teased.

Itachi accepted the compliment, but inwardly he frowned. Yes, he had been very intelligent at a very young age, but it was no fun to be teased about it by one of the few people who generally understood the isolation it brought. "Well, I'm at a rather well-known art school right now. It's enjoyable, which was the whole point--doing something I wanted to do, with no regard for how it will impact my future or bring profits or advance my position." A pause, as he finally dug into the omelet. The heat had begun to leave it, and waiting any longer would reduce the temperature to that awful lukewarm. "Naturally, there’s trouble there, too. I ran into an old high school…erm, acquaintance—Orochimaru, of all people, and nearly got kicked out. Fortunately, the professor understood and we have a mutual friend, so things have turned out quite alright."

Both Nodoka and Itachi were content to continue talking, but Jirou’s pager beeped loudly. “Honey, they’re calling me in.”

“Yes, dear. Alright Itachi, we’ll have to be going, then, though it was so nice to catch up with you. Please, don’t lose touch again. And good luck with your boyfriend.”

“Wait, he’s got a boyfriend?” Jirou chuckled. “What was I worried for, then, if he’s just a fag?”

The people at the surrounding tables went silent and looked at the trie while trying to look like they weren’t looking at the trio. Nodoka had gone pale, and said to her husband with austerity, “Go warm up the car. I’ll be out in a minute.” They shared a brief look, and he left, grumbling under his breath. She turned to Itachi, sighing, and bowed low. “I apologize on behalf of my husband.”

“It’s all right.” Itachi assured her. It wasn’t like she had said it, and that certainly wasn’t near the worst thing someone had said to him. He had merely been caught off guard.

“It’s not all right. He’s prejudiced about silly things, and sometimes he can be a real ass.”

“Then, why…?”

“Because I love him.” She said simply. “For better or worse, though I’m pretty sure I’m what makes him better. Everybody has their faults, it’s just that his faults are loud and offend a lot of people. He really is good though, I promise.”

They hugged briefly, and she paid at the register as they exited, parting with a promise to stay in touch.

* * *

Itachi's final went better than he had hoped, and so to celebrate, he drove over to the Uzumaki residence. As he rang the doorbell, he mused that if had done poorly (if such a thing could happen to begin with) then he would have come here to be comforted. Either way, when Sasuke opened the door wide, he took a deep breath to restrain himself from pulling the man close immediately and devouring his mouth.

“Itachi! How did your final go?” He ushered the older man into the house with a hug and Itachi removed his coat and gloves.

“Very well, I think. How’s your studying?” They moved further into the house, and judging by the lack of noise, Naruto wasn’t home yet.

“I’m about ready for a break.” He smiled up at his boyfriend, half-sitting against the back of the couch as Itachi came forward. “So if you’re here to distract me, I’d have to say that I wouldn’t mind at all.”

Itachi's hands were already on Sasuke, one on the back of his neck and the other at his hip, pulling him close. “Well, since you don’t mind,” and he kissed him. How long had it been? Too long, Itachi decided, and that was the last thing he had a chance to think about as the man in his arms took his breath away.

Sasuke was not quite having that problem. Since his sex drive had come back recently, he’d had to ‘take care of business’ the past couple mornings all on his own. Now that he finally had a bit of alone time with his boyfriend, the only question left was which actions would press Itachi's buttons.

The Nokia tune sang faintly from the other room. Itachi pulled back slightly, but Sasuke only let him get far enough away to say, “ignore it,” before connecting their mouths again. Sucking on his tongue seemed to be doing the trick, as Itachi's hand drifted from hip to ass and alternately squeezed and caressed his butt. Sasuke decided to step it up a notch.

Sasuke's phone rang again, and this time Itachi actually got words out. “Are you sure—”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Now touch me.” He blushed mightily as he said it, but Itachi didn’t hesitate. The hand on his ass slid down the back of his thigh and lifted so Sasuke's leg was halfway wrapped around Itachi's hip.

Moving his hands from where they had been merely clinging to Itachi's shirt and slipped on up to feel his abdomen, untucking his shirt while the other hand undid the top buttons, glad Itachi had skipped wearing a tie today.

The half-moan definitely was a good sign, and Itachi started to lean Sasuke over the couch more. The younger man was prepared for this, and was positioned so that they would roll and he would fall on top. But life had other plans.

“Who ya gonna call?” asked Itachi's pocket.

All thoughts of that nature were abandoned at the sound of “Ghostbusters” playing loudly, emanating from Itachi's cell phone. Itachi sighed and pulled himself off Sasuke to pick up the phone.

“What’s going on? Who is it?” Sasuke peered over his shoulder, surprised to see Naruto’s name. He was a little miffed that Itachi hadn’t even given his own boyfriend his number yet. “Hey, why don’t I—”

“Sorry, Sasuke, he only calls if it’s an emergency.” The phone flipped open and answered with a small beep. “Uchiha.” He listened for a bit, and after noting Sasuke's annoyance at being excluded from the conversation, Itachi shifted the phone to his other ear so that Sasuke could lean in and listen too.

“—and I know you’re probably busy, but there’s just not much else I can do. Gaara’s with his step-siblings out looking, and of course Asuma’s checking in with all his friends, but we can’t find Haku anywhere. He used to be such a cute kid but now he’s acting like a delinquent and I think it has to do with whatever happened at the foster house or maybe he’s just at that rebellious phase. I wasn’t that bad, you know, not too much of a nightmare, or at least that’s what Kurenai told me—”

Smoothly, Itachi cut in. “Where are you now?”

“I’m with my buddy in the police department, but we’re trying to avoid actually using the police force, because then Social Services will get involved and that will be a much larger mess than is necessary. So what I’m really asking is, if you aren’t horribly tied up can you possibly help look for him? I’ll text you a picture, but if you can get hold of Sasuke I’d grab him along because he might have a better idea about locating Haku. The dear child hasn’t been picking up his cell, so call the house line if you want him.”

“I’ll head out right now.”

“Gotcha. Keep me posted, good news or bad.”

Itachi nodded and hung up. “I’m assuming you want to do this?”

“Of course.” He wanted to see Haku again, but not like this. Why would Haku ditch school and disappear?

* * *

The search commenced.

The usually places were crowded and busy, but Haku wasn’t in any of them. Kurenai said she received a call from the school that morning asking why Haku wasn’t in class, and though hopeful that somehow he’d just been missed, Asuma had spent the rest of the day checking his usual hiding spots. Although the school reported Haku absent, it was unlikely anyone had performed a personal, thorough search, so Sasuke and Itachi dashed around the high school, checking all the classrooms and bathrooms thoroughly. Worry was mounting; concern was transforming into deep anxiety and heightened alarm.

“I can’t tell if he’s too old or too young to be causing this much trouble.” Itachi reflected that his schooling experience was very, very different, but bringing that up now wouldn’t help them find this boy and sooner. Uchiha really wished the kid would turn up, because there might still be a chance that he and Sasuke could carry on what they started before…

“He didn’t really have a childhood, but he’s older than he looks, so…. Well, I don’t know. That doesn’t mean anything.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, worry tensing his muscles. “I’d heard he was having trouble recently, but I didn’t think it’d be a disappearing act. Didn’t think it’d happen so suddenly, either.”

“What kind of trouble can he be in? From everything Naruto’s said, he sounds like he should be a model child—intelligence, a good work ethic, all that.”

“…I think it’s my kind of trouble.”

“What do you mean?”

“It sounds like he started behaving strangely after he spent a year in a foster home, but I think the problem right now is that he likes a guy.”

“That isn’t a problem.”

Sasuke shook his head. “It’s not that he likes a guy, it’s that this guy is older and Haku was always pretty trusting.” He shook his head. “Why do things have to be so complicated? Naruto may have been a bit of trouble back in middle school, and we used to fight back then too, but then he got a job and scholarships, he knew the nicest people in college—all the videogaming stuff we have were birthday and Christmas presents from his roommates back then. Even now, he got a job straight out of college. He’s always on top of things and in control, and he’s really responsible with money—what?”

“Nothing.” Itachi hadn’t meant to react out loud, but he couldn’t help the sound that had come out and Sasuke clearly didn’t buy the cough he tried to cover it with.

“I don’t believe you.”

“I… I shouldn’t say anything. It’s not my place.” Itachi considered himself a terrific liar, though with a situation like this where he didn’t want to withhold the truth, his abilities dried up.

“Does it have to do with Naruto?”

“Well, yes.”

“Then it’s my business. Tell me.”

He smirked at the commanding tone, but acquiesced in his own way. If Sasuke guessed it, then it wasn’t telling him. “Haven’t you wondered where all the money goes?”

“What do you mean?”

“Naruto has two jobs, right? So even if the part-time paycheck is not very much, he still gets a teacher’s salary, which no matter how you look at it does not account for money spent. He told me once that one of the sponsors of the home paid for his college education, covering anything that his scholarships and grants didn’t, so it’s not like there’s college loans to worry about. I’m sure there are bills and car expenses, but even with whatever he’s paying for the house, there should still be money left over.”

Sasuke frowned and stopped walking altogether. “I follow you, but what makes you think he doesn’t have enough money?”

“Really?” He could hardly help the way the word came out, but his incredulity was genuine. “Have you really not noticed?”

“Noticed what?”

“Sasuke, last time I was at your house, there was absolutely no food in the fridge. By Naruto’s own admission, he barely eats, barely sleeps, and wanted me to hide it from you so that you wouldn’t worry. Have you really not seen it? His clothes are old, too. He keeps them clean but the newest thing I’ve seen him wear is at least three or four years old.”

Sasuke was clearly resisting what Itachi was saying, but he was thinking it over. In annoyance at this whole topic and the idea that Naruto might be hiding things from him, he threw back, “not all of us have the means to worry so much about what we dress like,” giving Itachi's dress shirt and slacks a look.

“It’s not that I’m fussy about what I wear. This is all I’ve ever worn. This /is/ casual for me. I’m not wearing a tie or blazer.”

He snickered at Itachi's distinction between dressy and casual. Though tempted to continue on that line, Sasuke had to admit that Itachi looked good dressed this way.

“Anyway, he’s a teacher, and like it or not he is judged very much by his appearance. Even subconsciously. Plus, there should still be money for him to buy even a couple new shirts each year.”

The silence between them grew, the disagreement and tinges of annoyance making it awkward.

“We should probably continue looking for your young friend now.”

“Oh!” Sasuke speed-walked down the hallway, heading back to the entrance of the school. “I can’t believe I forgot.” His forehead crinkled as he tried to think of where else Haku might have gone. Worry didn’t suit Sasuke, and Itachi figured he needed to try harder if they were going to find him soon. It had already grown dark outside; the stars twinkled at them as they walked back to the car. Itachi had been feeling triumphant after his final, and they’d missed dinner, so... hmmm.

“Hey, aren’t you hungry?”

“Now really isn’t the time for a food break.”

“Actually, I was thinking that if I ditched school, I probably missed lunch in the cafeteria, and then if I know people are looking for me, there are only so many places I can go—most restaurants are out, and even if they hung out at his friend’s house, sooner or later they’d get hungry. If they really are dating, or close to dating, I’m sure the man will want to get Haku whatever he wants, which means they’ll have to go buy food.”

“So either a grocery store or a convenience store.” He smiled as they climbed into the car. “Then I think I know which one he’s at.”

* * *

“Is it really okay?” Haku asked, barely louder than a whisper. He hated to bring it up again, but Zabuza had mentioned it so easily before, and it really was a pretty serious decision.

“Yep.” Zabuza exhaled, smoke drifting up to the night sky. It was so pretty, watching it dissipate until it dissipated into sky. “Keep the house clean, and have dinner ready by the time I’m done at work, it won’t be a problem.” He frowned as he looked at his near-empty cigarette pack, wiggling the one between his lips up and down. “Or you can go to school, whatever, so long as you spend your nights with me.”

Haku blushed, his long hair and their distance from the storefront hiding his blush. Would they really… do that now? That’s what people do when they move in together, right? He nudged Zabuza with his elbow, looking at the hand that held the cigarette. In an equally wordless fashion, the older man put the cigarette into Haku’s mouth. The boy smiled faintly at the indirect kiss, inhaling deeply like Zabuza had taught him. He still felt kind of hungry, but he didn’t want to ask Zabuza for money for another sandwich.

They sat in silence for a bit, watching as the sky darkened and the stars came out, and the people coming and leaving the convenience store, enjoying the slight chill of the bench. Time passed leisurely, and Haku began to think he could get used to this sort of pace.

Not many people frequented this convenience store, since for a convenience store, it was a bit inconvenient. Although most people were deterred by the back road necessary to get there, Haku and suggested it for that very reason. Years ago, Sasuke had taken him there, back when they used to visit Naruto at his college after school. Now… well, Naruto was a grown up and lectured him all the time, and Sasuke he hadn’t seen in a while. He abandoned him, just like everybody else.

Zabuza reached over to take the cigarette back, taking the time to run his calloused fingers across the boy’s lips. Instantly, a spark of arousal gave Haku a shiver, and he tapped Zabuza’s retreating fingers with his tongue. Brown eyes widened momentarily, then narrowed as he grabbed Haku’s collar and pulled him into a rough kiss, lifting him half onto his lap. Haku let him devour his mouth, enjoying the mingled taste of cigarette smoke. He used to hate the taste, and the smell brought nausea; but these forceful kisses overwhelmed him until he was accustomed to it.

Too soon, Zabuza pushed Haku back down onto the bench, eyeing him. There seemed to be a flash of disappointment, though Haku couldn’t be sure. Whatever Zabuza was thinking, he clearly didn’t want to share. The all-but-gone cigarette was given back to him, and Haku accepted it, afraid to ask Zabuza what was the matter, but equally afraid of knowing.

Taking a long drag, Haku resumed people-watching, trying to decide if he’d bother with homework, rather absently noticing that the man entering the store looked like Sasuke, though his hair was a bit longer than Sasuke kept his. Several minutes passed in silence before Zabuza attempted conversation again, suggesting they go back to Zabuza’s house. Haku agreed and stood, finishing off the cigarette with a last breath. He happened to look up at the exact time the man he thought looked like Sasuke exited the store, but this time the light from inside shone on his face. Haku started coughing on the smoke as he realized he didn’t just look like his frie—former friend, it /was/ his former friend.

If Haku hadn’t been coughing loudly, he probably would’ve been passed by, hidden by the shadows and the slight distance the park benches had from the store. But Haku was coughing loudly, and the sound was enough to catch Sasuke's attention for just a moment, just a flick of his eyes in that direction—target acquired.

“Haku!” Relief was the dominating emotion, and despite the warm hug from Sasuke, Haku had a premonition that the feeling would change soon. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you. Are you all right? Have you eaten?” Stepping back, he looked Haku over, settling on the object in Haku’s hand. Internally, Haku cringed.

“You’ve been smoking?” Haku didn’t react at all, face blank as a painted mask. That only ticked Sasuke off more. “You’re going to ruin your voice like that! What are you thinking?”

“Leave me alone!” He shouted, outraged that Sasuke of all people dared to lecture him about this. “This is nothing to what you’ve done!”

“You were supposed to learn from my bad choices, not try to one-up them!”

“And you weren’t supposed to abandon me, you selfish dick!” The hurt look on Sasuke's face caused only a twinge of guilt, but mostly Haku felt good for saying what he’d been thinking. There was plenty more he wanted to say, too, but Zabuza never liked being ignored for long. Putting a hand on Haku’s shoulder, he cut in.

“Stop bothering him. It’s your fault he’s stressed.”

Sasuke turned on Zabuza then, undaunted by the height and clear muscle difference. “Stress can be fixed with sleep or food. Cancer can’t, and if his voice is damaged, that won’t help it, either.” Giving the taller man a look like he was a lost cause, he turned to Haku, who’d been eyeing the man standing behind Sasuke mistrustfully. The man was hot in a classy way, but looked like a liar.

Haku loved Zabuza’s deep chuckle that shook the man’s chest, especially since Sasuke looked even more annoyed at the sound. “Maybe if you had said something sooner, like a year ago, but…” he shrugged. “You weren’t there, and I was. Why should he listen to you?”

“Because I’m watching out for him so he doesn’t make the same mistakes I did.”

“Haku doesn’t offer his ass to anyone with a cock, so that won’t be a problem.”

Sasuke swung his leg in a sweeping kick aimed right for Zabuza’s head, though with reflexes surprisingly quick for a man his size, Zabuza blocked with his forearm. Both Haku and Itachi winced at the cracking sound.

Attacker and defender held position, trying to push the other off, until they mutually dropped. Sasuke tried another route by going for an uppercut, and the grin on Zabuza’s face said he was going for a counterattack. Not quite thinking, Haku put himself between them. “STOP!”

He cracked open his eyes, not at all surprised that Sasuke’s fist was bare inches from his face. Likewise, Zabuza’s fist was right alongside his left rib, obviously redirected once Haku got in the way. “We don’t have to do this.”

Sasuke scowled, and the man next to him glared at Zabuza, but Sasuke backed down. He shook off the taller man’s hand on his wrist, scowling. “I’m fine. And I’ve heard worse.”

Mustering up his best face, he placed a hand on Zabuza’s and looked him evenly in the eye. “Please. Let’s just go.”

“Back to my place?” Haku nodded, urging the man with squeezes of his hand. Zabuza studied the younger man for a few moments. “No.”

“No…?” His heart beat uncomfortably faster. “Not with you?”

“You need to work things out with them.” He gestured to Sasuke and the other man.

“I don’t want to talk to Sasuke and I don’t even know who that guy is!” He’d never yelled at Zabuza before, and he hadn’t meant to. Perhaps vaguely shocked, Zabuza appeared more annoyed than anything else.

“I’m Itachi, a friend of Naruto’s and—”

“I don’t care!” Haku couldn’t believe it. Was Zabuza abandoning him now, too? No. Zabuza was different. He was the only one who really cared. “Please.”

“My offer is the same. I’m not leaving you, either.” He grabbed Haku’s chin, forcing the eye contact. “You get that?” He demanded, allowing Haku control enough to nod his head. “Good. Go with them for now. You have your phone?” Haku nodded again. “I’ll call.” With a smirk, he used his grip on Haku’s jaw to pull him into an open-mouthed kiss, shamelessly devouring the boy’s mouth without regard for the bystanders. He pulled back, wiping the traces of saliva from the corner of Haku’s lip, and walked off with a wave. “See ya later, kid.”

Haku watched him leave, feeling a bit abandoned all the same.   “Haku…” Sasuke said, much more calmly than he would’ve expected. Haku turned, pushing his hair back behind his shoulder and reflexively folding his arms across his chest. “Let’s go.” Itachi started walking, and when it was clear that Sasuke didn’t plan to turn his back on the boy, Haku walked between them, with Sasuke following.

He didn’t react to the posh car or to Sasuke's conversation with Naruto informing him that Haku had been found. Haku ignored everything they said, allowing himself to be mesmerized by the glare the holidays lights made in the window as they drove past. He was sitting on Naruto’s couch, sipping hot chocolate he didn’t remember accepting, by the time he got around to waking his brain back up.

Sasuke stared at the young man, lost as to where to begin. Apparently, Haku had a lot more going on than he’d thought. He’s with an older man who was a shameless bad influence and was smoking for who knows how long. That would probably mess up his health, since he’d been known to be on the sickly side, plus most sponsors of the Home automatically ignored smokers on principle. On top of that, he’d ruin his singing voice, though going by what Asuma said, Haku hadn’t sung lately at all and was most likely skipping all his voice lessons.

He cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to yell at you before, and I’m pretty sure I’m the last person you want to hear a lecture from, but please trust me. There’s so much you have the opportunity to do, but the actions you’ve taken will ruin it.”

The flat brown eyes looked at him, nodding slowly. “Yeah. You’re not really someone I want to hear that from. Have you thought maybe I need to make my own mistakes? Besides, there’s no reason to listen to you. You’re just like everybody else. All they cared about was my voice.” ‘I hope my voice really does get ruined. Then they’d leave me alone. The other man, Itachi, was sitting next to Sasuke on the sofa, though he didn’t make any effort to interject into the conversation. He seemed the type to observe and analyze.

“I won’t give you the ‘you’ve been blessed with a gift, so work hard to share it with the world speech.’ I know you’ve gotten it before. I had to listen whenever people came to the Home to talk to you; I could almost recite it myself. But right now, even if you don’t want to train you voice, it’s important to focus on school. It doesn’t feel important doing worksheets and math problems and writing papers on stupid topics that nobody but your teacher will ever read, but it does matter. Later on they’ll look at your high school grades, and if you do go to college, all these dumb assignments will have been good practice. So…”

“That’s not all that bugs you though, right?” Haku’s intuitive intelligence urged him to prod further. He put his untouched drink down on the coffee table, squeezing his thumb between the thumb and forefinger of his other hand. “Oh. You don’t like Zabuza, do you?”

“I generally don’t like people who suggest that I am or have ever been a whore, so no, I don’t like him. But it doesn’t look like he’s doing anything good for you either.”

“He was there for me when no one else was.”

Sasuke rubbed at the back of his leg, uncomfortable with the accusation. “I wasn’t in any shape to be around anyone.”

“So?”

“What do you mean, ‘so?’”

“Never mind. It’s too late for that.” He waved it off. “Point is, there’s no reason that I can’t move in with Zabuza.”

“Is that what was happening today? He asked you to move in with him?”

“Yeah. And I will.”

“Isn’t this all a bit fast?”

“Why wait? I’ll move in with him, and then once we start sleeping together,” he felt himself flush, though his face showed none of his discomfort and his tone remained flat, “I’ll take care of the house and get a job so he won’t have to pay for everything for me.”

“I just get the feeling that you’re rushing this. Living with someone is a much bigger step than it seems, plus you don’t have the established intimacy of having slept together.”

“That’s not my fault! I want to, but he keeps putting it off…” his face visibly fell, and Sasuke wondered which landmine he’d stepped on.

“Maybe he’s just waiting for the right moment. After all, there’s nothing wrong with waiting. I mean, we haven’t gone there yet, and we might not for a while. It could be years before—”

“Years?” he interjected incredulously.

A serious frown formed on his face, nearly uniting his eyebrows together. “Yeah. Is that a problem?” He folded his arms together, a sick feeling prodding at his stomach.

“Well I wasn’t planning on tomorrow or next week, but I was thinking sometime within the next couple months. I mean, it’s what people do when they love each other, right?” Sasuke’s and Itachi's eyes met sharply at the word ‘love.' With a vague sense of panic, Sasuke dragged the conversation in another direction.

“Are you saying that if I don’t do it, I don’t love you?”

“No, but it’s the next logical step—”

“Oh, so now logic says we need to sleep together?”

“I’m not saying that either. What I’m saying is that I thought that sooner rather than later you’d want to. Or maybe you don’t want to, and I’ve been wasting my time?” He ended with frustration. If he had known that Sasuke didn’t want a physical relationship yet, he wouldn’t have been so pushy about it.   They could have gone to the movies or ice skating or something. He didn’t know he’d been pushing the man in a direction he hadn’t wanted to go. Just where did that place Itachi in comparison to Sasuke’s previous men?

“Is that all you’re after then? I’m a waste of time otherwise?”

“I mean wasting my efforts pulling you in that direction. You’re getting too defensive and overanalyzing everything. Though it does make me wonder, what do you even like me for? Do you even like me the same way I like you?

“I just refuse to define our relationship by its physical aspects.” Really, he knew that wasn’t what Itachi was trying to say and certainly not what he thought, but he couldn’t quite articulate what he was thinking. His teeth sank into his lip hard, relieving a minute amount of frustration and confusion.

They looked at each other, not quite fuming but thoroughly annoyed at what the other had said as much as the fact that this was their first argument and it had started because they were trying to help this brat, who still sat looking so sweetly at them. Yet it was also the child who broke the silence. “What if I tell him no… and he gets bored with me?”

That was the feeling he had, and it surprised him that the child was at the same place he was. They really should give the kid more credit, he supposed.

“If he leaves you because of that, he doesn’t deserve you.” Haku halfway glared at Itachi. “I know it sounds lame, but it’s true. Though it sounds like maybe he actually waiting for you and doesn’t want to pressure you, rather than getting bored with you. You might just want to talk to him about it.”

Haku nodded, not quite agreeing, though not exactly disagreeing.

“And for you, Sasuke, of course, I’m eager.” Thinking back on what Kisame had said, he kept going. “I want you that way, but I thought I’d already made clear that there are many different ways I want you. Really, I just want to spend more time with you, even just hanging out.”

Sasuke smiled. “Really? A lot of different ways? Different… positions?” he teased.

Itachi rolled his eyes. “Oh, you know what I mean.” He smiled back. “Sorry.”

“Me, too.” They embraced with a soft kiss. They let it grow deeper, each trying to make up for the hurtful things they’d said but hadn’t meant; they didn’t get much time. Haku interrupted with a cough.

“Not to interrupt… well, yes, actually, that’s what I’m trying to do. But…”

“Yes?” Sasuke questioned, stepping back from Itachi but not letting go of his hand.

“I think they’re here.” All the blood left Haku’s face as the key turned in the lock. Sasuke dropped Itachi's hand to stand near Haku, resting a hand on his shoulder for comfort. The boy was giving him such a pathetic look that all his protective instincts reignited.

Asuma burst in stormily, looking equal parts angry and worried. Just past the doorway he stopped and stared at Haku, who, feeling his guardian’s presence, tensed, throat tightening and mouth going dry. Naruto was right behind him, though he had to squish against the hallway to get past him. “Hey, Haku.” The blond was overly calm, though it balanced out the intensity Asuma was projecting. “Asuma, do you want some coffee? I can take your coat.”

“No need. I won't be here long.” He stepped a bit closer, gaze flickering up to Sasuke and sparing a glance at Itachi. “Thank you for finding him.”

Sasuke answered the unspoken question. “The convenience store. The one down by the old cemetery.”

“I see.” Clearly having difficulty reigning in his anger, he spoke haltingly to the young man all but shaking on the couch. “Haku, it’s good that you are safe. We’ll have to talk about your behavior later. For now, go get in the car.”

Haku looked up, finally looking at his guardian’s face, mouth moving slightly, like he wanted to say something. However, Asuma missed it, as he was thanking Naruto for helping with the search. Sasuke couldn’t focus on anything else at the moment except for the boy on the couch, fidgeting with his hands. This might be the moment to make up for not being there for his young friend all this time.

“What if,” Sasuke had to clear his throat, and Haku looked up at him, pleading with his eyes. Well, now he /really/ hoped Asuma would agree to this. “What if Haku stayed with us for a bit?”

His former guardian frowned deeply. “Sleepovers are reserved as rewards. I’m not about to reward him for his actions today.”

“Some time apart will give everyone a chance to cool their heads.”

That he was the target of that comment did not pass Asuma by. “If I allow it this time, I’ll never hear the end of it from the other kids. Or from Kurenai. We have to keep strict rules at the Home. That’s how we maintain our reputation, and that’s what gets us sponsors. Haku messed up, so he needs to accept his punishment.”

“I’m not arguing against punishment, I just mean…” he felt Itachi step closer to him, and wished he had better skill with words. “It helped me. Our situations are different, I know, but being here helped.”

The stony expression on Asuma’s face didn’t change as he contemplated in silence, and all three males in the living room subconsciously held their breaths. Apparently oblivious to the tense atmosphere was Naruto, moving from the kitchen to the hallway and back again, returning with a set of pajamas from Sasuke's room. “There will be a little long for you, Haku, but you can roll up the bottoms.”

“I didn’t say yes.”

“But you didn’t say no. If you were going to refuse, you would have said it immediately.”

Asuma frowned at him as well, fondness half-hidden beneath the downturned eyebrows. “The trouble I had with you was that you paid more attention than anyone would give you credit for.”

“I know,” the blond said with a smile. “And before too long, I’m sure that you’ll see Haku’s kind of trouble in a different light, too.”

They shared a look, confidence and urging on Naruto’s side and doubt and acquiescence on Asuma’s. “Fine, then. Haku,” he said sharply, and the boy nearly jumped. “If you give them any trouble, of any sort, I will personally put transfer you. I can’t have you setting this kind of example for the other kids.” Gaze dropping down and curling in on himself, he nodded solemnly. “Sasuke and…”

“Itachi,” said Itachi.

“Yes. Thank you for your help. I’ll contact you soon,” he told the blond, looking rather relieved, considering all his arguing against Haku staying. His farewell was punctuated by the door shutting, and Haku gave Sasuke a very sudden and very quick hug before grabbing the pajamas Naruto had draped over the chair and running to the spare room.

In the silence he left, Naruto sat down on the couch wearily. “Man, and I thought I was a handful.”

“He was with a guy.”

“What was he like?”

“He called Sasuke a whore and tried to hit him.”

“What?” The blond looked ready to attack on his friend’s behalf.

Sasuke shot a glare at Itachi. “To be fair, I tried to hit him first, but he blocked me and then Haku jumped in the way.”

Naruto gave a humorless chuckle. “Good to know those martial arts lessons are getting so much use lately.”

“Indeed.” Itachi sounded very unpleased by the necessity for their use, Sasuke couldn’t help but notice. “Will it really be okay, having this boy here?”

“Yeah, sure.” Waving off the concern, Naruto broached the more sensitive part of the topic. “This boyfriend, though. Tell me more about him. What’s he like?”

“Brash. Rough, but I don’t think it’s intentional.” Sasuke shrugged. “I’d like to give him another shot, partly for Haku’s sake, but also because as much as I don’t like him, I feel like I’m missing something. He convinced Haku to go with us.”

“I don’t like it either, but you’re right. He only went after Sasuke when the kid starting freaking out.”

“Then I suppose I could at least meet him.” He interrupted himself with a yawn. “Well, I’m off to remake the test for next week.”

“Hold on just a moment.” Itachi stood and pulled Naruto into the kitchen, taking the thermometer out of the drawer and sitting him on the nearest barstool.

“How do you even know where we keep that?” The blond scowled as his temperature and pulse were measured.

“I know everything,” Itachi said absently as he checked Naruto’s throat. “This might be the first time I’ve ever said this, but you should procrastinate your work. Unless it’s an absolute emergency, you should just put off your work. Sasuke mentioned that you fainted the other day,” Naruto tried to glare at Sasuke, but Itachi was checking his pupils and wouldn’t let him. “And you may feel better right now, but you need to sleep more, eat better, and find even an hour or so of downtime. If you carry on like this much longer, your body will shut itself down again.” He put a hand on Naruto shoulder and looked him full in the eye. “Next time, it will be worse.”

Warm blue eyes stared back at him evenly. “I’ll go to sleep right now, then, I promise. I’ll eat vegetables tomorrow and everything.” Itachi nodded, satisfied. He let Naruto get off the barstool, missing the glimpse of guilt the blond let slip.

“Then it’s time for me to leave.” Itachi got his few things together. “I’ll stop by after my finals, if that’s okay, but for now I need to study.” Sasuke gave him a shy wave.

“Study hard!” Naruto called as he slowly walked down the hallway, yawning with exaggeration. The moment the door shut behind Itachi, however, he came right back into the living room, laptop in his arms. “I’ll only work on it a little bit.”

Sasuke bit his lip, not sure if he should say anything. Naruto knew what he was thinking anyway. “I know. I fainted earlier this week, and I’m being really unhealthy on top of that. But I’ve handled worse, so for now, just trust me.”

It was hard to trust him, though, when he knew for sure now that Naruto not only could deceive when he wanted to, as he had lied so purely to Itachi. There was also the thought that Itachi had started—where the money really was going. The numbers didn’t really add up, and he couldn’t help think there really was something else going on. He hadn’t the faintest clue what it could be, and that made him hesitate. Naruto didn’t have a drinking problem or a drug problem, so maybe there were just some bills or car expenses Naruto just hadn’t had a chance to tell him about yet. Surely, that was it. And really, after so many years of friendship, Sasuke just had to trust him. Naruto had fulfilled the only childhood promise that had mattered between the two orphans, a pact they’d made with blood. Naruto had adopted him despite all difficulties; he owed Naruto his trust.

“Okay. I trust you.” Taking into account Naruto’s need for physical assurance, he patted the blond on his shoulder on his way to bed. “Just please, don’t stay up too late. Good night, Naruto.”

“Only an hour. I promise.” Naruto lied, believing it with all his might until the boy left the room. “Good night, Sasuke.” He waited until the bedroom door was closed, and then he waited another ten minutes after that to be sure Sasuke wasn’t coming back out. He opened his browser and checked his email, sighing as he read the only one that mattered. ‘This will have to be the last payment,’ he thought as he made an electronic funds transfer to his private investigator’s account. ‘Even if this is as close as I can get to mine or Sasuke's birth parents, this will be it.’ Listening carefully to the sounds of Haku stirring in the guest room, he reopened the documents he needed for teaching tomorrow.

Preparing himself for another sleepless night, rubbed at his temples. He just had to keep it together for a few more days. Stress and weariness and hunger meant nothing as long as he did what he needed to do. Regarding the downtime Itachi insisted on... well, there was something Naruto liked to do to relax, and if he was reading the signals right, Itachi was definitely willing to help.

* * *

as always, let me know what you think, and feel free to drop a message, even if it's completely unrelated to the story.

also: I've become addicted to 'You're my Loveprize in Viewfinder / Finder Series.' if you're looking for a holiday addiction that isn't food, this is probably for you.
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