Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Soup's On	By : OfFansAndFlames Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1794 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned. I make no money on this fiction.

Chapter List
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Naruto stood mutely, fully ready for Itachi to launch into an interrogation. Itachi’s smile seemed so benign, but he knew damned well that this man’s intelligence was terrifying. Hadn’t Sasuke told him it would be safe? Didn’t Itachi need Sasuke’s help to use the stairs? How was this possible? They’d gotten away with this, what, a grand total of two days after Itachi’s return? And Itachi had been expecting him?
“Hi! Uh… I’m one of Sasuke’s…f-friends!” Naruto answered, feeling himself sweat as nausea threatened to get the best of him. “From school! I was just spending the night and…”
Itachi raised his hand, sighing.
“Don’t bother lying. I know where you’re from.”
There was a possibility that Itachi was wrong, of course. Naruto knew that he had to monitor his facial expressions and words carefully when speaking with Itachi, which wasn’t necessarily Naruto’s strongpoint.
“Yup, you caught me,” Naruto answered, laughing nervously. “I’m a Martian.”
Itachi glanced up at Naruto, who noted the deep bags under the elder Uchiha’s eyes. The man looked so damned tired, but then again, Naruto couldn’t compare Itachi to his healthier self. This was the first time he’d gotten a good look at Itachi, other than that one incident in Itachi’s bathroom. Could Itachi have seen him? No, he had been unconscious. Itachi smiled lightly at Naruto’s rather flustered attempt at humor.
“You met Sasuke at St. Magdalene’s. You were usually with Sasuke when I picked him up. Of course, until you vanished one day without explanation.”
If it had even been possible, his heart began to beat even more heavily. How much did Itachi know? Certainly, this couldn’t be the only information he had about Naruto. Did he know how long Naruto had been living there? Perhaps he’d assumed he came from a troubled home and was just periodically camping out here for respite. Maybe Itachi didn’t know he’d been homeless. He didn’t look angry, at least.
“What I don’t know, however, is your name,” Itachi stated. “What is your name?”
Naruto paused before answering, “It’s…Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto.”
His introduction lacked its familiar gusto, though Itachi had little reference for this. He’d been caught, but the strange thing was that Itachi was already aware of his presence. How had Itachi figured them out, and what did this mean for Sasuke and him?
“As you’ve probably been told, my name is Itachi.”
Itachi stood now, reaching forward with his right arm for a handshake.
“Nice to meet you, Naruto.”

Naruto trudged up the stairs. Itachi had told Naruto to bring Sasuke downstairs, so he could “discuss the matter in further detail” with him. This sounded more like “interrogate the living shit out of him” to Naruto. Itachi was nice enough, but he seemed like the sort who could get incredibly intimidating if put in the proper situation. Sasuke had at least inherited the latter trait from his brother. He knew he’d open the door to find Sasuke completely oblivious to what had just happened, and he’d have to break the news. To say the least, he wasn’t looking forward to it. He paused in front of Sasuke’s room for several seconds, collecting himself. Naruto’s sense of foreboding showed in his downcast features. He knocked on Sasuke’s door, and Sasuke quietly opened it.
“What are you thinking, dumbass? Don’t knock.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Naruto had been tempted to say. He didn’t. Naruto frowned back at Sasuke silently before sitting on the bed, quietly. Still standing, Sasuke watched his lover, thoroughly disturbed by his change in demeanor.
“Naruto… Are you…”
“He knows,” Naruto said quietly but distinctly.
Sasuke’s jaw dropped in awe as he stared back at Naruto, rendered temporarily unable to speak. Naruto’s discovery was a long time coming, but it still took the air out of Sasuke’s lungs.
“He’s known,” Naruto added, beginning to sound panicked. “He was at the kitchen table after I walked downstairs. When he spotted me, he just said, ‘It’s nice to finally meet you.’”
Despite everything, Sasuke still felt the urge to scold Itachi for using the stairs without him. What if he’d fallen? What if it had ripped his incision site or caused internal bleeding? Had he also been planning on going up the stairs alone? Yet Sasuke realized he was in no place to scold Itachi, given what he’d just been caught doing. Sasuke swallowed, taking the information in stride. He realized that he needed to think clearly now.
“What else does Itachi know?”
“He knows we met at St. Magdalene’s. He said that he remembered me being with you when he’d pick you up every week, then suddenly I was gone.”
“Shit…” Sasuke sighed, rubbing his temple.
So much for feeling clever. Had Itachi really known all along? Naruto’s sudden absences could have easily been explained by Naruto changing towns or moving in with a family. Itachi had to have more information than that. But how much more?
“Did he say anything else?”
“Only that he wants to ask you some questions.”
Sasuke nodded. His mind was flashing back to Itachi’s reaction when he discovered that Sasuke had been shoplifting. He sincerely hoped that tonight would not be a repeat of that incident.
“I’m sorry, Sasuke…” Naruto told him, staring into his lap and crossing his arms tightly around his body. He raised his knees up to his chest. He was drawing into himself, protecting himself. Sasuke knew Naruto well enough to realize that he was on the brink of a full-fledged panic attack.
“Me too,” Sasuke answered, sitting beside Naruto. He wrapped his arms around Naruto, hugging him. Naruto hid himself inside of Sasuke, seemingly wishing to disappear into his lover.
“You’re going to be okay, Naruto,” Sasuke told him, petting his back. “You don’t have to face this alone.”
“Yeah, I know, I know,” Naruto answered, wiping at his eyes. When he tried to smile, his lips quivered. “Go down and talk to your brother. I’ll be fine.”
“If you need me, call out for me. I’ll come immediately.”
And he would. No matter what he and his brother were talking about, or what was happening, if Naruto called out for Sasuke, he would be there. He hated to leave Naruto alone at such a time, but there was a difficult conversation to be had.
“Okay,” Naruto replied. “Good luck…”
“Thanks.”
Sasuke’s emotions descending the stairs were rather similar to Naruto’s as he had just previously ascended. He didn’t want to go where his feet were carrying him. He just wanted to stay upstairs with Naruto and pretend that he hadn’t heard what Naruto had just told him. But there was no pretending. He had to face reality.
He entered the kitchen to find his brother just as Naruto had described him. Sasuke sat across from his brother, both of them silent for several seconds. It was Sasuke who broke the silence.
“Itachi, I’m sorry for not telling you the truth.”
Sasuke realized that this was one of the factors that his admission of guilt had lacked when they’d fought over his shoplifting habit. He would accept responsibility for his actions this time.
“If you were to do it all over, would you choose to deceive me again?” Itachi asked, a melancholic smile on his face.
Sasuke glanced at the table, exhaling silently. Would he lie?
“Yes. I did it to protect him.”
Itachi frowned, and Sasuke didn’t know whether Itachi was pleased or displeased with his response. It did indicate a certain degree of honesty…in a sense. It was one thing to admit to a lie but another thing entirely to admit that he wouldn’t take it back if given the option.
“He must mean a great deal to you.”
Sasuke nodded. Just like the last time he was in this situation, he still had trouble looking up from the table.
“He does.”
Itachi sighed, getting up and walking towards the fridge.
“I’ll get it,” Sasuke offered. “What did you need?”
“Some orange juice, please,” Itachi answered, sounding awfully formal.
Itachi’s tone made him uncomfortable. Sasuke poured them both a glass. This seemed like a conversation that might take a while.
“I want you to tell me everything relevant about Naruto.”
Immediately, Sasuke understood his brother’s tactic. Itachi definitely had more information on Naruto, but the extent of this information was a mystery. It would thus make Sasuke less likely to lie or withhold any important truths, given that Itachi might or might not be aware of them already. Itachi would know Sasuke was still holding back. It was clever, and Sasuke most certainly wasn’t in a position to ask Itachi any questions.
So he decided to be honest and tell his brother everything that he’d wish to know about Naruto.
“I met Naruto at St. Magdalene’s. I ran into him again when I was doing trash duty at the park. It’s where he used to live.”
Itachi nodded. If he had wondered about Naruto being homeless, that would have answered his question, but Itachi didn’t look particularly surprised.
“He’d help me clean up at the kitchen and the park. The cops gave him some hassle at the park, so he had to move to a rough part of town. He… He was attacked and very badly injured there. He skipped the kitchen that week because he was hurt. I searched for him and found him that Friday. When I found him and was told what happened, I took him to our house and hid him.”
“When was this?”
“Late October.”
“Has he been living here sporadically?”
The questions were coming quickly. Itachi hardly needed time to think on them, it seemed. This would likely be his tactic in the courtroom once he finally got his law degree. Sasuke was answering just as briskly, but he knew that if he stumbled, it would be obvious that he was lying.
“No… Continuously.”
Sasuke wondered which of these questions Itachi already knew the answers to, as his face revealed no hints as to what his current thoughts were, but his brother continued nonetheless.
“Does anyone besides us know of his whereabouts?”
“To my best knowledge, no.”
“Rather than stowing him here, why didn’t you turn him over to authorities?”
Sasuke sighed.
“I wanted to, but… He wouldn’t go.”
“Why not?” Itachi asked guardedly. Sasuke realized how suspicious that had sounded. Naruto could have been a criminal. Sasuke bit his lip, wondering if he should reveal such a personal aspect of Naruto’s past.
“You know those scars on his face?”
Itachi nodded. He didn’t want to share this with Itachi, really, but he wanted him to understand that the two of them really did have a good reason for not going to authorities. He wanted him to understand why they were in such a bind, where Sasuke’s only solution at the time was either to leave Naruto on the streets critically injured or seek shelter at the Uchiha residence.
“His foster father did that to him. That’s why he’s homeless. He ran away that day and wouldn’t go back. He’s been unable to trust people or the foster care system since.”
“I see…” Itachi answered, frowning deeply and resting his head on his palm. He seemed affected by the information. Itachi was silent for a while longer.
“So, to sum it up, Naruto turned to the streets to escape an abusive home situation. There was nowhere he would go other than the streets, which proved dangerous for him. So you then hid Naruto here around late October to protect him, and he’s been living in your bedroom ever since.”
“That’s correct.”
It sounded pretty damned crazy, when Itachi put it that way, quite possibly because it was pretty damned crazy. When it was phrased that way, even Sasuke had trouble believing such a thing would happen in their household. Itachi nodded.
“That lines up.”
Sasuke tried not to show his relief.
“I’m sorry for being so distrustful, Sasuke, but you did admit yourself that you would have lied in the same situation. I knew you had a significant but understandable motivation to lie.”
Sasuke wondered if he’d hurt Itachi with his response. Yet at least now, he had decided to be truthful.
“Don’t think you said the wrong thing,” Itachi added, reading Sasuke’s body language. “I would have been even more suspicious of you if you’d have told me you would’ve been honest. I can read you better than that.”
Sasuke was still silent, a slightly morose air about him.
“I thank you for at least being honest with me tonight, Sasuke.”
“It’s the least I could do after deceiving you for so long,” Sasuke muttered.
And there were still more secrets, which he only prayed Itachi didn’t know about. The drugs, the robbery, Juugo’s whereabouts… But now would be a poor time to discuss such affairs.
“You do realize that you could have gotten us in legal trouble, right, Sasuke? We’re stowing a missing minor. Since he fled his foster family, people might even be looking for him.”
Sasuke nodded mildly.
“A mitigated risk. I think that given the reason he went missing and the rather prominent evidence of said event on his face, it would be obvious and credible why he ran away and took such efforts to conceal himself.”
It was cold. Their house’s heating system was on too low of a setting. It kept him from getting too comfortable, though it wasn’t as if their current conversation would allow for this anyway. Sasuke crossed his arms to keep warm.
“You’re right that Naruto’s scars would grant his story credibility, but it was still a risk. You and I both know that the law isn’t always so understanding.”
Itachi sighed, taking another sip of orange juice.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Sasuke unconsciously bit his lip before speaking.
“I… I honestly thought you’d find him in a few days and just kick him out anyway. I didn’t expect it to last this long. I wanted to keep him safe as long as I possibly could. I know it was risky, and I’m sorry for inflicting that risk upon you without your consent. Just…finding him out there, so injured, I…:
Sasuke lifted his eyes from the table as he spoke, now conveying himself with conviction. Sasuke wasn’t just thinking of himself anymore.
“I had to do whatever was in my power to protect him.”
He looked his older brother directly in the eyes, his voice having ascended from mumbled apologies to determined emotion. It contrasted so acutely with their last quarrel. Itachi watched Sasuke with curiosity, surprise, and even a little awe, pausing a moment to take his younger brother in. Was this the same boy who had scorned anyone who tried to reach out to him, who worked and toiled only for himself or, at best, Itachi?
Sasuke was only fifteen, and yet he was sitting before Itachi with his shoulders squared, his eyes determined and aura certain. In that moment, whatever doubts or misgivings the youngest Uchiha felt were erased from the world.
“You’ve changed even more than I’d imagined,” Itachi commented with a smile.
Sasuke shrugged. That’s what people had been telling him, anyway. He’d heard it from Naruto, Juugo, Itachi, Karin, Suigetsu, Sakura, and even his principal. It didn’t seem so obvious to him, however.
“Why does he mean so much to you? Why would you go so far out of your way for him?”
After their parents’ death, Sasuke wouldn’t go out of his way for anyone other than himself and Itachi. Yet Naruto had been an exception. Why?
“Because…” Sasuke paused. How could he explain this to Itachi? How could he ever put it into words?
“You love him?” Itachi offered.
Sasuke gaped back at him in surprise, feeling that Itachi had just told him something about himself that even Sasuke hadn’t known. Did that mean that Itachi knew about their relationship? Or did he mean a love like the one he shared with Itachi?
“Forgive me,” Itachi inserted, shaking his head. “It’s not my place to pry.”
Sasuke wasn’t sure how long the following silence lasted. He couldn’t bear it like he did typical silences, so he broke it.
“Did you know from the very beginning?” Sasuke asked.
Itachi smiled.
“Perhaps not from the very beginning. I can’t pinpoint the actual day you took him in. My educated guess is that it took me about three or four days to discover the truth.”
Sasuke pouted, causing Itachi to chuckle slightly.
“You didn’t actually think you were going to pull that over on me, did you? It’s tough not to notice when your brother develops a sudden taste for Skittles and eats nearly twice as much. Clothes he never wears are getting washed, and for some reason, and you see a foreign sleeping bag outside in your neighbor’s trash bin several hours before the truck picks it up. That’s no stray dog. It never took you so long to answer your door, either. And I’m just listing the highlights here.”
He should’ve known his brother would be too clever for that. He’d tried. He kept all the suspicious wrappers and boxes in his room until the day before the dumpster came, when he’d put them in the big blue bin outside the house. He usually did Naruto’s wash separately. He’d tried to cover his tracks, but it seemed that Itachi had been just as observant as always.
“That, paired with Naruto’s sudden disappearance at St. Magdalene’s, connected the dots for me.”
Now that Sasuke had finished supplying information, he could finally ask the question that had been preoccupying him from the instant Naruto told him their ruse was finished.
“So… If you knew all this time, why didn’t you say anything?”
Itachi took another swallow of orange juice, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He paused for several seconds before he answered Sasuke.
“I noticed you changing from the day you met that kid. You needed it. I saw you livening up in ways I hadn’t seen in the past year, shaping up. I hadn’t been there for you. I never had time for you. You were alone, and… Honestly, I’d never seen you so sad in my life.”
Itachi frowned, now looking a little sheepish himself.
“It was irresponsible, but… I just turned a blind eye, because I couldn’t deal with watching you suffer. If I couldn’t be there, then at least he could.”
It had been for Sasuke… Of course it had. What other motive would Itachi have? He’d taken quite a risk for Sasuke.
“Thank you,” Sasuke answered. “I don’t think you even realize how many times he’s talked me out of stupid ideas and kept me on the right track. He even worked at this labor center near downtown, to help me pay off your medical bills. I have the cash up in my room.”
“He sounds like a great man, Sasuke.”
“Well, he did find Ferret,” Sasuke deflected, his true thoughts rather apparent. He agreed with Itachi, but he’d only state this indirectly.
“Naruto did?” Itachi asked, shocked. “How?”
“The labor center had him working at the animal shelter for the day. He recognized Ferret from my descriptions of her.”
Sasuke felt self-conscious at the moment for letting Itachi know that Naruto even knew something as trivial as their old pet’s appearance, just by coincidence. His brother was astute. Sasuke was sure he’d piece together how much Sasuke had told Naruto about him, and thus how close they’d been. Then again, given the lengths Sasuke had gone to for Naruto’s safety, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“Sasuke…” Itachi sighed, frowning again. “This wasn’t supposed to last this long. But then after I got fired and fessed up about the tumor, I figured it would be horrible timing to send off your primary support.”
And, unfortunately, Naruto was his primary support. Itachi was hardly ever present, and he realized it. He seemed to be perpetually unavailable.
“I was going to give you a little time to recover but then… Then that stomach bug. I had no idea I’d be stuck in the hospital so long, and there wasn’t much I could do about the situation while I was stuck there. And then you really were all alone. I…didn’t have the heart to do the responsible thing, and for that, I’m sorry.”
It was true that Itachi was basically powerless while he was in the hospital. He was drugged most of the time anyway, until the very end. They had him on so much morphine. Still, he didn’t understand what Itachi would be apologizing for. He allowed Naruto to stay in their home for two months.
“I don’t see what you’re apologizing for, but apology accepted.”
“I’m apologizing for what I’m about to say. Sasuke, we have to let him go. We can’t keep him here. I’m sorry I allowed you to get so used to having him here. Events just transpired so unpredictably…”
Sasuke felt a little nauseous. He tried not to show his disappointment at Itachi’s statement. He’d, honestly, believed from the start that Itachi would send him away, but he’d always harbored hope that Itachi would adopt Naruto, and they’d continue as a big, happy (if not somewhat incestuous) family.
“I knew you were going to find him. I knew he’d have to leave.”
“Are you angry?”
“I have no right to be.”
“But are you?”
“Yes,” Sasuke admitted. “But not at you. Are you angry with me?”
“Sasuke, I got over that months ago.”
Sasuke couldn’t help but snicker at Itachi’s tone despite himself. Of course, it was old news to his brother. Itachi knew. He seemed to know everything sometimes. If anything, it made Sasuke look up to him even more. And as far as Itachi turning a blind eye… It is true that sending Naruto away now would hurt much more than it would have if they’d sent him away only a few days after he’d arrived. Yet to Sasuke, the pain was worth it. He told himself that no matter what happened, he wouldn’t regret his decision. He was glad his brother had feigned ignorance.
“I am…sympathetic to Naruto’s situation. If we weren’t already on such thin ice, my decision might have been different. There’s no way we could adopt him; it was hard enough for me to hold on to you. Furthermore, even going to court might put my custody of you in danger. Child Protective Services hasn’t seemed to notice that I’m sick and have no income, but if they’re made aware that I left you alone for a month while I was in the hospital, they can reopen our case. Even barring involvement from Naruto, they’re likely to figure it out. I’d imagine we’re up for a review any time now.”
Sasuke sighed, relaxing now in his chair. So now even Sasuke was in danger? Yet it would probably be fine, as Itachi was on the mend and Sasuke was going to be sixteen in just seven months. Sasuke was practically old enough to live on his own, if the law would allow it.
“So, what are we going to do now?”
“I’m going to give the two of you one week from today, after which, we’ll take Naruto to the authorities.”
One week. Seven days. It seemed so miniscule.
“And dump him off,” Sasuke stated grimly.
Sasuke was at least glad that Itachi wasn’t insisting on sending him off tomorrow. Still, in one week, Naruto would be out of his house. Where would Naruto be sent to? When would Sasuke see him next?
“No. I feel that I owe Naruto a debt for everything he’s done, and as I said, I’m sympathetic to his situation. You are going to drop him off at the police’s station. You’ll state that you’re a friend and that you both met at the soup kitchen. I won’t go in with you, as it might arouse suspicion. You encouraged Naruto to seek shelter, though you never offered it yourself, and brought him here. You’ll ask to be kept abreast on his case. I have the appropriate knowledge and enough connections to sift through the legal system and ensure that he gets to a proper home, where he’ll never get treated like that again.”
“Thank you,” Sasuke answered, genuinely appreciative but still unable to keep the gloom out of his voice. Itachi sensed it all too well, frowning back at Sasuke. Itachi couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible for Sasuke’s sadness.
“I know this must be hard on you.”
“It’s expected,” Sasuke shrugged.
“I think you should bring Naruto down here now. He has just as much of a right to hear this as you and I have.”
“Okay, I’ll get him.”
Sasuke walked up the stairs, walking into his bedroom to find Naruto on his bed in the dark. Naruto shot up quickly when Sasuke turned the lights on, quickly wiping tears off of his face. His eyes were swollen and red, yet Naruto still seemed to think he could fool Sasuke.
“Welcome back,” Naruto told Sasuke with a toothy grin. “How’d it go?”
“Pretty much like we expected.”
“So… I can’t stay?” Naruto asked in a small voice, his forced smile beginning to fade.
The way Naruto asked the question made it almost too painful for Sasuke to answer.
“No,” Sasuke admitted. He wanted Naruto to hear this in privacy. “But my brother says he wants to shadow your case and make sure we get you somewhere good.”
“Oh…” Naruto answered, appearing, momentarily, devastated. Sure, they’d both known the likeliest situation. They’d confirmed it amongst themselves even. But they’d both secretly hoped for the happier ending, as unrealistic as it seemed. Tonight, that hope had been destroyed.
“We’re going to keep you safe,” Sasuke told him.
“Of course. I probably won’t even need it!” Naruto beamed.
Naruto’s change in tone seemed entirely forced. Naruto tended to do that a lot for his sake, and it always made him feel a little guilty.
“C’mon. Itachi still wants to speak about this together.”
Naruto accompanied Sasuke downstairs, both of them sitting before Itachi. Itachi waited for a moment until both Sasuke and Naruto were comfortable, looking at Sasuke and then, finally, at Naruto.
“Naruto, Sasuke told me about your situation. Sasuke has possibly already told you this himself, but I can’t offer you shelter here any longer. I wish I could, sincerely, especially after all you’ve done for my brother and even finding Ferret and all... But it’s just too risky to…”
Naruto swatted at Itachi dismissively.
“Please, you don’t have to explain yourself! I’m just thankful you let me stay here at all, even knowin’ we were being little sneaks. I owe you big time.”
Itachi smiled, and Sasuke could see clearly that Itachi had a soft spot for Naruto. Naruto was told that he was getting sent back to the system that put those scars on his cheeks, yet he took it with a smile on his face? Itachi respected that, perhaps even more so because he noted signs that Naruto had been crying. Naruto was trying to be strong for his younger brother. Besides, anyone who Sasuke liked so much had to be damned worth their mettle. He trusted his brother’s judgment.
“I’m giving you both a week to stay here and adjust. And Naruto, when we take you in, we’re not going to just ditch you. I will personally oversee your case and make sure you’re treated well. Sasuke and I are both on your side. You are not going to slip through the cracks. I am indebted to you personally.”
“Phew!” Naruto answered, swatting at his forehead. “It’s good to know I got an army of geniuses on my side here. I sit in those court rooms, and I have no idea what the hell they’re talkin’ about!”
“I can certainly be of aid in that regard,” Itachi stated.
Naruto chuckled, taking a seat by Sasuke and Itachi.
“So, Naruto, do you have any questions for me?” Itachi inquired.
Naruto sat, holding his head in his hand and squinting his eyes. His life had changed drastically tonight. He was given so much new information that he didn’t even know where to start when it came to digesting the emotional impact of it.
“Yeah. I do have a question.”
“Shoot.”
Naruto’s chin rested on his two interlocked hands as he stared at Sasuke’s and Itachi’s partially filled glasses.
“Can I have some orange juice?”
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