Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Soup's On	By : OfFansAndFlames Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1793 -:- 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
- 52
- 53
- 54
"Sasuke!"
It was Aiko again, and true to form, her hug made his spine crack, quite audibly. The top of Aiko's head, wily reddish-grey hair askew, reached just below Sasuke's chin. The sun was just beginning to rise in the sky. The Tenbin's family car had arrived in Sasuke's driveway at exactly eleven this morning.
"You should consider becoming a chiropractor."
Aiko swatted.
"Oh stop, you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
Aiko jabbed Sasuke's forearm with her bony knuckles, the impact easily going through his T-shirt and long sleeved thermal.
"Just get in the car, brat."
Obediently, Sasuke took the back seat of the blue SUV. Aiko and Kou were seated in the front. Kou had even taken off work for today. This was, after all, the day his son was being discharged from the hospital after a full month.
"Juugo will be so surprised to see you, Sasuke!" Aiko chirped.
Sasuke had told Juugo not to expect him, but this was before Naruto had been discovered. Now that he didn't have to guard the secret of Naruto's presence, he could leave Itachi with him. He trusted Naruto not to do anything too horrifically stupid and to call him if anything went wrong with Itachi. He hadn't cleared matters up with Juugo. Aiko told him it would be a wonderful late Christmas present.
He was a little forlorn to be leaving Naruto behind today. He wasn't taking their days together for granted anymore. It was January 3. After today, they would only have two full days together. However, Naruto had urged him to visit Juugo today. After all, Naruto and Sasuke had lived together for two months. This was a very important day for Juugo, and Naruto told Sasuke that he really did need to get out more.
"Thanks for letting me come with."
Sasuke was somewhat surprised that Juugo's parents had wanted to bring him along for such an occasion. He was reminded of the days when Juugo had felt like an older brother to him. Sasuke was the only one who knew of Juugo's whereabouts besides the school staff and Juugo's parents.
He was beginning to feel awfully comfortable with Juugo's family, especially now that he had been interacting with Juugo's parents without Juugo present. As insignificant as the fact was, Sasuke felt like some sort of line had been crossed. However, he still sometimes felt as though he were imposing, as though he just didn't belong with this family.
"Don't mention it, sport," Juugo's father said gruffly, tilting his head back to Sasuke but not turning to face him.
"Of course, Sasuke! It's wonderful to have you join us, as always."
Not much time passed until Aiko spoke again.
"Kou, did you remember to put Juugo's present in the family room?"
"Yes, dear."
Aiko craned her head back to Sasuke, able to show Sasuke this extra attention because Kou was currently the one driving. However, Sasuke wondered if she would have done this even if she were driving. She probably wouldn't have even minded the honking horns.
"We bought him one of those fancy gamer chairs."
"That boy plays too many video games," Kou commented with a sigh, slouching his head to the side. "I don't get it, but I'm glad it makes him happy."
Sometimes Sasuke forgot exactly how old Kou was, nearing seventy years old. Both of Juugo's parents looked young for their age, though Sasuke wondered if his perception was partially influenced by their youthful attitudes.
"We bought him a special one with a butt rumbler and a cup holder. We had to look all over for one big enough! My little boy just keeps on growing, it seems! Sasuke, did you know that he grew another inch in just the past six months?"
Juugo was still growing? Sasuke had only known Juugo for a couple of years. As Juugo was well over six feet tall when Sasuke met him, he had always towered over Sasuke. It was rather difficult to notice him gaining a couple inches. Sasuke just placed him into the general category of "really fucking tall."
"A butt rumbler?" Sasuke asked, wondering why the hell Juugo's parents would buy him a chair like that.
"Aiko, are you sure…"
"Well, they don't call it that, naturally! But I…sort of gave it a try," Aiko admitted, casting her husband an apologetic look. "I had to make sure it worked well! And really it rumbles your bum a whole bunch."
"Maybe you were too small for it, honey," Kou remarked. He was well-accustomed to his wife's antics and had gotten over being embarrassed by them nearly half a century ago.
"Well, it was meant for people over six feet tall, at the shortest. So that's why I decided to keep it anyway."
The car wasn't silent for much longer than thirty seconds.
"You know, Sasuke, we also bought him Halo 4. And I'm totally gonna kick his ass!"
Halo 4? Juugo's mom actually had an interest in it? Sasuke's parents wouldn't even touch the damned things, besides his mother attempting to learn Super Smash Brothers just to spend more time with Sasuke when he was about eight. She hadn't been very good, but when it came to his mother, Sasuke remarkably found patience.
"You play video games?"
"Hell yes!" Aiko responded enthusiastically. "Who do you think taught Juugo how to play, this old grump?" Aiko grasped Kou's upper arm teasingly. "He won't touch them!"
"You can beat Juugo?"
Even Sasuke had a hard time beating Juugo, and Sasuke was eerily good at video games for as much time as he spent with his nose in his school books.
"Hah! Look what that brat says…" Aiko pointed at Sasuke. "Can I beat him, he asks! Hah!"
Aiko's offbeat laughter filled the car, starting off like a donkey's bray and slowly bubbling off.
"Seriously?" Sasuke inquired, looking to Kou for confirmation.
"Sasuke, on the battlefield, there is no mother and son," Aiko explained. "Only predator and prey."
"It's true," Kou agreed. "She's lethal."
"And I don't know if I like your tone, Sasuke," Aiko challenged, squinting her eyes lethally. "Are you surprised a little old lady like me knows her way around virtual gaming?"
Sasuke shrugged.
"Perhaps," he answered, an incendiary little half smile on his face.
"I'll have you know that I could have handed your ass to you since 1980. Guess who was the first in her whole neighborhood to get the NES? Huh? I've been beating little snot-nosed kids at video games since before you were born."
"Nice going, Sasuke," Kou grunted.
Yes, it would appear that Sasuke had brought up one of those subjects. Aiko, unfortunately, had quite a few of them.
"In fact, yeah… You know what, I'm sure of it. I could beat your sorry ass into the ground, Sasuke."
"Is that so?"
Perhaps Sasuke was venturing a little outside of his element here. After all, if Aiko could really consistently beat Juugo like his parents claimed she could, Sasuke might just be in out of his league. Juugo was certainly no joke when it came to gaming, but Sasuke had been a natural from the day he'd first been permitted to operate Itachi's old NES. He could count on one hand the number of times Juugo had beaten him.
"Yes, that is so!" Aiko mocked. "That's it. I'm taking you on."
"Best of luck to you, Aiko," Sasuke answered insouciantly.
Kou merely shook his head and sighed.
"Oh, this is going to be beautiful. Brutal and beautiful," Aiko reveled.
Sasuke didn't know whether she was bluffing or not. Maybe Juugo had just let her win a few times. Juugo seemed like the good-natured sort who would do something like that for his mother, though that theory didn't much explain Kou's reactions. But then again, what did Kou know about video games anyway?
Aiko spoke almost without pause until they arrived at the hospital. Kou was well-practiced at entertaining her with minimal effort; his efficiency was rather awe-inspiring to watch, actually. Kou had a similar temperament to Juugo, so he didn't have a great deal of energy when it came to socializing.
Kou eventually drove the car into the multi-layered, grey parking structure. It was rather depressing to look at, much like the hospital itself. They were forced to park on the fifth floor, squeezed between a pickup truck and an SUV that belonged to drivers who clearly didn't know how to operate their mode of transportation. The structure almost filled to capacity. It made sense that the hospital would be busier come the holiday season. It was a shame that Juugo had spent both Christmas and New Years' in this place, but at least he was leaving now.
The rickety parking structure elevator, made of flimsy metal covered in scratched white paint, very slowly moved down the five floors to ground level. They walked about a football field's length of sidewalk, surrounded by shrubberies, to the psychiatric ward, again sterile and white. The lounge area had a couch and several chairs, as well as a locked and visibly aged baby grand piano. They got off on the second floor, the three of them waiting in front of the nurse's station.
A lanky man approached the microphone which operated through the thick glass. He leaned down and spoke through it.
"Hello. Who are you here for?"
"Tenbin Juugo," Kou answered.
The nurse nodded, letting both of Juugo's parents in. The staff was unwilling to compromise with the two visitor policy, even though Juugo wasn't technically a patient anymore. Juugo's parents apologetically left Sasuke outside, though Sasuke didn't mind it. Juugo would be out soon anyway.
Sasuke tinkered with his phone as he waited for the three to come back out. It was proving to take a little longer than Sasuke had expected, so Sasuke began to organize the apps on his phone. He sat against the white wall, the thermal taking up the bottom third of his palms as he uninstalled a worthless program. Finally, the door opened, and Juugo was standing there next to his parents.
"Sasuke?" Juugo asked, his eyes widening as he noticed Sasuke in the hallway. It had been almost two weeks since they'd last seen each other.
Juugo was dressed in a large black T-shirt with a red jacket, which made his bright red hair stand out even more. The tongues of his large skate shoes flopped with each step, especially apparent given that Juugo was a size 13. He'd only mentioned the confiscation of his shoelaces once to Sasuke. It was apparently protocol in places like this. It looked like it would be rather cumbersome to walk with, but Juugo told Sasuke that he'd gotten used to it.
"Hey."
"I didn't expect to see you here," Juugo said with a smile. He paused, worry appearing on his face as he was distracted with a thought. "Is everything okay with your brother?"
"Yeah. We had a family friend come over to the house for the day, so I sprung."
The truth, technically. Juugo nodded, Aiko seeming temporarily too pleased to even speak. Sasuke could've sworn he saw her eyes moisten, and Kou wrapped his arm around her slender waist. Juugo's parents were standing behind him, so unseen to Juugo, Aiko quickly buried her face into her husband's arm, lifted it back up, and wiped her eyes. Noticing that Sasuke could see her despite his attempts to pretend he didn't, she flashed him a quick reassuring smile. Sasuke just realized how long this month must have seemed to them. This was their only child. How difficult must this have been for Aiko and Kou?
"How's Itachi doing, anyway?" Juugo asked idly.
"Well. He's recovering quickly."
"Glad to hear."
The four of them walked towards the elevator quietly. This elevator was in much better condition than the one in the parking structure, operating smoothly and surrounded in faux wood. Juugo didn't seem too out of his element, but Sasuke had assumed he'd been in this elevator many times over his stay. After all, he'd played basketball down in the court several times a week. That required him to take the elevator twice each time.
However, it was a different story once they passed the front door. Juugo's eyes wandered everywhere, from the strangers in the lobby to the furniture to the blissful outside. Juugo smiled once they walked out the front door, closing in on the parking structure.
"How's freedom feel?" Kou asked. Juugo's parents looked ecstatic.
"Pretty good," Juugo shrugged. "I'm taking a twenty minute shower when I get home."
Right. Juugo had told Sasuke that they only gave him five minutes at Las Haciendas.
"That's fine, honey," Aiko told him, the lot of them now waiting for the parking structure elevator. She gave Juugo an extra hug, and there went his spine. Not even Juugo was immune.
"Okay, okay," Juugo replied. "Thanks, Mom."
Ding.
They boarded the elevator.
"So," Aiko announced. "Sasuke has challenged me to a video game match."
Juugo glanced over at Sasuke, shaking his head.
"Shit, I never warned you?"
"Warned me about what?"
Aiko began to cackle.
"You'll see, I guess," Juugo sighed.
This was all starting to sound rather sinister to him. Maybe Aiko just got a little overly excited playing video games. A lot of shouting and swearing, Sasuke was sure of it. It was probably enough to damage one's sense of hearing. He shrugged off Juugo's comment as they left the elevator.
Once they reached the car, Sasuke took the seat behind Aiko, and Juugo sat behind his father. Juugo's body took up a good half of the middle seat, but Sasuke didn't need any extra room anyway. Juugo's eyes kept looking over the car, and he smiled serenely when his father started up the car and pulled out of the parking space. Juugo had been waiting for this for weeks.
But he was still quiet on the drive, taking everything in. Aiko kept conversation moving, but even she fell silent after a while.
"Juugo, is something wrong?" she asked, concerned face tilting back to Juugo.
"No. It's just that I'm not used to moving this fast," Juugo said as he leaned on his door, looking out the window.
"Feel strange to be in a moving car?" Kou inquired.
Right. It had been a full month since Juugo had last been in a moving vehicle. It probably was a little disconcerting after such a long time.
"A little."
"You're not carsick, are you?"
Aiko's voice was again worried.
"No, I like it. You don't have to worry about me."
Sasuke gave Juugo a quick glance out of the corner of his eye, which Juugo thankfully did not notice. He did look a little reserved, like he was distracted by a thought. Aiko was remarkably toned down for the rest of the car ride. She still talked, of course, but she kept the volume down to an appropriate level, stayed calm and level, and didn't change topics as frequently as she normally did. Sasuke hadn't previously known she was even capable of this.
Sasuke was glad when they finally arrived at the Tenbin household. Juugo took a deep breath in when they crossed the threshold, remembering the scent of his home. It had become oddly unfamiliar to him. Juugo soon discovered a huge Christmas present in their family room, fully wrapped. There was even a Christmas tree in the room, lit and ready. Sasuke wondered if Juugo's parents had done this just for him. Besides each other, who else would have been around to appreciate it? Juugo seemed pleased when he saw it.
"You guys… I didn't get to buy you anything for Christmas."
Juugo sounded apologetic, as if he'd even had the option to buy anything within the past month.
"That's fine! My birthday's around the corner, Juugo," Aiko answered cheekily.
"Don't worry about it," Kou added. "I'm just happy you're home."
Sasuke, Aiko, and Kou all took a seat on the family room couch as Juugo sat next to the present on the floor. The sight of Juugo on the floor with his present made Juugo look strangely young to Sasuke, despite the fact that Juugo had both three years and almost a foot of height on him.
"Sasuke, did you know about this?"
Juugo had already received most of his Christmas presents while he was in the hospital, so he hadn't been expecting more.
"I only found out this morning."
Juugo untaped the wrapping paper patiently, removing it so neatly that it could have probably been reused. The chair was a large rectangular box, reaching just above Juugo's head when he sat down. He soon had it unwrapped.
"Nice! Thanks, guys," Juugo said, looking at both of his parents.
Even though it was already January, this scenario reminded Sasuke of Christmas. Juugo's parents were using a real tree for Christmas. Sasuke could smell the pine across the room. Aiko retreated to the kitchen, only to bring out another Christmas present wrapped in maroon paper with small green trees, a square box about the size of a basketball. What could possibly be in it?
"This one is for you, Sasuke," Aiko told him cheerfully.
Sasuke blinked, sitting up a little straighter and looking rather surprised. He hadn't expected Juugo's parents to buy him a Christmas present. They hadn't last year, after all, but then again, they hadn't really been in contact at the time. Sasuke had sort of dropped into obscurity.
"But…" he protested quietly. He hadn't gotten them anything either. Clearly, Juugo's parents could read Sasuke's thoughts.
"After all you've done for my son? Honey, please."
"It's the least we could do, Sasuke," Kou added.
They were also going to pay him for tutoring Juugo. While it was very kind of them to offer Sasuke so much support, it was beginning to make him feel like a pity case, which didn't sit well with his sense of pride. He knew that Juugo's parents genuinely did like him, but he hoped that he didn't seem that helpless. He didn't want to go around accepting handouts, but it was Christmas after all… And Sasuke had, admittedly done a lot for Juugo. He wouldn't feel guilty about accepting this, he decided. He could always get back at Aiko and Kou next Christmas.
Sasuke's method of unwrapping gifts was very similar to Juugo's. Unbent sheets of wrapping paper were neatly placed off to the side, each on top of the other. He eventually opened up the box to reveal a three month subscription to Xbox Live with a keychain attached, along with an Xbox 360.
"We thought that with Juugo homeschooling, you boys could talk to each other over this," Aiko said warmly. "We already gave Juugo a subscription and a headset for Christmas, so you're all ready."
The only problem was that Sasuke didn't own an Xbox 360. He used to, before the fire. He had most every gaming system he could want, despite his father's frequent complaints about video games being a waste of time.
"Sasuke, my nephew didn't want his Xbox 360 anymore," Juugo explained. Sasuke glanced back at him skeptically. What was he implying? They weren't really going to give him an Xbox 360 for Christmas, were they? Was this just an excuse to get Sasuke to accept such a large present? He knew the man was in his late thirties. Since Juugo's parents were in their fifties when Juugo was conceived, and Juugo's parents were the youngest of all their siblings, all of Juugo's nieces and nephews were significantly older than him. Still, who in their right mind discarded an Xbox, age be damned?
"I know," Juugo sighed. "He's clearly losing his marbles. But we decided to just give it to you, since I already have one. I have an extra download on some of my games, so you can take that."
Sasuke sat there mutely, unsure of what exactly to say. This was probably the largest Christmas he'd received since his parents passed besides Ferret, and it came from the most unlikely place. The brothers couldn't afford much these days. Sasuke was already looking forward to playing all the new games he'd have at his disposal.
"What's the matter, Sasuke? No witty comment for once?" Aiko teased.
That guilt was beginning to return again. The Tenbin family had outdone themselves, and he hadn't even bought them anything. Then again, he had no reason to expect that they were going to buy him something either. Yes, he'd get them back for it later. Certainly. So he merely smiled at Juugo and his parents.
"Thanks, guys."
"Of course, Sasuke," Aiko said warmly.
"Merry Christmas, kiddos," Kou pitched in.
Sasuke got off of the couch and joined Juugo on the floor, helping him gather up all of the wrapping paper. He was oddly enough reminded of his Christmases with Itachi, when they both had been much younger. Juugo's parents looked at each other and smiled back at Sasuke and Juugo, apparently quite content.
"Well, I'll leave you two boys to catch up. Juugo, dinner is at seven."
Juugo nodded.
"Thanks for the chair again, guys."
"Yeah, thanks," Sasuke added.
"Merry Christmas," Juugo's parents both told them in unison.
Juugo and Sasuke briskly ascended the stairs, walking into Juugo's bedroom. Juugo was the first to come in, opening the door for Sasuke and closing it behind him. Without speaking, both of them sat down on Juugo's queen sized bed, resting on the blue plaid with an arm's length between them. It was routine for them, and they savored another couple minutes of silence.
"Damn, being here again feels so weird," Juugo mumbled.
His room had been cleaned very neatly, though it wasn't as though Juugo were messy by any stretch. His games were all set in a neat stack by his television, his bed was made perfectly, and everything had been dusted. Sasuke was especially appreciative of the dusting, which made the room look as if it could have very believably been occupied just yesterday.
"Too familiar or not enough?"
"Kind of both, actually," Juugo mused, his eyes set on his lap as his fingers fiddled with each other. "It feels like the ward was all a dream, and I never even left. Everything's how I left it. But then again, it feels like I've been gone forever."
Sasuke could claim that he knew what that felt like, and to some extent, he did. But considering the circumstance, Sasuke didn't believe he was in a position to understand what was going on in Juugo's head.
"Sounds like a trip."
"Yeah…" Juugo sighed, shaking his head. "I never would have guessed that when I left for school that day, I wouldn't be coming back here for a month. They took me straight from school."
Sasuke nodded but didn't speak. Juugo didn't seem to need a response, gazing at the ground between his knees while deep in thought.
"Hey, Sasuke…"
"Hm?"
"Thanks."
"For what?" Sasuke asked, leaning back onto his hands on the bed. His back was beginning to ache. Scooting back on the bet, he rested the toes of his shoes on the carpet.
"For sticking with me through everything."
Sasuke shook his head, sighing.
"Ditching you didn't even occur to me. Despite common belief, I do have some scruples."
"A lot of people would have just run off," Juugo mumbled, his voice beginning to sound rather morose. "You know, who wants a friend that's a…"
Sasuke lifted his hand to halt Juugo's speech. He knew just what rubbish was about to leave Juugo's mouth, and neither of the boys needed to hear that.
"I'm stopping you there. Those people wouldn't have deserved your friendship anyway."
Sasuke looked away as he complimented Juugo, feeling a little uncomfortable. After all, it wasn't in Sasuke's practice to say these things, even if he was thinking them anyhow.
"Well, still, thanks. You were really cool about it."
Sasuke shrugged.
"It's not an act of charity. I was just hanging out with my friend."
"I get it, whatever," Juugo acquiesced, smiling at Sasuke. He tended to be stubborn when it came to accepting compliments like this.
"Well, you'll never to have to see me somewhere like that again," Juugo continued with a deep frown on his face, narrowing his eyes. "I decided that I'm never going back to that place again."
Sasuke lofted one thin brow, comfortably leaning on his side now.
"You know?"
"I know."
They were silent again, both of them digesting the current conversation wordlessly. Despite the gravity of the topic, both of their postures were relaxed. Sasuke genuinely hoped that Juugo was right.
"How?" Sasuke asked tentatively.
If it had been most anyone else, Sasuke wouldn't have asked this question. He would've allowed the sentiment to go unquestioned. But because he was genuinely concerned about Juugo, he wanted to know.
"Because they're so fed up with me that they wouldn't even let me past the door," Juugo told Sasuke with a stubborn grin.
"Dick," Sasuke scoffed, jabbing at Juugo's upper arm. He supposed that Juugo could hardly even feel it. Juugo grabbed Sasuke's fist, jerking it to the side playfully.
"No, seriously… Maybe it's that we're changing approaches, or maybe just the meds, but… Call it a gut feeling. I think I'm going to be okay now."
Despite the fact that Sasuke didn't believe that "gut feelings" had much predictive power in situations like this, he smiled. He loved the optimism in Juugo's voice. He supposed that what Juugo wanted was for Sasuke to have faith in him. But Sasuke didn't see returning to that place as a failure on Juugo's part; it wasn't a matter of faith.
Sasuke read a book titled The Bell Jar for English class this year. It was a quasi-autobiographical roman a clef about some woman who was sent to an asylum in the 1950's. Sasuke wrote an essay about a quote where the narrator compared her illness to being placed under an isolating bell jar. "How did I know that someday—at college, in Europe, somewhere, anywhere—the bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldn't descend again?"
It sounded like the woman had hardly any say in the matter of her sanity, her illness announcing itself at well. At one point, the narrator said that she would never go to the asylum again, just like Juugo had just said. "I knew you'd decide to be alright again," the narrator's mother responded. And then all hell broke loose. Fiction is fiction for a reason, but the author killed herself only one month after the book was published by sticking her head in an oven. Perhaps she really did know what she was talking about, Sasuke mused.
Maybe Juugo was different. He wasn't insane, after all. Still, things like this seemed to have an element of unpredictability. But maybe Juugo really did know something he didn't. Sasuke decided to just roll with it.
"Alright."
Juugo knew Sasuke well enough to know what he meant. The man stood up, towering over Sasuke, who was still lying back on his bed.
"Well, I'm going to take that twenty minute shower I was talking about earlier."
Juugo walked over to his closet and browsed through the clothing, picking out a green T-shirt and a much better fitting pair of blue jeans. Juugo tossed Sasuke the remote control to the TV. This was established routine with these two.
"When I get back, I want to go out somewhere."
"Any ideas?" Sasuke asked casually.
"None. I just want to stretch my legs and go somewhere on my own damned volition. I'll go wherever you want to go."
"You've already contradicted yourself."
"Dammit, Sasuke," Juugo laughed. "You know I'm bad at decisions. Just do me a solid and think something up."
"Whatever, fine," Sasuke huffed. Juugo ruffled Sasuke's hair as he smiled down at him, which suddenly made Sasuke feel much younger as he sulked up at Juugo. Juugo quickly left the room for his bathroom out in the hallway. In just several seconds, Sasuke heard the water running.
He couldn't really blame Juugo for wanting to get out. He'd been couped up for such a long time that it would have even bothered Sasuke. Still, Sasuke wasn't generally the best at planning outings. He was generally the one being dragged to these things, but he supposed that for Juugo, he'd take the bullet.

Naruto lay down on Sasuke's bed, staring at the ceiling just like he had been for the past thirty minutes. He hadn't foreseen the day going like this. He thought he'd clean the room and surprise Sasuke, cook Itachi and him some impressive meal, or maybe read that Catch-22 book Sasuke had been paging through. But Naruto found that once Sasuke left the house, all he wanted to do was just lie there.
Itachi was napping, but he was sure to let Itachi know that he'd be ready if he ever needed him. He took in Sasuke's room, every band poster, the position of every piece of furniture. He only had three nights left in this room, so he wanted to remember it. He wouldn't call Sasuke's cell phone, even though the temptation was strong, announcing itself every couple minutes.
He wanted Sasuke to enjoy himself with his friend, but a more selfish part of him wanted Sasuke to get home as soon as possible. He was having trouble controlling his thoughts, and it was becoming miserable. With Sasuke present, he would have at least had a distraction and a good motivation to fake normal. If he hadn't needed to watch Itachi, he would have just gone to the labor center rather than staying at home dreading the future. But was this really home?
There was a quick rap at the door.
"Come in," Naruto said, his voice sounding far more dejected than he'd wanted it to. He'd have to fix that.
Itachi was in his pajamas, the maroon plaid pants still much too big for him. He still had a lot of weight to gain. He'd brushed his hair, however, and had already gotten to tying it up.
"Hi, Naruto. How are you doing?"
"Happier than a corgi on stilts. You?"
Naruto was grinning at Itachi, who smiled back softly. Naruto considered the fact that Itachi wasn't buying his act.
"I'm doing well. Thanks."
Itachi's polite tone led to a rather awkward silence, Naruto peering up at Itachi as he stood at Naruto's doorway.
"Hey, you wouldn't want to get out of here, would you?" Itachi asked, tilting his head as he glanced at Naruto inquisitively.
"Would I ever," Naruto admitted with a sigh and a smile.
"We need a few things at the grocery store."
Naruto pondered this for a while, remembering now that Itachi hadn't left the house even once since he'd come home from the hospital.
"Are you sure it's okay to go out?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"I mean…uh…" Naruto stammered.
"Oh, you're worried about my stomach? It's fine."
"You don't…suppose we could ask Sasuke first, do you?"
Itachi sighed, slumping against the door frame.
"Why would I need to ask Sasuke's permission?"
That frustrated tone, especially coming from Itachi, almost made Naruto want to laugh. Despite the fact that Itachi was Sasuke's legal guardian, they were still, most certainly, brothers.
"Hey, it's nothing personal," Naruto clarified as he gestured defensively. "I just don't want to listen to his bitching if he decides it was a bad idea."
Itachi rolled his eyes with a begrudging smile. His brother could be quite the nag, it turned out. Here he thought that he would hold that position, and it was so rare that Sasuke actually surprised him. Though to be fair, it only came out when Sasuke was worried, which Sasuke had good cause for in this case. Otherwise, he didn't care what other people did. Of course, Sasuke only worried about a select few, so perhaps his scolding could be regarded as a rather inconvenient badge of honor.
"Fine. I'll text him."
"Naruto wants to make sure it's okay to take me to the grocery store," Itachi typed into his cell phone screen.
Very quickly, Sasuke texted back a simple, "Yes?"
Itachi slid the phone out in front of Naruto.
"He has been appeased," Itachi announced.
"We are saved from his wrath. …For now."
"We'll start building bomb shelters in preparation for round two."
Naruto laughed. Itachi was such a good sport compared to Sasuke. Dammit, he wished that he'd gotten to know Itachi earlier. It would've been possible, had he not been taking every possible precaution to avoid the man. Sasuke was right. He was a pretty cool older brother.
"I'll go back to my room and get dressed. When do you want to leave?"
"I can be ready in five minutes," Naruto said quickly.
"Hm… Let's make it fifteen."
"Deal," Naruto beamed, giving Itachi a big thumbs up in agreement. Itachi smiled at Naruto again before shutting the door quietly behind him.
As soon as Naruto heard the knob click, he allowed his face to relax into a slight frown. Itachi saw right through him. Itachi knew he was in the bedroom moping all day, and he knew exactly why. Itachi had some sort of intuition… Naruto could tell he just knew these things. But still, he was flattered that Itachi cared enough to do something about it. He'd only met the man four days ago.
Knowing that he'd have at least five minutes to spare, Naruto bummed around in his pajamas and checked his e-mail. He didn't even know why he'd bothered to make an account, although Sasuke had been kind enough not to question it. Who would e-mail him? But he did get a coupon for a free bowl of chili from Red Robin once. He supposed that was something.
Naruto quickly put on a maroon shirt and one of Sasuke's favorite pairs of blue jeans. They were well worn. When Naruto had first arrived, he'd only been able to properly fit Sasuke's smallest clothes that Sasuke had outgrown over the past year, though this didn't keep him from begging for the baggy stuff out of familiarity. Evidently, Sasuke was in the middle of quite the growth spurt. And so was Naruto, apparently. There were several pieces of Sasuke's old clothing that he couldn't even fit his body into anymore. He supposed that proper nutrition could do that to a growing boy…er, man.
Naruto reassured himself for a moment that he was not getting fat and then felt like an idiot for even needing to do this to begin with. He was not fat, and if he was, he was sure Sasuke was enough of a dick to let him know about it. In fact, he still needed to gain some weight; it was just the drastic change that was messing with him. Maybe all the cheap pastas and breads they'd had to eat lately weren't the best for someone's figure, but he practiced calisthenics and weight training for a reason. He'd filled out now, and if he didn't know any better, he packed one hell of a punch.
Fully dressed, he stared into the mirror. Sasuke had just worn this outfit just last week, and it fit Naruto almost perfectly. Perhaps the jeans were just a little too long for him, but the waistband was perfect. Naruto smoothed his hand down his stomach, feeling where his ribs ended. There used to be quite the gap between his ribs and his waist, but now they lined up fairly evenly.
He vaguely remembered the way he'd looked when he put on that red party dress in the fitting room while Sasuke waited for him. Though the dress was form-fitting, it didn't even touch his stomach. His ribs poked through the fabric, knobby elbows protruding pitifully. He could hardly believe that the handsome guy taking up the mirror in front of him used to look like that. He flexed a bicep and kissed the muscle underneath, flashing himself a cheesy grin. Those bicep curls were totally worth it.
"Ready whenever you are," Itachi announced, giving a quick and casual wrap on the bedroom door.
This caused Naruto to quickly jerk into reality, blushing at the fact that Itachi could have seriously walked in just now and caught him kissing his own arm. Now wouldn't that be humiliating. He wondered, momentarily, if Itachi was evil enough to blackmail him by threatening to tell Sasuke. Itachi seemed pretty nice, but then again, Naruto got the vibe that the guy could be downright wicked if he wanted to be. After all, Sasuke had told him a few things about the brothers' "prankster phase."
Thankfully, Itachi had plenty of respect for that sometimes all too unfamiliar concept of knocking.
"Ready!" Naruto called back eagerly. He met Itachi at the top of the stairway, walking a couple steps in front of him, just as Itachi had instructed him to do the first time. Only now, Itachi hardly needed it. He moved down the stairs slowly and deliberately, never pausing even once. Itachi showed a remarkable amount of recovery from day to day.
"Hey, you're really getting the hang of this."
"If I want to run eight miles straight next year, learning to walk down a flight of stairs would be a good start."
Naruto chuckled, not bothering to offer Itachi his hand. He knew Itachi would have rather done without it.
"I bet you'll run ten."
They walked towards the car, Itachi sitting in the driver's seat as Naruto swung around the maroon Toyota. Itachi cranked the ignition as soon as Naruto had his seatbelt on, jerkily backing up.
"Give me a few seconds," Itachi said rather sheepishly. "I have to relearn my car a little bit here, but I'll be good soon."
And Itachi was right. For less than a minute, Itachi's driving was slightly jerky, accelerating or applying the brake either too slowly or too quickly. Naruto had had worse, however. Driving with his drunken foster dad had literally about killed him. In a very short time, Itachi's driving became perfectly fluid.
"If you don't drive for a long time, it starts feeling a little unnatural," Itachi explained, his eyes on the road. "But it's like riding a bike."
"I drove once before."
"Did you?" Itachi asked as he flipped on his left turn signal, getting into the turn lane.
"Yeah. In a big parking lot."
"How did it go?"
Naruto laughed a little, rather nervously scratching at his hair.
"Well… I didn't hit anyone."
They were silent as they covered another mile. Driving came effortlessly to Itachi now.
"Hey, Itachi…"
They'd just gotten past a quick red light, straight road ahead of them.
"Yeah?"
"Wherever I'm going to… Do you think they'd teach me to drive?"
Naruto hadn't talked much about about what was going to happen after he was taken to the police station. Itachi was glad to hear that he was looking towards the future.
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Are you gonna teach Sasuke how to drive?"
Itachi tilted his head to the side, thinking. Who else would teach him? Wasn't this his duty as Sasuke's guardian?
"I plan to. But Sasuke needs to get his permit first."
"I think he's already studying for it. He already read the driver's handbook."
Itachi nodded quietly, appearing somewhat guilty at this admission. Perhaps he felt badly that he very often didn't know what his brother was doing. Sasuke hadn't even told Itachi, probably because Itachi tended to have so much on his plate anyhow.
"I only know because I'm in his room all the time," Naruto added quickly, picking up on Itachi's change in demeanor.
"I'll have to take him to the DMV, in that case. I'm nearly well enough."
They'd already arrived at the grocery store. It was a short drive. The store was cheap, but it was small. Naruto figured that Itachi didn't want his first outing to take him too far from home, especially given that Naruto couldn't drive. This was probably wise.
The store was playing soft '80s music, just a little bit too loudly. The aisles were narrow, but there weren't many people there.
"Cart or basket?" Naruto asked, gesturing towards a tower of baskets and a long line of carts.
"Up to you. We're not buying all that much."
Naruto picked up a basket, hanging it on his right arm. They walked down the liquor aisle, simply because it was the fastest way to the dairy section. They selected a bag of generic shredded cheddar cheese, passing a nearby Lunchables.
"Sasuke used to love these," Itachi stated nostalgically, gesturing towards the prepackaged meal. It had a few slices of bologna, some crackers, a sugary Caprisun drink, and a few cookies.
"Me too! But I could hardly ever get them. They used to be so expensive."
Itachi nodded.
"Sasuke didn't have much luck either, more because those meals hardly have any nutrients. Our parents only gave them to him a few times."
"It's not like Sasuke to crave such unhealthy food," Naruto pondered.
"Sasuke was only about six. Kids don't tend to go after healthy stuff that age, but he'd still eat raw vegetables since he was a toddler."
Naruto laughed, putting a quart of milk in the basket at Itachi's request. Naruto had always been curious about Sasuke's childhood. What little Sasuke told him had been what adults consider the big things. One brother. Two parents. His father was a corporate accountant, and he was rather demanding. His mom was a housewife. She was compassionate and quiet but not a pushover. He lived in the same house up until the age of fourteen.
Of course, Naruto wanted to know these things. They were very simple and basic facts. Yet Sasuke didn't tell Naruto so many of the things he wanted to know, like what Sasuke did for fun, what bands he listened to, words he used to mix up as a little kid, when he stopped believing in Santa, and what his favorite animal was. Just now, it occurred to him that the man standing next to him probably knew the answer to all of these questions.
"Yeah, that sounds like Sasuke, alright."
"We need a head of lettuce," Itachi stated, gesturing towards the lettuce. Naruto took one quickly and put it in his cart.
"Was he always so goddamned practical?"
Itachi knew that Naruto wasn't quite getting at "practical."
"He always worked hard in school and never had a silly sense of humor. He played games with the neighborhood kids and wrote songs on the guitar, even though Dad thought it was a waste of time. He was pretty sociable and well-liked as a kid."
Naruto nodded.
"What kind of games did he play with the neighbors?"
"Tag and cops and robbers were a couple of his favorites. Ah, and Simon says."
"I loved all of those!" Naruto stated cheerfully. "Man, I wish Sasuke would still do stuff like that. He's so uptight."
Itachi frowned, resting his hand on one of his pockets by his thumb.
"Unfortunately, Naruto, he probably always will be to some extent. Though I think in those regards, the person who's gotten him to change the most is you."
Itachi reached for a small container of Greek yogurt, placing it into the basket hangings from Naruto's forearm. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the compliment, looking down with uncharacteristic modesty. He felt his cheeks grow warm, and he prayed that he wasn't blushing.
"It's difficult to imagine Sasuke playing tag."
"Yes, but he plays basketball, doesn't he?"
Naruto nodded silently. He'd never seen Sasuke play basketball, but he'd heard about it. Although he hadn't been playing recently, it was still an interest of his.
"Is that really so different?" Itachi asked.
It was interesting, when he thought of it that way. Basketball involves more strategy and rules than tag, but at its core, it's still a game. He remembered Sasuke's love for astronomy and the way he'd memorized the histories behind all of the constellations. Maybe Sasuke wasn't as stiff as he'd thought. In some ways, Sasuke wasn't so different from his childhood self.
"So, like… You probably know the most of anyone about Sasuke's childhood, huh?"
"You could say that."
Naruto quieted, looking around him to make sure no one was nearby.
"Got any dirt on him?"
Itachi recoiled slightly, raising his brow and giving Naruto an odd look.
"What?"
"You know. Embarrassing childhood stories."
A wicked little smile, barely visible, appeared on Itachi's face, and he glanced over at Naruto.
"Even if I did, why would I be obliged to tell you?"
Naruto huffed, his eyes again staring at his shoes, which technically belonged to Sasuke. They were one size too small for him.
"Think of it this way… Don't tell Sasuke I said this, but I do embarrassing things all the fucking time, and Sasuke never does. And to me that's just really, really unfair."
Itachi's expression didn't change as he stated matter-of-factly, "You're trying to appeal to my sympathies and get me to level the playing field?"
"I humbly implore thee," Naruto pleaded in a very meek voice.
"Sorry," came the curt reply. "Barter system only."
"For the love of…" Naruto pulled at his hair theatrically, stamping his foot in frustration before looking back at the man. "Really, Itachi?"
"Really."
"I'll make you scrambled eggs tonight," Naruto sing-songed.
"You're asking me to betray my own flesh and blood for scrambled eggs?" Itachi responded with mock disgust.
"I'll make them extra fluffy?" Naruto added in, his eyes squinting as his voice took little higher inflection at the end of that question than he'd intended.
"What do you take me for?" Itachi answered with a sinister calm, reaching for some cheese. "I have standards."
Naruto grumbled a few inaudible sentiments to himself. Neither Naruto nor Itachi knew what he was actually saying. What did he have that would be of value to Itachi? Perhaps… Influence.
"I know! I'll get Sasuke to stay home from school next time he's sick."
Itachi paused for a moment, looking over at Naruto with an arched brow.
"You can really do that?"
Naruto's molars made an appearance as he grinned widely. Success.
"I've done it before."
"You better not be bullshitting me."
Itachi stared down his nose at Naruto, and Naruto didn't know whether Itachi was being serious or not.
"Nope."
"Okay…" Itachi sighed. He still looked skeptical, but Naruto was so eager for him to start talking that he was ready to jump out of his skin. "When Sasuke's hamster died, when he was about five… He might or might not have refused to get out of bed all day and then told tell my mother to tell our school principal to pardon his absence because there had been a death in the family."
Naruto guffawed, trying to imagine this in vivid detail. The only thing lacking was that he'd never seen any pictures of Sasuke before the age of fourteen. He wondered if they even existed.
"Oh my God, really?"
"He could be quite dramatic as a child."
Naruto was still laughing.
"To be fair, dude, you did kill that hamster."
"What?" Itachi quickly shot back.
Shit… He wasn't supposed to say that, was he? It wasn't really Sasuke's fault… They had been right at Mr. Squoobles' grave, so the situation kind of lent to it.
"Oops," Naruto blurted out very starkly.
"He told you that?"
"Well…" Naruto said sheepishly. "It sort of came up in conversation."
"It was an accident," Itachi told him, his speech frustrated and pressured. "I put the hamster out on the lawn on the wrong day, and pesticide had been sprayed."
Naruto had never heard Itachi sound so defensive, which wasn't saying much given that he'd only been speaking to him for about four days. Was this a genuine sore spot for Itachi? Naruto thought it sounded too trivial to actually care about, but Itachi seemed to feel genuinely guilty.
"He told me that too. It was just an honest mistake."
Itachi shook his head, still not placated and out for revenge.
"You know, Sasuke went through a Spice Girls phase?"
It was only now that Naruto realized that by accidentally pissing Itachi off, he'd unwittingly served his own purposes.
"No fucking way."
"He would shamelessly blast 'Wannabe' from his bedroom. He insisted that it was classic rock."
Naruto started cackling, causing a woman with her child to glance over at the two of them curiously and then return to her tasks. This was really too rich. Itachi was a gold mine.
"To be fair," Itachi acknowledged with a shrug of his shoulders, "He was seven years old."
"I thought he had better taste than that!"
"And who do you think was responsible for that?"
Naruto froze, his laughter ceasing. Itachi? No. Itachi couldn't possibly like that type of music.
"No way. You like Led Zeppelin?"
Itachi stared at him dully for several seconds, getting his cell phone out of his pocket and opening up the media section. He plopped it into Naruto's left hand. Nirvana, Motley Crue, Avenged Sevenfold, and yes, Led Zeppelin. Songs by the dozens.
"Out of morbid curiosity," Itachi spoke as Naruto stared down at the screen in wonder, "what did you expect me to like?"
"I don't know," Naruto admitted, laughing again. Itachi was beginning to realize how often Naruto did this when he was nervous. "Classical music?"
"I guess classical music is alright," Itachi answered with a shrug. "Not my preference, but I can appreciate it."
Itachi was so brilliant in school, so polished. He was a literal genius, actually. His wardrobe was mature and professional. Naruto had just put a bunch of stereotypes together. He'd assumed that Itachi just listened to Chopin's nocturnes with similar-minded friends, who would talk about things like baroque style's influence on Mozart. Now that he thought of it, Itachi was only twenty-two years old. He was six years older than Naruto, but Itachi's maturity sometimes caused Naruto to feel like they hailed from different generations. Yet if situations had been different, Naruto and Itachi could've even gone to school together.
"Any other embarrassing phases I should know about, then?"
"Yes, but it'll to cost you."
Naruto sighed, shaking his head.
"Are you seriously trying to bargain me into watching over your brother?"
"Maybe a little," Itachi conceded nonchalantly.
Naruto focused, no longer smiling or jesting. He was serious when he spoke next.
"You don't have to do that, you know."
"No…" Itachi stated with a mellow smile. "I suppose not."
"'Course not," Naruto answered, his strides growing longer and more confident. "I'll do it no matter what anyone has to say about it, Sasuke included."
"My brother is a lucky man."
Naruto felt his cheeks take on a more sanguine shade, feeling rather flustered by the compliment. They were in the cereal aisle now. It was empty.
"Well… Someone's gotta take care of that bastard. He's too stupid to do it for himself."
"Yes," Itachi admitted. "He is."
Naruto grinned, taking his victories where he could. Just as Itachi was about to tell Naruto to put some wheat squares in the basket, Naruto did it himself, knowing that it was Sasuke's favorite cereal. And so the silence continued until Itachi finally spoke again, several seconds later.
"Sasuke doesn't always know what's good for him. He pushes himself too hard. In a more general sense, he stops looking at the big picture and loses his insight. I can't be there all the time. Keep him grounded for me, will you?"
"Okay," Naruto answered.
"One last thing…" Itachi seemed to have trouble speaking now, choosing his words carefully. His voice had nearly become a whisper. "He doesn't often show it, but… He's still wounded pretty badly. He doesn't let me in on much so as not to worry me. But if you can…"
Naruto smiled back at him, modestly and reassuringly.
"Okay."
"And in return, I'll watch out for you."
Naruto rolled his eyes, laughing again.
"You really are a businessman, aren't you?"
"A vice, admittedly."
Naruto wondered, momentarily, if Itachi was only helping him out because he helped Sasuke. It wasn't as though he could blame him, if this were the case. They'd only known each other a matter of days. But then again, Itachi had told him quite directly, "I am personally indebted to you."
"Hey, Itachi…"
"Yes?"
"Do you like me?" Naruto asked, soon after realizing that this sounded a little strange. He stammered as he corrected himself. "I mean, as a person."
"To be honest, Naruto, I haven't known you for very long," Itachi stated coolly. Sasuke was the same way. They didn't seem to be the sorts to let their guards down very soon. That sort of rapport took time and trust. "But from everything I have observed, you're a good kid, and you've done a lot of good for Sasuke. So of course I'd like you."
Naruto tried not to look so pleased by Itachi's response but failed miserably. This boy wasn't exactly a difficult one to read, Itachi pondered. But something about being with him uplifted his mood in a way he couldn't readily explain.
"You're not so bad yourself," Naruto replied, grinning at him widely.
"I never asked," Itachi responded with a crooked smile.
"See, comments like these…" Naruto said, pointing at Itachi. "They remind me that you guys are related."

Sasuke was gaining momentum as he swung down the half pipe on Juugo's old, splintered board, the cool ocean breeze whipping him in the face. Juugo came the opposite way, leaning into his knees as he reached the bottom of the pipe. Sasuke had lost the coin flip, so he was given the thrashed board.
Sasuke thought that this would be a good choice for Juugo. The skate park overlooked the Pacific Ocean, cloudless sunlight pouring down around them. Other than all of the people walking around in thick jackets, the climate looked as though it could have been tropical. There were dozens of palm trees around them, their view overlooking a rocky crag in the distance. To Sasuke, quite honestly, the view was worth about as much as the half pipe.
Back when Juugo and Sasuke hung out more often, they used to frequent this skate park. Sasuke had been mediocre at best when he had met Juugo, but Juugo was able to teach him a few tricks. Sasuke was coordinated, which resulted from both natural talent and a carryover from all of his other athletic endeavors, so he learned quickly.
Still, he couldn't land a 5-0 grind like Juugo could, twisting in the air with surprising compactness, given the size of his body. Sasuke had gotten down grinding, and he could pull off a manual for about ten seconds, coasting on solely on the back wheels of his skateboard. That was about the extent of his skill. Yet he opted for the skate park because he knew Juugo, who was much more at home here, would enjoy it.
"Sasuke, want me to teach you how to do a 360 flip?" Juugo shouted, his voice lost to both the wind and his momentum.
"A what?" Sasuke shouted back.
"Watch."
Juugo steered so that he moved down through bottom of the half pipe, losing some of his speed. When he, jumped up. The board moved with him, doing a complete 360 rotation under his feet until Juugo landed on it again. Sasuke had seen him, but there was no way in hell he was doing that.
"I'll pass."
Juugo kicked up his board and walked off of the half pipe, gesturing Sasuke to follow. He reluctantly did the same, kicking up his board and walking over to Juugo. Juugo skated down the sidewalk, which had a slight downwards grade.
"C'mon, just put your front foot back like you're doing a kickflip."
Sasuke followed him down the sidewalk, trailing just behind him.
"Tilt your back foot up, then move your front foot forward. Then pop and spin at the same time."
He was trying to concentrate on what Juugo was saying, but he'd stopped being able to visualize this about three instructions in. They were still rolling forward on the sidewalk next to each other, slowly.
"Then kick your front foot forward and out like a kick flip."
Sasuke was beyond lost, at this point. And Juugo claimed to be stupid? God…
"Oh, is that all?" Sasuke muttered under his breath, too quietly for Juugo to hear.
"Just jump above the board, then just wait for it to land in the right place. Watch it and land with your knees bent. Like this."
And Juugo pulled it off again, flawlessly. Sasuke kicked up his board and held it as he watched Juugo.
"Now you try."
"No."
"Hm? Why not?"
Sasuke sulked. He didn't want to say he couldn't, but really… A trick like this was far beyond his skill level. He just skateboarded casually, but Juugo was actually talented.
"Just try it. See, like this."
Juugo moved very slowly. It helped when Sasuke could watch him with his eyes. Regardless, Juugo couldn't slow down the flipping of the board, but Sasuke watched it carefully. After a good three or four minutes, he felt like he could actually make a solid attempt.
"Go for it, Sasuke."
And he did. The board shot off to the side as Sasuke's feet connected with the asphalt. At least he'd landed squarely on the soles of his shoes, so his landing was not as embarrassing as it could have been. Sasuke's board had traveled right to Juugo, who picked it up for him. Sasuke looked rather discouraged. Really, he just hadn't wanted to make an ass of himself. If he was going to suck at something, he'd rather do it in the privacy of his own home.
"Good try."
Sasuke grunted as Juugo handed him his skateboard again.
"No one lands that trick their first time," Juugo reassured him.
"Yeah, I get it," Sasuke answered, sounding a little annoyed. "I'm gonna work on my manual for now."
Sasuke rolled down the sidewalk again, allowing his front wheels to part with the cement. He moved now solely on his back wheels, his knees bent. Sasuke was pretty comfortable doing this, gaining speed and then grinding against the curb.
"Alright."
Juugo seemed to understand that Sasuke just didn't want to find another dozen new ways to wipe out in public. Maybe he could teach Sasuke this in a more private setting at a later point in time, but Sasuke just wasn't going to cooperate here.
Sasuke felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He moved over to a bench and sat down, sliding his cell phone out. He felt a little anxious despite himself when he noticed a text message from Itachi. Juugo gave him his privacy, continuing to work on landing an unfamiliar trick with limited success.
"Naruto wants to make sure it's okay to take me to the grocery store."
Sasuke tilted his head at the screen, fully aware that no one was watching. He believed Naruto probably didn't want to get in trouble for taking Itachi, so Itachi was doing this to reassure him. Itachi hadn't left the house yet since he'd been discharged from the hospital.
"Yes?" he texted back.
His phone buzzed again within seconds. Itachi must've been close to the phone.
"Want anything?"
"We're out of lettuce. That's all I can think of for now."
"Alright. We're leaving in about 15 minutes. Let me know if you need anything else."
"Thanks."
He was glad to know that Naruto and Itachi were getting along well in his absence. He'd hoped that they'd keep each other company, honestly. He felt guilty for leaving the two of them behind. He looked behind him, and the sun was beginning to set on the ocean. Juugo paused again, walking over to Sasuke with his board. His pale, Irish skin was flushed with exertion, panting with a slight sheen of sweat on his face.
"God, I missed that," Juugo said, watching the sky, a brilliant mix of the full spectrum of color. The reddish orange sun, which Sasuke could only watch with his hand sheltering his eyes, met the turquoise ocean. The stark black silhouette of the gulls appeared as a dozen of them flew in front of the sun, which seemed to grow larger as it approached the waterline. Both of them sat down to watch it in silence, thirstily finishing off their water bottles.
Juugo's mom called soon after that. Juugo might as well have had her over speakerphone; Sasuke could hear almost everything Aiko was saying.
"Juugo, are you coming home for dinner soon? I'm about to put it in the oven."
"Yeah, I'm coming," Juugo answered, looking down at his watch. "I'll be back in about fifteen minutes."
"Hey, why don't you bring Sasuke?"
"Do you want me to ask him?"
Sasuke bit his lip. Juugo's family ate dinner together every night, almost without fail. He envied that, really. He couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed a family meal. He supposed that's what his meals with Itachi were, but honestly it just never had the same feel to it.
"Yeah! After all, he challenged me to a match. I can't give him an excuse to chicken out on me."
Juugo turned to Sasuke.
"She wants to know if you want to eat dinner with us."
Sasuke hesitated momentarily. Wasn't he imposing? He'd been with Juugo's family so much lately.
"Well?" Aiko asked impatiently. "What's he saying?"
"That's alright, Juugo," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "Your parents probably weren't planning for…"
"I hear him!" Aiko yelled enthusiastically. "Sasuke, can you hear me?"
Sasuke sighed, glancing at Juugo, who appeared rather embarrassed by his mother's behavior. She was trying to bypass Juugo completely.
"Sasuke, you coward!" she shouted, quickly returning to her phone voice afterward. "Give him the phone, Juugo, honey."
Very, very reluctantly, Juugo handed Sasuke the phone.
"Grow a pair and get your ass over here! I will hand it back to you with a side of chicken and dumplings!"
"Why is it you're always picking on me, hm, Aiko?" Sasuke asked mockingly.
"Oh, you know why."
"Oh?"
"Yes! 'Oh!'"
Sasuke smirked.
"I'll be there."
"Wonderful! See you in fifteen minutes, dear."
Click.
"Sorry, Sasuke," Juugo mumbled.
"I'm hungry anyway," he answered, walking towards Juugo's car as he held the skateboard by his side.
The drive was silent. Perhaps they were attempting to compensate for the fact that the moment they walked through that door, there wouldn't be a moment's worth of quiet. The instant they'd arrived, Aiko greeted them with an Xbox controller in hand.
"Uh… Aiko?" Sasuke asked.
Juugo groaned, resting his forehead in his palm.
"It's on."
"Mom, what happened to, 'I'm about to put it in the oven?'"
"Well, I found out Sasuke was coming. I can't cook supper without getting past this. I won't be able to concentrate!"
Aiko was taking this awfully serious, wasn't she? She grabbed Sasuke's hand and shoved the controller into it.
"Choose," she told Sasuke, pointing to Juugo's wide variety of games.
"You're sure you want to do that?"
"Heh," Aiko answered. "Honey, there's not a doubt in my mind. Pick your poison."
Sasuke sat down in the green bean bag chair, while Aiko took the couch in front of their sixty inch flat screen. He browsed through the PS2 titles, finding a worn game by the name of Genkai that Sasuke had given to Juugo. It was a very obscure game that Sasuke had played since childhood. He hadn't rebought it after the fire, so he was a little rusty. Still, he'd always been ingenious when it came to this game. He decided that he'd pick the game he was most comfortable with, just to be safe. If it ended up that Aiko really was a novice, he could always go easy on her and save her some face.
Aiko seemed to hesitate before nodding.
"Alright. Genkai."
They waited for the PS2 to boot. There was then the offer for a tutorial.
"Need it?" Sasuke asked.
Aiko laughed, shaking her head.
"Adorable, Sasuke. Stop stalling."
Genkai was a fighting game, with martial arts style moves and a large number of rather complex combinations. Since Aiko skipped over it, Sasuke assumed that she was familiar with the game. Sasuke selected versus mode and leisurely waited for gameplay to begin, sighing and slouching back into his bean bag chair as Aiko leaned forward to get a good look at the TV. The countdown announced three, two… Why was Juugo cringing? One…
In a split second, Sasuke's character took 15% damage, hit by a barrage of quickly landed and well-aimed kicks and punches.
"Shit," Sasuke hissed under his breath, quickly maneuvering his way around Aiko's attacks. But it wasn't working. He could hardly escape her. His body straightened up immediately, his back quickly parting with the chair. He heard Aiko mashing the keys from across the room.
"Yeah, you better run, brat!"
Sasuke was able to free himself from Aiko's character just long enough to use a four button combo. He didn't have time for much more than that, so his thumbs worked as quickly as possible. Aiko dodged it. Her reflex was quick, and her aim was phenomenal. Now Sasuke's character took another 5% damage. Aiko's was unscathed.
He'd very quickly realized that there would be no going easy on Aiko. Juugo was watching. Kou was nearby. He couldn't lose a Genkai match to an old woman. Absolutely not. His mind quickly planned his next line of attack. He jumped through the air, then a double jump, then a five button combo… He landed it. 30% damage. He smirked, and Aiko gasped.
"Dad! Sasuke's winning!" Juugo called out. Sasuke heard Kou run in, staring at the screen.
"Well, I'll be damned…"
"It's not over yet," Aiko yelled.
She came towards him again and meleed. Sasuke blocked. He kicked Aiko's legs out from under her, but she was up in a heartbeat. While Sasuke was working on a seven button combo, but Aiko meleed him before he had time and jumped back. Finally, Aiko hit him with a modest three button combo, sending Sasuke down to 60% health. It only now occurred to Sasuke that up until now, Aiko had not used a single combo. Was she…going easy on him?
He was only 10% behind. He'd have to focus. He couldn't get flustered at such a time. Aiko was aggressive, leaving him almost no time to do anything other but block and perform the simplest combos. He knocked her on her back again. He'd aim for this one combo… It was six button combo. It was powerful, but the key drawback was that Sasuke would lose half of his health…going all the way down to 30%.
It was risky, but things weren't going well. It might be his only chance. It would stun Aiko's character, who still had 70% health. If he could just repeat the move one more time, before Aiko could recuperate, it would be enough for a knock out. It would usher him to death's doorstep, with only 15% left, but it was now or never.
So quickly, he moved. The hit connected, and Aiko shouted.
"Oh, for Christ's sake! What the hell is this?"
She quickly hammered down on the X button, attempting to get up. Aiko was charging some attack or another, surely knowing that if she scored an impressive hit, she could take Sasuke out with one move. But Sasuke was quick. Aiko's character was up. She charged him. He used the heel of his hand to pull his character back while he smashed in the ending combo buttons. He delivered his final attack, and a large "K.O." engulfed the screen. Aiko merely stared at the screen, her jaw opened in shock.
"You were saying, Aiko?" Sasuke asked smugly.
"I never thought I'd see the day…" Kou mumbled.
Sasuke was quite pleased with himself. Maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him, but it looked like Aiko had lost some of the color in her face.
"I thought you were toast, Sasuke," Juugo said, leaning forward and patting Sasuke on the shoulder. "I've never seen anyone beat my mom at video games before."
"I want a rematch," Aiko mumbled, still half stunned.
"You lost, Aiko," Sasuke said smugly. "But I have to say, that was impressive."
"Sasuke, let me level with you…"
Sasuke frowned, wondering where this is going.
"I've never played Genkai before in my life."
"What?" Sasuke asked, awestruck.
"I didn't think you could stand up to me, so I challenged you to a game I never played before. I…" Aiko looked off to the side. "I might have…underestimated you."
Sasuke couldn't believe it. How could it be possible that Aiko had never played Genkai before? He'd been playing this for years, and he'd only beat Aiko by a margin of 15%. But now that he thought of it, Aiko had only used a couple combo moves the entire game, and they were ones that involved only three or four buttons. She could have just figured them out through trial and error. There were so many powerful combos that Aiko had never used. It was actually…quite possible that this had been her first time playing.
Sasuke hated to admit that if they had even played through the tutorial, Aiko would have probably won. He didn't feel so content with his victory anymore. Aiko certainly wasn't the only one who had been guilty of underestimating their opponent.
"If you're so sure you can beat this little old lady, then you'll accept my request for a rematch. I won't make the same mistake twice."
Sasuke stared at Aiko mutely for a while, feeling just the slightest bit intimidated by her for the first time ever.
"I'd suggest you quit while you're ahead, kid," Kou mumbled.
"Do you want the couch tonight, Kou?!" she shouted, gesturing towards the couch threateningly.
Sasuke sighed, shaking his head. He got the feeling he was walking to his death here. However, he felt that it just wasn't fair to challenge Aiko at a game she'd never played before and call it a match. It was only good sportsmanship to accept a rematch.
"Which game?" Sasuke asked.
"Any Atari game we have," Aiko said. "I've played all of them at least a few times."
Aiko revealed a large variety of cartridges to Sasuke. He spotted Street Fighter instantly. He'd played various Street Fighter games with Itachi and the neighbors more times than he could have ever hoped to remember growing up. It had best one of the few games he could best everyone at without fail. The versions he played were much more modern than this one. He'd never played on the Atari before, but even still, he thought that this was his best chance.
"How about… Street Fighter?"
Aiko grinned.
"Very fine choice, Sasuke."
Sasuke's palms were sweating as he shut off the PS2 for Aiko, booting the old Atari up and hooking the cables to the TV. Something in the way Aiko responded seemed very sinister… He certainly wasn't cocky anymore. Rather, he felt like he entering a lion's den.
The game booted.
They started, and Aiko's character moved around Sasuke at dizzying speed. The game was a bit of a button masher, which Sasuke thought would be to his advantage. But his health bar was falling even quicker than Sasuke could process. He fought back, but the outcome of this game was becoming very clear. He was out of his league.
"Cleveland, Ohio, tournament of 1988! Second place!"
Sasuke was already at less than half health. He'd barely dented Aiko.
"Los Angeles, California, tournament of 1989! First place!"
Just like that, Sasuke was down for the count.
"Best out of three?" Aiko asked, grinning.
There hadn't even been a contest. He hadn't stood a chance in hell. There was no way he could ever beat Aiko. Sasuke placed down his controller, shaking his head and offering Aiko his hand.
"Good game, Aiko."
Aiko shook his hand enthusiastically, grinning back at him.
"Not bad, for a little snot-nosed brat!"
Aiko placed down her controller as well, quite content that she'd been able to prove herself.
"Now, would you two mind cleaning up everything while I get everything ready?"
"Sure thing," Juugo answered, joining Sasuke on the ground as they cleaned up all of the controllers.
"Thanks, dears," Aiko answered, making her way back into the kitchen.
As the two leaned over, Sasuke unplugging the Atari, they caught each other's eyes. Juugo began to laugh at Sasuke, very quietly, and Sasuke rolled his eyes and jabbed Juugo on the shoulder.
"Shit, Juugo, why didn't you tell me your mom was some video gaming guru?"
"You never asked," Juugo answered simply, rolling up a long cord.
They had everything cleaned soon. Sasuke and Juugo both helped in the kitchen, Sasuke manning the oven as Aiko stirred the green beans. Juugo fetched Aiko a spatula. The four of them had worked up a bit of a sweat by the time the meal was on the table, but it was worth it. Sasuke had never tasted Aiko's cooking before, other than her cakes, but it was delicious.
There was chicken and dumplings, rolls made from scratch, and green beans. Everyone was given their own bottle of vitamin water. It was a new brand that the local health store carried, which Aiko insisted was superior. Aiko laughed while Kou, Sasuke, and Juugo made a few comments, Sasuke occasionally baiting her on for the hell of it.
"Hey, Sasuke! Wasn't it you that said I should become a chiropractor?" Aiko asked, pointing at Sasuke. Sasuke had actually been lost to thought. What had Aiko been going on about, anyhow?
"If you're actually trying to crack peoples' back with those hugs, you have an uncanny success rate."
Aiko laughed.
"You're a wimp, Sasuke. It's tough love. Just look at Kou!"
Kou regarded his wife rather hesitantly. She abruptly stood, gesturing Kou to stand along with her. Kou remained seated, however.
"I don't think…"
"C'mon! Show them how it's done!"
With a very prolonged sigh, Kou acquiesced. She promptly began to hug him, probably with all of the strength she possessed. Kou began to go red.
"Honey, I can't…breathe…"
"Did you hear a single crack?" Aiko asked, finally letting Kou go. Juugo was hiding his face, thoroughly embarrassed. "See? Tough love toughens ya up!"
Kou was finally regaining his breath, his face returning to its normal color. Conversation halted for a moment. Juugo seemed to have been humiliated into silence, picking at his chicken, and Sasuke was just being…well, himself.
"Oh, speakin' of tough love…" Aiko continued. "How have Karin and Suigetsu been doing?"
Sasuke, as expressionless as he normally was, didn't have trouble masking his thoughts. Juugo did the same.
"They're fine."
"You know, those two lovebirds…" Aiko trailed off, taking a bite of green beans and swallowing before speaking again. "They're about ready to bite each other's heads off. It reminds me of how me and your father used to be."
The idea made Sasuke feel a little ill, just momentarily. He'd told himself that he wasn't attached to his other friends, so why did this statement bother him? He wondered when Suigetsu would finally get out, and exactly how Karin was doing right now.
"I wouldn't say that…" Kou mumbled.
"But that Karin… I like her," Aiko said. "She knows how to keep a man in check!"
Aiko glanced around the table, noting that Sasuke and Juugo were both silent and were eating much more slowly.
"Why the long faces?" she asked, glancing at Juugo. "Now, honey, I know you miss your friends, but they're never more than a short drive away, you know?"
Suigetsu, a drive away? Sure, during visiting hours, after driving through about two hours of mountain ranges and desert.
"I know, Mom. But let's not talk about that."
Aiko began to respond to Juugo, but her mouth went still before any sound left it. She seemed to rethink, smiling and sipping at her vitamin water.
"Right, of course."
Sasuke was grateful to Juugo. He didn't know how much longer he could listen to Aiko speak so unwittingly about Karin and Suigetsu. If that hadn't been enough, the look on Juugo's face would have taken care of the rest. Sasuke was pretty sure that Juugo had taken Suigetsu's incarceration rougher than he had. Maybe he'd seen Suigetsu as something of a little brother as well.
The dinner continued, rowdy but never anything but pleasant. Yet still, it was bittersweet to Sasuke. It was so recently that he'd had dinner with his own parents in much the same way. His dad would sit at the head of the table, just like Kou was, though Aiko certainly had his mother beat in terms of loquaciousness.
The mood was much more boisterous with Juugo's family than it had been with his own. Itachi and Sasuke weren't big talkers, and his mom was soft spoken, but they always found something to chat over. Usually, his father was central to the conversation, yet it was his mother's cooking that they always ate. Chicken and dumplings was a recurring dish, and his mother even made it similarly to how Aiko had. Despite the differences, the atmosphere was almost painfully familiar, and Sasuke couldn't help but feel jealous.
Afterward, Aiko offered to teach Sasuke a few things about gaming. He gratefully accepted the proposal, and the two of them played together for at least a couple hours. Both of them had lost track of time. Sasuke deemed that after learning a few things from Aiko, he would be nearly unstoppable against any casual players.
Despite the fact that Sasuke's skill level was far below her own, Aiko was very uncharacteristically patient and gentle with him. Juugo watched as his mother instructed his best friend, pleased to see two sides of his life which so rarely connected meld so naturally. When they finally decided to call it a night, Aiko told Sasuke that he was one of the fastest learners she'd ever taught. She invited him to come over any time; she'd gladly teach him a thing or two.
Juugo's parents walked up to their bedroom, and Juugo and Sasuke sat downstairs, surfing television channels until they ran into Pulp Fiction. Both of them had already seen the movie, and Sasuke knew he had to take off soon anyhow. It was dark out, and the clock on the wall told him that it was nearly ten. He wanted to at least have a couple of hours with Naruto until they fell asleep. It was getting awfully close to the day he'd leave. He could hardly believe there were only two full days left.
"Sorry about my mom, by the way," Juugo mumbled.
"Hm?" Sasuke asked.
"I know she can be a little bit much to deal with sometimes. She adores you, though."
"I'm aware," Sasuke answered, his voice sounding a little down. He'd been thinking of Naruto.
"My folks are a little eccentric, aren't they? Probably where I get it from."
"Yeah…" Sasuke answered thoughtfully. "But sometimes it's the stupid, embarrassing shit that you end up missing, like the way your spine used to crack when your mom hugged you. So…"
Sasuke paused for a bit, and Juugo watched him wordlessly.
"I guess appreciate it while you can," Sasuke concluded weakly.
For just an instant, Juugo glanced at Sasuke in confusion before he finally realized where Sasuke was coming from.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I wasn't complaining. I didn't mean for it to come off like that."
"I know you weren't," Sasuke reassured him quietly.
Juugo pulled at his sleeves for a while, both of them silent as John Travolta accidently shot some unsuspecting man in the head.
"Hey, Sasuke… You're okay…with eating dinner with us and all? Everything's good?"
Sasuke didn't know what Juugo was going on about, and then it occurred to him. It was the first time Sasuke had eaten dinner with a family since he'd lost his own, and Sasuke's comment probably reminded Juugo of this. Juugo was wondering if it had been painful for Sasuke. He had to admit that it had been a little difficult, but all in all, it left him happy.
"You think I can't observe a slice of traditional suburban Americana without having a meltdown?" Sasuke asked sarcastically, donning a smirk.
Juugo chuckled under his breath, relieved by Sasuke's teasing.
"I think I'll follow your advice, Sasuke," Juugo said with a smile.
Soon, Sasuke announced that he was getting tired, and that he should probably go home and tend to Itachi. The drive was quick. As Juugo's pickup truck pulled into his driveway about fifteen minutes later, Sasuke didn't know whether he was happy or sad to be leaving the company of Juugo's family. If Sasuke had been born to Juugo's parents, he wondered how he would've turned out, where life would have led him. But he realized that even if it were possible, he liked the person he'd become too much to tinker with the past.
When Sasuke opened the door, the first sound he heard was Naruto's laughter. Itachi and Naruto were watching none other than Pulp Fiction, sharing a large bowl of popcorn. It wasn't that great of a coincidence, as it was the only good thing on currently. Naruto tackled and hugged Sasuke as he joined them on the couch, the three of them wasting time together until their eyelids started to close.

Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed. I know there was hardly any interaction between Sasuke and Naruto this chapter. But trust me, if you missed it, there is plenty of it to come.
Anyhow, good news: I'm returning to weekly updates, so I'll be updating every Sunday again instead of every other Sunday. I never expected to return to weekly updates so late, but it has been a crazy ride recently. Again, thanks so much to everyone who has stayed with me for all of this time.
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