Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

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

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Naruto had left for work earlier than usual, and though Sasuke normally wouldn’t notice, the blond woke him up to remind him to keep an ear out for Haku to make sure he didn’t sneak out during the day.

Studying for hours and hours in his room was starting to make Sasuke's head feel woozy with the overload of information, so he figured he should take a break, maybe check on Haku. When he’d arrived home from work, Naruto had brought in a grilled cheese sandwich, though for all they knew, the boy hadn’t eaten it, just like he hadn’t eaten breakfast. With a sense that he didn’t quite know Haku anymore, he gently knocked on the door across from his own room.

“…”

“Haku, I’m coming in.” The door had no lock and thus offered no resistance. Sasuke looked to the bed where he assumed Haku was, and he could see the faint outline of his body beneath the top blanket. “It’s so dark in here. Let’s open the blinds some.” Still no response from the boy, not even a flinch at the influx of sunlight. Even with proper illumination, it felt dark and musty.

“You should eat something.” The tray on which Naruto had placed the grilled cheese and glass of water was sitting on the desk, completely untouched. “It’s not much,” Sasuke involuntarily paused, realizing it wasn’t very much, and it took him a bit to remind himself that he had decided to trust Naruto, no matter what he was hiding. “Even if you don’t like the taste, you’ll get sick without anything in your belly.”

The blinds clicked and clacked, swinging at the sides of the window from their disturbance.

“Come on, don’t just stare at the wall,” Sasuke tried. He laid down next to Haku, propped up against the headboard, eyes focusing on the blinds still swishing slightly. A blinking light caught his eye, and he noticed that Haku’s cell phone, which was placed on the nightstand on Sasuke's side, displayed numerous unread texts, the most recent one from ‘Z,’ presumably Zabuza.

“You missed a text,” Sasuke said into the silence. “From Zabuza, I think.” The boy next to him flinched, but did not turn to face the bed’s other occupant. Sasuke’s eyes returned to the window before him; the blinds had settled and were still. “Are you still tired? Naruto said you could skip school today.”

Still nothing.

“I can’t tell if you’re mad at me, or at Asuma, or Naruto, or just everyone. For all I know, you might just not feel like talking. And that’s fine. Because there are some things I need to say, maybe should have said earlier.” Half out of habit, his hand drifted over to rest on Haku’s head and slowly stroked his hair. “Yesterday, you said that I abandoned you and have no right to say anything about what you’re doing now. And I’m not ignoring that we have different situations, it’s just that I’m… afraid that something bad will happen to you. Something awful. I don’t know this guy you’re with. You probably think you know him, think that he could never hurt you, but truth is, it doesn’t work that nicely all the time… it’s just not that easy to tell if someone’s bad or good.”

He explained himself Haku, not omitting a single detail, hoping that something would get through to the boy. Not even halfway through, Haku shifted so that his head was on Sasuke's stomach. He didn’t comment on it or pause, just slowly brushed his hands through the boy’s hair.

“That sucks,” Haku said when it was over. “But you’re wrong about Zabuza. He’s just bad at meeting people. He doesn’t ever talk to me like that.”

Sasuke bit his lip. Maybe he could ease Haku into the idea of a chaperoned meeting with Zabuza; he certainly wasn’t going to let them possibly run off together. “Even if he is a good guy, please be careful. You’re kind of mature for your age, but you’re still pretty young, plus we’re at a disadvantage. Naruto’s been successful, but he’s never screwed up like I have. Obnoxious, maybe, but I’ve made mistakes that almost messed up everything. It took so much more work to get done with high school and into college than it would have if I’d been more careful and less trusting.” He scratched his head, a passing thought about a shower slipping by. “Not to close you off to the world, but if I can stop you from getting hurt or screwing up like I did… I just care about you. And I’ve missed you, though my actions past couple years don’t really show it.”

“I don’t always agree with you, but I missed you, too. It started to feel like… like we’d never be able to sit like this again.” He turned his face more into the older man’s stomach, muffling his words. “I’m so tired of people leaving me.”

“Yeah.” What had kept Sasuke from feeling overwhelmed by the loneliness was Naruto, for as long as he could remember. Trying to pull Haku away from the dark pit he was standing on the edge of, he said, “Naruto has some Disney movies I can dig out, if you want. We can go watch them on the couch.”

“Maybe later. I couldn’t sleep last night.”

“Worried?”

Haku nodded, causing Sasuke's shirt to wrinkle up.

“It’ll be okay. We’ll work everything out.”

“What if you got to know him better?” Haku stubbornly persisted. Sasuke couldn’t really say anything for a moment. It hadn’t really occurred to him that Haku would be so cooperative. “I’m sure you’d like him,” the boy added sweetly, looking at Sasuke.

Considerably incredulous, Sasuke said, “he called me a whore yesterday.”

“He thought he was defending me.”

“Of all the things to say… did you tell him I slept around?”

Haku stuck his face back into Sasuke's stomach and mumbled, “I vented to him once or twice, and I might’ve exaggerated some stuff…”

There wasn’t much Sasuke could say about that. He’d done the same thing before as well, but never about people like Naruto or Haku, never about someone he considered family…

Realizing he needed to be the adult in this situation, he took a deep, slow breath, then let it out. “If he can apologize, I can try to give him a chance.” He stood. “You should eat it. Naruto made it just for you.”

The boy made a noncommittal noise, then rose and walked over to the desk. He poked the sandwich a couple times; whatever he was trying to determine seemed good enough for him as he pulled the tray to the bed and ate slowly.

“I’ll let you alone, then, if you want to sleep?” Haku nodded, gulping down the water as well. “Alright. I’ll wake you up for dinner?” He nodded again, and Sasuke shut the door behind him softly.

He neared the end of the hallway and saw Naruto and Itachi sitting close together, Naruto leaning forward with a hand on Itachi’s shoulder, going in for a kiss. Sasuke couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. Itachi was having no such problems as, cheeks bright pink, he put both hands on the blond’s chest and pushed him back at arm’s length, confusion on both their faces.

Sasuke‘s eyes were fixed on Itachi's face, watching the skin tighten around his eyes, his shifting away from Naruto. Neither man had noticed Sasuke yet. Sasuke finally settled on giving a general, all-encompassing ‘what the hell;’ but at this point Itachi spoke.

“I’m sorry, I am so, so sorry, but you’ve misunderstood.” He shook his head back and forth slowly, searching for words to put this delicately. “I’m dating Sasuke. We’ve kept it quiet, though I guess too quiet. I never meant to—to lead you on or anything…” While Sasuke was too busy watching Itachi handle the awkward situation and waiting to be noticed, Itachi did not miss the way the blond’s face seemed to crack underneath, just for a moment, before his expression turned blank. Uchiha, unsure how to comfort without going too far, placed a hand lightly on the blond’s hand resting on the couch cushion between them. Naruto moved his hand away before they could touch, rubbing at the base of his neck.

“I know Sasuke didn’t want to say anything yet—I think it has to do with his hallucinations, and if I’m not mistaken, those happen when he’s experiencing anxiety over our relationship, and it really will just take time for him to trust me, which is fine, I can wait cause it’ll be worth it, though it’s not exactly helping that my half-brother has his little helper Orochimaru hanging around—”

“Wait, wait,” Naruto interrupted, overwhelmed, one hand in the air to stop Itachi and the other on his head, which was feeling tighter every moment. “I thought the boyfriend Sasuke kept talking about was Orochimaru.”

“What?” said two voices in unison. Itachi immediately looked over at Sasuke, but the younger only looked at Naruto now.

“What are you talking about? What made you think he would be my boyfriend?”

“Wait… you’ve met him? He’s been here?” Itachi asked Naruto. He saw the affirmation in the blond’s eyes and immediately turned on Sasuke, rising from the couch. “What happened to your promise? I didn’t expect you to go back on it.” It was harder to tell if his disappointment or his anger was stronger.

“Well, I didn’t expect you to leave so suddenly, or that I’d end up stuck without a ride, and I didn’t expect him to offer me a ride home or to be a pleasant, caring guy, and I never expected that Kiba would bring me to a party where I would get beat up, or that he, *Orochimaru,* would help me get away AND stand by me afterwards.”

“He probably only helped because he didn’t want you to suspect him, so then he could go back to his plan of reporting to Sai—”

“But he didn’t look like he even meant to help me at first—like he was surprised that it was me, or something. And then the next day when that weirdo from the bus showed up, Orochimaru hurried me on the bus and sent me away like he was protecting me.”

‘Weirdo from the bus? With Orochimaru so close, I’d bet anything that was Sai.’ Anger and a sense of betrayal fogged his reason. “You could have at least *tried* to avoid him instead of waiting until I left to make plans to befriend him. I can’t believe you would keep this a secret from me.”

The initial anger from when Sasuke first entered the room had abated in the face of his confusion but now it flared once more. “I didn’t plan it; we just sort of ended up friends.” Not the best defense, he knew, but true; Itachi would surely understand if he knew that Sasuke hadn’t tried to keep it a secret. “I tried to tell you several times, like when you first got back and on the way to the art class and on the way back and while we were looking for Haku and before I had to write that paper—we just kept getting sidetracked.”

Itachi was silent for a moment, and it seemed like his disappointment won out. “It sounds like you trust him much more than you trust me.” He folded his arms across his chest. “I would have thought you’d know better, especially when he tried to follow you home that one time and you started panicking—”

“That’s not what I’m saying! Besides, I don’t think it was him—”

“So now you’re defending him? I can’t let you do this! You don’t know what he’s really like,” Itachi insisted earnestly, gesturing widely in his frustration. “I won’t let you see him again—”

“You won’t *let* me?” Sasuke raised his voice and felt the tips of his ears go hot. “I’ll hang out with whoever the hell I want to. I’ve had more than one controlling boyfriend, and I’d sooner die than put up with another—”

“Stop.” Naruto had been sitting on the couch with his hands folded in his lap, watching the two go back and forth as he put aside his mortification and hurt, vindicating all those little moments these past weeks that now made sense. Yet now he stood and utilized his teacher voice before this point slid by him. “Sasuke, stay silent for a moment.” The boy frowned, ready to argue, but relented when he realized how little emotion there was in the blond’s face. “Itachi, explain what you mean about Orochimaru, and Sai, and what it has to do with you two.”

“It’s a long story—”

“You have sixty seconds. Go.”

“My half-brother Sai and I have never gotten along. Since I left the law firm and he took over my old position, he’s teamed up with Orochimaru, who I went to high school with. He betrayed me at that time and joined forces with Sai back then, and they get their kicks by intimidating people I’m interested in,” he paused for a breath, noting the miniscule twitch in Naruto's expression, “but I told Sasuke this—really—before I even kissed him for the first time, and I think that was probably the second time we’d met, so it wasn’t like he was getting bothered, and Sasuke said that he was fine with it—” Sasuke supported the claim by nodding silently— “and it’s never been anything serious, just a few threatening letters or an occasional phone call, and then just childish pranks like throwing eggs at your house or unraveling toilet paper in your front yard, because anything more serious than that and I’d be able to take him to court, though I think technically I could already bring him in but it just isn’t that easy to prove it’s him, and it’ll be too expensive to pull him in every time so…” he trailed off, not sure what else he should say to convince Naruto that things weren’t as bad as they sounded.

“So, you’re saying Orochimaru tried to follow Sasuke home so that he and your half-brother could stalk and harass my son.”

Wisely, neither man reminded Naruto that he was not actually Sasuke's father.

“I thought I had protected Sasuke from that, though it seems like that didn’t work out as well as I thought.” He glanced at Sasuke; the younger man held his ground, firm in his belief that he had committed no wrong.

“That’s enough.” Naruto motioned for Itachi to be quiet and Uchiha felt compelled to obey, as the blond was still unconsciously using his commanding teacher’s tone. “Sasuke, I’m not sure if it’s worse that you didn’t tell me who you were dating—considering he was in our house practically every day—or that you never told me about the potential threat.” He paused, looked to the side, then looked at Sasuke again. “Actually, I’m very sure it’s the second one.”

His pale eyebrows pulled together until they practically met, and Sasuke felt a bit hopeful that Naruto would simply yell at him and be done. “After all you’ve been through, and I’ve been by your side, sticking with you, always giving you space and taking care of you—before I even moved out of the Home…” the blond rubbed the back of his neck, sitting down heavily. “You know, one of my earliest memories is of you crying in a corner, when you were first brought there, and you shoved and kicked everyone that tried to hold you, except for me, and then the next day you played with the other kids like you’d known them for forever, and you completely ignored me for years.” He tried to continue, but the words stalled and he covered his mouth for a moment. “There were a couple rough patches, and I really thought I might never get you back. But then you started talking to me again, and you moved here, I thought you’d never keep secrets like this from me.”

And there it was. An upset Naruto was quiet, but strong, and an angry Naruto was difficult, but bearable; this version, this disappointed, weary Naruto made Sasuke feel ashamed of himself. He hadn’t known that story, couldn’t remember anything that far back, but it seemed he’d been a terrible friend to the blond their entire lives. “After Juugo, I thought you decided to just tell me everything, no matter how small, so that I could help you.”

It seemed like a thousand apologies would not set it right. They’d been best friends for too long for Sasuke to miss the hurt pulsing in Naruto’s words, to miss the unspoken ‘aren’t we closer than this?’ After listening to Naruto, the truth seemed weak, but it was all he could say. “I just didn’t want to burden you. I thought you probably had enough going on already, what with two jobs, not eating or sleeping, and then the other day you even passed out...”

Naruto sighed heavily and rubbed at his temples. “Look, we’ll talk more later, but right now I think we all need to cool off. Everything I want to say right now I’d regret immediately. Let’s all come back in two hours. How does that sound?”

Sasuke wanted to protest, because he did not feel resolved in the slightest with Itachi and he had no idea how to begin making this up to Naruto, but he had to admit that when he looked at Itachi, the words ready to spill out to the older man were not what he really wanted to say. Itachi, judging by the way his jaw was clenching and unclenching, felt the same. “Good. I’m going to get some beer, so Sasuke, I can drop you off wherever.”

“Thanks.” He replied, putting his phone back in his pocket. “I just texted Orochimaru, and he said he can drop me back off later.” He gave a significant look at Itachi, who did not seem ready to take Sasuke's choice with any particular grace.

“I don’t think he’s the best choice, given whatever is or isn’t happening,” the blond said over his shoulder as he put on his coat and boots, “but you are free to choose, and no one will tell you otherwise.”

Whatever Itachi's misgivings about Orochimaru, he was resolute against fighting Naruto. He didn’t say another word as he grabbed his coat and slipped into his shoes. They all walked out the door together—staying as far apart from each other as they could within the narrow doorway—and got into their respective cars, and for a moment before Sasuke sat down into the seat he locked eyes with Itachi. The older man looked like he wanted to say something, but then apparently thought better of it as he quickly drove off.

“Just tell me where to go.” Glad that Naruto obviously didn’t want him to say anything else, he used as few words as possible. Orochimaru opened the front door to let him in, and he waved to the blond as the car creaked its way onto the main road once more.

“Thanks. You’re kind of doing me a huge favor. I haven’t ever had an argument with him like this before, and I everybody else I know is just too close to the situation.”

“It’s not a problem. You want to talk about it?” He asked hesitantly.

“Not yet.” He shook his head. “I need to get my mind out for a while.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “Grab a spot on the couch. My stepdad just called to say he won’t be home till late, so there’s his half of dinner if you want it.”

* * *

In another part of town, Naruto’s suspicions were confirmed as a white SUV followed him as he made another unnecessary turn. The vehicle first started tailing him a few miles back, fortunately after he’d dropped off Sasuke. If whoever was following was the same person as in the mall and the guy who’d made awkward eye contact with him when he fainted at his job, then he wanted to know who and why. His students wouldn’t be old enough or have the right resources, and he couldn’t think of any parents or coworkers that would benefit from stalking him.

For now, the mission was to find out what the man tailing him wanted; if he was indeed related to whatever trouble Itachi had connected with him, depending on how bad it was, he might have to pull a favor from his college buddy that had joined the police force. However, if this had anything to do with the people from Sasuke's or his own past, knocking a few teeth loose would be the easiest solution. Hoping for the best case scenario—the one where he could smack some people around to blow off steam—he parked in the lot for a grocery store and entered. It wasn’t his usual one, but that didn’t mean he was unknown here; fact was, half the employees he’d gone to high school with, and the other half he’d encountered in college. If it came down to a fight, they’d back him or turn a blind eye accordingly. As a bonus, this store had notoriously lousy security and unreliable cameras.

Discreetly checking in the reflective surfaces he passed, Naruto recognized his shadow as both the man from the mall and the individual who he’d encountered earlier this week. Not that he’d gotten much information then, but as long as he got what he needed now, it wouldn’t matter. The pressure in his head increased, and he admitted to himself that it actually might just be pain.

Now was not the time to be soft as a ball sack, he chided himself. He headed to the pharmaceutical aisle where there would be fewer shoppers, asking the passing employee (Yukina? Hanako? She’d been in his graduating class) to keep the section clear for a couple minutes. The mysterious man followed, and as Naruto had hoped, the aisle was empty—even better, the whole section. Darting down the row and back around, he snuck up behind the man and pinned his arm up behind his back. Naruto kept the man still with another hand on his hip drawing them together, the man’s back against Naruto chest, not allowing his captive time to struggle. The man’s heavy coat disguised the position, so that anyone passing by them would think they were merely standing too close together.

“Hello.” Naruto said. “I wouldn’t struggle too much, if I were you, because that would bring attention to us—I don’t mind, attention whore that I am—you seem like you’d mind very much.” Even through the padding of the coat he could feel the stiffness of the man’s body, breathing the only movement the man made through tense muscles. “Glad you agree. So what I’d like to know is who you are, who you’re with, and what you want.”

“I’ll start with who you are.” He tugged down the scarf and slipped the sunglasses off the unresisting man, and was surprised at how easy it was to identify the man. “I see. So you’re Itachi's half-brother.”

“How do you know?” Eyes blacker than anything Naruto had ever seen didn’t even look at him; they just stared straight ahead, scanning the labels of various cold medications. “Japanese probably all look the same to you, blondie.”

“That could be part of it, cause, you know, I’m a judgmental racist bastard, or maybe it’s those cheekbones.” Not that he’d ever studied Itachi's face enough to have noticed this. Nope. Never. There was absolutely nothing attractive about Itachi's cheekbones. “That, and you clearly know who I’m talking about.”

“I dislike playing games. I’ll get to the point.” He turned in Naruto’s grasp, and the blond released his grip on him, though he didn’t change their distance just in case the man tried to retreat prematurely. “I am Sai Uchiha. My associate Orochimaru, when he’s not screwing up, aids me every now and then.” A thin smiled stretched his face, and in this lighting, it almost made his white skin look translucent. “I believe you’ve met him.”

“I have.” A pause on both sides. “And? What do you want?”

An unusual twist appeared in the brunet’s face, and Naruto gladly recognized disappointment at this lack of reaction. Sai had obviously been hoping that Naruto would be stung by betrayal. It wasn’t nice to know that the man currently with Sasuke could possibly be a threat, but one step at a time. Confirmation first. “My goal is simple: cause Itachi as much pain as I can.” Again, he assessed Naruto’s reaction, yet, again, he was disappointed.

“How do I factor into this?”

“You? You’re the man my brother is pursuing. That guy doesn’t deserve to have anyone by his side.”

“I teach middle school kids—there’s nothing you can do to scare me.” Maybe he wasn’t so crazy, thinking Itachi could like him. Sai apparently believes it, and Orochimaru had said something—but surely Orochimaru knew it wasn’t true, so that’s still a little weird—but Sai seems a few fries short of a happy meal, so this wasn’t the best measure of Naruto’s sanity. “Also, I have friends in the police department who owe me a few favors.”

“Oh, yes. So I’ve heard.” The thin smile had a nasty edge to it now. “I’ve had a week to look into you, since Orochimaru realized you were Itachi's true target, and it sounds like many people owe you favors because you did favors for them during your school days.” Again, a pause, only this time Naruto couldn’t help neither the narrowing of his eyebrows nor the twitch of fingers as they ached to curl into a fist and make Sai bleed.

“Or would it be more accurate to say perform?” Sensing he had an advantage, Sai pushed it. “Then again, who’s to say it’s in the past? A slut like you surely wouldn’t be satisfied with just my brother. If you need someone who can actually satisfy you, I wouldn’t mind paying—what’s your price these days, thirty? Twenty? I have a few coins in my pocket, that should cover the full course—”

Naruto did not let him finish. With a dexterity acquired young, he distracted the man with an aggressive kiss while checking his pockets for his wallet. Upon locating it, he pulled back. He thumbed through it undisturbed, as Sai apparently needed a moment to catch up. There was just under three hundred in the wallet along with several shiny cards for credit and memberships. Guys like these never carried much cash. “Since it was just a kiss, I’ll give you a discount.” The cash he slipped into his own pocket, and dumbly Sai accepted his wallet back. “I’d feel bad charging my full price for a kid like you.”

The man sputtered, clearly baffled, though only the muscles surrounding his eyes showed any such emotion existed. He’d never met a person like Naruto before.

“Oh, hush now. You look like a fish.” He chuckled, wondering if he should smack Sai around a bit, too; he had apparently spooked Sasuke a bit, and Naruto used to beat people up for less. But if this guy wasn’t going to fight back, it wouldn’t be any fun. “So listen. I’ll let it slide this time since you didn’t know any better, but from now on you have no excuse. Whatever problem you have with Itachi stays between you and Itachi. You’re involving innocent people in your messed up idea of revenge, including Sasuke and I. I’m not even the one Itachi’s after, and I have enough problems without you dragging in my son.”

“Son?” Sai echoed, finally coming out of his daze. “Oh yes, the boy you adopted. So he was Itachi's true target after all?”

Naruto grabbed him by both shoulders and slammed him into the shelf, knocking down a few rows of cold medicine. “If you do anything else to him… if you so much as look at him in a way I don’t like… well, you say you looked into me. I’m sure you’ll read between the lines. You know when something’s been covered up.”

Squirming slightly, dislodging bottles of cough syrup, Sai’s half-assed attempt to break away failed. “What’s wrong with you?” Sai’s vacant expression finally shifted, giving into frustration and confusion.

“What’s wrong with me?” Naruto echoed incredulously. “Well, plenty, but I’ll beat the shit out of you if you come near us again. I’ve sent people to the hospital before, and I don’t care how powerful your family is. You mess with Sasuke again, and I’ll crush you.” What didn’t this simpleton understand?

An involuntary shiver at the sharp tone almost made him wary of asking more. “You’d still go to jail, idiot! What’s wrong with you that you’d risk so much for someone who isn’t even family?!”

“So that’s it.” The blond had been around enough children to know this pattern. With a better handle on the situation, Naruto took a couple steps back, but Sai remained slumped against the shelves. “He never told you he loved you, so you’ve spent your life trying to get his attention?”

The man said nothing and didn’t move. His outfit was wrinkled and the stance looked uncomfortable, but the man just stared at the ground, the previous flickers of confusion and frustration carefully erased from his face.

A horrible thought occurred to Naruto, and he felt a sting of pity. “None of them ever…” the blond’s voice dropped and trailed off. Even in the orphanage, he’d felt loved. Not much, and not always, but Sasuke was there, even when their friends were adopted or left for foster homes. “Have you tried being nice to him?”

Sai stood and looked fiercely at Naruto, blank expression shattering into wrath. “I don’t expect you to understand.” He brushed himself off. “Someone like you…” Unable to continue the thought, he turned and walked away. “Keep the pocket change. Consider it my holiday donation to the poor,” he called over his shoulder.

Naruto peeked around the corner to watch him leave the store, then went to the nearest employee. As he’d expected, the girl was one of his juniors in high school, and a minute of small talk smoothed over her annoyance at the mess he’d made. After he helped her clean up the mess he’d made, he grabbed a twelve pack of beer along with enough food to last them a week. There was still much money left over from what he’d taken from Sai, so he filled up his car with gas. Carrying around that much cash still was strange, but he figured the rest could help the kids at the Home when they went Christmas shopping for each other.

Regardless of its mechanical shortcomings, his car was a safe place, and he stopped to think. This business with Sasuke and Itachi… that would hurt for a while. The last time he’d felt so stupid was during his final time staying at a “friend’s” dorm. It was obvious now, but he’d really liked Itachi, in a way he hadn’t liked anyone for so long.

The blond rubbed his stomach, annoyed at the pain beginning to grow.

But maybe he was mothering Sasuke to much, and apparently the only bad thing that had happened to Sasuke occurred when Itachi /wasn’t/ around, and was unrelated to him anyway. The hallucinations… that was a whole issue by itself, serious enough that Sasuke should see a doctor no matter how much he protested. Then again, with all the trauma and emotional scarring, it made sense if the shock wore off after all this time. It could be part of the natural healing process. No matter what, Sasuke needed to get checked out. Naruto could freely admit he wasn’t an expert when it came to mental health; if his best friend needed therapy sessions or medication or nothing at all, they should at least talk to a doctor about it. He cringed at the idea of telling this to Sasuke. Hopefully he wouldn’t be terribly obtuse about it.

The whole thing was kind of Naruto’s fault, anyway. Sure, Sasuke generally was more observant and shouldn’t have been so caught off guard by the marks of Naruto’s stress, but the blond knew he should have covered it better. He’d apologize for that in the family meeting, and come clean about the private investigator. The man hadn’t found much, and waiting until Christmas to give Sasuke such disappointing news sounded silly now.

It would be nice to clear the air between the three of them, and what better way than with good food and strong beer?

Upon entering, he noticed an empty plate on the counter that hadn’t been there before—and would have smacked himself in the head had his arms not been full of food. He had forgotten about Haku, and left him here all alone. He paused, holding his breath; if Haku took the opportunity to sneak out… and hearing shuffling sounds in the spare room, the blond resumed breathing. If the boy had run away again, it would have been completely Naruto’s fault.

He put the groceries away in the fridge, pausing as he looked in and it was weird that it was weird to see it with food in it again. He marveled once more that Sasuke truly hadn’t noticed their financial situation wasn’t well. Then again, Naruto had completely missed that Sasuke and Itachi were together, so maybe it wasn’t so strange after all.

As he turned, intent on cleaning the house up a bit, a sudden pain, like a claw digging into his abdomen, overwhelmed him. Both hands immediately went to the pain, pushing against it like that would help. His knees buckled; he slammed an elbow down on the counter to anchor himself. Through clenched teeth he tried not to cry out as the clawing pain seemed to twist, then suddenly released. In between gasping breaths, his eyes began to blur, and he quickly sat down, leaning back against the dishwasher, confusion setting in. He didn’t feel like he was going to pass out, but he felt humiliated at the sting of tears in his eyes.

Another pain deep inside his chest throbbed, but it didn’t feel anything like what had hit him moments before. He rubbed his eyes, trying not to cry at the intensity of the feeling. He took a deep breath and held it; listening for a minute showed no other sounds in the kitchen or living room. Assured he was alone, he hugged his knees into himself and let the tears fall, body shaking silently with each shuddering gasp. The betrayal—doubly so, and neither intended—by his best friend cutting open that last raw part of him.

A slight creak from the guest room reached his ears, and at once Naruto cut the feeling off. He took a deep breath as he mentally shut that door tight and slipped the deadbolt into place. Exhaling, he stood and wiped his face off, splashing it with ice water from the kitchen sink and putting a dishtowel to his face. Footsteps approached, slowly, hesitatingly down the hallway towards him. Keeping the towel to his face for an extra moment of composure and to give Haku a chance to run away, he was surprised when the footsteps moved further into the kitchen.

“Hey, kiddo. Did you sleep well?”

The boy didn’t look any better than yesterday, but he looked to the side, then nodded. Clothing rumpled, hair a mess, and shadows under his eyes, he looked liked he needed a cleanup. And maybe some food, too.

“Are you hungry?”

Haku shook his head, eyes flicking up from the floor at Naruto, holding for a few seconds at a time. At least the boy was trying to be a man and meet his eye, even if he wouldn’t vocalize.

“Thirsty?” Naruto tried. It was obvious that Haku wanted /something/.

Haku nodded, tucking his hair behind his ear and tugging at the ends idly.

“Sorry it’s so cold in here. Usually I like it much warmer. Can’t stand the cold. I had to turn the heat down a bit so I’ll get you something hot. I can’t have you getting sick.” He turned around to fix tea, running a hand on his face to check that nothing unusual showed in his expression. If he remembered right, Haku had favored the oolong varieties. In his search, he missed the frown edging onto Haku’s mouth. “There’s no point in being sick around the holidays,” Naruto went on, “There’s no school to call out of, there’s delicious food and free time and presents.” He handed the boy the mug, enjoying how a layer of tension slipped off Haku’s face as he sipped it.

“You haven’t bathed yet, right? How about you go get in the bath. Take all the time you want, cause it’ll be at least an hour before dinner, and after that we’ll play videogames or something. All right?” Haku nodded slowly, like he was receiving the words after a five-second lag.

Once Naruto heard the bathwater running, he marched himself back into the kitchen. Dinner would take some time in the oven, so better get it in now. He wiped his eyes again, just to make sure he was in control of himself again. With determination, he set his thoughts on what he should get for Haku this Christmas. It seems the boy was much less enthusiastic about singing since he’d come back from foster care, and he’d apparently been having a rough time lately; the blond distracted his hands with food preparation and his mind with thoughts of what would best cheer up the young man.

* * *

“Itachi!” Mikoto embraced her son. Despite the spontaneity of the visit, her face showed only happiness. “Come in!” Her thin fingers tugged on his arm and pulled him through the door. Inside the living room sat several women, all looking rather seriously at him. They didn’t look it now, but he had been sure he’d heard laughing before he’d rung the doorbell…

“Itachi, this is my book club. Ladies, my son Itachi.” The way there were staring at him made him wonder if he should bow or something; he didn’t recognize any of them, so it was possible that Mikoto had met them all after he’d left his father’s firm—or it was entirely possible that they were under the impression that he was dead. Mikoto hung up his coat for him, shaking off the snow, and making the appropriate excuses. “We’ve been out of touch for quite some time, and I seem to have double-booked this evening. Please, continue without me for a bit.”

As they responded with ‘of course, dear,’ and ‘take all the time you need, darling,’ Mikoto led her son by a hand on at his elbow to her cozy kitchen, swinging door muffling the sounds.

“I’m sorry to stop by unannounced, mother,” Itachi apologized. Mikoto had been laughing with her book club just moments ago, and here he was, getting in the way of her happiness.

“Don’t be silly, dear.” It was obvious her son was troubled by something. Had he really expected to be turned away? Maybe it had happened years ago, but she was better now. “Tell me what’s bothering you. My book club can go on without me.” She ushered her son to the table with a sweep of her hand and forced a couple of her cookies on him, adjusting her low ponytail as she sat next to him, manicured nails interlocking in front of her and her eyes focused entirely on him.

Itachi tried not to cringe at the overly sweet taste, missing her slight smile as she caught it anyway. His appetites were still the same, it seemed. “What’s wrong, Itachi?”

“Well,” he tried, not sure where to begin. It wasn’t exactly first instinct to come to his mother, but his choices were few choices when it came to relationship issues. “My boyfriend promised me that he would stay away from this man that I know is bad, but he became friends with this man anyway.”

“What’s wrong with this man? Is he Chasing Naruto? Are you going to have to fight for him?”

“What?” Son of a bitch. Did /everyone/ think he and Naruto were dating? “No, mother. My boyfriend’s name is Sasuke. Naruto and I are friends, that’s all.”

“Oh.” She looked halfway guilty for a moment. “The question is the same, though. What’s wrong with this man that Sasuke shouldn’t be near him?”

“This man is untrustworthy and two-faced.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know.”

His mother looked like she was struggling to keep her composure, and took a quick bite of cookie. She swallowed but kept the back of her hand covering her mouth. “Yes, dear, but /how/ do you know? Specifically?”

“I used to know him back in high school. I thought he was my friend, but he betrayed me.”

Mikoto couldn’t hold back her chuckle this time. “Dear, that was high school. Are you still the same person you were then?”

He had to think for a moment. Not really, but… “That’s not really fair. I was younger than he was, than everybody was. He was supposed to be more mature than me and someone that I could trust, but he betrayed me.”

“Honestly, I think you should give him a second chance. People change, and high school especially is a difficult time. So many young people in such a small environment, along with puberty and peer pressure—an advanced school like yours had even more pressure.” Her son looked down at the table, lips twisting slightly to the side.

“It wasn’t just then. I’m pretty sure that even now, he’s involved with Sai.” Itachi's eyes darted back up to his mother’s face, watching carefully for any sign of discomfort at the mention of that name.

She remained calm, taking a slightly deeper breath. “Even if you’re positive you know what’s going on, you need to talk to the man face to face. Don’t judge him as if he’s the same person he was years ago. You certainly aren’t.” They were silent for a moment, both knowing that Itachi had no intention to follow her advice. “This wouldn’t happen to be the same boy who used to visit you after school, would it?”

“You… remember?” he asked, surprised.

“Yes, I…” her cheeks colored slightly as she continued. “I wasn’t entirely… myself… then, but I remember you brought over a boy almost every day for a couple months. He had such unusual eyes.” Her own eyes slipped past the reality before her. She continued slowly, almost dreamily, “then you were upset, and your grades fell… but then I saw him in the house, talking to …Sai.” She said the name like she was trying to get stale milk out of her mouth. She came back quickly. “You’re bothered by more than that, though.”

“Yes.” Glad to get away from that subject, he posed a question of his own. “Even if this man isn’t terrible, what do I do about my boyfriend? Sasuke promised to stay away from him.”

“Are you upset that he broke his promise or are you jealous of their friendship?”

On the one hand, yes. How could Sasuke so easily become friends with someone like that? Though Sasuke had tried to say something about being thrown together by circumstances. But still, he should have found some way to stay true to his word… “Sasuke said he wouldn’t, and he did anyway. Even if the man is chasing after him, I know Sasuke wouldn’t cheat.”

“Then what are you worried about? The man may be bad, and you’ve warned your boyfriend. His judgment may not be flawless, but if this man is truly bad, he will come to see for himself. You can request to be present when they are together, but if he says no, there is nothing you can do. You have to let your partner make his own choices. Watch out for him, but understand that you can’t make his decisions for him. You just can’t; he’s an adult.” She paused, hand frozen in the air on the way to her coffee cup. “He /is/ and adult, right?”

“Of course, mother!” He tried not to sound offended, but she chuckled, and he chuckled too as he realized she was kidding him.

She stood up and took his hand, staring down into his eyes. “You are my intelligent, strong, beautiful son, but sometimes you act like you know everything. Talk to him about it—both of them—and /listen/ to them, too.”

He nodded, thinking it over; but she seemed like she had something else to say. “What is it?”

Unable to meet his eyes, she said, “Given everything that’s happened, I can’t help but wonder why you came to me for help.”

His heart skipped a beat at the guilt clear on her face. Taking his hand out of hers he embraced her. “Regardless of what’s in the past, you’re still my mother.” She hugged him back tightly, and for a moment, Itachi felt four years old again.

She kissed the top of his head and pulled away. “Sort it out with him now, but make sure you come visit again soon—we’ll have to coordinate holiday plans. Bring your boyfriend, too. I’d love to meet him.”

“I will.” He smiled and felt his lip crack again a little. “Thank you, mother.”

She led the way back through the living room, where conversation ceased immediately. One of the silver-haired ladies spoke up. “Did you have a good chat, dear?”

“Yes. Thank you for being so patient with me.” She handed Itachi his coat and he departed with a wave.

“It was nice meeting you all. Thank you again, mother. Have a good night.”

He climbed into his car and set his course for the Uzumaki residence, driving slowly as snow began to fall. He’d have to think over whether to talk or not with Orochimaru later, but at least for tonight he knew that his mother was right. His years as a lawyer taught him how to speak, but he apparently still needed to learn how to listen.

* * *

“Has anyone ever told you that you have stunning eyes?” Sasuke asked. It was true, at times, that Orochimaru had a very creepy stare, but his eyes were enchanting in a weird sort of way.

Orochimaru laughed. “Every now and then, yes, but I do love hearing it.” He inched back from Sasuke a little on the couch, leaning into the armrest more. “Careful, now. I might start thinking you’re coming on to me.”

All amusement fled Sasuke's face. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Was this how Itachi had felt earlier? This unpleasant mix of embarrassment, guilt, and pity.

“Relax. I’m just joking.”

“Oh.” Sasuke flushed, pushing his hair out of his eyes to give his hands something to do. “Right.” They weren’t close enough friends for silence to feel comfortable, and Sasuke fell back on politeness to push through the awkward quiet. “Thanks for letting me come over on such short notice.”

“Not at all.” Orochimaru waved it away. “Most nights it’s too quiet here. I’ll hang out with some of my classmates, but I don’t feel particularly close to them. I work retail, but that’s just part-time, and I don’t really like my coworkers that much, either.” He brushed a hand through his hair, frowning at the increased frizziness. “I feel like at this point in my life I’m supposed to have it all together, but I still can’t do much. I have some talent in art, or I wouldn’t have gotten into the university, but I’ve reached my plateau.” He gestured, making a horizontal line through the air with his hand. “There isn’t anything I particularly want to do, and there isn’t anything I’m particularly good at, either.”

And Sasuke had thought the silence was awkward. Orochimaru picked up on it. “Sorry, I tend to ramble after dinner.” He glanced at the clock. “We should get going soon.”

“Alright. Can I use your bathroom really quick?”

“Down the hall, on the left.”

Sasuke nodded. He remembered from last time, but the house felt different with the last bits straggling bits of daylight poking through the windows. He did his business, a slight unease returning as he washed his hands. Procrastinating his way back down the hallway, he casually looked at the pictures on the wall. There were gaps—some of an extremely young Orochimaru, probably around age three, then a sudden jump to thirteen or so, which seemed to be about when he started to grow his hair longer.

The last photo on the end was the most recent; Orochimaru was mid-laugh, at the beach, side-by-side with another man, whose arm was around his shoulders. The other man was laughing, too, but his eyes weren’t, and his orange hair was unmistakable. They were plenty of people with that shade in this city, but the face was one that haunted his nightmares.

“Are you ready to go?” Orochimaru appeared cheerily around the corner, making Sasuke jump a foot in the air. “Sasuke? What’s the matter?”

“You.” Sasuke choked out, surprised and supremely pissed off. “You know Juugo?”

The older man’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know him?” Orochimaru asked right back, as if there were only one person in the world with that name.

“My ex.” Advancing, he was pleased that Orochimaru was intimidated enough by his angry expression to take a few steps back. “He’s the one who carved into my leg. I know you saw the scars. Don’t act like you didn’t!”

“Please, calm down,” he held his hands up in a defensive gesture. “I admit it, I saw them, but I had hoped they were from something else…”

Sasuke advanced another step. “And you did something! You said something! For all I know, you sent Juugo after me in the first place!” he was breathing rapidly and he knew he made no sense but it was just too much of a coincidence that Orochimaru had a photo with the man who’d hurt him and then suddenly show up in his life a few months later and Orochimaru was nearby during all of his hallucinations… it was just too much!

“I would never do that! He hurt me in the first place!” He turned his leg and adjusted the bottom of his shorts up a bit, showing near identical markings on his own leg. “Do you think I’d really do this to myself? Or want anyone else to be hurt like this?”

“Yes! No. I don’t know!” He shook his head. “I came here to clear my mind, not get more confused.”

“I tried to distance myself from you once I saw that, and your…” he made a vague gesture. “Your aversion to people, whatever you want to call it—after the party it occurred to me that maybe you had a similar experience with him, but then I couldn’t undo what I’d done—”

“What does that mean?”

A hesitation, and slivers of guilt. “Sai asked me for a favor.”

Sasuke groaned. “No. I told them you were good. Please tell me you didn’t.”

“He just asked if Itachi was pursuing anyone in the class. I didn’t know what he’d do with the information, and honestly, at that point in time, I didn’t care. It was the first time I’d heard from him in years and it’d been so long since he sounded alive like that—”

“So that made it okay?”

“It didn’t! But I got to know you better, and I put together what he was trying to do—had apparently /been/ doing to Itachi's partners, but now—”

“What’s he doing on your wall?” Whatever Sai was up to could wait. He still wasn’t accepting the idea that both he and Orochimaru just so happened to have been hurt in the same way by the same person, and then to come together like this… coincidences like this didn’t really happen. “If he hurt you so badly, what’s he doing on your wall?!”

“My stepdad doesn’t know what happened.” His voice was so calm and so small that Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to yell back. “He thinks it was mutual breakup. And how am I supposed to tell him?” he snapped. “How am I supposed to tell my big, tough stepdad that I’m not just gay and unemployed but that I also got cut up and beaten by a guy younger and smaller than me?” His eyes were shiny. “How could I even…” he broke off and bit his lip viciously.

Sasuke couldn’t help it; he just had to hug the man. He didn’t hug him back and he didn’t let the tears fall, he just stood there stiffly and let himself be held. “I’m sorry. This whole situation is just so messed up.” Sasuke spoke barely above a whisper, still blown away by the revelation. This unexpected parallel turned his thinking that perhaps this was fate, but of a different sort.

“No kidding.” It wasn’t quite a chuckle, but it was close. “I should get you back now; you have stuff to take care of.” He slipped out of the hug and went to the counter for his keys.

“Right now? If you want to talk about it…”

“Not really. I can block it out. It just came up so suddenly...” he let his hair swish in front of his face as he slowly put on his gloves. He paused as he wiggled his fingers in that last little bit. “Maybe later… I still need some time, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad… it’s not like there’s really been anyone to talk to.”

Both men’s heads snapped simultaneously to the door at the sound of the aggressive knock, breaking the brief warmth of the feeling of kinship. Sasuke looked curiously at Orochimaru, wondering why he wasn’t moving to open it. But the man looked right back at him. He whispered, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” He waved Sasuke to duck into the hallway where he would be out of sight. He stopped right before the door and whispered over his shoulder, “If it’s Sai, stay out of sight until he leaves. He’s unpredictable, and I can’t tell if he’d actually try to hurt you. No matter what, he’s pretty much guaranteed to be unpleasant. I’ll get him away quickly, then I’ll take you home.” He smiled reassuringly, though doubt made it more of a grimace. “It’s going to be fine.”

Then he opened the door.

Sai stumbled in like a drunken man, pushing past Orochimaru and going straight to the couch.

“What’s… how are you?”

“How do you think I am?” Sai retorted. “I’ve never been humiliated like that. Only Itachi has ever…” he trailed off, frowning. “How could he be so arrogant?!” Sai demanded of Orochimaru, who looked at him blankly, edging over to block the hallway in case his newest houseguest decided he needed something down that way. “That stupid blond.” He turned violently toward Orochimaru. “You told me it was the blond. Did you lie, or are you just so stupid that you got even this simple thing wrong?” The humorless smile dominated his expression. “Do you take me for an idiot? Or did you not realize that you were actually right the first time, and Itachi was trying to get the younger guy?”

Sai started, no longer looking but finally seeing the man whose house he had invaded; Sai’s eyes traveled up and down Orochimaru’s person, noting his coat, shoes, and keys in hand. “You were getting ready to leave.”

“Well, yes. Just quickly—”

“You don’t want me here.” Sai looked dejected, gaze falling glumly to the floor.

The actual emotion on the younger man’s face jolted Orochimaru. “It’s just an errand, and then I can come back.”

“No. It’s fine.” His face resumed its usual impassivity. “There’s other people I can talk to. I’ll just go to…” The silence grew painful after, though a whole sixty seconds passed, Sai couldn’t finish the sentence. Sai’s ears burned and his cheeks grew hot as he stared at the nothing in front of him desperately.

Orochimaru waved Sasuke further down the hallway with the hand behind his back, hoping Sasuke would catch on to hide in one of the rooms and then after Sai left, meet him outside through the back door. Misinterpreting completely, Sasuke looked for the nearest escape route. Sai seemed unpredictable and somewhat volatile, if the outbursts were anything to go by. His proximity to the wall meant that as he went to turn around, his face was right next to Juugo’s. His breath caught in his throat and his hand flew to the base of his throat. He reminded himself to breathe, that he just needed to stay calm.

There was no sign that Sai was going to hurt him at all. He just needed to put that from his mind. This was nothing to get upset about, no reason to overreact, just calm down cause there’s no danger and it’s all in your head.

There was a shadow at the end of the hall. It moved when he moved, so while the first half-second he saw it he wanted to scream, he realized it must be his own shadow.

Except it wasn’t. It wasn’t Orochimaru’s, either, because it was taller and bulkier than him, too.

No.

No no no no no. Not here.

But of course here. Juugo’s picture was here. Why wouldn’t the monster himself be here, too?

At that dark end of the hallway, the man seemed to light up, bit by bit. First his hair grew more vibrant and then unmistakably orange, then the artfully ripped jeans, then the leather jacket—torn at the elbows, Sasuke's brain told him, because of the barbed wire when he’d escaped from prison, and the bloody cut on his cheek, just above the empty smile.

“No.” Sasuke whispered. It wasn’t disbelief this time. He didn’t believe that Juugo was here; but the negation was against his own self. Whether Juugo was here or just in Sasuke's head didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to back down.

He took a step forward, idly noting that the talking in the other room didn’t escalate beyond the normal speaking volumes. Sai was saying, “The blond was different. I’ve never met someone like that before. Plenty of people have challenged me, but this guy… saw right through me. And I feel… like something isn’t right.” There was a slight thump as he hit his hand on his chest. “It feels wrong in here.”

Sasuke took another step, visualizing the best attack method just in case this Juugo was real. He smelled real—like cigarettes and soil.

“A lot of people feel that way, Sai.” Orochimaru sounded like he was talking to a young child, but in a sense, Sai was still at that stage. “It could be guilt, anger, jealousy, heartbreak, confusion, loneliness… it could a lot of things. That’s why friends matter.”

“I don’t have friends.” There was absolute silence, yet Sasuke dared to take another three steps. Two feet until the door, and three feet beyond that stood Juugo with his bloody face and smirk ever-growing.

“I thought that’s what you were, but I the pain doesn’t feel any different whether you’re with me or not.” Another step, and Sasuke could hear Juugo’s low breathing. “And you betrayed me. You lied to me.” His voice rose in volume again. “Everybody lies to me and I don’t know why!”

Last steps taken and Sasuke's hand is on the door, but it isn’t enough to just escape. He has to know. He reaches his hand forward, ready to curl into a fist, and puts his hand just over Juugo’s heart, not touching, a sudden fear that the man really is there paralyzes his muscles.

“I don’t know what I did wrong!” Sai continued shouting, Orochimaru still speechless at the unprecedented emotional outburst. “And Itachi gets everything? After all this time, you’re still more loyal to him!”

Sasuke slowly let out his breath and pushed his hand forward, either he mastered his fear or he beat Juugo, no matter what he wasn’t backing down this time—one moment Juugo was smirking at him and the next Sasuke was simply holding his hand against a wall. Smiling a little, he tuned back into the conversation in the other room, aware enough by now to realize how angry Sai sounded. Figuring he’d conquered enough fears for now, he decided to forgo a confrontation with Itachi's half-brother and slipped out the side-door and through the washroom.

He closed the door softly behind him, so as not to be noticed. The conversation continued without an audience; “I don’t even care anymore. Itachi can do whatever he wants. I’m done with him. I’m through wasting my time on a guy who doesn’t give two shits about me.”

Sasuke set off into the winter night, grateful that he at least had his shoes on. His sweater was nowhere near warm enough, though, and the snowing drifting down upon him only looked gentle; the little flakes caused instantaneous goose pimples. He jogged down another backyard before moving to the front and walking on the sidewalk, hoping he was far enough away from Orochimaru’s house that he couldn’t be seen from the windows nor particularly noticeable should Sai suddenly leave.

A glance at the street sign affirmed what he already knew; he wasn’t that far from home, and could definitely walk back under twenty minutes. The cold was unfortunate, but it really wasn’t /that/ bad… well, maybe it was. Hitchhiking wasn’t generally a good idea, but if he could bum a short ride it wouldn’t be too terrible—yet here he had to acknowledge that there was neither sight nor sound of cars nearby, not even a snowplow, and not a single bus had passed him by. He crossed his arms, stuck his chilled fingers in his armpits, and quickened his pace, counting on the motion to warm him up.
- 5
- 6
- 7
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Artist