A Burning Flame- Book Two in Flames Series

by DianneRose2016

Sequel to Up in Flames: After a tough mission Sasuke is once again injured. While he is healing at home Kakashi and Shikamaru learn more about Sasuke's childhood. Sasuke and Shikamaru get to finally go on their first official date, but not everything is sunshine and rainbows when another outside force has their sights set on Sasuke. Full summary and recap inside.

1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here is the sequel to Up in Flames. It's taken me longer to put together than I had originally thought, but it is finally here. I am already working on the next story in their series called Haunting Flames and it is going back to being a darker themed storyline with a huge plot twist and a time jump. This is just a little filler story to show the growth between Sasuke and Shikamaru's relationship.

Up in Flames Recap: Sasuke's apartment was burnt down by some ANBU that attacked him in his home. Shikamaru and Neji found him and got him to the hospital. Sasuke was ordered by Danzou to go back to living within the Compound. Sasuke started living with Kakashi during the day and training at night. Shikamaru was attacked by the same ANBU. Shikamaru kissed Sasuke. Kakashi left with a squad to try and kill Orochimaru, but while gone Sasuke and Asuma were arrested and put in prison. Nine days later Kakashi returned and got Sasuke and Asuma out of the prison. Sasuke was buried alive and in the hospital once again. He was unconscious for fifteen days and then had too get his spleen and right kidney removed. Itachi killed Orochimaru and the Council. He threatened the whole village through an article in the newspaper. Sasuke wakes up and finds out he can't move his legs. He has to relearn how to walk all over again. Kakashi has been with Iruka for three years. Asuma and Shikamaru's parents find out that Shikamaru likes Sasuke and kissed him. Sasuke relearns how to walk and tells Kakashi how he likes Shikamaru and have kissed. Sasuke and Shikamaru decide to try dating on an unofficial capacity until they learn more about how they feel and each other. Kakashi takes a job being the leader of the ANBU. Sasuke moved into a new apartment and went back to work once his legs were healed.

Summary: After a tough mission Sasuke is once again injured. While he is healing at home Kakashi and Shikamaru learn more about Sasuke's childhood. Sasuke and Shikamaru get to finally go on their first official date and deal with how the others react to their relationship. But not everything is sunshine and rainbows when another outside force has their sights set on Sasuke.

Story Warnings: Sexual situation, swearing, violence, mentions of death and past child abuse.

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A Burning Flame

Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, were out on a mission. It had been three months since Sasuke had been back to perfect health and allowed to be out on missions once again. They were all happy that Sasuke had been able to recover from his attack and was able to walk once again. It felt good to have the whole team back together and out on missions together. Their current mission was a simple C-ranked mission to go to the small village of Jsiuki to help them with the spring harvest. It was mostly a farming village and they needed help this year with the harvest as they had lost a few farmers due to old age. It was only a good twenty-four hours away from Konoha so Tsunade sent Team Seven for the mission. Tsunade was being careful with Sasuke still as he didn't have a spleen and only one kidney. She wanted to ease Sasuke back into missions and moving around after getting full function of his legs. The new Council that was appointed removed the Uchiha laws thankfully so Sasuke was able to go out on any mission and still had every right to try and pass the Chounin exams. The new Council was still a little uneasy with Sasuke and how close Itachi could be keeping track of him. During the past three months the whole village had been quiet where Sasuke was concerned. Tsunade wasn't too happy about how the peace came about, but she was glad that it was finally over and Sasuke was safe in the village once again. Kakashi had been in charge of the ANBU and that was working out well currently. Kakashi had been able to balance working as a Jounin Sensei and being in charge of the ANBU. So far everything was going well within the village.

When they finally arrived it was just after eight in the morning. They were all prepared to be working all day long in a field harvesting food. What they weren't prepared for is what they saw. They all stopped in their tracks as they saw the town. There were dead bodies all throughout the street. There was blood on the walls of the buildings and all over the street. You could tell that the kill was only a few hours old for the smell was strong. It took Kakashi a moment for his brain to register what was going on and the depth of this situation. Kakashi went over to Sasuke and put his right hand over Sasuke's eyes and pulled him against his chest. Kakashi could feel Sasuke trembling in his arms and his breathing was picking up speed. It was bad enough that everyone else saw it, but Sasuke should have never seen this. The flashbacks and memories that this will bring were endless. Sasuke had already seen his own family being slaughtered he didn't need this to. To make it worse Kakashi knew that Sasuke's senses were strong and powerful, he would be feeling this massacre on a whole different level. That was made evident by the slight anxiety attack that Sasuke was having. Kakashi started to back up, but kept his hand over Sasuke's eyes and another one around his waist to guide him back.

"Everyone pull back." Kakashi ordered.

Naruto and Sakura didn't have to be told twice they turned and walked out of the village. Kakashi slowly went to turn Sasuke around when they reached the others over by a tree. They could still see the bodies if they faced that way, but the smell was gone. Naruto and Sakura were confused as to why Kakashi had placed his hand over Sasuke's eyes. This site was horrible, but Kakashi immediately went to Sasuke and when they were away from the village Kakashi still kept his hand over Sasuke's eyes.

"Kakashi sensei what's going on with Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Kakashi- sensei what's wrong with Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"Both of you be quiet." Kakashi said with his hand still over Sasuke's eyes.

They were both taken back by Kakashi's sharp tone. He had rarely even spoken to them like that and that wasn't helping their curiosity either. Kakashi moved so he was in front of Sasuke, but still kept his hand over his eyes.

"Sasuke I'm going to move my hand. Do not turn around. You need to stay facing this way."

Sasuke just gave a nod and Kakashi moved his hand away from his student's eyes. You could see the fear clearly in his eyes. Kakashi knew his mind was overloaded with memories and his senses were screaming at him.

"Sasuke talk to me. What do you see?" Kakashi kept his voice soft and gentle.

"Their screams. The blood, it was everywhere and it never came out. No matter how hard I tried it wouldn't come out."

Sasuke started to hyperventilate and Naruto and Sakura couldn't believe what they were seeing. They had never seen Sasuke react like this. Sure what they saw was horrific, but they were able to handle it a lot better than Sasuke. What was even more confusing was that Kakashi seemed to know more than they did.

"Sasuke slow your breathing down. You need to try and focus your mind elsewhere." Kakashi said calmly.

He was worried about what affect this will have on Sasuke's already traumatized mind. He hadn't gotten over the death of his family and Kakashi couldn't blame him. Kakashi was the one that found Sasuke that night, though Sasuke didn't know that. Kakashi could still clearly remember how he found Sasuke in his family's meditation room. He was in the corner covered in blood with his dead parents in the room. From what they could put together, Sasuke had shown up near the end of the massacre, just in time to see his parents being killed. Sasuke had already seen a massacre and this was just going to fill his mind up with those memories. Sasuke did his best to slow his breathing back down to normal, but the images wouldn't go away.

"They won't go away."

"Sasuke listen to my voice. Look around, you are standing in a field. The grass is green, the sky is blue, the sun is out and birds are chirping away in the trees. It is not that night five years ago. Focus on what you see right now and not what happened back then. Just look around and focus your mind to the here and now." Kakashi said.

Sasuke tried to do as Kakashi instructed. He took a few moments to look around at his surroundings. He knew he had to get his mind to focus on what he saw and not what he was remembering. The problem was it was harder than he thought it would be. After a few minutes he was able to see the green grass and not blood covered cement. Feeling a bit more in control he spoke with a shaky voice.

"I'm okay."

"Just take some breaths and focus on what your eyes see and not what your brain is showing you." Kakashi said gently.

Kakashi was very worried about Sasuke right now. The problem he was currently having though was that they couldn't just leave. They needed to go in and check out the village and see if anyone else was alive in there. From what Kakashi could tell most of the people were dead, but there was a chance that someone was hiding out in a house waiting to be rescued and saved. Kakashi couldn't just leave without checking.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Naruto asked with concern. He wasn't sure what just happened or why Sasuke reacted like that, but it wasn't normal for him to show that type of reaction or emotion.

"I'm fine." Sasuke said with a shaky voice.

"What happened?" Naruto asked confused.

"Sasuke was there the night the Clan was killed." Kakashi said gently.

"Wait, you were there? Sasuke I'm so sorry." Sakura said sadly.

"It's fine. What are we going to do?" Sasuke asked trying to get the focus off from him.

Kakashi let out a breath he honestly didn't know what to do. He knew they had to go back in, but there was no way Sasuke was going to be able to go through the village and see it all. Their mission was long over, but they couldn't just leave the village without checking to see if anyone was left alive. Whoever was the killer obviously was disturbed and not mentally all there. The killer could also have been a ninja and this was some S-Class criminal that was going around killing entire villages. There was also a good chance that this killer could still be in the village. After killing everyone if he was disturbed enough he may not have seen a point in leaving the village right away. Kakashi didn't want to leave Sasuke outside of the village though. If something happened they wouldn't get to him in time or even know about it. If he was nearby and they left him in a house that was cleared of any dead bodies with Pakun with him then they could get to him if something happened. If Sasuke stayed in the house and away from any of the windows he would be okay. The trick was getting Sasuke to that point or even getting him to agree to it.

"Sasuke do you trust me?" Kakashi's tone was serious and he looked directly into Sasuke's eyes.

"Yes" Sasuke said without any hesitation in his voice.

"We have to go in there. We need to see if anyone is alive and needs help. The killer is most likely still in the village. We can't turn back right now. However, I can't just leave you here. If something happens you're too far away for us to get to you in time. So here's what we are going to do. I am going to cover your eyes while we walk through the village. When we find a safe house, one that has no bodies in it. You and Pakun will stay there while we continue looking. If something happens then Pakun can come get us and we will be close enough to get to you in time."

"I'll be fine to go through. I'm not staying behind." Sasuke automatically argued.

"I know you want to Sasuke, but you can't. Physically you can't. Your senses won't be able to handle it. Not yet. I know you've been working on them, but they aren't ready for this. It's going to hit you all over again when we get close enough, let alone walking through the village. I need you to stay in a house until we clear the village. Don't make me order you." Kakashi said trying to get Sasuke to see reason, but also at the same time know that he wasn't going to waste time arguing with him.

"Okay." Sasuke said and it was clear he was not happy about this at all, but he knew he wouldn't win the argument.

Kakashi went and took Sasuke's forehead protector off from his head. He then put it over Sasuke's eyes and tied it around the back of his head so he couldn't see anything.

"Alright I'm going to put my hands on your shoulders and guide you through." Kakashi said to Sasuke before turning his attention to Naruto and Sakura. "You both need to be extremely careful. There is a good chance that this killer is still within the village. We need to check for any survivors, this means each body we need to check for a pulse. If there isn't one move on; if there is one then we need to try and save their life. Each building also needs to be searched for the killer. We are now sitting on an S-class mission. Keep your eyes open and use your brains."

They both nodded their heads and got themselves prepared for what they were about to do. Kakashi placed his hands on Sasuke's shoulders and turned him around. Kakashi stood behind Sasuke now with one hand on each shoulder. Kakashi knew that this wasn't going to be easy for Sasuke, he knew the smell would trigger some memories and all Kakashi could do was hope that this would be over soon. They started to head back into the village and once they got close enough to smell it was like they were hitting a brick wall.

"If you throw up then you throw up. Believe me I have been sick many times." Kakashi said trying his best to sound reassuring.

Once they arrived back at the entrance of the village Kakashi spoke once again.

"We need to check the bodies for a pulse if there is none then just move on to the next."

The Naruto and Sakura gave a nod and they slowly made their way over to the bodies. Naruto and Sakura were a little more apprehensive about touching a dead person. There were so many and the blood was everywhere they didn't think they could do this. What was worse was knowing that Sasuke had to go through this after having to see a massacre first hand. They really had no idea that he had seen his own family being murdered. For Sasuke to have to go through this all over again was horrific, but they could only do what was in their power. So they tried to move quickly by checking the bodies for a pulse and searching the buildings. After an hour of being out on the street they finally found a clear house that Sasuke could stay there and wait. Once inside the house Kakashi removed the headband from Sasuke's eyes. Kakashi could see that Sasuke's senses were hurting him and he knew that they needed to finish checking the village as quickly as they could. He didn't know how long Sasuke would be able to last in a place like this before it hurt too much to even breathe or move.

"Alright we are going to continue to search the village. This house is cleared there's no blood and no bodies. You and Pakun will stay here if something happens Pakun will come and get us. If the killer shows up here you need to try and hide or get out. Do not fight this man. He is clearly strong and has no issues in murdering people. If he is still here in the village I will handle him. Do you understand?" Kakashi said in a serious voice.

Sasuke just gave a nod. Kakashi made a few hand signs real quickly and summoned Pakun. The little dog appeared down on the floor and looked up as he spoke.

"Hey boss."

"I need you to stay here with Sasuke. There's a massacre right outside. Naruto, Sakura and myself need to check for survivors the killer's location is unknown. Stay here and if something happens come and find me right away." Kakashi ordered.

"Got it boss." Pakun said.

"Once we have cleared the village we'll come back here. Be careful." Kakashi said to Sasuke.

The three of them took one last look at the two before heading back out into the village to continue checking. Sasuke looked down at Pakun.

"I guess it's just us again."

"Don't worry pup everything will be fine." Pakun said trying to sound comforting.

"Not for those people." Sasuke said sadly.

Pakun put his two front paws on Sasuke's leg so he was standing up.

"Pick me up pup." Pakun said.

Sasuke bent down and picked Pakun up and held him in his arms.

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Us dogs are good for a lot of things. We're not good at comforting with words." Pakun said as he tried to cuddle into Sasuke's arms.

Sasuke couldn't help, but let a small sad smile show on his face.

"Me either." Sasuke said as he slowly petted the top of Pakun's head.

Sasuke had to admit it felt nice holding Pakun and having an animal there for him. It almost made Sasuke think about getting a dog so he wouldn't be so lonely at home. Uchiha's were cat people, but a cat didn't welcome you home when you walked through the door. A cat couldn't go for walks or come train with you. A dog lived with you compared to a cat that lived around you. This was definitely making Sasuke think about the possibility of getting a puppy. He could always have the neighbors watch it when he had a mission he was sure they wouldn't mind. It was an elderly couple that looked lived next door to him and they had a dog of their own. Sasuke took a walk around the house trying to keep his mind from looking out any windows. He held Pakun in his arms the whole time. Sasuke noticed that holding Pakun was helping with his senses as well and helping him feel like he could breathe. He would seriously have to think about getting a puppy. For now all they could do was wait until this was over with. Sasuke was hoping that it wouldn't be that long.

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It had been a couple hours and they still weren't back yet. Sasuke and Pakun had been sitting down on the couch the whole time. Sasuke was getting restless just sitting around waiting so he decided to go upstairs and look around. Pakun followed behind him the whole time. Upstairs there was a bathroom and two bedrooms. The house was small and clearly only three people at most lived in the house. The room was a child's room, boy to be specific. If Sasuke had to guess the boy couldn't be any more than fifteen based on the items in the room. Sasuke saw the master bedroom and noticed both male and female items. Sasuke didn't want to think about how this family was most likely dead. He was about to turn around and leave when he heard the front door open and close. Sasuke turned around to look at the bedroom door. He waited to hear someone call his name, but it never came. All he heard were footsteps walking around downstairs. Pakun looked up at him and Sasuke looked down at him back. If this was someone he knew they would have called his name out. Which meant that this was either a victim trying to hide or the killer was downstairs. Based on everything he saw outside Sasuke highly doubted it was a survivor. Which left only one option.

Sasuke looked around trying to figure out a plan. He had to get Pakun to leave so he could find the team, but he couldn't go out the front door. That just left going out a window, a window where Sasuke was bound to see blood and bodies on the ground. Not only that, he didn't know if he could actually open the window without the killer hearing him. The man was obviously a trained killer and would be able to hear pretty damn well. Sasuke knew he wouldn't be strong enough to kill him himself, not with his senses acting up like this. Which left him with only one option, to get help. Sasuke looked over to where the window was. The curtain was down so he couldn't see outside. He slowly and as quietly as possible walked over to the window and unlocked it. Once it was unlocked he gently tried to lift it up without too much noise. He could hear the killer's footsteps stop moving around downstairs. He obviously heard something and Sasuke knew he wouldn't have much time. Once the window was open enough Pakun jumped up and out the window. Sasuke had been able to do this without having to move the curtain so at least he didn't see any of the bodies to surge another wave of memories to come forward.

Sasuke heard the footsteps once again as the killer climbed the stairs. Sasuke started to look around the room for anything that he could use as a weapon. The problem was he was only in a bedroom, of whom he could assume were nice quiet people. There wasn't anything remotely close to a weapon in here. As much as he hated it the only thing he could do was hide and the only place there was to hide was under the bed. The closest held double glass doors allowing the man to be able to see him in there. In a split second decision Sasuke went to the bed and slid underneath it. Sasuke couldn't see anything from underneath the bed; all he could do was listen to the footsteps as they made it to the top of the stairs.

Sasuke tried not to breathe, for he felt like it he did then the killer would hear him. It was crazy, but he couldn't help it. He could hear the footsteps coming closer to him and he closed his eyes to try and calm his nerves down. He didn't know what the man was doing, but he heard him walking towards the window. Sasuke figured he was looking out of it to see if anyone was out there. Sasuke felt the surge of pain from his senses as the man held a very dangerous presence and chakra within him. Sasuke didn't know if he was a ninja or just a trained killer. He did know that it was making his senses react causing him pain throughout his body. Sasuke heard the footsteps walking away from the window and after a moment everything went silent. Sasuke didn't move and he didn't breathe. He just laid there on the floor and waited to see what was going to happen. Either the man had left the room and gave up looking or he was standing right there by the bed just waiting. Sasuke didn't know what to do, but he knew there was nothing he could do. Pakun left to get the team so they would be here eventually all he had to do was just wait it out. Except the man had a whole other idea.

By the time Sasuke's mind registered what was happening it was too late; he was being dragged out from underneath the bed by his hair. Sasuke's fight or flight instincts immediately kicked in and Sasuke started to kick and pull at the man's hands in his hair. He needed to get the man off from him so he could get away. He knew that he wouldn't be strong enough against someone this cold and heartless, especially with his senses over powering him. The problem was this man had killed an entire village without a second thought and he wouldn't stop to think twice about killing Sasuke. Sasuke was able to get the man's hands out of his hair and he tried to get up only to be kicked back down. It took the man less than a second to be on Sasuke. He was punching Sasuke anywhere he could land them and all Sasuke could do was put his hands up to try and block the punches. That's when Sasuke remembered he had his kunai pouch on him. He used his right hand and reached for a kunai and once he had one he slashed out at the man. A groan from the man told Sasuke that he had hurt him with it, though based on what happened next the man was clearly not happy about it. The man grabbed Sasuke by the throat with his left hand and used the other hand to grab Sasuke's wrist with the kunai in it. Without much force the man twisted Sasuke's wrist back causing it to snap. Sasuke's scream of pain got caught in his throat due to the man's strength that was chocking him. With the kunai no longer in his hand the man stood up bringing Sasuke with him. He was still chocking him and Sasuke could feel his lungs burning from the lack of oxygen.

The man threw Sasuke at the closet door and as his body hit the glass it shattered cutting into Sasuke's skin. He landed on the floor with glass all around him and in his skin. The man was far from done though. He grabbed Sasuke by the ankle and dragged him back out and over the glass. Sasuke struggled and kicked as best as he could, but his body was getting filled with pain. He knew he needed to do something to end this soon or he would be dead. So Sasuke kicked out and landed a kick right to the man's crotch. The pain caused him to drop Sasuke's ankle and Sasuke took advantage of the pain. He kicked out again and landed a blow to the man's stomach, he did it again until the man was on his knees. Though, the man was only down for a few seconds as his anger hit a whole new level. The man was on him again, punching him anywhere he could. Sasuke heard a few snaps and knew that his ribs had been broken. With his left hand he felt the floor for anything that could be used as a weapon. His hand touched a larger shard of glass and Sasuke picked it up and slashed out with it.

The room went silent and it wasn't until Sasuke felt the warm blood going all over him did Sasuke realise just where he had cut the man. Sasuke had slashed his throat and the man was now hovering over him bleeding out. The blood was going all over Sasuke and his hand that was holding the glass. The man fell on top of Sasuke and that snapped him out of his trance. Sasuke shoved the man off of him, causing more blood to get on him. Sasuke sat up, his whole body shaking, and moved away from the now dead man on the floor. His back hit the wall right next to the closet and he didn't move. His breathing was hitched as he fought to get his senses under control. His mind was in shock; all he could do was look at the man and the blood that was still pouring out of his neck. The bloody shard of glass was lying on the floor next to him. Sasuke looked down at all the blood that covered his hands and arms and his mind was filled with images all over again. Sasuke didn't even hear the voices calling his name or the footsteps that ran throughout the house.

Kakashi and the team had run back to the house that they had left Sasuke in. Kakashi couldn't believe it when Pakun came to them. Kakashi didn't actually think the man would show up at that house. Kakashi had thought the man would be hiding in a different building and wouldn't have moved from it. When they got back to the house they immediately called out Sasuke's name only to get no response. Kakashi ran up the stairs and started searching the rooms. When he came to the master bedroom he couldn't believe what he saw. There was a man dead on the floor with blood and glass all over the place and there was Sasuke with his back to the wall, shaking and borderline hyperventilating. The dead man was clearly their killer and from the looks of it Sasuke had killed him. Kakashi bent down in front of Sasuke to get a good look at him. His right wrist was broken, he had bruising all over his face, a bloody lip was causing blood to run down his chin. There was bruising around his neck like he had been chocked and he was covered in blood; blood that Kakashi knew was the killer's. The worst part was the look on Sasuke's face. His eyes were locked onto the dead man's body, he was shaking horribly and Kakashi knew that in Sasuke's mind right now were horrific images of his dead family. Kakashi had to get him out of this room and get the blood off from his hands, before he could even get Sasuke out of his mind. Sasuke wasn't the type of person that should be killing, with his past it wasn't going to be doing any good for him. Naruto and Sakura couldn't believe what they were seeing. Sasuke had just killed someone and he was once again injured. After everything that had recently happened to him with the village and Orochimaru this was not something Sasuke needed.

"We need to get him out of this room." Kakashi said.

"There's a bathroom down the hall." Sakura said.

Kakashi reached out and gently placed his hand on the side of Sasuke's face.

"Sasuke"

That got Sasuke's attention slightly. Sasuke looked over at Kakashi, but didn't say anything. Kakashi could see that his eyes were full of pain. Kakashi placed his hands on Sasuke's upper arms and gently got him to get up off the floor and onto his feet. Kakashi guided Sasuke out of the room and down the hall to where the washroom was. Kakashi turned on the water to a warm temperature and got Sasuke to put his hands in it. He stood beside Sasuke as Sasuke gently began to move his hands under the warm water. Kakashi grabbed a cloth and wet it and started to get the blood off from Sasuke's arms and face. After a good twenty minutes the blood was all gone and Kakashi could see Sasuke's injuries more clearly. Sasuke's brain was still not really home and the longer he was like this the more worried Kakashi got. Kakashi was furious at himself for leaving Sasuke here alone. Kakashi guided Sasuke out of the washroom and saw the looks of concerns from the Naruto and Sakura.

"Our mission is complete. Let's head home and inform Tsunade of what has happened." Kakashi said as he guided Sasuke down the stairs.

The others followed behind him and before they left Kakashi made sure to put the headband back over Sasuke's eyes once again. He didn't need Sasuke any worse than he already was. Once outside of the village Kakashi put Sasuke's headband back to its original place. They traveled fast and all through the night. Kakashi knew that even though his three students would be tired; he knew none of them would be able to sleep after what they saw. There was no point in stopping; so they pushed through to Konoha where they could go home and be with their families. Naruto could go speak with Iruka about what they saw and how they felt about it. Kakashi would bring Sasuke back home with him to keep an eye on him and help him through this. Not only did Sasuke have to recover from what he saw, but now he had to recover from what he did. Kakashi knew it wasn't easy after your first kill and Sasuke would be even more sensitive to it than the average ninja.

When they reached Konoha it was barely light out. Kakashi sent Naruto and Sakura home after saying goodbye with the promise to check in on them later. He took Sasuke to see Tsunade so he could report back and Sasuke could get healed. Sasuke had yet to say anything the whole way back and the longer Sasuke was in silence the more worried Kakashi got. He was also still shaking and not breathing properly. When they reached the Hokage Tower Kakashi didn't bother knocking on Tsunade's door, he just entered and had Sasuke beside him. Tsunade looked up annoyance clear on her face at being interrupted. However, it faded when she saw it was Kakashi and Sasuke. Tsunade got up and headed over towards them. She could see Sasuke's broken wrist and the bruising on his face.

"What happened?" Tsunade asked as she began to heal Sasuke's wrist.

"We ran into some trouble. When we reached the village they were all slaughtered. They all saw it. Sasuke had a hard time with it; we had to get him out of there. The problem was we couldn't just abandon the village, the killer could still have been in the village. So we blindfolded Sasuke and when we cleared a house and made sure there were no bodies in it. We left Sasuke and Pakun in the house while we continued our search. A couple hours later Pakun came to us, the killer had entered the house Sasuke was in. We hurried back, but Sasuke had managed to kill him. We found Sasuke covered in the man's blood and obviously injured. He hasn't spoken a word since."

"I'll heal him and then you can take him home. I think some sleep and some time will help him greatly."

"He'll be with me tonight."

Tsunade just gave a nod. "How are the others?"

"We travelled through the night. They are clearly exhausted, but they wouldn't have been able to sleep. After seeing a massacre I can't say I blame them. Naruto said he was going to see Iruka and Sakura is going home to her family. I'm sure in a couple of days they will be fine. It's Sasuke I'm most concerned about."

"He shouldn't be alone for a few days until he is in better shape. Take him home or to your place it's up to you, but stay with him for a few days. Make sure you write up a report."

"I think him being back home would be better."

"He's healed, he'll be sore for a week or so though so no training. Take him home Kakashi. And see what you can do about his senses to get them back under control."

Kakashi didn't need to be told twice. He gently placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and guided him outside once again. The walk to Sasuke's apartment was done in silence just like the last day had been. Kakashi was really getting worried about this. It was like Sasuke was catatonic from everything that has happened in the last two days, hell the last eight months. They got to Sasuke's apartment and Kakashi took his shoes off and Sasuke did the same. Kakashi took Sasuke into his bedroom and sat Sasuke down on the bed. Kakashi went over to his dresser and pulled out a clean shirt and a pair of shorts for Sasuke to change into. His clothes were dirty and covered in blood. He placed the clothes down on the bed beside Sasuke, but Sasuke didn't make any move to grab the clothes. Kakashi bent down so he was in front of Sasuke and gently placed a hand to his cheek.

"Sasuke, come on let's get out of those clothes. You'll feel better once you are out of the blood."

Sasuke still didn't move it was like Kakashi was talking to a wall. Kakashi moved his hands to the hem of Sasuke's shirt and started to lift it up. That snapped Sasuke out of his daze slightly and he began to take his shirt off. Kakashi helped him being careful of any injuries. Once the shirt was off Kakashi saw the extent of the damages. Sasuke had multiple cuts on his torso as well as bruising. In some of the cuts there were small pieces of glass. That's when Kakashi remembered the glass shattered on the floor. Sasuke must have gone through it.

"I'll be right back."

Kakashi went into the bathroom to get the first aid kit. He needed to get the glass out of the cuts or else it could get infected. He went back into the bedroom and bent down in front of Sasuke once again. He opened the first aid kit and took out a pair of tweezers.

"Sasuke you have some glass in your cuts. I need to take it out. I'm sorry if this hurts at all.

Again Kakashi received no answer so he went ahead. After he removed the glass from Sasuke's front he checked his back for any as well. After a good twenty minutes Kakashi was satisfied that there was no glass left. He put the tweezers away and then helped Sasuke get the new clean shirt on. He made sure to turn his attention to the wall by the window when Sasuke changed his shorts. Once he was dressed again Kakashi grabbed the bloody clothes and put them in the bathroom to wash later. When he returned he pulled back the covers of the bed and got Sasuke to sit down on the bed, but he wouldn't lie down. Kakashi went over to the other side of the bed and crawled under the covers with Sasuke. Sasuke didn't do anything, but just sit there and Kakashi was trying to figure out how he could get Sasuke to relax.

"Sasuke I know this is hard, but you need to try and get some sleep."

Sasuke just shook his head no.

"I know this isn't easy. It's not easy to take someone's life for the first time. I was ten when I first did it and I was destroyed for a long time. I didn't tell anyone and finally my father asked me what was so wrong with me and I told him. The second I told him though, I felt like this weight was taken off my shoulders. I felt like I could finally breathe again and after I told him things got better. I know it's hard and talking about it seems like climbing a mountain, but you just start then the words will just come out."

Kakashi saw a single tear roll down Sasuke's bruised cheek. He took a shaky breath before he started to talk.

"I hid and I hate that I hid, but I did. Once I got Pakun out the window I hid under the bed and listened to his footsteps. I'm a ninja and I hid under the bed from a man. I hate myself for that. I hate myself for letting what happened five years ago get into my head. All I could think about was how this man killed these people like they were nothing just like he did to the Clan. I put him on the same level as Itachi and just the memories and that feeling alone I doubted myself. And I hate that my senses took over and I could barely move. I couldn't even use my chakra from it. I thought I had good control over it, but I don't. I can't control them in situations like that. They're my senses, but I can't control them. I was afraid of him and I hate it."

"Sasuke this man killed an entire village. Men twice your age and three times the size of you; this man killed them like they were made of paper. After everything you have been through growing up you had every reason to be afraid. If it was anyone else in your position, not even including what happened in your past, they would have been under that bed too. You can't hate yourself for doing the right thing. I told you to hide, that you were not to fight this man. You followed my orders and you did the right thing by hiding. Don't ever hate yourself for surviving. As for your senses, we have to work on them, because you need to be able to control them. We can't risk you being in a situation like that again and being alone on our own. The next time you might not make it out. What happened after he caught you?"

"I thought he left, because I couldn't hear his footsteps. I was wrong. He reached under the bed and dragged me out. It all happened so fast after that. I remember him on top of me and hitting me and chocking me. I grabbed a kunai and I slashed out at him. I must have hit him because he made a groan. He broke my wrist after that and the next thing I knew he picked me up by my throat and threw me through the glass closet doors. He grabbed my ankle and I kicked out at him. I landed a few kicks before he was on top of me again. I found a shard of glass and I just wanted to cut him so I could get away. I didn't plan on killing him. I didn't even realise what happened until the blood was everywhere. That's when I saw that I had slashed his throat. He fell on top of me and I pushed him away. After that it goes fuzzy until we're in the bathroom."

"I'm so sorry that I left you there alone. I know Pakun was with you, but he wasn't going to be any help in a fight. I should have stayed with you. For that matter I should have just canceled the mission. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from this."

"It's not your fault. You had to make a decision and you made yours. It was the right one to make. I just…"

Sasuke stopped and took a moment to fight back the tears that were threatening to take over. He closed his eyes and fought them back. He couldn't cry over this and he wouldn't let himself do it in front of Kakashi. That was all thrown out the window though the second Kakashi pulled Sasuke into a hug. Kakashi wasn't going to just sit there and watch Sasuke struggle not to fall apart. He was the boy's sensei; he was the one responsible for him. Seeing how he didn't have any parents to comfort him Kakashi wasn't going to just up and leave the boy to deal with this on his own. Not after everything they have been through in the past year.

"Be thirteen Sasuke, that's our deal." Kakashi said gently.

Sasuke had tears pouring down his face and he struggled to get the words out.

"I just… I don't want to be him… I can't be like him."

Kakashi knew who the "Him" was that Sasuke was talking about. Sasuke was nothing like Itachi and he meant that in every positive way there was.

"Sasuke listen to me. You are nothing like Itachi. I know a lot of people have told you that your whole life, but I mean that in a good way. Itachi was cold, heartless and could kill on demand. I know you saw a different side to him growing up, but the ninja in Itachi was a killer. He was eight years old when he was forced to kill and watch people die. That wasn't his fault, but that was the path that was given to him. You are not him. You care about people, you want to help people, and you are far from cold hearted. You will never be Itachi and more importantly Itachi will never be you. You can train and grow as a ninja and you can be just as strong as he is, but he can never be you. He'll never have your heart or your mind. Today was hard and what you did will bother you. That right there shows you that you are not him and if you need me to, I will tell you that every single day until you believe it."

Kakashi felt Sasuke cuddle up closer to him so he wrapped his arms around Sasuke tighter. They stayed like that until the tears stopped and Sasuke was exhausted. Kakashi got him to lie down and promised him that he wouldn't be going anywhere. Kakashi laid down beside Sasuke and held him close. He was going to be there for when the nightmares started. Sasuke was his to look after, he was his to protect. Even though he couldn't stop the nightmares from happening he could stop the loneliness. With Sasuke asleep against Kakashi's chest they stayed that way until Sasuke woke up from his first nightmare of many. With each nightmare Kakashi was there just like he promised Sasuke he would be. Each time Kakashi held him and told him it would get better. Each time Kakashi held him until he fell back asleep and each time.

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The next morning Sasuke woke up with a headache and feeling stiff and sore. Sasuke opened his eyes and saw that he was alone in his room. Sasuke knew that Kakashi wouldn't be too far, most likely in his kitchen or living room. Sasuke looked over and saw that it was just after eight at night. He didn't sleep too well and he knew that Kakashi didn't either. Sasuke was no stranger to nightmares and he knew that these would end as well eventually. Sasuke rubbed his hands over his face being careful not to hurt his injuries. He pushed himself and he noticed that his body was stiff and sore from the fight. Sasuke looked down at his right wrist and saw the black bruising all around it from being broken. It was a little sore, but he was able to move it without any problems. Sasuke got up and out of bed. He instantly noticed that his back was sore from going through the closet door. Sasuke slowly made his way out of his bedroom and towards the living room. He didn't see Kakashi there, so he went over to his kitchen. He saw Kakashi there making some tea. Kakashi turned around when he felt Sasuke approaching. He looked at Sasuke and gave him a small smile.

"Evening Sasuke. How are you feeling?"

"Sore." Sasuke's voice was hoarse from the chocking.

"I made some tea; that should help your throat." Kakashi said as he went over to the kettle and poured Sasuke some tea.

Sasuke went and sat down in one of the stools at the kitchen island counter. Kakashi placed the mug down in front of Sasuke.

"How long have you been awake?" Sasuke asked.

"About an hour. How are you doing with this?" Kakashi asked with concern.

"I'm okay. It's just gonna take some time."

"Unfortunately time is all that will help with it. If you ever need to talk you know I will always be there to listen."

"I know and I appreciate that."

"Are you hungry?"

"No, not right now. I think I'm gonna shower and then just watch a movie or something. You should go home and get some real sleep."

"I don't like leaving you with this."

"I know, but I'll be fine on my own. I'm just going to relax and get some more sleep. You're better off sleeping in your own bed. I'll be okay and if not I know where you live."

"And you will always be welcome there."

"I know. I'm thinking about getting a puppy."

Kakashi was a little surprised at the conversation change and the fact that Sasuke said puppy and not a kitten. Uchiha were cat people and not dog people traditionally.

"Really? What brought that on?"

"Just thinking it might be nice to have a pet here with me. I've been on my own for six years now. Normally Uchihas are cat people, but I'm not really a cat person. It might be nice to have a dog around. Something to take care of and take with me when I train. I've gotten used to having Pakun around after the past year. It might be nice to have a puppy in my life."

"No, dogs are great for company, comfort, a sleeping buddy. They are great to have, especially after a bad mission. Dogs are good for trauma and helping people cope through hard times. You've been through a lot in your life and I know the word traumatised or victim is not something you handle well, but you are. I'm all for you having a puppy, or even a pet. Someone for you to bond with and come home to. This is your home Sasuke."

"I know it is." Sasuke said slightly defensively.

"Do you? It's been five months since you've moved in here and there is still nothing personal in here. No pictures, nothing that shows you live here besides the furniture. I'm worried about your mental health Sasuke. I'm worried that you only see this as another apartment and not your home. Not where you live and belong." Kakashi said gently.

"I've never had a home." Sasuke said with a small shrug and a soft voice.

"Ok, that's something we need to talk about."

"Why?" Sasuke asked confused.

"Because it's something that I need to know and something that is very important for us to work through. You can't go through life never building a home. Why don't we sit down on the couch and we can talk about this."

"Is it really that important? It's just an apartment." Sasuke said not understanding why this mattered so much.

"And that is why this is so very important Sasuke. Everyone needs a home, not just a house or an apartment. A home. Come on let's sit down, you're sore sitting on that stool won't help." Kakashi said as he gently placed a hand on Sasuke's back and guided him over to the couch.

Sasuke sat down and sat back trying to get comfortable with his injuries. Kakashi sat down on the couch as well and turned his body so he was facing Sasuke.

"I know you don't tend to talk about growing up. I don't really know much other than you weren't allowed to read or be around music. It's why Itachi would sneak it around for you. But I need you to talk to me about growing up and why you've never felt like you've had a home."

"It's important?" Sasuke said still not really understanding why it mattered so much to Kakashi.

"It's very important Sasuke, very." Kakashi kept his voice calm and gentle.

"There's not much to tell. It was just us."

"Just you and Itachi?"

Sasuke gave a nod.

"I know your father worked a lot, but what about your mother? She was a stay at home mother I know that."

"She had her moments. Every year or so she would give me the odd hug or put cream on my burns from training. She was more focused on what father needed her to do for the Clan or for the house. I raised myself basically. I learnt how to cook when I was five, how to make sandwiches and get breakfast in the morning. Itachi would leave me prepared meals for dinner in the fridge when he left for missions so all I had to do was warm them up in the microwave."

"So when Itachi was gone on missions you were really just on your own." Kakashi said sadly.

"Ya. It wasn't a home growing up, it was just the house. I don't know what a home feels like. I don't know how to make one. I don't see how pictures or some paint would make an apartment feel like something more. I didn't have one growing up. I had Itachi, but now I don't. I don't even know what to think or feel about him." Sasuke said sounding confused.

"What happened growing up that made Itachi be the one to take care of you? Or was it always like that?" Kakashi asked trying to get a better understanding of what happened to both Sasuke and Itachi growing up. Kakashi was friends with Itachi, at least he thought they were friends. They were teammates, they went out to dinners together, they talked at night about anything and everything. Kakashi thought that Itachi trusted him and told him the truth and about his life. Now Kakashi was seeing that there was a great deal more that Itachi kept hidden from everyone, including himself.

"It was always like that. I don't know why, but I just always remember it was Itachi. I used to get these night terrors, for weeks straight every night I would wake up from a nightmare. I would try and go to my parents, but they would kick me out of their room. Said I had to handle it myself. I was three, four, years old. I would go to Itachi then and he would let me sleep with him. He made me feel safe and I could get back to sleep. Father found out and started to lock me in my room at night so I couldn't be with Itachi."

"Your father would actually lock you in your room at night?" Kakashi asked sadly.

"Every night for about three years, until the Clan's death."

"Did Itachi know?"

"He did, but I don't think he knew what to do. He was only ten, he was just a kid himself. He was a powerful ninja, but at the end of the day he was a ten year old boy trying to take care of me the best he knew how. I don't think he knew why father was like that with me, because he wasn't with Itachi. They would go away together for camping trips, they would train together. Father loved Itachi with everything in him. I think Itachi loved him too for a long time until the Clan's death. I don't think he knew what to do."

"You're probably right about that Sasuke. A lot of the times it was very easy, too easy to forget how old Itachi really was. All anyone saw was this powerful ninja, captain of an ANBU squad, best ninja in the village. That made it very easy to forget, to not see, just how young he truly was. No thirteen year old kills their whole family without some type of reason, without a very good reason, without a lot of pain underneath. He would have been in a very difficult place growing up." Kakashi said sympathetically.

"I know he was, but there's this part of me that also hates him a little. And not just because of what happened to the Clan, before that. He was so powerful that at thirteen he killed them all, without a single mark on him. He wasn't even out of breath. If he was that strong, then why didn't he stand up for me all those years before? Why didn't he stop father?" Sasuke asked with pain in his voice.

"Stop your father from what Sasuke?" Kakashi asked sadly. Deep down Kakashi was terrified of what the answer would be. There was a lot about Sasuke that no one knows about and Kakashi was hoping he would open up to him right now.

"It doesn't matter." Sasuke said sadly and it was clear to Kakashi that he had never talked about this before.

"It does matter Sasuke. It matters a lot."

"Why? He's dead. Nothing I say will change that or matter. He's dead." Sasuke said clearly not understanding the importance of this conversation.

"Just because someone is dead, doesn't mean they can't still hurt us. It matters a great deal Sasuke. You've clearly never talked about it to anyone. I need you to talk about it though with me. Even if it's just once, we need to talk about it. What did Itachi not stop?" Kakashi asked gently.

"Father."

"From doing what?"

"Hurting me." Sasuke whispered with his head down.

"Hey, look at me Sasuke." Kakashi said as he placed a hand on the bottom of Sasuke's chin and lifted his head so Sasuke would look at him.

"It's not your fault what happened. You have nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed over. You were just a little boy. You have nothing to be ashamed of Sasuke, nothing. How was your father hurting you? Was it with his words?"

"Some times. Most of the time he wouldn't talk to me. The times that he did he would say I wasn't his son, I wasn't good enough to be his son. He'd call me stupid or worthless, weak. He wouldn't let me read, or play. He wouldn't let me have toys growing up. Music wasn't allowed in the house. There was no radio or television, no movies. When we weren't training we were supposed to be meditating or doing chores. If there was no chores to do in the house I was expected to do chores around the Compound. Working sweeping up shops and stuff. Itachi didn't have to do any chores. He was allowed to read and relax. He didn't though, he always went with me to do the chores. He would help me. At night when I was asleep is when he would relax and read."

"Your father didn't even let you have toys to play with growing up? How old were you?" Kakashi asked sadly.

"I don't know, I never remember having any. Itachi used to sneak me in toys and books. We would hide them in his room and I would go in there to play with them. They were simple things like blocks or coloring books. When he would take me training once I was old enough that father allowed it. He would sneak out a radio and we would listen to music in the forest. We would spend eight, nine hours in the day out in the forest just relaxing. He would train and I would play or read and later he would train me a little. It was just normal. Normal for us. We snuck out a few nights to go down to the auditorium and he would let me play the piano or the guitar that he gave me for my one birthday. He used to tell me that I was too good to be a ninja. That my life was worth more than being another tool, another weapon to a village that may not deserve me."

"Did your father only use words and those rules to hurt you?" Kakashi asked gently.

Sasuke looked down for a second and bit his lip before he shook his head no. Kakashi placed his hand once again on the bottom of Sasuke's chin. He lifted it up as he spoke.

"Whatever happened, whatever your father did to you Sasuke, it's not your fault. You were a little boy, you didn't do anything wrong. You have nothing to be sorry for or feel guilty over. It's not your fault." Kakashi said with strength.

"He always said it was my fault. He said I was a bad influence on Itachi. He didn't want me to make Itachi human. He said I was his weakness and as a father it was his job to make sure that any weaknesses his son had were removed. Any threats to his son's safety and well-fare were eliminated." Sasuke said sadly.

"He saw you as Itachi's weakness and a threat. What did he do Sasuke?"

"He would hit me, lock me in the closet, lock me out of the house. It started off slow. I was three the first time he hit me. It was just a slap for crying. He said men don't cry and if I was so smart then I wouldn't have any trouble following his rules. It got worse over the four years. He never beat me, it was just a punch or two at a time, but it was pretty frequent especially when Itachi started to spend more time out of the village on missions. Itachi used to come home and he would see the bruises. He had to of known they were there. I had black eyes, bruising all over my arms, torso even cracked ribs. He had to of known they didn't come from training like father said, but he never said anything about it to me. He never asked what happened just if I was okay. I used to think he didn't know. That he would never think that father would ever do something like that. But now though, I can't help but wonder how he couldn't have known. That maybe he did know and maybe that had something to do with what happened to the Clan. I don't know. Just another one of the many questions I'll probably never get an answer to from him."

"I can't say if he knew or not Sasuke. I wish I had those answers for you, but I don't. I'm sorry that your father put you through that. You didn't deserve any of that. He used to lock you out of the house?" Kakashi asked sadly.

"For a week straight once when I was six. It poured rain the whole week. I was so sick at the end of it I had to spend two days in the hospital. He used to lock me in the closet down in the basement for a few days at a time while Itachi was gone on missions. If I did something that he wasn't happy about or if he had friends coming over from another village and didn't want me to be seen. I didn't have parents. I had Itachi, but not all the time. The older he got the more time he spent away. Once I didn't see him for six months because of missions. I took care of myself. I don't really know how to let other people help me or how to really live I guess. It's always just been getting through one day and on to the next. That's just how my life is." Sasuke said with a small sad shrug.

"That's no way to live though Sasuke. You can't just go through life, especially at your age, just waiting for the day to come that you die. You can't go through life alone and without a place to call home. You don't have just Itachi anymore. You have me. You have Naruto and Sakura. You have Shikamaru and his parents. We all care and love you. You have to live and make a home. A home is a place that is safe, that is your sanctuary. You have to turn this place into your own sanctuary. A place that you want to spend time in, that you enjoy being in and can relax in. You need to live Sasuke. You need to start finding happiness and enjoying the life you have."

"Be thirteen." Sasuke whispered.

"Be thirteen. Go on missions, train, but go out with friends, find some outlet that you can do for fun and to relax. Act your age and enjoy every second of it. If you want to get a puppy, you should get a puppy. Have some companionship with you for those harder nights. Live your life for you. I also think you should consider going to speak to a therapist about growing up and what has happened to you in the past year. It would be good for you to talk to a professional about what you went through and how you feel about it all. You've been through a lot in your life Sasuke, it's not good to carry that around with you." Kakashi said gently. He knew that Sasuke most likely wouldn't agree to speak with a therapist, but it was something that needed to be said.

"I can't do that. I understand your point, but that's just not me. I wouldn't be comfortable doing that. I'll be fine."

"Ok, but just know that I will always be there for you should you ever feel like you need to talk. I'll always be there for you Sasuke."

"Thanks."

"Any time. You look tired. You should try and get some sleep."

"Ya I think I'm gonna put on a movie and lay down. You should go home and get some real sleep yourself."

"Are you sure you're okay though?" Kakashi said not sure at all about leaving Sasuke here alone.

"I'll be fine I promise. I'm just going to relax."

"Alright. I will come by tomorrow afternoon to check in on you. If you need me you know where I'll be."

"I will I promise."

Kakashi got and Sasuke did as well. Kakashi pulled Sasuke into a gentle hug and Sasuke hugged Kakashi back for a second. Kakashi kissed the top of Sasuke's head as he spoke.

"I love you."

Sasuke didn't know what to say to Kakashi. He had never had anyone tell him that they loved him before and he didn't know what to say to that. Kakashi didn't expect Sasuke to say anything back to him. He knew, now more than ever, that Sasuke wasn't used to comfort or affection. He wasn't used to someone caring about him and showing it. Itachi had tried his best, but at just the young age that he was he didn't know how to handle the situation or what to truly do for Sasuke. Kakashi was going to make sure that Sasuke knew that he would be there for him no matter what. That he was cared and loved for, even if he couldn't say it back or understand it just yet. Kakashi pulled back and spoke.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." Sasuke said with an awkward nod.

Kakashi headed out of the apartment and Sasuke went and locked the door behind him. Sasuke let out a shaky breath that he didn't even know he was holding. Sasuke didn't know what he was supposed to do about what Kakashi said. He did know that he was too tired and sore to figure that out right now. He went over to his small television and grabbed a movie that he didn't really care about watching. He put it in before he went into his bedroom and grabbed his pillow and blanket before going back out to the couch. Sasuke laid down and hit the play button on his remote. Sasuke looked at the television and just let the movie play and slowly he fell asleep.

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It wasn't until ten the next morning when there was a knock on Sasuke's door. Sasuke had it unlocked in case Kakashi came by. When he woke up that morning his back was really hurting him. He was currently laying down on his stomach on his couch. He had his shirt off and a hot pad on his back to try and help with the pain. What scared him was that the pain on his back was close to his previous back injury and Sasuke didn't want to agitate it any more than necessary. He didn't want to screw up his legs all over again. It had only been three months since he had been able to fully walk around on his own and he didn't want to go backwards.

"Who is it?" Sasuke called out as well as he could with his voice still hoarse.

"It's me Sasuke." Shikamaru said back.

"It's open."

Shikamaru opened the door and closed it behind him. He noticed Sasuke on his stomach with the hot pad on his back. He also noticed the number of bruises that were on his back as well.

"What the hell happened?" Shikamaru asked as he went over to Sasuke.

"Bad mission." Sasuke said as he looked at Shikamaru.

"If it can go wrong." Shikamaru said remembering what Sasuke had once told him.

"It will go wrong. Simple harvest mission. Help this farming village harvest their crops for the spring." Sasuke said sadly.

"How the hell did that go wrong? Why do you have the hot pad on? Are your legs okay?" Shikamaru asked with concern.

"My legs are fine. My back is just sore from the fight. The hot pad is sort of working and I took a pill for the pain. It's better than yesterday."

"Is it just your back and your face? What happened to your voice?" Shikamaru asked with concern.

Sasuke slowly rolled over so he was on his back. He moved the hot pad and put it under him and Shikamaru helped him to get it in the right spot. Shikamaru couldn't believe the bruising and cuts all over Sasuke's torso. Not to mention the very black bruise of a hand print on his neck.

"Sas." Shikamaru said softly as he sat down on the edge of the couch next to Sasuke.

"Tsunade healed me. I don't really know what injuries there were. I was kinda out of it. I know my right wrist was broken and I had a lot of cuts with glass in them. I'm fine I'm just sore right now."

"Does Tsunade know about your back hurting?"

"No. It's better today than it was yesterday and my kidney doesn't hurt or my legs. If the pain gets worse I'll tell her. Really it's just a lot of bruising at this point." Sasuke said trying to sound comforting, but not really sure if he was coming across as it or not.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked calmly, but Sasuke knew he was worried about him.

"When we got to the village everyone was dead." Sasuke said sadly as the images flooded his memory.

"What?" Shikamaru asked with shock in his voice.

"We didn't even need to walk into the village to see them. They were all over the main road. There was blood and bodies everywhere and the smell. It's not a smell you will ever forget. I freaked out. Naruto and Sakura didn't, but I did." Sasuke admitted softly.

"Anyone with your past would have Sas. You instantly would have been reminded of your family, not to mention your senses being that close to death. Anyone would have freaked out Sas. I would have and I haven't been through what you've been through. Just because Naruto and Sakura didn't show it, doesn't mean they didn't freak out. What happened? Did you get attacked on the way back?" Shikamaru asked not really sure how Sasuke got so injured.

"Kakashi put his hand over my eyes and we backed out of there and over to a section in the trees. We all knew we couldn't just leave without making sure everyone was dead. We couldn't leave survivors behind. There was also the chance that the killer was still there."

"You went back in?" Shikamaru asked sadly knowing just how painful that would have been for Sasuke.

"We had to. Kakashi couldn't let me go in there and see it all again. He put my forehead protector over my eyes and we walked through part of it. Once there was a house that was clear of any blood or bodies Kakashi left me there with Pakun. I couldn't control my senses and he knew it. I was shaking and I could barely breathe. My whole body hurt from it. He couldn't risk me being caught in the middle of a fight with the killer. It made sense."

"So he left you there with Pakun while they finished the search. I'm guessing it didn't go according to plan obviously."

"Nope. It was about a couple hours later, Pakun and me were upstairs looking around when the front door opened. No one called out for me and we knew it had to of been the killer. Whoever entered wasn't panicked or afraid. They were calm and breathing evenly so it couldn't have been a survivor. I got Pakun out the bedroom window and then I hid under the bed, something I hate myself for." Sasuke said with self-hatred in his voice.

"Don't do that Sas. Don't hate yourself for making the right choice. You couldn't fight him properly. Not only did he kill a whole village, bringing back painful and horrible memories for you. But your senses were taking over. You wouldn't have been able to get close to him without feeling like you couldn't breathe or move. I would have hid too, anyone would have. Don't ever hate yourself for that. Don't. The last thing you are is weak and that has only been proven and beyond in the past year. Don't you dare hate yourself for that." Shikamaru said with strength in his voice.

"Doesn't matter, he found me anyways. And you are right my senses completely betrayed me. I couldn't control them. I thought I could, but I really can't. I haven't been in a situation like that before. The ones I have I was able to handle it and work through it, but I couldn't that time. I don't have that strong of control over them, not like I thought I did. I couldn't use my chakra. It took everything in me to fight him off. He broke my wrist, he chocked me, threw me through this glass closet doors. I fought back, I cut him a couple times and I kicked and punched him. At um…" Sasuke let out a shaky breath as he tried to get his emotions under control.

"It's okay take your time." Shikamaru said calmly as he held Sasuke's hand.

"I um… I grabbed a piece of broken glass and I slashed out with it. I was hoping to cut him enough that he would have to get off me and I could get out of that room. I knew Kakashi would be there soon, I just needed to buy some time. The glass shard hit his throat, it went right in. There was blood everywhere. It was all over me. He fell on top of me and I pushed him off. I killed him. I didn't mean to, but I did. I killed a man." Sasuke said with pain in his voice.

"I'm so sorry Sas. I'm so sorry. That's not something you should have to go through, especially after everything that has happened and your age. I'm sorry." Shikamaru said sadly and feeling hurt over what Sasuke had to endure.

"It's bound to happen to all of us. I just didn't expect it to happen this way or this soon."

"There's a difference with it happening in a battle, a real battle, than just a fight with a man. I don't like to think about being in a situation where I might have to take another life. I like to believe it won't happen to me. That I won't be in the field that much when I am older. I'm more suited as an advisor than a field ninja. I never even thought about how simple missions can go so wrong. I'm sorry Sas."

"It's not your fault. I'll be fine. He was a mass murderer, it's not like I killed someone innocent. It'll take my mind a couple of days to work around it and I'll be fine."

"You know I'll always be there for when you need to talk right?"

"I know."

Shikamaru bent down and placed a gentle kiss to Sasuke's lips. Sasuke kissed back for a minute before Shikamaru pulled back and straightened up.

"You're not allowed to be getting injured anymore." Shikamaru said.

"Deal. How was your mission?"

"Boring compared to yours. It was long though, we've been gone for two weeks."

"I know and then I was gone before that. We haven't really been in the village at the same time very often recently."

"Mom wants to do a family dinner tonight, but I'll tell her we can't. You're injured." Shikamaru said.

"No it's okay. I like your mom. She's a real mom. You're lucky." Sasuke said with hurt in his voice.

"I am. She likes you too. She always worries about you. Are you sure about dinner? We can do it another night, she'll understand."

"I know she will, but it'll be good. As long as I don't have to walk that far." Sasuke said with a small smirk.

"We can have it here. All you have to do is walk from the couch to the table." Shikamaru said with a smile back.

"Perfect."

"Why don't I head home, tell my mom that we can do dinner here. Then on the way back I can pick us up some lunch and we can hang out on the couch together?" Shikamaru suggested.

"Sounds good."

"Can I get you anything before I go? Pain medication? Something for your voice?" Shikamaru asked with concern.

"That bad?"

"It's getting worse the more you talk. I'd get you some ice cream, but you don't like it for some reason, you weirdo." Shikamaru said with a playful smile.

"Never had it."

"Wait seriously? You've never had ice cream? Ever?"

"No."

"How is that possible?" Shikamaru asked surprised.

"Didn't have it growing up. Sweets weren't allowed in the house." Sasuke said with a small shrug.

"That's…that's crazy. What about when you were sick? Sore throat? Your mom didn't give you any to help with the pain?"

"No, why would she?" Sasuke asked slightly confused.

"To help take care of you." Shikamaru said getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"We come from different worlds Shika." Sasuke said with a sad smile.

"So you've said. We'll have to have a conversation about that, but not right now. I'll head out and be back soon. Do you need anything before I go?"

"No I'll be fine."

"Ok, I'll be back." Shikamaru said before he bent down and placed a kiss to Sasuke's lips before he pulled back.

Shikamaru got up and headed out of the apartment and back down to his house. He couldn't believe how injured Sasuke was, once again. Shikamaru knew that Sasuke was a tough and strong fighter. He knew that Sasuke would be in more dangerous situations than he would be in. They had the stronger squad and had the most experience with A-Ranked missions. Add in the fact that Sasuke already had powerful enemies just looking to take him out because of his name or because his brother was Itachi. Still seeing him injured again so soon after getting out of the hospital. Shikamaru knew that Sasuke typically didn't get injured on missions. This had just been a rare occasion, something that wouldn't even have bothered him as much if it wasn't for the fact of what had recently happened to Sasuke. It's been a rough year for Sasuke and Shikamaru was hoping that it would get better for him.

Shikamaru arrived home and headed inside. He saw his parents sitting in the living room.

"Back so soon." Yoshino asked slightly surprised to see her son back already.

"Just for a minute. I wanted to let you know that Sasuke is up for dinner, but at his place would be better. He's injured from his mission." Shikamaru said as he leaned against the chair.

"Injured how?" Shikaku asked not happy that Sasuke was injured so soon.

"His squad went on just a normal mission to help a village with their harvest. When they arrived the whole village had been massacred."

"What?" Yoshino said shocked.

"Ya. They were all over the streets and in homes. Everyone was dead. Sasuke saw it, they all did. His senses couldn't handle it, he had a hard time breathing from it. Kakashi decided that they had to check to make sure everyone was dead and that the killer wasn't still in the village. He covered Sasuke's eyes and once a house was cleared of bodies or blood he left Sasuke there with Pakun until they finished the rest of the village. Long story short, a couple hours later the killer came to the house where Sasuke was. Pakun went to get Kakashi and Sasuke had to fight the killer. He's covered in bruises and cuts. He was choked so his voice is rough and raw and his back is sore from being thrown through a glass closet door. Sasuke grabbed a piece of glass shard and slashed out at the killer just hoping to get him to back off. It sliced clean across his neck and killed him. Kakashi showed up a few minutes later got Sasuke back here and had Tsunade heal him." Shikamaru explained.

"He had to kill someone?" Yoshino said sadly with hurt in her voice.

"He didn't mean to, but he did." Shikamaru said.

"It was in the heat of the battle. His life was on the line. He did what he was trained to do. It'll take some time, but his mind will accept it and he'll be able to move on from it." Shikaku said.

"He's only thirteen." Yoshino said.

"I know Dear, but he's not alone in this. Kakashi will be there for him and so will we. He'll be okay with it." Shikaku said.

"He seemed to be okay. Still in shock, but doing okay. His back was sore where his previous injury was. I'm worried about that, but he said it was better than yesterday."

"He should have Tsunade check him over again. Any pain in that area is serious." Shikaku said.

"He said he would if it got worse. He did get thrown through a door. His legs didn't hurt or feel numb he said. He was laying down on the couch with a hot pad on his back when I got there. I'm gonna grab some lunch for us and hang out there today." Shikamaru said.

"Well we don't have to do dinner tonight. We can do it another night." Yoshino said.

"I suggested that, but he said it was okay. I think he doesn't want to be alone, but doesn't know how to say it. I think he is getting used to having people in his life again. Or for the first time maybe." Shikamaru said slightly troubled.

"What do you mean son?" Shikaku asked.

"It's just… I'm worried that Sasuke's life before the Clan's death was more different than I know, than the small bits he's told me about. He said we were from different worlds and I think he's right. I think he grew up in a very dark world even before his family was killed."

"Why do you say that?" Yoshino asked with concern.

"His parents never hugged him. His father sometimes would go weeks without talking to him. Just today I made a joke about bringing him ice cream, but he doesn't eat it. He said he's never even had it. Even when he was sick his mother didn't take care of him. I'm worried that there's more to his childhood and his parents that I ever knew."

"It's possible. From what I remember Uchiha were not very emotional and compassionate to each other. The odd time that I saw Sasuke when he was young he was with Itachi. It's not always easy to see what goes on in someone's home. The best thing you can do is speak to Sasuke about it when he is ready." Shikaku said.

"That might take a while. At least he's opening up more and being more comfortable around you both. At first he had no idea what to do or even understand why you were around. He seems better than he was." Shikamaru said.

"He is better than he used to be. And if he didn't really have parents growing up it only makes sense that he was unsure of us at first. He seems to be adjusting well and he will grow more comfortable as time goes on. You both seem to be handling what happened very well. You both seem happy with each other." Yoshino said with a warm smile.

"We are. We haven't told anyone about us yet. It's simple right now and we don't have to worry about opinions. But I was thinking, or I was before I found out he was injured, that maybe I would take him to dinner. Like a real date." Shikamaru said slightly awkwardly still about talking to his parents about this.

"That would be your first date. Do you think you are ready for that?" Yoshino asked very interested.

"I think most people have a first date before they kiss. We kind of did the typical situation backwards. We both needed time to figure it out on how we feel for each other and what we want. I wasn't sure at first, but I am now. I want to date him, I want to go out for dinner or lunch together. I want to hold hands in public and not hide that we like each other. I like Sasuke, I enjoy being with him and spending time with him. I want to make it official and I'm hoping he does too."

"You won't know unless you talk to him. You know we will support you in your decision. You already know about his enemies and what you could be in for. You have both handled the past year with a great deal of maturity. I'm proud of you both. If this is something you both want your mother and I will support you." Shikaku said.

"You need to speak to Sasuke and see if that is something you both want. And if that is and the worst should happen, what would happen to your friendship. I would hate to see you lose this great friendship you both have made with each other. It's something to consider." Yoshino added.

"I'll talk to him and see what he thinks. What time do you want to do dinner?"

"I think around five like normal. We will come over around three thirty or four to Sasuke's. I can bring something to cook there so he doesn't have to move around much." Yoshino said.

"Ok. I'm going to head back out. I'll see you both tonight." Shikamaru said.

"See you later son." Shikaku said.

"See you soon sweetie." Yoshino said with a warm smile.

Shikamaru headed out of the house and down to one of the restaurants to grab some lunch for them. He wanted to get something simple so it wouldn't hurt Sasuke's throat. Once he had that he went to a store real quick and picked up some vanilla ice cream for Sasuke to try. Shikamaru couldn't believe that Sasuke had never had ice cream before. It was such a simple thing and yet Sasuke had never even tasted it before. Shikamaru couldn't even keep track of the number of times that him and one or both of his parents went out for ice cream after dinner one night. All the times his mother brought him some ice cream while he was sick in bed with a sore throat. Even after he got out of the hospital recently she kept bringing him some ice cream just because he was hurt. It was such a simple thing that Sasuke missed out on. Shikamaru found himself wanting to introduce Sasuke to new experiences. To show Sasuke all the things he missed out on growing up. Shikamaru knew there was more to Sasuke, a deeper side and he was looking forward to learning and seeing more of that side.

Shikamaru knocked on Sasuke's apartment door before he walked in and saw that Sasuke was walking back over to his couch with a cup of tea in his hand. He had a shirt back on and Shikamaru felt better seeing that Sasuke was able to walk normally.

"That was fast." Sasuke said as he went and sat down on the couch, but the look of pain didn't go unnoticed by Shikamaru.

"How bad is the back pain?" Shikamaru asked as he went and placed the bag of food down on the counter top.

"It's fine as long as I don't move around too much. It'll be back to normal in a day or two. What did your parents say?"

"They said that they will be here around four to cook dinner. They were worried about you, but I told them that you would see Tsunade if your pain got worse." Shikamaru said as he put the ice cream in the freezer and brought the food over to the coffee table along with some plates.

Shikamaru sat down and they both put some food on their own plate before they sat back and Shikamaru spoke.

"How long are you going to be off missions?"

"I don't know. Probably a week just to be safe. Why?"

"Well I was thinking that when you are feeling better that we could go to dinner." Shikamaru said trying to sound calm about it.

"Sure, but why does that make you nervous? It's not like we haven't gone out for dinner before." Sasuke said confused as to Shikamaru's reaction.

"That's true, but I was thinking that this time that I would pick you up instead of meeting you there."

"Ok I think by now you should know that I'm not good on social situations and queues so I'm going to need your help on this one still." Sasuke said still confused as to what the big deal was.

Shikamaru gave a nervous smile before he spoke. "Fair enough. I'm trying to ask you out on a date. Like an official one where I would pick you up and take you to dinner and maybe we would hold hands outside."

"Oh. Why didn't you just say that then?" Sasuke said with a smirk.

"Because the other way was less straight forward. Eventually you will have to get better at social queues."

"I prefer straight forwardness takes out the confusion and misunderstandings. Besides I never learnt how to be social. Are you sure you want to go out on a date? I thought you weren't sure about us and this situation and how your friends would react." Sasuke asked and Shikamaru could hear the slight hurt in his voice, even though Sasuke blocked it out like a pro.

"I have always been sure about us and I don't care what my friends think. At first we both wanted to take this slow and casual until we figured it out. Things have calmed down now and we've gotten closer and to know each other better. I know I like you Sasuke. I like you more than a friend and I'd like to experience more of it. I want to be out with you in public and hold your hand or give you a hug. But only if you think you want that and are ready for that."

"I do. I just wanted to give you time to see how you felt about everything. You're the one that will have the most fallout."

"How so?"

"You have friends and family that might not approve of you being with me. Not that you like a guy, but that the guy is me. Plus you could get enemies after you that are looking to hurt me. You don't have any enemies that will be added to my list, I don't have friends I have teammates and I don't have family I have Kakashi who is gay. Your life is the one that gets the most effected. You deserve all the time you need to decide if you really want to roll the dice on me." Sasuke simply said.

"First of all, my parents love you. My mother is a second away from adopting you every day and she would actually do it if she didn't think you would freak out about it. Secondly, my friends can either accept me or not and if they don't then they weren't really my friends. Third, I don't care about any enemies that might come my way. I can handle myself and I know the village will protect me. Now most importantly, who was it? Who messed you up this much?" Shikamaru asked with hurt in his voice.

"What are you talking about? I already told you how I got hurt on my last mission." Sasuke said confused.

"No not that Sasuke. Not physically, but mentally, emotionally. You keep saying we are from different worlds and before I didn't really believe you. But we did come from different worlds and I'm really starting to get worried that even if your family was alive we still would have come from different worlds. It's like you think your life doesn't matter. That being with someone wouldn't have any kind of impact on you. That's not normal."

"So now I'm not normal?" Sasuke said defensively with an edge of anger in his voice.

"That's not what I meant at all. I meant a normal thinking pattern. Sas, I'm not saying this to hurt you or attack you. I'm saying these things because I care about you and am concerned about you. You've been through a lot in your life already. Sometimes what you say makes me wonder what happened those first seven years of your life. You don't know social queues something that is taught to kids since they were two. Something as simple as ice cream you've never had. It's just normal childhood things that you missed out on. Who the hell hurt you this much? Someone screwed around with your head. What happened Sas?" Shikamaru asked calmly with hurt in his voice.

"It doesn't matter its in the past. And besides so what that I've never had ice cream before or understand social queues. It doesn't matter. As for my life mattering, it doesn't, none of ours do. We're ninja, we follow orders and are used as weapons. Itachi and Kakashi are perfect examples of that. They were both way too young to be ninja but they were and given missions to kill people before the age of ten. If we mattered at all, if our lives mattered then it wouldn't have happened. I don't see the big deal." Sasuke said still slightly defensive.

"The big deal is that even though we all know that we are weapons to the village, we all still believe that our lives matter. You look at Naruto and Sakura as your teammates, and not your friends. You keep yourself closed off from everyone. You've finally let Kakashi in and I know you have let me in to an extent. But Sasuke this is serious, this is something we need to talk about."

"Why?" Sasuke asked and Shikamaru could hear the true confusion in his voice. This truly was foreign to Sasuke.

"Because if we are going to date and be in a relationship we need to be able to talk, especially about the hard things. You can ask me anything and I would tell you no matter how hard it might be. I need to know that you can do the same with me. That you can share who you are with me, because otherwise what's the point?"

"You didn't ask me a question, you asked me what was wrong with me. That's not a question, that's an attack. That's a judgement. The one thing I hate the most."

"I didn't mean it like that at all and I'm sorry if you felt like I was judging you. Sas I'm not judging you. I never will. Talk to me."

Sasuke spoke with an edge in his voice as he got up and went into the kitchen to put his plate away.

"I don't talk about it. I never talk about it. It's bad enough I had to talk about it with Kakashi yesterday."

Shikamaru spoke as he stood up and went over to Sasuke.

"Why don't you talk about it?"

Sasuke turned around to face Shikamaru as he spoke with a slightly raised voice filled with pain.

"Because it's shameful and embarrassing. It hurts and takes all my energy to not think about it all day. I don't talk about it and if you can't accept that or handle it then fine. There's the door be my guest and leave. If that changes what you feel for me, fine we obviously didn't have anything real. But I'm not talking about it, I can't talk about it. It hurts too much so stop asking me or leave."

Sasuke's voice was a hoarse rasp now from talking so much. Shikamaru could see him trembling slightly and he could see the raw pain in his eyes. It was something that Shikamaru hadn't seen in Sasuke, not even when he was back in the hospital after being attacked. This obviously went deeper and darker than Shikamaru had thought and he knew that he had made a mistake, a huge one. This wasn't something to push Sasuke on, it'll only make it worse and make Sasuke clam shut. Shikamaru placed his right hand on Sasuke's cheek and gently pulled him in for a deep kiss. Sasuke took a sharp breath in as he wasn't expecting it. After a second Sasuke kissed back and when Shikamaru licked at his bottom lip he didn't fight it. He opened his mouth slightly to let Shikamaru's tongue in. Sasuke let Shikamaru take control of the kiss and he felt his back being pressed against his kitchen counter top. Shikamaru pressed his body closer to Sasuke and for the first time when their crotch rubbed against each other they both felt a spark and they both couldn't help, but moan at the sudden jolt of electricity and pleasure going through them. After a minute Shikamaru pulled back slightly and placed his forehead against Sasuke's. Shikamaru spoke with a shaky and out of breath voice.

"That's what I feel for you. Whenever you are ready to talk about it I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere. I care about you too much to walk away."

"Shika." Sasuke said with a heavy voice.

"Sas."

"Shut up and kiss me." Sasuke said with a small smirk.

Shikamaru didn't need to be told twice. He lowered his head back down and captured Sasuke's lips in a heated kiss. Sasuke let Shikamaru take full control of the kiss and all too soon their crotch rubbed against each other again causing the both of them to moan. Shikamaru put his left hand on the small of Sasuke's back and started to walk him backwards to his bedroom. Sasuke's back hit the wall in the hallway and Sasuke used it to flip their positions so he was guiding Shikamaru back. Once they arrive in his room Shikamaru's knees hit the bed and he fell back but kept his hold on Sasuke so Sasuke was on top of him. Sasuke straddled Shikamaru's hips and Shikamaru moved his hands down to Sasuke's hips and just as an experiment rocked them back and forth causing them both to let out a loud moan as they were both fully hard now. Sasuke moved his hands and undid Shikamaru's jacket. Shikamaru sat up with Sasuke still on his lap and removed his jacket. They both went and removed each other's shirt. Shikamaru began to kiss down Sasuke's neck and Sasuke rocked his hips back and forth.

"Sas." Shikamaru moaned.

Shikamaru gently flipped them so Sasuke was now laying on his back on the bed and Shikamaru was between his legs. Sasuke pulled Shikamaru into a kiss as Shikamaru began to dry hump Sasuke. They were both moaning and in complete pleasure at the new found sensation. Shikamaru moved his left hand and grabbed Sasuke's ass. Sasuke wrapped his legs around Shikamaru pressing him even closer. Sasuke's hands wandered all over Shikamaru's back and front as their breathing picked up. Sasuke began to kiss all along Shikamaru's neck and Shikamaru couldn't help, but kiss and suck at Sasuke's. They were both on the edge and Shikamaru sucked hard on Sasuke's neck giving him a dark hickey. The sensation was new for Sasuke and he found that it felt amazing. Between that and Shikamaru's movements Sasuke found himself moaning deep and moaning Shikamaru's name as he cam. Hearing Sasuke's moans and feeling him pulse underneath him pushed Shikamaru over the edge and he cam with a moan of Sasuke's name off his lips.

They didn't speak. The only sound in the room was their heavy breathing as they both came down from the rush of their pleasure. They had made out in the past before, quite a bit, but they had never done anything else, even kissing each other's neck. This was a first for them. After a few minutes Sasuke let his legs fall back down as he spoke.

"Well that was a first."

"That a good or a bad thing?" Shikamaru said with a slight chuckle.

"I'll let you know when I can think again." Sasuke said with a small chuckle back.

Shikamaru smiled before he kissed Sasuke gently on the lips for a minute before he moved back from Sasuke. They both had wet spots on their pants. Shikamaru looked down at Sasuke and smiled as he saw the slight blush that spread across Sasuke's cheeks.

"What?" Sasuke asked not sure why Shikamaru was looking at him like that.

"I like knowing I am the only one who has seen you like this."

"Like what?"

"Hot and bothered. It's sexy." Shikamaru said as he bent down to capture Sasuke's mouth once again.

"You're not so bad yourself. Who would have thought, with as lazy as you are, that you work out. It's a good look on you." Sasuke said once Shikamaru moved back.

"Don't tell anyone. It will ruin my reputation." Shikamaru said with a smile.

"Your secret is safe with me. Though if your parents see that spot on your pants you will be in trouble." Sasuke said with a smirk.

Shikamaru looked down at the spot on his pants and he couldn't help, but agree.

"We probably should get cleaned up."

Shikamaru got up and off the bed while Sasuke sat up. They both put their shirts back on and Shikamaru pulled at the wet spot on his pants with a groan.

"This is why I only do that in the shower. The mess just gets washed away."

"What exactly do you rub up against in the shower?" Sasuke asked confused as he went over to his dresser to get a clean change of clothes.

"Nothing, I meant touch myself." Shikamaru said with a smile as Sasuke once again missed what he was implying.

"You touch yourself in the shower?" Sasuke asked.

"Ya. Don't you?"

"No. I can honestly say that was a first time experience."

"Really? Haven't you ever been turned on before or just wondered what it felt like?"

Sasuke thought about it before he leaned against his desk as he answered.

"Not really. When we make out, ya I've been turned on but I never did anything. Keep in mind I hadn't even thought about someone in any way before you kiss me that first time. I've always just been so focused on training that anything else that would be normal didn't really come to me. I got up, ate, trained, went home, ate, slept and then repeat. There wasn't time to think about anything else."

"Well that makes sense. You've always been so focused on training and getting stronger that anything else wouldn't register for you. I didn't do it for the first time until after our third make out session. I better get cleaned up. Afterwards I have a surprise for you." Shikamaru said with a smile.

"I think that was the surprise." Sasuke lightly joked.

Shikamaru laughed as he headed out of Sasuke's bedroom and over into the bathroom to get washed up and get his pants washed. Once that was done he headed out into the living room to see Sasuke cleaning up from their lunch. Once Shikamaru got close enough he could see the dark hickey clear on Sasuke's neck. Shikamaru had to admit he liked seeing it on Sasuke. It made Sasuke his and he really liked that thought. Being able to see that side to Sasuke was truly amazing and a gift. One that he was going to cherish.

"Um you're going to need to change your shirt before the others arrive."

"Why?" Sasuke asked as he put the leftovers in his fridge to keep them from going bad.

"Because I may have given you a very dark hickey on your neck."

"What?" Sasuke asked as his head snapped up.

"You're gonna need to cover that up." Shikamaru said slightly awkwardly. He didn't mean to do it, but at the time it just sort of happened. And Sasuke was moaning like crazy while he was doing it. All he could think about was hearing that sound again.

Sasuke went over to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Sure enough there was a dark hickey on his neck, clear for everyone to see. Sasuke let out a groan as he didn't know how he felt about it. He didn't even know when it happened. All he knew was that it felt so good when Shikamaru kissed his neck. He got lost in the feeling of it all and all of his thought processes completely left his brain. He was going to have to wear one of his high collared shirts later to make sure that no one saw it. Not to mention whenever he wanted to be out in public until it went away, which he had no idea how long that would take. Sasuke went back out into the kitchen and glared and Shikamaru.

"How long am I going to have to hide this for?"

"Probably a week. Hickies are basically just bruising, it's the blood being brought to the surface. So about a week, maybe less."

"You know you can't ever do that again right?"

"I could, just not in a place where someone might see." Shikamaru said.

"And where would that be?" Sasuke asked genuinely clueless, a side to Sasuke that Shikamaru liked.

He wasn't a big one for sex. It's not like he thought about it like most of the guys their age were starting to. He just enjoyed reading and found himself reading all about it one day when he came across an old book in the attic of their house. Sasuke grew up on his own so there was a great deal of normal situations that Sasuke didn't understand or even see, because he was on his own for practically his whole life. No one had ever taught him otherwise. Some might find it annoying or think that Sasuke was just self-absorbed, but Shikamaru found it adorable. It was one of Sasuke's quirks, something that made Sasuke, Sasuke. Shikamaru liked that part about him and was more than happy to teach Sasuke different social situations as they came up.

"Chest or hips." Shikamaru suggested.

"Maybe once my mind processes what we just did." Sasuke said with a slight blush.

"Whenever you are ready."

"How can you be this way?" Sasuke asked amazed.

"What way?" Shikamaru asked with a calm voice.

"This. You're calm about it all. Like all we did in there was study. You can't be this lazy and laid back. No one is."

"I read all about sex when I was eleven. It was all about a guy and a girl so I'll have to read more about two guys, but some of the stuff is the same. I'm calm though, because I am talking about it with you. I wouldn't be comfortable talking about it with my dad. Sex is natural and should be talked about so people learn and grow. Chouji's asked me questions about it before about things I've read. It's natural, even at our age. It'll get easier I promise." Shikamaru said with a warm smile.

"Time will tell on that I guess."

"You want to see your surprise?"

"Sure." Sasuke said still slightly unsure about it.

Shikamaru went over to the freezer and pulled out the vanilla ice cream and showed Sasuke with a smile.

"What is that?" Sasuke asked as he didn't recognize the carton.

"This is vanilla ice cream and you are going to try it."

"You bought me ice cream?" Sasuke asked with a small warm smile.

"Yes, because one you have never had it and two it will really help your throat. Your voice is getting worse from talking. One of the many wonders of ice cream is the magical power to heal and soothe sore throats. It also provides comfort when you are lonely." Shikamaru said with a smile.

"Speaking from experience?" Sasuke joked as Shikamaru got down two bowls and started to put some of the ice cream into them.

"No, but from what my mother has said it has many talents. There's a bunch of different flavors though so if you like vanilla you have a whole world of possibilities open to you." Shikamaru said as he handed Sasuke his bowl before he put the remaining ice cream in the freezer.

They both took their bowls and headed over to the couch as Sasuke spoke.

"This isn't going to turn into one of those things where you make me try every food I've never had before is it?"

"That would depend on what it is. If I wouldn't eat it then no. If it is a simple normal food than probably."

"I'm going to get fat."

"I highly doubt it would even be possible for you to get fat. Why what else haven't you eaten before?" Shikamaru asked as he sat back on the couch so he could face Sasuke.

"Anything sweet really or junk food related. Nothing deep fried."

"Really? So it's always healthy food? All the time?"

"No, I mean I'll eat grilled cheese sandwiches a couple times a week."

"That's still healthy. It might not be the top of the line healthy, but it's not junk food either. Why? Were you just never allowed growing up and it stuck?"

"Pretty much. From what I can remember of those seven years I was taught that Uchihas treated their body like a temple. You trained hard and ate right. You didn't put garbage into your body because then it would be worth garbage. The females all had to be under a certain weight to look good and be desirable to available men for marriage and eventually child bearing. I know I was only seven when they died and I shouldn't be so accustomed to their beliefs and customs. But even after they died I could still hear their voices telling me how to be and how to act. I just continued living like they were alive and how I was supposed to be. I'm slowly starting to get out of that though. Kakashi has really helped me in that sense. He's been very encouraging with me just being my age and not older. Their voices are starting to not be as loud as they used to."

"That's good though Sasuke. Voices with opinions like that don't deserve to be heard. It's in a person's blood to make their family happy and proud of them. It's hard to break that when the family doesn't have the best values, because you still want to please them and make them proud, even though they aren't here. But by doing that you are hurting yourself and denying yourself an actual life. It can be really hard on someone." Shikamaru said sympathetically.

"It is. Kakashi says that I just need to be thirteen and live. So I am trying to do that more. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be."

"It has it's moments in both directions. You seem happier now though. I know you still have your walls up around people outside of me, my parents and Kakashi, but before you wouldn't have let any of us in. It's nice being on the inside of your walls."

"I'll deny it if this is ever repeated but, I kinda like having someone on the inside. It's not so lonely." Sasuke softly admitted.

"That's not a bad thing Sas. How's the ice cream?"

"Not bad. It actually is helping my throat."

"I told you it would. How are Naruto and Sakura?"

"Fine I guess. I haven't seen them since we got back."

"Do you guys ever go out together?"

"Not really. They both have their own friends we don't really have a need to all be out unless it's for training or a mission."

"You should try getting out more so you're not here all day when I'm on a mission." Shikamaru said as he was a little worried about Sasuke's anti-social behaviour having a negative effect on his mind.

"I train when I am not on a mission. Plus I read. I also enjoy being alone remember? I've been thinking about getting a puppy though, little companionship." Sasuke said with a shrug.

"That would be a good idea. Why not a cat? I thought Uchiha were cat people?"

"Traditionally yes and the Clan does have hundreds of ninja cats all over the world. But I think from spending so much time with Kakashi and around his hounds I just got used to being around them. It might be nice to have a pet."

"No you should go for it. You can take it with you when you go train."

"That's what Kakashi said. I'll look around and see if there are any I like. I'll see."

"I can always watch it when you are out on missions and I'm not."

"Thanks. My neighbors also have a couple of dogs and they offered to watch it should I decided to get one. They are always trying to convince me I need a dog. Something about a kid living alone not being safe." Sasuke said with an eye roll.

"Because you don't know how to defend yourself." Shikamaru said sarcastically.

"Everyone knows that." Sasuke added sarcastically as well.

Sasuke picked up the empty bowls and brought them into the kitchen before he went back over to the couch. Shikamaru pulled Sasuke closer so his back was against Shikamaru's chest. Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Sasuke and Sasuke relaxed into Shikamaru's touch.

"Kakashi told me yesterday that he loved me." Sasuke said softly.

"How did you react to that?" Shikamaru asked as he had already known that Kakashi loved Sasuke like a son.

"I didn't say anything. It was right before he left. It was unexpected and then when I got passed that thought the next was that Kakashi had just told me that. I didn't know what to say so I just gave a nod and he gave me a smile and headed out."

"I know it's a shock and unexpected to you, but it's been coming for a while Sasuke. When you were in unconscious in the hospital he didn't leave your side for longer than it took to take a shower. He stayed with you the whole time. He loves you like a son. The question is, how do you feel about it?"

"I don't know. No one's ever said it to me before. I knew Itachi loved me. He never said it, but he would do this thing where he poked my forehead. I just knew. The first time I heard those words I never thought it would be coming from Kakashi."

"It shouldn't have been, but that is a different issue. How do you feel about it now that you've had some time to process it?"

"I care about him. If someone asked me who my dad was, I would want to say Kakashi. It's unexpected, but most of my life since graduating the academy has been unexpected. It's not that I don't feel the same, it's that I don't know how to say it back. I've never really said it before either. I grew up where it was never said so saying it back or hearing it is just foreign to me."

"That's normal though Sas. There are a lot of people that go their whole childhood not hearing I love you or getting a hug and when they grow up they don't know how to accept a hug or hear I love you because it's so foreign to them. The only thing that can change that is time and getting used to it."

"You are right about that."

They spent the next few hours sitting on the couch together just talking about things that had happened in the past two weeks since they had seen each other. When it was just before four there was a knock at the door and Sasuke called out.

"It's open."

Sasuke had already changed into a different shirt that had a high collar so it would cover up the hickey on his neck. When the door opened Kakashi walked in and gave them both a warm smile and a wave.

"Hello you too."

"Hello Kakashi." Shikamaru said with a smile.

"Hey." Sasuke simply said from his spot on the couch.

"How are you feeling Sasuke?" Kakashi asked as he went and sat down in the chair as Sasuke and Shikamaru were sitting on the couch.

"Better. I've been relaxing all day and drinking tea. Shikamaru has been feeding me ice cream." Sasuke lightly joked.

"Really? I thought you didn't like ice cream?"

"No I just never had it before. It helped my throat."

"That's good." Kakashi said though he had other questions on his mind right now. He wasn't going to ask them though he would wait until another time to do so.

"His back has been hurting where his injury was." Shikamaru said still with concern in his voice.

"It's fine." Sasuke automatically said.

"Hurt how badly? Are your legs okay?" Kakashi asked with worry.

"My legs are fine. There's no numbness or tingly feelings. It just hurts from going through a glass door." Sasuke said.

"Are you sure? We can have Tsunade check you over." Kakashi said still not sure about it.

"I'm fine. If it was worse than I would. I'm not taking a risk with it. It really doesn't hurt that way. And it's better than it was yesterday. I'm just bruised from the fight that's all." Sasuke said trying to ease Kakashi's worries.

"Alright, but if it gets worse or you start experiencing any weird feelings in your legs you need to see Tsunade about it." Kakashi said,

"I promise." Sasuke said.

There was another knock at the door and they knew it would be Shikamaru's parents. Shikamaru got up and opened the door for his parents.

"Hello everyone." Yoshino said with a cheerful smile as she went over to the kitchen and put her bags down that held the food for dinner.

"Hello. Do you need any help?" Kakashi asked.

"No I got it." Yoshino said.

"My wife does not like to share a kitchen." Shikaku said as he closed and locked the door.

"As most women do not." Kakashi said with a friendly smile.

"Dinner second. First, how are you feeling Sweetie?" Yoshino asked Sasuke.

"I'm doing okay." Sasuke answered.

"Oh your voice. Can I get you some tea or medicine for it?" Yoshino asked not liking the sound of Sasuke's voice.

"I'm ok right now thank-you." Sasuke said still not used to having a mother around him, even after these past months

"It's worse from him talking all day. He's had tea and ice cream to help soothe it." Shikamaru added to help Sasuke out. He knew how his mother got when he was hurt or sick.

"Good they will help with it. But you should try not to talk too much until it's healed better." Yoshino said.

"I'll try." Sasuke said.

"Shikamaru told us what happened. We won't ask you any questions, but just know if you ever need to talk you can always come to one of us. Anytime Sweetie. We mean it." Yoshino said in a very serious voice.

"I'll remember. I'm okay though. It's just going to take time." Sasuke said.

"Take comfort in knowing you did what you had to do in order to survive. And you didn't kill anyone that didn't deserve to die." Shikaku said.

"What kind of advice is that?" Yoshino said as he smacked Shikaku's left arm.

"The kind that will help him move on from it one day. The kind that will allow him to keep his sanity instead of letting it destroy his life. Kakashi and I have been there Sasuke, more times than we would like to admit. You remember what I said and you'll be okay with it one day." Shikaku said.

"Thank-you." Sasuke said softly.

"Now no more sad stuff just good fun family time. I am going to start dinner. I am making chicken, cooked vegetables and rice. I thought they wouldn't hurt your throat Sasuke. I am going to get the chicken on and I want to hear all about what you boys did today and the past two weeks." Yoshino said as she went into the kitchen and got down to business.

"What we did today." Sasuke whispered to Shikamaru with a small blush.

"What was that?" Kakashi asked.

"Nothing. We just hung out on the couch today and talked mostly." Shikamaru answered.

Sasuke subconsciously rubbed at the hickey and for a split second Kakashi saw it. First he thought it was just another bruise from his fight, but then he could clearly see what it truly was. Kakashi couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face, but just as quickly as it came it went at the startling realisation that he would indeed have to have "the talk" with Sasuke. That was not something he was looking forward to. They all spent the next four hours having family dinner with each other. Once dinner was done and the dishes were cleaned and put away it was time to say goodbye. Sasuke gave Shikamaru a hug and he left with his parents. When Kakashi didn't leave with them Sasuke gave him a confused look.

"We need to talk." Kakashi said.

Sasuke instantly thought he had done something wrong, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what it was.

"You're not in trouble Sasuke. There's just something I need to talk to you about. Let's sit down on the couch." Kakashi suggested.

They both went over and sat down on the couch and even though Kakashi had said he wasn't in trouble Sasuke was still nervous and unsure.

"I noticed something before dinner. Something on your neck." Kakashi said with a light tone so Sasuke knew he wasn't in trouble for this.

Sasuke's hand instantly went up to the hickey on his neck as a slight blush crept over his cheeks.

"Relax no one else noticed. It's just something we need to have a conversation about. Something that is going to be very awkward and embarrassing for you. Trust me I have been sitting on your side of this conversation before with the Fourth."

"What conversation is that?" Sasuke asked with dread.

"Sex, we need to talk about sex."

"I'm not talking about sex with you." Sasuke automatically said.

"I know this is not going to be fun, but we need to Sasuke. You are thirteen now and starting to date someone and obviously explore something outside of just kissing. We need to talk about it." Kakashi said with patience in his voice.

"Uchiha don't talk about it. We're not supposed to. That was a huge rule growing up that no one talked about it. You weren't allowed to do anything until you were married and even then it was private and just for reproduction. You were punished for talking about it." Sasuke said and Kakashi could hear the slight fear still in Sasuke, even though he wouldn't have been punished for talking about sex at his young age.

"Sasuke listen to me. Sex is natural. It's okay to talk about it. You are young you should be talking about it with friends and people you trust and are comfortable with. Talking about it and asking questions is how you learn and experience things safely. It's perfectly natural to talk about it. You will never be punished for it Sasuke." Kakashi said in a serious voice.

"I just…" Sasuke said as he looked down.

"You what Sasuke?" Kakashi asked calmly allowing Sasuke to have the time he needed to collect his thoughts.

"I just… you're like a dad to me and I don't want you to be disappointed or disgusted by me." Sasuke said with his head still down in a soft voice.

"Sasuke there is nothing you could tell me that you have done that would disgust me. Chances are I've done it, like a lot, and more. As for disappointed in you, I'm not going to be disappointed in you by what you've done. Will there be other areas that come up where I might be disappointed by your acts, most likely. But that will never change the fact that I love you. You are thirteen Sasuke you are going to make mistakes and that's okay. Mistakes are a part of growing up, a very important part. It's how you find out what type of person you are, what type of person you're not. Yes some of those mistakes I will be disappointed in you over, but I will still love you and we will get past it. This is not going to make me disappointed in you. I promise you." Kakashi said with complete love in his voice.

"It's still awkward." Sasuke mumbled.

"I know it is. So I'll make you a deal. You tell me what happened and I will tell you about a time I did something with someone. That actually involves your brother."

Sasuke's head snapped up at hear that.

"Wait what? You did something with my brother? Itachi? The golden boy, Mr. Perfect?" Sasuke said shocked.

"Yes. That will be your reward for having this conversation."

"I think it's only fair if you go first."

Kakashi let out a chuckle before he spoke. "Nice try. What happened today with you and Shikamaru?"

"Nothing." Sasuke automatically said with a shrug.

"See you are still new to being thirteen so let me help you out with something. When a teenage replies 'nothing' that always means something happened. Obviously something happened or there wouldn't be a hickey on your neck."

"We didn't know it was there until afterwards." Sasuke said slightly awkwardly.

"That tends to happen the first time. Next time you will both know. Though I would suggest in either investing in some turtle necks or stop doing it on the neck."

"Shikamaru said we should do it someplace else."

"So you both have had conversations around sex?" Kakashi asked as that was both a healthy sign and a disturbing one.

"Not really. Today was the first time anything was mentioned, but not sex."

"Ok, how about we start at the beginning. I know you both have kissed and made out before. Is that how it started today?"

"No, not this time."

"What happened then?"

"We were kinda fighting, more like arguing."

"About what? You've never argued before." Kakashi asked slightly surprised as both Sasuke and Shikamaru had a great relationship so far. They both didn't talk much with other people, yet you get them in the same room alone and they could talk about nothing and everything for twelve hours straight without a problem.

"He was asking me about growing up. He said something and I took it the wrong way and that started an argument. He wanted to know more about growing up. He started to figure out something bad happened and he was pressing about it. Even went as far as saying if I couldn't tell him then why were we together. I told him I couldn't talk about it just yet. That it hurt too much to talk about and if he couldn't accept that then he could leave. Next thing I know he's kissing me."

"The kiss was heated." Kakashi simply stated.

"How did you know?"

"Because you were fighting. You were both feeling passionate about your own stand points. He realised that he pushed too hard, too fast and that turned into a passionate kiss. I'm willing to bet he apologised."

"Kind of. He said he wasn't going anywhere and that he would wait. Then I told him to kiss me again because it felt really good."

"It's supposed to."

"No like really good. We were in the kitchen and he pressed against me and touching happened for a second."

"Touching how?" Kakashi asked as it really could mean anything.

"Our." Sasuke started and blushed.

"Oh you're private areas touched. I'm assuming that was the first time it happened."

"Private area is that what we're going with?" Sasuke asked slightly surprised that is what Kakashi came up with.

"I have about thirty other names I could call it, but every single one of them would make you blush even darker."

"Private area it is. And yes that was the first time."

"So it felt good. You were in the kitchen kissing."

"We ended up in my bedroom on my bed still kissing."

"Any clothing come off?"

"Just our shirts." Sasuke said softly.

"There's nothing wrong with that. You are both young males it's natural for you to move the physical part of your relationship along. You have been seeing each other for six months now basically. Did the touching continue?"

"Yes. We… I don't know how to describe it. There was just kissing and rubbing." Sasuke said really awkwardly.

"Ok, I have a name for it, but I need to know. Rubbing with hands or just against each other's private areas?"

"Second one."

"That is called dry humping. It's a completely natural progression in your physical relationship. Same as kissing on the neck. It felt good and Shikamaru gave you a hickey. Most likely he didn't mean to, but in the heat of the moment it happened."

"When we did see it he pretty much said that."

"It happens in the heat of the moment. I'm assuming you were both turned on."

Sasuke blushed even darker at that.

"I will take that as yes. Even more awkward question, did you both find release?"

"As in?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes as in that. I could use the technical term or the street term if you'd like."

Sasuke his head before he spoke. "Yes we found release."

"That was the first time that happened between the two of you?"

"Yes. Shikamaru has done things by himself before, but I've never."

Kakashi nodded his head in understanding. "You've never done anything like this before. How did Shikamaru handle it afterwards today?"

"Really well. He didn't have any trouble talking about what happened or what he does alone in the shower apparently. He's talked about it before with Chouji he said. I don't understand how he can be so laid back about it." Sasuke said, the first time since this conversation started without any nervousness or awkwardness in his voice or body.

"It comes down to you both coming from different worlds. His parents, as you have seen, are very warm and loving. They can talk about anything. Shikamaru didn't grow up in the strict life you did. No one ever knew just how strict your family and their traditions and beliefs were. Even though you were only there for the first seven years of your life, your mind still remembers things. It's not that simple to remove those traditions and fears from you, especially because you are older and have spent the past six years alone. You didn't have someone right away start working those problems through and getting you used to a less strict environment. It's only natural for these types of situations to be awkward and hard for you at first. Are those rules that you heard about growing up why you've never touched yourself before?"

"Maybe partly, but I just never thought about it. Everything was always about getting stronger and training. I ate, slept and trained every single day. I didn't have the energy or time for anything else. Then missions started and my mind was focused on that. It wasn't even until Shikamaru kissed me that first time six months ago that I even realised I was attracted to someone. I've really just never thought about it."

"What you and Shikamaru are doing right now as I have said is natural. You're relationship will continue on this path of growing when you both are comfortable with it. More important than anything is that you both have to be able to talk to each other about this type of thing. If you can't be honest with each other than you are not ready for anything that comes after this stage. You both have to want to move forward when the time comes. Continue taking it slow and letting things happen natural like you have been doing. Eventually if you are together in a few years it may lead to sex one day and when that time comes I hope you feel comfortable enough to come to me and ask any questions you might have. For right now we don't need to get into sex as I know your mind hasn't even thought about it and that is fine you are not the only one in your age group that hasn't thought about it. What I will say is that you should start experimenting with touch yourself. The reason being is that it allows you to discover safely what you do and don't like. If you are not comfortable touching yourself in that sense then you won't be with someone else touching you like that. The best thing you can do is know your body before you let someone else know it. Does that make sense?"

"No it does make sense."

"Good. Do you have any questions at all about what happened or what might happen down the line?"

"It's okay what we did?" Sasuke asked still slightly unsure as he fought back the voices telling him otherwise.

"Yes Sasuke. It is completely okay. Had you both been ten it would have been a different answer. But you are both thirteen and have been together for six months now basically. It's okay what you did. It's okay to do it again as long as you both are comfortable and want to. You did nothing wrong." Kakashi needed Sasuke to understand that, because if he didn't he would never be okay with anything that came after that. Kakashi didn't want Sasuke going through life afraid to let someone touch him or to explore his sexuality. It wasn't right and he didn't want that kind of life for Sasuke.

"Ok. Thanks."

"Anytime Sasuke I mean it. Now I owe you an awkward story."

"Yes that somehow involves my brother." Sasuke said very interested.

"It was only one time. Let me start by saying that. We had just returned from a mission together. He was thirteen and I was seventeen. Much like yourself and Shikamaru we were arguing. I had gotten to know Itachi pretty well from our time on the same squad. I wanted to know what was bothering him. We were at my apartment, Itachi needed to pick up some weapons he left there. The argument got heated and next thing I know we are kissing. It wasn't my first kiss, but it was Itachi's. I know I pulled him into a kiss and when he kissed back I was shocked. It was also the first time I had ever kissed a boy. I had kissed and messed around with a few females, but I had never even looked at another boy like that. We ended up dry humping on the couch and both of us eventually were satisfied. Afterwards he did something I didn't expect. He kissed me and told me that he would always remember me and he hoped my future was bright. He then said goodbye and that was the last time I saw him. The next night the Clan was dead and he was gone."

"You…you and him? But you were late seventeen and he was early thirteen." Sasuke said trying to get his mind around this.

"I never said it was a responsible action. It was heat of the moment, one neither of us expected or even thought of. To this day I don't know why other than that, that I did it. I never to my knowledge thought of Itachi in that way or even thought he was attractive. It was one of those decisions, one of many, that I made without thinking when I was younger. We all make those mistakes Sasuke. You will make mistakes with this relationship and with the next should you break up with Shikamaru. I want you to know that you can always come to me for when you do and you need to talk. I'll always be here to listen."

"Thanks Kakashi. It means a lot."

"It means a lot to me too. Are you feeling okay? Any pain?"

"I'm okay. I'm sore in some spots, but nothing I'm not used to. I am tired though."

"You sound it. Do you want me to stay tonight?"

"Thanks, but I'll be okay. I think I am going to get a puppy though. Maybe tomorrow I'll start looking around for one. See which breed would be the best one."

"I think it would be good for you and if you want any help you know I'll be there."

"I know. I'll do some research first before I figure it out. I think it would be nice though to have someone here with me. Start making it a home right?" Sasuke said with a small smile.

"That's the best thing you can do Sasuke." Kakashi said with a smile back.

"It's going to take some time to get used to thinking about this place as a home and not just an apartment."

"I know it will, but the fact that you want to is a very good sign. I'll get out of here and let you get some sleep. I have some paperwork to get done still and I am sure Iruka is wondering where I am by now." Kakashi said with a smile.

"Maybe next time you should bring him with you. You've been together for years now." Sasuke offered.

"I think that is a good idea. I'll mention it to him. Have a good night Sasuke and if you need me don't hesitate to come over. No matter what time it is."

"I will. I promise. Good night."

"Good night."

Kakashi said as he stood up and Sasuke did as well. Kakashi pulled Sasuke into a hug as he spoke.

"I love you."

Kakashi kissed the top of Sasuke's head before he pulled up. Sasuke gave Kakashi a smile and hoped it would be enough for him to understand that he felt the same, but just couldn't say it back. Kakashi gave Sasuke a warm smile before he turned and headed out of the apartment. Sasuke locked the door and decided he would take a hot bath to help soothe his hurt body before curling up in bed. Tomorrow he would do some research into finding the perfect puppy for him to have. He was finally going to start making the steps to living healthy on all levels.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi arrived back to his apartment to see Iruka already there waiting for him. Iruka gave Kakashi a smile as he closed the door. Kakashi went over to Iruka and pulled his mask down as he bent down to kiss him. After a moment Kakashi pulled back and headed into the bedroom to get changed.

"How was dinner?" Iruka asked.

"It went well. Sasuke is healing and I think he'll be okay with what happened." Kakashi replied.

"He's a strong young man. He'll be okay with it. Naruto was still a little shaken up, but he is trying to move on from it."

"They will move passed it eventually. Sasuke is healing. Though his back is sore from where he was injured before. He said his legs weren't hurting or going numb, but I'm still worried about it." Kakashi said as he came back out in some sweat pants and a muscle shirt without his mask or forehead protector on.

"As long as there is no numb or tingling feelings in his legs he should be fine. If it doesn't get better he should see Tsunade about it."

"And he said he would. He's thinking about getting a puppy." Kakashi said as he sat down on the couch next to Iruka.

"That's unexpecting, but would be good for him. Have some companionship."

"That is what we have all been saying. Him and Shikamaru are getting close. They are going to be going out on an official date soon once Sasuke is more healed."

"I still can't believe they are dating. I never would have expected either of them to be interested in another guy, much less each other. Sasuke is very cold and distant and Shikamaru is very lazy. It's an interesting combination."

"Sasuke is only cold and distant around people he's not close with and Shikamaru is very caring. They complement each other very well. I also had the fun conversation about sex with Sasuke."

Iruka chuckled before he spoke. "Oh did you now? How did that go?"

"Awkward, but not as bad as I thought it would be. We only go into it a little bit. He wasn't ready for the full sex talk."

"What brought it on?"

"The hickey on his neck." Kakashi said with a smile.

"He had a hickey on his neck?" Iruka asked surprised.

"He did. I was the only one that noticed. It was the first time. They apparently progressed to dry humping. Oh to be young again." Kakashi said with a smile.

Iruka chuckled before he spoke. "So they are getting physical together?"

"They are, but just barely. I wanted to make sure that Sasuke knew what they were doing was natural and okay. He wasn't sure if it was okay what they did or not. I made sure he understood that it was okay and a natural thing to do. Growing up it was never said to him, but one of the rules in the Clan was to never talk about sex or do anything until you were married and never with the same sex. Even though he was only seven those words are still in his mind."

"Uchiha were very private and strict from what I have experienced. It was never said to Sasuke, but around him I am sure. It's natural for it to stick within his mind. It's a good thing that you spoke to him about it. That could have stayed with him for the rest of his life and damaged any chance he had at a healthy relationship. Sex is not something that should be feared, but enjoyed."

"And that is what I was worried about. Him growing up thinking that sex is not enjoyable or unnatural. I want him to be able to explore that side of himself when it is appropriate and with the right person."

"He is only thirteen though, should they be dry humping already?" Iruka asked slightly concerned.

"I was at that age. It depends on the person and they have been dating unofficially for almost six months now. I think it was a natural progression and one done at a slow pace. I think its fine and I don't think they are about to start jumping stages and going faster than normal. They are both very mature for their age and very intelligent. They won't start moving too fast or doing something without talking about it with each other first."

"That is true they are both mature and responsible they won't just jump into something too soon or too young. If it was Naruto I would be concerned, but Sasuke and Shikamaru are too smart for that. It's good that you were able to talk to him about it and he was comfortable enough to talk about it with you. I know it was awkward, but him being willing to talk to you about his experiences is a positive sign. It shows that he trusts you on a different level."

"I hope so. I told him that I love him, he didn't say anything back, but I didn't expect him to. He grew up never hearing it. He doesn't know how to react or respond to something like that. He did tell me that I was like a dad to him though, so I know he loves me as well. He just can't say the words just yet. He may never be able to."

"I might never be able to. With never hearing it from growing up it could take a long time for him to be able to understand those words fully. It's sad and unfortunate, but it happens to hundreds of families a day all over the world. He sees you as his dad though and that says a lot. It's definitely unexpecting on both of your parts. You never had any interest in having children and Sasuke had no interest in letting anyone close to him. Maybe the Third did know what he was doing when he placed you two together."

"Maybe he did. I couldn't ask for a better son. Even if it was unexpecting."

"You are a good dad to him." Iruka said with a warm smile.

"Thank-you. Sasuke wanted me to let you know for the next family dinner that if you wanted to be there you could. If that is something you would like to do."

"I'd love to. I don't know Sasuke very well outside of the academy. It would be nice to get to know him better. Especially because you care very deeply for him. He's important to you so he's important to me."

"I love you." Kakashi said with a warm smile.

"I love you. Do you have paperwork to do tonight?"

"I really should get it done. I have missions to organize for eight squads."

"How are they handling you being their new boss?" Iruka asked with concern.

"Fine I believe. You know ANBU, they don't talk much. They are trained to follow orders. Some were removed by Tsunade before I took over as their leader. They are a good set, but what they truly believe and think is a different story. I'm taking it one day at a time right now."

"That's the best thing you can do. I guess that means you have too much work to do tonight that you don't have time to play." Iruka said with a flirty smile.

"Oh I always have time to play." Kakashi said with a smirk back.

"Well I happen to have the perfect game in mind Sensei." Iruka said with a smirk as he got up off the couch and headed inside the bedroom.

Kakashi let out a moan and he got up and went right behind Iruka into their bedroom.

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It was a week later when Shikamaru knocked on Sasuke's door. They had a date set for tonight and Shikamaru was glad that he was able to make it. Three days ago Shikamaru had to leave for a quick mission and he had pushed hard to be able to get back in time so he wouldn't have to break their first date together. Shikamaru was a little nervous to be outside with Sasuke in a romantic setting. He had decided to make a reservation at a nice quiet restaurant that their friends didn't tend to go to so they could have some time alone. Shikamaru was looking forward to it and he was hoping that nothing bad happened while they were out.

After a moment the door opened and Sasuke was standing on the other side. He was wearing black skinny jeans with his black converse shoes on, along with a dark blue turtle neck to hide the still fading hickey on his neck. Shikamaru couldn't help, but smile at Sasuke. He looked good, really good. Shikamaru himself had changed his clothes into his more casual ones of blue jeans and a black t-shirt with his black jacket. Shikamaru was really hoping tonight would go well.

"Hey you made it." Sasuke said as he stepped back to let Shikamaru in.

"I did. Just got back an hour ago. You got ready though, I wasn't sure if you would or not." Shikamaru said as he walked in.

"I figured I would get ready just in case. Besides you said you would be here and it was a simple enough mission. Everything went alright I'm assuming."

"It did. How were your last three days?" Shikamaru asked.

"I got a puppy." Sasuke admitted as he headed down to his bedroom and Shikamaru followed.

"You really did? What breed?"

"A King Sheppard. They are supposed to be good for guard dogs and they can exercise a long time so I can take him on runs when he is older. He's only eight weeks right now." Sasuke answered as they walked into his bedroom.

There was a dog crate in Sasuke's room that had belonged to Kakashi. For now the puppy would be in it when Sasuke wasn't home and at night until he was house broken. The puppy stood up and began to wag it's tail at seeing Sasuke and Shikamaru. They both bent down and Shikamaru petted him through the crate.

"He's cute and looks like he is going to be huge. What's his name?"

"Shadow and he's supposed to be around a hundred and twenty pounds."

"Big dog. Why Shadow?"

"Because he won't stop following me even if I move an inch he's right there behind me." Sasuke explained.

Shikamaru gave a chuckle to that before he spoke. "He's a puppy he's going to be following you around everywhere until you teach him how to stay. Did you get a training book?"

"Kakashi gave me one of his. I've been reading it. Kakashi said if I don't start training him while he is this young he will be impossible to handle when he is older. I really don't need a hundred and twenty pound dog that I can't walk or trust alone."

"Not at that size no. He's cute. Akamaru will love playing with him I'm sure."

"Maybe. I know he needs to be socialized around other dogs. I'm just not sure if I want him picking up any bad habits."

Shikamaru chuckled before he spoke.

"He's bound to pick up some bad habits playing with other dogs. Training will fix that."

"Hopefully."

Shikamaru stood back up and gave Sasuke a smile.

"What?" Sasuke asked as he wasn't sure why Shikamaru was smiling at him like that.

"You got a puppy. That's huge Sasuke. You got a pet."

"Kakashi basically said the same thing. I don't see the big deal of it."

"It means you are making a home. You've always just been in the village. This is a step to living in the village. It's a good thing Sas." Shikamaru said with a warm smile.

Sasuke smiled back before he leaned in and placed a quick kiss to Shikamaru's lips.

"Come on let's go to dinner. Is he going to be okay until we get back?" Shikamaru asked once they broke apart.

"He'll be fine."

Sasuke and Shikamaru headed out of the apartment and down to the street.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked once they hit the street.

Shikamaru placed his hand in Sasuke's as he answered.

"Layoshi. I figured it would be quiet and not a lot of our comrades tend to go there."

"Sounds good."

As they walked down the street holding hands they got a few looks from other villagers or ninja in the street. Same sex relationships were not foreign in the village. There were other ninja that dated the same sex, Kakashi and Iruka were a perfect example of that. They were older though and they didn't show any public displays of affection when they go out. Shikamaru was not about to hide it though. He didn't want to have to hide it. He cared about Sasuke and he wanted to be able to show it like he would if he was out with a girl. They were almost at the restaurant when Ino and Chouji walked down the street towards them. Sasuke went to remove his hand, but Shikamaru held on.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked confused.

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked back.

"Your friends are coming towards us." Sasuke said.

"I know, but I told you I don't care what they think. I like you I'm not about to hide that. Do you want to?"

"No I just figured you wouldn't want them to see us together like this."

"I don't care who sees us together like this Sas."

Ino and Chouji walked up to Sasuke and Shikamaru and Ino was the one to speak first.

"Why are you holding hands?"

"Because we're on a date." Shikamaru simply stated.

Chouji choked on the chips he was eating as Ino stuttered.

"What? You're what?"

"We're on a date." Shikamaru simply stated again.

"With each other?" Chouji asked shocked.

"Since when?" Ino asked shocked as well.

"Yes with each other and we've been together for almost six months now." Shikamaru answered knowing that they would be able to continue on faster if he just answered their questions.

"But you like girls." Chouji said still confused.

"You both can't be gay. I mean seriously come on. What is this a phase or some weird kind of dare or something?" Ino asked getting slightly annoyed and mad now.

"No it's not. We've been together for six months as I said. Now excuse us, we have reservations for dinner." Shikamaru said keeping his voice calm and even, but Sasuke could hear the upset in his voice.

Shikamaru didn't even let them respond as he moved around them with Sasuke. Sasuke waited until they got a little down the street before he spoke.

"Are you okay?"

Shikamaru let out a sigh before he spoke. "I'll be fine. I knew they would have a hard time understanding. I was just hoping it wouldn't be that bad. They just need time to adjust to it. Tomorrow I can talk to them about it more. It's not something I want to do tonight when we are on our first date."

"Are you sure? I don't want to cause problems between you and your friends, especially your teammates." Sasuke said with a slight worry tone to his voice that Shikamaru knew was for him.

"I'm sure about this Sas. I'm sure about us. I'll talk to them tomorrow and get it all sorted out. Tonight is about us. Tomorrow I can deal with them."

Sasuke gave a nod as he didn't know what he thought or should say to that. He liked Shikamaru, but he didn't want to cause him any troubles or problems. It's why they had waited for almost six months before they even went out on a date. Sasuke wanted to make sure that Shikamaru truly wanted this before he caused any disrupt to Shikamaru's life. Sasuke was hoping that this wouldn't be something that changed Shikamaru's mind. Shikamaru stopped and turned to face Sasuke. He gave Sasuke a small kiss to the lips before he spoke.

"It'll be fine. Let's forget about it and just enjoy tonight."

"Ok."

Shikamaru gave Sasuke a smile and they both finished walking to the restaurants. Shikamaru knew that Sasuke was covered in walls, but he also knew that underneath those walls was a shy, traumatised thirteen year old with no self-esteem or self-confidence. Shikamaru was shocked at how different Sasuke was when he got to know him. He was shocked to see how hard it was for Sasuke to keep up his walls around people. Shikamaru was thrilled that he was finally able to be inside Sasuke's walls and he was going to do what he could to help get Sasuke more confident in himself outside of the ninja world. Shikamaru did know after speaking with Sasuke that something sinister happened to him growing up before the Clan was destroyed. Shikamaru was going to be there for Sasuke and help him get more confident and used to social situations.

When they arrived at the restaurant they headed inside and were led over to their table. It was a table in the corner by the windows and they both sat down. The hostess gave them a warm smile as she placed the menus down on the table before she spoke.

"Your server will be with you in a moment."

"Thank-you." Shikamaru said.

The hostess walked back to the front and Shikamaru and Sasuke looked at each other. They had been to dinner and lunch before many times and yet this time around it felt different. This time around it was official and for some reason that made them both nervous. Their waitress came over and gave them both a smile.

"Good evening. Can I get you both something to drink?"

"Just water for me." Sasuke said.

"Same." Shikamaru said.

"Be right back." The waitress headed back behind the bar to grab their drinks.

Once she was back and said she would give them a few minutes to decide on dinner she went off to another table. They both there in silence for a few minutes before Sasuke couldn't take it anymore.

"What are we doing? We've done this before, plenty of times. Why is this awkward?" Sasuke asked and Shikamaru could hear he was genuinely confused about it.

"Because it's our first official date. I don't know mentally it's different."

"But we've done this before, many times. We know how to do this." Sasuke said still slightly confused.

"We do know how to do this. Have you eaten here before?" Shikamaru asked picking up the menu and looking at it. Sasuke was right they have done this before and they just needed to act like they always have.

"No actually. You?"

"A few times with my parents. Their chicken is really good. It has tomatoes with it." Shikamaru said with a smile.

"Does it now?" Sasuke said with a small smile.

"You never told me why you love tomatoes so much."

Sasuke got a small genuine smile on his face and a glow in his eyes that Shikamaru had never seen before.

"They bring up a good memory." Sasuke simply said.

"Care to share?" Shikamaru asked genuinely interested in hear more about it as he had never seen that type of look on Sasuke's face before.

The waitress came back over and they both placed their orders. The waitress took their menus and went to put their order in.

"I don't have a lot of positive memories, especially from growing up. There are a few really good ones though that I can't seem to forget. No matter how pissed off at Itachi that I am. Why is that?" Sasuke asked.

"Because no matter what he did you still have those memories of him being caring towards you. When he was there in the hospital it was clear to all of us that he did care about you still. Sometimes we hurt the ones we care about and love unfortunately. What he did doesn't change those memories or how you felt at the time of those memories. It's why you can still smile when you think about them." Shikamaru explained.

"Shouldn't the bad memories taint the good though? He killed everyone and even if I want to believe there was some other reason or something else going on that I didn't know about. He still killed them. His own parents and family. Women, children. How can he do all of that and still care about me? How does that night not taint all of the other nights and days before it?"

"The mind and heart are funny things. Even though we know someone is a bad person that doesn't mean we automatically hate them. He's your brother, he was there for you growing up, he took care of you, he protected you. He protected you five months ago. You can feel angry and hurt about what he did that night, but your mind and heart still remember all of the good times and everything he did for you. It's not that easy sometimes to forget those memories or how you feel about them. Bad memories often don't taint the good ones until there are a lot of bad memories. Itachi obviously didn't care about your family. Some people are only capable of caring about one person their whole life. Their mind is just born that way. I'm sure there are scientific and medical explanations for it, but I don't know them. There is often a lot that we can't explain about people and how this world works."

"I guess it's one of those things that I won't really know until I ask him and he tells me."

"I genuinely believe that one day you will get those answers. What was the memory?"

"When I was four Itachi came back from a mission. He had been gone for two months. Whenever he came back from a mission he always made sure to do something with me that had nothing to do with being a ninja. The more opposite the better. The longer he was gone for the longer he wanted to do anything else for. That time, he came home and Father was on a mission. It was just us and he decided that we were going to start a tomato garden." Sasuke said with a small smile.

"Just randomly?" Shikamaru asked trying his best to ignore the fact that Sasuke had said it was just them. If his father was on a mission and so was Itachi then where was Sasuke's mother? He was four so was he left all alone during that time?

"Completely random. He did that sometimes. Like when I was five he came into my room in the middle of the night and we snuck out. He took me to the auditorium to play the piano for the first time. That day he thought it would be good to grow a tomato garden. He said they were easy to grow and I would know when they were ready to eat. We spent hours building it and after that it was my reminder of him. I would take care of it and show him the progress when he got back from his missions. It was kind of like an escape. Something I could focus on and make him proud. Tomatoes always remind me of that."

"That's cool that you got to do things like that. I always thought it would be nice to have an older brother. Someone to hang out with and play pranks on. It sounds like you got a different version of Itachi than everyone knows about. The human side of him."

"I guess I did. At the time I didn't know that. He was just my brother. Once when we were six we ran away. Well I thought we were running away."

"Really? What happened?"

"Things at the house were getting tense. Father and Itachi were arguing more about how much time he was spending with me. I had been sick a lot recently and Itachi didn't want to leave me when I was so sick."

"What were you sick with?"

"Itachi had been gone for three months that time around. I had pneumonia that I had an anti-biotic and an inhaler for. I was rundown, dehydrated and malnourished. It wasn't anything major I just needed some sleep and the chance to get better. Itachi was mad because Father was still making me train so many hours a day and Mother was away the whole time. He was furious when he came back."

"Rightly so. You were six and your parents weren't taking care of you like parents are supposed to. He had every right to be furious."

Sasuke gave a shrug as if it was the most normal thing in the world. At that simple gesture Shikamaru could feel a small piece of his heart breaking.

"That night he was suppose to go back out on a mission that was set to take three weeks. He refused the mission and asked to be placed on leave for three weeks stating that he was injured from the last mission. Used too much charka and his eyes were hurting. He was granted the leave and when he returned to the house he lied to Father and said he would be leaving soon. He came into my room and he started to pack my bag with some clothes and a few books, my medicine. He told me that tonight I need to be ready to leave. That I couldn't tell anyone. He said he had to leave, but he would be back tonight that I should rest until then. He left and then around midnight he came into my window. He grabbed my bag and his bag and picked me up and we left. He carried me the whole way. I fell asleep not long after we left the village. Father left for a mission the next morning. He never even knew we were gone."

"Where did you go?"

"Itachi took me to this house that the Clan owned, but never used. It was on a private beach about three days away from the village. We spent almost three weeks there. Best three weeks of my life, even though I was pretty sick for the first week. That first week he wouldn't even let me out of bed for more than five minutes. And once I was better we spent all day on the beach, swimming and building sand castles. Then we had to go back. He knew I didn't want to, but he said he made an oath to the village and he had to uphold it. He said one day we would be able to go back and stay there, but that day wasn't today. So we returned to the house and no one even knew we were gone."

"It almost sounds like he knew he was going to kill them. That all he had to do was that one task and then you both could leave the village. Like he was never expecting you to find out it was him."

"Maybe. I guess that is one of the many questions to ask him one day. I'd like to go back there one day though."

"You haven't since?"

"No. I'd like to one day though. I like the beach. It's peaceful."

"I've never been to a beach."

"Really? Not even a family vacation?"

"No we've never gone. We've done family vacations, but never to a beach. Usually we go to visit other family that isn't in the village. It'd be nice to see a beach."

"I love the beach. The ocean and the waves is really peaceful and tranquil. For the time we were there I didn't have a single nightmare. The water at night is soothing. I'd live on a beach if I could."

"Stop being a ninja?"

"Try different jobs. See which ones I like and hate. Don't you ever just want to go and explore sometimes? See the world on your own schedule. Take photos."

"I can honestly say I've never even thought about it. But I could see the appeal to explore and see the world. See what it has hidden. I'm not good at taking photos. Are you?"

"I don't know if I am. I enjoy it. I haven't done it in years though."

"Maybe you should pick it back up again."

"Maybe. Do you have hobbies?"

"Not really. I read and look at clouds you know that."

"Lazy." Sasuke said with a smirk.

"I enjoy life at a slow pace." Shikamaru corrected with a smile.

"Does that mean you're not going to go on runs with me and Shadow?"

"Not if they are at five in the morning."

"They aren't. I run at six in the morning."

"And I sleep at six in the morning. I'll come and watch you train one day though."

"We've done that many times before."

"Yes we have. I enjoy watching you train." Shikamaru said with a smile as the waitress brought their food order to them.

They both spent the rest of their dinner eating and talking about things that had come up and Shikamaru's mission. Sasuke was ready to go back out on a mission this week and Shikamaru offered to watch Shadow if he wasn't out on a mission himself. Once they were done dinner, Shikamaru paid despite Sasuke's protests that he didn't need to. They headed out and back to Sasuke's apartment. Once there Sasuke spoke.

"Do you want to come inside?"

"Ya I still have time before I need to be home."

Sasuke unlocked the door and they went inside.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Shikamaru asked.

"We could, but that's not really what I had in mind." Sasuke said with a smirk.

"And what did you have in mind?" Shikamaru asked with a smile back.

"I think you know."

"I do, but it's important for your social development to say it."

"You want to make out?" Sasuke managed to say with only a slight blush to his cheeks.

Shikamaru went over to Sasuke and pulled him into a kiss. After a moment he pulled back.

"Bedroom?" Shikamaru asked.

"Bedroom." Sasuke said as he pushed Shikamaru back towards his bedroom.

Shikamaru pulled Sasuke into a kiss and Sasuke was more than happy to kiss Shikamaru back. This was their first official date and so far it had been amazing. They were both very interested in repeating what happened a week ago, minus the hickey. This was their first date of hopefully many more to come.

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Ino and Chouji were walking down the street after Sasuke and Shikamaru had left. They were both shocked still at the fact that Shikamaru was not only gay, but dating Sasuke of all people. Chouji was not happy, because it was Sasuke and he felt that Sasuke was too cold for his best friend. Ino wasn't happy because this was Sasuke, her huge crush and future husband. He couldn't be gay. They saw Naruto and Sakura walking down the street and Ino immediately went over to them.

"You would not believe what just happened." Ino said.

"What?" Sakura asked not sure why Ino was acting this way.

"We just saw Shikamaru and Sasuke holding hands. Apparently they were going on a date. That they've been together for six months now."

"What?" Sakura asked shocked.

"What do you mean dating?" Naruto asked confused.

"They were holding hands and going out for dinner or something." Ino said.

"But Sasuke isn't gay. He can't be." Sakura said.

"Why can't he be?" Naruto asked confused again.

"Because he's supposed to be with me. He can't be gay, this is Sasuke we are talking about." Sakura said.

"Why does it matter if they are dating? If they are happy together then who are we to say they shouldn't?" Naruto asked not seeing the big deal behind it.

"Because Shikamaru deserves someone better than Sasuke. He's cold and an ass." Chouji said.

"We don't know what they are like together. Shikamaru is smart, lazy but smart. He wouldn't be with Sasuke unless he liked him. He must have some reasons to like him if he's with him. I think if they are happy then so what? Sasuke could use the happiness." Naruto said being supportive of his friend and teammate.

"If they are happy then why hide it for six months?" Ino argued back.

"I don't know. Sasuke is a private person maybe they didn't want anyone knowing until they got to know each other. Why didn't you ask them?" Naruto asked.

"They left before we could get into it. But I can promise you tomorrow I will be finding out what is really going on. There is no way my Sasuke is gay. He must be confused right now or maybe those hits to his head five months ago has altered his mind or something." Ino said.

"Or maybe he just likes Shikamaru." Naruto said with a shrug.

"I don't care if Shikamaru is gay, but he deserves someone better than Sasuke." Chouji said.

"Sasuke has his faults, but I bet there is more to him than he shows people. He wouldn't be gay though. He has to be confused. Tomorrow we can talk to him and help get him set right." Sakura said in denial.

"I think as their friends and teammates we should support them." Naruto said.

"They aren't gay. There's some kind of mistake going on here. Tomorrow it is getting sorted out." Ino said adamantly.

"Ya because Sasuke will appreciate that." Naruto said sarcastically.

"We have to try. Tomorrow when we meet up for training we can talk to him." Sakura said.

"We'll talk to Shikamaru and get this whole thing straightened out." Ino said.

"And if they both are happy with each other? What are you going to do then?" Naruto asked.

"That won't happen. This is Sasuke and Shikamaru we are talking about. Something else is going on and it's our job to find out what." Ino said.

"Maybe." Naruto said still not sure about this at all.

He didn't care if Sasuke was gay or not. He just wanted him to be happy. Sasuke was never happy and he never smiled. It would be nice for him to find happiness, even if that meant he liked guys. Naruto knew that Sasuke and Shikamaru had been spending a lot of time together since Sasuke's apartment burnt down roughly six months ago. It was the first time Sasuke seemed to have a friend and that made Naruto happy for him. He genuinely just wanted Sasuke to be happy. Like he did for all of his friends. Naruto didn't understand what the big deal was or why the other three were bothered by it. He was hoping that tomorrow wouldn't go badly, but he had a feeling it wasn't going to end well.

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It was eight in the morning the next day when there was a knock at Sasuke's door. Sasuke went and opened the door and saw Kakashi standing on the other side. Sasuke moved back as he spoke and Kakashi walked in and closed the door.

"What are you doing here this morning? We don't have training for another hour I thought."

"We do. I just wanted to come by and see how you were doing and how last night went." Kakashi answered as he bent down and picked up Shadow as the puppy came running over to him.

"It was good. Awkward at first, but we got over that and had a good time. We ran into Chouji and Ino on the way there though."

"How was that?"

"I'm not sure. They were shocked and never really got passed that part. Shikamaru said he would talk to them today. He seemed okay with it and confident that they would come around."

"I'm sure they will. It can be a shock to some at first because you both are young and this is the first time you are showing interest in someone. And that someone is another boy. The shock will wear off and they will moved passed it all."

"I hope so for him. I don't want him fighting with his friends or teammates over it. He could get hurt that way."

"Asuma will make sure they work it out. Don't worry about it Sasuke. The shock will wear off. How is this little one doing?" Kakashi asked as he petted the happy puppy.

"Okay I think. He's up every two hours to go out and he still whines when he is first placed in the crate."

"He'll get used to the crate and once he is a little older he'll be able to go longer without having to go out. How is he with walking?"

"He pulls a lot when he is just on leash. The harness you gave me works really well though. I think with practice he'll get it."

"He will. He needs lots of activity. This type of breed likes to work he'll be very good company for you. You can bring him with you today for training. He can play with my hounds."

"Is it safe for him to at his age?"

"My hounds will be careful with him. They've been around pups before. It'll be good for him to play with other dogs."

"Alright. I'm ready if you are. I know being early will be hard for you."

"I have been early before in my life. Grab your leash."

Sasuke grabbed the harness for Shadow and Kakashi placed him down on the ground. He went and grabbed the treats as Sasuke put the harness on Shadow. Once they were ready they headed out and off to the training grounds. Once there Sakura and Naruto were already there and both shocked that Kakashi was there early as well. They were also surprised to see Sasuke walking a puppy. Sakura bent down and began to pet the happy puppy.

"Well hello cutie. What's your name?"

"Shadow." Sasuke answered.

"Shadow and where did you come from?" Sakura asked as Shadow rolled around.

"He's mine. I got him a few days ago."

"Why did you get a puppy?" Naruto asked.

"Felt like it." Sasuke said as Kakashi made a seal for his hounds to appear.

Sasuke removed the harness as Kakashi turned his attention to his hounds.

"This is Shadow. He's just a pup. You play with him while I teach the kids." Kakashi said.

"Got it boss." The large bulldog said.

Shadow ran over to the hounds and started barking and looking to play. The hounds simply started walking off in the direction of the open field to play with Shadow and start training him. Kakashi wasn't worried as they had done this before with a new ninja hound puppy. Kakashi knew that Shadow was in very good hands.

"Sasuke, there's something we need to talk about." Sakura said.

"What?" Sasuke asked clearly annoyed already.

"We ran into Chouji and Ino last night and they told us that you and Shikamaru were out on a date together. But she must have been confused right?" Sakura said,

"No we were out on a date. We've been dating for almost six months." Sasuke said.

"You can't be serious? Come on Sasuke you're not gay, you don't like boys. You like girls." Sakura said with a slight condescending tone to her voice.

"I think I'm in a better position than you to say whether I like boys or girls. I like Shikamaru, we've been together for six months now. End of story." Sasuke said with an edge to his voice.

"Are you happy?" Naruto asked.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"Are you happy with him? Does he make you happy?" Naruto asked.

"Yes he does." Sasuke answered not sure where this was going.

"Then that's all that matters. I just want you happy and if being with Shikamaru makes you happy then I think you should be with him." Naruto said.

"Thanks Naruto." Sasuke said sincerely and also shocked that Naruto felt that way.

"Sasuke, you were injured and went through something traumatic. Maybe your head injury has damaged your mind or something. You should get Tsunade-Sama to look you over and make sure that you don't have brain damage. Which would account for this sudden change." Sakura said.

"Because I like Shikamaru that must mean I have brain damage? Do you hear how stupid that sounds?" Sasuke said with anger in his voice.

"Alright everyone. You all are thirteen, you are new teenagers. This is a new chapter in your lives and this is an important one. You all will begin being attracted to other people and I can guarantee it will come out of nowhere. Sasuke and Shikamaru like each other, they have before Sasuke received a head injury. There is nothing wrong with either of them, they just simply like each other in a romantic way. You both will like someone like that one day soon as well. Maybe they will be a girl or maybe a guy. You won't know until it happens and when it does you would want your friends and teammates to be supportive of you and happy for you. This is different for you both I understand that, but that does not mean you get to say hurtful things just because you don't understand. Not everyone is straight. There are gay villagers and ninja for both males and females. Part of growing up is accepting that fact and those people. Just like you would want to be." Kakashi said calmly.

"This is just really shocking and confusing. He's never showed any signs of being attracted to other boys before." Sakura said.

"No, but there is always a first time and he's never showed an attraction to females either. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with him and as his teammates you should make the effort to understand and be supportive of him." Kakashi said.

"Ok it's going to take me a little time to understand this, but I can be supportive. I'm sorry Sasuke for saying what I did." Sakura said.

"It's fine." Sasuke said just looking to end this conversation.

"So do we have a mission?" Naruto asked.

"We do not. We are training today." Kakashi answered.

"Training in what Kakashi-Sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I want to work with you on some quick and easy techniques to get out of a physical altercation that you are not prepared for. What happened on our last mission was something that could have been avoided had I taught you three what to do in that situation. It left you Sasuke unprepared for the fight that happened. You accidentally killed a man just trying to get away. I want to show you three some easy techniques you can use on someone larger than you has you trapped in that situation. Even though you are ninjas and trained, that doesn't change that you are thirteen and a grown man can still physically overpower you." Kakashi answered.

The three of them gave a nod and Kakashi began to train them on some defense techniques. They had a full day of training together and Kakashi was hoping that it would put their relationship back to normal after their conversation. Kakashi also couldn't help but wonder how Asuma was doing with the conversation he knew would be coming his way as well.

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It was just after nine when Shikamaru arrived at his team meeting place out in the forest. Asuma enjoyed training out there because it was more realistic to their missions than in an open field. Everyone else was already there waiting for Shikamaru and Shikamaru knew what was coming. He could see it clear in Chouji and Ino's eyes. Shikamaru was hoping that this would end well and not with a huge argument. He wanted to be with Sasuke and he didn't want to have to deal with his teammates fighting him on it.

"Shikamaru, we have to talk." Ino said with demand in her voice.

"Hold on everyone. That is not how you begin this conversation." Asuma automatically said.

"Well I'm sorry but I don't know how to have this conversation. How to handle seeing Shikamaru and Sasuke, my Sasuke, holding hands and going out on a date." Ino said.

"He's not yours. He's not some prize or property you can compete to have with the other girls in the village. He's a person. He doesn't belong to anyone. And like I said last night we've been together for almost six months now." Shikamaru said with anger edging his voice.

"Then why hide it? If nothing is wrong and everything is normal, why hide it?" Ino argued back.

"We're entitled to privacy and time to figure out what we feel for each other and where we want to take it. We don't have to announce it to the world that we are dating." Shikamaru said.

"Why him? Even if you like guys, why would you pick him? You deserve better." Chouji said.

"You don't even know him." Shikamaru said.

"I know he's cold and an ass to everyone. I know because of him you were attacked by those ANBU. I know you'll be hurt because of him and his enemies again one day. I know you deserve better than him." Chouji said.

"What if he has brain damage or something and that's why he is with you. He could wake up tomorrow and go back to being straight." Ino added.

"He doesn't have brain damage. We kissed before he was attacked in prison. And he might be cold to everyone else, but he's not with me. You don't know the real him, but I do. It's my decision on who I date, not yours. As my friend you should be supportive of who I date just like I would be to you. You're my best friend Chouji." Shikamaru said.

"If we were best friends then you would have told me about this months ago. I've known you since we were five and you didn't tell me. You shouldn't be with him he's only going to get you hurt again." Chouji said.

"It's my decision on who I tell and when I tell them. I wanted some time to figure it out. I didn't expect to like him. I didn't expect to kiss him, but it happened and I needed some time to work that out. We both needed some time. We're entitled to that. You don't know him so you don't get to tell me if he is good enough or not. You should be supportive of me and telling me that you're happy that I am happy with Sasuke. Like I would if the situation was reversed." Shikamaru said.

"This has to be a phase. You both are in some kind of weird phase because you both went through something together. Some kind of weird hero complex situation. That's the only explanation." Ino said.

"That is not how it works. Sasuke and Shikamaru are teenagers, just like you both are. They discovered an attraction to each other and decided to act on that attraction. It's natural and completely normal. One day you both will find someone attractive, maybe it will be a girl and maybe it will be a guy. It doesn't matter because it will just be another part of yourself that you discover. It's part of growing up, something the three of you are doing. Now you could either let this destroy your friendship with each other and team work. Or you could accept that this is a new part of Shikamaru and be supportive of this part of his life. You have to grow up at some point. This is a milestone in your life and you'll either make the right decision or you'll make one that you will live to regret." Asuma said.

"I just… I don't know I need some time to get my head around this." Ino said clearly overwhelmed with all of this.

"I don't care that you are gay. I care that you kept it from me and are dating Sasuke of all people. You deserve better and I'm always going to believe that." Chouji said.

"I'm not going to fight with you about this. I'm still going to date him. That's not going to change and I would like to be able to talk to my best friend about it." Shikamaru said.

"That's going to take some time." Chouji said clearly reluctant about this.

"I think all you just need some time to adjust to this new information. You three have been close since being placed on this team. Don't throw that away because of growing up. It would be foolish and I hope none of you are that foolish. We have training today." Asuma said slightly disappointed at the reaction that Ino and Chouji had. Asuma was hoping that they would be able to move passed all of this and continue being friends and working together as a team.

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That night Sasuke returned to his apartment with a very tired puppy. They had spent the day training on different defense techniques. Sasuke had to admit they would be helpful in a fight where his senses overpowered him again. Afterwards Kakashi had taken them all out to dinner to try and help repair their relationship with each other. Now it was eight o'clock at night and Shadow was very sleepy after playing with Kakashi's hounds all day. Sasuke went and put Shadow away in his crate before he headed back out of his apartment. Sasuke had decided that he was going to be making his apartment more like a home. He headed to his old house in the Compound. Sasuke did his best to ignore his senses as he walked through the door of his old childhood home. Sasuke headed upstairs to Itachi's room and grabbed some of the empty boxes that were in Itachi's room. He started to pack the books that he wanted from the shelves. Once that was done he grabbed the hidden photo album that Itachi had of them as well as his old camera. He also grabbed the weapons that Itachi had and placed them in another box. With that completed Sasuke grabbed the two boxes and headed back out of the house and back to his apartment.

Sasuke wanted to truly make a really go of it and build a home. The first step was making the place his own. When he got back he began to put the books away on the empty bookshelf that he had. Some of the books he had already read and some he didn't. Sasuke organized them from ninja books, to music books, to non-fiction books to fiction books. With each book that Sasuke put away he felt better and better. He felt like he could do this. That he could make a home for himself. He had a puppy, he had his books, he had his camera and he had some new weapons that he could clean and put up. He could make this a home. His first home. Once the books were put away and the photo album and camera were placed on a shelf Sasuke went into the bedroom to check in on Shadow before he would start cleaning some of the weapons.

Sasuke walked into the room and saw that Shadow was sleeping in his crate. Sasuke looked over and saw the book that he had taken with Itachi's note left in it. If he wanted to make a true home and have a real go at this he needed to be able to move on from what happened. He needed to know what happened one way or the other. Sasuke went over to the book and picked it up. He let out a long breath before he opened the book and flipped through it until he found the envelope folded up and placed in between two of the pages. Sasuke picked up the note and put the book down. Sasuke opened the envelope and began to read it. He couldn't believe what he was reading. Itachi had killed the Clan because he was ordered to. Not for the reasons that Sasuke had been led to believe. The village had betrayed him once again. It was long before he even knew about, but the Third and the Council had betrayed him when he was seven. But that brought up more questions. With the Council now dead, why wasn't Itachi here? Would he even be allowed back once his mission was complete? Maybe there was evidence of it that Sasuke could find so he could use it to get Itachi back in the village. Sasuke now had another reason to try and build a home. Itachi could be back. He could have his brother back.

All of a sudden Sasuke was hit by something. He looked down at his neck and saw that there was a dart that came through the open window. Sasuke pulled the dart out and looked at it before everything went dark. Sasuke fell back onto his bed with Itachi's note falling beside him on the bed. Two men came into his window wearing black masks. The one went to work on tying Sasuke's hands behind his back as he spoke.

"How are we going to explain this? They'll come looking for him."

The second man picked up the note and quickly read it. He smirked as he spoke.

"Easy we make it look like he left on his own. Turns out this village tried to kill him before."

"What about the dog?"

"We take it. We need to make it look like he left on his own. Find something with his writing on it so you can copy it."

The first man went about looking for something with Sasuke's writing so he can copy it to make it look like he was leaving on his own accord. The second man went to look for some paper and a pen that they could use. Once they had what they needed the second man told the first man what to write while he got a bag of clothes together for Sasuke. They had to leave it like he left on his own so they had to take some clothes and the dog. Once they had the dart they put Sasuke's forehead protector and the letter on the bed next to Itachi's letter. The first man grabbed Sasuke and threw him over his shoulder while the second man grabbed the puppy. They headed out of the window and out into the dark night with Konoha never knowing they were even there.

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The next day just after three in the afternoon Kakashi, Shikamaru, Shikaku and Yoshino were arriving at Sasuke's apartment. They were going to have another dinner together before Shikamaru and Sasuke both were sent back on missions and they might not be able to meet up together for a few weeks once again. They arrived together and Kakashi knocked on the door. After a moment when there was no answer or Sasuke calling out Kakashi knocked louder in case Sasuke was out on the balcony or in the bathroom. When there was still no answer Kakashi tried the door, but it was locked.

"Maybe he took Shadow out." Shikamaru suggested.

"Probably." Kakashi said as he pulled out his key and unlocked the door.

They all walked in and Kakashi called out.

"Sasuke."

When there was no answer they all looked at each other.

"I'm sure he's just out with Shadow." Yoshino said as she placed the bags down on the counter in the kitchen.

"I'll see if he's sleeping." Kakashi said as he was getting a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Kakashi headed down to Sasuke's bedroom and saw that the door was open. He went in and saw that Sasuke wasn't there nor was Shadow. He saw Sasuke's forehead protector and the pieces of paper on the bed and he went over and picked them up. Kakashi instantly felt his heart drop down to his stomach at the words staring back at him on the page.

If you are finding this then you know I am gone. Don't bother looking for me. I trusted this village and all they have done is betray me. The village ordered the death of my family. The death of me. I can't be somewhere that I can't even trust. I'm never coming back and I want nothing to do with anything that has to do with this village. Don't look for me. You won't find me. By the time you find this I'll be long gone and underground. I won't ever be betrayed like this again.

-Sasuke

Kakashi was instantly confused as he had no idea what Sasuke was talking about. Kakashi picked up the second piece of paper and read it.

Dear Little Brother,

By the time you read this it will be too late. The Clan will be dead and you will be on your own unfortunately. This is not how I wanted it to go. You were never supposed to come back that early. I was hoping that we could run away together and go back to the beach house. We could have been happy their just together. Where you were free from pain and abuse. I wanted to stay with you there when we left for three weeks, but I had to keep an eye on the Clan's Council as they were planning war against Konoha. I had to do this first before we could run away together.

Please understand that the Council and the Third ordered their deaths, yours included. The only way to save your life after you showed was to leave and spy on the Ataksuki. I do not know how long I will be gone for. I hope and pray that you will be looked after and okay while I am not there to take care of you. I promise you I will return to you and I will make this up to you for the rest of my life. Please forgive me for causing you this pain, but it was my job as a ninja to stop a war from coming and this was the only way.

I love you Little Brother and I will return to you.

-Niisan.

Kakashi closed his eyes just trying to get his emotions under control. He couldn't believe that the Third and the Council had betrayed Sasuke and Itachi like this. Itachi was thirteen he should never have been placed in that position. He should never have been ordered to kill his own family. Sasuke had read this last night and had obviously destroyed everything he thought he knew. That was why he left. It was one last betrayal done to him by the village that he was supposed to call home. It was finally the crack that shattered the glass. Kakashi looked in the dresser and saw that Sasuke's clothes were gone. Kakashi picked up the two letters and walked back out into the living room.

Shikamaru was holding what looked to be a photo album.

"He must have went and picked up some things from his old childhood home. He's got books, this photo album, a camera and a box full of old weapons. They look like the ones from Itachi's room. He's really starting to turn this place into a home." Shikamaru said.

"That's good. It means he is happy and looking towards a future." Yoshino said with a smile.

"What did you find Kakashi?" Shikaku asked as he saw the papers in Kakashi's hands.

"Letters. He's gone. Sasuke left the village." Kakashi said in shock still.

"He got called on a mission without you knowing?" Shikamaru asked.

"No he's gone. He left his forehead protector on the bed with a letter. He left with Shadow and he doesn't want anyone to come looking for him." Kakashi said.

"What?" Yoshino asked confused.

"There must be some mistake. Sasuke wouldn't do that." Shikamaru automatically said.

"The letter is right here. It's his writing. He opened Itachi's letter. He left that too. Itachi was ordered by the Third and the Council to kill the Clan. He told Sasuke the truth in the letter. He packed his clothes and he left with Shadow. He said he's going underground to not look for him that he won't be back. That I can't be in a village that betrayed him like this." Kakashi explained.

Shikamaru put the photo album down on the couch as he reached out to take the letters and began to read them.

"It was too much for him. It was too soon after Danzou trying to kill him. The wounds were still too fresh." Shikaku said.

"But he's just thirteen. He's upset right now and he ran away, but he'll still come back. He'll calm down and he'll come back." Yoshino said.

"I don't know. Sasuke isn't the type to make rash decisions and the ones he does he doesn't go back on it. I can buy him a little time with Tsunade before telling her, but Sasuke quit being a ninja and he left the village. She might label him a missing-nin anyways because of his abilities and the Sharigan." Kakashi said.

"She might not have a choice even though he left his forehead protector. He wasn't officially released. She might have to send an ANBU squad out there to locate him. You might have to pick the squad and order it." Shikaku said sympathetically to Kakashi.

"I can convince her to let me go first and try to locate him. My hounds might be able to follow his scent or Shadow's, He's mad, upset and hurt right now if I could talk to him I know I could get him to see reason and to calm down. I just need to find him to do that." Kakashi said.

"He was trying to make a home here. He brought books back and Itachi's weapons to clean. He brought a photo album and his camera. He was just telling me at dinner how he thought he would pick it back up. He loved taking pictures he said. He was making a home and now this happened. He knows better than this. He knows he could have come to talk to any of us about this and we could have worked it out. We could have figured it out. Why would he leave? After everything we've been through why wouldn't he even say goodbye to me?" Shikamaru asked with hurt full in his voice.

"Because he's thirteen and just found out that his only family was forced to kill the Clan. That the village betrayed him when he seven, wanted him dead then. He's angry, hurt and betrayed. He reacted like a normal angry teenage does and he left. He left without thinking it through and without a clear thought. It's what angry teenagers do." Shikaku said.

"I need to find him. I need to try and stop this before it reaches the point where I can't protect him. If he's labeled a missing-nin he'll have hunters after him. They'll want to kill him and if he is found he could be in prison for life or put to death for being a traitor. I need to find him to stop this." Kakashi said with panic slightly in his voice.

"You should go and start looking. He might not have gotten that far. If you hurry you may be able to catch up to him." Yoshino said trying to think of how far Sasuke could have gotten with a puppy.

"I'll stall with Tsunade until you get back." Shikaku said.

Kakashi gave a nod and he headed out of the apartment and ran towards the front gates. He summoned his hounds once he was outside and together they began to look for Sasuke. Shikamaru sat down on the couch still in shock. Both of his parents felt horrible for him. They could see how much this had hurt him and they couldn't blame him. Shikamaru and Sasuke had gotten close to each other in the past six months and they were truly starting to have a real relationship with each other. This was going to be hurting Shikamaru for a long time to come.

"I can't believe he left without saying goodbye. I would have understood. I could have talked to him and got him to do this the right away. He could have left with permission or taken a leave of absence until he knew what he wanted to do. I would have helped him with this. How could he just leave without even saying goodbye to me even in a letter? I thought he cared about me." Shikamaru said with hurt all throughout his voice.

"He does care Sweetie. He's just not thinking clearly right now. Once he's had some time to calm down he'll realise what a mistake he's made and he'll come back and apologise for this." Yoshino said as she went and sat down next to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru picked up the photo album and looked through some of the photos on the first two pages. They were all of Itachi and Sasuke smiling together and having fun. This was the small bit of happiness that Sasuke had as a child and Shikamaru just couldn't leave it behind.

"Can I keep it, until he gets back? I don't want it to go missing on him. It's all he had left of those rare happy moments." Shikamaru said as explanation.

"Of course you can." Yoshino said with understanding in her voice.

"Let's wait until Kakashi comes back with Sasuke. We can sort this out. Once he's had some time he'll see that he made a horrible mistake." Shikaku said.

Shikamaru gave a nod as he continued to hold the photo album. The three of them stayed there for a few hours waiting to see if Sasuke would come back. But once it got too late they had no choice, but to go back home and home that Kakashi would find Sasuke and bring him back.

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Sasuke slowly came back to consciousness. He felt like his whole body had been tied down. Everything was heavy and he was having a harder time keeping his eyes open. Sasuke forced his eyes to open and take in the room around him. He was cold and on something hard so he knew that he wasn't in his room. Sasuke was trying to remember the last thing he could remember, but all he could recall was reading Itachi's letter and then everything after that goes blank. Sasuke finally got his eyes to clear enough that he could take in the room that he was in. Sasuke first noticed that it was a dirt room. The walls were dirt and the floor was a hard cement. Sasuke saw that he was only wearing his shorts and he had some kind of collar around his neck that was attached to a metal chain that went into the middle of the room. In the room was a thin and dirty mattress on the ground and that was it. There was no blankets or sheets. There was no windows in the room and the door was a metal door with no handle on the inside.

Sasuke managed to push himself into a sitting position just as the door opened and a man with a mask walked into the room.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Sasuke asked with a hoarse and weak voice from whatever drug was given to him.

The man placed a try with a piece of bread and a small cup of water on the ground before he spoke.

"Welcome to your new home. No one will find you here. They all think you left on your own. Enjoy your new home." The man said before he turned and slammed and locked the door shut.

"What do you want with me!" Sasuke yelled, but he got no answer.

Sasuke began to pull at the chain with what little strength he had in his body, but it was no use. It wasn't going to break. Sasuke then heard the whimpering somewhere behind him. Sasuke turned around and slowly made his way over to the bed. He saw Shadow hiding under the mattress at one end. Sasuke picked up the shaking puppy and put him against his chest as he sat back on the mattress with his back against the wall.

"At least I have you. Don't worry Kakashi will figure it out. He'll know I wouldn't just leave like that. He'll find us. We just have to wait until he does. You'll see the next time that door opens it'll be Kakashi walking through to save us. He'll have killed whoever took us and he'll take us home. We just have to hold on until he does." Sasuke said to Shadow and he petted the scared puppy.

Sasuke was praying that he was right. That Kakashi would walk through that door and he would make everything okay again. He just had to hold on until that happened. A day or two at most and they would be free. Kakashi would free them.

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It was a week later when Kakashi knocked on the Nara's door. He had spent the week looking for Sasuke and Shadow with his hounds and he unfortunately came up with nothing. They weren't able to find any trace of him. Whatever Sasuke did to cover his tracks he did it perfectly to the point that Kakashi couldn't find them. Shikaku opened the door and he was relieved to see Kakashi standing there.

"You didn't find him." Shikaku said as he saw Kakashi's face.

Kakashi shook his head and Shikaku moved back to let Kakashi in. Yoshino and Shikamaru were sitting in the living room and both looked at Kakashi as he walked in.

"Did you find him?" Shikamaru asked with hopefulness to his voice.

"No I didn't. I didn't find any trace of either of them. I didn't have a choice I had to come back." Kakashi said with remorse in his voice.

"What happens now then?" Shikamaru asked with worry.

"I had to tell Tsunade what happened. She sympathised with what Sasuke has been through and what he just discovered, but she still has to follow the law. As of right now Sasuke is being classified as a missing-nin and he will be placed in the Bingo Book because of his Sharigan and his abilities. There is concern that he could be looking for Itachi as well and that could make Itachi switch loyalties and betray Konoha. She is sending out an ANBU squad to try and find him." Kakashi answered.

"And if they do find him?" Yoshino asked.

"The faster they find him the better his chances. If he comes in without fighting then he's looking at probation at worse. Chances are she'll terminate his ninja status and let him be a civilian in that case Sasuke would then be able to leave as long as he doesn't practice being a ninja again. The longer he is gone though, the worse the punishment because then you can't guarantee he hasn't released dangerous information about Konoha." Kakashi answered.

"He's going to be hunted by the same village that has now tried to kill him twice. Any ANBU that goes after him will just kill him because of what happened to Danzou." Shikamaru said.

"I know. All we can do at this point is hope for two outcomes. He comes to his senses and comes back or he finds Itachi and Itachi keeps him safe until his mission is complete and can use that as leverage to keep Sasuke out of prison or being killed. Because if the ANBU do find Sasuke they'll kill him without hesitation. It doesn't matter that I am their leader and wouldn't want it. They will take the opportunity to hurt Itachi for what he did to the Council. All we have is those two other options. My hounds are going to stay out and try to locate him or Itachi. Hopefully they find one of them before it's too late." Kakashi said sadly.

"The village is the one that let Sasuke down again. He shouldn't be the one hunted. He shouldn't have left, but he was being a thirteen year old. There should be some lenience considering everything he has been through." Shikaku said with anger in his voice at the situation. He couldn't blame Sasuke, because Sasuke was truly just being his age. Any child that had been through what Sasuke had been through in his life would have reacted the exact same way.

"All we can do is hope that Sasuke will be granted a pardon for this. He's going to regret leaving and when that happens he will come back. He just unfortunately have to wait for that to happen and hope for the best." Kakashi said sadly once again.

"I can't believe this is happening. After everything we've been through this is how it ends?" Shikamaru said with hurt and shock in his voice.

"It's not the end. He'll come back." Yoshino said trying to offer what little comfort she could to her son.

"I fell in love with him." Shikamaru said softly as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Yoshino pulled Shikamaru into a hug as she spoke.

"He cares about you. He'll come back and you can yell at him for leaving like this. You wait and see he'll come through that door any day now feeling terrible about all of this." Yoshino said.

"I'm sorry Shikamaru." Kakashi said sympathetically.

"It's not your fault. Its Konoha's its Danzou and the Council's fault. It's the Third's fault for doing that to two children. Itachi was thirteen he should never have been ordered to kill his own family. They deserved the death they got and if this Council destroys Sasuke's life because of it, then they deserve to die too. All Konoha has done is make Sasuke a victim and tried to kill him. He didn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve this. He was finally getting happy and building a home, his first home and now it's all gone. He could die and I never got to say goodbye. I never got to tell him that I love him." Shikamaru said as another tear rolled down his cheek.

"You can't think like that Son. You have to have hope that one day you'll meet again. I know it hurts right now, but it won't always hurt. As hard as it might be you can't spend your days watching a door and waiting for him to walk through it. You have to continue on living your life and one day he might be a part of that again. But you can't let your life die sitting around waiting for someone that might not show. Give yourself time, but eventually you'll have to move on." Shikaku explained sadly.

"I'm not ready for that yet." Shikamaru said.

"Take all the time you need. No one's rushing you Son." Shikaku said gently.

Yoshino continued to hold her son as his heart was slowly breaking. The four of them stayed there in that room silently comforting each other. None of them ever knowing just what hell Sasuke was facing.

The End

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So this is the end of the second story in my Flames Series. The next story is already being written so it won't be long before you get an update on what happens next. I will be jumping ahead a few years into the future to make it work with my ideas. It will be a darker story more so than the other two, but it will still hold a lot of good moments between Shikamaru and Sasuke.

I hope you enjoyed this story and the series so far. I never thought I would be doing a SasukeXShikamaru relationship before and now that I have I'm really enjoying the pair of them and I hope you are as well. Review please and tell me what you think and what you hope will happen in the next story.