Chapter Two


From the moment a five year old Itachi held his tiny, rosy-cheeked baby Sasuke in his arms, he knew he would go to extreme lengths for his precious brother. He knew, even at that young age, that it was borderline unhealthy how much he cared, but he took being a big brother very seriously. He had no qualms with beating up potential bullies or kissing boo-boos when his mother couldn't. He also had no problem with scaring off any of Sasuke's lovers that he suspected only wanted him for his looks or prestige. This was, sadly, all of them.

And the tragic truth was Itachi did this quite often.

From the time little Sasuke gone from the cute little boy that held his hand on the way to kindergarten to his angst-filled years in high school and beyond, Itachi had been his guardian angel. Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't see it that way. But it truly didn't matter. He ran off fawning girls and curious boys by the thousands and regretted none of it. He stood behind him with the things he needed and in front of him and the things he wanted.

But then there was Sai.

Sai was, to put it bluntly, a sticky-fingered little son of a bitch. Before Itachi even had a chance to blink, he was latched on to Sasuke's side like a barnacle, sticking along for the ride. The little parasite laughed at all his attempts to drive him off. He told him that Sasuke didn't really care, that he had other lovers, anything to make him go away. But somehow, he saw past Itachi's usually utterly convincing stone face and called his bluff. He literally laughed, at Itachi, in his face. At that point Itachi considered how to get away with murder. He had the resources to do it—abandoned buildings, a vat of liquid concrete; you know, the usual— but when his dear brother said that he l-l-loved the little fucking twat, Itachi was stumped. Sasuke never loved anyone he dated, not really. He may have been fond of them, or liked to have them around, but it wasn't love. That didn't mean it didn't suck to have someone you at least like disappear on or dump you. So this was big. Almost big enough for Itachi to admit defeat, step aside, and realized that Sasuke could handle his own life. Hey, I said almost.

Anyway, if Itachi didn't hate the little twit so much, he might have been somewhat attracted to him. He was just like Itachi-just a version of him with shorter, less luscious hair, paler skin, and the addition of those outlandishly gaycropped shirts—too bad everyone and their freaking father was somewhat attracted to him too. Sai had too many lovers to count, and Itachi knew this without following him around. It was so obvious and out there that Itachi had no idea how Sasuke didn't see it. Maybe he was too blind with love. He didn't have the heart to tell Sasuke that Sai wasn't faithful, because his otouto wouldn't' believe him anyway. Sai didn't fuck the others often, according to him; he just went to them for the emotional side of a relationship that Sasuke lacked in (A simple case of the apple calling the orange fruity, if you asked Itachi.) Sasuke, apparently, was a beast in the sack, and Sai wasn't gung-ho to let him go, a statement which would have made Itachi smirk proudly if it wasn't coming from him.

So Itachi, realizing that there was no way to shake him off without Sasuke wanting to, they struck a deal. Sai could have all the lovers he wanted, as long as they were clean and he didn't bring back any diseases. And in return Sai would drive off all the others that tried to flock to Sasuke's side. He figured they could keep the arrangement up for a few months while Itachi worked on finding someone more suited for his little brother or until Sasuke would eventually tire of him and kick him to the curb. Hopefully it would be the latter. But, alas and alack, the relationship lasted for six motherfucking years. Sai still would give him that saucy, victorious smirk whenever they saw each other and Itachi was really considering putting in that order in for the concrete. Granted, Sasuke would bitch and moan about Sai sometimes and Itachi would be there to pat his back and nodded and (gently) suggest they break it off, but Sasuke would refuse, saying they could work it out, and be off his couch and back into the little shit's arms the next day.

It probably would have gone on like this forever had Sai not royally fucked up. In what Itachi likes to call "The Great Purge of 2013", he finally pulled Sai away from Sasuke (Hopefully forever). So what happened, you might ask? Simple. Sai got some random girl pregnant. Apparently he was, an always had been, bi-sexual and went around planting seeds in innocent young women (Who knew?). Itachi didn't know how any woman could find anyone that obviously gay attractive enough to hop into bed with and get knocked up by, but that didn't have anything to do with him. What did have to do with him was the vicious right-hook he sent to Sai's pretty little face (followed by another two-piece and a biscuit) when he showed up with the news to his house, giving him a sheepish shrug and a shitty explanation. Itachi didn't care; this was the absolute last straw. Too bad Sai didn't see it that way. He knew that Itachi wouldn't dare tell Sasuke, because he knew that Sai would then tell him that Itachi always knew what was going on, and neither of them wanted their secrets getting out. Itachi was almost ready to leave it at that, but then it dawned on him. Sai was fucking broke. So if he was planning to take care of this baby, he'd be using Sasuke's money. There was not goddamn way his baby brother was going to be unconsciously taking care of his boyfriend's bastard kid.

So, in a fit of unusual desperation on Itachi's part, when Sai was about to leave, he spun him around and kissed him. Sai was surprised at first, but then wrapped his legs around his waist and treaded his fingers through his hair, moaning like a whore. Itachi was no fool; he knew how Sai looked at him when he thought he wasn't paying attention. He knew that Sai had always wanted this, so he figured in that split second that if he wanted to get this monkey off Sasuke's back ,he was going to have to throw himself into Sai's crosshairs (Hey, I said almost).

Sure, the sex was good, and the head Sai gave was great, but Itachi knew he never get caught up with actually feelings for him. Sai was a snake, though and though. But Sai seemed to be enraptured with him, breaking it off with Sasuke only a week after they had first slept together. Sai had nowhere to go, so Itachi begrudgingly let him move in with him. Sai was ecstatic, gushing (about as much as a guy like him could) about how happy he was that they finally had to stop pretending they didn't like each other and be together. Right. Itachi just gave him a forced grin—one that anyone he knew him truly would have seen right through— and nodded in agreement.

Sure, his father gives him stern, cold glares and expresses how disappointed he is, and his mother would give him sad smiles and sigh so heavily that it made his heart clinch painfully, but it wasn't about them. It was about Sasuke. It had always been about Sasuke. He wasn't going to let anyone hold his otouto back. Not now, not ever. There was someone out there that would cherish have love him in the way he deserved. So it didn't matter that Sasuke barely looked him in the eye anymore. He would forgive him when he found someone better, someone worthy. So here Itachi would stay, Sasuke's silent, white knight that worked in the shadows, keeping the likes of Sai and any others away from his precious brother, even if it killed him.

: Infinity Hill:

By nine forty-five, the table was covered in an assortment of food. Waffles, bacon, eggs—The works— Sasuke had no idea why Naruto would think he would be able to finish it all. But damn, was it delicious. The magnificent food made his mouth water. Sai had been a terrible cook, so he always ended up eating frozen, pre-made food. He hadn't had had a fresh, home-cooked meal since he lived with his parents. He rolled his last piece of sausage around with his fork, on eyebrow perched high on his brow.

"Wait, wait, and start over one more time, please." Sasuke said, sipping a bit of coffee. Naruto gave him an affectionate, if not slightly irritated, smile, but acquiesced nonetheless.

"Alright, fine. But actually listen to me this time, okay Sasuke? Don't interrupt me every five seconds, or I'll lose my train of thought." Sasuke gave a little grunt and motioned for him to continue.

"Okay," Naruto said, clapping his hands together, "There are two types of Seekers, that's what you call "people" like me. One type is a "Tangible", which is what I am." He said, pointing to himself.

"Tangibles are the good guys, technically. We are born from good emotions, thoughts, and actions. When someone, that would be you in this case, buys or receives someone like me for a gift or whatever, we start out as blank slates. We feed off the energies you send out. Vibes, I guess you could say. We are also supposed to protect you, whenever you need us."

Sasuke nodded, somewhat grasping what he was saying. "So then, the Intangibles feed off of bad energy?" He questioned.

"Exactly!" Naruto said, nodding his head excitedly. "When someone is really hateful, or bitter and angry all the time, then the Seeker grows into an Intangible. It's kind of sad, really; they can't control what they become and are out of control all the time."

"But that's only part of it. We also become a reflection of what someone really is or wants to be on the inside. So, in truth, I'm here to be everything you're not, Sasuke." Naruto said, beaming. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that.

"So you mean to tell me that I really want to be a blond-haired, blue-eyed idiot with flaming tails?" Well, the flaming part is true, Sasuke thought silently. Naruto's eye twitched.

"I'll let that one slide, you bast- I mean, master. But that's not what I meant. Just because you are broody, mean, and a bit of an asshole doesn't mean you want to be all the time. That's just who you are. If you could be warmer, or more inviting and in touch with your emotions, you would be, you just don't know how. " Sasuke sniffed.

"And how would you know that?" He didn't want to admit it, but he didn't like that Naruto seemed to be able to read him easily. Naruto gave him a disbelieving look, his eyes clearly saying: "what did I just say?" Sasuke rolled his eyes and they fell into silence. Naruto began to pick at his unfinished food, and Sasuke ended up pushing the rest of it over to him. He was stuffed, and the idiot hadn't eaten, so he could just have it. Naruto smiled at him, but Sasuke didn't return it. He had other things on his mind.

"That still doesn't explain why that "Gaara" attacked me." He said after a beat.

"Oh! Right, well… you know someone named Sakura, don't you?" Naruto said.

Yes, he knew Sakura. She was probably the closest thing he had to a best friend. They had come a long way, though, as she had originally started out as a fan girl. She had followed him around though high school, claiming that they were going to get married one day. That was before he came out to anyone but his family, so for a while, he dealt with it. Besides, when she hung around him, all the other girls gave he a wide berth, wary of her Hulk strength and quick temper. It wasn't until one day, when he had gotten into a big argument with his then boyfriend that he snapped on her when she asked him what is problem was, twisting his hair around he fingers and making cow eyes at him. He shrugged off her friendly arm that was thrown over his shoulder none-to-gently and hit her with a quick: "Sakura, I'm fucking gay, knock it off." He then closed his eyes and waited to be punched.

When nothing came, he opened his eyes again, finding Sakura standing, a frozen statue with her mouth gaping like a fish and her eyes bugged wide. He got a little alarmed, worried that she wasn't breathing, but then, just like that, she snapped out of it. She tried her best to smile, even though it was a little watery, and stepped forward to give him a tight hug. She asked him what was wrong again, and this time he told her. Since then, they'd been inseparable. They had, purely by coincidence, gone to the same college and even got jobs two blocks away from each other- He at the news studio and she at an upscale bakery-They would always bring lunch for each other or spend it together. The food she brought was always better than his. After all these years, Sakura was like a sister to him. Even so, she never asked him about his sex life or anything like that, because he still suspected that she was a little sore about the whole matter, but always gave her support when he needed it. He, long ago, had admitted to himself that if his interests weren't what they were, she would be the type of girl he went for. She was smart, kind, and successful, but at the same time didn't take anyone's shit. She was almost like the female version of him, sans the kind part. But what did any of this have to do with her?

"Yes, I do, she's a good friend of mine, what of it?" He asked, feeling a little defensive of her.

"And you know someone named Lee, don't you?"

"Screams about youth all the time, needs a bottle of Nair and a weed-whacker for those things he calls eyebrows, seizure-inducing jump suit, yeah, I know him too. I repeat, what do either of them have to do with Gaara?"

"You know how Lee is in love with Sakura, right?" obsessed was more like it. He remembered when he had gone down to the police station to file the first restraining order with Sakura a few years ago. She had been really freaked out to find Lee camping outside her apartment on the fire escape, nose pressed to the sliding door, and Sasuke had been really pissed off that he hadn't gotten the chance to kick his creepy ass down the ladder before the cops showed up.

"Well aware, yes."

"Well, Gaara belongs to Lee. Used to, I should say. Long story short, Lee freaking hates you, dude. He knew that Sakura was in love with you and resented you for it, and he probably whispered all his problems to plushy-Gaara and how much he wished he could be like you so Sakura would love him. In turn, Gaara become an Intangible and the day he attacked you, Lee had gotten turned down by Sakura again and tried to kill himself."

"Damn." Sasuke said, feeling a little terrible, "So what you're saying is that because Lee wanted to be a broody, angry asshole like me, his doll became evil?"

"Yep!" Naruto said with a smile. "But deep down inside, that's not who you are, so he kind of screwed Gaara."

"I guess." Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't do that, it's true! You the most considerate, most wonderful person I know, Sasuke!" Naruto said with a slight (adorable) pout.

"You must not know many people, then."

"Oh come off it! Look, I know you like to uphold the bad boy image, but I'm living proof that that's not what you really are. Sure, you're a dick sometimes, but who isn't? If you really care about someone, you go out of your way to accommodate them and make them happy, even at your own expense! Sure, you're a but stingy with your affection, because not everyone deserves it! You can be cold, a seemingly uncaring, but I've seen the way you treat your family and friends! You can be warm and loving, but only to the right people! Deep down inside, you're a good fucking person, Okay!?"

Naruto huffed, cheeks flushed from yelling. Sasuke tried not to feel flattered, but he did. That little speech was…nice. His own cheeks colored a little. No one, save for his mother, had ever spoke that kindly, if that was even the word, about him. He could tell that Naruto had some sort of hero-worship for him, and he was surprised at himself for not really minding.

"Um, thank you, for…thing that, I guess." He said, starching the back of his head, embarrassed. Naruto looked away from him, red as a tomato.

"Look, Sasuke," He said softly after a few beats of silence. "I've been watching you for a long time, and I've seen you at your best and your worst. You don't have to pretend with me. Just-just don't talk badly about yourself when I'm around, okay? I hate it." The last part was such a low whisper that Sasuke had to strain to hear it. Naruto looked down, dejectedly, pushing the fork back and forth over a half-eaten sausage link. He could have kicked himself. From what he said, Naruto practically lived for him; of course he would want to hear Sasuke berate himself. Sasuke sighed, standing up and rounded the table, not really sure if he should hug him or something. They had just met, even though he could tell that Naruto probably knew him better than anyone else he knew. He sighed heavily. Naruto was already affecting him like this less than an hour after formally meeting, with his big blue eyes and handsome face. He even looked like a fox with little whisker like scars on his face. He was bright and sunny and supportive. Naruto was the exact opposite of him, and just the kind of guy he would go for. Shit, was he really checking out his plushy doll?

He was so fucked.

He patted Naruto's shoulder, lifting his chin so that they could look each other in the eyes. Naruto bit his lip and blinked up at him, his lashing fluttering a bit. Sasuke felt even worse for taking the smile off of his face. He sighed again.

"Fine, I promise I won't talk bad about myself, alright?" He said. Naruto beamed up at him, all traces of sadness gone. Sasuke blinked.

"Great! No what are we going to today, huh Sasuke?" Naruto said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. His supposed sadness just turned off like a light switch.

Oh no, oh hell no, this little bastard didn't not just manipulate him in his own house.

"You were acting!" He hissed. Naruto had the gall to fucking laugh. Sasuke felt his eyes twitch. He took a menacing step forward, but it only served to make Naruto laugh harder. He held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Nuh uh, I meant every word I said! But I got you to promise, no take backs!" He grinned. Sasuke decided right then that he hated him.

"Get out of my house." He said dryly.

"EHH? Saaaasukkke, nooooo, I'm sorry!" He said, still laughing. Sasuke rolled his eyes and tried to escape the kitchen, but Naruto accosted him, jumping on his back.

"Get off me, idiot!" He said, even though a smile began to creep onto his face. He grabbed at the arms around his neck and swinging him around futilely. Naruto responded by wrapping his legs around him, nearly choking him to death when his arms tightened. It turned into an all-out wresting match, and Sasuke felt himself chucking as they began to play fight. He never just started random playing with anyone else. Not even Sai. This was…different. He had no idea what he was doing. They'd just met, he didn't even know if Naruto had a last name. He felt connected to Naruto in a way he couldn't explain. Maybe it was the whole "master" thing or that he had basically helped shape Naruto into the "person" he was (apparently), but he knew that right now, he was enjoying himself immensely.

Naruto was laughing too, and somehow they ended up moving out of the kitchen into the living room, and ended up on the floor, trying to see who could push the other into submission. They switched between tickling and poking each other. Sasuke had the sneaking suspicion that Naruto was letting him win.

Or maybe not. Naruto got Sasuke underneath him, legs wrapped around his waist and holding Sasuke's hands beside his head. They were both wheezing and out of breath, laughing and panting every few seconds. Naruto was smiling down at him, and Sasuke felt compelled to return it. He hadn't really had any type of fun recently, but he could see that Naruto staying with him was going to be. He didn't think it would be all bad. Just then, Naruto opened his mouth to say something, probably to gloat, when Sasuke heard the lock to his front door click and the door flew open dramatically.

"Sasuke! Are you-"His brother called out. He looked frazzled. Sasuke was surprised. The drive from his parents' house was an hour away. He must have been driving like a madman to get here so fast. His words caught when he caught sight of them on the floor. Naruto was frozen on top of him, and Sasuke was aware of how bad this looked. Their close were wrinkled, hair mussed, and their faces were red from breathing too hard. He grimaced. He foolishly began to sit up, but Naruto hadn't moved yet, so Naruto ended up in his lap, their legs on either side of each other. They started into each other eyes for a moment before Naruto scrambled off of him, and Sasuke cleared his throat. Itachi, in the meantime, straightened, running a hand though his hair and tugging down the bottom of his shirt where it had ridden up upon his entrance. Sasuke felt a pang of irrational jealously spring up when he noticed Naruto's eyes follow the movement. For fucks sake, did everybody drool over his brother?

"Itachi." Sasuke said with a lot more malice than he intended. His brother wasn't paying attention to him though, he was watching Naruto.

"Who in the fuck are you?" He said bluntly. Sasuke huffed. Ah yes, that classic Uchiha charm, always on full display. His good mood was slowly vanishing. He went to stand up when Naruto did. Naruto eyebrows furrowed, obviously a little miffed, and opened his mouth to speak. Sasuke knew he was probably going to tell him the truth. The truths in which Itachi would never believe, call him insane, and would almost certainly call a mental hospital to come and pick Naruto up, straight jacket and all. So Sasuke decided to do what he did best: Lie is ass off.

"Naruto is an old friend of mine from college. I forgot that I said I'd let him stay here for a while, you know, because of everything that's…happened. But he kindly reminded me after I tried to stab his eyes out with a kitchen knife, didn't you, Naruto?" He said, cocking his head towards him, hoping he would get to play along. Naruto put on his best smile which, to Sasuke's surprise, didn't look forced at all. He walked over to Itachi and lifted his hand for a handshake.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Itachi-san; Sasuke's told me so much about you." Itachi stared at the outstretched hand for a long time, blankly, until Naruto finally got the hint and slowly lowered it. Itachi then looked over him to Sasuke, who was trying his best not to fidget at Itachi's scrutinizing stare. He knew that if he looked away or made one wrong move that the jig was up.

"Sasuke, can I talk to you privately?" He said, giving Naruto a pointed look. Naruto grumbled something about rude assholes but made his way into the kitchen nonetheless. Sasuke stood straighter, feeling his hackles instinctively rise at being alone with his brother. He secretly hated that it had become like this between them, but it wasn't his fault. He hoped that one day he could forgive him, but he didn't see that happening any time soon, and it certainly wasn't going to be today.

As soon as Naruto had gotten far enough away, Itachi sauntered over to him, obviously trying to seem calm and collected instead of frantic and anxious like he had been moments before. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me." Itachi snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. All that was missing was the "young man" at the end of the sentence and the scene would have fit better with a father chastising a son instead of two brothers speaking to each other. Sasuke felt the urge to push him out, lock the door, and change the key. Itachi always had the habit of trying to be his dad, and it pissed him off. He was only five years older than him, for god's sake!

"I didn't." Sasuke lied. "I was looking at something on the ceiling." Itachi regarded him humorlessly.

"Sasuke." He said flatly. Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh though his nose.

"What?" He asked, blinking slowly.

"You never mentioned this…friend of yours, before. Explain."

"We weren't very close before, we just met up again recently." Itachi hummed, obviously still suspicious.

"So you let him stay over, even though you weren't that close?" Sasuke gritted his teeth. He could feel himself getting irked. He nearly jolted in surprise when he thought he heard a slight growling sound coming from the kitchen. Itachi was too focused on him apparently to notice.

"Yes." Itachi sighed, running a hand though his hair again.

"Don't lie. "

"I'm not."

"Sasuke-"

"Seriously, Itachi, will you back off? He's just a friend!"

"The type of friend you roll around with on the floor with barely any clothes on? Tell me how that makes sense." Itachi said, crossing his arms again.

"I don't have to tell you shit!" Sasuke said, struggling to keep his voice low. All he needed was for Naruto to think he was in trouble, go ape shit and turn into the fox-bear-thing again. Though that didn't sound too bad right about now. Itachi narrowed his eyes and took a step toward him, getting into his personal space. Sasuke hated the fact that his brother was taller than him, even if it was not by much.

"So I'm not allowed to be worried about you anymore?" Itachi hissed.

"Yeah, you kind of revoked those privileges when you-"

"Shut up, we're not talking about that right now. How do you just forget that someone was supposed to be in your house, Sasuke? That's not like you. So who is he really?"

"Fuck you. I said I forgot and that's the end of it. You wasted your time driving all the way over here for nothing. I'm fine. Now see yourself out." He said, turning around. He didn't feel like dealing with this at the moment. Itachi had no right to question him about anything. He could just hope back in his car and carry his ass away from here. Itachi grabbed his shoulder and flipped him back around, bringing up his other arm and holding his other shoulder. He searched Sasuke's eyes, looking for something that Sasuke wasn't sure of.

"I know that you're angry with me, Sasuke, but if something's going on or you're in some kind of danger you can tell me." Sasuke glared at him and roughly pushed him away.

"I told you, everything is fine. So drop it, alright?!" Itachi sighed again. It seemed like they were doing a lot of that lately. He didn't grab for him again. They just stared at each other, waiting for the other to look away. It, of course, sort of turned into a silent competition: They knew that whoever didn't look away would be the victor.

And this would have continued until the sun went down and the cows came home, but Naruto wasn't having any of it. He must have thought his cue to come back when he heard them stop talking.

"Are you done talking about me, now?" He said, poking his head out from the kitchen doorway. Itachi narrowed his eyes at him, but Naruto only stuck his tongue out at him. Sasuke felt his lips twitch.

Itachi huffed, obviously a little irritated, but he seemed to be ready to go now that he was sure that everything was alright. Sasuke felt like he couldn't get him out fast enough. His brother always had the habit of sticking his nose, and other…things, into matters that had absolutely nothing to do with him. Sasuke also wanted this time to try and get to know Naruto, seeing as how he was going to be living here indefinitely. Not to mention the whole "I'm supposed to protect you and I turn into a fucking composite animal to do so" thing. He didn't think the rest of the world was ready to find out that there was a living one roaming around just yet. So he would keep him here, just in case, until he knew how much Naruto could handle by himself in the real world.

"Alright, Sasuke, if you're sure." He said, patting his shoulder slightly. Sasuke nodded, not really sure what to do now. Usually this was the part when they would give each other a (manly) hug and Sasuke would tell Itachi to call once he got home to make sure he got in okay or vice versa. His hands twitched awkwardly at his side and he suddenly became unsure of what to do with his hands. He settled on stuffing his hands in his pants pockets. Itachi seemed to notice too: An odd look settled on his face and he pursed his lips slightly, looking off to the side agitatedly. He opened and closed his fists, as if he was fighting with himself to keep from reaching out to Sasuke. It was strange, and infuriating, to Sasuke how one tiny little thing could throw off the balance they had in place for years. His eyes narrowed at the thought. But, once again, it was not his fault. His mind was taken over with a newer and more embarrassing thought. Naruto was behind him watching this wholly uncomfortable exchange, probably silently judging them on the way they fidgeted and tried their hardest to look at everything but each other. He cringed. Naruto would possibly think him weird now. Humph. Like he had any room to talk.

"So, um, yeah. It supposed to rain today…um…don't get washed away." Sasuke said, immediately kicking himself repeatedly in the face mentally after the words tumbled out. Really? That's the best you could come up with? He said to himself. Who the fuck even says stuff like that? Perfect way to end a conversation, Sasuke, ya nailed it. I'm not even a goddamn weatherman.

"Well, um, thank you." Itachi said, looking at him oddly. "I'll…try not to. See you later, Sasuke." Sasuke nodded, wished that the ground would open up and swallow him.

"Bye, Itachi-san. It was still nice meeting you." Naruto said with a wave, Itachi made noise in the back of his throat and nodded to him, the only proof that he even acknowledged his existence at all.

The door closed. And both Naruto and Sasuke stared at it until they heard the car start outside and Itachi pull away. Naruto made an odd noise in the back of his throat, which almost sounded like a laugh, and that made Sasuke look in his direction.

"Well, that was freaking awkward." He said with a sheepish smile. Sasuke groaned, putting a hand to his forehead. He could feel a headache coming on.

"Tell me about it."

: Infinity Hill:

On the drive home, Itachi was fighting two emotions: pissed and pleased. Pissed because instead of his customary and coveted goodbye hug, he barely managed to get an awkward sendoff with even awkward-er wording. Pleased because at least Sasuke didn't wish that his car would blow up and he burn to death in a roadside ditch somewhere. He was making some headway. Pissed because Sasuke had lied to him about the random guy in his house. Sure, he was attractive, but he wasn't one of Sasuke's college friends. Itachi kept of log of all of Sasuke's friends, but he had no way of knowing that, but that was beside the point. Pleased because if he wasn't one of Sasuke's recorded friends, then must have been a new lover. It was great that Sasuke was trying to move on, but Itachi knew nothing about him and had no time for a background check. So that also made him a little pissed.

He pulled up to his house nearly two hours later, so lost in his thoughts that he was driving slower than usual and almost did end up in a roadside ditch. He saw that Sai's car was parked outside in the driveway, and groaned aloud. He really didn't feel like dealing with him and his insatiable sex drive right now.

"Welcome back." Sai said sultrily, legs crossed while sitting on the counter. Very naked. Very, very naked. If Itachi wasn't lost in thought he probably would have noticed how completely un-fucking sanitary that was.

"Where have you been?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"At Sasuke's." He said simply. Wait for it…

"Ah." Sai said, pursing his lips. "That's…nice." His eyes flashed, obviously irritated.

"Yes, it was." No, it was terrible, but you don't need to know that. Sai looked like he was about to say something, probably some smart ass comment, but Itachi's brain decided it had had some bad milk and wanted to have diarrhea.

"He has a new boyfriend, you know." He matter-of-factly. Both Sai's eyes shot up and he sat back a bit, giving Itachi a view of his private bits. Itachi would have rolled his eyes at its unimpressive-ness if he wasn't trying to murder himself with his brain. Why on earth would be say that? He didn't even know if they were-ugh!

"That was quick." Sai said with an unmistakable edge in his voice and a narrowing of his eyes.

"Almost too quick." He followed up with.

"What, like he was seeing him before, you mean?" Itachi questioned.

"Seems like it." Sai said, hopping of the counter. His back was stiff and he crossed his arms. Still naked.

"You have right to be upset, you know, with all you've done." Itachi said pointedly. Sai huffed.

"That's different!"

"How so?"

"It's, ugh! Whatever, I don't want to talk about him anymore, okay? It doesn't matter." Sure it doesn't. Before Sai could say anything else, Itachi swooped in and kissed him. He would have to get Sai's mind off of Sasuke if he didn't want him to get really upset. But on the other hand, he should just let Sai be angry. Itachi knew personally that there was no way that Sasuke would have been seeing anyone while he and Sai were together, but apparently Sai didn't have such faith. Little fucker. But, kissing him had always been the best way to shut him up and get his mind of things, so he went with it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he would have to do this a lot in the near future. Great.

They ended up in the bedroom, getting hot and heavy, but part of Itachi's mind was set apart from the task at hand.

He is cute, though, Naruto was it?

Wonder where he came from.


A/N: "Don't end up in a roadside ditch." That commercial was all I could think about when I wrote the last part. Anyway, this is chapter two so reviews, reviews, reviews! Clever, huh?

-TheWonderYears