Black Bird house, as it stands, is an old boarding house that was abandoned in the late seventies. Over the years it has been home to prostitutes and druggies until the city boarded it up. Four people, when running from the law, entered a neighboring abandoned building and found a large steel door to the old boarding house which was easily lock-picked. Over the past three years the floors had been replaced, walls fixed up and the boards on the house were redone stronger then originally.

The outside was cast in grey shale over lapping scales giving the entire building a foreboding feeling. The front steps were removed with bits and pieces of the cement lying about in random places, most of it having been kicked about at various times. It was the perfect hideaway for a group of outcasts and the Black Birds knew that well. In fact, they took pride in the knowing that three sixteen year olds and a mid-twenty-something were able to keep themselves together through anything. Plus, there was also the fact they were able to keep themselves in a good living condition seeing as they were all runaways or orphans or both.

Sasuke and Suigetsu entered the small brick house to the side of their dwelling and walked through the graphitized halls and turned around a corner descending broken stairs. Sasuke landed first and walked over to the steel door and pulled a grey key out of his pocket. He stuck it in and turned the key and the latch unlocked. Sasuke returned the key to his pocket and opened the large door with one of his large hands and let Suigetsu enter before him. Sasuke spun around and entered closing the door tightly behind him.

The basement of the Black Bird home was not really a basement but a den. There were three couches; a lime green one with a large rip on the back, a red one that had a pull out bed, and a blue plaid one Suigetsu said was his. On the green couch sat Jugo; he was relaxed back with his feet up on an old table he had rebuilt from the junk yard he helps manage on weekends. Jugo looked up at them and pulled the joint from his mouth blowing out a small stream of smoke. "Your brother is in your room along with Hoshigaki."

"'Kay." Sasuke said and tossed his back pack off his shoulders and onto the table. He opened his bag and pulled out a glass bottle of SoBe green tea. Sasuke flicked his wrist quickly and offered it to Jugo. "Consider it thanks for the tattoo."

"You're very welcome; it was the first time I got to tattoo someone's entire deltoid." Jugo reached a hand out and took the bottle with a refined motion. From his throat came a cheerful 'mmmm'; the giant quickly undid the cap and took a long sip then set the drink down to his side. "It's so relaxing."

"It's why I got it." Sasuke began to make his way up the stairs alone leaving Suigetsu downstairs. After trekking up the tall cement basement stairs Sasuke had reached the first floor to here the small sound of noise. He turned down a newly wall papered section of small flying black birds and walked into the kitchen where the noise increased dramatically.

Sitting in the center of the kitchen with books sprawled over the broken tiles was a thin red head with her hair up in a pencil. Around her neck lay her head phones blaring out a soft, bitter sweet melody. She had her glasses drooping down her nose as she was reading her book and lip sinking along with the song. Sasuke stopped and walked slowly over and knelt down by her and looked at the page she was on in her biology book. Lifting her gaze she saw him and blushed slightly. "Hey Sasuke."

"Need help with anything, Karin?" Sasuke asked skimming over the paragraphs on fetal development. He quickly recognized everything having already taken several different classes, not to mention all freshman year he snuck into Madara's classes instead of his own. Karin dragged out a small sticky notepad and placed a note down scribbling down 'study'.

"Not really... it's just remembering all this for the test tomorrow." She took her right pointer finger and bit on it trying to come up with resources. "I may have to borrow the back on Suigetsu neck again."

"Cheating won't help, just work harder at it. Cheating will end up on a permanent record, and if you have a record, your options are limited for college." Sasuke stood up and stretched out his back with a loud sigh. He slowly took off turning the corner and went up the creaky old stairs to the second floor. The second floor was dark, you had to already know where you're going or you got lost easily. Sasuke knew all the rooms by assignment. First door on the left; Suigetsu's room. First door on the right; empty guest room, sometimes Kisame borrows it. Second door on the left; his.

Sasuke grabbed the brass hand on the white door and turned it fearlessly. The air in his room was stale and smelled like the cheap aftershave his brother wore. That was mainly because his brother was sitting on his bed reading on of the travel brochures Sasuke had attained in Paris. Standing in the corner next to the bed was Kisame examining a large knife Sasuke had stolen from a hunting store. Kisame looked up at the teenager, "you've got good taste in cutting equipment."

"Suigetsu's the one who told me to lift it. He has the good taste." Sasuke walked in and closed the door quietly behind him to see his brother's dark eyes meet his. "What's our beloved uncle up to this time? I hope it's something new, I think him raping and pillaging would be interesting."

"He's not a Viking, though he's a stubborn as one. Bad enough temper too..." Itachi grumbled absent mindedly. Finishing the last sentence of the brochure he set it down on Sasuke's side table and moved foreword sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked around quickly and smiled. "I like what you've done with you're room, the travel posters are nice."

"Thanks, of course, Madara bought them for me when he took me over seas. I just got around to putting them up last week. I guess he's useful sometimes after all." The little brother moved across and sat down on the bed next to big brother and waited for something to happen.

"Uzumaki, you know a kid by that name?" Itachi asked softly; Sasuke's face changed to a little surprise before he settled down. Sasuke nodded the locks around his face following suit. "He's been leading protests at the college, working for Dean Senju. Uncle Madara's beginning to view him as a threat to Quantity, Nagato's talking of disposing of him, and Kisame's trying to back off the violence with a monkey carcass."

Sasuke shot a quickly glance at the tall blue haired man who gave a bright flash of a smile. Kisame mouthed 'intestines everywhere!' and gave a thumbs up. "You're all nuts, you guys know that right?"

"We need you to keep an eye on him Sasuke, or better yet, can you bring him to me tomorrow so I can tell him about it. I don't think you actually want in on the Quantity secrets." Itachi said and leaned back against the wall his hands stretching behind him. Itachi's blue shirt rose a little bit above his jeans showing his white stomach. He noticed and looked down. "I need to tan... Anyway, tomorrow I'll be at Kisame's, he's got a new TV."

"Plasma, floats on the wall, it's awesome." Kisame said in lust over the object. "Plus, there's a new special on ancient weaponry."

Sasuke turned his gaze back to his big brother. "So then, what's Madara up to? I hope it's nothing too vile." Sasuke snickered and Kisame laughed to himself. They all suddenly looked at the door and heard a slight knock. Sasuke pressed a hand to the blue sheets and lifted his body off the bed. He opened the door only wide enough to see who it was. On the other side was Suigetsu trying to pry the door open wider; Sasuke's grip on the door was unflinching. "We're busy, what is it?"

"Jugo's picking up fast food, what do you want?" He said quickly and gave up on opening the door anymore then the few inches that were being allotted. Sasuke shrugged and Suigetsu just shrugged his shoulders in return. "Do you want anything or not?"

From behind Sasuke Itachi desperately yelled, "I want a Big Mac! I've been trying to get one for three hours!" Sasuke quickly rolled his eyes to turn around and give his brother a dirty look. Kisame stood off the wall a bit and reached his right arm behind his to pull a black leather wallet out of his kakis. Flipping the tri-fold open he pulled out a twenty and held it over Sasuke's head to Suigetsu, "I want five fillet 'o fish."

"Gotcha." Suigetsu said shoving the bill away in his pocket. He raised his eyes to Sasuke's as Kisame stepped back into his corner. The line of sight from the young Uchiha quickly moved to the floor, "anything or are we skipping dinner?" Suigetsu's words were quiet and for that Sasuke was thankful. He just shook his head just slightly enough for the boy to see. "Right, we'll be back soon. Later guys."

"Later." Kisame and Itachi synchronized. Itachi sat foreword and sighed as Sasuke closed the door and moved back over to the bed sitting down and pulling his legs up around him. The elder Uchiha's head jerked towards the door as his eyes turned to Kisame. The large man got the picture quickly; Kisame knew to stay out of matters between the brothers. He took five heavy steps across the old wood floor and opened the door.

Sasuke, looking over to his brother, heard the door close. Itachi turned to his brother about to open his mouth. Sasuke swallowed quickly and focused on a sentence to spit out before he would get talked to, "no, I'm not anorexic, not trying to lose weight."

"Good, saves that line of questioning." Itachi said and scooted next to his brother who was hiding against the headboard and the wall. Without trying Itachi had his brother locked in one place. He moved closer to the distressed teen and pulled in his legs copying Sasuke. One of the thin arms stretched over Sasuke's back and draped across his shoulder. "So, what is wrong? You're not sick again are you?"

"No…" Sasuke sighed heavily and turned his face towards Itachi, "I refused to fight again." Sasuke stretched out his legs and lifted his shirt up showing giant black bruises that were swelling in a mass around his body. "Punched five times, kicked a couple, and than someone had something else. I think it was maybe a crowbar or a pipe. As long as it's just my stomach, I don't fight back and they know it."

Sasuke lowered his shirt down and moved his legs back into position covering his body like a shield. His arms wrapped them and he pulled in tightly. Itachi shook his head in confusion and a slight bit of disappointment. "You don't have to let this happen, you're allowed to fight back if they attack first. There's no reason to come home black and blue."

Sasuke's head turned away towards a picture with the Effie Tower on it at sundown. Itachi turned to him trying to get his attention and held up a hand. "You're a black belt in karate." His thumb went out followed by his pointer finger. "You've done kick boxing for three years, not to mention you're a state champion Muay Thai fighter." Itachi put his hand down and smiled, "plus, you can become quite violent when you're mad."

"Yeah, shut up." Sasuke shouted loudly. Now being pissed off he broke his shoulder from the weak grip and moved forward getting off the bed with a struggle. Itachi watched as his brother sulked slowly from the room, his graceful figure disappearing into the dark hallway. Sasuke wandered down the hall, his hand tracing against the right wall until it broke away to a redone staircase leading to the third floor. As Sasuke strolled up the wood stairs he looked up. The one thing Sasuke requested was a place where he could sit by himself, this was that place. There was a small landing with several pieces of paper and pencils and from above it was lit by the sinking sun through a small circular ceiling window.

He passed it slowly; the pictures he had drawn making a slideshow in his head. Almost off of them were of a familiar blonde boy. As he finished ascending the stairs a wall of perfume hit him hard. The first door to the left was Karin's. The door was painted purple with large white flowers on it; she thought it was the cutest thing ever and everyone else thought it was to ward unwanted guys off.

Sasuke opened her door and entered the bedroom showing purple and white everywhere. With a hand he brushed the strong odor of perfume aside and maneuvered through her room to her private bathroom. Karin had once threatened everyone that if she ever caught anyone in her bathroom, she'd personally cut off their dicks. It was a few days later that she told Sasuke it didn't apply to him. That was within a few minutes of when he had found out she had a crush on him. He didn't really mind her seeing him naked, he didn't like her and refused to touch her in the fondest of ways so what was the big deal? She was to chicken to do anything to get him.

Sasuke quickly stripped off the black tank top and set it on the floor next to the purple bathmat. Untying the black sweater he looked around the white bathroom and scrunched his face. She had sprayed the perfume in the room too.

He adored the privacy of her bathroom since it was separate. Jugo or Suigetsu couldn't just freely walk in, but he thought the guy bathroom was better, it was grey and bleak. He'd used the guy bathroom before but was always scare one of his friends would have to piss. He couldn't help his nature; Sasuke didn't want to lust after a roommate and let alone the only two guys that knew who he was and still hung around him anyway.

Sasuke remember asking both of them once why they hung around him. Suigetsu gave him a thumbs up and smiled through his teeth. 'Because you scare small children and old hags without trying.'

Jugo answer was more thought out. 'Why not? It's not like your seriously going to hit on me or anything. Plus, were all outcast, we need to stick together, no matter the differences. It's what makes us Black Birds.'

He quickly undid his bondage pants and tossed them off while slipping his shoes off skillfully with only his feet. As he finished stripping he stepped over the ledge of the bathtub and sat down on the white surface with his knees back up to his chest. His left arm reached out and grabbed the silver handle. He yanked it down twisting his wrist showing the small black bird. A smile graced his face; the warm water spilled out of the faucet and hit the white tub stopper to spill over onto the area. Sasuke raised his wrist to his face and looked at the little black bird. 'I'm not an outcast anymore.'

Sasuke waited for a minute until he finally accepted one simple fact: he was alone. His legs stretched out the length on the container and his back relaxed against the cool side letting his arms fall down across his chest. For a second he closed his eyes, the water slowly rising against his body. Breathing steadily with a calm intent he became tranquil, just as he needed.

Plenty of things passed through his head, the white walls of Karin's bathroom, her bedroom, the heavy lilac perfume that decorated it white slowly changed to the expensive tint of after shave. It suddenly mixed with mint. The smell was intoxicating to him; he was somewhere warm and there was something soft besides him, the glow of beautiful golden hair in the morning sun. The hair moved and showed the overly sun drenched skin and a waking blue eye. Sasuke lurch up, eye blinking open quickly to find that he was still alone. His breathing had changed to rapid. He could feel himself swell and he began to try to think of different things.

He tried and tried, everything lead back to Naruto. Sasuke leaned back ignoring the pain on his stomach and reached a hand to grab himself tenderly. He looked over at the door, he hadn't locked it. He wished he had now. Before going any further he raised a foot and turned off the running water letting the last few drips come down. He settled himself down and tried to focus on what was at hand.

Sasuke had always been nervous at the thought of masturbation. Ever since kids are little they're told not to, and Sasuke was no different. He wondered if that was just for little kids so they wouldn't go around with their hands in their pants. The healthiness of masturbation had been proved over and over again in books and articles and Sasuke sometimes hoped that would satisfy the little guilty center in his head. He still wasn't very comfortable with the idea always afraid he would get caught like it was a dirty little secret. His fingers moved down the shaft gently and he stopped. He sighed; he still couldn't do it even if he was alone.

He rolled over onto his side facing the wall and tried to relax and calm down, a distraction anything. His head remained empty besides the nerve endings telling him his stomach was quite injured and he wanted to feel the rush of a good fuck. Sasuke's remained steady until he heard the clicking of heels enter the bedroom, Karin was upstairs. He quickly checked himself; he had gone limp finally. The slight knock at the door gave a seconds warning before the red hair opened the door and walked in. She took two steps foreword and turned closing the door with a manicured set of nails. "Hiding up here?"

"It's a good place to hide." Sasuke admitted between the two of them. "Besides you and me, no one comes in here." Sasuke sat up a bit and watched as Karin's hand held out an unopened pack of cigarette and a silver lighter with a skull on it. "Jugo pick these up for me?"

"Yeah, well, you did tell him you were out." Karin said and walked over to the wall and pulled a small silver bead chain opening a vent to the outside world. "Make sure you clear the room out of smoke. I don't understand why you want cancer so badly." She said grabbing the doorknob, Karin's eyes shifted back through her glasses to him as he opened the pack. "Do you really want to go through chemo?"

"Actually, I'm hoping on the slow painful death." Sasuke joked, Karin thought it was highly unfunny and left the room quickly slamming the door behind her. Sasuke pulled out a filtered cigarette and stuck it in his mouth; his hand flipped open the lighter's top and a flame appeared by itself. 'I love lighters like this,' he thought to himself and lit the white end of the cigarette happily.

The lighter and the pack he dropped down a feet inches from the tub. Sasuke inhaled and pulled the cigarette out blowing a large puff out. Sasuke was an experienced smoker, he'd only been smoking for a few months, but he could blow smoke rings better then Jugo could. It didn't count that Jugo was working with a different leaf though. He put the cigarette back to his lips and tried to focus on something more important that out doing a pot head.

How the hell was he going to get Naruto to come with him after school? They hadn't spoken since middle school, and that was when Sasuke last fought someone. Sasuke had beaten Naruto up for no reason at all other than he was pissed off and the blond had laughed when he fell. Naruto had been forced to go to the emergency room and was ICU for two days. Sasuke had been suspended for a month which he spent in juvenile detention where he met Suigetsu; however, he knew that Naruto didn't hate him all that much since it had happened right after his parents had died. For a minute, he had wondered if Itachi had forgotten that incident at school. "Damn it…"