A/N: Ahh, I have missed this story sooo much! Enjoy this short (in my opinion) chapter!

Chapter I

"Sasuke?" a hesitant voice called out from the kitchen.

The boy in question didn't move a muscle from his sprawled out position on the couch. He couldn't move even if he wanted to; after days of being incredibly uncomfortable and in pain, he had finally found a position to lay in that didn't exacerbate any of his healing wounds.

It was an incredibly awkward position, but it was blissfully comfortable. One leg was draped over the back of the couch, and the other was perfectly straight and propped on a pillow. His torso was turned just enough not to pull the stitches while still allowing him to lay on his chest, putting enough pressure onto his broken ribs to null the pain, but not cause anymore. His arms splayed out, one over the side of the couch, the other over his head, which was tucked neatly under a pillow. "What now?" was the muffled reply to the man's query.

The once active kid had thought he'd go positively stir crazy, not being able to move for so long, but he had taken an extreme liking to being lazy. Not that he'd ever admit to it, though. It was… somewhat relaxing.

Kakashi, his new (temporary) guardian, walked into the room and, as Sasuke could just barely see out of the corner of his eye, was carrying a very satisfied Nox. "I don't think your cat likes me very much. Even after almost two weeks, this… monster still is scratching the hell out of my arms when I feed him."

"Well," Sasuke began, still not moving, "For starters, he doesn't like people calling him a "monster." Cats are a very good judge of character; they can smell your fear."

"No, that's dogs, dogs are a good judge of character and can smell fear. And I am so much more of a dog person…" he trailed off as Nox began squirming to get free. Kakashi dropped him and the cat bounded over to Sasuke, but not before taking a good-natured swipe at the man's leg. "See!"

Nox settled for sitting daintily on Sasuke's back as Sasuke addressed Kakashi, not unlike a parent would a child. "You're right, Nox must hate you. What was I possibly thinking?"

Kakashi just rolled his eye and left the room in a huff, but with a smile. When he'd first arrived, Sasuke barely spoke, let alone joke. He assumed that Nox was a big part of that equation; he had been an icebreaker of sorts for the two.

The reason Sasuke had been so distant at first, was not only his intense dislike for human contact in general, but he hated the thought of "being looked after." He'd been living just fine on his own until then, so having an older figure was uncomfortable to say the least.

And the only reason why he was better with it now, better, not accepting, was because he refused to let himself think of himself as incapable. He had to think of it as a "friendship," if only to save his sanity.

Nox began purring into the base of his neck that made him feel incredibly lethargic. He knew that once he was better, he'd be so sick of sleeping. As it was, it already annoyed him, but he was just… so… tired…

As Sasuke was hobbling to the bathroom, a few days later, his eyes landed on a particular nasty sight. Get Well presents. The entire end table beside the door was covered in fake sympathy cards from classmates from the school he was currently enrolled in, as well as his previous school. But did they stop with cards? Hell no.

There were candies, none of which Sasuke were specifically partial to, so Kakashi had taken it upon himself to eat it. All. There were also care packages with various fruits and other things from the people who knew him more. Baked goods were also received, but those made their home in the kitchen and their numbers were quickly diminishing.

Teachers also sent "care packages," but instead of anything fun inside them, it was just the work he was missing. Oh the joy.

Most of them were given in person, but after the seventh time a group of giggling girls had come to the door, even Kakashi got annoyed. Even though at first he'd thought it was funny, and heckled Sasuke about it, it soon lost its humour since he was the one that had to answer the door as Sasuke was obviously incapacitated.

So soon after that, they just didn't answer the door and the "well-wishers" finally got the hint. And they still left their presents on the doorstep, and soon quite a pile had accumulated.

Honestly, Sasuke thought they were idiots to spend money buying things for someone who they've probably never spoken to, but Sasuke doesn't usually talk to people so the thought is sort of moot.

So, not only did those "well-wishers" come by, but his "friends" did as well. And no matter what Sasuke said to Kakashi, the man always opened the door for them, no matter what Sasuke was doing, or if he was even conscious.

Sasuke was laying there on the couch a couple of days later, in the earlier found comfortable position, and his ear buds in. He had 'Jimmy Eat World's, Sweetness, playing at maximum volume and was mouthing the lyrics along with the artist. So of course he wasn't going to hear anyone, even if they came up and screamed in his ear.

But when the song ended and a quieter sound began, he heard faint chatter. He cracked one eye open and shifted enough to look at the crowd.

Both Hinata and Sakura were conversing quietly from the chairs, Shikamaru was asleep on the floor, and Gaara was looking through one of his sketchpads. Sasuke paused his music and ripped the buds from his ears in one motion with his uninjured arm.

His eyes met Kakashi's one, who of which was sneaking into the kitchen, and there was absolute mirth hidden in the slate gray eye. If Sasuke had been able to see the man's face, he'd have seen the huge smirk he knew was lurking there.

He mockingly waved goodbye and Sasuke's glare held certain death, a glare that the man seemed immune to, as he was completely affected by it. Politeness gone, (did he ever really have any to begin with?) Sasuke asked harshly, "What the hell are you all doing here?"

Not one to be so harsh to people who probably didn't rightly deserve his anger, Sasuke couldn't help the angry tone that slipped out. He wasn't angry with them, per say, just at Kakashi for letting them in without even telling him.

The conscious occupants of the room finally realized he was actually aware of their presence and conversation stopped. "Oh, Sasuke, how are you feeling today?" Sakura asked, diplomatically ignoring his previous statement and disregarding the angry tone.

"Annoyed! I swear, if someone asks me how I'm doing one more time…" he trailed off, letting the threat hang, this time with nobody disregarding the angry tone, as it seemed he was serious this time.

A tense silence followed, broken only by the almost silent snores of the sleeping boy, as Sasuke glared at the only two whom were looking at him, making him only vaguely uncomfortable.

After another minute or two, Hinata cleared her throat and spoke up, amused tone evident. "How is it that you can lay like that? It looks mighty uncomfortable…"

"Not to mention, it should be physically impossible to move like that, especially if the person is injured…" Sakura added under her breath.

Sasuke shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know, but it's the only comfortable position one can get on this lumpy couch." It was a very difficult position to get back into and out of though, so he only really ever moved when he absolutely had to. And if he moved too quickly out of it, he got major vertigo and gets to the point of almost passing out. But he doesn't mention any of this, instead opting for silence.

It got fairly quiet then, but it was not a tense of awkward silence, just a genial quiet. At one of Shikamaru's surprisingly powerful snorts, waking the boy into confusion, both Hinata and Sakura laughed, hard. Gaara smirked and even Sasuke cracked an amused smirk while the previously sleeping boy collected his bearings. He muttered a quiet, "Troublesome," and moved around for the elusively comfortable position.

Sasuke, taking pity on him and knowing firsthand how uncomfortable the floors were, tossed one of his unused pillows at Shikamaru, landing squarely on hi stomach. Shikamaru said an appreciative thanks and got comfortable. Within a minute, he was softly snoring again.

Loud and erratic knocks interrupted the peaceful silence once again, just as Sasuke was beginning to doze off. His eyes snapped open, settling immediately into a glare. With people comes the wretched question. He watched as Kakashi went to answer the door, amusedly saying, "Pretend like I'm not even here," causing numerous eye rolls.

Behind the door, it seemed, was Naruto, who had errands right after school to run before he could come. Sasuke glared at him, just daring him to ask. "How… can you sit like that?! It looks so uncomfortable!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, remotely thankful for not asking what he thought Naruto was going to. Not feeling the need to explain himself again, he settled with the bare minimum, "I just can, comfortably."

"Oh, I see," he replied, taking a seat in a chair he pulled over and placed in between Gaara and Sakura. "So how are you feeling?"

Sasuke sprung into movement, reaching out to try to strangle the blonde, without taking into consideration his injuries. Murder burning brightly in his eyes, he made it to an almost standing position before the vertigo took effect, making him dizzy and unbalanced. Not that he was balanced before, with all the casts littering his body, but more unbalanced. He just barely caught himself before he crumpled into an undignified heap on the floor. He sank heavily back into the couch and settled with glaring murderously at Naruto.

Naruto was gaping, Shikamaru snoring, Gaara smirking, and Hinata and Sakura, weren't concerned, no, but trying in vain to stifle their laughter. "We don't ask him that question," Hinata supplied helpfully.

"Yeah, it's a touchy subject for Sasuke here," Sakura added.

Sasuke just continued to glare as his head continued to spin.

Evenings were… awkward to say the least. Kakashi, being the amazing chef he is, only knew how to make toast… and cereal. And since being mobile enough to cook dinner was still out of the realm of possibility, Sasuke wasn't able to cook anything. So they lived on TV dinners and take-out.

After dinner, Kakashi would normally read and watch TV while Sasuke would catch up on schoolwork, draw, or listen to music. Then night would roll around and Kakashi would go upstairs to one of the guestrooms that he'd claimed upon entering. Sasuke, since he still couldn't walk upstairs with his crutches, took domain over the couch and slept there.

It wasn't comfortable; to spend so much time on that lumpy couch, but Sasuke still couldn't move too much, so he just had to deal with it.

Much later at night, only every few days, Sasuke would get his late night visitor, other than Nox's occasional needs to me scratched. No, this visitor was more of the human variety, and he only came when he was absolutely positive the other occupant of the house was asleep.

It was his brother. His brother, the thought dead Uchiha eldest son, Uchiha Itachi. They didn't really talk much, neither were really ones for words, never had been. But there had been something bothering him about the way they acted with each other.

Of course he hadn't forgiven the man for leaving, and didn't act like he did, but there was still something. Something else that was between them. Sasuke wasn't sure that was really it, but then again, he wasn't really sure of much concerning the enigmatic elder Uchiha.

Their topic of conversation tended to revolve around Sasuke, too. Itachi wanted to know every little thing that happened in Sasuke's life when he was not present. And Itachi was craftily evasive when Sasuke tried to learn about him.

So yeah, at times Sasuke was unsure of his brother's behavior. "Unsure" because he had not yet thought of the word suspicious. And really, what would there be to be suspicious of?

Staying conscious for too long of a time at once was still impossible, as he was still taking pain pills that made him drowsy. And though the doses were getting gradually smaller, he still couldn't stay awake for Itachi's entire visit.

Every time he woke up, after trying so hard not to fall asleep, Itachi was nowhere to be seen. Every time.

It left Sasuke with a dull ache in his chest, the resonance of an unknown emotion, followed by thoughts that moved too quickly to catch. They were alarming, as if trying to warn him, or maybe to just get his attention to a topic he was blind to.

And one morning, he bolted upright, despite the vertigo, akin to what happened just the day before. He finally was able to name that feeling.

Betrayal.

A/N: I'm wicked sorry that this is so late. But life, laziness, and a new obsession (Final Fantasy) played a huge factor. I put it off for weeks, and then I popped it out in less than two days. Weird, I know, but that's how I write. I'd like to thank se-tar for helping me with this chapter, and with keeping to my original story line. I'd also like to thank all the readers and reviewers for such a positive response to the prologue, I never in my wildest dreams expected such a turn out, so thanks!!

And finally, I'll be out of town for the next week or so, with no internet whatsoever, so I likely won't reply to any reviews, or get the chance to update again. I will, however, update when I come back, by Wednesday the 23rd.

One last thing, I got a new FF account, and I have posted a couple of one-shots (2 at the moment) that I've had on my computer. PM me or something if you want it.