Thanks for the reviews, chapter 3 is up!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Naruto series.

The Art of Forgiveness-Part 3

"When did Naruto and Sakura leave?"

Kakashi yawned and changed the channel on his small tv, "About two minutes after they arrived."

Kakashi wasn't used to having a 'roommate,' he wasn't used to that said roommate wearing his clothes or sleeping in his bed; he wasn't used to Sasuke being in his house at all.

"They didn't stick around long," Sasuke pointed out, dragging himself to the kitchen and grabbing another apple.

"You didn't stay awake very long either," Kakashi countered.

"Is this what you do all day? Moping on your couch, watching tv?"

"Stop eating all my apples," Kakashi evenly commented flipping to another channel.

"It's the only thing you have in there that's not going to give me food poisoning."

Kakashi couldn't help but stiffen up when Sasuke casually took a seat next to him.

"Relax 'sensei' I'm not going to kill you…yet," Sasuke said taking another bite.

Kakashi's fingers drummed nervously on the side of the couch, "What are you doing here Sasuke?"

"Trying to watch tv if you'd shut up so I could hear."

Kakashi hit the off button and calmly set it next to him on his side table before turning towards the dark haired teen.

Sasuke stared at the black tv screen, as if he hadn't noticed it'd been turned off.

"What are you doing here?" Kakashi repeated.

Sasuke took one last bite before slowly setting it on the ground.

"I told you this morning, I needed a place to stay. My answer isn't going to change just because you turned off the tv."

"Why now?"

Sasuke smirked and shook his head, "Kakashi I think your starting to get crazy in your old age, how old are you? Like thirty?"

"Twenty-eight, now answer the question," Kakashi responded seriously.

Sasuke made an attempt to reach for the remote but the jonin was to fast and grabbed both his hands, pinning him to the couch.

"Are you still working with Orochimaru?"

Sasuke's smirk never seemed to be a permanent part of his new older face, menacing and cocky, daring Kakashi to do something.

"Dammit Sasuke answer me!"

"Or what Kakashi? What are you gonna do to me if I don't?"

Kakashi hated to admit it, but really what would he do? Out of all of the students he'd ever come in contact with, Sasuke had always been a weak spot for him. He never could understand why he always felt more pity towards Sasuke over Naruto even though their pasts were so similar, or why he preferred Sasuke's presence over Sakura's even though Sakura was much more entertaining to talk to.

What confused him the most was why being this close to Sasuke was making his heart race, why it was making it difficult to breathe, why he couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence anymore, and why he had the sudden to urge to kiss his soft lips.

Kakashi instantly got off of Sasuke, hoping that his mask was covering his red face. 'This doesn't make sense! Sasuke's my old student and almost young enough to be my son! I'm not supposed to have these kinds of feelings towards him!'

Sasuke yawned, not seeming even slightly affected by what had just happened. "Well I think I'm gonna head into town and buy some groceries, maybe stop by and see Naruto and Sakura too."

Sasuke made little attempt to fix his bed head style hair before slipping into shoes and opening the door.

"Oh and Kakashi? Next time you want to try to have sex with me, you can just ask intead of using Orochimaru as a cover to get on top of me."

And with that last comment Sasuke was gone, leaving his very dazed ex-instructor alone.

"Hey Kakashi I'm home!" Sasuke yelled out from the doorway.

Kakashi sighed and put his mask back on before coming into the living room and taking a few of the many bags in Sasuke's arms.

"Since when did this become your home? And when did my money become yours to take?"

"After you left it right next to your bed in plain sight," he answered throwing the bags up on the countertop. "Plus you needed food anyways, you didn't have anything edible left. You should be thankful I was willing to make the trip."

Kakashi wasn't sure what to make of his student anymore. Sasuke had always been a sarcastic asshole so if anything it was a relief to see that hadn't changed, but as for everything else he was completely lost. Sasuke seemed so easy going and casual now, as if nothing in the entire world bothered or upset him.

'Could killing Itachi really make such a drastic difference?'

"Did you talk to-why did you buy three bags of apples?"

Sasuke smirked as he tried to make room for them all in Kakashi's small crisper. "Because apples are good, and you can make a lot of things with them."

"Like what?" Kakashi asked curiously, not even noticing how side tracked he was getting.

"Pie, fruit salad, wine, applesauce, danish, dip them with caramel, stew-"

"Stew?"

"Yeah, 'Spiced Apple Stew'. You just mix in a couple of common ingredients found in almost anyone's kitchen. It's really filling too, I was gonna make some tonight, you can try it."

"And yes I did talk to Naruto and Sakura," Sasuke answered, grabbing some pots Kakashi had never used from a lower cabinet.

"And?"

"Well they were very… defensive and suspicious at first."

"Can you blame them?" Kakashi asked.

"Both of them just stared at me for the longest time before finally Naruto started questioning me and Sakura started crying."

"She loved you Sasuke, she was willing to give up everything to be with you; but you rejected her and shoved her aside for Orochimaru like she was nothing."

"But after that they both seemed-"

"And what about Naruto? He loved you too, you were like a brother to him. Isn't it ironic that you too tried to kill 'brother' to gain strength? You're even more like Itachi then I thought," Kakashi noted. Sasuke stopped chopping an apple into slices for only a second but then continued and threw the slices in a boiling pot of water.

"I am nothing like Itachi," Sasuke said in a dark tone.

'Well I think I've found something that he isn't 'so easy going' about.'

The silence following was almost unbearable, the sounds of boiling water and stirring was the only thing that was keeping Kakashi from going insane.

"There finished," Sasuke said putting a bowl of questionable stew in his hands.

Sasuke served up his own bowl and sat on Kakashi's couch; the tv turning on quickly followed. Kakashi sighed, unsure on whether to sit next to him or eat alone in his bedroom. Seconds later he was on the couch, about to take his first bite of Sasuke's stew.

'I'm so predictable…'

"Would you eat it already?" Sasuke said with a mouthful of food.

Kakashi took one last look at his dinner before halfheartedly shoving a bite in.

"That's… really good!" Kakashi said with enthusiasm, eagerly shoving as much in his mouth as he could.

"I knew you'd like it," Sasuke boredly answered, not taking his eyes away from the tv.

"How did you learn to cook like that?" he asked, not having any shame in licking the bottom of the bowl for the last couple of drops.

"Through lots of experimentation. When your home alone all the time and your hungry you learn to cook for yourself. After my parents were killed I had to move into this poor families home, they were always out working to try to support themselves and left me at home a lot. Apples were so cheap and easy to come by, so that's usually all that was at home."

"Do you…miss them?" Kakashi hesitantly asked not sure how he'd respond.

"Yeah I do," the teen admitted, "Our clan was like a family, so that day not only did I loose my parents but it felt like I lost my aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins…in about five minutes time everyone that I'd ever cared about was gone."

"Well I guess your brother got to join them."

Sasuke looked down, his long spiky hair covered his eyes so it was impossible to see what he was feeling. "Kakashi when I said that I wasn't like Itachi I meant it."

"You said you killed your brother-"

"Really Kakashi? When did you hear me say that? When did those words come out of my mouth?!"

The tv was loud but neither heard it.

Kakashi tried to think of a time when Sasuke had said that, surely there must have been just once! But as he searched his mind he couldn't find any instance.

"You assumed I killed Itachi and I let you go along with it."

"But why?"

Sasuke's fists clenched at his side, "Why is a good question. Ever since my clan was slaughtered it became my life's mission to kill the person responsibility. So why didn't I, after training for 2 ½ years and betraying everyone didn't I kill him? Why when I had the perfect opportunity to shove my shruiken deep in that bastards heart and watch as the light left his eyes did I choose to walk away?"

"Because he's your brother Sasuke-"

Sasuke shook his head, "That's not the reason I didn't kill him."

Kakashi's eyebrows bunched together in confusion, "Then please inform me Sasuke, tell me what this reason is."

Sasuke smirked before looking the male in the eyes, "Its you."

Shock was evident on the jonin's face, "Me?"

"You. Right as I was about to kill Itachi, your face popped into my head. I tried to ignore it but it wouldn't leave." Sasuke picked up the remote and turned the tv off.

"So that's why I'm here. I want to know why just the thought of you prevented me from killing my greatest enemy."

Sasuke angrily threw his bowl against the ground, not even flinching as it shattered all over the floor. "And until I find that out or am suddenly able to kill Itachi, you better get used to seeing my face around because I'm not going anywhere."

Next chapter will be up within the week, and as always reviews are very appreciated!