Happy New Year guys~ Chapter 5 will be the last chapter so expect it to be a bit longer... Reviews are welcome!
No challenge is harder than getting Sasuke to forgive his older brother. Plan one, get them to spend Christmas together. Plan two, get them to talk to each other. Everything is easier said than done. So far, there has been no progress. Sasuke can easily be the most hardheaded Uchiha ever. Instead of hanging out with family, he is going to take Sakura out for another one of Naruto's group dates. Luckily, Yui is smart enough to decline the offer.
"Come on Sasuke, give him a chance." Yui says. He's been gone for nine years, the least you can do is make him feel welcome."
"Help me with my outfit for tonight," Sasuke demands, opening his closet.
"You're not listening." Yui sighs but gets up from the bed anyway. "Besides, no matter what you wear, Sakura is still going to fall heads over heels for you..."
Grabbing a crimson dress shirt, Sasuke begins to change only for Yui to smack him with a pillow. "He left us, Yui. Isn't that reason enough to hate him?"
"He's the only family you have left. He still loves, you know." Yui tries to keep her eyes closed.
"Liar, he never loved me. He was never there when I needed him the most." He shoots a glare at Yui's direction, forgetting the fact that she can't see it. Replacing his sweatpants with a pair of jeans, he taps on her shoulders, telling her it's fine to open her eyes.
"Have you ever asked him how he felt?"
"Hand me the brush on the counter, will you?"
Yui rolls her eyes as she hands him the hair product. "You really are an inconsiderate prick."
"Like you know any better."
"At least I'm an emotionally sensitive person, unlike you."
Sasuke studies Yui carefully. "Why are you defending him?"
Itachi is my dear brother," she replies. "By the way, where is Itachi? I haven't seen him around at all today."
"He's staying at a motel nearby until he finds another apartment," answers Sasuke. He studies Yui carefully. "You still love him, right?"
The question catches her off guard. Yui's facial expression turns from a grin to a surprise. She stares at Sasuke, biting her lip. Love? She admits she admires Itachi for his intellectual prowess and amazing personality, but doesn't really understand it fully to call it "love". Infatuation is the word she is more comfortable using, but her feelings are from just a fleeting crush. It is still burning inside her heart, even after nine years.
"Okay, so what if I do? You can't do anything," she replies with a shrug.
"Why do you love him?" Sasuke follows up with another awkward question.
"The same reason why you love Sakura."
"This is different."
"Hey look, I didn't come over here to be criticized by an inconsiderate prick like you."
"Who's the inconsiderate prick?" Naruto's voice rings out from the hallway, and the jubilant blonde bursts into the bedroom without notice. With a huge grin on his face, he makes himself comfortable on Sasuke's thinking chair.
"Hey, Uzumaki, tell Lover Boy here that he's a sociopath."
"I am not a sociopath!" Sasuke shouts.
"Until recently, you aren't." Naruto laughs uncontrollably.
"See, Sasuke? The truth hurts, doesn't it?"
The Uchiha remains silent. He pretends to check his cellphone for the time when he clearly has a watch on his left wrist. Yui can see the angry blush on his cheeks. "Hey, dobe, don't you think it's time for us to go?"
"Heck yea, I can't wait to see Hinata again!" Naruto exclaims dreamily when all of them step out of Sasuke's apartment. "I wonder what she looks like in a dress."
"It's winter time, you idiot," Sasuke replies.
"Who says girls don't look good during the winter?" Naruto retorts.
"Yeah, Sasuke, who says?" Yui echoes.
A punch lands on both of their shoulders. "Both of you talk too much..." Sasuke clenches his fists into white balls. "Bye, Yui."
"Heh, have fun."
When the two disappear into the elevator door, Yui waits a while before she pushes the buttons to go home. The hallway is quiet; the only sounds she can hear are her breathing and feet shifting around on the tiles underneath. Loneliness pervades her heart when the thought of her best friends having fun without her invades the brain. Damn those two, it seems like they don't care about her anymore. Even though it is Christmas Day, Yui is not in the mood for festivities. The elevator ride seems longer than normal. She doesn't want to go home. Maybe she can call up a few other friends to come over... On second thought, Yui does not have any other friends. Tenten might be too busy learning martial arts. On a side note, why are most of her friends busy anyways? It's Christmas for Amaterasu's sake.
"Yui?"
Itachi's melodic voice snaps her out of her thoughts. She jerks her head up to find the tall, handsome man in front of her apartment door. "Are you trying to steal something? Why are you here looking so suspicious?"
To her surprise, he laughs. "I came to find you, the motel is so quiet tonight." Itachi's eyes look away for a second. "A little too quiet."
He seems so alone. Yui bites her lip to hide her anger at the younger brother. "Hey, come in, we're always open when you need us."
"Actually, I was thinking we can go out for dinner tonight," Itachi offers with a slight smile, always polite. "The city is so lively and pretty at night, I'd like to be a part of it again."
Yui tilts her head slightly to the left. "You mean with my family?"
"Would you prefer that as opposed to just the two of us?"
"Just kidding, do you think I'm that stupid to know what you meant?" Yui replies with a smile. " Just... Let me get ready first."
"I'll be waiting in the living room."
Swiftly, Yui rushes into the room and closes the door behind her. Her heart is beating so fast. Is it trying to kill me? She quickly changes into a black dress, and even though it isn't a very festive color it's the only dress Yui currently owns. She slips on black tights to keep her legs warm, grabbing a jacket and purse on the way out. A comb runs through her thick hair as she walks down the hall. "Hope you didn't grow old waiting for me."
Itachi turns around and smiles at her, and Yui notices for the first time that he looks dangerously seductive. Although he is wearing a crimson dress shirt similar to Sasuke's, he pulls off a different vibe. And oh did Yui have a hard time masking her excitement.
Though the weather is freezing cold, the two still manages to have a great time. They revisit some places that have profound spots in their memories, including the playground the three used to play in. They spend time gawking at the huge Christmas tree in front of the shopping mall, eating a wonderful meal, shopping for various little items. Yui feels like a little kid again, walking alongside her Ita-onii-san. It's like nothing ever changed between them.
"Hey, Itachi?" she asks when they sit down for a cup of hot chocolate. "What would things be like if you didn't leave for America?"
He ponders for a while, thinking up of a good answer. "Sasuke will probably still be the cute little brother that I know and love."
Yui can see the guilt in Itachi's eyes. "Something tells me you didn't leave voluntarily."
"What makes you think that?"
She hesitates. "The way you talk about it makes you seem angry." She takes a sip of the hot beverage. "Tell me the truth about why you left."
Itachi shudders, staring at his fingers.
"What's the matter, cat caught your tongue?"
"It's a long story."
"We have until the store closes."
"No, it's not that, you don't understand..." Itachi looks deeply into Yui's eyes. "I feel that Sasuke deserves to hear the story first, because I hurt him the most. Until then, it's better for you not to know about it."
Yui remains silent, her heart racing. "I understand." In reality, she doesn't. Yes, Itachi loves Sasuke more than her, she knows that. However, the fact still irritates her, but most of all jealous. Why can't she deserve the same attention as Sasuke?
"It's already ten, let's go back before your mother decides to take her wrath on me."
The two start the long trek home, and it's not until they reach the apartment complex did Yui think of something. "Come to think of it, did you find a place to stay yet?"
"Not recently, but I hope to find a place by the end of this year," Itachi replies.
A plan formulates into Yui's mind. "Hey, Mom, remember the guest bedroom you thought of turning into a storage room?"
