Title: MIA: Missing in Action. Chapter 4/12?
Author: drainbamage954
Rating: Though, right now it's mostly PG, it will get up to R or NC-17
Genre: Romance, Angst, AU, Adventure?
Words: 5,846
Pairing: SasuNaru, Sasuke Naruto
Warnings: yaoi, slight abuse, colorful language, eventual character death
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! What else do you want from me? Written in blood? Honestly, you expect too much.
Summary: Placed into a mental institution for attempted suicide, Naruto meets the younger brother of one of the patients. However, will their relationship become something to help Naruto resolve the issues which have haunted him for years or just anger the demon inside him? Or anger the demon in Itachi.
Chapter 3: Brothers
Itachi--
Date: March 16th.
Progress: Second week
Location: Konoha Psychiatric Treatment Facility a.k.a Mental Institution a.k.a The Crazy House a.k.a Living Hell
Mood: Annoyed
I refuse to begin this with the starting line of 'Dear Diary' or 'Dear Journal.' Not only would that degrade me to being the same as an obnoxious teenage girl but it would also be absolute proof that I have completely lost my mind. Should I ever come to the point of writing 'Dear Diary' or 'Dear Journal' I would hope that either my family, Sasuke, or someone else would do everyone a favor and kill me immediately.
I have been here a week. Thus far, nothing is exactly that great. I've met the majority of the other patients, ranging from pedophiles to paranoid schizophrenics to what I can only describe as mindless and drooling. I was not allowed to bring any photographs or items from my previous life. Also, the only person apparently able to visit me from my former life is my little brother, Sasuke. This is because I am apparently here for a reason.
According to Kakashi, the head therapist here who had a secret pornography collection hidden among his psychology books, I began to regress into an alternate reality about a year or so ago. I confirmed this, being in my right mind most of the time when here. Kakashi told me that, in the course of the year, I dramatically declined in health, beginning to live and function in an alternate created reality. In this reality, I had been a top class agent of sorts, killed my entire family and begun working for a secret organization bent on world domination. The only person I spared from death was my little brother, Sasuke, who has apparently sworn revenge to kill me and thus avenge our 'dead' family. Whenever in contact, I apparently taunt him, call him weak, and attempt to engage him in dangerous combat.
This is why I am in a mental institution.
When asked, Kakashi informed me my family is perfectly safe and intact, my parents as typical living at the estate while Sasuke remains in his purchased home a few miles from here. Sasuke is the only one permitted to visit me on the condition that he does not speak of our family unless I ask and is not allowed to bring me out of the facility.
Thus far, there is no one of supreme interest here. The only one who seems at all sane or able to communicate with reality is an overly enthusiastic blond named Naruto.
Aside from this information, there is really nothing to write about. I will say only that the food is terrible and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the patients mental health is suffering from it, especially the disgustingly anorexic girl with the blonde hair.
I hope that this entry can entertain Kakashi enough, considering he came up with the idea of my writing in a journal to attempt to deal with my 'condition.'
Itachi Uchiha
Sasuke glared as he swiftly turned off the ignition of his sleek black sports car, eyes fixed on the gray and depressed looking building before him. Surrounded on all sides with an extremely tall fence with barbed wire stretched over the top, the facility was not at all welcoming. Bars were fitted on all the small windows along with security guards at all entrances, looking like grim expressionless ghouls. Even the blazing sun did nothing to alleviate the atmosphere around the building.
Sasuke hated coming here. It wasn't because the building was depressing and creepy and unsettling. Sasuke wasn't bothered particularly about that, seeing as his own home was almost completely devoid of color and happiness in any way shape or form. No, he hated coming here because every time it was either to see a brother of his completely lost to reality, trying to challenge him to death by fight, or to see a brother with all the life sucked from him, stuck in a crazy house.
Still glowering, the young Uchiha smoothly opened the door and stepped out into the crisp spring air, a light breeze playing with his raven hair, his bangs lazily drifting across his face. His pale skin was smooth, like a winter landscape, almost glittering in the sunlight as he turned to face the foreboding building. Swiftly removing his dark sunglasses, he walked purposefully up to the building, the front chain link gates flanked by two expressionless men. Scowling at them slightly, Sasuke stopped before them, smoothly flashing them his ID.
"Purpose?" one of the men asked, his eyes locking onto the Uchiha with dull interest.
"Visiting family," Sasuke said simply, finding the whole matter obnoxious and a waste of time. It wasn't like he was coming to lock himself up for Gods sake. The guard took one last look at his identification before nodding, mechanically unlocking the gate and letting the raven pass before shutting it again behind him. Walking up the almost familiar path to the entrance of the facility, Sasuke's eyes darted to the windows, checking for leering or curious faces.
The woman behind the reception desk looked bored, slightly tired, as she looked up at Sasuke, mouth languidly chewing a piece of gum. Seeing the raven, her eyes widened slightly, a faint blush tainting her cheeks as she straightened up, smiling winningly at him. Sasuke tried not to sneer at her.
"Can I help you, sir?" the young woman asked, her eye lashes batting ridiculously as her voice dripped with sweetness. Sasuke wanted to gag.
"I'm here to see my brother, Itachi Uchiha," Sasuke said flatly, trying not to give the woman any encouragement. He was used to the behavior, women simpering up to him, trying to woo him. They disgusted him, simply following looks and the air of mystique.
The woman smiled in what she must have assumed was a winning matter, quickly shuffling the papers on her desk, checking the schedule. "Yes, I believe you can visit him." She glanced back at the papers on her desk. "Are you Sasuke Uchiha?"
Sasuke almost wanted to tell her no, therefore keeping his identity secret, but that wouldn't work. In order to see his brother, he needed to be Sasuke, considering that only he was allowed to see Itachi in the first place. With a curt nod, he sent the woman to the telephone, watching him as the line rang.
"Yes, Kakashi?" the woman said, apparently getting the therapist on the other line. "I have Sasuke here wishing to see his brother. Shall I let him in?" She looked up at Sasuke, giving him another smile which made Sasuke want to mime throwing up. He figured if he did that though, it would just make matters worse for him anyway, considering he might be coming in to visit an Itachi completely without grips to reality, trying to get him to fight. "Alright, thank you Kakashi," the woman said, daintily hanging up the phone as he looked back up at Sasuke. "He said he'll be down in about five minutes. Feel free to sit down to wait."
"Thank you," Sasuke said politely, curtly bowing to the woman, who blushed vividly. Much as he despised them, he was never one to be rude. Turning from the receptionist, Sasuke smoothly walked over to the cleanest looking chair, sitting down and keeping is posture perfect, waiting. He kept the hallway where Kakashi was sure to come down in the corner of his eyes. A sudden movement had him jerk his head slightly, only to be disappointed as two people turned down the hall, talking. Sasuke tried to ignore the conversation, but it was rather difficult, seeing as they were both extremely loud. Scowling to himself, the young Uchiha snatched up a magazine from the table and jerked it open, trying to ignore the loud conversation.
"I'm telling you, I didn't do anything!"
"That's not what Sai told me."
There was a loud sputtering sound. "You're going to believe that pervert over me? Since when did penis-obsessed Sai gain more credibility than me!"
"What makes you think you have more credibility than him?"
"HE'S OBSESSED WITH DICKS!"
Sasuke's grip on his magazine was practically tearing the object apart, the pages almost shaking in his hands. Not only were they impossibly loud, they were also impossibly obnoxious, discussing things no even worth it. And driving Sasuke up a fucking wall.
"What's so wrong with homosexuality?"
Yet again, more sputtering, though now it sounded even more dramatic. "Nothing! I'm just saying there's no way Sai is more credible over me. He's not normal!"
"This is a mental institution! None of us are normal!"
There was suddenly silence. Sasuke could tell by the quiet that the two had stopped walking and talking together. He glanced up and saw the woman at the reception desk glancing around to try to see who was talking, frowning slightly but looking interested, her hand poised above the telephone. Sasuke, despite his annoyance, turned to look down the hall.
Half way down the hall, nearing a turn in the hall leading down a passage, two figures had stopped. One of them was tall with long brown hair, looking out of place in his shabby clothes clearly over worn. The other Sasuke recognized as the boy who had spoken with him the other day, his blond hair and tan skin unmistakable. He was dressed differently than the last time Sasuke had seen him, wearing a light gray shirt and shabby jeans. Currently, the blond was glaring heatedly at the brunette, who looked guilty, but still managed to hold himself proudly.
"You're right, Hyuuga," the blond said, his voice so low Sasuke actually found himself straining to hear, catching himself and cursing. Without another word, the blond turned from the brunette, about to walk down the other passage when his eyes shifted to the waiting room. Sasuke felt himself stiffen as the blue eyes, visible even at that distance, locked on him. The blond paused, staring at the Uchiha for a moment, before turning and disappearing down the hall, the brunette following a moment later.
Sasuke could hear their voices fade down the hall, the brunette obviously trying to reconcile with the blond, appealing for his words as the blond spurned him. Sasuke continued to stare at the spot the blond had disappeared, a faint pressure around his lungs, making him frown. His last visit had rattled him somewhat, not because of Itachi, but because of the blond he had just seen again.
Itachi had been progressively degrading into his own world for over a year, switching occasionally from being the kind and protective older brother, always there and sometimes teasing Sasuke to this dark and brooding, violent and cruel being. For a while, Sasuke and his parents had been able to keep Itachi relatively grounded, calming him during his spells. Then it got harder, Itachi becoming more volatile when his parents were around, threatening them and Sasuke. So Sasuke had bought a small house in town, moving in with Itachi, and been there to take care of his brother when not doing errands or working from his home office.
And then, about a month ago, Itachi had significantly dropped. Sasuke had returned home from the grocery store to find the house completely ripped apart, the furniture overturned and broken glass all over. Blood had littered some of the walls and carpet. He had been so unbelievably scared, dropped the groceries and rushed to call the police. However, no sooner had he picked up the phone before he was grabbed from behind, the telephone tangling uselessly as he fought his attacked, terrified when he realized it was his own brother. Itachi had completely been consumed by his reality, believing Sasuke to have captured him with intent to murder him.
Fortunately, Sasuke had managed to get out of Itachi's grasp after fighting with him and rendered the other unconscious. Sasuke had then called an ambulance, hoping to get Itachi checked out in case his brother had harmed himself during his relapse. When the paramedics arrived, they took Itachi away. Hours later of sitting in the hospital waiting room, he was informed by the doctors that Itachi was being confined in the psychiatric ward and advised him to place his brother in a facility.
It had been the hardest decision Sasuke had yet to make, sending his brother to be locked up here. His brother was like his best friend, parent, and sibling all rolled into one. His father was head of one of the largest companies in the world, spending his entire life devoted to the company with his mother listlessly following him. Where they had been absent, Itachi was present. He had practically raised Sasuke, nurturing him and encouraging him when Fugaku, their father, compared the brothers. He was Sasuke's family.
And Sasuke had locked him into this concrete block of an institution.
Deep down, Sasuke knew it was the best thing for his brother. Sasuke couldn't control him and calm him like he used to, the final incident standing as proof. He was losing Itachi as the elder was losing himself. But the last visit had jarred him. Seeing Itachi regress wasn't what had shaken him, seeing him so riled up over another, become so wild, was what had unbalanced the younger Uchiha.
The blond boy, who had seemed to calm and innocent, friendly to the point of sickness with Sasuke, had not only practically thrown his brother across the room, but stopped his brother. No one before had been able to make Itachi stop when he was in one of his episodes before. No one except Sasuke had been able to do anything, and now it was something even he could barely do.
Yet the blond had.
"Sasuke."
The raven jerked his head up at the call of his name, eyes widening as he recognized Kakashi standing before him, smiling slightly behind his mask, his eyes crinkled as he looked down at the young Uchiha. Sasuke didn't know how he had missed the mans appearance and silent cursed for letting himself be wrapped up in his own thoughts.
Without saying a word, Sasuke stood up and nodded to the white haired man, not bothering to bid farewell to the receptionist as he followed Kakashi to the gates separating the waiting room from the rest of the facility. Punching in a quick key code, Kakashi swung the door open, allowing Sasuke to enter before following, shutting the gate behind him quietly. They walked in silence to the therapists office, neither bothering to speak as they found their seats in the furnished space.
"How is my brother?" Sasuke asked as he settled into the comfortable leather arm chair, his legs crossed and hands resting authoritatively on the arm rests of the chair. He kept his eyes trained on the white haired man before him, his face blank and patient.
Kakashi smiled, leaning forward slightly on his desk, folding his hands together as they rested on the mahogany. "Itachi is fine," Kakashi said easily, his head tilting to the side slightly. "Since your last visit he has had no more relapses, remaining himself and stable. I have begun him writing in a diary or journal to keep track of things and let himself relax." Still smiling, Kakashi withdrew a small composition book from a drawer and handed it to Sasuke across the desk.
Sasuke didn't smile as he took the book from Kakashi, sitting back into the chair and opening to the first pages. His eyes swept over the entries swiftly, the words echoing faintly in his head sounding like Itachi's voice. He sighed, handing the notebook back to Kakashi, feeling as if a weight had settled on his shoulders.
"He's also made some friends, become more social," Kakashi continued, smiling gently at the raven across from him.
Sasuke frowned, his eyes drifting up to meet Kakashi. "Itachi made friends?"
"Yes," Kakashi said, nodding slightly.
Sasuke raised an elegant eyebrow. "That's rather unlike him."
Kakashi sighed, leaning back. "Sasuke, I know this is hard to hear, but Itachi is doing well here." He looked at Sasuke sternly. "I know you want to be able to bring him back to the real world, but right now, Itachi needs to be here. He's stabilizing and hasn't had any relapses, making friends with the other patients and developing social bonds. We're hoping that the more bonds he created in reality the less he will depend on his reality."
Sasuke simply continued to frown.
He was sitting on the powder blue plastic chair again, feeling stiff and uncomfortable. After speaking for a good half hour with Kakashi, the older man had led him back here, telling him to wait while he went to find his brother. And so, Sasuke was once again sitting on the uncomfortable and probably pathogen ridden chairs, waiting stiffly for his brother to appear.
Feeling the eyes of some of the patients on him, Sasuke snatched up one of the magazines, wrenching it open and scowling at it, not bothering to actually look at the words as he turned over the conversation with Kakashi. The white haired man had basically told him that Itachi wouldn't probably never really be able to leave the facility without constant surveillance and monitoring. The elder Uchiha also seemed to be establishing strong bonds with some of the patients, specifically one of them, who he was often seen with. Sasuke frowned even deeper remembering that point in the conversation. It was almost as if Kakashi was suggesting Itachi might be interested in this person, if not platonically, then-
"I didn't know you liked gardening."
Sasuke was once again jolted from his mental musings by the sudden voice, this time rather loud and obnoxiously bright. Scowling, he turned to his side, the signature Uchiha glared directed at the broadly grinning blond. The look, usually capable of causing flowers to wilt, had no effect on the other, as the blue eyed boy simply continued to grin, his eyes glinting as he looked at Sasuke.
"What's your favorite garden?" the blond asked, his voice grating on Sasuke's already drawn nerves. "I like the Japanese gardens myself. All the cool rocks and sand and exotic trees. They really give an ethereal atmosphere, don't you think?"
Grunting and turning from the blond, Sasuke scowled. "Dobe," he said, smirking internally as he watched the other frown from the corner of his mouth.
"Jeeze, what is it with you and friendly people," the blond said, a finger snaking out to poke at Sasuke's side.
Gritting his teeth at the irritating motion, Sasuke snapped his head back to the blond, his temper only fueled by the broad grin that met him. "Maybe I don't want to be friends with you," Sasuke spat, making the blond pause in his poking and pout slightly.
"Why not?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the magazine, hoping the blond would leave.
"Are you here to visit Itachi again?" the blond asked, making Sasuke slam down the magazine into his lap and turn to glare at the blond.
"Do you ever stop asking questions?" the raven snapped, his black eyes burning.
"Is that a rhetorical question?" the blond asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked back at Sasuke, who internally groaned. "Anyway, Itachi wont be here for a little while." Sasuke raised an eyebrow in question. "He's in the middle of writing for his journal thing and was going to take a shower when I last saw him and, knowing him, he'll take a good half hour just cleaning up."
Sasuke found himself staring at the blond next to him, almost not believing the information pouring from his mouth. "How do you know my brother so well?" he asked tentatively.
The blond rolled his eyes. "When you're stuck in a building with people, you tend to know their habits pretty well," he explained, leaning back into his chair slightly. He glanced up at Sasuke. "I bet if I lived with your for two weeks I'd know your routine perfectly and be able to read you like a book."
Sasuke scowled. "Is this how you always make friends?" he asked flatly, eyeing the grinning blond beside him.
"No," the boy said, turning his tan face to Sasuke and grinning. "Just you."
Sasuke scowled.
"You just seemed bored," the blond elaborated. "I thought I'd come over and be social. Besides," he glanced behind him. "If I'm talking with you, then I don't have to be with the others, and they wont bother you either."
Sasuke raised his eyebrow, the blonds words intriguing him slightly. "Why's that?"
The blond rolled his eyes. "Because they're either protective, shy, or scared," he said easily. Turning himself slightly, he angled himself so that Sasuke could see the group of people milling about the open space. "See the stick girl over there?" The blond nodded in the direction towards the window. "Long blond hair. Will probably disappear if she turns sideways? That's Ino. She's bipolar and anorexic bulimic. She wont come over because she's shy. The black haired boy next to her." Sasuke's eyes slid to the aforementioned raven. "He's a pervert and sociopath. He wont come over because he's jealous, but doesn't want to speak to you lest he give the impression he's jealous."
"Why would he be jealous?" Sasuke asked, turning back to the blond.
The blond grinned. "Because he wants to fuck me."
Sasuke blinked in shock at the statement before realizing the blond had gone back to pointing out people. It was actually interesting, hearing from the blond about all the people in the room. They didn't seem quite as scary now that he was identifying them.
"The girl over there with the pink hair." The blond nodded towards one of the couches to a girl holding an old doll. "That's Sakura. She's kinda in her own reality, and switches moods as much as worlds. She wont come over because she's afraid. The guy at the opposite end of the couch who looks like a raccoon." Sasuke tried to hide his smirk at the startlingly accurate description. "That's Gaara. He here for homicidal tendencies and schizophrenia. He wont come over because I'm here."
Sasuke blinked at him as the blond chuckled, rubbing a hand against the back of his head. "He keeps his distance. It's more of his way of respecting me I suppose. Most people he threatens or ignores. Anyway, the guy with the long hair," the nodded towards a far wall. "That's Neji. He's a masochist and has a few personality disorders. He wont come over because we're fighting right now."
"And what about you?" Sasuke asked, turning his attention to the blond directly.
The blond frowned. "I met you last time I was here."
"And?"
Blue eyes flashed. "Naruto. Attempted suicide. Happy, teme?"
Sasuke's mind clicked. The last visit had been so weird that he hadn't really remembered what had occurred directly before seeing Itachi, so the reminder from Naruto effectively jogged his memory. "Elated," Sasuke deadpanned to the blond, who rolled his eyes. "So you're friends with my brother."
Naruto was silent for a moment, frowning at his hands. Sasuke watched him, intrigued as to why the previously loud blond was suddenly silent. "I guess," Naruto answered after a moment, eyes still on his hands. "I mean, we hang out. But I don't know if I'd really call anyone here a friend."
"Because you're all supposedly crazy?" Sasuke supplied, wondering if he'd get a response from the blond.
He wasn't disappointed. Naruto's head snapped up to glare at the Uchiha, who silently jeered. "If you want to be a bastard about it, then yes, because we're all crazy," Naruto spat, his blue eyes swirling angrily. "Why make real friends in a place where everyone is out of their mind, in their own world, or possibly going to disappear into intensive because of an episode? Why make any sort of bonds like that?"
"So you socialize with the visitors instead," Sasuke said, staring at the blond who fumed before him.
Naruto glared at him. "You're really unpleasant, you know that?" he said, frowning at the younger Uchiha.
Sasuke scowled at the statement, black eyes battling blue. "I wasn't the one who came asking about garden preferences."
Naruto looked like he was about to say something but was cut short by the arrival of Kakashi, Itachi following behind smoothly, his dark eyes flickering between Sasuke and Naruto.
"Naruto, Sasuke, so good to see you two getting along," Kakashi said, smiling beneath his mask as he approached them. Both boys glanced at each other before turning to the therapist. Sasuke held himself perfectly, back straight and face impassive as he looked up at the therapist. Naruto leapt up, grinning broadly as he bounced over to Kakashi.
"Hey, Kakashi," Naruto said, flashing a grin at the therapist. Sasuke's eyes flickered to him briefly, noticing the attitude change. "How are you? I haven't seen you for a while."
Kakashi smiled at the blond, his eyes crinkling. "I just saw you the other day, remember?"
Naruto pouted. "Yeah, but that was boring. You just talked about psychology stuff."
Kakashi laughed lightly as Naruto turned to Itachi, grin still full force. "Hey, Itachi."
"Hello, Naruto," Itachi said, his voice smooth as Sasuke remembered it. However, the way Itachi's eyes softened and glinted as he looked at the blond had Sasuke frowning slightly. Even when Itachi had been schmoozing business deals, he had never let his emotion travel to his eyes, the dark pools remaining dead and emotionless. The only time Sasuke had seen Itachi's eyes alive was when Itachi had been sane and the two of them close brothers and when Itachi was in a relapse. It unnerved him slightly.
Itachi's eyes suddenly drifted to Sasuke. The younger Uchiha felt himself tense slightly under the gaze, praying the eyes wouldn't shift to the forbidding red tinge. "Hello, Sasuke," Itachi said, smiling gently at his younger brother, his eyes soft. Sasuke silently let out the breath he had been holding, pushing himself from the grotesque chair to approach his brother.
"Hello, Itachi," Sasuke said, his tone slightly wary, still apprehensive about Itachi's sudden openness and expression.
Itachi looked him over for a moment, a light smile on his lips before he reached out towards Sasuke. Sasuke had a moment of panic, leaning back slightly, eyes wide, as his brothers hands pressed against his back, the elder taking a step towards him. Face drawn in surprise and panic, Sasuke was suddenly pulled to his brothers chest as Itachi hugged him swiftly, smiling happily into his younger brothers rebelliously spiky hair as Naruto laughed at Sasuke's face.
"It's good to see you, otouto," Itachi murmured, his breath ghosting against the shell of Sasuke's ear, making the younger boy tense slightly as he tried to figure out what to do with his arms. In one smooth movement, Itachi drew back, smiling down at his brother, the image of his old self as he looked Sasuke up and down. Sasuke felt a small part of him tear inside, the visage of his older brother, returned to the caring figure Sasuke had depended on for so many years, smiling down at him as he was held at arms length.
"Come," Itachi said, finally releasing his brother, who absently brought a hand to rub at his shoulder where Itachi's hand had been. "I haven't seen you in a while." Feeling slightly numb, Sasuke followed his brother to the small circle of chairs by one of the windows, the sunlight filtering in pleasantly. As he passed Naruto, he glanced to the blond, noticing the blue eyes trained on him, watching him as he passed, an unrecognizable emotion swimming in them. Kakashi watched them in silence. "You can come too, Naruto," Itachi called over his shoulder, smiling as the blond jerked his gaze towards the elder.
"Actually, I'd like to chat with Naruto for a little while," Kakashi said, laying a hand gently on Naruto's shoulder, causing the blond to start and turn to look at the white haired man. "He'll join you in a little while."
Sasuke watched as Naruto was led away by Kakashi, a slight frown on his features. As they passed the doorway, Kakashi said something to one of the male attendants, a brunette with red triangular tattoos down his cheeks, who nodded before striding into the room and positioning himself approximately twenty feet from where Itachi had sat down, watching Sasuke expectantly.
Sasuke warily sat down opposite his smiling brother, his black eyes flickering to the brunette near by. "He's here to make sure you're safe," Itachi said, his familiar voice washing over Sasuke reassuringly as Sasuke looked up at him.
Itachi was dressed in a simple black shirt, dark washed jeans with his slightly damp hair pulled back to the nape of his neck. He was smiling gently at Sasuke, his face clean and smooth. For a moment, Sasuke felt like he was back in the past, sitting across from his brother, talking over his college studies and Itachi's work, free and happy and normal. For a moment, Sasuke forgot his brother was in a mental institution, that his brother was slipping from his grasp, and that the Itachi in front of him wasn't going to stay.
"I can take care of myself," Sasuke said in response to Itachi's statement, his eyes guarded as he looked back at his brother. Itachi said nothing for a moment before nodding, soft smile still playing upon his lips.
"True," Itachi said, closing his eyes in recognition. "You can. You've demonstrated this to me many times." Sasuke said nothing, choosing to allow Itachi to speak. "I expect you've been going into the office more these days."
Sasuke sighed. Of course Itachi would bring up work. He and Sasuke had both been working for their father's company before Itachi had begun to fail. Sasuke had taken up working at home, doing his job from a home office so he could keep an eye on Itachi. "Yes," Sasuke said, rubbing a hand over his face, feeling exhausted even talking about his job. "Fugaku has been particularly insistent I come in. Seems to think I'm more productive there than at home."
Itachi snorted softly, a pale hand running through his bangs as he observed his brother. "Since when did you start calling him Fugaku?"
Sasuke let a hand massage his temples. "Since I moved out with you," he said, feeling more and more tired as he spoke with Itachi. "I mean, considering we've primarily been his business partners, I don't see the point in calling him father in the first place."
Itachi continued to smile at him, head resting on an open palm, elbow propped on the armrest of the large chair. "You know, if you keep distancing yourself from people, you'll never get a girlfriend."
Sasuke scoffed lightly himself, watching as Itachi's smile widened. "Itachi, you know better than I do I don't care about that."
"Just trying to look out for you," Itachi said, eyes warm as they observed his brother.
"I'm quite capable of doing that myself," Sasuke said, eyeing his brother.
"Don't try and make me feel useless," Itachi scolded lightly, eyes dancing slightly. "What else do I have to do then butt into my little brother's life?"
Sasuke smiled to himself as their conversation began to stream on, bouncing from topics and easily passing between them. It was familiar and comforting, speaking with Itachi like they had in the old days. It almost made him believe Kakashi's previous words about Itachi's being here being positive for the raven.
"So I see you've met Naruto," Itachi commented, smiling still at Sasuke who looked up, slightly surprised by the statement. Itachi's eyes were still fixed on Sasuke, though they looked searching rather than warm. Probing.
Hesitantly, Sasuke nodded.
"What do you think of him?"
Sasuke frowned slightly, straightening his spine slightly as he looked over Itachi, trying to find reason behind the sudden question and topic change. "He's loud and obnoxious and stupid," Sasuke said bluntly, staring evenly at his brother.
Itachi's smile widened. "Come on, Sasuke, I know you're more observant than that," the elder Uchiha goaded.
Sasuke scowled. "Why are you interested in him?"
And there it was, the flicker that had Sasuke tensing unconsciously as it passed through Itachi's eyes. The previous atmosphere of familiarity and home shattered instantly as Itachi's eyes glinted differently, the unfamiliar energy screaming at Sasuke. This was when Sasuke felt most wary. Itachi was in between. He was still present in the real world, in reality, but a part of him, his personality from his world, suddenly stepped in. This was his brother, on the point of a knife.
"Because he fascinates me," Itachi said simply, his voice betraying none of the shift his eyes gave away. "Unlike many of those here, he's aware of his condition and using it."
"His condition?" Sasuke repeated, frown deepening. "He attempted to kill himself."
Itachi's grin widened, quirking in a way that made Sasuke's throat tighten. It would have been completely normal to others, but Sasuke knew his brother too well. "In a manner of speaking, yes. And that's why he fascinates me," Itachi continued, watching his brothers minute reactions with amusement. "He's similar to me in some ways, but, most amusingly, he's alive in ways that I am not."
Sasuke grimaced suddenly, Itachi's words hinting to something Sasuke would never expect from his brother. "You're interested in him," he said, looking at his brother in shock.
Itachi chuckled softly, his eyes never leaving his brother. "No," he said, grinning. "Not specifically. You forget me, little brother." Sasuke shivered slightly at the term. "He simply intrigues me."
Sasuke glared. "No one intrigues you, Itachi," he ground out, feeling helpless to revert his brother. It was in this time that Sasuke was helpless to bring Itachi back, the other self having gripped him only partially. Itachi was still sane, just slipping. If Sasuke pushed, he'd fall.
"Naruto does," Itachi replied smoothly, grinning at his brothers expression.
Sasuke grit his teeth. Kakashi was wrong. Things weren't going smoothly. They were getting worse.
