A/N: I guess that since I promised most of my reviewers that I would try and get this out on Tuesday, I should keep my promise. It's taken me six and a half hours to write this new chapter and no I haven't edited it so sorry if there are any grammar errors or spelling errors. And it 3:30 in the morning, thank goodness I don't have to work tomorrow. I put this chapter off because basically I didn't know where to go from here and this chapter was hard to start but once I started it it just developed on its own without me. Well, what are you doing sitting there, go on read the darn chapter!
Disclaimer: Please, sir, can I have some more? NO, You only get one helping. But... No you can have more Naruto you don't own him! :( *cries in corner, heartbroken*
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Naruto looked up from filling her umpteenth mocha decafé latte with cinnamon sprinkles when she heard the bell ring above the door. Sigh with fatigue she placed the paper cup on the counter for the customer then went back to fill another order. Her shoulders were drooping and her feet ached but she still had another hour to go before the double shift that she had pulled was over.
"Naruto?"
Hearing a familiar voice she glanced over her shoulder then did a double take. Itachi was standing at the counter with a small smile of greeting on his lips. She hadn't seen him since the night of her sixteenth birthday a year and nine months ago. He'd moved to Germany a week after that night.
"Itachi! Wow, are you back from Germany?"
She studied him as she filled the order. His black hair was longer and pulled back into a ponytail and he was wearing a black trench coat even though it was the end of July and the weather was above one hundred degrees. But from this distance she could see lines of fatigue and exhaustion marring the handsome features.
"Yes," he simply said returning the once over.
She put the coffee on the counter then waved to the manager as she stepped out to speak to Itachi while she had a brief break. She really couldn't understand why people wanted hot coffee on such a hot day, the iced cappuccinos she could get but hot coffee? Go figure.
She hugged Itachi but immediately put some distance between then as soon as the greeting was over. He grimaced but let her go.
"What are you doing here? Are you staying for a while?" She talked while she drew him towards an empty table away from the other customers.
"I'm here for a meeting with the company heads on the expansion into Japan. But I'll be here for a while it seems until the plans are ironed out and for the next however many months, I'll be flying back and forth from here to Japan." Itachi explained as he settled into the chair.
"Oh! Hey, did you want some coffee?" she asked remembering her job and where she was.
"Yes, that's why I stopped in," he said with a grin.
"Let me go get it and then we can do some catching up. Um…what would you like?" She'd nearly run off without knowing what he wanted so she felt the heat warm her face.
"Just a large regular coffee, black."
"Alright! I'll be right back," she ran back behind the counter and quickly filled a cup with coffee. She slid the coffee in front of him as she slid into the seat that she'd vacated.
"So what was Germany like? Was it really different? Did you learn any German?" she began shooting questions at him in rapid fire mode until he laughed and held up his hands in surrender.
"Still the same Naruto, wanting to know everything yesterday," he chuckled. "Um, lets see…There are places that are spectacularly beautiful especially when the seasons changed. Yes, it was very different. Und ja erlernte ich etwas Deutsches." (Might not be translated correctly, sorry, I don't know German myself)
"Huh?"
"I said 'yes, I do know some German.'" Itachi's shoulders were shaking as he suppressed the humor that she'd brought out in him. It was a strange feeling and one that had always interested him, the fact that she could pull emotions out of him, his brother, and his father no matter how hard they tried to not to show them. He'd been intrigued by the possessiveness that Sasuke had shown from the beginning and had pushed that button as often as he could and as hard as he could to see how far it went. Even now he was wondering what Sasuke would do or say if he found them together.
"Naruto, why don't you go on home? I'll be able to close up soon and you've pulled a hard day anyways. This way you'll get to talk to your friend." The manager called out waving her off.
"Thanks!" she called out then looked at Itachi.
"How about I walk you home," he offered with a shrug.
"That'd be great but you're going to roast in that coat."
"Ma, I don't feel the heat much anymore."
They walked out the door and up the street toward the residential area of the town. Naruto asked questions and Itachi answered, a true conversation. It was different from the other times that Itachi had spoken with her and she was beginning to feel almost comfortable. Like the snake had given up on the mouse and turned its attention elsewhere.
"So, how have you been?" Itachi asked as he noticed that they were almost to her apartment.
"Well, I've been working for most of the summer trying to save up money. When we graduate, the whole gang is getting together to take a tour of Europe, you know, one of those back packing trips. We're going to start in France and then go through as many of the countries as we can! It's going to be so awesome!" She was nearly hopping on her tip toes in excitement at the plan.
"Wow that sounds like a lot of fun. Is Sasuke going?"
"Well, yeah, it wouldn't be the same without him."
"Are you two still seeing each other?"
Naruto hesitated, the excitement draining from her at the question. She frowned and looked at her hands.
"Um…yes, and no. It's been really hard what with both of us working this summer. I think we've only gotten together three times." She wasn't going to go into the fact that each of those three times had ended up in a fight and Naruto felt the distance growing between them. She didn't understand everything that was happening with their relationship. It seemed to her that Sasuke only hung out with her because he felt it was an obligation and that he truly wished he was somewhere else. He'd been distracted, snappish and tense the whole time they were together and the fights were about petty crap like what movie to watch or where they should eat after words. In the end they hadn't gone to a movie and they didn't go and eat instead they'd just sat in the car in silence until Naruto asked to go home, trying her best to hold back the tears that were threatening.
"Hmm, that doesn't sound good," Itachi said gently putting an arm around her and tucking her close to his side.
"I—I…he doesn't talk to me, tell me what's wrong, and in the end…I'm left wondering if he still wants to be together," Naruto said, Itachi rubbing her arm and giving her comfort as she spoke.
"I'm sure that Sasuke wants to be with you and you guys will work things out," Itachi reassured her. Pulling her to a halt in front of the stairway leading to the upper deck that would take her to her apartment he gave her a gentle hug then let her go.
"Yeah, you're right, Itachi, I'm just making more of this than there actually is," she said mustering up a bright and happy attitude.
Itachi nodded.
"Thanks so much for walking me home and it was so good to see you!"
"You too, Naruto. Now I'd better get home before they begin to think that I don't remember the way." Itachi waved as he turned and walked down the sidewalk in the direction of the Uchiha manor.
愛愛愛愛
Naruto dressed carefully for her date with Sasuke, they were going to try the movies again and she was determined that she wasn't going to bring up anything or way anything that would result in an argument. She was wearing an orange button up shirt with a black sweater over top along with freshly ironed black slacks, black socks and sneakers. She picked a necklace that held three blue crystals from her jewelry box and fastened it around her neck and put on matching earrings. Hearing the doorbell, she checked her appearance in the mirror one last time flicked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear and then went to greet Sasuke.
He stood talking with Kakashi and Iruka, hands tucked traditionally in his front pockets. He was wearing a midnight blue sweater that seemed to enhance his appearance rather than detract from it. Denim jeans hugged the muscles in his legs, muscles that he'd gotten from track and the martial arts programs that he'd been enrolled in since he was in junior high. He cut such a suave image that Naruto's breath hitched in her lungs.
He must have heard her because he turned to look at her with such dark eyes that she felt like she was falling into a black hole. The image swiftly changed when he smiled and the eyes warmed at seeing her. She took a deep breath feeling relief and gave him her brightest smile in return.
"Hi!" She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck giving him a tight hug and feeling it returned as his arms wrapped around her lender figure. She let go and turned to Iruka. Catching the slight frown, she walked up to him and hugged him also.
"You're still my favorite father," she reassured with a whisper in his ear. Iruka squeezed her briefly then let her go with a grunt.
"Of course, I am. Kakashi is a pervert and who wants to hang out with that?" Iruka looked at the other man with a sidelong look.
"You." Kakashi said from his perch on the arm of the chair. He stood up and approached the couple. "So are you going to the movies or should we expect you home in half an hour?"
"Kakashi," Iruka admonished then pulled the man to the kitchen.
Naruto winced invisibly at the reminder of their previous dates. She drew in a breath and turned to Sasuke with determination renewed. She was going to enjoy this evening and get Sasuke to enjoy it even if it killed her. She felt Sasuke approach and looked up. He was smiling soft at her and reached out to take her chin in his hand. He pulled it up and laid a tender kiss on her lips.
"Let' get going before Kakashi decides not to wait for us to depart before he begins molesting Iruka," he suggested stepping back. A low moan from the kitchen told them that it was too late and they quickly left the apartment before they heard anything else.
Naruto allowed Sasuke to guide her down to the car with a hand on the small of her back. His hand felt almost hot even through the two layers of clothing. She could feel the strength in it and wanted to stop and kiss him some more but decided that wouldn't be good cause then they wouldn't get to the movies either.
Sasuke opened the car door of the new jag that his parents had given him when he started working for the company at the beginning of summer. The plush leather seat what she slid into felt sumptuous, like a personally hug and she relaxed partially.
Sasuke came around and slipped into the driver's seat, darkness fell as he closed his door and started the car. He shifted the car into gear and the engine growled throatily as he pulled away from the curb.
"How was work?" Naruto asked quietly. That should be a nice safe subject.
"Busy, and with Itachi home and the meetings…it just been very busy." Sasuke replied keeping his attention on the road.
"Oh."
"Yeah, the company is opening up offices in Japan and Itachi's playing liaison since his Japanese is better than anyone else's."
"Well, that's good," Naruto said. She didn't know why but she was keeping the fact that she knew Itachi was home to herself.
"What have you been doing?"
"Well, today, I ended up pulling a double shift because Kiba called in sick."
"Really? I saw Kiba having lunch with Hinata. They were at the same restaurant I was at while on break."
"I kind of suspected that he wasn't really sick, but its okay it just gets me closer to that trip to Europe."
Sasuke was quiet for a moment. "I won't be able to go with you," he said evenly.
"What? Why not?" Naruto was stunned as she stared at him in confusion. Sasuke wouldn't be going? Then who was she going to hang out with?
"My father wants the family to go to Japan when things are finally settled and thinks that next summer would be the perfect time to visit the new offices and make sure that they're running efficiently."
Naruto suppressed the anger that was beginning to simmer and turned to look out the front windshield. She swallowed several times and regained her composure.
"It won't be any fun without you," Naruto began.
"I still want you to go," Sasuke said glancing at her. He had heard the sadness in her voice and thought that she wouldn't go without him. He wanted her to have fun whether it was with him or not.
These past couple of weeks had worked him over. He'd known that he was being a bastard towards her when they were together but he wasn't able to keep from snapping at her. He'd grown frustrated with some of the work and he'd taken it out on her several times and he regretted them. He'd started this night wanting make things right, wanting to relax and just be with someone who didn't demand all of his attention. He hadn't meant to reveal tonight that he wouldn't be going to Europe with her and the gang but it had slipped out.
He'd seen the hurt and anger in her face but she hadn't let it ruin their night and he was even more determined that they would have a good time tonight. Especially since the next few weeks until school started were going to be much more erratic and busy. As exhausting as the previous weeks were he was planning that the next weeks were going to be down right hell and he wouldn't be able to see Naruto or even talk to her except for brief calls between meetings or late at night. He now knew the reason that his father had an office at home and spent a large amount of time in it.
The reached the theater before they knew it and Sasuke left the car to stride around and help Naruto out. He took her hand and they walked to the doors companionable. There was an older couple in front of them. The man had to be at least in his early sixties and the woman not much younger than him. Their arms were entwined and the woman laid her head on the shoulder of the man walking into the theater. The lights flashed briefly showing the sweet happiness in the woman's face and the contentment in the older man's gaze as they purchased their tickets. Sasuke wondered if he and Naruto would be like that when they were the same age.
"Two tickets to 'The Long Road Home,'" Sasuke said when it was their turn. The ticket attendant handed them two orange tickets which were taken from them at the entrance to the movie itself. The theater was divided into four sections with a main lobby to purchase popcorn and drinks. Sasuke purchased a small bag of popcorn and two waters for them before leading Naruto to seats at the back of the theater.
They'd decided before hand which movie to watch and what they were going to get so that they didn't end up arguing about it. They'd also planned out the rest of the night, which restaurant they were going to, and what time they would get home. He hadn't wanted to take any chances with the night and it had sounded like Naruto didn't either.
While they waited for the movie to start they munched on popcorn and sipped at their drinks talking about small things like what their friends were getting up to during the summer. Kiba was spending a lot of time at the Hyuuga manor with Hinata. Ino was growing more and more frustrated with Shikamaru since he still hadn't asked her out. Chouji, for some unknown reason, was currently camping with Shino's family. Sakura was working and missing Lee, who was at a training camp. Neji was keeping an eye on his cousin while working with his uncle at U Tech, the Uchiha's company. Tenten had been accepted into a dance company and was on a brief tour for the summer.
"Oh, and Ino is planning on having a pool party just before school starts. She's been planning it all summer with Sakura and it's supposed to be the event of the year, according to Ino," Naruto said as the lights dimmed and they settled back in their seats to watch the previews. Sasuke put an arm around Naruto and drew her to him and smiled as Naruto's head tucked under his against his chest. He wished that there wasn't an armrest between them then he could probably have pulled her into his lap, maybe he should suggest that when the theater decided to remodel that they put in couches instead of the hard theater seats. He smiled at the image of the old couple snuggling together on a couch to watch a movie at the theater; it was such a vivid image that he was surprised when it changed to one of him and Naruto at that age.
It wasn't the movie itself that Sasuke wanted to see it was the fact that he could be with Naruto and relax that had been the main attraction. Usually he hated theaters and the crowds that were drawn to them; he hadn't really understood the concept of seeing something with tons of people around you when you could just wait a few months and the movie would be out on video and you could watch it in the comfort of your own home. But since he'd been dating Naruto he'd adjusted his thinking. Depending on the movie, he'd get different reactions out of Naruto. Scary movies would make Naruto practically crawl into his lap and hold him tightly. Comedies brought out her laughter and he'd enjoyed that a lot. Action movies would have her on the edge of her seat and extremely talkative afterwards. And the romantic movies relaxed her and made her cuddly. He'd also learned to avoid the sad dramas as well because he couldn't stand to see the tears in her eyes and he would end up pulling her into him and comforting her.
He was nearly asleep by the time the movie ended and he lethargically pulled Naruto to her feet and beat a hasty retreat before the theater became jam packed with people wanting to leave and others wanting to come in.
They drove to a small restaurant close to Naruto's home and had a light meal talking quietly about the movie or just enjoying each other company in silence. The atmosphere was pleasant and lulled them into a calm state, with the smells of good food, dim lighting and candles on the tables. Music floated from hidden speakers nearby and the room hummed with voice talking lowly.
Sasuke took Naruto home afterwards knowing that he had to get up early in the morning so he couldn't spend more time with her. He shut of the engine and they sat for a few minutes in the darkness before Sasuke spoke.
"Naruto?"
"Hm?"
"Why didn't you tell me that you knew Itachi was home?" Sasuke had tried to keep the words to himself all night but now he needed to know.
"I…"
"He said that he saw you at the coffee shop and you two talked for a minute, but you didn't say anything when I mentioned him earlier tonight." Sasuke pressed his lips together and watched the emotions play over her face. He recognized several, uncertainty being the predominant emotion that kept flickering through her eyes.
"I don't know. I guess it's because I didn't know how you would react…" She looked back at him trying to gage his won emotions but he had his stoic mask back in place.
"I want you to stay away from him," Sasuke finally said, his voice hard and uncompromising.
"What? What do you mean?" Naruto asked. "He came in for coffee. He didn't know that I was working there and we talked about Germany and you."
"I don't care, just stay away from Itachi."
"Are you saying that you don't trust me when he's around?"
"I don't trust him, where you're concerned." Frustration was growing in Sasuke and he didn't want to have to explain every detail to Naruto in order for her to understand. "Look, I don't want to spend the rest of the night explaining. Just. Stay. Away. From. Him, okay."
"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid, Sasuke. I do understand basic concepts like jealousy," Naruto said sarcastically.
"God, dammit Naruto. I'm not jealous of Itachi," Sasuke gritted out feeling the mounting anger.
"Don't swear at me."
Sasuke duck his head his hand pushing through the locks then fisted as he took a couple of deep breaths.
"Sasuke," Naruto said quietly trying to regain the mood that they'd had earlier. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get upset and alright, I'll stay away from Itachi."
"It doesn't matter," Sasuke said raising his head. "Look, I'm just really tired and stressed. There's a lot going on at work and I won't be able to see you until things are resolved, which won't be until after school starts. After that I've got to concentrate on my school work since this is a very critical year for me, so that I can get into the college on my choice and I'll still be working at the company after school and on the weekends. Maybe…" He halted the words that were about to leave his lips, thinking hard but coming up with only one conclusion.
"Maybe?" Naruto whispered already knowing what he was about to do. And dreading it but also dreading the silence that was filling up the car without him speaking.
"Maybe…we should call it quits for now."
There they were. Naruto went numb hearing them. They were the words that she'd feared since talking with Itachi. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on the door handle opening the car, but before getting out she closed her eyes and nodded. Quickly before the tears could well up and be seen, Naruto exited the car and ran up the stairs and into the apartment not stopping until she reached her room. She closed the door and locked it falling across the bed as sobs welled up in her chest. She ignored the knock on her door unable to have anyone see her heartbreak.
愛愛愛愛
Naruto stayed in her room for the next few days. Iruka would bring her small things to snack on though she ate very little of what he brought. Each time he could see the tear tracks that ran down her face with each visit and he grew more and more concerned for her health. She was pale and loosing weight, not to mention that she slept most of the time away huddled into a small ball. He'd called Kiba and asked him to cover Naruto shifts at work telling him that she wasn't feeling well.
When Naruto emerged on the fourth day, she was lethargic and drained even after all the time she'd spent crying. When questioned, she answered but there wasn't any emotion behind the replies, even Kakashi was looking at her worriedly. She functioned but it was like watching a puppet that only moved or spoke when a string was pulled. Otherwise Naruto didn't do anything.
She sat on the couch watching what they watched. During meals, she moved the food around her plate but very little was consumed. She went to work but ended up being sent home because the manager still thought she was ill and not ready to come back to work. Iruka ended up telling her boss that Naruto wouldn't be coming back to work the rest of the summer.
Days passed then weeks and still Naruto didn't improve. She didn't attend Ino's party or any of the other festivities that she'd been invited to. Then school started.
愛愛愛愛
"Hey, Naruto!"
Naruto looked up from her locker into the shocked gaze of Kiba. She finished putting her books into the locker before nodding at him in acknowledgement. Kiba came to a halt beside her leaning a shoulder against the wall of lockers as he studied her openly.
"You must have been really sick," he said seeing the changes in her. She was a lot thinner than when he'd last seen her and she was extremely pale. He wondered if she was still sick and what it could be. The clothes that fit her when she bought them were now hanging on her and her normally bright and shiny hair was dull and stringy. She wasn't wearing makeup and the three symmetrical lines on her cheeks were standing out in sharp relief. They normally could hardly be seen, even though he'd teased her about them when they were in grammar school.
"Hn." That was the only reply Kiba got and he blinked.
"Okay, who the hell are you and what have you done with Naruto," Kiba demanded taking a step back from the girl. This definitely wasn't the Naruto he knew, the bouncy, bubbly blonde.
"Funny," Naruto finally spoke. She pulled a notebook from the locker along with a text and pen before shutting the locker.
"Seriously, Naruto what's wrong?" Concern was mounting in Kiba at the dead look that was in Naruto's eyes.
"Nothing." Naruto pushed past him and walked away.
"Hey, Kiba. Was that Naruto?" Ino asked coming up to the feral boy, Shikamaru at her side.
"Yeah, but something is seriously wrong," Kiba said watching the girl walk down the hall until she disappeared around the corner.
"Sasuke broke up with her," Shikamaru said in sympathy. "It's troublesome." He grimaced at the smack Ino gave him before capturing her hand and pulling it to his lips. She looked up in surprise watching him lay a kiss on her knuckles her breath leaving her in a huff as warmth suffused her.
"Shit, you've got to be kidding me!" Kiba exclaimed turning to the pair. "What the hell is he thinking?"
Shikamaru shrugged, he had his theories but he wasn't going to say anything until they were confirmed. He wasn't a gossip and he wasn't going to spread any rumors, let the common folk think what they like and draw their own conclusions.
"Hey, guys, I just saw Naruto. Do you think that she's sick?" Sakura asked, her arm looped through Lee's.
"Sasuke broke up with her," Ino told her friend they shared a look that caused the boys to roll their eyes.
"Oh my god," Sakura whispered. "Oh, poor Naruto."
Everyone's reaction was the same throughout the day as they were informed of the situation. They met up at the usual spot for lunch waiting for the pair but neither showed up, they were informed that Sasuke wouldn't be to school until the following week and Naruto had been called into the nurse's office because the teachers were concerned that she was sick. The nurse did a thorough exam but didn't find anything really wrong with her and just told her to eat more before letting Naruto back to class.
Kiba caught up with her outside of her last class just after the bell rang, Hinata by his side.
"Hey, Naruto, mind if we walk you home," Kiba asked. His worry had driven him to drastic measures.
"Fine," Naruto responded without really looking at them.
"H-How are y-you feeling, Naruto?" Hinata asked. This was the first time that she'd seen Naruto and she could now see why her boyfriend was so concerned about the girl.
"I'm feeling good," Naruto said. Again these were automatic responses and they didn't really give anything away. Hinata was extremely good at reading beneath what was said which had made her an asset to her father many times. She could see that physically Naruto wasn't eating which told her that she was still hurting from being rejected by Sasuke. That the hurt went much deeper than most and cause Hinata's own heart to ache for the girl. This was one of the times that she wished she had Naruto's ability to make people feel good, to feel comfortable for who they were.
Hinata didn't know what to tell Naruto that would make things at least a little better. She was to shy to try and confront the girl about Sasuke and ask what had happened. She also knew from the current condition that Naruto was in that she would just deny that anything was wrong. All she could do was pray that Naruto would get better. But she did know one person who could talk to Naruto and get some answers. Hinata made a mental note to make that call when she got home.
愛愛愛愛
Naruto sat in the driver's seat of the jag driving along the winding road. The canyon was dark and the lights were on bright though they did little good in the narrow confines, just flashing along the cliffs on either side of the car. The cliffs were a deep red orange with small clearings when the mountains ended and another began. These clearing were filled with trees struggling to grown amidst the boulders and scrub brush. Occasionally the lights would find the eyes of the nocturnal animals, such as rabbits and the rare fox.
Music played through the car lulling her into a false sense of security and she relaxed back against the leather as she drove. The adrenaline that had been swamping her system from earlier was wearing off allowing the exhaustion to creep in but she ignored it knowing that home was only thirteen miles away. She reached out and grabbed the water bottle from where she'd placed it in the cup holder, uncapped it, and took a long swallow of the cold liquid feeling it revive her for a moment. She put the cap back on it with a brief wish that she could dump it over her head but refrained because the car was still new.
Opening the window helped to keep the lethargy at bay and she sighed with the breeze that whipped over her, brushing through the thick locks of hair, which whipped the black strands into her eyes. Momentarily confusion drift through Naruto's head but was cleared even before a thought fully formed. Naruto glanced up at the night sky through the windshield taking her eyes from the road just for and instant to enjoy the stars that shone brightly against the background of velvet blackness.
With eyes back on the road he saw that the canyon was nearly over and the down hill decent into Konoha began. The road leveled off at the top and Naruto eager to get home increase her speed slightly letting the car shoot forward now able to see more of the landscape in front of her.
The road still wound around curves and through trees and scrub but the land was more open. Caution leaked through and Naruto took her foot of the gas to slow the car to a more intelligent speed. She was looking forward to Monday, and being back in school. She'd found out a few hours ago that she wouldn't be working as much as she'd thought which meant that…
The head light caught the shadowy outline of something large and moving. The light reflected the eyes briefly before she swerved and…
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A/N: *laughs evilly* since I don't own Naruto, I get to torture poor fans instead! Mwahahahaha!
So let me know what you think of the story, by leaving a review or sending a PM to me. Goodnight!
ZEN
