ADVENT CHILDREN IS AMAZING! 'drools all over Kadaj' Um…yeah…watched it in jap with subs. Can't wait for the English version to come out, because I'm definitely getting it. Square Enix is my hero. 'heart'

Since I haven't had a disclaimer in a few chapters: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR THE UCHIHAS OR ANYONE!

'Bout time we had another lemon! So if that's not your cup 'o tea, don't read. Kinda like this chapter. Much needed brotherly affection.

Edit: Corrected my spelling errors, plus toned down onii-chan to onii-san. Hope that's better. ' –chan' was a bit too much overkill. Thx for the feedback. :)

Chapter 9: Jealousies

I walked back to camp, a small bundle of firewood nestled in my arms. My head was spinning from the recent development, and I did my best to ignore it. I should not feel any guilt. I went out of my way to help Naruto when I could've just handed him over to Itachi right away. The end result would have been the same, but the point was that I put the effort in. Unfortunately, that dobe didn't realize it.

I was just about to walk into our little clearing when I heard Itachi's voice. He was talking to the dobe? And the dobe was responding? Curious, I paused, listening as the words drifted softly to my ears.

"You might as well make yourself comfortable. I have no qualms breaking both your legs should you try to run, and I'd heavily advise you from picking a fight with me. I'm sure Sasuke has informed you of my…achievements."

"What? Being a murderer? I would hardly call that cowardly act an achievement!"

"Think what you wish." There was a slight pause, then, "I trust that Sasuke was a kind host for you."

"Kind, my ass. You both are in on this together. I don't understand why Sasuke would stoop so low as to help you after all you've done; I had higher respect for him than that. But it seems that both of you are born backstabbers."

"My my, such fury. Put away your kuani, it's useless." Itachi's voice raised slightly in volume. "Sasuke, I thought I told you years ago that it was rude to eavesdrop. Come and bring the firewood and stop dawdling."

My face flushed, and I made sure to force it back down before stepping out of the trees and depositing the firewood on the ground. Without raising my eyes to either of them, I worked on preparing the fire. I could feel Naruto's icy blue eyes boring into my skull.

Once I had a crackling fire going, I seated myself in the only cleared spot available: between Itachi and Naruto. My stomach was doing back-flips out of nervousness. I half expected Naruto to leap at me and start strangling my throat. After all, that's what I would have done in his position. My brother speaking up served to distract me nicely.

"It seems you went a little out of your way to escape Kabuto, Sasuke. I was surprised how far out you had traveled. It almost appears that you were taking a long route towards Konoha." He extended his fingers to the flames to warm them. Not once did he look at me, but I felt my heart flutter in fear. He knew something was up. Perhaps he knew of my entire plan of escaping with Naruto, maybe he didn't. But he knew enough that I was going much too far to simply be escaping Kabuto.

"I figured the farther away I went, the better." I didn't have to see Naruto's face to know he was scowling. I figured the only reason he hadn't taken off already was that he took Itachi's threat to break his legs seriously, which was the right thing to do, because I knew Itachi would do so.

"I see." My brother's voice betrayed nothing, but I knew he didn't believe me.

If anyone should be upset about the current turn of events, it should be Naruto. But I found myself upset that Naruto was there, because it hampered me trying to get Itachi's attention. I certainly wasn't going to pursue Itachi with the dobe sitting there, and it is embarrassing enough getting rejected continually without an audience. Besides, we were brothers, Naruto wouldn't understand. Hell, he didn't understand now. I always bragged that my main goal in life was to kill Itachi. Well, I certainly proved that wrong. I think he had a better grasp why I had self-exiled myself from Konoha, even if the original intention was altered.

Itachi stood up. "There are a few things I need to check on. Sasuke, keep an eye on Naruto, and if you both are not here when I return…" He left that hanging as he disappeared in a small puff of smoke.

Instantly, Naruto was on his feet. I grabbed his wrist and dragged him back down. The blonde snarled and lashed out at me with his kunai, which I deflected, pinning him against the trunk of a tree. His eyes blazed back at me angrily.

"Bastard. I trusted you. I came to protect you and this is the fucking thanks I get?"

I was surprised I had made him mad enough to curse, and put on my best 'bastard' face to play the role. "Well, I believe I told you—repeatedly—not to come back. If you can't follow simple instructions, then what the hell am I supposed to do about it?"

Naruto snarled. "I came back because I was worried about you! I wasn't going to abandon you like everyone else. I actually cared what happened to you! And now I see that you're just like your brother."

"Did I ever ask you to come play hero? You put me in a really awkward position, dobe, and frankly, it's your own fault for coming here."

"You jerk. You sadistic bastard. You run off saying you're going to Orochimaru, who wants to destroy all of Konoha, and instead I find you working for your brother. The same brother who took away everything from you and left you alone! I know you were affected by it! I could sense the pain that it caused you, but yet here you are working side by side for him!"

"You wouldn't understand!" I sputtered out, feeling a bit of panic rising.

"What is it Sasuke?" Naruto said, narrowing his eyes. "What did he promise you? The power from his organization? That sounds about right. That's all you ever wanted, power. You just used the excuse that it was to kill him, but it has always just been about the power. You don't give a damn about anything else."

"This is more than just power, Naruto!"

"Then what is it? Speak up, Sasuke. What the hell is this all about?"

I could feel my fingers trembling on his shoulders as I held him to the tree. The mask I had adorned was starting to crack slightly. That was why I was always so wary of Naruto, why I treated him so badly and did my best to keep him at a distance. I was scared of how he affected me. Somehow, the dobe always managed to break past my emotionless mask and see a crack of what was hidden behind it. I didn't like being read so easily.

"I'm doing this for my brother." My voice had the slightest waver, which I tried to conceal. "I know it's illogical. He stripped me of everything I had and left me with nothing. But I still have him, and that's all that matters."

"Just what are you saying?" Apparently, my statement had just added confusion, not lessened it. "Sasuke, he doesn't give a rat's ass about you. We do! I do!"

"Shut up, SHUT UP!" I squeezed my eyes shut as I yelled. "I don't give a damn what any of you think of me! None have you have ever understood who I am! I don't want your pity; I don't need it. I'm old enough to make my own choices, and I don't care if you assess them as being the wrong ones. I'm allowed to make mistakes. I'm not going to Orochimaru, I'm staying with my brother, and if you had not been so stupid, you wouldn't be here, because now there's not a damn thing I can do about it!"

I looked up and felt a pain in my stomach at the hurt shimmering in Naruto's eyes.

"You're the dobe, Sasuke. It's you who doesn't understand."

And in that instant, I lost all coherent thought as his lips found mine.

I was spinning, I was falling, and there was nothing to hold on to. Just what the hell was going on? I messed up constantly, and the stupid dobe forgave me every single damn time, even as I yelled at him not to. I was too far gone, this was too much, I didn't want this, I didn't deserve it…

"Sasuke."

Itachi's voice snapped me out of my shock, and I broke away from Naruto, whirling around with wide eyes to meet his narrowed crimson ones.

"Get away from him."

I quickly and obediently moved away from Naruto, leaving him sitting against the tree, and staring up at Itachi in a mix of fear and determination. My cheeks burned with shame. How could I have been pulled into that? I could sense my brother's displeasure. God, how could I have let that happen? I couldn't meet his eyes as he sat down in between Naruto and I.

Everything was dead silence, broken only by the crackling sound of the fire. I was still taking in all that had happened. I spared a quick glance over at Naruto and my brother. Itachi was staring straight into the flames, as usual, but the very aura around him seemed menacing. Naruto caught my gaze with his own. I couldn't read his expression. The face that was usually an open book to me was shut, betraying nothing of his thoughts.

I should've been surprised by the kiss, but I wasn't. At least not in retrospection. We had always been close, maybe not willingly, but the connection had always been there. He was the closest thing to a friend I ever had, but there was still a large gap between us. I could never make him happy. I was too much of a jerk, and as such only deserving of a jerk. I wanted my brother, whether or not he wanted me.

But regardless of all this, I never wanted Naruto to get dragged into this rather dangerous situation. Now I was caught between him and my brother. It should've been an easy choice to make, but siding with my brother meant that I was assisting the Akatsuki, and siding with Naruto would be working against them, but that in turn would involve defying my brother. Just what the hell was I supposed to do?

I tried to catch my brother's eye, but he was ignoring me, as usual. If I could just get him to understand he didn't need the Akatsuki… But that would never work. Naruto was right. We Uchihas were primarily driven by our hunger for power. Trying to convince my brother to give up the Akatasuki would be equivalent to Naruto begging me before that I not go to Orochimaru.

Finally I could take the tension no more. I stood up and mumbled something about going to relieve myself. With that, I walked into the forest. The moment I was out of sight, I broke into a run. I was good at running. All throughout my life I had been running, from my memories, from the pain, from anyone who tried to offer me a friendly hand. Why was I so messed up? A coward, that's what I was. I was scared to get close to anyone for fear of loosing them. I had lost so much already…

Itachi was the only stable thing in my life. He wouldn't die easily. He was a constant, though I could never tell what was going through his mind, I at least had an idea of what he was like. He was the only link to a happier time I had as a child. If I lost him, I would truly have lost all of my clan.

A rustling in the bushes distracted me. I whirled around, kunai drawn and ready to stab it at Kabuto, but it was stopped short by pale slender fingers. I looked up into crimson eyes.

"Itachi?"

He looked down at me, finally pushing the kunai away. "It's not safe to run off by yourself."

"Where's Naruto?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "He's not going anywhere."

My eyes widened. "What did you do with hi—" I was cut short by Itachi gripping my chin firmly. Something strange was flickering in the depths of his eyes as he slowly walked forward, backing me into a tree.

He stared at me, and my skin grew both hot and cold at his touch. My heart was pounding in my ears as he leaned closer, a possessive look in his eyes. "You are mine and mine alone, Sasuke."

"I-Itachi?"

He knelt down and I was pulled harshly towards him as his lips devoured my own hungrily. I moaned under his assault, still confused at this sudden turn of affection…no, possession, that had overcome my brother.

Still, I wasn't one to complain, and eagerly wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to me. He didn't bother to break the kiss as I felt my clothing being undone. I myself slid my hands under his robes, shivering at the feel of the cool skin beneath. Itachi gave a low growl as he forced his tongue even farther into my mouth, occasionally nipping at my bottom lip. He finally broke away to whip my shirt off, and I gasped as the cold air contacted with my skin.

I brought my lips back down on his, releasing the tie that held his Akatsuki robes to him. There was no need for such a thing to taint the perfection of my brother's body. This is what I had been longing for again for weeks since Itachi started ignoring me. Now I had his full and undivided attention, and I was no longer in denial. This is what I wanted, and I was not going to give it up.

My hands fumbled clumsily with the clasp on his pants as I mirrored Itachi's ravishing kiss. Once again we had to break away so I could remove his shirt. The moonlight ghosted across his bare chest, giving it a pale and eerie radiance in the low light. I eagerly brought my lips down upon the smooth surface, kissing and nipping down his neck and collarbone while his fingers gripped tightly into my hair.

I had forgotten all about the cool night, and my goose bumps began to recede as Itachi's warm arms folded tightly around me. His lips were everywhere at once as he pushed me down, the soft fabric of his fallen Akatsuki robes brushing at my back and causing me to shiver. He loomed over me, his velvety hair meshing in with the darkness so that only by touch could I detect the boundary between the two.

His hand came out and brushed past my cheek lightly, before tracing up and tangling into my hair. No words had to be spoken. Each dominant kiss coursed through my body in powerful shock waves, and his other hand slid down the small of my back, pulling me up against him. I was his. Only his. And I accepted that; I wanted that. My heart, soul, and body belonged to him. He had spared my life; therefore, I was completely his.

I gave a small whimper of need as his hands slid down my hips, pulling at my undergarments and slowly sliding them down my legs, finally tossing them in the pile of other discarded clothing. I lay there, exposed, looking up at Itachi with longing in my eyes. His fingers traced over every inch of my body, rememorizing my every curve and dip.

A small doubt tugged annoyingly in the back of my mind. Was this going to be like before? Was I going to feel so close to my brother that I felt the connection bury deep within my soul, only to have it harshly severed by a later cold and distant Itachi who disregarded my existence for weeks on end? I didn't want to lose this; I didn't want to lose this feeling of connection. With that panicked thought, I suddenly leapt up at Itachi, wrapping my arms and legs around him as I kissed him passionately, fighting the prickling sensation in the corners of my eyes.

I think I may have surprised him, because he paused before slowly wrapping his arms tightly around me, hands wandering up and down my bare back. I whined into the kiss, squirming in his arms to cause some pleasant friction.

"Don't leave me," I said in a choked whisper as I buried my face into his neck, taking a deep breath of my brother's intoxicating scent.

Itachi didn't reply and gently lay me on the ground again, cupping my face in both hands and leaning down for a surprisingly gentle kiss. Like before, he moved away, and I felt panic grip onto me as the warmth of his body left mine. I knew he wasn't, but I was scared of him leaving me, bare and vulnerable, desperately needing his contact. Mere seconds that felt like eternities and he was back over me, kissing with just as much force as before, causing the feeling in my chest to tighten as my nails dug into his back.

A cold sensation swept past my lower regions, causing me to squirm in slight discomfort. I looked up at Itachi, showing that I trusted him, and to continue. It was painful at first last time too, but I needed this. I needed to feel close to him once more. I took the pain of him stretching me without a flinch, my eyes locked onto the crimson ones above me.

"Onii-san…please…" I pleaded, nipping at the sensitive flesh in between his shoulder and neck.

The sensational feeling of his hand lightly stroking my member helped distract me from the pain of the stretching. I moaned softly and tilted my head back, my hips gently rocking against his fingers and hand. The fingers suddenly moving out left me barren and empty, and I pressed closer to him, encouraging Itachi to take away that feeling.

"Sasuke," he said huskily, pressing his forehead against mine. I got lost in the depths of his eyes as his bangs tickled the side of my face. We were one and the same, and as I felt him plunge into me, I cried out, in bliss to finally become a part of him again.

My breath quickened and became more ragged as he began to move. The feeling of having him so close to me overrode any pain, and the flashes of pleasure later obliterated it even farther.

"Call out your sharingan," Itachi commanded, his breath stolen by pants and groans.

I did as he ordered, and he brought one hand out to stroke at my lashes with his thumb as his pace quickened. I couldn't turn away. His eyes were locked on mine with such intensity, I felt like I was becoming overwhelmed. There was something different from the last time. When Itachi had taken me before, it had all seemed to be out of pure raw need, more like a game.

Now he was everything; his scent inflamed my senses, his touch sent shuddering shocks throughout my sensitized body, and when I looked up at his eyes, I found I could partially see behind the cold reflective barrier that always kept me at bay from his emotions. I was shocked at the amount of affection I saw there, mixed with desire and emotions I couldn't even comprehend.

"Ita—Itai—" I had trouble voicing his name as pleasure flowed through every nerve in my body. I could feel it swelling around me, increasing and building up, driving us both towards the edge as our movements became more frantic.

With a strangled cry, my fingers clenched into my brother's hair and I buried my face into his neck, feeling my hips jerk instinctively into a rush of warmth. Itachi gasped into my ear and the feeling of a wetness rushing into me came soon after.

We stayed frozen like that, allowing our breaths to even out and our heartbeats to slow. Gently, Itachi eased out of me and lay me down. Suddenly, the cool night air felt nice against my hot and sweaty skin. I looked up with hazy eyes at my brother, and saw him begin to turn away. Panicked, I gripped onto him, turning his chin back to face me. He looked at me inquiringly.

"Don't," I whispered, my voice slightly hoarse. "Don't turn away and pretend nothing happened. Not again."

Itachi regarded me calmly. His pale cheeks still retained a light rose colour from our exertions.

I didn't like how he didn't answer me, so I resorted to my best glare. "You're not turning away from me again."

Itachi shut his eyes. "Don't be a fool, Sasuke."

And that was that. The open and caring Itachi that I had made love to moments before was shut up tight and hidden behind his protective cold hard exterior. He slid his clothing back on without another word, except to order me to get off his robes and to get dressed.

It hurt, being back at square one. But perhaps I wasn't pushed that far back. That had been the closest I had ever been to shattering the emotionless barrier he had encased himself after so many years. I got a peek of a part of Itachi I knew few had ever seen, if any. I would break through to him yet. These things just took time.

Not feeling as hopeless as I had before, I followed my brother's instructions obediently. Before heading back, he examined me closely, fixing my ruffled hair and making sure my clothing was straightened and covering the territorial marks he had left over me. I smirked inwardly at his paranoia. He hadn't cared about any of this before. When he was satisfied everything was in order, he nodded his head back to camp.

I followed him to find Naruto still there, looking as sullen as ever, and the blue-skinned Kisame serving as the reason he was still there. I was relieved that Itachi hadn't hurt the blonde, or rendered him paralyzed to keep him in one spot, as I had feared.

The shark-man looked up as we approached. "What took you so long?" He grinned with his dagger-like teeth and looked at Itachi suggestively.

"Shut up," my brother said in his monotone, seating himself on the ground. He turned his head to me. "You better get some sleep, Sasuke. It is late. Kisame and I will keep watch."

I nodded, sitting beside Naruto. I spared him a glance, and was slightly staggered by the look of angered loathing etched across the fox-child's face. My happy euphoria vaporized and I scowled back.

"What are you looking at, dobe?"

Naruto growled and turned his head away, shutting his eyes.

Shrugging, I curled on the ground, resting my head partially on Itachi's thigh. I felt his leg muscles tense, but they relaxed, and the warm pressure of a hand pressed lightly against my hair. I took a deep breath of his scent and drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

Sasuke can be such an ass to Naruto. Poor Naru's probably not sleeping all that well, and he's blatantly ignoring that. Ah well, hopefully he'll get nicer later on.

Reviews reviews…. 'heart'

KagomeHigarashi – I almost wish I wrote that part in the middle of the night when Sasuke's cheeks were flushed and he was calling out Itachi's name in his sleep. Poor oblivious Naruto…probably for the best though.

Catherine Lewie Rain – Yep, they're in kind of a pickle. Sasuke wants to smite the Akatsuki, but keep his brother happy at the same time. And Naruto's stuck in the middle, feeling very angry and betrayed. And Sasuke confined to a small space with Naruto will always be amusing. I almost hoped they would go through with a fight in the tree just to see what would happen.

tidAL rabbiT – Mmm…wish I had that dream. Lucky Sasuke.

riikaa – Hm…a year was lost somewhere. Lol, I'm kinda surprised there's so much confusion. I would've thought the creator would have made it clearer. I'll have to try and research this more thoroughly, because now I'm intrigued.

blackbloodedkunoichi – 'grins' I love reviews, so I wont complain to get more. ;) Thanks for the encouragement.

Patty – Yeah, this is going to be hard for Naruto to swallow. Poor guy. And it appears he likes Sasuke too…mind you he's rather pissed off right now being sold out like that.

UchihaMangekyou - Wow, I didn't know there was so much confusion over Sasuke's age during the massacre. Well, we all seem agreed that Itachi was 13. Sasuke was a kid, ranging from 7-9. Hm… Heh, if Naruto tried to rape Sasuke, with or without the Kyuubi, Itachi would beat him to the ground.

Odyssion – Heehee, your review made me very happy. 'loves long reviews' Thank you very much for the high praise. As for the number of chapters……um, well originally I thought this would be 10, tops. Heh, not going to happen, since I'm already on chapter 9. As I said before, I didn't plan on incorporating Naruto back into the story, so that may lengthen things a little. Ironically enough, I have the last part of the last chapter written, I just need to get to that point. Along the way, I need to deal with Orochimaru, Naruto, and Sasuke's gotta grow up/get stronger. And I need a few more lemons…hehehe. So in short, there's still a whiles to go, but as for specifically how many more chapters, I don't know. Speaking of lemons, that wasn't my first lemon, but it was probably my most graphic (I'm a shy girl). I like how you described Itachi's actions as predictable, yet illogical. That describes him so well. Poor Naruto's going to have a sexual breakdown sitting in between Itachi and Sasuke. Too much sexy. :D

rAiNwAtEr – It's those 'jerk' moments that make Sasuke Sasuke. While most tend to hate him for it, I love the little Uchiha.

mayfaire – Lol, I can see Sasuke practically squirming all over Naruto and moaning his brother's name while the blonde rubs his back in concern. Probably calmed Sasuke down because he thought his nee-san was touching him more. :P And Sasuke's perfectly safe, going out for firewood. There's no way Itachi would let him go off on his own if he sensed the presence of Kabuto or any of Orochimaru's men around.

itachisgirl101 – No problem.