Headlock

Naruto kicked an aluminum can down the street. He'd actually just walked right off the school grounds knowing that they were gonna call his Mom. He hadn't heard over his anger the footsteps catching up so when the voice spoke he was shocked.

"You're on bad terms with your father?" It asked softly making him look.

"You shouldn't skip." Naruto replied.

"I'll be fine. It's you that should worry about skipping." Sasuke replied.

"They'll call your brother." He warned.

"I know." Sasuke looked over at him, meeting those blue eyes again.

"That man isn't my father." They'd stopped walking Naruto was leaning against a building with a clenched fist. "Minato abandoned me. He abandoned my Mom. He promised he'd stay forever. He promised that they loved each other, and then he ran away. He isn't my Father."

"Maybe he wants to take it back." Sasuke noted standing across from him.

"He never wanted to be my Father. He wouldn't have disappeared like that if he did." Naruto replied.

"It's hard for people to apologize. But he wants to, if you'll let him." Sasuke looked down at the ground following cracks in the sidewalk with his eyes. "I never got along with my Dad. I thought he hated me, he liked Itachi, always praising him but he wouldn't look at me at all. Then he was dead. Maybe I resented that he didn't like me, but…I think that if he was somehow magically alive again and wanted a second chance. I'd give it to him. I'd forgive him, and I'd never take for grated what I had."

Naruto chuckled making Sasuke look up at him. "You're good at this."

"At what?" Sasuke asked.

"Making me sound like a jerk." Naruto replied with a smile but it was unmistakable that he'd been crying just seconds before.

"You couldn't be a jerk if you tried." Sasuke replied quietly so Naruto couldn't hear him.

-XxX-

A bag was dropped to the floor as he looked out the window. It was past time for school to start and Sasuke was just a little down the street with that boy. The exact boy he didn't want Sasuke around. That dumb little brat! That stupid son-of-a-bitch. He knew something was going on. But Sasuke was deliberately ignoring him. And that pissed him off more then anything else.

"Itachi?" One of his co-workers asked. "Can you help me with this?"

Itachi sighed unclenching the fist he had no idea was clenched and walked away plastering that fake smile on his face.

-XxX-

Sasuke walked around to the other side of Naruto, as if that would prevent Itachi from seeing him from inside the restaurant he was working at now. The blonde turned his head and looked in the building seeing Itachi and recognizing him then looked back at Sasuke but continued walking in silence. As soon as they had turned the corner Sasuke seemed to relax a little after tensing up like that.

He didn't say anything. There was no need to. Itachi scared Sasuke to death, Naruto already knew that. But he wouldn't force Sasuke. He offered him a place to go. For now, all he can do is be there to make sure it doesn't become too problematic.

"It's going to rain." Sasuke noted finally speaking up as he observed the rain clouds.

"Huh?" Naruto looked up as well. Then suddenly his face lit up. It was moments like these that made Sasuke wonder if he was bi-polar. "Come with me!" He grabbed Sasuke's hand and ran dragging the black haired male behind him.

Not too much later had they arrived at a house. It was about the same size as Sasuke's house, but in a better neighborhood and it was defiantly prettier.

"My Granny and the old pervert I've come to know as my Grandpa helped us fix this place up after we bought it." He said matter-of-factly.

"You live here?" Sasuke asked looking around.

"Yea, Mom's at work at least until four or later, so we should be good to hang out here until it stops raining."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment until he felt a small rain drop. Here starts the rain. He then followed Naruto into the house and looked around taking his shoes off at the entrance. The place was simple but it was nice. It had such a homey feel, something his own home lacked in. Pictures hung on the wall, some of Naruto throughout the years, of a woman with red hair with him, and some of an older couple who seemed to be either greatly in love or greatly dysfunctional towards each other.

But there was one thing about the pictures that was so hard not to notice. Bright smiles, a happy, homey family. Love.

"Those are my Grandparents." Naruto mentioned pointing out the older couple on the wall both looking too young for the Grandparent thing. "And that red-head's my Mom."

"You look like Minato." Sasuke commented remembering the blonde hair and blue eyes of the man at school.

"Yea, I know, I always hated that…"

"I like that about you."

Naruto looked up at him suddenly and Sasuke turned to look out the window at the now pouring rain.

"You're the complete opposite." Sasuke replied.

"Should I take that as a complement?" Naruto asked trying to hide the blush but failing miserably.

"It's raining really hard out there." Sasuke noted the topic changing immediately.

"Yea." Naruto answered watching lightning flash in the dark gray clouds. "Wanna watch a movie?" He asked suddenly sitting Sasuke down on the couch whether the he was going to say yes or not.

-XxX-

Sasuke looked at the clock on the wall. School will be getting out by now which meant Itachi would be home soon as well. He yawned a little then looked over at Naruto who had already fallen asleep. He stood up attempting to keep from waking him up and walked to the door. He opened it then looked back in at the sleeping blonde haired blue eyed warmth then walked outside into the rain.

-XxX-

"You're wet." Itachi commented as soon as Sasuke entered the door soaking.

"It's raining, and I didn't think to bring an umbrella with me." Sasuke answered.

"Where's your school bag?" He asked.

Sasuke mentally cursed. "I must've left it in my locker." He quickly answered. It was the truth after all, he was too busy chasing Naruto down he'd completely forgotten to get his bag.

"School work?"

"I didn't have any, so it's okay." Sasuke replied wandering what was with all the questioning.

"You were later then usual coming home today." Itachi mentioned standing up. "Is there a reason for that?"

Sasuke looked down at his wet shoes. "No, sorry Aniki. I was just being slow today."

"Is that all?" Itachi asked stopping about three feet from his younger brother.

Sasuke nodded but remained quiet.

"Go change." Itachi ordered before walking past Sasuke and opening the door. "I'll be back later, so don't go anywhere."

"Alright." Sasuke replied quietly as Itachi slammed the door shut. Was he mad? He didn't sound mad. But he'd slammed the door.

As soon as he heard his brother's car drive away he walked into his room and changed into anything he could grab that was dry. He rubbed his hair with a towel until it was at least just damp and tossed the now equally damp towel to a random corner in his room. The house wasn't a total mess, but it wasn't neat and tidy either. He laid out on his bed undoing a couple buttons. The humidity in the house was overly warm thanks to the rain.

Itachi had been acting strange lately. Even stranger then usual. He turned over feeling uncomfortable. After a short moment he moved again until he finally gave up and sat up. It was too hot in here. It was too uncomfortable. Too empty. No pictures of family on the wall. No family. Nothing. Sasuke wandered how long it's been since he'd seen any of his cousins. His grandparents. After his parent's funeral, he'd seen none of them. He soon found that he'd almost started to cry.

Shaking his head of every single one of those thoughts he left his room and opened the door to his brother's room. How long ago had Itachi snapped? Before his parents died…had he been pretending to be kind then too? He walked straight to the closet and opened it taking out immediately what he knew he came in here for. A family photo. Itachi looked so menacing in it now. Although he figured, that he didn't at one point.

His dad hadn't been smiling in the picture either. Was that what they looked like? It's been so long he forgot. Memories obviously didn't last long. He ignored the car pulling into the driveway and the opening of the door. He ignored the footsteps and even when they stopped behind him.

"Outoto…"

Sasuke didn't move. He didn't even look away from the photo. This was one of the few things they had left after the fire. His grandparents had given it to Itachi at the funeral, and Itachi just placed it in a shoebox and stored it away in the closet of his new home. Never to be taken out again.

"I forgot." Sasuke mumbled. "I forgot how Mom and Dad looked."

"I don't think how they looked matters much now." Itachi replied taking the photo out of his brother's hands. "Go to bed."

"Aniki…" Sasuke turned around and looked at him. Oddly enough feeling like a six year old again desperately searching for any sign of his brother. But there was nothing. The old Itachi was dead now.

"You're crying."

Sasuke wiped his face with his sleeve. "I hadn't noticed."

"Go to bed."

The words were kind, the voice wasn't. Sasuke stood up and left the room not sure what was going through Itachi's mind.

That was the scary part.

You've been walking,

You've been hiding,

And you look half dead half the time

Monitoring you,

Like machines do,

You've still got it I'm just keeping an eye

Headlock by: Imogen Heap

NearKunn: Ta-dah! Chapter 10! Will Naruto and Minato get over that father son gap? What's Itachi doing being so nice? Is Sasuke gonna fall in love with Naruto (duh)? I have so many questions!

Sasuke: You're the author!

NearKunn: And?

Sasuke: *sigh* nevermind.

NearKunn: Hey everyone! If there's a special song out there you might like to see put in here somewhere go ahead and leave a suggestion in a review. I tend to try and use serious songs though. You wouldn't believe how many times I had to stop myself from using the Sailor Song. Lolz.

Sakura: Well we do have a few songs lined up, but we're not sure about other chapters. We're kinda just making it up as we go along. Although, there's no guarantee that we'll get around to your song so any ones that are left out will be included after the final chapter is uploaded so those people don't feel bad.

NearKunn: Oh, and when giving suggestions please PM me not leave it in the review kay? I like to keep upcoming songs a secret.

Itachi: Now review you silly little fish!

Sasuke: What the hell was that?!

Itachi: I…don't…really know…

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