A/N: I know everyone we'll be asking this by the end of this chapter, so I'll get it out of the way early: where's the second chapter you promised? Sorry, fellas, but while most of you are out on holiday, I have exams. See, it's summer time here. Yes, we have warm Christmas. No snow, just smouldering sun. Yeah. So my inspiration is being blocked by math. Waitsiriusly411, this is for you! Hope I don't disappoint you. And to all the other readers, you go search that penname and read. Since some people wanted to know what Sasuke was doing while Naruto was gone, here you go. Next chapter is also about this. Such fillers…
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Sasuke does, we all know that by now.
Meet The Uchihas
Chapter 10: Little Raven
As he slowly woke up, the first two things Sasuke's still asleep mind was able to register was that it was a really cold morning, and that he was experiencing an odd and sudden desire to see Frank Iero.
The cure for the latter was kind of tough right now, but the cure for the former was right there besides him. The brunette attempted to cuddle and snuggle with Naruto's warm body… Only to find that the only thing available to cuddle and snuggle there with was Naruto's pillow.
Sasuke groaned.
"Naruuu…" He called out in a slurred voice. No answer. One onyx eye opened slowly, squinting as it checked out the surroundings.
The blonde idiot was definitely gone.
Sasuke groaned again, covered himself with the blankets completely, hugged the pillow, and just lay there, curled up in a ball with both eyes closed again. Fucking Naruto. Always wanting to cuddle, and the moment Sasuke was willingly offering himself to be cuddled, he was somewhere else.
Great. Just fucking great.
He barely heard the door being slid open, and his mother's voice whispering, "Sweetie? Are you awake?"
"As Frank Iero's hot." Sasuke answered absently. Both knew that was a lie--- not the part of Frank Iero being hot, but rather the part of Sasuke being awake.
"Good morning. Is there anything you want for breakfast?"
"Yeah…" The brunette yawned and stretched, eyes still closed, "…Naruto's milk."
Mikoto smiled fondly. That was her son, making indecent comments that were scandalizing enough to bewilder the most perverted of perverts when he wasn't even conscious to begin with.
"I'm afraid I can't get you that, sweetie." Sasuke pouted, obviously disappointed.
"Is coffee alright?" Mikoto asked. Sasuke grunted in approval, and half-heartedly rejoiced in the fact of this urge to spoil him rotten that he caused on both his mother and Naruto.
"Okay," Mikoto continued softly, entering the room and kneeling next to the mattress her son was laid on, "But I'll only give you some if you wake up."
Ah, what to do, what to do… Sasuke contemplated the option of staying and sleeping some more, finding it extremely appealing.
On the other hand, this was coffee they were talking about. It was just as appealing as the mental image of Naruto covered in melted chocolate. Sleep, however, managed to be more convincing. He'd just stay there, and---
"---Oh, come on, sweetie," Mikoto pressed on with a sugar-coated voice, "I'll even slice you up some tomatoes!"
…Screw sleep.
He opened his eyes and rose from the mattress with some help from his mother to untangle himself from the blankets, and both Uchihas walked into the hall with their direction settled to the stairs, passing Fugaku's studio in the process.
"---Not here. You never know, someone might be---"
"Who's he talking to?" Sasuke asked Mikoto in a low voice once they were out of Fugaku's hearing range. The woman shrugged.
"For a while I've been thinking that maybe he's having a gay affair. Probably it was his lover on the phone. Like your father said, you never know."
"I see," Sasuke nodded blankly, "You gonna divorce him?"
Mikoto giggled, "Nah. I don't have more proofs than my woman's intuition and my hyperactive housewife imagination. Besides, there was a reason why I ran away with him when I had such a perfect life before him. Now, if I only could remember that reason…"
"He's great in bed?" Sasuke suggested. Mikoto frowned, and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Your cousins are rubbing off on you. Not everything is about sex. Sure, it's an incredible bonus to the relationship, but if you don't have sex and you break off the relationship because of that, then maybe you didn't really love the one beside you. Love is about that--- the other's necessities and wishes before yours." She gave him a solemn look, "Keep that in mind, sweetie."
Sasuke smiled at her tiredly as reassurance, messily storing her words in the back of his mind.
"Now let's go," She smiled back at him, "I'm suddenly hungry for tomatoes as well!"
"Merry nearly Christmas, sleepy-head!" Obito beamed at his younger cousin, waving his coffee mug under Sasuke's nose with the hope of making him react, "My brothers kidnapped your blonde, did ya know?"
"They did?"
"Yeah! I'm starting to believe they have a crush on him." Obito winked at the boy and grinned playfully. Sasuke just nodded.
"Okay."
Obito scratched his cheek, and wondered if Sasuke would even remember the comment when he was in top shape and kill him for it out of jealousy.
God, he hoped not.
"Here you go, sweetie," Mikoto placed a mug full of hot liquid in front of Sasuke, "Good, ol' black coffee." She grinned, "Could you give me some ice cream, my dear nephew?"
Obito eyed her, "Sure," He opened the freezer and took the ice cream. He closed it again, "Kinda weird in this time of the year, ne, Auntie?"
"Yes, yes, it is," Mikoto sighed, "But I can't help it! I've had these cravings lately… Just like a pregnant woman!"
Sasuke took a slow sip from his coffee and stared at her, still sleepily, even though caffeine now coursed through his veins, "Does this mean I'm getting a baby brother?"
"No, sweetie," She answered, playing along with a sweet smile, "It means you're getting a baby sister."
"Okay."
Obito wondered if the brunette would remember that, minus the sarcasm. It would be fun.
Hot showers were good. Really good.
But it would've been better if it wasn't so lonely… Sasuke thought, sighing as he wrapped a towel around his waist. He cursed Naruto for turning him into such a perverted and horny person, even if the transformation from slightly prude-ish and cold-hearted to wild and sex-crazed was only seen in the bedroom…
…And a bunch of public places.
Sasuke vaguely noted that in the Uchiha mansion, the only place they could do it and not die trying to have privacy was in the shower. And they had missed two chances already.
He prayed for the third to be the charm.
With a smaller towel, he dried up his hair a little, making the ebony sheen return from its water-tamed state to the rebellious spikes he was known and loved for, even though he personally hated them and had tried to flat them out for years.
Until he met a certain blonde, however. Moreover, until he overheard that certain blonde tell a classmate that he hadn't seen a cooler hairstyle than Sasuke's.
The brunette reminisced on the giddy butterflies that had taken over his stomach upon hearing that, and how hot his cheeks were, even though he had tried to fight back all those feelings.
Even now, all used to Naruto and his cheesy compliments, Sasuke would blush whenever the blonde said something nice about him.
He was a sucker for his comments. In fact, if his memory wasn't failing him, they had slept together for the first time because Naruto had said something about him that was really sweet…
…Yeah.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Sasuke encountered an unexpected sight: Itachi, leaning against the wall as if waiting for his younger brother to come out.
That was apparently the case, as if the small smile the eldest of the two gave him upon seeing him was any indication.
"Sasuke, let's bond."
To say Sasuke was surprised by the petition was an understatement. Itachi had never ever asked him to bond. It had always been Sasuke who asked, and that had stopped when he was eight!
Onyx eyes narrowed. Something was very, very wrong.
"What do you want, Aniki?" Itachi feigned innocence, "Why, what would I want apart from spending some time with my foolish little brother that dates idiotic blondes?"
Sasuke growled, "Again taking it on the loser, are we?"
"You were always a smart kid," Itachi acknowledged, looking away from his brother and to the wall, "But I still don't get why you got together with that guy."
"Look, Aniki, it's neither the time nor place to discuss this. Wait 'till I'm fully dressed, will ya?"
Itachi had done just that, following Sasuke to his room, and waiting outside the door. Sasuke had contemplated escaping through the window, but then gave it a second thought, realizing his bare feet would freeze.
Only then he was pissed off enough to curse his family's habits.
Things like this conversation were what kept him away from coming home. Itachi just loved him and wanted to protect him, Sasuke knew that, but this was starting to go a little overboard. This was Naruto they were talking about, the person he loved the most in the Universe, and Itachi was attacking him with a vengeance he hadn't seen before.
At least, it seemed his father had reacted better. He was obviously displeased with the situation, if the conversation during dinner the day before had meant anything, but Fugaku was somewhat respecting them.
Little did Sasuke know what Fugaku had in store for Naruto, of course.
"Okay," The brunette started with a sigh as he stepped out of his room, once dressed, and into the hall with Itachi, "Let's bond."
"What the fuck you see in that blonde?!" Itachi blurted out violently, startling Sasuke. Upon seeing the reaction caused on his brother, he lowered his tone and softened his expression, "He has nothing in common with you."
"What do you know, Aniki? You barely know me! I was gone for six years, six fucking years, and lemme tell ya, they were the greatest six years of my life because of 'that blonde', all the things we had in common, and all our differences!"
"Still, I don't see it! He's brash, loud, annoying…! Even though he's been trying to act like he isn't, I know he is. I know his kind!"
Sasuke scowled, "Oh, yeah? What's his kind?"
"The kind that'll dump you once they get what they want, Sasuke. That kind." Itachi took a deep breath, "They act all charming around you and then, suddenly, BANG! They're outta there and you have a broken heart."
The pained look that took over Itachi's eyes for a brief second lead Sasuke to a conclusion that his brother hadn't been exactly lonesome during his absence, no matter what he said.
"Aniki," He started, much calmer and soothing this time, "Naruto loves me. And I love him like I never loved anybody. He's not going anywhere."
"You've been dating for what? Two years, maximum. And I bet you feed him, make sure he has a bed to sleep in at night with you, and pay his rent."
"I feed him because I can cook, it's our bed, and we split the rent." A dry chuckle escaped the youngest pair of lips, "He doesn't even let me insinuate to pay for anything, even when he doesn't have any money in his pockets."
"He doesn't love you."
"He loves me and very much, if he's willing to go through the hell that dealing with you and your paranoia is just because you're my family."
It was Itachi's turn to chuckle, "Y'know, while you were humping that kid over at Konoha, I was here having some fun of my own. I thought just like you, that he would never leave my side." His demeanour turned grim, "Yet he did."
Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction. No. Just because it had happened to Itachi, it didn't mean it would happen to him.
"Itachi, stop it."
Both turned to the direction the voice had come from, finding Obito standing there with a firm expression.
"Whatever happened between you and… Whatisname… Ah, Deidara, is in the past. Not every person is like that. Give it a rest, 'cause I personally see a lot of future in Rave's relationship."
"What do you know?" Itachi snapped at his older cousin, "You have never been in a relationship to begin with!"
Obito involuntarily flushed.
"Not only you have, but you are…" Sasuke realized. Obito, if possible, flushed even more, already feeling the lack of blood on the rest of his body.
"M-maybe… I-I, uh…"
"And it's Kakashi, isn't it?"
"You're dating a scarecrow?" Itachi asked disbelievingly with a devious smirk, "Your brothers are gonna love this one."
And that was how the previous fight was forgiven, yet not forgotten, like it happened with every quarrel in the Uchiha family.
Contained anger hadn't proved to be bad just yet.
He knocked on the front door once, twice.
No answer.
Deidara growled impatiently. Where were the Uchihas when you needed them?
It wasn't every day that you had the chance to see the love of your life, who, by the way, hated you. And the blonde wasn't going to waste his chance to do so, even if it was via his boss and unaware ex-father-in-law.
He had the slight feeling that if had Fugaku known of the relationship he held with Itachi, he'd have been looking for another job a long time ago.
Or maybe be six feet under. It was more likely.
But that was all in the past now, as Itachi wouldn't even consider the idea of forgiveness. And Deidara respected his choice. He knew that if he had been in the brunette's shoes, he wouldn't have forgiven himself either.
It didn't mean Deidara wasn't sad about it.
However, he couldn't dwell on that right now. He was going to see him, and he had to show him he had moved on, too.
Just like Itachi moved on with that idiotic Sasori, yeah…
On an attempt to distract himself, Deidara opened the file he held, a grinning face greeting him instantly.
Uzumaki Naruto… The blonde pondered on the name. It was strange, to say at least. Who would name a kid 'fishcake'?
But he couldn't really criticize it. After all, his name was the equivalent for Deidre.
Fugaku hadn't mentioned anything of why he wanted the file, however Deidara had the slight suspicion that it was for something personal. The secrecy this was being held with… Not even in the most confidential of cases did Fugaku use other phone line than wasn't his private one.
He loved that private line more than his life. It had been left clear when they had a hostage situation when a stupid captain suggested cutting it and Fugaku had reacted… Well, rather badly about it.
The blonde's thoughts were interrupted as the door opened, and closing the file swiftly, he looked up in hopes to see Itachi staring back at him, even if it meant that the door would be slammed in his face.
But who he met wasn't Itachi at all. He had a slight resemblance, though he looked a far lot more like Fugaku's wife, eh, Mikoto.
Short ebony hair, spiked up in the back and intelligent onyx eyes, contrasting against the creamy pale skin… This boy was a catch, definitely. But Deidara still preferred Itachi over anything.
"Can I help you?" The boy asked. Deidara nodded.
"I'm looking for Chief Fugaku, yeah." The boy raised an eyebrow at him, "What for?"
"Just tell 'im Deidara's here with the file, yeah." The blonde answered, trying to not give away much. Obviously, Fugaku didn't want his family to know what he was up to.
There was a flash of an unknown emotion on the boy's eyes. He cleared his throat, "Come on in."
Deidara did as told, taking off his snow boots once he was inside the warm home. He glanced up to the boy, who looked no older than twenty. A baby, really.
"So, what's your name, yeah?" The blonde asked cheerfully, as they started walking up the stairs. The brunette seemed somewhat reluctant to reply, but he did anyway, "Sasuke."
And Deidara froze on spot. He remembered every single conversation he had had with Itachi, and the subject that his foolish little brother was had been touched every night they spent together.
"Something wrong, Deidara?"
"N-no, yeah." Deidara nearly laughed out loud at the contradiction in his sentence, "Let's go."
In an uncomfortable silence, they reached Fugaku's studio, and Sasuke knocked lightly on the door.
"Yes?" Fugaku's voice came muffled because of the heavy door separating them from him. Sasuke answered, "Deidara's here, Father. He says he has the file."
There was a sound coming from the inside the studio and an exclamation that sounded an awful lot like someone falling and then cursing, but neither Sasuke nor Deidara gave it much thought, as the door slid open violently, and the blonde was pulled inside.
"Nice to meet you." Sasuke muttered to the door.
He was a smart kid, and had a good memory. Itachi hadn't been alone during the time Sasuke spent on Konoha receiving education, and Obito had mentioned a Deidara.
There couldn't be too much Deidaras in Oto. But then again, maybe Obito had confused his name.
And as if on cue, Obito appeared next to him, walking away from the stairs with a smile plastered on his face.
"Little Raven! My favourite cousin in the world!" Sasuke just gave the older Uchiha a flat look.
"What do you want, Bits?" Obito winced, "Geez! It's definitive--- I like you better when Naruto's here, you're in a better mood. But I still love you! Anyway, I was wondering…"
"Yes?"
"…Have you bought your presents yet? 'Cause I kinda haven't."
Sasuke blinked. Presents? Why was he going to buy any presents for anyone? It wasn't Christmas or---
---Wait a second. It was.
"Damn it! I forgot all about it!" He exclaimed, slapping his forehead, "What am I gonna do?!"
"See, that's why I'm here, because I think in everything!" Obito beamed at him, "Wanna know what I found? The stuff we used to use to make presents when we were little and money-less!"
"Money-less?" Sasuke repeated, feeling a tad bit better at the idea of this conversation being so similar to the ones he had with Naruto when the blonde had a so-called brilliant idea.
"Yeah, money-less!" Obito's grin didn't falter for a second, "Whaddya say if we make the presents like back in the day? It'll be fun!"
"Hn. I'm not a little child anymore, my Little Rabbit. What makes you think I could be amused by this shit?"
Obito gave him a look, as if saying 'it's obvious'.
"You're datin' Naruto."
A/N: Next time will be all about Obito and Sasuke, and we'll get a better glimpse at their relationship and past. It's also dedicated to waitsiriusly411, and it's gonna be that way until Kakashi appears. 'Till then, bye, and thanks for being so patient with me. I really don't deserve it.
---Not Really Yours