"I treat you for what you're worth!"

"I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

"You're worthless!"

"Worthless"

Worthless…


Sasuke's eyes slowly opened, his mind crossing over from the nightmare and into a state of consciousness. His hands were clenched together, digging half-moons into the palms of his hands. He stared with interest at the red marks on his skin as he held his hands up. They said the human body was an amazing thing of strength and power; yet it didn't take much to damage it. He mulled over the thought until his arms were numb from being held up for so long.

He stood up, glancing into the mirror of his bathroom as he walked into it, still dressed in his clothes from yesterday. He paused, disconcerted eyes staring back at him from the mirror. He narrowed his eyes, displeased with the reflection, as it was not his. He'd never looked this tired and… His mind went adrift, unable to think of a word that described this reflection.

He resolutely refused to look into the mirror until he left the bathroom and walked into the safety of his bedroom, glancing out of the window at the turmoil of gray clouds gathering in the sky; as if they were meeting together to discuss an important matter. He walked out of his room, pausing at the top of the stairs and staring down them. He had an unusual thought then, stepping away from them as if they would pull him down. What would falling down the stairs be like?

He shook his head of the arbitrary thought, cautiously walking down the stairs. He rubbed his eyes, they felt as if sand had been tossed into them. His soft footsteps seemed to echo off the walls, making him realize how silent the house was. He glanced at the clock then, blinking in surprise to see it was nearly ten in the morning.

Itachi normally wouldn't have let him sleep this late. "He's feeling nice lately…" Sasuke muttered, running a hand through his tresses as he argued on whether or not to eat something. It was close enough to lunch that he should wait, yet he'd been warned about skipping any meals. He sighed at the bothersome task as he jerked open a cabinet, pulling a granola bar from the box.

He nudged Salem outside the front door as he chewed on the food, not tasting it as he swallowed. His eyes glanced around the living room as he noticed its state of disarray. Both he and Itachi had neglected trying to keep the house up lately. It was his own fault really, it was his job to keep the house under some form of control while Itachi was preoccupied with work.

He swallowed the last of his breakfast, picking up a book and putting it back onto the shelf. He could at least do something other than sit on the couch and stare at the ceiling, waiting for something to happen. He switched on the vacuum cleaner, the low buzzing sound sending a shiver down his back as he vacuumed the carpeted parts of the house. He found himself a little lightheaded as he wandered into the kitchen, having finishing vacuuming. He decided to boil some rice to eat so he wouldn't end up fainting. He disinterestedly cleaned the kitchen after setting the food to cook, absently moving his body while his mind walked down a separate path.

He jumped when the timer went off, shooting the pot of boiling water and rice a glance. He tossed the broom back into the closet before taking the pot up, draining the rice into a bowl. Why was eating so important? It seemed like it should have been unnecessary to waste so much time when you only needed to eat again a few hours later.

He was just putting the dishes away when he heard a loud crash at the front door. He rolled his eyes, knowing Salem had just thrown herself against the door to tell him she wanted inside. He dried his hands on his jeans as he walked to the front door, opening it.

He looked down at the smug looking cat, shaking his head. "Get inside." He said, waiting for her to walk into the house. He pursed his lips when she glanced into the hallway, turning swiftly and walking away and down the driveway, deciding to stay outside.

Cats and their indecision. He closed the door as he walked out to check if the mail had come, stepping over Salem when she rolled onto a sunny patch of grass in the middle of his pathway. He muttered some lazy form of chastisement at her as he opened the mailbox, mildly pleased to see nothing inside. No news was good news, in his opinion.

He heard a loud sound then, like something was running. He turned sideways, barely having enough time to brace himself before a large, rusty colored form jumped. He grunted as he hit the grass on his back, glaring up at the wagging dog.

"How did you get out of your fence?" Sasuke asked crossly, placing a hand on Kurama's back to assist himself in standing up off the ground. Kurama obediently stood still, his expression looking as if he were laughing. Sasuke folded his arms, Kurama's pointed ears drooped slightly and his tail slowed as if he knew he'd done something wrong.

Sasuke pursed his lips, finally sighing with a roll of his eyes as he set a hand on top of Kurama's head. The dog barked in joy that Sasuke was no longer mad, licking Sasuke's hand. Sasuke shook his head at the over-excitable animal, glancing at Naruto's house. He knew the blonde was at work, what time was-

"Kurama!" Both Sasuke and Kurama looked up at the call, Sasuke noticed Kurama sit down behind him as Naruto jogged up to the yard. Sasuke guessed that Naruto had taken a bus to work. Naruto came to a stop in front of Sasuke, glaring down at his dog while Kurama innocently stared at the ground.

"He didn't cause you any trouble did he? I'm sorry, he's had problems with jumping the fence before." Naruto grinned sheepishly as he explained, rubbing the back of his head. Sasuke withheld a smirk, shaking his head.

"He was fine." He replied shortly, stepping aside so Naruto could get his dog. Kurama glanced at Naruto when the blonde clicked his tongue, wandering to his side. Sasuke silently mused about how Kurama acted similar to Naruto; cheerful, yet he would sulk if someone was annoyed.

"You know better, there are cars around here that won't stop for you!" Naruto reprimanded the dog, who was looking rather sorry. "I don't know why he keeps trying to get out, he always ends up coming back. It's like he does it just because he can." Naruto said, sighing in exasperation.

Sasuke shrugged in response, glancing down at Kurama. "Maybe he sees something that he wants." He said, remembering how Salem would walk along the fence in Naruto's yard. Perhaps the crash at his door earlier had been Salem after she'd lured Kurama out of his fence; almost as if she wanted Sasuke to know the work she'd done.

Naruto chuckled, glancing up then. Sasuke followed his gaze, brows rising in surprise as he saw Salem sitting on the roof of the house. She almost never got up there. "Like a certain taunting cat?" Naruto smiled, reaching down to pet Kurama, who had sunk down onto the ground.

Sasuke's lips formed a small smile, to his ire. He didn't want to be friends with this guy, he didn't even know why he'd stood out here talking to him. He began to tell him goodbye, when a voice cut into the air like a blade. Sasuke went rigid, his eyes widening a fraction in recognition. Naruto turned his head slightly to look at Suigetsu as he walked down the sidewalk and into the yard. "What are you doing?" The Hozuki asked, it was laced with a demand and directed at Sasuke.

Before Sasuke could find the correct answer, Naruto spoke. "Getting my dog, he hopped the fence to get into Sasuke's yard." He said, folding his arms. Suigetsu turned to look at Naruto then, his eyes narrowed as if clearly saying "I wasn't talking to you."

Naruto returned the look, his brow raised as he waited for Suigetsu to say something. Tension filled the air, making it difficult to breathe; Sasuke may have just imagined that. "Yeah, I walked out and the dog walked up to me. Naruto just got off work and came to get him." Sasuke said, causing both males to glance at him. Suigetsu's expression was cold, Sasuke knew he had screwed up.

"I called you earlier, you didn't answer." Suigetsu's words made Sasuke blink in surprise, he realized with a jolt that he'd left his phone inside. He'd only been out here a few minutes, he didn't think he'd need to carry the stupid thing around constantly.

"I must have left my phone inside when I came out to get the dog, sorry." His voice was calm, he forced a small smile onto his lips, surprised to find it almost hurt. He had to make this look like a perfectly normal conversation.

Suigetsu took a step forward, Sasuke assumed it was to walk inside the house since he knew Suigetsu wasn't an idiot and wouldn't do anything to hurt Sasuke in front of someone else, but a low growl suddenly hit their ears. Sasuke looked down in disbelief at Kurama, the dog's entire persona changed. He was glaring at Suigetsu with his ears back as the white-haired boy stepped beside Sasuke. "Is that flea-bag safe? He acts rabid." Suigetsu said sharply, Sasuke hoped Suigetsu didn't kick the dog or something else stupid.

"He's fine. He just might not like some people, I guess since we're so new here." Naruto flashed a smile, Sasuke found himself wondering how sardonic that smile may have been. With harsh force he withheld a start when Suigetsu grabbed his hand, tugging on his arm to tell him to get inside.

Sasuke was surprised Suigetsu hadn't grabbed his wrist, but he supposed even Suigetsu knew that wouldn't look very good. All three boys started when Kurama suddenly snapped his teeth, Sasuke pushed Suigetsu behind him out of reflex.

If Kurama so much as scratched Suigetsu, it would bring hell for both the dog and Naruto. "The dog's only been here a few weeks, he's just unused to us being around him." Sasuke spoke the first thing that came to his mind as he stood between Kurama and Suigetsu, wary that one of them would lunge.

"Maybe he's just a dangerous mongrel." Suigetsu said, his eyes narrowed at Naruto. "Control your dog." With that he stormed inside the house, leaving Sasuke standing. Naruto glanced down at his dog and then back in the direction Suigetsu had stormed off in.

"Sorry, Kurama can be hostile but he's usually never done that." Naruto said, hooking his fingers in Kurama's collar to take him back home. Kurama still stared pointedly in Suigetsu's direction.

Sasuke shrugged, turning to leave. "It's fine, Suigetsu treated him kind of badly. He's probably had a bad day and I know he doesn't really like animals to begin with, I apologize." With that, Sasuke shut the front door, not prolonging the conversation that was now certainly going to get him in trouble. With a deep breath he started to speak as he walked into the living room. "Suigetsu-" He barely finished the sentence before his boyfriend flew off the handle.

"What's wrong with you? Don't you ever listen to what I tell you?" Suigetsu was barely an inch from Sasuke's face, he grabbed the front of the Uchiha's shirt to pull him close. He stared down at Sasuke, waiting for an answer that wasn't going to matter.

"I just went out to get his dog, nothing else." Sasuke gripped Suigetsu's wrist, trying to calculate the other boy's next move. If he could brace himself, he'd have more of a chance of getting out of this without bruises to disguise.

"Then you wanna tell me why you two seem so close?" Suigetsu hissed, pressing Sasuke's back into the wall. Sasuke shook his head, unsure of how to calm Suigetsu. He'd already tried to explain that he barely even knew Naruto.

"I've barely known him a month, how can I get close to anyone in that time span?" Suigetsu's hand cracked across Sasuke's face, catching him off guard. He brought a hand to his cheek, realizing he should have known better than to let his guard down.

"Don't smart off to me." Suigetsu started to reach out for Sasuke again, but his phone suddenly rang. He glanced down at it while Sasuke straightened back up, closely watching Suigetsu's expression. Suigetsu swore, turning around quickly. "I have someone to talk to. I'll be back." Sasuke wasn't sure if that was a threat or a promise, as Suigetsu slammed the door behind him. He let his head tilt back to hit the wall, sighing slowly. Would the dust settle before Suigetsu came back? Or would Itachi get home before the teenager did?

Sasuke looked at the clock, seeing it was already almost five, Itachi should be getting off soon. He pushed himself off the wall, sitting on the couch in the living room. He idly wondered if he could find a concealer to disguise any bruises that might not be hidden by his clothes, thinking it might be at least a good option to have.

It was difficult convincing someone where a bruise came from, occasionally; though really, teenage boys got bruised all the time didn't they? He glanced over when he heard a buzzing sound, seeing Itachi's name flash up on his cell phone he picked it up. "Hello?" Sasuke answered, satisfied that his voice was steady.

"Sasuke, I won't be home until very late tonight. I have a project that I need to complete." Itachi's voice was apologetic, Sasuke clenched the phone in irritation. Itachi hadn't stayed late in a month or two, yet he still disagreed with the late hours. Sasuke didn't think staying at work until three in the morning was worth anything.

"Fine." He replied, going to hang up before he heard Itachi speak again. He barely caught himself before he pressed the button to end the call, quickly listening again.

"Eat something before you go to bed, I'll see you later on. Goodbye." Sasuke hung up without replying, shaking his head. He understood needing the job, but Itachi would work himself into a grave. He stood up, his eyes already feeling heavy so he decided to throw something together for dinner and head to his room.

He nearly dropped the packet of noodles he'd picked up when a quiet "meow" echoed in the kitchen. He looked down at Salem as she paced by her food bowl, wondering when she had sneaked back inside. He set the noodles to cook, filling Salem's food and water dishes.

He watched her eat, his head tilting slightly in thought. His face was still red from the hit earlier, but he didn't notice any signs of swelling. With luck it would simply go away. He looked over when he heard the timer go off, putting his food into a bowl and leaning against the counter to eat.

He noticed how slowly he seemed to eat now, as he caught himself moving the noodles around the bowl more often than genuinely eating them. The sky was darkening by the time he finally got fed up and quickly finished off what was left, washing off the dishes. He gave Salem a piece of noodle to satisfy her curious looks, raising a brow as she batted it around the floor before finally eating it. He imagined it would be nice, to be so easily entertained and cared for.

He paused when he heard something outside, his brow furrowing in confusion. Suigetsu's promise to come back earlier struck him like electricity, he turned around and walked into the living room just as the door opened. Suigetsu kicked it shut, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it onto the floor. He glanced at Sasuke with a clenched hand. "Your brother gonna be home tonight?" He asked, looking Sasuke up and down.

"He will be… But he's late." Sasuke replied, telling half the truth. Suigetsu began walking towards Sasuke. Sasuke noticed the glint in his eyes.

"You're getting kinda fat." Suigetsu said to Sasuke, making the raven blink as he heard the insult. He glanced down, hearing Suigetsu snicker as he suddenly shoved Sasuke backwards. "You don't think I forgot about you not listening to me earlier, did you? I said I'd teach you a lesson if you saw that creep again."

Sasuke felt his back hit the wall, his eyes locking onto Suigetsu's.

He supposed this was how a deer must feel, when it was watching the wolf circle in for the kill.

Terror. That's what the reflection had earlier.


AUTHORESS NOTE:

I should be in bed but no.

This is so long, how did that happen?!

Warning: Updates will be slower, starting the nineteenth of August, my first day of school. I haven't been to a public school in two years so I've been anxious and unable to do anything but pace around, so I figured I should convert my energy into writing for you guys!

MzPearlz: Haha! She sounds hilarious. My outside dog had fleas badly as well, she got rashes from them so our vet told me to start getting her "Comfortis" and she hasn't had problems with fleas since. :D

Dawn Rune: I got your review last minute before posting this, but I'm glad I did as I tried to edit this chapter due to your tip. I appreciate your help. I'm irritated that no one had ever told me about two characters needing separate paragraphs for dialogue, especially considering the teachers that have read other things from me. But people learn new things every day, I'm grateful you took the time to help me out so that I'll try not to make the same mistakes twice. Thank you for your support as well, good day!