Bullet Proof

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

A/N: I'm so SORRY! It's been such a long time I had no idea! I had the chapter written and everything, but my computer broke down, and my brother-in-law took the hard drive to fix it, and OMG I'm so sorry! I hope all of you are still alive! I know it's been a long time, but hopefully my readers AND reviewers (with hopefully some new ones) will come back! I'm going to start updating once a week again!

Chapter 14: Thunder

"Ani, will you please come home?" A seven year old Sasuke with wide, wondering eyes whined into the phone.

"I'm very sorry little brother, that I left. I do believe I might come home though…" In truth, Itachi simply wanted to make his brother feel better. Besides, the idiotic sleep over he was having was such a drag – this Oliver kid only sat in front of the T.V.

In his small hands, the black phone looked huge, and he fumbled as he switched ears and tried to hold it between his ear and his shoulder. It fell, and hit the wall, luckily having the cord to keep it from smashing to the tile floor.

He heard his mother chuckle from behind him, mixing the brownie mix she promised she would make Sasuke as soon as Itachi left. It was only about five hours that Itachi had been gone from the house, and Sasuke's short attention span lead him away from making brownies, and to bawling his eyes out – hoping his brother would come home and play with him.

The ceiling fan casted shadows on the wall as Sasuke stumbled to pick the phone back up, "Big brother, are you still there?" He questioned fearfully.

There was amusement in his brother's voice that Sasuke was still to young to recognize, "Yes Obouto, I am," His fond tone caused the younger Uchiha to be slightly comforted.

"Will you come home and paint with me?" His brother asked hopefully.

"Sure, Sasuke, I will…" He was delighted to be spending time with him. "Can I speak with Mom, please Sasuke?"

"Yeah…" He handed his mother the phone and ran to the brownie bowl, allowing his index finger to dive in. He tried to scoop up as much as possible, as though his finger were a spoon, and sucked it into his mouth.

Quickly, his finger was under the counter top again, hiding the chocolate remnants on it, as he innocently stared at his mother, who glanced back to see what mischief he was trying to cause.

"Yes Itachi, of course… We'll be there soon…" She smiled fondly, never taking her eyes off of Sasuke as she hung up the phone.

"Your brother says he loves you," She spoke gingerly, taking the brownie bowl and emptying it into the pan.

"I love him too! Did you tell him that mom? Did you?" He bounced in his chair, excited that Itachi was going to be home soon.

"He knows, sweetheart…" She smiled at him again and put the pan into the oven. "I'm going to go pick him up… Your father and I won't be gone long."

Thunder suddenly boomed in the distance, as if on cue. Sasuke froze, his already saucer-sized eyes growing, if possible, even larger. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. His biggest fear was thunder.

"Sasuke, honey, it's alright…" She picked up the seven-year-old and moved into the living room.

"Isn't he a little old to be held?" His father questioned.

"It's thundering…" she stated, and he knew what she meant immediately, even if the look of distaste didn't vanish from his face. "Itachi asked if we could go pick him up…"

"Ah!" Mr. Uchiha spoke as though the world had lifted from his shoulders, "good… We'll have to leave right away!" Before Sasuke could object, his father had flitted from the room to grab his jacket.

"Please don't leave, Momma…" He whimpered, covering his face with his hands in nervousness.

She bent down to his level, "Now Sasuke, don't worry. You see that timer in the kitchen? I'll be home before it even beeps, so we can take the brownies out… Me and you, or maybe, if we're lucky… me, you, and Itachi…" She winked and laughed a little, "Just sit tight, okay? Richard will be here, and so will Mayella," she gestured to the butler not all that far away.

"But… But!" He gasped, his mouth hanging open, a couple of his teeth missing, as he sucked in a big breath to convince her to stay.

"Sasuke, please… The sooner you let me go, the sooner we can get back…" She glanced up, hearing her husband's voice calling her name. She kissed his head and smiled, wiping away the tear that fell down his cheek, "I love you baby…" She smiled at him and hugged him.

The I love you he spoke in return was muffled by her shirt. The thunder rumbled again as she made her way out of the house. When he heard the car door slam and the vehicle slowly purr out of the drive way, he turned on his heel and darted into the kitchen. Plopping himself on the floor, he made himself comfortable as he watched the timer, eager for the return of his family.

Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes into the twenty three it was going to take to bake the delicious treat. He listened as the timer beeped and beeped, and wondered vaguely if he should shut it off. Deciding against it, he knew he should wait for his mother.

Another twenty minutes went by, the thunder rumbling so loud now that the room was shaking with fury from the storm, and the timer beeped every few minutes. He peeked into the oven and saw the once rich brown treats to be black and looking highly crusty.

Still, he waited for his mother.

At last, after an hour of waiting, and enough smoke pouring out of the oven to trigger the fire alarm, the noises in the kitchen drowned out the thunder. The sprinklers above him (Mr. Uchiha was certain his kids would set his house to flames) went off and he was soaked to the bone in mere seconds. Still he watched the brownies.

Richard darted into the room, the first to hear the noises coming down from the second story of the house. He pulled Sasuke out of the way, lifting him into the air with the strength he could muster. Surprisingly, the small child didn't put up a fight.

A certain spark left his eyes. He knew his mother would never go back on her word. He knew something happened. Sasuke was a pretty smart kid, and already at seven, he knew to trust his gut.

In just twenty more minutes, as he sat on the couch silent and still, the phone rang, and he was informed another twenty minutes later of the terrible news. Itachi was never picked up – his parents hydroplaned across the road and a semi hit them. His father was killed instantly, and his mother had last words no paramedic had the heart to tell Richard.

Tears leaked from Sasuke's eyes. Itachi quietly came in the door, hoping that Sasuke wasn't mad at him. When the boy saw his older brother he lashed out in anger, screaming and bawling, hugging him and punching him faintly in the stomach.

"I hate you, Itachi! I hate you! It's all your fault!" He screamed, shoving him backwards, but soon running back to him, "If you hadn't come home!"

But Itachi knew he wasn't the only one Sasuke was blaming… The young Uchiha was blaming his mother for never coming back, and most devastatingly, himself, for asking Itachi to come home.

Sasuke groaned as the pain grew in his chest, falling to the floor with Itachi, tears falling from both of the children that night.

The next day, Sasuke had found out what those words from his mother were. "Don't blame Itachi,". Sasuke wished he didn't have to, but his mother went back on her word – he simply couldn't obey her last command.

?

Sakura saw how tired the raven haired boy looked. For a few quick moments during his story, she envisioned the small, shattered boy sitting in front of her, and it just broke her heart. Tears pricked her own eyes at the store, as suddenly she burst from her spot next to him, throwing her arms around him.

"Oh Sasuke!" She cried into his shoulder, surprising him, "I'm so sorry!" The story pained him to talk about, and having someone else cry about it was making his own eyes begin to water.

"Stop…" He tried to command, but couldn't come out forcefully. It only caused the girl in his arms to cry harder.

For being such a tough girl, he saw something tonight that only Sasori, Ino, and Naruto had ever seen in their life. There was a girl, so much like Sasuke – living it up on the outside, while on the inside she was a sensitive soul, who actually contained feelings that showed every once in a while. Unfortunately for an emotionally constipated Sasuke, he was receiving the blunt of it.

They stayed like that for a very long time, before Sakura settled lightly into Sasuke's arms. He wasn't sure what she was doing until he heard her even breathing – she had fallen asleep. Actually, the whole story made him quite tired too… And he found himself leaning against the wall of the mural, probably getting paint on his shirt and hair, closing his eyes and drifting into a hazy and uncomprehendable dream. For once his sleep wasn't sharp and disturbing – a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

?

A car door slammed and the pinkette's eyes fluttered open. She blinked the sleep from her eyes unsuccessfully and looked around. All was dark except for the street lamp a little ways away. The first thing she realized in her half conscious mind was that she was soaking wet. She heard thunder rumbled loudly overhead, before she realized that she was curled protectively by another figure.

Opening her eyes wide, she saw Sasuke leaning against the wall, looking highly peaceful in his sleep. He was also soaking wet. She glanced up at the mural and miraculously the rain hadn't really had an effect on it, though the paint that had ended up all over Sakura and in Sasuke's hair had long since washed away.

A strong pair of arms wrapped around her and lifted her up. She shook her heavy, limp hair for a moment in an attempt to get a grip on reality. "Itachi?" She breathed out quietly.

He didn't say anything as he gingerly opened his car door and pulled out a blanket. Wrapping it around her shoulders, she caught a waft of his scent, and it calmed her somehow. She was herded into the front seat of his car where the heat was on full blast. Amazingly enough, she only then figured out how cold she was, and gratefully looked up towards him.

Silence engulfed them as he opened the back door, leading Sasuke in as well. Immediately, the boy slumped onto the seat, falling back asleep again. Sakura at this time, was wide awake when Itachi got back in the car.

The side of her hair was plastered to the side of her neck and face. She stared straight ahead, watching the rain pound down on the windows – it seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"How long have you been out here?" He questioned, his gentle voice breaking through the silent spell hazing the car.

"I've been out all day, Sasuke came a few hours after that…" She spoke equally as quiet.

He didn't say anything for a long while, "Are you cold?"

She still couldn't feel her fingers or toes, but she was getting there. Shaking her head, she glanced back at Sasuke, passed out on the seat. Her eyes still felt puffy from crying, and she reminisced on the story she had heard a few hours prior.

She was too dazed to realize he kept glancing at her, "I take it you found out some of my brother's past?"

"Yes…" She was careful, the words falling off of her tongue in slow motion.

He nodded and stayed silent, "You're lucky – he doesn't normally open up to people very much…"

"Oh?"

"He must like you…" Itachi observed, moving his hands on the steering wheel – itching for an answer.

"Oh no…" She managed to pull off a small, shy smile, "We don't like each other like that… It's much more of a bantering relationship…"

Itachi said nothing, but a few thoughts ran through his head that he knew he wouldn't be able to process with the both of them in the car. Here were the two brothers and girl creating one of the largest love triangles in the history of Konoha High – it seemed surreal to him.

He pulled up beside Sakura's large, bright house – somehow still looking cheery even with the rain, thunder, and lightening swirling all around it. "Thanks for the ride."

"I'll walk you to the door…" He shut the door swiftly, and threw her a jacket to hold over her head as they ran.

"I guess this is my stop…"

"I guess so…" She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm, "By the way…" His eyes seemed thin and mature, showing that he wouldn't play games, showing someone safe. She warmed up the that feeling immediately – that was probably why it was so easy to talk to him.

"Yes?" She questioned, almost looking at him with – what was it on her face? Expectation? The thought intimidated her.

Her feelings were so mixed at the moment and so lost, that she wasn't sure quite what happened next until she was in bed thinking about it.

'I really liked your mural… The paintings on it were beautiful…" He complimented.

Before Sakura knew what she was doing, she, in one swift movement, gracefully fell towards him, her lips catching his as they shared a long moment of surprise.

When finally she pulled back, both of their faces mirrored shock and disbelief, as she quickly turned and hopped inside.

?

"Prom?"

"Yes!" She giggled, "Prom! I saw a flier already for it this morning! It's in a little over a month, Forehead, aren't you gonna go?"

"I don't know, Pig…" She pushed her spaghetti around on her plate, not very hungry.

The events of last night made her heart skip a beat every single time she thought about it. But, try as she might, she just couldn't stop thinking about it.

"I think something happened last night after we left Sakura, that you aren't telling me!" She accused, pointing her finger the pinkette.

She raised an amused eyebrow, dropping her fork down on the plastic plate as a smirk began to grow on her lips.

"Okay Ino, like what?"

It stopped the girl in her tracks for a moment before she flared slightly with anger, "Well I don't know! You tell me!" She glared, crossing her arms and keeping direct eye contact with Sakura.

The pink haired sophomore didn't back down, and it turned into a heated staring contest.

Suddenly, a shove from behind caused Sakura to look away. They both moved their attention towards the redhead glowering from behind. "Sakura Haruno!" She howled, the whole lunch room looking up in interest.

Sasuke and Naruto, who raised their heads from a table in the corner, and Itachi and Kisame, plus the rest of the team, were particularly interested in what beef Karin had with Sakura.

"You danced with my Sasuke at Ino's party!" A scowl began to fester on her face as her crimson eyes beamed with a sense of pissed off.

Sakura boldly began to laugh. This peaked everyone's interest a little further. "Your Sasuke, Karin?"

Ino leaned forward in suspense, "Yes, of course he is madly in love with me!" She growled, as though it were a threat.

Sakura rolled her eyes and turned to her spaghetti, cutting it and eating a bite, "I'm completely uninterested in your romance with Sasuke," she really doubted they had something, but the possibility made her angry as it crept into her mind.

"Don't you pretend like you don't you bitch!" Karin yanked her hair and slapped her.

The whole lunch room went dead silent as Sakura stood, slowly and angrily. Karin cowered back – realizing her mistake a few seconds too late.

"When I tell you that I have nothing with Sasuke," Lie, her conscious told her, "I mean it!" Lies! "Besides, if he had a thing like a fat cow, redheaded skank like you, I wouldn't even want to talk to him anymore!" Liar – you'd fight for him…

The idiotic girl decided to slap Sakura again, but this time the pink haired girl caught her wrist and pushed her back.

"Bitch fight!" Naruto gleefully called, and everyone scrambled to gather around the two girls.

"Kick her ass, Sakura!" Ino cheered, pumping her fist in the air. Everyone was cheering for the pinkette, besides Karin's goons.

"You think you're soo wonderful, Sakura!" Karin went in for a punch, but the girl easily side stepped, "But I bet not even Rock Lee would ask you to prom!"

Sakura laughed at this, thinking about how Lee had already placed several flowers, notes, and chocolates all over places she would see, asking her to go with him, "And I bet you couldn't even get one of your whore friends to ask you! And they worship you!"

Karin screamed at this, and lunged for Sakura, landing a lucky hit and tackling her to the ground. Sakura flipped her easily, and shoved her away, "I'm going to get aids just from touching you… Leave me the fuck alone…"

"You're just a girl who puts on a big front, Sakura, but you're really thinking that I'm right! You couldn't get any guy you wanted to go to prom with you – you won't even get asked!"

"Why would I want to even go?" She wandered outloud, but then stopped, "Alright Karin… just to prove you wrong, I'll go…" She finalized, getting up and walking out of the lunch room.

Uninterested by the rest of the fight, everyone settled back into their seats. Itachi and Sasuke saw their first inkling of an opening. Their time to strike would be soon.

?

A/N: Well I thought the chapter was pretty good, except maybe the end. I tried to throw a little humor into it, because I've been forgetting about that a bit :) sorry if it was unsuccessfully funny though haha.

Please review and tell me how I did! Thanks!

-zesty-