Chapter Twenty-Eight:
Izami wasn't sure how to really feel about being alone in his house with him. Sure, he had been to her house a few times. And, sure, they were alone, but there was something different about being alone with him. In his house. It felt more intimate. It just felt different than him being alone with her at her place.
Sure, in the past she had been to his place plenty of times, but she hadn't been there since they were both eleven years old. Besides, things were different between them then than they were now. Back then, they were only friends. Now...Now they were dating. Together. It was just different. Her nerves felt more on edge than they had felt in a long time, but she tried not to let it show.
Izami looked up at his house, her eyes taking in the size for the first time in ages. The outside was very familiar looking. It bought her back to her childhood when she would come over, the few times that she was invited over. The outside was white, and not the peeling white that she remembered when Sasuke started letting the house go to shambles. The windows even looked brand new. She could only imagine what the inside looked like if the outside looked so brand new.
"Are you ok?" He asked, feeling a bit awkward for the first time in a really long time. Izami glanced at him, and nodded slightly.
"Yeah. I'm fine." She said simply, moving a piece of her light brown hair behind her ear. She looked at him, smiling softly." Well, are we going in or what?" Sasuke paused again, and then nodded, turning the knob on his door.
"I haven't really had time to clean." Sasuke's tone was almost embarrassed. Izami glanced at him, and shrugged.
"That's ok." She said simply. Sasuke nodded, opening the door to let her inside the house. She was quick to enter. Sasuke was quick to follow after her.
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Izami wasn't sure what she expected Sasuke's house to look like when she entered. She remembered what it was like when they were younger. The floor creaked, and the walls were dingy. Boxes were stacked every which place. It was like back then he didn't care what his home looked like. She didn't understand then, and it still confuses her now, but she never questioned. So, she wasn't really sure what to expect as she walked into his house.
Now, it was completely cleaned out. The walls were re-painted their original white color. The floors looked new, and no longer creaked. The whole house seemed to have been re-built. It seems that Sasuke had tried to keep the house in good shape. The walls looked freshly painted white. The floors looked like they had been replaced, and they no longer creaked with every step she made. The living room had actual furniture that wasn't torn, or coated in dust. In fact, the furniture looked new. There was even a tv, and a radio. There were no boxes. In fact, it was realtivly clean other than a few dishes, and clothes laying about.
The living room had few furniture in it. A couch was pushed nearly towards the center, nearly connecting with the recliner that was in front of a tv. On the right side of the recliner, the part not connecting with the couch, had a small night stand with a single lamp. Beside the lamp was a small book that was leather bound. A door separated the kitchen, or what Izami assumed to be the kitchen, from the living room. She assumed the dining area was also in that area.
"Enjoying the view or what?" Sasuke was slightly embarrassed, and slightly amused by her looking around with ,what seemed like an inspectors, look at his home. Izami looked over at Sasuke, nodding slightly.
"It's...Nice." Really she had no idea what else to say, and Sasuke seemed to pick up on that part. He smirked, giving a half laugh, and moved past her just a bit.
"Why don't you make yourself comfortable while I go get things ready. If you need the bathroom, just go down that hall, and it'll be your second door on the left side. Feel free to watch some tv, or whatever. Just don't wonder too far." There seemed to be an underlining warning in his tone that Izami didn't completely understand, but she just nodded, choosing to keep her mouth closed. She just nodded, and walked in to the house more, taking a spot on the recliner. Sasuke walked by her, touching the book slightly that was on the night stand, but just brushed by it. Izami glanced at him, and then at the book. She looked up when she heard the door to the kitchen close. She looked back at the book. Curiosity overtook her, and she picked the book up, opening it.
She was surprised to find that it was, in fact, a type of photo album with random pictures. She glanced up, making sure he wouldn't come out, and then looked at the pictures, which seemed to be in random order.
The picture was one of his parents, but obviously when they were younger. They were both wearing traditional wedding clothes, and both were smiling, though Fugaku's smile seemed a bit strained. Izami felt oddly surprised to see that Sasuke looked much like his father now that Sasuke had grown up, and matured. The picture itself was worn, and there were creases where it had obviously been folded up before being placed in here. The picture below that was of a chubby, new born child with pale skin, closed eyes, and was obviously sleeping. There was a slim hand in the picture, smoothing out the infant's hair, and it took a moment to realize for Izami to realize that the infant was Itachi.
Izami flipped through the pages, focusing in on the ones that caught her eyes, like the one of Sasuke as a baby in the arms of Mikoto. Or the one with her and Sasuke in it, her hands trying to cover her face with a cookie in either hand. Another was of Sasuke and Itachi swinging on some swings. Or a very young Sasuke, probably no more than six months old, taking a bath with Itachi. Another was a very tired looking Mikoto with Sasuke in a high chair, food everywhere. Izami laughed at that picture. Another one was Sasuke after he entered the Academy. Another of her and Sasuke, sleeping, leaning against one another.
The pictures were random. One picture was of Sasuke, arms crossed with a scowl on his face as he stood outside the academy the day after his graduation, and the next would be of his parents, or of his brother. Izami couldn't help but smile a little bit to herself as she looked through the pictures. She felt like she was peeping in on a private side of Sasuke, and his family that she had never seen before.
She flipped through the book, smiling to herself as she looked at the pictures. Then, right near the back, she found some that made her heart skip, and a heat rise to her face. They were the same pictures that she had taken the day of his eight birthday. The ones he initially refused to take from Izami. Though they looked a bit worn, a bit aged, and a bit wrinkled. Like they had been through water or something. Izami's throat dried up slightly, and she blinked fast to stop the tears from flowing. SHe took a deep breath, and then sat the album aside, and turned on the television hoping to distract herself from her bugging memories. However, despite the slight sadness she felt, she couldn't help but feel slightly happy. She had peeked into a side of Sasuke that she had never, and probably never would, look into before that moment. Despite her conflicting feelings, she was oddly happy about finding something that showed the sentimental part of Sasuke. It was a side she'd hardly seen before. And that was enough to make the bad feelings go away.
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It was another hour, or so, before dinner was completely done. Izami followed Sasuke when he beckoned her, and sat across from him as they began eating. Again, she found herself surprised, but this time by how good the food tasted., though she couldn't really point out why she was surprised with his ability to cook.
Dinner was mostly eaten in silence. The only interaction they had was when they would catch each other's gaze. They would just smile at each other, and quickly look away. It wasn't too social until after they had finished eating everything.
"Do you want seconds?" Sasuke question, already half risen from his seat on the mat. Izami looked up at him, and shook her head." I'll just take your plate, and set in the sink." Again, all Izami did was nod, and watched as he took both of their plates, and sat them rather nosily in the sink. He paused visibly. Izami's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion." How long do you plan on staying?" Sasuke asked, his tone was as if nothing had happened at all. It was like he was asking for the time.
Izami shrugged slightly, and looked at the clock on the wall. 6:30. An hour and a half after they had began to eat. Two hours since arriving here. Izami bit her lip, her eyes flickering to the window. The sun was still up, but how late was too late? Should she go ahead, and go? Something in her wanted to stay, but another part of her wanted to go as well. Her nerves were getting frayed at the simple question.
"I can stay awhile longer." She said after a few minutes, when he mind registered that Sasuke was still expecting an answer. At her words, Sasuke visibly relaxed, making Izami confused again.
"Ok...Let's go see what's on the television." Sasuke looked over his shoulder at her. He was smiling ever so softly. Izami smiled back, and nodded.
"Ok. Sure." Sasuke walked over to her, and held out his hand to her. Izami happily took it, and walked with him to the living room.
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"This is a stupid show. Why do you like them so much?" Sasuke complained for about the sixth time since the show began. At this point in time, Izami was leaning against Sasuke's chest while he had his arm around her shoulders. Izami looked at him with a slight scowl.
"If you don't like it that much, I can just go home, and watch it. I have missed the last season, and today they're catching up. I can go home, and watch it."
"I never said I wanted to stop watching it. I'm just saying it's stupid."
"Well, so are you." To this, Sasuke had no reply. He just scowled, and looked out the window, trying to drown out the melodramatic soap opera that Izami just seemed obsessed with. Women. He'd never understand women. Especially if they were named Izami.
It was another ten minutes that passed between them. Sasuke sighed heavily again, resting his head against the couch as annoyance built up inside of him. He was getting real sick of this show. He finally just reached over to the remote, and changed the station.
"Hey! You asshole!" Izami glared at him, smacking his chest with her hand."Change it back!"
"No."
"Yes."
"No. It's stupid. Don't you know soap operas are for lonely old house wives whose husband ignores them anyways? I can find something better."
"No. I remember what you like to watch, and it's even dumber." Izami attempted to reach over to grab the remote, but Sasuke just moved his hands up over his head, still changing the stations. He looked down at her with a teasing smirk.
"Hey, my shows aren't that stupid." He wasn't being defensive, like she was being, but he was rather amused, which seemed to annoy her further.
"Yeah. That's because they're dumber." She attempted to reach up for the remote, but Sasuke still held it higher.
"Close, but no cigar." Izami huffed in frustration, and hit his arm again.
"And stop quoting old movies."
"Someone is just throwing a temper tantrum because I changed the station. Stop acting like a five year old."
"If I'm five than not only are you in trouble, but you're a sicko too."
"I don't date five year olds."
"You're not going to be dating anyone if you don't stop being an ass."
"So, I'm an ass for changing the station?"
"Yes." Sasuke looked at her with an eyebrow raised, clearly amused by this all. Izami was not amused in the slightest but.
"It's my house. I can do what I want when I want."
"Yeah, but I'm the guest. The guest always gets their ways, or the host is an ass."
"Still not changing it back." Izami grunted, and crossed her arms. She turned back, and glared at the tv with a pout. Sasuke chuckled, and shook his head."You're such a child." Izami glared up at him, and then looked at the television.
"I'm a child. You're an ass. What a pair we make." Sasuke just shook his head, and turned off the tv. Izami glanced at him with an eyebrow raised.
"There. Now nobody can fight over it." He looked at her with a smirk, and winked before holding her closer to him. Izami sighed, and settled into his embrace as he wound both arms around her waist, his chin resting on her head. Izami rested her hands on his arms, her eyes looking downwards as she traced simple designs on his arms. Sasuke looked at her wordlessly, letting her concentrate on what she was doing. He closed his eyes softly after a few minutes, breathing in her scent.
About twenty minutes of silence passed between the two. Neither said anything, but were just content being in each others presence. Izami continued to draw patterns on the others skin, while Sasuke watched.
"Izami." Sasuke's voice came out soft, much softer than he had intended it come out. Izami shook her head, coming out of her trance, and looked up at him with a smile.
"Sup?" She asked with a smile. Sasuke said nothing. Instead, he cupped her chin, tilting it upwards just a bit, and then touched his lips against her lips.
