Chapter 35: Troublemaker or Troublebreaker?

"Get out," Sasuke stressed viciously. "Now."

Itachi stands, a soft expression overtaking his face. "No, Sasuke. You have to hear me out."

"I don't have to listen to anything you say. What's there to hear?" Sasuke grunts. There a pause as he turns slightly. "You're nothing but a murderer," he glowers.

Itachi steps closer, and Sasuke shrinks back, promptly running his wheelchair into a wall. He cursed at it, and when his eyes returned to his brother's, the older man thumped his forhead with two fingers.

"What the hell was that for?!" he snaps. The motion he remembers well; whenever Itachi had no time for him growing up, he'd merely give his brother a tap on the forhead and tell him he was sorry. This moment was no different.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I didn't do it because I wanted to; I was ordered to. Think of it as a sort of admittance… only you're already part of the gang." Itachi tells his younger sibling.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow, the vague description ringing a bell. "Elaborate; maybe I can listen a little…" His older brother steps back, and he wheels his chair to the kitchen for a drink. "You have five minutes. If you don't explain yourself thouroughly by then, I'm calling the police."

The older Uchiha takes a deep breath and exhales it yoga-style. Then: "Didn't the ANBU give you a mission as if you were a member already, and yet they said it wasn't official until you did something unspeakable you would never agree to?"

Multiple bells were ringing now. "Yes, and…?" he pushes with a stern tone. Sasuke takes a gulp of water and faces Itachi with a distantly curious look.

"In my case," Itachi says calmly, "I had to kill my entire family. Apparently, we Uchihas are considered dangerous to both the ANBU and the Akatsuki. So to prove my loyalty and to help annihilate a huge threat, I later discovered as their reasoning, I was to murder the people I've lived with since birth. But you know, Sasuke, I didn't feel anything while I did it… I was numb. In a trance. It was like second nature to me, as if I've done it before. I confess, though: when it came down to you, my baby brother, I couldn't complete my task. Every time I thought about it, it hurt me. I've never been close to anyone in my life except you. Somehow, I feel like I have to protect you and teach you necessary life lessons. And yet I've failed, haven't I? You didn't become what I wanted you to be: a perfect grad student of Sound Academy and in a gang like myself. No, instead you became an obsessive, selfish runt of the litter who doesn't think before he acts." He shakes his head. Then, a rare, closed-lip smile graces his features. "But I think we can fix that, can't we?"

He'll admit Itachi's words struck a cord. A deep, thick cord. And rendered him motionless, but not speechless. "We… can," Sasuke mumbles at a slug's pace. "But in due time," he adds harshly.

Itachi enters the kitchen and lays a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. The teen is tempted to flinch away; he doesn't, however. Instead, he slumps under the touch. The prison-escapee speaks: "You recognize your mistakes, don't you?" A nod from the teen. "I recognize mine, too. And I have faith that we can get through it together."

"It'll take a lot for you to build your trust with me again," Sasuke says coldly as he shrugs the hand off; it's been there long enough. Then his tone shifts. "Still… I think we can. We have a lot of repenting to do towards a lot of people. And, somehow, we have to keep your whereabouts a secret, or else the cops will come after you."

"I'm aware of that," Itachi agrees. One corner of his mouth lifts into a smile. "But we're Uchihas… our combined brains are clever enough to maneuver around some lame police men."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right about that." His face was a blank slate, his eyes cast away, though his tone was supportive.

"You're reluctant; I understand. But if you can, little brother, remember one thing: if no one else, I care about you."

"You sure show it in odd ways," Sasuke mutters. He begins to roll towards his room.

Itachi calls after him: "Have any New Year Resolutions?"

Sasuke stops. "I do: I resolute to move on."

"I'll toast to that," Itachi replies, raising a glass he had on the end table beside his reading chair. He takes a sip of the beverage. "I'll move on as well. Technically in a different way, but details don't matter."

Sasuke didn't catch the sentences following 'I'll toast to that', nor did he care what they were. He went to his room and shut the door ruthlessly. He was exhausted… So, naturally, he abandoned his wheelchair and fell asleep on his bed, his bullet wounds aching dully.

o0o0o0o0o

Deidara grunted as he sewed himself. "I should have died," he whispers mournfully. "Like Kisame, I should be lying stone-cold dead in the dirt, un." He sucks in breath through clenched teeth as he tightens the stitches on his missing arm. "But no, I just had to live, un! By some default I'm left standing." He ties a knot in the thread and bites the end since he lacked scissors. "Un. That is so unfair."

He had lain unconscious for hours, shivering in the cold. Until someone – he guessed Tobi – found him before the cops did and dragged him away to the Akatsuki headquarters. Tobi had offered to heal him, but Deidara had refused. 'I'll do it myself, un!' he had barked. 'But Tobi is a great doctor!' the masked man had replied. 'Fuck off, idiot!' had been the retort by the half-dead blonde.

"I'll get my revenge for sure," Deidara mutters between grinding teeth. He shoves a few pain killers into his mouth. He mumbles a few words, swallowing one at a time as he paused his speech. "It's no longer…(gulp) the Sabaku boy I'm after, un. No… (gulp) I must target the Uchiha…(gulp) He's the one who left me, an artist, with a missing limb. (gulp) Fucking asshole, un," he grumbles. All his pills were taken now, so he goes into a full-blown rant. "I'll kill him. And his escaped brother while I'm at it, un; two for two! No fucking Uchiha will escape me…" His line of thought changes. "Van Gough lost his ear for his art; how ironic that I ended up doing the same with my arm."

Then he laughs bitterly, if not insanely, as the pain meds kick in and drive him into hysterics.

"Tobi!" he barks, his face washed pale and his strength running low.

Madara appears, a smile on his face underneath his mask. He lays on his false identity with ease. "Yes, sempai?"

"Get me some water. And some red meat; I need to get my blood up to par, un."

"Of 'course, sempai! Tobi always does as he's told! But, ne, sempai… may I ask who did that to you?"

Deidara smiles with half-lidded eyes due to the drugs; it appears sinister. "Saucegay," he chortles, using Tobi's favorite name for the raven-haired boy.

His swirled dark orange mask seems to shimmer for a second. "Oh," he says happily, "Oh… what fun that mission will be! But… does Master Pein know about your plans?"

"Does Pein know?" the self-proclaimed artist repeats. He shrugs sloppily. "Dunno. Maybe, un. He seems to know everything without having to be told. But what ever, un. I'll do what I please. I just want to die with some dignity, un. I should already be dead, but who's counting?"

"Who's counting indeed…?" Madara agrees after he nods and turns out of the room. "Surely not Tobi…"

This time, however, he wasn't speaking in third person.

o0o0o0o0o

A couple days pass. Kyuubi and Naruto are enjoying their last day of winter vacation, but there was something that was bugging the middle-aged man. So, before school began again the next day, he dared to bring up a topic he knew Naruto wouldn't be very comfortable with.

"Hey, Naruto… correct me if I'm wrong, but I noticed you and your old enemy were getting pretty cozy New Year's Eve night," Kyuubi confronts the blonde in the afternoon.

"Were we?" Naruto says to avoid the accusation. He sweats and glances around. Does Dad know about our little make-out session? I thought we were pretty secretive about it…

Kyuubi simultaneously crosses his arms and legs where he sat. He lifts a russet-orange eyebrow. "Is there something you wish to tell me?" he prods, his brown eyes flashing that strange crimson.

"Uh… um…" Naruto panics. To steady himself, he takes a seat across from his adoptive father. "Look, I was gonna tell you, just not right off the bat, and… er… well…"

Kyuubi sighs and unfolds his arms, although his legs remained crossed. "You're seeing him, aren't you?"

Naruto makes a face. "Yes...?" It sounded more like a question that the definite statement the blonde was attempting.

The businessman shakes his head. "And here I thought I raised you right…"

"You did raise me right!" Naruto retorts. "I just happened to fall for a guy instead of a girl; it's not a crime!"

A tiny silence drifts between them. Then Kyuubi grins widely. Naruto blinks, completely taken aback by the smile. "Oh, kit, I'm just messing with you," he says lightly. "I suspected it a while ago, back when you had that first 'date' to meet your e-mail buddy in person. I knew it was a guy, and by the way you acted, I could tell you liked him. Besides, you forced me to a funeral in his favor for goodness' sake!" He pauses to uncross his legs and lean forward some. "…You made your crush a bit too obvious. If you didn't want me to figure it out so soon, you should've hid yourself better, you closet gay!"

"I'm not gay!" Naruto says with burning cheeks. "Man, must I explain this to everyone? It just happened, okay? I really couldn't care less if Gaara was a girl or a guy; he could be anyone with the same personality and lonely past with similar looks and I'd like 'em. And," he emphasizes to prove his point, "I'm still attracted to girls plenty, so –"

"You're considered bisexual, then?" Kyuubi smirks as he finishes the sentence.

"No, more like…" He thought for a minute. Sakura didn't have a name for his special orientation case, either. But maybe he did. "…I'm straight with exceptions."

"Exceptions?" Kyuubi echoes, amused.

"Yup, exceptions. Gaara is my exception to being otherwise straight. 'Cause I thought I had no preference between genders, but let's face it, Dad: girls are hot."

Kyuubi is thrown into another bout of laughter. "Indeed they are…" he agrees. He stands and hauls Naruto to his feet to give him a hug. "Hear me now and believe me later: I don't care who you're with, as long as you're happy. Girl, boy, transvestite, or 'morphodite. Anyone human is fine with me, but if you bring home an animal I might be a tad concerned."

Naruto grins, both out of relief and the dry humor that is the older man's custom. "Thanks, Kyuubi."

He pulls out of the embrace and smirks mischievously at his adopted son. "Just know one thing: if I see you unable to walk one morning, I'll be having a serious talk with your boyfriend."

Naruto's eyes widen and he tints a lovely, much darker shade of red than before. "Oh n-no, s-sir, I-I mean… uh… we're not r-ready forth-that kind of st-stuff yet, y'know?!" And he cracks up with breathy, nervous laughter, his nails wildly scrubbing the inside of his jean pockets against his thigh.

The fox-like man chuckles heartily. "I jest, boy, I jest."

"Heh… heh, heh… good." Naruto says airily, coming off his streak of embarrassed high-pitched chuckles.

"Now I gotta ask: does Shu know?"

Naruto shakes his head unsurely. "No… Gaara didn't tell him yet, at least not to my knowledge. But Temari and Kankurou know about our, um… 'relationship status'."

"Would Gaara mind if I told his uncle?"

The blonde shakes his head surely this time. He even makes the effort to out up a partial smile. "Nah," he says listlessly, his hand tipping downward in the air. "I think he'll see it as you saving him unneeded conversation."

Kyuubi hoists both his eyebrows. "Well, in that case, I'll give my friend a call this instant."

"You do that," Naruto says. "In the meantime, Gaara's birthday is in thirteen days, so I gotta start planning!"

o0o0o0o0o

School came around again, along with the semester class changes. Chemistry was a semester-only class, but luckily for Naruto, he had a new science class to do, with the same teacher… and the same table partner. He also gained Gaara in his new gym period, along with Lee and Hinata in his lunch period; although he lost Chouji at his lunch table. Funny, too, how Sasuke seemed to up and disappear from his classes, including lunch. Maybe it was for the best. And, coincidentally, Sai wasn't in his new art class (computer graphics). But that made sense; Sai was more of a pen-and-ink artist and a painter than a computer person when it came to art.

By the time half the day was gone and lunch was his current class, Naruto was mentally drained. "Can I magically be a senior and nearly done with school?" he moans.

"Aw, but all the adults say half the fun in life comes from these high school years, Naru," Sakura reminds him. "You don't want to rush greatness, do you?"

All she gets in response is the sound of a skull hitting the table. Namely a skull with a blonde mop of hair on top.

Lee shakes his sub sandwich at Naruto's form. "Sakura has a point, Naruto! You must fight through the bad times and enjoy the good times while in high school. It's part of the trials and joys of youth!"

"I am enjoying the good times," Naruto contradicts as he raises his head. "It's the homework and projects and teachers and daily rumors that I hate dealing with. Oh, and adapting to a new schedule every semester; that sucks, too."

"At least you have Gaara in more than one class this time around," Kiba remarks carelessly around a bite of pickle; looks like Chouji finally paid him back from that day in the beginning of the year when the Faceless-and-Nameless partners were first assigned.

"That's true," Naruto says thoughtfully as he sips his water bottle. He was grinning, too, and he didn't even know it. He frowns suddenly. "But those rumors I said I hated? Some are getting started about me and him. It getting on my nerves."

"Speaking of Gaara, how have you two been getting along?" Hinata asks lowly and sweetly. She snuggles closer to Kiba on the bench

Naruto leans back and takes a bite of pizza. He shrugs. "Pretty good for, you know, two awkward teen boys." Then he laughs.

Sakura nudges him. "You said you told your dad about it already, right? And he took it well?"

Shippuuden nods. "Yeah, but Shukaku didn't take it as well. He didn't see it coming like my dad had," he snickers. "He wasn't angry or anything, just totally flabbergasted and confused. It was hilarious, hearing him sputter over the phone; Dad was close by and Shukaku was so loud that I could hear him perfectly. It was pretty entertaining." He doesn't wipe the smirk from his face after saying that.

Half the group around him roars with laughter with the exception of Hinata, who merely smiles. Then Shikamaru announces: "Guys, I think when I'm outta high school, I'm going to propose to Temari. What do you reckon her uncle will do then?"

Nearly everyone gasps. Naruto is the first to grin. "You're gonna propose?! Dude, I didn't know things were that serious between you two! You're only been dating for a few months now; are you sure you want to commit to something like that?"

Shikamaru moves his head up and down austerely. "I've thought it through since Christmas; and I figure things won't change for the worst any time soon. So once I'm out of high school, I might as well. She's getting older and it won't be long before she's too busy to marry; I better do it soon."

"Wow, Shikamaru… and here I thought she'd do the proposing since you're such a lazy ass." Kiba smirks.

"Lazy, yes," Shikamaru agrees. "But I'm not an 'ass'. Which means I won't leave her hanging. Plus, I'm logical about things and like to plan for the future as much as possible," he points out.

Everyone is nodding as this point. Suddenly, Naruto is reminded of something by Shikamaru's words and bursts forth: "You guys have to help me plan Gaara's surprise birthday party!"

Lee's face seems to light up. "Ooh! I love planning parties! And anything for Gaara, since he's part of our great circle of friends now."

The blonde claps his hand over Lee's shoulder. "Thanks for the support, man." He turns to everyone else. "What about you guys? You gonna help me plan this shindig or not?"

"Planning parties is troublesome…" Shikamaru sighs.

"Then how are you supposed to plan a wedding?" Kiba teases rhetorically.

But Shikamaru answers anyhow. "I'll let Temari do it; I'll just pick and choose what to give my opinion on if she asks me."

Sakura shakes her head at him; he really didn't understand the dynamics of women, did he? She's surprised Shika has a girlfriend. Then again, the pinkette met Temari, so she knows how tolerant the Sabaku sibling is with people, namely guys like Shikamaru Nara. To Naruto, she says: "Of 'course I'm in; you know I love planning stuff. Ino, too; I'll tell her about it after school today if you want."

"That'd be great, Sakura. Thanks!"

"Any time."

"Naruto, do you know what you're going to get him?" Hinata asks gently.

"Sure do; want to see it?" the blonde replies excitedly.

"You have it on you right now?"

"Actually, I'm wearing it," Naruto replies, and holds up his left hand. A class ring was donned on his little finger. "It'll fit him better than me, anyway; his fingers are so slim compared to mine."

Sakura cocks her head. "Isn't that Kyuubi's class ring, Naruto?"

"Mhm."

Hinata stares at it in awe. "You're going to… ask him to go steady?"

Naruto flushes minutely and drops his hand to his side. "Something like that," he says lamely while picking at his food.

"You like him that much?" Kiba asks. He's frowning, but it wasn't mocking or mean. He was genuinely puzzled, since he knew he himself could never be remotely gay. At the same time, the Inuzuka spawn was thinking of how he might do something similar for Hinata…

"Maybe I should get him something else…"

"No way, Naruto. I think it's totally sweet! You have to do it," Sakura encourages. "If you don't, I might have to hurt you."

"Threat acknowledged," the blonde grimaces.

Lee thinks for a minute. "I wonder what Gaara will say…"

"Me too," Naruto sighs. "What if he gets mad at me or something? Or cries? Or something else weird? I never know what he'll do, since he hardly shows much emotion unless we're alone."

"Alone doing what?" Kiba says, cracking up.

Sakura smacks him. "Not like that, you idiot!"

"Ah! Sakura, please don't hit Kiba…" Hinata says frantically.

"Oops. Sorry, Hinata."

Naruto shrugs to hide his blushing reaction to the thoughts Kiba just placed into his mind. "Anyway, should his party have a theme? Or be somewhere special?"

"Ooh! You should host it at the ski lodge. We can ski; it's wintry and fun!" Lee suggests with gusto. He provides a thumbs-up sign and a shining smile.

"Great idea, Lee!" Sakura agrees with a clap of her hands. Her navy blue nails catch in the light. "What do you think, Naruto? Because I think we can rent out one of the cabins and invite a bunch of people, make hot cocoa and drink it by the fire, and oh! Maybe sled along with the skiing…"

Naruto grins broadly and nods. "Sounds perfect to me."

"So it's settled, then?" Lee asks the group.

Everyone gives their consent, and all that was left were the details of a date, a voluntary parent chaperone, and an invite list.

o0o0o0o0o

When Deidara came to, his arm was numb and prickling, and his eyes felt as though they were glued closed. He coughed roughly. "Sasori…" he murmurs idly. It all began with vengeance for his partner, and now look where it got him.

"You really shouldn't dwell on what can't be changed," Pein hisses from the dark of the room. He steps into the light and looks his subordinate over. "You got yourself banged up pretty bad. You're practically useless to me now."

The blonde scowls and sits up, quickly wrapping a string around his hair with one hand in an attempt to make a ponytail. It ends up being loose and sloppy. "Then why don't you dispose of me, un?"

"Because after speaking with Tobi, I have found reason to keep you around," Pein retorts as he scratches around one of his nose piercings.

"Tobi?" Deidara scoffs. "What would he have to say? He's not at all intelligent, un."

"That's none of your concern," the Akatsuki leader replies. He turns on his heel and paces parallel to Deidara. "Now, you'll be working with him and Konan to –"

"Konan?! But I hate that blue-haired bitch, un!"

Pein shoots him a glare. "You'll work with her and like it. Now then, you'll be working with them to invade the Uchiha home next week and –"

"So soon?"

"STOP INTURRUPTING!" Pein barks. "You'll invade their home and slaughter them in their sleep if possible. Swift and clean. Unless Itachi is awake… if he is, it might get messy. So I thought we might intercept something of theirs, like food or water, and drug it to be sure they won't be conscious when you three go in for the kill."

Deidara grunts to himself and nods his head. "Fine, un."

"Good. Now, I'll leave you be. In the meantime, try and think of how you're going to dump the bodies. We can't have the police snooping about when you're through like we have recently from your mistake at the abandoned restaurant."

Deidara makes a face behind his leaders back in disgust. That man truly was evil, no doubt about it. Him and his schemes… him and his kills… him and his path of destruction… it made Deidara sick sometimes. And jealous; why can't he rule the way Pein does?

"I truly hate you, un," Deidara huffs once Pein is gone. "Master Pein-in-my-ass."

o0o0o0o0o

To:

From:

Subject: I was thinking…

Resshin,

Hey, I was thinking… next weekend, the day after your birthday, do you want to go to the ski lodge a couple towns away and hang out for the weekend? Kyuubi was going to take me there, and I asked if I could bring you, and he said that it wouldn't be a problem. We'd be renting a cabin, number six, and probably ski and sled down the small of the two hills. Sound like fun?

- Shippuuden

P.S. I'm going to make you read some poetry to me while we're there, so be prepared. :)

Naruto grinned at the e-mail. Gaara had no idea what was in store for him on the trip… but he hopes that his boyfriend will like it. It is for his eighteenth birthday, after all; a giant milestone in life, a step closer to becoming a man and whatnot.

As far as participants go, they didn't want too many people so not to crowd Gaara. Plus, the redhead doesn't like that many people… So Naruto was thinking of not inviting Sasuke or Shino or Neji or TenTen, although he'd have to invite Chouji or else Shikamaru would be upset. And obviously he was going to try and get Temari and Kankurou away from college for the weekend. Kiba and Hinata and Lee were going to all be there, along with Ino and Sakura, and for chaperones, Kyuubi offered and Shukaku insisted. And threatened. 'If I see my nephew limping and in a haze after the weekend from lack of parental guidance, I'm coming after you, Uzumaki!' the sandy-colored man had told him. 'Why the hell does everyone think we're going to have sex?!' had been the answer.

Shaking his head, Shippuuden leaned back in his desk chair and hit 'send'. He proceeded to play music from iTunes and wrap up the bit of homework he didn't get a chance to finish in study hall. 'Colors' by Crossfade played, a recent favorite song of his.

Naruto began to chew on the end of his pencil as his stared blankly at his math homework. Oh, how he despised math and numbers. They made his brain hurt. "Ashley has to cover the span of a 354ft by 246ft wall with a mural that's split into eight equal parts. If she wants to calculate the area of three-eights of the mural that is her duty to paint, what would her formula be? What will the entire mural be in feet? In meters? What about her portion (in feet)? And in meters? …OI VEY, why do they put these kind of questions in here?! I don't want to do all that! It's basically writing out five different answers, for crying out loud…"

"I hear a struggling student in there," Kyuubi calls from down the hall. "Want me to come in there and help you with that problem?"

Naruto sighs. "No, it's fine," he replies. "I can do it by myself. I just don't want to do it at all, that's the real problem."

He can hear Kyuubi chuckling at this point. He sighs again and continues chewing and calculating. Pretty soon, his homework is complete and he's left with some free time. He turns back to his computer, checking his e-mail ad changing the song.

In his inbox, he finds this:

To:

From:

Subject: Re: I was thinking…

My dear Shippuuden,

I would love to accompany you to the ski lodge. I've never been there before myself, but I know of it. Which means you may have to teach me how to ski. I'm sure you won't mind that; it'd be like paying me back for teaching you to properly shoot a cue ball. (Naruto could picture a small smirk on Gaara's face at this point.)

I already spoke to my uncle about it, since he's technically my guardian at the moment, or until I turn eighteen. Speaking of which… I have a feeling this ski lodge thing is no coincidence. You probably are using the trip as a present to me. I appreciate it, since I never had much on my birthday besides regret and anger. So… thank you.

Sincerely,

Resshin

P.S. I'll be sure to have some poetry ready for you to hear.

Naruto smiles at he "my" in front of "dear Shippuuden"; an add-on that was never there in the past. It made a slight warm feeling coat his heart. Gaara was really showing his true colors, and he appeared to be quite a bright person under his grey exterior. It was good to know that the blonde was cracking open the clamshell that was Gaara Sabaku. He already seems to have succeeded in worming his way into the other boy's heart… permanently.

The hurricane twirls the class ring around his pinky. "He'll love my gift, I just know it. And I bet he'll accept it, too… maybe even hug me for it. That'd be nice," he fantasizes.

Yet, will his fantasy play out how he wants it to?

A/N: THIS is what i meant by an extra plot thingy that could possible drag ont he story: Deidara being alive. my reasoning for even doign it (besides your guy's support. :3 ) : for a moment in the anime/manga we thoguth we was dead when he blew up. but then we found out it was a giant clay thingy and really he was alive. DAMN. so he'll die like he does late in the manga, but it'll take a bit longer. and i also will reveal Tobi/Madara's true ambitions. but don't worry, it won't take too long.

literally, the events are coming to a close very soon. all i have left is the wrap-up of Deidara and Tobi, the closing of Sasuke and Itachi, the ski lodge/Gaara's birthday party, and the epilogue. then... TEH SMUTTEH SEEKWEL. HO YUS. (hearts)

thanks for all the reviews so far you guys. keep 'em coming! i wan tto go to 500 and over by the time this is done! w00t!