Hello, Ladies and gentlemen. Hello, hello, hello.

How are you guys? Good? Good. That's good. :3

So, yeah. Life. And Life. And Gaia. And Life again. And double-life. And… yeah, SO not about to explain everything, lol.

But yeah, sorry you always have to wait so long. Thank you so much for keeping tabs on my stories, even though you know that I probably won't update for a very, VERY long time.

But I do try. I'm sorry.

I hope life for all of you is impeccable. :)

Treacherous Heart

Chapter Forty-Nine – Change

He felt it – he was thrashing – unable to move – something was choking him – killing him –

He gasped and bolted up into a sitting position, staring forward with wide eyes.

After a moment, he realized it was dark, he had fallen asleep, and that the thing choking him with the thirst to kill was a blanket.

Fuming slightly, he pushed off the blanket and shifted into a comfortable sitting position, pulling his knees up to his chest. He ran the conversation he had with Kakashi (if you can even call being pinned to a couch by a man at least sixty pounds heavy than you while screaming at him to fuck you 'conversation') through his head again.

So he doesn't think I'm a slut…

He felt his cheeks flush a pleased red before he could stop it.

Wow…

As he lazily looked around the room, memories washed over him, throwing him into a feeling of nostalgia.

He gazed thoughtfully around the room, remembering.

He saw himself when he was a small child, constantly fighting with Kakashi for control of the remote and thus the TV. Child-Sasuke just had a nightmare, and Kakashi had taken him into his lap in the armchair, telling him fanciful stories to get the Uchiha's mind to forget the blood-soaked dream. Kakashi and he were playing a children's game on the floor when Sasuke was nine – one of those few times when Sasuke wasn't obsessed with revenge and was a normal child. Kakashi was reading a story to ten-year-old Sasuke, who had seen the book in the library and wanted the jounin to read it. Another year passing found Kakashi cooking food, surveyed critically and led by Sasuke, who was the 'chef' of the two. That same year saw – after Sasuke's twelve birthday – Sasuke becoming a Genin, and they 'celebrated' by watching a movie together, closer than one would think necessary, Sasuke's shoulder brushing against Kakashi's and the small boy taking care to avoid the man's eyes. A few weeks later, Sasuke had stolen Kakashi's headband, and had threatened to melt it using his fireball technique if Kakashi didn't give him extra training. Then they were returning from the Land of Waves – tired and sore – but alive. It was the night they had returned and Kakashi had actually embraced the Uchiha to have the younger willingly, sanely, return it. That was the first night in four years they ever said anything close to love. Sasuke could still remember the only words spoken that night.

"Thank God you're alive."

"I'm… glad you're okay."

Sasuke smiled fondly.

Kakashi has always had a way of making me think…

He looked around again.

Not much has changed at all.

Then a thought flashed through his mind, and he shook his head vigorously.

No! Don't finish that thought! You do that you won't be able to go against it–

If nothing out here has changed, then what about…

His eyes went to the hall.

The bedroom?

Silently, unable to stop himself or his curiosity, he stood and drifted down the hall to the only bedroom in the apartment, silent and breathless.

He might have traps. A voice in his mind breathed to him.

With trembling fingers, he pushed the door open, expecting an explosion.

There was none.

But he doesn't.

Not making a sound, he stepped into the room. Silently, he took it in.

Nothing has changed in here, either.

He looked to the bed, remembering the first night Kakashi had held him ever-so-gently in his arms, and a sweet chill washed over him.

Kakashi was snoozing peacefully, snug underneath the blanket he had from even before he had taken responsibility of Sasuke. His mask was off, but the Uchiha saw it had pooled around his throat. The headband lay on the bedside table, but Sasuke didn't dare touch it. If he didn't want to have Kunai aimed at his skull, he'd stay far away from the metal.

He then looked to Kakashi, and he suddenly felt a powerful urge to brush the hairs out of Kakashi's face, to run his fingers through the strands–

With a mental gasp, Sasuke caught himself reaching forward to do just that, his hand barely brushing Kakashi's face and changing to cup the jounin's cheek.

Not hastily, Sasuke told himself, because of COURSE he wasn't embarrassed, he pulled his hand away and held it to his flushed face. A grotesque smirk made it's way to his face as he felt the heat underneath his skin.

Heh. He always has some way to make me red…

He lowered his hand and simply surveyed Kakashi for a moment, merely looking down at the jounin. He raised his hand and grasped the necklace around his throat, feeling the warm metal in his palm as he remembered.

"You'll always have a home with me."

His eyes narrowed as his entire body began to shake. His voice – though quiet – was deathly bitter.

"You're an idiot, Sasuke," he muttered before whirling and silently flying out the door, the lock clicking softly behind him.

Mismatched eyes opened to the dark room, sadly looking at where the boy had just been.

Sasuke…

End Chapter Forty-Nine – Change

NOTES:

This chapter was really sweet. At least near the beginning. But at least now Sasuke seems to know that something is very wrong.

Hopefully, he knows it's with himself. Knowing him, however, he's going to blame it all on Kakashi, lol.

Again, thank you all for your patience. And my apologies if I've missed any birthdays, (which I totally know I have. *sighs* -.-)

Ja ne!

DDB