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CHAPTER 9
Itachi's friends decide to take a road trip to the northern mountains over a weekend. Sasuke and his little gang join them after much consideration. They file into three cars with Kakashi, Kimimaro, and Konan driving one each.
During their ride, Itachi sends a text to Sakura. He attaches a photo of the scenery along with it.
Hello Coco
"Kakashi, can you play something that is not classical?" Naruto asks with exasperation. He's sitting in the passenger seat for the trip, claiming Kakashi will get lonely.
"Itachi's playlists," Sasuke explains. "Here, take my iPod. It has better music."
"Debatable," Itachi tells them.
Naruto attaches the device with Kakashi's help, and a moment later, Bruno Mars starts appreciating his girlfriend's perfection.
"Sasuke, I feel like I should introduce you to better music," Naruto laughs. "Hang on, let me play something of my taste."
"It better not be Taylor Swift," Sasuke grumbles.
"Why would it be Taylor Swift?" Naruto asks, puzzled.
"You both enjoy dissecting people's behaviours."
Itachi laughs. "Also, please do not play rap songs. My ears bleed."
"Are they always so picky?" Naruto asks Kakashi, who decides that his job is more important than teenagers' music choices, so he shrugs.
"I'm not extremely picky," Itachi defends. "I just don't like rap."
"And EDM," Sasuke adds. "He doesn't understand it."
"There's nothing there to understand," he rolls his eyes.
"How about heavy metal?" Naruto queries.
Itachi visibly winces. "No. Please no."
Naruto ends up playing Take Me Home by John Denver, and Itachi silently approves. His phone beeps with a message.
Hello Pinocchio
Sakura has attached a photo in return: a small spider crawling on the side-table.
Never coming there again.
We'll see ;)
He smiles. Get rid of that thing, please.
Yes, Your Majesty. I've asked Sai for a pest control routine.
When will he do it?
Tonight.
When are you returning?
Sunday evening, in time for school.
"Hey, how long does it take to reach?" Naruto asks Kakashi. "Are we going to stop for breaks? Where will you stay once we're there? Oh wait, Kimimaro can share a room with you. Are you two like a package deal? Like Itachi and Sasuke?"
Sasuke snorts. "No, they're not a package deal, dobe."
"But you two are."
"Obviously," Itachi rolls his eyes.
"Yeah," Sasuke agrees. "And there are no secrets."
An odd thing to say, Itachi thinks, just as his phone beeps with another text message.
Okay. I'll get some sleep this weekend XD
We could always call.
Naruto is studying Sasuke curiously, as if he understands some hidden meaning behind his words.
"You two have quite different personalities," Naruto continues, not acknowledging Sasuke's strange unasked bit of trivia. "It's weird."
"It's not weird," Itachi insists.
"But it is," Naruto says. "Sasuke and I could always settle our issues with a fight, while you run the other way whenever there's trouble."
"I don't run the other way," Itachi frowns. "I just dislike getting violent."
"But siblings always wrestle!"
Sasuke laughs. "Trust me, I tried. He hated it. I mean, he wouldn't even slap anyone."
Itachi holds up his left hand, the one that is not clutching his phone. "Piano hands."
"So how did you two settle your fights?" Naruto inquires.
The brothers exchange an amused smirk. "We placed bets. Or Kakashi and Kimimaro did it on our behalf," Sasuke answers the blonde. "We made them fight."
"What!" Naruto stares. "You made your bodyguards fight? And what? Sat and watched? You guys sound like those Roman people, who'd have gladiators for such things."
Itachi shrugs.
"So who used to win?"
"Kakashi, what's the tally?"
"405 to 355," Kakashi replies in a bored tone.
"Who's winning?"
"Kakashi," Itachi says smugly. "He's an off-duty soldier. Kimimaro learned it as a hobby."
"Hey," Sasuke protests. "It was not a hobby! Kimimaro is a great fighter. He was always training to become a bodyguard."
"Why don't you just train with him, then?" Naruto asks Sasuke. "Karate practice."
Sasuke snickers. "And what? Have him lose his job? He's supposed to protect me from harm, not become the cause of it."
His phone beeps. You want to talk dirty on a phone call, Pretty Boy?
Maybe. Picturing you naked is almost better than seeing you naked.
I'm in the shower right now.
Don't. I'm in the car with Naruto and Sasuke.
Not my problem.
For the next ten to twelve minutes, Sakura gives a detailed description about her shower shenanigans, which has Itachi almost regretting ever agreeing to this godforsaken road trip. Meanwhile, Naruto continues to ask Sasuke about their life in greater detail.
You'll pay for this.
Yeah? What will you do?
No fun in telling you.
Bring it on.
Naruto soon engages Sasuke in a conversation about the state of the country's economy under the guise of their latest assignment. Itachi has a feeling that Naruto will truly become a good leader one day.
The place is all glittering snowcaps and filtered sunlight. The resort is located on top of one of the mountains. Yahiko immediately insists on clicking pictures, and they spend the next twenty minutes posing in various groups and Itachi finds himself being squeezed by Naruto, his arms pinned to his sides, the words I'm not Sasuke, you idiot on tip of his tongue. But then Naruto does the same with Sasuke, and Sasuke ends up clocking him on the head.
After that's out of the way, Naruto whistles appreciatively and drags Sasuke towards a nearby cliff.
He cups his palms over his lips and hollers, "Sasukeeeeee!" And then laughs with joy as the sound echoes in the mountains.
Sasuke is blushing up a storm. "What are you doing?!"
Itachi quickly turns on the video in his phone. He cannot miss this at any cost.
"Come on, you do it, too!" Naruto insists, shaking Sasuke's elbow rather enthusiastically.
"No."
"Teme! You just have to shout! Do it."
"I'm not a hooligan!"
Naruto tsks. "Once. I dare you."
"Naruto. Stop it."
"Scaredy cat."
That does it. Sasuke shoots such a hate-filled glare that Itachi is surprised Naruto doesn't cower in fear, before he remembers that if Sasuke ends up hitting him – yet again, Naruto is made from the same soil.
"Fine." Sasuke copies Naruto and cups his mouth. "Narutoooo!"
Nothing happens.
Naruto is laughing so hard, he doubles over, clutching Sasuke's shoulder for support. "Louder, teme!"
Sasuke fills his lungs with as much oxygen as possible, and lets out another shout. "Narutoooo!"
The name echoes in the mountains.
Naruto is grinning from ear-to-ear, and Sasuke is breathless, beaming back. "Let's do it again."
They keep calling each other's names and listen to it reverberating in nature as it bounces the sound back to them. Naruto soon ropes in everyone else.
Hinata tries three variations of "Naruto!" that doesn't have any effect whatsoever. Yahiko says "Kitsune!" Naruto says "Suigetsu", and Suigetsu says "Nagato!" Nagato yells "Konan!", and Konan goes for "Kisame!" Kisame understands the game, and howls Zetsu's name. Zetsu calls out "Itachii!"
Itachi pauses, thinking. Sasuke is taking the video now, and Itachi shoots a quick smirk in the camera, before cupping his mouth, and roars, "Coco!"
The name echoes back.
"What did he say?" Kisame questions, puzzled.
"Coco," Konan answers.
Sasuke lowers the camera and stares. Itachi avoids returning the gaze.
"Why the fuck would you say raw chocolate?" Yahiko laughs.
Naruto grabs their attention, intentionally or unintentionally, as he suddenly yells out another, "Sasuke-temeeee!"
"Someone's crushing hard," Suigetsu teases. "Hundred bucks say that Kitsune is going to make a move on him tonight."
Naruto and Sasuke blush, and the blonde raises his chin defiantly. "Everyone crushes on Sasuke. That's not news! Have you ever looked at the guy? You should see him in karate class. Man, that's some intense stuff."
"Get a room!" Nagato claps Naruto on the shoulder.
"Speaking of," Sasuke cuts in. "Let's check them out. I'm freezing out here!"
They file into the mountainside wooden resort with their bags. Itachi rooms with Sasuke, despite Suigetsu's insistence that Naruto has earned the right to do so. Naruto throws his arm across Suigetsu's shoulder, and wiggles his eyebrows.
"It's you and me, Hozuki," he grins.
Itachi calls dibs on the shower. He stands under the hot spray and feels the chill seeping out of him with each passing second. Sasuke must be waiting, he knows, but he needs a moment to recalibrate his thoughts. He shouldn't have said her name. Of course, not that anyone knows that it's Sakura – even so. He was in the moment and he didn't think through it. All he wanted was to –
Nothing. He didn't want anything. It was simply a glitch, an error in judgement.
When Sasuke goes for his shower, Itachi opens Sakura's chat box. He wants to type something, anything, but doesn't know what. The time is 9.13 PM, and she must be busy, he knows. He locks his phone without texting, and focuses on the view outside his window instead.
The resort has its own restaurant, obviously. It's the only place in miles. Itachi sits between Sasuke and Konan, as they order food and drinks. The establishment belongs to one of Kakashi's friends, Umino Iruka. The man constantly smiles and takes an instant liking to Naruto.
However, it's not a private resort. There are about twenty other guests, from backpackers to old couples to young adults. Itachi notices a young blonde trying to catch his attention. She's sitting with a group of – who are clearly – her friends. They're making quite a ruckus, actually, and Itachi tries to ignore their existence as much as possible.
The blonde isn't all too bad to look at, Itachi knows.
Halfway through dinner, his phone beeps. He quickly pulls it out, but it's a random group forward. Feeling a rush of – he doesn't want to say disappointment, because it's not that, it's not – he pockets it back.
Everything is going fine – meaning Kisame, Suigetsu, and Yahiko are in the middle of a debate about which teacher is the worst, Hinata and Konan are speaking amongst themselves and giggling secretively, Zetsu is sipping at his drink quietly, and Naruto is in the middle of another one of his speeches with Sasuke – this time on backpackers and their way of living – when the blonde woman approaches their table.
"Hi," she greets, looking straight at Itachi.
Naruto falters, an unreadable expression dawning on his face.
"Hello," he says.
"I'm Yugito."
"Itachi."
"I know," she grins. "Uchiha Itachi, right? That's your brother, Sasuke?"
Itachi exchanges a quick look with said man. Sasuke shrugs back.
"Yes."
Itachi thinks that he shouldn't be all that surprised; Uchiha is an established name, and the brothers have huge following on social media, until –
"I saw your girlfriend's video online. Izumi?"
Right.
Itachi clenches his jaw. "She's not my girlfriend."
"Ex," Yugito corrects herself.
"What about it?"
"Nothing. Just recognized you. Although … can I buy you a drink, maybe?"
Itachi's hand rests on his thigh, above his phone, as though on reflex. He swallows, stares, and doesn't speak. Sasuke narrows his eyes.
"I …uh …" he stammers uncertainly. "Alright."
It's just a drink, he tells himself, not knowing why he's feeling guilty. Or why he thinks of her, when what they share is nothing but physical. Of course, Itachi is free to pursue his own interests. Yugito seems to be interested enough, if nothing else.
As they lean against the bar table, Yugito tells him that she's on a vacation with her college friends, and that she attends Kiri University, and is majoring in Software Engineering, and is in first year of college. Itachi listens attentively, trying to focus on this girl, and not the one who is probably hanging out with Sai as he sprays pesticide around her motel room. Yugito already knows plenty about him due to the online articles. She is obviously impressed by his family name, his achievements, and his interests, but can't hold a conversation on it. She suggests going out for a walk, and Itachi complies, one hand in his pocket, clutching at his phone.
There's a lit path around the resort, and they stick to it. Various boards are stuck in the ground with warnings not to wander in the dark, because the cliffs are not easily visible under the moonlight. Yugito makes small talk the whole way, and they reach a bench soon.
Itachi sits beside her stiffly. Yugito doesn't waste a lot of time. She starts to trace his right knee, up his thigh, and leans in to nibble at his ear. Itachi's heart is hammering inside his chest. He reminds himself that he likes this, that he enjoys sex, that he enjoys the power play of it, the pleasure that comes from it. Sex is pleasure. Sex is art. Sex is –
Yugito's lips trail down to his jaw and he jerks his face the other way as though on reflex. Without losing steam, she continues down his throat instead, and her hand is still on his thigh, teasing him.
"Relax," she whispers. "You're not a virgin, are you?"
"No."
She gets to her feet, dragging him up by his hand. There is a dark corner nearby, and she leads him all the way until he's backed against a solid wall behind him. She unzips his jacket slowly, and buries her hands under his shirt. Itachi's stomach tightens.
"Relax," she repeats.
He tries, he really does. He thinks of the way this would warm him up, the release it will provide him with. He licks his cold lips, and makes a mental note that this is good, sex is good, you like this, deep breath, deep breath, deeeeeep breath –
His phone makes a sudden noise.
Itachi nearly jumps out of his skin.
"Ignore it," Yugito advices, now popping open his shirt buttons, and nibbling at his neck – Itachi is still keeping his face away from her reach.
He finds that he can't ignore it. He has to look at it. He just has to, because Sai must be in her motel room right now, spraying pesticide, and if it's really her this time, then Itachi should be attending to it, because if he doesn't, he will torture himself with all the mental pictures throughout the night, and probably screw Yugito out of spite.
He considers it. Yugito has a nice body, and she's obviously interested. It won't even take that long. Itachi can hold her against the wall and make her scream out his name, and hear it echo in the mountains.
But Sakura's face flashes in his mind. The apple green eyes. The pink strands. The freckled cheeks and the freckled neck.
"Fuck!" he spits out angrily.
He pushes Yugito away from him immediately. She stumbles back in surprise. "Hey, what the-!"
Itachi ignores her and pulls out his phone. If this is not her, if Itachi is having a fucking moral crisis for nothing, then he really doesn't know what he might do, maybe pull Yugito close and –
It's her. Banana Flyer.
Itachi's fingers are trembling as he tries to hold the phone steadily, and reads the message.
The spider has been thrown out, Your Majesty.
Sai says "You're welcome Sugar Daddy"
And Itachi laughs, suddenly feeling a rush of affection for both Sakura and Sai. A strange longing passes through him, a feeling of homesickness, not for his own spacious bedroom, but the motel room numbered 4.
"What's the matter?"
Itachi's head snaps up. "Sorry," he says, not really feeling apologetic. "Not interested."
Yugito raises a cool eyebrow, and crosses her arms across her chest. "Complicated relationship?" she asks with a bob towards the phone in his hand.
He stops, thinks, and then slowly nods. "Kind of."
She shrugs. "Alright. I must say, though, I do regret it. You're too sexy to pass up."
Itachi chuckles. "You, too."
"Yeah, right, I believe you," she says sarcastically. "Let's head back. We could hang out at the bonfire later. I think Fuu likes that chick friend of yours – the one with the grey eyes."
He nods distractedly, and types back. Sai is ready to be introduced to Beauty and the Beast.
He's already seen it. But he says he wouldn't mind since zoophilia doesn't get voiced enough.
Punch him, please.
Already did.
That's the spirit.
Fuu does hit on Hinata as they sit around the bonfire. Hinata, for her credit, entertains her for a while, but explains with a blush that she's straight. Fuu takes it well, but stays with her, regardless, yapping about random things.
Kakashi, Kimimaro, and Iruka are on one side, smoking a joint between them, and taking slow sips of the brandy. Yugito's friends are all from the same University. Bee tries to teach Naruto some rap that has Itachi wincing throughout. Then there's Han, Roushi, and Yagura, whose conversations are borderline psychopathic. At one point, Bee brings out his guitar at Naruto's insistence.
He strums a few notes to tune the instrument. Sasuke starts filming.
Despite Itachi's apprehension, Bee doesn't sing rap. He smiles softly, as though sharing a secret with himself, and begins –
When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
Itachi stares at the fire. And when the second verse starts, he quietly joins in.
When the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something that you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
And then everyone is singing under the stars, and the sound echoes around the silent mountains, the nature returning their words back to them –
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
As Itachi had told Sakura, they return on Sunday evening, in time for school on the following day. He doesn't get a chance to meet her until Wednesday night, though.
Sakura asks him about his trip, and Itachi shows her the photos and tells her of the scenic roads, the glittering snow, the silent mountains that mirror your sound back to you – because that's the important bit, not Yugito's advances or his refusal to sleep with her or the complicated relationship? and him slowly nodding, saying, Kind of.
When Sakura undresses him, taking her sweet little time with it, Itachi's heart is hammering in his chest. If Sakura notices the way his fingers tremble while undoing the clasp of her bra, she doesn't comment. She doesn't comment even when Itachi doesn't rush this time, doesn't tug her hair, doesn't bark You'll pay for this, doesn't hold her against the wall almost painfully.
He kisses her with the face that he'd resolutely kept away from Yugito, because Yugito is Yugito, not Sakura, and Sakura is the one who knows the way Itachi enjoys nibbling down on the lower lip, and because Sakura is the one who sings in broken notes, and says, Never stop dancing. He kisses her with the mouth that still remembers lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you. He kisses her with lips that roared Coco in the mountains and the mountains said it back.
When Itachi finishes, he watches silently as the full body blush is still fading away from her skin, and doesn't climb on top of her this time around to twist and pinch and suck and bite – but counts the freckles on her cheeks, times her breaths, and when she turns to him, he doesn't look away.
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Song credit – Fix You, Coldplay