Chapter 6: What is Love?

Unlocking the front door of the mansion with an old set of spare keys, Sasuke entered his once called home and headed straight towards the liquor cabinet to pour himself a drink. Preferably something very strong.

While it was considered rude for him to barge in unannounced after not seeing his older brother in nearly a year—since he last packed up his belongings to move in with his new family—but he ready didn't give a damn at the moment. He was fucking exhausted, and there was no way he was going to be conversing with Itachi sober. Especially after the painfully long day he already had.

After waking up at five in the morning, he couldn't go back to sleep after what he had done to Naruto. While it had been one of the most spectacular 20 minutes of his life, it was also the worst. Even so, when he woke up in a spooning position with his erection digging into Naruto's perfect ass, it took considerable effort not to side the blondes boxers down soft thighs and burry his cock deep into that delicious tight heat that he only got a taste of last night.

And that scared him.

Uchiha's don't lose control. Ever. And losing control was exactly what happened last night, in epic proportions. Now he was terrified that it might have cost him the most important person in his life. Naruto.

So he got up and ran. Ran like a fucking coward until his lungs felt like bursting and muscles burned with fire. His intentions were to clear his head and hopefully bring a sense of clarity with answers to his problem, but it didn't. It only managed his fatigued body even more.

After the run, Sasuke swiftly grabbed his book bag from the bedroom and shoved in his laptop, assignments, and a few days' worth of clothes in before silently exiting the house on the back of his Kawasaki H2. All before Naruto even opened his eyes.

He wasn't so sure that was the smartest move—running away from his problems, but at the time he needed to escape before he did something he would regret. Like finishing what he started with Naruto last night…

So now, here he was…breaking into his brother's liquor cabinet and chugging a glass of Crown Royal like some goddamn teenager trying to sneak into their parents liquor stash. It was fucking pitiful. Not the highlight of his life, at all.

A clearing of the throat alerted Sasuke that someone else was standing behind him. It didn't take even a second to guess who.

"My, my Sasuke. Make yourself at home why don't you? Are you taking up drinking as a sport now, because I really must advise you that doesn't usually end very well. You could have said hello by the way—or knocked— before deciding to empty my liquor cabinet."

Sasuke bristled at the familiar deep voice coming from behind, near the main hallway. He shook it off and poured himself another glass of whiskey. Immediately bringing the glass to his lightly chapped lips, he shot the smooth amber liquid down, loving the comforting warm feel it left in his stomach after the initial burn going down. Only after shooting the courage boosting drink did he acknowledging his brothers presence. "Itachi."

Dressed in a dark robe and looking as intimidating as ever, Itachi gracefully walked up from behind the younger raven haired man. He reached over, grabbed a crystal glass from the shelf and poured himself the same thing Sasuke was having. "Oh, come on now. Am I really that horrible of company? You are the one who came to me for advice, after all."

"Not in here, Nii-san." Sasuke grumbled with a clenched jaw. It was bad enough he had to resort to getting help from his devil of an older brother, but there was no fucking way he was going to have any nosy house staff eavesdropping.

God…he hated asking Itachi for advice—or anything really. He was ruthless on the best of days and downright demonic at the worst. Itachi's lack of morals was the main reason why Sasuke wanted to work in his families company instead of choosing a field more to his liking. He wanted to build up the families name in a more positive light. Erase the ruthless cutthroat style his father and brother had created.

Sasuke had learned long ago that nothing comes free when dealing with Itachi, and the price was rarely worth it. On the other hand, Naruto was worth any cost no matter the price or even his dignity.

"Let's take it to the office, shall we?" Taking a long sip of the whiskey, Itachi then turned back toward the hall where he had appeared from and walked away without glancing back to see whether Sasuke followed or not.

"Bastard," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

Following his brother close behind, he paused a moment before entering through the door that leads to his father's old office. Not much had changed in over a decade. The walls still hung old family portraits that went back many generations. Bookshelves took up the left sides of the room. And in the center of the room showcased a massive oak desk worthy of a president. It even smelled the same.

Sasuke despised this office and Itachi knew it. Not only did it hold many bad memories of his father spending most his time in there and scolding a younger version of him in here, but it was also the place where he had found his father's mangled corpse lying in a puddle of his own blood. He shivered and grimaced at the gory memory but followed Itachi in like a good little duckling anyways, but not before bringing in the bottle of whiskey with him.

"Take a seat." Itachi ordered as he made his way to sit on the chair behind the desk. Looking very similar to a king sitting on his thrown. "Now, tell your Oniisan what's causing you to drink like a fish out of water. I don't recall ever seeing you drink much."

Sasuke frowned, pondering as to what and how much he was willing to share as he took a seat in a comfortable arm chair. The hint of humor lacing Itachi's voice worried him a little. He had already given away too much by his actions and he could tell by the warm feeling in his stomach that was calming his nerves, he was going to end divulging more than he would like.

Fuck it, he decided. Just tell him what he wants to know and get this shit over with.

"It's Naruto. I…did something, something bad. Bad enough that I don't think he can ever forgive me." Shit. Did he just shutter?

Itachi reclined back in his chair. His piercing red eyes stayed locked onto onyx as he studied Sasuke's expressions carefully. His perfectly chiseled face remained in an ever present expressionless mask that gave nothing away.

"I thought this might have something to do with Naruto." He sighed, his tone softened after hearing the vulnerability in Sasuke's voice. "Do you honestly believe that what you have done could tarnish a bond as seamless as yours? Not to mention, we are talking about one of the most forgiving and trusting person that I have come across. Have you even tried talking to him? I'm guessing not, or you would not be here right now. You were never one to apologize or talk things out, Otouto."

Sasuke glared harshly at his older brother, hating the condescending tone in his brother's voice. Most men would cower under such a look, but of course Itachi wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"Do you honestly believe that I would be here, talking to you—out of all people—if I thought a simple conversation and apology could fix what I have done?" Sasuke growled, he didn't have patience to beat around the fucking bush with him.

Leaving sounded really good right now. Maybe find a hotel and shack up for the night until he found a way to fix this himself. Coming here was likely a mistake. But in the end, he decided to stay a little longer to see where this was going anyway. After all, he promised himself that he would do anything to win over Naruto's trust that was surely destroyed last night.

"Well, you didn't give me exactly allot to go on. I am left to assume you used your go-to-pattern of shutting everyone around you out…in this case, Naruto. Naruto is a sensitive person…he is not like us, Sasuke. I know you have little experience in this, but telling him how you feel will get you better results than you think."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerously. "How I feel? How the fuck will that help?"

"How do you feel about him, Sasuke? Why did you hurt him?"

Itachi continued to keep his expressions guarded and he spoke calmly. Like they were discussing the goddamn weather.

Sasuke hated how calm and collective he always appeared to be.

"Who said anything about hurting him?"

"I can read it all over your face, Sasuke. Your mask is slipping, little brother. Quite frankly, it is unbecoming to see you in such a state." Itachi said smugly with a barely noticeable smirk.

"Fuck you, Itachi." Sasuke quickly downed another glass of the smooth amber liquid and focused on the burning warmth it brought. Before giving Itachi an answer, he absently traced the condensation that built on the glass as he debated on a proper response. "I didn't hurt him, not physically…not exactly anyway. It's…more complicated than that."

"So, you fucked him?" Itachi raised a fine eyebrow in question as his sharp eyes watched Sasuke's like a hawk—analyzing every micro expression that appeared on his brother's flushed face. He knew he was pushing his limits, but he needed to confirm his suspicions.

Sasuke's eyes widened fractionally and he choked on spit.

"No!" Sasuke spoke to quickly. "Why the fuck would you say something like that?"

"Ah, I see I've hit a nerve. Maybe you didn't go all the way, or you had, I don't know and do I give a fuck either way. I must admit though, I thought this would have happened much sooner. You seem to have more restraint than I if I were in your shoes, Sasuke." Itachi finally took a sip of the smooth amber liquid for himself as a reward for his victory.

"Fuck you, Itachi! I'm not going to play one of your sick mind games. I'm leaving." He spat venomously and stood up, stumbling a little bit from the alcohol and blood rush.

"Sit."

The single word was spoken clearly and held enough power to command a hundred men. The intensity in his eyes said it all. Even Sasuke could not refuse the overpowering presence that his brother held when the occasion called for it.

When Itachi gave an order, everyone listened. Period. He was no exception, so he sat the fuck back down.

"I'm not finished yet, Sasuke. You came to my house, drank my liquor, and asked for my advice. You're not leaving this room until you hear what I have to say." Itachi voice was deceptively calm voice, one that left no choice but to obey.

Sasuke swallowed down a thick knot forming in his throat and gave a silent nod. He felt very much like a child getting disciplined by a parent. Uncomfortable. Small. Being in his father's old office only made it that much worse.

"Good," Itachi relaxed a little and continued on as if the tension in the air wasn't suffocating. "I know we don't talk often to each other or see each other very much in fact, but I am your brother—you're only blood left. You may not believe me when I say this, but I love and care about you more than anything else. I have obvious made some mistakes in my decisions when it came to running the company in order to provide you with financial stability instead of being the brother you wanted…needed. Naruto is the brother you never had. All the more reason you need to get back to your real family now. You need Naruto as much as he needs you."

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise that his brother was actually opening up to him for once. After their parent's death, Itachi had been always so cold and focused all his attention on running the family company. No I love you's or affection ever came from him. Not once had they talked about the day their parents died or had any heartfelt conversations since. It was odd and left an unfamiliar warm feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I…I don't know what to say." That was all he could blurt out. He felt stupid for not having a comeback, but what could he say if everything he perceived about his brother was wrong? That Itachi really loved and cared for him.

Fuck, he needed another drink. He felt like his world had turned upside down in the past 24hrs.

"Well it's the truth, chose whether to believe it or not. Makes little difference to me either way. Just know that I keep tabs on what is important to me. You may think that I know nothing about your life and what is bothering you so much, but I know more than you think."

There it was, the catch. He knew Itachi was being too sweet for nothing. "What the fucking hell does that mean, Itachi?"

"Language, Sasuke. And it simple means that I have been getting weekly updates on you since you left this house…monthly before that. After all, how am I going to know whether you're alive or not if you don't ever communicate with me?" Sasuke caught the brief quirk on his lips before it disappeared.

Son of a bitch!

Punching that porcelain face sounded like the best damn thing in the world right now. Sasuke took a few seconds to relax enough to unclench his jaw and compose himself before replying. "Who? Who is it that you sent to fucking spy on your own brother!"

"That's not important. What is important, is that I think I can help you with your current situation. And I also have some information regarding the hurdle you will surely encounter if you choose to continue your pursuit of Naruto any further. After all, Naruto is an important part of your life so it is only natural to keeps tabs on his as well."

Itachi was silently chuckling in his head. He took great satisfaction in watching his little brothers expressions go from brooding, to flustered, to rage, and now curious. It was rare to see the younger raven show so much emotion and he took full advantage of it. It was almost worth losing his spy over now that he knows he is being watched and will surely find out who.

That peaked Sasuke's interest. "Go on," he urged reluctantly, he didn't want to come off as too desperate. Hell, he might even consider forgiving years of being fucking spied on if Itachi could somehow fix his relationship with Naruto.

Might being the key word.

Itachi gave a deep chuckle after hearing the hint of desperation in Sasuke's voice. "First of all, Sasuke, you must understand your true feelings for Naruto. You love him."

Love? Of course he fucking loved him. Naruto was the single closest person in his life. His family. His source of light and happiness in this dark and unforgiving world. Without Naruto—his little brother—he would be nothing.

"That's not exactly news, Itachi. I chose him to be my little brother years ago, even with you as my blood related sibling. I'm a grown man and can easily be on my own right now. When Kakashi and Iruka got married, I could have stayed here but I chose to live with them in a cramped small house just to be with him. They are all my family that I have come to cherish deeply and chose to be part of." Sasuke clipped impatiently. His finger traced the lining of the crystal glass idly, producing a low hum from the vibration.

"That's not what I mean. What I'm trying to say is that you're in love with him." Itachi gave a pause to let his words to sink in before continuing. "And you have been in love with that boy since the day you decided to rescue him. The day you two met."

Sasuke glared at his older brother impatiently. "What the fuck are you talking about? I am attracted to him, yes. But it's just lust…you're suggesting some type of love at first sight bullshit? No. It's not that kind of love, it can't be. Uchiha's don't do that kind love."

Anger was burning deep within his stomach. How dare he say that to him. He shouldn't have come here in the first place. A hotel with a bar would have been a much better choice. Then he could've cleared his thoughts with booze and then go fuck some guy so hard that he no longer desired to shove his dick up Naruto's perfect ass. If that were even possible that is.

Not a perfect plan, but a shit ton better than getting relationship advice from Itachi right now.

"Tsk. Foolish little brother, do you honestly believe that? If anything, it's the exact opposite. When an Uchiha finds love—true love—the bond can be inseparable. It is considered a great asset as well as a major weakness. After our great Uncle Madara went mad and killed dozens of people after losing his partner Hashirama, the Uchiha clan discouraged such bonds by arranging marriages. While it is not an ideal situation, you can eventually learn to love your selected spouse, lust as mom and dad had done. The benefit being that the potentially destructive bond of a soulmate will not be there. From what I have seen thus far, the love you have for Naruto is strong enough to rival that of Madara and Hashirama's, if not stronger."

"What the hell are you talking about, Itachi?" Sasuke spat out angrily and slammed the glass he was holding on the desk, ignoring the sharp sting from the glass shattering on impact. Itachi didn't even flinch. "Not only are you accusing me of being in love with Naruto—which I'm not—but you're saying I'm soulmates with him—not to mention—that I might go mad and start fucking slaughter people? Bull. Fucking. Shit. You hardly fucking know me, even with your shitty spies. Don't pretend you know my feelings about Naruto."

"Calm yourself, Sasuke! You will not disrespect me in my house and break my things." He roared as he bolted out of his seat.

Hardly having ever heard Itachi raise his voice, Sasuke quieted down immediately.

"Now," he continued more calmly and sat back down. "As I was saying, you love that boy and that is why I need to bring up something that might upset you in regards towards your little brother."

Sasuke didn't like the tone of this brother's voice and it made him anxious to know what caught his brother's attention. Itachi had his undivided attention, even though his skin crawled with the need to run out of the room and drink himself to sleep.

"Again, it's about that guy he is dating…Gaara. Well, I had Kisame do a background check on that boy and found out the kid has a pretty shady past." Itachi reclined back with a serious look on his face, eyes never leaving Sasuke's. "It turns out he has a history of being in a mental institution, much like you after our parents death. Unlike you, however, he's killed his own father."

Gasping, Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise and he cursed under his breath. The only thoughts running through his head were of Naruto's safety. There was no fucking way he was going to allow his little brother to date a killer.

"God dammit, Itachi. Why didn't you tell me this sooner? I have got to go back and warn him."

"Don't jump too quickly to conclusions, Sasuke. You don't know the whole story and should know better than to judge prematurely." Itachi paused for a moment as he took a sip the whiskey. "In the police records…it was reported that Gaara was abused both physically and emotionally by his father after his mother pasted away from cancer. Then one night, he snapped after being beaten particularly bad and ended up stabbing his father in self-defense. Afterwards, he ended up in mental institute for a few years before being released and started fresh here in Konaha. He also has the tendencies of being suicidal, extremely violent at times, and has been in gangs. Unfortunately, since he is not from around here, I was unable to dig up more info."

Sitting ridged in the chair, Sasuke ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he went over all the new information. His heart was rapidly pounding in his chest and he suddenly felt dizzy.

On one side, he felt a brief flicker of sympathy for Gaara's hard past and the other was to bury him 6 feet under. He knew damn well how unpleasant it was to have a neglectful father and the psych ward was a living hell, to put it nicely. But that did not ease his troubled mind in the slightest. Gaara was used to violence and prone to it. He needed to protect Naruto from him.

"Fuck. Fuck, I need to tell Naruto. He has the right to know. He's got to know."

"You shall do no such thing." Itachi said sternly. "If he wishes to know Gaara's past all he has to do is ask him. If Gaara refuses to divulge that information then you may intervene. It will not do your current situation any good if you appeared to be snooping around his boyfriends past. You will look desperate and lose Naruto's trust even further. On top of that, you are by no means sober enough to going running off to save your little brother from the big bad wolf. Now, go upstairs and sleep it off—preferably before you puke all over my Persian rug. While this has been an enlightening conversation and great brotherly bonding experience, I must ask you to leave as I still have work to do." And with that statement, Sasuke was dismissed.

"Bastard," he grumbled under his breath.

When Sasuke stood up to exit the office he could feel all that alcohol take effect. His head swam and he stumbled a little. Maybe Itachi about him having too much to drink, as much as he hated to admit.

When he managed to stumbled into his old room, he stripped down to his boxers and flopped heavily on the soft luxurious bed and sighed. The day had been one of the most emotion days he has ever had, and right now, he needed time to process all this new information.

God, he missed having his own room…

The day's events kept playing through his troubled mind but the thing that replayed over and over the most was when Itachi told him that he was in love with Naruto. Did he really love Naruto like that? He wasn't so sure. He had known he had a stronger bond with him than anyone else—including Itachi or his deseeded parents. But, love as in soulmates? The attraction was obvious but he wasn't convinced it was more.

Slowly his eyes closed and he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

"God dammit, Kurama, I'm so fucking bored." Naruto groaned while petting Kurama's fluffy body curled up on his lap. He tugged on the tail out of boredom until his feline companion swatted and hissed at him.

It was Saturday and Sasuke still wasn't home. Kiba was grounded from getting a tattoo on his face, Gaara was on tour this weekend, and while Iruka finally made if home, pervert Kakashi was not letting him leave the bedroom for reasons he would rather not think about.

"Were the fuck is Sasuke? He never just disappears and ignores my texts. That asshole has a lot of explaining to do when I see him. I'm not just some cheap one night stand he can get off on and then fucking vanish on me. Fuck." He whined childishly and fell back on his bed.

Truth be told, he missed Sasuke immensely. For years now, every weekend they spent it together. They often sparred and trained for hours in the dojo setup they had made in the garage. Followed up by video games, chatting or hanging out. It was their time and Naruto was pissed, sad and a little anxious that Sasuke was nowhere to be found.

He didn't know what to think or do now that Sasuke was gone. The house was too quiet, even with Kakashi and Iruka just in the other room. He tried playing some video games by himself but got bored quickly. Watching TV had the same results. He even did his fucking math homework. Not that it will matter anyway…the teacher will probably accuse him of cheating since he never turns in homework. Oh well.

Throughout the day he had sent multiple texts to Sasuke and got zero responses back. It was getting to the point he was worried that something horrible might have happened to him.

Wanting to keep himself busy to keep from worrying, Naruto decided to go for a jog to clear his mind. It always seemed to work for his brother.

Pushing Kurama to the side, the cat leaped off the bed as Naruto changed into some sweats and a T. He then grabbed his IPod and earbuds before heading out and went for a long run.

By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around and Sasuke was nowhere to be seen, Naruto was fucking pissed. Not one fucking text back from Sasuke. God help the bastard if he was okay, because if nothing horrible had happened to him, he sure as hell was going to make him fucking pay.

Even Iruka kept his distance after one glance of the fuming blond in the morning.

It wasn't very often for Naruto to stay angry for long. Sure, he could be spastic at times and go through bursts of anger but that was what it was—temporary. On the rare occasions his mood stayed sour everyone kept their distance, not wanting to provoke the beast within him.

After the run yesterday, his mind had cleared a little. Enough to get him to view the situation in a more positive light after he considered Pain's words.

At one point along the run he pasted a couple making out on a park bench and he imagined what would a future with Sasuke be like? It surprised him on how much he liked that idea. It should've freaked him out as he stilled viewed Sasuke as his protective older brother, but it somehow didn't.

Ever since Sasuke touched him so intimately, he couldn't stop thinking about it now matter how much he wanted too. He kept thinking about how fucking good it felt. Heat coiled in his stomach when he recalled the words Sasuke said to him. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he was attracted to him and his body craved to be touched by those skillfully sinful hands again.

But the question remained, if Sasuke held romantic interest towards him, where the fuck was he now? And the more Naruto thought about that answer, the more likely it was that Sasuke had used him like he has done to so many others in the past.

And that made him fucking pissed…

So, after a long day of taking his anger out on the punching bag in the garage/dojo, venting his opinions on how much of a bastard Sasuke was to Kurama, ate a pint of ice-cream and five packets of Ramen, Naruto crashed in bed from both mental and physical exhaustion.

The next morning he woke up to a loud blaring sound coming from the alarm clock on Sasuke's side of the room.

Groaning with annoyance, he flipped over and covered his head with the thick covers as if it would magically make the god awful sound stop. For once, the gods came through and granted his wish as the blearing noise suddenly stopped assaulting his poor eardrums. He was too tired to realize how inaccurate that thought really was. That was until he heard shifting coming from across the room.

"Wake up, Usuratonkachi." A rough baritone alerted Naruto of a familiar presence in the room before a set of clothes were rudely tossed on him. "You got 15 minutes to get ready."

Naruto was suddenly very awake and his heart was racing like a hummingbirds. His body went rigid with tension after hearing that sexy, condescending husky voice after so many absent days.

"Sasuke…"

A/N: Hoped you liked it! Please remember to review.