Title: Only You
Author: nikki3 )
Chapter Title: Between What's Proper and What's Right
Rating: R (please note that the rating has gone up for this chapter)
Genre: Romance/Angst
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei and not to me. Enough said.
Warning: OOCness, YAOI, sex (not really descriptive and no penetration...)
Author's notes: This is really weird... I've been doing these fics lately that seemed to have these really horny Uchihas running around. Erg... I really have an overactive imagination and an obsession with Uchiha Itachi. Gods, he so gorgeous... Err...
Replies to reviews:
artemis347 - Err... Depends on what you mean by serious... Hehehe...
Domoko-chan - Ehehehe... You'll just have to wait and see ne?
dreamlife - Thanks, I will try to.
Yuki-Chan2 - Yeah... So much angst and I don't even know where my muses get it. Erg... Right now they're not exactly in the angsty mood anymore though...
jo - Hahaha! ItaSasu rocks! MWAHAHAHA!
Pyro Dragon 117 - I have a really bad case of insomnia so resting is not really much except for a couple minutes. Yeah, you need to update soon. Hehe. My plot bunnies are rabid I tell you. They're using my own frying pan against me. Teehee!
Navi - Well, I'm glad you like this fic. I'm updating now. Please tell me what you think.
Chesiere Cat - Angst is good in small doses but too much may kill brain cells. Hehe. Yeah, I liked that scene with Gaara slurping the noodle too. Teehee! Hey, update "Possession" soon. Too bad "The Shark and the Weasel" is over. It was funny.
unmei0wa0fushigi - Thanks. This is the next one. I hope that it meets your expectations.
EternalDreamLand - Glad to know that you liked it.
Now that's done, on with the fic!
Chapter 3: Between What's Proper and What's Right
Sasuke stared at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was down and was still a bit damp. He hadn't bothered to spike it since he started doing things for himself instead of letting Itachi do all the work. He couldn't understand how Itachi's caring for him had made him care for himself again.
As he glanced at his reflection once more, he inspected the cursed seal. There was a new set of marks over Kakashi's own. Must be the seal Itachi was talking about.
It was a bit strange to think about the older Uchiha as someone else other than the brother he had idolized then hated in the thirteen years of his life. He honestly didn't know how to deal with it. And in addition to that was the kiss. It turned his world upside-down and inside out. It drew him in and the older raven-haired boy became the center of his world. At that point, nothing else mattered – not that fact that they were both male, not the clan, not his misguided revenge. Nothing had mattered except Itachi and the feelings he evoked. He felt like he was soaring in the air and had no intention of going back down. There were fireworks exploding behind his closed eyes. His heart was beating so fast. He felt warm all over.
Had they been truly brothers, it would have been wrong yet right, forbidding yet thrilling. He didn't think that his feelings would change even if it were so. Itachi held an alluring attractiveness that Sasuke could not deny. The prodigy didn't have to do anything to capture anyone's attention. His looks and his mere presence did it for him, which was probably why the younger Uchiha tried to emulate the genius, integrating Itachi's charm and allure into his image. Had he merely been himself, no one would have acknowledged him. Sure girls like Sakura and Ino would have gushed over his looks but had they met the prodigy, they would have only seen "Itachi's younger brother" and not Uchiha Sasuke. Hell, without the older Uchiha's influence in his life, he probably would have been acting as idiotic as Naruto.
Naruto... The blond was really something. The younger raven-haired boy could not deny that the other boy had become important to him, a friend, kind of, that he had come to depend on. It was like taking a breath of fresh air. Sasuke realized that listening to the loud blond talk of his ideals and his ninja way was refreshing. He could almost think that the world was always looking up instead of down. Almost. Had his revenge and his desire for even greater power than the one who murdered his clan not blinded him, he believed that he would've gotten along really well with Naruto. That was of course despite the times when the other boy would do something really embarrassing and idiotic and their constant squabbles. The pranks weren't that bad. The eraser prank on Kakashi was funny even if it gave the jounin a rather terrible first impression of them. Then, the blond had been concerned enough to follow him when he left. It touched him to know that Naruto cared in spite of all the fights they had with each other. If he ever saw that prank-pulling blond again, he'd make sure to thank him and maybe be a bit nicer.
And perhaps the same with Sakura too. She had been a very supportive teammate despite his harsh treatment of her. But with the way his heart and mind were going, he didn't think that he could ever return her feelings. It seemed that Itachi would always be the first in his thoughts and the last as well.
Sasuke shivered from the cold and realized that he was still naked. He wrapped a towel around his waist and got out of the bathroom. He found a new set of clothes laid out for him in the bed. The prodigy must've come in while he was in the shower. He sighed after inhaling the scent from the clothes. It smelled so much of the older Uchiha. The clothes fit loosely on him, the sleeves slipping down on side, exposing his shoulder. He sat down on the bed. Why was he thinking of Itachi so much in that way when the genius killed the clan? It confused Sasuke so much. It made him wish that the older Uchiha was not the one who massacred his clan. Then things wouldn't be this complicated.
He mentally slapped himself. Snap out of it, Sasuke! You're not supposed to be all mushy and gushy over a murdering criminal. He buried his face in his hands. He couldn't stop himself from liking Itachi more than he should. Hell, he shouldn't even like the prodigy in the first place. What was wrong with him? It made him feel guilty for wanting the older Uchiha when he should hate the other boy's guts for their clan's demise. The feelings were conflicting, contradicting and confusing. But he knew that he could not kill that prodigy in his current state but neither could he kill the older Uchiha even if he was expected to. He didn't know how to solve this particular dilemma. Everything just seemed to be going in circles.
Just then, there was a click and the door opened. The source of his confusing came in bearing a tray of food. "You seem to be doing better now," the older boy commented.
Sasuke didn't reply, opting to merely stare at the other. Itachi was wearing a high-necked shirt with the Uchiha symbol at the back and a pair of white shorts. It was what the younger raven-haired boy usually wore except that the shirt was black. Those long, lean legs were exposed, the shorts riding high, baring the pale skin with every movement, making the younger Uchiha wonder briefly if that was what Sakura and the others saw when he walked around.
The prodigy set the tray on a table by the windows and pulled up a chair for him. Then he merely stood there waiting for Sasuke to take a seat. The gesture was so submissive, too unlike the Itachi the younger Uchiha knew before the truth came out. The genius was acting like a servant, something that the number one rookie had trouble accepting and adjusting to.
He sighed, got off the bed, walked over and took a seat. He glanced at the prodigy who remained standing by his side, the older boy's eyes averted as if it was wrong to look at the Uchiha heir directly. Sasuke bit his lip. Even if Itachi wasn't his brother but a mere branch member and a murderer, he still didn't want to see the other acting that way. "Itachi..."
"Hai."
The younger boy gave the prodigy a pained look. "Please sit down." The genius willing complied by kneeling down and sitting back. Sasuke sighed. This wasn't working. 'Have you eaten?" He was answered by a mere shake of the other's head. "Why?"
The prodigy's eyes remained downcast. "I'll eat when you're done."
"Why don't you just eat with me now?"
"It wouldn't be proper."
Sasuke scowled. This was ridiculous. "Why not? You've done so before," pertaining to the time when he still thought they were brothers.
"Things were different back then."
"I don't care."
"It still wouldn't be proper."
"What's proper isn't necessarily right!" The other remained silent, still not looking at Sasuke. The younger Uchiha sighed exasperatedly. "Listen. Either you eat with me or you just leave me alone when I eat." He placed a hand on the prodigy's chin and tilted it up so the older boy would look at him. "I don't want to see you like this. It just isn't right."
The genius sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll come back when you're done then." Then he stood up and left, leaving Sasuke to stare after him.
Sasuke bit his lip and looked back at the food on the table. He ate without really tasting anything. His mind was a jumbled mess. He couldn't think straight. Itachi was anything but a lowly servant to him. Any attempt to make the prodigy act like the one he knew was futile. The older Uchiha had been acting this way since the younger raven-haired boy started getting out of bed on his down. It was like making the gap between them even wider than it already was. It was painful for him to know that Itachi was creating an even greater distance between them. If it was because of the kiss, Sasuke wasn't disgusted at all, far from it. In fact, he wanted it. He wanted Itachi so much.
The younger boy knew that the prodigy was keeping him away of the gap between them, making him all too aware of their differences in status and the fact that the genius was the one who killed their clan to save his life. His guilt told him to make the older Uchiha's life miserable, enjoy the experience of the other waiting on him for his every whim then kill the bastard. It would have been the proper thing to do for an avenger like him. But his heart argued that it just wasn't right. He never hated his clan's murderer enough. He had never truly hated the prodigy in the first place. In fact, he...
Sasuke shook his head. No, he didn't. He couldn't possibly... He would never... but he wanted to. It was all too much. He couldn't breathe. It was suffocating him. Everything was going out of control and he didn't know how to deal with them. Even if he wanted to just escape from them, whether he wanted to or not, he would have to face them eventually.
He growled in frustration. He needed a breath of fresh air and a way to let out all these pent up, confusing feelings. Well, he couldn't possibly get both by staying in the room all the time. He looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly and he figured that it would be a good time to train. Most of his injuries were almost healed if they weren't already. He needed to keep his body in top condition. For what? He'll figure it out eventually.
He stood up and walked to the door. He opened it and peeked outside. Itachi was nowhere in sight. He quietly made his way down the corridor, hoping that the prodigy would not show up. He didn't think he could deal with the older Uchiha right now.
As soon as he got out of the house, he stretched as he took a deep breath. He'll worry later. For now, he'll just do some mindless training. Hopefully, he'd be too exhausted to think of anything later on especially about a certain raven-haired nin.
-----
Itachi watched Sasuke train from his bedroom window. The younger boy had been at it for hours. The prodigy had already gone into the younger Uchiha's room to pick up the tray, fix the bed, pull out a new set of clothes for the heir, gone down to wash the dishes and did the laundry. And the younger boy still wasn't done. At the rate Sasuke was going, he was going to tire himself out and collapse out on the yard and probably make his already healing condition much worse.
The genius couldn't blame him. Having the one he thought was his brother and the one who massacred the clan for him acting like a mere servant was most likely confusing. Itachi wanted, no, needed to keep a god distance between him and the younger boy. Perhaps it he did that, he could keep his dirty, bloodstained hands to himself and make it easier for the young heir to kill him later on. I love Sasuke. That's why I can't and won't taint him with my filth and I can't let him feel anything other than utter hatred for me. It would be the proper thing to do.
"What's proper isn't necessarily right!"
What Sasuke said was true. Doing what he had been doing for the past week, acting like a lowly servant may have been proper but it just didn't feel right. But if he did what he felt was right, he would not be able to hold himself back from touching the boy and maybe do something irreversible and unforgivable. What felt right to him was to hold the younger Uchiha and never let go. But he couldn't do that. Sasuke would have to return to Konoha one day and kill him. Whqat he was doing now was only for the best.
He watched Sasuke venting out his anger and frustration on a harmless tree and noticed the boy's knuckled were bleeding. He figured that it was about time that he stopped the younger Uchiha before he did further harm and injury to himself. He slowly made his way out of the room, down the stairs, out the front door and into the yard.
He found the Uchiha heir panting harshly against the tree he had been punching and kicking. His eyes were red. The Sharingan activated. Those eyes focused on him as he merely stood at the front steps.
"You should go back to bed and rest. Over-exerting yourself in your current state can't be good for you," Itachi said as he lowered his eyes to the ground. He could not meet the other boy's eyes knowing that he would see pain, confusion, anger and sadness in them.
Sasuke snorted. "I'm not over-exerting myself. I've just finished warming up." The prodigy's hand fisted in his sides. "You came just in time." The younger Uchiha poised himself in a fighting stance. "Spar with me."
The older Uchiha didn't have time to protest before the younger raven-haired boy launched himself at him, narrowly missing him as the boy landed a kick, causing a small indentation on the steps where he was previously standing on. The heir was not holding back. Not wanting to hurt the boy, Itachi merely dodged, evaded and blocked all the attacks. Judging from Sasuke's harsh breathing, he would not be sparring long.
He didn't know that whether it was bad timing or good that he grabbed the younger Uchiha's shoulders just as the boy's knees gave out. Both of them landed on the ground with him on top of the other with his hands bracing himself to keep from crushing the boy beneath him. His eyes widened, noticing the compromising position they were in. Sasuke with his eyes closed was too preoccupied with catching his breath to notice that his parted lips were tempting the older Uchiha immensely.
By the time the younger raven-haired boy opened his eyes, Itachi had leaned down and kissed him. It felt so good to feel those pliant lips beneath him, kissing him back. His hands wandered under the younger Uchiha's shirt and touched the boy in places he knew he shouldn't be touching, their bodies pressing even closer. He could smell the lavender scent of Sasuke's soap and shampoo with the scent of sweat and blood and the grass under them. It was intoxicating. He couldn't get enough and the younger Uchiha was so unbelievably willing, hands tangling in his hair, dislodging the band of his ponytail. They parted for air before their lips met once more, tongues dancing against each other. The other moaned. Or was it him? He ground their hips together causing them both to moan loudly. The prodigy moved his mouth lower, down the pale, tantalizing column of Sasuke's neck, pausing to lick at the bared collarbone before pushing the shirt high to lick and suck at those pert nipples.
"Please..."
Itachi looked up and saw the glazed look the younger Uchiha was giving him, his parted, kiss-swollen lips glistening with their intermingled saliva.
"Itachi..."
The prodigy's eyes widened, realizing what he was doing. He quickly pushed himself away, distancing himself from the other, trying to slow his rapidly beating heart. Sasuke slowly sat up, his eyes showing confusion as to why the genius suddenly stopped, his pale cheeks flushed pick from their previous activity, the sleeve of his shirt slipping down, baring a pale shoulder. It was seductively enticing that Itachi had to turn away, his back to the younger boy. "I... I'm sorry. I better go," he stammered. He was about to flee when the younger Uchiha called out to him.
"Itachi! Wait..."
The prodigy dared a glance back and saw the boy struggling to get up.
"Help me up. My legs don't seem to be listening to me right now."
Itachi bit his lip and steeled himself. He walked back and helped the Uchiha heir up. Sasuke was standing on his own for a few moments before his tired legs gave out again and the prodigy caught him. The older Uchiha squeezed his eyes shut as the lavender scent invaded his senses once more. He had to exert a lot of force to keep his body under control. Sasuke was in no condition to walk back to his room, much more, fend him off. He would have to carry him back, his mind rationalized.
He hefted the boy onto his back like he used to when they were younger. The younger Uchiha's scent wouldn't leave him be. It taunted him, enticing him to lose all inhibitions and have his way with the heir. He pointedly tried not to look at the raven-haired boy perched on his back as the boy's arms wrapped tightly around him and sighed.
The trek back to the younger Uchiha's room seemed to take an eternity with the scents invading his senses, the feel of Sasuke's body on his back, the arms wrapped tightly around him and the boy's breath on his ear. It was maddening just trying to keep himself in check. Maybe it was a bad idea to carry the younger boy back to his room. But it was too late to back out now.
He struggled with the doorknob for a moment before managing to get into the room and depositing Sasuke on the bed. He had to pry the younger Uchiha's arms from him to be able to get away and put him an arm's length away. He gave a curt bow and turned to leave but a hand latched onto his, stopping him in his tracks.
"Wait." Itachi looked back. Sasuke was looking at him imploringly. "Please... don't go."
He glanced at the hand in his and saw the bloody knuckles. He looked back at the younger Uchiha and placed the hand back on the boy's lap. "I'll be right back."
He left and returned moments later with some clean bandages and some medicine. He sat down on the bed beside the Uchiha heir and cleaned the wounds on the younger boy's hand as gently as he could, stopping every now and then every time the other winced. "You shouldn't have done this to yourself."
"You were confusing me. I couldn't think straight. One minute you were so close and hot and then the next minute you were cold and distant. I didn't know what to do with you," Sasuke offered his explanation for his actions.
"I'm sorry," was the only thing the prodigy could say.
They lapsed into silence as the older Uchiha applied medicine on the wounds. It was only broken when the younger raven-haired boy spoke again.
"Have you found a way to remove the cursed seal? Please tell me."
Itachi stiffened but did not stop bandaging the boy's hand. "Yes, I did." He made sure that the bandages were secure before putting the other boy'' hands back on their owner's lap and continuing, "One way of removing the seal would be to kill Orochimaru. The seal is a form of possession. We either destroy the one who made it or we destroy the source where it is connected. Since it would prove to be more difficult to kill that snake bastard, the other alternative would be to kill me because I was the one who gave you the hatred that the seal draws power from."
The younger Uchiha shook his head. "No. No. There has to be some other way."
"Killing me would be an easy task. I can assure you of that."
"No! I can't do that. It's not right..."
"But it's the proper thing to do. For the clan and for your future safety, it would be for the best." Itachi deliberately left out the possibility of removing the seal by making the other fall in love with him. It would be a hard and painful decision for the boy to make.
Tears streamed down Sasuke's cheeks. "Even if it were so, I still wouldn't be able to do it... because I can't! It still wouldn't be right!"
"I can kill myself if you want. Just say the word and I'll do it. It's as easy as that."
"No." The boy shook his head. "I can't let you do that."
"I'm not lying. I can prove it." Itachi pulled out a kunai and poised it over his wrist. "Watch me." He applied a bit of pressure, breaking the skin and drawing blood from his arm. The cut didn't go deeper as a hand stopped him. His eyes widened as Sasuke pressed his lips against his, the boy's eyes closed as tears continued to trickle down his pale cheeks.
Then the younger Uchiha drew away, opening his eyes. "Stop. It's hurting me. I don't want you to die."
"Sasuke..."
The younger boy looked away. "If it ever came down to it, I still wouldn't kill you and neither would I ask you to die for me."
"But..." His eyes narrowed in anger. The prodigy growled, "Are you mad, Sasuke? You have to!"
"No. Never."
"Why?!"
"Because I don't hate you, not as much as I did before."
"But still –"
"I hated you because I had to. It was the proper thing to do. But now I realized that doing what's proper is different from doing what's right." The younger raven-haired boy looked at him and placed a hand over his heart. "Killing you may be the proper thing to do but it doesn't feel right here."
"Sasuke, I..."
"It pains me to think of hurting you... I think that the demons haunting me were never hatred and revenge... but guilt and denial."
Itachi tilted Sasuke's chin up to meet his eyes. "Sasuke, you can't."
"I love you. I think I've always had. I just didn't want to acknowledge it."
The prodigy's expression was pained as he saw the earnest expression on the younger Uchiha's face. His hand dropped from the boy's chin and he shook his head. "You can't, Sasuke. I'm returning you to Konoha when you're well enough to make the journey."
The younger boy bit his lip. "Why?"
"You can't love a criminal like me. You'll be tainted by my sins, the blood on my hands." Itachi stared at the trembling clenched fists on his lap.
"Itachi, I –"
The prodigy abruptly stood up. "I'm sorry." Then, he left the room, leaving the younger boy to stare after him. He closed the door and buried his face in his hands, a sob escaping his lips. Sasuke had just told him he loved him. He should have been happy but he wasn't. He knew that he could not make Sasuke happy, being the criminal that he was and knowing the crimes he had done. It would be better to let the younger Uchiha go, no matter how hard and painful it would be for him to do so.
-----
Iruka hastily scribbled his report, stopping every now and then to look out the window and sigh. Things were so hectic lately. He missed his students. He missed teaching. He tried to stifle a yawn before resuming his task. He felt so tired. He hadn't been able to rest much with all the missions and the report writings. He didn't have a mission right now but he figured that instead of resting, he'd finish all the reports he had to write before they got piled up too high. It would be more productive that way.
Just then, he was startled when someone waved a can of coffee in his face. That said someone was a certain perverted jounin currently reading his beloved yet perverted book with that perverted look in his visible eye. "Take a break. You look like you need it."
The younger man took the offered can gratefully. Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. But I can't until I finish doing this first."
The jounin's eye shifted from his book to the chuunin. Both of them stared at each other, not backing down. The other nins watched the scene with mild interest and fascination. A stubborn Iruka rarely clashed with an equally stubborn Kakashi but when they did, it was bound to be entertaining.
Moments later, there was a yelp and some of the other nins fell out of their seats in laughter as Kakashi threw a struggling Iruka over his shoulder and started walking towards the door out while reading his book.
"Kakashi-san, put me down! I have to finish my report!"
"Nonsense! You have all the time to finish it later. Right now, you need a break."
"Put me down!"
"Hmm... No."
Iruka sighed and resigned himself to being taken to whatever place the jounin had in mind to take him to. Minutes later, the older man placed him down on top of the Hokage monument.
"There you go. The fresh air will do you some good."
The dolphin looked out on the view of the village, a small smile gracing his lips. The sun was just setting over the horizon. "Aa. Thank you, Kakashi-san."
Kakashi waved it off. "Don't mention it. I was just worried you'd run yourself ragged."
The chuunin blushed. "Ah... I see." The jounin was worried about him? That was so sweet.
"Besides, it wouldn't be good if you turned yourself into an old man overnight. Think of all the children you'll traumatize."
Iruka pouted indignantly. So much for the jounin being sweet. He could never really tell what the older man was thinking. The man was such an enigma. Then he remembered something and frowned. "I heard that Hokage-sama retracted her order to bring Sasuke back at all costs. What's going to happen to him now?"
"Hmm... Maa, I don't really know. I'm not exactly sure of what I've heard but..." The jounin shrugged. "I'm sure things will work out somehow. I trust... the Hokage's judgment on this matter."
The younger man pulled the tab off the can in his hand. "I see." Then he took a long sip and swallowed, savoring the taste of the warm, brown liquid. "How is the rest of Team Seven taking it?"
"Well enough. Sakura's keeping herself busy with all the volunteer work she's been doing lately when she's not asking Lee-san to help her with a bit of taijutsu. Naruto's occupied with keeping the Sand siblings, particularly Gaara, company. They and the other rookies did express their hopes that Sasuke would come back soon."
"And you?"
"What about me?"
"How are you taking it?"
The older man closed his book and sighed. "As well as can be expected. Just worried since we don't exactly know what's going to happen to him given his present company."
Iruka tilted his head. "Present company? He's not with Orochimaru, is he? I mean, they did manage to stop him right?"
"Hn. With Orochimaru, we can be certain of what he would do to the boy. But... that man is unpredictable. There's no telling what could happen."
"And that man would be?"
"Uchiha Itachi."
The chuunin's eyes widened. "Itachi? You mean..."
"Aa."
The wind blew as they lapsed into silence. Iruka stared at his drink for a moment before gulping it all down. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Aah... I should go. Thank you again, Kakashi-san. I should get back to work."
"Iruka..."
"Hmm?"
The younger man was startled when he felt the jounin's cloth-covered lips brush lightly against his cheek. "Be careful. Don't push yourself too hard." Then the other man was gone.
It was a while before Iruka got back to the office, thinking about a silver-gray-haired jounin who read perverted books.
-----
Itachi came into the room to bring Sasuke some food and medicine. It had already been three days since the younger boy confessed his feelings to him. They had not spoken of it at all and had barely spoken to each other, as the other seemed to be in deep thought most of the time. He did not have to look at the younger Uchiha right now to know that the other was staring. He quietly crossed the room and set the tray on the table. The other boy got up from the bed, sat down on the chair provided and stared down on the food. Feeling that there was going to be another draining argument like the last time, the prodigy turned to leave.
"I've been thinking about it." The genius froze in his tracks when the Uchiha heir spoke. "You're right. I do have to go back to Konoha. The others must be worried already. It would be selfish of me to keep staying here and being a nuisance for you." The younger boy took a deep breath. "Would you... be with me when I go back?"
Itachi closed his eyes. "Aa. I will, at least until the main gates."
"I see."
Seconds ticked by with neither of them saying anything. The silence was deafening. The prodigy waited with bated breath for the younger Uchiha to speak.
"Itachi..."
The older Uchiha's heart skipped a beat. He turned to look at the younger boy. "What is it, Sasuke?"
"I'm not going back to the village until every cut, every scratch, every bruise... heals."
The prodigy gave the other a slight nod. "If that's what you want..." Feeling that it was the end of the discussion he turned to leave.
"But..."
Itachi stopped. It wasn't over yet? What more could the younger Uchiha say? "But...?" he prompted.
"Until that happens, I want us to pretend that nothing's wrong, that nothing is as complicated as it is now. I want us to pretend that what happened in the past never happened. I don't want there to be any barriers between us either." The prodigy's eyes widened at what Sasuke said next. "I want you to love me the way you should have a long time ago."
The genius jerked his head to look back at the younger boy, his eyes still wide in shock. "Sasuke...!"
The younger Uchiha lowered his lashes and whispered, "I just want to know what it feels like to be truly loved by you before I have to cut you out of my life completely. I love you so much that I don't think that I – hmph!"
Itachi didn't let the boy finish as he moved closer and crushed his lips against the other's own. The kiss was demanding, full of desire, longing, desperation and relief. His tongue coaxed the younger boy's own into play, pouring himself into every twine and brush of lips and tongue. And when he drew away slowly, he held nothing back, looking Sasuke in the eye. "I love you, Sasuke." He sank to his knees. "I love you. I love you." He wrapped his arms around that small waist and buried his face in the Uchiha heir's lap. "I love you so much." Every word he uttered next was muffled but the younger boy seemed to understand as Sasuke combed his fingers through the prodigy's hair.
When Itachi finally quieted down, they remained in that position, his head rested on the younger Uchiha's lap with the heir's hands in his hair. He quietly purred every now and then, appreciating the soothing movement of Sasuke running his fingers through his long hair. For that moment, they were content as they were. There were no distinctions between them. They were just two lovers enjoying each other's company with no one to judge them for whatever sins they may have made and would be making together.
The prodigy silently thanked whichever god gave him this brief chance to be blissfully happy and content, to be with the one he loved. He was grateful that Sasuke was giving them this one chance. If he were to die at the end of all this, he would go with no regrets whatsoever. He would use this opportunity to show just how deeply he loved the younger raven-haired boy.
Then he blinked. He looked up. "Sasuke..."
"Hmm..." The younger Uchiha flashed him a radiant smile.
"Your food's getting cold."
Sasuke stared at him for a moment and blinked. The younger boy looked at the food on the table and grinned. "So it would seem... Why don't you sit here..." The boy patted the empty chair beside him. "... and feed me?"
Itachi felt his lips curl into a smile. "Aa." He got up and sat beside the other. He picked up a spook and proceeded to feed the other boy. It wasn't long before Sasuke refused to open his mouth and kept shaking his head with a mischievous smile on his lips whenever the older Uchiha raised the spoon to his lips. It puzzled him. What new idea had the younger boy thought up? He glanced at the food then at the other and it finally dawned to him what the younger Uchiha wanted. He put a small amount of food from the spoon into his mouth and motioned the other to come closer. Sasuke got up and sat on his lap facing him instead before eagerly opening his mouth for the prodigy to plunder. It didn't take long before the spoon fell onto the floor and the food was forgotten as they both were engrossed in trying to eat out of each other's mouth. Their movements were frantic and wild as their shirts landed in crumpled heaps at their feet. Their hands roamed everywhere, touching every bared inch of skin, their hips grinding together with as much movement as their position would allow.
Itachi broke their lip-lock and Sasuke growled, "We are not stopping... Again."
The prodigy, gasping for breath, replied, "Don't intend to. The bed..." He carried the other boy, his hands on the younger Uchiha's cloth-covered ass, kissing each other wildly and passionately.
Somehow, they got to the large bed, falling into it with him on top of the other. They lay there kissing, groping, hips grinding madly. Then Sasuke cried out his release, his body arching up, hands clutched tightly at the prodigy's shoulders, leaving half-crescents. Seeing the blissful expression on the younger Uchiha's face that did it for the older raven-haired boy as he came, shuddering his release.
"Oh god, oh god, oh god..."
Minutes later, they laid in each other's arms, contentedly basking in the afterglow. It was a while before Itachi's breathing returned to normal and he propped himself on his elbows, smiling at the boy beneath him. "So... how was that?"
Sasuke smiled back at him. "That was... intense. Will we be doing that often?"
The genius chuckled and pressed their sweat-damped foreheads together. "As often as you want, love."
"Really?"
The hopefulness in the younger boy's expression made him chuckled once more in amusement. "Really." Feeling he stickiness in his shorts, he got up. "But first, we have to get cleaned up." He disappeared into the bathroom and emerged naked with a damp towel in hand. He removed the shorts and briefs from the other boy and threw the articles of clothing to where their shirts were before wiping the white, sticky substance from between Sasuke's legs. Then he threw the towel aside and got onto the bed. He tucked himself and the younger Uchiha under the blanket. And the both fell asleep, curled up contentedly against each other. Nothing else mattered. The rest of the world can wait.
-----
"Anou sa, anou sa! Gaara, let's go have ramen together!"
Gaara stared at the hyperactive blond incredulously. "Again? We just had ramen for lunch earlier." And the meal before that and the one before that one too. Come to think of it, we've been having it all week. "Don't you ever get tired of eating it?"
Naruto grinned at the red-haired boy. "No. I love ramen. I'll never get tired of it."
The Sand nin shook his head, amused, and sighed. He motioned the other boy to lead the way, earning a whoop of joy from the other. Sometimes he wondered why he humored the blond. He found Naruto fascinating to observe. True but he found that he didn't really mind letting the loud ninja have his way. He didn't really talk much, letting the blond do all the talking. So he should really be wondering why the blue-eyed boy put up with him. He wasn't exactly what one would consider as the ideal company. He was boring as hell with social skills close to nil. He had no prior knowledge of "having fun," given his past. His tone was mostly deadpanned with rarely an ounce of emotion. As he said, he was not exactly the ideal company, especially for someone as lively as Uzumaki Naruto.
He was startled when the other boy suddenly stopped and stared at him with a serious expression on the blond's face. "What's wrong? You look as if hell just froze over and the human race was being overrun by millions of mini Orochimarus."
Gaara grimaced at the image. Imagining a world of mini Orochimarus everywhere was not a pretty picture. One snake bastard was more than enough for one lifetime to deal with. He shook his head clear of the image and scowled. "Very funny, Naruto. As much as I appreciate your bravery in conjuring such a... frightening and terrifying image, I think that one snake bastard is already one too many. Thank you very much."
The hyperactive ninja grinned sheepishly. "Hehe. So what were you thinking about?"
The red-haired genin paused for a moment, considering whether or not to tell the blue-eyed boy. Then he shrugged to himself. Oh what the heck. "I was just wondering why you put up with me."
The blond cocked his head to the side, a confused expression on his face. "Eh?"
"I have no social skills whatsoever. I don't know how to have fun. I must be as boring as heck."
Naruto replied, "Oh? Really?" The blue-eyed blond smiled. It was so bright and radiant despite the darkness of the night that it took the Sand nin's breath away. "You seem to be doing okay to me."
The red-haired boy felt the blood rush to his face. He was blushing profusely. The hyperactive blond paid it no heed as he grabbed the Sand shinobi's hand and ran, dragging the Sand demon bearer behind him. "Hurry before Oji-san closes shop!"
Gaara said no more, smiling as he allowed himself to be led by the hand by a boy who was as bright as sunshine with eyes as blue as the sky.
-----
Neji woke up as the sunlight filtered through the pristine white curtains of the equally white hospital room. He squinted, giving his pale eyes time to adjust to the light. He looked down to see the adorable sight of Shikamaru sprawled half on the bed and half on the bedside chair fast asleep. Adorable? He mentally shook himself. That was one word that definitely did not exist in his vocabulary... until recently. And so did a lot of other words, all of them he had come to associate with one thing, well rather one person, Nara Shikamaru. And boring was definitely not one of them. The normally lazy chuunin had never really caught his attention before Sasuke pulled his little stunt of running away from Konoha. During the mission, he had caught glimpses of someone who wasn't really lazy, just unmotivated.
He had seen a side of the younger boy that usually hid behind a lazy facade. The other boy kept that side of himself, filled with intelligence, loyalty and great care and concern for others, well hidden. It didn't have to take a genius to know that Shikamaru was different, unique.
The chuunin had spent the past week keeping him company even though they barely knew each other. True, the other, Tenten, Lee and Gai-sensei in particular, came to visit but it was the brown-haired chuunin that he would first see when he opened his eyes in the morning and the last when he closed his eyes to sleep. He found it really strange that the younger boy kept coming back and that he found himself looking forward to seeing the other. They never really talked much. Their conversations merely resembled status reports on how everyone was doing, with some snarky reply and bitchy comments from the chuunin every so often. There were times when they'' just ponder over their game of Go in silence as Shikamaru would ask him to play every now and then because the younger boy found it too troublesome to just sit around and do nothing but stare at him all day. He had never won a single game but he found that he actually enjoyed it. He liked seeing Shikamaru'' face as the younger boy's eyes would furrow in concentration and bite his lip if a particular move was hard enough.
Right now, the brown-haired boy was sleeping rather peacefully, blissfully unaware of the pale eyes that watched him slumber. It would be a shame to wake the other now when Neji could simply enjoy himself watching him sleep. But a quick glance at the clock told him that the chuunin was going to be late for his training with his father. He distinctly remembered the younger boy complaining about it last night and also knew that the boy's father did not like his son coming in late. The young Hyuga shook the boy's shoulder gently. "Shikamaru-san."
Shikamaru's eyes fluttered open, focusing on him sleepily. "What?"
"You're late."
"Late?"
"For training."
"Oh." The young chuunin scratched the back of his head, yawning as he stretched.
Neji raised a brow and commented, "Any slower and you'll actually make it for tomorrow's training."
The other snorted. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going. I'm going. So troublesome. What a hassle..." he grumbled. Shikamaru stood up and walked to the door. He gave a lazy wave as he walked out of the room.
The young Hyuga smiled, knowing that the chuunin would be back later no matter what state he was in.
-----
TBC
Author's notes: Well that was longer than expected. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I had a really good time writing it. Everything just came out smoothly. Sasuke's thoughts were meant to be confusing in case anyone noticed. It's usually in Itachi's scenes though that made me want to slap him myself. He's such a stubborn ass. But at least he gave in at the end and actually enjoyed himself. Hehehe. Managed to write a decent enough Neji scene. I just hope that he wasn't too OOC... There's a KakaIru scene somewhere... Yeah... and a GaaraNaru scene too...
Please review. Flamers can go to hell and kiss Zabuza's ass!
Started: July 7, 2004
Ended: July 13, 2004
Worked on: July 7, 9, 11, 12
Transferred to Word: July 13, 2004