I've been so busy lately that I haven't had down time to truly write. I hope this chapter made sense this chapter was written in separate sections and then Frankensteined together lol. I wanted to add so many things but ended up cutting it short. I hope things will be calmer by December, so just hold on guys. For now just wish me luck :)

Serendipity

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Menma pressed his hand to the cold window that made up a whole wall in his office.

He looked out at the city lights and the hustle and bustle of the people just below. All of them having a place to go, but he had nowhere to be.

He still thinks about it…that night….

The night that he murdered the love of his life...

The images of that night still weigh heavily behind his eyelids. He had gone looking for her. Excitement had filled him when he learned that he might be a father. He'd been apprehensive, since he hadn't seen her and had only learned that he would be a father from people on the street that knew her. He couldn't fathom how it was that they'd shared such steamy nights, passionate whispers, and then she was gone.

Why would she leave.

He thought she loved him.

That they had something.

He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. He wanted to believe that she was simply scared. That it was true, she wasn't used to being loved. That the words she had shared with him weren't fake. She had to have her reasons.

He held back when he found her. Watching from afar and wondering how he should approach. He hadn't wanted to scare her. There shouldn't be a reason as to why she would want to run away from him.

Warmth filled him when he saw the soft way that she interacted with their children. Small delicate babies crawled around and grinned at her with brightness. It colored him green with envy that he couldn't be part of their time together. He had enough of just watching and was about to approach when he saw them shift.

His children had gone from fine little demons to disgusting cats.

He blanched, all color leaving him.

Then he saw red. Fury filled him as he realized that she had lied to him. Used and manipulated him in order to have children with demon blood.

"So, this where you've been hiding," Menma had said. She looked surprised to see him, hiding the little abominations behind her cat body. She went from being a regular house cat to one bigger than a tiger.

He wasn't impressed.

"Menma, how did you find me?" Her voice was laced in fear.

"What does that matter," Menma spat. "What is the meaning of this. Who are those little bastards that you're so eagerly protecting," he bared his fangs.

"Nothing," she breathed. There was a pause between them, but it was enough to push her forward. "Leave them be they have nothing to do with you. If you have anything against anyone, it should be me, and me alone,"

He snorted, "You expect me to believe that they have nothing to do with me when they are potentially my children that you spawned from my sperm," he gritted his teeth, "is that all I was to you, a bloody sperm bank to satisfy some sick fantasy."

"That's not true!" she denied.

"Save it, I don't want to hear it. I Don't need your reasons," he moved to attack her. He didn't think twice. He just wanted to hurt her. "I just want you to die!"

She was strong.

She fought him tooth and nail, while their children watched in horror.

Menma looked away from the window where he was looking out from and turned his eyes to the scar near his hip and navel. She'd nearly gutted him open with her teeth alone. When he had met her, he had thought she was a strong demon. One that hid herself well and kept her head lowered because she was shy.

Turned out it was just because she wasn't, and she had secrets that weigh heavily on society acceptance. She would never have fit in with who she was. No one would have wanted her if they had known—he wouldn't have wanted her if he had known- at least that is what he tells himself.

But these thoughts keep turning around and around and his head and he starts to doubt. He'd gone searching for her, because he'd loved her. He'd felt betrayed by her because—damn it, as much as he denied it even now—He had loved her.

He still loved her.

The way he showed that love was by piercing his bare hand into her chest. His fingers curled around her hotly live heart just seconds before it was torn into the cold night. It beat within his grasp, pulsing fruitlessly, his eyes glowing red as he locked eyes with hers.

He watched as the last breath of her life left her rosy parted lips. The way the light of her life had faded in mere seconds from her eyes. That pale, round face, eyes so deep like the starless night sky. They no longer had that mischievous spark that he had come to associate with them. Instead, a milky film covered them.

Her body collapsed at his feet, in the form of a cat. Torn and disemboweled from where his fist had torn into her.

She was dead.

He breathed hard, his eyes turning to the loud mewling and yowling of the crying kittens. Fumbling and still new to life, they had been so amusing and silly to him. Their frightened cries were nothing but an annoyance to him.

"Show me that you fuckers are worth letting live," he had laughed. Daring his so-called children to prove that they deserved to keep breathing. The pathetic, small lives- all of them wanting to run and save themselves had all died, much easier than their mother.

They couldn't put up a fight.

Closing his eyes, Menma tried to erase that night's memory of the sounds pierced into his eardrums. Horrified faces tattooed into the backs of his eyes. He'd killed them all and broke his own heart... because...

"Menma, what are you doing," a female voice called from behind him. His ears easily picked up the clicks of her heels as she shifted in front of his door, impatient. His eyes shifted to the reflective glass and caught sight of red hair and glasses. "We should get going if we're going to make the reservation, I don't want you to blame me for being late." she huffed, moving about to fix that fiery mess she called her hair.

His new woman was a fiery vixen compared to the dark-haired beauty that she had been. The very essence of the night, a wolf disguised as a tempting feline. Spending the night with her, burning away in passion- it was all a distant memory that left him aching.

Longing for those sweltering moments he had spent with her.

"We'll make it on time," he reached for the back of his chair, grabbing the black jacket that hung there. "Let's go, Karin," he held his arm out to her. Giving Karin a smile so suave that her pale cheeks colored themselves in that cherry red she wore so nicely.

"Oh, yes," she took his hand, eyes averted.

Pleased was what he would call her expression. She was a distant cousin yes, but she was a strong demon that he was sure wouldn't lie about who she really was. There were no surprises between them.

Karin could never be a replacement for his first love.

But she was his new love.

That is what he told himself.

That was what he needed to tell himself.

It was supposed to be their last day to implement the plan and it had them scrambling early in the morning. There was no way that they were going to get things right with the time crunch.

Getting the second phase started was stressful on its own, but now there was something new dampening Sasuke's mood. Before they could walk out the door with their packed bags, they had received a phone call from Kaguya.

"I'm sorry, I have no control over this meeting, it's going to take longer than what I had anticipated." Kaguya apologized. She had called that morning before they had left for the next production center. She had just realized that she wasn't going to be able to keep her promise.

Kimimaro glanced up at Sasuke with worry.

"It's fine, just as long as you stay safe," Sasuke relented. His eyes closed as he released a heavy sigh.

He knew better than anyone how hard Kaguya's job was. She wasn't only the head of a school, but the one that promoted wellness and self-care for teachers, parents, and students alike. Having to care for such a wide range of people was always going to come with difficulties that were not always anticipated.

"Of course, I will stay safe. I'll still try to get this done as soon as possible." Kaguya assured. "I'm so sorry about this delay Sasuke,"

"Please, take your time." Sasuke softly said. He closed his eyes and kept calm, not looking bother in the least. He hated being the one to rush Kaguya when he knew that many counted on her. The job she had was an important one. Besides, it would be fine. He'd get to see Itachi eventually and for now he had more time to put more thought into his plan of revenge.

"Thank you for understanding Sasuke. I know how you want to be able to meet Itachi again soon," she said. "And we will. Just you wait," she sounded so excited, "I can't wait to meet him as well."

"We'll be here waiting for you," Kimimaro responded this time. "Sasuke might be excited, but he can wait, no problem."

"Yeah, don't worry," Sasuke said, trying his best to sound cheerful.

With that final assurance, Kaguya ended the call, and they got down to business. They now had more time to really get to every part of Menma's company.

"Well at least now I won't feel like I'm dying, you really planned this badly," Kimimaro groaned, rubbing at his stressed shoulders. There was a part of him that had doubted that they would have finished their plan. The last part of it was dangerous. Their faces might get recorded or something, but Sasuke didn't seem to care that they could get into trouble. Like he had wanted Menma to know who had destroyed him.

Now they had time to wear some form of disguises like Kimimaro had wanted.

"Yeah well, Kaguya didn't give me much of a choice," Sasuke said. He looked through his phone, searching for what they had to do by tonight. "Either way, we should be quick. We don't want him to catch up on what we are trying to do. We've hit every one of their shipping centers and that alone will take them some time to fix. Let's focus now on hitting their production buildings."

"Are we releasing the contaminant?" Juugo asked, his face in a grimace at the idea of having to touch what Sasuke had decided would be nice to add to Menma's products.

Menma was sure to lose thousands of customers and supporters over this.

"Sadly yes." Kimimaro responded. "We should use our own car for this," he added.

Sasuke had to agree.

With the new changes to their plan, they loaded the contaminant into the car. Leaving the hotel, they made their way to a hole in the wall kind of store that sold uniforms. They managed to buy something from a prestigious high school, claiming that they were part of it. The fact that they had fake IDs helped. The last part was to get some make up. It would be enough to alter their facial features just a bit, but nothing too crazy.

Then they headed out to start their day. It would be trickier than the shipping centers, after all, there had to be a bigger form of security for where the product was created. The shipping centers had been chaos and as long as they pretended that they belonged there no one had bothered to ask who they were.

Surely, it wouldn't continue to be that simple.

They went into the first production center, pretending that they were there for a tour and for some reason no one had heard about it. It had everyone wondering what was going on. They had claimed that they were simply students working on a project and that they had been approved to come.

Honestly, at the end of the day, the only reason any of their lies worked was because of how Sasuke managed to charm the managers into giving in and allowing said tour.

Those eyes of his were weapons of mass destruction.

Everyone was overly excited to meet Itachi's new boyfriend.

So much so, that they pressured him into letting them meet him. When Itachi refused, they decided to take matters into their own hands.

It hadn't mattered how many excuses Itachi gave. They didn't care that he claimed that it wasn't the right time and he wanted to get to know his boyfriend better. Itachi had insisted that it was better to see if things would work out between them before he went about showing his new boyfriend off—he came up with any excuse that he could make up but that didn't stop his friends.

He didn't have a choice in the matter.

His friends made that clear when they came upon him and his boyfriend's 'first date.' It had been just two days since he had let them know that he had a boyfriend. Their impatience was staggering to say the least.

Itachi had things to iron out with Saisu and had called for a meeting as discretely as possible. He wanted there to be rules and boundaries between them before they went about pretending. Now his plans were ruined.

Needless to say, Itachi was shocked when his friends approached their table and started to introduce themselves. He'd nearly jumped out of his skin and that was saying something. It had been a long time since anyone could make him feel so out of place with himself.

It wasn't that he was embarrassed of his friends as they claimed, but he didn't want them to find out that he was in the middle of creating a contract with Saisu. He didn't want them to know that he had lied and that what he had with Saisu was just that—a lie.

Now their contract would have to wait as he hid it away and tried to keep the conversation going as smoothly as possible. He was already dreading having to answer their questions.

"And I'm Kisame, Itachi lives with me and my husband Suigetsu," Kisame was the last one to introduce himself. "He's not here at the moment because he's at home being a good husband and dealing with the realter but yeah, he can't wait to meet you soon...uh"

"Oh, I'm Kamano Saisu..." Saisu looked from Itachi's friends over to Itachi, a startled look on his face. "It's nice to meet you?" He managed through his strangled vocal cords.

"We're so happy to get to meet you honestly," Kisame grinned, "Itachi is such a recluse that it nice that he's getting out there and dating,"

Itachi sighed at the way Kisame gave away too much information so easily. He supposed though he couldn't stop him. If this story of his boyfriend would be believable, such things would have to be shared.

"I see," Saisu smiled, uncomfortably.

"Why are you all here," Itachi gritted, turning to them with a sharp glare.

"To have lunch, duh," Pain waved him off, eyes locked on the menu currently in his hands. "You're not the only one who owns a stomach, Itachi," Pain was soon lost in the menu, wanting to pick the best dish. The others were already making comments as to what they would be having.

Itachi's glare withered and said nothing more. There was nothing that he could say that would make his friends see reason.

"Gosh," Saisu fanned himself, "I feel so overwhelmed meeting all your friends like this Itachi," He shifted in his seat. "It's so embarrassing since I don't feel quite prepared for it all," he looked at everyone with a bashful smile.

"You're doing fine," Konan sweetly assured with a smile. "We were all just so curious to learn that someone had actually managed to become Itachi's boyfriend, it's such a rare thing." she said.

"Why is that?" Saisu looked utterly confused. After all, he thought that someone that was gorgeously handsome as Itachi must have had thousands, if not more past lovers. He could be painted enviously green with just the thought of how many others had gotten to touch- maybe even kiss—someone like Itachi.

"Itachi doesn't date," Deidara haughtily said, "Like never, the prude."

"I dated before," Itachi reminded with a tick of annoyance.

"Can that even count as dating," Kisame butted in, "You wouldn't even kiss her, the poor girl. All she wanted was your attention." he teased Itachi, giving him a look that dared him to deny it.

Itachi wanted to tell him that he had kissed her once, but decided it wasn't worth it. Kisame didn't need to know about it. It had meant nothing after all. With a jerk of his head, Itachi instead turned to his menu, lying on the table in front of him.

"Wow," Saisu said, catching all their attention. "Does that mean that you are a virgin Itachi," He tilted his head, trying to seem seductive. He reached over to touch Itachi's hand suggestively, "I think that I really like the thought of that," the way he said it, looked at Itachi, and licked his lips made everyone feel uncomfortable. They glanced at Itachi who glanced at them before looking away and did his best to change the subject of the conversation.

"Anyways." Itachi pulled up the menu to hide his face, "We should order something, we've been sitting for a while now,"

Saisu leaned forward, his hand grabbing Itachi's once more, "Will I be able to order anything I want?" he asked, "i don't really have any money with me right now, so I feel like I can't order anything," he whined, batting his eyelashes.

Itachi glanced at the hand touching his and then at Saisu's hopeful expression. In this case, did it mean it was his job to pay for his alleged boyfriend?

Would his friends find it strange if he didn't?

They weren't really dating, and they had not talked about the rules just yet. To avoid suspicion, Itachi decided to play along.

"Don't worry about it, I'll pay for your meal," Itachi patted Saisu's hand, getting it away from himself. "After all, I am the one that invited you out to eat,"

"Really?" Saisu cheered up, "Yay, I know exactly what I want. Have you ever tried the steak here, it is to die for. It literally melts in your mouth!" Saisu rattled off everything that he had eaten before. When the waitress came around, he ordered so many things, she had to pull up a second page to take the orders from everyone else.

"So, how did the two of you meet?" Pain asked once the waitress walked away with the promise of bringing their drinks soon.

"Oh, you should have been there to believe it!" Saisu laughed, "We met at the party a few nights back, oh right, it was your party," he turned to Itachi with batted eyelashes, "Itachi offered me a drink and when I got dizzy, he walked me out to get fresh air. It was so romantic, Itachi comforted me until I was better, and I asked him out before he could leave me. And yeah, we became boyfriends there and then,"

"Uh," Pain was filled with disbelief.

Not that he didn't believe the story.

Neither of them really thought it was that great of a story, really. If anything, they suspected Itachi had been overly nice again and was instead stuck in a situation that might as well have been avoided. It would be like Itachi to get roped into someone else's drama.

A glance at Itachi didn't tell them anything though.

"What made you guys come to that decision?" Kisame asked what they all really wanted to know. They wanted to know how it was that Itachi finally decided to give someone a chance. They were still feeling protective of Itachi and didn't want him to be taken advantage of.

Itachi wasn't talking.

Saisu looked from them to Itachi and shrugged. He was suddenly wary of Itachi's friends. He could feel the pressure they were putting on him now. If he answered wrong, he would have to kiss his chances of dating Itachi goodbye.

Thinking back on it, there were things he had to be careful about mentioning. For one, there was the fact that Dokan had kept his mouth shut when he was asked who had beat him up. It had been a miracle, but it had not gone without a threat. Dokan had appeared at Saisu's house just the night before, scaring him to death. He had not responded to him and hadn't opened the door, but just knowing that he was there was enough to scare him.

This was clearly not something he could tell Itachi's friends. Itachi had already told him how much trouble he would be in if his friends found out that he had harmed someone when he had just apologized for that same reason.

To say the least, he was pressed to a corner, and he had to get out of it.

"We just did," he mumbled, and reached for his water when it was placed in front of him. The waitress quickly set the rest of the drinks and left their table once more.

Saisu's response didn't sit right with Itachi's friends.

Itachi noted when Pain and Konan shared a doubtful look and decided to jump in.

"We just found that we had some things in common and wanted to get to know each other better. We decided on a date and well, we just made it official like that," Itachi quickly said.

"Yeah," Saisu agreed, "Itachi is such a charmer,"

"Our Itachi?" Sasori muttered, and he and Deidara burst out laughing. It had to be a joke. Itachi had no charm whatsoever.

"Hey, Itachi can be sort of charming in that scary way of his," Kisame defended, but even he couldn't keep a straight face. He let out a small snicker before drowning it down in his own drink.

"Yeah right," Hidan rolled his eyes. Zetsu and Kakuzu muttered between each other, but they too didn't believe what they were hearing. If there was a time when Itachi was charming, then it was long gone along with that cute kitten of his.

"Well, he was for me," Saisu huffed. "Itachi spoke so softly to me and even pressed a warm drink to my cheek...he was amazing," he swooned in love. His eyes turned to hearts, and everyone was left speechless.

Itachi grabbed at his water, wanting to be spared having to give any more details.

"It all sounds so vague," Konan muttered causing them to sweat. She looked like she was getting ready to grill them. Saisu laughed and Itachi opted to signal for the waitress, he was ready to get the bill even if he hadn't gotten his food yet.

Orochimaru was pissed.

Heading out of the apartment was Anko, a rival real estate agent. She gave him a smirk as she shook hands with Suigetsu who was smiling toothily at her.

"Oh my, what are you doing here Oro?" she asked, being sure not to mention his full name as he had been so vehement about it. She wasn't sure why he was going through such lengths to hide who he was, after all his name carried weight.

It didn't sit right with her, so she was mighty curious on finding out what he was hiding.

"I'm here to consult with my client," He calmly said.

"Oho," Anko turned to Suigetsu. "Please give me a call when you are ready to settle Mr. Suigetsu, I enjoyed today." With that she left. She threw a little glare at Orochimaru on her way, but he paid no mind as he walked over to Suigetsu.

"I guess that you are going with a different realter, it seems?" he said, doing his best not to get mad at the idiot in front of him.

"Oh, not necessarily," Suigetsu said, welcoming Orochimaru inside of the house. "We're still shopping around, but Itachi finally said that he would prefer that if we bought a house that it should be bigger in the case Kisame and I decide to reproduce in the future,"

"Ah, are you looking to reproduce?" Orochimaru was a bit surprised. It wasn't in the realm of impossible for two male demons to reproduce. It usually helped that the demon planning to carry was able to prepare their bodies for such an act. It was something Orochimaru wasn't capable of and had envied in so many demons.

"Not any time soon, but we decided it was a great idea, so I've been looking into larger homes," Suigetsu explained, "it would help if you are able to show me something bigger."

"Gladly, I already have in mind three different houses that sound right for you," Orochimaru shook off the discomfort he felt at the mention of reproduction and moved on. "Is this Itachi by any chance planning to produce as well?"

"Don't know, but let's consider it," Suigetsu said.

"Alright then," Orochimaru reached for his books and showed Suigetsu three new house that he deemed perfect for those looking to have a large family.

It had taken a few words for them to be welcomed to look around under the guise that it was related to school and educational purposes. Menma was smart when it came to his business. He knew how important it is to give back to the community and thankfully, this fell under the umbrella of giving tours to curious and inquiring student minds.

With fake school ID's and a cover story, they had an in.

While Juugo and Kimimaro went on their way, Sasuke headed to implement the plan. All he did was pretend that he needed to use the bathroom and was easily granted access to more restricted areas, as he would have to pass by them.

Over the years the raven-haired kitten had learned that he had power over people by simply using his looks. It was annoying how well he could wrap both women and men around his fingers. Sasuke knew how to get what he wanted from just about anyone.

It was effortless.

Kimimaro truly felt envious of how Sasuke could work that little charm of his. He was a damn heart breaker, because while others fell victim to him, Sasuke had eyes for only one person. That being his beloved Itachi.

Yawning, he turned to Juugo, silently expressing that he was bored and done with the tour. He'd rather be anywhere else but here. He wrapped his arm around Juugo's and snuggled into him, closing his eyes.

"I hope Sasuke's done already," he commented when the person leading them said that they needed to go to a separate room to check on something and would be back. The heavy sound of machinery and the clicking of lids being placed over finished product was live and loud around them. "I want to leave this place already,"

"Judging by the way the receptionist was looking at him, then he should be done soon," Juugo said. Kimimaro nodded in agreement. "Just hang on a little longer."

The receptionist at the front had been hooked right away by Sasuke. She had set her work aside in favor of giving Sasuke a personal tour of her own. At least, that was what it seemed like when Sasuke dropped his line about needing the restroom.

That had been over half an hour ago.

"Do you think that Sasuke has cheated on Itachi with anyone?" Kimimaro asked out of nowhere. It was a thought that had crossed his mind several times since they had started this plan. He didn't think about it too much when Sasuke was going to school and interacting with other students. But now, seeing how comfortable Sasuke looked with flirting, he couldn't help the thoughts that entered his mind.

"I don't think so." Juugo said and shrugged. "Then again, he and Itachi are not together officially, so Sasuke can do what he wants." Juugo reasoned.

Kimimaro hummed, nodding his head in agreement.

Yeah, Sasuke and Itachi weren't a couple at all. In fact, Itachi had no idea that Sasuke existed. That didn't mean that a form of Sasuke didn't exist in Itachi's mind though- there was kitty. Itachi would feel betrayed by his kitten purring in another person's arms...

"I get it. You're right that Sasuke doesn't owe fidelity to Itachi but somehow it seems wrong..." KImimaro scooted closer to Juugo. Just the idea of his partner having been with anyone else bothered him. He and Juugo were lucky to have met each other first, before anyone else. Their relationship was boring in the fact that they'd never had an explosive break up, or argument.

Their relationship was founded on mutual interest and love for one another. Kimimaro was the calm to Juugo's storm and Juugo was the support that Kimimaro always craved.

"It does. Doesn't it. It's not exactly a bad thing. It does give Sasuke more experience outside of Itachi, but" Juugo shrugged, "Really only Sasuke can decide what he wants to do,"

"He talks about him so sweetly though," Kimimaro said. "Remember when we first met him. Itachi was all he could talk about."

"He's still all that he talks about, if he isn't talking about revenge on his father," Juugo snorted and Kimimaro laughed.

"Maybe he's just obsessed with Itachi,"

"I wouldn't put it past him."

'Maybe it is best for Sasuke to explore more options. I hope he likes Itachi for other reasons other than he was the person that saved him." Kimimaro closed his eyes as he let his thoughts out. He once thought that Sasuke might have a hero complex or something.

"You think Sasuke might have a complex, don't you?" Juugo wondered, knowing his lover well. "You know like he fell in love with Itachi not only because he saved his life, but he feels he owes him for it,"

"I do but is there such a thing..." Kimimaro tilted his head, "I thought about it, but I also doubt it. Some people do fall in love with those they believe saved them and care for them..."

"I suppose," Juugo wasn't all that sure himself.

"Besides, it's not like Itachi went in saving Sasuke knowing that he was a demon, he didn't do it with intentions on making Sasuke think that he owed him for saving him or something," KImimaro reasoned, "there was nothing malicious about it...right?"

"Yeah," Juugo smiled, "You're right."

Kimimaro smiled but then dropped it as he had another worry.

"If anything, I'm a bit worried about how Itachi will react to Sasuke." KImimaro crossed his arms. "Sasuke lied about who he was. Itachi cared for him believing him to be just a cat. Isn't it weird for that cat to come back as a demon saying that he loves you...like that."

"Uh..." Juugo frowned, "I had not thought about it that way." He knew Sasuke and cared for him as family. But he had never thought that on the flip side the one getting hurt over this meeting could end up being Itachi. Itachi had a right to reject and not want Sasuke back in his life once he found out that Sasuke was a demon.

It'd been five years.

Would Sasuke even be welcomed back?

As a cat or a demon, either way.

Itachi could have already moved on and adopted a different cat. Itachi could have found a new love. Sasuke could have easily been replaced in the demon's life by any other.

"Has Sasuke decided how he will meet up with Itachi again?" Juugo asked, worried.

KImimaro shook his head. "He hasn't mentioned a thing about it."

The door opened and Sasuke appeared. The raven smiled at them as he made his way over. Juugo and Kimimaro easily dropped their conversation, deciding that they would bring it up later, when Sasuke wasn't around.

"We're done here, let's head to our next location."

Itachi was frustrated.

Once he made it to his office, he locked the door behind him and sunk to the floor. He took several deep breaths as he tried to calm himself.

He had planned everything, planned for him to outline what kind of relationship he and Saisu would have. He had wanted to make it clear that they had rules to follow and yet nothing had gone how he had wanted it. Not when his friends had decided to join them and impede on everything.

Now he was stuck.

While Saisu had talked and gotten on relatively well with his friends, he couldn't help but think that something was wrong.

They had done something wrong.

The last thing Itachi wanted was for his friends to think that they had to clean up another mess of his. He knew hitting another person would get him in trouble and while Dokan had kept his mouth shut, it wasn't without threat to their company. Itachi had received a personal notice that if he didn't comply with what Dokan wanted then there would be hell to pay.

He had wanted to make that clear to Saisu so they could come up with a better plan on how to deal with Dokan, but that would have to wait now.

Gathering himself, Itachi walked to his desk and began to pack up. He just wanted the day to be over. He wanted to go to bed and sleep. He wished he would have another of those whimsical dreams of being in the park and chasing ducks.

Those dreams and the feeling that came with them were always so uncomplicated.

Closing his eyes for a moment he wished to feel what he thought of as his bond with Kitty but felt nothing. He'd been feeling it less and less and it gave him a bit of anxiety. Why was it so hard to feel the energy he had felt so clearly before?

Itachi sadly finished gathering his things and headed out. He silently joined the rest of his friends who were in the lobby, making plans as to what they would be doing the rest of the evening.

"We have to go Itachi, Suigetsu says he has a few things to show us," Kisame announced, cutting into the conversation. Everyone bid them goodbye and soon they were walking to the parking lot. Kisame had snatched the keys, claiming he would drive.

The ride started out silent, there was no loud music to compensate for the lack of conversation.

"I don't like him." Kisame was the first one to speak. Itachi who had been so completely lost in thought, blinked and turned to look at his friend. Kisame looked upset, a side of him that Itachi rarely saw. "Neither one of us liked him,"

Itachi was shocked.

He didn't think he would hear that his friends were unhappy with his choice of boyfriend. Not that Saisu was his choice, per se, but he was still that boyfriend everyone had been so adamant in the past that he should get.

Honestly, Itachi would never date him if the man hadn't asked for help. Damn it, it probably couldn't even be considered dating. This was just a job. He couldn't start blurring lines on this matter, he needed to talk to Saisu and make the contract soon. What mattered to him was that he had to find a way to keep Dokan quiet.

Not that he wanted to tell his friends that.

He knew already how they would judge him if he admitted that this was a ruse.

Still, to think that Saisu could really be his boyfriend and his friends, it turns out, wouldn't like him.

"Yeah, well. I am the one dating him." Itachi said defensively and without much thought. "You guys don't have to like him,"

"True, I don't have to like him." Kisame let out a sigh. He had so many things he wanted to retaliate but Konan had asked him to instead be supportive of Itachi's choice. There had to be a reason why Itachi liked this guy. "But somehow, he just doesn't seem right for you. Are you sure about him Itachi?"

Itachi turned to look at him. He could see his friend was concerned and waiting for his answer. It weighed heavily on him. Itachi had no choice but to continue his lie.

He took a moment before he said, "Yeah, I'm sure." he softly answered. Kisame nodded and offered him a smile before finally turning up his favorite music. Trying to make things feel as normal as possible.

It wasn't Kisame who was the problem here, it was Saisu and Itachi needed to fix it soon.