A/N: I hurried right along with this one! xD I wanted to wait until later to upload this.. but I just couldn't help myself! I was inspired.. I wrote.. so here it is! And this chapter is long! Yay! Oh! I also did a bit of concept art for my story incase anyone wants to see. It's posted on my deviantart account which you may access from my user page. This story is on there as well. Anyway..yay! Up to nine reviews! Thanks everyone! Below are my review responses.

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Quixotically: I'm glad you liked the last chapter and didn't think that the KakaNaru impliments were a little weird. And you actually thought my poetry was..decent? xD Wow! Thats awesome. Thank you so much.. and I'm glad I give you a nice way to slack off from school duties. ;P

Ky0Kichi: Hehe.. glad you like it so far. ;3 I like my angsty bishounen. Thanks for reading though!

Hiei Girl 003: Well here's your update in record time! xD Haha.

loser81: I plan to keep Sasuke the same cold bastard he is for quite some while.. and I know what you mean about the 'happily ever after' endings all over the place. Glad you like it so far though!

yumemiru: Yes yes.. poor Na-chan! Hopefully things will get better.. and thanks for the favorite!

psychotic KAT: Yeah, Sasuke deserves a beating indeed. Well, this chapter might make you feel a little better about that. xD

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Well it's time to get along with my chapter again.. oh and incase if anyone gets confused about what's going on, this chapter takes place at the same time as chapter 2, this is just from Sasuke's side of the story. Probably error packed.. but I got tired of waiting on my beta reader. Erm..well read, review, and enjoy! Happy early Halloween to everyone!

Disclaimer: Still not mine.. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama.

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Handle With Care

Anime: Naruto

Chapter 3: The Other Side of 'Perfect'

Author: Morbid Dreamer

Rating: M

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Sasuke leaned against the bricked wall just outside of the high school that he had fled from so quickly. Deep breaths heaved in and out of his chest, his eyes glancing back to see if for some reason someone had followed him. No one was there. Deep in his throat, a growl escaped the raven haired boy as he pushed himself away from his obtained resting place. Fuck.. what had just happened? He had watched Uzumaki as he slipped away from the masses into the locker room. He followed, a strange mix of lust and vengeance fueling his rage to get even with their earlier encounter. Then he just had to ruin it.. he just had to see those marks all over the smaller boys frame. His damn conscience had to pick just then to kick in. He brought a hand up to his heavy chest, feeling his heart rate slow as his breathing began to calm. Fuck! He hated Uzumaki! Just the mention of his name sent his blood into boils, so why the fuck did he run away like that. God damn that Uzumaki..

"Sasuke-kun!" Came a chipper voice, breaking the boy away from his anger. Looking towards the cause for noise, he saw two figures bounding towards him. The pink figure reached him first, almost immediately latching herself onto a free arm. "Oh Sasuke-kun! Where were you after school? You were supposed to spend time with us tonight! "

"Yeah yeah!" the blonde yelped as she caught up, latching herself onto his other arm. " You shouldn't try to ditch us like that!" Sasuke blinked, glancing from girl to the other before he sighed deeply, his eyes rolling in aggravation.

"Well shouldn't you inform me when you make plans?" Sakura laughed aloud at his comment, the grip on his arm growing a bit tighter. Sasuke had known Sakura for..well god only knows how long. For as long as he could remember anyway..and she still annoyed the hell out of him. Sure, sometimes the girl was tolerable, almost human, but most of the time.. he felt the desite to throw her infront of a speeding vehicle. He falsed a smile for show, causing the girls to bounce excitedly before they began to tug him along down the street. Growling deeply, Sasuke complied with the girls actions..for right now it seemed like the safest idea anyway. Completely ignoring his question, the girls continued to drag the annoyed boy along with them like a pet. Sasuke didn't seem to pay it much mind, after all this was a pretty normal thing for someone who apparently had fanclubs throughout every school in their district. Oh well..maybe this would clear his mind.

"First we can go get ice cream..then maybe to the park..oh and a movie would be nice!" God.. do all girls think about the exact same things? Sasuke thought, remembering just how many times he had heard this sort of conversation before. Ino broke his thoughts, lightly tugging on his sleeve to gain his attention.

"Sasuke-kun! I saw that little fight you had with Naruto this morning!"

Sasuke felt his heart jump into his throat.

"Yeah, I heard you showed that loser who was boss!"Sakura added happily, both apparently not noticing the tension that rose in Sasuke's body when Naruto had been brought into the conversation. They did however notice Sasuke's silence, his lack of soaking in their praise. Well..not like he did it much anyway. But usually with fights and stuff, he was one to take up any boosting of confidence. A bit puzzled, Ino was again the first to speak.

"Sasuke-kun? Daijoubu ka? " He sneered a bit at her comment, his eyes glaring up at the sky for a moment before he responded to their 'concerns'. He was unusually on edge today. Bah..

"Hai, Ino. I'm fine." he said in a rather flat ,cold tone. The blonde haired girl frowned in disapproval of Sasuke's actions, hating to see him in such a familiar state of being. Before they got any further into her inquiry, Sakura had drug the trio into the ice cream parlor, their 'first stop'. Sighing with relief of getting away from the topic, Sasuke shook the girls away from him and walked towards the counter where he was greeted by a rather chipper attendant. His eyes glanced over the colored variety of choices, not that he'd be ordering of course. The girls ordered something called a 'Meltdown Mudslide', something for all of them to share together. It was kinda funny how desperate people got sometimes. Watching them momentarily fumble in their purses, the boy shrugged it off to claim himself a booth near the window. Those blue, almost black eyes of his searched the darkening heavens, the threat of rain inevitable on a day like this. He enjoyed the rain though, it was calming.. unlike his company that came crashing to the appointed table with a mound of ice cream that would feed a family of five for a week. Sakura was the first of the girls to act, jumping slightly as she ducked into the empty space beside Sasuke in the booth. For a moment, the look in the blonde girls eyes was so intense, even Sasuke felt a slight twinge of jealousy from it before she cooled and sat across from the two.

"Umee!" Sakura clapped happily, her small frame bouncing up and down in the seat next to him as she fumbled to get the three spoons out of their napkin cocoons. "This looks great, Ino! You can sure choose it well!" Ino flashed the girl a toothy grin, flipping a few strands of blonde behind a shoulder before picking up the spoon given to her.

"Well what can you expect? I am the best at everything, that includes choices!" She waved her spoon over her head almost in a triumphant manner before shoving it down into the mounds of chocolate and vanilla, Sakura giggling before she was at that point as well. Sasuke however.. was all ready greeted with a headache from the giddy girls, and they hadn't even been together for 30 minutes yet! God this was going to be one hell of an afternoon. He closed his eyes as he rubbed the sides of his temples with his fingertips gently, attempting to message the stress away. And just why had he come along on this little outing? Oh.. right. He had no choice in the matter. Good thing Sasuke was such a people person and everything. Hah. Sasuke turned his attention back to the bouncing pink ball of energy next to him as she lightly poked his upper arm with a free spoon.

"Aren't you gonna eat with us? Thats the reason we got so much..and chocolate is your favorite!"she said with a smile as she grabbed Sasuke's wrist, placing the spoon his his open palm. Convenient that she knew what his favorite flavorings were. Convienant..and kinda creepy. Just to keep the masses happy, he ignored the pounding in his head as he slowly dug his spoon into the now melting mountain, Sakura and Ino both apparently approving as they watched him eat. Crreeppyy. The trio ate in silence, silnetly munching away as those foreboding clouds hanging over head finally emersed in a dounpour.

"Sooo... Sasuke-kun..", Sakura hummed, twirling her spoon around into the sweet mess. " What exactly did happen in that fight with you and Naruto this morning? I only heard about it.. I wasn't there to witness it, like Ino." Sakura plowed her spoon into the ice cream as a temporary resting spot, her eyes lighting up as she turned towards Sasuke, eagerily awaiting a story as some child would. He frowned, his eyes moving away from the girl to suprisingly a few more eyes that were watching him from another corner of the store. For God's sake, he felt like some sort of side attraction. He could charge admission for this..

"Sakura.." He began, sighing as he closed his eyes to ignore the questioning gazes from everywhere. " There's nothing to talk about. Uzumaki was being a fuck up as usual so.. I took care of it. "

"Yeah, you better believe he did!" Ino yelled as she stood up, clentching her fists. "He knocked that fool flat on his face! Pow!" She punched around her in the air, apparently trying to intensify the depth of their conversation. "Uzumaki never stood a chance against our boy!" Sakura laughed aloud, clapping her hands cheerfully at Ino's 'performance art'. Sasuke however, didn't find it quite as amusing. He had about enough of these two together that he could take.

"Sakura, move. I need to leave."

"Eh!" ,she yelped out, quirking her head to the side in a confused manner. "But.. but why! We just got here! And its so early in the day.. and and...Onegai! Don't go, Sasuke-kun! "

"I forgot something. I have to go. " Sasuke stood to his feet, eyeing the flustered pink ball of energy until he made her uncomfortable enough to respond to his request. Ino stood to her feet following, stepping out of the booth at the same time he had.

"Matte! Are you coming back? I mean, can we call or anything?"

"No, I'll be busy." Sasuke said with little to no concern in his voice as he left the two stunned girls where they stood. Ino stared in the direction he had exited before clenching her fists, growling under her breath as she turned to face Sakura.

" This is all your fault!" She said, pointing a finger in her direction. A few people stopped eating and turned to look at the loud girl. " If you had let me sit down beside him, he would have stayed longer!"

"ME?" Sakura snapped, slamming her hands on the table as she stood to face the blonde. " If you would stop talking for five minutes and give the guy some peace, he wouldn't get so damn irritated so easily!"

"Keh.. I bet he got scared by that big forehead of yours." Ino said grinning as she poked her pointing finger into the top of Sakura's brow. The pink haired girl shot Ino an icy stare, quickly slapping her hand away from her face.

"Or it could be because you're such an ugly pig!"

"What did you say!"

"U-G-L-Y P-I-G!" Sakura sung as she waved her body back in fourth in a mocking manner.

"Forehead!"

"Pig!"

'Fucking girls.. why did they have to be so annoying?'

Sasuke took his time getting home despite that it had began to rain. He didn't care..not like there was much to hurry home to anyway. He had taken the long way home this time, giving himself that extra hour to his thoughts.He shoved his hands into his pockets, squishing about the wet fabric until he was comfortable. He was relieved that he had left, soo very relieved. He would've snapped on those girls..and he wasn't quite sure why. He was really tense..which wasn't him at all. He was Sasuke! Uchiha Sasuke. He wasn't supposed to be anything but happy. That's what everyone else said, anyway. Frowning as he turned the corner, he finally came up to the large gates that guarded the entrance to his rather large home. Rich, gorgeous, and happy? Oh yeah. Sasuke just had it all. He contemplated on the thought of going in for a moment, his eyes scanning across the dark windows of his home for signs of life. Seeing nothing, he pressed the iron bars open and walked through.

The house was indeed dark, only a few dim lights placed here and there could provide any sort of eyesight. The atmosphere was depressing actually. Mentally shrugging it, Sasuke slipped his damp shoes off near the door and proceeded further into the home. He stopped infront of his living quarters, pushing the sliding doors back to reveal a slightly better lit room. His eyes scanned the silent room, falling upon a figure that was leaning against a window ceil. This woman didn't seem to notice him, a hand running back across her madded hair, the other one bringing a cigarette up to parched lips. She took a long draw off of the burning ash before her realizations set in, her dull gaze shifting to look in Sasuke's direction. She had to blink a few times, rubbing her eyes before she could fully focus on the boy.

"Sasuke? That you?" The woman fumbled on her words, pushing herself to stand and face him.

"Hai, Okaa-san. Taidama. " He walked towards the woman, staring as he took in her features. For such a wealthy woman, she was quite unkept. Her hair was in madded clumps, her skin pale , her face without any makeup, it was quite strange for someone of her stature. She shot him a crooked smile, her legs quivering and buckling as she made her way towards her son. Sasuke noticed when her legs buckled out, darting foward quickly to catch her, the stench of alcohol stinging his nostrils almost instantly. He narrowed his eyes at the woman as she threw her arms around her sons neck, giggling.

"Almost had an accident there, didn't we?", she snickered as she looked around, grabbing the still lit cigarette that had fallen out of her hand. Taking the final drag of the bud, she tossed it in..or near the ashtray on the table and turned her attention back to Sasuke. "Okaeri! How was school? Did you have a good day? Learn anything new?" She rocked back and fourth in her son's grasp, looking up at him with a glassy gaze. He sighed as he picked her up, causing her to let out another excited laugh as they made their way towards the nearest chair. Sitting her down, he folded his arms before he spoke.

"Okaa-san.. I thought you said you were giving up on drinking." The woman looked at him, almost seeming confused before it all set in. She slapped the arm of the chair in a sense of protest, her features instantly shifting to an angry scowl for him to see.

"It's none of your business what I do!", she yelled as she threw a trinket off the nearby table in his direction, Sasuke catching it with ease. "No one's ever in this damned house with me! So why shouldn't I drink! It's not like I'm hurting anyone." She stood to her feet, slinging her arms in her defense.

"You're hurting yourself, Okaa-san."

"Shut up! I'm a grown woman, I'll do whatever the hell I wanna do!" She stumbled in her pacing, Sasuke shifting his stance once again so she would fall into his arms. She laid there in his embrace for a few moments, her face smashed against his chest in what had to be an uncomfortable position. Moving so slightly, she slowly lifted her head to look up at her son, her expression darkening suddenly. " Oh.. " she began, lifting a hand to caress the side of Sasuke's face gently, her eyes searching his features with a deep look of sadness held in them. " You look so much like my koi sometimes I can't even believe it.. so handsome.. my dear..my Ichiro-san.. " the woman continued to mumble, it eventually becoming incoherent. The hand on Sasuke's face fell limp to her side, her eyes fluttering and her head lowering as she slipped off into a state of alcoholic unconsciousness. Sasuke picked the woman up again despite being disgusted with her actions and proceeded to take her to a more appropriate resting place.

Sitting his mother in her bed, Sasuke got a cool washcloth and put it on her forehead. He hated seeing his mother in this condition..but it really couldn't be helped. It was her choice.. she choose freely to be this way..it was her temporary way of forgetting that bastard of a husband that ran off for months and months at a time doing only who knows what. Sasuke could almost say he hated his father for what he had done to his family, but that wouldn't help either. Everything that dealt with the protest of his family was pretty much pointless, so why bother? If his father didn't do what he did, they wouldn't be as well off as they were. Making sure his mother had everything she needed, Sasuke gave her bangs a light stroking before he quietly exited her room. He rubbed his forehead, his eyes focused on really nothing infront of him as he was lost in thought, completely oblivious to the body leaned against the wall literally right next to him.

"So.." the figure said, finally making himself noticed. " Okaa-san is drunk again, I presume." The sides of his mouth curled into a grin as he spoke, finding amusement as Sasuke jumped away from him, staring wide eyed before it all transformed into a familar disgusted scowl. His hands balling into fists as he turned to face his elder brother.

"Why the fuck didn't you take care of her, Itachi no baka! You know how she gets!" Itachi stared at him through those red eyes, not a trace of concern gracing his features. He simply shrugged it off, pushing himself up to meet his brothers stance.

"Wasn't my problem. Besides, you wouldn't have gotten to experience such a fun welcome home if I had interfered. "

"Fuck you, Itachi." Sasuke hissed, scoffing as he walked past his brother. Itachi followed close after, that grin still plastered across his features. He hadn't gotten his tormenting in on Sasuke yet today..so he was set to be amused for a while.

"Oh come now my dear brother, why the attitude? From what I heard, my little brother has had quite the interesting day indeed." Sasuke stopped walking, his gaze not shifting to look at Itachi but still signifying that he had caught his attention. "A dear friend said he saw you coming out of ..a locker room was it? Hai hai.. I'm sure that was it. Then.. a bit later, that silver haired teacher came out with a battered up looking kid. Hm... now what did he say his name was? Ah yes.. Uzumaki Naru-" Sasuke didn't let his brother finish blurting that name, his hands already on his throat as he shoved the taller Uchiha against the nearest wall, rattling a few pictures and light fixtures. Itachi didn't seemed phased in the least, that smile never faulting from his features. A laugh escaped him as Sasuke growled, squeezing harder on Itachi's throat.

" Don't you EVER assume you can nose into my business without my consent. Ever. You got it, Itachi? What happened was no fucking business of yours or anyone elses." God! Did everyone know what happened ? It had only been two or three hours! The pair remained in silence, a streak of lightning from a nearby window illuminated that dark hallway for a moment, just enough time to allow Sasuke to fully see the amused look playing Itachi's features. Sasuke growled deep in his throat, balling his fist at the sight, but was never allowed to use the intended force. As fast as the streak of lightning, Itachi had taken control of the situation. He grabbed ahold of the hand grasping at his throat, twisting it sharply until it was pinned against its owners back. Sasuke hissed as he felt his body be slammed face forward into the opposing wall of the hallway. Itachi grinned, using his heaver body to keep the struggling boy in his place, Sasuke eventually stilling. The taller man leaned his head to rest upon his siblings shoulder, that smile Sasuke despised still burning bright.

"Everything you do is my business, Onii-baka. Everything. You forget your place in this family..and you forget you are only here because I permit it." Itachi dug an elbow between Sasuke's shoulder blades, causing the boy to cry out in pain. Sneering, Itachi removed the elbow and grabbed Sasuke's face, roughly turning it to look at him. "Do you understand, Sasuke?" If looks could kill, Itachi would have been long gone. Sasuke stared with a deep, burning hatred through those ebony eyes, his temper flaring full force. Itachi however grew impatient, squeezing the face in his grasp harder. " Answer me!" Still no response. Sasuke had suceeded in something, the look he hated was gone from Itachi now. He soon figured out that he would much rather deal with that than Itahi's fist in his gut. Sasuke gasped sharply, all his breath escaping his boy at once before Itachi allowed him to collapse into a defeated heap upon the floor. "Keh.. persistant little bastard.." Itachi mumbled, glowering at his brothers fallen form before he left him, disappearing down another hallway.

Sasuke coughed a couple of times, his hand still grasping the twindging pain in his stomache as his body did its best to return his breathing to normal. Finally, the fallen boy pressed against the floor with his palms, bringing himself up to sit at the least.Being with Sakura and Ino was starting to sound pretty good right now. Wait..what? God what was he thinking? Itachi was strong.. alot stronger than Sasuke liked to admit too. Despite that.. how did Itachi know? Which one of these 'friends' saw him? Fuck.. this was all Naruto's fault. If things had went the way he wanted them to.. damn it! Damn that Naruto..Sasuke sneered through the easing pain, gently rubbing at the reddened area of his abdomen as he thought aloud.

"Naruto.. you'll pay for all of this.."

A/N: And thats a wrap! Hope you guys liked it.. now I'm off to write chapter 4! Lots of ideas for that chapter!

Review please! Make me feel loved guys..

--Morbid Dreamer