Part 18; trust

"You can't do that!" Sasuke jumps up. Anger, pain, but most of all fear are the emotions that make his body tremble. "That place took our parents away! They died there because- If something were to happen… Can't you send someone else? M-maybe- That is- Kakashi?" Itachi shakes his head, guiding Sasuke to sit down again. "I'll go! You don't have to. I can do it, I'm an Uchiha too anyway."

"Sasuke." Itachi says calming, kneeling in front of his brother while holding his hands.

"At least take me with you…" Sasuke says softly, hoping, yet knowing better.

"It will only be one week. Nothing will happen. I'll be careful and prepared in case it does. But it won't. Sasuke…" Itachi forces Sasuke, who tries to keep the tears and horrifying memories at bay, to look at him. "We can't forsake the journey for the safety of our rooms. I refuse to be a prisoner to what has befallen our parents. All of that was an accident. And I will not be tied down by it. I keep hoping you will fight for that freedom to. Don't become a prisoner of your own fear, little brother."

"I know…" Sasuke whispers and he takes a deep breath. "I know that… I just don't know what to do if I lost you to… Gheh." He wipes a tear away that had managed to escape his eye. "I guess this was kinda the feeling that therapist gave ya when she told you you could still lose me to, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. There is no other way and-" Itachi says as he sits back on the couch.

"I know." Sasuke interrupts. "It is about time we should move on from that… And... I will let you go." Noting the surprise on his brothers face he adds; "I told you I'm not a kid anymore. You have shielded me long enough Nii-san. Now it's my turn to show you I can handle things on my own." The brothers smile at each other, the one with confidence, the other with pride. "That won't stop me though from worrying the entire time you're away so you better get home in one piece!" Sasuke playfully stomps his brother on the arm and Itachi smiles.

"I promise you that."

"Tadayma." Naruto says as he yawns and closes the front door of his home behind him. It is half past nine and Naruto is exhausted from his first day at work. Exhausted, but content and proud of himself.
From the moment that school ended, which was around half four, Naruto had gone straight to Sharingan for his intake. He had not told his parents either that he took a job offer at Sharingan. He didn't know for sure that he would be given a chance after all.

"Naruto where have you been?" Kushina says as she walks quickly towards her son.

"Mom I-" Naruto can't finish his sentence as his mother hugs him tightly, which surprises him big time.

"I was so worried about you." Kushina says softly.

"Ah. I see the young man has found his way home again." Says a voice that Naruto doesn't recognize and as he looks up he is shocked to see a police man standing next to his father. "There, you see there is nothing to worry about."

"I'm sorry for the trouble we have caused you, sir." Minato apologizes.

"Oh don't worry about it. After what you told me I can understand why you would be so cautious." Says the police man and Naruto freezes as he understands what those words must mean. "It all turned out alright in the end. So I'll take my leave." He shakes Minato's hand and as he is about to pass Naruto by he says; "Don't make your parents worry so much about you, kid."

Naruto doesn't reply and it remains silent till the police man is well on his way.

"Naruto where have you been? Why didn't you pick up your phone?" Minato says sternly, though he is relieved to see his son safely home.

"Did something happen honey?" Asks his mother at almost the same time. "Did someone hold you against your will or hurt you?"

"Do you have any idea how worried your mother and I were when you didn't come home after school? It's nearly ten o'clock son! Or did that Sasuke have something to do with this?"

"Should we search for a different school for you?"

"Would you please just shut up!" Naruto shouts. "Why do you always do this to me?!" Minato and Kushina fall silent and exchange a glance of unsureness. "Always when I get home you interrogate me. Always questions about where I've been, whit whom I've been and why. Always scolding me as soon as I come home. Ever since I told you I was gay! Ever since then.." Tears flow over Naruto's cheeks. "You don't trust me anymore… N-neither of you believe in me anymore!"

"Naruto…" Minato says as he wants to lay his hand on his sons head.

"No, don't touch me!" Naruto sways the hand away angrily and tries to wipe his tears away again. "You don't understand me! You're not even trying to understand me! I would have told you… A-about Kiba… About my great day today… But you j-just ruin everything with your stupid interrogations! Expecting me to do the worst things! I don't even get a 'Welcome home'! I hate this! I hate this home! And I wish I had never told you I was gay! I wish I had never trusted you!" Naruto runs past them towards his room and smashes it with a bang closed. His parents didn't stop him, didn't call him back.

"Oh Minato, what have we done?" Kushina sighs as she lets herself fall down in one of the chairs in the living room. "Have we really gone too far? That police man also said we worried too much and-"

"Kushina." Minato says as he kneels in front of her, holding her hands tightly, but gently in his as he looks his wife in her eyes. "We love our son. Naruto… Perhaps has a point… But there is no denying what happened while we were gone. I suggest.." Minato takes a deep breath. "That we show Naruto we can trust him. We give him a little more space and ask about his day, like we used to." Kushina nods, holding a hand before her mouth as the tears flow over her cheeks.

"I want to talk with him…" She whispers. "Sometimes, though I know it's wrong, I wish he hadn't told us, or that he wasn't gay… Then I would not be so afraid of someone taking advantage of him… I just want to protect my innocent baby…"

"I know. I know." Minato says while holding his wife. "We need to talk with him more often. But first we need to show him that we do trust him. Only then he will trust us again."

I hate this! Naruto thinks in anger as sob after sob rocks his body. I hate this home! I hate the interrogation! The distrust! It's like I can't do anything good anymore! I hate them! I wish- Naruto suddenly stops that thought and a memory makes his tears only flow faster. The memory of his first night with Sasuke. "You don't have the fucking right to say something like that! You fucking don't even deserve parents if you could seriously say something like that!" Sasuke had shouted.

It's not like I don't understand them. It's stupid that I forgot my phone and didn't contact them. But time flew by so fast… Naruto sniffs, turning his face away from his pillow he stares into the darkness of his room. It's just so hard to talk to them when conversations always turn out like this… I even gave Sasuke up for them! Damn it… Teme, how I wish I could be with you now… All I want right now is your arms around me and your voice telling me everything will be alright… Naruto can't help the sarcastic smile that shortly lingers around his lips as his tears flow once more. I better pop that bubble now. I know Sasuke isn't that type… No way that is ever gonna happen…

"Ah, Naruto good timing, could you fetch me a scissor from the second floor? Those are the best quality you see." Suigets says grinning.

"Ah, yes sir, I'm on it." Naruto replies and rushes of again.

When the day started Naruto had left a note behind saying he'd be home late again because of work. What his parent's would make of that, he didn't know and in all honesty he didn't care. He'd deal with that when he got home again, for the rest of the day he refused to waste time thinking about that. He didn't get any messages, having his phone with him this time, so that was a good sign. Almost too good, but Naruto shrugs that thought away.
A pleasant surprise was that he saw Sasuke in class again. The raven looked good, as his appearance always does of course but his health now to, which was a real relieve for the blond. Having missed a day at school and work Naruto feared something had happened or that his crush had fallen ill.
He did see though, when classes were over and he was about to walk to Sharingan, that the principal had called Sasuke over. Apparently it is quite a long chat for the raven still has not shown up at Sharangan and this is the so many time Suigetsu has asked him to fetch something.
A cable for the laptop on floor five. New pencils from the basement on floor three. Some paper and files to floor eight. Prints from the A3 printer on floor six. Different pencils from the basement floor three again, and so on. Naruto was starting to get rather sick of it all.

"There. Your scissors." Naruto says out of breath as he puts the scissors on the table in front of his white haired colleague.

"Ehhh…. The pink one? I wanted the bleu one…" Suigetsu complains as he looks at the scissor as if it was the most foul thing in the world. "Good thing I have another one here. I had forgotten it until after I had send you away to fetch me one. You can take this one back." Suigetsu says grinning while picking a different scissor from his drawer, a dark blue one. Naruto boils as he clenches his fists, feeling irritation as Suigetsu so casually makes a fool out of him.

"Now look here I-" Naruto stops talking as he suddenly sees the doorknob going down. Sasuke! The thought goes through his mind. His heart starts to race as if he were running for his life as time seems to move ten times slower. What should I say!? How will he react when he sees me here? Will he be angry? Happy? I-I should- If I- There isn't any more time to think about it. The door opens.

To be continued…

Oeh snap! What will happen next?

Next part: Rays of sunny hope after stormy skies