Note: So, this version is going to be very different. I'm playing around with a few venues for the events to happen. Fugaku and Mikoto do not feature as much as they used to. It's turning out to be harder than I expected!
Chapter 2: Third Wheel
The wide blue eyes took in the scene. Itachi was kneeling on the ground, hair down and bare-chested, slick with sweat…he had Sasuke's cock in his mouth! Naruto felt like time had stopped at that moment and what a lewd moment for it to stop at. Slowly like breaking out of a daze, he let his eyes trail upwards only to meet Sasuke's pleasure filled black ones. Immediately, the pleasure in them faded to mirror the shock in his own eyes. Sasuke's breath hissed and he urgently pushed at Itachi's shoulders. Itachi glanced to the side and pulled away, the cock sliding out of his mouth with a slick sound jolting the blond back to his senses. He let out a tiny gasp, before fleeing past the two brothers and shutting himself up in his room.
He leaned against the door and took a deep breath. If it had been anyone else, he would have counted it as just another embarrassing moment. But this was not embarrassing, this was…it was disgusting. Sasuke and Itachi. Sasuke and Itachi. Suddenly everything clicked into place…why Sasuke hated him conversing with Itachi, why they didn't want him here and the way Sasuke was always peeved when they were hanging out with him.
Anger swamped him. He'd begun to think it was his fault that Sasuke hated him, but no…it was because of this…this sinful…this! They were brothers! Brothers did NOT do that! He had never thought Sasuke could be that disgusting, could stoop so low! At the thought of the other boy, the image of Sasuke, his head thrown back and his expression saturated with pleasure entered his mind. Naruto shook his head hard and shuddered. No. He was open to anything usually…but incest! He couldn't even pretend he was okay with it.
He got into bed, refusing to believe that the picture of them together was turning him on. No way…if it had been anyone else then he would have been okay with being turned on, but not brothers! He wished he'd just accompanied Neji home…instead he'd come up thinking about speaking to Sasuke about whether Neji coming over was going to be a problem and found the whole apartment dark. He'd taken the opportunity to just sit on the corner of the couch and enjoy the view of Konoha lit up in the night. He'd dozed off and woken up when he'd heard strange noises that had bulldozed into his slumber. Wondering if the brothers were still awake, he'd headed towards and hallway and…and…
Quiet footsteps sounded near his door. In all the confusion he'd forgotten to lock it; he hoped they'd just leave him alone...he really didn't want to face either of them right now.
Sasuke stood alone in the hallway paralysed by fear, Itachi had disappeared into his room almost at the same time as Naruto. The younger man hadn't even pulled up his boxers yet, his mind journeying into possible future scenarios. He haphazardly got his pants back on, on the verge of an anxiety attack. He wished he could just punch Naruto, but at the same time he wanted to just make Naruto understand, maybe if he stayed on Naruto's good side the boy wouldn't rat him out?
He crept to Naruto's room, movements robotic, with no idea of how he was going to proceed. It was dark and in the light from the window, he could just about make out the other man's form on the bed, wrapped in his blankets like mummy.
Sasuke padded over to him and reached out cautiously to shake what he thought was the other man's shoulder. He fought to keep his tone neutral and unafraid. "Naruto…"
The moment his deep voice broke the silence, the blond boy pulled away, rolling to the other side. "Don't touch me…" The high-pitched yelp was clear enough to be heard despite being muffled by the bed linen.
Sasuke took a deep breath, his hands clenching by his sides. "Please…just listen to me…" But the other boy stubbornly stayed under the covers, pissing Sasuke off. The anxiety that had been building inside him had reached boiling point. Memories of Gaara's reaction still fresh in spite of the three months that had passed, rearing their ugly heads in his mind. The disgust into Naruto's voice coated him, sinking under his skin causing the fear to morph into anger. He would not be made to feel small just because he loved Itachi!
Sasuke grabbed one end of the blanket and yanked hard. The effect was brutal and Naruto rolled out of bed hitting the floor hard. Before he could move, Sasuke was pulling him up by the collar of his t-shirt.
Fury snapped in the dark-haired man's eyes as he threw the blond unceremoniously onto the bed. One arm kept him pinned to the bed while Sasuke looked over him. "You're going to listen, dobe, whether you like it or not."
Naruto tried to pull away. "I don't want to listen. Don't touch me! Get your hands off!"
Sasuke didn't budge. "Stop acting like a sissy and fucking let me explain!" he took a deep breath. "I know we've shocked you but I really care about Itachi. It's Itachi…I…I know we're brothers but…"
A kick cut him off and the blond scrambled off the bed. "Keep your disgusting shit to yourself! I don't need to understand and I don't need your bloody explanations! It all makes sense now. You making life here so miserable…all you wanted was for me to get out so you could continue screwing your brother! Get out of my room! You're repulsive!"
Repulsive…a term Gaara had used as well when they were breaking up. That was it, who the hell did Naruto think he was butting into Sasuke's home and private life? Who the hell said he could judge what they did?
Sasuke ran at him and tackled him to the ground. "How dare you? I came here to explain…I was worried…"
"Worried I might spill the beans?" Naruto bucked at him, working to get his hands off his shoulders. "I bet that's all you were worried about, you selfish prick!" He shoved Sasuke away before crouching on the floor.
Sasuke favoured him with an ugly scowl that twisted his perfect face. "You little asshole. I was trying to explain!" Again, Sasuke felt the urge to hurt Naruto and this time he went with it. "I wish you had never come here! Your father just wanted an excuse to dump you somewhere while he campaigned, didn't he? Didn't you have anywhere else to go? Did you have to come and fuck my life up? You're fucking unwanted….so why don't you just get lost?"
Naruto's eyes widened. Had the prick just told him he was unwanted? "At least it's better than being a brother-fucker! At least I'll never be like you, you disgusting piece of shit! Couldn't you find anyone else? Or could no one else stand you?"
Sasuke snarled and charged at him again, only have Itachi tackle him. The older man wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly. "Sasuke…calm down. This isn't helping."
Sasuke strained against him for a few more seconds then suddenly the fight went out of him. He hung his head, bangs hiding his face for a little before he looked into Naruto's angry blue eyes, his own half-mad and half-pleading. "If you tell anyone…"
Itachi let him go, his voice low and hoarse. "Sasuke…"
The younger man turned and left without a word. Naruto heard his room door slam and turned to look at Itachi. The older man stared back at him, face troubled. "I'm sorry Sasuke hurt you. If you'd like to come out to the kitchen, I could give you some ice? I'd like to have a talk if you don't mind."
Naruto had been expecting Itachi to threaten him as well, so the quiet entreaty was a bit of a surprise. The older Uchiha had been nothing but nice to him, so it wasn't like he could brush him off.
They headed to the kitchen in silence. Itachi loaded some ice into a Ziplock bag and handed it to him gesturing for him to sit at the table. He excused himself for a minute and went to drop one off for Sasuke. Naruto could hear some muted conversation, but Itachi was back soon. He took a seat at the other end of the table and sighed. Steepling his fingers in front of him, Itachi cleared his throat.
"I'd like to apologise on behalf of myself and my brother, Naruto-kun." The words surprised Naruto, but Itachi continued oblivious. "I know it was a terrible shock for you to see us like that, but if you'll allow me, I'd like to take you into my confidence.
Naruto nodded and Itachi went on. "I've been in a relationship with my little brother for the past three years. It started out because Sasuke and I really were in love with each other…and because of a drunken mistake" Itachi seemed to be trying to keep his face impassive. "We've tried to stop. We've tried dating other people but somehow we keep coming back to each other."
Naruto frowned. Remembering how desperate Sasuke had seemed, he wondered why Itachi was using the past tense. "Were in love?" It might have been a bold question to ask, but they were involving him in this, weren't they? So, the explanation better be good.
Itachi wouldn't meet his eyes. "Yes. We still care for each other but I'm not in love with him anymore. It's a habit…it's about being physical, satisfied and showing each other that we care." It all rang untrue to Naruto though Itachi didn't seem to be lying.
The dark-haired man shook his head. "When I broke it off, Sasuke did try to move on. He dated…he even fell in love with someone…but that person found us just like you did…my fault actually." Itachi interlaced his fingers, looking at the table for a while. "Gaara ended it and Sasuke was quite broken after the whole thing. He's just recovering and I want to be there for him through it. While I know he made life here harsh for you, please don't make it more difficult for us. Naruto-kun, I cannot ask you to condone it, but I can ask you to keep quiet about it."
Itachi finally looked at him and Naruto saw the same desperate pleading his eyes, although muted. He remained silent for a while, thinking things through and finally sighed. The man was asking nicely. And somehow Naruto couldn't hate Itachi…not the way he hated Sasuke. Itachi had never insulted him; he'd been quite nice and encouraging in fact. He never made Naruto feel unwelcome.
"Fine…I wasn't going to tell anyone anyway. I'm not like that. You're right…I don't condone it."
Itachi gave him a relieved smile. "I'm grateful Naruto-kun. You being here means a lot to out families and I don't want to jeopardize it in any way. Also, I would like to be friends…I wanted us to be friends before this incident."
Naruto nodded and stood up. "We were already friends, Itachi. Your brother, though…I'm tired of his bull-shit. Tell him to let it go. I'm thinking of picking up a car of my own…it'd be nice if you could help me with it. I don't want to depend on Sasuke for everything."
"I understand. I know a place where you might find something you like." Itachi stood up too. "Goodnight, Naruto-kun."
"Goodnight…" Naruto headed back to his room. The blond boy locked it this time and fell onto his bed. Your father just wanted an excuse to dump you somewhere…he sighed. The truth of that statement was what scared him. It's only for a few months…he repeated the mantra in his head again and again until he drifted off to sleep.
Across the corridor, Sasuke lay wide awake in his bed. He'd listened in on a part of their conversation…hearing his brother admit that he wasn't in love with him had given riding to pulsing ache that refused to go away. He'd stopped listening then. The insecurities that had led to him alienating Naruto just grew in strength and he let out a low gasp, feeling like he couldn't breathe.
Or could no one else stand you?
Naruto wasn't all that far off the mark. He was the spare…except for his mother, Sasuke didn't think anyone really wanted him. Itachi was the one solid person in his life and now…even Gaara…he exhaled sharply. Only being with Itachi had helped push the pain from the break up away…but that seemed to fraying lately. Sometimes, Sasuke felt as though he'd just drift off and no one would notice. It's only for a few months…he repeated the mantra in his head again and again trying to keep a hold of his sanity. Things would go back to normal soon. Nothing else could go wrong.
Naruto walked along the corridor deep in thought. It had been a few days since that night. Luckily, the bag of ice had reduced the swelling by a lot, so no one had any questions and he could brush the light bruise off as a fall. No matter how much he threw himself into university, the whole mess kept sneaking back into his mind.
Itachi had acted weird while saying he wasn't in love with his brother. Naruto was absolutely sure that Sasuke did not think that way…had he heard his brother? Had it bothered him? He remembered how subdued the man had been the next morning.
Naruto had headed to the kitchen to get some breakfast and found the raven sitting at the table lost in thought. His bagel with cream cheese was untouched…for a moment, Naruto had noted how terribly lonely Sasuke had looked.
He'd grabbed an orange juice and sat down across the table; in the same spot he'd sat in the night before. The first glance that Sasuke had given him had been so lost, that Naruto had automatically felt the urge to hold him. But it had soon given way to a grimace and the other man had begun concentrating on his breakfast. When Naruto had stood up to leave, Sasuke had slammed his hands on the table and looked up determined about something. He'd run a hand through his hair before speaking.
"I'm sorry about lashing out at you last night."
Naruto eyed him before giving him a nod. Not sure how much he'd heard, he moved to assure him of his silence. "Listen teme, I won't tell. So, don't worry about that…"
Sasuke had nodded and headed back to his room; Naruto had left for uni. Even now, that first look of Sasuke's stuck in Naruto's mind like a burr. They were already in a relationship, weren't they? So, what was Itachi trying to achieve by hurting his brother and continuing the whole thing? Hadn't he said that he was the reason for Sasuke's break up? What did he gain from it all then?
Naruto bumped into someone quite hard. He rubbed his head sheepishly. He seemed to be bumping into too many people lately. "Mah…sorry! Are you okay?"
It was a classmate from the one design course he'd been forced to take. Konan had told him that he needed to pay attention to how design worked if he wanted to write better copy. He reached out to steady the man.
"I'm fine." The voice was coarse and scratchy; he had pale face topped off by fiery red hair and vivid green eyes bordered by what looked like thick kohl. "Aren't we in a class together?"
Naruto nodded. "I was just thinking that. In Kurenai-sensei's class right? Design, Strategy and Software? I'm Naruto, by the way."
The redhead gave him a nod. "Gaara."
The name sounded familiar, but Naruto couldn't place it. He gave him an easy smile. "You're into advertising too?"
Gaara shook his head. "No. I'm doing digital art actually."
"An artist? That's so cool!" Naruto glanced at his watch. Sasuke was supposed to pick him up and take him to the office this evening for a tour as per his father's instructions. He began his internship tomorrow. "Where are you headed?"
"The cafeteria…"
"Ah, I'm heading that way too. I'm running a bit late…need to meet someone at the gates." Naruto gestured for Gaara to start walking. The redhead fell into step beside him and they made some small talk until Gaara moved towards the cafeteria and Naruto headed towards the gate. He saw the Uchiha leaning against his car gazing at them intently. As he got closer, he realised that the Uchiha's eyes were trailing the redhead. He frowned. Did they know each other?
Gaara ended it and Sasuke was quite broken after the whole thing.
Oh man, was that Gaara this Gaara? Naruto's eyes widened as he took in the raven's tightly controlled expression. "Sasuke?"
The man hesitated before turning to him. The usual cold look was back. "You're late, dobe." He didn't mention Naruto's classmate and the only thing that gave away that something was different was the white-knuckled grip he had on steering wheel once they were inside.
Naruto looked out the window for a while. Traffic was slow and the route from the university to the Uchiha Media Centre (UMC) went from scenic to crowded very quickly. He turned to look at Uchiha instead. Why couldn't Sasuke just treat him better? The secret was out and Naruto was still here, wasn't he? He'd kept his word…
Sasuke's gaze was fixed on the road, but it was easy to tell that he was engrossed in his thoughts. They hit a red light with the timer indicating that it was going to be a long wait. He decided to take chance and ask him the question that had been on his mind since that conversation at breakfast.
"Why can't we get along?"
The dark eyes opened and the lips turned down a little. "What?"
Naruto sighed. "Why can't we just get along? Is it so difficult?"
Sasuke gazed at him for a long moment. "We can't."
Naruto glared at him. "Why not?"
Sasuke just looked out the window, he didn't want to answer this dobe and he couldn't understand why the hell Naruto couldn't just leave things be.
"Answer me, teme! Why can't we put it behind us?"
Sasuke could feel the blue gaze boring holes in the back of his head. The anger that always hovered within reach these days was waking up again; it coiled a dark tendril inside him…why couldn't the usuratonkachi leave him alone? Bad enough, he had Itachi wrapped around his fingers and now he was speaking to Gaara too? And then the blond touched his shoulder…and it was enough.
"I don't want to put it behind us because I hate you." Sasuke growled, putting his face right up in the blond's personal space. "I hate your fucking blond hair, blue eyes and that annoying smile! I hate everything about you!"
Hurt flooded the other man's feature and he shoved Sasuke back into his own seat. It seemed like the words had gotten to him. Good. Sasuke wanted distance and if this was the only way he could get it from this ass, so be it. He smirked.
"Stop bothering me. I know everyone sucks up to you because you're Namikaze…my father, mother…even Itachi…" Even Gaara. Sasuke glanced at the timer on the stoplights, they were about to turn green. "I don't intend to."
With that, he revved the engine and went back to focussing on the road. Silence reigned for the next ten minutes it tool to reach the office. Sasuke led Naruto into the building after they'd parked in the VIP section. Tension shrouded them but it wasn't enough to stop the voices that began to whisper as people saw the two men. Sasuke caught a few snippets.
"…Uchiha and Namikaze?"
"…So they are collaborating…"
"…Future Prime minister's son…"
Sasuke glanced at the blond only to see the most bland and amicable expression on his face. In spite of himself, he raised an eyebrow.
Naruto shrugged. "They want to see us as friends. It's for our families' benefit. Unless of course you want them to know how much you…hate me." He managed to get the words out in a light tone.
Sasuke tried to smooth out the frown he knew was forming on his face. He struggled to school his expression into a neutral look. This was another thing he hated! The dobe seemed to be good at everything…he could school his emotions; he was good at his work…Sasuke had happened to see the copy he'd written the night of incident and had had to reluctantly admit that all of it was good enough to be used for actual ads. He hated that the blond could seem so aloof after the conversation in the car while he felt like the cloud of doom hung about his own head. For all that Naruto seemed to be an open book, he had an intuitive side and was a good actor. He wouldn't let the blond beat him at keeping his cool.
They walked into a nice room full of windows. The layout was really open with coffee tables, colourful bean bags, sitting-standing desks and state of the art office chairs filling the space. At the far end was a glass door with Sasuke's name and title of Creative Director embossed on it indicating that it was his office. There were about twenty people at various stages of work in various seats. Upon seeing them enter, they all crowded around Naruto, welcoming him onto to the team. Once everyone had headed back to work, only four people stayed. There was lovely blonde girl with long hair called Ino, a shaggy brown-haired man called Kiba, a stern looking guy in glasses called Shino and a bored looking chap called Shikamaru. Ino and Kiba were also copywriters and would be working with Naruto while Shino and Shikamaru did the editing.
Sasuke left Naruto to get to know them and headed to his office. He was glad to hand him off to the team…Ino and Kiba would keep Naruto in line and his interaction with Naruto could be limited to a purely professional one. Throwing himself into his chair, he glanced at the ordered sheaves of paper on his desk. His secretary had sorted them into categories that would be easy for him to go through…ideas for new projects, refined ideas, new project proposals, timelines and so on. Sasuke rarely had time to work on ideas himself these days, since there were so many projects on hand and so much to coordinate.
He glanced at the clock; it was almost five o clock. His team usually left by six, so maybe he could get in at least an hour of work in…having to collect Naruto had cut into his work and the deadline for Danzo's campaign was the end of the week. If anything went wrong, the old codger wouldn't bat an eyelid about complaining to Fugaku.
An hour and a half later Sasuke signed his approval onto the last document. He put the sheaf of papers that might need reworking onto one side of the desk. His secretary came in to collect the papers and let him know she was leaving.
His phone buzzed. He picked up expecting it to be Naruto bitching about staying late but instead saw that it was a Facebook notification about…Gaara. Unable to help himself, Sasuke clicked on it; Gaara wasn't often on Facebook, this was especially true since their break up. It seemed like he was at some art show…Sasuke tuned out the rest of the photograph and concentrated on the redhead's face. They'd had so much fun together.
Unbidden, his fingers traitorously opened the gallery on his phone and scrolled back a few months. The phone was littered with pictures of himself and Gaara…on vacation, on dates, hanging out and doing water sports in the summer. It was the longest he'd stayed away from Itachi…all of eight months…maybe I should have stayed sober that day? They'd hung out with Itachi a bit in the last few months, but never with alcohol involved. Gaara and Itachi had even gotten along really well. So, it wasn't just him that had betrayed Gaara…Itachi had too.
The familiar ache returned but his eyes continued to peruse the photos and his fingers continued to click through them, until it got too much to bear. He chucked the phone on to the desk - it slid off it and skittered across the floor. He let it rest there and moved to a couch by the large window. Settling onto it, he rested his head against the back…Naruto completely forgotten.
Naruto bade Ino and Kiba goodbye and threw himself onto a bean bag. The office was almost empty; Sasuke and his secretary were the only ones still here. She wasn't the bombshell kind of secretary that he'd expected…she was a quiet older woman who'd introduced herself as Shizune. He watched her work for a while…then he looked through the work Ino and Kiba had shown him. It hit half past six but there was no sign of Sasuke. Shizune nodded to him and packed up her things.
"He should be out soon, Naruto-kun. He's just finished up. Have a good night!"
Naruto smiled at her. "You too!" He waited another fifteen minutes and his phone buzzed. It was Itachi.
Are you guys done yet? Sasuke's not answering his phone.
Naruto frowned and glanced at the door again. He texted back. Sasuke's finishing up. Maybe he didn't hear it.
I brought dinner. Tell him it's his favourite pasta from De Maggio's.
Okay. I'll check if he's done. We should be back soon.
That decided it for him then. Naruto stretched and made his way to the door. Was the bastard brooding by the window? He gave the door a short rap and received no response. With a frustrated exhalation, Naruto opened the door, only to find the raven's phone by his foot. The Uchiha still hadn't acknowledged him. He picked it up about to say something and then focused on the picture displayed on the screen.
It was a picture of Sasuke on a rust-coloured couch with a Christmas tree behind it. The redhead he'd met today, Gaara, was lying with his head in Sasuke's lap. Neither of them was looking at the camera; Sasuke was stroking the red head's hair with a gentle smile on his face while Gaara seemed to be talking and gesturing. The happy and gentle expression on Sasuke's face in the picture contrasted with his current one.
He was sitting against the arm of the sofa, his arms on the back of the sofa with his head resting on them. The obsidian eyes were closed; his jet-black lashes and ebony hair fell softly onto the creamy cheeks. The lines of anger that graced Sasuke's face every time they conversed had smoothed out - he looked calm and almost at peace for the slight down turn of his firm lips that gave off an aura of sadness. It was the moment that broke through Naruto's defences. He couldn't help but stare…Sasuke was…he was…
Snipping that train of thought, he cleared his throat. "Sasuke…are you okay?" His voice came out a little hoarser than usual.
The spell broke the moment Sasuke opened his eyes…a fierce frown marred the beauty. Unfortunately for Naruto, now that he had acknowledged how beautiful the other was, the death glare didn't take away from it. One dark eyebrow rose at Naruto's question just as the sable eyes took in the phone in his hands.
"Give me that!" Sasuke was off the couch in seconds. He grabbed the phone from Naruto and shut the screen off. "Were you going through my phone?"
"No, I just picked it up off the floor." Naruto wondered what to say. "Um…Itachi messaged to say he'd picked up your favourite pasta. He was wondering when we'd get back."
Sasuke seemed to freeze for a moment. "He texted you?"
"You didn't reply." Naruto knew he should keep his mouth shut but he couldn't help the next question that popped out. "I met the dude in the picture today. Gaara…I hadn't realised he was your ex…"
The next expression on the Uchiha's did mar his beauty. "You know about me and Gaara…"
Naruto could have kicked himself. "Itachi said…"
"He did, did he?"
"He was trying to explain when I…that night. I don't think he meant to divulge…"
"Don't speak for him, Namikaze! You don't even know him!"
Naruto was getting annoyed now. "Oi, I do know him and he doesn't give away secrets just like that. He was trying to tell me that you had tried…dating…"
"Stop trying to rub it into my face that Itachi trusts you…enough to tell you about me! And don't bring Gaara up again. Spoilt fucking brat…"
"I'm not rubbing it in your face, asswipe." Naruto had had it with this. Even in the car, Sasuke had pitched into him. He just wanted things to be better…but no more. He was filled with a burning desire to injure the bastard. "I'm not the spoilt one, you are! You were the slut who wanted both of them…the one who betrayed your boyfriend because you couldn't keep your hands off…" Naruto suddenly knew he'd said too much but he couldn't stop. "Maybe Gaara was just the cover up!"
Pain exploded in his gut and he staggered back onto the couch winded. Sasuke was standing over him, pain and anger warring across his features. His hands were bunched into fists as he took deep breaths. Naruto expected another about of violence but the Uchiha spun around and headed to his desk. He grabbed keys and his phone heading towards the door but hesitated for a moment.
Suddenly Naruto felt something hit his leg and looked down to see Sasuke's car keys. The raven's face had gone impassive. "I'm not wasting any more time on this. One scratch on it and your toast."
Naruto watched his retreating back but didn't find it in himself to go after him. Stupid, stupid, stupid…he'd let his temper get the better of him and almost announced Sasuke's secret in his office. He looked around to see if there were any cameras but there didn't seem to be one.
He grabbed the keys at his feet and headed to the parking lot with someone hope that the raven had changed his mind. He hadn't. Throughout the drive home, he kept an eye out for him but to no avail. It had begun to rain in the interim which made him even more worried.
When he reached the apartment, he was surprised to find Fugaku there, sitting with Itachi on the couch. Both men greeted him and looked around for Sasuke.
"Uuhh…Sasuke had to head out to meet a friend. He should be back soon."
Itachi looked at the keys in Naruto's hand and have him a sharp look but Fugaku's frown smoothed out. "I have to get back home. Mikoto's made dinner and doesn't enjoy eating alone." He patted Naruto's shoulder. "I was just telling Itachi that we've just gotten an advertising project from Kirigakure. We've been trying to break into that market for years. Since it's a high publicity project, I would like to give it you and Sasuke. With you two rorking closely on it for the next two months, we should be able to project an image of absolute solidarity!"
A/N: This chapter was so hard to write. Some plot points were crucial to the story but moving the setting messed it up so much. It feels like it's turning into a new kind of story…a little darker with more of a part for Itachi. Itachi will come in soon as will a bit more smut! Please review!
Taka
