Of course that didn't deter him from heading to Itachi's apartment as soon as possible. He'd taken to jogging the way back after gardening in the past week, maybe to make up for having to leave Itachi to his own devices or even because he was missing out on baseball. He himself didn't really know, and he didn't bother thinking about it, either.

Itachi was once again in the kitchen when he arrived. He looked up from a boiling pot of water, smiling tiredly at Sasuke. "Hello, Otouto. You're back a little earlier than before."

Sasuke nodded, heading to his room. "I'll wash up really quick, and then I can help you, Nii-san." He tried to track as little dirt as possible, and then quickly undressed once in the safety of the bathroom he and his brother shared. Returning shortly after his shower, Sasuke had no time to revel in finally feeling free of the dirt, as he was directed into the kitchen to help.

"Wash your hands, Sasuke," Itachi scolded him, eyeing his distastefully.

Sasuke lifted the hands in question and inspected them, making the same face as his brother. "On it." He went to the sink and turned it on hot, then pumped a few times on the soap dispenser before lathering his hands as best he could. The shower had gotten rid of any surface dirt, but there was enough to make it noticeable. Even after borrowing a pair of Orochimaru's bright purple gardening gloves had dirt managed to make its way under his fingernails and around his cuticles. Sasuke scrubbed furiously for a couple minutes until his hands were raw and clean, then shut off the water and dried them.

Then he turned to Itachi, lifting a brow. "What can I do, Nii-san?"

His brother smiled, poking his forehead. "Nothing, silly otouto. I finished cooking dinner a few moments ago."

Sasuke snorted, following his brother out of the kitchen. Itachi could be so stubborn sometimes, insisting to do everything on his own. It was probably one of his most annoying traits, in Sasuke's opinion. The two sat down across from each other. "Itadakimasu," they both called out, taking up their chopsticks to eat. Sasuke himself gorged on the dinner, tired and drained from the long week. He ate most of, if not all, the tomato salad Itachi had prepared, and was contemplating whether to eat the last slice when his thoughts were interrupted.

"Otouto..." Itachi picked at his food mindlessly.

Sasuke straightened up. "Yeah?" He stared at his brother, who was almost as if in a trance. "What's wrong, Itachi?"

Whatever thoughts were plaguing the man's mind dissipated as he sighed, looking tired as possible. "How was school this week, hm?" His eyes took on a glimmer of fondness, of pleasure in hearing snippets of his dearest otouto's life.

"Well...," Sasuke swallowed. He stared down at his plate, not in a rush to answer. He also sighed and scooted back in his chair some, then shrugged nonchalantly. "It's fine, I guess. Just really repetitive. And it sucks that I'm missing out on baseball. But it was my fault, so..." He trailed off, finally making eye contact. "I don't mind it too much." After that, Sasuke found that he could no longer speak, since a lump had formed in his throat.

So much was going wrong this school year. And yet he knew that it was selfish to think about what he was missing out on when his brother sitting across the fucking table couldn't even pursue his passion. So, yeah, Sasuke felt stuck, because he was in a position where he could gain more than less fortunate people, and yet there was nothing going right for him. Did that even make sense? Did that make him a shitty person, if he wasn't happy with his life? Sasuke pondered these things, picking at the last grains of rice stuck to his plate with his chopsticks and nibbling on them mindlessly. At last he dumbly repeated, "I don't mind it too much."

Itachi nodded. "Ah. I'm worried because you seem more withdrawn than usual, Otouto." He smiled sadly as Sasuke stiffened. "I'm afraid of you not fitting in as well here when compared to the city. Back there, you have some friends, correct?" His gaze lowered once more. "I'm concerned... and Okaa-san is too. We think it might be better for you to return. Especially since the detention incident."

Sasuke gaped, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as all the information sunk in. Then his eyes narrowed. "You told Kaa-san?"

Itachi frowned. "Of course I did, Sasuke. You got detention within the first few months of school, you barely have any friends here, and you're missing out on baseball without a complaint. Baseball." He slumped in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "You've lost all of your motivation to do things."

Sasuke felt the lump in his throat grow bigger, watching his brother. What in the world was he even doing there? He'd come to the inaka to watch over Itachi, to ensure his health, and yet... Sasuke stared some more, feeling some of his anger towards his brother cool. He just looked so worldweary, so tired from his brother's antics.

But Sasuke's thin patience had run out. Anger quickly replaced his motivation to not give Itachi trouble. "Fine," he snapped, standing up, "you want to know how school has been? It's all a mess." He threw his hands up. "Just a stupid, jumbled mess of terrible, inconvenient things happening to me. And you want to know why they're all happening to me? Because this town is fucking ass. It's shit. And what's even worse are the people! Especially Sakura fucking Haruno. She's the reason I'm in detention, and why I don't have friends, and why I'm stuck gardening, of all things, instead of playing baseball like I should be."

Sasuke let out a mix between a laugh and groan. "It's all her fucking fault. And Naruto is a freaking pea brain that can't tell the difference between when a girl has a crush on him and when someone's asking to borrow a pencil. A pencil. So yeah, I fucking hate it here. I don't understand how you can LIKE being here!" For once, Sasuke let his mouth run, and while in a different situation it would have been a good thing, here, everything was spiraling out of control. But it was too late to go back; Sasuke's temper had already taken it too far. Soon after he finished, Sasuke quieted down again, staring at his plate, anger brewing within him.

Itachi sat at the table, watching him. "Sometimes," he started quietly, then a moment of silence. It stretched for what seemed like minutes, each second building more and more tension between them. "Sometimes I wonder if you would've been better off in the city, Sasuke."

They stared at each other before Sasuke broke it off, storming into his room and slamming the door. He locked it for good measure, feeling a faint sense of satisfaction from hearing it click. He paced around his room, restless; his heart was still pounding from the tension that had yet to be at ease. At last Sasuke flopped onto his bed and fell back, accidentally hitting his head on the headboard. "Fuck," he muttered, rubbing the spot. Then, after another pause, he dropped his hand and in the spur of the moment, pulled out his phone. He tapped on the screen to see his notifications. None. Disappointed, he turned his phone back off.

Sasuke leaned back, hitting his head again, this time only staring up blankly at the ceiling. He shut his eyes and listened. The front door slammed, but he stayed there lying on his bed for a moment, how long he wasn't sure. When he finally opened his eyes, he lifted his phone to his face once more. Before he could think to regret it, his phone was already chiming that god-awful tune that played in the rare occasions when he video chatted. Sasuke took that time to stare at himself in the blackness of his screen. He looked tired. There were dark bags under his eyes, he noted, itching the back of his head. After a few seconds, the screen expanded to show three concerned faces.

"Yo, Sasuke, you never call us."

"Shut the hell up, Suigetsu, at least he's calling us now!" An irritated voice blared from his phone's speakers. Sasuke winced slightly and lowered the volume.

"Bitchy much, Karin?"

The third ignored the dispute, still looking entirely worried. "Are you okay, Sasuke? You wouldn't call without a serious reason." The soft tone made him turn the volume back up.

Sasuke was about to speak, then paused, his mouth half open. All three noticed, and had quieted down, staring expectantly. After a short pause, one of them adjusted their glasses —a nervous tic, is all— and then gently prodded. "Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?"

At last, Sasuke spoke. "Nothing. I'm bored." There was an off-beat moment where they all stared at him silently through the screen, but he didn't say anything else after that.

"Oh," Suigetsu muttered, leaning back. His camera shook, wobbling in and out of view before settling on his face once more. "How's baseball? Coach is still bitching about losing our fastest pitcher. I bet those country bumpkins are completely blown away though, heh."

Karin jumped in, eager to add on. "Yeah, Sasuke-kun, you were one of the fastest pitchers in our precinct! How are you doing on the new baseball team?"

Jūgo stayed silent, still just watching with a concerned look. Sasuke sighed inaudibly. "I'm in detention. So I can't finish this season." He had closed his eyes once more, leaning back on the headboard, but opened one eye after his phone began vibrating vigorously in his hands. Naruto, the caller ID said. It would be easier to decline calls from him if he had the number saved, was his reasoning. Hence when it popped up, he quickly pressed 'decline', answering, "And I'm not pitcher. I'm catching."

After a second, Naruto called again, to which Sasuke declined a second time. He sat up in his bed, annoyed, swiping up to set it to "Do Not Disturb", but before he could, his screen lit up again. Decline. Another awkward pause.

Karin fiddled with her glasses and squinted at Sasuke. "Are you sure you don't need to talk to someone else or something?"

For a moment, Sasuke stared, contemplating. "I have to go," he muttered, looking away. His phone lit up again, vibrating vigorously in his hand, but this time, exited his current call and accepted the new one, leaving the trio to themselves.

Suigetsu yawned, showing off his abnormally sharp teeth. "So that was a nice talk."

"What," he snapped, already feeling done with the conversation that had yet to even really begin. Sasuke ran a quick hand through his hair and then stared expectantly for an answer.

Naruto gave a too-wide grin. "Oh, hey, Sasuke! You actually answered this time. Um... yeah. Just wanted to check up on you. Since you've been kinda withdrawn lately. And stuff." He fumbled with his phone, giving Sasuke a blurry shot of his face.

Sasuke frowned. Naruto sure as hell did not have 'withdrawn' in his everyday vocabulary. "Did my brother ask you to call me?" His dark eyes flitted to the bedroom door accusingly before meeting his screen again, idly wondering when Itachi would be back. Did he even lock the front door?

Sighing for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, Sasuke got up, left his room, ensured the front door had indeed been locked, and then sat on the edge of his bed once more. In the minute that that had taken, Naruto still hadn't answered. "Well?"

The blond scratched the back of his neck, looking pointedly off camera. "Look, he didn't really tell me what happened, I'm not really good at these," he started awkwardly, "but Itachi-nii is trying the best he can, Sasuke. Don't forget that he also came here to get better. "

Sasuke nodded his head, staring off. Itachi's words echoed in his head. Sometimes I wonder if you would've been better off in the city. A small voice in the back of his head whispered, sometimes I wish you'd never come. He blinked and then snorted. "Tch. Obviously, idiot." Now it was time to switch tactics. Sasuke cleared his throat, attempting to look less pissed off and more nonchalant. "So. How's baseball?"

Immediately Naruto beamed, looking half excited and half relieved as he launched into the last day of practice. "—it was really fun! We got to just rotate between batting and fielding, which was great since we didn't have to run as much as we usually would. At the end Asuma-sensei told us he was proud and then we all did one last huddle before leaving." The blond stopped to catch his breath before continuing. "Kiba thought of doing a get-together after practice at Chōji's barbecue place to celebrate the season, but I said that you should be there too. So now we're going next Friday instead. Is that alright? Detention should be over for you."

Sasuke paused, then shrugged. "I dunno. I'll have to see," he lied, as if he hadn't already planned on not going. If he declined now, Naruto would whine and complain, but if he could make it seem like something had come up, then there wouldn't be any questions asked. He smirked to himself. Idiot.

"Awesome!" Naruto cheered, mistaking the smirk for a smile. "I'll let you know the details later then. Or you can ask Shikamaru or Kiba or any of them; I think everyone will be there." He looked upwards, trying to recall correctly. "Yeah! Everyone should be coming."

Just as Naruto was about to start blabbing about another subject, the front door opened. Shit. Quickly, Sasuke muttered an explanation to the blond before hanging up on him and frantically messing up his blankets and position before laying still. He laid on his side while facing his window, his back to the bedroom door so that only the corner of his eye could pick up on it slowly opening.

In stumbled Itachi, causing him to shut both eyes and go boneless. Sasuke tried to even his breathing, making his inhales and exhales longer. At first it was as light as a feather, the sensation on his arm. But slowly, Sasuke realized, as the blankets on his bed began to rise, the blankets that had been messily tangled with his arms and legs were being rearranged neatly to cocoon him. He didn't dare to move an inch, his body now extremely taut. Sasuke felt the warm breath of someone on his cheek, and had to make a conscious effort to not let his eyelids flutter. He kept his face blank, even when he smelled the alcohol of whatever Itachi had been drinking. Gradually, his brother retreated, footsteps unsteady, before closing Sasuke's door so gently that he had to wait a few minutes before opening his eyes slightly to peek through in the corner of his eye to make sure he was truly gone. Safe.

Sasuke shifted in his blankets and exhaled slowly. It was then that he bothered to open both of his eyes, but that quickly changed as he squeezed them shut once more, if only to keep the tears of frustration from streaming down his face any more.

Guess who's back after three months of inactivity! Me! Woohoo!Lol I have aquestion if you guys would be so kind as to answerit. How do you feel about the chapters that don't directly involve SS? Like this one, where it focuses on character?