Author's Notes: Update! Yay! xD hehe Ne'ways, yeah, sorry for taking so long to update this. (Again.) But nevertheless, there's no time like the present:) Thanks for all the feedback I got for chapter 7. x3 That was uber sweet of all of you. :3

Hm, well, I wanna thank all of my reviewers! You guys kick butt:D Anyways, thought I should mention, I was listening to "The Chairman's Waltz" from Memoirs of a Geisha when I was writing this, so maybe that's why this chapter might seem uber sad. xD But, eh, what the heck, I know you guys could handle it. ;) Enjoy.

Disclaimer.

OoOoOoO

He found himself practically embedded into that beautiful blue skin.

He couldn't let Kisame go; he wouldn't. This was all just a joke, after all, right? Of course Kisame wasn't going to leave him. His Love would never ever leave him. He had promised that a long time ago…

"Kisame, dear, stop playing around. After all-" Itachi whispered, trying his absolute best to hold back his brimming tears, "we just-"

"Had sex?" Kisame interrupted, breaking into a deceitful laugh, "You think I ever felt anything for you, Itachi? You really are pathetic."

With that said, Kisame forced himself out of Itachi's loving embrace, pushing the younger man to the ground with a rather cruel chuckle following right after. Heaven's couldn't imagine the grief in Itachi's face when he felt that leisure pain on his back from the impact Kisame had shoved him with.

Tears spilled from out of his eyes, and his heart was now severed into two pieces. He had never felt so much pain in his life. Hell, he had never felt pain anywhere throughout his entire existence. No regret. No mercy. No pain.

The only love he held inside his stone-cold heart was for Kisame, and now, even that was being torn away from him.

What had he done to deserve this?

"The only reason I had put up with you all of these years, was merely because you were a good fuck once in a while", Kisame continued, pulling up his pants and smirking down at the blank expression on Itachi's face, "But I never loved you, darling."

Traumatized even more, a river of tears didn't hesitate from pouring out his crimson eyes. This was just too much to take in, far too much.

"K-Kisame…?", Itachi managed to croak, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"What?", the older man snapped back, pulling down his shirt to fit his buff figure.

"I…", Itachi whispered, his voice almost nothing, "l-love you…"

Those three words were ever filled with intense hope and love, decorated with the Uchiha's yearning tears. The sight would bring back any man into his arms again, but Kisame was different. Cold he was. He ignored him, and replied only with a mocking laugh.

"W-why…? Why do you do this, Kisame?" Itachi croaked again, staring with diluted scarlet eyes at Kisame's passive expression, "Why…?!"

"Why?" Kisame scoffed, kneeling down in front of Itachi's thrown figure, "Because I feel like it, bitch"

His eyes were dead now. God could not even dare describe the misery Itachi was going through. Those harsh words that were barked in his face like if they were nothing…those horrible remarks Kisame made to him, and the way Kisame had torn his heart out his chest and stomped on it without remorse.

He felt nothing anymore, only thrown and cornered with an overwhelming amount of pain and grief. His pride was broken and his body was used.

Most importantly, his love was refused and shoved back into his chest in the harshest of ways.

"Please…" Itachi begged again, hope now rendered and corrupted in his heart, "don't leave me…I-I need you…"

With his spilling tears, and tangled hair, he threw himself at Kisame's legs. Embracing them as if they were his lifeline. Despite the stiffness of Kisame's movements, he held on to them even the more close, weeping into them and whispering lovely little nothings into his knees.

"Why would I want to stay?", Kisame whispered, looking down at Itachi as if he were a lost puppy, displaying one of his callous grins across his lips.

"You promised…you p-promised you would…you promised…", Itachi croaked, his words slurring with his tears and gloom.

This was getting annoying. Too annoying for the matter. Did he not get it yet in his pretty little head that he was no longer loved?

"You think I ever gave a flying shit about you?!" the blue-skinned man shouted, desperately trying to shove his legs away from the trembling figure beneath him, "Is it so hard for you to understand that I'm sick and tired of fucking the same thing?!"

Those words were fake. Of course they were. They had to be. This was all a joke. It wasn't real. It couldn't be.

"I'll do anything…Kisame", Itachi whispered, a nonexistent smile pressing across his lips as he held on even tighter to the larger man's legs, "Anything for you…don't l-leave me…"

"Oh don't be sad, love. I'm sure there are plenty of other men out there who would love to fuck that pretty little ass of yours", Kisame chuckled, tugging one of his legs away from Itachi's weakening grip, "Or you know what? You still have your little brother. You could go ahead and screw him all you want. You sick little butterfly."

Butterfly.

The nickname that Kisame had placed upon Itachi when they had first met; how Itachi treasured that pet name. Yet, now, it might be the last time he would ever hear it. The last time he would ever hear anything from his Beloved.

"Farewell, Itachi, my love", Kisame laughed tauntingly, running his hand through the Uchiha's tangled charcoal strands of hair one last time before shoving his other leg away from Itachi with brute strength.

With a final wave of his hand, he rushed towards the door and slammed it shut, almost breaking down the house.

"KISAME! COME BACK! PLEASE!" Itachi squeaked, his throat constricted from the massive amount of grief vibrating throughout his body, his essence, "K-kisame…"

Broken and torn, the Uchiha clutched his knees close to his chest, curling himself into a trembling ball; tears encrusting his face, scarring trails throughout his chest.

He'd left him. And now, he had Nothing.

Nothing at all, but a large orb of nothingness beating slowly in his chest.

He could only think of a certain someone afterwards. The only person who could possibly understand how all of this felt.

Sasuke…

OoOoOoO

He had spent the night with the blonde, and his cheerful laughter had awoken him.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto whispered rather loudly in Sasuke's ear, "It's 2 in the afternoon! You should wake now."

Sasuke leisurely lifted the lid of his right eye, only to spot the marvelous beauty of Naruto right in front of him. His breath was taken away the moment he stared right into the glorious blue orbs gazing at his sleeping figure. Was Naruto actually checking him out while he was sleeping?

"2 already…?", Sasuke whispered, rubbing his forehead as he sat up on the mat he was sleeping on.

"Yup. Gaara's gonna be here really soon, so yeah…", the blonde trailed off, standing up and looking out the window located near his bed, "I was kind of hoping that he wouldn't come though."

This sparked the raven a bit more, and he couldn't help but to let a smile tug at his lips, "Why?"

He shrugged, "I dunno. I just don't feel like confronting him just yet."

"Well, you don't have to if you don't want to…after all, you do love him and all", Sasuke whispered, dropping his smile and lowering his head.

Naruto noticed the sudden sadness in his voice and decided to immediately try and cheer him up again. After all, it was his specialty.

"Enough about me", he continued, sitting next to Sasuke on the mat, "Don't think I forgot about yesterday. Listen, that thing with your brother, remember what I told you. You need to talk to him, and if things get out of hand, don't hesitate to call the police. What he's doing to you…isn't right."

"But I can't do that…", the raven whispered, lowering his head once again, "he's my brother…I can't do that to him."

"But he could do that to you!?", Naruto shouted, almost slapping Sasuke on the head for saying something so utterly stupid, "You've gotta learn how to stand up for yourself! You can't let people push you around like that…y'know. I know…how that feels."

Sasuke's eyes widened a bit at that comment. What did Naruto mean by that?

"Anyways", the blonde continued, brushing away his comment with a sway of his hand, "Remember what we talked about."

The raven quickly nodded, turning to look at the saddened expression on Naruto's face. Why was he acting like that? It hurt him seeing his once exuberant cheerful angel sadden that way. It didn't quite fit him.

"Naruto…?"

"It's nothing."

With a small smile, Sasuke took the moment to once again bring Naruto into his arms. It felt so right yet again, having his lean figure pressed upon his chest, and his beautiful welcoming warmth shared throughout his own body. Gingerly, he ran his pale fingers into Naruto's silky yellow hair. Not a single tangle present in it.

He could hear his controlled breathing on his chest, and he could feel arms wrapping themselves on his waist.

Naruto was holding him. Naruto was actually accepting him.

"I'll find a way, I promise", the blonde whispered into Sasuke's ear, his voice just barely audible.

This made the raven's eyes shoot wide open in lovely surprise. What did he mean by 'he would find a way'?

He held him tighter anyway, it didn't matter, and all that mattered was their bond. Their embrace. Their warmth. Their care. Their…love?

"You should go now, teme", Naruto smiled, lifting himself from the embrace and rubbing his head in embarrassment, "Don't want Gaara to see you here, he'd lose it."

"Um…okay", Sasuke replied almost a decade later, not very conscious of what he was saying; his eyes were still in the daze of their not-so-long-ago hug, not to mention, the clear blush surfacing on his cheeks wasn't helping him at all, "When can I see you again?"

Naruto blushed. Was that like…a date? And the way he said it… No, he couldn't, he couldn't fall for Sasuke. That would be like cheating on Gaara, right? He couldn't do that. Not ever.

Yet, he couldn't deny to himself that he felt something for the raven ever since he saw him at the park that faithful day, and to top it all off, Sasuke liked him. He had admitted it just yesterday. He wanted Sasuke. He really did. But Gaara…he couldn't leave Gaara.

After all those suicide threats Gaara had thrown at him, he just couldn't leave him. No matter how much he wanted to.

Sasuke…

"Um, maybe tomorrow," Naruto whispered, tearing his yearning gaze away from Sasuke's gorgeous obsidian eyes, "Meet me near the ice-cream parlor, I'll be there. After all, Gaara's working tomorrow. Besides, school's not 'til 2 weeks."

Sasuke smiled and nodded calmly, "Okay, I' be there. And…Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"If all goes well with my brother…could he come?" Sasuke asked, his voice almost a whisper.

"Huh? Whaddya mean? The guy could kill us y'know!" Naruto shouted, almost completely thrown back at such a dangerous offer, "I don't think I could look straight into the eyes of the man that did all those horrible things to you. How could you even say that?! You're supposed to detest him for what he's done to you!"

The raven's eyes widened a bit surprised even at himself for thinking that a monster such as Itachi would even hear him out when he confronted him. Let alone, eat ice-cream with him and meet Naruto without going insane in public.

"You're right…" Sasuke quickly replied after imaging in his mind how Itachi would react towards Naruto.

"Yeah, well, anyways, good luck with him. And don't forget to call the flippin' police if he tries anything again. You have got to promise me that, okay?" the blonde said, his voice firm and serious, "I don't want you to get hurt…"

Sasuke couldn't help but to smile gleefully at how much Naruto cared about his being. No one ever did care.

"I promise."

"Good", Naruto sighed, standing up and helping Sasuke to his feet, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow", Sasuke repeated, still in complete daze of everything the blonde had just said to him.

Then, in a moment's flash, he felt two warm pairs of lips kissing down at his cheek. Sasuke almost peed in his pants when he noticed it was Naruto himself. This so couldn't be happening.

Naruto…kissing him?

Then as soon as it had happened, it disappeared; leaving a reddening Uchiha standing like an idiot who'd just seen a ghost in the middle of the room. He had never felt something like this before. He'd never been kissed, or so he thought, oblivious of the kiss Itachi had given him when he had passed out.

"Haha. You look adorable", the blonde smiled, patting Sasuke on the shoulder tenderly, "cya soon, yeah?"

"Y-yeah…" Sasuke finally replied, still in la-la land as he made his way towards the door, almost tripping over his own two feet.

"Be careful there, teme!" Naruto happily warned, opening the apartment door for Sasuke, "I'll miss you, take care! Don't forget about tomorrow!" he shouted from across the apartment building as Sasuke made his way down the steps, still in Cloud 9 from what just had happened.

Naruto…

That was, by far, the best moment of his entire life.

OoOoOoO

Had that just happened?

That moment of complete and utter happiness?

I never knew how such feeling felt, yet now, it all seems so clear to me…

8 years of stalking him, 8 years of shame, and now I am here. I could only thank God for this Miracle.

Naruto, my beautiful Naruto.

xXx End of Sasuke's PoV xXx

It was 2:30pm now, according to his watch. Itachi was more than likely home by now from wherever he might have gone.

Nothing about going home excited him. Not even the many advice that Naruto had given him to straighten things out with his brother had given him enough courage to actually just go up to Itachi like that and confront him.

Most likely, if he did that, Itachi would more than likely kill him without hesitation.

But then again, Sasuke couldn't let this go on. This had to end. It just had to. Even if it meant going through the worst possible beatings his sadistic brother could come up with. Not that he was already beaten, and bruised to no limit, but still, he didn't want to feel that horrific pain again.

He was now in front of his home's door. That is, if you even called it a home. This house…this house was not a "home". It was a free ticket towards Hell.

With a final sigh, Sasuke knocked on the door; figuring out in his mind what he would tell Itachi, and most importantly, having Naruto's face in mind after every single word that came out of his mouth.

But no answer.

He knocked again.

No reply.

He tried knocking as loud as he could with his knuckles, just enough not to fracture his bones.

But, still, no answer.

He gave up on the formal meeting he had in mind, and just got out his keys and slammed them inside the knob, twisting the door open.

He couldn't believe the sight before him after he locked the door. It was something that made his eyes immediately well up into tears and disintegrate his very being into tiny crumbs of nothingness.

His breath hitched, and his heart rate skyrocketed to a level that he didn't know was possible.

There it was, his very own brother sprawled on the floor naked, trembling, and bleeding. Sasuke immediately noticed the cuts on one of his wrists, and it seemed that he was struggling to cut the next one.

He choked up, and screamed. Screamed from the top of his lungs as he fell to his knees and sloppily crawled as fast he could towards his bleeding brother. He almost fainted when he noticed the large puddle of blood pooling his brother's gorgeous nude figure. It was horrendous.

Horrendous to see your own family dying right in front of you in the middle of the kitchen floor.

"Itachi!? Itachi! Answer me! Itachi!" the raven shouted, shaking his brother's chest gently, noticing his brother's distant watery gaze falling upon his own vexed one, "Itachi…! Why did you do this…?! Itachi!"

"O-otouto…", Itachi whispered, his voice but a croak as he lifted his un-inflicted hand towards Sasuke's wet cheek, "you…c-came b-back…"

"Itachi…" the raven whispered, relieved that his brother was still alive, "W-why…? Why!…?"

A small smile tugged its way to Itachi's lips, despite the horrible pain he was going through, both emotionally and physically, "It's for the b-best…for the both of us…"

"It's not, Itachi! No! This isn't it!" Sasuke shrieked, bringing his brother's trembling figure onto his lap, "You could've changed…given yourself a chance! You didn't have to do this!"

"People…cannot…change, S-sasuke…" the long-haired beauty whispered, tears slowly spilling from his crimson eyes when he noticed the love Sasuke held in his own ebon ones, "I've tried….I-I…don't want to…hurt you, anymore…"

"I-itachi…! Damnit! Don't die on me! Please! I need you! I need you here with me!" Sasuke squeaked, sobbing uncontrollably as he embraced his brother's figure deeper into his arms, "I-I love you…please…don't go…please…"

Those words…those very words were the ones that he, himself, had pleaded towards Kisame. Those very words. It was so clear to him now, how Sasuke felt at that very moment. It all seemed so clear. Everything.

"Does it feel…as if…you're heart has been…torn in two…?", Itachi whispered, wrapping his unharmed arm around Sasuke's neck.

The raven whimpered, sobbing like if there was no tomorrow on his brother's very shoulder, "Worse than that…it feels as if I'm losing a part of me…", he whispered, tightening his grip on Itachi's slender waist.

The older Uchiha couldn't help but to smile. Did Sasuke not hate him for everything he had done to him? All the pain and misery that he had to go through because of him? Did that not make him despise him in the most intense of ways?

"D-do you…not, hate me, Otouto?" Itachi asked, his words but slurred whispers dancing around Sasuke's tense ear.

He didn't hesitate to answer that question. What was there to think about? Itachi was his brother. He could never hate him. There was no way he could really detest his own Brother. There was just no way.

"No", Sasuke sobbed, his tears cascading down Itachi's bare shoulder, "Never. I could never hate you, aniki."

Itachi chuckled quietly, with what was left of him. He couldn't deny that he could die at that very moment. He had lost much blood, and he was beginning to lose grip on his breathing. Each breath he took ached.

He felt guilty taking in air. He felt as if he did not deserve it for being the horrible man he was. For treating his brother that way…and for being the insane person he was.

"I'm calling the ambulance. Don't you dare die on me", Sasuke whispered, desperately trying to calm down his sobbing as he gently laid Itachi's figure on the ground.

Still a nervous wreck, Sasuke made his way towards the kitchen phone, shakily smashing the numbers 9-1-1, and then bringing the phone up to his ear.

"Sasuke…", Itachi whispered, his eyes staring dearly at his little brother.

Could people truly change?

Could he change?

Sasuke couldn't quite hear Itachi from his bunching, loud, nervous words he was shouting at the operator, but nevertheless, Itachi felt he had to say something. Something that he had kept hidden in his heart for so long; even if it remained unheard, he would be able to get out his chest before his possible death later that day.

3 words. 3 words that ached to be said, 3 words that were begging to escape his lips; 3 words that he had been scared to say for so very long.

"I…love you…", he whispered, before peacefully closing his eyes and falling into what seemed to be sleep, but then again, it could have been his final eternal slumber.

I…I can change…Sasuke…

OoOoOoO

Oh, god. T-T I think I overdid it on Itachi. Poor poor weasel. -.- Hm, any opinions on if I should kill him or not? xD But, meh, either way, he deserves that and more, right? xD I hope you guys liked it. :D It took me quite some time. Expect chapter 9 real soon, yeah? ;) Reviews and feedback are very well appreciated! xD Regards.