Disclaimer: Naruto and Sasuke do not belong to me. Once again.

To my current readers, Itachi's use for Naruto will be revealed in Chapter 4, the reason for which is revealed through these next two. So, read on!

CHAPTER 2

Sasuke slipped quietly down the hall, heading for Naruto's room. It had been only one day since they had met, but already he was determined to make good on his promise; he would spend as much time with Naruto as he could, and protect him in any way that he could.

And even though it had been just one day, Sasuke wouldn't for a minute put it past Itachi to have done something horrible to Naruto already. And so Sasuke's arms were laden with things he had smuggled for the blonde, things he was sure Itachi would deny him at all costs. He stopped at the front of Naruto's room, glancing nervously over his shoulder at Itachi's firmly closed door. He shook his head, and turned to face forward again.

As before, he didn't knock, but the moment his hand had begun to turn the knob, the door swung wide.

For a moment, he was taken aback, but Naruto smiled and pulled him by the arm into the room. As Naruto shut the door behind his back, Sasuke noticed what was different about him. His orange ninja-suit was gone, replaced by something that resembled something he himself might wear; a dark navy shirt emblazoned with the Uchiha crest on its back, and light beige cargo pants.

Naruto shifted under Sasuke's scrutinizing gaze.

"I know I'm not an Uchiha," he muttered. "But Itachi-san told me I'm as good as, since I belong to him now."

Itachi-san? Sasuke rolled his eyes. No doubt Itachi was making Naruto call him that. But he noticed Naruto glancing eagerly at what he held in his hands, and the blonde gave a soft cry of ecstasy as he saw that one of the items was a package of ramen. Sasuke looked at him curiously, and his lips turned up into a smile.

"You like ramen?" he asked amusedly, holding it up. Naruto nodded as his slender hands took it from his own. Sasuke gave an inward sigh and moved to the bed, sitting down and setting everything beside him. Naruto tentatively sat down next to him, and it was then that Sasuke noticed how different these clothes made Naruto seem.

"You look just I would," Sasuke said. "Those clothes look like they could be mine."

"They are yours," Naruto told him shyly. "Itachi-san said so."

Sasuke gaped at him. Naruto was wearing clothes that once belonged to him. Perplexed, he lifted his hands with abandon and ran them down Naruto's sides, causing the blonde to jump and blush furiously. Sasuke chuckled at him, and flashed a smile.

"Sorry," he said, grinning in sheer amusement. "Those look like clothes I wore quite a while ago. You have a small frame, I guess."

Naruto shifted away from him again, looking embarrassed rather than annoyed. And suddenly it hit Sasuke; even though he barely knew Naruto, he could sense how unnatural this kind of behavior was for him.

"Naruto." he said sharply, and Naruto swung around to face him. "You're not a shy person. Stop acting so submissive."

"Sub...missive?" Naruto said, and then frowned. "But you're right, I'm not like this. I hate it."

Sasuke sat up straighter at the completely different tone Naruto was using. It was more confident, more grown-up, more like the person he thought Naruto should really be.

"I'm... actually..." Naruto barked a short laugh, a noise that momentarily startled Sasuke. "If you ask the people I knew when I was younger... I'm a ball of energy, really..."

And he rambled on, his cheeks flushed and his lips never falling from the brilliant smile they wore. Sasuke smiled and listened intently as the true Naruto slowly stepped from the shadows of trepidation he had been lurking in.

"And I really do love ramen!" Naruto told him brightly, grinning in such a manner that seemed as though it belonged to him and him alone.

"And this is the real Naruto?"

"Well..." Naruto laughed nervously. "As real as I can be."

"You know..." Sasuke mused. "What's your surname? Seems a bit weird to call you 'Uchiha Naruto' or something."

He watched as Naruto's eyes suddenly fell downcast and the smile did finally fade from his face. Instantly, he felt as though he'd said something wrong.

"Naruto..." he said quietly, extending a hand to the blonde's. "What's wrong?"

"I'm an Uzumaki." Naruto told him just as quietly.

"Uzumaki, huh?" Sasuke said, blinking once. "I remember that family. Yondaime..."

"My father, yes. I trust you heard about his death and his bravery." Naruto's voice sounded defensive now. "I was young when that happened, and so I was sold... into a kind of slavery like this. And fifteen years later, here I am."

He gestured to himself, but smiled back up at Sasuke again.

"Here you are." Sasuke repeated.

Naruto cast his eyes back to the items between them, and picked up a small cake absentmindedly. As he unwrapped it and lifted it to take a bite, a wicked idea scampered through Sasuke's mind. Before he could stop himself, his hand rose and smashed the cake straight onto Naruto's lips and nose.

For a moment, the blonde sat dumbfounded, his eyes blinking rapidly above a mess of cream that covered his face. Sasuke's hands flew to his mouth as he attempted to stifle the hysterical laughter that threatened to explode from him. And to his delight, he could see a challenge creeping into the waters of Naruto's eyes.

He was off the bed and at the open door in a flash, turning back to Naruto with challenge written all over his face. Naruto jumped up to the door, but hesitated. Sasuke's eyes glinted in his direction, and he threw caution to the wind and tore down the hall after Sasuke. They weren't very concerned by the fact that their shouts and laughs were loud and carrying, but when Naruto's hand finally closed around the back of Sasuke's shirt, they toppled onto the floor as Itachi came around the corner.

They both fell silent, and Sasuke felt Naruto's hands tighten around his waist in fear. The blonde's sharp intake of breath went unheard by Itachi, and Sasuke stubbornly stood and helped Naruto to his feet as well.

"Sasuke." Itachi sounded stupefied instead of furious, but his eyes were glaring pure hatred at Naruto.

"What?" Sasuke said, not even trying to control his annoyance.

"Exactly what are you doing?"

"Running through my house."

"With the boy?"

"With Naruto, yes." Sasuke told him indignantly, and Itachi folded his arms over his chest.

"And who told you that you could?"

"You are not going to tell me what to do. You can't."

"But I can tell him what to do."

Sasuke frowned up at him. Itachi was right; there wasn't really any way around that fact. He made a noise of protest as Itachi pulled Naruto's arm from his grasp, and led him down the hall. Naruto's head twisted back in his direction, managing a smile through his helplessness.

Sasuke snorted and bulled his way after Itachi, stopping only just out of sight as they reached Naruto's door.

"You stupid boy," Itachi snarled at Naruto, gripping his arm harder. "Who in the hell told you that it was all right to leave this room?"

"No one," Naruto said, fighting to keep his voice frightened, rather than angry as he would have had it. "I just... followed Sasuke."

"My brother is none of your concern," Itachi told him maliciously, twisting his arm again so that Naruto cried out in pain. "You will not talk to him again, do you understand me?"

Naruto half-nodded, and Itachi's eyes settled to assess the cream on Naruto's face.

"And what is on your face?"

"It's..." Naruto didn't know what to say; he knew he couldn't tell Itachi that it was from a cake he wasn't allowed to have in the first place. "Um..."

And Itachi slapped him. The sound rang out, sharp and clear, and Sasuke threw himself around the corner with fury. Itachi turned as Sasuke's fist met the side of his face, and Naruto jumped back into his room with a yelp.

Itachi stepped back, running a hand under his now-bleeding nose, and glared loathingly at Sasuke.

"You leave him alone," he growled, and stalked off down the hallway without so much as a backward glance at Naruto. The blonde sighed, and pulled a seething Sasuke inside the room, shutting the door with a snap.

"How dare he!" Sasuke raged, bringing a hand to Naruto's face, despite the other's embarrassed protests. He gently ran his thumb over the bruised red patch on Naruto's cheek.

"I'm sorry," he said absently, still intensely fussing over Naruto's cheek, now intent on wiping away the cream. "It's my fault... I can't help that you 'belong' to Itachi, but I shouldn't have smashed that cake in your face... shouldn't have led you out into the hall like that..."

"Sasuke," Naruto said, and once again Sasuke looked up in surprise at the commanding tone. "I'm glad you did."

Sasuke merely stared at him.

"I mean," Naruto said, smiling shyly again despite himself. "It's nice to feel like I'm not trapped in here all the time."

Sasuke lowered his hand, and stared at Naruto with a mix of pity and wonder.

"And... I'd rather have you than Itachi-san."

"Well," Sasuke said, a smile twitching at his lips as he recognized the compliment. "I'm sure anyone's better than Itachi."

"Yeah..." Naruto said slowly, but then he grinned mockingly. "But why don't you just take the compliment!"

And Sasuke laughed with him, feeling carefree for the moment. But deep down he knew that he would have to battle with Itachi in the future, if he wanted to keep Naruto safe, and keep his promise.

"All right, then," he said, playfully grabbing Naruto's head under his arm and resmearing the cream. "Yeah... Sasuke-san it is!"

And outside the door, Itachi frowned. This would not do at all.

T.B.C...