Author's Note: I know I haven't updated this story in forever, but I hope this chapter makes up for it – I made it extra long.

You'll be happy to know that all is well with me, and yes – I have an idea of where the next chapter will go. So, other than my busy college life (a heartfelt FUCK YES! to that!) and one of my other stories being updated (Spring is in for an update soon if you're watching that too), the next chapter will quickly be under way.

And yes, some ItaKisa is in the future. I had originally slated there to be ItaDei, and some of you who read it through before may notice the change in the last chapter, but that was a long time ago and part of the reason that I didn't update this for so long is because ItaKisa just seems so much more... natural. So I had to change it, and... it was an ugly mess.

Anyways, I didn't mean to write so much in the A/N, but I guess I got carried away. So, on with the severely overdue Chapter 7.

Muddy Waters

Chapter 7

by Taka Momos

Naruto looked like a deer caught in headlights – he was breathing erratically, body stiff, staring straight at Sasuke in a silent beg for help.

"Well, I think I should be going. It was a pleasure meeting you, Naruto." He gave a polite nod, turning to leave his brother alone with the blond, who was stuttering shyly. As the door close, Sasuke was quickly at Naruto's side, ushering him to the couch.

"I'm so sorry about him. I'd tell you that he's usually more behaved than that, but I'd be lying. Are you alright?" Naruto nodded into Sasuke's chest as strong arms wrapped around his shoulders. Sasuke laid them both down. An awkward silence passed between them, worrying the Uchiha.

"Naruto?" The blond remained silent, gasping in shaky, forced breaths, trying to stabilize his breathing. Sasuke cupped Naruto's chin in his hand and forced the other to look up at him – he was crying.

"Naruto, tell me what's wrong. Does Itachi scare you that bad? Because he's really not as bad as he was act–"

"It's not that."

"Then what?" The blond was slow to answer, but finally spoke just as Sasuke was growing impatient, quickly growing concerned with what was causing his blond to be so upset.

"I just had a bad dream." Sasuke let out a relieved breath.

"Do you want to talk about –" The frantic shaking of the head against his chest stopped him. He dropped the issue, holding him tighter while caressing his cheek lightly. He let a comfortable silence slip between them, hoping Naruto would fall asleep once again.

"Sasuke?" His voice was tired, quiet.

"Hmm?"

"Can we go somewhere tomorrow?"

"Like where?"

"Don't care..." Sasuke smiled as Naruto buried his head deeper into his chest. Before long, he could hear small snores from his little blond. He tried to shift them so that he could carry Naruto back to bed, but the small whine of disapproval told him that neither of them were going anywhere.

And he was fine with that.

Sasuke woke around his usual time, though he stayed in bed an extra hour or two to give Naruto time for more sleep. He couldn't bring himself to wake him – not with the comfortable smile on his face or the way he was resting on top of Sasuke on the couch. He felt shivers of warmth run through him every time the sunshine-blond made small noises in his sleep. He watched as the blond was lifted by his chest, rising and falling from his own breaths.

Naruto's rhythmic breathing was broken with a snort, after which he began to stir weakly. Sasuke rose a hand to steady him when he began to roll off his chest – before he could roll off into the floor. Stopped in his movements, stormy blue eyes opened slowly, meeting his own dark orbs.

A gentle smile crept across the tanned face.

"Mmm... morning." Their gaze stayed locked as the blond's tanned armed reached up to wrap around Sasuke's neck. Sasuke breathed into the wheat-colored locks presented to his face as a warm face nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

"Morning. Did you sleep well?" Golden hairs tickled his nose as Naruto nodded silently. He gently kissed the top of his head as he held him closer – tighter.

"Can we still go somewhere today?" Sasuke had completely forgotten about his promise the night before. He wasn't sure where he could take him.

"Where do you want to go?" Uncertainty flashed across Naruto's eyes.

"I don't know..." The familiar ring of shaken confidence was clear in his voice; Sasuke had forgotten to consider that Naruto didn't know places to go. Sasuke allowed a few moments of awkward silence to pass between them as he thought, he himself unsure of places to go that were "fun". This wasn't the kind of thing he had bothered to concern himself with. Finally, an idea struck him.

"I know! How about we go to the aquarium?" Naruto's darkening eyes quickly regained their sunny shine. The arms around his neck tightened, and he could feel what was definitely a genuine smile spread across the face pressed into his neck.

They stayed that way for a few more minutes – holding each other. Sasuke glanced out the window as the sun peaked over the still-dark horizon. In all the time he'd spent waking early in the morning to begin his work, he'd never once stopped to watch the sun rise. The orange glow of the morning sky was just something he'd noticed every now and then – something he'd taken for granted as he fought the morning traffic on his way to the office.

And now – now there was the very reason he noticed such an incredible sight clinging firmly onto him, burrowing against him sleepily. Never before had he felt so... warm. His arms tightened around his little fox, pulling the thin waist against his own.

"Hmmm?" Questioning blue eyes looked up at him.

"Nothing. Let's get something to eat." Naruto, while not considerably smaller than himself, was still thin from his life in the streets – light enough for him to lift and carry a ways towards the kitchen without much effort. Once relieved of his burden, he continued towards the refrigerator. A shiver ran up his spine as he moved from the soft carpet to the hard, cold stone of the kitchen floor.

"What do you want for breakfast?" A simple shrug was Naruto's response. He settled on eggs and toast, grabbing a few eggs before setting them on the counter and starting the toast. He flipped the stove on as he passed.

It didn't take long to finish cooking – Sasuke worked to move the eggs onto plates, then buttered the toast while Naruto sat idly, sleep still running deep in his face. He woke instantly when the smell of food filled his senses as the completed plate was slid in front of him. Sasuke had barely finished letting go of the fork he'd handed to him when Naruto dug in furiously to the food. He found himself staring at the way the blond shoveled the food into his mouth, almost not bothering to chew. It didn't take long for blue eyes to glance up uncomfortably.

"What?" he asked, the food still stuffed in his mouth muffling the word.

"Nothing." Sasuke smiled, shaking his head. He sat down and began his own breakfast.

After breakfast, showering, and struggling to find clothes that wouldn't make him stand out like... well, like a businessman in a sea of aquarium-goers, Sasuke finally walked into the room ready to spend a day surrounded by water and fish. Glancing around, he spotted a head of blond hair over the back of the couch, watching the news with his hands folded neatly in his lap. Sasuke walked up behind him quietly, snaking his arms around Naruto's neck, nuzzling into his hair.

It was when he pulled back that he noticed how Naruto was dressed – an obnoxiously orange shirt, an orange jacket, and a pair of Sasuke's own baggy black pants. Sasuke had decided on on a similar pair of pants and a tight-fitting tanktop. Naruto reached up to run his hands over Sasuke's muscled arms, turning his head to stare into his eyes with a smile. Sasuke bent down and kissed him gently.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Sasuke laughed at Naruto's excitement, walking to the counter to grab his cellphone and keys. As they headed out the door, Naruto grabbed onto Sasuke's hand, dragging him along. Sasuke smiled, enjoying the warmth of both Naruto's hand and the sun on his skin. It was already shaping up to be a good day.

"Woah..." Naruto's mouth was hanging open as he looked at the massive aquarium – the outside was a clever blend between a small water park and a sculpture garden. A small river ran through cleverly-designed cracks in the pavement, some areas large enough for children to play in and adults to wade across. Bridges adorned with ivy and abstract railing lifted over larger slabs of concrete, further contributing to the broken look. Fountains and sculptures using falling water were everywhere.

Sasuke had forgotten how amazing it was. He hadn't visited the aquarium since Itachi had taken him as a child.

Luckily, since they'd decided to visit on a weekday, there weren't many other visitors – Sasuke hated crowds. Feeling confident with no one looking, Sasuke wrapped an arm around Naruto's waist and pulled him forward, smiling at Naruto's still shell-shocked expression.

"Ready?" Naruto's expression relaxed before he finally nodded, a gentle smile settling across his lips. Another surge of warmth ran through Sasuke's body as he watched the blond bangs bounce off of the scarred cheeks.

Naruto's amazement returned as they walked through the aquarium – through tunnels and corridors of darkness and glass, behind which was massive amounts of water and tanks of colorful fish flitting about. Sasuke decided to talk the walking tour instead of the more commonly taken escalators. The sights were the same, though the walking path was more secluded and offered a view closer to the floor of the tanks instead of from the middle. They passed sharks, rays, seahorses, and an entire set of tanks dedicated to exotic fish. The tunnels led to a room filled with tanks of reptiles – snakes, lizards, turtles, and a larger room with alligators and a small swamp-like environment.

The next tunnel, longer than the first, took them further down, probably underground. It was darker and colder, with various kinds of sharks swimming around them. Once them reached the next turn, a small, square room, Naruto slowed down and stopped.

"Can we rest for a minute?" Sasuke was worn out from the walk as well, slightly regretting the path he'd taken. Naruto grabbed his hand and pulled him towards one of the walls – an entire side of a tank. They sat next to each other on the wide ledge.

Silence passed between them. They'd been comfortably quiet the entire tour, but this silence was difference. Sasuke looked over, about to ask if Naruto was alright, when he noticed that the other was shivering slightly. He reached over, wrapping an arm around the shaking shoulders, earning a smile. As Sasuke begin gently rubbing Naruto's shoulder, Naruto leaned his head against Sasuke's chest, snuggling deeper into the embrace. Sasuke leaned them both back against the small wall at the edge of the ledge, giving them a view of the tank while they rest. After a few minutes, Sasuke slipped his handed underneath Naruto's shirt, rubbing his arms.

"Naruto?"

"Hmmm?" he purred, tanned hands gripping onto his shirt.

"Are you alright?"

"Hng.... warm..." Sasuke smiled and pulled him closer, shifting Naruto so that his back was flush against Sasuke's chest. Naruto sighed, almost a moan, as Sasuke slipped his hand underneath Naruto's shirt rubbing in small circles up his stomach. Naruto's gasps quickly turned into bitten-off moans as Sasuke rupped his thumb over the dusky nipple. He leaned down to suck on the tanned earlobe, rolling it between his teeth. It was when Naruto let out choked gasp as Sasuke pinched the nipple that he quickly stopped. He hadn't meant to take it so far.

"Ahh... 'suke?"

"I'm sorry." Confusion clouded the half-lidded eyes before finally understanding. In an unexpected moment of confidence, tanned arms reached up to encircle Sasuke's neck, pulling him down slightly.

"You don't need to be." The warm, gentle smile was too much for him. Sasuke reached in and roughly grabbed Naruto's lips with his own, sucking harshly on his lower lip before scraping it gently with his teeth. Naruto's throaty moans set him on fire as he swiped his tongue across the lips, begging for entrance. He plunged in when Naruto parted his lips, battling for dominance he already had. His hands roamed, grabbing and rubbing where he could find purchase. They were only vaguely aware of the looming shadow above them that hung there. Sasuke looked down into Naruto's eyes, smoldering in the heat of passion, when suddenly the mouth he was plundering pulled away and cried out in surprise. His head shot up to look at the figure in front of them.

A diver.

"Sasuke?" His gaze shot over towards the familiar voice. And there he stood, smirk plastered in place.

Itachi.

"Itachi, what they hell are you doing here!?" Naruto was all but thrown on the ground as Sasuke discarded him from his lap, storming towards his still-smirking brother.

"Not having near as much fun as you appeared to be. I can leave while you two finish your... business." His brother nodded his head down at Sasuke's "business", forcing the younger raven to grudgingly retreat back to the ledge, seating himself to hide his evident bulge.

"Itachi... what are you doing here?" he ground out, the sudden awareness of the tightness in his pants being the only thing keeping him from throttling his brother.

"Sasuke, I'm hurt. You've forgotten. I take such an interest in your life, and you can't do the same." Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows angrily in confusion at Itachi's mock hurt, glaring until Itachi explained. His brother gave in with a sigh.

"Kisame." He nodded his head towards the diver. Sasuke suddenly remembered, mentally hitting himself for forgetting. Kisame worked at the aquarium – more specifically, he was in charge of the sharks' feeding, healthcare, and breeding. He turned to look at the diver, who waved in response.

"He was checking to see why the tanks were fogging, I supposed..." A rare blush hinted Sasuke's cheeks, before anger returned.

"That still doesn't explain what you're doing here." Noticing Naruto shivering beside him, he wrapped an arm around his little blond, pulling him closer. Sasuke shot a fiery glare when Itachi smirked in triumph at the act.

"I take my lunch break here. When he's working outside the tanks, we go get something to eat. When he's diving, I wait until he's out, then I join him in the showers for a little... personal session of depth-probing. You'd think he'd be tired after feeding sharks, but it only seems to get him even more excited. Me as well. Watching him peel off that skin-tight diving suit, knowing that soon he'll have me against the wall, ravaging me, pushing deep and thrusting hard and fast until we– "

"Stop!" While Sasuke's angry cry had stopped him from talking, the smoldering look in his eyes as he stared at the body of the diver behind them was inextinguishable.

"Anyways, come. I'll take you both back behind the tanks. We can go out to lunch together." Sasuke began to say no, but considered how rare of an opportunity it was to be behind the tanks, where only employees and their visitors were allowed. It would be an experience Naruto would never forget. He looked down at the scarlet fox, blushing madly from both being caught in the middle of such an intimate moment and Itachi's explicit ramblings.

"Do you want to?" Naruto only stared at the floor for a moment longer before nodding, earning a grin of triumph from Itachi.

"Come then!" They followed Itachi as he led them to a locked door stating 'Employees Only'. He pulled out Kisami's employee card and swiped it through the lock, earning them a beep and the sound of a lock granting them access.

Sasuke wrapped his arm tighter around Naruto as they walked through the door, almost growling possessively as Naruto leaned into him.

Author's Note: Again, I hope this chapter made up for how long it took to update. My policy still stands (after all this time, I know) – you review and favorite and all that lovely stuff, and I'll update sooner.

It's true. If you stroke my ego, I'll feel creative faster.

I'm such a sucker for that kind of stuff!