The rain fell softly, dark clouds high in the rumbling sky. Sasuke looked up at the sky, letting the rain wash over his face with his eyes closed.

"You know Itachi, you were a great brother to me as a kid. I don't know what happened to you that made you change, but it doesn't matter anymore. You can't hurt me anymore, you can't destroy my life. My pain is over, I'm free. This will be the last time I see you, I'm not coming back again. Goodbye big brother."

Sasuke turned away from his brother's grave and smiled sadly to Neji, taking his hand.

"Are you sure this is what you want Sasuke? It's not too late to change your mind."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder to the Uchiha graveyard and then to the last building standing proudly on the compound. "I'm sure Neji. I don't want to grow up in the house which has so many tainted memories for me. It will stay standing up until I die, then any kids I might have can decide what they want to do with it."

Neji nodded but stayed silent as they walked away from the Uchiha compound. The rain had stopped now and the dark clouds cleared, reflecting the beginning of a new life on the world below. The two walked in silence, enjoying the simple pleasure of being in the other's company.

"Sasuke! Neji! Heeeeeeeeeeey!"

Sasuke and Neji turned around to see Naruto and Sakura running towards them, Naruto clutching his arm; an indicator he had said something to piss off Sakura again.

"So how'd it go?" Sasuke looked at the pink haired girl and shrugged.

"Fine."

Sakura looked at Neji, then back at Sasuke. "We haven't seen you in a few days, we were worried."

"I was busy Sakura. And I'd rather not talk about it."

Sakura was about to say more, but Neji interrupted her. "I'm sorry Sakura, but you'll have to excuse us. We're soaking wet and would like to go home and change. Sasuke will talk to you when he's ready. Same for you Naruto." Without another word, Neji turned and pulled Sasuke along with him, heading home.

"Thanks..." Sasuke mumbled, not looking up at his boyfriend.

"You're not ready to talk about it, it's understandable. Sometimes I think Sakura speaks before she thinks. She's as bad as Naruto you know."

Sasuke snorted at the comment and looked up, linking him arm with Neji's and resting his head on his shoulder as they walked. "Do you think I made the right choice?"

"I don't know Sasuke, only you do. Do you think you made the right one?"

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, it's all been so confusing. Ever since he came back he messed everything up, just like he planned. I don't know if sentencing him to death was the right thing to do or not..."

"Listen, you're tired. Why don't we just get cleaned up and talk about this later?"

Sasuke nodded and walked up the steps to their apartment, glad to be finally home. Opening the door, Sasuke walked over to the couch and dropped himself onto it, closing his eyes while Neji made his way to run a bath.

"Itachi Uchiha, you've killed you're entire clan and countless other people since then. You're a traitor to this villag, and your brother. You tried to get him to betray this village and run away like you did all those years ago. You escaped your imprisonment and because of your stupid actions, Kakashi Hatake, Umino Iruka and Neji Hyuuga were seriously injured. These are just a few of your crimes. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Sasuke, I'm going in for a bath, want to join me?" Neji leaned against the doorway and waited for the Uchiha's reply. When nothing was said, he was about to turn around and walk back to the bathroom but paused when he saw Sasuke standing up and walk over to Neji, following him into the bathroom.

Stripping down, both boys settled themselves in the bath. Closing his eyes, Sasuke bent his head and smiled when he felt hands on his head. Leaning his head back, he let himself enjoy the way Neji soothingly washed his hair, massaging his scalp with skilled fingers.

When his hair was cleaned and Neji had cleaned his own too, Sasuke moved so he was snuggling into Neji's chest, wrapped safely in his arms.

"I have nothing to say Tsunade. All you're telling me is what I already know. Unless of course you want me to lie or give you the details of all those I've killed and hurt. Would you like to know the reasons for my seemingly psychotic life?"

"Sasuke, are you alright?"

Opening his eyes, Sasuke looked into Neji's eyes and shrugged, still saying nothing.

"Come on, then. Let's get out of here before the water gets too cold." Climbing out of the bath, he pulled Sasuke with him. Grabbing towels and wrapping one around himself, he handed the other one to Sasuke and then led them to the bedroom.

Sasuke sat on the bed, staring at the floor, deep in thought. Neji looked at the Uchiha with worry filled eyes and sat behind the Uchiha. Getting comfortable, he picked up one of the towels he had brought in with him and began to dry Sasuke's hair.

"You're mind games won't work on me Uchiha, so don't even try it!"

"Admit it Tsunade, you just don't want to accept the fact that I started out as a victim! You don't want to hear why I killed my family because you don't want to face the corruption in the village."

Tsunade sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Alright then, why did you kill them? Are you telling me it wasn't in cold blood?"

"That, is exactly what I'm saying."

Neji got up from the bed when he gotten the excess water out of Sasuke's hair and dried himself off. Pulling pants on, he left the room and made tea for himself and Sasuke, his mind drifting to his disturbed boyfriend. It seemed strange how quickly his mood changed. Pouring the tea, he carried both cups into the bedroom to see Sasuke still hadn't moved an inch.

"So what happened then?"

"I was being a soldier. I was being a good ninja. I was following orders."

"Who's orders?"

"Why who else but the village elders. Who else could order such a thing? Who else had the power to end what they considered to be a threat to the village's peace?"

Tsunade looked around the room, seeing the same confusion and anger mirrored in the faces of all the people there. "Why would they order such a thing? And how do I know this isn't just another one of your games?"

"You don't. You have to choose whether to believe it or not. And as for why the ordered it, it was because they believed the Uchiha's were too powerful for our own good. They believed we had gotten so powerful, we would become corrupt and cause chaos in the village. So, they ordered me to kill them all. Every last member of my family. And if I didn't, they'd do it and blame me anyway. They'd kill all the Uchiha's, slowly and painfully."

"So you did it? You killed them just like that?"

"It wasn't just like that!" Itachi's voice finally lost the sneering edge it always had, this time sounding almost pained. "I killed most of my family. I saved Sasuke, but I had to make him hate me. I couldn't take him with me. I want him to be the one to kill me, but before I die, I want you to know something that no one but me knows. And Sasuke can never know, never."

Tsunade looked at Itachi, surprised at the change in him. She said nothing, but silently urged him to continue.

"My parents. They're alive. And they're not the only ones."

Audible gasps were heard around the room, no one sure whether to believe this new information or not. "I know you can't trust me, and you have no reason to. But I'm not lying. I got my parents and some other's from my family out. They're hiding in a civilian village near the village hidden in the sand. I pushed Sasuke so hard because he needs to hate me, he deserves to. But, if he left the village he'd find them. One day."

Sasuke ran from the Hokage tower, tears stinging his eyes. He knew he shouldn't' have been listening when the Hokage had told him to stay at home until she called for him, but he felt like he deserved to hear what his brother had to say.

"Neji?" Neji lifted his head off of Sasuke's shoulder and smiled sleepily at the raven.

"Yeah, Sasuke? I'm here." Neji had grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Sasuke when he was dried, keeping him warm but not disturbing the Uchiha. For extra warmth, the Hyuuga was also wrapped around Sasuke.

"I... I didn't tell you everything." Sasuke turned on the spot, facing Neji and wrapping the blanket around himself protectively. When Neji said nothing, he continued.

"The Hokage had come to me when she was finished talking to Itachi and said he had confessed and admitted everything, meaning she had the right to justly give him whatever punishment she seemed fit. She said if I wanted, I could choose the punishment seeing as he was my brother and I was the only remaining Uchiha, except for him."

"And you chose the death sentence... you told me this already Sasuke."

"Yeah I know, but there's still more. I said he'd get the death sentence and there's no changing my mind. But he was to be buried in the Uchiha compound which is to remain standing until I die, where my kids, if I have any, can decide what happens to it then. She agreed and I refused to talk to my brother, despite that it was his final request."

Sasuke paused and looked at his hands, taking a second to keep his emotions in check. Feeling a pair of hands clap around his own, Sasuke looked up to see Neji smiling lovingly at him. Before Neji could say anything, Sasuke took a breath and continued.

"On the day he was going to his execution, I showed up despite Tsunade telling me this was the one day not to see him. I walked up to him and when ANBU tried to stop me, I told them if they didn't let me talk to them I'd kill them all and set Itachi free. Of course, they didn't like it and one was about to throw me out when Kakashi appeared. He told them to let me talk to Itachi and they obeyed him, even though he's supposedly only an elite jounin.

"I told Itachi, told him I knew. Knew he killed my family because he had to. I told him, he was forgiven. He was forgiven, and I was the one who ordered his execution."

"But wait, he was ordered to kill your family? Where did you hear that?" Neji looked into Sasuke's eyes, fighting disbelief and confusion.

Sasuke looked back at the Hyuuga. "When Tsunade was talking to Itachi, I was there. I was on the other side of the door, listening. I masked my presence and somehow I wasn't noticed. I heard everything they said, heard his confession. He told everything to the Hokage and said I wasn't to know..."

Neji searched for the right words to say, but when none came to mind, he opted for silence.

"So she came to me and didn't mention a word about anything he said. But... there's something that keeps playing on my mind. When I told Itachi I knew, he looked... afraid. He told me not to look for my family, not to go to them in search of a new life. Before he got to say anything else, I was finally taken away and he was sent to his death. Quick, painless. By my order. Almost how he wanted it."

Neji's breath caught in his throat, Sasuke's family was alive. "Why was he afraid?"

Sasuke shook his head, and even though he was trying to hold back the tears, they still rolled down his cheeks. When Neji moved closer to him and wrapped his arms around the younger, Sasuke let out a choked sob and before he could control himself, he was clinging onto Neji, tears streaming down his face.

"It's alright, Sasuke. I'ts okay, let it out. I'm here. You'll be okay." Neji whispered into the boy's ear, trying to calm him down. After a few minutes, Sasuke started to calm a bit, and he pulled away from Neji, looking at his hands again. Neji brought his hands to Sasuke's cheeks and wiped away the tears, placing a kiss on his forehead.

Shifting even closer to Neji, Sasuke crawled onto his knees and placed his hands on Neji's shoulders, taking a shaky breath before bringing their lips together. Finding comfort in the closeness the two were sharing, Sasuke pulled away and pushed Neji onto his back and crawled over him, bringing their lips back together.

Losing himself to the sensation, Neji wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and returned the blissful pressure. Breaking apart to allow air back into their lungs, Neji laughed when he saw how red in the face Sasuke was and he lifted his head to bring their lips back together. When they finally separated again, Sasuke dropped his head and buried it in Neji's shoulder. Suddenly feeling sleepy, Sasuke moved so he was lying on his side beside Neji, cuddling into his side. Smiling, Neji wrapped his arm around Sasuke and closed his eyes, fading into the darkness of his dreams.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Kakashi stood at the memorial stone, Iruka's hand held tightly in his own and his other resting on the stone. Both were paying their respects to loved ones, both lost in their own thoughts. Kakashi found himself coming here a lot more often since Itachi made his first reappearance, needing both comfort and help from his lost friend.

"Ready to go?" Kakashi smiled sadly behind his mask and nodded, stepping away slowly with one last, long look.

"I need to talk to Sasuke. There's something I feel he needs to know..."

Looking at his boyfriend, Iruka smiled. "Okay, we'll head over to him now. You mind if I ask what it is you need to tell him?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you 'Ruka. Tsunade's going to kill me when she finds out I told him, don't need to make things worse than they have to be."

Iruka nodded and asked no further. He trusted Kakashi's judgement and if he said Sasuke needed to know then Iruka wouldn't stop him. "Have you talked to him since Itachi was..."

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. He seemed so distant. He may have hated his brother for everything he did, but somewhere inside he still loved him enough to mourn him. He's still a kid at the end of the day, a kid who just sentenced his brother to death. Have you spoken to him?"

"Yeah. I stayed with him and Neji the night it happened. And the night after that, just to make sure they were both alright. Hard to believe it's been a week since it happened."

Kakashi looked to the floor, his mind drifting to the raven. When they finally reached the apartment, Kakashi turned to Iruka but before he could say anything, Iruka kissed him on the cheek. "I know you're about to ask me if it's alright if you can go in there alone, and of course I'm letting you. He's your student and if it's important, I won't ask. I trust you. I'll see you when you come home?"

Kakashi smiled and wrapped his arms around Iruka, pulling them close together. Shaking his head, he laughed slightly at the chunin. "You know me too well, that can't be good for the 'infamous Kakashi Hatake'."

Smacking him lightly on the arm, Iruka laughed. "You're all talk Hatake, and don't forget who makes your food and who could all too easily poison and disguise it!"

Kakashi smirked at the comment and brought his masked lips to the chunin's. "See you at home."

Without a further word, they parted and went their separate ways. Kakashi climbed up the steps and knocked on the door to their apartment. When there was no answer, he knocked again. Again, there was no sound of movement from inside and he sighed. Searching for Sasuke's chakra, he found it inside the small apartment.

He didn't feel like putting back the conversation, so with a sigh he tried the door and found it open. Stepping inside, he called out to Sasuke. When no answer was given, he shut the door behind him and he made his way through the apartment. Walking to the bedroom, he lightly knocked on the door and poked his head in the door.

His eyes met with Neji's for a minute and when his sleepily eyes widened, Kakashi realised the boy's torso was bare and a blanket was pooling around his waist, Sasuke asleep beside him, also revealing too much skin for his sensei to be comfortable with. Quickly shutting the door, Kakashi closed his eyes before walking towards the kitchen. He sat himself down on a chair at the table, feeling bad for intruding on the pair, but also still wanting to talk to Sasuke.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Neji appeared in the doorway, a shirt now covering his torso.

"Oh Neji, hi. Sorry about that, I uhmm.. didn't realise you were busy."

"We were sleeping, Kakashi."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows but said nothing more. "So how's Sasuke been doing?"

"Neji sighed and sat on a chair opposite the jounin. "Not too great actually. He had been doing fine, but then today he just took a total turn. It was the first time I'd seen him cry that much since Itachi came back."

Kakashi was about to reply when he heard footsteps approaching them.

"Neji? Who're yo-" Kakashi turned in his seat and looked in the direction the voice came from. Sasuke was standing there, looking tired as hell and the only thing covering him was the blanket he was huddling in. "K-Kakashi. What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk Sasuke. There's something you need to know."

Sasuke looked to the floor and took a deep breath. "Okay. Let me get ready and we'll talk then. I think I might know what we're talking about."

Kakashi watched the boy shuffle down the hallway, suddenly very sure Sasuke already knew about his parents. He sat in silence with Neji, waiting for Sasuke to return. When he did, Kakashi nodded and stood up. Looking over at Sasuke, he paused as if to say something then walked outside, waiting for the Uchiha.

"Why couldn't we talk inside?" Sasuke came out a few seconds after Kakashi.

"Because I want to keep what we say private. And I just feel like being outside. Besides, I now have a feeling you know everything I want to tell you."

Sasuke looked at his feet as they walked through the streets. "Is this about my parents?"

"Partly. And about your brother's justification."

Sasuke looked up and stared straight ahead of them. "I wouldn't call being told to order your entire family a justification. It may have been a reason, but it wasn't exactly justified, even if he did save us the pain of the torturous death the elders may have put is through, but it didn't save us the pain of being killed by one of our own. And he did save some of our clan. That's why I forgave him. He showed us mercy, but he still killed the rest of our family."

"So you do know. When did you find out?"

"When he said it. I was hiding on the other side of the door when Tsunade was talking to him. I figured if you got to be there, as well as other people, why shouldn't I get to hear since it's my brother."

"You masked your presence well."

"I learned from the best." Kakashi looked down at Sasuke, and felt how strong the bond between student and teacher had grown. Even if he only felt it for a moment.

"Are we going to the pier, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yeah. I figured if you were going to get bad news, you may as well be somewhere comfortably familiar."

Sasuke smiled slightly at this, feeling like he was at home when they reached the pier. "So why did you let me talk to him? The one day Tsunade told me not to, you disobey her and let me talk to him. Why?"

"Same reason you wanted to talk to him. You needed to say something to him before he left. If you didn't get that chance, you wouldn't have handled his death as well as you have until now. You gave him the closure he needed just before he died. I know how it feels, the need to stay with someone you care about in their last moments."

Sasuke sat at the end of the pier, his feet skimming over the water. "Was I wrong? Was I wrong to kill him?"

Kakashi sat beside his student and looked up at the sky. "No one can tell you the answer Sasuke, so stop asking everyone but yourself. Look inside yourself, then tell me what you think."

Sasuke thought about his teacher's words, then did as instructed. Venturing the depths of his heart and his soul. His entire being. By the time he opened his eyes, he had his answer. "I showed him mercy. He wanted to die because he was tired of living with the guilt of what he did. He wanted to push me out of the village so I'd find my family. The only thing I don't know is when I said I knew about it, he looked afraid. I don't know the answer to that so where do I get my answer?"

"I don't know about that Sasuke. And maybe whatever it was, we'll never know."

Sasuke looked at his sensei, an obvious conflict going on in his mind. "I have to go Kakashi. I have to go find them."

Kakashi looked at Sasuke, trying to find the right words. "What if he was lying Sasuke? What if you're family isn't there? Is it worth giving this life up for?"

"I have to try. They're my only family left and if there's a chance to find them, I'll take it."

"What about the family you have here? What about everyone who cares about you?"

"I know Kakashi! I've thought about that, but I'm talking about my parents. If I find them, we can come home and start again!"

Sasuke looked onto the water, admiring it's sparkling beauty. "What about your team? What about Neji?"

"Kakashi! I know, I've thought about them all, thought about everything! Ever since I was a kid I was alone. When I joined team 7, it got better. But there was still a hole inside of me, and there always will be until I find my family. My real family. I'm sorry Kakashi, but I have to go."

Kakashi sighed but nodded slowly. "Then there's nothing more I can do for you. I won't object to you leaving but only if you leave properly. You're not running away, so you tell everyone you're leaving."

Sasuke nodded. "And you have to come back. If you're not back by the time Naruto's grown up a little, I'm coming after you!"

Sasuke smiled and stood up. "Sensei..."

Standing up himself, Kakashi looked down at his student. "Hmm?"

"Thank you. For everything." Without another word, Sasuke turned and started to walk home, leaving Kakashi standing at the end of the pier to his thoughts.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

There was music playing from somewhere Sasuke didn't know. People were talking and laughing and of course, drinking. If you gave them the chance to have a good time, leaf Shinobi took it with ease. He was surprised there was this many people in the village who'd care about him leaving.

"So what do you think? Put Naruto and Iruka-sensei together and they throw one hell of a party." Sasuke smiled sadly at Neji, watching as he sat on the wall beside him. There was a perfect view of the village from there and the party below was beginning to intimidate Sasuke a bit, so he just slipped out unnoticed.

"I told them I didn't even want one! They promised me it'd only be a small get together."

"And yet half the village is here. You're cared about a lot more than you thought eh?"

Sasuke smirked before replying. "yeah, I guess so..."

Seeing Sasuke had gone quieter than usual and playing with the hem of his shirt, Neji sighed. "Alright, what's wrong?"

Sasuke looked up at Neji and smiled sadly. "I... I'm going to miss it..."

"Miss what? Naruto's annoying ways, Kakashi's consistent lateness?"

"Yeah. All of it. All of this. The people, the places. Everything."

Pulling Sasuke into his arms, Neji smiled. "You're going to find your family. And even though I know some people aren't happy about you leaving, we all wish you the best. You'll come home to us one day."

"Am I an idiot for leaving this?"

"Yeah. But you'd be an even bigger idiot for not trying to find your family. Listen, you leave tomorrow. Let's just enjoy tonight."

Nodding, Sasuke stood up with Neji and they both rejoined the party. The rest of the night was filled with laughs, tears, well wishers and presents. Sasuke felt at home here, but he still wanted to find the rest of his family. They didn't return to their apartment until well into the morning. And when they did, they both collapsed onto the bed, wrapped in each other's arms.

Morning had come and it was time for Sasuke to leave. He kissed Neji goodbye and picked up his bags. Opening the door, he dropped them again and ran to Neji, kissing him again. Tears in his eyes, he stayed in the Hyuuga's arms for what felt like an eternity.

"Are you sure you won't come to the gates with me?"

Neji nodded. "I want our final moments to be ours... I also don't want to start crying in front of the entire village. I have a reputation to uphold y'know!"

Sasuke nodded and smirked at the Hyuuga's comment before heading to the door. He picked up his bags once more and left, taking one last longing look at Neji before walking out of the apartment and towards the village gates, holding back the tears he wanted shed.

By the time he reached the village gates, a crowd had gathered. Half the village must have been there, if not more. He said his goodbyes to everyone, getting many hugs and kisses much to his displeasure. When he came to Kakashi and Iruka, Iruka was already in tears. He opened his mouth to say something, but when words wouldn't form, he simply took the Uchiha into his arms and hugged him for all he was worth.

Sasuke smiled at the emotional chunin, surprised he had this much of a reaction. "It's okay Iruka-sensei, I'll be back! I promise." Iruka nodded and stepped back, coughing and wiping away his tears.

Kakashi smiled down at his student and gave into the temptation of giving him a hug. He couldn't help the smile that formed when Sasuke hugged him tightly back. "Sasuke, I'm so proud of you. You may only be thirteen, but you're much more mature than those your age. I couldn't have asked for a better student and you always have a place here, don't forget that. Come home soon."

Sasuke took one final look at everyone who had come to see him off, wishing Neji was there. Laughing at Sakura for needing to sit on Naruto to stop him from running at Sasuke and not letting go, Sasuke turned and walked away from the village hidden in the leaves, his head held high.

"Sasuke! Wait!" Turning around, Sasuke came face to face with Neji.

"So you came to see me off after all..."

"No. Sasuke, I'm going with you!"

Staring at Neji in disbelief, Sasuke opened and closed his mouth before words would form. "You... you can't! Neji you can't leave the village. I'll be back, you don't have to leave your home for me."

"I'm going. I don't care what you say. I'm at home when I'm with you."

Sasuke frowned at the Hyuuga but seeing he had bags packed and a serious face, he knew Neji had planned this before now. Smiling, he wrapped his arms around the other. "Thanks Neji."

Neji nodded and took Sasuke's hand. "Come on, let's go find your family!"

Sasuke walked alongside Neji, feeling a lot better now that he had some company. It wasn't going to be easy, but he'd search for his family no matter how long it took. He knew they were alive, from the way Itachi acted, he just knew they were. It would be a long time before he got to return to the village he called home, but he would return. One day.

~*~*~*~*~* Fin *~*~*~*~*~

A/N: And that, ends Family Feuds :] It's weird how it took me so long to write, and now it's finished :x But if you made it this far, thanks for reading! ^_^ I'm pretty proud considering this was my first non Death Note fanfiction (How I liked LXLight I'll never know) And this also started out as a one shot xD Then... it wasn't :P

Anyways, thanks again for reading! ^-^ I hope you don't mind how it ended :]

Oh, P.S. A quick thanks to Hatake Satsuki :] She pointed out mai typos and poked me along the way with this ^-^ You've been a bigger help than you know and I'm sorry this took so long to finish ^^;