To those who celebrate it: Happy Easter! To those who don't: ...Just have a good Sunday!
Yay! Thank you to everyone who read this or faved or alerted this! And a huge thanks to those who reviewed! They make me feel all happy and warm inside and each and every single one is appreciated because feedback is very nice to hear.
Meant to work on this last weekend, but we had to go to spend the weekend vising my grandmother in hospital. Joy. Ah well, here's the second chapter of Pineapple Cove. Once again, attack of the cringe-worthy chapter titles.
Also, this is a SASUNARU fic. As much as I love ItaNaru, I think that this is def leaning towards the SasNar sort of direction. But the SasuNaru-ness won't be for a little while because I hate it when fics have them meet and then say the words 'I love you' by the end of the paragraph. The word 'love' is thrown about too much these days, and it should really be reserved for those who you truly love... Or so my best friend says...
Chapter 2 - Introductions
"It's been a long time, little brother," a familiar voice hissed into his ear.
Sasuke let out a small squeak at the familiar, droning voice and released the blonde's shirt that was curled in his hands as he whirled around.
Itachi looked the same as he did three years ago: slim but with a strong and imposing stature that reminded the younger Uchiha too much of his father. The same arrogant smirk was spread across his features, though, with the addition of dark rings from lack of sleep ringing his obsidian eyes, he looked more tired and worn than Sasuke had ever seen him.
And were those designer clothes Itachi was wearing? The first thought running through his mind was where did he get the money from? The last he had seen from his brother, he had been working two ridiculous low pay jobs in order to stop himself from being kicked out of his dingy apartment.
"Itachi," he muttered, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in his brother's presence. The two siblings stood in an awkward silence, merely staring at each other as people pushed past their group with their overloaded carts.
Kiba cleared his throat in an effort to break the tense atmosphere.
Slowly, Itachi's eyes shifted from Sasuke's form to the blond behind him who was currently smoothing the wrinkles from his shirt. "I was afraid you had gotten lost, Naruto-kun."
The blond grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he stepped around the shorter of the two Uchiha. "Ah…sorry, Itachi; there was a queue and I-"
He held up a hand, silencing the blonde's rambling. "It's all right," he said before motioning to his brother. "Sasuke, this is-" a sudden, pink flush passed over the pale man's face, but by the time Sasuke blinked it had already disappeared "-my…boyfriend."
Uchiha pride momentarily forgotten, Sasuke's jaw dropped as he gawked at his brother. "Y-You're gay?" he stammered, disbelief evident in his voice.
"I knew it!" a voice roared from behind. Kiba stood there, a wide grin spreading over his face as he pointed an accusatory finger at Itachi who remained impassive. "Fuck yeah! I totally knew you were gay!"
"Kiba-kun?!" Hinata squeaked, looking mortified as she wrenched her boyfriend's arm down.
"Oh…it's you," Itachi said, sniffing disdainfully as he glared half-heartedly at the brunette. "The mutt who insists on following little brother everywhere he goes."
Kiba scoffed and brushing the insult aside.
"I trust you don't have a problem with this Sasuke; I understand if it's too-"
"It's…fine," he said slowly. He had never had a problem with homosexual relationships, though he had never met someone who was in one. Love was love, or so he was told, whether it was between a man and woman or a man and man… and woman and woman for that matter.
"Told you he wouldn't mind," the blond said, stepping around Sasuke to reach his lover while childishly sticking his tongue out. He turned to the younger of the two brothers and extended his hand. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, sorry for bumping into you earlier."
Now, not blinded by rage at being jostled at every turn, Sasuke could get a better look at his brother's boyfriend. Golden blond hair stuck in all directions though, it seemed as though it were styled that way. The top of his head reaching Sasuke's eyes, he was around Kiba's height though he seemed to lack the brunette's muscular form that developed after years of hard labour and working out.
"Uchiha Sasuke," the raven replied, shaking the extended hand. "Just look where you're going next time."
"What the hell is your problem, you bastard?" Naruto growled. Itachi rolled his eyes and gripped the blonde's shoulder before he could take a step towards the younger of the two Uchiha.
"Temper, Naruto-kun," he said warningly.
"I like this guy," Kiba grinned, pushing past Sasuke. "Sasuke's a real bastard-ass, isn't he? The name's Inuzuka Kiba and this is my girlfriend, Hinata." The raven-haired girl smiled shyly at her introduction, waving at the blond with a slender hand.
"Bastard-ass?" Sakura snorted, elbowing the brunette to the side. "I'm Sakura, Sasuke's girlfriend."
"A girlfriend?" Itachi almost chuckled, a hint of mockery in his voice. "Little brother, you never mentioned anything about a woman in your life."
"You never told him about me?" the pink-haired girl pouted, latching onto Sasuke's arm.
"I didn't think it necessary for him to know," the younger murmured.
A red flush of anger passed over a face as her pout turned into a scowl. She dropped Sasuke's arm and marched over to the luggage cart. "Can we please leave?" she growled, wrenching the wheeled contraption in the direction of the exit.
"You need to work on your skills, little brother," Itachi whispered into Sasuke's ear as he walked past, his fingers' intertwined with Naruto's.
Kiba sat on the concrete pavement outside of the airport, back against the brick wall as he watched cars leaded with baggage and passengers, occasionally pulling into the bay to allow people to clamber on or off. He squinted as the Sun beat down on them, reflecting off the light coloured ground and practically blinding him. "Just how far away did you park?" he moaned, fanning himself with his hand. "Can't we just wait inside the airport where they had something called air-conditioning?"
Naruto checked his watch. It had been five minutes since Itachi had gone to retrieve their car and yet the older Uchiha still hadn't returned which left them to wait around in the minimal shade provided by the building. "Well…it was at the top of the multi-storey car park and the lift was broken so…"
The brunette sighed, sinking further down the wall. "So where exactly are we staying?"
"A holiday home," the blond answered. "It's really pretty, and it's just a ten minute drive from the beach."
"Yes!" Sakura cheered loudly, pumping a fist into the air. "I love the beach! Don't you, Sasuke-kun?"
"I despise the beach," he replied simply, taking another sip of the bottled water he had bought from an overpriced vending machine minutes earlier.
"Big surprise," Kiba murmured sarcastically as Sakura's bright smile faded somewhat.
"Umm…Hinata?" Naruto began and the dark-haired girl looked up from her sandals at the sound of her name. "Do you have any siblings?"
"I-I have a younger sister, Hanabi," she answered quietly. "Why do you ask?"
"Nothing," the blond shrugged. "I was just wondering." Just as he finished talking, two cars pulled into the bay in front, one black and the other silver.
The driver's door opened and Itachi stepped out of the first vehicle, and he didn't look too pleased. His previously passive face was pulled taunt in frustration and his lips were a thin line. He slammed the door with a little more force than necessary before walking towards the group.
Naruto let out a sigh at the expression on his lover's face as he slumped over the handles of the cart. "You two haven't gotten into another argument, have you?" Itachi merely grunted in response, glaring at the silver car as the door opened.
"I assure you that I am not responsible for this one," a clear voice said as a tall, slim figure stepped out from the driver's seat. Long, chestnut coloured hair spilled down the back of his cream shirt and a pair of pale eyes was narrowed in the older Uchiha's eyes.
"I ask you to do one simple thing," the blond grumbled, turning to the group. "Everyone, this is Hyuuga-"
"Neji!" Hinata squeaked suddenly, her hands flying to her mouth as her grey eyes widened in shock.
"H-Hinata-chan!" Kiba stammered, reaching for his girlfriend as she leaped to her feet and rushed towards the male, wrapping her arms around him tightly.
A soft smile graced his features as he returned the hug. "Isn't this a surprise?" Hinata merely laughed warmly as she released the brunette.
"It is," she murmured.
"Eh? You know each other?" Naruto asked, blinking in confusion before shrugging. "Small world, I guess."
Kiba let out a growl, possessively pulling Hinata back into his arms and away from the pale-eyed male. "Who are you?"
"Hyuuga Neji," he answered, extending a hand. "Hinata's cousin." Kiba let out a slightly embarrassed 'oh' as he released the girl to shake Neji's hand. "You must be Kiba, correct? Her…boyfriend?" Before he could nod in response, Kiba was yanked forwards so the Hyuuga's pink lips brushed his tan ear and Neji's voice hissed into his ear: "If you ever hurt her in any way, then I will hunt you down and I will punish you…Hyuuga style."
Kiba gulped and paled, nodding quickly before walking away with his arm linked around Hinata's. Damn older cousins and their overprotective qualities.
Sasuke watched his friend stagger off, looking particularly pale in the face, before turning his attention to Neji who was walking towards him. "Uchiha Sasuke," he said monotonously.
"Ah," Neji smirked. "So you're Itachi's little brother, I just hope that-" Naruto cleared his throat loudly, interrupting the long-haired brunette and he glared at the blond from the corner of his eyes. The Uchiha noted the slight distaste with which his brother's name was mentioned.
"Now that all of our introductions are finished, I think it would be best to leave," Itachi said, pushing the luggage cart over to the two cars.
Sasuke sighed in contentment as he angled the vent blowing the cooled air more directly onto his face. He had never liked being in the Sun too much without some source of shade within his vision for him to casually walk under. Damn the Uchiha and their quick-to-burn skin. He had made sure (or rather Sakura had made sure, she did have her perks at times) to bring a tube of cream but he had been forced to leave it in his main luggage as customs didn't allow the larger bottles in hand luggage.
But at least be wasn't under direct sunlight for too long because it wouldn't be nice to be burnt so early into their holiday.
Glancing up at the rear-view mirror, he caught the reflection of a pair of sapphire eyes narrowed in his direction. Sasuke smirked as he leaned backwards in the comfortable passenger seat; he had almost forgotten that Naruto had been delegated to the backseat with Sakura.
"What are you smirking at?" the blond growled, somehow managing to kick the back of the seat despite the fact that he was directly sitting behind Itachi and there was a bag between himself and Sakura. The younger Uchiha scowled as he was thrown forwards slightly from the blow.
"Please don't break the car, Naruto-kun," Itachi droned, his eyes not leaving the road. "It's hired, it doesn't belong to me and I don't want to pay for damages."
The blond huffed, instead turning to the pink-haired girl next to him. "Hey…um…Sakura, right?"
"That's me," she answered.
"Just making sure," he said with a sheepish grin. "I'm not so good with names and I forget them really easily."
"Really?" Sakura gaped. "I hardly ever forget a name."
"Maybe you have a good memory," Naruto shrugged. "Itachi keeps saying that my mind is like a sieve." The pink-haired girl chuckled lightly while Sasuke snorted.
"So, where is it that we're going?" the pink-haired girl asked.
"It's in a sort of resort town," he answered. "But it's just outside of it so there shouldn't be too many people around. Itachi didn't want to stay in a hotel because there would be too many people around."
"Sounds like Sasuke," Sakura murmured under her breath, staring out of the tinted window. Suna was so different to her home; where the sky would be usually be cloudy and grey were patches of brilliant blue and the occasional fluffy white cloud. Even the motorway they were travelling had a different, more rural feel to it particularly when they passed the odd shack and the large, open expanses of land that surrounded them. The Sun shone brightly overhead, casting a golden glow over everything.
Sasuke scowled as he caught the pink-haired girl's words; he had never liked being compared to his brother. Itachi was always the better of the two siblings, always noticed and congratulated by their parents while Sasuke barely got a second glance though his grades were just as good. He glanced at his brother's calm face as he steered the car down the road, jealously boiling within him.
"Oi, Itachi!" Naruto called, breaking the younger Uchiha from his thoughts as he patted the headrest of the driver's seat. "How much further do we have to go?"
"Not far," the raven responded. "We're about to enter the town. See?" He extended a slender finger to a sign that was fast approaching; the words 'Welcome to Pineapple Cove!' were coloured light blue against the green of a palm leaf with a large, yellow pineapple beneath it.
However, instead of continuing forwards, Itachi turned off at the nearest junction which led away from the centre of the town. Peering in the wing mirror, Sasuke spotted Neji's silver car not so far behind them. Hinata had mentioned Neji before in a conversation they had though the girl didn't elaborate much. Apparently he had lived with Hinata and her father after his own father's death, but didn't want to intrude so left when he was old enough to. The two Hyuuga were close, but had drifted out of contact as the years passed.
The road eventually began to merge into to a single lane as the traffic around them began to dwindle until the two hired cars were left. They passed the occasional building, ranging from small to large villas structures that one would see on TV advertisements.
Suddenly, Itachi pulled into one of the driveways to their left, the gravel crunching under the wheels of the car.
"Is that it?" Sakura asked, staring through the windscreen. A large, two story house loomed over them, the outside painted a cream colour that was broken only by the large windows and door and a terracotta roof. The grass on the lot was cut to perfection with the occasional brightly flowering bush or tree.
"Yeah!" Naruto beamed as he pulled the door open to step out into the sunshine. "It's really nice inside! And there's a pool in the back too!"
"Pool!?" the girl squealed happily. "Ah! We have to try that out!"
Sasuke pulled the handle of the car door, allowing it to swing open before stepping out into the bright sunshine just as Neji's car pulled into the drive next to them.
"Go and open the door, little brother," Itachi said as he clambered out of the driver's seat, holding a single key between two fingers that was attached to a set. "So that we can bring in the suitcases."
The younger Uchiha took the set of keys as he walked along the paved path towards the white front door, the numerous key rings jangling in his hands. He slipped the teethed end of the key into the lock, twisted it, and pushed the door open.
That's it for this week. By the way, most updates will be on Sundays, which gives me the week(s) to write it, the Saturday to finish/proof read it and then post on Sunday. Just a little notice in case anyone gave a damn.