A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I would like to thank Warflower for giving me a heads up on the 5 year age difference between Itachi and Sasuke. I don't think I mentioned it but Naruto, Sasuke and their friends are 17-18. So if Sasuke is 18 then Itachi is 22. I'm not sure if I want to make ages relevant but just in case:

Naruto-17

Sasuke-18

Kiba-18

Shikamaru-18

Neji-17

Ino-17

Hinata-17

Itachi-22

Kisame-26

Pein-22

Orochimaru- in his fifties

Tsunade-in her fifties

Iruka-32

Kakashi-34

Kabuto-19

Also, I think if and when I write more stories, Ino and Hinata are probably going to fill Sakura's place. I like Sakura and the character she is now in the manga but I don't know.. I kind of like the other two better…uhh I think that's it..until next time!

Ps. I'm going to change the rating just to be on the safe side. You never know when something's gonna happen

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I don't write for any profit.

Warnings: it's a yaoi, which means boyxboy. I'm not twisting your arm to read this story so if you feel that this isn't your style, don't read. As the story progresses, there will emotional, psychological, verbal, and maybe physical abuse.

Rating: M and I'll put any warning in each chapter if there is any.

Pairings: For now it's SasukexNaruto but at one point or other it will turn into ItachixNaruto. Other pairings will be added as the story goes on.

"Talking"

'Thinking' or 'Text message'

Flashbacks and memories

Chapter XII

The day after leaving his childhood home, Itachi was back at the makeshift hideout with Pein and Kisame. Everything was starting to become a mangled mess. There was still no sign of Sasuke. Well at least not in Konoha.

"Well Itachi" Pein started to say "Where do you think Orochimaru might have gone?"

Itachi sat on the couch with one hand covering his eyes. As a child, his eyesight wasn't good. It slightly worsen as he got older. There were different types of medicine to help it, but not cure it. Itachi surmised that by the time he is an old man, he would be completely blind. That is, if he makes it to old age.

Letting out a sigh, the older Uchiha replied "I don't know. I preferred not concerning myself with the likes of him."

Pein, who was leaning against the wall with one leg crossed over the other and his arms folded, looked at Itachi. Never before had he seen the other man like this. In their circle of acquaintances, Uchiha Itachi was always the calm one. He never let his emotions get the best of him. Letting someone see your emotions shows weakness. Itachi was always three steps ahead, so to see him confused and frustrated was a first.

"Orochimaru is a shady person, so maybe we need to look in some shady places"

Two sets of eyes turned to Kisame, who was sitting in a chair with his legs propped up on the table.

Pein answered first "What are you talking about?"

"Konoha is a quiet, do-good, white picket fence kind of town. This is the last place that bastard would want to be. In fact, the few times I've been there, it almost made me break out in hives" Kisame said with a chuckle

"Your point?" came the annoyed question from Pein

"My point is maybe we should look in Otogakure" stated Kisame

At this point, Itachi opened his eyes to look at Kisame straight in his. The older man flinched a little. There was something about Itachi that made Kisame tread carefully.

"Sasuke wouldn't go there. Of all places" The Uchiha said in a firm tone

Pein joined in "Your brother may not, but Orochimaru would."

Kisame nodded in agreement before he said "Ultimately, we find that bastard Orochimaru, we find your brother. Beside we have nothing to go on. It couldn't hurt."

Itachi mulled over what the other two said. 'It's true, wherever Orochimaru is, that's where Sasuke is sure to be.'

"Fine. Do what you feel is necessary." As he was talking, Itachi got up and put his jacket on and made a bee line for the door.

"Where are you going?" Pein asked, not really expecting answer

"Out"

The door slammed shut leaving Pein and Kisame by themselves.

"Geez I hope his younger brother isn't as moody as he is" Kisame said with a smirk.

Pein just rolled in his eyes.

"Ow Ow Ow!"

"It would go a lot faster if you weren't moving so much you brat"

Tsunade came over to Iruka's to give Naruto a last check-up. Naruto sat on a chair in his room while Tsunade started taking out his stitches. She wanted Naruto to come to the hospital but the younger blonde was adamant about not going back.

"Baa-chan hurry up! It stings a little and feels weird" Naruto whined

For the umpteenth time, Tsunade had to fight the urge to pick the chair up and throw it across the room with Naruto on it. A familiar vein popped up on the side of her head.

"Quit moving. I have to make sure the stitches come cleanly. Seeing how you have a lot of hair, I doubt that you would be able to see the scars" Tsunade said while snipping the last few nylon strings.

"There!" the older blonde said.

Naruto reached up to touch the spots where the stitches had previously been. 'So all I'm left with are scars' he thought as he bit his lip.

Tsunade noticed Naruto's expression. She still hasn't gotten use to this Naruto. The quiet, withdrawn Naruto isn't the one she knows. In all honesty she didn't want to know him. The Naruto she and everybody else wants is the one that's obnoxious, loud and always smiling.

"Thanks Baa-chan" Naruto said. He stood up to give the busty woman a hug. Naruto assumed hugging Tsunade would be like hugging your mother.

Tsunade returned the gestured and smile. She patted Naruto on the back and said "You're welcome brat."

"Also" she said in a serious tone "I didn't want to see you in the hospital again understand?"

Naruto stared at her before saying "Baa-cha"

"Naruto" she cut him off

Seeing the look on her face made Naruto feel guilty. He had put not only her but everyone else through so much.

"I promise Baa-chan"

She smiled "Good"

Tsunade cleaned up and put everything away in her medical bag. She kissed Naruto on the cheek before walking out the door.

"See you later Baa-chan!"

After Tsunade left, Naruto was standing in the middle of his room, thinking of what he should do now. He's been at Iruka's for a week. Although he loves staying here, he had to get back to his apartment.

'I've missed school for about week as well. I could do my homework' He thought to himself 'But I don't see that happening. Also I haven't been to Sasuke's house. Maybe after I get cleaned up, I'll go over there. I haven't spoken to Kiba or the others so I should see them.'

"Okay!" Naruto exclaimed. "First a shower then I'll go back to my apartment. Then I'll go to Sasuke's house, then I'll meet up with everybody"

Having made plans, Naruto started getting ready for his day.

Spending the day walking around a town that he deserted, wasn't something Itachi had in mind. He didn't know what he wanted to do but this wasn't it. Konoha was still the same as when he left. It was still early afternoon, so people were either in school or at work. He wasn't concerned about people recognizing him, Itachi just didn't want to be bothered. 'Or' he started to think 'Maybe I should make myself known. It would surely give those old bastards a heart attack'

In the midst of his thoughts, Itachi found himself on a bridge with a small river running under it. He walked towards the railing and leaned over. He hung his head low. 'Everything is the result of my actions. Had I just taken Sasuke I would have been able to make sure that he was going to be okay. Instead I left and Sasuke is probably traumatized. I thought I had Sasuke's best interest.'

Unconsciously, the older Uchiha reached in his jacket pocket and felt the picture he took from Sasuke's room. After a few seconds he pulled the picture out and looked at it. Sasuke and the boy seemed happy. As Itachi studied the picture, he noticed something.

'Even though they're both smiling, there's something about the blonde kid's smile.' He thought to himself 'His smile is too big. I can tell that Sasuke is genuinely happy, but this kid. I can't read him. The blonde boy is wrapped in Sasuke's arms, but something is missing. Itachi studied the tan face. I don't think Sasuke's has this boy's heart'

Tapping his nails on the railing, Itachi thought for a few minutes before putting the picture back into his pocket. He pushed off the railing, deciding to walk around for a while longer before heading towards his former home.

The blonde boy appeared in his head, but thought nothing of it.

"Home sweet home" Naruto said as he stepped into his apartment. He took his shoes off and shook out of his favorite orange and black jacket and tossed it on the couch. He also decided that he'll unpack his bag later so it was left on the floor. The blonde plopped on the couch. Naruto noticed that his place looked way cleaner than he left it.

"Iruka-sensei probably came over and cleaned it" He said out loud.

It took Naruto thirty minutes to convince Iruka that he was okay to leave. As much as Naruto loved Iruka, being coddled by him wasn't something he gotten used to and probably never will. Letting someone else take care of him was something Naruto was a little uncomfortable with.

Reaching in his pocket he pulled out his cell to check the time. 'It's still early in the day' he thought. The blonde got up off the couch and walked to his room. As expected of Iruka, Naruto's room was spotless. He moved over to the desk to charge his phone. Then he walked to his closet. Naruto didn't own a lot of clothing, most of the stuff was bought by Sasuke because he despised the fact that almost everything Naruto owned was orange or a variation of the color.

Out of his closet, Naruto pulled out a dark green long sleeve sweater and black jeans. It was almost the end of February and weather was still cold. Naruto, for some reason, always seemed to get colder than most people. Iruka thought he was anemic but after a check-up it turned out he wasn't. That's just how his body is.

Taking his clothing with him to the bathroom, Naruto set them on the counter and looked at himself in the mirror. His complexion seemed a bit paler than it usually was, but that's most likely the result of him being in bed for a week. There were small but noticeable bags under his cerulean eyes. Staying up lately and racking his brain over everything offered him little to no sleep. His sunshine hair wasn't as bright and it was messy, although his hair always looks like he just rolled out of bed.

"Kiba would say I look like shit" he scoffed

Since he already showered at Iruka's, Naruto just needed to change his clothes. Later he was going to meet everybody at Ino's house and if he showed up looking like he did, Ino would raise hell. As he took his white undershirt off, he tried to look at his back in the mirror. Naruto struggled to see it but it looked like most of the scabs were healing. When Tsunade was giving him at checkup, she remarked how fast Naruto was healing. If it was anybody else, they probably would have been on bed rest a lot longer.

Continuing to get dressed his took off his sweatpants and pulled into his jeans. The jeans were tight but it seems those were the only kind that would fit. Finding jeans that fit was a nightmare. His body was lean and a smaller than most guys. The blonde sort dislike the fact he had slight feminine figure, but there was nothing he could do about it.

The dark green shirt was equally tight and it even showed a bit of his stomach, that being said it was one of his favorite shirts. Naruto didn't think he would feel comfortable in another beside orange. He remembered that Ino once told him that he shouldn't wear too many bright colors since it would clash with his blonde hair.

Thinking back, the reason why he was attracted to orange was because orange is a color that attracts people's attention. 'Maybe that's all I wanted. Someone's attention'

Turning on the faucet, Naruto ran his hands under the water and ran them through his hair. Trying get his hair somewhat decent was difficult. His spikes went in different direction. To say his blonde locks were unmanageable was an understatement. Kiba suggested that he try putting gel in his hair but it made it even more difficult and Naruto didn't like how the gel made his hair feel.

Giving up on his hair, he ran his hands back under the faucet to splash his face with water. Using his undershirt to wipe his face dry, Naruto gathered his clothes, turned the lights off and walked back to his room.

"Oh! I almost forgot"

On his dresser sat the turquoise gem necklace Tsunade gave him. It was hers but she gave to Naruto. She told him it was very important to her and that she wanted him to have. Because it was so important he tried not to wear it too often. He didn't want to lose it, but he was sure Tsunade would be happier if he wore it all the time.

After he put the necklace on, he grabbed his phone off the charger and walked out to the living room. In the small hall closet, there was a black jacket. He grabbed off the hanger. Since it wasn't orange he barely wore so it was practically new.

"Geez, I'm basically dressed in all black. I feel like a certain bastard" he said as he put the jacket on

Closing the closet door, Naruto slipped on his shoes, opened the front door and walked out locking the door behind him.

"Right. Now to Sasuke's house" Naruto said to himself as he began walking down the stairs.

Itachi decided to take a little detour before he went to his old home. He was sitting in a small tea shop. In front of him was cup of green tea and a small plate of dango. Earlier he had gotten a phone call from Pein. Finally they had some information. Pein told him that Orochimaru was seen in Otogakure, but nobody knows exactly where. It wasn't much but it was better than having nothing.

Naruto arrived at the Uchiha household. With his hand on the door handle, Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he entered. He pushed the door open and walked inside. As always the house was quiet. Taking his shoes off, he made his way to the kitchen. Looking at the damage that was done, Naruto unconsciously touch the spot on his head where the stitches had been. He then walked over to where the sliding paper door had been and saw the entire living room was a mess.

Taking off his jacket and sitting it on the counter, Naruto looked around the kitchen for a broom and dust pan. After he found it, he went to the living room to clean up. As he moved near where the sofa was, he saw his uniform jacket. Naruto he quickly looked away from it and started to sweep the glass.

It wasn't his fault that glass was everywhere but for some reason he felt as though he should clean it up. Watching so he didn't step on the glass pieces, Naruto swept the glass on to the dust pan and carried it to the kitchen to dump it in the trash. He moved back to the living to sweep once more just to make sure he got everything. Next he removed the paper door. He walked towards the door that led to the backyard and set it outside.

'I'll worry about that later' he thought

He went back inside and into the living. He stopped and looked at his uniform jacket that was laying on the floor. He bent down to pick it up. After holding it for a few seconds, He threw it in the trash.

'It wasn't important anyway'

Itachi spend about two hours roaming around. He wasn't sure if he enjoyed himself or not. It felt different but at the same time, nothing's changed. 'Maybe if things were different I would have loved living here'. Deciding he spent enough of his time, Itachi made his way to his childhood home.

Back in the kitchen, Naruto noticed that there were blood spots on the floor. Seeing a dish-rag in the sink, he turned on the faucet and poured a bit of soap on the rag. After getting it soapy, he kneeled on the floor to clean up the blood. As he was cleaning tried to block out what happened. He didn't want to think about it.

After the floor was clean he tossed the rag back in the sink. He also washed his hands. Once everything was halfway decent he leaned on the counter.

"What to do now? I don't have to be at Ino-chan's until later."

Then a thought entered his mind

'Kakashi-sensei said that Sasuke's older brother killed their parents. Sasuke never talked about his family so I wasn't aware that he had a brother'

With that thought in his head, Naruto headed up the stairs and stopped in front of the room that Sasuke said was off-limits. Naruto felt like he was intruding on something but he had to know. He searched the wall for a switch. When the room was lit, Naruto's eyes widen. The room was covered in dust. Clearly this room hasn't been in use for a long time.

He walked in the room and saw that the bed was made. There were a couple of books on the desk that sat in the corner to the far left. The curtains weren't drawn back so there was no sunlight coming in. 'This room feels a lot colder' he thought to himself. Naruto went over to the closet and opened it up.

"Why am I not surprised?"

There was either black or dark navy clothes hanging up. There were a few white shirts and a single red shirt but everything was pretty much dark clothing.

"Is this like the Uchiha family color or something?" he asked out loud.

Sighing, the blonde closed the closet. There wasn't anything in this room. So he headed towards Sasuke's room. Flipping on the light, he moved with familiarity in the room. He walked over to Sasuke's dresser and went through each drawer. All that was in there was Sasuke's clothes and some of his own from when he would spend the night.

Looking at the pictures on the dresser made his heart hurt. Sasuke was an important person to him and it hurt to know that he ran away. As he was looking, he noticed that a picture frame was apart and the picture of him and Sasuke was gone.

"Did he take the picture with him?"

Shrugging to himself, the blonde moved more to the bed and sat down. Naruto yawned and rubbed his eyes. He was starting to feel the fatigue catching up with him. Not wanting to be tired when he goes to Ino's he decided to take a nap. He pulled his phone from his pocket and set the alarm to wake him up. Naruto put the phone beside him and laid face down on the pillow falling asleep instantly.

Itachi arrived at his old home. It felt weird. He always thought that as long as Sasuke was safe he didn't need to come back here, but that's not how things turned out. Itachi opened the door knowing that he wouldn't be locked. He gotten rid of his key years ago and the Uchiha house isn't a house anybody can just come to. What he didn't expect was to see a pair of shoes lined up. Raising an eyebrow, he took his shoes off and walked further in the house.

He stopped at what he saw. The lights were on in the kitchen and living room. Cautiously, Itachi went into the living. The floor was clean whereas two days ago there was glass everywhere.

'The jacket is gone' the older Uchiha thought to himself

Confused about what's going on, he walked in the kitchen to see the blood that was previously on the floor was gone, and the rag was in the sink. The black jacket caught his attention. Obsidian eyes narrowed. Someone was in the house.

Even though Itachi had been away for years, this was still in a way his house. Sasuke's house. His family's house. A Uchiha house.

Leaving the kitchen, Itachi started up the stairs. When he got to the top of the stairs, he noticed the door to his old room was open and the light turned on. He stood at the doorway before deciding he wasn't interested in going in there. As he got to Sasuke's room, he walked in. For the first time in his life Uchiha Itachi stopped and stared.

Standing out against the dark covers, in the center of the king sized bed, laid the blonde haired boy who has been in Itachi's mind.

There is it, the end of chapter 12! cliffhanger! I might be away for a while because I need to figure out how to proceed. Of course both parties are going to be shocked and confused. THe next chapter is going to be one that I'm going to write out. All these chapters are spur of the moment. I didn't write anything down before i typed it. which I probably should have done. I shall get to work on Chapter 13 as fast as i can. That's enough of my yammering! Thank you and see you later!