Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, we would all be in serious trouble.

Warnings: This fic has bad language. Virgin ears be warned!

Chapter 14: The People You Meet in a Shrink's Office

Sai nibbled absently on the corner of a rather dry turkey sandwich as he perused the worn, breaking spines of over-used and abused library books. Technically you weren't supposed to have food in the library but... well, it's not like the ancient woman who ran the place would even notice.

The dark-haired boy knew he was very antisocial, that he didn't understand how to properly act around other people, and that had never bothered him before. Ever. But then the psychologist woman had made him sign up for the after school program and he had met the blond bundle of energy known as Naruto Uzumaki. And his whole world felt like it was slowly being rebuilt. Like puzzle pieces that had suddenly decided to change shape and needed to be shifted in order to fit together once more. He wasn't yet sure whether this would prove to be good or bad, but after being invited to Naruto's for Thanksgiving, he decided he would look through the school's psychology section to find a book that could better help him get along with others.

Taking another bite and wondering how this crap the cafeteria had passed off as food could possibly have cost him two-fifty, he continued to scan his eyes over the different titles, finally settling on Basic Interactions of the Human Species. Yes, that seemed like it may be useful.

Taking it up to the front desk in order to check it out, ignoring the nasty look the old librarian sent his lunch, the pale boy smiled and politely gave his thanks, making his way back into the hall and down towards the cafeteria to finish eating and begin reading. He wanted the entire thing done before Thanksgiving, after all.

For some reason, he just really wanted that day to go well. And he wouldn't let his own ineptness be the cause of any problems.

Dattebayo!

Ino did not want to stay for the after school program. Well, really she never wanted to stay, but this time the feeling was even stronger than usual. She had a good reason, of course. That reason being that she knew she had acted like a huge bitch the day before. And while she also knew that neither Shikamaru nor Chouji would use anything she had said that day against her... well, why should she care about those losers anyway? They weren't the ones she was worried about.

Making sure she was the first to arrive, the girl set up the desks in the usual manner... then paused. Gnawing on her bottom lip until the pink gloss disappeared, she grabbed the desk she usually sat in, the one apart from all the others, and dragged it around to form a perfect square. Biting the abused flesh a bit more, the girl tentatively sat down, hoping the gesture would be accepted.

Dattebayo!

Tenten entered the classroom, frowning a little when she saw the only one currently there was Lee. Because quite frankly she had been... well, avoiding him.

Not because she didn't like him. She had never liked nor disliked the strange boy, and her feelings hadn't changed as of late. But she did remember the incident at Denny's less than a week ago. She remembered the look on his face. And so she had decided it was best to just not speak with him.

Of course, however much she may want to avoid the boy, she wasn't going to go so far as to turn around and walk back out of the room, wait until someone else was there as well. That was just pathetic, not to mention insulting, so she resolutely walked by his desk, going to a seat of her own a bit behind him. See, no big-

"Hello, Tenten! How are you on this fine afternoon?"

Who the hell really talked like that? "I'm... great, Lee. Thanks... And you?"

"I am doing great as well, thank you. Did you happen to start on the assignment for Nimarashi-sensei's class?"

"Uh, yeah, I got the first few problems done."

"Ah." He nodded sagely in understanding. "Would you mind, perchance, if I was to take a look at it? Not to copy!" he quickly assured, holding up an index finger in emphasis. "Simply to help me understand the formula of the problems more clearly. I am afraid math is not my strongest subject."

Not caring if the other teen did want to copy it, Tenten dug through her bag and handed the worksheet over, nearly blinded by the smile she was given in return. How did he do that?

"Thank you very much, Tenten. I shall have it returned to you by the end of group!"

Nodding and still blinking spots from her eyes, the bun-haired girl's attention was caught by the arrival of a particularly sour-looking Hyuuga. "Well, someone's even more sullen than usual. What happened? Get thrown up on again?"

She wasn't surprised by the way Neji ignored her completely, and after she'd watched the way his hair swayed when he sat (what, the bastard was good-looking), she glanced back over at Lee who was diligently studying the nearly intelligible scrawl she passed off as handwriting... and only then did she realize what had happened.

Lee had spoken with her. Quite normally (or at least it was normal for Lee), and he'd been his usual, overly polite self. He hadn't made any indication he even remembered the incident last Friday, let alone brought it up. And he hadn't looked like he held any kind of grudge... not that she had done anything wrong in the first place...

Damn. Why did she suddenly feel even worse?

Dattebayo!

"Okay, guys, that's it for today. Since tomorrow's a half-day, there's no after school programs, so I'll see you after the holiday. Everyone have a happy Thanksgiving." Kurenai smiled warmly at her three charges as they filed out of the classroom, each giving their own polite goodbyes in turn.

Kiba was about to make his way to the front of the building to meet up with Sakura and wait for his ride when a hand suddenly descended on his shoulder, making him pause. He glanced up at Shino with raised eyebrows, surprise evident on his face. "Yeah?"

There was a moment of hesitation before the taller boy handed him a neatly folded slip of paper. "My number."

"Oh." After a moment it truly hit Kiba just what was in his hand. Oh. "Heh, awesome. I'll give you a call whenever we do somethin'."

Shino's only reply was a nod before he walked away, but Kiba wasn't bothered in the slightest. In fact, he found he felt pretty good. Being nice and all that crap had worked. Who would have thought?

Smiling a little, he put the paper safely away in the confines of his pocket.

Dattebayo!

"Ino, hold on for just a minute, please."

At the bearded teacher's call, Ino halted her steps, shoulders tensing. Ignoring the boys as they walked past her to leave the room, she slowly turned and walked back to where the older man stood, leaning against his desk. "Yeah?"

Asuma nearly smiled at how nervous the girl looked. Like she was expecting him to bite her head off. "I wanted to say thank you for being so cooperative today. I'm well aware you don't want to be here, but when you act like you did today it makes everyone's lives a little easier. I really appreciate it."

The blond nearly sighed in relief. She hadn't really ever said sorry for her behavior the day before, but she was hoping the man would pick up on her unspoken apology. She may be a bitch with others her age, but rarely was she ever disrespectful to adults the way she had been with her math teacher yesterday. Her father would be furious if he ever found out how she had acted. That wasn't how he raised her. "Sure, sensei. No problem."

The teacher grunted, shifting a few papers on the desktop around, refusing to make eye contact. "I also wanted to say that if something's bothering you, you can always talk to me. Not just during the program either. Feel free to come find me anytime."

Blue eyes blinked in surprise. That... that was really nice of him. She knew he was in charge of her and the boys during the after school program, and that he was supposed to listen to them and 'guide' them during that time and all that crap; but there was really no reason for him to offer what he just had. He was under no obligation to give a flying fuck about her and her problems outside of the two hours at the end of each day.

"Thanks, sensei." And she meant it. Not that she ever would really go and talk to him, but still, the gesture in itself was enough to make her feel better about... everything that had been going on lately. There had just been so much shit going on... "Happy Thanksgiving, okay?"

"Thanks, Ino. Happy Thanksgiving."

Dattebayo!

Sakura let out a long, low sigh, setting her bag down onto her bed, glancing at the clock on her nightstand and startling for just a moment before a grin broke out across her face. She had grown so accustomed to the long walk home she felt nearly giddy at how much time she saved getting a ride from Kiba. Now she wouldn't have to rush through her homework like a maniac or stay up all hours of the night. And really his family had been so nice about the whole thing. True they were neighbors and they literally drove past her house to get to theirs anyway, but they still didn't have to give her a ride; but both his mother and sister had just greeted her with a smile and made pleasant small talk the whole way. Even Kiba really was being much more pleasant around her.

"Because you're suddenly being nice."

She felt an embarrassed blush break out over her face at the remembered words. Maybe... maybe she really had been a little mean in her treatment of Naruto before. Yes, he was too loud and sometimes annoying but... well, he was also really sweet, and his heart was always in the right place. He had also invited not only her but also Sasuke and even Sai to his house, to celebrate a holiday with his family (however unconventional his family might be) for no other reason than because he was that nice of a person... Speaking of Thanksgiving...

Hearing the front door open and quietly shut, the girl made her way from her room into the kitchen, smiling at the small woman that greeted her. "Hi, Mama."

"Hello, sweetheart, how was your day?"

Sakura did her best to keep a bright look on her face, the same way she always did around her mother. Haruka Haruno was a timid woman of diminutive stature who looked much older than her thirty-one years. Premature lines had taken over a once beautiful face, and hair that used to be as bright as her daughter's now looked limp and lifeless, turning from a bubblegum pink to a more subdued shade of salmon. She was only just considered middle-aged, if that, and already she had taken on the mannerisms of an old woman. Sakura loved her mother to death, she was the most important person in her life... but it often made her sad just to look at her.

"It was fine... Mama, I wanted to ask if it was all right... I mean, my friend from school invited me and a few others over to his house for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Is it okay if I go?" She already knew the answer of course, but asking permission was just the right thing to do.

"Of course, Sakura, that's wonderful! You go on and have a good time... He did you say?"

They spent the next ten minutes chatting briefly about Naruto and then Sasuke and Sai as well. Not that her mother hadn't already heard plenty about Sasuke over the years, but they hadn't had much of a chance to talk since Sakura had started the after school program. Her mother worked a lot, after all.

Laughing happily at something the older woman had just said, Sakura's giggles immediately came to a halt when the door opened once more. Jade eyes instantly averted off to the side.

"Oh, welcome home, dear." Haruka bustled over to the man standing in the doorway, taking his coat for him without hesitation. "Are you hungry? There's some leftovers in the fridge, or I could whip something up for you if you'd prefer."

"Hi, Dad," Sakura muttered quickly before retreating to her room, never glancing back, and firmly shutting and locking the door before collapsing on her bed feeling suddenly drained. That had been the first time in quite a while she had been able to just sit and talk with her mother; but of course he had to come home and ruin it.

He always ruined everything.

Dattebayo!

Sai approached the living room, smile resolutely in place. He had often fallen back onto the same expression before simply because from watching others he devised that was the best thing to do. Now, however, he was sure it was the best thing to do. He had been diligently studying the book he borrowed from the library all day, and it had said a smile was the best way to start a conversation off on the right foot and dissolve any tension there might be during a social situation because it tended to put others at ease. So as he walked up to his guardian, he made sure to keep his smile on. Because that was what normal people usually did when initiating a friendly chat.

"Don't use that fake smile around me, boy."

Of course, Danzou-sama wasn't exactly normal himself and he was well aware Sai was about as far from normal as you could get. He liked him that way. Or at least the pale boy was under the impression he did.

Smile not slipping, Sai quoted the most prominent passages from the book, making Danzou frown at him from his seat on the couch.

"Why exactly are you bothering to read such things?"

"I am trying to get better with my social interactions so as not to ruin the situation for others around me. A classmate of mine asked me to come for a holiday dinner tomorrow, and I did not want to cause uncomfortable circumstances once more because of my lack of knowledge." It made perfect sense after all.

"Oh? A holiday dinner, is it?"

Sai kept smiling. "Yes. The classmate is in the same group as I am during the after school program. He invited all of us."

"I see. So this boy... is a friend?"

The smile wavered just a bit. "Of course not. I don't have any friends. Such emotional ties are completely unnecessary."

"Indeed." The old man shifted, leaning closer to the boy. "But going to dinner on a holiday, that's the sort of thing you do with friends. You aren't trying to become friends with this boy... are you?"

The smile distinctly drooped. "Of course not, Danzou-sama."

"Good. You do remember what happened the last time you had a friend. Don't you?"

The smile was gone. "Of course, Danzou-sama."

"I'm glad. I thought for a moment you had forgotten everything you learned."

Sai trembled just a little. Forgotten... he hadn't forgotten anything. He still remembered the warm feeling that holidays gave him. That really nice feeling, where everything just seemed so special. It was that feeling he wanted to try to find again, the reason he had agreed to go to Naruto's. He just wanted to feel that one more time...

But there were other things he remembered to. Lots of other things. Having a friend, a brother, who he truly cared for, having someone who was really special to him, and then...

Sai remembered lots of things.

And they hurt.

Dattebayo!

Itachi flipped languidly through the pages of a random magazine, refusing to look up and make eye contact with anyone else in the room. The waiting room of a therapist's office was always... interesting. There were people who clearly had nervous disorders of some kind, who fiddled in their seats practically twitching and either refused to touch anything or systematically went through touching nearly everything in sight. There were the businessmen and women who came in wearing suits and tasteful high heels, a good deal of them there for either stress or something like alcoholism. There were the couples, occasionally even with small children in tow, clearly there for marriage or family counseling of some sort, the women sometimes looking quite battered and making Itachi avert his eyes in disgust, lest he show the lousy prick they were with what he thought of hitting females. And of course there were always troubled teens in abundance, some with parents, some simply dropped off by busy or uncaring guardians, sitting slumped in their seats with their headphones on and scowls in place. Yes, Itachi remembered bringing Sasuke both there and several other therapist's offices in the past. It had never worked.

Now he kept his eyes glued to the pages of his chosen reading material, trying to ignore the way the fifteen year old girl sitting across the room from him, dressed stereotypically in all black, was making eyes at him. He shuddered at the very thought.

"Itachi."

Mentally sighing in relief, he neatly set his magazine down on top of the pile, uncrossed his legs, and stood, draping his coat elegantly across one forearm as he followed his usual therapist back to her office. Mrs. Katherine James, Kathy as Itachi had learned to call her, was a psychologist (not psychiatrist) in her late forties. She specialized in victimized teens and had been the first person Itachi was sent to talk to (by strict order of the court) after his parents' deaths, back when he was only fourteen. Since he had immediately liked her and they had gotten on well, he had never felt the need to see a different therapist over the years. Talking with her had become such a familiar routine by now he couldn't even imagine doing things differently.

Dropping down onto the couch in the room and tucking a strand of dark hair behind one ear, Itachi looked over at the woman flipping idly through her notes, mentally refreshing herself on what they'd discussed last session. Really, he'd seen her only a week ago, meaning they were breaking their usual two week trend, but that wasn't uncommon around the holidays. Any time a major holiday came up, Christmas and Thanksgiving being the most prominent ones, they scheduled an extra appointment. They had done so ever since Itachi was fifteen and Kathy had realized how depressed the boy got around the holidays with no one to celebrate them with. The last thing she wanted was Itachi to have a setback because he was lonely.

"So, 'Tachi, how have things been?"

Itachi paused, absently biting a thumbnail in concentration, something he would never do in public but had learned long ago not to care about there. "Sasuke told me yesterday that he's planning on going to a friend's house for the holiday."

Kathy paused, hand poised in midair, before the ballpoint pen she'd been holding hit her desk with a thud. Itachi smirked. It wasn't often he was able to catch the sharp older woman so off guard. After a moment, she composed herself and fixed the young man with a searching look. "Really? That's unexpected... And how do you feel about it?"

"What do you mean how do I feel? Of course I'm happy." He fingered the ends of his hair absently. "I mean, this is exactly what I've been hoping for. That Sasuke would come out from the walls he'd built up around himself." He paused briefly, thinking. "And the boy was from the same group in that after school thing. Which means maybe that program will really work after all. Why wouldn't I be happy?"

There was a long silence where Kathy said nothing, just continued to peer at the raven overtop her glasses. Itachi caved.

"All right, so I am a bit upset that he chose not to spend the day with me; but I really wasn't expecting him to." He smiled bitterly. "Why should this year be different from any other?"

Why indeed? Kathy tapped her pen lightly against the her thigh, hesitating before continuing brashly, "You know, Itachi, I know we've discussed it before, but... maybe if you were to tell Sasuke the truth-"

"No."

Well, that had gone exactly as she thought it would. "I understand why you don't want to tell him, Itachi, but I really think you should reconsider. You thought he would be happier believing his own false version of events, but that's rather obviously not the case. It's been seven years and all he's done is get angrier. And he is getting older now. Old enough, I think, to hear the truth and be able to handle it. Furthermore... you're still here, Itachi. They're not. You really need to take that into account... Just think about it, all right?"

Itachi said nothing, black eyes staring holes into the wild patterns of the plush carpet. Tell him... Just how the hell could he be expected to tell Sasuke something like that? Tell him something that would shatter his entire view of the world?

The silent man shook his head, refusing to reflect on it any longer. He couldn't tell Sasuke that. He couldn't let his little brother know. He would rather have Sasuke hate him for the rest of his life.

Dattebayo!

Naruto hummed happily to himself as he skipped (oh yes, skipped) to his third period class, ignoring all the stares sent his way. Only two more classes to go, then the half day was over and he was free for the holiday. He was in a good mood, dammit, and nothing was going to ruin it!

"Dickless."

Not even that horrible nickname. "Hey, Sai-bastard!" he greeted cheerily, pausing to let the pale boy catch up. "Remember, dinner's tomorrow at five, but feel free to come over earlier, like two or somethin'. You still have the address, right?"

"That is what I wished to discuss with you." Sai smiled fakely. "I'm afraid I will have to decline your offer after all."

Naruto felt his grin disappear completely. "Huh? You're not coming?"

"No."

"Oh." Naruto chewed on his lip, tilting his head a bit in confusion. "How come?"

Sai's smile widened. "Something has come up that will keep me from attending."

"Oh. Okay." The blond stuck his hands in his pockets, looking like he didn't know what to do with them. "Well, if you change your mind or whatever, you can always come over anyway. Five, okay?"

"I will keep that in mind. Thank you for the invitation."

"Yeah, man, no problem."

Smile never wavering, Sai turned and walked away to his own class, leaving a dejected blond in a bright orange coat standing alone in the middle of the hallway.

So much for his good mood.

Not the longest chapter, but it'll have to do. Sorry it took so long to get out. My beta, who used to live under the same roof as me, has now moved far away, meaning we're corresponding almost completely via email. Meaning I can't physically force her lazy ass to sit down and fix the chapter for me. So don't be surprised if updates take a little longer than before. My apologies.

As for the story, I hope my characters are coming across all right. I have a little bit of trouble writing Ino, but I'm trying to make her somewhat of a bitch who's going through a hard time right now but isn't really a bad person. Hope I'm succeeding. And if Itachi seems a little OOC during his scene, please keep in mind he's at his therapist's office. If you find a therapist you really click with, you don't bother to wear any masks or keep up any pretenses with them. It would be somewhat of a hindrance to the therapeutic process if you did.

Next chapter is the holiday.

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