Chapter 3

That night in the Uzumaki's apartment, Naruto stood within the kitchen.

"You want something to drink?"

The man sat comfortably on the couch, looked over to the blonde. He kindly declined the offer and reverted his attention back to the cellular device in his hand. He finished reading the short email and pocketed his phone and once again embraced the new and comfortable setting. The apartment was quite large, with wide white walls and carpeted floors. The living room was spacious, and in a few feet away the kitchen was displayed. The walls were free of picture frames, yet it did nothing to alter the emotion of a warm home. All the furnitures were white with decorative black pillows lingering over them and the wide screen television faced him. The apartment was well furnished and gave off a pleasing vibe of elegance.

"What exactly does your brother do?" Itachi turned to face the blonde unpacking the groceries he had graciously paid for.

A noticeable frown caressed Naruto's face. "By day clothing store associate, by night a waiter."

Surely these were not occupations fit for a living space such as this. This peeked his curiosity but he immediately dismissed it. The two began to converse, which mostly consisted of Itachi answering questions about his life which for reasons beyond him peeked the blonde's interest greatly. He never once asked the conditions about Naruto's life in the last five years. He simply couldn't care less.

The door is suddenly pushed open. "I'm home." A sweet, soft voice resounded through the apartment, followed by the appearance of Kyuubi's slim figure. His shoulder length hair is tied in a messy bun, his jacket slanted over one shoulder. His emerald eyes greet his brother in the kitchen. "You got groceries."

"Itachi did." Naruto said plainly. As he watched his brother intently, he brought another grape into his mouth.

Kyuubi chuckled nervously. "What?" A bad joke perhaps.

Naruto pointed to the direction opposite him. "He's right over there."His tone is almost mocking as his eyes studied the shock that moved over his brother's face.

There's a long moment of stillness and silence. The air feels denser, Naruto continued to intently watch his brother. He merely blinked when his brother made a haste dash out the apartment and in the next minute, Itachi is out of the door as well. He continued to eat his grapes unbothered.

Somewhere down the packed set of steps of the spiraling staircase, Kyuubi's heartbeat matched the quick pace of his feet. His thoughts are scattered. A sharp turn allowed him to momentarily escape the vision of his pursuer. And yet, the harsh and stern call of his name gripped his body and kept him at bay.

Itachi's hand moved forward quickly and snatched the smaller man by the arm, roughly tugging him close. Before an action of protest can be made, he hold the man against the nearest wall and moved a step back. He breathed in slowly to compose himself. His hand combed his falling hair out of his face.

Silence lingered between the two men with one trying to regain his breath while the other wished desperately for the wall behind him to magically open a hole and swallow him up. Kyubbi's eyes were shut in concentration to rid the memories that hurriedly resurfaced from one glance of the man. A short while, he opened his eyes to a set of hard eyes that had him in a cold sweat.

"I like that look on your face." Itachi stepped closer.

For a moment, Kyuubi can't seem to determine if he is awake or not. If this was reality or a mere nightmare. "Why are you here?"

Itachi is close, so close, his chest almost touched Kyuubi's. His tall, muscular figure is intimidating while his eyes scrutinize the man beneath him. He would've thought it impossible but Kyuubi is even more beautiful than he remembered. It physically ached his body and heart to not touch the man he so desperately wanted to embrace. He breathed in his smell and his eyes closed instinctively to restrict his thriving needs.

Itachi's closeness kept Kyuubi immobilized. His body began to act on its own and his hands reach out to cautiously embrace the man. He's unsure and scared, yet he can't seem to remove his hands that beckoned Itachi closer for reasons only the past could explain.

"Let go." Itachi's tone is harsh.

Kyuubi's arms reluctantly fall back to his side. He can't comprehend his emotions and the air around him grew thicker with every passing second. He felt dizzy. The deafening silence doesn't help either. The warm, sweet scent of Itachi's cologne is his only sense of comfort.

"Are you afraid of me?" Itachi's eyes watched him purposefully.

"Yes." Kyuubi answered precisely.

Itachi ignored the excruciating pain that overtook his body and engulfed his heart. With much dismay, he pulled himself away. He's confronted by his past and he finds himself at lost for words. Kyuubi's eyes refrain from his own, and Itachi merely watched him. He noted that Kyuubi had matured beautifully, his figure stood half a foot beneath him, with enticing red hair and soft features deemed too pretty for a man. The same features that lured his interest six years back.

Itachi is caught off guard and suddenly drawn into the depth of Kyuubi's emerald irises. The beauty hooked him immediately, he's yet to meet eyes as beautiful as the ones that entrance him at the moment. After some time, Kyuubi's words finally reached his ears.

"… I never wished to break your heart, I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. I wish I never met you. There's no reason for you and I to reconcile. I wished our last encounter would've remained the last."

For the first time in their reunion, Itachi grinned with pure amusement. "You really are heartless."

"For the rest of our life let's try hard to never meet eachother's gaze again. For the sake of—"

A swift movement of Itachi's arm left the rest of his words caught in his throat. The hand steadily placed by his head kept him trapped and Itachi's humorous expression is replaced by its usual stoic mask.

"Did you forget who you are talking to?"

"Did you forget you were the first to speak these words." Kyuubi watched him fiercely. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "Let's never see each other again for the sake of our son."

"Your son." The two words are spoken quickly with intention to correct the mistake. The anger behind the remark does well to shield his hurting heart.

Kyuubi nodded shamefully in agreement. "My son." The words ached his heart but he has no choice but to comply. That was the deal they had made five years prior, that Jaron would remain his son alone. He turned to leave, relieved when Itachi doesn't make an attempt to keep him. At the top of the staircase, his eyes found Itachi's the instant his name was hollered.

"Why should I let you off so easily?" .

Kyuubi forced a smile. "Everyday I see that child, I'm reminded of the pain I caused you. If you consider that an easy punishment, I'm not the heartless one."

Itachi watched the man fail to fight back his tears. Kyuubi is suddenly gone from his sight and he's left admiring the intricate craft of the wallpaper. The aching of his heart reminds him that it is in fact still broken, and in his moment of solitude, he exhale sharply. The emotions he thought he had rid away five years previously suddenly bombard his entire being all at once. He's left angered, sad, confused, afraid and apologetic. And in that moment, he understood. He was no longer capable of leaving Kyuubi Uzumaki alone.

Kyuubi entered his apartment and is immediately attacked with a hug from his son. His hand run through his son's hair calmly and a silent sob escape him.

"Hey baby, how are you?" Kyuubi squatted down and is face to face with his son. The corners of his mouth tugged into a smile.

Jay stared back at his mother with confused eyes. Tears cascade down his mother's cheeks and he is visibly upset by it. "Why are you crying, mommy?"

Kyuubi stayed still and allowed his son to wipe away his tears with his small hands. His heart fluttered at the cute gesture. "I love you so much. I love you more than you'll ever know."

Jay snuggled into his mom, circling his small arms around his mother's neck. "I love you too." His sweet voice is all the comfort his mother needs.

Kyuubi embraced his son warmly. He loved this little angel in his arms more than anything. There was absolutely nothing in the world he wouldn't do for his boy. His son was his life.

"Do you feel better now mommy?" Jay pulled back and stared at his mother uncertainly

Kyuubi pressed a sweet kiss to his son's forehead. He shut the apartment door as he stood up. He listened with enthusiasm when his son informed him of the new high score he had acquired on some game the boy couldn't stop playing. As long as the boy showed the same amount of dedication to his school work, he had no problem with it.

Naruto sauntered into the living room from his bedroom dressed in comfortable over-sized clothing, his short golden hair was tucked under the black beanie he wore. Behind the sofa, he pulled his nephew gently back by the shoulders and kissed his head softly. "I'll see you later." He bid his nephew farewell and doesn't spare his brother a glance.

"Where are you going?" Kyuubi questioned from his place in the kitchen, his eyes trained on his brother.

"Out." Naruto is by the door, placing on his shoes.

"You can't go out, you have to watch Jay. I have to work today."

Naruto snatched his jacket from the coat rack murmuring "not my fucking problem" as he left.

Kyuubi cursed under his breath as he rushed over to the door. Peeking out, his brother is not far down the hall. "Naruto!" His call is ignored and within seconds his brother disappeared from his sight. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

The bus ride was long but eventually he reached his destination. He began a slow stride, admiring the silence of the night and appreciating the coolness of the wind. His headphones blasted the the powerful vocals of one of the lead singers from the band KATTUN, his obsession at the moment. He walked to the beat of the music, his eyes lingering to the ground as he listened to lyrics that seemed to speak to him directly. The story of a man seeking acceptance in a world that rejected him, a man not wanting to be alone anymore. He suddenly recalled his teacher's words of advice. The omega has more strength than he knows. He scoffed at the words. How could a mere math teacher possibly understand what he's going through when his own flesh and blood, his own brother couldn't seem to figure it out?

The shortness of the walk caused his troubling thoughts to cease. The familiar two story building welcomed him as it always did in his time of desperation. The building is old fashioned, and stood in the middle of the uniformed buildings. The buildings are cloned in perfect exactness, from the cracks between the bricks, to the rusting of the paint at the bottom of the white painted fences that nobody else would notice except him. If not for the assigned numbers, printed largely above each home, he was certain residents would accidentally enter each other's home on a daily basis. He could imagine the chaos that would erupt.

An angry, tired man comes home to find his neighbor who had poorly sauntered into the wrong house and is now staring in shock at the man's wife who has just left the shower and is now cowering away in embarrassment, her short towel barely covering her naked body. The scenario makes him chuckle as he maneuver his headphones from his ears to hug his neck loosely.

His fist knocked the door loudly. It's a short wait until the door is opened. Naruto grinned. "Missed me?"

Kiba scoffed. He moved to the side, a flash of blonde moving before his eyes before disappearing inside the house. His eyes scanned the street of his neighborhood swiftly. The peppermint gum in his mouth has turned stale and at such perfect timing. A smirk drew across his face as he shut the door.

Thank you for reading.