Author's note: For Asuna41 who kindly asked me to continue with such an old story.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.
Smooth Playing in the Dark
Dressed for school and work, the Uchiha brothers sat in the lounge with their breakfast. An unusual silence hung in the air, making Sasuke uncomfortable. Itachi had perhaps forgotten or was not in the mood to turn the radio on. Having lost his appetite, he placed his spoon in his bowel and asked, "Why didn't you come to bed last night?"
"I was just dealing with some things. Don't worry, Sasuke." Itachi replied with a small white lie. He made a point of never lying to his brother, but he didn't want to add to the burdens Sasuke already bore.
"I can hear you, you know. Crying yourself to sleep. I don't want you to think I'm not here for you, Brother." Sasuke said, his hands clenching slightly around his bowel. He had argued with Itachi about leaving school and finding a job to help pay for everything, but his older brother always said that it wasn't necessary and that they didn't live in a city that had many jobs for blind people anyway. He knew Itachi said it to comfort or reassure him, but it made him hate himself even more.
"It's time to leave." Itachi announced, not replying to Sasuke's remark. He took Sasuke's bowel, placed the dishes in the sink and waited at the front door for his brother. He had stopped trying to help him with every little thing a long time ago, deciding it was best to give the teenager as much independence as possible.
The silence continued throughout the walk to the car, both men caught up in their own worlds, their movements almost mechanical as the climbed into Itachi's old, beaten up excuse for a car. It had been slightly over priced, but still the only thing Itachi could afford. Sasuke had suggested using the train station and buses to get everywhere, but Itachi couldn't afford to be late to any of his jobs.
"Cheer up, Sasuke. Perhaps today will be better." Itachi said as they arrived at school. Sasuke smiled at his brother even though he didn't believe him at all. Still it was nice to hear the hope and love in those words.
Itachi waited for Sasuke to walk through the school gates before pulling off onto the busy road again. He knew how his little brother felt about school and he hated himself for not being able to do anything about the situation. Sasuke was in a good school which had a separate program for disabled children, but Itachi wished he could do better, send him to school that was built specifically for disabled children.
The Uchiha parked his car in the staff parking and grabbed his apron from the backseat. The back door was open, which meant the owner of the café was already inside. The young man sighed softly. Although he didn't hate this job, it was his least favorite. He liked helping others and making their day slightly better, but being surrounded constantly by people was not his idea of fun.
"Good morning, Ino." He greeted politely as he placed his car keys and wallet in his locker.
"Good morning, Itachi. Right on time as usual." She returning the greeting with a bright smile. She was always kind to him, but Itachi had the feeling she wanted to get into his pants more than anything else.
The Uchiha donned his apron and went out into the front of the store. He set the tables and chairs straight, wiping them with a damp cloth as he went along. Next he wrote the daily specials on the wall before setting out the pastries in the holder buy the cash register. By the time he was done a few of the other waiters and waitresses walked in, ready to simply tend to their customers.
A man with silver hair and scarf hiding the bottom half of his face walked in and seated himself in Itachi's section before taking out his laptop. Itachi approached the man with a small smile and introduced himself, "Good morning, my name is Itachi and I will be your waiter today. Can I get you something to drink while you browse our menu?"
"Coffee, please. Extra strong." The man replied with a crinkle of his eyes. Itachi nodded, placing a menu on the side of the table before leaving to make the customer's order. He came back in less than five minutes to find the owner laughing at something the man had said. Ino winked at him as she walked away. Itachi placed the coffee beside the man's laptop along with sugar and some milk. "Is there anything else I can get you?"
"So you're, the Itachi." The man said, ignoring Itachi's question. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. I am an old acquaintance of your boss."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Itachi replied with slightly widened eyes, unsure of how to respond to one of his favorite authors.
"Tell me, how would you like a proper full-time job?" Kakashi asked, closing the laptop and leaning forward on the table on his forearms.
Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews. I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think about it.