Chapter 10

Groaning at the thought of going through the process of being discharged, the doctor making sure there wasn't anything else to keep him from going home and getting into the wheelchair made him want to whine like a child.

As he was wheeled to the front of the large building, his mother pushing him and his father walking beside them, he looked around.

"So has Kisame or anyone visited you when you were in here?" Mikoto tried to make conversation with her son but it seemed as hard as talking to Sasuke when he was alive. Even thinking back when she tried to get him to talk to her hurt because he might have been reaching out silently.

"Yeah. Kisame-san is moving to the United States next week or so." Itachi answered and looked up at his mother to see a smile that usually told him that she was having another bout of depression. It worried him – a lot.

"Anyone else?" Fugaku questioned as he opened the door for his wife and son, seeing the slight irritation in his son's eyes. He knew that he hated being in the wheelchair but rules were rules.

"Naruto."

"He did? I haven't seen him in a long while. I heard that he finally got a job at a building. I forget what he does now but Kushina-chan said something about it. Hm? I guess I'll have to ask her again when I see her."

"How is he?" The other Uchiha asked as he slowed his stride to match his family's even if the family was incomplete.

"He offered to let me move in with him so he could at least keep an eye on my health. That's what Kisame-san basically did." There was feeling in his stomach that he didn't think that he should have brought it up at that moment. Feeling the movement stop a few feet away from the car, Itachi looked over at his parents and raised an eyebrow.

"Why? I thought we agreed to have you come home so I can watch you." Mikoto asked with her eyes staring at her only son and tried to smile. She couldn't believe it but her son was a grown man. He had a right to do what he wanted even if she didn't agree to them.

"You guys done enough as it is. You need to relax and not worry about it."

Truth was that he never really told his parents that there was something serious between him and Kisame. They both lied to them, saying that they were friends when it was more of a lover type of relationship. He was afraid that his parents might do something rash if he ever said anything. Then again, he might be able to spill his guts when it came time to dying.

"No, you need to be in the comfort of your family. You'll be less stressed that way." She started to protest but watched as her only living son looked up and stared at her. She recognized it from anywhere because it reminded her so much of when Fugaku was trying to convince her or someone about something. Sighing, she shut herself up, knowing that it was almost impossible to get to her son.

"When are you going to be doing that?"

"I'm not sure. He has to go through all the information with Kisame-san before anything happens."

"What do you mean I have to stick this in his ass!" Naruto screamed as he pointed at the needle that the tattooer was holding up. It made him want to run to the hills since he wasn't fond of doctors.

Rolling his eyes that were colored instead of the regular green, Kisame set it down and watched as the younger man went from tense to relax again. Reaching for it again, he watched as the blond tensed once more but stopped playing around.

"You're not answering me!"

"It's just a little antidote in case something causes his lungs to get inflamed. You don't want him dying do you?" Kisame questioned with his eyes narrowing at the blue-eyed man across from him.

"No! Not at all! It's just that do I have to shove his pants down or shove it through the clothing?" The Namikaze asked with an eyebrow raised and he eyed the thin metal that pierced skin.

"You'll have to pull his pants down. It'll probably get stuck if you try to shove it through his clothing." Reaching for a stack of papers, he handed them over to the blond and watched as he flipped through them. "It's a list of medication that he has, contacts in case you can't get a hold of his parents. Then there's anything else that might be important."

Nodding, the blond set it in his backpack that he still carried around in case someone wanted to give him something. Looking back over and squeaking, he stared at the needle that seemed to enjoy terrorizing him.

"Will you quit fooling around Kisame? I didn't expect you to be the type that would torment guests. Maybe you should be a domineer or something like that you sadist bastard." Itachi chimed in as he walked sluggishly to the couch and flopped down onto it. Laying his head back, he swore he could sleep like this before his neck decided to hurt.

"You're no fun. Fine one more time." The Hoshigaki man stated and shoved the needle at the blond, watching him cower into the plush cushions. Looking back and waving at the others that were at the door, he worked on handing the things to the blond and sighed.

"So when you're leaving?"

"In order to get everything set up, I'll be leaving in a couple of days. I know I said next week but there's always a chance that those bastards don't have my things set up yet. If they don't then they got another thing coming." The blue haired artist replied and got up to stretch.

"Okay. So when is Naruto helping Itachi move?" Mikoto asked as her attention was directed to the blond that looked up with a start before pushing the taller man out of the way to give her a hug. Smiling a little, she squeezed him back.

"Anytime when he's ready." Naruto chirped. "I can't wait to have him over."

"Oh, he's gotta tell that to everyone so they don't come here. You know what that means." The older Uchiha man said watching as his son paled at the thought.

"I gotta go see Shisui and everyone else." Itachi groaned as he thought back to seeing his cousin's daughter who made him wonder if she had a childhood crush on him or something. Looking over at them, he questioned, "can't I just text him or call him about it?"

"Nope."

With that, Itachi was left with the blond and his ex. Sighing and laying back into the couch, he looked over at the tattooer that was watching the news as if it was something entertaining. Shaking his head, he got up and went to get him something to drink.

"Don't you have a brother?" Kisame asked.

"What's it to you?" Naruto hissed as he inched away from the man that towered over him. Blinking and staring at him, he forced a smile onto his face before he tried to get away. "Yeah so?"

"Does he know his way around California?"

"I don't know. I rarely talk to the guy." Naruto growled as he felt weight come down onto the other side of the couch. Looking over as Itachi took a sip of water, he smiled a little. "Sasuke was more of a brother than Kurama."

"Why do you want to know Kisame?" Itachi asked as he looked over at the two.

"Just wanted to know so I wouldn't feel so lost. That's all." With that, the tattoo artist left the apartment.

Naruto stood up and stretched, slinging his bag onto the floor with a dull thud and sat back down. Curling up with his feet on the couch, he looked around the room and pulled out his phone. "I can't believe that it's been almost eleven years since Sasuke passed away."

It didn't feel like that to Itachi. It still felt like it happened yesterday along with him finding out that he was dying. Groaning at the thought, he had a doctor's appointment tomorrow. It just made him wonder what the woman would say or repeat to him. He was sure that she caught wind of what happened to him. "Yeah. We'll have to pay tribute to him again."

Naruto nodded and looked over at the sable haired man that was sitting by him. He missed seeing him so lively and energetic like when Sasuke was around. It just made him realize that the death of his friend made his other friend act like this. This was one of those times that he cursed Sasuke for doing what he did.

"Are you hungry?" Itachi questioned since the silence seemed a little too much to him. Glancing over at the sapphire eyed man, he saw him staring off into space. Tapping his shoulder, making his friend jump and look over, he sighed. "Are you hungry?"

"A little but I can get something at the gas station before going home." Naruto didn't want his infatuation to get up and get him something. It was best that he rested but he knew that the Uchiha would do something that didn't follow the orders given to him.

"Its fine. We got a couple pudding cups or something if you want some." Itachi hid his complaint in the words as he got up. His back felt sore because of the needle that entered him to get the fluid away. Getting into the kitchen, he dug through the cabinets and found what he wanted. He was in that mood to have pudding, making him feel like a kid again.

"You don't have to do that Itachi." Naruto argued as he went into the kitchen as the man dug around for a spoon. "I mean I'm not really that hungry."

"I rather not have a guest leave hungry."

Sighing, Naruto grabbed his own thing of pudding and spoon and stuck the metal object in his snack. Rolling his eyes as his friend as he hopped up onto the counter with a groan, he stuck some of the chocolate food into his mouth. "Are you always like this?"

"Yeah. Oka-san told me to treat me guests and friends like they were family. That means serving food if they are hungry." The Uchiha stated and reached over, switching on a radio that he put in there for when he was doing dishes and leaned against the cabinets.

Setting down his pudding, looking at the half-eaten snack, Naruto glanced around the smaller room. He was almost convinced that Sasuke was there at that moment but it was the air conditioner. "Hey Itachi."

"Hm?"

Instead of saying anything, Naruto walked the short distance before standing in front of the older man. Smiling a little, his mind focusing on a lot of things that were going on, he leaned on the ill man. "I miss him."

"Of course. We all do." Itachi said as he looked at the blond hair that blocked his sight of the azure eyes. Sighing a little and putting down his finished cup that once held pudding, he wrapped his arms around the blond that was willing to put up with him.

Naruto didn't want to give up the memory of his friend because of how much Sasuke meant to him. He wanted to keep the times that he spent with the Uchiha alive but it was a hard thing to do when the other person was gone. Closing his eyes, Naruto tilted his head up and opened them to stare at the Uchiha.

"Do you want to start packing things now?" the sable eyed man asked with a small smile on his lips. Staring at the eyes that his friend had that was almost covered by blond hair, he reached up and brushed them away. "Unless you have work."

"No. Today's my day off luckily for me but not for Sai." Naruto snickered at the thought of leaving the extremely pale man with all the paperwork.

"Oh."

Looking back at the man in front of him, Naruto leaned up, pressing his lips against the pale ones gently. He was afraid that he might hurt his friend and crush. Feeling the embrace tighten, drawing him closer, Naruto deepened the kiss that meant so much. It felt good to let his feelings out, especially to the man that they were for.

Something started to ring, making Naruto whined as he pulled away. Backing away, watching his crush hop off the counter and walk out of the room to get the phone, he felt like hitting something. Instead, he threw away the trash while his lips tingled at the sensation he gave them.

It felt almost perfect to him. Even Itachi swore it felt like that while he answered the phone that he wanted to get rid at that moment.

*sighs* A nice warm day when I worked on them and I held myself in my room. Luckily with the window open and a breeze. I swear Ohio's weather is bipolar and I hate it! Now any thoughts or comments I like to make? Hm? I don't think so. Well besides asking for comments, thoughts, fanart or anything else you would like to do or make.