Loving Somebody

I know, I know. I'm a day late, but I hope I can make up for it. Hehe. There was only one guest review and it was awesome, so thanks. Here goes chapter four.

Naruto bit his lip harshly as he stared at substance smoking before him. "All that cool air. I'm trying to see how much Bromine it takes to balance one liter of Nitrogen."

Kakashi laughed softly as he poured the cool liquid into the flask. "Do you remember when I tried so hard to protect you from the world and maintain your innocence?"

Naruto laughed as well. "When the Ice Age was merely the chilly age, a period of a million years when everyone had to wear sweaters? Yes, tousan. I remember the tales."

"And the Stone Age became the Gravel Age, named after the really long driveways at the time."

Both men laughed. Naruto stared back at the flask full of the cool blue Nitrogen. "This is magnificent. We've already been through two cups of Bromine and it is supposedly the hottest liquid element."

His blue eyes matched the nitrogen until finally, for a single moment, a spark in the history of time, the liquid turned orange and then blue again. "Cease pouring, tousan. There's the solution."

Kakashi nodded and put down the hot bromine, removing his gloves and moving back. Naruto grabbed a thermometer, placing the tool within the new substance. He smiled brightly. "Perfect. The melting point of this Nitrogen Bromide is between the melting points of both elements."

The man was so ecstatic. "Do you know what we just did Tousan? We just proved that we can balance Periodic elements without mathematical reasoning."

"Write this down." Kakashi yawned. "I'm sleeping all night tomorrow."

"It is tomorrow."

"Thanks, smart-ass."

Narut smiled and grabbed a pen and his notebook. "Yes. While chemists do note that three Bromine atoms are needed to balance one single Nitrogen atom, the physical solution is also three times larger. This here is a third liter of Bromine."

Kakashi nodded and removed his goggles. "Alright, close the flask and let's go to bed."

"But, I'm not tired." Naruto muttered. As a child, it had always been hard for him to sleep. So he stayed up most nights, trying to find a solution to something unknown. When Kakashi couldn't sleep, he was there next to him.

Out of spite, Kakashi grabbed his arm gently, and dragged him upstairs. He went to the closet. "You remember what used to make you sleepy."

Naruto gasped as his father went to a closet. His face erupted in a large grin. "Tousan..you didn't."

Kakashi grabbed Naruto's telescope box from the closet. "Yes, I brought these up. You're lucky because these things are heavy. I had to beg the moving men to actually help me with it."

Kakashi laughed silently, choosing not to tell Naruto how much he cursed the moving men for deeming the telescope useless. His words had been angry.

I worked my ass off during my whole lifetime just to find the perfect telescopes for him. Every goddamn birthday and new update, and you three are going to stand here and say it doesn't need to go? You're going to help me load this onto the truck for my son, or so help me...we'll go to hell together.

He handeded Naruto a telescope from the box and a tripod. "Here. Don't stay out too late."

Naruto nodded and began walking outside. "I won't, tousan. This will only take thirty minutes and then I'll be fine."

Kakashi laughed, staring at his son's hastily retreating form. "So cute." He whispered, covering his mouth. "Naruto." He called.

The genius stopped and turned. "Yes, father?"

"Remember to take your lab coat and goggles off."

Naruto looked at his attire and blushed deeply. Look back up, he tore off his goggles. "Goodnight, tousan. Thank you."

The veteran began to move toward the stairs. "Love you."

"Love you more." Naruto yelled.

"I love you most."

Sasuke arose from his sleep with a quiet whimper. The winds howled outside and the warping night brought the boom of an owl's voice into his darkened room.

Color drained from the six year old's face, white as a sheet, rigid, clammy, shaking, unable to speak, wide eyed, edging backwards, hands clenched, too scared to comprehend, incapacitated with fear.

Tears leaked from the boy's eyes and he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Dad! Help me!"

It did not take two minutes for Fugaku Uchiha to rush into his room with a broomstick held over his head. "You leave my son alon-"

Fugaku froze when he found Sasuke sitting up on his bed, knees drawn to his chest and eyes leaking. "Wha-? What's wrong, small duck?"

Before Sasuke spoke, Itachi ran into the room, a book in his hand. "Otouto, what happened? Why are you screaming?"

Sasuke cried. "I heard a monster!"

"Where?"

"Outside. In the trees. It said 'hoo hoo, hoo hoo.'"

Fugaku continued to stare at Sasuke until he smiled and sat near the boy, hugging him. "Ah, small duck. If you understood bird language like your father, you wouldn't be afraid."

The boy hugged his father back, squeezing tightly as if the man would let go. "Bird language?"

"Mhm It was just an odd question from a forest bird, asking of us, if rightly listened to, 'who cooks for you?' and then, Tachi?"

"He also asked who cooks for you once again." The eleven year old stated, smiling softly.

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "Who cooks for me?"

Fugaku nodded. "He's going to keep asking and he won't stop until you answer."

"Can you teach me bird language too, tousan? Just like you taught aniki?"

"Of course."

When Itachi and Fugaku kissed him goodnight, the boy laid down quietly. Five minutes had passed and his eyes were nearly shut, before the sound of the barred owl came once more.

He gasped, putting his head under the cover.

Another sound from the monster. 'Hoo hoo. Hoo hoo."

Sasuke bit his lip, pulling his eyes from the darkness. "Who cooks for me?" he mumbled. He yawned. "My father."

After such an answer, the six year old was not aware, for some time, of his perturbed sleep.

Sasuke awoke with a faint gasp from the memory.

His father's image popping into his mind, the man sobbed quietly. Wishing, more than anything, that the memories, good and bad, would stop. He did not want to feel guilty. He did not want his father's face to remind him that it was his fault.

""Tousan?"

"Hn?"

"Can we turn up some music?"

"Sure, kid."

The clan head leaned foward to turn up the dial.

"Fugaku, pay at-"

In that instant, he lost the opportunity to evade a newly broken-down car without its lights on. Even if he'd been paying attention, he would have been hard pressed to make the manoeuvre.

"Please stop." He whimpered, shaking and rocking, praying to Kami for forgiveness. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

It was one of his bad days. He could only sleep when exhausted; when he felt the tiredness in his chest, in how he breathed and his thoughts dragged by in slow motion, he slunk to a quiet spot and curled up.

On good days he'd get three hours. On bad days, two. Should he doze later on, he'd wake as soon as sleep came, always as fast as if a gunshot had sounded, heart beating fast and breathing as if he'd just surfaced from deep water. After that it was time to get up, to do something, keep moving.

Standing and wiping his face dry, the man ran to the kitchen, his feet soft patter upon the floor.

With a solemn mood, he waited until his tea was heated within it's kettle. Filling his mug halfway with the dark substance, the teen left the house quickly and sat upon the porch.

It hurt so much that he wasn't surprised by it anymore. How his father's memory awoke him at two in the morning, scaring him off to sit outside until the morning sun showed.

Sitting outside gave him a calm outlook on life, but if it took so long to make him tired, then it didn't help so much.

"By the Deities." Someone muttered. Sasuke's eyes averted slowly to Naruto, who stood on his front lawn, a telescope before him and book in his hand. "This is Alpha Andromedae, the brightest star in the constellation of Andromeda."

Despite himself, a small smiled kissed Sasuke face. Two months had passed with his new neighbors and in those two months, no relationship had ever blossomed as fast as Itachi and Naruto's. The two seemed inseparable; always laughing, learning, and playing around together. And Sasuke appreciated that.

"Hey genius." He called.

Naruto jumped slightly and turned, lips nearly cracking when he spotted the pale form of Sasuke. "Sasuke-san. What brings you out this early in the day?"

Sasuke only shook his head and the blond motioned for him to come closer. "Come look at this, Sasuke-san. It's wonderful."

Closing his sweater tighter, Sasuke stood and inched near Naruto, looking into the eyepiece of the telescope.

He smiled as he watched two large stars in close orbit. "What is it?" He questioned, looking back at Naruto, who had been staring at him.

"That star is 97 lights years from the sun. It's a binary system. The chemical composition of the brighter star is unusual as it is a mercury-manganese star whose atmosphere contains abnormally high levels of mercury, manganese, and other elements."

Sasuke smiled. "You sure do know a lot about it. Although, I'm not surprised."

"My father brought me this when I was fourteen." Naruto spoke in wonderment, holding up the heavy book. "It too-"

He stopped, staring into Sasuke's dark emotionless eyes. "There is sadness in your eyes, Sasuke-san. What's wrong?"

Later in his life, Sasuke would swear that his mouth moved on its own.

"Do you remember when Itachi told you that our father left after a car accident?" He whispered.

"I do recall the tale."

"It's my fault."

Naruto stiffened militarily. "Pardon, Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke inhaled. The guilt sat not on his chest, but inside his brain. What he had done he could not un-do. He could make amends in subtle ways, but confession was out of the question. Only in his silent prayers could he speak his heart to Kami and beg for mercy.

He didn't feel like she deserved the love of Itachi, but he clung to it and hung the shreds of his sanity on it. He prayed that one day he would feel removed from his sin, washed clean of it, but the guilt was a stain on him, an ugly scar.

"I asked my father to turn on the car radio." he muttered, turning away from the powerful blue eyes. "There was a broken down car on the side of the road without any lights. If that hadn't happened, my father would still be alive. My brother would too."

"Sasuke-san."

"I know. It was monstrous, but I'm sorry. I tell Kami every night that I'm sorry. But it doesn't work."

Naruto grimaced softly and grabbed the teen's shoulders, turning him around. "Sasuke-san. Your depression is not real."

"It's not a depression. It's a guilt. And everyday it's eating me. There are times I feel like the world is slowly disappearing in front of me. Or maybe it's just me who's fading away. Those moments, it didn't matter anyway. My empty burning lungs, my heart hitting my chest so hard I thought it would break my ribs and rip apart my skin, those are the only thing I can think about."

Sasuke sobbed. "And the void. The black hole in my head, deep inside my soul, slowly swallowing all my hopes and dreams. That's the worst of those moments. The realization of the vacuum, the nothingness, the absurdity of my existence. Those times keep me awake at two a.m. and make me wonder:

Why am I living anyway? Maybe for me. Maybe for others. Did it really matter? And when I couldn't find my answers on the ceiling, the anxiety turned into panic."

"Sasuke-san."

The Uchiha huffed, looking down toward the ground. "I'm sorry. That was wrong to tell yo-"

"In my eighth year philosophy course." Naruto interrupted, still staring at the soaking face of Sasuke. "I learned that everything happens for a reasons. You cannot control much of what happens in life. Life is a lively fusion of free will merged with destiny. Sasuke-san, you must know that bad things, and bad people, happen to everyone. Even if you went back in time and refused to ask for music, that car, unseeing, would still be there. I know that your father would be so proud of you. And I know that you've come a long way."

"Are you saying that the car accident happened for a reason?"

Naruto looked up toward the sky, still holding tight onto the Uchiha before him. In the first 192,720 hours of my life, I do not understand what I'm saying. So you do not have to believe my philosophical opinions, Sasuke-san."

In spite of the circumstance, Sasuke laughed rather loudly, wiping his eyes and face. Naruto smiled and looked down at him.

"I can say I understand this, however. You are such a middle child- I mean that as a compliment. You're like a chemical buffer, staying in equilibrium seemingly without effort. In all the storms of life, big and small, you show absolute stability, no change at all for the casual observer. But then all at once you're overwhelmed and the shutters come down. I love the way you are; I just have to take extra special care that you stay in the range you can cope with. I wish you'd ask for help more often, makes it easier to care for you. You are simply a lovely person, Sasuke-san. Do you believe that?"

Sasuke smiled, hoping the stars did not show his blush. "Yes. I believe you. I do." He muttered, trying his best not to cry.

Naruto laughed softly at the attempt. "May I kiss you, Sasuke Uchiha?"

Sasuke tensed. At the young age of nineteen and having just left high school a year prior, Sasuke had never been kissed. Not by small crushes, not by anyone. The only lips that ever touched his face were his father's and brother's. Even his mother had never kissed his forehead. And no one had ever kissed him on the lips.

"It will merely be platonic." Naruto spoke, sounding afraid himself. "Just a small touch of the lips."

Sasuke looked down in shame. "I don't know how." He muttered. Looking back up, he stared at Naruto's soft smile.

"Then we must both learn something from the other." With that he grabbed Sasuke's fac and pulled him closer. "Do not worry, Sasuke-san. I myself do not dabble in the touching of mouths. I've only kissed Sakura twice in our relationship. I strongly would like to kiss you thousands of times. It is stronger than my urge to have sexual intercourse with you. And I am a master in sexual content and transmitting bodily fluids."

Sasuke blushed. "I don't understand why you say bold things. It offended me two months ago. But…"

"It merely embarrasses you." Naruto finished. 'I can understand why. I believe you would like to have sexual intercourse with me too. But you may just be shy."

"You're so blunt." Sasuke muttered. "Let go of my face." But he really didn't want the genius to. He'd spent most of his life asking his once stable brother if anyone would ever love him; enjoy his company and personality; deem him beautiful.

He never had the chance to be a teenager. Not after the accident. Never had a chance to leave the house at midnight, his father worried, and run to someone who enjoyed him. He wanted that desperately.

"You do not want me to." Naruto smiled. "My book Smiling Faces is a full study on emotions and expression. It's for Advanced Psychology students."

Sasuke blushed deeply. "No. I don't want you to." He admitted. Where had his strong tight personality gone? Standing before this man had frightened it away.

When Naruto began leaning in, Sasuke closed his eyes. A soft brush against his forehead and he opened them. "See. i told you it would merely be platonic. Until the time comes whe-oof."

Sasuke had tackled the man and knocked the telescope over as they rolled over in the grass. Sasuke felt like an ametuer as his kissed Naruto. His hands worked their way around Naruto's body, feeling each crevasse, each line along his perfect physique. Naruto's own hands ventured over his body, exploring. After a few moment, they pulled apart and opened their eyes, staring. Naruto's eyes full of wonder and love, Sasuke's full of curiosity and passion. No words were spoken, but a story worthy of them was communicated. Naruto leaned in, softly placing kisses up and down Sasuke's neck, making the Uchiha let out little whimpers of anticipation.

He worked his way back to the pale, smooth lips. Without thought, Sasuke rolled them over, now lying on top of his strong body. He ran his tongue up Naruto's neck, eliciting a strong groan from the genius.

A wave of pleasure ran through the teen's entire body. Naruto's scent was intoxicating. He straddled the blond and leaned up, letting Naruto remove his sweater. Moving over Naruto's groin made the blond groan and Sasuke's grabbed the hemline of the man's jeans.

Just a fumble of his hands as he unbuttoned the jeans and tugged made Naruto grab his arms. He looked up toward the surprised blue eyes.

"We are in the grass." Naruto muttered.

In spite of himself, Sasuke bit his lip with a moan. "Yeah."

Naruto sat up, kissing Sasuke's forehead. "Despite my urges, Sasuke, this is extremely too early and wrong. And although I feel like I've known you and Ita my whole life, I believe we must continue in our platonic activities before we have intercourse with one another."

Still high in ecstasy, Sasuke nodded and buttoned Naruto's jeans for him. Beneath his hazy eyes and parted lips, he himself was surprised by his actions.

Anyone could have spotted them. Itachi. Deidara. Kisame. Kakashi. And while he would have enjoyed Deidara spotting them, the other three would have been embarrassing.

Sasuke yelled as Naruto held his waist and stood with the pale teen still straddling him. "I think there is a lot of sexual tension between us, Sasuke. I think we both find the other very attractive. But….may I tell you something?"

"Hai." Sasuke spoke, letting Naruto put on his sweater.

"I acknowledge offense for comparing you to Sakura, but these things I have never felt when with Sakura. I feel deeply involved with you. I feel like you get me. And you're so different and unique."

An image of the boys he'd grown up with popped into his head. "So are you."

Naruto picked up his telescope gear and kissed Sasuke's forehead. "I hope you sleep well, Sasuke."

Sasuke watched Naruto going to his home, his own journey to his porch following.

When he got upstairs, his large grin was wiped off by his mother form against her door. Her voice was raspy when she spoke. "Instead of being a whore, you should worry about your brother. It's your fault he's stupid." she stumbled back into her room.

Instead of sucking in his breath like he usually did; instead of tears leaking from his eyes, Sasuke inhaled softly, closing his eyes. "Nothing is my fault at all. I love my brother more than my own life."

Peeking into Itachi's room, the teen smiled softly at the form sprawled across the bed.

Striding to his room, Sasuke jumped upon his bed, a large smile on his face. This time, he would sleep well.

HLHL

He knew he arose late by the bright sun shining on his face. But he felt so good. So happy. So content. It had been three longs years since Sasuke ever felt good about waking up.

He remembered seeing Itachi being held gently by Kisame. How they always seemed to sway without music.

Sasuke stared out the window at Itachi's laughing face as Kisame whispered something in his ear.

The two seemed to be swaying to non-hearing music as Kisame held the paler teens hips and whispered in his ear.

"Kisame. You're so weird."

Kisame laughed too, moving back an inch. "Just for you, though."

Itachi kissed kim. "Just for me, Shark-man. You love me?"

Kisame shook his head. "No. No. I'm in love with you. There's a difference. When I love you, I want to kiss your forehead and tell you how great you are. But I'm in love with you, so I want to kiss you, make love to you, tell you you're beautiful….and…..eat you!"

Itachi laughed loudly and squeezed around Kisame's shoulders tight at the Hoshigaki put his mouth into the Uchiha's neck.

It hurt so bad that Sasuke could not tell his brother that he was so close to having such a love. And Sasuke had no idea he was crying until a sob broke out.

"Sasuke, huh, Sasuke?"

His breath hitched as he heard Itachi standing by the door.

"Sasuke? You okay?"

Sasuke wiped his face,but did not rise to open the door. "Yeah, Tachi. I'm fine."

Itachi sat down and rested his back upon the door."Sasuke, why you crying. Sasuke, I'm sorry."

"It's not you, Tachi. I just had a bad dream is a-"

There was sharp running upon the stairs and a rustling of papers. "Ita." Naruto called, excitement in his voice. "Where's your brother? I found two discoveries that can't go by!"

Before Sasuke could stand,Itachi spoke loudly. "He's crying, naruto. Did you hear me? He's crying?"

"Oh." Naruto sighed. "May I, Ita?" There was more shuffling and another back hit the door. "Sasuke, why are you crying? I'm sorry." The genius muttered.

In spite of himself, Sasuke laughed, as Naruto and Itachi had repeated the same phrases. "I'm not crying, silly people. My voice is just hoarse from waking up."

Itachi hummed. "That's good reason, brother."

"Would you like to hear my proofs, Sasuke?"

"Sure." The man sat up at the rustling of papers.

"Your father is not dead."

Sasuke tensed. "What?" He snapped softly.

"Well...not completely. Sorry. What I mean is Quantum Theory has proved that our conscious goes to another universe when we die."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's magnificent, Sasuke."

Sasuke smiled. "What's the other proof."

"Hold your breath for this one….haha...not really, Ita." The two laughed together. "People like Itachi are capable of loving. And not just what I mean is, deep down, Itachi is still in love with Kisame. And the only way to help him remember that is to teach him about it."

Sasuke bit his lip, almost excited. "So you're saying that those with mental illnesses are not holding themselves down, but in actuality are being held back by others."

"Precisely. Itachi won't know it's his birthday until you tell him, correct? Teach him about his former life and he'll move back to it. The problem is, doctors believe that medicine is the cure for everything. But it isn't. It's logic and reasoning, Sasuke."

"A marvelous discovery, Naruto" He mumbled with a small smile.

"Did you hear, Ita?" Naruto asked his best friend. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with these circumstances, but the definitions that come with them. You are believed to not love, but that;s wrong when you blush at Kisame. It's wrong when you smile softly and grow embarrassed near Kisame. It's wrong when you ask about him. And it's very wrong when you see him. You see, Sasuke, love has no boundaries."

Sasuke blushed, knowing full well the hidden message beneath Naruto's claim. "It doesn't."

"Not at all, Sasuke."

Well. This chapter was another of a fitting in. I wanted Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Itachi to feel comfortable around one another. It got a bit spicy there, eh? Hehe. I hope that these 'getting comfortable' chapters don't bore you. Anyway, don't hesitate to review.

QUESTIONS OF THE CHAPTER: How do you feel about Mikoto? Who loves Itachi?

QUOTE OF THE CHAPTER: ANONYMOUS

"You are not your illness. You have an individual story to tell. You have a name, a history, a personality. Staying yourself is part of the battle."