Hi guys! Merry Christmas to you all! I'm posting this one a lil early as a Christmas present, Hope you's enjoy it. Just so you's know there's a few time skips in this chapter. On with the fic!

Update: Also I've just realised I've spelt Uzumaki wrong a few times so I've re-uploaded some chapters with the corrections.

Chapter 26. Naru POV

Itachi turned up in the afternoon the next day to pack his stuff up and to fetch his car. I guess he was too worked up and angry last night to take it when he left with Deidara. He called earlier to check whether his dad was there or not so that he could come get his stuff. I stayed in the living room while he spoke to his mom; Sasuke was at work so I sat alone trying not to listen to them but it was hard not to hear Mikoto's distressed voice. She tried to convince him to stay but he refused, saying he couldn't live with a father who couldn't accept him for who he is. I could hear her crying as he left; she must have gone upstairs after that because I didn't see her again that day. Eventually I went to my temporary room to pack my stuff up to head back home because I was back at the restaurant tonight and I had to start studying for the next exams. I stood outside her bedroom door for a few moments, considering whether or not I should go in to comfort her but decided against it. Fugaku was right; it's not my place to interfere but that doesn't mean I don't want to.

I left her a note in the kitchen telling her where I was and to call me tomorrow to let me know she was okay. I even put on that I would try talking to Itachi later on, though I know it'll do no good. I set about doing the housework when I got home, I tried to sit down and revise but I couldn't concentrate. I ended up washing all my dirty laundry, hanging it out to dry on my balcony and washed all the dirty dishes before putting them away. I even vacuumed; I never vacuum. Before I knew it I had to head off to work. Before leaving I checked my mail box; there was a few bills and a letter with a typed addressograph stuck on the front. I opened it but there was only a blank bit of paper inside. I stared at it for a while, trying to figure out what it meant but nothing came to mind. I turned to envelop over but there was no return address or even a name. I shoved it into my bag before walking to work. I'll think about it later.

-Timeskip

Every week since then I received the same thing in the post. Nothing written on the paper and no return address. I tried to ignore it and focus on finishing my last exams but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I couldn't bring myself to tell Shika about it, though he could tell there was something wrong with me. Telling him would mean having to explain why it was worrying me and I'm not ready for that right now. I couldn't tell Itachi; he had enough problems of his own to deal with right now. His father still refused to speak to him and I heard from Sasuke that his parents were even sleeping in separate rooms and were absent from the house even more than usual. Eventually I sent Gaara a text quickly explaining the strange letters and he told me he would try looking into it though he couldn't promise anything. He did reassure me that Orochimaru was still locked up which comforted me a bit.

I decided to cut my hours down at work, only working two days each for Asuma and the Old Lady, so that I could get more hours in at the high school. I rarely saw Sasuke for a while, only seeing him when he was in one of my lessons, but from what I could see he was getting more and more depressed. I tried catching him after classes one day but he just shrugged me off, saying it was nothing. It hurt me that he couldn't talk to me, though I could guess it was probably something to do with Itachi. I went round to Deidara's a few times to see Itachi and I could see how unhappy he was. Sometimes we would just sit in silence, sometimes I would hold him while he tried not to cry and it pained me to see him fall apart like this. I can't imagine how he's feeling right now.

I tried to see Shikamaru as much as I could but whenever we were together I'd just end up talking about Itachi and I'm sure he was getting bored with me. One day when we met up I asked him if I was 'too troublesome' for him. He called me stupid, kissed me and took me to the arcade. We spent the whole morning and afternoon playing on all the games; we even went into the karaoke booth though we were both terrible at it. When we got back to his place I held him for a long time, thanking him for taking my mind off everything, even if just for a little while. Things started to get heated between us, but before anything could happen his dad popped his head around the door to see if he was home yet. We ended up spending the night awkwardly playing chess with his dad who kept making sex jokes. I think my face was permanently red that night. But I still had fun, it was nice to forget about everything.

"Naruko?" I go around straightening the desks in Kakashi's classroom, pushing all the chairs back in.

"Yeah?" I've been taking turns lately at the school with the mandatory subjects, alternating each week between them. It's my last day with English for a while, though I've not been with Kakashi for ages. I walk over to his desk as he marks some of the quizzes he got the kids to do earlier in the day.

"I got this back today from the exam board." He holds up an envelope, handing it over to me. "Open it." I pull the document out and scan the first few lines.

"This is…" He nods as he continues looking at me. Somebody you admire. By Sasuke Uchiha.

"That's right. It's one of his essays to make up for last year. Tell me, Naruko. Did he let you read it?" I shake my head. I'd actually forgotten all about it, though it never occurred to me to ask him to show me when he'd finished it.

"No. I… I never asked." I put it back into the envelope and try to hand it back but he shakes his head, refusing.

"Why don't you keep it for a while? Read it before you return it." I nod, leaving it on one of the desks while I finish tidying the room up before helping Kakashi with some of the quizzes. When we're finished he tells me I can leave, though he stops me before I head out the door. "That kid really looks up to you, Naruko. He seems to care for you greatly. I hope it doesn't cause any problems." I smile at him, though it's shaky.

"Don't worry, Kakashi. Sasuke's the little brother I never had. Nothing more." Closing the door behind me I can't help the frown that makes its way onto my face as I hold the envelope against my chest. Nothing more…

-About a month timeskip

I collect my mail before heading up to my apartment, thankful to finally be home. I've been really busy these past few weeks. It's nearly the end of March and exams are right around the corner again already. I drop the letters onto the table before pulling out one of the frozen meals that Mikoto keeps dropping around for me. She's started coming around regularly just to talk; though it's mainly about Itachi and his father. Though occasionally she mentions Sasuke and that Fugaku is being harder on him than usual. Probably the reason for him being so down whenever I see him. I pop the meal into microwave as I sit down to open the letters. Bills and bills. Though there's another one with a printed addressograph on it. I hadn't received one for a couple of weeks so I'd thought they had finally stopped. I leave it on the table before noticing the envelope Kakashi gave me last month beneath the fruit bowl. I'd planned on reading the essay that night but Shika ended up coming around and I'd forgotten all about it. I move the fruit bowl, pulling the essay out from the envelope. Somebody you admire. The microwave beeps so I get up to get it, grabbing a fork; I don't bother transferring it to a plate, why bother dirtying more dishes. I eat a few mouthfuls of the food, curry this time, before letting my gaze run over his essay again. I suppose I could read a bit of it before bed.

When I think of 'somebody you admire' normally my thoughts would go straight to my older brother. He's reliable, intelligent, caring, dependable. When I was younger I even wanted to grow up to be just like him. But then I met her. Or should I say, became reacquainted with her. When we were children, my brother's best friend would often be at our house; though I do not remember her very well, not only because I was young but also an incident occurred which caused me to forget.

I only know about it now because I asked how she got the six scars covering her cheeks; she took me to the park one day when some teenage boys attacked us. The leader cut her before she wrapped her whole body around my tiny frame as the ganged up on her; kicking her repeatedly. I still don't remember exactly what happened, but my brother's best friend moved away not long after. She told me that I refused to have anything to do with her just before she moved. No matter how hard I try I can't seem to remember her; though I'm starting to think that doesn't matter because I know her now and that's all that matters.

I've gotten to know her again and quite frankly I'm finding myself looking up to her more and more; maybe even more than my brother. I like to think we have grown close again and I've slowly started to discover more about her as well as the years she spent away. Looking at her now you wouldn't think that she had a past to hide. She started to drink alcohol by falling in with the wrong crowd at her new school. She would argue with her parents, fight with them. And then they died. There was a car accident due to her father being distracted while arguing with her one night resulting in her parents' deaths. For which she blames herself.

She was sent to the local orphanage and ending up doing a lot of bad things after that. She started taking drugs which led to further things which I'm sure she would erase from her memory if she could. And then she did something incredibly brave; she stopped taking the drugs and came back here, looking for my brother. He helped her get through the withdrawals, and she rebuilt her life here; where she belongs. Sometimes when I look at her, I see the pain in her eyes but she's always smiling. Always carrying on. She's the bravest person I know; and one day I would like to have even just a third of her bravery and then I could maybe live my life the way I want to just as she has.

Drops fall onto the paper, blurring the words as I try to reread them. My meal lies cold and forgotten on the table as the sobs rack through me. "Oh, Sasuke." I let the paper fall to the table and pull my legs up onto the chair so that I can rest my cheek against them; tears flowing down my cheeks, soaking my trousers.

"…and then I could maybe live my life the way I want to just as she has."

"I wish I could help you somehow, Sasuke. I really do…"

I bang on the door to Deidara's flat repeatedly, not paying attention to what time it is. I don't care if it's three in the morning I need to see Itachi. I did try to ring while I ran here but he didn't answer, though I wasn't really expecting him to.

"Hang on! Don't you know what time it is?" I keep banging even though I know they're awake. My body shakes as I clutch a single piece of paper in my fist, and it's not because of the cold. I actually feel pretty numb, result of the shock from opening that letter; I shouldn't have opened it... I hear the door unlock and it swings open revealing Dei in just his boxers and a t-shirt. "Naruko? What are you doing here? It's like three a.m. un." He rubs his eyes, blinking slightly as he notices my puffy red eyes. "Naru, what's wrong, un?"

"I… I need Ita…"

"Dei, what's going on?" Itachi appears behind his boyfriend just as I fall to my knees. "Naruko? Naruko?" I sob as they reach down to pull me back up, half carrying me into the flat. They place me down onto the couch but when he goes to move away, I grab hold of Itachi's t-shirt.

"He knows…" My voice breaks as the paper falls from my grasp. "He knows where I live, 'tachi. He knows…" He sits down next to me as Dei sits at the other side. Itachi takes the paper from my lap, reading it a few times.

"You cannot hide from me, little fox." He drops it onto the floor and cups my cheeks in his hands. "Did you tell Gaara?" I shake my head, no.

"He didn't answer…" He lifts my head up, forcing me to look into his eyes.

"He can't hurt you, Naruko. You hear me? I won't let him, okay." I nod though the tears keep flowing. He moves his hands from my face, wrapping his arms around me pulling me close. I feel arms wrap around my middle as Dei holds me as well as the sobs rack through me. The three of us sit there for God knows how long until I eventually cry myself to sleep against them. This can't be happening…

"Are you sure it's him?" I shake as I hold the phone to my ear. I'd woken up on the couch with Itachi earlier, though I don't know where Dei went. I can hear Itachi in the kitchen as I try to calm myself down.

"Who else could it be? Why would anyone be sending me these letters?" I hear him sigh on the other side; I can just picture him with his eyes closed, first finger and thumb pressing into his eyes.

"I checked with the prison, he hasn't sent any letters since he went there. There's no way it's him, unless…" I sit up straight, hand clenching the phone.

"Unless?" Itachi comes in setting a cup of tea in front of me. I smile as thanks when he sits beside me, hand on my thigh. He squeezes it slightly as I try to force my leg to keep still.

"Maybe he's getting somebody else to do it for him. I only enquired about him personally mailing anything; I didn't ask if he was getting any visitors."

"What if it's Kabuto?" I lean forward to pick up the cup and take a sip.

"Could be. He was his right hand man. I'll go to the prison again today; see if I can find anything else out."

"Thank you, Gaara." I put my cup back down, feeling slightly calmer but still on edge.

"No need to thank me, Kit. Look I'm going to visit soon okay? I'll try get there next week after I've made some enquiries on this side. I want to make sure no one is following you or anything." We hang up not long after; I pick my cup up again as I snuggle into Itachi. We sit in silence for a while; I texted Kiba earlier telling him I wasn't feeling well and to get me a copy of the notes from our lectures today. I even phoned in sick to the school and work tonight; I don't think I can face anything today.

"Where'd Dei go?"

"Uni. He's got a deadline soon so he's trying to get his piece finished." I twirl my fingers around his hair; it's very rare that I see him without it tied back.

"Have you thought about talking to your dad again?" He stiffens beside me briefly before taking my empty cup to the kitchen. "I'm not going back there, Naru." I follow behind, determined not to let the subject drop. Anything to get my mind of that letter…

"Itachi, it's your home. You gotta at least try talking to him one more time…" He places the cup into the sink as he bangs his other hand against the bench before turning to me.

"Why should I, Naruko? Why should it be me trying to make peace with him? He's the one who can't accept it. He should be the one trying, not me." I lower my gaze, knowing he's right but it still bothers me.

"But he's your dad, 'tachi. And one day, when he's gone, you might regret not trying to get him to understand…" I look up as he sighs before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You're really infuriating, you know that?" I send him weak smile. "I know you're right. But what am I supposed to do? He was the one who told me to get out."

"You did say you didn't want to be his son. I bet that hurt him more than he let on." We look at each other for what feels like forever until he walks over to me.

"Come on, I'll take you home. You stink." I let him drag me out to his car. I really hope he can sort things out with his dad soon…

"Ahh, that feels so much better." I head into my living room, towel drying my hair as I head over to Itachi sitting at the table.

"What does he mean?"

"Huh?" I look up and push the hair out of my face as I go over to him, looking at the bit of paper he's looking at. I quickly grab it from him, though it's too late; he's probably already read it. I forgot to put Sasuke's essay away last night after opening that damn letter. "I don't think you're supposed to read that…"

"What is it?" I put it back into its envelope as I sit down next to him, grabbing an apple.

"One of squid's English essays." I bite a big chunk out of the fruit, I didn't realise how hungry I actually was.

"And why do you have it?" I ignore his eyes watching me as I focus all my attention on the apple.

"His teacher gave me it; said I should read it."

"At the end… what does he mean?" I look over at the drawing on my wall.

"I don't think it's my place to say, Itachi…" He turns me to look at him suddenly so that I drop my apple.

"He's my brother, Naruko. I think I have the right to know, don't you?" I don't answer for a while, wondering what I should say to him.

"You know he did that drawing for me, right?" He nods, urging me to go on. "He really loves to draw." I smile as I remember finding his book of drawings once. "He only took business because you did and your father wants him to. He wanted to do Art instead but knew he couldn't. So he ignored what he wanted and did what was expected of him." I look into his eyes, seeing it all come together in his head. "Your mom says Fugaku has been harder on him since you left. I haven't seen him in ages but he looks so depressed at school. And I bet he feels like he can't express what he wants because he'll just get shot down like you did." He looks at me for a few moments before getting up and putting my apple in the bin.

"Finish getting ready. We're going out." He turns away from me as he loads my washing machine. I head back to my room to dry my hair, wondering where we're going.

I follow Itachi into the Uchiha household and into the living room; I should have known we were coming here. The noises in the kitchen stop as Mikoto calls out.

"Is that you, Sasuke?" She appears at the doorway, her hand moving to her mouth as she gasps. "Itachi?" She moves over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He returns the hug and I shift from foot to foot, feeling a bit awkward at witnessing their moment. They break apart as she looks up at him. "Are you coming home?"

"I don't know yet. Where is father?" She sits him down before running back into the kitchen. A few minutes later she comes back with some home-made biscuits and tea. She gestures for me to join them so I sit on the single armchair, letting them have the couch to themselves.

"At work still. But he did say he would be coming back early today so he might be back soon." She hands him a biscuit and he smiles as he accepts it. I smile at them; Mikoto looks like she's missed him so much. She chats to him for a while, and keeps handing him biscuits. I sip at my tea as I watch them. We all look to the living room door as the front door opens and closes.

"I'm home." Fugaku walks in with Sasuke trailing behind him and I can't help but frown as I notice the bags beneath his eyes. Though his eyes seem to light up as he notices me and he pushes past his dad to stand next to me. He leans down while placing his palm against my forehead.

"Sasuke dear, what are you doing?" He finally lets go, nodding to himself, and I raise an eyebrow at him.

"You weren't at school today; I was worried. Kakashi said you were sick, but you look okay and you don't have a temperature." I smile up at him, pinching his cheek briefly as he reminds me of when he was a little kid; I'm sure he said something similar many years ago.

"I'm okay now, thank you." I look over to Itachi to see him and his dad staring at each other.

"Father." Their staring match continues as Mikoto glances between the two. "I wanted to speak with you."

"Then speak." Itachi stands up and moves so that he's standing opposite his father, towering over him ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry for saying I didn't want to be your son. But I'm not sorry about being gay. I look up to you, Father. I respect you; I don't want you to disown me because of my preferences. But if you decide you cannot accept it, then that's fine."

"Itachi…" He looks to his mom and smiles before returning his gaze back to Fugaku.

"I will accept that. But I cannot accept what you're doing to Sasuke." Sasuke sits on the arm of my chair, watching the two.

"What are you talking about, boy?" His dad's eyes narrow but he keeps calm, though I'm surprised. I was expecting him to shout at Itachi again, but I guess that was the alcohol and the shock of what he saw at New Year's.

"I'm talking about Sasuke's life. His future. You want him to go into the family business."

"Of course I do. I wanted you both to take over the company." Itachi turns back to look at Sasuke and I feel him stiffen beside me.

"But the thing is, he doesn't." He turns back to his father. "Sasuke hates business; he's only doing it because of you and me. He's following in my footsteps because he thinks that's what is expected of him. And that's not right." Fugaku looks over at Sasuke.

"Sasuke has never expressed this to me. If that's true, surely he would have come to me, and not you."

"I didn't." Sasuke stands up though his eyes are staring at the floor. "I didn't tell brother any of that. It's not true…" Itachi's head snaps back to stare at his younger brother. I try to hold Sasuke's hand but he pulls away from me. I look over at Mikoto as she looks between her sons and her husband; pain showing on her face.

"Sasuke. I know you don't want to go into the company. You really want to do Ar…"

"It's not true!" He raises his voice, hands clenched by his hands. Itachi looks at his brother, confusion in his eyes.

"Can you see what you've done?" I stand up as they all turn to look at me except Sasuke. I put my hand on his shoulder briefly but I can feel him shaking beneath my hand, even if it was only there for a second. "He's scared to stand up to you because of how you've treat Itachi." I grab the necklace hidden beneath Sasuke's t-shirt and pull; it's breaks easily and I grab the key attached to the chain. He told me once where he keeps his key for the drawer he hides his drawings in. He finally looks up but I can't read his expression. I push past them, heading up to Sasuke's room and unlock his bottom drawer; ignoring the magazine that's also in there. I grab the notebook of sketches I looked at when I visited their house for the first time after coming back from Suna. I head back down the stairs, while flicking through the pages to the most recent. Sasuke watches me come back in and I can't help but feel he looks like a deer caught in headlights.

"Look at these." I push to book towards Fugaku, forcing him to take it. "Sasuke is a brilliant artist. That drawing of the fox and a girl on my wall? Sasuke did that. He loves art. And I bet he wants to study it at A-level. But he won't because of you. Because you want him to do business; something he hates so much." I almost say 'something that caused him to lash out and drink himself stupid' but I manage to stop myself. Their dad looks through the book and I'm sure I see his face soften. Mikoto moves over to her youngest, wrapping an arm around his shoulders but he continues staring at me.

"Don't force Sasuke to do something he doesn't want to. Don't ruin his life; let him make his own choices. And I'll break up with Dei." I turn to stare at Itachi. What… Fugaku looks up from the notebook, looking just as shocked as the rest of us. "I'll leave him; I'll never bring this up again. If you let him do what he wants."

"You would trade your happiness for his own?"

"Itachi…" He ignores me as he stares at his dad.

"Yes. Sasuke means more to me than anybody else. If I have to live the rest of my life unhappy, then so be it." Fugaku closes to notebook before handing it back to me.

"No." We all look at the head of the family as he sighs before removing his glasses and holding the bridge of his nose. He turns to look at Sasuke and gives him a small smile. "Have you put in your A-level choices yet?" He nods, yes. "Change them tomorrow." Sasuke's mouth opens to speak but his father holds a hand up to stop him. "If you really want to do Art, then do it." He turns to look at his eldest. "You have to know I'm not happy with this, Itachi. But I am willing to try accepting the… feelings you have for this man."

"Father…" Finally he turns to look at me.

"You're infuriating, Naruko Uzumaki." That's twice in one day I've been called that… "But you're part of this family. And it seems you keep us right. Come, Mikoto." He walks past his wife and into the kitchen. "I'm hungry; I'm sure we all are." She follows her husband, sending us all a smile before entering the kitchen. The three of us are silent for a while before I start laughing. Itachi takes the book from me and flicks through it before Sasuke can grab it from him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sasuke shrugs as he snatches the book back.

"I didn't think it would do anything." My phone suddenly starts ringing and I struggle to fish it out my pocket; number withheld.

"Hello?" I turn my back on the two Uchiha's as silence meets my answer. "Who is this?" I hear breathing on the other side but that's it. I hang up and stare at the phone. I jump as it starts ringing again; the same message coming on the screen.

"Naruko…" I answer the phone again.

"Who the fuck are you and how did you get my number?" There's more breathing before a slight chuckle comes through.

"I'm sure you know exactly who I am, my little fox." I freeze, unable to say anything as my throat dries up. My phone drops from my grasp just as the connection is lost.

"Naruko?" Itachi grabs me, spinning me around to look at him but I can't focus on anything; my head spinning. "What's wrong? Who was it?" I try to speak but nothing comes out as my knees go weak. I almost fall but Itachi holds me up.

"O'maru." I finally whisper as he grabs my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

"What?"

"Orochimaru."

Well, there you are! Let me know what you's think!