-o0o-

Neji woke with a start to the excessive pounding on his bedroom door. After untangling himself from his bed sheets he walked to the door and yanked it open. Tenten stood on the other side, fully dressed with a cup of coffee in her hand.

"One cream, one sugar." The woman extended the cup with a smile on her face. He gratefully accepted the beverage and his earlier thoughts of murdering his best friend for disturbing his good sleep were forgotten.

Tenten watched the man as he retreated back into his bedroom and sat at the foot of his bed. While Neji drank his coffee she took in his appearance; his long hair was matted and tangled and there was a bruise on his right ear.

Looks like somebody had a good night! She smiled to herself as she walked over to the bed and sat down next to him. "So, how was your night?"

Looking up from his cup of coffee, Neji slid the woman a glance out of the corner of his eye. He was not ready to discuss anything that happened last night. His first attempt at exploring his sexuality had been a fucking fail, and he was too embarrassed to talk about it at the moment.

So he took another sip of his coffee and smirked at his best friend. "My night was...interesting." Hopefully that would be enough to sate the woman's curiosity.

"Seriously Neji? You know I want all of the juicy details."

And they call me a genius. Neji mentally scolded himself for actually thinking that that half-assed explanation would be enough. He did not enjoy lying to his best friend, but this was something that he was not ready to discuss with anyone.

Neji could practically see the light bulb hovering over his head as he was struck with an idea. "How did your night with...Sota go?" The man sat back and watched as the weapons mistress's cheeks burned with a brilliant shade of crimson.

Standing up, Tenten started to pace the floor. "His name is Sora asshole! But it was really amazing! I think I like him a lot, but I don't want to rush things. I mean we did meet in a club. And how often do those relationships workout? Well, I have a friend that's in my marketing class and she met her husband in a club, so you never know. He has a really nice apartment and..."

As the woman continued to ramble on about her night, Neji breathed out a sigh of relief. If he could focus all of his attention on Tenten's relationship with this "Sora" guy he could dodge all questions pertaining to his night. Without trying to he thought about the dark haired man and the things that had taken place in his shower last night.

He would be lying if he said that he did not enjoy majority of his time with Itachi, no matter how short it was. But out of nowhere the guy just turned into an asshole. When he first saw Itachi there was no denying that he had felt an almost magnetic pull to him. Maybe it was just the alcohol mixed with sexual frustration. Nodding his head to himself, Neji tuned back in to Tenten's verbose account of her night.

"...weapons collection and he did not even flinch. You know I love a man with guts. Not saying that I love him or anything, because that would be weird. Who actually falls in love with a person at first sight? This isn't some cheesy romance novel!"

Deciding that he did not miss anything too important, he drowned out the chatter again with his own thoughts. Tenten was right about one thing though; 'love at first sight' did not exist. It was a frivolous notion that Hollywood used to fatten their pockets.

How could you love a person by just looking at them? Neji believed that a lot of people confused love with lust. The two emotions did have quite a few similarities; however they were not the same. Being born and raised as a Hyuga really had an effect on his views of love. Majority of the marriages in his clan were arranged out of necessity, not love. His uncle had already made it very clear in the past that after his duty was fulfilled he would be arranged to marry a woman of his uncle's choosing.

So there was honestly no point in wasting his time on foolish things such as love.

Even though he wanted to hate Itachi, he was grateful for last night. It gave him a sample of the pleasure that he had been denying himself for so long and he wanted more. Neji just needed to do a little research about the basics and then find someone who was up for sex with no strings attached.

Of course it was easier said than done, but it was what he wanted. Once he had his fun he could end the relationship and go back to his dull life of studying, babysitting Hinata and being controlled by his uncle.

Sounds like a great plan.

Neji stood up and walked out of the room in the direction of his kitchen, Tenten continued to talk as she followed him. He walked into the kitchen and rinsed out his cup before placing it in the dishwasher. As he was about to walk back to his room he stopped and turned around to face the woman. "Tenten, what did you just say?"

Tenten stopped as well and gave him a sheepish grin. "I kind of told Sora...that you were gay. He suggested that we go on a double date; his cousin is gay as well. Unless you and the guy from last night really hit it off..."

Neji purposely avoided her last statement. "A double date? Ten, you are only here for like another day. How serious do you plan on getting with this guy?"

"Don't worry about any of that. Besides, I already told him that we would meet them tonight."

Neji's earlier thoughts of murdering his best friend were starting to resurface again. There were so many things wrong this situation that he would have to sit down and write them all out. Tenten had to be really considering dating this guy if she agreed to something as tedious as a double date. "I'm not ready for everyone in Konoha to know that I'm homosexual. So I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else. Who is Sora's cousin?"

"Okay, I promise not to tell anyone else. Does that mean that you will go?" Tenten's amber eyes brightened as she gave a hopeful look to her best friend.

He was really starting to dislike this Sora character. "Not unless I see a picture of this cousin. I'm not desperate."

Tenten reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out her cellphone. As she scrolled through the device, Neji waited patiently. Even though he detested the idea of going on a double date with some random guy, it was also a possible chance for him to get used to interacting with the same sex on a more intimate level.

"Here you go," She held out her phone and smiled. "He's really cute too. His name is Akio."

Neji grabbed the phone and looked at the man's profile picture. Akio was attractive enough, he had a nice smile, his hair was cut low and he had smoky grey eyes. He paled in comparison to Itachi, but Neji was over that man so it didn't matter. Akio was a good enough start. "Okay. We can go but the first time that he annoys me, I'm leaving."

"That's good enough for me!" Tenten grabbed her phone and put it back in her pocket. "So now that we have that taken care of. Why don't you go change so we can start our day?"

"Why can't we just go back to sleep?" Neji attempted to run his fingers through his hair, but his fingers got caught in the brown tangles. He should have never gone to sleep without combing his hair last night.

Tenten headed for the guest room, but before she walked into the room she looked over her shoulder. "I need to find an outfit for tonight. So that means..."

Neji stared in horror as he hoped that she was not suggesting what he thought she was. Fuck no, anything but that.

With a wide grin the woman mouthed the one word that made Neji cringe in disgust. "Shopping!"

The two Uchiha brothers sat out on the balcony of Akimichi's as they waited for their food. The family owned restaurant had been in business for over twenty years and it was a place that their parents used to take them for lunch whenever they went into town together. It was also one of the many traditions that Itachi tried to keep intact because it meant a lot to his younger brother. Sasuke was texting on his phone - more than likely to Naruto- while Itachi sorted through his thoughts.

That morning he had checked out of his room and decided to read the text message that he had received from Kisame the previous night. The message informed him of a solo assignment that he needed to complete by tonight. Luckily for him he did not have to leave the city, but he disliked doing jobs so close to his home. He preferred to handle his business as discreetly as possible and there were too many people who were familiar with him, so he could not afford any slip ups. Even though he had always executed his missions flawlessly, there was always room for mistakes.

Speaking of mistakes; last night was definitely going on the very small list of his past mistakes. He was still upset that the night ended in failure. Earlier he had even regretted his decision of kicking the man out of his room. Itachi had even briefly entertained the thought of what would have happened if he were actually mentally stable.

If he were a normal man who hadn't become an assassin at the age of thirteen he would have gladly taken Neji up on his offer. However, Itachi was a fucked up person and it would take years of therapy to fix his broken mind. So he would steer clear of people that he could break easily - he was at least considerate of others.

Itachi wondered when he would finally snap. The only reason why he had never tried to get custody of Sasuke himself was because his case would be weak. Madara had already told him that if he even tried it he would make it so that he never saw Sasuke again. He knew from experience that his uncle had the power to make that happen.

He looked over at his brother and noticed that he had been staring at him. Startled, he raised a questioning brow. "Is there a reason why you are staring at me, Sasuke?"

Sasuke lowered his gaze to his brother's hands that were harshly gripping the tabletop, his knuckles white with the firm hold of his grip. "Is there a reason why you're abusing the table, Itachi?"

Itachi looked at his hands as they released the table and he frowned at the dents that he had left behind. He needed to get himself under control; almost ten years of suppressing everything was unhealthy.

"Itachi, is there something wrong?" Sasuke's face was impassive, but his brother could read the worry in his eyes.

"No, not at all." Itachi gave his brother a reassuring smile. "So, how are things going with Naruto? I was surprised that you did not bring him along."

"Tch. We aren't always together."

Itachi smirked; teasing his younger brother had always been a great way to lighten the mood. Well for him At least. "One would assume that you two were practically joined at the hip."

Sasuke glowered at his older brother. "Fuck you Itachi."

"No, thank you. I am not interested in incestuous relations of any kind."

The corners of the teenager's mouth twitched as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I find that hard to believe. You and cousin Shisui were...rather close."

Itachi stared blankly at his smirking little brother. "Hn."

Sasuke felt triumphant, for the first time in...Well this was actually the first time that he was able to silence his brother. Or so he thought...

"Is Naruto aware of Mr. Tomato face?" Itachi picked up his cup and took a sip of green tea. Afterwards he sat the cup back on its saucer and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "I'm sure he would be delighted to know who your first kiss went to."

Before Sasuke could answer with a retort the waitress brought their food out. The two men watched silently as she placed their plates on the counter. Once she was finished, she bowed and headed back into the kitchen.

The brothers looked at each other and gave a signature 'Hn' before they started to eat. They were in the middle of their meal when Itachi's phone buzzed informing him that he had received an email. He was not surprised to see that it was from Sasori; it was the information regarding his new target.

"Itachi," Sasuke waited for his brother to look at him before he continued. "Tonight, I wanted to have a few friends over. Senior year will be starting in a week and a few of us wanted to celebrate."

"How many is a few?"

"Five at the most."

That translated to ten teenagers in Itachi's mind. "Do you plan on having alcohol? Any type of drugs?"

"No." Sasuke hated it when his brother would ask him these same questions whenever he asked about having people over. Of course he realized that his brother was just being a responsible adult, but he could take care of himself.

Shrugging, Itachi picked up his chopsticks. "Well then of course you can have a few friends over."

Sasuke nodded his head and continued eating as well.

After brunch, Itachi took his brother to see the new Menma movie. Sasuke was a little ticked off that his brother compared the two main characters to him and Naruto. The younger raven did not see the resemblance at all. When they made it back home, Sasuke gave Naruto a call and Itachi went up into his room. It was a bit stuffy when he walked in so he decided to let up his window.

He pulled out his cellphone and read the email that Sasori sent him again. His target, Sakon, was a petty criminal who did not even make it on the local authorities' radar. So Itachi was surprised when Pein assigned him to dispose of the man. These types of jobs were beneath him and it annoyed him that Leader would even bother him with such a task.

Glancing at his watch, he noted that it was only 2pm; he had enough time to catch up on his sleep. Pein wanted confirmation of his kill by midnight. Itachi planned to leave the house at least five hours before the deadline. He was more than confident that it would be an easy job. So with that in mind he changed into only a pair of sweat pants and laid down.

Over the years, killing had become second nature to him. He could end a person's life without even breaking a sweat and that disturbed him.

Itachi had tried to think about how his life would be after the Akatsuki. Would there be anything left for him? Sasuke would be graduating high school and starting a life of his own, so where did that leave him? Itachi had always known that he would not walk away clean from all of this - his hands were completely soaked in blood.

What if Sasuke found out? Would he hate me?

Sasuke often thought with his heart instead of his brain. No matter how indifferent he may seem, he had always been very sensitive. All Uchihas had that one trait in common. That was the reason for the cold demeanor and the ruthlessness; it was all for protection. Itachi knew that if Sasuke ever found out about his role in the Akatsuki that his initial response would be denial. He would never believe that his adored older brother could ever kill anyone. Once that stage was over there would be hurt, then eventually hatred.

However, Itachi was prepared for all of that. He would take all of Sasuke's hatred towards him without complaint. As long as his brother was safe, he could hate him until the end of time.

The breeze blowing through his window felt good against his bare torso as he drifted off to sleep. When he closed his eyes, a pair of lavender orbs stared back at him.

"So hot stuff tell me about yourself."

Neji had to refrain from rolling his eyes for the third time that night. Why did Kami-sama hate him so much? Was this just a sign that he should not be gay? He looked at the man that sat across from him in the cozy booth. Neji had a sneaking suspicion that Akio had his profile picture photoshopped, because he did not look anything like the picture.

Akio was dressed in a cheetah print blazer, a red tie and leather pants. His hair was much longer than it was in the picture and it was spiked up with heavy gel. In the picture his teeth were straight and stain free, but now it was clear that he was missing a tooth. The man's entire appearance made Neji want to hurl all over the tacky tablecloth.

Tenten had suggested that they all dine at the new Italian restaurant that opened up last week. But Sora made up some lame excuse about not liking spaghetti - Neji did roll his eyes at that - so they ended up at an overpriced burger joint.

Five minutes ago, Tenten excused herself to go "powder her nose" and Sora left as well to go "take a leak". However, Neji was more than positive that they were somewhere making out. So that left him alone with the Ace Ventura look alike.

"I didn't take you for the silent type," Akio picked up a cherry from the top of his milkshake and slowly licked it. "I wonder if that applies to the bedroom as well."

If this were happening to someone else, Neji would have laughed.

Neji was raised to be polite in public settings, so until Tenten came back he would try to be as cordial as possible with Akio. "I hear from your cousin that you work in the film industry."

"Yeah. Maybe you've seen one of my films."

"I do not believe I had the pleasure. What is the name of it?" Maybe he isn't so bad. Neji thought. Of course, I would never sleep with him, but he at least has an interesting career.

Akio leaned back in his booth to give Neji a better view of his body and he grinned. "My Little Twink."

The silence after that stretched on for a full sixty seconds before the gears started to turn in Neji's head. "My Little Twink?"

"Yeah! I'm quite famous actually. I've done about 23 films. My manager thinks I make a great bottom..." As Akio started to give a very detailed account of his life in the adult film industry, Neji just sat there staring at his half eaten burger.

Now was the time to plan his escape; when Tenten came back he could act as if he had an important phone call to answer then once he stepped outside he could make a run for it. He could shoot his friend a text and tell her that something important came up and he would meet her at his condo. No, that wouldn't work, he couldn't just ditch Tenten.

Glancing at his watch, Neji noted that the woman had been gone for ten minutes now. Maybe that could be his excuse.

"...I don't really like bears, but the people pay a lot of money to see me being fucked by one so..."

Neji stopped his scheming thoughts. "Excuse me, but did you just say that you get paid to have bears fuck you?" There was no way in hell that this man could be discussing beasteology right now like it was something normal. What kind of sick fuck is he?

Akio chuckled as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes form his jacket pocket. "Yeah! Majority of my films are of me fucking bears."

That's the last straw. Neji abruptly stood up from his seat. "Well, I need to step outside for moment." Before Akio could respond, Neji made his way to the back of the restaurant in search of his friend. There is no telling what kind of weird shit Sora is into as well.

Neji went to the restrooms first, but there was no sign of neither Tenten nor Sora. There was a side door that lead outside of the restaurant, but it was only for staff members. He stood near the door and waited until he was sure no one was looking in his direction, and then he slipped out. The alley was dimly lit, but it was still too dark for him to make out anything clearly.

There was a faint noise further into the alley so he decided to follow it. He strained his ears to see if he could identify the sound, but it was hard to make out. Neji knew that he could possibly be walking in on his friend while she was in a compromising situation, but it wouldn't be the first time. As he made his way deeper into the alley, he heard a choked gargled sound that made his heart clench.

Oh no Tenten! Neji sped up his steps, he was almost running now. Please don't let it be her. He was not thinking clearly now, he just needed to make sure that his friend was all right.

The exit to the alley was faintly illuminated by the glow of the streetlights, when Neji finally approached he could make out a dark figure kneeling over a slim body.

"Tenten?!" Neji's voice was hoarse and uneven.

The dark figure slowly stood up from his crouched position and turned around to face Neji. However, the man's eyes were focused on the body. The person was covered in blood; their petite body was lying there lifelessly on the ground. Neji took in the person's appearance and realized that it was actually a man, so it couldn't be Tenten. Relief suddenly washed over him and his shoulders relaxed.

Until he remembered that there was still a dead body and the possible killer standing right in front of him.

The dark figure took a step forward and Neji slightly bent his knees and readied himself for an attack. He knew that the smart thing to do was to get the fuck out of there, but he his feet were firmly planted to that spot. Slowly, the figure made his way towards Neji, the air seemed to chill the closer the being got. Neji's instincts were going haywire now, his heart was hammering away in his chest and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

He had made a mistake coming here, he realized that now. But it was too late. Neji's brain was telling him to run, but somehow the message did not reach the rest of his body. It was far too late now; the person was within reach. Neji would have to stay and fight - at least injure the person so that he could get away.

The other man slightly titled his head, giving Neji a clear view of his face. He noticed the splatters of blood that covered his handsome face and his dark eyes were dancing with mirth. With a sharp intake of breath, Neji took a step back. Oh no!

A slow smirk played at the corners of the other man's thin lips. "It's nice to see you again, Neji."

Neji's eyes widened as he took another step back. "Itachi?!"