Well I don't have any clue what to say. It's been like forever and some time since I last uploaded something... but well I am going to make it up for it, so here you go, a super long chapter with little stuff going on but well, I'll try to upload more, like maybe tomorrow? And then the real fun starts hehe... Just ignore me and read.

Chapter 4: Jealousy and purple hair

Living with Itachi proved to be a pretty eventless feat after the first day and Sasuke soon came to realize that he and his brother were rarely at home at the same time. Although at first he nurtured some sort of mixed feelings about how their relationship was going to develop, now he felt almost on the brink of disappointment. Where was his brother all day long and what of the show he had put on barely a week before, making Sasuke feel all flustered? All sorts of questions were mingling inside of him while he was eating his breakfast when he heard the phone ring.

Deciding it was just as much his house now as it was Itachi's, he stood up and answered the phone.

"Hello?" Sasuke could hear the clear sound of a woman's voice.

"Who's there?"

"Itachi, it's me, your soon to be wife?" she said, her voice oozing of sarcasm. "What has gotten into you?" this time, her tone was serious, all traces of irony gone. "I know it has been a rough time for the two of us but… are you really casting me aside already?"

At this point, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to stop the woman and tell her he was not the one she thought he was and the fact that she seemed on the verge of crying did not help at all.

"Uhm… as awkward as this is, you've got the wrong guy. My brother's not at home. Do you wish me to leave him a message?"

The woman suddenly went silent, muffling her quiet sobs and trying to fix whatever mess she had made of herself over the phone. After a few seconds of silence she spoke again, her tone soothing but also firm.

"Then I suppose you are Sasuke. Sorry about that, you really do sound alike."

"No problem at all. I guess you could say that." He replied, wondering just how much the woman knew of him, since after all he knew nothing of her. "So should I pass anything to my brother?"

"No…not really…" a moment of silence filled the room and then the woman resumed her talking "…actually tell him I'd like us to meet. I'll be back in town by the end of the week."

"Sure, no problem… "

"Konan, my name's Konan. Thanks and sorry for earlier."

"Don't think too much of it."

"Ok, bye Sasuke. I am glad I got the chance to talk to you even for a bit before coming there."

The line was cut off before Sasuke could say anything else, and in all honesty he felt grateful for that. It was not that she seemed like a dislikable woman, but rather that he felt awkward talking to her. He didn't even know as much as her name and the only thing linked to her that ringed any bells was the way his brother seemed to talk and act so coldly towards her. Konan had struck Sasuke as nothing but charming so why was Itachi's behavior so indifferent?

Not long after, he decided that he didn't care enough to dwell on such matters and looking at the clock flashing 11:48 he decided it was his time to go. Although he realized he was rich, he could not completely abandon the lifestyle he had before and thus kept one of his part time jobs. In all honesty, he did not need it, but he felt like going there meant he was doing something to earn his living, plus the job suited him perfectly. He was never a morning guy so his afternoon shift was more than fine with him, plus he got to see some of his old acquaintances. He didn't really care about friendship or whatever, but during his time in the orphanage he felt like there were a handful of those who could relate to him in the slightest and being around them made him comfortable. It might have been the force of habit but he did not care much, after all there was not much for him to really do alone in the house all day long.

He was about to leave the house when he decided to turn around and look once more at the face of the woman in the picture. After having spoken to her, he felt like he wanted to know more. What kind of person was she? What did she like? How did she and his brother become so close? How did Itachi act around her? He stared at her face for a few seconds, taking in her soft features, her long and dark hair and the gentle and genuine smile. He wondered if Itachi acted differently towards her than he did when it was just him and Sasuke, not like he was around that much.

"Wait, why am I even bothering? Not like I was expecting him to be around or anyt

hing and after all who would want that?" He thought to himself then left the house in a hurry.

"Oi, Sasuke! Took you long enough!" the blonde haired boy shouted from across the street. He was outside the small café waiting for Sasuke, just like he always did, despite him never asking for it.

"I told you to stop waiting for me, it's creepy." He answered while passing by the other boy and entering the place through the back door.

"Stop being so cold to your friend!" he pouted." After all we barely get to see each other anymore."

"Yeah, thanks God."

The boy's smile cracked a bit, but he was already used to Sasuke and him being a cold ass so he did not pay him much mind. After all, he knew he was there because he couldn't let go of his previous life, no matter how much he tried to deny ever getting attached to anyone or anything.

"Are you guys done changing?" a voice called from across the small hallway, echoing into the changing rooms for men and women. Probably the word 'room' was a bit misfit as the place was barely anything like that. Small and cramped, a thin improvised wall separating the two compartments. "Come to the back when you are done, I need some help to carry stuff."

Everyone kind of mumbled a 'yes', and went on with their dressing. Once he was out of the room, Sasuke could hear the voices of the female workers behind him.

"Hi there, you guys!" they all said in unison to which Sasuke did not bother to answer, unlike Naruto who was already practically choking them.

"Idiot, come already. Kakashi said he needs help." He said, dragging the blonde after him.

"He can wait."

"Just because you crush on Sakura? That guy is giving you a place to work. Don't act like a child."

"Yeah… it's just that it has been lonely without you around. Getting to see them at work makes me happy."he said, suddenly looking sadder than Sasuke had seen him look in a long while.

For a second, even Sasuke felt bad for making the boy sad so he decided he would drop the scolding.

"I know, it's ok."

Some hours later it seemed that everything was like it used to be, and that feeling of familiarity was sinking deep inside Sasuke's bones. He did not realize how much that one week had affected him, but now he could clearly see that the sudden change struck him pretty hard. He almost did not mind the girls giggling behind his back and begging for his number. Almost.

"Sasuke, can you bring the orders to table 4?" Kakashi asked, obviously amused. Sasuke could sense right away the reason for his obvious high spirits, and that was the customers at the said table. The group of girls who had been his school mates and were now actively stalking him every day of his life.

"I hate you." He sighed, taking the orders nonetheless. He placed them on the table and tried to no avail to make his escape.

"So, Sasuke, I hear you are out of that place. How about coming to live together with me ? I bet it would be amazing." That was Karin. The most persistent of them all, talking to him in that sly manner while clinging to his sleeve, trying for the one hundredth time to seduce him with whatever she could.

"Thanks, but no thanks." He said, yanking the fabric out of her hand and trying yet again to leave only to be stopped by another pair of pair of hands moving all over his arm.

"Come on, Sasuke, why do you have to always be so cold?" she said, running her fingers up and down along the form of his clothes. He was about to snap at them for being even more aggravating then usually when a sudden look of surprise rose on all of their faces. The annoying hand suddenly left his body and he sighed with relief. He at least managed making a scene. He turned around to greet the reason for his sudden freedom and when he did he felt like maybe, just maybe, for an unknown reason, he would have rather put up with the annoying women.

His brother was walking up to the counter, looking completely out of place in the small, casual coffee shop, with his grey suit and leather suitcase, he seemed like someone out of a commercial for profitable business.

"Wow, who is that?" he could hear a voice from behind him, but paid little attention to it as Itachi turned towards him.

He had no idea why, but suddenly he felt like that first night he spent at the house, the weird feelings and the way his brother was acting. He thought he would never have any reaction to his brother after that first time, but now it seemed that he was wrong. Maybe not seeing Itachi almost at all for an entire week returned him to the state he had been in the first time he saw him: completely unprepared.

He didn't even notice his brother gesturing him to go over until a few seconds later and when he did, it felt like his legs were moving of their own accord. In all honesty, he really did not want to get close to his brother, and the way he was moving his hand looked like someone who would be calling over a shy pet. Sasuke decided on the spot that he hated it.

"You know I am not your dog. You can just wait for me to come over." He said, laying aside the tray he had had in his hand.

"Hmm, maybe…" he said smiling deviously, then he grabbed Sasuke's wrist and pulled him closer to him so that they were now inches away. "…but maybe I just couldn't wait to meet with my adorable little brother."

"You are totally weird." Sasuke said, pulling his hand away from his brother's grip and turning to the side. He couldn't have been blushing, no fucking way.

"Don't be so cold, I just wanted to see you." He said, flashing a smile that looked way too genuine. "Sit down. "

"I'm at work. I can't sit down."

Itachi looked around then a look of confusion appeared on his face. It looked like he did not even notice his whereabouts let alone that his brother was working. Soon enough though, the look was gone and he simply shrugged it off.

"I guess it can't be helped, I'll just order a coffee then. But you have to be the one who brings it to my table. "

"Got it." He said, rushing away behind the counter and trying to calm his nerves. Why was he so agitated with Itachi around? It wasn't like he wanted to care about him in particular and he was not even sure he liked the guy… so why did was he feeling so weird?

"Here's your coffee. Black, no milk, no sugar." He said with a grimace. The thought of drinking something so bitter made his head dizzy.

"Thank you. By the way, before you go, hear me out a bit."

"What?"

"I'm off work early today. Want me to pick you up when you are done with work?"

The thought of having to spend even one extra second so close to Itachi inside such a small space made him shiver just a tiny bit, so no wonder he had no intention of taking his brother up on the offer.

"No need… I'll just get home by myself, thanks."

"I see." Itachi said over his coffee , more to himself than to Sasuke, a glimmer of disappointment showing in his eyes. It almost made Sasuke change his mind but then he remembered his brother did not even bother to talk to him all that much that past week so he decided that he could care less.

"If that's all, I'm going back to work, enjoy your coffee."

"Wait. One more thing." He said and looked outside the window towards the cloudy sky as if to measure the best words. In the end, he turned to look Sasuke straight in the eye "Sorry I was not around. This past week was a bit hard on me, but I really wish I gave you more of my time. I was really looking forward to living with you, Sasuke"

At this point, the young Uchiha had no idea how to react to such a statement. He did not expect it and the look of sheer sincerity on his sibling's face made him feel all the more insecure while also making his heart beat just the tiniest bit faster. He swallowed hard and tried to find his words.

"Well yeah… whatever, going back to work. See you tonight."

He turned around and tried to ignore his brother for the rest of the time he was there, thinking of his awkward response.

"Good job Sasuke, good fucking job".

"Why are you still here, Sasuke?" Kakashi said looking at the clock."It's been already 40 minutes since your shift ended yet for some reason you refuse to leave me alone. Why not just go home?"

Sasuke did not bother to look at the man but instead continued to wipe the tables diligently. It was not in his character to offer to help over his schedule, nor would he help for that long, but truth be told, he had no clue what to say to Itachi once he got home.

"Are you seriously going to ignore me? Kid, is everything alright? Something wrong at home?" the white haired man resumed his train of questions and somewhere in the middle, Sasuke decided he had had enough.

"Going home. See you later."

"Yeah be careful."

He threw his uniform into his locker and got out of the building. If he hurried, he could still get on the early train and get home.

Sasuke was pretty positive at that point that he was going crazy. He had stubbornly refused to go home from work, just to run out of his breath to catch the early train and now he was standing in front of his house, still a bit shaken by his own actions but unable to stop himself from advancing towards the door. As he went in he realized how different the house was with all the lights on and someone waiting for him. He felt a bit funny and warm, almost smiling as he walked around the hall, wondering where his brother was. As he entered the living room however, the nice feeling was suddenly gone, and for some unknown reason he felt like he was sinking.

Itachi and a woman with short purple hair were sitting on the couch. Itachi was leaning on his back; eyes closed and seemed troubled while the woman was clinging to his arm.

"…listen to me, please. I know what I am talking about. I know you! Just give it some time, you are just confused!"

"Look, Konan…" Itachi said, opening his eyes but stopping in the middle of his sentence to look at Sasuke who probably had a very interesting expression written all over his face. The woman also turned around once she saw Itachi's reaction and then Sasuke immediately recognized her as the one in the picture. Itachi's fiancée. His heart sunk a bit more, again, for reasons he could not even begin to understand. He realized he was probably intruding on the two of them only a moment later, when the silence awkwardly took over the room.

"Uhm… I'll just go upstairs, need to change, sorry to bother."

"Wait, Sasuke!"

"No need to…" Konan followed, however the boy was already out of the room and running.

"So that's why he's here earlier. I should have figured it out. He just wanted to meet his fiancée, what was I thinking? What was I expect…. No, I wasn't expecting anything. I'll just let them finish their business and then go greet her properly. Will they make up? Why is she here now? "

Half an hour later, a very awkward Sasuke was descending the stairs from his room to the kitchen, where he found Konan and Itachi, waiting for him. Only then did he realize he had completely forgotten about Konan's message and passing it to his brother… well in the end it probably did not matter since she had arrived way earlier than planned.

"I was starting to worry. You took off like that, do you feel unwell, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, his face showing nothing but concern, but then again, Sasuke already got a taste of his brother's acting. After all, he seemed so genuinely eager to spend time with him that afternoon when in fact he only came home because of that woman.

"I'm fine." He said, plain and indifferent, something that Itachi noticed right away.

"Are you sure?" his question was greeted with a silent nod. "Anyway, this one here is Konan, she's my…" he paused, as if to find the words to describe their situation best.

"Just say she's your fiancée already. She's obviously here to make up with you". Sasuke thought to himself, suddenly annoyed at his brother's reluctance.

"He knows who I am. We spoke on the phone this morning, right?" the woman cut in, as If to ease the whole awkwardness of the situation.

"Yeah, we did. You look a bit different than what I thought you would." He added, not really knowing why.

"Yes, I decided it was time… for a change, right Itachi?"

"Look, Konan, this is not the time or place for this."

"It's fine, you two can talk. I'll be upstairs." He said, and for the second time that night rushed straight to his room.

Some time later, he was still in his room, pretty disheartened and feeling like kicking himself. "Why am I so goddamn annoyed? Who cares if he came home for her. Not like I care. It doesn't matter, he can do what he wants for all I care". His train of thought was however interrupted by the sound of footsteps and voices, coming upstairs. Although hating himself for it, he could not stop from getting up and closed to the door so he could vaguely hear them.

"…following me? You can sleep downstairs."

"Come on… let me sleep in your room."

"No. Look, there's no reason for us to pretend. This is as good as over."

"It was my fault ok? But I did not expect this. Just give it some time."

"No, this is not about that… not anymore. Trust me it won't work. Now, can I please go talk to Sasuke? You showing up here did not sit well with me or him apparently."

"So he did not know she was coming?" A fuzzy and warm feeling took over Sasuke, as much as he was trying to deny it. He almost felt… relived. He felt like when he was a little kid, always wanting his brother's attention, always trying to catch up to him and make him look his way. "Wait… where did that thought come from? I shouldn't know anything about him… I should have forgotten."

"Itachi! Itachi, wait for me!" he said, his little hands stretching forward to grab onto the fabric of his brother's clothes.

"You caught up to me, Sasuke! Good job." A smaller and cuter version of Itachi turned around to greet him, a warm smile across his face. He lifted the smaller boy in his arms and hugged him. "Where should we go now?" he asked while poking the younger's forehead, never letting him out of his arms, always smiling. Sasuke felt genuine adoration, he was happy…

"Sasuke, open the door." Itachi's voice echoed in the room, snapping him out of his memory.

"What was that? Was that really something that happened? Did I just imagine it?"

"Sasuke, please open up." He sighed outside the door just as the younger sibling unlocked it.

As he looked at his brother in the door frame, he felt a bit stupid for his actions that day. He behaved like a spoiled child, more so like a jealous teenager. What was he even trying to monopolize his brother for? For a second, he considered telling him about his weird memory, but then quickly decided not to. What if he was only imagining it?

"Can I come in?" he asked, putting up a very tired smile.

"Sure."

Itachi simply walked past him and threw himself on the bed, resting his head on his arms and closing his eyes. Sasuke couldn't resist the urge to sit near him.

"You look tired."

"I feel tired." He said, opening his eyes just a little bit to look at the younger boy. "This week has been harsh, all sorts of stuff piling up and when I thought I'd finally get to spend some time with you…" he gave Sasuke a look that expressed all of his feelings concerning his fiancée's sudden show up. "Sorry that I kind of left you to your own devices this week. Won't happen again." His hand moved to Sasuke's hair, ruffling it gently.

"It's fine by me… she's your fiancée after all."

"I don't know about that anymore. Anyway, would you mind me sleeping here tonight?"

The bluntness of the question stunned Sasuke and he could feel a bit too much blood making its way to his face.

"Why?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"That woman insists on sleeping in my room… she's already there and I doubt she has any intention of leaving."

"Why don't you just sleep downstairs like you told her to then?"he wanted to say, but then Itachi would have known that he had listened to their conversation… plus then he wouldn't have slept there… "Who cares where he sleeps? I just don't want him to know I heard them…."

"I don't mind…"

"That's great then. I'll go take a shower and then come here. Want to watch a movie or something? I'll let you chose as a reward for not spending the day together." He said as he stood up and left the room.

"Who cares about that…" Sasuke protested, but got up anyway and went to download a movie.

I promise real stuff in the next chapters. Pinky promise. anyway, review and all that nice stuff pretty please^^