Chapter 2: Blind

Besides Naruto who gives me the Damn Look (yes, it must be capitalized because it annoys the heck out of me), Itachi also gives me the same damn look except I swear it looked more teasing than Naruto's.

My best friend and my brother are giving me odd looks, and I have no idea what it mean.

Damn baka, and damn nii-san.

The first time he did this was afterschool and, it was about a quarter into junior year. It was about four months after Naruto started giving me the Damn Look.

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I was waiting outside in the front yard of the Konoha High for my brother to come and pick me up so I can home early for lessons on the Uchiha heritage. I do have a car and driver's license but the car is in the shop for a tune-up.

I sat resting under a tree. It was really peaceful; no dobe with his loud mouth to ruin this silence.

"Hinata-chan, wait!"

Maybe, I spoke too soon.

Irritated, I looked in the direction of the noise and saw Sakura and Hinata Hyuuga, a shy dark-haired girl.

"Hi, Sakura-chan. How are you?" Hinata shyly asked. Hmm…that Hinata girl didn't stutter much when she was with her friends, but it came full force when she's near the dobe.

The two girls continued their conversation, and I tuned it out. I resumed my original position of leaning back against the tree with hands behind my head and legs stretch out.

"…Kiba wanted to ask me out?"

The hell?

My eyes opened. The girls standing several feet to my left on the side walk.

"Y-yes. Sakura-chan," Hinata said.

Just then, Itachi pulled up in front of me in his black car with red streaks. I stalk over, throw my bag in the backseat, and slid into the front seat. After buckling up, I looked into the review mirror to see Sakura and Hinata laughing and chatting.

"Otouto, what are you frowning at?"

I didn't realize I was frowning (more like scowling) at Sakura and Hinata through the mirror.

I looked up to the see the road in front of the car and wiped my expression of the frown. "Nothing, onii-san. It's just a bunch of girls."

"Oh, really," Itachi adjusted the rear-view mirror to see behind his car. "The dark-haired girl is the Hyuuga girl? She's very pretty, isn't she?"

"Hn."

"Ah…what pretty color that pink-haired girl has for her hair, is it dyed?"

I whirled around and growled out, "She didn't dye it!"

I actually thought the same, but a look at her family pictures when she was small shows that she was born with little tuffs of pink hair. Curiosity got the best of me and when she went out with her friends (parents both work), I went in through her window and looked through her photos. I was not stalking; anyone would be curious about a girl with an odd hair color that is not found anywhere else. Besides if she really didn't want anybody in her room, she should have locked the window.

Itachi smirked, "And how would you know that?"

I didn't say anything (no way am I going to tell him how I got the information). I looked pointedly forward. Itachi took the hint and started the car, driving us forward to exit. He stopped the car to check both sides before going in the direction of our home.

I looked through the corner of my eye at nii-san. I gritted my teeth; he was looking at me with a smirk of amusement and brotherly affection, and eyes full of a hidden meaning not unlike Naruto's look that he gave me.

"What, nii-san?" My left eye was twitching.

The damn smirk widened, and my scowl deepened.

"Foolish little brother," said Itachi, I swear he was just bursting to laugh at me (too bad, I was too old to tell on him to kaa-san; then again that would be just too childish), "in time you will know. For now, I'm going to enjoy your ignorance."

I lost my patience. "Damn it, onii-san, what was that look for?"

This time he really laughed on our way home. "Language, little brother."

I sat fuming and cursing in my head (like me he has excellent hearing). For some odd reason, I felt embarrassed as if I exposed something but still angry for a different reason.

That stupid pup, Kiba. Who did he think he is? Sakura was too innocent to deal with that idiot. Kiba liked to take girls out, but was never serious with them. Thus, he left them heartbroken after he got bored with them. In fact, the only girls I had seen him not go out with were Tenten (because of Neji) and Hinata (because she's his friend and Nenji's cousin). Only last week, he broke up with Ino, and the girl had the brains to land a really good punch on him.

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That was a few days ago. I frown at the memory; no way, will she go out with that fool. I'll make sure of it.

I grit my teeth at the thought. Fine, Kiba never did anything inappropriate to the girls he dated and like the dobe, is actually a nice, loyal person despite irrationality.

However, Sakura will NOT date that fool. I don't know why but every time I picture him with her, I want to let my instinct out and destroy whatever is in my path.

Which is very strange. I should ask someone about this, but I know what will happen. Dobe, will probably make kissy faces at me until I hit him hard enough to knock him out. And my mother will probably make some insane comment about her little baby now growing up and falling in love…

… I mean I'm not in love. I just care about her like my mother wants to care for other girls. I'll prove it with this one time, about two weeks ago.

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"Teme, what's the rush?" Naruto yelled as I sprinted to the parking lot. The slow dobe huffed and puffed as he came up to my side.

We reached my car: dark blue with black designs on its side. I opened the backseat threw my backpack in and open the driver's seat to get in. Naruto was already seated and buckled in in the passenger's seat.

I threw the car in reverse and cut in front a jeep in my haste to leave.

"Whoa, slow down teme!" Naruto said as we swerved into the road towards Naruto's place. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Hn."

"You are?!"

"No, idiot. If I wanted to, you would be dead by now. But the more you annoy me, the more tempting the idea is," I said, tensely.

"Wha!" Naruto said. I could feel him pouting. "You're so mean, Sasu-cakes."

I gritted my teeth wishing I could burn a hole in his head with my eyes. Concentrating on the road, I said through clenched teeth, "Very tempting, dobe. Don't push your luck."

"Cha," the blond idiot said. I knew there was a smile on his lips. "Is this one of those days that you 'watch' over Sakura-chan? I don't think she would appreciate it."

"Shut your big mouth, baka."

"You do realize that what you're doing is not just watching, but stalking."

"It's not stalking, dobe. How many times do I have to tell you? And will you quit giving me that look!"

"Whatever you say."

"Damn it, Dobe. Is it hard to believe that I don't want her to be killed on the street as she walks home?"

"Is it hard to believe that you could ask if she wants a ride?"

The dobe's got a good point, I thought grudgingly. Surprisingly.

But I wasn't going to admit that. So I muttered "hn" and turned the car into the Namikaze driveway.

Naruto jumped out, grabbed his stuff out of the car, and raced up the first few steps. He waved and called out as I whirled the car around the circular driveway, "Have fun, stalking."

I flipped him the bird as I swerved out unto the road. I swear I heard his laughter from miles away.

I got home, dropped my stuff and the car off, and ran down the street. Looking around to make sure no one was there, I shape-shifted in black wolf the size of a German shepherd.

I kept to the shadows as I raced ahead to the street that Sakura takes to go home. Picking up the sweet scent, I followed it until I saw her walking past a store. I followed her until she reached home. By that time, the sun was setting.

I trotted around her house trying to pick up any suspicious scent. After my little surveillance, I looked up to Sakura's windows to confirm that she was inside. After a few minutes, a yellow light shined through the window distorted by the white curtains.

Knowing she was safe, I sprinted back to my home to as fast as I could so Itachi won't get suspicious.

No such luck.

He was waiting for me on the front porch. I shape-shifted back into human form.

"So how was your little visit?" Itachi said, keeping up with me as purposely ignored him.

I walked fast to lose him, but he kept pace with me.

Knowing he will just continue to pester me or (even worse) wait until dinner to bring this up in front of mother and father, I answered with a curt, "fine."

Itachi shook his head as we came up to the family library room where I was doing my studies. "Little brother, I still can't believe you're that delusional."

I whirled to face him. "What are you talking about, onii-san?"

He gave me that Damn Look, and I was tempted to shift into my bigger wolf and take him down.

He chuckled.

"Onii-san, what is it? Why are you and dobe always looking at me like that?" I demanded, pissed and confused. I hate the feelings.

"Otouto, you should consider looking over your actions and deciding what is different about you," he said, smirking while ruffling my messy black hair.

I smacked his arm away and scowled. I was tempted to whine, "That makes no sense," and throwing my arms up in exasperation. I refrained because that would be foolish. Ugh, the blond idiot was a bad influence.

A shudder ripped through me as I picture myself starting to wear that bright orange jumpsuit he wears regularly.

Yep, not for me.

Itachi walked away to attend his duties with his long black hair tied in a ponytail swinging slightly. His chuckles echoed softly in the hall.

In a bad mood, I slammed the door of the library room as soon as I went in.

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Come to think of it, there wasn't much difference in my life. I get teased by Naruto and nii-san. I play basketball with Naruto and some friends of ours. I get chased by rabid fan girls. I love my family. I care about Sakura.

See, not much difference. I don't know what nii-san is talking about. It's not like I like any girls or do I really care about any except for kaa-san?

Sakura is different, but I don't love her.

How very wrong would I be.

Author's Note:

I'm not sure where I'm going with this. But I had fun writing this, Sasuke was hard to keep in character while interesting to figure out how he would act in a certain situation.

Thanks for the support. Tell me if I kept him in character or not.

Once again my dear readers, please, (eyes wide and pleading) read and review.

C-Shady