WOW! That sure took me a long time, I'm sorry! Stuff kept happening and so much extra workD: And school has started, oh god. I'll try to write as much as I can, but we'll see.

IMPORTANT STUFF: Ok, so, half this chapter is ItaSaku. Before you go all omg nooo wtf, let me tell you that it is absolutely necessary, for explanatory purposes. If you're allergic to straight seducing or the pairing itself, do not despair because this chapter is also containing Naruto and Sasuke smutty goodness. Well, at least a little. Now, I'm not a huge fan of the ItaSaku pairing, but for now it is needed in the story. More info on the sequel at the end of the chapter, now, let's read!


Chapter thirty-nine: Good memories with you

'

Sakura wasn't sure how she ended up in Itachi's kitchen instead of her own, but going home in the taxi from the disastrous Christmas party she guessed they both didn't feel like being alone with their thoughts just yet.

"Milk?" Itachi asked, and she nodded, holding out her cup of tea for him to pour some into it.

She observed him as he poured some into his own cup before placing it back in the fridge, a few strands of his long dark hair brushing his handsome face. Sasuke may be beautiful, but where he was still childish his older brother had the grace and air of a secure adult, his features defined and his eyes depicting experience. But most of all, Sakura thought, he was well-mannered, and recently that had started to count for a lot in her books.

"You look a little tired" she commented, taking a small sip of her tea to test the temperature. "Is Mikoto giving you trouble?"

Itachi raised a questioning eyebrow at her, and she glanced to the side briefly.

"I saw you leave the room with her, that's when I took the opportunity to try and sneak out."

Nodding calmly Itachi drank from his cup, brushing the stray hair off his face.

"We have some differences in opinion" he admitted, a thoughtful look on his face. "If…" he started, hesitating for a moment before picking up his train of thought again, "If you and Sasuke had married, and you discovered he was gay, what would you do?"

His eyes bore into hers and she frowned, thinking about the question.

"If we were married, would there be anything I could do?" she asked, fiddling with her cup. "I'd just have to bear with it, right?"

"But if you knew he was with other people… You broke up with him because he cheated on you right?"

Sakura's eyes widened. True, that's one of the reasons she'd given when she confronted him, but…

"Honestly? Of course it hurt that he was with others, not that there were many of them I think; but the worst part was that he just didn't care. Not about me, not about anything. He was just so, apathetic. And other people were talking so much behind my back, I was sick of playing the part of helpless girl with no will of her own." She paused, letting out a humorless chuckle. "I wish I'd never fallen in love with him to begin with, I could have spared us both a lot of pain."

"At least you had the guts to break it off" Itachi sighed, and Sakura narrowed her eyes when suspicion formed in her mind.

"You kind of sound like you want to do the same" she said, biting her lip nervously and wondering if she'd gone too personal.

Sure, she and Itachi could probably be considered friends, both of them left on their own at events by their respective partners, which more often than not resulted in keeping each other company. Itachi's wife seldom made an appearance, a bunch of rumors flowing around as to what the reason could be.

"It's ironic, really," Itachi mused, looking down into his tea, "that both of our arranged marriages would fall on the fact that the people we liked ended up having a sexuality that wasn't compatible with ours."

Again, Sakura's eyes widened. Not just because of the revelation, but because Itachi looked close to miserable thinking about it. Sasuke had mentioned at some point that Itachi did like his wife, though she'd never seen her reciprocate his feelings the few times they'd met. So that was the reason then.

"We've got some bad luck, huh?" she asked, offering a small smile to the older man.

He shook his head with a quiet snort, forced to brush some hair behind his ear again when the motion made it fall over his face.

"As terrible as arranged marriages are, I used to think I'd be fine if I just had a few kids. I'm sure you would have at least had that with Sasuke."

"I… I don't mean to pry, but is that what you want? Kids I mean."

Itachi smiled, his face lighting up and making him look livelier.

"At first I just thought it would ease the heartache, but now I can't help but really wish to have them, at least one. If anything," he added with a wry smile, "my mother might act a little less difficult if I could provide some heirs. I feel bad for Sasuke getting all the pressure."

"Yeah" Sakura grimaced, "I think it was her favorite subject when talking to me. I mean, not that I'm against having children, I just figured Sasuke was a long time from even considering it. Though, it would have been interesting to see him with a kid, maybe he'd soften up a little."

"Maybe he would" Itachi agreed, a faint sparkle of amusement in his eyes, "Though Naruto seems to be doing well softening him up by himself."

"Naruto's a great guy" she smiled, thinking back to their childhood. "He sure grew up though, he used to be this scrawny annoying loud-mouth."

"They're lucky to find that kind of love" Itachi sighed, leaning his chin in his palm, elbow propped up on the table. "That's another reason I want kids; at least you know the love is real."

Sakura nodded, and they both fell silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

"What about your studies though?"

Looking up at Itachi's question Sakura waved it off with a hand, pursing her lips.

"I don't know, I like studying medicine but I figured I'd be okay with having kids first. Studies can be picked up again, and frankly, I suspected both your mother and my parents were more concerned with producing babies than me having a career."

"But was that what you wanted?" Itachi asked, refilling his cup from the pot.

Sakura didn't know what to say. What she wanted? When had things ever been about what she wanted? Theirs was an unfortunate life indeed.

"Ino keeps telling me I'm wasting my life, just doing what I'm told, what I'm expected to do. I never really questioned it until now. Though, I don't think focusing on having a family is a waste of your life if it makes you happy. It's my life isn't it? But I don't want to spend it being dependant on someone, not anymore. I'm torn."

"So you wouldn't mind having kids but you don't want to be a housewife" Itachi concluded for her, his lips quirking up in amusement.

"Something like that" she replied, turning her palms up in a shrug. "Guess it depends on who asks" she finished with a laugh.

Itachi searched her eyes for a few seconds before leaning back in his chair, nodding to himself.

"I think," he said, brushing over his lips thoughtfully with a finger, "you've at least convinced me I need a divorce."

~Line breaker~

"I'll be visiting her over Christmas, so I'll tell her I want a divorce then."

Sakura averted her eyes from the TV screen, focusing on Itachi instead. They were sitting on his couch, watching some thriller they'd found while zapping lazily, and the statement came as a bit of a surprise. After that talk they'd had they'd started spending time together, taking comfort in the fact that they could speak freely without worrying about appearances.

Sure, Sakura had Ino, but Itachi's presence was calm and reassuring and if she could be of some small comfort to him, then she felt like she could repay him a little for always being so kind to her when Sasuke was a jerk. She didn't think Itachi had many confidantes, at least not about the delicate subject of his wife.

"Sounds good" she said, folding her knees against her chest and putting her arms around her legs, leaning her temple against an arm to watch him comfortably.

"It feels good. I'm sure it won't be as easy as simply signing the papers, but I'm willing to go through it."

Sakura couldn't help the small smile ghosting over her lips. Sometimes Itachi sounded so formal without noticing it. It was a little strange though, that over the past few weeks they'd become so comfortable around each other. She stretched her elbow out, bumping it against his arm.

"And then the world shall know chaos as you become single" she teased, chuckling when he rolled his eyes in a perfect imitation of Sasuke.

"It's going to be hell, isn't it?" he said with a grimace, rubbing his face tiredly, sending her a weak glare when she laughed.

"Don't worry" she reassured him, lifting a hand to pat him mockingly over his head. "I'll make sure you get a worthy funeral once they're done ripping you to pieces."

"You're supposed to be of help" he chided her gently, then turned his attention back to the screen. "Damn, I think we missed something important."

She snorted, but kept looking at him, his face illuminated only by the light coming from the TV. If Sasuke had been anything like Itachi, she was sure their marriage could have been at least pleasant. Yawning she slumped back against the couch, her feet sliding down off the couch to stretch her legs out.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have kept you up."

She waved the apology off, wondering if recently she'd acquired some super power in the form of making the Uchiha brothers apologize to her.

"I think I should sleep, though" she said, another yawn hidden behind her hand. "The exam I had today was pretty exhausting."

He nodded, and she headed for the bathroom, wondering how she ended up spending the night in the guest room for a third time. She sure hoped nobody had noticed the time they spent together, knowing the rumors wouldn't be pretty. And what would Sasuke say?

Once inside the bedroom she was just taking off her shirt when the door opened, her eyes meeting Itachi's when she whipped her head around at the sound.

"My bad, I thought you'd finished changing" Itachi said quietly, hovering in the doorway.

She blushed. Who wouldn't when an attractive guy saw you shirtless? He kept looking at her, and despite getting angry with herself she couldn't help but feel a little affected by his stare. The polite thing was to leave, right? Or were they such good friends now that changing in front of each other was no big deal? A bra isn't much different from a bikini top, after all.

Glancing up at him again, she felt her cheeks heat up even further when she caught him checking her out. It suddenly struck her that although Sasuke had cheated on her, Itachi didn't seem like the kind of guy who would cheat on his wife, if only for the sake of appearance.

Maybe he was just as sexually frustrated as she was.

"Either come in or leave, you look silly standing there" she said, sounding braver than she felt.

The door closed and he walked towards her, her heartbeat speeding up and her palms feeling clammy. Still, she kept their eyes locked, swallowing nervously when he stopped right in front of her.

"I understand that my brother is gay," he started, his gaze flicking down to her lips, her chest, "but I really don't see what he could have against your body, or you for that matter."

Sakura wet her lips quickly and bit them, finding it hard to breathe in the tense atmosphere. She wasn't used to flirting, hadn't been flirted with much since before her engagement, avoiding such situations after the break-up. But here, with Itachi standing so close to her, his hand unexpectedly reaching around her body to brush over the small of her back, she found herself embarrassingly weak against it.

He stepped even closer, the warmth of his body seeping into hers, her eyelashes fluttering as she tried to focus her thoughts. This wasn't good, wasn't good at all; but had Itachi not been Sasuke's older brother she would have no doubt let herself be swept up in the moment and relished in it.

She hadn't noticed he'd leant in until lips brushed hers, a tingling sensation erupting in their wake, and she clenched her hands at the arousal blooming in her stomach.

"This is a bad idea" she whispered, unable to muster the strength to speak louder, eyes wide and chest tight as Itachi's hand splayed across her back, dragging upwards slowly.

"I know" he mumbled back, dark eyes serious, hot air washing over her face. "And I'm a selfish, horrible person for wanting you."

"That makes two of us, then" she breathed out as their lips met.

~Line breaker~

It wasn't that she was head over heels for Uchiha Itachi; it was just that he had exactly what she wanted, and possibly a lot of what she needed. Slamming the door shut she locked the car, making her way hastily over the parking lot towards the hospital. And no, she wasn't talking about money or looks, even though those things had been important to her years ago, in what she liked to call her naïve little girl phase.

Itachi represented security, a kind heart, and companionship. It didn't hurt that the man was great in bed either.

The same thoughts and doubts swirled around her head as she made her way up the elevator, through the corridors, nodding to Mikoto on her seat outside the door, looking just as devastated as she had sounded on the phone before Obito's mother had taken over the conversation. What they were doing was socially incorrect in so many ways, and had they been in helpless love she could have at least justified her actions as irrational, but understandable.

Instead, it all comes down to that sense of security and companionship she thought as she answered his smile when she entered the room, sitting down in the chair next to his bed.

"I saw Sasuke and Naruto on the way up" she said, placing both arms on the armrests and leaning forwards. "I didn't talk to them though, they were on the other end of the parking lot."

Itachi nodded, his smile fading slightly.

"You're taking this a lot better than my brother" he commented, and she snorted.

"I'd punch you, but you look like you've had quite enough of that already. Were you attacked or just stupid?"

He grimaced, shifting beneath the sheets.

"A little of each" he admitted. "Don't tell anyone though."

"It wasn't you wife, was it?" she joked, and it was his turn to snort.

"She wouldn't hurt a fly. How are you, by the way?"

"Not much different than I was two days ago." She sighed. "My dad's annoying the hell out of me."

"Maybe it's time to move out?" Itachi suggested, and she gave him a weak smile.

"I think he's going to keep me at home until I get married, he worries too much. It's just that they've started to nag about me not making an effort to 'look presentable' and get a boyfriend. I think they're uncomfortable with me not having a set future."

Itachi chuckled lightly, running his eyes over her simple knitted sweater and jeans, hair a little messy from the wind and ears tinted red from the cold.

"I think you look just fine" he said, "Though I guess it's a bit different from your cocktail dresses."

Sakura made a pained grimace, leaning back in the chair and sighing.

"Dressing up is nice and all, but you have no idea how amazing it feels to not care about it as much anymore. And I hate those restricting dresses."

"Careful, your tomboy is showing" Itachi teased, and Sakura laughed brightly.

"You should see me during my kick-boxing classes."

Itachi hummed, and a few seconds of silence passed between them. Clearing his throat Itachi shifted on the bed again, straightening up a little, the atmosphere turning serious.

"Sakura, I've been thinking…" he started, holding her light-green eyes in his, frowning as he tried to recall how this conversation had gone in his mind during the past days. "Well, I don't really know how to present this to you, and I'm sure that objectively it's a scandalizing idea, but…"

He hesitated again, and Sakura swallowed nervously, her nails scraping silently against the armrests of her chair. She'd been suspecting a conversation was going to come, she just wasn't sure exactly what it would contain. Part of her wished Itachi would just tell her they needed to stop, and forget it never happened. The other part couldn't help but fantasize a little about the what if…

"I think what you want, and what I want, matches fairly well. Children, a pleasant marriage, and also the freedom for you to pursue any studies or career you want. I count you as a good friend Sakura, I think we could be happy together."

An amused sort of disbelief took over Sakura's features, and she let out a breath and a small giggle.

"That almost sounds like a business proposal Itachi."

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he raised a hand gingerly to comb through his hair.

"Well, I'm not as emotionally stunted as my brother, but it's not as if this comes natural to me. I know we might get into some trouble from this, and I wouldn't do it if I didn't think it would be worth it."

Sakura looked down for a long moment, playing with the bracelet on her left wrist. Could it be worth it? If either of them met someone else and fell in love… But on the other hand, what couple doesn't run that risk?

"You really think we could be happy?" she asked, meeting his eyes again.

"I'll make you happy" was the confident reply, and she couldn't help but draw the comparison to Sasuke.

When the younger Uchiha wasn't busy moping or being a jerk, he made an impressive person, one of the reasons she'd fallen for him. With Itachi, that impressiveness wasn't his most attracting feature.

It was the fact that she trusted him.

"What about Sasuke?" she asked quietly. "He and I aren't on the best of terms, I don't want you to risk ruining your relationship with him.

"It was never you that he hated, Sakura, it was the whole thing with our father and having to lie about who he was. I'm not saying he's going to accept it eagerly, but he should be okay with it after some getting used to it. He can't decide what I do with my life, but I guess, if it ends up with him hating me, I might not be able to go through with it."

She nodded, thinking it was the same for her. She felt guilty enough as it was. She scooted her chair closer, hesitantly taking his hand in hers, feeling a nice warmth spread through her body as he caressed her fingers.

"I'd like to try" she said.

He nodded, squeezing her hand.

"There's just one thing you might need to know. Things aren't… going too well with the company. Nothing financially, but I don't exactly see myself as the president in two years time."

She frowned, looking at him questioningly.

"I don't really see the problem, unless you think my parents will cause a fuss."

"They might" he answered. "Also, there might be some not so pleasant revelations brought to the surface in the future. My father's reputation won't remain spotless. I don't think you'll be caught in the crossfire, but you never know what could happen. I just don't want you to think it's going to be easy."

"I see" she said, tracing the back of his hand lightly. "You're asking if I can handle some pressure." She straightened up, catching his eyes confidently, flicking her hair behind a shoulder. "I've handled five years of unhappiness and ridicule on my own; I'm not an eighteen-year-old little fangirl anymore. I'll handle my part if you handle yours."

Itachi smiled, giving her hand another squeeze.

"I know you will."

~Line breaker~

"Itachi?"

"Hmm?"

Itachi rolled over to his side, leaning on his forearm to look down at her, a frown on her face, pink hair splayed across the dark pillow.

"Is Mikoto…"

"Sane?"

"I was going to say okay."

Itachi sighed, smoothing out one of her eyebrows with a thumb and forcing it to relax.

"I think my mother is very, very sad. She's not over my father's death yet."

"I got the impression she was sad even before that." Sakura's voice was quiet as she interlaced their fingers. "I thought she'd react more to knowing we're together, though."

Again, Itachi sighed. Pulling her by the hand he arranged their position so that he lay on his back, Sakura snuggling up to his side.

"I know. But I think some days she's more depressed than others, and some days she acts like she's okay." He noticed Sakura's questioning glance and stroke her hair reassuringly. "She's getting what help we can give her. At this point, I think there's not much that can be done. She's functioning fairly normally, after all."

Sakura nodded, thinking back to how sometimes the beautiful woman would keep conversations going, but her eyes were glassy as if she was somewhere else. She'd never asked before, but seeing those vacant eyes as she merely nodded her approval earlier that day had been… disheartening, at the very least.

"Can I ask what happened?"

Itachi stiffened, and she immediately took back her question.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"Knowing won't change anything, so it's better if you don't" Itachi mumbled, silence stretching out between them after his words.

"Life is, unfair sometimes, isn't it" she whispered, breaking the quiet in the room after a few minutes.

She didn't get an answer, but Itachi's gentle fingers caressed her neck and he pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead. She closed her eyes, soaking in his warmth. To be honest, she felt like she was walking around in a high from his gentle care. Sometimes though, she couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to reassure her, or himself.

"I think we need to tell Sasuke soon. Also, Ino is starting to suspect things."

"I didn't mean to make you lie to your best friend."

She shook her head.

"I decided that myself. I don't want her worrying unnecessarily. But I think that now that your mother knows, it's probably smart to tell the others."

"You're right" Itachi said, then seemed to think for a few seconds. "Come with me tomorrow, I'm going shopping with Sasuke, Naruto and Yukio. We can tell them then."

"Okay" she said, letting out a small sigh. "I just hope they'll be okay with it."

"Naruto's there, it'll be fine."

"Mm… You know, I haven't seen Yukio since he was just a baby. He looked so cute in those magazine pictures though…"

"Yeah. Makes me jealous."

Sakura blew some air out of her nose in a small huff.

"You're not secretly making holes in your condoms, are you?" she asked with fake suspicion.

"No" he laughed, "But I did think about it."

He earned himself a smack over the face for that.

~Flashbacks are over~

"God I can't wait to eat Chouji's food!"

"Yes, you told me. Ten times. You're lucky I'm not the jealous type."

"Tch, Sasuke, I think we both know you're the jealous type" Naruto said, patting Sasuke's arm as he pulled the car up outside Chouji's building. "You don't have to worry about food though, seriously. I mean, Chouji's a professional, it'd be kinda weird if he wasn't better than you at cooking."

"Hn."

Rolling his eyes Naruto pushed the door open, then hesitated for a moment.

"You know, you didn't really have to come. I know you're tired, hell I'm tired and I've been sleeping the past two days while you've been at work!"

"I'm fine, Naruto. There's no point in me being home alone."

Naruto searched Sasuke's eyes, and with a small smile he leaned over to peck the other man's lips, running a hand through dark silky strands.

"You really do need a haircut" he mumbled, Sasuke responding by kissing him again, harder.

"I think your fashion sense can live with it."

Snorting Naruto leaned back to get out of the car, feeling both happy and strained at seeing his friends again. The truth was he still felt affected by the past week's revelations, Sasuke even more so, but after having spent the previous night just sighing and moping around he figured they needed a break from everything. And what better way to take a break than eating high-class food?

"Naruto? We can leave early if you're tired."

"No, really, I'm fine."

Sasuke gave him a stern look, and Naruto's smile faded into a sigh. When Sasuke walked around the car and hugged him he buried his face in the pale neck, breathing in deeply. He just hated that right now, both of them were on emotional roller coasters.

"I missed my friends" he mumbled into Sasuke's light coat. "Let's just think about something else for a while."

Sasuke nodded, and they walked hand in hand towards Chouji's apartment.

It wasn't Chouji that opened the door though, it was Ino, and she caught each of them in a tight embrace with a high-pitched squeal.

"Awww you guys look so pretty together, like in a fashion magazine! My ovaries are going to explode!"

"Ino-pig, you really need to stop using that expression" Sakura's voice called from further down the hall.

"Shut up forehead-girl! I'm just giving them a compliment here."

Rolling her eyes Sakura came over, bumping her fist over Ino's head.

"Right now, her ovaries explode just from seeing a bottle of pretty nail polish."

Naruto chuckled when Ino let out an indignant noise, sniffing and raising her nose in the air.

"Fine, I get it, I'll just leave. Maybe Hinata will appreciate me more."

When Ino had left Sakura looked at them nervously, fiddling with her necklace.

"It's nice to see you again" she said, and Naruto grinned at her.

"Come on, where's my hug?" he asked, holding out his arms and embracing her for a moment.

Glancing at Sasuke she smiled, and he nodded and held up a hand in greeting.

"Well, you're getting gold stars for behavior" Naruto joked, making Sakura laugh a little and Sasuke huff.

"Forehead!" Ino yelled from somewhere, and Sakura raised an eyebrow at them in amusement, used to Ino's antics, before turning around and walking towards the noise, calling back to her best friend.

Sasuke started walking, but frowned and turned back when he noticed Naruto wasn't following him.

"What?" he asked, taking the few steps back when Naruto reached for him, placing them both in front of the mirror taking up a large part of the wall.

"Do we really look like in a fashion magazine?" Naruto asked, head tilted to the side as he scrunched his nose slightly.

Sure, Sasuke had picked out his clothes for him, and maybe he looked a little extra preened, but fashion magazine? That was Sasuke's and Itachi's department, not his.

"You look great, if that's what you're asking" Sasuke commented, placing a hand on the small of Naruto's back and kissing his cheek. "Now, I think you were starving?"

Naruto brooded for another couple of seconds, glancing between them. With a concerned look Sasuke put his arms around him, leaning his cheek against the side of his head.

"What is it?" he asked, and Naruto actually blushed faintly.

"No, I'm just… I mean, you always look great, but I'm just… me."

Sasuke raised both eyebrows, wondering where that comment came from.

"Naruto, you're really good-looking."

"You're biased."

"And was I biased the first time I saw you? If I recall correctly, you were wearing your ugly orange sports jacket, and I still thought you were hot."

Naruto clamped his mouth shut, making a frustrated noise somewhere down his throat, not meeting Sasuke's eyes. Considering all the shit they were going through, he shouldn't bring this up now. He couldn't help it though, he'd promised himself he'd become someone who could walk beside Sasuke and look like he belonged there. Sure, they loved each other, but sometimes it just felt nice to have reassurance from others.

"Is this a kink of yours and am I allowed to write about it?"

Both their heads snapped to the side at the sound of Neji's voice, the man in question smirking at them.

"I was sent to come get you, they're wondering if you took a sexy detour to the bathroom – not that Ino would mind, but I think the guys would be a little annoyed at the delay before dinner."

"No, no, and you'd like interrupting that wouldn't you?" Naruto said, sticking out his tongue at his friend.

"Behave" Sasuke chided him, flicking his tongue with a finger and simply smirking when Naruto sent him an insulted look.

"You two smirk too much" Naruto muttered as they followed Neji inside, brightening up when he saw the food on the table. "Wow it looks amazing!" he exclaimed, almost drooling at the sight.

"Nice to see you too" Chouji chuckled, placing a bowl of salad on the table before walking around it to greet them.

A few minutes later they were all munching happily on the food, and Naruto was thankful that Kiba and Shino hadn't showed up. He chatted excitedly with Hinata and Shikamaru about his trip, skimming over the parts about his reasons for going. When he mentioned meeting his godparents there everyone expressed their anger, besides Sasuke who'd already said everything he wanted to say on the matter. Once things had calmed down a little and they'd caught up on the latest gossip the topic turned to food, and most of all Chouji's food.

Sasuke was surprised to learn that Chouji was just about to finish his culinary studies, having thought he was already a chef.

"So what are you going to do now?" he asked, the subject one of the few interesting to him.

"Well, it's my dream to start up my own restaurant" Chouji answered, getting up for a moment to help himself to some more sauce. "I prefer Mediterranean food, but my classmate has been talking a lot about how there are so few restaurants that specialize in children that aren't mostly unhealthy. I was thinking it could be cool to do something like a family oriented restaurant and have more interesting choices than pancakes for the little kids."

"I know what you mean, it's been difficult finding something both Yukio and I like, not to mention Naruto" he said with a glance at his boyfriend.

"What! It's you having weird taste!" Naruto defended himself with, stabbing a piece of meat with his fork. "Always wanting to go to these weird expensive places."

"They're not weird Naruto, besides the ones I like I know I'll get good service at."

"U-huh, sometimes that's more important than the food" Ino chipped in, sounding like she was trying to come off as an expert, which made Naruto snort at her.

"But it can be so stiff" Chouji disagreed, "We've been doing lots of visits to good restaurants, and I mean it's really interesting but I can't help but feel like a regular family wouldn't enter there."

"It would be nice with more laid-back places that still had interesting courses…" Sasuke mused. "I can't think of anywhere I'd like to go for Yukio's birthday, for example."

A few seats away Shikamaru was narrowing his eyes, offending Neji slightly for not paying attention to him.

"I've been meaning to ask, but you seem like you've become really close to Yukio, Sasuke" he said, and the fact that Naruto abruptly stopped laughing at something Sakura had said made everyone else fall silent and listen as well.

Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other, Naruto making a face like 'tell them if you want, I trust them'.

"Well," Sasuke started, folding his napkin neatly and placing it beside his plate. "It's only natural to want to be close to your son."

If Sasuke had expected shocked reactions, then they certainly lived up to his expectations. There were shouted questions, surprised looks, and Neji looked like he was going to tie himself into a knot trying to write it all down as Sasuke had to tell the story over and over again. Naruto added to the general noise with jokes and embarrassing details, and once the last question –for the moment– was answered Sasuke heaved a sigh of relief.

As fun as it was to brag about having a son the tenth 'omg I can't believe it' was difficult to not snap at.

They'd moved into the small living room, and he found himself squeezed in between Neji and Sakura. He didn't mind. He and Neji bantered about journalist ethics, and when Sakura commented that they seemed to get along, Neji shrugged and told her that it's only natural to get along with someone when you've taken their gay virginity.

Sasuke demonstrated his displeasure with having that little fact revealed by simply forcing Hinata to swap places with him so he could sit next to Naruto instead. That proved to be a not so wise move, seeing as Naruto was the one who thought it was the most hilarious thing he'd ever heard and demanded details, already knowing about the sex part but obviously not the virgin part. Sasuke wished he would be able to threaten him with a night on the couch.

As he tried to ignore everyone his thoughts drifted off, and he realized he was a little jealous of Chouji for having a dream. He'd looked very passionate when talking about it. When he was younger his dreams weren't much of the substantial sort; rather he wanted to break free from his father and have a life of his own. Now that he had it, he wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Glancing at Sakura he wondered what she and Itachi were going to do from now on. He might not be a big fan of hers, but there certainly were worse choices Itachi could have made. In retrospect, now that he wasn't caught up in the middle of his earlier life, he had to admit she wasn't nearly as bad as he'd made her out to be.

Just the simple fact that he could now interact with her without the pressure of getting her pregnant helped a lot.

It was strange, but for once he was a little happy about socializing. There were a lot of things spinning through his head, of course; he wasn't going to get over what he'd just found out easily. Glancing at Naruto instead though, watching his profile as he talked, all relaxed and happy…

Naruto might be or not be a lot of things, and he might think or not think a lot of things about himself, but to Sasuke there was nothing else he needed besides what they already had. In a sense, his dream was already fulfilled. He had his dream boyfriend, he even had a son! What else could he really wish for?

Dragged into the conversation by Naruto throwing an arm around him and an amused comment mumbled into his ear, he pushed all worries aside and enjoyed the moment. Naruto's arm was warm, and the tan fingers rubbing his arm comfortingly caused a different kind of warmth to spread throughout his body.

More than anything, he wished the future to be filled with moments like these.

~Line breaker~

In the car on their way home, Naruto stared out the window into the fading light, a contemplative look on his face. He felt tired, but it was a comfortable sort of tired as compared to previous days' drained exhaustion. Looking ahead for a moment he got an idea, and tapping Sasuke's shoulder he decided to act on it.

"Turn right here" he said, a small smile playing around his lips, not knowing that what went through Sasuke's head at that moment was that he'd rather hurt himself than disobey that smile.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see, don't ruin the surprise."

Giving Sasuke a sly glance Naruto turned his attention to the road, continuing to give directions. If Sasuke suspected something at the end he didn't tell, and simply parked the car a few streets away from the bar where they first met.

Well, first met since they were babies.

Walking inside Naruto took a deep breath, sliding his fingers through Sasuke's and taking in the interior with curiosity, as if expecting things to have changed a lot since they were there last.

"I used to come here a lot you know" he said as they took their seats by the counter, their seats, as in the ones they had that night.

He wondered if Sasuke remembered something as silly as that, which seats they had. He remembered because he'd spent at least an hour watching Sasuke, getting drunker by the minute as he tried to decide if he felt like getting rejected or not.

"I know" Sasuke answered, taking his coat off and placing it over a thigh, "You told me."

"And then I met you and I stopped. It's kind of weird" he mused, scanning the drink menus on the wall, snorting in recognition that they still had the 'Reckless combo' as they called it. He and Kiba had tried it once, getting so drunk they almost didn't make it back home.

"I guess. I don't even know why I picked this place that night. I suppose it was close."

Naruto chuckled.

"Look at us, reminiscing like an old married couple, damn what have you done to me?"

Sasuke smacked his head lightly, leaning an elbow against the counter comfortably, narrowing his eyes in reluctant amusement. Ordering light drinks they sat in silence for a while, observing the bartender as he filled their glasses, doing his job slower than he probably would have on a busy night.

Sipping their much too sweet drinks Sasuke looked deep in thought, frowning without realizing it, and Naruto raised a finger to poke between his eyebrows.

"What's with the look?"

"Just thinking" Sasuke shrugged, seeming to want to drop it, but then straightened up. "About the future, I mean. It sounded nice that Chouji has that kind of dream."

"A dream huh…" Naruto contemplated, holding up his glass and swirling the liquid inside around. "We could have a dream together."

Their eyes met, earnest blue meeting searching black.

"Well, we could always open that restaurant for kids and hire Chouji as our chef" Sasuke suggested, putting one foot beside Naruto's on his stool, both of them wondering momentarily if he was joking or not.

"Hah, no, Sasuke I don't think that would work." When Sasuke raised an eyebrow Naruto continued. "I mean, you'd go crazy with all the noise and stress and annoying parents, and I'd spend more time playing with the kids than working. I worked at a place where they used to throw birthday parties for kids once, and I am not doing it again."

Sasuke stared at him for a few long moments, and then sighed.

"Well, it was an idea at least. You know, we could live the rest of our lives not really working much. Isn't that the kind of dream everybody has?"

For a minute, Naruto considered the idea. Not working. It felt strange, just thinking that Sasuke had that kind of money. How do you even imagine that much money?

"I thought you didn't want to use your money?"

Sasuke sighed again, rubbing an eyebrow tiredly. Naruto felt immediately bad for reminding him of that, but then Sasuke gave a small smile.

"Wouldn't it be nice to just get rid of it all and be normal middle class people?" he said, eyes glazing over momentarily as he seemed to imagine it. "Work, pay the bills, raise our kid… Maybe now and then we could go on a charter trip to some sunny tourist place. I always wanted to be normal, after all."

"You make it sound so romantic" Naruto snorted, but Sasuke merely shrugged.

"I'm sure it's as romantic as being rich sounds to people who aren't. It's just really weird that suddenly my life isn't predestined anymore."

Silence fell over them, both of them thinking of the future. Not really having a limitation to your options was sort of a scary feeling. Well, Naruto was already used to the frustration, and didn't really look forward to Sasuke joining him. Especially Sasuke seemed like the type of person who feels more comfortable having a goal, whether he liked the goal or not.

"I was supposed to get another job" Naruto started, gaining Sasuke's attention. "I mean, before I started working with Kiba. It was some sort of conference mansion, like they had a restaurant and a hotel part, and they had stuff like wedding receptions, company lunches, and well, conferences. It seemed like a cool job, taking care of the guests and things like that."

"Why didn't you take it?"

"Nah, they gave it to someone's relative or something, I don't know" Naruto grimaced, looking as if he still felt some lingering resentment towards the unaware relative.

"Where is it? We could always check if it's for sale."

Naruto gave his smirking boyfriend a look, wondering if he'd lost his mind finally.

"That's a crazy idea Sasuke, what the hell are we going to do with a conference centre?"

"Run it?" Sasuke suggested, dead serious.

"I don't know anything about that sort of thing" Naruto complained, pouting a little.

"What, you scared, moron?" Sasuke teased, and Naruto glared at him.

"Bastard, I can do whatever I want!"

"So what's the problem then? I'm good at running things, and you're good at socializing. For the rest we can hire people."

Naruto stared at Sasuke long and hard, unable to stop the feeling of excitement erupting in his stomach. If they wanted to, they could do it couldn't they? They really could.

"Wow" was all he could think of saying, causing Sasuke to let out a small chuckle.

"You don't need a fancy education to be in charge. It's all about opportunity."

When Naruto was quiet for a minute, Sasuke brushed a finger along his chin, sending him another smile.

"I could be anything I want" Naruto mused, then laughed. "Well, maybe not a superhero, I always wanted to be one when I was a kid. Also…" A faint blush spread across his cheeks, and he rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "Also I wanted to be like my dad for a while, I mean he was pretty cool being the Secretary of State and all, but it seems like a lot of trouble. I don't think I'm really cut out for politics."

"Anything you want" Sasuke reminded him, and Naruto felt something waver in his heart at the complete belief behind Sasuke's words.

"Thank you" he said, then smiled brightly and took Sasuke's hand in his. "Thank you, but I think, right now, just being with you, doing something together with you; it would make me a lot more happy than any title ever could."

"We are being a bit mushy aren't we?" Sasuke asked, scrunching up his nose, but holding Naruto's hand tightly in his own all the same.

Naruto grinned, leaning forwards to kiss his lips lightly.

"It must come with your old age" he teased, staying close enough for their breaths to mingle.

"Hn, I'll be twenty-four soon, so you'll be like a child to me in that case."

"I sure hope not, considering what I'll do to you when we get home."

Sasuke raised one elegant eyebrow, meeting Naruto's heated look with cool detachment.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before calling me old."

"Che, you should take it as a compliment. Me being attracted to your experience and everything."

Naruto laughed way too much at Sasuke's hurt look, complaining loudly when the latter resorted to violence. They finished their drinks quickly after that, leaving with Naruto taking one last lingering look around the place. To think he met Sasuke here, of all places. He glanced at the dark-haired man as they neared the car, then quickly to the car and back again. Getting an idea he waited for Sasuke to get in behind the wheel, catching the door before it shut and climbing in after Sasuke.

"Naruto?"

"Scoot back" Naruto ordered, forcing Sasuke to move the seat backwards as far as possible, folding his legs a little awkwardly as he straddled Sasuke's lap.

As the door closed Sasuke waited for an explanation, Naruto's grin getting wider and more perverted as he made himself comfortable.

"I think I've told you before that we could totally have sex in this car" he mumbled, running his hands up and down Sasuke's chest.

"Wasn't that the other car? Wait – we're not having sex in the car."

Naruto hummed, moving closer to suck on his throat, unbuttoning his coat and sneaking his hands underneath his shirt to tease the skin on the pale stomach.

"I thought you said I could do anything?" he murmured, fingers finding Sasuke's nipples and squeezing them.

Shifting in his seat Sasuke tried to remain composed, his breathing already affected, a tongue rubbing the skin over his pulse not helping.

"For a job…" He trailed off, one of Naruto's hands shamelessly pressing over his crotch, the other still busy rolling a nipple and pulling at it teasingly.

"And what if," Naruto paused to kiss up his cheek, licking a trail of saliva over Sasuke's lips and getting a half annoyed half turned on glare for the effort, "I want to pursue a career as your personal sex toy? It works for Kakashi and Obito."

Sasuke gripped Naruto's ass, rolling his eyes at the look of fake innocence in blue eyes.

"You do know Obito has a job right? Besides, I think you'd be offended if I tried to pay you for the sex."

"You always have to think so practically" Naruto pouted, showing his dissatisfaction with the answer by removing his hand from Sasuke's lower regions and instead gripping black hair, tilting his head backwards. "I see we still have to practice on the dirty talk."

Sasuke glared at him, the strength of it wavering when Naruto went back to work on his throat with determination. Just to spite the blond he tried to stay as quiet as possible, which proved a difficult task when Naruto responded by biting and sucking harsh enough to make him wince slightly.

"Dammit Naruto" he hissed, forgetting all about it when Naruto thrust his tongue into his mouth and rolled it around his own, causing heat to spread from Sasuke's toes and up.

They spent a few minutes just making out, hands roaming bodies as much as they could reach, groans escaping Naruto now and then.

"Mm Sasuke I could just ride you right here" he breathed into Sasuke's ear, grabbing one of Sasuke's hands to pay attention to his hard-on.

"There's not really enough-"

"What did I tell you Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed with a hand clasped over Sasuke's mouth, groaning in frustration when he caught the smirk behind it. "Come on, work with me here baby."

"You haven't called me baby in a while" Sasuke noted, removing the hand silencing him but pushing one finger into his mouth to suck on it briefly.

"I'll start again if you want to."

With his free hand Naruto unbuttoned his pants, giving Sasuke a 'don't-you-dare' look when he seemed to want to start protesting about the car issue again.

"Fine but you're cleaning any stains" Sasuke muttered, massaging Naruto's dick once it was freed, squeezing it a little roughly and smirking when Naruto's head fell down on his shoulder. "You want dirty talk huh?" he asked, voice lowered into a seductive vibration now.

Naruto nodded eagerly, lifting his arms to put them around Sasuke's neck, hugging him tightly and pressing his face into the warm skin.

"Even if it's about me topping?" When Naruto made an encouraging moan Sasuke pressed a kiss to the base of his neck, pumping him faster. "In that case, I'd go hard and fast, make you prep yourself while I watch." Sasuke slid his other hand down Naruto's back, tracing down his crack with a finger to rub against his hole, Naruto arching into his touch. "I'd make you beg for my cock to fill you up…"

"Mm, you're not so bad after all" Naruto moaned, grinding as much as he could into Sasuke's hand, sucking on his neck again, determined to leave as many marks as possible since Sasuke didn't seem to mind tonight.

"I'd make you come fast the first time, then the second round would be slow and deep, I'd drag it out until we're a trembling mess, I'll make you moan my name a hundred times before I'm done with you."

"Sasuke…"

"Just like that Naruto, keep saying it."

Sasuke was breathing heavily into Naruto's ear, straining in his too tight pants, pushing the tip of his finger inside Naruto dry, moving it in and out just enough to make him clench and try to take it in deeper.

"Oh god, Sasuke" Naruto panted, burying his face in Sasuke's neck, concentrating on the pleasure.

It felt like it had been too long since they did something just for pleasure, just for fun. It felt good. He'd missed Sasuke's voice, missed him breathing against him, no pain mixed with it.

Only pleasure.

"Naruto, I want you to come, I want my whole hand dripping with your man-juice."

"With my- with my what?! Where did you even – shit – learn that word?"

"I thought you wanted dirty talk?" Sasuke asked, managing to sound sadistic and amused at the same time, hand still firmly wrapped around Naruto and not making any hints to slowing down. "I'm just expanding my vocabulary."

"Your- your- oh god Sasuke I can't, what the fuck…" Naruto couldn't help laughing, cursing under his breath as Sasuke's hand brought him closer and closer to release, but his words were so utterly ridiculous he just had to laugh, had to laugh loudly and breathlessly. "You're fucking crazy" he choked out, his thighs tensing in pleasure when a thumb rubbed his tip.

Teeth biting his ear was enough to bring him his release, and he still choked on laughter as he moaned against Sasuke, laughing more when he sat up and saw Sasuke raise his hand and make a point out of licking up the liquid coating his fingers.

"Yup, you've definitely lost it" he said, shaking his head and smiling when Sasuke gave him a kiss.

"What I do have," Sasuke mused, "Is too little space inside my pants."

"Eww, Sasuke, are you saying you want me to swallow your man-juice? That's disgusting."

Sasuke's eyes bore into Naruto's as he raised his hand again, this time to deliberately drag it down Naruto's cheek, smirking in satisfaction when Naruto yelled and pushed the hand away.

"Since it was your suggestion, I'd say you're the disgusting one, Naruto."

"U-huh, is that so?"

"That is so."

"But you still love me, right?" Naruto's eyes sparkled with humor, and Sasuke's smirk morphed into a genuine smile.

"Of course I love you. That is, if you perform these disgusting tasks as my personal sex toy."

"Why yes master" Naruto chuckled, raising an eyebrow to match Sasuke's already raised one, "I can't believe you doubt my ability to perform."

"Hn" was all Sasuke replied as he made himself comfortable, smirking again as Naruto struggled to find a position that allowed him to reach Sasuke with his mouth without too much pain.

"Oh, and you're also a bastard" Naruto added as an afterthought, having finally managed to free Sasuke, mouth hovering just over his need.

"You're lucky I love you" Sasuke muttered, and Naruto laughed brightly before busying himself with his assigned task.

These will make for some good memories, he thought.


Alright! I hope you enjoyed! Idk what happened with Sasuke at the end, but I'm happy they're back to smiling and messing around for the moment at least. Ok, so, the sequel. The sequel will be also a prequel. And then, since you know how I can't write things short for this story, there will also be a side-fic. The sequel is all plot and about Itachi and Gaara and the past mostly (will be pretty heavy to read, oh god) and the side-fic will be all fluff and nice stuff with Naruto and Sasuke. I couldn't think of a good way to mix it. So, there are, hmm, three chapters left or so I think. I'll be working hard! But yeah, school... ugh law school is lots of work but it's fun! I'll never call it boring again ahhaa. But I wasn't very happy when this morning, being very tired, I went into school to have a lecture at 8am and it was canceled because they fucking double-booked the lecture hall. That made me annoyed.

AND OMG we just passed the one year anniversary for this story! I feel like we've come a long way in just a year. Let's keep it up for another ten (omg that's terrible). I'll give you more info on the sequel when we're closing in on it, I have the plot mainly narrowed down though, look forward to some major drama!

If you have any problems with the ItaSaku and worry about the ItaGaa, feel free to ask but I don't wanna give away spoilers now that I know the plot. There won't be any painful dramatic break-ups though, that's lameX)