Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Oh, DJ, if only NarutoxSilo made sense in this story, then I would gladly write you a smutty chapter with them in it. But because it does not, you're stuck with this chapter XD Forgive me.
And sorry if this chapter seems a little off, I'm trying to get used to using my new laptop. I don't get the same feel with this that I did with my old comp :sigh:
:Gasp: I learned the Hare Hare Yukai dance:dances: DESHOU!
Come on, everyone! Review so that this story can reach 3000 reviews:waves pom poms:
"You want us... to what?"
Naruto sat on the couch with wide eyes, stunned with the sudden turn of events. He'd just sat down in the living room with Sasuke so they could catch up on the newest episode of one of their favorite reality shows, when Itachi had joined them, seemingly bent on sharing something important with them. But what he had to tell them was something neither of them had expected.
Itachi didn't even keep his eyes on them as he spoke, his dark orbs focused mostly on the moving people on television.
"I want you two to be in the new edition of Tokyo's most popular magazine. The photoshoot is this evening in the Yokohama Arena. It's sudden, I know, but it was the only time I could schedule for the both of you."
Sasuke's lips were in a thin line and he stared at his brother as if he were a moron, a complete imbecile. The idea was stupid, not just because it posed a risk to their safety, but because neither of them had acted for at least ten years. Practice makes perfect, so they were definitely going to be far from perfect if Itachi shoved them into a film.
"What makes you think we want to act again? I'm content with my life right now and I'm not going to risk Naruto's life or mine by putting my face out in the public again," the raven growled.
Itachi raised a delicate brow. "I didn't say anything about acting quite yet. All I ask is that you get your pictures taken. Don't be worried with the risks, since Orochimaru already knows you're back in Japan and that you're alive, Otouto. Trust me, you will be fine."
He felt like he needed to mention his "game" to the two key pawns. He wouldn't tell them they were the pawns, though, for they wouldn't play if they knew that. He was being risky and putting their lives on the line, but if he played his cards the right way, then everything would turn out fine.
"Yeah... I guess you're right," the blond mumbled and crossed his arms. "But won't the entire Japanese population be shocked to find out that I'm suddenly back and that Sasuke's alive? Didn't they think he died?"
Itachi shook his head slowly. "No, he just vanished."
Naruto's eye twitched. "Hm, well, that's just as odd. Everyone will be asking questions, so what's your excuse going to be? That he was shot and in a coma for nine years? The truth's not going to work this time around."
"If I twist it around a bit, it will," Itachi was determined, the two other males could tell. Even if they refused a million times, the weasel would find some way to blackmail them. Hell, he'd get Majik to do it if he was that desperate.
Both Naruto and Sasuke sighed.
"Fine," they said in unison.
xXxXx
And that was how the two actors were thrust back into the world of acting.
Though, at the moment they were only modeling and getting pictures taken of them together. It was strange to be taking such intimate and romantic pictures as a way of introducing themselves back into the world, but it was better than akward sex scenes, since Naruto knew if they had to do that then he'd probably get carried away.
Suddenly, a light bulb lit up in the back of his mind, the water bottle he was sipping from almost slipping from his fingers. He glanced over at his boyfriend who was munching on carrot sticks, flipping through a magazine with little to no interest.
"Oi, Sasuke?"
"Hm?"
"That time all those years ago... when we were doing our first sex scene together..."
Sasuke's head shot up and he stared at the blond in shock. He didn't think Naruto would remember something like that. He felt his ears burn at the questioning look in those cerulean eyes.
"Did you... you know, like me then?"
"..."
A sly smile spread across Naruto's face and he laughed foxily, his shoulders shaking with the rumbling sound. It only served to make the situation for the raven more embarrassing.
"So I'm guessing that was a real orgasm ya had, neeeee?"
Sasuke scowled at him, the bridge of his nose a light red. He threw the magazine at Naruto's face and scoffed, heading back to the stage so he could get the photo sessions done with before it got dark. Of course, he was only pretending to be angry, since it was what he'd always hid behind when he was a kid.
Suddenly, he stopped walking and the scowl faded from his face. Naruto was calling to him and he heard the footsteps of the other coming toward him, but he didn't acknowledge him, his dark eyes focused on the floor.
How long have I... been doing this?
Naruto reached a hand out and placed it on Sasuke's shoulder, spinning him around. "Sasuke, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... embarrass..." he frowned at the raven's vacant, yet thoughtful look. "Sasuke?" the look was so familiar...
xXxXx flashback xXxXx
Silo sat on the floor of the small apartment's living room, staring up at the woman in the doorway, a small hand bag in her grasp. Her dark eyes were covered by her long lashes and her black hair was down to her waist, her face impassive. She didn't even say anything to the child as she slipped outside and shut the door.
In the other room, Naruto was cursing and throwing things, his voice shaking as if he was about to cry. There was a loud 'thump' and Silo slowly turned his head to see his father fall back against the wall and slide down it, burying his face into his knees, his shoulders shaking.
Naruto rubbed at his eyes and continued to curse quietly, his teeth gritted. He felt a small hand on his arm and his head shot up, watery blue eyes meeting a matching pair, but they were full of confusion, yet so empty.
"Silo..."
"Okasan's gone... Why?"
Naruto pulled his son against him and held him tightly, closing his eyes so that tears wouldn't flow. He wasn't going to be weak.
"Did I do something, Chichiue? Did Okasan leave 'cause of me?"
xXxXx end flashback xXxXx
Naruto stared at Sasuke, then reached out to him like he did with Silo all those years ago, pulling his lover flush against his chest and pressing his cheek against the top of his head. One hand moved to the small of Sasuke's back and he breathed in the other's scent.
Sasuke's eyes were open, but not wide, confusion more prominent now, the emptiness having disappeared the moment those warm hands had made contact with his cool skin. He shifted and caught the photographers taking pictures of them from behind.
"Dobe, what're you doing? I don't remember asking you for a hug."
"What happened to you, Sasuke?"
The raven stiffened, wondering if he was referring to his anger.
"The look in your eyes... it reminded me of the way Silo looked when his mother left. What happened to you to make you look that way?" the blond pressed on, wanting Sasuke to tell him. He wanted to know everything about him. And if Sasuke ever wanted to know about him, then he would tell him.
Sasuke tried to pull back, but those muscular arms refused to let him go and he sighed. "I'll tell you on the way home. Let's just take the rest of the pictures right now, alright?"
Naruto nodded and released him, but not before brushing his lips against the other's, smiling lighty. "Promise to tell me everything? No matter what you say, I'm not gonna judge you."
The Uchiha mumbled a "yeah" before they both headed to the white stage of the arena, the photographers getting back into position, whispering among each other.
As they posed for another photo, with Naruto's arms wrapped around his waist, he felt something squirming around in his stomach. It wasn't nervousness, it's was something nauseating and sickening. Then he realized that he was bothered by the fact that Naruto had mentioned the same look in Silo's eyes when he was small.
What Sasuke had gone through was bad and he hated the idea of a tiny Silo having gone through the same thing.
xXxXx
Silo laughed happily as he ran through the spacious aisles in the carnival-like area. It was a large building that had recently been built close to Itachi's company (just around the corner, actually). He wasn't sure what booth to go to first, since all of the lines were fairly short because of it being a week day. He thought about having to start school again and sighed. But he became a little happier with the idea when he remembered he'd be in the same school as Haruka.
"Silo," the silver-haired teenager called, looking around a bit slowly. "Where are you?"
Blushing lightly and suddenly feeling guilty for having left his boyfriend behind, Silo went back to him and said the other's name softly so not to startle him when he grasped his warm hands. He smiled prettily when he received a warm look in those dark red eyes.
"I'd prefer it if you didn't run off again. I get scared when I can't find you."
The shorter boy tried to hold back his blush, but failed miserably, his smile lopsided. He tightened his hold on Haruka's hands and lead him to a nearby booth where there was a shooting game. He eyed the adorable stuffed neko that was sitting on the very top prize shelf, wishing he could get it. There was no chance that'd happen, though, since he didn't have very good coordination.
"Is there something there you want to do?" Haruka asked quietly, only able to see a blur of colors where the booth was.
Silo shook his head and muttered a "no" before moving on to another booth. he somewhat wished deep down that his relationship with Haruka could be like the ones on television. He wanted Haruka to win him a stuffed animal, give it to him, then tell him how much he loved him while they shared a romantic kiss in a secluded area of the building...
Laughing lightly at the silly dream, he made his way to another booth.
Far behind them, Majik stood, staring up at the neko that was baby blue in color, matching Silo's eyes almost perfectly. Today, he didn't have that golden aura around him like usual, his clothes that were usually bright were only matching hues black and grey. There was no smile on his face as he stared at the stuffed toy and dug around in his back pocket for money.
Five minutes later, Silo and Haruka were heading back in the same direction they came from, running into Itachi and Hidan who were quietly eating yakitori. In Itachi's grasp was a small weasel toy, the little animal comfortably resting against the Akatsuki leader's chest. Silo smiled brightly at that, finding Itachi's relationship with Hidan to be something special. He wanted his relationship with Haruka to be just as strong as their's someday.
"Where's Majik?" he asked suddenly, taking notice of the missing member. He felt guilty for taking off with Haruka without even telling Majik where they were going...
"Over there," Hidan answered and pointed straight ahead, with a mouth full of yakitori. He chewed and swallowed, earning him a disapproving look from his fiancee.
Silo pecked Haruka. "I'll be right back, I'm going to go get him so we can check out the other booths," then he took off across the aisle, pressing through the crow that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Once he reached the other side, he noticed that Majik was at the booth where he'd seen the stuffed cat.
The Norwegian stepped up, after the guy in front of him left, and lifted up the black gun that was resting on the long, wooden table. He did it in such a graceful way, that it stunned Silo as he stepped up behind him. His blue eyes were focused on the way Majik brushed his fingers against the dark metal of the weapon. He knew it only shot out plastic bullets, but the image of the cheerful boy holding the same thing that had almost ended Sasuke's life was a bit frightening.
Majik eyed the contraption for a few moments before lifting it up and taking aim. His posture was so professional and his eyes were so dark...
"Majik..." Silo mouthed.
The black and white-haired youth shot down one stack of tin cans and went for the next stack quickly, knocking all of those down too. He then moved to the next three stacks and finished the game in under five seconds.
Silo was stunned to say the least, his eyes moving back to stare at Majik's. The other's eyes which had been so dark were now bright with joy and his smile was beautiful once again, almost blindingly brilliant. He put the gun down and pointed up at the blue cat with a grin on his face.
"I want the kitty," he stated childishly.
The woman who worked there nodded numbly and took it down from its perch, handing it to the teen with a mumble of "thank you for playing".
Turning, Majik blinked, not expecting Silo to be standing there.
"Little Miss? I thought ya went somewhere with Haru-ru."
"..."
"Little Miss?"
Silo swallowed and smiled faintly. "W-we came back because we wanted you to join us... I-I'm sorry for leaving you behind."
"Don't worry 'bout it. Ya two are goin' out now, ya need your alone time, ja?" Majin smiled toothily. Bit something was off. His lips were stretched a little too far.
"Is there... something wrong, Majik? You can tell me anything, you--" he was cut off when he was shoved to the side and his friend took off running, a sound resembling a squeal ripping itself from his throat.
"Be back later, I see a German flag!.!" was all he yelled before disappearing in the crowd, followed by a few annoyed looks from people passing by.
Silo remained there, confused and worried.
What's going on with him? And when did he learn to shoot a gun?
xXxXx
Sasuke leaned back in his seat, eyeing the driver of the black car he was in. He frowned when said driver grinned at him in the rear view mirror, sharp teeth glistening under the street light the car was currently parked beneath. Kisame definitely wasn't one of the best drivers in the Akatsuki and Sasuke was starting to wonder if Itachi, for some reason, wanted him dead.
"D'ya have fun, Sasuke-chan? Naruto-kun?" the bulky, black-haired man asked with amusement laced in with his deep voice.
Naruto plopped down in his seat and shut the door, immediately fastening his seat belt. He grinned widely. "It was okay. They could've had better snack food in there, though."
Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Just take us home, Kisame."
The Akatsuki member raised a thick brow. "Somethin' special happening back at the estate? A party maybe? How come Itachi-san didn't invite me?" he gave a fake whine.
The raven scowled. "Start the car now, Kisame."
"Che, whatever, gaki," the man turned around and started the engine, pulling out onto the side road with ease.
Naruto sighed happily as the cool air from the car's vents hit his heated face, his hands moving up to undo the top two buttons of his shirt. The arena had been too hot and his skin felt as if it were going to go up in flames any second. He glanced over at Sasuke, wanting to ask him if it'd be okay to ask Kisame to stop at a gas station so he could get some water, but then something popped up in his mind before he could ask.
"Oi, Sasuke..." he started, "about earlier..."
"You want to hear about what happened to me?" Sasuke murmured. "It's not that interesting, really..."
Naruto frowned. "Everything about you is interesting, Teme."
Sasuke smiled lightly.
"Well, when I was little, the Uchiha Estate used to be flooding with family members. Everyone I loved was right around the corner and I considered myself the luckiest kid, back then, since all of my friends used to whine about not being able to see their grandparents or cousins. I saw mine every day..." he smiled at a fond memory. "Everyone was really close... And I remember when I would ditch the rest of my friends and cousins to play with Itachi and his friends. I'd thought his friends were the greatest back then. Deidara, Hidan, and Kisame were always around and they would let me play Othello with them... It had been a lot of fun."
Naruto remained quiet, wanting him to continue. Kisame had headphones on in the front, though, probably not interested in a story he'd already heard a million times before.
"But then they started coming around less often and Itachi would always make up excuses to leave home. He worried our mother a lot, but she would always say she trusted Itachi and she knew he wasn't doing anything bad... But I knew something was wrong, even though I was about six or seven at the time. And when Itachi finally did get home, it was always around one or two in the morning. He wouldn't talk or tell our parents what was wrong... He just kept quiet, until I snuck into his room because I'd had a nightmare one night... and found him shooting up heroin," he cringed.
"I didn't understand what he'd been doing back then, but when he caught me staring, he looked like he was about to cry and he begged for me to call Hidan, to tell him to come over as fast as he could... When Hidan arrived and went to Itachi's room, they'd argued for a bit and I stood out in the hall. But I could help myself and I'd peaked in..." he smiled lightly. "They were holding each other and I'd thought that everything was ok then. Unfortunately, I was completely wrong..." he sighed.
Naruto urged him on with a soft touch to his arm.
"The next few days went by without any problems and Deidara, Hidan, and Kisame started coming around again, accompanied by a few more people; Kakuzu and Zetsu. Tobi hadn't come around until later..." he cleared his throat and stared out the window. "They told me that Itachi had just fallen into the bad crowd for a bit, but was fine now... But I noticed that while my brother looked fine, even with the slight withdrawal effects, Hidan had looked horrible. His hands would constantly shake and he would look around the room nervously, as if trying to find something. Apparently, while Itachi could break free from drug addiction, he couldn't..."
"It was already hard enough on me to watch my 'family' crumble like that, but then a few days later... something worse happened. I'd come home from school and found our mother and father lying on the floor of the living room with their--their throats slit," pressing out the last part with a hoarse voice, Sasuke swallowed. "They'd been killed by someone... but even now, I don't know who did it. Itachi does, but he refuses to tell me because he says that he doesn't want me to be driven by revenge like him," he scoffed softly.
"But when Itachi had found out what'd happened, he went crazy. He'd screamed, broken anything he could get his hands on, then he'd broken down into Hidan's arms. He kept saying it was his fault and that he knew who did it... Back then, my brother had so many emotions. He was such an expressive person and when he was angry, he would yell; when he was sad, he would lock himself away and cry; and when he was happy, he would smile and laugh. What he's become now is just a shell of what he once was. I don't think he could ever go back to his old self," he shook his head. "I'm getting off topic."
"I don't mind..." Naruto whispered, his mind rolling over the new information.
Sasuke almost smiled. "Well, because I was so young at the time of their deaths, I had to stay with a relative. Itachi didn't want me to stay with him, because he thought he wouldn't be able to take proper care of me, so I had the choice of everyone else in the estate. Unfortunately, no one wanted to take care of me either. They all had one or more excuses... so in the end, I was forced to stay with Itachi," he snorted. "He'd been so angry, yelling at our entire family for being hypocrites. He'd said that they were always spewing crap about being a loving and helpful family, but when one of their own finally needed help, they refused to supply it... After hearing that, I'd became angry too. It just made something snap inside of me. None of them cared too much about my parents' deaths and they didn't care if I lived or died, they just wanted nothing to do with the incident."
"Then they all started moving out, suddenly having become afraid of what had happened. They thought that Itachi and I brought bad luck, since someone had finally been able to come into the Estate. It was funny, though... how the walls around the estate could keep demons out, but they couldn't prevent one single human from coming in and killing my mother and father... When I'd realized that, my anger became too much and that single emotion ruled everything I did. When Itachi had moved us into an apartment in the city, he tried so hard to make me happy, but I would just scream and yell at him... Thankfully, something happened that made the anger go away," he smiled.
"Hidan told me that he loved my brother. Just that simple little confession he shared with me made me happy again. It made me realize that through all the tragedy, there was still hope, happiness... and love, and that I could have all of that some day too. Hidan told me all about his feelings and how strongly he felt for Itachi. The more he rambled, the wider my smile had become. But as happy as it made me, it wasn't able to completely get rid of my anger. It was still there, and still is now. If I feel uncomfortable or don't know how to handle a situation, that's when it comes out, as a substitue for the usual embarrassment or akwardness. I don't know how to voice embarrassment, just anger."
Naruto stared at him, the strongest urge to say "Sasuke, I love you and I'm going to be the one to give you all of that happiness and love you deserve" rising in his throat. He swallowed the words, though.
"So know that if I ever get angry with you over something stupid and trivial... I can't help it. I know it's no excuse, but--" he was rudely cut off when a pair of lips descended on his and a warm body was pressed flush against his own. He struggled, caught off guard. His cheeks became pink as hands groped whatever they could get a hold of and a hot tongue ran along the roof of his mouth. Turning his head to the side, he inhaled deeply and growled. "What the hell are you doing?.!"
Naruto grinned cheekily. "Why, just showing you that I find your anger spurts a turn on. Mmmm, how I'd love to get you in bed right now and have that mouth that usually spouts obsceneties around my--" he received a knee to the stomach and he coughed loudly, shifting back and clutching his injured tummy. "I-I-Itai..."
From the driver's seat, Kisame laughed loudly.
Sasuke sat up and glared daggers at the blond, crossing his arms and turning his attention back to the scenery passing by outside. But even as he continued to ignore his lover, his expression had become softened and his smile was reflected in the tinted glass.
xXxXx
By the time they'd gotten back from Yokohama, it was ten at night and everyone was asleep except for Itachi, who was sitting at the kitchen table jotting things down as he drank a cup of tea. His hair was in a braid and tied together with a pink ribbon, most likely the doing of a hyper Majik. Both Naruto and Sasuke snickered at the man before them.
"I like your hair," Sasuke said it as if he were talking about an employee's new cubicle. "What color is the ribbon? Magenta?"
Itachi sat his cup down and looked up at his younger brother. "Rasberry, actually."
Naruto's snorted in amusement and grinned, but then he remembered something he wanted to do and leaned forward, his lips close to Sasuke's ear.
"I'll meet you in our room later, ok? I want to get a bite to eat first."
Sasuke gave him a questioning look.
The blond pouted childishly. "What? I just want some ramen. I promise when I get back I'll slurp you up just like the noodles. I'll even say 'itadakimasu' before starting, if you want," he grinned. "Deal?"
The raven narrowed his eyes. "Your humor is unattractive," then he started down the hall, disappearing aroundthe corner.
Naruto huffed and went into the dining area, sitting right across from Itachi. The weasel was still writing things down, his reading glasses low on the bridge of his nose. Pushing them up, he lifted his gaze.
"I thought you were going to have a bowl of ramen."
"Nah, I lied."
Itachi's face remained impassive, and Naruto really wondered if he could imagine him crying and screaming in pure frustration, like Sasuke had told him about. The only thing he could picture was Itachi pressing a gun to some poor man's head with an insane smirk on his handsome face, whispering in his ear how he deserved it.
He shivered.
"Lying to my otouto wasn't a very wise thing to do."
Naruto thought he heard a threat underneath the blank tone and he swallowed thickly, picturing himself with the barrel of a gun practically shoved down his throat, a dangerous-looking Itachi looming over him.
But Itachi's lips twitched upward into a slight smile, diminishing the blond's thoughts quickly. "If he finds out, you will most likely be sleeping on the couch. It's quite comfortable, but I doubt you would prefer it over the warmth of your own bed."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah... Um... do you think I could talk to you about something?"
Itachi lowered his pen and lifted his head, taking off his reading glasses and placing them in a dark brown case.
"Sure. What is it you would like to talk about?"
"Well, Sasuke was telling me a story about his past earlier..." he noticed that Itachi didn't look the least bit unnerved. "And he mentioned you knowing who killed your parents, but never telling him..."
Itachi laced his fingers together.
"I'm sure he mentioned why I didn't tell him."
Naruto nodded.
"I didn't, and still don't, want him to be driven by revenge. It's a feeling he doesn't need in his life. I feel I made the right choice not to tell him all those years ago. He's lived a fairly average and normal life since our parents died, unlike myself. I gave into my desire for revenge the moment I realized Orochimaru had killed them," he almost snarled, the anger Sasuke was talking about earlier bubbling to the surface.
Naruto's eyes widened considerably. "O-Orochimaru...?"
"Back in those days, he was the leader of the Akatsuki. When Hidan had joined that organization in order to find a way to vent his anger from the abuse of his father, Orochimaru had persuaded him to take drugs, so that he would be taken away from the pain even when he wasn't with the Akatsuki. I was stupid then, being a young, impressionable teenager, and went along with what Hidan was doing because he was my best friend and I loved him. I had also joined because Deidara and Kisame were in that same group, as well, both because they wanted to escape reality. Just like Hidan."
"But when Hidan's condition went from bad to worse because of the drugs, I refused to let him stay a part of the Akatsuki and we both quit. Orochimaru didn't like my choice, because he needed us to help him with selling drugs, and threatened me. I didn't take him seriously, though... and I really wish I would have. Then maybe my parents would still be alive right now."
"Because of my stupid choice to follow Hidan, instead of keeping him from joining the Akatsuki in the first place, I ruined a lot of lives. My mother's, my father's, my brother's, Hidan's, everyone's. Then I learned that Orochimaru was kicked out of the Akatsuki and I, giving into my strong desire for revenge, joined the Akatsuki once again. I knew that was the only way I'd be able to be strong enough to kill Orochimaru. I was taught to deal and steal drugs, how to murder, how to efficiently hide bodies, how to do a lot of things that were quite horrible. At that same time, Orochimaru was building up his own underground drug business. I... regretted my decision to seek revenge, because that only made everything a lot harder than it would have been if I would've just let it go. But I went through with everything anyway and became the second-hand man to Leader-sama."
"I look back on it today and I tell myself it was worth it, for I'm so close to finally killing him."
Naruto frowned. "I see..." then he tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "There's something I want to tell you, concerning Sasuke."
Itachi stared at him. "Are you angry about what I put him through?"
"No, not at all. "Naruto grinned. "I just want to say...," he stood up and bowed, something he would never have done before, "thank you for taking such good care of him."
The weasel was surprised, his eyes a fraction wider than before.
Naruto stood up straight and smiled brightly. "You're a very good brother. Even though Sasuke didn't mention much about how you took care of him during all of those years when you moved out of this place... I know you did a good job. After all, he wouldn't have turned out to be the perfect Sasuke-chan I know now if he was raised poorly, hm?"
Itachi chuckled. "Surely, you know he's not perfect. He has flaws."
"I don't see them as flaws, I see them as cute quirks," the blond stated. He then stretched and spun on his heel. "Well, I should get to bed. I'm sure Sasuke's waiting for me to 'slurp his noodles'," he wiggled his brows.
"I doubt you two have had sexual intercourse yet, Naruto-kun," Itachi commented dully. "Majik would have informed me if such an event occured."
"..." Naruto glared at him. "I'm going to bed," then he made his way down the hall, mumbling to himself.
"Good night," Itachi nodded his head and put his reading glasses back on, going back to writing in the notepad, not noticing the small smile that was resting on his lips.
If you enjoyed this chap, please review. It keeps me going ya'll! I need support, especially since I have so much school work to do.