Thanks for the reviews, faves and alerts. I feel special.
ddd - Heh, yeah. I was trying to write another chapter to my other one before doing this, but it just isn't flowing…so I came back. ;-p
dino6 - I'm gonna be doing views from Sasuke and Sakura just before the wedding, probably; to show what they've been doing and stuff. More of Itachi will be revealed so that would explain his reasons for things and on the boyfriend thing…you'll see…
Ore no Naruto - ItaNaru bonding was destined, I tell you, destined! Mwhaaahaa…ehm…anyway…Glad you liked it and I don't blame the death thoughts. The problem is when you have an urge to break the computer because of the complete fuckery of that teme.
PirateCaptainBo - Bo: Thankies. Lol. I was trying to update my NejiHina first…but it refuses to flow…I hope this lasts for a week or two cause I'm going on holiday tomorrow. Yay! Ski: It's a shame Itachi isn't demonified like Naru-chan, then I could write them out more quickly. I keep forgetting to limit his greatness. ;-p As with to Bo, hope this chapter will suffice for a week or so.
ScarletOfTheBlue - Well there's still more things that Itachi and Sasuke go through with Naruto, but in the end it's Naru-chan's choice and how the story plays out with it. I wrote the first chapter with no intention of ItaNaru and then Sasuke pissed me off more. I'd only read two ItaNaru's before this, but basically I wanted to torture Sasuke in the beginning for being a bastard and it grew. The saying does go to get over a guy by dating his best friend or worst enemy (or post e-mail on gay porn sites, but that wouldn't really work here, ne?); and seeing as Naruto IS his best friend, there's only the worst enemy and subsequent brother left. Ha. Glad I helped to open your world to the possibility though.
VixyFox - Heh - I personally don't know why that Teme even HAS a fan club. Glad you liked it, it was kinda hard to get it right and still remain as in character as I could get. It'll definitely be a week or two before the next chapter 'cause I'm on holiday, so the wedding will have to wait a while. Gomen.
TangoOFDOOM - Heh, thanks. I hate to do what everyone else does. As my friends and family know, I most definitely don't conform to society. What exactly did you mean with the cringing anyway? I know I can't help but cringe at those 'I'll rape/betray you and as soon as I say sorry you love me' fics. Talk about delusional fantasy. I have to admit that I can't get into ItaShi/ShiIta that well; but I think that's 'cause I don't know Shisui's character. It makes for good Itachi background though, despite it's brutally cut short future. I will be making a character for Shisui in later chapters, so there'll be more mention to it.
hittocerebattosai - Heh, no problem. I won't get the next one up for a week or two - holiday time!
Tsuzuki Misaki - Wow! Computers usually hate me. There was this one time that I actually did all my work that I had to like research forever, and it deleted it ALL! My whole essay - just two words from completion which had to be in the NEXT day. And the next day in class, my laptop wouldn't let me get any work done 'cause it froze FIVE times. It was only an hours time and then we had to put forward presentations! Kuso. ANYWAY, I get what you mean with sugar and demanding friends - but weirdly, it's the lack of coffee that sends me hyper. There will definitely be deeper ItaNaru stuff coming your way and yeah, I'd say it's 'cause Itachi sees his worth. I guess it's a way of Itachi saying he would have chosen Naru-chan instead of Sakura and so Sasuke's an idiot 'cause he didn't. The reason why I say Itachi talks more is 'cause he has been engaging in communication instead of Sasuke's clipped answers in this fic. Hope this chapter's as good.
Fox Loves Shinigami - Thanks. I won't update for a few weeks, so I hope this will last and stuff till then.
xLonely Moonx - Hmmm, glee dancing, for some reason that reminds me of 'Scrubs' and jumping up and down. Anyway, I'll try lessening the venting this time…hey I just realised I do the same thing JD does…Go ItaNaru! Let the moments progress!!
ryougabriellucile - Really? It hasn't come up before? Hmmm, then I can basically do anything there and it'd be original! God, I couldn't imagine carrying seven babies; I bet he'll be thanking Shinobi endurance at the and of it. Foxes now have six to seven kits so I couldn't resist. ;-p Glad you like it.
Stalker-san - Definitely not making it up; you are the Ego's Muse. Anywho, Naru-chan does have a belly now, looking like a normal woman half way though their pregnancy. Lol, woman. Two months toward the end he'll be friggin huge. Basically, Naruto could pass as fat - like one of those guys who always drinks and you're like 'Is that a pregnant woman with a shaved head or is that really a seriously weirdly-shaped fat guy?' double take. I'm on holiday after tomorrow so it'll be a week or two 'till I write 'gain, kay?
Ana - Hehe, good logic. Someone should really write a fic where Sasuke feels so guilty that he kills himself. Are there any? Fear not, fair maiden; more ItaNaru lays ahead…
9TailedNaruto94 - Thanks and I hope it gets better.
noone cares enough - He sure does and I have a feeling that Sasuke will be going to hell. Basically, Naru-chan needs to win over Itachi and then both of those things could happen. Which means that I get to write more lovely ItaNaru scenes. Yay!
Piggy Kun - Yep; I haven't heard it sound so appetising to eat before, but it's definitely continuing. The chapters come to me at night, so I really can't escape them if I wanted to. More ItaNaru ahead. ;-p
WARNING: Itachi OOC. Originally for fun when I was thinking how best to dissuade people from thinking it's Itachi…Then my friend said it was great and I should keep it. At least no one WOULD think it was Itachi.I am going on holiday tomorrow so I can't update for a week or two 'cause there's no computer there.
AUTHORS NOTE: I am going on holiday tomorrow so I can't update for a week or two 'cause there's no computer there.
NARUTO
Iruka's knock was soft. It was so soft that Naruto slept peacefully through it. He was in a rare, dreamless sleep, basking in the silky smoothness of his thin sheets. He wasn't dead to the world, but felt the sheets glide over him as he stayed in the realm between consciousness and dreamscape. He sighed contently, rubbing and rolling his body in the heaven.
"You're acting like a girl." A deep voice rolled in his head.
"Mmm, Itachi." He drawled out, half sighing.
As he heard his own sensual voice call out, both eyelids and his body shot up. Whilst standing against the far wall, Itachi's lips quirked briefly into a smirk. His whole attitude remained uncaring as he leisurely held his eyes closed, arms folded and knee bent to allow a foot to touch the wall along with his shoulders. Naruto, however, seemed almost devastated that he'd said the other's name so intimately.
"I-I-I didn't mean; what I meant was; I m-mean-"
"I didn't know my presence was so desirable, Naruto-kun."
"I-It's not like that! You just surprised me, just being in here, a-and I-it was just a confusion, and-and…Did you call me a girl?" He narrowed his eyes, daring him to oppose.
"I did." He confirmed, pushing himself off the wall and opening his eyes, so as not to block the vision he needed to make it to the side of the bed. With wide eyes, Naruto warily watched Itachi's movements. They were slow and deliberate, as if pre-planned. As if reading his mind, a smirk grew on Itachi's face. Arms unfolded and Itachi leaned down into Naruto, who in turn moved himself further an further down, thus away. Itachi's face, however, caught up at an equal distance until it decreased gradually between their faces.
"W-Wait a minute!"
Smirk still in place; hands lowering him from their position on either side of Naruto's face; and the leaning over the tense body from the knee against the thigh of the stiff boy; Itachi ignored the words spoken. His face, on the other hand, deterred from his previous course - or at least, the course Naruto had suspected - and deviated to his ear.
"And maybe I liked it." The hot breath brushed against his ear, teasing as it was purposely applied. Naruto felt the heat come closer, but in the millisecond the skin of lips graced the ear in the barest of a touch; a mere pin drop of contact, he was once again standing with folded arms. "Iruka is here."
Naruto, meanwhile, was staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, heart quick and breath shallow. He was shocked. By the action, or lack thereof, he wasn't so sure about. Right now, he was obsessing over the fact that he anticipated an action and was actually getting anxious over it.
"Damn, Bastard." He breathed heavily.
"Do you want me to let him in?" He asked non-committal like.
"Eh? Oh shit! If you don't get out of my room-" He jumped out of bad and pushed the silent man repeatedly to usher him out the room, though barely making him move at all. "-He'll think something's going on-" He rushed out. "-Because I'm not dressed and you're a guy and he has-"
The door knob to the bedroom turned and the wood opened somewhat. Naruto turned to the door in a worried look akin to horror, after switching tactics to drag the un-cooperating man over to it.
"Naruto? Are you here? Why is the bedroll out?" As arms came about the blond's waist, he panicked further.
"-A key." The high pitch of his now finished sentence showed his anxiety.
"Mmm, Naruto-kun." Itachi purred into his ear, biting the lobe. Naruto supposed he must be an expert at torture if he could make him feel such dread in this one moment.
"Ahh, Naruto! Should you be - I-I mean who's you're, uh, friend?" Iruka nervously chuckled, blushing as Naruto was.
"Uh, Iruka-sensei!"
"Ah, Iruka-san! Naruto-kun has told me so much about you." The lighter, more jovial voice came from behind him. Dark brown, red tinged hair came into his view of his right side as a head rested on his shoulder.
"Really? How nice of him. I'm afraid a name doesn't come to mind for you. I apologise; I'm sure he must have mentioned you."
"Naruto-kun, I'm hurt. After everything we've been through together." He pouted.
"May I ask your name?"
"Benito! His name's Benito. I, uh, I met him when I was with Jiraiya in, uh, hidden grass." Naruto forced out quickly, choosing a location he was hardly accompanied in, so Jiraiya couldn't refute, and the first name that came to his mind. At least he wouldn't forget the name. Crimson and Itachi just sort of fit together.
"Oh, really? Well I'm glad Naruto-kun met someone he could talk to on his travels. I was quite worried he would work himself to hard." Iruka smiled politely.
"Naru-chan!" Itachi forced a gasp. "You shouldn't work so hard. What if you damaged that beautiful body?" His eyes were wide as he forced Naruto around to face him. In contrast, Naruto's eyes were squeezed tightly shut and his cheeks were burning with embarrassment. He knew Itachi was enjoying his forced predicament. Sadistic bastard. "Am I going to have to punish you later, koi?"
Naruto's heart skipped a beat as he stumbled from the man's grasp. "D-Don't call me that, you idiot! Like we're so intimate!"
"But Naruto-kun." The black eyes unchanged, stared with amusement as Itachi forced himself to whine. "What else am I going to call my boyfriend?"
"I'm sorry, you're his what?" Asked a shocked and suspicious Umino, breaking the silence that had come with the statement a minute before.
"Yeah, Your WHAT?!" Naruto thought he could hyperventilate.
"Naruto-kun." Itachi warned. "Stress isn't good for the babies."
"You know about that?" Iruka's eyes could have been comical, had anyone been paying attention to how wide they were.
"Damn you It-"
Naruto's lips were crushed with those of Itachi's henged form; who, God damn it, was still taller than he was. Itachi quietly growled against his lips, subtly warning the blond with a sharp bite on the soft flesh. It didn't surprise him all that much. After all, he had almost said the Uchiha's name and Itachi had a fetish with kissing him at stupid and spontaneous times. However, he never suspected those glaring eyes to lose their iciness, as he licked and sucked the stinging skin, never mind as softly as he did. Knowing this was all a game, he fought his smile down; but the thought remained that he was glad the eyes were the same blackness.
"Of course I know, Iruka-san." Itachi pulled away, smiling, as a small shiver ghosted through the blond. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"
"Well, I was under the impression…I thought they were…"
"Sasuke-kun's, yes?"
"Uh?…Well yeah…" His eyebrows held a frown.
A wide grin came across the face of the 'copper' haired man. "That's because they are. But that doesn't matter to me, because they're still a part of Naruu-chaan." He drawled childishly, sliding behind the blond and drawing his back flush against his chest in a tight embrace.
Iruka couldn't help it. He laughed. Naruto was managing to pull off looking embarrassed; hiding his growing blush with his bowed head ineffectively, as well as forming a low growl of annoyance or anger, he did not know. Despite the bared teeth and twisted lips, he seemed to look shy and genuinely, naturally happy. Although his mental state improved after his move into further isolation, he generally displayed depression - even if he did deny it. This man, Benito, was either ignoring the blond's response to his actions, or was genuinely unaware. Whomever he was, he would have to thank him. He missed the 'free' part of Naruto; clumsy and open. What had happened between these two must have been something big for Naruto to trust him so much.
"Hey, Iruka-sensei." Naruto whined out. "It's not funny. I'm getting groped here, you know. Get off me, you pervert."
"I'm not a pervert, Naruto-kun. I just think you're really, really, really cute. And you taste as good as you smell."
The smirk on Benito's face, instead of Itachi's looked plainly wrong. Naruto's blush had taken a mind of it's own and remained on the scarred cheeks as Itachi chose to nuzzle in his neck. He was obviously amused with the situation, choosing to further the humiliation, while Naruto disregarded his persistent blush that he knew would be severely reduced if this was not occurring before his parental figure. Naruto tried pulling the hands away, biting his lip to prevent further encouragement by making pleased noises, yet somehow demanding release and throwing warnings out. Watching the scene, Iruka allowed a content smile to lighten his features.
"Whatever bond you two have must be pretty special." Iruka sighed, somewhat deflated that he couldn't have helped his old student in some way, whilst utterly happy that Naruto had some joy again.
Both men stopped in their actions and looked to the academy teacher. They blinked. And blinked again. The action and confusion in their eyes presented a lost look.
"Why do you say that, Iruka-san?" Itachi chose to ask. In any event, the only bond between the two was a mere understanding and of hunter and hunted. Naruto just nodded, as if to say, he too, wanted an answer.
"It's been a while since Naruto's been so carefree and like himself, is all. Even longer for it to be real." He trailed off to himself but was heard clearly in the silence of the suddenly suffocating room, anyway.
"Iruka-sensei." Naruto quietly acknowledged with a distressed tone. He was trying to confirm he was okay and that his teacher worried too much. "We've been through this." Also, showing his disappointment.
"Hai, hai. Gomen, Naruto."
"Naru-chan! You never told me you were so down." Itachi projected surprise and caring into his voice.
Scowling, Naruto grasped at the hands still about his waist and pulled them off, only finding a brief hesitant resistance, not bothering to find any significance from it. He was suddenly not in the mood for Itachi's games and fake concern. He sidled away and reached for appropriate clothes; a simple black shirt and orange pants. The two watched him, Iruka mumbling a deflated version of his name, Itachi frowning in his borrowed form. Feeling eyes on him, Itachi faced the brunette and saw worry in them as the blond walked from the room.
Crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes, Itachi briskly followed the departing Shinobi. Closing in on him, he twisted Naruto's body and pushed it against the wall. The blond head stayed down.
"Move."
"No."
"Damn it, bastard."
"So we're back here?" The Uchiha frowned, lifting Naruto's chin forcefully to face him. Itachi skimmed two fingers along the blond's jaw line in an almost caring gesture. Bemused with the act he knew it must be, Naruto jolted his head to the side, causing a growl in Itachi's throat. Without warning, he fisted the blond locks and jerked the head back, closing his lips over Naruto's. Itachi glared into wide, blue eyes as he made use of the gasp the boy had let out. If Naruto didn't want to see Itachi was actually trying to help, he'd make him.
Naruto's shock wore off and he found himself glaring back at the dark eyes. It wasn't Itachi Naruto was mad at. Although completely tortuous with the embarrassing factor, the play he'd been dragged into was uplifting. The purposeful deviation from character allowed him to forget and just act. Acting was a form of art he was good at. In the heat of the moment it felt good to have someone else join him.
He was mad at himself. He was starting to get comfy with the Uchiha. What Iruka had said was true. He was putting forward so much of his old self, that he didn't want to stop and when he had so much to worry about, he shouldn't put up the goofy mask and pretend everything was okay. That same road had lead to problems he couldn't bare now; stress that could damage the one thing he was still alive for. The man before him was the one breaking him from the family he'd always wanted and he couldn't hate him, like he wanted to or should do. There was a deeper reason why and he couldn't find it.
Once more, Naruto's lip was bitten, harsh and demanding with no soothing ministrations following. The hand on his neck allowed the thumb to move from the jaw line and trace a path down the centre of his neck; along his adams apple, laying in rest in the hollow of his collar bone. A warning of fragility and a purpose of warning. It was sensitive. Naruto didn't know it was, but it was. He found himself shivering and using his own hand to touch Itachi's telling him without words to do it again, other hand fisting tight into his shirt.
Just a minute ago, he contemplated biting the bastard back, but now he just nibbled on it, engaging in the kiss forced on him. Grabbing the shirt harshly, he pulled the elder Uchiha to him and pushed hard, clanking teeth, trapping lips, biting tongues. He needed this; this pain; this reminder of what was. Again he felt the thumb and pushed harder, eyes long ago closed. The hand previously in his hair, brushed against his cheek and wiped wetness along the expanse.
Wet? Tears? Damn it. He was crying again; stupid hormones. Geez, how much he hated this pregnancy. He felt the pressure on his head again…He felt the cloth beneath his mouth…He felt his shoulders shake in quiet sobs…Gods, was he pathetic. Why the hell was Itachi holding him so close as he made a fool of himself; as he resigned to such weak and dramatic measures? Oh, yeah, Iruka. Iruka and appearances. Shit - Itachi was gonna kill him later. Naruto's arms were slung around the henged form's neck; one gripping the fabric and the other clawing at his own hand.
He heard a low voice whisper and listened. "I think you're the masochistic one." Itachi's real voice.
Naruto managed a weak, empty laugh ,but stopped as he felt the kiss placed on his head. Why? He looked up questioning with his eyes.. Big mistake. A smile as the Uchiha's eyes sent him asleep.
Oh…yeah…
Appearances…
NARUTO
Hmmm, I went through some serious mental changes here, huh. Well I hope this is okay and I'll have to wait ages to see if it was. Damn. Told ya there'd be more ItaNaru though. Yay! What I wouldn't give to Be Naruto right about now…
TIMELINE
October - (Late) SasuNaru begins.
November - (Early) Pregnant, (Around 10th) Party, (Late) Mission starts.
December - (Early) Mission ends, Sakura Pregnant, (Week later) SasuSaku marriage told, Naruto moves teams, (Late) Failed visits, Observe NejiHina, KakaNaru talk.
January - (Early) Kakashi makes a lie, NejiHina told to be false. (Mid) Sakura tries visiting. (Week later) last failed visit.
February - (Early) Questions of father stop, (Mid) Sakura's baby's sex, Sasu rapes Naru, Naru moves. (Late) Meets Sakura, Stops training.
March - (Mid) Finds Itachi, Saves Itachi, SasuSaku wedding
August - (Early) Naru's due date.
September - (Early) Sakura's due date.
In order of occurrences, tell me if I've missed anything and I'll add more as it's revealed.