Chapter 3
'We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.'
Sasuke wondered how he managed to go back to his normal life after all that craziness. But he did. And it was easier than he thought.
For one, he felt better. He had more energy. He was eating again, and sleeping again. His roommate had noticed, too.
"You look… different," Suigetsu had said, studying him. "Better. Less tired, I guess. I'm glad." And he had gone back to playing Diablo 3 on his laptop.
The tattoo and piercing shop was a small place in between two bigger buildings, just a block away from Sasuke's place in Hell's Kitchen. Yahiko had named his establishment Love Needles. Apparently he thought that was a good name. He hadn't asked Sasuke for his opinion.
Today Yahiko kept his sunglasses inside, and he lay down on the couch in the back of the shop, which was usually the waiting area for customers. Well, they had no customers right now.
"Why do we even bother opening on Sunday?" Sasuke asked. "Especially on St-Patrick's…"
He leafed through the appointment book at the cash counter. Konan had two people that afternoon. That wasn't much. She was usually busier than that.
"There's usually some people anyway. If we're lucky we'll get some drunk ones—that's always funny. Hey, if someone comes in for a piercing, you do it," Yahiko said tiredly.
"You won't even supervise?"
"Nah, I trust you."
Sasuke smiled, looking up from the book. "Do you really? Or are you just too hungover to care?"
"Um, both? Where's Konan?" Yahiko pressed a hand to his bright red hair.
"She went to get coffee, remember?"
"Yeah well it's taking forever."
Sasuke looked at the front door, but still no Konan. He had already watered the plants that decorated the windowsill and some corners of the room, and swept the floor, and now he had nothing to do. He looked around, checking to make sure the pictures of tattoo designs that littered the walls weren't peeling off—they just used regular tape, which wasn't always the most reliable way of decorating.
"So did you get laid last night?" Yahiko asked.
Not exactly. I almost died, actually.
"No… You?"
"Yeah." He propped up his feet onto the couch. When Sasuke put on some music—one of his favorite trance songs from Yahiko's selection—Yahiko tapped his boots against the worn brown leather of the couch.
"Good one," he said. "You should be DJ at Laid-Back."
"I already have two jobs. I'm not getting a third one. So who did you sleep with?"
"Just… some guy. It was awkward, anyway. He was like, anti-drugs, and stuff. So he decides he doesn't mind I'm high. But then after… you know. He still gives me a condescending speech."
Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. "Some people have no decency."
"I swear, man. What about the guy with the blonde hair? Thought you guys left together."
"We did leave together, but, um, yeah it turns out he's not into me at all. But I still kissed him." Sasuke shrugged modestly.
"How was it?"
"I could feel the homophobia. So pretty great. All that pent up frustration, you know."
"Not really, but if you're into that."
"Sarcasm, Yahiko. But I wouldn't say it was completely bad. He didn't really kiss back, though, so I can't really say…"
Also I learned my father was a demon on the same night, so that might have tempered the mood. But you know. No big deal.
Konan came back with coffee—and green tea for Sasuke. Very sweet of her. Yahiko always forgot he preferred tea, but Konan always remembered.
"Thank you," Sasuke said to her, and she blew him a kiss before disappearing in her tattoo stall to work on a drawing.
They had a quiet day, with just Konan's two appointments, and a couple of people that hopped in for piercings. And one that wanted a piercing removed because he didn't like it and it had gotten all infected, and… well.
That was part of the job, too.
Just before Sasuke left for his second job, Yahiko asked him something weird. He came to lean his tattooed arms on the desk.
"Hey, Orochimaru got some of his stuff stolen last night. Just some outfit he left in his locker. But he said they were really expensive clothes. Do you know anything about that?"
"No, why would I?" Sure, he knew where Orochimaru's locker was, but he would never steal his stuff, surely Orochimaru didn't suspect him…
Yahiko replaced his sunglasses on top of his head. "No, it's just… I remembered… that guy who was with you. He had the same t-shirt. The one that says 'I want to be tamed' or something. Orochimaru had that custom made, so it can't be a coincidence."
"I guess…"
Why would Naruto steal the bartender's clothes?
"Man," Sasuke said, "that guy really is a jerk. I hope he returns the clothes, anyway…"
"Aren't you going to see him again?"
"No."
"Not even just to get the clothes back? Orochimaru would really appreciate it. There's no need to call the cops or anything, I'm sure there's an explanation…"
"Look, Yahiko, I'm sorry, but he's a jerk, and I never want to see him again. I don't even have his phone number."
Yahiko seemed to understand. He nodded, and he let it go, for now.
Sasuke wasn't even lying. He never did want to see Naruto again. He just wanted to properly meet Itachi.
So he was just waiting for Itachi's phone call. A bit anxiously, perhaps. He hadn't called yet; Sasuke had checked his phone about a hundred times, so he'd know.
What if Itachi had gotten worst? Or what if he had gotten better, but wanted nothing to do with Sasuke?
Anyway.
His second job was at an indoor rock climbing gym in Brooklyn. The gym was called Heights—another creative name—and co-owned by Suigetsu's father. Hence how Sasuke got the job there.
Suigetsu's father didn't work on weekends.
In fact, Sasuke was the only one working tonight. Some rich teenage girl from one of his classes had requested private lessons. Some sixteen year old girl named Ino. Her parents had called to discuss it and everything. Sasuke wasn't complaining. This was good, easy money.
She came in wearing high heel boots, a skirt and a tiny jacket, her shiny blonde hair in a high ponytail that bounced as she walked. Her gym clothes were in a huge glossy designer bag.
"Hey," she said, looking all excited.
This was weird. Usually, kids—or teens—didn't like him. They thought he was too strict. Sometimes they even requested another instructor. This girl seemed to like him, though. Go figure.
After she had changed, they set up their equipment at the easiest beginners wall.
First he was teaching her how to belay. It took forever just for her to learn how to do a figure eight knot. Ugh. Maybe easy money wasn't the best word. This was using up all his patience.
But he managed. This was work.
Her dad came to pick her up after the lesson. But she lingered in the lobby, pretending to have trouble zipping up her boot.
"So, I was wondering if, um, well… Do you, um… I mean… um…" She played with her hair, blushed, and laughed nervously. "Um… so, do you want to—?"
His phone buzzed in his pocket and his fingers instinctively reached for it. Unknown number. "Sorry," he said, "I have to take this."
"Oh…" She looked really disappointed. "Well, bye, then…"
She left to meet up with her dad, but Sasuke wasn't paying attention anymore.
"Yeah, hi," he said in the phone, "sorry about that. I was, um, I'm at work, but I'm done now."
Then he felt silly. What if it wasn't Itachi? He was clutching the phone so tightly, and getting his hopes up…
"Sasuke?"
"Yeah, sorry. This is he." Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling silly again. Who says that?
"Just making sure. I'm Itachi."
"Right." He cleared his throat. "I mean, I thought you might call. You know. How are you? I mean… Are you okay, now?"
He stalked across the lobby to the reception desk—a massive slab of mahogany wood, littered with random papers, brochures, and business cards. He sat on it because he wasn't sure he could stand. His legs felt all weird.
His brother. He was talking to his brother right now.
"I'm… better. You?"
His voice sounded so calm and composed. And nice. And brotherly.
Okay, that last one was probably just his imagination.
"Uh, yeah, me too."
"You're really okay? That's such a relief. Listen, I'd really like to see you in person. Over the phone, it's a little…"
"Yeah," Sasuke agreed, "I'd like that, too."
Maybe they could go to a coffee shop, and have endless conversations like those people do in coffee shops; those who seem like they have a lifetime of stuff to tell each other. That would be nice. Just the two of them. And Sasuke would tell him that he forgave him for never contacting him before—even though he had felt really lonely as a child—because he understood his reasons, and that he was now ready for a fresh start. Maybe after some explaining, of course. Surely Itachi would be much better at explaining everything than Naruto had been.
Yeah, and then—
"How about dinner at my place, on Saturday?"
Oh, well, that worked too, even though Sasuke didn't really want to go back to that apartment so soon. But if Naruto wasn't there, then it would be okay. Maybe Naruto worked that night, or had other plans, like going out and stealing some bartender's clothes…
"Naruto doesn't work that night, so," Itachi added.
Huh.
"I was kind of hoping, that…" Sasuke looked up, staring at the ceiling fan.
"What?"
"Maybe, um… It would be better if…"
"Naruto really wants to see you again."
Sasuke nearly fell off the desk.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, of course. He said you two really hit it off. Sure, he mentioned how it was a bit weird when he knocked at your door and said he needed to speak with you, out of the blue, like that… But he said you were very understanding, and you listened to the whole story, and you were really moved by it and wanted to help… When he told me that… You know, it means a lot to me. Well, at first I was angry that he went to you for help, because I never wanted you to be mixed up in all this mess. But then I realized you have a right to know, and you're old enough to make your own decisions."
Knocked at my door and said he needed to speak with me?
Oh, this was rich.
Fucking Naruto. That liar. That little—
"So… what do you think? Saturday?"
He swallowed. "Yeah. Saturday's perfect."
"Great. I can't wait." He sounded so nice and sincere. Sasuke couldn't tell him that his adoptive brother was a big fat liar.
"Yeah, it'll be great."
He started to despair, though. Now Itachi thought Sasuke had already gotten the whole story. But that couldn't be it. Witch mothers, demon possessed father, exorcism, so many deaths… What of this supposedly demonic energy inside him? Was it okay to just ignore it and move on? He felt fine now, but what about in the long run? In any case, Sasuke wanted—no, needed—to hear Itachi's version. Now he felt like he'd never get the explanations he deserved. Not with Naruto's lies getting in the way.
Sasuke breathed out as he shoved his cell back in his pocket. He decided he hated Naruto.
…
Suigetsu poked his head in Sasuke's bedroom, which was usually so tidy, but now there were clothes everywhere.
"What are you taking two hours choosing your clothes for, princess?"
"Nothing."
Suigetsu narrowed his eyes.
"It's not nothing, you're lying."
"You should become a detective."
Suigetsu was right, though. So many clothes. Sasuke could barely see the bed covers underneath.
"Maybe I will. I hate physics."
"Why study it, then?"
"Cause I thought I liked it. But now they expect us to do all this work… Who has time for that?"
Sasuke wasn't making much progress with his decision. He just wore his boxers now. Suigetsu didn't mind; he was no better. Sometimes Suigetsu walked around the apartment naked, and Sasuke had to throw a pillow at him and tell him to put some clothes on. Once, he had joked that Suigetsu should be careful; Sasuke was a dangerous homosexual pervert after all and he might randomly attack him. To which Suigetsu replied that if he did, then he could cross 'sleeping with a guy' off his list of things-to-do-before-thirty.
"You should wear this." Suigetsu had gone to his bedroom to fetch an item, and now Sasuke was presented with a black and electric blue zebra print shirt.
"I'm not going to a club, Suigetsu, and even if I was—"
"Then where are you going?"
"I've been meaning to tell you." Sasuke picked up a pair of black skinny jeans that were seemingly identical to several other pairs—why did he have so many black jeans?
Suigetsu scratched his neck. "Tell me what?"
"But you were always so busy playing Diablo, or watching that kids show, or whatever it is you do lately." Sasuke was just stalling for time. He put on the stupid jeans, and then looked at his belts.
"Pretty much those things," Suigetsu said. "And MLP isn't just a kids show."
"Just because you call it MLP instead of My Little Pony doesn't make it any less of a kid's show."
"Maybe, but—"
"Spare me the brony speech." Stalling for time wasn't worth that.
"So where are you going? Can I come? I'm really bored." He leaned against the doorframe.
"Is the internet down or something?"
"Yeah, I have to call the stupid tech support again, ugh…" He sighed dramatically. Then tilted his head as he read some of the handwritten quotes plastered all over Sasuke's bedroom walls.
They weren't allowed to paint, so he had to decorate somehow. Kind of like what Julian had done at Love Needles. Except Julian could have painted.
"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance," Suigetsu read. "Is that Shakespeare?"
"No."
"You should wear the white one." Suigetsu pointed at his belts.
Sasuke picked up the black one.
"I'm meeting my biological brother tonight."
"You're kidding me," Suigetsu said immediately.
Sasuke didn't look at him. He just shook his head. He felt too warm suddenly, so he stalked across the small room to the window, only to realize it was already open. He felt nervous. He dropped his hand, letting his fingers trace the yellow edged leaves of the snake plant that sat on the windowsill.
"How did you find him? We tried so many times… The orphanage almost got a restraining order against us, so how did you—?"
"He reached out to me, actually," Sasuke improvised. He couldn't tell him the truth. Demonic energy? Come on. Even to him it sounded crazy now. Like he had just imagined the whole thing. "You know, his adoptive brother will be there tonight, so if you want to come, too…"
"I'd love to!" Suigetsu brought his hands together against his chest. "I'm kind of like your adoptive brother, right? Oh, Sasuke, this is so great! I'll wear a suit."
"You don't have to wear a suit."
"I want to!"
And he ran to his bedroom.
"Don't wear a suit, Suigetsu."
He got no answer.
This was for the best, Sasuke thought.
It would be easier with Suigetsu there. Some pressure was lifted off his shoulders. They wouldn't talk about all that… stuff. And it was better this way, really. Sasuke didn't want to ask his questions with Naruto there, anyway.
At this point, he didn't care what lies Naruto had told Itachi.
What Naruto had said kept replaying in his head, and in his nightmares. 'My parents are dead because of you. Because of what's inside you now.' Whatever that was.
Okay, Naruto hadn't used those exact words, but it had been all over his face. Written in those sorrowful, big blue eyes that stared at Sasuke, making him feel guilty for something that wasn't even his fault.
He really didn't want to see Naruto again… But whatever.
It was worth it, to see Itachi.
The truth was, Sasuke had thought about it this week—thought about it too much—and now he wasn't sure he wanted more explanations about his past.
Or maybe he was just trying to escape his problems again.
Too afraid of hearing Itachi's version… What if he blames me and hates me even more than Naruto does?
Sasuke ignored that little voice in his head. It wasn't a demonic voice or anything. It was his own. But that wasn't much better; apparently he was perfectly capable of freaking out all by himself.
After putting on a black button down shirt, Sasuke sighed as he looked at his reflection in the tall mirror behind his door. Great. He looked like he was going to a funeral.
Maybe the white belt was better after all.
Sasuke found himself thinking that perhaps they should just never bring it up again. All that demon stuff. Maybe they should just all forget about it. After all, this week had been perfectly normal. No hallucinations. No visions. No British reaper.
Good week, all in all. Considering.
…
They took a cab to get there since it was raining pretty hard outside. Suigetsu really was wearing a suit after all. There had been no talking him out of it. At least Sasuke had convinced him to lose the bow tie.
It was just a ten minutes drive from their apartment to Itachi's. They paid and rushed to the apartment building. Sasuke had already texted Itachi to let him know that Suigetsu was coming. They pressed on the three digits and waited awkwardly. But nothing happened. Then some other people came in and entered in a different number, and the door was unlocked with that loud, unpleasant buzzing noise. Sasuke exchanged a glance with Suigetsu; they shrugged, and followed the other people in. Maybe Itachi hadn't heard it.
As they climbed all the way up to the fifth floor—Sasuke didn't much like elevators, and Suigetsu, well, he was just being a good friend, though his breathing became a bit wheezy—Sasuke felt an annoying, nagging nervousness spreading steadily through him. It was making him fidgety and anxious. His palms were becoming kind of sweaty. Damn it, he thought, wiping them on his jeans, what if Itachi wanted to give him a handshake? No good. Sweaty palms weren't a good first impression. Not in a job interview. And certainly not when meeting a long lost brother.
"Hey Sasuke, didn't you say we were supposed to be here at six?"
"Yeah."
Suigetsu was checking his cell. "It's like five forty. Maybe we're too early."
"I thought the cab ride would take longer. Isn't there usually traffic, like all the time?"
"Apparently not today."
"I'm sure it's fine. Better to be early than late, right?" He brushed it off, but he felt even more nervous now. He wiped his hands again. He felt kind of sick. His chest was constricting for some reason. Shit. Was he having an anxiety attack, or something?
He'd only had one anxiety attack before, and that was a long time ago, when some crappy foster parents forced him to take a swimming class in junior high even though he didn't want to, and he almost drowned because those stupid visions happened and he couldn't move. The teacher had dragged him out, and it had been so humiliating…
Okay. Thinking about that did not help.
"Are you okay?" asked Suigetsu. They reached the fifth floor and went to knock on the door.
Sasuke tugged at his collar, even though it wasn't tight at all. If he just focused on breathing properly, maybe it would be okay.
"Yeah, just, you know. That was a lot of stairs." Not that it was a problem for him, considering his level of cardio, but Suigetsu didn't need to know that.
"Yeah, man, you really need to work on your fear of elevators."
"It's not a fear," he replied defensively, "it's just, what if it gets stuck, you know?"
Suigetsu rolled his eyes.
No one was opening the door. Suigetsu tried the door knob.
It wasn't locked. So he opened it.
"What are you doing?"
"Well it's not locked!" Suigetsu exclaimed. "What's the problem? He's your brother. Maybe he's cooking, and he didn't hear us. I can smell cooking. It smells really good, actually."
Suigetsu was right. There was definitely something cooking, but not dinner. More like… something sweet. Like brownies. It did smell nice, even though Sasuke didn't usually like sweets. So there was definitely someone in the apartment.
They figured out the reason why no one was hearing them: music. It came from one of the bedrooms. Not Itachi's. Sasuke remembered where that one was. He had almost died in it after all.
Naruto's bedroom, then. Sasuke walked across the hallway—he couldn't help but notice how nice the hardwood floors were here, and they didn't creak, either, now that was luxury—and knocked on the door. The music was familiar.
Linkin Park. Old school. And… was Naruto singing?
Yeah. He was definitely singing. The rap part.
Suigetsu knocked. No answer.
"…time is a valuable thing, watch it fly by as the pendulum swings, watch it countdown 'til the end of the day, the clock ticks life away…"
"Hey he's good!" Suigetsu smiled. "Is that your brother? We should open it."
"No! Just knock louder."
"It's okay we'll surprise him! I'm sure he'll want an audience."
"Suigetsu, don't—"
Too late. Suigetsu pushed the door open.
"Hi there!"
"Shit, what the fuck?" Naruto cried out before throwing a tissue box at him.
Right in his face.
"You can't just walk in like that!" Naruto closed his laptop angrily, and the music stopped. "What are you doing? That's not okay."
"Wow," Suigetsu said, "you two don't look anything alike."
Sasuke scratched his hair, sighing. "Suigetsu… that's not him. That's Naruto, his adoptive brother."
Suigetsu held his right hand for a handshake. He held the tissue box in the left.
"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'll try to forgive the fact that you just threw this at me. Although, I hope you never get robbed. Not exactly the best weapon." Oh, wow, he was trying to be funny now.
And Naruto wasn't laughing. He wasn't shaking his hand either. He grabbed the box and threw it on the desk. Now that he took a better look, Sasuke noticed just how messy Naruto's bedroom was. There was a chair buried under a pile of clothes in one corner. School books all over the floor. Some of them were opened. Some of them had ripped pages.
Naruto stepped out of his bedroom and shut the door before Sasuke could keep analyzing the mess.
"You're just lucky it was the first thing I found."
"I didn't mean to intrude," Suigetsu said, his tone changing. "I swear. I thought you were doing a really good job, with that song. I can't sing like that, or rap, or… anything. It just sounds weird if I try. Which," he laughed, "I try sometimes, you know, but only when I'm alone."
Naruto made a show of walking around them and ignoring them, and made his way to the kitchen.
"Yeah well I thought I was alone."
Suigetsu stopped laughing. "Right. I'm sorry. So… where's Sasuke's brother?"
"He's not back from work yet. He should be here soon."
The kitchen was immaculate. Sasuke could tell that an effort had been made. Naruto looked nice, too, actually… Slim dark blue jeans and white long sleeve shirt. It even looked like he had brushed his hair.
Surely all this was just keep up the facade with Itachi, though.
Naruto opened the oven, and took out what was in it. Sasuke had been right; those looked like brownies. But it smelled like—
"Peanut butter brownies!" Suigetsu exclaimed. "Awesome. So… is that our dinner?" He tried a little laugh but it died in his throat at Naruto's look.
Naruto glanced at Sasuke, taking off the oven mitts and tossing then onto the counter.
"Does he actually think he's funny?"
"He's just trying to be nice," Sasuke said, "and make conversation. That's what normal people do. You know, I'd really like to tell you something in private. Just…stay here Suigetsu, all right? It won't be long."
"Um, okay…"
Naruto rolled his eyes, but he led him back to his bedroom and they closed the door.
"What is it?"
"What is it? Are you kidding me?" Sasuke kept his voice low, so Suigetsu wouldn't hear. "I know what you said to Itachi. He told me. I know you lied."
Naruto swallowed hard, his arms crossed tight against his chest. He looked tense, and uncomfortable. He was avoiding Sasuke's gaze.
"So you better act nice, okay? If you don't want me to tell him the truth about how you got me here. I bet you didn't tell him I almost died, either. Probably thinks my health was super and peachy the whole freaking time."
"I am acting nice. I made stupid brownies."
Sasuke leaned against the wall, next to the door, and he let out a chuckle. Then he laughed. He just couldn't help himself.
"What?" Naruto looked confused. "What's so funny?"
Sasuke shook his head, and he sighed shakily, pressing a hand to his chest. Naruto's bedroom was kind of nice, if you forgot about the mess. The walls were two colors, apple green and dark orange. Sasuke usually hated the color orange, but this shade was nice. Like sunset.
"I don't know. We're all trying to act normal, I guess. When… when the last time I was here so much weird stuff happened. When we both know we hate each other."
"We better go back to your friend…" Naruto grabbed the door knob, then turned towards Sasuke.
They were standing a bit too close for comfort. Sasuke found himself somewhat intimidated by Naruto's stare—those intense blue eyes—but he didn't falter. Also he couldn't help but notice that he smelled really nice. He had already noticed it before, the other night. Something difficult to describe—pure and fresh, and exotic. And citrusy, but that was probably just his shampoo.
"Are you keeping it under control?" It was almost a whisper.
Sasuke frowned slightly. "Keeping what under control?"
His eyes narrowed. "Don't play dumb."
"I've never been better. Nothing's happened. No visions. No demons. Nothing."
Naruto was still studying his face. Sasuke felt a bit annoyed suddenly. He couldn't hold his gaze anymore. So instead he looked down. He absently noted that Naruto wore a necklace, but it was tucked under his shirt so he couldn't see its pendant.
Sasuke cleared his throat.
"Let's just…"
"Yeah," Naruto said.
They went back to the other room. Suigetsu was just standing there awkwardly. Actually he was looking at the brownies.
"Those look really good."
"It's not actually dinner, though," Naruto said, forcing a little smile, "Itachi's bringing takeout. Chinese. Hope that's okay with everyone. We're not really strong on cooking. Well, I do cook obviously but just cookies and cakes and stuff."
"That's pretty cool! Sasuke and I aren't really good at cooking either. So is that what you want to do? Pastry school or something?"
"I don't really know yet."
Naruto led them to the living room as they waited for Itachi. It was pretty trendy, with black and white modern art paintings—trees and birds mostly—and pure white sofas. The glass coffee table was spotless. The flat screen television sat on a pale wood stand, and on either side shelves of the same material held various books and some movies. Buying movies was still a thing, apparently. Sasuke noted that some of the books were the same he had at home; sci-fi mostly, but also fantasy novels and thrillers. Orson Scott-Card's Ender's Game was in there, and Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas, and—
"Sasuke?"
"What?"
Suigetsu was smiling at him from the sofa. "You seemed lost in your own little world there."
"Yeah, sorry." He went to sit next to Suigetsu. Naruto took place on the other sofa. He grabbed a black pillow and clutched it to his chest. He looked at the TV screen like it might magically turn on. Well, maybe they did now. Sasuke wasn't much aware of new technology. They didn't even have a TV at home.
Suigetsu was looking at Naruto with an amused look in his eyes. "Sasuke does that too, with the pillows at home. He doesn't use them for his back. Just grabs them. First thing he does when we sit for a movie…"
He interrupted himself when he saw that Naruto threw the pillow aside and crossed his arms, acting like nothing had happened.
Suigetsu cleared his throat. "Well, um, so, do you go to school?"
"Yeah."
"Do you work, too, or just school?"
"I have two jobs, actually."
"Hey, Sasuke also has—" They both stared at him, and he stopped.
"What's with the suit?"
"I just thought, you know, I just wanted to look nice. This is important. Sasuke's brother…"
"Are you two together?" Naruto eyed them suspiciously.
"Oh, no, it would be way too weird. Sasuke moved in with me and my parents when he was fourteen. My parents practically adopted him, so we're kind of like brothers ourselves. I'm straight, anyway."
"Me too," Naruto quickly said. Which was kind of weird. No one asked him. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"So where do you work?" Suigetsu asked to change the subject.
"I work some night shifts at a coffee shop. And I give swimming lessons for kids at a sports center on the weekend."
"That's a lot, with school," Suigetsu said, nodding appreciatively.
Naruto shrugged. "I can handle it."
So smug. How had he even found Naruto attractive, on that first night? It was probably just the MDMA. He was so never touching that stuff again.
"That's so cool, though. Swimming lessons. I love swimming. Sasuke hates it though. Just hates water for some reason."
Naruto didn't look like he cared. He hadn't even looked at Sasuke once since they walked in the living room. Suigetsu cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. Basically he looked like he was trying really hard to find something else to say. Sasuke felt the urge to hug him for being such a good friend. And just for being here, really. He so wouldn't want to be alone with Naruto right now.
The door opened then. Itachi was here. Thank God.
"Hey… sorry I'm a little late, but I come bearing food…"
Naruto went to help him. There was some rustling as he took off his coat and shoes, and keys were dropped on a counter. Suigetsu and Sasuke rose from the couch and took a few steps forward, but they weren't sure if they were supposed to follow Naruto or just wait here… Sasuke's heart was beating ridiculously fast.
Seriously though. Why was his heart beating so fast? Damn… Was it going to come out of his chest, or something? This was ridiculous.
Naruto went to the kitchen with the food, and they heard him take out some plates from the dishwasher. Itachi stepped in the living room, all hesitant and timid. He was tall—even taller than Sasuke. They did look very much alike, with some differences. To put it bluntly, Itachi looked more Asian. Sasuke could easily pass as Caucasian with his pale skin, but he did have slightly slanted eyes and sleek raven hair. Itachi's eyes were darker and his stylish, freshly cut short hair was jet black.
Suigetsu broke the ice. And evidently he'd been thinking just the same thing. "I knew it," he said, waving a finger at Sasuke. "I knew one of your parents had to be Asian."
"Our mother," Itachi said, "was Japanese."
Itachi looked all business-like and professional, wearing slim black pants and a pale gray dress shirt and dark blue tie. He even carried a briefcase, which he put down against the wall. A magazine was sticking out of the side pocket. Financial Times.
Pretty serious stuff.
Sasuke really hoped Itachi wouldn't start a conversation on the economy, or politics, and ask him questions, because he wasn't really, um, aware, of everything that was going on…
Itachi seemed unsure of what to say.
"It's so nice to meet you," Sasuke said. He hoped his voice didn't sound too shaky. He also hoped they couldn't hear his heart hammering.
"Yeah, of course, it's… it's surreal." He smiled, and let out a breath. "It's kind of like looking in a mirror."
"You two really look alike," Suigetsu nodded. "It's pretty crazy."
They all sat down, and Naruto came back with the plates and the food which he had put in bowls on a tray. "There," he said, clearly trying to lighten the mood, "now it looks like it was homemade."
No one started eating. Well, this was just…
"So, Itachi, what do you do for work?" Suigetsu asked.
Thank God for Suigetsu.
Plus, in the cab, Sasuke had already fed him some made up story: his biological parents had died and Naruto's parents had adopted Itachi, but they didn't have enough money to adopt two kids unfortunately. Naruto's parents kept the information secret for a long time, but recently they unfortunately passed away too—cancer, very tragic—and Itachi found out he had a brother, and he found him.
So there. That was taken care of. This way Suigetsu wouldn't interrogate Itachi. Well, not about that stuff, anyway.
"I'm a marketing executive," Itachi said.
Suigetsu grabbed a plate and chopsticks and helped himself to some food, and then they all did the same. Sasuke was really glad he'd brought him, after all. He made a note to self to thank him later for being so awesome. He couldn't have done this by himself.
"All done with school already, then?"
"Yeah, all done. What about you?"
Suigetsu looked up from his food. "I'm in physics at Columbia. I'm not really sure I like it, though."
"Well, you're still young. You have time to change your mind, if you want. And you should. Don't stay in something you don't like."
This went on for a little while. It was just Itachi and Suigetsu talking so far, which wasn't exactly a success either. This was supposed to be about Sasuke and Itachi meeting properly, after all. Sasuke decided he should make an effort.
Even though his chest still hurt, and his heart was still beating fast, which was kind of weird. And this food was making him feel a little sick. In fact, he wasn't eating with much appetite.
But he should still make an effort and speak up.
"So if you're on the phone all the time," he said, and the three others—even Naruto, who glanced up from his noodles for the first time—looked at him, "does that interfere with your personal life, or…?"
Itachi looked really glad that Sasuke had addressed him. In fact, he seemed so relieved, like he would be ready to answer anything Sasuke wanted to ask him. Anything at all. 'What is the true meaning of life?' And Itachi would do his very best to answer that.
"Yeah, actually. Those clients always worry too much—always calling me at the worst times. I was on a date once, and I really had to take the call because it was an important client, you know? And they had so many questions, so it took forever, even though I tried to explain everything really efficiently. Unfortunately, it was kind of a deal breaker for the girl. She said her ex was always on the phone, too, and she didn't want to get back into a relationship like that…"
"That sucks," said Suigetsu, putting down his chopsticks as he had finished most of his food already. How he managed to eat so fast and make conversation at the same time always fascinated Sasuke.
He had just figured out what to ask Itachi next, when something happened. Something very, very much unwanted.
His imaginary friend the British reaper showed up. He just appeared in the living room; Sasuke looked up and there he was. With all the gear. Calf high boots, black as night outfit, hood, gloves, and that sword with the little red snake curling around the hilt. Sasuke could see his pale blue eyes gleaming under his hood. And his smile, too.
"Hey Sasuke. Long time, no see."
Not long enough.
"It's me, Deidara, remember?"
I wish I could forget.
The others couldn't see or hear him, of course.
Suigetsu and Itachi were still talking, but Sasuke couldn't really hear them. He was starting to panic. He felt cold and hot at the same time, like he suddenly had a fever.
He glanced toward Naruto, but he was very focused on trying to grab his last noodle with his chopsticks. Then he gave up and used his fingers.
"I was going to cut you some slack, but the situation is really bad," Deidara said as he stepped closer. He was nearing the glass table now. "I really need your help."
His help? What the hell was he talking about?
"I'll explain everything, don't worry."
Bad timing. This is a really bad time. If you could come back later.
Just ignore him, Sasuke told himself. He could just ignore him. If the others couldn't see him, then that meant he wasn't real, right? He couldn't do anything.
Somehow the conversation had changed, and now Suigetsu and Itachi were talking about movies.
"Jared and Matthew really deserved their Oscars," Suigetsu was saying, gesturing with his hand as though he was ready to receive an Oscar himself. "But honestly, I still think Leo Dicaprio should have won, you know?"
Itachi was nodding. "Yeah."
Deidara didn't like this. "You can't ignore me," he said.
Why wasn't anyone else seeing him? Hearing him?
Deidara stepped over the coffee table without touching anything, without making a sound. Now he stood right in front of Sasuke, and he bent over, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.
"You can't ignore me. You need to come with me. I'll show you around. It's better if your body stays here, for the first time, just to be safe."
What the fuck was he talking about?
Sasuke was freaking out. He suddenly pushed past Deidara—and he really could feel him too, which freaked him out even more—and rushed out of the living room. He just looked over his shoulder and told them he needed to go to the bathroom. They were giving him weird looks. Especially Naruto. But Sasuke just needed to get away from them. He had no idea what was going on. He needed to figure this out.
So he found the bathroom and hid himself in there. His legs felt weak. As he looked at his arm he saw that he had goose bumps all over his skin.
His chest hurt so much. Like something wanted to burst…
He grabbed the sink counter, but his hand slid, and he just let himself drop to the tiled floor, leaning against the glass shower stall. He jumped out of his skin when he looked up and saw that Deidara was looming over him, the blackness of his getup clashing with the white bathroom.
"Just go away…" he whispered. He didn't want the others to hear him.
"I can't. I need you. You must come with me. And listen to me…" That ridiculous British accent. It almost sounded fake.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Yes, precisely! Hell. We must go, now."
"What?" He swallowed hard. He couldn't crawl away. Deidara had one knee down and he was holding his shoulders again, staring him right in the eye. He looked young; he couldn't be much older than Sasuke, from his appearance. His eyes were a deep blue shade and he had some freckles on his cheeks, only visible from up close. He looked so real, and his hands felt warm on his shoulders. Was this a dream or a hallucination or what?
"Sasuke, don't panic, okay? It's going to be okay. All you have to do is stay with me. The first time can be scary, but it doesn't have to be. Just stay near me at all times."
His body was becoming paralyzed, and cold. This was just like in the dreams—nightmares, visions, hallucinations, whatever those were. It was happening again.
There was blood on the walls. On the towels. Red staining white.
"No…" he grabbed Deidara's sleeve. He was willing to acknowledge him. To listen to him. Anything... "Not that. Please. Stop it."
"It's okay. You'll get used to it. Just close your eyes."
And he wanted to. It would be so much easier to just close his eyes. But he was scared.
"Don't be afraid," said Deidara.
The bathroom door opened then. Sasuke hadn't locked it.
"What's going on?" It was Naruto. He closed the door again, and stepped closer hesitantly. And then his eyes widened. Naruto could see him too now. Sasuke could tell. But he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. And he couldn't even open his mouth to say something to Naruto.
What would he say, anyway? Ask for help? That would be pathetic. Naruto probably didn't even care.
"It's too late," Deidara said. "He's coming with me."
"No, wait—" Naruto took another step closer. But he did nothing.
There was nothing he could do. Deidara was right. It was too late.
Sasuke saw blood everywhere, and his ears were ringing loudly. He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was in a different place.
Author's note: I hope you don't mind when I change characters appearances slightly, like Itachi having short hair, that kind of thing. I just feel like it makes the story a bit more realistic. Not too many young men have long hair. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed it, more to come if you're still up for it!? ^^ Send your comments my way, positive and/or negative. I can handle it :P