CHAPTER FOURTEEN

NAME CALLING AND MATCHMAKING

"Move out people! We have a lot of ground to cover," Jade shouted like a commander of war to the group of twelve who were standing in the center of the mall.

"Don't forget not to use your discounts," Hinata added helpfully. Having said that, they all separated into their own little groups. Jade, Deidara, and Hana were one group. Nagato and Konan were the second. Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata were the third. Itachi, Kim, and Sasuke were the fourth, and Kakashi went on his own.

"So..." Kim trailed off. She was walking in between Itachi and Sasuke. The two brothers looked at her expectantly. "Weasel-nii, are you interested in someone?"

"What did you call me?" Itachi wore a look of bewilderment. The comment had thrown him off so badly, he nearly tripped over his own feet.

"Weasel-nii," she repeated, a cheeky grin taking over her face. Sasuke was trying to hold back a laugh, and it came out as small smile. "But you're missing the point. I asked if there was someone you were interested in. Someone with long brown hair, dark eyes, a kind smile, and has a love for helping animals. Particularly dogs."

"Is this your weird way of asking me if I'm interested in Hana," he asked, giving her a strained smile.

"I never said anything about Hana," she said innocently. "But if you like her, then by all means make a move already."

"Are you trying to play matchmaker? First it was with Sakura and Alex," Sasuke clenched his fists, "now you're trying to do the same to me," he questioned with a raised eyebrow. Sasuke's actions didn't go unnoticed by his siblings.

"You okay," Kim asked worriedly. She got no reply. After a bit of thinking she spoke up again. "You like Sakura?" Itachi and Kim looked at him, waiting for his answer.

"No and she's annoying," he finally said. He continued walking with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Annoying as in she's a bother to you, or annoying as in she's constantly on your mind," Itachi asked with a smirk. The other two just stared at him, eyes wide. "What? Okay, unlike Sasuke I'm not emotionally constipated. I have had a girlfriend before. Not to mention the whole arranged marriage." At his sister's wide eyes he waved her off, signaling for another time.

"I'm not emotionally constipated," Sasuke said with a frown.

"Emotional constipation isn't something you can cure with apple juice. The thing that we want to know is, do you like her or not? You say no, but do you really mean it?" Kim and Itachi kept staring at him, waiting for his answer yet again.

"She's annoying, an ex-fangirl, a cry baby, and weak. Why would I like her?" He stared at his older siblings, challenging them to prove him wrong. They walked into a furniture store, and sat on some plush couches.

"She's not weak. That I'm sure of. If she can take on Sasori, a member of the Akatsuki, and win, with little to no help, then she must be strong. I also heard that she was able to create an antidote to a special type of poison he used. She's also the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade-sama. She's trained in medical Ninjutsu, and inherited Tsunade's monster strength. There are rumors that she will surpass her, if she hasn't already," Itachi finished.

Sasuke was surprised. He never knew that Sakura had grown so much since he'd last seen her. She grew out of her old ways, and was no longer the useless cry baby he remembered her to be. Instead, in her place was someone different, stronger. He realized that he really didn't know as much of the pink haired girl, as he thought he did. Sasuke was snapped out of his ponderings when he heard Kim start speaking.

"From what I've seen, she's not annoying. Sure she wants to be around you, and have your attention, but that's what you do when you have a crush. When you like someone, you want to be around them all the time, to have their eyes on you, to impress them, and so much more. It makes you crazy... makes you do or say things that you never thought you would. Though it does hurt to have your heart broken, and be rejected by that person. Heartache hurts the same, no matter the age," she told him.

"The night I left she told me she loved me. She also told me that getting revenge would bring happiness to no one. I guess she was right about that. Considering that when I found out the truth about everything, it just made me realize I'd been living a lie. I had destroyed the one person who had cared about me the most. Everything that I thought I knew had been a lie. When I found out the truth, I was confused. I wanted to make them all pay for the pain that they put you through, nii-san." He slowly drew in a shaky breath. "But now we're here. You're alive. Before everything, I was always afraid to open up to people. I was afraid that if I got too close to anyone, that you or someone else would come and take them all away... again. And now... I just don't know anymore," Sasuke said putting his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry," Itachi said, moving to sit beside Sasuke. "I only did what I did to protect you, and make you stronger. I told you to hate me, so that you could turn that hate into strength-"

"You sound like a hypocrite," Kim said, cutting him off. The two Uchiha men stared at her, shocked at her accusation. "Itachi, I highly doubt that you turned your hate into strength. Hate can only get you so far, before you lose yourself to the darkness. That's not a way to live, if it could even be considered living."

"You're right. I just hate that it took me dying, then coming back to life in a different dimension, to realize my mistakes." He laughed humorlessly.

"What happens when it's time to leave," pondered Sasuke. It was the one thing he wanted to know, but was afraid of what's the answer might be.

"You guys leave, and Jade, my dad, and I stay here. I'm going to miss you all so very much, but that's the way it's going to be." She perked up. "We should forget about the past, and focus on the present. What's done is done, what's said is said. Forgive, but never forget."

"I thought the saying was 'forgive, and forget'," Itachi asked confused. Sasuke just raised an eyebrow in question at her.

"I know, but if you don't learn from the past, the past is doomed to repeat itself," she stated with a smile. The two boys let what she said sink in. She was right. They would defiantly miss her and Jade and Ren when it was time to leave. "Wait!" The two boys were startled at her sudden exclamation. "Itachi you said you had a girlfriend before. What was his name?"

"Before I left Konoha, I was dating Hana." He paused. "What do you mean he? I'm not gay," he shouted offended. Kim and Sasuke snickered.

"I thought you were supposed to be a genius," Sasuke joked. When they calmed down he asked, "Do you still have feelings for her?"

"I loved her. I still do. Feelings like that don't just disappear, but I don't think she would take me back. Why would she," he wondered aloud.

"Like you said, feelings like that don't just disappear. I've heard the saying 'love is forgiveness.' There is still a chance she could feel the same." She started clapping excitedly, when she suddenly felt dizziness overcome her and her body began to lean to far to the side.

"Are you okay," Itachi and Sasuke asked at the same time. The two jumped up to steady her.

"I'm fine. Just lost my balance for a bit. I'm so excited! I get to play matchmaker for my brother," she shouted, beaming at Itachi. "Sasu-cakes, you're helping me plot. Weasel-nii, you will get your woman back!" She held a fist up in determination. The two just sighed, and prayed to Kami that nothing would go wrong. "We need to find out what her favorite flowers are, and you are going to have to swallow your manly pride! Sasuke, you're going to have to reconnect with your friends."

"That was the plan either way," Sasuke muttered rolling his eyes.

"Are you sure you don't like her," Itachi pried.

"I'm sure," the youngest of the three answered.

"Are you gay," Kim asked him seriously.

"W-W-What," Sasuke stuttered out. "I'm not gay."

"Asexual," she asked. Sasuke shook his head no. "Asexual reproduction." She giggled as her mind wandered back to her old biology class when they learned about sea sponges.

"He can't reproduce asexually. He's a human. Humans need a mate to reproduce," Itachi explained.

"But if he could reproduce by budding. Just imagine a little Sasuke popping out of his shoulder." Itachi was strangely reminded of a Genjutsu he once placed Naruto under. "Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke!"

"When you say it like that it sounds like sauce," Itachi stated.

"We can call him The Sauce!"

Sasuke groaned. His older siblings were sitting there discussing his sexuality and making fun of his name. The worst part was that they were acting like he wasn't even there. His name did not sound like sauce. He sank into the softness of the sofa and tuned them out.

"Sasuke," Itachi called trying to get said boy's attention.

"Sauce-que," Kim said in a thicker version of her Spanish accent.

"Sasuke."

"Sas-gay."

"Sasuke."

"Sauce-gay."

"Sasuke."

"Gay sauce."

"Sasuke."

"Sasu-cakes," Kim yelled right in his ear.

Sasuke jerked violently to the left. He had been fast asleep on the sofa between Kim and Itachi. Sometime during their conversation he had fallen to sleep. It was a pretty deep sleep at that. He had also faintly heard them calling out to him but chose to ignore it. That was why when Kim yelled into his ear his eyes shot wide open, not expecting her to do that because it was something that his so called blond best friend would have done.

"What," he growled out. The youngest Uchiha hated to woken up.

"Weasel-nii asked you a question." Itachi groaned at the sound of her nickname for him. He was about to say something when he sensed someone walking towards them.

"Excuse me?" they all turned their head to face the source of the voice. "If you are not going to buy anything, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to leave," an employee told them. The three quickly got up and walked out of the store.

"If you're going to be our sister, you need to learn to act like an Uchiha, think like an Uchiha, walk like an Uchiha, and speak like an Uchiha. So what do you say," Itachi asked.

"I like how I act. You guys come off as anti-social jerks sometimes, so I'm good there. I graduated from school five years earlier than I was supposed to, so that must mean I'm somewhat smart. I'm a bit of a klutz, though not all the time, and you can't change that. I like to talk a lot sometimes, unlike you guys. So, what else is there," Kim questioned. The two brothers shared a look. They thought about it, and came up with an idea.

"We were forced to take up an instrument. I play the flute, and Itachi can play the violin," Sasuke stated. Itachi nodded in agreement.

"Do I have to," Kim whined.

"Yes," they said in unison. They wore identical smirks.

"All this is about the whole calling you guys 'Weasel-nii' and 'Sasu-cakes,' and making fun of your name, isn't it? Fine, but you guys are going to go clothes shopping with me. I have been wanting to get a whole new wardrobe, and this is the perfect opportunity to do so," she replied cheerily. It was her turn to smirk. They guys just frowned and bowed their heads and held out an arm each, completely defeated. Kim grabbed their extended arms, and pulled them onward.

Unbeknownst to the Uchiha Brothers, she had to take an elective in order to get enough credits to graduate. So she may have joined the choir, and learned the piano in the process when the composer suddenly quit.