so this is the end, I hope everything is how y'all wanted it, and it's an itachi story like I promised. I really liked writing this, but like I said it's going to be a novel. When it comes out, if it comes out, I'll make a note to everyone! I won't forget the little people though, I'm going to promise a signed copy to everyone once it gets published. I haven't even finished rewriting the early chapters yet, so, that's far off. I love all of you, and I hope you love the way it ends.

Itachi was there soon enough for me, and I noticed he was a bit damp, and I realized then with the umbrella in his hand it was raining outside. I hadn't bothered to watch the weather, so this was totally unexpected. I also realized then itachi and deidara had some sort of issue with each other. It started with dirty looks and escalated to a

"Piss off yeah," from deidara and a

"Drop dead," from itachi.

Did men ever get along? I thanked my saviors and itachi and I left, sharing an umbrella.

"Do your parents not own a car?" I asked itachi, it was an innocent enough question as to why we walked in the rain, feet soaking.

"My dad took it to work. He hasn't been home yet, "

I nodded and put my hand on his arm, the one holding the umbrella that was cocked at a 90 degree angle. He didn't act like he even felt it.

"Is your mom home yet?" I asked hoping to give the elder uchiha something positive to talk about. It'd been weeks since I'd really spoken to him other than this morning, I didn't see her at the house today, but she could have been asleep.

"My mother isn't coming home," he said very quietly and then I understood. I knew he was looking at my arm, sneaking glances when he thought I wasn't looking.

"You were right. About Hidan I mean. I was wrong, people can't change, or maybe he just has no desire to," I mused and he said nothing. We didn't speak the rest of the walk, and as we reached my front door, I looked at his damp long hair, those eyes, and I asked

"Want to spend the night?" I meant it in the innocent sense though, I hoped he knew. I wasn't ready for another partner. He dropped the umbrella then, and we kissed, me standing under the shelter of the porch, and him in the poring down rain. We kissed for a long time, until his cloths were soaked though, and then we finally went in, only to discover a note. My dad and joe had previously been here, but were called in to work overnight, trusting me with the house. I found itachi some of my dad's cloths, and he changed.

I fixed us some canned chicken noodle soup, something of witch itachi had never had. I wasn't sure if they didn't have it here in Japan or what, but he swore he'd never tried it. We sat on my couch watching a movie I'd brought with me from the states, in my favorite blanket, and I felt like I was back in my old apartment for a moment. I set the remains of my soup broth down and looked at him very seriously.

"Truth or dare,"

"Truth," he challenged. It took me a minute to think of something good.

"Have you ever..hmmm..I got long have you liked me?" I asked hoping to put him on the spot. He didn't even blush, just made kind of an embarrassed face.

"Quite a while," he noted, " not at first but..."

I nodded and giggled. I felt so giddy and happy. I noticed a contrast right then, between me and him, and me and Hidan. He was smiling too, a small reserved itachi smilie.

"Your turn. Truth or dare?"

"Dare!" I shot back with confidence. He thought for a moment.

"Tell me how long you've liked me,"

" that's not fair, that's a truth!" I said, sounding like the middle schooler that invented this stupid game.

"But I dared you to tell me!" He smirked, proud of himself for finding a loophole in the rules.

"Jesus we sound like kids," I joked, buying my time, "I guess for a while, but.. Maybe I didn't quite know it until...well anyway," I said, still smiling but very Solemn. "But it's you turn," I said, quickly. But I never asked. This was all just an excuse to tell each other how we felt.

"Itachi," I started, "are we...is this...do you.."

"Yes," he answered, but I hadn't even asked a coherent question.

Thunder cracked outside and we exchanged glances.

"Then what are you waiting for?" I asked but even I had no idea what I meant.

Inches were crossed in seconds and suddenly our lips were pressed agents each others. His crashed into mine with so much force you'd think he'd been thrown, and I returned his fierceness, I pulled the hair tie from his long black locks and tangling my fingers in his no longer damp hair. His arms around my shoulders, and we held each other that way until I felt I could no longer breathe. This playful, longing love felt so good. He wasn't cold, and he didn't pressure me. I could feel him, radiating this love he felt, and now I returned.

You only know how low you felt until you felt high again. I hadn't felt this high in ages and it didn't need anyone else to push drugs on me to make me feel it. I paused our make out session to retrieve the booze from the kitchen. I took the cap off and drank right from the bottle, and offered itachi some. He shook his head and put the bottle down, taking it from my hands.

"Why do you need it,"

"I don't I just like it," I said softly.

"Not tonight please," he asked, almost pleading. I nodded and understood. I didn't need booze to make it better, being drunk wouldn't make it any more fun, because this was the best it was going to be, I didn't need false Happyness, because I had something real now.

"This isn't a joke," I noted, " this feels so.."

Itachi just shook his head and kissed my lips, then his kisses trailed down my chin to my throat where he spent some time, and then to my shoulder. Then we went back to making out. It went on like that for a while, until we fell asleep in the same spot I had given Hidan my first that day.

The next morning I awoke, itachis head on my chest, his body on top of mine as I leaned on the arm of our sofa. We'd fallen asleep like this. But, there was a blanket draped over us. We hadn't fallen asleep with a blanket. I put my arm down feeling for the bottle, and I found it under the sofa. We hadn't left that there either. Someone was frying something in the kitchen I could hear the stove.

"You awake?" I heard joes voice but didn't see him until I tilted my head back.

"You two fell asleep, long night huh?" He asked jokingly, "I hid the booze before your dad got in, but I can't do anything for those hickies," he laughed. I put my hands around my neck.

"Is Kate awake?" I heard my dad call as our conversation finished, joe left to the kitchen and I heard them talking. Itachi sat up then, he must have been awake the entire length of that conversation, maybe longer. We shared a yawn, as yawns are contagious, and I got up to the bathroom to look at my neck. Nothing, joe had been joking. I sighed and returned, plopping down on the couch. I was tired and it appeared to be around nine o clock. Breakfast, via my father, was presented to us, breakfast burritos with chunky salsa, and some orange juice. I shoveled mine down, I hadn't eaten dinner, or maybe even lunch yesterday, I couldn't remember.

I didn't figure my new boyfriend had ever had a burrito, and I picked mine up, showing him how to hold and eat it without making either of us look stupid. Itachi ate very daintily, about as much as possible with the egg and sausage out the other end, and he stared at it it was about like him, and he'd finished his by the time I was done with seconds. Around ten the phone rang, and I knew who it was.

"Hello?"

"Kate? God Kate I'm so friggen sorry, I know I treated you so shitty and I hurt you, is your arm alright?"

"Yes I'm alright, but listen," I said quickly but was cut off anyway.

"I'm so fucking sorry, I'm a mean bastard, I'm so fucking sorry, I was high off my ass, I'm so sorry," and he repartee himself a few more times, but then I cut him off too.

"I know, I know your sorry but I don't think that that's enough at this point,"

"Just what the fuck are you saying? Come on Kate, we love each other right? Right?" He sounded hurt, his voice getting higher, like he might start crying soon.

"I'm not that stupid, I'm sorry,"

"What do you mean? Don't say it just don't fucking say it,"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but, I think you know what I'm going to say, let's just, agree to, well, I'll see you, bye Hidan"

I could hear him say something before I hung up, but I didn't listen. I didn't cry just whipped away a couple tears and sat back down. Itachi didn't dare kiss me I front of my dad but I could tell he wanted to. We settled for holding hands instead. This was my calm after the storm.