I'm sorry that I haven't updated this in so long. I finally found the will power to go back to it and write another chapter. I will write as often as I can and hopefully the next update won't be months away…Did I mention how sorry I was yet?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Itachi? Is that you?" Itachi heard his mother's voice come from somewhere in the house. Most likely the kitchen. It was about the time that she would be cleaning up dinner.

He took his shoes off and trudged his way to the kitchen, Sasuke snuggled comfortably in his arms. His hands were curled up by his face and he looked so peaceful. Itachi smiled down at him in brotherly affection. It was weird for him to feel such a strong connection to this little boy in his grasp. He has never felt something this strong before and he was glad he was feeling it now. It felt greatly important.

"We're back," he stated upon entering the kitchen.

His mother was bustling about, bringing dishes from the table to the sink in order to wash them. She stopped when she saw Itachi.

"How was it, dear? Did you have fun with Hisoka?" she asked calmly, curiosity edged her voice. It was not everyday Itachi spent time with a girl that didn't have to do with school.

Itachi shrugged, trying to look indifferent. "It was fine." He didn't want to go into great detail of what happened with Hisoka. The tips of his ears grew red and he felt embarrassed talking to his mother about it. She made it sound like he went on a date with Hisoka, which he most certainly did not! They just watched over Sasuke and Sakura. It was just babysitting, that's all.

Mikoto saw the red tinge on his ears. This only made her want to press him further. "Just fine? What did you do?"

Itachi was saved when he heard his father's footsteps coming towards them.

"How was training, Itachi?" he asked.

"Fine. I worked on chakra control," he lied smoothly. He was once again reminded of how much he hated the idea of lying. He knew that it was an essential skill to have as a shinobi, to lie and deceive enemies. However, when not on the battlefield it was morally wrong for Itachi to do.

Then again he did not feel so bad about lying to his father now. He told his mother what he had really been up to, so he was only partly lying. And he did not want his father to know he was with Hisoka because he was afraid that his father would do something to her. He did not want her to get in trouble just because he slipped up somehow.

Fugaku nodded. "Good. The basics are the key to everything. Even though you already know them it's good that you practice."

Itachi gave a slight nod of his head and turned his attention back to his mother.

"Should I put Sasuke in bed now?" Sasuke was already asleep anyway.

Mikoto said, "Yes. He needs to get a good amount of sleep and his crib would be the most comfortable for him."

Itachi said goodnight to his parents before heading to Sasuke's crib. He placed him down gently and put a small blanket over him. Sasuke shifted his head a little before settling down into a fit less slumber once more.

Looking at Sasuke, Itachi thought about what their mother had said. He disagreed with her. The most comfortable place for Sasuke to be was in the arms of those that loved him.

xxx

The river ran by swiftly, carrying leaves and other objects along with it. The sun was up, but still low and partly hidden in the sky due to the ominous clouds scattered about.

Hisoka was kneeling down next to the river and was playing with it absentmindedly, her fingers splashing at the passing leaves.

Itachi stared at her with amusement in his eyes. He didn't know how she could be so amused with the running water.

Hisoka's back stiffened and she turned her head in his direction. Upon seeing that it was him she stood up and put her hand to her heart. "You scared me! How long have you been watching me?"

"Not long, I just got here," he said. "I'm impressed you found me so quickly." He had learned to mask his chakra a while ago. He wanted to sneak up on her, but she noticed him almost right away. However, he still had the satisfaction of seeing her somewhat surprised even though it wasn't as much as he wanted.

Hisoka smiled at him and grabbed both of her elbows behind her back. "I know when people are around without looking. Although it only works when people are close by. When you stepped into my range that's how I knew you were there," she explained.

Itachi's eyebrows rose. "Do you sense chakra?" He immediately dismissed that thought. He knew that his chakra had been hidden perfectly; no one should have been able to sense it.

"No. I don't know how to explain it…It's like there's a disturbance and I can feel it." Her face scrunched up in confusion. She herself did not know how she could do it.

"Strange, I've never heard of anything like that before."

Hisoka merely shrugged her shoulders. "Can we train now?"

He nodded and made his way over to her by the river. A few fish swam away when he approached.

"Okay, I'll show you what it looks like first," he said and put his hands together in front of him in order to better control his chakra. Once the right amount was applied he dropped his hands and walked to the middle of the river.

When he turned around he smirked when he saw the amazed look in Hisoka's eyes. Her mouth hung slightly open.

"How do you do that?" She was practically bouncing up and down with excitement, unable to hold it in anymore.

Itachi dropped the playful attitude and took on the role of a sensei. His voice was deep and informant. "The first thing you need to do is concentrate the chakra to the bottoms of your feet. It's just like walking up a tree, however, this is much more difficult."

She gave him a contemplative look. "How so?"

"A tree is a solid object. It's easier to attach yourself to it. Water is not solid and therefore the surface is hard to attach yourself to."

Hisoka nodded in understanding. She then mimicked Itachi's actions and put her hands together, gathering chakra at the bottom of her feet.

When she was ready she took a hesitant step onto the stream and her foot immediately went below the surface. Lucky for her she caught herself before she fell in. Her arms flailed about until she had both of her feet on solid ground.

Itachi laughed at her discombobulated state, the corners of his eyes crinkled.

Hisoka glared at him. "What's so funny?"

"You," he repeated her answer from when he had asked the same thing before. "Next time you should try jumping on the water instead of testing it out," he half joked. Part of him…well, most of him wanted her to jump into the water. He pictured it and started to laughed again.

Hisoka haughtily replied, "Shut up. I'm not going to listen to you."

"Who's the sensei here?" he asked.

"You certainly aren't acting like one," she ground out and put her hands together once more to gather her chakra.

xxx

Itachi had gotten off of the river and sat down cross legged at the edge. He got tired of standing there while she had repeatedly tested the water.

A few hours had past and Hisoka had made a little bit of progress. She could almost stay on the surface, her feet hovered only a few inches below it.

Another hour later she finally got the hang of it. She turned towards him with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She had a look on her face somewhere between smugness and uncertainty.

"Ha! I can do it now!"

"Think fast," Itachi said and pretended to throw something at her.

She let out a squeal and immediately fell into the water. She came up a second later and sputtered about. Itachi put his hand over his mouth to try and contain his laughter.

"You think that's funny do you?" she asked.

And before Itachi could do anything Hisoka grabbed his arms and pulled him into the water. It took him a few seconds to realize what happened. He had let her drag him into the river. How could he let that happen? He should have been more on guard.

He emerged to the surface and wiped the water from his eyes. As soon as they were clear he saw Hisoka's grinning face.

He scowled and splashed water at her. She retaliated with a splash of her own and soon the two were in a water fight. A small smile was apparent on Itachi's face when he grabbed Hisoka around the waist and pulled her down. Bubbles wrapped around them and played in their hair. Seconds later they emerged and Hisoka's laughter rang out around them.

Itachi blinked some loose water droplets out of his eyes and smiled at Hisoka. He just noticed how close they were which was only inches apart. A warm feeling spread over his cheeks, but he didn't move away. There seemed to be something that made him stay put.

Hisoka's mouth went from a broad smile to a curious line, her lips were slightly parted and Itachi could feel her breath caress his face. It was gentle and soothing, just like a soft breeze blowing through a field.

Both of them stayed completely still for a moment before Hisoka tilted her face and moved in closer to Itachi. Her lips tentatively brushed his before she pulled back. Her eyes were big and watery, a huge contrast to what they were like before. The corners of her mouth pointed down in a horrified frown.

"I…I…" Hisoka tried to speak, but words escaped her.

Before Itachi could say anything Hisoka was at the river's edge. She quickly got out and, without looking back, took off through the trees. Itachi lost sight of her in seconds.

He remained in the water, staring at the spot he last caught a glimpse of her. What just happened? Had she just…kissed him?

Itachi swam over to the edge and brought himself up on it. He sat down with his legs dangling in the water and stared down at his hands. He had just gotten his first kiss and he hadn't even expected it. What he found to be weird was the fact that he kind of liked it. He liked kissing Hisoka.

If he liked it then didn't she like it too? Why did she run away? Was something wrong with him? Maybe she was afraid of what his reaction would be? Then how did she think he was going to react?

All these questions ran through Itachi's mind as he got to his feet and took off in the direction she went. He ducked under some branches and in no time he came out on a dirt road. He looked in all directions, but Hisoka was nowhere to be seen.

He let out an exasperated sigh before walking off in the direction of his home, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He could still feel the blush on his face while he walked through the village. Some people gave him strange looks, but he didn't care. He just wanted to find Hisoka and talk to her which would be much easier if he only knew where she lived.

xxx

When Itachi got home he heard Sasuke crying. He quickly took his shoes off and went to his crib. He found his father holding Sasuke and rocking him back and forth.

Itachi was a little put off at the scene. He hadn't seen his father hold Sasuke once since he was brought home and here he was now holding him like he'd done it for years. Although he did look a bit awkward when Sasuke didn't stop crying, making a disgruntled look spread across his face.

Fugaku heard the door open, looked down at Sasuke a little while longer, and turned his attention on his eldest son. "Itachi, where've you been? Sasuke's been crying for over half an hour."

Itachi didn't know how to respond to that statement so he merely stuck his arms out and took Sasuke in them. The crying continued, but then quickly subsided to whiny moans. Itachi instinctively brought him closer and smiled down at him. Sasuke's eyes opened at peered confusedly up at the new person who was holding him. He seemed content with the change and a small smile played on Sasuke's lips. He cooed happily and stretched his hand up towards Itachi's face. Itachi grabbed his hand with his own and swayed it back and forth.

"He finally stopped," a relived Fugaku sighed out. He patted Itachi on the shoulder before making his way out of the room.

"Where's mother?" Itachi asked, finally noticing her absence. He had been too preoccupied with calming Sasuke down.

"She had to go out to the market. She'll be back soon." With that he left the room, leaving both his sons behind.

Itachi paid that no mind however and looked down at Sasuke. "I'm sorry you were upset, Sasuke. I don't ever want you to be sad."

Sasuke continued to look up at Itachi with his baby eyes and cooed at his words. Itachi thought it was his way of saying that he knew Itachi would always be there for him.

Itachi sat down in the nearby chair and ran his finger over one of Sasuke's cheeks. "I love you, Sasuke. I always will."

Okay, so that was chapter 5 of EAF! I hope everyone enjoyed reading it!

Please leave a review for me! I very much appreciate them! XD