. Fay: Just so you don't yell at me for a slow update, I have been working on this chapter all week. I try to get around 4000 words per chapter because it makes you guys happy to have a long chapter. That means that it takes time to do that!
But it's been a long week. For one, I spent Memorial Day with my father's and I got sunburn on my legs. Not just regular sunburn. I can hardly walk it hurts so bad.
Also, I've got exams this week. Three more exams to go and then I am out for summer vacation. One day left of school! I am so excited. I can hardly contain my excitement. So in honor of my boredom from getting out of school at twelve with nothing to do at home, I have finished this chapter.
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"Hello, dear brother," Itachi said.
Suddenly, Sasuke couldn't breathe. He felt his heart begin to hammer in his chest as if he were panicking. Coldness spread throughout his whole body, racking him with shivers and convulsions. Tears pricked his eyes and he tried to fight back the tears. He sucked in a large breath once he remembered how to breathe, and fell to his knees in defeat. The only thought haunting his mind was, 'My brother took everything I loved away.' He couldn't quite comprehend the whole situation-the only part he could think about was Itachi. The one person who had haunted his nightmares and dreams, lurking in the corners, waiting to reawaken memories long since forgotten, had taken the last bit of love from his life.
"Sasuke!" Sakura bent down, placing a hand on his back. "Sasuke are you okay?" Sasuke withdrew from her touch, letting out a choked sob followed by short breaths as he hyperventilated.
Naruto sighed. "Itachi…take Kaoru home and stay there until I get back. Deidara and Sasori can deliver the contract to Tsunade but right afterwards go back home. Go straight home! I'll stay here with Sasuke." Ignoring Itachi's apprehensive look, Naruto rushed over to his best friend. He placed a hand on Sasuke's back, trying to console the poor boy, but he didn't actually talk until Itachi was gone.
"Sasuke!" Naruto bent down in front of him, watching as tears slid down Sasuke's face and fell onto the pavement. "Sasuke are you listening to me?" Naruto forced Sasuke's head up so he could look into the blank obsidian eyes that reminded him so much of Itachi. "What's wrong with him? Why isn't he answering?"
Sakura looked at her blonde friend. "Lets get him to his house first." She pulled him to his feet but he fell limply back to the ground on his knees. Rolling her eyes, she lifted him up with her shoulder and began towards the Uchiha compound. What was wrong with Sasuke?
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After they got the unresponsive boy home, they placed him on his couch, where he proceeded to pull his knees to his chest and burry his face in his knees.
"What's wrong with him?" Naruto asked for the second time that day. It was aggravating that she hadn't answered him the first time. He wanted answers now! This was his best friend, although, by the time he actually got to talk to the boy, would Sasuke even want to think his name anymore? Would he be disgusted by the fact that Naruto had moved on-to his brother of all people?
"He is stunned." Sakura answered dully. The boy on the couch let out a loud sob. He had stopped crying long enough to catch his breath, but every now and then, he would either let out a sob or a pained moan.
"Stunned?" Naruto didn't know that much about medical terminology but he knew that if it didn't sound good, then it probably wasn't.
"Yes. It is merely a stage where the mind shuts off, leaving the body to fend for itself. It's common in trauma patients." Sakura paused looking at the blonde boy who was staring back at her with curiosity. "Did you know that Sasuke was a trauma patient?"
"What?" Naruto asked incredulously. He had never heard such a thing before.
Sakura nodded. "After…the Uchiha Clan massacre,"-she didn't want to say 'After Itachi killed his family,' because she knew Naruto would take offense to that-"Sasuke became stunned. He wouldn't talk, walk, or even eat for a whole week. He was practically a zombie." Sakura brushed her hand over Sasuke's head, making him flinch. She drew her hand back seeing his reaction. "It seems that seeing Itachi take something else away from him has reawakened that state of mind for him."
"How do we get him out of this…whatever you said it was?"
Sakura shrugged. "Shock him out of it. Not a bad kind of shock just let the alarms go off in his head. Like…if I was in the state…seeing a naked Rock Lee would probably shock me out it." Naruto almost laughed at that. "The only way to get him out of this is to do something radical." Taking one last glance at Sasuke she turned around for the door.
"Where are you going?!" Naruto didn't want to be left alone with Sasuke after he was 'revived.'
"You and Sasuke are going to need to talk alone together. I don't want to feel like I am intruding." With that, she opened the door and rushed outside before Naruto could somehow reel her back in. He was good at that, you know.
Sighing, Naruto sat down on the coffee table in front of Sasuke. What would shock Sasuke so he would come out of his trance? A naked Rock Lee like Sakura had suggested would suffice…but he was on a mission today so that was out of the question. A naked Naruto would probably work…but it would also give Sasuke the wrong idea and a hard-on.
Naruto sat there for a whole ten minuets coming up with ideas only to toss them out the door because of some kind of complication. Finally, he got on his knees in front of Sasuke and forced the boy to look up. Cold black eyes stared at him blankly. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to the other boy's.
"Itachi…forgive me darling. I have to do this." After his small prayer he took a deep breath and pressed his lips to Sasuke's. He sat there counting the seconds until ten seconds had gone by, and pulled back.
"What the hell!?" Sasuke yelled as he scrambled to his feet, knocking Naruto down in the process. "You tell me that you are married to my brother and then you have the nerve to kiss me! You sick demented bastard!" Well that got a reaction out of him.
"Well it worked didn't it?" Naruto grumbled as he pulled himself to his feet to glare at his friend. "You are the bastard! Who pushes down someone who is pregnant!" Naruto glared. He didn't want to fight his best friend but if he had to…
Sasuke wasn't going to give up this soon. "You…I can't believe you! Why didn't you tell me from the beginning? I thought we were friends! I thought you loved me!"
Naruto sat in the chair beside the couch. "I do love you," he said quietly. "But not how you want me to love you. I can't love you that way. I mean…I've got a family now. I just don't feel anything more than friendship love for you." He could see how much this was hurting Sasuke but if he didn't do it now, it would only hurt worse later. He should have done this sooner.
Sasuke glared. "You feel nothing at all for me?" His face showed a hint of disgust. "The whole time I was gone from Konoha, I never once stopped thinking of you! I tried so…hard to forget you but you were like a disease-I carried you with me no matter where I was. I came back for you, Naruto! I killed Orochimaru sooner than I wanted to because I wanted to hear your voice, to see your face." He walked over to Naruto and placed his hands on both of the arms of the chair, leaning in so their faces were a bit too close for Naruto's liking.
"Sasuke…I am so sorry. I was in pain too, at first." Naruto didn't want to tell Sasuke how much it still pained him to think about Sasuke leaving him.
Sasuke pushed back, sitting on the couch in a huffy manor. "Oh really now? I don't think it can compare to how I feel now!" He sneered. "Was your heart ripped out? Did you feel empty and cold? How did you feel?" His sarcastic words bit at Naruto, making tear form in his eyes.
"When you left, Sasuke…I cried so hard. There wasn't a night that I didn't curl up with your picture and cry myself to sleep. Everyone I knew told me to let go after the first month. They said that even though I shouldn't give up hope, that I should prepare myself for being hurt." Naruto looked down at the floor sadly. "But I never did, Sasuke. I always thought about you." He took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice so it wouldn't break. "But then I went to train with Jariaya. He knew I was about to break under the pressure of having to live by the people who reminded me of you. So he took me away. It was shortly after that, that I met Itachi."
Sasuke cast his eyes downward.
"You hurt me…so much Sasuke. You shouldn't expect to be forgiven just like that." Naruto bit out the words. He knew they would hurt him but he needed to cut the boy down so he would understand. "It doesn't work that way."
There was along silence. "Why him?" Sasuke whispered, almost wishing he didn't ask. But if he didn't ask now he would only end up yelling at Naruto again. "I mean…why Itachi of all people. He ruined my clan…ruined my life." Sasuke paused, looking over at the one person he loved more than anything. "The only thing that man ever does is take. He has taken everything from me as if I were nothing to him at all. And you love him?! How could you possibly love him!" He was starting to raise his voice again.
Naruto closed his eyes for a long while. Long enough for Sasuke to think he had gone to sleep. "I knew Itachi before the Uchiha Massacre." Sasuke's eyes grew with this new information. "No one else in the village knows this-except Itachi, Tsunade, Jariaya and I-but the fourth Hokage was my father."
"What?" Sasuke gasped. This was very interesting news.
"Yes. My father was a great man. He wanted nothing more than my happiness. He knew that the Kyuubi was going to attack the village soon and was willing to do anything-even seal the demon inside of me-to protect the village he loved so much. He also knew that if it came to sealing the demon inside of me, there was a chance that the village would hate me for having the demon inside of me. So he betrothed me to the first born of your family."
"But you are a boy. Surely your father didn't know you would turn out gay?" Sasuke was confused. Could the fourth have been that powerful? Could he see into the future to know that Naruto would be gay?
"You don't remember her do you?" Naruto looked at the boy in front of him. "The first born was actually a girl. Her name was Naomi Uchiha. The Kyuubi killed her on the night I was born. She was slightly older than Itachi but he barely even knew her. She was very sick and was sent to live in another household until she got better. Her death was almost unnoticed." Naruto shrugged. It was a sad story really but there was nothing he could do for the poor unloved girl. "The contract my father drew up automatically made Itachi my betrothed." Naruto smiled. "For five years, he looked after me secretively and finally, he emerged from the shadows of my life and revealed himself as my fiancé."
"You only married him because of a contract?" Sasuke sighed with relief. At least that meant that Naruto didn't really love Itachi.
"Sasuke…" Naruto looked pained. "I really do love Itachi. I know every inch of him inside and out. If I could do my life over again, I wouldn't change a thing. I love Itachi more than you could ever know."
Sasuke sighed dejectedly. Somehow he expected that. "Continue," he murmured in a depressed tone.
"I thought of him as an older brother until I was about eight years old. By then, I had recognized my feelings as love. I never told him of course. I thought it was a bad thing I was falling for a guy. One night he came to my house, looking positively frantic. I had been up that night, waiting for him to come by and tuck me in at night like he always did. After he tucked me in, he kissed my forehead and hugged me tightly, telling me that he would be gone for a while."
"He killed my clan!" Sasuke hissed.
"Don't interrupt the person talking!" Naruto snapped. "So rude." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Anyway, he told me that something bad had happened and I couldn't tell anyone the truth unless it was totally necessary. Up until today I haven't told anyone. You are the first to know besides Tsunade, Jariaya and the Akatsuki. Itachi didn't kill your clan. The friend that was said to have killed himself faked his death. He came back to kill the Uchiha Clan. He had almost succeeded when Itachi came in and found every one of his family members dead. Itachi killed his best friend. He had to…to save you. I don't think you understand how relieved he was when he found out you weren't among the dead."
Sasuke was cold. He felt everything he knew be taken away from him in an instant. He could hardly breathe. "But…why would he claim that he killed the clan?"
"There was still someone out there that wanted you dead Sasuke. Itachi had to join the Akatsuki because someone had sent Itachi's friend to kill the Uchiha Clan. The Akatsuki was the best way he knew of to get stronger so he could find his revenge and make sure you were absolutely safe. After the death of that person, he ended up staying with the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki are his family."
Sasuke felt like crying again. He clutched the covering of the couch tightly, as he fought the urge to scream at the world. "I…think you should leave now." Sasuke said quietly. "All this information is…a lot to take in."
Naruto nodded and stood. "I'm sorry Sasuke. I never meant to hurt you." He whispered as he walked to the door. He watched as Sasuke began to shake with more sobs. Quickly, Naruto exited the house, fighting the urge to go back and comfort the boy.
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Naruto sighed as he entered his house. Even though the walk from the Uchiha Manor to his new apartment was like…two miles, his feet were killing him. He flopped down on his couch, kicking off his shoes and placing on them the pillow on the other end of the couch. Itachi appeared behind the couch, leaning over to kiss Naruto's forehead. He pulled back slightly but still remained leaning over his lover.
"It was horrible," Naruto answered Itachi's unspoken question.
"Oh?" Itachi cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"
Naruto told him the whole story, leaving out the part of the kiss. One word of that to Itachi and Itachi would slaughter the whole village. Damn possessive Uchiha's.
Itachi seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Well, he did deserve to know. Even though he was raised as an Uchiha and taught to be very perceptive, he can be very dense. For one he gave up you," Itachi smiled. "I do believe that was the worst mistake of his life."
Naruto smiled softly at that. "I don't believe I could thank him enough for that." Naruto admitted. "You could never guess how many times I have imagined what life would be like if I had never met you and ended up with him." Seeing the look of distaste on Itachi's face he quickly added, "But I don't do that now! During the first few months of our relationship, when I was first pregnant with Kaoru, I was worried." His eyes cast downward. "It was hard, you know. To be in love with someone who wasn't even supposed to be in my life. But every time I asked myself what would have happened if I ended up with him, I couldn't think of him. It was all you, Itachi." He stuck out his tongue. "I know that sounds horribly sappy, but it's true. Sasuke and I were never meant to be."
Itachi chuckled and kissed Naruto's forehead again. "The heavens felt so bad for you they just had to give you the most handsome person in the world."
Naruto punched Itachi in the arm softly with a giggle. "Shut-up."
"Okay, okay!" Deidara said as he pushed Itachi out of the way to lean over Naruto just like Itachi had been just a moment before. "We have a slight problem!" He announced loudly. "There are no more sandwiches left in this house."
"That's because you ate all the lunch meats and bread!" Sasori said with an irritated look. "And you threw out all the turkey!" He tossed his hands in the air angrily. "If Deidara doesn't want it, then no body can have it."
"Well, you know what, you son of a-"
"Shut-up!" Naruto yelled at them. He glared at the fighting lovers. "We can always go into town to buy more food. Deidara, don't throw out my turkey or I will not hesitate to toss you off of a building."
Deidara gulped, remembering the last time he had ignored that same threat.
Itachi moved away from the fight scene and walked back into the hallway. When he returned, he saw Deidara laying on the couch upside down with a bump on his head, Sasori fuming as he flexed his hand, and Naruto sitting down in the arm chair, shaking his head at the two.
"Here is your coat darling," Itachi said as he handed Naruto a white coat with the Uchiha symbol stitched into the back.
"What is this for?" Naruto asked, but started pulling on the coat anyway.
"It's going to rain later," Itachi said. It was weird how Itachi always knew how the weather would be. "We should go ahead and get the things that Deidara wants otherwise he will be impossible to live with." It was true. Deidara had the mood-swings of a woman.
"Very true," Naruto said as he yanked the arm of his coat over his long arms. "Alright. Well we should-" He smiled as he watched a sleepy Kaoru wander down the long hallway, stumbling like the uncoordinated child he was, hand running along the wall in a desperate attempt to steady himself. The little boy rubbed his eyes sleepily as a long strange of black hair fell over eyes, blocking his view.
"Are you going to finish that sentence?" Deidara waved a hand in front of his friends face.
"Sorry," Naruto mumbled as he walked over to Kaoru to pick him up. Strange how the smallest of things could remind you of how good parenthood actually was. "Well, since Kaoru is up, why don't we go on a date? I'm thinking that I don't want to cook and since we have to go to buy sandwich stuff because someone-" he shot a glare at Deidara. "Was stupid enough to throw out all the things I had in my refrigerator that he didn't like and eat everything else he liked, it would just be easier to go out to eat."
Kaoru reached out towards Itachi. "Daddy!" Kaoru called sleepily.
Taking his son, Itachi cuddled the boy close. "I'll dress him and then we'll go," he said softly as he started back towards Kaoru's room.
Naruto sighed. He was really tired. Tonight he would have to get some kind of sleep or else he might die of exhaustion. Deidara and Sasori glanced at each other.
"You aren't really going out like that are you?" They said at the same time, motioning at his sweat pants and loose t-shirt.
Glaring, Naruto made his way back to his room to change.
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In the end, everyone had changed clothes. Naruto was wearing normal jeans with a black high collared t-shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back. Itachi had some strange fetish for seeing him wearing the symbol of his clan. Itachi wore black pants that rode low on his hips and a shirt matching Naruto's. Kaoru was dressed in matching attire with his father. Deidara and Sasori even changed. Since it was their first appearance in town, they didn't want to look menacing the first time the met the rest of the villagers. They wore blood red shirts with each other's names written on the back and matching white pants. They really were a sight to see.
Since the streets near the Uchiha district were usually deserted, they weren't bothered by anyone for a while. Well, until they reached the village square where everyone in the whole village happened to be at that moment.
So maybe Naruto was exaggerating, but it still seemed like there was a lot of people there. More so than usual.
A group of girls standing by a clothing store gawked at them as they walked. One girl-Naruto knew her as Haruhi Yamato, a girl a few years older than him- walked up to them with her posse behind her.
"Itachi-sama," she cooed as she batted her eyes. "I've heard everything from Tsunade-sama. She has sent letters to everyone about your return-and about the horrible things you did just to protect your brother." She turned her body in a very suggestive manor, squishing her boobs together as if that would make Itachi notice them. "I feel so sorry for you, you know. Out there with the Akatsuki-we've all heard stories-and we know that you must be ready to settle down and help rebuild your clan with your brother."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. Apparently, no one had told anybody that Itachi was married, with a kid!
Itachi snorted, something he always did before shooing someone away. "I'm sorry, but I do not think of my brother that way. Besides, I didn't think it was possible for him to have children."
The girl faltered for a moment. "Um, Itachi-sama…I meant that you would help him out. You know, get a girl so you can have as many children as you want?"
Naruto was about to burst out laughing. Deidara was beside him, covering his mouth as his body shook with the force of the restraint he was having to use to keep from laughing. Sasori only rolled his eyes.
"Surely you don't think I am that stupid?" Itachi commented as he looked at the group of girls behind Haruhi. "That was a nice way of getting you to go away." He stared at her with his famous Uchiha Death Glare. "I am married, you poor naïve girl. And I have a four-year-old kid. I've even got two more on the way."
The girl sputtered.
Naruto couldn't hold it in anymore. He grabbed his sides just as the laughter started to pour out. Itachi smirked at him and shook his head.
"W-what?" The girl asked angrily. "Who do you think you are? You're just…just Naruto Uzumaki the-"
"If you continue that sentence I will have to kill you. That would break the treaty I signed," Itachi warned her.
Naruto just kept laughing. "Who am…I?" He barked out between laughs. "I'm not…Naruto Uzu…Uzumaki. I'm Naruto…Uchiha!" He doubled over in laughter, trying to stop but the girls horrified face lingered in his mind.
"He's my husband," Itachi said lightly. The girl blushed and backed away. The embarrassment must have been too much for her to come up with come cruel retort-either that or the fact that Itachi was willing to break the treaty he had signed just to help out his husband. She turned on her heal and began running away just as another group of girls rushed up to them.
"ItaNaru!" They screamed happily as they ran passed them to go make up Fanfiction and post it on this site. (AN: I'm dumb.)
Ignoring the growing amounts of fangirls, they quickly ushered themselves into a small sushi restaurant. There were several tables filled with people on business meetings, dates, and friendly visits-all people of high class. As soon as the odd looking group walked through the doors, all the heads turned.
A tall tan man rushed towards them. "Hi! My name is Toshizu! I will be your waiter tonight!" He picked up a pile of menus and rushed them towards a table. Smoothing out his black and white apron, the man smiled brightly. "Hi, Itachi-sama." He said bashfully.
"Oh my god!" Itachi cried as he ruffled Kaoru's hair. The boy had fallen asleep while they were walking here. Now he was snuggling against Naruto's neck. "Okay everyone!" Itachi stood up in front of the whole restaurant. "My name is Itachi Uchiha!" There were a few surprised gasps as they stared upon his lithe form, taking in every inch of him. God some people had it bad. "I am married to Naruto Uzumaki-" Naruto coughed interrupting him. "Sorry. It's Naruto Uchiha and together we have one child of four years and two on the way! Stop approaching me!"
Naruto hid his face as Itachi sat back down. "You snapped." He commented lightly. "You made a scene in front of the high class people."
"I'm sorry," Itachi apologized as he reached for his husband's hand. "It was aggravating. Growing up…" he stared off into space as the memories came back to him. "Everyone adored the Uchiha clan. They produced the most talented and handsome ninja of all the generations. I nearly went crazy from all the girls that stalked me. I figured if I told everyone early on that I wasn't interested, they would back off and I wouldn't have to deal with too many rejections."
Deidara flipped through a menu. "Yeah, I'll take a sushi platter," he told the waiter to was still there.
Itachi looked up at the man. "Oh I'm sorry, I forgot you were there."
The man blinked confusedly. "Sure…" How in the world could he forget? Was Itachi just that oblivious?
"I can't believe you did that," Naruto chanted to himself over and over again until the waiter left with all of their orders.
Sasori slipped out from the table and returned with a high chair for Kaoru. The boy happily sat in it.
They sat in silence mostly, ignoring the hard stares of those around them. If Naruto thought he could die of embarrassment, now was the time he would prove it. Unfortunately, that time never did come.
Instead something else happened.
"Guh," Naruto gasped as a pain wove its way through his body. He started to stand from the table they were at, but fell to his knees, grasping at his stomach where most of the pain was coming from. Itachi was suddenly at his side, trying to help him up. Sasori made a grab for Kaoru who was staring at the scene with curiosity and knowing. Was it possible the boy knew what was happening?
"Naruto!" Itachi called to him, clutching his hyperventilating husband. Suddenly, everyone in the restaurant was around them, wandering what they should do.
Naruto let out a pained moan as his head swung loosely to one side. Itachi's words of comfort missed his ears as a strange tunneling sound blocked the sound. He could hardly feel the hard grasp Itachi had on his arm; his body was going numb. His vision was going black and he cried out as an impossible pain rocked through his body.
Itachi looked up at Sasori and Deidara who were trying to get the crowd to back up without hurting anyone. Here his husband was, crying out in pain from something and all these people wanted was to get up front and watch him suffer. He thought about just getting up and beating the crap out of everyone there but that would break the treaty.
Naruto pulled away from Itachi, his eyes beginning to focus, the feeling in his body coming back. He panted heavily as he tried to stand. His head was pounding.
"Are you okay?" Deidara shouted back at him as he pushed a man back who was trying to take a picture of Naruto.
Itachi gabbed Naruto's arm. "Let's get you to Tsunade!" He began pulling Naruto through the crowd.
"No! These people-" he motioned around him. "They will all die if we leave now."
"What are you-?"
"We have to stay!" Naruto pleaded. "The enemies!" He pointed out the window. "In just a moment they will burst through the window and attempt to kill everyone here."
No sooner had he said it, the windows shattered open and six ninja attacked.
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Fay: That was mean to leave it there wasn't it? Oh well. It can't be as bad as leaving you where I did last chapter. That was just plain mean. I didn't edit the last part of the chapter because…well I was just too lazy do that. So any mistakes you see there…sorry.
I've posted a little notice about it on my profile but I'll say something here anyway. If anyone is willing to find me (Or draw) a picture that would be like…the cover for this story, I would greatly appreciate it. I would recognize you on my profile send a link to all my friends and show it off just because I really want a picture! I have a picture for Hidden Life Secret Love that my friend in school drew me because he loves me to death! It's not available on the Internet though. He doesn't want publicity. Although he said I could post it in august during his senior year. So by august I will send a link to all of you for that picture!
Oh I got off track. Anyway, the reason I want a picture is because the picture helps me think through things. Plus, I will be taking my crappy laptop with me on my two trips this summer. I'm going to camp with my youth group and then I'm taking it with me on my tour! So I need something to remind me that I've got fans that require attention.
Anyway, I guess that's all I have to say except…I'm a redhead now! I died my hair this really dark red that looks just so…sexy…it's awesome!
Okay…I had to put that in there…
Peace and Love.