Naruto stared up at the intimidating stone facade of the Konoha Institutes's main offices in trepidation. He hadn't really wanted to come here. While Konoha was a reputable and well known prep school it also had a certain reputation as to what actually went on there. He didn't particularly want to hang out with spoiled rich kids with attitude problems, but Naruto did have his goals and he couldn't afford to let anything get in the way of achieving them.

He sighed, shifting the duffel he carried slung across his back, trying to work up the nerve to walk forwards and push open the big wooden doors, but just ended up fidgeting and arguing with himself. He could find some other way to accomplish what he needed to do, this was merely the best and quickest way.

He took a deep breath and pushed himself forwards, the doors squeaking lightly on their hinges, the wood floor making gentle noises under his feet. It was an equally impressive entrance inside, with marble on the walls and high vaulted ceilings. He looked at the sign inside the door, arrows pointing every which way, and scanned the list until he found the name he was looking for, Headmistress Tsunade.

He swallowed and turned down the hall the arrow pointed to, scanning each door before he reached the one at the end of the hall, where the plaque gleamed even in the low diffused light. He knocked twice, in a sharp and nervous succession before he heard a shout of "come in" from the other side of the door.

He pushed inside and walked up to the dark haired woman typing away behind a desk. She looked sweet and approachable and Naruto thought then that maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. He smiled.

"Headmistress?" The girl just laughed, shaking her head, and it was an almost musical sound.

"No, I'm just her secretary, but I hope I can help you anyways, she's not in her office right now." Naruto sighed heavily before searching the outer pockets of his duffel for the letter of introduction his uncle Jiraya had written him. You see, when Naruto had been little, both of his parents had died and he had never really known how or why, he was too young then. He had lived in an orphanage in England, where his parents had been, for a few years, until he was finally tracked down by Jiraya, one of the only family members he had left. Their family had not been poor, and the man immediately took him out of the orphanage, bringing him to France where he had a small complex in the mountains.

Naruto had happily stayed there for a long time, or at least it had seemed like a long time to a carefree child, and that he most certainly was. When he had become old enough to go to High School, Jiraya had decided that only the best would do, and had had a small conversation with an old friend who worked at Konoha, who he later found out was the headmistress herself. She had agreed to grant him entrance, and to keep an eye on him while he was here. That second fact had made Naruto pout when he'd heard it, he really was old enough to look after himself, thank you very much, he didn't need some old hag breathing down his neck.

His fingers finally found the smooth paper of the envelope, familiar under his fingers now as he had read that letter every night on his way here. He had been born in Japan, but they had moved shortly afterwards, and he didn't really remember anything from his time there. The school was nestled in the mountains in the south of the island country, and it had been a long plane ride to get out to the island, then quite a drive to get up to the campus.

The whole time Naruto had been busy worrying about the school that would be his home for the next year at the very least. Now here he was, standing in the intimidatingly large marble offices of Konoha Institute, and he was somewhat glad that his journey was over for now, even if his stomach did do a little flip, squirming like a small restless woodland animal in his gut. He forced a smile as he handed the secretary the letter.

There was a moment of silence as she read, one that seemed to stretch and morph and grow around him until he was nervously shifting around on his feet. The sound of papers rustling on her desk brought him back to the moment. He forced himself to be still and look back up to the woman behind the desk. She smiled, clicking something on the computer screen in front of her and the printer on the table behind her whirred to life, spitting out three sheets of white paper, each one with the school logo on the top in a bold gold and green. She handed him the papers.

"Here you go then, Uzumaki-kun! This is your schedule, your room assignment, a map of the school and all of the basic rules and regulations for the Institute. We expect you'll fit right in." She beamed up at him for a second before he turned to leave. His hand was on the door when she called out to him again. "Oh, right, I almost forgot. Tsunade will call you back in when she gets back from her business in America, which shouldn't be very long now at all. Your uncle requested that you get a brief overview of everything from her as soon as possible. If you have any questions, you can ask them then, and I'm sure she'll be able to answer pretty much anything. Okay?"

He nodded at her beaming face, and turned to leave again, forcing a smile onto his face even as he nervously toyed with the ends of his sleeves.

X

After an hour of wandering through the campus, and several stops to ask sheepishly for directions Naruto arrived outside the room to which he was assigned. The polished brass plate on the door read West Building: Room 8C. He paused, unsure of whether to knock or not, while he searched his pockets for the key the woman at the desk had given him. He took a deep breath when his fingers caught around it and decided to just slide the key card in and go for it.

He turned the knob slowly, still nervous. He knew he was going to get a roommate, and it wasn't really that that bothered him so much per-say, in fact he thought it might be kind of fun, but he wanted to start out his first year at this new school on the right foot. He wanted his room mate to like him. He pushed the door open, scanning the space ready to say hello to the other boy but was somewhat disappointed to find the room empty.

He sighed and threw his duffel onto the floor by the unoccupied side of the room and flopped unceremoniously down onto the bed. It was soft, the linens were obviously expensive, smooth to the touch, with pillows stacked at the head board. He surveyed the other side of the room, and was a little disappointed.

The bed was unmade, a flurry of uprooted sheets and blankets, but the walls were left blank and white. The desk was piled with books and papers, with one lone picture of a scowling red headed boy with a facial tattoo standing with his arms crossed, with a blonde girl draped over one side beaming like an idiot and flashing the V-for-victory at the camera. Another, slightly taller, stockier boy stood on his other side, smiling weakly, almost ignoring them both.

Naruto let his gaze flit to the ceiling above him, tracing a small crack that started in the corner above his head, tracing it slowly with his eyes until it disappeared. He sighed heavily when he thought about the school. He knew this was going to be hard, being one of the best prep schools in Japan it promised to be a lot of work, but probably worth it in the end really. Still, the Institute had a strict dress code and other such things that were a world away from what the boy was used to. He wondered if it would work out, or if he'd find some way to mess up this chance without meaning to.

He was wrenched from his thoughts by the door slamming open rather violently, bouncing off the wall with a loud noise that made Naruto jump. Standing in the doorway was a small pale boy, one that Naruto recognized from the picture tacked to the wall behind the desk. He smiled, sitting up. The red haired boy walked in silently, trailed by a boy in very dark sunglasses, with a scarf wrapped around the bottom of his face. Neither one of them said anything, so Naruto cleared his throat.

"Hello, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I'm your new roommate, what's your name?" He winced a little at the sound of his own voice, like a puppy, excited and eager to please. The red headed boy merely grunted before turning his back. Naruto blushed a little.

"My name is Gaara." his voice was thick and gravely, low but still cold as ice. Naruto flinched a little. The boy behind Gaara shook his head a little.

"Gaara be nice, he's new after all." He turned towards Naruto then, and inclined his head slightly, "My name's Shino by the way. I live down the hall a couple units." Gaara just glared.

"What are your classes?" Naruto pulled out his schedule to compare. Neither boy spoke then, and the silence stretched out in front of him before Gaara broke it with a snort.

"Listen Uzumaki. I'm not your best friend, I'm just your roommate. I was fine in here by myself, last semester, but now you're here, joy of all joys, and I get to share a room with you." Shino chuckled.

"He's just mad because he had a room mate at the beginning of first semester and the kid left so he thought he'd be alone in here." Gaara turned back to Naruto then, his face blank and serious.

"Do you know why your predecessor is gone Uzumaki? It was because I killed him for annoying me." His face remained flat through the whole statement, which he delivered in his slow drawl, before he turned back away from Naruto. Shino scoffed.

"He didn't really kill the poor kid, don't worry. And as long as you don't piss him off you'll be fine I'm sure." Somehow Naruto was not comforted.

X

Naruto had left the little room shortly after Gaara had arrived, because the other boy had made a production out of ignoring him and it made the blond uncomfortable. He was still a little nervous about wandering around the campus, but he figured it was a whole lot less awkward than sitting in that little room with a boy who seemed to hate him.

He didn't think that Gaara's cold indifference would have been as disappointing to him if the boy hadn't been so attractive. Naruto blushed at the thought, but it was entirely true: he thought his roommate was damn hot, and even if he was probably straight as a ruler Naruto's mind kept painting the two of them in certain compromising situations together. He supposed that was also a big part of wanting to get the hell out of that room as quick as possible. Naruto sighed.

The campus of the Konoha Institute was massive, the school itself was located on a large cleared plot, but the land around it for miles was their property, with wooded areas and a large lake, not to mention an onsen up the mountain from the dorms. The compound itself was surrounded by a high stone wall with a big wrought iron gate at the driveway. Naruto could still remember the small tendrils of unease that had curled around his internal organs when he had passed through them in the cab he had taken from the airport.

These gates had been a fitting first impression of the school though, all of the buildings were made of stone, tarnished and darkened with age, and they towered above him ominously, making his heart beat a little faster. He wasn't used to places like this, so old and prestigious. It made him shiver.

Naruto had been so caught up in his thoughts about the campus that he hadn't even noticed the boy running across the courtyard he was currently walking through until they were both flat on the ground. Naruto was stunned, but the other boy seemed fine, blushing a little bit and stammering out an apology, struggling to stand back up before offering the blond a hand. Naruto was taken aback slightly by the boy.

He had brown hair that was wild around his face, and he wore a hooded parka against the winter chill, but Naruto's eyes were immediately drawn to the red tattoos the boy had underneath his eyes, trailing down each cheek. He gawked silently for a minute before chastising himself, grabbing the hand and pulling himself up.

"Thanks, I'm Uzumaki Naruto by the way, I'm new this semester. And you are...?" The boy smiled, and for the first time Naruto saw the boy's teeth, decidedly sharper than normal, giving him an animalistic beauty.

"I'm Kiba, I think I might be in the same class as you, you're Gaara's new roommate eh?" Naruto blushed.

"He hates me. Are you guys friends or something, you found out so quickly." He blushed and shuffled his feet, but Kiba just threw his head back and laughed.

"No, its not that, although I'm sure Gaara doesn't hate you, thats just the way he is. This school is pretty selective, so the classes aren't big and a new student is big news."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, slumping slightly and this only served to amuse Kiba more.

"So, Uzumaki, I've never heard of you before, what do Uzumakis do?" Naruto looked puzzled, cocking his head slightly and Kiba sighed. "Everyone here comes from a good family, you have to be pretty wealthy to go here, though social prestige goes a long time too." Naruto just shook his head. He wasn't quite sure what to say to that.

"Both of my parents are dead actually, I live with an uncle, he's an author, and friends with the principle apparently." Kiba raised and eyebrow in question but Naruto just shrugged it off. Kiba couldn't really help but smile, the boy was too cute, and that little nervous look on his face suited him quite well.

X

Uchiha Sasuke scowled at the familiar halls of the academy. He'd convinced his brother that he needed to take a break, and so he had spent the last semester in Amsterdam with their cousins there, but now he was back here in this fucking hell hole, and no closer to graduating, and to top it all off now he had to see Itachi every day again. He scowled deeper, when he heard the familiar distant click of heels behind him, telling him someone was following him. He focused on the tone and spacing of the clicks and sighed. It was Sakura, he could tell. Each one of his teen stalkers wore different shoes, damn stupid fashion-plates that they were. Sakura's heels were higher, but thinner than the others, the click was always small but sharp each time she took a step. Her strides were longer due to the shortness of her stupid fucking uniform skirt, hemmed up to the point where the hall monitors could probably report her for dress code violations. But none of them would, none of them would dare. Besides, even he could see the way most of them looked at her, envious or pining, depending mostly on their orientation.

He hated the girls that followed him around this stupid school, and if he was given a choice he wouldn't come back. He would go live in Amsterdam, or their uncle's house in Paris, or their summer house on the French shore. But he wasn't given a choice, he was given an ultimatum: graduate from Konoha and you can have the rest of your life, as long as you don't do something embarrassing, don't graduate and be trapped in this families tangled strings for the rest of your life.

He didn't see how any of this was important really, he was the second son after all, his brother Itachi would be heir to the family dynasty barring anything horrible happening, his own involvement wasn't necessary. He knew his brother, who would be graduating from Konoha this year, would never let anything happen to let his seat at the head of the Uchiha table be usurped, so Sasuke wasn't worried about having to take the companies one day. He also knew though that his brother had worked him into the fabric of his life, and that he would never let Sasuke cut ties, he would always keep that little proverbial leash around the boy's neck to tug him back to his place at the older Uchiha's side. He was the one to give the ultimatum after all, the only one who really gave a shit what Sasuke did.

Their parents were never around much when Sasuke and Itachi were children, and now that they were more grown up their parents weren't around at all really. Even if the brothers did take the short trip up to the main house there was a good chance their parents would be off on some trip or taking care of urgent business. Most of their time was split between the school and Itachi's Tokyo apartment, his brother loved dragging him out there on weekends and vacations. Sometimes Sasuke would be allowed to bring friends, but often his brother would get that face, that evil grin that sent chills up the younger boy's spine, and he would command him to come alone and bring nothing. Those were the weekends that left him like this: irritated and sleep deprived, rather sore all over, and very, very short tempered.

X

Naruto stared at the white ceiling of the dorm room where he had returned early in an attempt to get some sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. Classes were starting on monday, only four days away, and he couldn't help but be a little nervous about it, really. He didn't know more than a couple people now, and Kiba had availed him with a little bit of the "How the Institute Works" talk, but what he heard he was sure he didn't really understand. Naruto pushed it all out of his mind for now though, and pressed his eyes closed, focusing on sleeping, just a little bit.

Sasuke sulked the whole way back to his room, that damn girl still following him, but when he ducked inside he saw a little note laying on his bed. The handwriting was clearly recognizable as Itachi's and it only served to make his mood darker. Itachi had gone to a lot of trouble to secure Sasuke a private room this year, meaning he had no roommate, and Sasuke couldn't imagine why he would do such a thing seemingly on a whim. He was beginning to understand already though, as he hadn't actually slept in here much since he returned.

He unfolded the note deftly, his mood only getting worse when he read the sort message. His brother would be dropping in later it seemed, and had some sort of a surprise for him. Knowing Itachi's sick sense of humor he had a feeling he really wouldn't like it. He briefly entertained the idea of running away, of making himself otherwise disposed then, but he knew it would only make his brother displeased, and displeasing his brother only led to his own pain in the long run. He'd learned that lesson the hard way in his younger days.

Being the heir to the Uchiha dynasty, as the first son, Itachi was always the favorite, and he was pretty much perfect. He got perfect marks in school without really trying and their parents doted on him constantly. He was their favorite hands down, and whenever they were together it was always Itachi who was the center of the attention. Unless Sasuke somehow fucked something up, then everything came down on his head. When he was younger his parents would always scold him, for his grades, for his conduct, for his attitude, and they would tell him again and again, why can't you be more like Itachi?.

Itachi had been the only one to pay attention to him, the only one who ever told him he was doing a good job. That had hurt for awhile, especially once they were deemed old enough to be left on their own, and Itachi would always be in charge of Sasuke when their parents left. That was when all this started really.

Sasuke shook his head slightly, trying not to feel too bitter. After he graduated he could really do anything he wanted with his life, or nothing at all, but Itachi was bound to the family businesses, he had to run them, and continue on the family name. Sasuke would be the first to admit that in that sense he really did have the better lot of the two, even if he did have a sneaking suspicion that Itachi wouldn't let him go, even then. He didn't have a doubt that Itachi, if he found the opportunity, would bind Sasuke to himself forever.

X

Naruto yawned, stretching his hands above his head as he walked through the corridors of the dormitory building, heading towards the café on the bottom floor. He was wicked hungry, his stomach waking him up far earlier than he was used to and reminding him that he hadn't eaten since he left the airport yesterday. He wasn't quite sure that he was heading the right way, but he didn't want to pull out the neatly folded paper campus map he'd stuck in his pocket and look like an idiot.

He finally found the stairs to the ground level and he swung the door open, taking them two at a time and whistling softly to himself. He hit the concrete of the last landing with a certain amount of grace and wrenched the door open, cringing slightly at the sunlight that came streaming into his face, the lobby being lined with gigantic picture windows. The lingering remains of the snow on the ground outside were pretty, but they only served to make the problem worse, the rays magnified by the smooth white surface. He sighed.

The café was on the other side of the open lobby, and he set off across it with his hands shoved into his pockets and his head down. He wasn't exactly sure what they would have here, but for the level of class the school was alleged to have he expected his choices to be many. He wasn't disappointed. This did however slow him down a little, as he had no idea what to pick.

He settled on some eggs and toast finally and handed the woman behind the counter the plastic key card he'd been given in payment. She'd smiled and Naruto had slid down the counter to wait for his food, which only took a second really.

He scooped up the tray of food he was given with a small murmur of thanks before he turned, scanning the tables. There weren't many free tables right now, and he didn't really want to sit with someone he didn't know, so he made a beeline for a booth in the corner that was currently unoccupied and turned his attention to his food.

"Well, somebody seems to be enjoying their food." the voice was familiar, and Naruto blushed a little, looking up at Kiba who was standing beside him, an amused smirk on his face. A little behind him Naruto saw a boy he didn't recognize, his face a bored mask and his eyes an unnervingly uniform shade of pale white.

"Care if we join you, Uzumaki?" Kiba was still smirking down at him. Naruto shook his head and watched as the boy flopped down on the bench opposite him, the one Naruto didn't recognize giving him a withering look before sitting down next to him, facing the blond. He sighed.

"My name is Hyuuga Neji by the way, since Kiba doesn't seem to be polite enough to introduce us. And your name is...?" Neji's voice was bored and flat, as he studied his fingernails carefully. Naruto smiled.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I'm new this semester." Neji rolled his eyes.

"Yes, well I knew that part, this school isn't big enough for a new student to go unnoticed." Naruto's smile weakened a little, not really sure what was going on in Neji's head and it made him uncomfortable. Kiba just smiled and picked at the muffin he'd bought, eating some of it but mainly just making a mess on the table. Naruto saw Neji shoot the boy an icy glare, before going back to ignoring him. The blond was confused to say the least, wondering if all the social interactions around here were this shallow and boring. He hoped not.

X

Sasuke had woken up to bright sunlight and an empty divot in his bed beside him, already cooled. When Itachi came down to his brother's room he always left before sunrise, and Sasuke told himself that he preferred it that way, not having to face the older boy in the morning when everything was brighter and more clear. It had hurt a little to sit up, his lower back aching and sore, but he had levered himself out of bed anyways, and popped into the little bathroom. He needed a shower, that was always the first thing he thought of after Itachi's visits.

He adjusted the temperature carefully, turning the water up as hot as he could possibly stand before stepping under the spray. He reached for the bar of soap first, and scrubbed small circles on his skin with it, lathering and rinsing, trying to get to a point where he felt clean, but he gave up with a sigh, knowing it wasn't going to help. He quickly lathered his hair up, rinsing it well before shutting off the water, and groping around the counter outside for his towel.

His fingers closed around the terry-cloth and he sighed briefly, drying himself as best he could before stepping out and onto the tile floor of the bathroom, tracking wet footprints across it. He turned the door nob and swung it open, and his heart skipped at the sight. Itachi was back, standing over his desk flipping through a stack of small photos, that dangerous smirk on his face.

Sasuke hated that smirk, because it usually meant something was going to happen, and he probably wasn't going to like it. He schooled his expression into a dark scowl as he stomped into the bedroom, hair still damp and dripping water down his back, one hand holding the towel closed around his waist.

"What are you doing here Aniki? Don't you have something better to do right now than hanging around here and terrorizing me?" The older boy slipped the pictures back into the little white envelope they came in before shooting Sasuke a look over his shoulder.

He placed the envelope on the boy's desk and turned around, leaning back on the wooden top. His eyes traced the lines of his little brother's body in a positively predatory way. It made the smaller Uchiha shiver slightly, but he was determined not to let Itachi have the satisfaction of getting a real rise out of him.

"I'll get right down to it then, seems you have important things to do today and I wouldn't want you to be late or anything." He smirked as Sasuke continued to scowl at him, crossing the room to the closet and rummaging around inside, listening to his brother absently.

"I'm having a little party up at the Tokyo house next weekend, so don't make any plans. I have some other things to take care of too, so you might want to figure out some way of keeping yourself entertained while I'm gone." Then Itachi yawned, checking his watch, raising one eyebrow at what he saw. "Well, I'll leave you to it then otouto."

Sasuke closed his eyes and clenched his fists repetitively, trying his hardest not to just burst out and yell anything that might get him in trouble with his brother, because he knew from experience Itachi would make his regret it later. Itachi stopped at the door and Sasuke didn't have to look back, he could feel the fucking smirk the bastard had on.

"Well Sasuke? You're not going to give me a kiss goodbye?" He spun on his heels to glare daggers at the older boy, but by the time he was around Itachi was right there in front of him, and he didn't even have enough time to breath before sadly familiar hands were fisted in his hair, bending his head backwards.

"Itachi, th-" His brother cut him off before he could get any more out, sucking the air from his lungs, the familiar press of the warm tongue making him weak in the knees. He reached forwards then, grabbing the front of his brother's uniform tightly, letting Itachi swallow the small moan.

Itachi pulled back then, smirking at the blush his little brother wore now. Sasuke cursed under his breath when he realized he was panting and still half naked. He shot a glare at his brother, but Itachi never dropped that insufferable smirk. The older boy turned then, sliding out the open door, but not without a backwards glance and a wink.

"See you next weekend, otouto!"

Sasuke blushed all over again, staring at the closed door. He almost started crying then. Instead he hurriedly threw on some clothing, deciding he needed to go get something to eat, even if what he really wanted was to get as far away from this stupid fucking room as was possible.

X

The three boys sat at their little table in the café long after their food was gone, horsing around and yelling, telling each other stories, and playing the teenage game of one-up-man-ship. Well, at least Kiba and Naruto were, Neji was mostly staring absently at his fingernails, quirking an eyebrow at his companions every once and awhile. That is, until he looked out the window and couldn't suppress an evil little giggle.

He proceeded to poke Kiba lightly in the ribs, pointing to the lobby behind them when he turned with a growl. That growl dissolved into a sadistic smirk when he turned his head, catching sight of the familiar pale figure, limping slightly, dark sunglasses covering his eyes. They waited until he'd gotten almost all the way to the café before Neji stood up rather languidly.

"Hey Uchiha, long night I see. Did you get lucky?" There was a giggle from the seated boys, Kiba because he enjoyed tormenting the other boy, Naruto because he wasn't sure what was going on, but didn't want to be left behind. The pale boy sighed heavily, like the entire world had just been dropped on his shoulders. He tucked the strands of his black hair that had fallen in his face behind one ear before cocking an eyebrow at the two boys still seated.

"Mh. I'm not the one down here first thing with some townie slut." He spat, one hand rubbing his temple in irritation. Naruto was ready to snap back in anger and the jerk, but Kiba stopped him short by throwing one arm over Naruto's shoulders, grinning mischievously at the dark haired boy.

"No no, Uchiha. This here is fresh blood, new student just transfered in. He's rooming with your good buddy Gaara, so you best be nice." He followed it with a wink and even Neji laughed at that, a sharp barking sound. Naruto just looked perplexed, blushing a little at Kiba's arm, still wrapped around him like that. Neji sighed, nodding to Naruto, but returning his attention to his fingernails.

"Well I suppose you haven't had the dubious pleasure of the Uchiha's acquaintance yet. Naruto, this is Uchiha Sasuke. He's a real asshole. Uchiha, this is ... Uzumaki right?" He glanced over at Kiba who nodded.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto, but best be careful Uchiha, he's in with the headmistress, and you know she's just itching for a reason to expel you guys. I'd be nice to him if I were you."

The last part was drawled out, his voice sweet like honey, and he batted his eyelashes suggestively, making the Uchiha scowl, and blush just slightly, enough to set Kiba to giggles once more, this time Naruto didn't join him, he was busy watching the pale boy in front of him, head cocked slightly to the side.

There was something about Sasuke.

X

The rest of Friday went by quickly, Naruto wandering aimlessly around the campus, trying to get his bearings. There weren't many people there at the moment, the woman in the café had told him they had a tendency to go away on weekends. He sighed.

It was Saturday morning now, and he was bored as all hell, not really sure what else he could do with no one here. He had grabbed a book his Uncle had mailed him and some manga magazines, heading out to sit under on of the trees. It was unseasonably warm, and most of the snow had melted away yesterday. He stopped into the café on his way out to grab some pastries. He hadn't eaten any breakfast yet, but somehow the prospect of hot cooked food didn't settle too well with him then.

He shrugged it off, balancing the small box and his books in one arm and he wrestled his bag over one shoulder, pushing the door open with the other. He had been paying attention to the things in his arms, and it hadn't crossed his mind to look where he was going until he was falling onto the patio flagstones, automatically dropping everything in favor of shielding his face as he fell.

When he felt the hard ground on his wrists he was startled back into reality, leaping up to see the damage he had caused, apology already falling from his lips. He knew he was clumsy, this happened to him all the time, so it was obviously his fault.

He halted mid sentence though when he saw who he had run down. Partly it had been shock at seeing a familiar face, especially the still cryptic face of the Uchiha kid, but his mouth went dry when he took in the sliver of pale skin revealed when his shirt had ridden up, delicious in its own right. His voice returned though when he saw a dark bruise on the boy's hip.

"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry, I'm clumsy sometimes, and I wasn't expecting anyone to be out here..." He held out his hand to help the boy up, and Sasuke just frowned at it for a second before Naruto sighed, reaching down to grab the pale wrist and pull him back to his feet. The boy still hadn't said anything past the grunt of surprise when he'd hit the ground. Naruto looked away from him, slightly embarrassed suddenly. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, mouth suddenly dry again.

"Hey Sasuke, look. What those guys said yesterday, don't pay any attention to them. I'm not out to get you or anything, hell I don't even know you. And I really am sorry I knocked you over like that." He smiled weakly. Sasuke sighed.

"Are you really Gaara's roommate?" He asked, a bit more quietly. Naruto blushed a little.

"Yeah, but I don't think he likes me very much..." He tried to smile

"Mh, Gaara doesn't like anybody very much, except maybe my brother. He probably doesn't hate you though." He paused a second, and then he added, "He hates me." Naruto raised a curious eyebrow, but he had the feeling asking Sasuke why wouldn't get him anywhere. He sighed.

"Hey, where were you off to in such a hurry?" Naruto tried to resurrect the mood with a bright smile. Sasuke blushed a little.

"Nowhere" he barked, a little more harshly than he meant to, he winced at his own tone.

"Well, if you're not doing anything wanna come on a picnic with me? I'm so fucking bored I'd kill for some company right now. I've got a backpack full of manga and a box full of sugary confections!"

Sasuke cocked his head to the side for a moment, as if considering, but Naruto couldn't tell what was going on behind the dark glasses the boy wore. Finally He nodded once, slowly, like he didn't do it too often. Naruto smiled.

X

He had spent the entire afternoon sitting outside with the blond, underneath a tree, and it had been an oddly enjoyable experience. For Sasuke, the presence of others usually meant one of three things, either the incessant simpering and doting of his stupid fangirls, like Sakura and Ino were always doing, the undercurrents of hostility and defensiveness, like Neji and Kiba, or the outright psychological manipulation that only Itachi could ever be capable of.

He had been pleased to find that and afternoon with Naruto had ended up being none of those things. The boy really had just sat next to him under some tree, bundled up in their winter coats, though the weather was unseasonably warm, and read. Occasionally he would ask Sasuke a question, though usually it was about the school and never about himself. He liked that.

He had given up on reading his manga a while ago, settling for staring at each page for awhile, before flipping it, glancing up at the boy before him. Naruto was concentrated intently when reading, and he chewed lightly on the tip of his finger, eyes scanning the words quickly.

Sasuke thought he could really come to enjoy this, and he was truly a little disappointed when the boy's cell phone had rung, waking him from his trance. He had talked rapidly in a language Sasuke didn't speak but vaguely thought could be French before hanging up and jumping to his feet.

"Hey Sasuke, I've gotta run, a friend of my uncle's just called, and he needs my help so I've gotta run. Talk to you later!" He had waved over his shoulder dismissively, not waiting for a response before he jogged off. Sasuke had let his lips form goodbye silently as he watched the boy leave, then heaved a big sigh. He was alone here again and he knew that wasn't the best way to spend the day, especially when he'd been told by Sakura-chan this morning that Gaara was coming back sometime this afternoon.

Sasuke wasn't afraid of the red haired boy so much as just discomfited by him. Then there was that whole thing about the boy hating him. Gaara had started hanging out with Itachi last year, and Sasuke had always wondered how it got started. Gaara had been at one of his brother's parties one weekend, and he was pretty sure that was the start.

He'd never liked those stupid parties, something always happened that he would regret or be embarrassed by later. It had been at one of those stupid parties that he had done whatever it was that offended the other boy, and now he was paying some sort of price for it he was sure.

X

Saturday night found Sasuke bored as all hell, laying on his back and staring up at the blank ceiling above him. He'd tried to read one of the manga he had on his desk, but he couldn't pay attention to it so he'd hurled it across the room. He'd been rather frustrated by that point. He'd settled on going out to get some dinner after that, hoping it would be enough of a distraction to put him at ease, but he'd gotten back from that hours ago, and his mind was still racing inside his skull, not able to focus.

He knew his brother had leaned on people to get him this private room, the Uchiha name didn't mean enough that he would get such privileges without doing something extra, but Itachi was capable of pretty much anything when he put his mind to it. Sasuke was really only at Konoha in the first place due to his brother.

The younger boy hadn't wanted to come here, but Itachi had applied him, Itachi had put in a good word, Itachi had given him the terms of the agreement, he'd even put the idea into their parents' heads. His hand had been forced, and so the Uchiha was here, flat out on his back, staring at the ceiling wishing he wasn't

He closed his eyes, trying his best to fall asleep, even though he knew it was too early. In the darkness behind his eyes, he found himself wondering if that new kid would be around tomorrow.

X

By the time Naruto had gotten home, Gaara was back in the room, this time he was alone, sprawled in the desk chair staring at the glowing screen of his laptop. His eyes had darted up to Naruto when he entered, and Gaara had grunted in greeting, but that was all the acknowledgment he received from the older boy. Naruto sighed at this, and flopped down onto the bed.

He was exhausted. One of his uncle's friends had asked for his help in showing his niece around town. He lived a short drive from the school, and he knew Naruto was new to the area, but he thought she would be much more comfortable with someone her own age than with one of the staff. It had been a tedious afternoon to be sure.

The girl had been attractive, but her mind had been a vacuum and every time she opened her mouth she just got more annoying. It had been all he could do not to bludgeon her to death with the dish ware at dinner, when she had kept giggling and simpering, despite his best attempts at intelligent, civilized conversation. He was glad to be back at school, but he was a little disappointed that his time with Sasuke had been cut short for something that stupid.

It rather embarrassed him, even just thinking about it, but he liked Sasuke. I mean, what wasn't to like? He wasn't really that tall, but he made up for it in the dark and handsome department. And then there was the teasing, which Naruto could relate to all too well. He'd gotten over caring what other people thought though, and it seemed, from what he'd heard at least, that the Uchiha had never really cared much. Smart Kid. The sound of his roommate's emotionless voice pulled him from his Sasuke-laced thoughts. He blushed a little, he'd been kind of lost in his contemplation, and Gaara looked a bit pissed because of it.

"Hey, Uzumaki!" He smiled over at the red headed boy

"Yeah?" He tried to keep his voice steady and happy, despite the color still dusting his cheeks.

"Wanna go to lunch with us tomorrow? Kiba and Neji are dragging me into town, and they wanted me to invite you along." there was a pause, and in a very un-Gaara-like voice he continued, a little quieter, "I mean, if you wanna..." Naruto jumped at the chance, he'd thought his roommate had hated him. This was a perfect opportunity to get things off on the right foot.

"Yeah sure, what time?" He was smiling for real this time, he felt like this was gonna be a good year.

Sunday morning dawned rather late for Sasuke, but when he finally awoke he decided he needed to get the hell out of that room, and go off somewhere where his brother wouldn't be able to find him. He dressed hastily and left, wondering downstairs towards the café, telling himself it was because he was hungry, and Itachi never hung around there. It wasn't because that new kid might be down there, not at all, but if he was then Sasuke would just have to say hi, and maybe offer to take him to lunch, and maybe show him around since he was, you know, new and all.

It wasn't until he heard the click of the door shutting behind him that he realized he'd left his key card on his bed. He swore under his breath, great, just fucking great, and the RA's aren't here this weekend. Looks like I'm stuck. He sighed, wishing he had roommates like he'd had last year. With a roommate there was always someone to let you in when you did something stupid like that. He cursed his brother under his breath again, thinking this was all somehow the bastard's fault.

His heart fell a little when he reached the lobby and the blond boy was no where to be found, but he didn't let himself think that for long. Besides, he was probably around somewhere, Sasuke did get up kind of late, so there was no reason why the blond kid wouldn't have left the café already. He'd just have to hang around for awhile.

Sasuke settled into a little table in the corner, once he'd gotten an annoyingly precious little frittata from the counter. He couldn't help but smirk a little. Itachi wouldn't think to look for him in the café, Sasuke wasn't normally the most social of people so he didn't hang out in the common areas much. Normally he'd just stay up in his room most of the time, at least none of those stupid girls that tended to follow him around could get him there.

He heard familiar footsteps coming from behind and he flinched, though he carefully schooled his face so that nothing showed by the time the tall blonde boy had flopped down across the table from him, a cup of coffee in one hand, half emptied. He grinned widely, long hair falling over his face like normal. Shit, he almost looked like a girl, and a decently cute one at that. Then the boy had to open his stupid mouth and ruin the effect.

"Good Morning, Sasuke-kun..." He practically purred before glancing around smoothly, pulling a small flask out of his pocket when he was satisfied no one was actually looking. He dumped about half the contents into his lukewarm coffee, holding it out to Sasuke. Sasuke grunted in reply, shaking his head.

"What do you want, Deidara?" The boy pushed a look of hurt onto his face, obviously fake.

"Now Sasuke-kun, how many times have I told you to call me Dei?" he leaned in closer then, so their faces almost touched. "Your brother calls me Dei... all night long." Sasuke blushed deep crimson at that, and Deidara burst into slightly drunken laughter. Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes while his cheeks cooled quickly. Great, its barely even the afternoon yet and the fuck-head is already drunk.

"Is there some special reason you came by, or do you just enjoy making my every waking moment an unbearable torture?" This only made the blonde crack up laughing once again, and the Uchiha scowled at him.

"That was so angsty and poetic, Sasuke-kun! I thought you didn't have a taste for art." Sasuke bit back a retort, because it was easier to crush his Uchiha pride now than it would be to deal with this asshole for it later. The blond stared off into the distance for a second, before he jumped a little, smiling. "I remember, it was Itachi. He wants you to call him up today, something about ... uh ... Tokyo maybe?"

The older boy was starting off into space then, tapping one finger on his lips repeatedly. Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed. This promised to be a long and trying day. He couldn't help but pout a little though, since he hadn't run into that new kid again yet.

X

Said new kid was busy at that same moment out in the little town that was sprawled along the east wall of the Institute. He chuckled at something Kiba had said. He hadn't really understood it, but he understood that it was supposed to be funny so he laughed. The four of them were sitting in a little diner, goofing off, in no particular hurry to get back home. Well, three of them were goofing off, the other just sat there with an expression on his face that clearly read just try to put me in your stupid conversation, I WILL kill you on the spot. No one doubted his seriousness either.

It was nice, hanging out with people like this. Naruto didn't have many friends back home, there was never anyone around to hang out with. Here though, there were people everywhere, and while it had been a little frightening at first he was used to it after the couple of days he'd been here he found himself strangely attached to the concept. He smiled again.

He turned slightly to watch his roommate sipping a cup of black coffee before resuming observation of Neji and Kiba fighting like high-school girls, slinging catty comments, every once and awhile Kiba would stop to pout or brood and Neji went back to checking his perfect nails.

Naruto was worried about fitting in with these kids, they were all from important families, they had lots of money, parents who sent care packages and cooed at them over the phone. He really did want to make friends with these people though, so he resolved to try at any rate.

He had been pleasantly surprised at the ease with which he meshed with them in the end, Kiba being just as much of a crazy bastard as he was, Neji being distant but easily goaded, and Gaara being seemingly amused enough by their antics, every once and awhile. Well, at least he wasn't making thinly veiled death threats any more, and that was a good start.

He giggled slightly as Neji gave up with a huff, throwing a little package of jelly at Kiba's face, the other boy just snickering a little when it bounced off without opening, landing on the table amongst the ravaged plates that had once held their breakfast. A disturbing calm settled over the table then, as everyone went silent. He'd heard the door open and close, but he was seated next to Gaara in the booth, their seats facing away, so he couldn't see who had entered.

He turned when he saw the smile Neji was barely suppressing, Kiba on the edge of blushing. There were two boys standing near the entrance, both wearing something rather close to the Institute uniform, but it seemed off somehow. They were older, but not by much, one was inhumanly tall and built well, with broad shoulders and tanned skin.

The other was faced away from them now, but his long hair hung down his back, the broad shoulders and firm musculature were the only thing letting Naruto know he was a male, and probably not someone to fuck around with either. He turned around then, pale skin almost shining in the light, and their eyes caught.

Naruto felt himself blush, as the boy smirked, and there was something familiar about his face, the line of it reminding him of someone he knew but he couldn't quite figure it out. He whipped his head back around when he saw the pale boy move towards him, swearing silently. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for some superior snide remark, but it never came. The foot steps clicked up to the table then stopped. It was his roommate's voice he heard then, and it was unexpected, making him jump a little.

"Hey 'Tachi, what's up? I didn't know you were back at school yet!" There was a certain distant warmth in the words, something he hadn't been sure Gaara was capable of. He shot a glance to Neji who was smiling full on now, Kiba's gaze still screwed onto the condiments in the corner of their booth, his fingers nervously mauling a sugar packet as he flipped it between them.

"Yeah, we got back a couple days ago, my brother was being a pain, as usual, but I think I fixed him." There was a leer in the smooth, syrupy voice that almost made Naruto's stomach twist. That voice was perfect, deep and smooth, like chocolate melting on his tongue. He blushed again, at that thought. "Hey Hyuuga, Inuzaka, how are you two? And who is this lovely little blond, hm?" It was Neji who answered.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto, he's the new kid in our class, Gaara's roommate. We're showing him around a little, helping him get his bearings." There was a smirk in the tone that echoed the one on his face, and Itachi smiled a cold little smile.

"Well hello then, Naruto-kun. I'm Itachi, and this is Kisame. I suspect we may well see each other a lot in the future." There was a foreboding sound to his words, even as he smiled at them. He shifted a little then, turning to Gaara. "I'm having a party next weekend, up at the Tokyo place, you should come Sabaku. I'd invite the rest you clowns, but I'm sure you wouldn't actually show up." Gaara smirked a little then.

"I'll definitely be up, nothing better to do. You should come, Naruto, give it a chance, it will be no less that awesome, Itachi's parties rarely are." There was quite the pause before he continued, "There's always something ... interesting happening at them." Naruto watched as Neji rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the scene, but still smiling anyways.

"Maybe I will, nothing better to do after all." The older boy's locked gazes for a second, sharing a knowing smirk, and nodded.

"Alright, new kid! See you there..." That voice made him shiver slightly, and he still couldn't place the familiarity of the man before him. He just smiled in return.

X

Sasuke stared at the library clock intently, a book spread out before him that he simply couldn't focus on. He sighed, dropping his gaze to the two idiots sitting across the table from him. Deidara had insisted on dragging him around all freaking day, from one place to another. It wasn't like he had anything better to do really, and he had been nice enough to tell him Itachi was off campus for the day, so there really wasn't anyone around he felt like hiding from. Still, watching Dei and Sasori play tic-tac-toe and read porn was getting old quickly. He just wanted it to be six o-clock already, but that was still more than an hour away.

He knew that someone would be in the Res Hall Office at 6, so he could get back in his room and get back to doing important things. Well, he didn't really have any important things to do, but he could probably find something a bit more interesting than this shit. He sighed again, quite heavily, and it caught the attention of one of the idiots whose company was his dubious pleasure currently.

"Aw Sasuke-kun! Why the angst filled sighs? Are we not thrilling enough entertainment for an almighty Uchiha?" The blond across the table cooed. Sasori slapped him lightly upside the head.

"Let the kid be, Dei. He's still here isn't he? That counts for something." Sasuke snorted at that, but still managed a small smile for the red haired boy, who smiled back. Sasori was the nicest of his brother's friends, the only one Sasuke actually liked, and consequently also the only one he'd ever been with, besides Itachi.

Itachi had some strict rules for him, and he followed them, because he didn't relish getting his ass kicked. It had happened before. Now he knew exactly how far he could push Itachi before he broke, and then no one could stop him. There were some rules Sasuke hated, but lived with anyways, like the cell phone that he had been given, a private line that he was supposed to keep on at all times. Itachi was the only one who knew the number, and Sasuke didn't really call anyone.

Then there were rules he really didn't mind. Itachi had forbidden him from sleeping with anyone else, he was a possessive bastard after all, but Sasuke didn't really have a problem with that, because he didn't really want to sleep with any of the idiots at this school. It came in handy at the parties though, when someone would almost always make some drunken proposition, thrilled at the possibility of fucking an Uchiha. One of Itachi's friends was always there though, to deny the invitation. That came in handy really.

Sasuke wasn't sure why Itachi didn't care about him and Sasori. It wasn't a relationship or anything, just a couple nights, months and months ago. Sasuke didn't mind it really, but he wasn't ready to jump in bed with the boy again. Sasori didn't seem like he wanted to chase down the younger boy either, but he stood up for Sasuke a little more now. That was always nice.

Sasori cocked an eyebrow at the boys distant expression, snapping his fingers in Sasuke's face like he was breaking a trance. The boy jumped, then blushed, a pink tinge creeping onto his pale cheeks. He looked down apologetically. Deidara just smirked.

"Sasuke-kun, were you day dreaming again?" He smirked evilly, and lowered his voice to a theatrical whisper. "Was it a pretty girl? Have you finally found a little damsel to catch your heart?" Sasuke blushed.

"No" he snapped, shifting in his seat a little bit uncomfortable. Dei just giggled.

"I knew you had a little crush." He studied the boy's face, taking in the embarrassed but still outraged expression. He pushed a look of surprise onto his face. "Or is it a boy? Are you pining away your lonely hours dreaming about some cute little piece of ass in your class? OOO, bet I could guess which one." Sasuke blushed deeper, and slammed his book shut with a scowl.

"FUCK, I can't get anything done with you talking like that all the time. I don't need you right now, I'm going to go somewhere that I can read in peace." He stood and stormed towards the exit. Deidara's voice lingered in his mind, and it made his guts clench weirdly when an image of another blond boy popped into his head. It made him feel dirty somehow though, so he pushed the thought away.

Deidara and Sasori watched his receding back until the library door swung shut behind him, before they looked at each other and grinned widely. They could tell there was someone new involved, and they both knew Itachi wouldn't be pleased with that.

X

Uchiha Itachi stepped into the cool air of the street. He'd had some business to take care of in town today, and it had taken more time than he had anticipated. Now the last light of dusk was draining from the sky, and he could see the stars above him clearly. Kisame snorted beside him, reaching into the pocket of his coat to dig out a rumpled pack of cigarettes and a lighter. His face was thrown into a second of sharp relief in the small flame before the cigarette was lit, taking a long drag while tucking the pack away again. He smirked.

Itachi had been wandering around all day today, and they were both pretty tired despite the early hour. Kisame was looking forward to getting back to the Institute so that he could take a hot shower and hop into bed. Itachi looked like he could stand to do the same, but Kisame knew that he would probably visit his brother when they got home. He was a little bit too protective of the boy really, a little too possessive for family. But the the Uchiha boys were more than family, everybody knew that, but they were Uchihas, and that meant something, so no one bothered them about it.

Their family business was making enormous amounts of money, and the family had many high ranking officials and celebrities on their tree. The name commanded a certain power, even here, where everybody was important in some way. The principle was just looking for a real opportunity to expel them, but they were a little too perfect on paper, and Itachi was exemplary at covering their tracks.

The drive back to the Institute was short, and Itachi was on his phone the whole way back, making arrangements for his party, inviting people and making sure the staff they had in Tokyo sent someone down to get the place ready. It promised to be a good one, then again, Itachi's parties always were.

Itachi clicked his phone shut with a smirk when they entered the gates, packing everything back into his little black bag before parking the car by the Senior residence halls and getting out, Kisame behind him. It was a cool day, colder up on the mountain, but they were both wearing long coats.

Kisame and Itachi broke ways at the door, Kisame heading up to his room and Itachi going to finish up some things. The first person he felt he needed to seek out was Deidara, as Sasuke hadn't called him yet. He'd told the blond that he wanted Sasuke to call him as soon as possible, so he'd sent Dei out to find the boy when he left.

The blond was never hard to find though, and when Itachi got there he was still sitting in the back of the library. The blond was laying on the floor in one of the back corners, his head cushioned in Sasori's lap, some big book propped against his thighs, reading things out loud to the other boy every once and awhile. Itachi scowled.

"Hey Dei! Wheres my brother? I asked you to get him to call me this afternoon." His voice was heavy with annoyance, and it made the blonde cringe a little.

"Sasuke-kun was here with us for awhile but then he got embarrassed and ran off because I figured out he was pining for someone. Won't tell me who though, but thats probably good. If you killed someone you would get expelled." The blond was beaming and Itachi felt his head start to hurt.

"Well, where is he now? Do you know?" Deidara shook his head hesitantly, trying to decide if Itachi was going to hurt him or not. He looked up when the boy behind him sighed.

"He was locked out of his room, you're the only one with a spare key so he couldn't get back in. I think he went over to the café to get something to eat." Sasori added, calmly. Itachi glared at Dei, and nodded to Sasori.

"Thanks guys. Hey, you're coming next weekend, right?" Both of the older boys nodded, and Itachi smiled. This promised to be good, now if only he could find his brother.

X

Naruto climbed out of the back of Gaara's car rather nimbly, and it made him smile when both feet hit the ground without him falling on his face, like he had at the diner. It wasn't his fault he'd never been in a sports car before, and the stupid thing didn't have any back doors. It didn't really have much of a back seat to speak of really, but it had wheels and it went fast, so it had been the best option. None of the other boys had a car up there at all, too much trouble to deal with parking, not to mention getting it hauled up here in the first place.

It was almost dark, the sky holding onto day's last light around the horizon, and Naruto had to admit that it had been a rather fun day. He was looking forward to getting back home though, he'd picked up a magazine in town he wanted to read. The boys parted ways at the doors to the school, the Kiba and Neji going to their room, arguing about who would get to be first player. Kiba had gotten a new playstation game, he'd ordered it off line a week back and he'd gotten the delivery message on his phone on the drive back.

Gaara said he had some people to see before he'd be back, and he waved lazily over his shoulder at the blond before running up a different staircase. Naruto sighed, turning down the hallway to the elevators. He was tired, and didn't really feel like walking up the eight flights of stairs that it would take to get to his floor. He stared up at the ceiling while he waited for the car to come.

Footsteps echoed in the empty hallway behind him, and he turned around to look. He didn't know everyone yet, but Neji had introduced him to some new people this morning. He couldn't remember any of their names, but he'd only seen them for a second so he figured that was understandable. The his surprise though, the face was familiar. The dark eyes and pale skin, he smiled slightly.

"Sasuke, right?" The boy started, he hadn't realized there was someone here, he was too busy staring down at the phone in his hand. It was black and sleek, not the one Itachi had given him, but the one his parents had, the one he actually used. Sasuke smirked slightly. He'd been looking for the blond all day, not that he'd admit it.

"Che, that would be me. Your name is ... Naruto?" His sentence turned questioning at the end, and he bit his lip unconsciously. It was adorable, and it made Naruto blush a little.

"Y-yeah, thats it." He didn't know what else to say really, he didn't know too much about the Uchiha, only what he'd heard from his other new friends, and most of that wasn't very nice, and a little too outrageous for him to believe.

"So what have you been up to today, dobe? I didn't see you around anywhere." Sasuke struggled to keep his tone light, wincing a little at the was the last part sounded, a little lonely, a little desperate, a little too much like he'd been looking for the boy. Uchihas weren't supposed to sound like that dammit. But Naruto just smiled, all of that subtext going right over his head.

"Yeah, I went out to lunch with Gaara and Kiba and Neji. It was fun, they showed me around town, we did a little shopping, a lot of sitting around. How about you? What have you been up to? you look tired." Naruto was practically bouncing now, up on the balls of his feet. Sasuke couldn't help but smile.

"Eh, it was boring. I'm locked out of my room, so I have to wait until the woman in the res hall office comes back at six to get back in." Naruto cocked his head to the side for a minute before he answered.

"Hey, if you wanna come up and hang out, you can go to my room. Gaara's off doing something else, dunno what, but he won't be back for awhile so it'd just be us." He blushed a little, quickly adding, "I mean, I know you guys don't get on too well, so he's not gonna be there to bother you or anything..." Sasuke let the smirk leak back onto his face.

"Sure why not? Can't be any worse than wondering around out here..."

X

Itachi was getting annoyed by now. It was well after dark and he hadn't found his brother anywhere, and the phone he'd given the little brat was off. He'd called Sasuke's other phone, but the boy hadn't picked up. He swore under his breath, wishing he'd gotten the GPS tag for that phone when he'd had the chance.

He was ready to give up on finding him really, no longer in the mood to be nice, but he kept looking out of a desire to hurt the kid. This was exasperating, and he certainly had more pleasurable things he could be doing right now.

Itachi didn't really need to be on the campus right now, he didn't have classes until wednesday, which gave him another two whole days to do whatever he wanted. He'd only flown down last week because Sasuke was, and the prospect of a week to relax there and annoy his little brother had seemed great at the time. Now he was focused on finding the boy so he could bash his little head in.

X

Gaara thumbed the key card from his wallet to unlock the door to his room. He paused for a second when he heard voices inside. They were muffled and quiet, but an explosion of now familiar laughter assured him one of them was his new roommate. The boy was kind of obnoxious and sometimes he made Gaara wince and roll his eyes at the boys stupidity, but there was something contagious about his smile, and something about being around him that made people feel better. But Gaara didn't smile, so he schooled his face, and swiped the card, pushing the door open.

Naruto was laying across his bed, a magazine open before him that he wasn't paying attention to. His arm was stretched out, laying on the shoulder of the younger Uchiha, who was sitting on the floor in front of him, back leaning on the side of the bed, PSP clutched in his hands, swearing lightly as something blew up on the screen. Naruto's laughter came again as he withdrew the hand.

"I told you that'd happen, 'Suke. you didn't have enough life to go after him like that, it was suicide" The Uchiha just grumbled a little, a small smile on his face anyways, and pressed the re-start button. Neither had notice Gaara until he stepped in, letting the door slam behind him. They both jumped a little, and Gaara was quite satisfied with the re-action, even more so when Naruto's face turned to him and lit up with a smile.

"Gaara! Your back! How was ... uh, what's-her-face?" Gaara shook his head, trying to keep his lips in the same tight line.

"Temari, my sister. Yeah, she was fine." He nodded to the boy on the floor, who was ignoring him with great concentration. "Why's there a little Uchiha on our floor?" Sasuke's eye twitched a little, but he didn't rise to the bait.

"I ran into Sasuke on my way upstairs, he's locked out of his room so he came to hang out for awhile. Thats cool, right? I mean, he didn't go poking around or anything..." Gaara nodded, a little irritated that the boy was in his room, but he could barely suppress the smirk when he remembered how to fix that.

He reached into his pocket, flipping open his phone with one hand and leaning back against the closed door, preventing escape. He scrolled through his phone book and pressed send, bringing it up to his ear. He caught the Uchiha's eyes, and his smirk widened to match. There was one ring before an irritated "Hello" was heard from the other end.

"Yeah, 'Tachi. I found your brother, he's up here in my room." Then he closed the phone with a click, watching the boy on the floor tense slightly, swearing silently, fingers tightening on the electronic device still clutched in his hands. Naruto looked confusedly from one boy to the other, shooting Gaara a questioning glance.

"His brother was looking for him, I just wanted to give him a heads up. He was probably worried." Naruto's smile returned.

"Aw, thats nice. I wish I had a brother that cared that much." Sasuke gave a dry, humorless chuckle.

"No, you really don't. It's a big pain." Gaara smirked.

"Mmm, I bet it is." The innuendo present in the last phrase flew right over Naruto's head, as he went back to his magazine, but Sasuke colored from the insinuation. Gaara didn't move from the door, even through Sasuke's slightly pleading looks. He was enjoying this too much. Sasuke seemed to have forgotten who was boss between them, and it was something Gaara was glad to teach him once again. No one fucked with Gaara, or at least, no one fucked with Gaara without living to regret it deeply.

The silence lasted until the sharp knock came on the door, not really that long after the phone call. Gaara smiled down at Sasuke, still sitting on the floor, game hanging loosely from his hands now, palms sweating. He caught the boy's eye and winked. The Uchiha shuddered, watching the other boy turn and swing the door open, throwing the newcomer a smile and a warm greeting.

"Ah, 'Tachi, come in. Hope you weren't too worried or anything?" Sasuke kept his eyes trained tightly on the ground in front of him as he felt the familiar presence of his brother step into the room.

"No, I was fine, but I'm better now that I found Sasuke. He had his phone off, which was a little weird, but I figured it was his obstinacy really." Naruto looked up from his magazine and smiled at the new boy.

"Itachi-san! I didn't know you were 'Suke's brother!" Sasuke turned to look up at the blond with a little confusion, though when he thought about it Itachi had the largest social network of anyone he'd ever met, ever, so it really wasn't that surprising that he'd already met the new boy. It still made Sasuke a little bit queasy. He could feel his brother's gaze turn to him, and he winced slightly. Itachi was mad.

"Otouto, why is your phone off? I've been trying to call you ever since I got back and you didn't pick up once. I couldn't find you anywhere! I even had Dei tell you to call me and you still didn't." There was a pause, and Itachi sighed heavily, his grin barely suppressed. "Come on then, I've got the extra key to your room, so I can let you back in."

He held out a pale hand, and Sasuke knew better than to refuse it. He felt himself pulled firmly to his feet, meeting his brother's eyes for the first time. There was something mischievous floating around behind them and it was scaring him a little. Itachi wasn't a good thing when he was scheming. The blond's voice broke the little moment though, and for that he was grateful.

"'Suke, you made your brother worry like that? That's not really very nice at all!" He opened his mouth to defend himself but closed it again right away. Naruto didn't know how things worked yet, and he was sure thats the only reason the boy still hung out with him. He didn't exactly want to kill that so quickly.

He let himself be led to the door, his brother's finger's tightening on his arm, almost painfully. He tried to smile at his new friend though, and gave a small wave. Itachi smirked.

"Thank you, Naru-kun. Will I still see you soon?" He asked, feeling his brother stiffen at the familiarity, and the news. Naruto beamed, missing this entirely.

"Most certainly, Itachi-san. I look forward to it. Bye Sasuke, and you should probably apologize to your brother." With that Itachi pushed him the rest of the way out into the hallway. Sasuke braced himself for the hit before it happened, but even so when his back hit the wall the wind was knocked out of him. He forced his eyes to stay open, and to meet his brother's gaze, as one pale hand tightened on his face, cupping his cheek, steering his face by the chin.

"Don't do that again, Sasuke. You know you worry me when you do that, and I know you know what happens when I get worried." Sasuke nodded, slowly, and tensed at the lips that fell down onto his. The kiss was harsh, teeth nipping at his lips and tongue a little viciously. All the air was sucked from his lungs and he was left panting when Itachi pulled back. He didn't have time to get himself re settled before the harsh tug on his arm almost pulled him off balance and he followed his brother jerkily, rushing as much as he could to keep up.

Gaara smirked as he settled himself cross-legged on top of his desk. They'd both heard the thump from the hallway, but he was sure Naruto didn't know what it had been. Sasuke deserved it, he needed to be put back in his place, like the whiny little bitch he was. The red haired boy picked up the controller he'd fished out from the shelf above him, and switched on the TV, with the remote beside him. Naruto looked up at him, smiling still. He held another controller up, waving it slightly.

"Wanna play, Uzumaki?" His voice flowed like honey out of his mouth, and Naruto shivered slightly, but nodded. He reached out one tanned arm and grabbed it.

"What are we playing?" Gaara shrugged.

"I dunno, whatever's in there, I'm too lazy to change it. If you want something special you can look through the games, they're in the bottom cabinet." The blonde sprung to his feet, and leaned over, thumbing through the titles, letting out small noises as he skimmed over games he liked. Gaara let himself smirk again then, enjoying the view he had right now of his roommate's ass, his pants stretched tightly over it from the bend. He was coming to terms with it now: this boy was the cutest thing ever, and he couldn't wait until he could seduce the little blond into his bed. They were already roommates for crying out loud, this shouldn't be too hard.

The blond popped out with a jewel case in one hand, waving a game through the air. He squinted, it was a battle game, with plenty of chopping people up, and squirting blood. He liked that one.

"Is this one okay, Gaara?" Naruto beamed, and Gaara nodded, shaking his head a little at the blond's enthusiasm once his back was turned again. He flipped the switch on the console and hurried back to his former spot on the bed, clicking start when the screen came up.

They both lost themselves in the game quickly. Gaara couldn't help but keep on smiling. Seeing the little Uchiha in here when he'd come in had been annoying. He'd spent all day coming to terms with the fact that he liked his roommate, and planning the boy's eminent seduction, only to find him here with another boy, the fact that it was that asshole only made it worse. They had been close enough when Gaara had come back that he couldn't help the small spike of jealousy in his gut.

He knew Itachi would put a stop to that though, drag his brother off somewhere and show him a good time. Gaara made sure Sasuke knew why he'd sicced the older boy on him before he'd been dragged off, too. Neither of them took kindly to someone touching something they saw as theirs, and as much as Gaara was ready to take that punishment out on Sasuke, he knew Itachi would only blame the boy as well, even though Sasuke was the one he viewed as his possession. He grinned at the thought of his classmate's fate. He knew the boy would be limping tomorrow, and it brought a cruel joy to his heart.

X

Sasuke mewled softly as he hit his bed, the air almost knocked out of his lungs once more. Itachi had almost growled as he'd slid the key card through the lock and threw the door open. He'd hurled Sasuke through it one moment later, and he'd stumbled in, tripping a little, but managing to catch the edge of the bed, pulling himself up a little. The door slammed behind them, and a moment later he flinched as he felt his brother's fingers tangling in his hair rather violently, pulling his head back even as he pushed him down into the bed farther, setting his chest against his brother's back, his other hand grabbing one flailing wrist. Sasuke cried out a little as his hair was jerked sharply.

"Shut up, Sasuke. Just shut the fuck up." His brother hissed, and he complied. He knew there wasn't much he could do at this point but give him what he wanted and hope he left quickly. He bit his tongue as his brother pressed his hips forwards, he could clearly feel the hardness grinding against his ass, his own groin moving against the bed from the transfered motion. He was getting hard. He flushed, he always got hard with his brother, and it always bothered him.

Itachi smirked into the side of his neck before biting down hard, the groan that Sasuke had been trying to bite back bubbled out from between clenched teeth. Itachi let his hands fall from the boy's hair then, sliding them instead up between the uniform shirt he was wearing and his pale skin. He went to work unbuttoning it rather quickly, and proceeded to slide it off his little brother's shoulders before pulling back to take care of his own, hurling it in the corner.

Sasuke wriggled up onto the bed then, turning over so that he was facing Itachi. He always felt uncomfortable not being able to see him when they did this. As much as he didn't quite want to see Itachi's face, it was always worse when he didn't know what was going to happen next. Itachi leaned back over him then, one hand hooking around Sasuke's neck, pulling him forwards, the other grasping his hip tightly before reaching down between his legs to rub the boy, who was incredibly hard by now. He moaned into Itachi's mouth, the sound low and raspy, cut off by his brother's lips sealed over his.

Those deft fingers fumbled with the button to his pants now, and Sasuke squeezed the sheets beneath him in both fists, his fingers tight enough to be flat white, nails biting into his palms to stop himself from moving them until it was asked of him. He lifted his hips a little as Itachi tugged at the waistband of his pants, pulling them downwards.

Then Itachi was pressed against him again, his own hard cock still locked away in his pants, the rough material now rubbing against Sasuke's bare skin. He moaned, this time skirting the edge of pain at the unpleasant friction against his most sensitive flesh. He was still hard though, and he couldn't quite keep his own hips still, bucking up slightly without thinking.

This made the older boy smirk harder, bending back down to nip at his neck, leaving a trail of bites and bruises, they were red when they first fell but they would fade to black and blue by tomorrow morning. Sasuke would be marked, like always. Itachi had to make it clear that he belonged to someone.

The older Uchiha ground against Sasuke until he couldn't stand it anymore, the pressure becoming maddening. He released the boy's skin then, straightening enough to thumb the button on his own pants, and take himself out, not bothering to push the fabric down before he was rolling his brother over onto his stomach, pulling those pale, smooth hips into position beneath him. Sasuke whimpered and set his teeth, clamping his eyes shut, burying his face in the blankets lying across his bed. He knew Itachi was in one of those moods, and that would mean pain.

The older boy positioned himself and thrust in, all in one fluid snap of his hips. Both boys cried out then, Itachi's moan was deep and raspy, full of pleasure at the tight passage squeezing him now, Sasuke's a strangled cry of mostly pain as he felt himself tear inside from the rough entrance. Itachi thrust then, fast and deep, sliding on the blood that was slowly leaking from his brother. His fingers curled into the boy's hips hard enough to bruise, but he paid no attention. He felt himself getting close so he slowed down, pushing himself forwards to press his chest against Sasuke's back, stretching his neck to whisper in his brother's ear.

"Do you like this, Sasuke-kun? I know you do, your probably so hard it hurts right now. Gods, your tight enough that I could probably cum just being inside you without anything else, but wheres the fun in that, otouto?" He pulled out in one quick movement, flipping Sasuke back over onto his back. The boy's eyes were glassy and distant, his jaw clenched, but he was still hard, the tip a little damp form the pre-come, his cock jutting up, bobbing and swaying a little in the cool air. Itachi pulled the boy's legs up, standing between them, and pushed in again, driving another cry from the younger boy, his eyes snapping shut once more.

He grinned, and leaned forwards again, thrusting in and out a little more violently now. He bent and whispered into his brother's ear, so close his breath caressed it softly, hot and damp. They were both sheened with sweat now, their bodies sliding smoothly with this lubrication.

"I want your arms around me, Sasuke, I want to hear you otouto. Tell me what you want." Sasuke obeyed as he had been taught, wrapping his arms around his brother's shoulders, holding the taller boy to him. He pulled his head up, until his forehead touched Itachi's neck.

"Please, Aniki! Deeper! Please, right there!" He cried, the pleasure in his voice honest and open. He didn't want this, really. Rather, he didn't want to want it, but he did, especially now, when he was so close. He panted in his brother's ear, letting his breath ghost across the flesh there, knowing better than to lay his mouth on him though, he wasn't allowed to mark Itachi. The pale smooth skin was too beautiful anyways, the marks would only serve to mar the surface.

Then those thoughts scattered as his brother's thrusts broke rhythm, growing a little more frantic, and he could feel the muscles under his arms tense. He was so close, there were tears in his eyes.

"Ah, Sasuke!" It was the whisper of his name, and his brother spurting inside of him that tipped it, pushing him over the edge. He tensed himself as he came, covering his stomach and chest with his seed, rubbing it onto Itachi's flesh too as the older boy thrust into him once more before he let himself fall backwards onto the bed, tears leaking from his dark eyes still.

Itachi crawled up to curl around him, pulling the smaller boy's head onto his chest, petting his hair delicately while he cooed and murmured into it.

"Sasuke, oh Otouto. Your mine, you know that right? Your all mine." Sasuke's chest hurt a little at that thought, like it always did, and he felt the shame flush his cheeks. He'd done it again, and he'd enjoyed it, he'd asked for it, forgotten that he should be hating it. He shifted and the pain that shot through him made him wince. He wouldn't be able to walk right tomorrow, everyone would know, like always. He could feel the tears springing to life in his eyes with new strength, and he felt the soft pale
fingers of his brother wiping them gently away, cradling him close, rocking his head gently.

Sasuke just let himself cry, drifting to sleep. Itachi let the boy's breath even out before he disentangled himself from those pale limbs, standing and cleaning up a little before dressing himself, casting one more glance over his shoulder at the sleeping body of his little brother before he slipped out the door silently, going off to find Deidara. He knew just where the blond would be.

X

The next morning Naruto woke early, much earlier than he'd set his alarm for, but he couldn't manage to get back to sleep. He glanced over at Gaara's bed and was surprised to find it empty. He shrugged and rolled over again, pushing his eyes shut and trying to pull the sleep back over him like a blanket. He sighed, it wasn't really working. He stared at the blank wall in front of him, trying to figure out what would be best. The café didn't even open for another hour, but he supposed he could get up and take a shower or something.

He swung his legs out of bed and stretched, yawning deeply before hopping to his feet and grabbing his towel from where it hung on the rack built into the front of his closet door. He pushed into the small bathroom that adjoined their room, adjusting the water temperature before stepping under the soothing hot flow. It felt good on his tired skin. He thought back to the dream he'd surfaced from, trying to remember what it had been about. A single scene surfaced in his mind: pale skin stretched out beneath him, dark hair matted with sweat and oil, hips arching up to meet his thrusts. He shivered, feeling himself harden.

He tried to shake the image away, blushing, but it had made itself at home, and now he had a problem to deal with. He bit his lip and slid his hand lover his chest, rubbing the soapy washcloth he clutched over his chest, down his stomach, to the hardness jutting out between his thighs. It embarrassed him a little, thinking of his new friend like that, but the little Uchiha was gorgeous, so he couldn't really blame himself.

He closed his eyes as his hand made a fist, pumping the flesh there, the pleasure starting to tickle down his spine. He replayed that image in his head, and another one joined it. The Uchiha was down on his knees, looking up at him with that little smirk, one hand around the base of his member, head bend forwards to take him between soft lips. Naruto moaned out loud, his grip tightening as he imagined it was a smaller hand, pale and white and delicate but still strong enough to break him.

He felt the tremor in his spine at the tightening, and he tried to push back the inevitable climax. Naruto threw his head back, flipping the wet golden hair out of his face, picturing Sasuke in front of him, open and inviting, laying back to let him come in. That was what did it, he groaned out his orgasm with his teeth clenched tightly shut against the escaping noise.

Shakily he finished cleaning himself, a little light headed from the pleasure still echoing in his body, the aftershocks making his limbs heavy and clumsy. He hurried through the rest of his shower, suddenly uneasy about the images that had just slid through his head. There was something wrong with that and he knew it. He didn't want that, or at least he didn't want to want it.

X

Gaara returned to his room to get ready for his first class, expecting Naruto to still be asleep. Instead, he found the boy sitting on his bed, staring at two sheets of paper laying in front of his crossed legs. The red haired boy walked over, curious as to what had captured the blond's attention. The first sheet was Naruto's schedule, which Gaara glanced at, noting with a disapproving growl that they only had one class together, which was Japanese, on tuesdays and thursdays, in the afternoon. He sighed, glancing at the other, which was a map of campus, with every building labeled with the classes it contained and the other facilities.

"I wasn't expecting you to be up this early, its barely even light outside" Gaara's voice made the blond boy jump a little, startled. He smiled.

"I could say the same for you, I woke up and you weren't even in the room." Gaara shrugged at that before looking down at the boy's schedule again. He pointed to the shaded box marked Japanese.

"Looks like we only have on class together, and not until tomorrow." Naruto nodded, not all that enthusiastic about it, but still responding politely. He wanted to go find his other friends, and see if he shared any classes with them. He sighed, as his mind drifted to the face that had haunted his dreams last night. He wanted to know if he had an classes with the Uchiha. He knew from Neji that the boy was smart, always got good grades, and it wouldn't hurt to study with him, not that he'd admit what he really wanted to do alone with Sasuke in the library.

He glanced down at the clock and smiled, pushing himself up to stand beside the bed. He tied his shoes quickly, his hair almost dry by now. Gaara shot him a questioning look, so he smiled.

"I'm gonna go get some breakfast since they're open. Besides, I wanna see if anyone else I know is in my classes." Gaara shook his head.

"Okay, whatever. I'm gonna chill up here for a little while, I don't have class until this afternoon." Naruto grabbed his bag and tossed it over one shoulder, waving to Gaara over one shoulder, heading out.

X

Kiba yawned into his coffee cup, trying to summon the energy to glare at Neji across the table. The Hyuuga had woken him up inhumanly early today, calling him up to summon him down to the café for breakfast. He always insisted on doing this first week of the term, and Kiba always grumbled through it, but came anyways. He stared down into his cup, darting his eyes up to his companions every once and awhile.

He blushed when Neji's cousin caught his eye and smiled. She'd grown up a lot over the summer break last year, and moved past her stuttering and blushing adolescence, at least with most of Neji's friends. She was cute, really, and Kiba felt a little tug in his stomach when she smiled at him.

He heard Neji's voice across the table, and turned to look over his shoulder, smiling when he saw the blond boy they'd hung out with yesterday grinning like a maniac, and walking across the lobby towards them. He waved to Naruto, sliding over on the booth seat to let the new boy sit down beside him. He grinned.

"What's your schedule, Naruto?" The blond reached into his bag, tossing the slightly crumpled paper to the table with a grin before dropping the bag beside him on the floor. Kiba glanced over it quickly, then grinned back.

"Looks like we've got three classes together." He grinned, pointing down at the paper, we've got Math together this afternoon, with Sarutobi-sensei. I hear he's pretty easy?" He turned to Neji who grinned.

"Looks like you're stuck with me for Japanese and history, Blondie! And Sarutobi-sensei's good at what he does, but he isn't very hard. He glanced down at the schedule in front of him again and turned to his cousin. "Hey Hinata, don't you have lit with Iruka first period today?" She blushed a little, looking up shyly at the blond boy sitting next to Kiba across the table.

"Y-yes, Neji." Naruto smiled widely at her.

"Hey, so do I! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, by the way, I don't think we've met." He held out his hand, which she took a little shakily, blushing a deeper red. Neji smirked a little.

"Naruto, this is my cousin Hinata, she's a little shy." Naruto's smile got even wider.

"Cool! I was hoping I'd know someone in that class," He turned to Hinata, whose eyes were screwed to the table, glancing up at him nervously every once and awhile. "I'm new, I don't really know that many people yet." He explained. She smiled.

X

They passed the hour until class quickly, sitting in the café, and it wasn't until the bell rung that they realized exactly how long they'd been sitting there. Kiba groaned as he jumped to his feet.

"Great, I've got class all the way across campus, now I've gotta run, can't be late the first day." He took off at a sprint, swinging his bag over his shoulder. Naruto looked over to Neji and Hinata with a grin, and stood.

"Hey Hinata, lets go! You know where the classroom is right?" He paused, waiting for the shy nod before continuing. He beamed. "Good, because I have no fucking clue!" Neji shook his head slowly. He didn't have class first period so he was free to sit here for awhile more, but he waved as the other two took off at a fast walk, Hinata still blushing as Naruto hooked they're arm's together, talking animatedly about something or another. His voice carried in the mostly empty hallways, until it was swallowed by the students emptying into them now, white noise of a hundred different happy conversations swallowing the blond's voice.

The pair arrived outside their Literature classroom, and Naruto glanced in through the open door, sighing with relief.

"Good, I don't think the teacher is in here yet, that means we're not late." A tall boy in the middle row of desks sighed.

"No, You're still late, its just that the teacher isn't here yet. Don't worry though, they're all late on the first day. Umino-Sensei can never find the classrooms here right the first time." The boy paused, then nodded to the pale girl. "Good morning, Hinata-chan, who might your lovely companion be?" The quiet sarcasm rolled off the boy's tongue in a comfortable drawl. Hinata just blushed, Naruto turning to look at her. She sure does that blushing thing a lot. He turned his gaze to the boy who had spoken, pulling on a bright smile.

"Hello, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I'm new! And you are?" The boy sighed.

"My name is Nara Shikamaru, but everyone calls me Shika." Hinata smiled shyly.

"Yes, Good morning to you to Shika-san." They made their way up to sit by the boy, Naruto dropping his bag on the desk next to him, Hinata taking the one on Naruto's other side. The class was small, no one else seemed to be coming in. Naruto cocked his head to one side.

"Where is everybody? Is this just a really small class or something?" Shika sighed.

"No, all the classes here are like this. Smaller class sizes make better education, the system can be more individually tailored to each student, optimizing the gains for them. This is why people come here, because they can get the best education possible in this environment." Shika's voice was a little exasperated, and Naruto bit his lip, taking a moment to think about what the boy had said. After a log paused, he looked back at Shika, his head cocked to one side.

"You're really smart." He said, a grin breaking out over his face. Shika let his head fall forwards onto his crossed arms.

"Yes, but I'm also really tired." And with that he shut his eyes.

His rest didn't last long though, because a rather scattered looking man pushed his way through the door then, a crate of books and papers in his hands. He plopped them down on the desk, then perched beside them, pulling out his class log and a pen.

"Nara-kun, now is not the time for napping." He scolded with a smile. His hair was long, tied back in a high ponytail on his head. There was a scar across the bridge of his nose that made Naruto wonder what this man had done before he'd become a teacher here. The man smiled up at them once more, doing a quick count of heads in the room, checking it against the logbook in his hands.

"8? Alright, looks like we're only missing one. Anyways, My name is Umino Iruka, for those who don't already know me, and I will be teaching Literature this semester. I much prefer the seminar teaching style to the lecture, so we may have to do a little re-arranging of this classroom, but for today we can keep things the way they are." He picked up a stack of packets and set them beside him on the desk. He picked one up, waving it at the class in front of him. "Here we have your syllabus, and the reading list for this semester. This will also be posted to the class bulletin board online." He stepped forwards with the stack, just in time to turn at the sound of the door swinging open, a late student walking in.

Naruto gasped a little, it was Sasuke, but he was walking with an obvious limp. Even with the collar on his uniform pulled up the marks along his neck were clearly visible, angry and purple against pale skin, his face stoic behind sunglasses, despite the slight wince that crossed it every couple of steps. Iruka looked a little irritated.

"Please take a seat up front, Uchiha-kun. This is a serious class, you can't just waltz into it whenever you feel like it. Do you have a reason for your lateness?" Naruto winced at the cold tone that had taken over the teacher's previously warm voice. He felt sorry for Sasuke then, even though the marks on his neck made the boy's stomach twist a little. It was obvious what had gone on last night, after he'd left. The Uchiha had a lover already. On one hand this made Naruto a little hopeful, the limp suggesting the lover was a boy, so maybe he had some chance, but the obvious marks and the slight bruises where the boy's shirt rode up a little were evidence enough of another person already in the boy's life, probably someone quite possessive.

When Umino-sensei started talking again, Naruto couldn't quite pay attention to his words, his eyes focused instead on the dark hair sticking up messily on the back of the pale boy's head. Sasuke was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Naruto could feel the smile fade from his lips then, and he felt the breathe still in his chest when Sasuke turned, dark eyes catching his, sunglasses on the desk in front of him now, eyes red and sore looking. An elbow in his side called him back to reality, to glare at Shika next to him. The boy shook his head, pointing to the teacher, who was glaring at him now.

"Uzumaki-kun? Are you with us? If you can't pay attention I'll have to move you down front where I can keep an eye on you." Naruto blushed then.

"I'm sorry, Umino-sensei, could you repeat the question?" Iruka shook his head with a sigh, and turned back to his logbook.

"I was just asking you to introduce yourself, you're a new student after all, and we don't know you yet." The boy stood nervously, waving to the other kids in the room a little.

"Hello guys, um, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I've been living in England, and France for the last couple years, but I've been working on my Japanese, excuse the accent. I'm from here originally but I haven't lived here since I was really little, so I don't really remember much. I'm sorry if I offend you in some way, please correct me if I do something wrong..." He trailed off, not really sure what else to say. Iruka shook his head with a sigh, and waved him back into his seat.

"Fine, well, I'm sure you'll fit right in here, as long as you pay a bit more attention." He paused to shoot Naruto a pointed glare before turning back to the logbook in front of him, scribbling in the margins.

"Now, I have a copy of the first book we will be reading for each of you up here in this box, if you could each come and take one. Keep good track of this now, write your name in the front, and your room number, because if you lose this you'll have to find a new one yourself. Will everyone please come up here now, so that I can hand these out?"

The creaking and chatter of students standing and walking down sprung up in the quiet room. Naruto sighed heavily before getting up, but felt an arm hook around his momentarily. He glanced back at Shika, the question in his eyes. The boy shook his head.

"Umino-sensei can be a real bitch if you're goofing off or daydreaming. You should really stop staring at the Uchiha's ass and pay attention. Besides, that boy is a whole lot more trouble than he's worth, I'd stay away from him if I were you. If you get involved with him, you get involved with his brother, and thats not something I'd wish on anyone." Naruto cocked his head to the side, shuffling out to the isle behind Hinata.

"You mean 'Tachi-san? But he's really nice, he invited me to go somewhere this weekend. I forget where." Shika raised one eyebrow, but Hinata raised her head.

"Naruto-san is Gaara-san's roommate, Shika-san. They were out with my brother this weekend." Shikamaru shook his head, muttering under his breath.

"Troublesome" Naruto raised his eyebrow.

"And whats wrong with 'Tachi-san, hm? He seems perfectly nice to me..." He trailed off as he realized that Sasuke was standing in front of them, the boy snorted once before grabbing his book and packet from Umino-sensei's outstretched hand, attempting to storm back to his seat, but failing due to the obvious limp.

Shika smiled slightly, but Naruto just stood there, looking after the boy with a little concern. He felt a book and a packet thrust into his own hands, and jumped slightly, blushing at the scowl the teacher was shooting him once again.

"Sorry, Umino-Sensei." He mumbled, backing away, failing to catch Sasuke's dark eyes as he made his way back to his seat.

Naruto sighed as he pushed out the door of his literature classroom and headed to lunch. They walked quietly, Shika on one side of him, Hinata on the other. He'd been about to run down as soon as class was over and ask Sasuke what was wrong, and if it was something that he'd done. He felt like apologizing to the other boy, he hated the pained expression he'd seen on the boy's pale face when he'd overheard Naruto defending his brother. They seemed close, Naruto didn't quite understand why he would have a problem with that. He wanted to know what was wrong, so he could try and fix it. He couldn't help it really. He felt the images from his dream last night surfacing in his mind again, stirring something in his stomach, and slightly lower. He pushed them back with a frown. Now was not the time for that.

He followed his two new friends outside, to the lawn where there were several stalls set up selling food. He watched Hinata as she scanned the front lawn, following her gaze to find Kiba and Neji sitting under a tree with a girl he hadn't seen before. He smiled, and waved to them, yelling a greeting that made Hinata blush, and Shika sigh beside him. All three of them headed over, plopping down on the edge of their blanket. The two boy's already seated had purchased bentos spread out in front of them, Naruto pulling an apple from his backpack and taking a bite. Kiba smiled at them.

"How was your first class at the institute, Naruto?" His voice was a little bit sarcastic, but the question was honest. Naruto sighed heavily.

"It was cool I guess, even though the teacher was a little mean. he bitched me out in front of the whole class." Shika snorted from where he had laid down against the tree, one arm over his eyes, head pillowed on his book bag.

"Thats because you were busy daydreaming and staring at the Uchiha's ass to pay attention." Both Hinata and Naruto blushed at that, and Naruto sputtered, throwing a slap at Shika's head, but missing slightly.

"I was not staring at his fucking ass, the bastard was just being emo. I was trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him, he seemed fine yesterday." Kiba and Shika locked gazes over Naruto's head and smirked. It was Neji who spoke though.

"I haven't seen the little Uchiha yet today, but I'd bet anything his brother was what happened to him. I saw Itachi yesterday evening, and he didn't look pleased. And Naruto, I hate to break it to you, but the Uchiha is always emo, it's his default setting." Kiba thought this was the funniest thing in the world, and proceeded to laugh quite loudly, earning him a glare from Shikamaru who had settled back down and was obviously trying to take a nap. Naruto frowned, a little confused by the way the conversation was going, but not wanting to bring up the fact that it was probably the boy's lover and not his brother that had him in a foul mood.

That connection brought a little leap to his stomach, as he realized that if the reason for Sasuke's dour attitude was his lover then everything was obviously not well between the two. He felt a little smile climb onto his face, if the Uchiha was having problems with his boyfriend, whoever that may be, then there was a possibility that it might be falling apart. Maybe he did have a chance with the boy after all.

The conversation around him ebbed and flowed like the wind on water, and he let it float by him without really paying attention, munching absently on his apple until it was gone, pitching the core into the bushes nearby. The sound of his name pulled him back to reality.

"Naruto!" He turned to Kiba, who was yelling now, looking rather startled. "Geez, Naruto, you were off in la la land there. You better not have been thinking about the Uchiha's ass again." He joked. Naruto scowled, not wanting to admit that he had been, really.

"I wasn't either. Why are you yelling at me anyways?" Kiba smirked,
but seemed to jump seamlessly into the new subject.

"What class do you have after lunch? Because I've got Math with Sarutobi-sensei, and none of these other jokers are in the same period." Naruto scowled.

"We went over this this morning, yeah, I'm in your class this afternoon, and tomorrow and friday if I remember correctly." Kiba grinned evilly at him, but it was Neji who spoke.

"Sorry to cut into your fantasy time, but you didn't need to be so bitchy about it, Uzumaki." His voice was teasing, but Naruto still scowled. Neji held out his hand. "Let me see your schedule again, Naruto." the blond handed it over as soon as he'd dug it from the bottom of his pack.

"Hm, from what I've gathered, Shika's in your math class next period-" a muttered Oh Joy of all Joys was heard from the boy trying to sleep in the corner, earning him a slap from Kiba, "-Hm, You've got science tomorrow with Kiba, and isn't Sakura in that class to?-" there was a nod from Kiba, who was staring absently at the tree, listening. "-hm... I'm in your Japanese class tomorrow, and your history on friday, so is Kiba I think." He stared down at the paper before handing it back to Naruto, who tucked it back away in his pack. He let the conversation wash over him again, trying to memorize everyone's schedule, but failing. He listened intently until the annoying feeling of eyes boring into his back took over. He turned to see Sasuke standing in the doorway to the school. His pale cheeks flushed and he looked away before Naruto could smile and wave.

He was about to stand and go over, to ask the Uchiha what was wrong, the desire to get that depressed look off of that pale face still twisting in his gut, but another familiar figure came up behind him. Gaara. The red haired boy leaned in close to the pale ear, whispering something into it that made Sasuke shiver, laying one arm across the Uchiha's shoulders.

Sasuke looked decidedly uncomfortable with it, trying to shrug the contact off. The thought hit Naruto like a ton of bricks, and his stomach bottomed out. The two were standing awfully close to one another, what if Gaara was the one who had given Sasuke those marks. If there was animosity between Sasuke and his lover, that would explain the coldness in his demeanor today. Naruto pushed the little spike of joy out of his stomach when he saw Sasuke knock the arm off of his shoulders and scowl at the red haired boy, telling himself he hoped they made up when he really thought nothing of the sort.

He panicked a little, when Sasuke caught his gaze, and scowled deeper, taking off back inside. He looked over to Gaara, and the boy was heading towards them, eyes fixed on Naruto. he swallowed hard at the little wink his roommate threw him, turning back around with a blush. This caused Kiba to look over at him with an arched eyebrow. He shook his head, signaling the boy to drop it. He got hurriedly to his feet, just as Gaara was reaching the group. The red haired boy looked a little confused when he breezed past, mumbling something about the library.

X

Kiba went to look for the new boy when lunch was drawing to a close and he hadn't shown up outside again. He wanted to know what was wrong with the boy, thinking it might have had something to do with the sudden appearance of his roommate. Gaara could be creepy, but the two had gotten along well before this, so he wondered what could have changed. He checked the library, but didn't find him, so he went to their next class, hoping he'd found his way there by himself, he did have a campus map after all.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he opened the door and found Naruto on one of the back desks, staring forlornly at the blackboard in the front of the room, looking like he was about to start crying. Kiba frowned, walking to the back and dropping into the chair beside his new friend.

"Hey Naruto, why the long face? Did Gaara do something? I mean I know he's a prick, but..." Naruto shook his head, and Kiba went silent, hoping Naruto would elaborate. There was a long pause, and Kiba was about to open his mouth when the blond spoke.

"There's someone I like, someone I wish I could be with, but I can't, because they're with someone else. But they don't look happy together, or rather he doesn't look happy, and..." Naruto stopped, eyes widening, and slapped a hand across his mouth. Kiba grinned a little, but tried to keep a straight face.

"Who?" His voice was quiet, and he looked over his shoulder to make sure no one else was in the room. His face was serious then. Naruto swallowed hard, burying his face in his arms, folded on the desk in front of him.

"Isn't it obvious?" His voice was grim, defeated The realization dawned on Kiba, and his mouth fell open a little bit. His grin came back and Naruto panicked at the look in his eyes. "Don't tell anyone, Kiba, I'm serious! Please, don't tell anyone, no one can know. I can't make things weird between us." Kiba shook his head.

"I promise, I won't tell anyone." Naruto slumped a little in relief.

"Well, it doesn't really matter, because S-I mean, that person, is already with someone, and ... I'm kinda close to them. I want to be with that person but I don't want to screw things up with Gaara..." His eyes widened again, and he looked around to make sure no one else was in the room. It wasn't until his eyes fell across Kiba's face that he noticed the incredibly confused face he was wearing.

X

Sasuke slumped his way down the halls, still a bit unsettled from his little conversation with Gaara at lunch. He'd only gone outside in the first place to apologize to Naruto. He'd been kind of rude to the boy in class, his soreness and grumpiness had taken over. He really wanted Naruto to like him though, Naruto was his only chance to have a friend here who wasn't tainted by Itachi. It seemed, however, that he might even be too late for that. His brother ruined everything in Sasuke's world, he closed every door the boy had, but one door, the door he wanted Sasuke to go through.

He stopped right as he was about to push open the door to his next class, it was math, with Sarutobi-sensei, at his brother's request. He heard voices inside, and he recognized one. It was the blond boy who had been racing through his thoughts for a very long time now. The tone was low, but he could barely make some of it out.

"There's someone I like, someone I wish I could be with ... he doesn't look happy, and..." A small fluttering hope rose in Sasuke's stomach. Naruto liked boys, this as good news. Maybe he'd actually have a shot at the boy after all. He listened hard, hearing another familiar voice, it was Kiba in there with him.

"Who?"

"Isn't it obvious?... Kiba, I'm serious! Please, don't tell anyone, ... I can't make things weird between us." He fought to make out the words coming out of Naruto's mouth. Who did he like? Sasuke thought he had a pretty good chance against most of the boys here, he could outshine almost anyone. He pressed his ear closer, he could hear Naruto starting again.

"Well, it doesn't really matter, because ... close to them ... screw things up with Gaara..." Sasuke felt his stomach clench up. Gaara, great just great, he was the only person here Sasuke was afraid of, outside of Itachi, Gaara was the only one he didn't think he could beat out. He felt cold.

He'd thought maybe he had a chance, but now the warm feeling in his stomach drained away and he felt sick. Gaara was right, and Gaara liked the blond back, he'd warned him to stay away during lunch. He'd been close enough then that he'd been nauseous, much like he was now. Only now it was worse, because now Sasuke knew and that just made everything harder. He felt like crying. he did the only thing he could do, he turned on his heels and walked away.

X

"Wait ... what?" Kiba was lost, he faced Naruto with an uncomprehending look in is eye. Naruto looked back, all of a sudden uncertain of his own logic.

"Aren't they...?" Kiba burst into laughter.

"NO NO, DEAR GODS NO!" He looked back up at Naruto, laughter draining from his face when he saw the relieved look in in Naruto's face. It turned confused within second though.

"Then who...?" Kiba opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when Shika pushed the door open and walked in. He took one glance, taking in Naruto and Kiba sitting in the back, one looked like he'd just cried a river, the other looked incredibly entertained. He did some mental calculations and came up with nothing. He looked up at the pair warily before going back to join them.

"I don't want to know, I just don't even want to know" He said, eyes darting from one to the other. Kiba smirked, and turned his head to the bag in front of him, hauling out a notebook.

"I'll tell you later then, Naruto." The blond smiled, and wiped his face on his sleeve. Shika sighed.

They sat in relative silence as the rest of the class filed in, seven students in all, including themselves. The voices of the others echoed around the room, their happy chatter magnified into a small roar by the acoustics of the lecture hall. They were silenced, however, when a rather large man with a well trimmed beard wondered in, pushing a small cart in front of him. He grabbed the chair from behind the desk and dragged it out to the middle of the floor in the front of the room, plopping down on it backwards, pulling a roll book and a pen off of the cart. He cleared his throat before speaking, his voice booming in the small space.

"Hello Class, my name is Sarutobi Asuma, but you can call me Asuma-sensei. I will be your math teacher, probably for the rest of the year. I'd like to start by taking roll to see whose here, then we're gonna have a little test, just to see where you are." A small chorus of groans filled the room and the man chuckled. "Don't worry guys, this won't count for anything, it's just a diagnostic tool, to see where you guys are all starting from, and where we can go from here. I understand you guys might all be at different levels with different things, so I need to decide what we can focus on and what we can skim over, okay?" He looked up to see small, unsure nods flowing through the classroom. He smiled, and started reading off the names.

Shika looked over at the fidgeting blond beside him and tried to work out what was making him so nervous. He'd seemed fine before, if a little distant, but he wanted to know why. His brain ticked through a thousand thoughts, a thousand options, ticking off the ones that seemed impossible or illogical. He was still puzzled. Although he was lazy, Shika was a strategic genius, and he couldn't just let a problem like this sit there without having some idea of the source.

"Inuzaka, Kiba?" He saw Kiba raise his hand, when the boy's name was called. He was part of this too, he knew what was bothering the blond, that must have been the conversation they were having when he'd walked in. After the scene outside he surmised it probably had something to do with Gaara, after all the blond was his roommate so they had contact, and everyone knew Gaara was a real prick most of the time, but he was sure they hadn't had contact since this morning, and the boy had seemed mostly okay during literature class this morning, so he knew it wasn't anything big, and someone else was probably involved as well.

"Nara, Shikamaru?" He raised a lazy hand when he heard his own name called out, watching the sensei tick him off on the sheet in front of him. He sighed, trying to pick up where he had left off. Right, so it wasn't Gaara that was bothering the blond, at least not just Gaara. He wondered who else it could be.

"Uchiha, Sasuke?" There was no response, except for Naruto stiffening and looking around for the boy. "Uchiha, Sasuke?" The Sarutobi repeated, his tone a little exasperated, and he muttered something as he scribbled in the margins of his book. Shika caught Naruto's face then and Suddenly everything slid into place. It was the Uchiha, maybe Naruto really did like him. And that would explain his behavior all day, and his despondency now, because Sasuke belonged to Itachi, and Itachi didn't let go easily. The boy seemed to like the older Uchiha though, maybe that was Gaara's influence.

"and finally, Uzumaki, Naruto?" He studied the boy as his hand went up. he definitely looked a little green right now, a little confused, but he looked calmer now than he did that moment that Shika had first walked in.

He shook the thoughts from his mind as Sarutobi-sensei came by and set a packet in front of each one of them. He began the test.

X

Sasuke was curled up in the corner of the library, trying not to cry, wondering why in the hell hearing Naruto confess his feelings to fucking dog breath was making him come apart like this. He should have expected this, he shouldn't have been so fucking surprised, Gaara might not have been perfect, but he was stronger than Sasuke, he was better. The boy blinked back his tears for the thousandth time, burying his head in his arms. It wasn't fair, Itachi never let him have anyone else, just when he'd thought he could get someone, a friend, anything as long as it was outside his brother's clutches, it was pulled away. And now he'd gone and probably ruined it, after all he'd been awful to the boy this morning. He sighed, but it came out sounding more like a sob. In retrospect he felt like this breakdown could have been avoided if he'd gotten more sleep last night.

It was a testimony to how fucked up he felt that he didn't hear the footsteps coming until a familiar figure flopped down beside him. He swore under his breath when he felt the older boy's arm drape itself over his shoulders. He picked up his head and glared daggers at the blond, but Deidara just smirked.

"Are you feeling particularly baddass today Sasuke-kun? Your skipping class to cry alone in the library, its very unlike you."

"Fuck. Off. And. Die." He snapped. He winced at how broken his voice sounded. At least it shut Deidara up. The boy sat there a little more awkwardly now, not used to seeing Sasuke really on the edge of tears. He looked up at the red haired boy leaning against the shelf beside him. "Maybe we should call Itachi?" He winced when the boy beside him stiffened, Sasori shook his head.

"No Dei. I think we should maybe just bring him upstairs." He walked over to crouch down in front of Sasuke, petting the boy's hair gently. Sasuke looked up at him, trying to seem strong and cold, but his eyes didn't let him pull it off. Sasori smiled. "Come on, Sasuke, you can come hang out in our room for awhile, Itachi won't look for you there. Dei has Calculus in an hour, but I don't have any class today, you can stay up there as long as you want."

Sasuke smiled weakly, and let the older boys help him up, leading him over towards the east wing dorms. He was quiet, as they walked through the empty halls, one of the taller boys on each side. He hated anyone seeing him like this, but out of all the people here he trusted Sasori the most in the end, and he trusted Deidara almost as much by association. They were almost always together, and while Dei would make fun of him until he wanted to punch the older boy's lights out, when it came time to be serious he was fully capable. Plus, while they were his brother's friends, they wouldn't go run and tell him everything like Kisame did. Sasuke hated that kid, and he had a feeling that it was mutual. He stayed out of Kisame's way as much as was humanly possible.

He let himself be herded into the elevator, pausing when he saw a familiar face outside. Neji was standing there, having just come out of the bathroom, and was glaring daggers at him. It made Sasuke shiver for some reason, but he resisted the urge to step back behind the older boys. So what if Neji saw his face, red and puffy from trying not to cry. He didn't give a fuck what Neji thought of him. Besides, the boy wasn't some gossipy girl, he didn't run back to his friends and blab about the things he saw in the halls or who had taken someone back to their room last night. He looked away as the doors slid closed though, letting his eyes fall to the floor. This was a fucked up day.

X

Naruto was concerned when Sasuke never showed up for class, his gut told him something was wrong. The coupled with Shika's glances darting to his face every once and awhile. He kicked himself for letting anything show when he'd heard Sasuke's name during roll. As soon as the bell rang he was on his feet, heading towards the door. He swore internally when he felt a hand on his arm, schooling his face into a smile as he turned. He was sure it wasn't convincing because both Kiba and Shika looked at him weird then. He sighed.

"What?" He let the mask drop, but tried to sound annoyed still. It was Shika who answered.

"Are you okay? Your acting weird. I mean, maybe you get like this sometimes, we haven't really know you that long, but it seems like you're worried." Kiba scrunched his face up a little, before he leaned close.

"Is it ... him, because he does this all the time. He probably blew off class to go hang out with his brother or something..." Shika arched his eyebrow. It wasn't hard to figure out who they were talking about really, since he had all the pieces now. He could tell Kiba was lying, it was written around his eyes, but Naruto didn't seem to notice, so he didn't bring it up. The taller boy sighed, this was troublesome, but he knew he had to help if he could.

"Come on, I've got the car parked around the side, lets go get some dinner."

Kiba nodded, and Naruto managed a sigh.

X

Sasuke sat cross-legged on Deidara's bed, watching the sky outside go dark over the parking lot. It wasn't the best view in the world, but it was better than staring at the blank white ceiling. Deidara had left an hour ago, and Sasori was seated at his desk, clicking away on his computer, writing the final proposal for his senior work. Classes were letting out, and there were lots of people outside, some running out to their cars to get something, some sitting on the grass in the unseasonably warm air of dusk.

His heart leapt to his throat as he caught sight of a familiar burst of blonde hair over tanned skin. Naruto had taken off his jacket, and the sleeves on his uniform shirt were rolled up above his elbows, his arms looked strong, his shoulders broad. Sasuke cast a jealous glance at the figures beside him, Kiba laughing, his head thrown back, Shika walking in front of them a couple steps, looking bored. If he could spend time with the blond boy like that, he'd never look bored, he yelled inside his head. He let the sides of his mouth twitch downwards in a frown, mostly at himself for even thinking something that sounded that stupid and sappy.

And all of a sudden he felt like crying again. He let his eyes follow the three boys, as they made their way to a sleek black car, windows tinted almost black in the low light. He watched as Kiba rushed forwards to stand by the passenger side door, sticking his tongue out at the blonde who was pointing and yelling something, before running forwards to tackle him to the ground, both of them laughing before they hit the pavement. His stomach turned a little more violently than before. They climbed to their feet, still laughing, as Naruto grudgingly agreed to take the back seat.

Sasuke wanted to climb into that car with them more than anything, sit in the back scrunched up next to Naruto, he could almost feel the contact where their thighs would be pushed together by the tightness of space if he closed his eyes. He sighed, staring down at them. He knew he couldn't be there, he could never be there, not now that he was so sure he'd fucked everything up.

His eyes widened and his stomach clenched painfully when he looked over to the other side and saw Shika staring right up at him, his lips turned down in a little scowl. He saw me, Shika saw me and now he knows, he's not stupid after all. He flung himself backwards, allowing himself to fall onto his back on the bed, clenching his eyes shut, shaking his head a little. Now he really was fucked, he knew he looked like shit right now, and Shika probably knew why, too. Gaara was a dick like that.

When he opened his eyes again he saw Sasori looking down at him, a little spark of concern in his eyes. He sighed again, turning over so he lay on his stomach, propping his head up in his hands, burying his face in upturned, sweaty palms.

"Who is it?" Sasori asked, his voice flat as usual. Sasuke flinched, he knew he could be horribly transparent to those who knew what to look for. He didn't answer. "Maybe if you talk about it, it will make it a little better. I wouldn't tell anyone, not even Dei, not if you don't want me to." Sasuke managed a weak smile, turning his face back up to look at the other boy before he dropped his head again.

"There's this new kid..." He started, feeling now like getting it out, telling someone who wasn't directly involved, would help to diffuse this crushing pressure somehow. "He's in my class, he's got this awesomely light blond hair, and blue eyes, tanned skin, all wiry muscles, very tight." He blushed a little at the description he'd given, was he turning into some dazed school girl, pining away? He sighed, Sasori just nodding at him to go on.

"He was so nice, we met in the café, friends with Neji and Kiba and them. We hung out a couple times, and it was just nice. He didn't really expect anything from me, didn't have any preconceptions that I had to live up to, I felt like I could relax, be myself." He paused again, staring at the floor this time. Sasori opened his mouth, thinking that was all he was going to get, but the Sasuke started again.

"I think I like him. I mean, I know I like him, but I have no idea how to go about liking him, and the Gaara set his sights on him, and he's the boy's roommate, there's no way I have any chance. I just..." He turned his head, burying his face in the covers, voice wavering a little. "I just want to - fuck, I don't even know what I want. It would be nice to have a friend who isn't in some way chained to my brother -no offense- but it seems like Itachi's sinking his hooks into him now to, there isn't anything I can do."

Sasori thought about crossing the space, laying his hand on the boy's back, shaking slightly now, in little silent sobs, he thought about wrapping his arms around the boy and rocking him slowly, he thought about raining little kisses across the boy's shoulders, his forehead. But he didn't, he stayed in his chair. Sasuke appreciated that.

X

Shikamaru clutched the wheel tightly, lost in thought as they drove over to the Chinese restaurant Kiba had picked when they'd left campus. It was close, close enough to walk, but he didn't really feel like walking, not when he could drive there. It was easier. He let his mind drift as he pulled into the parking lot, remembering Sasuke's eyes when he'd caught the boy looking down at them from the window. He frowned. That corridor was all Senior apartments, and He knew Itachi didn't live on the 3rd floor, so he wondered whose room the Uchiha had been holed up in.

His eyes had looked so lost then, his face empty. Shika thought about trying to put that together with Naruto's behavior, to figure out what in the hell had gone on between the two of them. He gave up though, filing it all away to think about later. Sasuke was an enigma on the best of days. He didn't really have many friends in his own class, and none close enough for them to say they really knew him. Mostly the Uchiha hung around his brother's friends, who were very protective of him, though not quite as much as Itachi himself. he had a feeling those boys were charged with keeping an eye on his little brother though, and he wondered if that wasn't why he didn't really hang out with anyone else.

Shika threw the car into park, turning off the engine with a twist of the key as he got out of the car, locking it behind him. He watched as Kiba and Naruto walked ahead of him, Kiba joking around, pushing the blond lightly while Naruto remained unfocused, smiling and laughing, but there was a little hollow note to it. Shika sighed. The boy was busy pining away, and there really isn't much he could do about it. Troublesome.

X

Gaara sat perched on the edge of his bed, scowling and tapping his foot. He'd come right back to the room after class, hoping he'd run into Naruto, and maybe invite him to dinner or something. The boy hadn't shown up and now it was completely dark outside, the sun having only just finished setting. Where could the blond be? It was dinner time, so Gaara had checked the café on his way upstairs but there was no sign of the other boy anywhere.

He startled a little at the ringing as his phone went off. He picked it up and checked the little screen in front of him. It was Neji. With a sigh he picked it up.

"What?" He snapped, not really wanting to talk to the other boy very much. He heard Neji sigh into the phone.

"Really, Sabaku, is that any way to answer your phone? So rude..." Neji's voice skirted the edges of sarcasm, and Gaara gritted his teeth.

"What do you want, Neji? I don't have all day." The other boy sighed again, this time more heavily.

"Is Naruto with you?" Gaara felt his lips curl downwards. Naruto should be here, but he wasn't. He growled lowly into the phone. Neji hesitated.

"Any idea where he could be?" Gaara replied with a clipped "No" before He moved across the room, dropping heavily into the chair pulled up to Naruto's desk. He sighed.

"Well, Naruto's not around, and I need to talk to him. I saw Sasuke this afternoon, and he didn't look so good." Gaara smirked.

"Yeah, well I'm sure Itachi had his reasons. That boy doesn't understand the concept of keeping his naughty little hands to himself, not touching other people's things." Neji paused.

"Gaara, what do you mean by that?" Neji sounded a little worried, which only made the other boy's smirk darker.

"I meant what I said, that the fucking little Uchiha brat need a lesson in not touching things that don't belong to him. Itachi only gave him what deserved." Neji went quiet again, and Gaara's smirk slowly fell into a scowl. "Look, Neji. This isn't any of your business, this is only between them, they don't need your help, no matter how much of a pussy train wreck Sasuke has become. He pulled this down on his own head." He clicked the phone closed and thumbed the off switch.

Gaara got up, and walked to the door, leaving a note for Naruto on the little dry erase board tacked up on the back of it. He made sure he had his key card before stepping out, shutting the door behind him. He was going to go find Sasuke, and if Naruto was with him, they were going to have a little chat.

X

It had been late when Naruto had gotten back, both of the other boys finding ways to kill their time, for which he was grateful. He didn't want to see Sasuke right now. He was also a little relieved when he came back and found Gaara laying back on the bed. He smiled.

"Good Evening, Gaara. How was your day?" The red head grunted noncommittally, eyes roaming over the blond's body with obvious approval. Naruto still wore no jacket, his shirt sleeves rolled up above his elbows still, only now his top buttons were undone, and his hair was wild around his face. Gaara smirked, feeling his mouth go dry.

"Come here." It wasn't really an answer, more like a command. Naruto did what he was told, stepping close to the boy, blushing when Gaara's fingers caught in his belt loops, pulling him between outstretched legs. He shivered slightly, but all he could think of was Sasuke, Sasuke the way he'd been in Naruto's head, all soft pale skin and wanton warmth, and Sasuke the way he had been today, distant and cold, with a pain in his eyes. The boy sighed, getting ready to push himself away from Gaara when another sharp tug brought him tumbling into his roommate's lap, one knee on each side of the boy's hips for balance, arms catching Gaara around his pale neck. The boy smirked, leaning in for the kill, sealing Naruto's lips with his own.

The blond let out a surprised noise at the contact, not really pushing away but not really relaxing in the other boy's arms. He had to admit, Gaara was hot, almost as hot as the Uchihas. He didn't really want to do this with the other boy right now though, not when he was concerned about Sasuke, disappearing like that. As much as he knew he couldn't really have Sasuke, that didn't stop him from caring about the boy, it didn't stop him from worrying now.

Naruto couldn't convince himself to pull back though, not with Gaara's fingers tangled in his hair like that. His senses did return to him when Gaara trailed those warm lips down from his mouth, across his jaw, and down his neck. He tried to pull away then, but Gaara's hand wouldn't let him go, holding him close while the boy fiddled with the buttons on the uniform shirt in front of him, popping each one from its hole using only his tongue, after each button, grazing the hot wet appendage down the newly revealed skin, smooth under his touch.

Naruto was once again reduced to moaning, hands falling to Gaara's shoulders. He felt those hands trailing down his bare sides once the line of buttons was finished, the boy's tongue dipping into his navel and bringing the most delicious feeling skittering up the blond's spine. When those fingers reached the catch on his pants he faltered again, and this time he did pull away, a look of horror on his face. Gaara looked pissed.

"Oh gods, I'm sorry Gaara. I can't, I just can't, not right now." He was on the verge of tears quite quickly, leaving Gaara blinking and confused, unsure of what had just happened. Shakily he moved forwards, wrapping one arm around the boy and making hushing noises, rocking him slightly.

"I'm sorry, there's just - there's a friend I'm worried about right now, a close friend, and I feel too much like this is betraying them." The words were almost sobs, and Gaara did not question them, he didn't even process their meanings, still stuck on the crying boy in his arms. He held Naruto until the boy cried himself to sleep before curling up in his own bed. This was going to be a little harder than it had seemed.

X

Sasori sighed, glancing over at the Uchiha boy asleep in Deidara's bed. The blond had come in after class to find the boy passed out but couldn't bear to wake him up. He'd sat down by Sasori's feet then, smiling up at the red haired boy every once and awhile. The poor kid didn't have many friends, and almost none his own age. He needed anyone who would take him.

That was why they had decided, when they figured out who it was that Sasuke was pining after right now, they'd have a little talk with Gaara about leaving the poor boy alone. Sasuke had explained Gaara's conversation about this, the threat of harm, the violent Itachi he'd had sicced on him, everything. Sasori had sighed. Their friend could be a little harsh sometimes, especially with Sasuke, but he did love his brother, and he just wanted to keep Sasuke close.

For now though, they really couldn't do anything but sit back and watch him sleep. Eventually they moved to Sasori's bed, sleeping spooned tightly together, all wrapped up in one another. When they woke up the next day, Sasuke was already gone.

Even Kiba could tell something was wrong with his new friend when he was quiet and surly all through first period the next morning. The boy had waved mutely to Shino, who he'd met briefly on the first day, and had barely managed a smile when Kiba had introduced him to Sakura. The boy was running out of things he could think of to cheer the blond up though, so he eventually just gave up, returning to doodle in the margins of his science notebook until the teacher was done exploding about the wonders of biology in the springtime of their youth.

Naruto just stared down at his desk the whole time, after raising his hand when Gai-sensei had called his name during roll. He hadn't gotten much actual sleep the night before, too many things running through his mind. So it turned out Gaara wasn't involved with Sasuke in any way, in fact there was a certain animosity between the two of them. He was a little happy about this, really, because it meant that if he ever did manage to get close to the younger Uchiha, he wouldn't be hurting his roommate's feelings in any way. Still, now he was back to square one, trying to figure out who could possibly be the Uchiha's lover, and if he was this unhappy with it why didn't he just leave the other boy/

He hadn't seen Sasuke since lunchtime yesterday, and he was a little worried, even at Kiba's rather weak assurance that the boy did this all the time. he'd seen Shika's face after that remark, and had a feeling his new friend was lying to him. Still, it was only to make him feel better, so he figured there wasn't much harm in it. He'd tried to smile at Kiba's attempts to cheer him up that morning as well, but he didn't really have the ability to focus that much.

Then there was the thing with Gaara that had happened yesterday night. He had been a little depressed to start with, but he felt like he really shouldn't have even gone there. Now he felt weird around his roommate, which he didn't want, like there was something unresolved, floating around them now. He'd rushed out of the room this morning as fast as he could, not wanting to talk to the red haired boy, and he dreaded the time when his next class came, and he'd have to face him.

He sighed, turning to stare glazedly out the window. It was going to be a long day.

X

Sasuke had felt a lot better the next morning, when he'd awoken in Deidara's bed, without the other boy in it. He'd been a bit confused at first but then he'd glanced over to Sasori's bed, where both boys were tightly cuddled together. It had been so peaceful he couldn't bear to wake them up, so he'd slipped out, returning to his own room to get ready for his first class of the day.

That had gone by rather quickly, even though he'd spent most of the time staring at the clock. Chemistry had never been his favorite subject, but the class was small, with no one in it he was particularly well acquainted with, even if one of those girls who would giggle at him obnoxiously in the hallways had waved to him from the back of the room. He managed a small smile, but he could tell it had still been rather cold. He thought it was probably better that way anyway. She didn't come any closer.

The bell signaling the end of the period rang loudly, startling him, but he didn't waste any time, scooping his notebook back into his bag and heading out the door before anyone could even think to stop and speak with him.

He was in the mood to be alone, and there was one place on campus that pretty much guaranteed he wouldn't be bothered. He popped into the elevator and pressed 10, the top floor. He wrapped his fingers around the smooth metal of the key in his pocket. When he got out, the corridors were empty, but he still looked both ways before unlocking the little door a couple rooms down. It looked suspiciously like a broom closet, but for the tarnished brass plate that was fixed to the front, which read "roof access."

The key had been given to him by one of Itachi's friends who had graduated last year, a boy named Tobi. He was quiet, and kept to himself a lot, and Sasuke had never really understood why he and Zetsu had ever hung out with his brother in the first place. But they had been nice, and they had given him a sanctuary up here, a place to go when he wanted to be alone.

He walked to the edge of the building, looking down on the students spread out across the grassy lawn of the classroom buildings, some spreading out lunches in front of them, others hurrying to their cars in small groups, ready to run off campus for a bite to eat. Sasuke rarely actually ate at lunch time, he didn't like sitting down among the people he didn't really get along with. Besides, eating in front of people had always made him rather nervous, though he had no idea why.

It didn't really matter though. His mind took him back to that lazy morning he'd eaten out on the lawn with Naruto, which seemed like forever ago even though he knew it was really only a couple of days in the past. It made him want to smile to think about how relaxed he'd felt with the other boy, it had seemed so right just laying sprawled out under the trees of the then deserted common, eating pastries and reading. He regretted not talking to him more then, he regretted not sinking his claws into the boy in some way that would have left him with more than the brief sketch of Naruto he carried in his head now.

It hurt him that he didn't know the blond better, because he wanted to. For the first time since he'd come here there was someone he really wanted to know, really wanted to get close to, and he'd let the chance slip through his fingers. He really hoped that somehow he could get another shot at being friends with Naruto. He wanted to be so much more than friends, but he would take what he could get really. He didn't think he'd have another chance in the end though, between his stupidity earlier and Gaara's claim on the boy, he felt like his opportunity to have someone in his life, really in his life, with no relation to his brother was growing over now, like a healing wound.

He felt like there was an emptiness around him now though, a palpable absence of some kind, and he knew what would fit there, like a missing jigsaw puzzle piece. Only now he'd kicked that piece under the furniture, down the heating duct, and he could never really see what things would have looked like. But he could imagine it.

X

Gaara watched his roommate throw away the remains of his lunch from the school doorway, loitering on the stoop just waiting. He'd been thinking about the boy, and every single time he'd always end on one note: this was Sasuke's fault. It was painfully obvious that the close friend he'd spoken of the night before was the younger Uchiha. The thought was almost enough to make Gaara laugh, the Uchiha wasn't anybody's close friend, the boy had somehow had all of his social skills removed and replaced with a pound or two of stoic teenage angst. It made him mad that Sasuke was still interfering like that, even once he'd been warned off of the subject.

It was becoming clear though that more than the Uchiha's passivity would be needed. There needed to be some action that would sever the two of them, pull them apart until they couldn't fit back together. These thoughts swam around in the back of Gaara's head as he saw Naruto approaching the doors. Lunch was pretty much over now, and it was time to head to class. Gaara was looking forward to this, actually, it was the first class he had had with the blond boy all week, indeed the only class they had together. He'd heard that Neji was also in the class, which he was ambivalent about.

He'd like to have a class with Naruto in which he was the only friend the boy had, in which he could be the center of his universe, if only until the bell rang. He smiled slightly at the thought, and fell into step beside Naruto as he entered the building, pushing down a grin when their eyes met and a little blush bloomed over Naruto's cheeks.

"Hello Uzumaki. Going to Japanese now?" The boy nodded silently, which made Gaara's eyes narrow a little. The distant, unresponsiveness was not what he wanted, this was not how Naruto was supposed to be. He hiked his bag up on his shoulder a little uncomfortably.

"Hey, listen Uzumaki, about last night. I - well, I didn't mean to freak you out or anything, we're still friends, right?" Gaara forced the words out of his mouth. He knew Naruto would appreciate them, a caring gesture, reaching out. The boy smiled a little, and Gaara felt himself relax.

"Yeah, we're fine. I'm just a little bit of a mess right now, I don't think I've quite acclimated with the school environment here yet. It's so different here..." He trailed off, and Gaara almost smiled, pushing the door to their Japanese classroom open, holding it for Naruto, who smiled sheepishly. Gaara followed him up to the middle row of desks, plopping down into the desk next to the blond's as soon as he sat. Naruto proceeded to stare out the window though, leaving Gaara feeling almost awkward, not exactly sure of what to do. It was rather peaceful though, and he settled easily into just sitting next to his roommate, watching him breathe out of the corner of his eyes. It was almost enough to make him smile, knowing that the blond was oblivious to his eyes. At 30 seconds till the class bell though, a familiar figure staggered in the door, causing Gaara's eyes to narrow distastefully.

X

Sasuke rushed down the stairs after a glance at his watch. Shit, shit, shit, he'd already skipped or been late to every single other class he had this week, he wanted to be there and on time for something. Besides, three hours of Japanese would certainly do something to take his mind off of Gaara and Naruto. His stomach growled a little, he hadn't actually eaten much of anything, choosing instead to stare longingly down at the boys below him, and pointlessly fantasize. He winced at how that sounded in his mind, like he was some love sick high school fan girl or something. Ah well, he could make it until dinner tonight.

He hadn't seen Itachi since Sunday night, so he knew he would be getting a visit from his brother tonight, and at least he could drag a decent meal out of the boy before they got down to whatever business Itachi planned for them. He didn't want to think about that now though.

He skidded to a stop outside his Japanese classroom, taking a moment to breathe deeply, trying to calm his racing heart. He glanced at his watch and cursed quietly, he had less than a minute now. He pulled open the door and stepped inside, moving towards a desk in the front row, the teacher would usually pull him down to the front if he wasn't there already anyways.

His breath caught in his throat though, when his gaze past over the middle row of desks, over by the window. Gaara and Naruto, just the people he was trying to avoid thinking of. Naruto was staring out the window, looking distant and depressed, and his stomach fell a little. That wasn't right. Then Gaara caught his eyes, and the glare was hateful enough to make paint curl. He swallowed, watching the boy extend one pale arm and drape it over the back of the blond's chair protectively, not quite touching the boy's back, not drawing attention. Suddenly Sasuke was glad he hadn't eaten much of anything because his stomach was turning over, he was sure he was going to be sick. He sat down heavily, turning towards the front, trying to ignore the gaze he could still feel, like daggers to his back.

The scene was interrupted though, when the door was slammed open and in walked the teacher, presumably. He smiled at the class from behind a black fabric breathing mask. Sasuke blinked, raising an eyebrow. Weird. The man tucked an orange book into the front pocket of his vest and turned to the class. This wasn't going to go well, Sasuke could already feel it.

X

Itachi smirked into his pillow. He didn't have any classes until tomorrow, so he hadn't actually peeled himself out of bed yet. He yawned, and glanced over at the clock. The blinking numbers read 1:35. He yawned again, thinking he really should get up, but it felt so nice all curled up in his silk sheets and warm blankets. Still, he had things to do. His stomach rumbled and he blushed slightly. Eating should probably be first on the list.

He swung his feet over the side of the bed and sat up, stretching his arms high above his head. He glanced around the room on instinct, but found it empty. He was still getting used to having a single room. He'd gotten one last semester, and it had been nice, but he missed having a roommate around sometimes. Especially when that roommate had been Kisame.

He stood, and slouched over to the desk, looking at the schedule taped to the wall beside his own. He frowned. Sasuke had class until 4, that was no fun. His lips curved up into a smile when he read the teacher's name, Hatake Kakashi. It would be easy to bust his brother out.

He let the gears in his mind start working, trying to come up with an excuse to steal his brother while he stepped into the shower. He groaned as the hot water trailed down his skin, a little too hot to be comfortable, but the sting was nice in its own way, pleasurable on his sleepy skin, pulling him awake.

He still yawned under the almost burning water, rolling pleasantly sore shoulders, reaching one arm back to massage the muscles on his right side free of knots. He still winced a little at the tougher ones, but it was a satisfying pain. He'd been caught up in his work out yesterday, and it had swallowed his entire day.

At his father's insistence he had started taking martial arts at a very young age, and he was quite good by now. He never took it seriously enough to get beyond a single black belt, but it had taught him a lot about control and movement, it had made him strong. He didn't really believe most of the things he was taught there, none of the emotional and psychological rules agreed with him. He kept at it for the physical aspects though, and it had helped him sculpt his body to perfection. He liked it that way.

Sasuke had done it when they were younger, but he had dropped out of it before high school. Not that he needed it really, his body was always lithe and slim, and Itachi enjoyed the physical advantage that gave him with the boy. He could bend his brother like a stick, push him over backwards and make him yeild whenever he wanted. The though made him hard, he hadn't seen his little brother in a couple of days, let alone fucked him, and it was starting to effect him.

He let his hand slide over his slicked muscles, scratching the skin a little, just enough to be able to feel the slight burn there. He wrapped his fingers around himself tightly, and started to move. He smiled as he friction burned slightly, and went a couple pumps before he slid his hand off and slicked it with soap, pulling it back then to slide against his flesh more smoothly.

The motions sent little sparks of pleasure down his sides, and he let his eyes fall close, thinking of Sasuke kneeling before him. He loved it when Sasuke sucked him off, those soft lips around him, the eyes screwed shut in concentration and disgust. He was beautiful like that, and utterly submissive, a study in regret and self loathing. the picture was perfect.

The image in his head made him pump harder, drawing close. He considered drawing out his pleasure now, but reminded himself that he would have time for that later, with Sasuke. Now he could just ignore everything but the feelings licking up his spine like fire, the sweet slick of the fist he almost couldn't stop himself from bucking up into. He could feel himself getting closer, he could see the boy in his head, lips bobbing sweetly around him.

The wave building around him crested, and he sighed his completion, letting the hot water still falling around him gently wash away all signs of the act, leaving him clean again, with only the slight weakness of the aftershocks. He was always that much more sensitive after he came, the water seemed warmer, the tiles he leaned against smoother, his own skin softer and that much more tender. He couldn't keep from running his hands over his own chest then, shivering at the echoed sensations.

He just leaned there for awhile, he had no idea how long, until the water started cooling around him. He sighed, twisting the tap off before grabbing a towel from the shelf above the sink. He wrapped it around himself quickly, the air in the room was cold compared to the stream of water he had been under, and it made him shiver slightly, still a bit more sensitive than usual. He stepped out of the shower and proceeded to finish drying off. A glance at the clock told him he couldn't dawdle too much, he had an appointment to keep after all, and then he had to find his darling little brother. He smiled, tonight would be fun.

X

Gaara sat quietly in the back of their Japanese classroom, darting nervous little glances at the boy next to him, who was staring resolutely out the window, ignoring the test set before him. He had seen Naruto put down a few answers before he had sighed and went back to being entirely to distracted. He'd been like this the whole one and a half hours of class that had already ticked by, even if it did seem to drag on to infinity still.

Although it was preferable to the quick, hidden glances at Sasuke that the boy usually filled his time with, it still made Gaara worried. It wasn't like he cared that much, but he still wished Naruto would pay some attention to the classwork in front of him. He told himself it was because he wanted Naruto to do well, but the squirming little feelings in his gut told him it was more because he knew Naruto was still thinking about the Uchiha, even if he'd stopped staring at him.

There wasn't much he could do though, and he returned his mind to his own test, filling in the last blank before flipping the packet upside down on his desk and setting his pencil down. He stretched his hands high above his head, and yawned, as quietly as he could. He was tired, he hadn't gotten that much sleep the last couple of days, not that that was in any way unusual. He never got much sleep, but he didn't really complain about it. He'd learned to deal with it by now.

He glanced up at the clock and scowled. They still had a whole hour and a half left of class. He hoped Kakashi-sensei would let them out early if they finished. He didn't relish having to do any more work the first day, knowing there would be plenty of that later. Itachi had told him that Kakashi-sensei was a tough teacher, but fair, and he counted effort and attitude higher than all else. Itachi loved Kakashi-sensei, and they were friends in a way. He'd said that man was the only teacher he'd miss when he left, but Gaara assumed that had more to do with the fact that Kakashi-sensei was more perverted than Itachi could ever hope to become, and that was saying something. The thought alone made Gaara grin softly, something he didn't do very often at all.

He turned his head when he heard the door opening, and the smile stayed on his face. Speak of the devil, he watched Itachi stick his head in and wave at Kakashi with a little smile. The man grinned widely, only the general gesture of the expression visible underneath his mask.

"Why Uchiha-san, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?" Gaara smirked harder in satisfaction as he saw Sasuke stiffen in the front row. Served him right, fucking brat. He only looked more uncomfortable when his brother spoke, his voice thick and deep, soft like honey.

"I've actually come to borrow my otouto. I have some things I need to ... discuss with him right now." Kakashi nodded.

"Well feel free to take him away, he's done with his test, and he can get the rest of the information from one of the other students. Or you could swing by and pick it up for him sometime, my office is always open to you, Itachi-san!" Gaara glanced at Naruto and almost scowled when he saw the boy's blue eyes once again trained on the pale little boy down front. He had a sudden urge to pull him closer, to force those eyes onto himself, away from that bastard.

When he looked back he saw Itachi smirking up at him a little, eyes showing that he knew exactly what was going on, and that it amused him. If it had been anyone else down there, giving him that look, they would no longer have any use for their eyes, but it was Itachi, so all he could do was forced a small smile, violent and twisted on his face. It got the point across anyways, and Itachi nodded at him, draping one arm over his brother's shoulders when the boy stood, steering him towards the door. He turned back at the last moment, smirking over his shoulder.

"Good afternoon, Kakashi-sensei." His gaze shifted up to the back then, "You two as well, Gaara-kun, Naruto-chan." Sasuke stiffened under his arm visibly, but it was so quick that anyone not looking for it would have missed it. Gaara, however, was always looking for it, and it made him wave down at the Uchihas in the doorway brightly, letting his arm drape around the back of Naruto's chair once more, catching both sets of dark eyes as they left.

X

Neji fidgeted uncharacteristically with his pen, glancing at the door the two Uchihas had just exited through, then back at Gaara and Naruto, seated up in the back of the classroom. Something had happened between them, or at least between Gaara and Sasuke. Neji was pretty sure that Naruto was involved, but he didn't seem to be playing an active part in this, so he assumed he wasn't a participant in whatever had happened. He wasn't so sure about Itachi, he'd learned long ago that Itachi had his hands everywhere, behind the scenes, making things happen as he wanted them to. He sighed heavily, turning back to the man sitting at the head of the class, reading a little orange book.

Itachi had seemed quite familiar with this teacher, but considering the older Uchiha's ... reputation, Neji knew that could be expected. Kakashi-sensei had a bit of a reputation himself, really. He had the kind of reputation written in bathroom stalls though, while Itachi's reputation was the kind whispered in hushed voices in hallways and on subway cars.

Still, it was an enigma to Neji what had happened between his classmates in the short time they'd spent together. He knew Gaara and Sasuke hadn't really gotten along ever. They were never quite this hostile and cold though, always distantly polite and passive aggressive when put together, like silk over steel. Generally that wasn't done though, because the static between them was enough to start fires.

Neji looked down at the test in front of him, the plain white back of the packet staring back up at him. He was finished, had been for quite a while, but Kakashi didn't seem to care much, really. He just stared down at his little orange book, giggling every once and awhile. It was giving Neji a headache. He couldn't wait for the weekend to come, so he could sleep in, and forget about all of this drama for a couple days. He knew Itachi was having a party this weekend, and he had of course been invited, but he wouldn't go. He never went.

This time he was almost tempted though, knowing Gaara would go, and Sasuke would be forced to go, his brother always dragged him to his parties, calling him personal entertainment when he was in a good mood, a backup plan when he was feeling bitchy. He could almost picture the fight in his head, and he guiltily hoped that someone was thrown through a window or something, anything to relieve some of this awkward tension.

He shot a glance back up at Gaara, whose arm was still laying across the back of Naruto's chair. The blond, however, was quite oblivious, sighing heavily and staring out the window. What was between those two at this point? Neji had no clue, though he doubted they were any sort of an item, even though Gaara's body language suggested he thought they should be. He didn't want them to be an item. That was probably a big part of his disagreement with Sasuke then, because the blond obviously liked the younger Uchiha. He liked the boy a lot, more than would be comfortable to any rival for his affections.

And if he was any good at all at speaking Uchiha, which was a strange and foreboding dialect formed mostly of grunts and glares, he thought maybe Sasuke liked the blond boy back. That was exciting in it's own little way, the Uchiha never expressed interest in anyone, even if Itachi did express interest in him, quite publicly and in embarrassing ways. He thought maybe he'd ask Shikamaru next time he saw the other boy. Shika was smart, he'd know.

Neji slouched in his seat then, crossing his arms on the desk in front of him and laying his head down on top of them. He had a feeling this would be a long, horrible week. He wasn't looking forwards to it at all. Maybe he was hanging out with Shika too much, but he was finding this situation entirely too troublesome right now.

X

Itachi was more than a little annoyed with his brother's distant, depressed attitude. Well, a little bit of that was normal, he was Sasuke after all, but this was too much. The boy was staring out the window of the sleek black car, watching the scenery fly by. His silence was normal, but somehow it still annoyed Itachi to no end, because he knew there was something wrong this time, even if he really didn't know what.

He opened his mouth to say something to his little brother, but he really wasn't sure what to say so he closed it again, wracking his mind for anything that might break through the tension. He scowled when he found nothing. This wasn't good, and Itachi didn't like it. Sasuke was supposed to be focused on him when they were together, like he'd always been. Whether it was in fear or loathing or pleasure, Sasuke was always supposed to be focused on him.

He pulled up to the little restaurant and slammed on the parking break, a cloud of seething anger forming above his head. He'd have to re-arrange the situation a little, he'd have to refocus the boy sitting next to him, but he couldn't do that in public. At least, he couldn't do that in public using the methods he was thinking of. The thought made him shiver slightly, and an evil little smirk formed on his lips, the cloud of anger around him ebbing a little, but staying put.

He jumped out of the car and shut the door behind him a little louder than he'd meant to. His smirk melted away though, when he looked back and saw that Sasuke still hadn't gotten out of the car. He scowled deeply, stomping around the car to rip the boy's door open, leaning in over him. One pale hand, deathly smooth came up to grab his brother's cheek, twisting the boy's face until those slightly glazed eyes were looking straight at him. He felt the flinch, slight and repressed as it was, and it caused his anger to lessen a bit. Sasuke still knew who was in charge. He slammed the seat belt release with his other hand, lowering it then to wrap tightly around one pale wrist, smaller than his but still almost identical.

"Focus, otouto. You can sulk later, but for now get your whiny little ass, as cute as it may be, out of this fucking car and into the restaurant before you force me to do something to you to deserve that fucking pout." Sasuke flinched again, this time more noticeably and Itachi backed up, satisfied that, for the moment, his brother was back on planet earth once more.

He started towards the door way, pausing at the curb until he heard the door shut quietly, lifting up the keys to remotely lock the expensive car before continuing inside. Sasuke followed with obedient, downcast eyes.

X

Shika sighed as he slouched lower in his seat. He'd taken over on of the study tables in the back of the library, spreading his notes and books out over it. He was smart enough that most of the time he didn't really need to study, but he found himself studying anyways, most days. By studying he usually meant spreading out his books on a table and then promptly falling asleep atop them, but it was mostly the same thing. He would always smirk a little when Kiba complained at him for it, telling the boy he absorbed the information into his head better in an hour with his eyes closed than Kiba could in an entire week of all those stupid note taking methods they taught in freshman workshop. That was a class that Shika had thankfully tested out of last semester, giving him an hour more of free time in his schedule. It said study hall on the sheet, but he took it as more of a nap time really.

It was like this that Neji found him, although the boy was surprisingly not asleep, just staring at the paper in front of him with a bored expression, head pillowed in his crossed arms on the table top. Neji couldn't help but smirk.

"I see you're being productive as usual, Nara. What happened to the award winning study-by-nap method we've all heard so much about?" Shika glared over at him as the boy settled into the chair across from him. He sighed when he figured out Neji wasn't leaving and sat up, rubbing one eye thoughtfully.

"Can't focus." Neji cocked an eyebrow at him, a quizzical smile spreading across his lips.

"And why ever would that be, Nara-kun?" Shika scowled at the playful tone. He sat back in his chair, stretching until he heard the satisfying crack of his spine, his face settling back into a smirk at his new companion's wince.

"This school is entirely too troublesome. What are those guys, fucking drama queens?" Neji let his face remain calm and neutral, like he had no idea what Shika was talking about, which only earned him a glare in return.

"You know exactly what I mean, don't pretend you don't. I'm not giving you any more gossip to spread around."

Neji pouted.

The rest of the week had passed in a blur for Naruto. He had seen Sasuke in class, but the boy had been distant, discordant, and he hadn't approached him. He had to admit he was a little scared to talk to the Uchiha now, something in his chest pulsing a little painfully when he saw the boy. He'd come into school on Wednesday with new marks on his skin, angry and purple against the fading bruises of before. Naruto could only imagine talking to him would hurt a little, his eyes always straying down to the brands of someone else's ownership written across the pale skin he wished he could touch.

Gaara had calmed down a little, being warm and friendly, and there hadn't been a repeat of monday night's incident, as Naruto thought of it. He appreciated that. He didn't want to fuck up his friendship with his roommate by having to say no again, but he didn't think it was fair to let Gaara have him when his thoughts were elsewhere, another face in his mind. Now it was thursday, and the day was only half over but somehow Gaara had convinced him to skip last period to pack.

Itachi's party in Tokyo was tomorrow night, and Gaara and Naruto were packing their things. Gaara had told him his brother had an apartment right outside of the city they would stay in. Kankuro was coming along, and Naruto was kind of happy about that. He hadn't met Gaara's siblings yet, any of them, and he was excited for that, but mostly he was just relived that someone else would be there, Gaara wouldn't proposition him in front of his own brother would he?

The boy had bought them all train tickets earlier in the week, reserving a private cabin for the three of them. The train was leaving at 6, so it wasn't strictly necessary to leave early, but Naruto thought it might do him some good to get out. Besides, the way he heard it, Freshman Seminar was a pointless, study hall type class, useless now when they didn't have much in the way of work.

He finally shoved the last of the things he was packing into his small duffel, knowing they were only staying until sunday so he packed light. He slipped the straps over his shoulder and glanced over at his roommate. Gaara was watching him intently, his own bag packed and thrown on the floor by the door. Naruto couldn't help but blush a little, feeling the other boy's appreciative gaze on him now making him slightly uncomfortable. Gaara grinned.

"Ready, Uzumaki?" Naruto just nodded as Gaara picked up his own bag and headed for the door, the blond boy falling into step behind him.

X

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably in the airplane seat. The seat was soft, but it still managed to rub against the bruises on his hips when he moved, making him wince slightly. They were getting fainter, but they were still a little sore. He glared over at Itachi, who was paying him no attention at the moment. Those bruises were his damn fault. Sasuke couldn't help but remember then, how those bruises had gotten there, and how sore they had been the next morning. The ache had been given three days to fade, but it still remained, ebbing away slowly. Sasuke shivered.



Itachi slammed him against the door to his room, anger floating thick around him like static in the air, heavy and humid like it might well rain. Sasuke had flinched then, turning his head to the side with a small whimper, shutting his eyes tightly against the sight before him. Itachi's hands gripped his shoulders hard enough to break them, which was never a good sign. It meant he was angry, more angry than usual, and an angry Itachi meant pain in his future.

"Focus Sasuke-kun. You've been too distant, you're not paying enough attention. I think I may have to knock whatever stupid distraction you've taken up out of your head." Then his brother's lips had sealed over his, and he was being pushed back onto the door hard, his brother pressing against him full length, covering him over. He'd whimpered slightly then, not sure exactly what his brother was talking about.

He had a sinking feeling in his guts that Itachi had figured out the source of his distraction, Naruto, and he knew the older boy was a bit possessive, he wouldn't like that chain of thought at all. So Sasuke had remained silent, letting himself be wrought open by his brother's sharp kiss, and the hands gripping him, one molded perfectly over his hip, rubbing slow circles on the skin underneath the boy's shirt with his thumb, the other hand tangled in the back of Sasuke's hair, gripping tightly, twisting it like some sort of handle.

Sasuke had gasped when his brother pulled away, fumbling for his key card in his pocket, and opening the door. He could tell Itachi was more distant than usual, but no less ferocious, no less painful. The second they were inside Sasuke felt himself pushed down onto the bed inside roughly, his shirt soon torn over his head and hurled backwards, over Itachi's shoulder before the older boy's shirt joined the pile.

He'd grinned then, and it made the younger boy nervous. Something in those eyes made him think he was in some trouble. Itachi biting harshly into his neck scattered his thoughts to the wind though, bringing him back to the present, to way his brother was moving against him now. He was hard, they both were, but Sasuke was the only one with the good sense to feel guilty for it. Itachi bucked up against him then, and he couldn't hold on to that guilt anymore. It was going to happen whether he liked it or not, that was just how things worked with Itachi.

Sasuke let a moan bubble out from between his lips when Itachi palmed his hard cock through the material of his uniform pants. He wanted this then, not that he would admit it to anyone, least of all Itachi, so he bit his lip and let his eyes roll back. He cold at least imagine it was someone else inside of his head, someone with a gentler touch and a beautiful laugh.

The next thing he knew, Itachi had pulled his pants down to pool around his ankles, and grabbed his hardness with practiced hands. Sasuke moaned at the slight friction on his most sensitive body part, bucking his own hips up into his brother's hand like a cheap whore. He blushed when he saw Itachi's smirk.

"Otouto, haven't you learned by now that I am the only thing that should matter in your life. No one else, not Gaara, not Neji, not that new kid, only me. If I have to break you to keep you don't think I won't. Or better yet, maybe I'll break them, and let you live with the consequences, knowing it was all because of you."

Sasuke was pushed back then, staring at the ceiling, while Itachi's lips traveled complicated patterns across his chest. He couldn't help but shiver at the sensation. He let his eyes fall closed, clouded in the pleasure of his brother's hands on his body. He hated this, hated that he liked this.

His eyes flew back open when he felt the tip of something soft and blunt pushing against his entrance, his legs hooked over his brother's arms, lifting and spreading them to reveal the little hole, and anything else Itachi wanted. He could only mewl a little, helpless and wide eyed.

With a single thrust, Itachi was buried deep inside of him. He saw stars from the pain, gritting his teeth and trying his hardest not to cry out. He felt something tear inside of him, and blood slicked his passage then, making the thrusts into him more fluid, more comfortable. Itachi leaned down again to pull up a mark on the pale skin of Sasuke's shoulder, nipping and sucking, soothing it with his tongue before he moved his lips a little lower.

"Say my name, Otouto. Tell me how much you wanted this, because I know you did, your body doesn't lie." Sasuke shook his head mutely.

"No, Itachi please. I don't, not now." Itachi scowled and bit the boy's collarbone harshly.

"You don't really get a choice here, Otouto. This will happen no matter what you do, because you do want this, we both know it. Besides, you are mine, and I will do with you whatever I see fit. You should know that by now really, Sasuke."

The boy whimpered again, bucking up into the hot hand wrapped around him painfully tight, then back onto his brother's slicked erection, buried inside of him once again. He squirmed around a little, trying to evade the hard thrust, but only succeeded in making it harder. Itachi dropped his hands to the pale boy's hips then, gripping them so tightly he could feel little divots forming in porcelain skin.

"Come now, otouto, say it for me, I'm waiting." He punctuated the last words with a brutal thrust, causing Sasuke to shiver below him, moaning softly It wasn't in pain anymore though, and the boy's cheeks were flushed from the heat, from the embarrassment, from the desire. Itachi couldn't help but feel satisfied, at least a little bit. Sasuke was panting hard under him then, hands coming up to run along the muscles of his brother's back, eyes closed in shame.

Itachi picked up the pace at that, thrusting harder, faster, more brutally than before. He was close now, and he could feel Sasuke was to, the muscles of his smaller body taught under the skin. He raised on of the hands that had been curled around Sasuke's pale hip and grasped the boy's hardness. Sasuke moaned.

"No -Ah, No, 'Tachi, don't. Please." This whispered supplications only making Itachi harder, only making his thrust harder. He loved the way his name sounded on those lips. He wanted more.

"Mmm, Sasuke. But you're so warn and tight, even after so long. I'm not letting you go, Sasuke, just shut up and enjoy this." He moaned into the smaller boy's neck again, nipping at the flesh almost gently, but still enough to hurt him. Itachi was rewarded with the sharp hiss of breath taken in, shaky and shallow.

"I - Ah, I don't, no, I don't want to." Itachi growled slightly, tangling his hand in dark hair before yanking the boy's head up, twisting it so Sasuke was looking him in the eyes.

"I can't do that, Sasuke. You know that." His voice hitched in pleasure. He dug his fingers back into the boy's hips, pressing hard enough that the smaller boy could feel the bruises forming on his skin. He couldn't help but moan.

This was enough to throw Itachi over the edge, and his whole body tensed as he emptied himself into his little brother's passage. Sasuke gritted his teeth against the pleasure, Itachi's hand fading to painfully tight uneven strokes. It was enough though, and Sasuke found himself screaming his completion, a name hidden among the noises of pleasure.

"Ah, 'Tachi!" The older Uchiha only smirked. The boy under him glistening with sweat and breathing hard was too erotic a sight not to respond to, and Itachi felt himself getting hard again. He barely suppressed the grin that threatened to break out across his face. This was going to be a long night.



Sasuke blushed a little, sinking down in the seat, glancing over at his brother. Itachi was still ignoring him. He swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat. He had stopped remembering, trying to push his mind off onto something else. It bugged him to no end that he couldn't get that scene out of his head, but what annoyed him even more, and caused the blood to rush to his face in embarrassment, was the fact that even now, remembering made him hard.

He didn't want to get hard thinking about his brother fucking him, rather violently. But still, he could feel the blood rushing downwards in his body, pooling in the pulsing and uncomfortable arousal between his legs. He hated this, hated the fact that his brother had so much control over him even now, that he could get Sasuke hard without even trying.

He told himself Itachi shouldn't be the one he wanted panting on top of him, sweat slicked skin against skin, sliding on him. He had promised himself he wouldn't think about Naruto, not on this trip, promised himself he'd focus on other things, and try not to give his brother any more reason to punish him. The funny thing was, that Itachi's so called punishment had actually worked, it had driven the blond from his mind, for the most part, and refocused him, back where Itachi wanted him to be. Only it wasn't where Sasuke wanted to be.

He sighed, shifting uncomfortable, still hearing the echoes of his own desperate, cracking voice in the back of his head, AH, aniki, please... It made him shudder a little, though whether it was in pleasure or revulsion he didn't quite know. he only knew that it wasn't really helping his painful ... situation very much. He sighed, twisting in the seat a little, trying to find a position where his little problem wouldn't be so obvious. They were on a plane for god's sake, he had to at least try to calm himself.

He was startled back to attention when a pale hand fell to his thigh, squeezing lightly, fingertips lightly tracing down towards his arousal. He blushed, his head whipping over to stare into the face of his brother, smirking over at him from his seat by the window. Great, now Itachi knows.

He was torn then, between throwing his brother's hand off and bucking up into the contact. They were in public for fuck's sake, and while their first class seats did have a little curtain surrounding them, and he was sure no one here really knew they were directly related, there was still no way they'd get away with that without getting caught. He was still quite hard though, and the whisper of contact so close to where he wanted it most was making that problem all the more painful. He twisted a little in his seat as Itachi's hand drifted higher, cupping to form to the inside curve, fingers brushing ever so lightly across his sensitive bulge. It was all he could do not to moan, biting his tongue hard.

"Mmm, well, it looks like someone is feeling a little bit excited for Tokyo." His voice was soft and smooth, Itachi leaned in closer then, voice dropping past a whisper, almost reduced to a silent breath of air across Sasuke's cheek. "Except ... I don't think Tokyo's been that good to you. Could it be that it's-" He punctuated his next words with a firm squeeze to the hard flesh beneath his palm, "-something else?"

Sasuke squirmed again, not sure himself whether he was trying to escape the intrusion into his personal space or rub harder against it. The older Uchiha just smirked, drawing his hand back a little, keeping the touch frustratingly light and soft. Sasuke failed to stifle the next moan, only succeeding in making it quiet, breathy and ethereal. Itachi shivered a little at the sound.

"I ... Aniki, not here..." Itachi arranged his perfect features into a mask of hurt.

"Do you really think I'm such a bad brother that I would let you suffer beside me when I could do so much to help you?" Sasuke's breath caught in his throat, his eyes widening slightly. Not here, we can't do this here, is he fucking crazy? Itachi chuckled softly, purposely letting the puff of hot breath skitter across his brother's pale cheek.

"No, we're going to take care of this, otouto. Leave it to me."

X

Naruto watched the scenery stream by the window of the train. It almost made him nauseous, watching things whipping by so fast, but he wasn't in much of a mood to talk right now. He never thought he would truly appreciate his roommate's silent brooding behavior. At the moment he was thankful for that above all else. Gaara had hardly said two words since they'd stepped on the train, but his brother just wouldn't shut up. Kankuro just kept talking, asking questions of the blond, telling stories, some of which were amusing, but for the most part they were mind numbingly boring.

After two hours the boy had lost interest though, and had settled in to sprawl across the bench seat across from him and Gaara. They did have their own private car, or at least cabin, which was a blessing in itself. Naruto didn't really feel like social interactions were within his realm of consciousness at the moment, and Gaara, well they were never really Gaara's strong point to begin with. The only bad part was that left no one for Kankuro to annoy into killing themselves, a rather uncomfortable, heavy silence hung between the three of them.

The knock of the attendant at the door made everyone jump. Well, everyone except Gaara, he didn't jump for anything. Naruto smiled widely at the girl pushing the little refreshment cart, blushing a little, ordering a drink and some chocolate. Kankuro bought a random assortment f snack items. Gaara just glared at the intruders until they went away. The ornery behavior was enough to cause the blond to stifle a smile into his hand, under the guise of eating his chocolate bar.

He watched the redhead out of the corner of his eyes, pretending to be staring out the window still. The boy sat so still, not shifting around like Naruto always did, just staring at some spot above the blond boy's head. Naruto couldn't help but smile a little, he really did like Gaara, and he felt like the boy was his closest friend. This was new for him, having been away from kids his own age for most of his recent years, shuffled from family compound to family compound. Even at the orphanage, before he was found, he didn't really relate to other children that well. Now he felt like a normal teenager for the first time and it was a beautiful thing.

He had freaked out when Gaara had come onto him that night. He didn't want to ruin the friendship developing between them, friends were still to precious a commodity to be treated so lightly. Then there was also the whole Sasuke thing, which had fucked things up worse. He was infinitely glad that he'd get a chance to be away from school for the weekend, away from all that, and just hang out with people. He knew most of his new friends weren't going to this party, but he figured one or two was more than enough to justify going. Besides, parties were something he didn't get to go to much back home. He had a feeling that this party would be a far shot from the garden soirées and cocktail functions his uncle through occasionally. This was going to be a real, honest to goodness party. He was planning on enjoying himself a little too much.

X

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat as he scooted back a little farther, bare ass sliding against the plastic counter of the little airplane bathroom. The edge of the sink was digging into his lower back, but he almost couldn't feel it any more. Two of his fingers were coated with blue liquid soap, disappearing into his own little hole and reappearing rhythmically. He had to bite back a small moan as his other hand stroked his own length tentatively, almost chewing a hole through his lip.

The knock made him jump, but he was expecting it. He let go of his shaft and thumbed the lock open, blushing as his brother pushed the door open just enough to get by, locking it behind him once more. Sasuke tried to pull back against the mirror as much as he could, giving Itachi room to move between his legs with a deadly grace. He felt long pale fingers on his wrist and he stilled the digits still buried inside of himself. Little moans of nonsense pushed past his lips, low and sweet, thick on his tongue. His brother smirked.

"Looks like you got yourself ready well, otouto. That deserves a reward." Pale, slander fingers wrapped around the boy's shaft firmly and tugged. A louder moan escaped Sasuke's lips then, as his eyes rolled back, unfocused. Itachi leaned closer, dragging his lips and tongue whisper light up the pale neck in front of him to the boy's ear. He smiled, breathing out in a hot wet puff against it, making the boy shiver beneath him.

"Aniki, a-aah please..." Sasuke interrupted his train of thought with a moan of pleasure Itachi smirked.

"What do you want, Sasuke-kun? I want to give you what you want but if you don't tell me, I won't know." His voice was a little sarcastic and cold, but these subtle notes were lost on Sasuke, whose head was lolled back now, hips twitching into his brother's hand.

"Aa-aah, touch me more, please. Fuck me I'm ready and I need it." Itachi chuckled, pulling the boy's hand down to the bulge in his own pants, cocking an eyebrow at the expression on his brother's face, watching the blush creep down his neck, onto his chest. It was beautiful.

"If you want me you'll have to come in here and get it." He gave the hand a parting squeeze before pulling it away. He could feel Sasuke's hands shake slightly on the familiar zipper. The boy's heart was racing, his breathing uneven and quick, his fingers heavy, clumsy as he tried to pull the metal tab downwards. His fingers slipped, fumbling once again for the zipper pull, this time catching it more firmly. The teeth slipped apart like butter, the soft sound familiar against his ears, making the boy moan under his breath. His hand dove inside out of habit, pale fingers feeling out the shape of the arousal underneath blindly, groping around firmly but gently against the smooth silk of Itachi's boxers until he found the band, jerking them downwards desperately.

Sasuke's mouth worked silently as he wrapped little fingers around his brother's length, pumping it, feeling the texture of the hard arousal in his hand, savoring every moment through the pores of his skin. Itachi leaned forwards, smiling into the pale skin of his brother's neck before biting, enjoying the hitch of breath and reflexive arch of the back below him. The small moan that pushed past those slightly parted lips in front of him almost made him lose his composure.

He stopped. He breathed. He smiled once again, pulling back to whisper into Sasuke's ear.

"What do you want now, Otouto?" He let the words tickled warm and light across the rim of his brother's ear, gently flicking out his tongue at the end, making the body pressed between the counter and his own tremble slightly, letting loose a small keening moan. He let his own hands wonder down taught pale sides, over the well documented planes of the boy's back, tangling in the delicate black strands of Sasuke's hair, steering the boy's face to his own, forcing their eyes to meet for a second before smaller pale fingers are gripping at his own hair, scrabbling down his back, trying to drag the boy closer. Hot, familiar lips are raining little messy kisses across his face. Small breathy exhales are panted against his skin, and Itachi can't not smile at the desperate little noises, because Sasuke is so beautiful when he gets all wound up like this. He feels the words panted against his flesh more than he hears them then.

"Gods-" those hot lips are tickling across his face, "-Itachi-" they are plotting a course up his jaw line now, "-Aniki, please-" the breaths between each moment of contact are hot and heavy, but still flutter like butterfly wings against his skin, down the cords of his neck, "-fuck me, now-" the little pleas spill across his skin, and he'd always known he would give in, it was just a matter of how long he could hold on, how long he could stay in control. "- I need it, aniki, please."

Itachi falls on Sasuke then, mouth open, sealing over those little lips before they can break his fracturing hold on the situation any more, a small trade off of control for control. One hand tangles in the thin black hair, softer than any boy's has the right to be, the other gropes blindly until it hits the soap dispenser, filling his palm to overflowing with the blue liquid, scented sterile and clean. He fists it to his own erection quickly, lining himself up. Sasuke is mewling in his arms now, gasping against his neck and panting wonderful little snippets

"Oh, Gods, Itachi, Yes." Repeated like a refrain, like a mantra, varied slightly every time, but staying the same really. Itachi pauses, letting these sounds wash over him, reminding him he is in control here, reminding him he is the one to make those noises fall from those sweet lips. He smirks, seating the crown and pushing in, until the taught pressure give way and he's inside the pale boy. Sasuke trembles in his arms, weak and begging, his mantra repeated over and over, eyes pressed closed, fingers still scrabbling for some hold on Itachi's smooth flesh.

In one smooth, heavy downward thrust he's inside to the hilt, he can feel the pulsing of Sasuke's thighs against his sides as they flex around him, the nervous patter of the heavy panting breaths echoed through the pale stomach pressed now against his own as he leans forwards into that heat. Itachi seals Sasuke's lips with his own before he pulls out and slams back in, snapping his hips with enough force to draw a creaking whine from the counter beneath them both now.

Still, he can't stop, not now, not that he wants to really, but it still scares him slightly. He's in control, but he isn't, he's steering the ship but its completely out of his control. Not that this was not the course he plotted, like always, and now he's just in his death spiral, about to crash spectacularly in uncharted territory. Itachi gritted his teeth then, rolling his fingers into pale skin underneath them hard enough to bruise. This was according to his plan, in accordance with his instinct. Each bruise was a mark of ownership, a reaffirmation of who was in charge, of who possessed the boy under him now.

Itachi was always the favorite child, never good at sharing, even now. Still, there were some things in which he was not selfish. He leaned forwards then, rolling his hips into Sasuke's pale frame, relishing the gasp, the arms encircling his neck now, pulling them together. He rolls his hips again, rubbing his torso against the equally pale one beneath, and the sensitive flesh pinned between. He could feel every vein, every twitch, pale skin rubbing over pale skin where Itachi's shirt rode up, sweat slicking them, matting black hair to white cheeks, not always respective of who belonged to what. Everything belonged to Itachi in the end anyways, they both knew that.

Sasuke tensed, pitching up into the unbreakable wall above him that was Itachi, hissing in pleasure as he almost peaked. There were fingers though, long pale fingers, wrapped tightly around him, at the base of his now almost painful erection. He mewled pitifully, nuzzling his face into the crook of Itachi's neck, frustrated beyond words. Itachi smirked, feeling himself grow closer. He controlled everything, he made all of the discussions. This was all in his court, all carefully planned and executed. He smiled into Sasuke's skin as that thought, along with the sweet noises from beneath him, the smell of Sasuke's sweat and sex, it brought him close. With another roll of his hips he let go, clamping teeth down on Sasuke's pale neck, biting hard and the boy went rigid underneath him once again.

"AH, Gods, Itachi!" The cry was louder than the situation deemed prudent, but at that moment neither one cared. Sasuke spasmed slightly in his arms, clinging tightly to him in that moment. Itachi couldn't hold on, he quickly followed his brother over the edge, mumbling the boy's name into the mouthful of skin he still held. He was in control.

They sat panting for a second before Itachi turned to the towel dispenser on the side, grabbing a handful of paper cloths to clean them, dabbing gently at the reddening skin under him until it was clean as he could get it really. He grimaced at the state of his undershirt, but settled for turning it inside out for now. He had a jacket at the seats.

He shot a commanding glance at his brother, who was already straightening his own clothing, blushing a brilliant red and staying oddly silent. Itachi smiled, turning to the door. He flipped the lock up casually, letting the door swing closed behind him before making his way back to the seats to close his eyes for a moment.

X

Kankuro pushed the door to the small Tokyo apartment open, stepping in to let the two boys behind him by. Naruto looked around in awe. The place was small, but it was nice, tastefully decorated in a minimalist scheme. Gaara pushed past the blond, who had stalled in the entryway, with a small smile and a snort. He'd been here a thousand times, it was just another house to him at this point. He could tell Naruto was impressed. He turned to Kankuro who just grinned, a little lecherously.

"Well, Uzumaki, like what you see?" He set one hand on his cocked hip and raised an eyebrow at the boy, who flushed lightly. That in itself was entertaining, but the scowl it drew from his brother was worth a thousand times as much to him. His smile grew. "We got two bedrooms here, ones mine and ones guest, you guys can share that one. I've got an air mattress in storage downstairs you can dig up if you want, but the bed's a double so you'll both fit if you don't want to. Other than that, door at the end of the hall is the bathroom, you can check it out if you want. You're welcome to anything consumable you find, but I would advise against eating anything from the fridge. I haven't been up here in quite a while, so it might kill you on sight."

Naruto flinched, missing the cocked eyebrow Gaara gave his brother for the sharing beds comment. This would be more than perfect, if they were already sleeping together it might just be that much easier to actually sleep with the blond. At the very least he could always swing an arm over the sleeping boy, huddling it close and deny responsibility when the time came. He hoped it didn't come to that.

Naruto smiled, and shuffled to the window across the room, looking down on the glimmering, evening Tokyo beneath them. Gaara couldn't help but follow, leaning a little too close to the blond for friendly contact, pressing his hip into the boy's ass, letting his chest come flush with the flesh of Naruto's shoulder, one hand fluttering slightly in indecision before it landed lightly on the small of the blond's back, the other pulling the curtain back a little, opening up the view.

Gaara waited for some type of explosion from the boy in front of him, but none came, he didn't even seem to notice the contact. Gaara smirked a little, this was going to be easier than he thought at this point. He drew himself back and walked over to the kitchen, doing a quick inventory of what they had for food. He made a disgusted face before grabbing the trash bin and pitching out the sole inhabitants of the refrigerator, a carton of milk that seemed to have progressed into a solid state of being, and a carton of something slimy that looked to have evolved into a sentient being. He slammed the door once more, and reached up to the little pile of delivery menus on top of the offending appliance.

Sasuke stared out the window of the room Itachi had set up for him at the Tokyo apartment. It was his brother's really, and he tried not to spend any time here, because he didn't really like the city, and he didn't like being alone with Itachi. It did things to him, like made him have sex on airplanes, and god, he'd been a more than willing participant in it. It made him shudder a little, thinking of it now. He felt almost nauseous. That was why he'd closed himself in his little room here, and opened the window.

He'd told Itachi that the plane ride had made him feel a little sick to his stomach, but he could tell his brother didn't really believe him. He left him alone though. He had other things to do, he had a band to coordinate, and a caterer to check on, and of course he had to stock the bar.

Sasuke planned to get to drunk to stand up straight If he passed out in some corner he wouldn't have to deal with this stupid party, or his brother, and he knew Itachi was too protective, too possessive, to let anything happen to him. It was a win win situation. Besides, he had a sneaking suspicion that Gaara would be there, and he'd seen the boy with Naruto all week, hanging on him like they were best friends, hell they were probably lovers by now, with the amount of restraint the boy was capable of. That would be exactly none, when he knew what he wanted he got it, and nothing stood in his way.

There really wasn't anything he could do now, he'd all but given up really. He sighed, and watched the clear blue skies outside. If he had anything to do with the weather, it would be raining, hell it would be storming like the end of time. If he could he would pull down a flood to wash all of this away, and start over again. Of course, if he could pull down that sort of righteous flood he'd be dead too, because he was guilty of entirely too much himself.

He sighed, heavily, with all the impotent teenage angst he could muster. Things could be worse really, he didn't have that much to complain about. As long as he held on a couple more years and graduated he could do whatever he damn well pleased. Itachi wouldn't let him leave the family, he was tethered too close himself, so Sasuke would always be looked after to a degree. It didn't matter what he did with his life really. There wasn't much expectation from his parents, they didn't even care if he went that far. But Itachi did, and Itachi could rally their parents behind any cause he wanted, so he stayed. They weren't involved.

Hell, he hadn't even really seen his parents but in passing in a long while. They were busy, important people. Thats what boarding schools and household staff were for. And Itachi of course, perfect fucking Itachi. Sasuke sighed again. He didn't move for a long while.

X

Itachi answered the doorbell on the first ring, smiling warmly at the pair on the other side of it. Deidara smiled broadly over the crate of bottles he carried, and they tinkled together loudly as he shifted them to walk inside. He had given Dei and Sasori the task of gathering the alcohol to stock the bar, given Sasori's good taste in those sorts of things. He hadn't been disappointed either. They were good brands, and hard liquor. He wasn't planning on drinking much, but most people were another story. As long as they cleared out in the morning though, Itachi didn't give a shit. Whatever kept them coming, whatever kept his face on the society pages of the chicer magazines of Japan.

This was important for his image after all, and while he didn't really worry about these things per say, Itachi didn't really worry about anything, he did keep them in mind. He was raised to since birth, he was the first son, the one who would take over everything. He had an image to uphold after all, and he had to make it look effortless. For the most part it was. He was young and hot and he was seen in all the right places. Hell, he created the right places. This, tonight, was going to be one of those right places.

He moved aside to let his friends inside. Deidara carried the crate of hard liquor in, while Sasori trailed after him with a hand truck of assorted bottled beverages. He had to have everything on hand after all. None of this really mattered to him though. he was busy trying to puzzle out Sasuke's behavior. He had thought he'd taken care of this on the plane, showing the boy who was in charge. Sasuke had been thinking of him this time, and that had satisfied him to no end. He was the one who got his little brother hot and bothered in public places, and he was the one to take care of it. things were as they should be.

Only Sasuke was being more than his usual angsty self, something was bothering him, and while Itachi didn't really care what it was, as it was undoubtedly some trivial little thing in the end, it was ruining his mood. The boy had shut himself away in the little room upstairs and he'd been silently cloistered there since their arrival, begging an upset stomach or some such nonsense.

He would have to take care of that tonight, while the party was acting as his shield. He would have to be around for some of it, but it wouldn't do for him to be too available really. Besides, there were other, more enjoyable things to do at such events. He smiled, planning out the evening in his head, with plenty of time to deal with Sasuke's problem quite thoroughly, and then time left over to screw his brother senseless in the new whirlpool tub in his room. He smiled absently at he watched Dei set up the bar i the corner. It would undoubtedly be an enjoyable night.

X

Naruto had fussed and complained, and fought tooth and nail, but in the end Gaara still dressed him up for what he had now come to call this stupid fucking party. He was starting to regret agreeing to come. Kankuro had pretty much left them alone here, taking off early that morning to go do something, he hadn't said what. Gaara had slept late, really late, but from the moment he rolled out of bed he had been getting ready. If by getting ready you meant planning how he was going to trick out his roommate.

In the end, Naruto had to admit he looked good, if he did feel a little foolish. The boy had gotten him into a fishnet shirt, the sleeves longer than his arms, but they looped over his fingers at the ends so he supposed they were supposed to be. He had had a black t-shirt to go over it at one point, but he couldn't find it now, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Gaara had hidden it somewhere. He had also been coaxed into the tightest pair of black jeans he'd ever worn, widened a little at the bottom to go over the boots the red-head had dug up. His hair had been whisked up with some sort of weird wax stuff so it stuck out in odd directions, and fell forwards into his face.

The thing he'd fought most though was the eyeliner. He didn't care if Gaara wore it, he thought it was girly and weird. But he'd been threatened into it in the end, and he had to admit grudgingly that it looked good. It made the blue of his eyes pop, almost like they were glowing. He liked the effect, but wasn't about to tell anyone that, even inside his head it sounded hopelessly girly.

Now he was loitering by the door, watching Gaara fiddle with his hair, and change out the little captive ball rings in his ears. The normal silver ones were packed away, and he'd put in these acrylic ones that almost glowed, some insanely florescent shade of green white. He was just waiting to leave at this point, all of this preparation and he was just ready to get there and get it all over with.

He was tired, and he didn't really want to hear about all the people who were and weren't going to show up. Kankuro had arrived back a little bit ago and he was sitting on the other side of his brother, sipping a cold bottle of something alcoholic, grilling his brother on the guest list, or what details of it he had gotten from Itachi. It almost made Naruto nervous when he heard about the photographers, he didn't want his picture taken, so it could show up in some magazine, but he was almost comforted by his outfit then, thinking no one would recognize him like this really, he could pass it off as someone else.

By the time Gaara finally settled his appearance he was slightly nervous again though. He couldn't stop thinking about how Itachi was Sasuke's brother, and how that brought his mind back to the reason he had been depressed all week. It wasn't fair at all, that this was all happening, not now. he had things to do, he didn't have time to worry about some guy he'd fallen for but obviously didn't really care for him much, if their recent contact was any indication. He sighed. Maybe this would be good for him, give him a chance to forget things for awhile.

X

The party was already well started by the time Sasori was sent to dig Sasuke out of his room. The older boy had smiled at him, and the younger Uchiha had sighed, and stood to follow him out. At least Sasori was nice about it, he knew if he refused Deidara would be next, followed by someone else, one of Itachi's friends, before Itachi himself came. And if he put it off that long things would get rapidly and immediately ugly for him, for all of the foreseeable future.

He followed Sasori out like a good boy though, already dressed in his usual party clothes. They were tight and black, Itachi picked them out for him. He said they highlighted his skin tone, and made his eyes look nice. Sasuke thought his brother just liked the way they made his ass look. He wasn't the only one either, he noticed Sasori's eyes dart down to it when he turned around to put down the book he'd been pretending to read. This was small consolation really, but it was something.

He kept his eyes down for the most part, there were already people everywhere. He recognized some of them, but had no desire to speak to them whatsoever. He didn't like these people, not that Sasuke liked a lot of people really. Still, he let his eyes dart up every once and awhile, scanning the knots of people as he passed, weaving through the crowd behind the older boy. He couldn't say what he was looking for exactly, but whatever it was he didn't find it and he kept his eyes on Sasori's boots in front of him for the most part, idly enjoying the way they always seemed to step in tune with the quiet pulsing bass of whatever random underground techno group Itachi had set on the speaker system wired into the walls.

He swore silently when he caught a glimpse of lurid purple paint on a pale face in the corner. That would be Kankuro, which made him sickening sure that Gaara was around here somewhere. He had rather hoped that if they came, they'd at least be unfashionably late and he could be dead to the world or otherwise occupied at that point. He was entirely too sober and tired to deal with the red head, and Itachi would hand him his ass if he made any sort of unplanned scene.

The boy in front of him stopped, but Sasuke wasn't exactly paying close attention anymore and he ran right into Sasori's solid back, stumbling a second before a strong pale arm caught him, winding around his waist. He blushed at his brother's smirk, as Itachi pulled him close, pressing Sasuke's back to his own chest.

"Be careful, Otouto. Wouldn't want you to get hurt or anything, especially not this early in the night." He blushed a deeper red at the shiver his brother's voice sent down his spine from this close, and almost let out a squeak as Itachi's hand crept down from where it had gripped him around the waist, fingers ghosting over the fly of his tight black jeans before coming to rest on his hip, thumb rubbing up under his shirt, right above the waistband idly. He could tell Itachi was watching the crowd, looking for anyone important, but it was early enough in the night that none of them would be here yet.

Sasuke let himself do he same, although he tried not to meet anyone's eyes. His breath caught in his throat when he got halfway though. There stood Gaara, decked out as usual, a bottle in his hand, deep in some animated discussion with some stick thin girl he didn't recognize. That wasn't what did it though, that was normal. The one that made his heart skip slightly was next to him. Naruto, Naruto was here, though he looked about as comfortable as Sasuke felt. He was still breathtaking though, bright hair falling wildly around his face, fishnet taught over tanned skin, tight black pants riding low on his hips, a relatively untouched bottle in his hand. Gaara had one finger hooked through the blond's belt loop, holding him close in, but the red head didn't look like he was actually paying attention to him beyond that, and Naruto stood slightly to one side of his roommate's conversation, swaying to the beat slightly, but looking thoroughly nervous.

He didn't notice he was staring at the boy until he felt a sharp pinch to his bare side, by the time he turned his head back Itachi was already rubbing the spot again in slow, soothing circles. He was smirking.

"I see you're eyeing Gaara's new toy over there. He is quite cute after all. I invited him last weekend, didn't think he'd actually show up though, hangs out with those other idiots too much." Sasuke scowled, and opened his mouth to deny it but was interrupted by insistent hands pushing him forwards, towards the pair across the room. He almost panicked, not at all ready to go over and talk to them together like that.

But Itachi still urged him forwards. He'd put a few things together in his head and he'd figured out that this kid was the one distracting his little brother. He felt oddly at peace with that though, the boy was awfully attractive after all, and he really wouldn't mind...

Itachi let that though trail off unfinished. He had to hold off on any of that stuff until later, he had to stay around until his real guests arrived, and it was all to tempting already to just drag Sasuke upstairs to that new whirlpool tub, or maybe out onto the balcony. He shivered a little himself, shifting around a growing problem in his pants. He smiled widely as he reached the pair of boys across the room, pulling a reluctant Sasuke along behind him.

"Gaara, it's nice to see you made it out, and early to! So unlike you." The red head shifted almost languidly to face them, his grin growing into an evil looking smirk when his eyes fell on Sasuke.

"Yeah, I had a guest over this time, and there really wasn't anything to do at our apartment so we figured why not head out." He pulled the blond in closer, setting the divot on the front of his own hip against the outside of Naruto's. The blond was silent though, shifting nervously more so now than before. He took a long draft from the bottle in his hand as a distraction, and Sasuke couldn't help but watch his throat pulse as he swallowed. The Uchiha's mouth was suddenly very dry. He looked away quickly when he felt Itachi's chuckle rumble against his back.

"And I see you brought the new kid with you. Naruto, right?" He smiled, speaking to the blond directly. Naruto smiled weakly back.

"Yeah. Its a nice party, but I don't really do these kinds of things often, not used to this many people, I lived on a compound in the middle of nowhere for most of my life. It's a little intense." Itachi laughed, shifting so his hips were cocked comfortably to one side.

"Well, you should come out more often then. I'll be sure to invite you next time I have a get together. You know, there are some people at school I could introduce you to who plan parties like this all the time, it's a pretty good business actually. You can get a lot of extra cash like that." He paused with a smile, leaning in a little, holding those sharp blue eyes with his own. "Not that anyone at the Institute needs extra money really, but it's a good racket nonetheless."

Naruto laughed nervously, but he relaxed a little, talking to Itachi. He had assumed by the way he'd seen the brothers interact at school that they really didn't get along that well, so he hadn't expected Sasuke to be here. He was almost regretting coming out now, as he couldn't quite look the boy in the eye. He could talk to Itachi though, Itachi's voice was calming and smooth, and his eyes were like Sasuke's, only different, though he wasn't sure what it was. He assumed it had something to do with the little could of angst the boy was always surrounded by, but he could be wrong. The thought made him smile.

Sasuke stood quietly to one side, all too aware of the hand on his hip still. He was trying to seem interested in the interaction, but he really didn't want to watch Itachi sinking his fangs into the only person Sasuke wanted right now, besides him of course, but that wasn't something Sasuke would admit. He flicked his eyes over to see Gaara watching him intently, while the other two conversed quietly. His smile made Sasuke nervous, he was definitely planning something, and he was sure it wasn't something he would like, not if it brought Gaara such glee.

X

Sasuke had used the first available opportunity to slip away from his brother, who had remained engrossed in conversation with the blond he was trying hard not to think about right now. He'd snagged himself a couple of ice cold bottle of some fruity malt thing and had gone out on the roof deck. There were always people out here, but ti was quieter, and he knew this was not the first place Itachi would look for him. He had proceeded to implement his earlier escape plan in full force, with this new motivation in place.

He'd crawled up into one of the raised be gardens, careful not to ruin any of Itachi's carefully placed foliage. Up here no one would bother him, and he was for the most part well hidden. It wasn't the warmest night though, and as the wind picked up he heard most of the people outside trickle back in to the warmth of the party. He sighed, looking up. You couldn't see the starts here, there was too much light pollution from Tokyo.

That was one of the things he did like about Konoha. It was up in the mountains, a reasonable distance from any real city. You could lay out on the grass at night and really see the stars up above you. It was calming for him, it reminded him that he was really small, especially now. Sasuke tended to get philosophical when he was drunk, and right now he was well on the way to being drunk. He didn't drink often really, so a little bit went a long way for him.

He hugged his arms around himself, shivering slightly from a particularly vicious gust of wind. Maybe I should go back inside soon, it's getting cold, and it's probably late enough that Itachi will be looking for an excuse to escape, and that usually means me. It wasn't that he really wanted to have some probably violent and embarrassing sexual encounter with his brother right now, Gaara's wicked smile had killed any remaining embers of that mood on contact. He just didn't really want to provoke Itachi any more than he had to. His brother was a vengeful motherfucker, but that ran in the family. He didn't register the relative silence until it was broken by a familiar voice.

"Aaaahhh, it's so much cooler out here, there's air. It was too too hot in there." It was Naruto's voice, only slower, a little bit slurred around the edges. He couldn't resist shimmying forwards to peer out at the scene before him. Gaara was standing quite close behind the blond, one hand resting firmly on the boy's hip. He was clinging to the railing of the deck like it was the only thing holding him upright, though the way he was leaning a little made Sasuke suspicious that the redhead had something to do with making sure he wasn't falling over.

Sasuke's chest was tight. He didn't want to see this, not the boy he wanted but couldn't have with the boy who hated him for no good reason. Shit, shit shit. He contemplated getting up now and going back inside, but then they'd see him, or at least Gaara would, Gaara always did, and he didn't want to face the red haired boy, not right now. He was tired and drunk and he didn't think he would be able to control his emotions. He sat back a little, shivering from more than just the cold now.

He heard a throaty chuckle, but he'd crawled back out of view. He didn't want to watch this. There was eerie silence for a moment, then an indignant squawk followed by a hum. He wished he were anywhere else right now. Then he heard Naruto's voice, low and slurred.

"Ah, Gaara stop it. I can't do this right now, I'm too messed up. I told you before I didn't, -ah." The moan cut off whatever it was that Naruto was going to say. Sasuke winced slightly. He couldn't help sitting forwards again though. He wanted to watch the boy while he still could, no matter how much it hurt. He still winced when he saw Gaara pressed against the boy's back, holding him to the railing, lips hovering over the blond's neck. They came into contact with the skin gently, one of Gaara's hands under the fishnet shirt, the other curled around the boy's hip tightly, holding him in place.

"I said st-aaah." He trailed off into another moan when Gaara's lips came down, sucking at the skin, raising a little red mark on it. Naruto jerked a little, trying to pull away, but Gaara's fingers wouldn't let go. He stumbled then, obviously more drunk than Sasuke had thought, before Gaara caught him, one hand brushing over the front of the boy's pants unnecessarily while helping him back up. Naruto tried to break his grip again.

"No, I'm drunk and I'm in someone else's house. Besides, I don't want to do that with you, I don't want to ruin the friendship we have. It would be too awkward." Gaara growled low in his throat, wrenching the boy back to the railing, pushing him up against it harshly.

"Just shut up, Naruto-chan. Stop being such a girl. It will feel real nice, I promise." He leaned in again, trying to place his lips on Naruto's but the blond turned his head to the side, making a desperate little noise.

Sasuke felt something inside of him rush with cold, and he didn't care if they saw him anymore, anything if it would stop this. He jumped down to the pavement of the deck gracefully, making sure to make enough noise to alert them to his presence. Gaara ignored him, reaching out a hand to grab the blond's face, barely wrapping his fingers around it when he felt Sasuke's grip on his wrist.

"Stop it Gaara. He said no, besides, he's too drunk for this." Gaara scowled up at him before cocking his other arm back, untangling it from Naruto's body before punching him straight in the jaw. Sasuke stumbled backwards, stunned. He looked over at the red head in disbelief, but he was smiling that damn creepy smile again.

"I think he was just drunk enough really, if you hadn't stuck your pretty nose out where it didn't belong." He turned back to the blond, deeming his conversation with the Uchiha over. Sasuke rushed right back though, pulling Gaara off Naruto again, gripping the back of his collar tightly. The boy growled, and hit him again, a strong uppercut to the jaw. Sasuke staggered backwards, his feet slipping out from under him, and he was suddenly on his back on the deck, Gaara looking livid above him, drawing back his foot as if to deliver a kick to his ribs. A cool yet commanding voice from the doorway froze them both in place.

"And what exactly is going on out here now?" Itachi closed the door quietly behind them, eyeing Gaara with a displeased look. The red head opened his mouth to shout something but thought better of it, snapping it closed with a snarl and turning to the boy behind him. Naruto was on the ground, leaning against the railing, looking only half awake. Gaara extended an arm to pick him up but a strong pale hand caught his wrist rather more tightly than necessary.

"Leave him here, I'll deal with both of them. You look like you've had quite enough to drink, and I think you might want to head home." Itachi's voice was even and low, it carried a note of ultimate authority, more so than his usual tone. Gaara yanked his arm from the older boy's grasp, sneering a little.

"I was on my way out anyways, but I have to take Naruto home. He did come with me after all." Itachi didn't move an inch, looking Gaara square in the eyes, his face a firm impassive mask.

"I will make sure that Naruto-kun gets home safe and sound by monday. I think you would do better to worry about yourself right now." His voice was laden with ice now, his dark eyes narrowing. Gaara snarled once more before stomping to the door.

Sasuke still sat on the ground where he had fallen. he could taste blood in his mouth from the punch, but it wasn't a bad cut or anything, and he didn't feel any other injuries. He was however quite shocked at his brother's behavior.

He looked over at Naruto, and saw the boy was smiling tiredly. Sasuke shot his brother a thankful but curious glance before moving to kneel by the blond. He wanted to make sure Naruto was alright before he did anything else. He seemed to be fine, if more than a little drunk, but it never hurt to check really.

"Naruto? You okay?" The boy smiled and nodded.

"Just ... tired." Sasuke frowned. There had to be more than alcohol involved, alcohol just didn't do that to people. He sighed, standing and helping the blond to his feet, looping one tanned arm over his own shoulder to keep the boy balanced. Itachi looked at them for a moment before sighing.

"Why don't you go put him in your room, it's the only room with no one in it at the moment I believe." Sasuke nodded in response, steering a teetering Naruto towards the doors, bringing him back into the chaos of the party room. It was still early enough that it was packed, and navigating it was rather difficult, especially with the weight and form of another person hanging from your shoulder.

He was glad when he could drop the other boy onto his futon, breathing a little harder than normal. Naruto looked even groggier now, his eyes fluttering a little bit. The Uchiha sighed, turning to open the door and slip out,

"Sa-Sasuke?" The boy turned back around, looking at Naruto over his shoulder. Naruto was blushing a little. "I want to see something, okay?"

Sasuke was curious at to what he wanted to know, so he stepped closer. Naruto caught his wrist in one tanned hand and pulled him closer. He looked in the boy's dark eyes and swallowed before pulling Sasuke slightly, their lips touching for one moment before he fell backwards. Sasuke was shocked, but it seemed like Naruto had passed out then. He had so many questions running around his brain, he didn't know what to think now. He sighed and backed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Sasuke sulked in the corner for most of the rest of the party, where Itachi kept a sharp eye on him but thankfully left him pretty much alone. The sharp glare that Sasuke threw at anyone else who came near kept the rest of the guests at bay, and he didn't get hit on at all, for which he was also quite thankful. Still, when the night winded down, and daylight crept into the Tokyo skyline, and Itachi had shooed the last of the guests out of the apartment, he stopped in front of Sasuke an dragged him to his feet.

Sasuke didn't fight it, he was tired and he just wanted to go to bed now, just wanted to pass out. There had been a lot going on, and suddenly he wasn't as sure as he had been about his chances with Naruto, which he'd deemed was nothing a few days ago, when he'd somehow thought the blond was in a happy and stable relationship with Gaara. The more he thought about it though, the more he doubted in his own mind that Gaara was even capable of a stable anything.

It was weird to him, to think that the blond boy he wanted so much was upstairs, sleeping in his own damn bed. It sent a slight shiver down his spine. He wanted to go check on him, but Itachi sent Sasori in his place. Sasuke had considered that for a second before agreeing. Sasori was fine, he trusted Sasori, maybe more than any of his brother's friends who were still here.

He let Itachi drag him up the stairs, and down the hall. Well, drag isn't the best word for it, it was more of a shuffling push, holding him out in front. He didn't give pause when Itachi pushed him through his bedroom door, leading the boy to the bed in the middle of the room. He was suddenly nervous, more nervous than he'd ever been before. It didn't make any sense to him. It's just Itachi, he's fucked me in worse places than this. On a fucking airplane! Why NOW? He was looking away distractedly, and didn't see Itachi cock back his hand until the sharp stinging in his cheek registered. His mind went silent then, all he could do was blink up at his brother in surprise. Itachi was smirking quietly, but he'd caught a hint of a scowl for a second there.

"Focus, otouto. If I'd known having that adorable little blond in the house was going to distract you this bad I wouldn't have let you keep him. After all-" Itachi leaned down, so that his breath was ghosting over Sasuke's lips, warm and wet "-I can't have you bringing in every little stray that follows you home. You might catch something." His smile was all sharp points then and Sasuke just stared, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He was frozen to the spot, knowing any little shift would close the distance between him and his brother.

The decision was made for him though, as Itachi crashed his lips down hard onto Sasuke's mouth, pressing it open with the force of his tongue alone. Not that Sasuke put up much of a fight really, still a little distracted, mind going back to the boy in his bed right now. He shivered, thinking about how it felt to have those soft lips on his for that single heartbeat. He wasn't even sure if he could really call it a kiss, it was over before it started. But still, Naruto had said he'd wanted to see something, like that brief touch was an experiment. His stomach tightened at the thought of that, maybe there was something there.

He was brought back to the task at hand when Itachi's teeth sank into his tongue a little more viciously than was necessary. His brother did not look amused then, growling low in the back of his throat. Sasuke swallowed again, feeling the little icy tremors of fear dancing up his spine. Things were not good when Itachi was angry.

He braced himself, but he wasn't prepared for the sudden absence of his brother's familiar weight on top of him. He opened his tightly closed eyes just in time to be jerked harshly to his feet, pale fingers gripping his wrist so hard it hurt. He staggered after his brother, not having time to regain his footing before he was being swung into the bathroom. His back hit the edge of the counter hard enough for him to wince, he was sure he'd feel that in the morning. One look from Itachi though made him think it wouldn't be the worst of it.

He waited for the boy to slam against him, but it didn't happen. Itachi strolled past him instead, to the freshly installed whirlpool tub. He turned on the hot water tap, running it for a moment before stopping the drain, watching the water swirl around the bottom. Everything was silent and still for a moment, the only sound in the room was the echoing rush of the tub filling. Then Itachi stood smoothly, turning around to face him. His eyes were cold, but the familiar smirk was back on his face.

"I think you're smart enough to know what to do now, hm?" Sasuke trembled for a second, though he couldn't say why, before his hands went to the hem of his shirt, shaking slightly. Itachi was acting weirdly, even for him. He never took his eyes off his brother's face, expecting him to pounce as soon as he looked away. He pulled the tight black shirt over his head as quickly as he could, and he was about to fold it and set it on the counter beside him when Itachi grabbed it, throwing it out the still open door.

Sasuke flinched, but his hands went to the catch on his pants without hesitation. His limbs were working purely on automatic muscle memory, going through acts he'd memorized through thousands of repetitions by now. He could feel Itachi's unwavering gaze on him as he slid the tight pants down his legs, pulling the underwear off at the same time. Before he could get them off himself though his ass was suddenly on the cold marble of the counter, and his pants were flung to the side, following his shirt out the bathroom door. Itachi leaned in then, smiling slyly.

"Now do me" The words were purred into the shell of his ear, and he shivered. He felt the shift of his member hardening against the hard counter. For some reason the sensation was arousing to him, he shifted a little as he lifted slightly shaky hands to the buttons of Itachi's immaculate shirt, carefully undoing each one. When he got to the bottom he pushed, the silky material sliding down his brother's shoulders and off with a whisper. His hands fell to the buckle of Itachi's belt then, fumbling slightly as Itachi pushed himself in closer, his breath ghosting across the crook of Sasuke's neck.

Itachi got impatient then, the tub was almost full and he wanted them both in it now. He grabbed the waistband of his pants, yanking them down until they slid over his slender hips. Sasuke's fingers were still wrapped around the belt, and the sudden movement pitched him forwards, his arms going out for balance, catching around Itachi's neck. He smirked, wrapping his arms around the boy's waist, cupping a pale ass cheek in each hand. He lifted, relishing the moment before Sasuke's legs automatically wrapped around his waist, a trained response to the loss of footing. In two steps he sunk them both into the water, thumbing the faucet off as they sunk in. Itachi held their current position, sliding one hand up to clamp across his brother's shoulder while the other slid farther, slender fingers gently moving over the boy's entrance, prodding it every once and awhile.

He paused to breath, the warmth and steam surrounding him. This was comfortable, a good investment. It made him smile. Sasuke relaxed in his lap, eyes sliding closed as his head lolled to one side, resting on his shoulder. This was nice, but not exactly what he needed. Itachi shifted, burying one hand in inky black hair, pulling it lightly to direct his brother's head until he had access to the pale neck. He smirked slightly before biting down, not hard enough to break the skin but hard enough to bruise. He soothed the bite with a little lick as Sasuke tensed in his arms, letting out a small squawk.

He pulled back to blow lightly across the damp spot before pulling another little mouthful of flesh up, suckling this time, raising a brilliant red mark on the pale flesh, and pulling a deep moan from Sasuke's mouth. He smirked as he let the skin go, pulling the boy's head backwards a little so he could latch on to those moaning lips, parted and damp now. He devoured his brother's mouth hungrily, sucking the lagging tongue into his own mouth, biting it softly.

Sasuke shifted in his lap, and he felt himself rubbing on the boy. It sent a tingle up his spine. He ground himself into Sasuke's ass, pushing the finger that had been rubbing around it inside in a quick stab. The boy tensed and whimpered. Itachi moved the finger, thrusting it in and out while he bit at his brother's ear lightly. He pulled back a little, drawing his tongue up Sasuke's jaw bone as he thrust another finger in to join the first. There was a small cry from Sasuke this time, but he buried it in Itachi's shoulder, making him grin, wiggling his fingers inside until he felt the muscles around them relax a bit. He scissored the digits, working the hole wider before pulling them out.

As much as he enjoyed sitting in this position, he shifted the boy now, turning him around and throwing him over the edge of the tub, the lip digging into Sasuke's chest. Itachi entered him in one single violent thrust, crushing his lungs against the hard edge of the tub, drawing a garbled scream from his wet lips. It hurt, it hurt a lot, and he struggled to relax before Itachi started moving, knowing it was going to happen whether he was ready or not and it would stop hurting a lot quicker if he was relaxed.

He took a deep breath, counting in his head, eyes pressed closed. He got to eight before he felt his brother's fingers curled tightly into his hips, shifting him. He couldn't help but tense a little, the Itachi was moving, slowly now but picking up speed, and the pain was still there, but there was pleasure bubbling up under the surface as Itachi grazed his prostate with every practiced stroke.

He closed his eyes and moaned loudly, bucking back against a particularly forceful thrust. One of Itachi's hands buried itself in his hair again, and he cried out when his head was wrenched backwards, Itachi smirking over his shoulder, breath skittering across the surface of his now sensitized skin like sparks, going straight to the pooling heat in his pelvis.

"Now now, Sasuke-kun. As much as I love hearing your gorgeous voice do remember we have a guest still. Wouldn't want him to hear us, now would you? He might feel left out after all." Sasuke's eyes sprung wide open. He'd forgotten about Naruto, passed out in his bed only two rooms away. He whimpered, clenching his teeth to bite back another cry.

Itachi chuckled, and kept pounding into his little brother, his breath coming in more erratic spurts now, despite the calmness of his previous words. He could feel the curling beginnings of his orgasm building below his stomach. He groaned himself then, careful not to be too loud. He wanted Sasuke to be the one to wake the blond, if anyone did. It would be intensely satisfying to see that kid walk in to find Sasuke like this. He could imagine the blush, the stammering, the hurt.

He snapped his hips violently, and buried his teeth in Sasuke's neck again, relishing the cry the boy could not hold back. He reached around with the hand that had once been buried in the inky black hair in front of him and circled his brother's member. It only took a couple good pumps before the boy was tensing, screaming out, forgetting the things he's just been told in the moment.

"AH, ITACHI..." That was all it took for Itachi to ram in harder, letting himself release inside his brother. He collapsed backwards, pulling Sasuke back into his lap, stroking slow circles on the boy's back. Sasuke went limp, lying bonelessly on Itachi's lap. He snuggled down slightly, moving in to the warmth. Itachi smirked.

"Mmm, Otouto. I think it might be time I clarify some rules to you, ne? I don't want you doing that again, talk to me before you decide to run after some new brat." He paused, feeling Sasuke stiffen in his lap. He chuckled. "Don't think you can replace me with someone you don't even know, foolish brother. I will always be here."

Sasuke blushed slightly at that, trying to back peddle a little. It was hard to think about anything else when Itachi was all around him like that, smothering and soft and sickly sweet. Itachi gripped him though, hands that had once been moving slow circles on his skin dug in sharp little fingernails until he whimpered from the pressure. He stilled, leaning slightly away. Itachi chuckled.

"You won't ever learn, will you? That okay, I'll just have to keep teaching you."

X

The next morning dawned late for Sasuke. He'd slept in his brother's bed upstairs, Itachi had not let him leave. He'd been so tired he hadn't really fought that much, just gave in when he hit the soft mattress, letting his eyes slip closed immediately. Now though the bed beside him was empty, the room dimmed by the closed curtains. He was alone, but everything around him still smelled like Itachi, he could almost taste his brother in the air around him. He shivered slightly.

His first thought was to take a shower, but he didn't want to look at Itachi's bathroom right now, not at the deep whirlpool tub still filled with now cold water. He stood instead, finding his shirt, but not his pants. He shrugged, ruffling through his brother's drawers until he found some dark lounge pants.

He padded quietly downstairs, towards the familiar voices of Kisame and Deidara, arguing in the kitchen over the smell of cooking breakfast. His head hurt a little bit, but food sounded nice right then. He rounded the corner and froze. Kisame and Dei were indeed chopping and whisking and cooking up a big mess, but his brother was sitting at the breakfast bar, talking quietly with Naruto.

Naruto who looked like he'd been hit by a fricking bus. His hair was everywhere, his eyes were sunken, he winced at the noise. Itachi handed the boy a cup of tea and stepped back, sensing Sasuke's arrival. The boy felt a little guilty. Gaara had done something to the blond. He could have stopped it. He'd interrupted sure, but by then the plan was halfway through, and the poor boy was already set to feel it in the morning. He stood in the doorway, wavering back and forth. He was thinking about ti so deeply that he didn't hear his brother approach until his hand was delicately balanced on his shoulder. He turned his face up, eyes suddenly wide as Itachi leaned down and kissed him, right on the mouth.

He froze. No no no, not in front of Naruto. I don't want him to know, this whole situation is just fucking sick. He tensed for the yell of surprise, but none came. He chanced a look over at the blond, and sighed in relief when he saw the boy's head was down, resting cushioned on his folded arms, tea forgotten beside him. Still, he sent a glare to his brother, who was lounging against the wall in front of him, smirking, dark eyes studying his face carefully. Sasuke couldn't help but falter, blushing slightly. He hated it when Itachi watched him that closely.

"Hoorah, it's done!" His thoughts were interrupted by a triumphant cry from Deidara, a little louder than it needed to be, evidenced by Naruto's wince at the noise. He moved towards them to hiss a keep it down a little but was interrupted by large hands pushing him into a seat beside Naruto, a plate of something somewhere between eggs and pie thrown down in front o each of them. He took an experimental bite and decided it was edible, turning to see Naruto staring at his plate like he can't quite figure out how to do it, still looking horrible.

Sasuke sighed. He tensed when Itachi came up between them from behind, laying a hand on each of their shoulders. He smiled warmly at the blonde, who managed a weak grin in return, looking up at Itachi, but avoiding the younger Uchiha's worried glances like some plague. Sasuke felt his stomach shit residence in his body, moving to accommodate the flux of emotion.

"It's okay Naruto, eat it, it will help make you feel better. Then I think you should go back to bed. I'll give you something for the headache and you can sleep it off." The blond smiled a thank you, looking down towards the tea again, taking a careful sip, then a larger one when it was deemed passable. Sasuke scowled into his own eggs, picking at them as if scrying for answers in the scattered bits of meat and vegetable spread through the firm mass of egg. Itachi squeezed his shoulder once before backing away.

X

Naruto slept for a long long time, it was dark before he woke up again. Sasuke waited patiently on the couch. It was Saturday night now, and his brother had left him alone all day, oddly enough. He was thankful for it, but couldn't help being suspicious. Why was Itachi being so nice? He had expected his brother to be openly torturous, it was how he acted around all of the other kids from Konoha. He couldn't really call them friends, he didn't have many of those really, but he didn't feel like he needed them. He was fine how he was, alone.

But he didn't doubt that as soon as the blond woke up Itachi would be back to his normal antics. His brother hadn't been hung over or anything, in fact the older boy was positively chipper as he puttered around the apartment, giving Sasuke a wide berth. He'd set up camp on the couch after he'd tucked Naruto back into his bed, and he'd watched nervously as Itachi had hovered around, talking on the phone and cleaning things up, collecting empty glass bottles into paper bags to put out with the recycling come sunday night.

Then Naruto had wondered back into the living room, bleary eyed but looking much more like himself, even if he was now decked out in Sasuke's pajamas. There was something undeniably erotic about seeing the boy in his own clothing, something about the way the clothes were a little bit too tight on his frame, riding up to show peaks of his pale stomach, like they were familiar now, like they were close. Sasuke's mouth went a little dry when the blond flopped down silently beside him on the couch, he could feel the boy's gaze on him, but neither broke the uncomfortable silence. Sasuke psyched himself up to speak, he wanted to ask the boy about last night, about Gaara and him, about that innocent little kiss. He opened his mouth, words forming on his lips.

Itachi chose that moment to walk back in, leaning in between them languidly, his torso hanging over the back of the couch to separate them. he grinned.

"Feeling better Naruto-kun?" His voice was low and clear, and Sasuke was frustrated all of a sudden, sure his brother had picked that exact moment to interject, calculating and cold as always. He scowled.

"Yeah, actually I am Itachi-senpai. The nap did a lot, and whatever you gave me killed the headache perfectly. Thanks." Naruto's voice was a little hoarse and broken, but he was smiling, and that made Sasuke's stomach do weird little things. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what to say. he couldn't ask any of his questions, not now, not with Itachi leaning over them like that. He scowled again, closing his mouth.

"Oh Otouto, someone's still a little grumpy, ne? Why don't you come out with me, I have to do a few little errands around the city. It would do you some good to get out of the house and go somewhere." Sasuke's heart leapt a little, Itachi was leaving, that meant he would be all alone with Naruto here. Itachi's friends had taken off about mid afternoon, leaving the apartment pleasantly silent in their wake. He struggled to keep his face straight, looking his brother in the face.

"Maybe another time, Itachi? I'm a little bit tired still, I think I'm gonna make some dinner and watch a movie or something." He looked back to the television in front of him, not meeting Itachi's eyes, hoping to any gods that might exist that his brother wouldn't choose that moment to once again assert his dominance. He half expected to be wrenched up from his seat and pulled out the door, to see Itachi's scowling face above him, to be torn into a searingly deep kiss. Itachi did none of that though, but the innocent grin he gave made the younger Uchiha more uncomfortable than any of that stuff could have been. Itachi sighed.

"Well, if you don't want to come with me..." He trailed off, looking over at the smiling blond beside him, "How about you, Naruto-kun? I could show you around Tokyo, we could get something to eat." Sasuke's breath stalled in his throat at Naruto's smile.

"That would be great, 'Tachi-san." He turned to Sasuke, with a shy sort of look in his eyes that was unbearably cute, and Sasuke waited, fully expecting to be badgered into coming, and fully willing to give in. "Hey Sasuke, can I borrow something to wear? I only have those clothes Gaara lent me, and I don't really feel like crawling back into those." His heart sunk a little, but he nodded, not daring to look away from the television now, even though he couldn't process what was going on in the show now. He was scared, disappointed, so many emotions at once. He didn't want the boy alone with his brother, didn't trust Itachi with the only other things he had that he felt something for. He moved to stand, but a pale hand pushed him back down.

"You just stay here, Otouto. You're tired, you said so yourself. I'll get something for him, I know what you have in there." He met his brother's eyes and his blood went cold. Itachi was plotting something. But he knew better than to argue with Itachi now, because this was his new plan, and he might have gotten away with denying him once, but he wouldn't get away with him again. Somehow this hurt more than being dominated in front of his new love interest ever could. He felt like crying.

X

Sasuke sulked around the house all night. Sasori and Deidara showed up around 10, looking for Itachi. Sasuke had barked out a harsh No one else is here, but that sadly didn't deter them. Instead, they took it as an invitation to come in, order pizza, and generally make themselves at home. Deidara managed to bust out a flat of malts that had somehow survived the party, and they cracked in, somehow coercing Sasuke into drinking with them, and eating their pizza. Sasori even made him sit in between them on the couch when the movie started.

Sasuke was pleasantly buzzed by that point and just wanted to forget about what his brother could be out doing with Naruto at the moment. He laid his head in Sasori's lap, which was always calming, on of the older boy's pale hands stroking through his hair until he felt his eyes lulling shut. He wondered idly if some of the worse rumors about his brother were true, some of the freshmen girls were convinced he was some kind of carnivorous vampire creature, that is those of them that didn't think he was a fucking sex god. He practically giggled, drunk as he was, when the image of Naruto having his head gnawed off by Itachi flitted across his mind.

I don't care. I don't have a chance with Naruto, I don't have a chance with anybody, Itachi always seems to see to that. So why am I nervous? Itachi won't actually kill the boy, we'll wake up tomorrow, we'll have brunch and go home. Naruto will ignore me, and I'll ignore him right back, and when we get back to school I can get back to my life. He tried to convince himself he was okay with that. It was a lot easier to do when there was a warm hand in his hair, when the blond boy was nowhere to be found.

Sasuke fell asleep like that, he must have, because one minute there was a movie on, some martial arts flick where one guys was taking on a whole army and kicking ass. Then he remembered closing his eyes for a second. When he woke up the credits were rolling, quietly. Deidara was leaning towards him slightly, eyes closed, breathing softly. He looked peaceful when he slept. That was good, because he sure as hell didn't look peaceful any other time. Sasori, it seemed, was asleep too, one hand tangled in his hair still. It was comforting. He yawned.

He jumped a little when he heard the door swing open. He was comfortable, so he didn't bother sitting up to see who it was. It was Itachi, he knew that. Maybe if he pretended to be asleep, Itachi would leave him alone, and Naruto would go to bed, and then he could sneak in and talk to the blond boy. He thought this was a good plan.

He listened to the footsteps, one familiar set, one a little offbeat. Itachi said something in a hissing whisper and set a shopping bag down on the floor. It was too quiet for Sasuke to hear what was said, but he did catch the fit of drunken giggles that followed. He frowned. Why was everyone trying to get Naruto drunk lately. Then his heart was in his throat as he remembered Gaara, trying to push the boy into something, trying to take advantage. He swallowed dryly, Itachi wouldn't do that, right? He listened, but all he could hear was the rustling of packing paper, and the sound of things being put away, a hushed conversation across the room faded in and out, always too low for him to understand what was said. He shifted nervously, wondering how to fake waking up at the noise.

Then the boys behind him were moving, towards the couch, but beyond in, into the other room. He could just see them, Itachi facing him and Naruto looking away. Itachi was adjusting something on the blond's neck, hands wrapped around him to the back to tie something. The older Uchiha was grinning widely. He said something Sasuke couldn't hear, and stepped back a little, the lump in Sasuke's throat loosening a little.

Then in a single second those tanned arms were wrapped around his brother's neck, the boy's face buried in Itachi's chest, murmuring something lowly. He stepped back a little, and Sasuke was frozen to the spot as he watched his brother lift on pale hand and cup the boy's cheek lightly, looking down into the eyes Sasuke could see in his head, deep blue and always sparkling always moving, like fresh water.

Itachi was the one who leaned in first, but Naruto clearly closed the distance, their lips touching for more than the second for which his own had. His chest ached, he felt hollow inside. Itachi was evil, he was mean, some sort of epic heartless beast, that was the only explanation. They came apart then, and Sasuke's heart stopped when his brother looked right at him, smirking widely. That was the last thing he remembered before he turned his head. He could feel tears in his eyes again, and he hated himself then more than he could ever hate his brother.

Itachi was grinning and Naruto wasn't sure why. There were pale hands on his hips, and he was slightly dazed, slightly drunk, and he could taste him now. He darted his tongue out to lick his lips. definitely, I can taste him. He felt a little unsteady all of a sudden, hands fisted in Itachi's shirt. He thought if he let go maybe he'd fall. His own legs definitely wouldn't support his own weight, and everything else he could feel settling on his shoulders.

And Itachi grinned more, raising one hand to run through Naruto's hair as he saw His brother's head facing away again. The sight of his eyes, wide with surprise and incomprehension, was so so sweet. He wanted to relish it, he wanted to memorize it, record it somehow so that he could play it back later, when he was trying to fall asleep. It was beautiful, and just how he'd planned it. He knew his brother too well, he could play him like a well tuned instrument at this point, plucking each certain string just to hear the wonderful sounds it made.

He had to understand, after all, that Itachi wasn't just going to share him with anyone. He belonged to Itachi dammit, Itachi had claimed him, had plucked him fresh from the vine, had molded and aged him, made him into what he was. Itachi was not going to let all that go for some little blond brat, no matter how utterly adorable he was.

This was the perfect solution really, he got everything he wanted, the boy, the blond, the power. Everything worked so well. Gently he laced his own fingers with the tanned ones, prying the boy's hands from his shirt, leading him towards Sasuke's room again, where the pajamas he'd worn last night were still set out on the bed. He looked confused, but he calmed when Itachi touched his hair. As they passed the couch he looked down concernedly, seeing Sasuke there, eyes open, staring blankly, tears falling down. He looked up, opened his mouth, but Itachi hushed him silently. He closed it until they were in Sasuke's room again. As soon as he was sitting on the bed, with the door closed, the boy spoke, in halting words.

"I-is Sasuke-chan okay?" Itachi smiled as comfortingly as he could then. He didn't like the boy talking about his otouto so familiarly. He didn't even know Sasuke, not really. He put a hand in beautiful blond hair, stroking soothingly.

"I'm going to go make sure he is. I need you-" He handed the boy two blue pills, "-to take these now. They'll help you sleep. Do you need a drink?" Naruto shook his head and took them dry, making a face when they stuck a little in his throat. Itachi smiled again, and proceeded to strip the blond down. Naruto didn't seem to mind much, adjusting himself as well as he could. Itachi had gotten him pretty buzzed really, the sleeping pills should come into effect really soon. It had been a small dose, he didn't want to kill the boy, just knock him out for awhile, while he dealt with Sasuke.

He watched as the blond snuggled down into the bed, pulling the blanket up around him, noticing he didn't bother with the pajamas, still sitting on the foot of the bed. Itachi chuckled, good to know. He stepped back then, eyeing the boy before laying a chaste kiss on his forehead and stepping backwards out the door. The blond would be out in a half hour or less. He smirked, padding back into the kitchen to get the bags. They had bought a lot of things, a whole bunch of clothes, some for Naruto, but every once and awhile the boy would pull something that he said would look good on Sasuke. Itachi had bought most of those things too.

Hey, the blond was right. They would look good on Sasuke. Besides, dressing the boy was one of those little ways Itachi liked to micromanage his life, to show who was in charge without having to resort to anything painful or complicated. Sometimes though something of that caliber was necessary. Something like, say, seducing his crush in front of him? Itachi smirked. Not that evil really, he didn't hurt Naruto or anything. He merely put his brother back in his place, a little reminder that Itachi could still take anything away from him, anything at all.

X

Sasuke could feel his world crumbling down around him, he could feel things falling and civilizations burning and mountains dissolving to dust. Everything was going wrong, right when he thought maybe at least something was going to go right. He could hear Itachi moving behind him, alone now. He must have put Naruto to bed. That relaxed him a little. It probably meant the boy was in Sasuke's bed, and while that meant that Sasuke would probably be brought to his brother's bed that night again, it meant that Itachi wasn't fucking Naruto. No, if he were doing that he would do it right in Sasuke's face. That was just how his brother worked.

Sasuke couldn't help but blame himself for all of this. He was the one that dragged Naruto into their business, the one who triggered this sequence of events falling down around him like carefully laid dominoes He tried to sit as still as he could, with tear tracks drying down his face. He didn't want Itachi's friends to see him like this. Sasori he respected too much, he didn't want the older boy to see him this weak, and Deidara, well Dei wasn't the nicest at times, and the blond would probably never let him live this down. It was much too big after all.

He heard the rustling of paper cease behind him, and Itachi's footsteps came closer, slow and measured, each one deliberate, made so he could hear them, ready himself for Itachi's arrival. He tried to compose himself but gave up. There was nothing he could do after all, not without twenty minutes in the bathroom. He sighed, letting his eyes fall closed again until Itachi was standing in front of him, smirking. His brother grabbed his wrist then, dragging him to his feet as gently as he could.

Itachi didn't really want to wake his friends either, at least not yet. This matter didn't concern them, it was between Sasuke and himself. He pulled the boy up the staircase by the picture windows, the nighttime cityscape of Tokyo flowing by as they climbed. Sasuke was silent, defeated it seemed. While this wasn't the boy's best side, it was what Itachi wanted at the moment. He wanted submission, he wanted devotion, he wanted to be the only thing in Sasuke's mind, and he wanted to the boy to know that anything else built up there would be captured, torn down, pulled away, until he was back to this point. He didn't speak until he'd thrown the boy to the floor of his room, standing over him with the door closed.

"Well, Sasuke? Do you have anything you want to say for yourself?" The boy looked at him blankly, tears still wet in his eyes, but they were no longer falling. He smirked slightly. Silent acceptance was all he saw, acceptance of the metaphorical burning fields in which he now sat, everything around him turned to ruin but one thing. That one thing stood before him like a pillar, like an ivory tower. Sasuke let his eyes drop.

"Nothing at all? Naruto had a lot to say today. If you'd just said yes you could have come with us, you could have heard him laugh. He would have said those words to you instead. You did this to yourself you know." He sighed, reaching down to pick the boy up, one hand under each arm like he might a child. He laid the boy on the bed, and Sasuke shifted a little before lying still. Itachi settled beside him, one hand rubbing the boy's back, on top of the black shirt he still wore.

"Thats okay, I still love you. I'm the only one Sasuke, but I still do. I will always love you, remember that. Even if you do nothing to deserve it, you can always come crawling back. I'll forgive you every time, though it won't always be without a price." He chuckled, the sound cold in his own mouth. His hand moved under the shirt, rubbing over cool white flesh instead. He felt his brother shiver under his touch and it made him proud. He could always wrench reaction from the boy, Sasuke was never truly broken, only beaten back down to the roots. His brother was stronger than that, he was an Uchiha after all.

Itachi pulled the boy up, until he was in his lap, straddling his legs neatly, some of the life coming back into his form now. He hugged the boy close, rubbing his back again, whispering nonsense in his ear as the line of his spine relaxed. Sasuke's breathing was deep, but normal now, even once again. His cheeks were dried with tear tracks, but his eyes were clearer, if still dark and distant.

His fingers started to work the boy's shirt up, but only by millimeters, until Sasuke's own took the job over, repeating the action that by now was automatic. The dark shirt was peeled off, over his head, thrown behind him carelessly. His fingers fell next to the button on his pants, wiggling to get them open then pull them away so there was bare flesh against Itachi's pants. He sat there for a moment, naked and blank on his brother's lap before he automatically moved to take his brother's. The shirt first, hands more gentle now, lingering on the warm flesh, sliding over it, worshiping it. Then he scooted back, popping the button on Itachi's pants before raising himself, asking for silent permission and waiting for his brother's hips to concede and rise for his gentle fingers to pull them off and down, to pool on the floor under his feet.

His arms wrapped around Itachi's neck then, his face burrowing in the crook of a pale shoulder. He just breathed, and waited, sensing every move his brother made. He would always pause there, until the signal was given. He still shifted, feeling Itachi's hard cock against his stomach, moving slightly each time he wiggled, even a little

Itachi relished it, his brother's quiet deference. He didn't get this often, because he always had to push to get it, but when he did he liked to enjoy it to it's fullest. He closed his eyes, letting his fingers trail over the pale skin laid out before him. He memorized it, every slight fold and arc, every smooth plain and tight bend. He worshiped it with his fingers. Then he slowly let his mouth join, planting gentle, open mouthed kissed over the curve of Sasuke's shoulder. He enjoyed the responding twitches and shivers deeply. He made his way up the cords of the boy's neck, across the set of his jaw bone, finally landing on full lips, swollen and slightly bruised still, open yet unresponsive. He sucked the boy's tongue into his mouth, knocking it around with his own before biting lightly on the appendage.

That did it, like always, Sasuke's lips moved against his. It was a slow dance, sensual and soft. A far cry from their usual encounters. That was why he enjoyed it though, like a hot bath or a chocolate melting on his tongue. This was a delicacy to be savored. He smirked at the small moan he drew from the boy, the way smaller hands gripped a little on Itachi's shoulders.

He leaned back after a moment, pulling Sasuke down on top of him, shifting the back so that Itachi was flat on the bed, his brother atop him, straddling his hips. He smirked at the boy, glassy black eyes staring back. He nodded slowly, deliberately, eyes locked together, unblinking. Sasuke shivered slightly.

The boy moved like a ghost, reaching around behind him, grasping Itachi's shaft in his small hand, pumping it gently once or twice before he guided it to rest against his own hole. He rubbed the tip against himself a little, teasing it, feeling his own muscles flex in sublimated response. He knew Itachi could feel it too, thats why he did it. With a slight open mouthed groan he pushed himself down over it, slowly but steadily, not stopping until he was fully seated on his brother's hips. Soon pale hands bigger than his own gripped his hips, holding him as still as possible for a few delicious heartbeats before they prodded him to move. He obeyed quickly, rising up, thighs going taught and coiled, before dropping back down, bucking his hips a little so that the intrusion rubbed against a little bundle of nerves inside of him. He moaned.

"Aaahhh, Aniki." Itachi bit his lip. Something about the way his brother's voice almost broke on the uttering of that one magic word made this inescapably better. He bucked up himself, meeting the boy's pale hips halfway. Sasuke's eyes were closed now, mouth lolled open, face blank and smooth. He rose and fell atop his brother, slowly impaling himself over and over. Itachi bit back another moan at the sight. It was too erotic for words.

He picked up the pace a little, the heat building in his stomach had reached a plateau he had to overcome. His rhythm was a little shakier now, sporadic and jerking in his pleasure. His fingers coiled way to tight on the boy's slender hips, there would be bruises, but he didn't care. Sasuke was his dammit, and he'd mark the boy if he wanted.

"Aaah ... It-AH-achi ... Aniki, gods" The moan was hot as hell, Sasuke's tensing muscles told them both he was getting closer, so Itachi sped up, feeling his own climax building in his stomach, hot and twisting. It was so close he could feel it. It was Sasuke's breathing that set him off, and he roughly grabbed the boy's arousal, pumping it harshly in one hand while he thrust up. Then he was coming, a low moan falling from his lips, Sasuke shooting warm seed onto him a moment later.

The boy went boneless again, immediately afterwards. He fell
forwards, catching himself on his arms, lowering his weight onto Itachi's chest slowly and carefully. He was always dead after that, always a bit more drained. Itachi smiled, petting the boy's hair, his post-orgasmic haze settling around him in clouds.

"Mmm, 'Tachi, Aniki. I - I love you." The words were low, almost whispered but the tone was wrong, empty and distant. Itachi just smirked a little, laying a kiss on the top of Sasuke's head, chaste and quick. He pulled the silk sheet up over them, settling back into the pillow and closing his eyes. He was asleep quickly, arms locked around Sasuke's waist. His brother though, stared blankly at the wall in front of him until the sun peaked up over the horizon.

X

Naruto woke up early, a small ache burning in the back of his head, but nothing close to the hangover he'd sported yesterday. The apartment was eerily silent around him. The sun was up though, he glanced at the clock. It was already 10am. He yawned, stretched, and stood up, trying to be quiet as he could. He assumed that Sasuke was probably sleeping out on the couch, that was the last place he'd seen the boy after all. He remembered seeing the boy's face that once in passing, cracked and crying.

He really hoped he was okay, he didn't want Sasuke to hurt. Seeing that face had twisted something inside of himself. He remembered the two boys on either side of him, though he only came up with a vague sketch of them. Sasuke had been more important at the time. His heart pinged quietly when he wondered if one of them was the boy's elusive lover. It seemed that he'd seen them somewhere before, whether it was at school or just at the party he didn't know.

He felt an odd surge of protective anger coil in his gut. Had it been one of them that had hurt him, made him broken like that? It would certainly fit the profile of the cold hearted monster he had pictured the boy's lover as. It made him sad. He wished he could hold Sasuke like Itachi had held him last night, in the living room, before he'd seen Sasuke on the couch, before the boy had become the focus.

He pushed the door to the bedroom open, steeling himself to talk to the boy when he woke up. He had a vague feeling at the back of his head that something had happened on friday, at the party. Not the obvious horror with him and Gaara, Itachi had told him about that already. He'd wondered why he was still here. No, he felt like it had something to do with Sasuke. He sighed. That night just generally hurt, it probably was best to just forget it. It would come to him in time if it was important. At least, he hoped that was how it would work.

He was surprised to come down the stairs as silently as he could, only to find the two older boys still on the couch, but the spot between them was vacant. He studied them now, stopping halfway down. The one closest to him was blond, tall and thin and tanned. He was asleep, leaned to the side slightly, head pillowed on his arms, leaning on the back of the couch. The other boy was pale, red hair falling around his face, reminding him somewhat of Gaara. He didn't have the same cold detached feeling to him though. He seemed closer, easier to talk to, less like he would snap and kill you at the first wrong word.

He smiled, the red head shifting on the couch slightly bringing him back to his senses. He looked around the room quickly, but didn't see Sasuke anywhere. His smile weakened a little. He turned around, heading back upstairs. He'd see if Itachi was awake then. Certainly he'd know where his brother was, he'd gone back to make sure he was okay last night after all. Maybe the boy had gone home or something. Naruto really hoped not though, he didn't want to have to wait for tomorrow to talk to him, make sure he was alright, and Itachi told him they would probably get in rather late tonight.

He tried to keep his steps quiet, in case anyone else was still asleep, though he hoped Itachi was awake. He was confused, and the older Uchiha was so easy to talk to, and he seemed to have a solution to every problem. Maybe he could ask Itachi about Sasuke's lover, he would definitely know who it was, and what made Sasuke stay through all this. He reached the door Itachi had said was his and paused. He heard breathing from within, that meant Itachi was there. He eased his hand on the doorknob, turning it slowly, carefully, not making much of any noise. He rapped once, softly before pushing it forwards, as a signal that someone was coming in, but quiet enough so as not to wake up anyone sleeping inside.

He peeked around the door when it was open enough. He froze, eyes going a little wide. The curtains in the room were shut, but light bled in the side, highlighting the two pale figures on the bed. Itachi was there, that much he'd expected. He hadn't expected to see his little brother bolted to his side like that though. The expanse of gorgeous pale skin on the boy's torso made his mouth go dry. He was beautiful, they both were, but Sasuke looked so perfect and peaceful like this. He tried to memorize this, even while his cheeks colored and his mouth hung open. He might not ever have this chance again, so he felt he should take it while he could.

He must have made some small noise of surprise, because in the next moment, Itachi was shifting, eyes opening, mouth tugging into a smile. He held up a single finger to the blond boy at the door, the universal sign for wait a minute. That broke the spell. Naruto staggered backwards, his brain trying to puzzle out why the boy he liked and his rather more than perfect brother were sleeping all huddled together like that. He was certain he was blushing like mad and his pulse was racing. He half expected Itachi to come out and yell at him or something. He assured himself silently that the boy wouldn't do that, he'd smiled after all.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the door behind him clicking solidly shut. He was wearing low slung black cotton pants and some sort of a silk robe thing. It looked good on him, but Naruto's brain was too busy milling over a thousand and one questions to think about that fact too closely. Itachi was smiling at him, leaning against the wall coolly, his face an open invitation to tell him what was on his mind, one eye brow arched. Naruto took a deep breath, the first question popping out of his mouth before he could even think.

"Is-is he ... okay? I mean, Sasuke, he looked pretty bad last night." Itachi smiled.

"He's fine now, we talked everything over last night. Things have just been rough with him lately. He overreacts to these kinds of things though, gets pissy easily. Such the emo boy." He said it with a small chuckle and a shake of his head. Naruto felt a little relieved. He was on the brink of asking what had happened, but figured it would be better to ask Sasuke himself, later. If he didn't say he could always come back and ask Itachi anyways. Itachi was nice like that, he'd probably tell him, to stop him from worrying.

"So, uh ... why is he in here? That was a little ... surprising?" Naruto kept his voice steady, remembering the smooth pale skin, registering the angry marks now obvious on the boy's neck. Some of them looking old, fading against the pale background, but some of them looked new and bright and angry. It made him shift uncomfortably on his feet. Itachi chuckled.

"He was a little distressed last night. I comforted him. Besides, I seem to remember there was a certain blond in his bed anyways. I wasn't gonna leave him downstairs with Dei and Sasori, that wouldn't be good for his health." Itachi was smiling and Naruto couldn't help but join. The older Uchiha sure knew how to lift the mood.

X

Sasuke was sore in more ways than one when he woke. He felt a little unbalanced, his world not sure around him. He was alone again, it was like he always woke up alone. The dim room resolved around him as he blinked sleep from his eyes. Not that he needed to, even with the weird displaced feeling in his stomach he could feel the slip of silk sheets against his skin, he could smell Itachi everywhere, and sex and sweat and come. He shivered involuntarily, rolling to his side, clutching the pillow tightly to him.

If he never got out of this bed, things would be okay. If everything just stayed like this, just Itachi's still rather comforting presence all around him and nothing, no one, else. This could be the bindings of his world, the edges of his map, and he would never have to go beyond them, because surely if he did that he would sail right off the edge of the earth, back into the swirl of uncertainty, pain and loss and detachment.

He sighed. It was a nice little fantasy really. He knew he'd have to get up though. Itachi was up, and that meant that if he slept too much longer his brother would come to retrieve him. That could get unpleasant, especially with Naruto still in the house. His eyes widened, remembering last night. He felt like crying again. He blinked back the tears though, touching the marks on his neck softly. He could feel the throbbing of the bit on his shoulder, he could feel the imprints of teeth on his skin still, if he closed his eyes he could just sense the warm wet breath, the soothing tongue that had covered the mark after. He shivered.

He rolled from the bed, naked and sticky. He padded to the little pile on the floor, slipping the pants he'd commandeered yesterday back up over his hips, pulling the drawstring tight. He almost stopped there, walking to the door. All the important bits were covered. He caught his reflection in the mirror on the dresser though, the pale skin of his chest was marked with angry purple spots, teeth and lips and mouth. He could even see the faint bluing stripes on his hips where Itachi's fingers had sat last night.

He shivered softly, grabbing his shirt from the floor and slipping it over his head. No, this was better. he couldn't have Naruto see him like that, if the boy was even still here. Who knew what could have happened in the time between now and whenever his brother had gotten up. He could see the kiss they shared again in his head, tender as Itachi was capable of. No, he'd rather not think of what Itachi could have done in the time since then.

X

Naruto sat on the couch staring blankly at the television screen. Itachi had gone out on some more errands, telling him he should probably stay here today. That was okay with him though, he rather wanted to talk to Sasuke when he woke up. The boy's who had been on the couch were introduced to him, woken up by Itachi making coffee in the kitchen. The blond one was Dei, if he remembered correctly, the other was Sasori. He recognized them from that first morning now, the ones who had made breakfast. At the time he had cursed them in his head, they were making such a racket he had felt like his head was going to explode or melt. Not though, they were being pretty quiet.

They were cooking again though, trying to whip up some lunch from the barren wasteland of the refrigerator. They had considered takeout, but Dei had pouted until Sasori had told him he could make something, glomping him readily and ignoring the stage whisper the paler boy shot Naruto about only having to eat it if it turned out halfway edible, which was highly unlikely.

He had been engrossed in the movie they had been watching the night before when Sasuke first showed up. The boy looked distant, and seemed to skirt around the blond on the couch a little, which made Naruto worry, before slipping into the kitchen to talk with the other two in hushed tones. Well, mostly he talked to Sasori, Dei was too busy looking for some certain thing in the cupboards, turning everything out onto the counters just to make sure it wasn't hiding somewhere in the back.

Sasori sent him back out though, because he came into the room a second later, sitting down silently on the couch, at the far end. Sasuke clenched his fingers, fidgeting nervously at being this close to Naruto, who was again dressed in his own pajamas. This, coupling with the memories he still held of that quick little kiss, a kiss whose meaning he was now even less sure he knew.

What if none of this had been about him at all? Things around here very seldom were really. Everything always lead back to Itachi. Itachi told him he was the only one who would love him, really love him. There were days when he believed that without question, and there were days, like today, when the statement merely floated like a fog around his mind, coloring all his other thought with the twinge of uncertainty. He wanted to ask the boy beside him any of those questions, hoping against hope the answers would be what he really wanted to hear. Naruto spoke first though.

"I talked to your brother this morning, and he said you were fine, but ... you looked pretty fucked up last night. You sure you're okay?" Sasuke's eyes widened a little, but he caught himself. He managed to nod numbly. He saw me, Naruto saw me like that, weak and small and broken, after what he did with Itachi. But - but he still cares, or at least pretends to. Maybe that would be enough, someone else who just pretends to care, as long as it's not Itachi.

The silence stretched out, and Sasuke took it as an opportunity to glance quickly at the blond. He was surprised to see those blue eyes watching him intently, the movie running ignored in the background. A glance at the kitchen calmed him a little, neither of the older boys were watching, busy doing whatever it was they did in kitchens. He cleared his throat a little, working up the nerve.

"I - ah, yeah. I'm fine, just a little, -uh, well. doesn't matter now." He paused, nervous suddenly, stomach twisting. "So uh, do you ... remember anything from the party?" It came out a little more eager than he'd hoped, and he winced at it, not able to meet Naruto's eyes. The blond pondered for a moment.

"Not ... really. I remember seeing you, thinking I didn't think you and Itachi got along that well-" Sasuke had to stifle a cold chuckle at that, "-then something outside, it was really hot I think, I was so hot." His face went blank then. He tried to remember further, but just got that tugging. "I think maybe something happened after that, something important, but I can't remember what. Itachi told me how you guys sent Gaara home, what he ... tried to do-" Naruto blushed scarlet, voice cracking a little, "-but I'm pretty sure that wasn't it."

Sasuke felt a weird shift in his stomach, and suddenly he was brave. He shot a glance to the kitchen, seeing neither of the older boys through the door. He swallowed, scooting closer to the blond. Naruto looked up at him, curious. He was probably acting weird right now, but he didn't care. Everything was going into not running away. He touched the boy's hand gently.

"W-was it ... something, like this maybe?" He leaned in, closing his eyes and touched his own lips to the blond's for a moment, chaste and dry and trembling. It felt like forever when he was leaning in, the contact perfect, warm and beautiful, better than he'd remembered.

He leaned back and looked into those blue eyes again, they were wide and a little confused looking. Naruto raised one of his hands slowly, touching his lips. He was silent. Sasuke panicked then, not sure how to take that reaction. He scooted back, looking away. If that was all a mistake he was going to be sick. Naruto would laugh, or scream, run away, tell Itachi, and then he'd really get it, a thousand years of pain. None of that happened then.

Instead he felt a trembling hand on his arm. He turned quickly, looking at the boy again, this time he knew his face showed the fear he felt. He needed Naruto to see it, to see what this would mean. The boy smiled slowly, his eyes softening. He squeezed Sasuke's arm lightly before leaning in himself, sealing his lips over Sasuke's, opening them slightly to run his tongue along the seam between them. Sasuke opened his mouth
gladly, letting Naruto inside, send his own out to play.

All in all, it was a quick kiss, lighter than it could have been despite the open mouths and questing tongues. It was all they needed though, to be sure of things they had both only skeptically contemplated before that point. Sasuke smiled, small and bright, for the first time in a week. He sighed.

"Itachi will be back soon. We can't tell him. Can we talk about this when we're back at the institute?" Naruto was a little confused by this, but it wasn't like much of anything else he'd seen this weekend made much sense. He nodded when he saw the tired, yet oddly relaxed look settle over Sasuke's face. He looked good like that.

X

Sasori pulled Dei back from the door before the blond did something stupid. He was notorious for that. Sasori couldn't help but smile though. It had been sweet, and Sasuke didn't get much of anything in his life that could be considered sweet. He looked back at the other boy, and frowned when he saw the rather evil looking grin spreading across his face.

"We can't tell Itachi about this Dei, promise me right now you won't tell Itachi." He hissed. Dei sat back against the counter, trying to look innocent. He didn't really pull it off.

"Oh, come on 'Sori-danna. Would I really do something so mean to poor poor 'Suke-chan?" He batted his eyelashes.

Sasori shot him a glare that said he very well might. Dei sulked.

Itachi returned to the apartment to find Naruto and Sasuke sitting on the couch, together, watching some movie he didn't recognize, and didn't have any desire to. There was silence between them, but it wasn't as awkward or tense as it had been, but he noted that Sasori and Dei were sitting in the kitchen, having some sort of argument about what exactly went into whatever it was Dei was trying to cook this time. he rolled him eyes. He was a little relieved that they were here still though, keeping an eye on Sasuke and Naruto. His plan would be ruined if the two worked everything out now. He needed the boys to give up on each other.

He'd had a conversation with Naruto when they had gone out on Saturday, and it had put him in a foul mood at the time. The blond liked Sasuke, no one was supposed to like Sasuke, no one except him that was. Thats the way things had worked since they were little. He was the only one who cared about his brother, the only one that showed him any sort of affection. Thats what kept Sasuke by his side in the end.

Even if he let the boy go, eventually he would always come back because Itachi was the only one who loved him. Thats the way everything was supposed to work, and he'd put so much energy into keeping it like that he couldn't let some stupid blond brat break it all now.

So he'd reiterated things, took Naruto in front of Sasuke, to show him how things had to work, how things had always worked. He'd done his best to put a wall in between the two of them. Still, it annoyed him a little how comfortable they looked now, sitting in silence on the couch. He almost felt like dragging Sasuke away, bringing him back upstairs and locking him in so he couldn't escape. But that would tell the boy too much, let him know how important he really was, and Itachi couldn't let that happen. Sasuke was smart, if he knew how much he really meant he'd find a way to use that to change things. Itachi couldn't let anything change.

He settled for walking over and sitting down on the couch between them, smiling a little at the way they both scooted out of the way to make room.

"I got the tickets for our return flight this evening. I took the liberty of adding your name to the list, Naruto-kun. I wasn't sure how you were getting home so I wanted to make sure we got you back by tonight." Naruto smiled up at him.

"Thank you, 'Tachi-senpai. I was going home on the train, but I really don't want to see Gaara right now. Besides, spending more time with you is always a plus." He was beaming now, and Itachi smirked a little at the uncomfortable shifting he felt on his other side. He turned to his brother.

"Are you all packed, otouto? You might want to get everything ready, we only have two hours till we have to leave for the airport." Sasuke stood with a silent nod, moving to the stairs. Itachi didn't miss when his brother's eyes met Naruto's for a single second before he turned again, disappearing to the second floor to get his stuff. He wasn't sure he liked it, but right now there was nothing he could do. He sighed a little, wanting to get back to Konoha as quickly as they could.

X

Shikamura was spread out on one of the more isolated tables in the back of the library at Konoha Institute. He had books open around him, pages of notes scattered in among them, notepads sitting open with pencils resting lightly on top. He wasn't really making any good use of them however, unless you counted using them as props to keep the other students of the library at a fair distance, which he most certainly considered the best use of such supplies. He wasn't sleeping then either though, instead he was staring at the scrawled writing lining the ruled pages, trying his best to puzzle out a riddle growing in his head.

He'd heard from Neji that Gaara had gotten back in yesterday afternoon, back early from his weekend in Tokyo for Itachi's party. He had come back alone though, which had been the thing to make it gossip worthy. When he'd left, he'd had a rather detached but still peaceful Naruto with him, but he returned by himself, pissy and short tempered. He'd blown up in Neji's face when the boy had inquired as to how much fun he'd had there, calling the older Itachi That Fucking Meddling Asshole.

It seemed something had happened at the party, and it bothered Shika that he didn't know what it was. He didn't care exactly, when the Uchihas were involved it was normally too much trouble to pay real attention. Still, his mind was restless now, trying to go through each possibility as to what had happened, but deciding that each one was highly improbable. He wasn't quite sure though, Itachi was capable of pretty much anything, especially where his brother was concerned, and knowing what he knew of Sasuke's interactions with Gaara the previous week, Sasuke was definitely somehow involved. He just couldn't puzzle out how.

He heard familiar footsteps approaching, and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. He didn't want anyone to talk to right now, he wanted to sit in silence at figure out this puzzle so he could get back to his usual naps and dodges. He dropped the charade when Neji plopped down next to him though, opening his eyes and glaring at the boy.

"You interrupted my studying again, Hyuuga. What do you want from me anyways?" The boy just smiled, reaching into a small bag of candy he was carrying. He knew something, Shika could tell, something he hadn't told Shika yet. He frowned.

"Oh Shika-kun, you can't be studying, your eyes are still open. I got the impression that the great Nara Shikamaru absorbed information better through head to paper contact." Shika glared again before looking down at the paper in front of him, a list of date and places for his history quiz next week. He kept one ear on Neji though, hoping the boy would spill whatever it was he knew. Shika wanted to hurry up and figure things out so he could get back to his life.

X

Gaara slammed the book he'd been trying to read down on the table forcefully. He was still livid inside. Sasuke had butted into something that had nothing to do with him, after Gaara had specifically warned him against coming too near the blond boy. He would have re-arranged the boy's face if his brother hadn't walked out like that when he did. It also bugged him that Itachi had let his little brother do that. It wasn't fair at all, and he'd put so much effort into everything, too much for it to just backfire like that.

He vowed that come tonight, when the Uchiha's came back, probably with Naruto in tow, that he would find some way to kick Sasuke's ass so hard he wouldn't be able to stand up straight for a week. He sat back and thought about all the horrible things he could so to the younger Uchiha, and it actually lifted his spirits a little bit. He fingered the pocket of his coat idly, rattling the bottle on the inside. He figured he still had enough in there to slip the Uchiha one hell of a fucking spike. While the thought was appealing, he wanted the boy to feel it a little more. No, Rohypnol was too easy for him, he wanted the boy to be able to feel it.

He wondered what he could get his hands on with this much short notice though. He didn't want to do any permanent damage either. He knew he'd be crossing a major line by fucking with Sasuke once, but he also knew exactly how much more Itachi would hurt him if something went wrong and the effects were more permanent. Still, he needed to put
the little Uchiha back in his place.

He sighed, leaning forwards over his book again, anger ebbing out of him as he tried to find a plan that would work. He tried to pull it back when he felt eyes on his back, but he couldn't quite manage it. He felt like there was a void in his mind, where the anger and pissed off angst usually sat, but it was filling now with a sort of calm quiet resignation.

He was pretty sure he knew who it was, watching him. The boy had been doing it off and on since he'd gotten back yesterday. Half of him wished the boy would just stop watching him, the other half wished he'd just come over and talk to him, say or ask whatever in the hell was so fucking important, and then stop it. He sighed, laying the book down on the table, counting to ten in his head, then turning his head to look in the direction he felt the stare coming from.

But the boy was gone, as usual. He sighed, closing the book and putting his head down on his arms, folding them in front of him on the table. He was tired of this. Everything in his life was like some demented game of tag, where all the other players were just beyond the reach of his fingers. Neither of his siblings hung out with him unless there was something they could gain out of it, like getting into parties or scoring drugs, just like the rest of this miserable school.

He supposed some of that was probably his own fault, the unbreakable mask of distant, anti-social boredom wasn't the most inviting front he could put up, but still. He did it as a defense mechanism mostly, a wall around himself that no one could breach meant no one could hurt him. Being the youngest, he'd been the most made fun of in the house, until he'd gotten old enough, and tough enough, to kick anyone's ass who stood against him. Then he'd gotten smart enough to really plan and he'd pulled off even more ruthless shit. That was why no one fucked with him anymore.

That was why he'd come to like Itachi really. Itachi was cool and distant, he schemed and orchestrated to a degree Gaara could only dream at, like shots in the dark. He'd planned the rest of his life, and his own brother's, dragged the boy into some twisted incestuous affair that he was now buried too deeply within to ever escape. Yet he still managed to have friends, like chess pieces all around him. He had people who loved him, even Sasuke, whose life he'd ruined, broken and reset to his own liking a thousand and one times, the boy still loved him, still followed him, even if he didn't want to.

That much power fascinated him, he wanted to have it one day. So he'd gotten in close, managed to sneak into the older boy's circle as far as he could. It had seemed like Itachi liked him too. Now though, he'd been thrown out of the boy's plans, out of his life, for one step that crossed over the line of whatever plan he'd made. It was an impressive move, one he would admit he himself forced out of him by doing something so drastic as that. Still, it hurt a little, to know even Itachi didn't need him much. No one needed him much, he was just the bratty third son to some minor capitalist dynasty in a small island country with entirely too many people.

He sighed, letting his head fall forward. He could feel those eyes on him again, but he couldn't even bring himself to scowl. He was too tired. Still, he managed to haul himself to his feet, packing up his things and heading upstairs for a drug induced nap.

X

The plane ride was a little awkward for Sasuke and Naruto, but Itachi was enjoying it to no end. He whistled quietly to himself, headphones securely on his head, leafing through a pointless and dull magazine he'd found in the seat back pocket in front of him, right behind the emergency evacuation instructions. The younger boys sat one on each side of him. They were in the first class cabin, seated in the three seats in the middle row of the giant airliner.

There was some vapid comedy playing on the overhead screens, and Naruto at least was fully absorbed in it. Sasuke was staring at the window seats longingly, and Itachi couldn't help but jostle him a little, in a way that could pass for accidental to anyone else's eyes. He knew that Sasuke, however, knew he never did anything by accident. The boy did seem to snap back to attention then, blushing slightly at being caught spacing out.

Still, the three of them sat in a rather weird but not entirely uncomfortable silence. Itachi read the vapid magazine he'd found cover to cover, then set it back carefully, more out of wanting to appear occupied then any actual care for it. He sat back then, head resting on the seat back, closing his eyes and counting his breaths until the bizarre twitching fidgets from his brother's seat beside his distracted him into losing count for the third or fourth time.

It was quite uncharacteristic of him, to act like that in public. It was satisfying for Itachi though, knowing that he was somehow superimposing himself into the dynamic. He knew the boys would act differently if he wasn't there between them, though how exactly they would interact then he was no longer quite sure. He hoped he'd succeeded in his quest to make that interaction less than pleasant for Sasuke from this point forth, but he knew he'd have to keep one eye on each of them for the rest of the week, just to see what they did.

X

Neji wondered out of the library, bored out of his mind, and not finding anyone even remotely interesting wondering the hallways of Konoha Institute. It wasn't usually half this boring here on weekends, even if most of the other kids did leave to go to summer houses or ski cabins or apartments in the city. Usually there was someone around to entertain him. There hadn't even been any parties here this weekend, usually there was at least one, and that usually meant someone getting a little too drunk or doing a few too many illicit substances, and doing something they thoroughly regretted the next morning. Even if Neji didn't do any of those things himself, he found it endlessly amusing to hear tales of someone else's brief stardom and eventual misery. It gave him something to talk about after all.

He couldn't wait until the Uchiha's brought the blond kid back, because he seemed to be a veritable vortex of gossip lately, and Neji had managed to install himself in Naruto's inner circle, such as it was at this point, so he was usually one of the first to know. He didn't really like the way Gaara hung on him all the time, but what could he do? It wasn't like the stupid kid was going to do anything with him, he was too busy being hung up on Sasuke, who was so clearly not available it wasn't even funny. Neji had his doubts about Sasuke ever being "available" really, Itachi was much too possessive a person to let anyone touch things he saw as his.

Still, he'd heard some fantastically twisted rumors about Naruto this weekend, about Itachi's party, which he almost regretted not attending at this point, and about afterwards. The boy had apparently spent the weekend with the Uchihas, he'd gone shopping and stuff, but oddly enough it hadn't been with Sasuke, it'd been with Itachi.

Neji paused by the elevators, inspecting his nails carefully, like he always did. He leaned up against the wall, pushing the up button carefully, idly wondering if the kid was in fact installing himself into the Uchiha dynamic. Hadn't taken him very long, but if Sasuke had liked him then Itachi probably liked him as well, and Itachi didn't let things go if he liked them, he brought them home and put them on his shelf.

Suddenly Neji had to shiver from the images his mind had created, of Naruto actually installing himself in the bizarre sibling dynamic there. He knew the Uchihas fucked, everybody who wasn't completly brain dead knew that. He didn't like thinking about it though, it made him feel dirty, and not in the rather enjoyable way that came from the rumor mill or staring at other boys in the showers. This was different, a creeping toxic sort of dirty. Still, if Naruto had gotten pulled into that, it would be the news of the century.

A smile spread across Neji's face, just when the elevator dinged, and the doors opened in front of him. By the time he was in his room he had the story all planned out in his head, and was digging out his cell phone. The weekend had just gotten good, with only hours to spare.