Itachi was checking over Naruto's wounds. He'd been doing it for the past five minutes, over, and over again. Sure, Naruto had been knocked out, deprived of food and water for 5 days, and had a frightening Genjutsu placed over him, but he really was fine. He obviously didn't understand the extent of Itachi's worry.
"Are you sure you're okay ? Not feeling weak, dizzy ?" The eldest Uchiha asked, brows furrowed in concern. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his older brother's antics. He was a tad bit paranoid when it came to the blonde idiot. Then again, he was paranoid when it came to Sasuke, too.
"If I wasn't okay I'd say so." Naruto spat. He couldn't say he was completely over Itachi's 'fake' betrayal. Sakura gave a low groan of desperation.
"It's obvious you're hurt, baka. You're limping." She said matter of factly. Naruto unleashed his worst glare on her. However, his sunny personality completely overrode the evil gesture and he ended up with a scrunched up, yet cheerful expression.
"Is that supposed to be a glare ?" Sasuke asked in amusement. Naruto sighed.
"Naru, I really am sorry. Please, I wouldn't have done it had it not been for the mission." Itachi's voice held a tinge of guilt. The blonde simply kept on walking, ignoring the pain shooting up his ankle whenever he took a step. Finally, tired of seeing his boyfriend in obvious pain, Itachi scooped him into his arms.
"Itachi, put me down." Naruto muttered darkly. Itachi kept his face blank as he replied. "You'll thank me for this later. The nine tails may be healing you, but for the moment you're in pain." A spark of realization appeared in Naruto's wide blue eyes.
"What ?" Itachi asked. The blonde shook his head slowly, before letting his eyes shut and seemingly falling asleep.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"Kyuubi !" Naruto screamed. His voice echoed throughout the long tunnel he was trudging through. He could hear a loud growl coming from the fox. As he entered the fox's domain, Naruto mustered up his best smile.
"Did ya miss me ?" He asked cheerily, running to the front of the cage.
"No." Kyuubi snarled. Naruto ignored his obvious displeasure, and sank into the murky water.
"You should have told me I was under a Genjutsu." Naruto stated. His hands shook as he lifted them up to the metal bars.
"Remember who did these ?" Naruto began, staring blankly at the long scars on the backs of his hands. "It was the same person down there."
The nine tails growled softly in understanding.
"Yes. I know." He said.
The blonde frowned. "I wonder what they want."
The nine tails shook in eerie laughter. "I thought that part was obvious."
"Hmph. You're a bastard." Naruto stuck his tongue out.
"Aren't we all ?" Kyuubi amused.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Naruto traced his fingers over his leaf hitai-ate. The metal surface was smooth, but the engraving of the leaf symbol left a jagged groove. He moved onto the fabric, smiling as the worn out cloth scratched his fingertips.
"Naruto."
Naruto looked up, noticing his sensei standing before him. The grey haired nin's eyes were crinkled in annoyance, perhaps ?
"Yes, sensei ?" The blonde replied, warily keeping his head up so he could look Kakashi in the eye in respect.
"You can lie your head down. I know you're tired. Just listen to what I'm saying." Kakashi said. He sat down on the bench beside the boy, and laid his head on his folded arms, in a position similar to Naruto's. They sat in a comfortable silence, the crickets chirping and the gentle wind caressing their hair. It was rather late for the boy to be out and about. Itachi usually had Naruto in bed at 10, even going as far as to tuck him in and stay until he fell asleep. The eldest Uchiha did so much for the boy, and somehow Kakashi felt that Naruto was taking him for granted, despite not having any position in their relationship.
"So, where's Itachi then ?" Kakashi asked, finally breaking the silence. Naruto's eyes widened briefly, but returned to normal after a few short seconds.
"Not sure." Naruto replied. His voice was muffled by the bulky fabric of his jumpsuit.
"And why is that ? You usually know where he is." Kakashi commented. A voice in his head was weakly telling him to leave the two alone. That their relationship was perfectly fine and they didn't need someone to interfere.
"You can stop beating around the bush, sensei..." Naruto muttered.
"What's up with you two ? Before you came in a package. Wherever you were, Itachi was. Wherever Itachi was, you were. I haven't seen you guys together in days." Kakashi said. He could feel the depression radiating off of the frail blonde.
"I don't know, sensei. Things have been... strange between us lately." Naruto's voice cracked at 'strange'. He knew something was wrong between him and Itachi. Ever since that escort mission, Itachi had been avoiding him, and Naruto had been doing the same. Almost like... they didn't love each other anymore. And this just thought, it broke Naruto's heart. His first romantic interest that had loved him back... was slowly drifting away. And Naruto couldn't do anything about it.
"Strange how ?" Kakashi questioned, sitting up and resting his chin on his right hand.
"I don't know. We're avoiding each other." Naruto replied. His eyes were slowly drifting shut.
"Ah. Well, how about you plan something together ? Then you can talk about what's going on." The grey haired man suggested. He was met with silence, as the usually energetic blonde had fallen asleep on him. Suddenly, an idea crawled its way into his mind. He bit his thumb, made a few hand signs, and slammed his hand against the floor with a quiet, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu !"
A small pug boring a leaf hitai-ate appeared from a cloud of smoke.
"Pakkun, I need you to guard Naruto until I come back." Kakashi instructed. He pointed out the sleeping blonde to the pug.
"Meh..." Pakkun growled. Maybe the blonde loudmouth wouldn't be so bad when he was asleep. Kakashi took the growl as a sign of comprehension, and took off. He climbed a tree, and jumped on to the nearest roof, heading for the Hokage's office first. The Hokage greeted him warmly, and agreed to help Kakashi with his plan. Kakashi then began making his way to the Uchiha compound- rooftop style. It took exactly 7 minutes, and he slowed down when he came into the line of sight. Feigning wariness, he waved at one of the Uchiha guards and walked in the direction of Itachi's house. Most of the houses were the same size, but Uchiha Fugaku's house was one of the biggest, since he was the leader of the Konoha Military Police Force.
He gave a gentle knock on the door. Seconds later, the door was opened revealing a beautiful woman. She had long, brown hair that glistened in the light coming from inside. She was wearing a simple yellow dress with a dark long sleeved shirt inside. A dish cloth was in her hand.
"Good evening, Kakashi-san." She greeted politely, a small smile brightening her pretty features.
"Good evening, Mikoto-san. Is Itachi-kun around ?" Kakashi asked. Mikoto nodded, and retreated inside with a soft, "Excuse me."
"Kakashi-san." Itachi said. He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms, clearly showing his displeasure at Kakashi's being there.
"Sorry for bothering you so late at night, Itachi. I just have a quick favour to ask of you." Kakashi said quickly. The Uchiha's intense gaze was beginning to get to him.
"Which consists of ?" Itachi questioned, now standing upright.
"I need you to collect something for me at the Hokage's office."
Itachi nodded stiffly before asking for the specific details of the mission. Kakashi gave them and left after saying good bye to Mikoto. He slumped against a tree as he summoned Pakkun back to him.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly when he noticed a small figure on a bench. Taking a couple hesitant steps forward, his heart skipped a beat when he saw a mass of blonde hair. He sprinted to the blonde, and stood beside him, watching his breath come in short, quivering pants due to the coldness outside. Itachi felt red hot anger fill him. How could Naruto be so stupid ? Sleeping outside, and at this hour ? He was going to catch a cold ! Stupid, stupid Kitsune. The favour Kakashi had asked of him lay forgotten in his mind as he took the blonde into his arms and tore through the streets of Konoha.
He could feel the blonde shaking in his arms, and this only made him quicken his pace. After reaching Naruto's apartment and managing to picklock the door, he set the blonde on the lone couch in his living room. He entered the kitchen, took a couple seconds to recompose himself, and set to making Naruto a steaming cup of tea.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Naruto felt cold. It felt like ice was running through his veins. He tried to open his eyelids, but he felt so tired. Somehow, he knew he felt like this whenever Itachi was away. The pain was less then, though. Almost like him and the Uchiha had gotten attached. Literally. Itachi's name burned his mouth. He vaguely noticed himself forming the words in his mouth. He was too disoriented to know if he actually spoke them aloud. Finally, he called on the Kyuubi's chakra. The intense power made him regain consciousness.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Itachi breathed a sigh of relief when the blonde woke up. He had been trying to wake Naruto for the past four minutes, and had recoiled when he felt the sudden burst of chakra through the blonde's body and the strangled calls of his name. He wondered why the blonde was dreaming about him. Surely, Itachi had dreams about the boy, but they weren't as innocent as Naruto's. He couldn't act on these dreams, however, until Naruto was of age.
"I-Itachi ?" Naruto questioned through half-lidded eyes.
"I'm here, Naru. I'm right here. Now drink this." Itachi replied. He held the mug to the boy's lips, making sure the tea wasn't too hot. Naruto drank greedily, and smiled lightly when he noticed Itachi's arm around his waist.
"You're here, 'Tachi." He commented. Itachi drew the blonde closer. Any closer, and he would be in Itachi's lap. Naruto yelped when Itachi suddenly erupted.
"Naruto, you baka ! You were freezing when I found you ! How could you fall asleep outside ? I'm sure even that Konohamaru brat following you around could tell it was too cold."
Naruto took the verbal beating silently, nodding when needed. After a couple minutes of venting, Itachi soothingly ran his hand through the blonde's hair.
"I'm sorry." They both muttered.
"I don't think you understand the full extent of my love for you." Itachi said. Naruto shook his head. "I perfectly understand. You simply haven't been showing it these past couple of days."
"I know. I've been extremely busy."
"You've never been this busy before."
"That was then, this is now."
"Are you... cheating on me ?"
Itachi's muffled laughter broke through Naruto's aspect of the sombre conversation.
"How... could you... suggest... something so... preposterous ?" Itachi wheezed in between sets of laughter. The blonde rolled his eyes.
"It's a typical line in romance movies." He explained, crossing his legs in a professional manner. Itachi only laughed harder.
"This... isn't a... romance... movie... though."
"It could be. There's definitely enough drama." Naruto muttered. He found himself eyeing the slight lift in Itachi's T-shirt, exposing a patch of pale skin. A pale hand quickly pulled the T-shirt down, limiting Naruto's view.
"Naruto..." Itachi warned. He knew the boy was beginning to go through puberty, and his hormones were raging, but Itachi had a strict line between what they could and could not do.
"Alright, alright. I know you want to, though."
"I do too." Itachi sighed heavily.
"You're such a-" Naruto's accusation was cut short when Itachi placed a kiss on his lips.
"I'd die before I cheated on you." He whispered, gently nudging his nose against Naruto's.
"Is... is that good ? I don't want you to die. Seriously. I'd rather you cheated on me than died." Naruto frowned.
"You're such an idiot..."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Naruto leaped... flew... and landed on Sasuke.
"The hell, dobe ?" Sasuke hissed from underneath the small blonde.
"Chuunin exams ! Itachi told me about them !" Naruto shouted, bouncing excitedly.
"Get off ! This isn't setting the best example for the academy students." Sasuke gestured at their position. A fierce blush tainted Naruto's cheeks as he helped Sasuke up.
"Sorry, teme. I'm just excited." Naruto apologized sheepishly. The duo slowly began making their way to the training field.
"What makes you think you have what it takes ?" Sasuke asked, fingering his weapons pouch in anticipation. The blonde beside him sputtered before hissing, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."
"How does being Uzumaki Naruto make you more capable of passing the Chuunin Exams ?" Sasuke sighed. Sometimes the dobe was too stupid for his own good.
"How does it not ?" Naruto retorted with a smug grin.
"Itachi taught you that one. He does that all the time !" Sasuke said in a monotone. The blonde chucked lightly before a serious expression came over his face.
"Itachi's been helping me train. I found out I have a wind affinity. So he's teaching me a couple wind Jutsus."
Sasuke found himself frowning lightly, despite his utmost resistance to the show of emotion. Itachi was training Naruto ? But whenever Sasuke asked for help, Itachi gave the excuse of being too busy ? Some brother he was...
"Sasuke ? What's wrong ?" Naruto asked. His eyebrows rose slightly. The rare displays of emotion from the Uchiha still caught him by surprise.
"Nothing, dobe. Mind your own business." Sasuke sneered.
"Sasuke, Sasuke. It is my business." Naruto shook his finger at the Uchiha. Sasuke shoved the finger away from his face and picked up his pace.
"Sasuke ?" Naruto called. He watched as the pale boy sharply turned in the direction of his home. And Naruto was left clueless as to what he'd done to make someone upset with him.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The warm water splashed over his face, cleansing him of his worries, washing away unwanted thoughts. It felt like a big, cozy blanket of threaded reassurance, comfort, and support, was wrapped around him. That's what showers did to him. The lone place he could let his feelings pour out of him. In the Ninja world, you were taught to hide your emotions. To repress those wicked feelings. They would wear you down. They would kill you. In a shower, however, you can sob, you can laugh. You can act out your favourite scene of the Titanic.
"I love you. You carry the burden of my emotions." Naruto sobbed as he stroked the smooth, beige tile. He didn't understand why Sasuke was no longer talking to him. He had tried asking Itachi, but was reminded of the relationship the two had. They hadn't been very close since Itachi was caught between the safety of Konoha and his own clan. Thankfully Itachi had figured out a way to accommodate both. Naruto had yet to hear of the marvellous plan Itachi had come up with. Shaking the thoughts of the Uchiha brothers out of his head, he slowly began to rinse the soap away from his body. He vaguely noticed his head hurting from the harsh crying session he'd had. His eyes stung, and they were not from the soap. His heart ached. Sasuke had been his first bond, someone he could relate to. Naruto realized all of his relationships had been going haywire lately.
Maybe he just wasn't cut out for friends. Or boyfriends.