Not you, too!

40: How to make Lemonade out of Soup and Salad


The breeze blew through the trees and the leaves released their fragile hold on the branches of the trees. Autumn was taking a firm hold on the forest and as he looked up into the trees, Maito Gai sighed in awe of the many wonders of nature.
He was a study of the ways of the seasons and this was his favorite. For in fall, the world prepares for a renewing rest and the struggle of growth reaches its inevitable conclusion.
Gains are made by the trees that have gotten taller and branches that have stretched out to touch the other trees around them. And losses have also been noted by the fall of the old time worn trees and the one’s that had been battled by the tiny warriors that he appreciated even as much as the Aburame clan, the termites. Their ever-diligent battles had brought down many a formidable foe.
It was after such great and noble fighters as these that had Gai patterned his own life. He too was diligent, he continued on against larger foes and insurmountable odds, knowing it was an unfair fight and still coming out above the enemy many times.
Gai had an internal battle to fight today and he was faltering, as he knew he would.
Mental strategies were not his strong suit and when on missions he tended to follow the lead of those who were equipped for such things, using his strengths to fulfill their battle plans.
But, his battle was against an equally faulty foe, so he stood a chance.
Gai had a need and his first instinct was to barrel ahead and simply make his need known, but a small part of him fought this, telling him that what he wanted was not something to be demanded but a delicate flower to be nurtured and tended like the intricate and failing thing that it could very well become.
He would not rush in like he wanted to do and allow his forthrightness to crush the bloom that was his to cherish and sustain.
This time Gai was determined to be patient and wait for the flower to open on its own and then he would view the beauty of it in true joy.
This was his plan, if only he could make it till the end of the cold weather.
After, those first kisses there was nothing more. It was not Gai’s who would rush this.

Itachi had no such compulsion. He had never been one to wait, and when he wanted something, he often had only to state his desire and it would be fulfilled for him.
He realized, he had been born and raised a very spoiled child.
Now for the first time in his over twenty-five years of life, Itachi wanted something that seemed out of his reach. He didn’t know how or what to ask. So he muddled along trying to find ways to hint gently and getting nowhere.
Thus, he became surly and irritable and his family noticed. This was the problem with family, he realized. They tended to get into each other’s business and now Sasuke was beginning to get into his.
“Aniki, what is wrong with you?” she growled at her brother. The strain of his attitude was beginning to override her usual calm and emotionless demeanor.
“Nothing. Leave me alone.” He had snapped and immediately knew that this was a mistake. Naruto hearing the commotion had brought Koibito from where he was playing on the slide to find out what the loud voices meant.
“Sasuke?” he had asked and the two exchanged a look that made Itachi growl out of frustration. They had no need for words, for their relationship had progressed to a point where they knew each other so well, words merely upset the flow.
Itachi was incensed by his own feelings of jealousy. He loved his brother and hated himself for begrudging them, what he wanted for his own life. He merely turned and fled the room, rushing to the streets to escape the constant reminders of his lack in obtaining that which he desired most.
His path took him to a familiar forest glade. Memories of many hours of practice throwing the kunai or shurikan to perfect his aim and the precision of his Sharingan had taken place in this very spot. He pulled out several of the implements and began a slow practice run.
The agility he had possessed as a teen was not lost in his mid twenties and as he flipped through the air his aim was even better than it had been and every weapon hit true.
He landed in the exact spot he recalled hitting when he had shown off for a young Sasuke before the tragedy of his life had taken the unavoidable turn that had severed their lives for so many years and left them orphaned in the world, alone and hurting deeply in their souls.
Now the pain he felt was his alone to bear, and Itachi could not stand it. He sank to the ground and curled up. His tears flowed freely from his eyes, to soak into his shirt and allow the late autumn breeze to cool him and chill his chest.

Gai heard a call. It was faint and he almost believed it imagined, but being who he was, he never ignored a call and he rose from his futon to head toward the sound.
He lost track of the call as he entered the lightly forested part of the village that was often used by the more affluent families as private training grounds for their children.
He stopped and listened hoping to hear the call once more and reset his bearings based on it. But the sound he heard was no call. He pushed through the trees and when he came across the figure among the trees he quickly rushed to the side and pulled the weeping man into his embrace and comforted him as best he could.
Itachi felt the arms that enfolded him and it was so welcome that he didn’t care who held him, he only wanted it never to end. Someone finally cared enough to take him into their strength and allow him to vent his weaknesses without reservations or judgments.
It was reviving and he soaked it up, like a dry sponge falling into a puddle.
When he had cried out his last tear, and his body had been reduced to choked spasms, he looked up into the face of his savior and found the face of a dear friend.
“Gai?” he asked.
“Ah, Itachi-kun. You have not had the best day, ne?” Gai asked, never releasing his hold on the younger man. Itachi reached up and wrapped his hands around the older Jounin’s neck and pulled their lips together. An uncomfortable moment followed after he released him.
“Actually, it has been a very rewarding day. Thank you.” Itachi finally answered. “How did you know I was here?”
“I heard you calling. I simply followed your cries.”
“I didn’t call you. I didn’t know what to call for.” The Uchiha said.
“Perhaps your soul cried out for you. I do not question such things. I just had to come.” And his hand moved slowly along the longhaired shinobi’s shoulder in a comforting way.
Itachi looked up and saw in the dark eyes of the Jounin the same need he felt and he pushed himself closer. Their lips met once more and this time Gai’s arms wove around his waist as the man sank down next to him and returned the kiss with strength and need.
They fell back against the trunk of the nearest tree and allowed their need to override their concern or modesty.
Hands moved under clothes and found hot flesh there. It was nearly scorching Itachi’s hand to touch the body of the other and yet he was drawn into the embrace like his life depended on it.
“Do you need me to help you home?”
“No. I don’t want to go there right now. Can I come over to your place?” Itachi asked.
“Eh, I don’t see any reason not to. Come, I will take you there.” He said, as he rose and pulled Itachi to his feet.
“Where is your suit?” Itachi heard himself ask as he noted that the Jounin was dressed in loose muslin pants with a gauzy type shirt.
“I was just resting around my house and doing some laundry. I don’t look that ridiculous, do I?” he asked, looking down at himself.
“No, I think you look hot.”
“Actually, it is far too cool to be wearing something so light weight. I wish I were a little warmer.”
“I didn’t say warm, Gai. I said ‘hot’ as in - you look ‘HOT’. Do you understand?”
“Hot? You think that I look, Hot? Oh, my.” He said, blushing feverishly.
Gai crossed his threshold and turned back to his guest. “It isn’t much. I have lived here since my parents died. I never have changed anything. It was a comfort to have their things around.” He explained as they took off their sandals and moved through the front hall.
Itachi barely registered the room’s content, so engrossed in his feelings and a need to do something. “Gai?” he said.
“Yes, Itachi-san?” Gai returned.
“I wanted to explain something. I wanted to tell you why I reacted the way I did. Can you understand? I have never been held that way, not since I was very young.”
Gai turned and stared at him. “No one has comforted you in your distress? No one has ever just been there for you when your needs overcame you?” he said, his voice filled with incredulity.
“I never was in distress. My needs were not allowed to overcome me. I am an Uchiha?” the younger man said.
“And my family was not so old. But everyone has needs. How could you last with no one to aid you?” Gai asked his voice sincere. Itachi shook his head and looked down at his bare feet.
“I guess that’s why I did that. I am sorry if I overstepped your limits.” Itachi said becoming self-conscious in the others home.
“I was surprised. But I am not offended. I understand the need you must have felt. No harm was done.”
“Yeah, well that explains it, but it doesn’t tell me why I want to do it again. Gai, maybe I should go.” He said, turning toward the door once again. A hand stopped him.
Gai heard his words and his arm came up instinctively. He didn’t speak when Itachi turned back to him. His thoughts racing over the weeks of watching others, of his own hidden desire, of his needs. He stood there holding on to Itachi’s arm and staring at the walls while he tried to put this into words.
“Don’t go.” Was his eventual response.
Itachi watched as the expression filled man’s face rode the currents of his inner turmoil. He waited as Gai came to some conclusion and when the two simple words escaped the troubled orifice, he turned easily into the arms of the other and they came together in a needy kiss that barely contained the raw desire they both felt.
Itachi had been with others. In the Akutsuki it was all part of the battle for position to form alliances by both fights and sex. He had been with men and women, he had been both receptive and in control, on top and a bottom. It was his broadest form of education and none of it had been lost when his mind had come to the power of his brother’s healing vision. His only lack in this, was knowing how to deal with it, when Gai spoke up blatantly to him with his usual open and clear voice.
“I have never had sex before. I am not experienced.”
Itachi nearly laughed. He didn’t, but he nearly did. It was so like Gai to make the assumption based on the need behind their kiss and reach for the most extreme circumstances, so that he could deal with the issues that would arise before they did.
“Is that what you want?” Itachi asked. “I mean, do you want to have sex?”
Gai looked directly into the deep red of the eyes that regarded him. “Sharingan? You must know that I do. Yes, it is what I want, what I need. Are you against the idea? I think we would be a good match in this kind of exchange.” He said.
“I am sorry. The reaction was not intentional. If you prefer, I can deactivate them, but I can’t read your mind. I won’t. I really did need to know. I am very interested, and I have sufficient experience. I just was surprised as usual by your statement. No one just says that, you know. Well, no one but you, Gai.” The Uchiha said, moving his arms back around the taller man’s neck and pulling him close. “Do you have a bedroom in this house?” he asked.
Gai smiled and lifted Itachi off the floor, turning them and aiming for a short hall. He held the Uchiha with one arm as he slid a door open and stepped inside.
There Itachi turned his head and saw a very thick futon already laid out and covered with a very warm looking blanket. It was slightly rumpled and a thick book on ninja arts sat on the edge opened and left hastily.
“You were reading?” he asked, and Gai nodded. “Put me down.” Itachi commanded, and Gai lowered him to the floor.
As his feet touched the wooden surface, Itachi pulled the other’s head close and connected their lips. Gai responded in kind and they stood there for a while sharing the experience of their mutual expression of physical need. They held each other and the Uchiha experimentally sent his tongue in search of the other ninja’s.
Gai had never been kissed like this and he pulled back slightly before allowing the intrusion of the smaller man’s muscle in his mouth. He felt the tentative touches and his own responding organ as they touched and caressed, the feeling odd as the soft and coarse parts came in contact and brushed against each other.
Itachi let his hands fall between them and down the front of the thin shirt. Gai held him loosely and allowed his movements. It was only seconds later that those hands moved up under the fabric and across the toned muscles he found there.
Gai released his mouth to gasp as Itachi’s painted nails skimmed a sensitive nub on his chest. The Uchiha tortured the little bud by allowing the finger to continue to scrape it over and over as his other hand circled behind and mapped out the dips and rises of the muscled back. His mouth never ceasing its explorations of the Gai’s neck and shoulder.
The taijutsu master returned in kind as he loosened the tie that held Itachi’s hair back and aided it in flowing around the narrow shoulders under his fingers.

Sasuke was so upset that she stormed into the kitchen and began slamming the dishes into the cupboards and pans into the stove storage compartment. Naruto heard this and came in with Koibito to find her standing over the sink, both hands on the rim and her back stiff.
The small baby shifted in his father’s arms and looked at the other with large eyes.
“Suskie!” he called out and as Naruto turned his head, Sasuke swung around.
“Koibito, what did you say?” she said rushing over and pulling him from the blond’s embrace.
“Suskie!” Koibito repeated pleased that he had gotten this response.
“He said your name. Well, something like it. Didn’t you, Bito? That was Sasuke, right?”
“Suskie!” Koibito repeated again. This time his face was beaming with his own accomplishment. Sasuke just stared at him, the smile on her face never wavering.
“Now, say Naruto. Come on, Bito. Say Na-ru-to.” The blond coaxed.
Koibito turned from the cherished face of Sasuke to the equally important face of his blond father and squinted hard.
“Dobe” he said, clear as a bell.
Naruto looked crestfallen.
“This is all your doing, Teme.” He said as he dropped into a chair.
Sasuke was too busy smiling at the joke to see the expression on the tiny boy’s face and when Koibito started squirming out of her hands, she turned to the baby.
The small pale face lined with remorse for whatever he had done to hurt his father and he wanted to go to him, now.
“Naruto, the baby is upset. Stop looking like that. Your making him think he’s done something wrong.” Sasuke said, as the baby squirmed nearly out of her arms.
Naruto looked up and saw the child and reached out immediately.
“Hey, Bito. Everything is okay. Nothing is wrong. Come on, let’s get you some cookies.” He took the boy and headed for the fridge.
Koibito was a clone of Orochimaru and no one would ever claim that intelligence was not part of the equation, so he was not fooled by the false face his daddy was giving him and he started to cry.
“No tookie. No. No tookie.” He said as the jar came out and Naruto offered him one.
“Okay, no cookie. What is it baby? What’s wrong?” he asked and the baby looked at him through wet puffy eyes.
“Nuto” he said, and Naruto smiled. A genuine, happy, loving father smile. Koibito was happy again, the two men who were most important in his life were smiling, and he had caused it.
“Nuto, Suskie!” he shouted and the two men held him between them as they smiled and kissed his little white cheeks. “Tookie!” he added for good measure, now that his fathers were happy, he wanted to be too.


Vashta – Hope that wasn’t too long for you. Mother hen? My Sasuke???? And about Gaara, well that is real soon. Just keep guessing and see how close you are?

Next chapter is Arrive in Force - The Way of the Ninja