I don't own Naruto and I make no profit from this story.
Thanks to all of you that reviewed! ^_^ Unfortunately I had so many reviews that to respond to all of you would cause me to go over my author's note character limit. I've responded to each review on my forum page, the link will be at the end of the story. This story is beta'd by the amazing MisatosPenPen. Thank you ^_^
There was a numbing sense of pain, dull and faint; like it almost wasn’t there. What was most prevalent was the sense of shock. Sasuke heard Naruto say ok and watched him leave, but he couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to believe it. Today, of all days, wasn’t meant to end this way.
“Sasuke?”
Sasuke turned, just realizing it was raining as he blinked droplets from his eyes. Shikamaru and Ino were standing there, clothes beginning to soak through with rain and the most puzzling look on their faces.
“Sasuke?” Shikamaru repeated.
“H-huh?” Sasuke asked, his voice quivering.
“Are you ok? What happened?”
Sasuke shook his head, staring momentarily down the street where Naruto had disappeared. He couldn’t answer, because he didn’t really know what just happened. ‘Naruto said
ok’, he thought to himself. But it didn’t make sense. Why would he say ok?
“Sasuke?” Ino all but shouted.
Sasuke shook his head distractedly, mumbling, “I have to go.”
Ino and Shikamaru watched Sasuke walk away, Shikamaru’s hand around Ino’s elbow, stopping her from following. “Let him go,” he said.
Ino bit her lip, worried. “What has Sakura done?” she whispered.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I’m going to find out!” she snapped. “You can call Itachi and warn him.”
Shikamaru was already ahead of her, his phone to his ear waiting for the pick-up.
‘Hello’, Itachi answered.
“Sasuke just left school; without Naruto.”
There was a moment of silence while the meaning sunk in, followed by a soft sigh.
‘What’s happened?’
“Sakura,” Shikamaru replied. The phone clicked, but not before he heard Itachi’s response, ‘damn’.
~~
Ino marched back into school, her eyes trained on Sakura’s approaching form. There was a strut in her gait and an obnoxiously pleased look plastered on her face. This was not the friend Ino knew. This was a sick and twisted doll from a horror movie, one who would stab you the second you turned your back.
As soon as Sakura was within distance, Ino gripped her shoulders and slammed her into a row of lockers; the sound echoing loudly, and satisfyingly, in the deserted corridor.
Sakura seemed unaffected, the smile still plastered in place like a grotesque Kabuki mask. It made Ino sick just to see it, especially on a person she thought was a friend.
“What’s wrong Ino?” she simpered.
“What have you done?”
“Nothing.”
“What have you done?!”
Sakura attempted to pull herself away from the lock digging into her back, but Ino held her in place, refusing to let her go. With a giggle, she sighed and answered, “I gave Naruto a Valentine. Sasuke didn’t seem to appreciate my gift, but I’m sure Naruto enjoyed it.”
Ino’s eyes closed momentarily, warding off the anger she felt deep inside. She didn’t want to know what Sakura’s Valentine gift was. Knowing her
friend the way she did, it wasn’t anything good.
Ino’s grip tightened around Sakura’s shoulders and with a snarl, she shoved the laughing girl back into the lockers before storming away. Sakura’s laughter followed her from the building.
Shikamaru was waiting for Ino in the same place she left him, looking like a drowned rat in the deluge of rain. One look at her and he knew he wasn’t wrong: Sakura had succeeded.
“Damn,” Shikamaru muttered, repeating Itachi’s sentiments.
~~
Sasuke made it home, but he couldn’t tell you one detail from his trip except that he had enough sense to avoid walking passed Naruto’s house.
The foyer was cold as he closed the door behind him, the cold sticking to his dripping clothes and leeching any body heat he may have had left. He felt his skin crawl with goosebumps, causing him to shiver. He was one step away from his teeth chattering and he desperately wanted to seek out his shower and drown in the flow of hot water, but Itachi wouldn’t let that happen yet.
He was sitting on the bottom step, expecting Sasuke’s return, with a look of unhappiness on his face. Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to care about his brother’s feelings when he was feeling miserable himself.
“Make it quick, Itachi, because in two minutes I will be in my shower scrubbing away this shitty day.”
“Where is Naruto?”
Just his name sent a wave of pain shooting through Sasuke’s stomach like a knife to the gut. But worse still was the pain to his heart. It felt like his heart was being torn from his chest and picked apart by scavenger’s before being trampled on by a herd of elephants. It was a merciless onslaught and Sasuke suddenly found he had a hard time catching his breath.
“Where is Naruto?” Itachi repeated.
“How should I know?” Sasuke snapped, gasping for breath.
“Are you ok?” Itachi asked softly, rising to his feet.
“I’m fine!”
Sasuke brushed passed Itachi and up the steps, reaching the sanctity of his bedroom. He was shivering profusely now and tore at his clothing, peeling away his wet shirt and attacking the button to his jeans. He kicked them off and stepped towards his bathroom clad only in his boxers, stumbling as his heel caught on something in his jeans pocket.
Bending down, he pulled the velvet box from his pocket and opened it. He stared dispassionately at the ring he’d bought to surprise Naruto with today, after dinner when he had a moment alone with him.
With a welling of anger he threw the box across the room, listening to it hit the wall and then the floor. His heart thumped with the satisfactory feeling and he relished the moment until his anger calmed.
With a sigh, he bent down to retrieve the box, his calm evaporating to desperation when he noticed the ring was no longer inside. He hit the floor quickly, turning his head left and right, searching under the bed, throwing his wet clothes out of his way; all in an attempt to find the missing ring.
Itachi stopped in Sasuke’s doorway and knelt, retrieving the ring by his feet. He watched Sasuke frantically search, before saying, “Are you looking for this?”
Sasuke snapped toward his brother, his eyes landing on the ring. He sighed in relief and reached for Itachi’s outstretched hand, but Itachi was quicker and held the ring just out of reach.
“Give it back, Itachi!”
“Why? It looks like you threw it away.”
“I didn’t throw it away!” Sasuke snapped.
“Then why was it on the floor in your doorway?”
“Because I dropped it.”
“Oh, really now? If you dropped it why is there a hole in the wall?”
Sasuke followed Itachi’s line of sight and, sure enough, there was a small hole in the drywall. He swallowed thickly and dropped on his bed, his head hung low.
Tears were falling by the time Itachi sat down beside him.
“What happened?” Itachi asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Sasuke said.
“Don’t give me that. What happened?” he asked with a stern voice.
“I-I don’t know where to start really.”
“The beginning sounds like a good place.”
Sasuke snorted and barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes, but he couldn’t argue with his brother’s logic.
“It was just another Valentine’s Day. I was dodging everyone with a Valentine, hiding in strategic places, and turning up to class with the teacher’s by my side, rushing from the room when the bell rang…everything was fine up until the end of the day. Then I got a text from Nar-” Sasuke paused and swallowed, unable to say his name without the feeling of being knifed in the stomach. “I thought I got a text from him, but it was really Sakura.”
“What did it say?”
“He-she wanted me to meet him-her in the classroom.” Sasuke stumbled over his words, only now fully working out what had happened. He closed his eyes, reliving the scene again. Sakura pinning Naruto against the sink, Sakura fastening herself to Naruto’s lips, Naruto frozen in place and looking shocked.
Sasuke brought his hand to wipe at his brow and cover his tear-filled eyes. “Everything is a mess.”
“Oh?” Itachi questioned.
“All I asked him to do was keep his guard up around Sakura and he couldn’t even do that. He let her get close enough to steal his phone and use it against him. She set us up.”
“What did she do?”
Sasuke shook his head, unwilling to say. It made him angry just to think about it.
“Tell me,” Itachi urged, gripping Sasuke’s shoulder and squeezing slightly.
Sasuke launched himself from the end of his bed, pacing quickly. “That harpy pinned him down and dared to touch him! She put her hands on him and tried to take advantage of him!”
“But she wouldn’t have been successful,” Itachi said.
“Because I was there to stop her.”
Itachi shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.”
Sasuke stopped pacing long enough to glare.
“Think about it,” he urged.
Sasuke closed his eyes reliving the scene once more. Sakura pinning Naruto against the sink, Sakura fastening herself to his lips and Naruto frozen in shock…and definitely not enjoying himself. Naruto’s hand poised to push her away…
‘Naruto said he was getting ready to push her away’, Sasuke thought. ‘And I brushed it off.’ He stopped his pacing and brought his hand up to cover his eyes. “I fucked up Itachi and worse, I took it out on Naruto.”
“Yes,” Itachi drawled. “And how do you plan to fix it?”
“I’ll apologize when I see him at dinner-”
“Dinner was cancelled tonight.”
Sasuke swung around to stare wide-eyed at Itachi, lowering his hand. “What do you mean it was cancelled?”
“Kushina just called and said something came up. Mom was upset, but she understands.”
“Mom and dad are home?”
“They got in when you were at school. Mom was looking forward to catching up with Kushina.”
“Damn,” Sasuke sighed.
“Get washed up and don’t take too long; we’re ordering in tonight from dad’s favorite restaurant.”
Itachi stood up and left, leaving Sasuke alone and shivering in his room. With a sigh, Sasuke turned to his bathroom and the hot shower that beckoned him. He’d just have to apologize tomorrow and make things right with Naruto…and if everything went right, they’d be engaged before the weekend.
~~
Naruto could hear the rain pelting the windows on either side of the door, the tinkling loud next to his ears. Tears flowed like the rain, almost as if the sky was weeping right along with him. He never imagined the pain, and the hurt, that he’d be feeling right now. His heart felt like it was withering in his chest, moments away from dying. And he knew he was the cause of this pain.
The first wracking sob was through his lips before he ever had a chance to stop it. Naruto brought his hands up to cover his mouth, to stifle his crying, but it was too late. He wasn’t alone in the house.
Kushina wiped her hands on her apron as she exited the kitchen, her head cocked to the side listening for more of the odd sound. Her steps were slow as she inspected the living room, glancing towards the windows in case it was the wind. She heard the sound again, her head jerking towards the foyer.
She turned the corner and saw Naruto curled against the door, drenched and sobbing. “Minato!” she called over her shoulder, but her voice was calmer and soothing when she turned to Naruto. “Naruto, dear?”
Naruto’s lip trembled. He was never able to hold back his tears from his mom and today was no exception. He released a ragged sob and launched himself into her arms, crying as if the world was ending.
“Oh, Naruto,” Kushina sighed as Minato joined them. She held Naruto tight, Minato’s arm wrapping around him too.
“Mom,” he choked out.
“Shh, it’s ok,” she soothed, rubbing his back like she used to do when he was younger and just had a nightmare.
“It’s not ok! I screwed up…”
“It can’t be that bad-”
“It is!”
“Will you tell us about it?” Minato asked.
He tried to answer, but every time he opened his mouth his throat stuck on the words. Minutes passed by where he attempted to collect himself; finally, he was calm enough to answer. “I had a fight with Sasuke.”
“And what did you fight you fight about.”
“Sakura,” he spat. There was such anger in Naruto’s voice that Minato winced.
“And?” Minato prompted.
Naruto extricated himself from his mom’s embrace and stared at his dad through hazy, puffy eyes. There was an expectant look in his dad’s eye, curious and almost hopeful. Naruto nearly gagged.
“Ugh! No dad, no! Never in a million years. Never in this lifetime!”
“Then what did you fight-”
“I’m gay, dad! GAY! And Sasuke is…” Naruto paused, his eyes flooding with tears again. “Sasuke was my boyfriend.”
Minato was quiet as absorbed the news, his mind digesting his son’s words. He wished he could say he was surprised. He even wished he could say he was shocked. He even thought he should be angry, but he wasn’t. Because deep down he had a feeling; an inkling, that his son just didn’t see the world the same way he did.
Naruto sat there, held tightly by his mother, waiting for his dad’s verdict. He wanted to kick himself for just blurting it out instead of manning up and talking to his dad like a normal person. Now his dad hated him. He’d lost him too.
Naruto felt his heart breaking again and choked out another sob. He wanted the world to open up and swallow him whole, to end his misery. He just lost the second man in his life that he loved the most in one day and there was no worse feeling in the world.
He felt himself wrenched from his mom’s grip; fully expecting to be struck. He wasn’t expecting the warm and comforting feeling of his dad’s embrace instead; or the sudden words of encouragement and love that poured from his dad’s lips. He gripped back tighter, crying into his dad’s shirt, apologizing for taking so long to tell him.
“I love you, Naruto, no matter what. You’re my only son and I would say there would have to be something wrong with
me to turn my back on you.”
Naruto beamed and choked back tears. “I love you too, dad.”
Minato responded with a smile of his own. “You can always come to me and talk to me, you know.” He shot Kushina a smile. “I’m sure your mom could use a break every now and then.”
Naruto laughed and wiped at his swollen eyes. “I think I can manage that.”
Kushina leaned in and kissed Minato on the cheek, repeating the process with Naruto. “Let’s get you out of those wet clothes and into a warm shower, ok?”
Naruto nodded and stood up on shaky legs. He had to use the railing for support as he trudged his way upstairs.
Kushina sighed and grabbed the phone the moment Naruto’s door closed.
“What are you doing, dear?” Minato asked.
“I’m calling Itachi and uninviting them to dinner tonight. I don’t think Naruto is up to it and if I see Sasuke I may want to do something that I’m not entirely sure I would regret.”
Minato chuckled, but he didn’t disagree. He wasn’t too happy with Sasuke either; not after seeing Naruto so broken-hearted because of him.
~~
Sasuke made his way downstairs and into the dining room fully dry and very hungry. Itachi was seated next to their dad, both of them lost in the newspaper. His mom was lost in thought, her finger tracing the rim on a glass of red wine.
He cleared his throat as he entered, walking over to the empty seat next to his mom. Before he took his seat, he leaned in and kissed his mom on the cheek. “Welcome back,” he said.
“It’s nice to be back,” she answered, smiling at her youngest son.
“Forgive me. If I had known you were home I would have been more prompt.”
“We wanted to surprise you, so we didn’t call ahead.”
Finally looking up, Fugaku folded his paper and set it off to the side of the table. He grabbed his glass of wine and took a sip, before turning to Sasuke.
Sasuke tensed, waiting. He knew this was coming, that his parents would want answers.
“It was unfortunate that Kushina called tonight to cancel dinner, your mother was looking forward to the visit,” Fugaku started. “You wouldn’t know the reason why, would you?”
Sasuke’s stomach felt like lead, but he knew better than to look to his mom or Itachi for help. Itachi probably already told them, so all his dad wanted was confirmation anyway. Still, it didn’t make it easier.
“I had an argument with Naruto today, after school. I acted rashly and irresponsibly and I fully intend to apologize in person when I get the chance.”
“So the argument was your fault?” Mikoto asked, her finger still sliding over the rim of her glass.
Sasuke could feel her displeasure from where he sat. He felt horrible, knowing his mom looked forward to their dinners in Namikaze/Uzumaki house.
“I overreacted, but not without reason.”
“Explain,” Fugaku said.
Sasuke internally cringed, recognizing an order when he heard one. Just as much as his mom enjoyed Kushina’s company, Fugaku was quite fond of Minato’s company as well. Clearly he was just as displeased, maybe even more so.
“I walked in on Naruto being molested by a fellow classmate. I was angry.”
Fugaku narrowed his eyes at the word ‘molested’.
Sasuke turned to face Itachi, demanding, “You didn’t tell them?”
Itachi looked up over the top of his paper before folding it up and setting it aside.
“In this situation, it was better for you to explain yourself.”
“And explain himself he will.” Fugaku said. “What happened next?”
“I pulled her off Naruto and removed him from the room.”
“And after that,” Mikoto prompted.
“We had a fight. It was heated and I said certain things that I regret…things I didn’t know I’d said until it was too late.” He tried to keep his voice up, but it faded away as the shame washed over him. It filled his gut and made his insides squirm unpleasantly and the feeling only intensified under his parents staring.
“What did you say?”
Sasuke made the mistake of looking his mom in the eye. He felt the back of his ears burn and suddenly felt hot under the collar of his shirt.
“I-I,” he swallowed, shooting a quick glance at his dad. Fugaku hated when a person stuttered when they didn’t have a speech impediment. “I asked for a break in our relationship.”
“Is that so?”
Sasuke internally cringed again. His dad did not sound happy and he dared not look at his mom.
“You didn’t,” Itachi interrupted.
Sasuke turned to look at Itachi, witnessing a look of shock on his brother’s face before it was washed away by a hard look reminiscent of their dad’s. It was disapproval and disgust mixed into one.
“I don’t believe a mere apology will cut it, but then Naruto is a sweet boy who
always believes the best in people. You may earn his forgiveness still.” Mikoto stated.
The squirming feeling inside his stomach intensified by a 1,000 fold and made him feel ill. He didn’t need to be reminded of Naruto’s nature, he knew it firsthand. That’s one of the things that attracted him to the dobe in the first place!
“I know that,” he stated. “I will apologize properly and if he wants nothing to do with me, then it is what I deserve. Can I be excused, please?”
“You may go,” Fugaku consented.
With a murmured thank you, Sasuke left the dining room without ever touching his food. He was no longer hungry.
“What did Shikamaru have to say?” Fugaku asked as soon as Sasuke was out of earshot.
“He only caught the tail-end of the argument, where Sasuke said he couldn’t trust Naruto; but he never said anything about Sasuke breaking things off,” Itachi said.
“Who is this female classmate of theirs and why would she be seeking Naruto for a relationship?”
“Her name is Sakura Haruno and she only went after Naruto because of Sasuke.”
“Wasn’t she the one who was always chasing Sasuke’s affection?” Mikoto asked.
Itachi nodded. “Sasuke let slip that he was dating Naruto at his Christmas party and Sakura didn’t take kindly to that. I got a text from Shikamaru after a Christmas party at the Yamanaka’s asking for my help. It seems Sakura cornered Naruto and stole a mistletoe kiss right in front of Sasuke.”
“That wouldn’t have made Sasuke happy at all,” Mikoto mused.
“No, and then Naruto had a little mishap that resulted in a broken arm. He fought Sasuke about even going to the hospital.”
“Well, Naruto never did like hospitals.”
“Hmm, then Naruto was paired with Sakura during a school project where they had to pretend to be a cozy little nuclear family.”
“I’ll bet Naruto was more than a little enthusiastic for the assignment; which Sasuke wouldn’t have been thrilled about. It’s no secret Naruto wants a family of his own,” Mikoto replied.
“Correct,” Itachi said. “And then today, the
coup de grâce. The details of which are still relatively vague.”
“Except that she molested Naruto,” Fugaku said.
“There’s more,” Itachi sighed. He took a fortifying sip of wine and ploughed on. “Naruto used to have a crush on Sakura."
Mikoto sighed. “Oh dear, I think that explains Sasuke’s reasoning for not trusting Naruto.”
“Sasuke’s insecure, but Naruto is, or was, firm in his feelings. The issue lies with Sasuke alone.”
“I think we need to call Minato and Kushina and invite them for lunch tomorrow. We have things to discuss,” Fugaku said.
~~
Kushina sighed as she watched Naruto retreat to his room for the night. She watched him try to eat dinner, but his appetite appeared nonexistent. She watched him try to watch his favorite TV show, but he was upset and unfocused. Finally, when he couldn’t hold back his tears anymore, she sent him to bed. As much as she wanted to hold him and soothe him, he needed this time alone. Crying would be cleansing for him.
“He’ll be fine, he just needs time dear,” Minato soothed. He grabbed Kushina’s hand and kissed the back of it.
“I hate to think that he’s going through this.”
“It’ll be fine. They’ll find their way back to each other.”
Kushina smiled and leaned in to Minato’s side, throwing her legs over the side of the couch.
“Are you really ok with Naruto and his preferences?” she asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Minato asked, smiling down at his wife.
“Because you really wanted Naruto to find a girlfriend.”
“I wanted Naruto to be happy. I wouldn’t have pressured him if I’d known he was dating. Why didn’t he want to tell me?”
“He thought he would be hurting you if he did. And then you started hinting at him finding a girlfriend and he just couldn’t bring himself to ‘disappoint’ you.”
“I wouldn’t have been disappointed; I would have been thrilled he was dating Sasuke. Now, I can’t say that because I want to strange the little shit for hurting my son.”
Kushina laughed. “Sasuke better watch out for you, dear. He won’t know what hit him.”
Minato smiled and leaned down to kiss Kushina on the brow. “Sasuke better hope I don’t see him anytime soon. I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
Kushina laughed again, turning at the sound of the phone ringing.
“I’ll get that,” Minato offered, reaching for the cordless phone. “Hello? Oh, Mikoto, how are you?”
“Let me talk to her!” Kushina interrupted, pulling the phone from Minato’s hand.
“Mikoto!” Kushina shrieked. “Oh! Of course…Yes, of course we can be there. Tomorrow at noon…yes, we’ll be there. Bye now.” Kushina handed Minato back the phone. “We’re invited for lunch tomorrow. There are a few things Mikoto and Fugaku would like to discuss with us.”
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”
“I don’t know,” Kushina mumbled, biting into her lip worriedly.
~~
Sasuke barely slept that night, going over and over in his head how he would find Naruto and apologize. He dressed quickly and skipped breakfast in his haste to get to school.
He was out of breath by the time he walked through the doors. Deciding it would be best to wait near Naruto’s locker, he settled down to wait, scanning the hall for an untidy mop of blonde hair. But Naruto was nowhere to be seen by the time the first bell rang.
Thinking that he missed him, Sasuke trudged to class, settling in to wait for next period when he shared a class with Naruto. The time ticked on slowly and the teacher’s droning voice was causing a tick to form in Sasuke’s temple.
It was agonizing waiting for the bell, but it finally rang…after an eternity. Sasuke rushed to his next class and took his usual seat next to Naruto’s, waiting for his dobe to show. But he didn’t. The second bell rang and everyone took their seats, minus one Naruto Uzumaki.
Sasuke frowned, realizing that Naruto wasn’t in school today.
~~
Naruto lay on his bed, pulling his pillow up over his head to block out the sunlight. His body ached from the constant crying he did all night and his throat felt raw and sore. His head began to pound…or was that the door? Naruto shifted, pulling his pillow away from his face as his mom dad walked in.
“Hey, kiddo?” he smiled sadly.
Naruto groaned and hid his face under the pillow again. ‘I must look a sorry sight’, he thought to himself.
“You don’t have to hide from me,” Minato continued, sitting down and pulling the pillow away. He felt his heart break for his son seeing him so sad, eyes bloodshot and puffy and his nose swollen and red. “I don’t think I need to ask, but how are you feeling?”
Naruto groaned and ducked under his other pillow.
“That bad, huh,” Minato sighed. “If you’re not up for school today, I won’t make you go. It doesn’t look like you had much sleep.”
Naruto pulled his pillow away from his face and swallowed his fresh wave of tears. “Really,” he squeaked out.
“Really, I won’t make you go. But you can’t hide in your room forever either; if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I wasn’t, but it’s an interesting idea. Are you sure I can’t?”
“I’m sure,” Minato laughed.
“Thanks, dad, for letting me stay home today.”
“Well, it beats having you sent home again because you fell asleep in class.”
“That was the first grade!” Naruto groaned, but hidden under that groan was a small smile.
“Still, your teacher had to send you home.”
“I remember you made me stay awake all day so I would fall right to sleep…”
“You were the most irritable boy all day because you were used to having your naps.”
“And I still didn’t fall asleep and was up all night,” Naruto said.
“And I never knew why. You wouldn’t fall asleep until your mom and I were there.”
“That’s because I was afraid of the dark and thought that a monster lived in my closet.”
“A monster? You must have out grown that phase quickly, because it wasn’t too long before you were sleeping by yourself again.”
“No,” Naruto whispered. “Not really.”
Minato frowned. He reached down and ran his finger through Naruto’s hair. “How did you get over it?” he asked.
“Sasuke went into my closet and slayed the monster for me.” Naruto sniffled back a new round of tears, his watery eyes focused on a lint ball on his comforter.
“I’m sorry, Naruto,” Minato whispered.
“It’s ok,” Naruto replied, picking at the lint ball.
“I think you need to rest. Do you want something to help you sleep?”
Naruto shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ll sleep soon. I promise.”
“Ok, if you need anything just let us know. Whatever you want is yours today.”
“How about my learner’s permit,” Naruto laughed.
“Nice try, not until you’re eighteen.”
“Well, it was worth a try.”
Minato bent down and kissed Naruto’s forehead. He pulled away and laid the back of his hand against Naruto’s neck, checking his temperature.
“You feel hot?” he murmured.
“I’m fine.”
“Let me check your temp.”
“Dad, I’m not a child anymore--”
“You’re my child and you may be sick,” Minato stated. He left Naruto’s room long enough to find a thermometer before he was back.
Naruto opened his mouth obediently, but only after his mom showed up. The thermometer beeped and Minato pulled it away, saying, “102.4 degrees.”
“I’ll get some medicine,” Kushina said, returning a few minutes later with a glass of water and a packet of pills.
Naruto swallowed them and stared at the third pill Kushina held out to him.
“Take it,” she urged.
Naruto grabbed the pill and swallowed it before lying back down.
“Get some rest,” Kushina said and kissed Naruto on the forehead.
Naruto sighed and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of his parents retreat. Soon enough, he was sleeping soundly.
~~
Fugaku answered the door fifteen minutes before noon. Kushina hugged him immediately before bustling off to find Mikoto. Minato chuckled and followed Fugaku into the dining room where Kushina and Mikoto were getting reacquainted. Itachi seemed unperturbed by their giggling banter.
“It’s good to see you again Fugaku,” Minato said.
“Likewise, it’s been awhile. Would you care for some wine or would you prefer something a bit stronger?”
“That depends what you want to talk about.”
“Hmm, yes, I wanted to discuss our sons and a certain Sakura Haruno.”
Mikoto and Kushina stopped talking and turned to listen.
“I think a Scotch would be in order.”
Fugaku smirked and poured a glass for himself too. “Ladies,” he asked.
“The same,” they both replied.
“Now, let’s talk about our sons first,” Fugaku started. “How is Naruto?”
“Heartbroken,” Kushina answered. “And he has a cold too.”
“Oh, the poor dear. He must be miserable,” Mikoto sighed.
“I gave him a sleeping pill. He was up all night crying.”
“Hopefully that won’t last too long. Sasuke plans to apologize,” Itachi said.
“Oh, that should cheer Naruto up…unless Sasuke still doesn’t want--”
“Sasuke still wants to be with Naruto,” Itachi interrupted, his eyes floating to Minato. “You know they were dating?”
Minato looked up from his glass. “I found out yesterday, but I assume you all knew?”
“Of course,” Fugaku smiled. “We noticed a long time ago. Sasuke made it quite obvious with how he acted around Naruto.”
Minato snorted. “And here I thought they were just really close friends.”
“They are
really close friends,” Itachi replied.
“I don’t like the way you say that,” Minato blurted out. “You make it sound like they’ve done something other than date.”
“And if they have?” Itachi queried.
Minato turned to Fugaku and then Mikoto, and apologized, “Sorry, but if Sasuke has laid one hand on Naruto in an inappropriate way, I will kill him.”
“Spoken like a true father!” Fugaku crowed, clapping Minato on the back and laughing; and totally unaffected by the death threat against his youngest son.
“If they have done something there’s no way to prove it. But they have had the run of an empty house until recently, so…” Itachi smirked, watching Minato turn pale at the thought.
“They didn’t,” he muttered to himself, turning to his wife. “Kushina?”
“And if they have?” she responded.
“He’s too young!”
“But it’s not like they can get themselves into trouble. Neither can get the other pregnant,” Kushina shrugged.
Minato’s jaw dropped. “Tha-that’s not the point! He shouldn’t be doing that until he’s old enough.”
“He’s seventeen, dear.”
“That’s still too young!”
Kushina narrowed her eyes at Minato. “And how old were we the first time, hmm?”
Minato snapped his jaw shut and ground his teeth, growling under his breath. Kushina smirked in triumph.
“Ok, now that we have Naruto and Sasuke settled, let’s move on to the tramp--”
“Itachi! Language!” Mikoto scolded.
“Like you weren’t thinking it mom. Or would you prefer I called her a bitch--”
“Itachi!”
Itachi rolled his eyes.
“Yes, what about Sakura?” Minato asked.
“I looked into her family and it appears she arrived the summer before eighth grade,” Itachi said. “Her father, Kizashi, was transferred to Konoha’s main banking branch. He’s made a name for himself since and seems to be a very well-liked man. He even gives to charity on a regular basis. His wife, Mebuki, owns and runs a bakery in the city. She too is well-liked. And as a side-note; we own the bank that Kizashi runs,” Itachi said. “The bakery is owned outright by Mebuki.”
“Is that so?” Fugaku mused. “That’s an interesting nugget of information.”
“I also looked into Sakura herself. Her GPA is on par with Sasuke’s and she has applied to some of the top medical schools in the country. Her acceptance is almost guaranteed.”
“Hmm,” Fugaku mused.
“What are you thinking?” Minato asked. There was a hint of worry in his voice.
Fugaku viewed Minato from the corner of his eye, but it was Mikoto who spoke up.
“We’ve been planning on Naruto and Sasuke being together since elementary school. We even have every detail of their wedding planned, right down to the engagement party. The only thing we left to Sasuke was to purchase the ring and propose in his own way,” Mikoto paused to take a sip of her Scotch. “He’s completed half of that.”
“You-you’ve--” Minato stuttered.
“It’s ok dear,” Kushina said. “It’s a good match.”
“But-but…That’s not…What if Naruto didn’t want Sasuke.”
“Don’t be silly. It was obvious once they were in the same room together. You know Sasuke hovered over Naruto when they were babies.”
Minato could recall one memory where Naruto was just learning to walk and Sasuke had been right there, watching him, even trying to catch him when Naruto fell. ‘But they were just babies. They couldn’t understand adult emotions at that age. Right?’ he thought to himself. But another memory surfaced, when they were five and Sasuke had grabbed Naruto into a hug and told the other kids to stay away from his ‘wife’.
“Ok, so Sasuke was sure what he wanted from early on, but Naruto…he never looked like he shared the same feelings. Actually, I remember him completely unaffected by Sasuke’s antics.”
“But he shares those feelings now,” Kushina said. “You know how upset he was yesterday.”
“Ok, I get that he feels like that now, but are you sure you didn’t push him to this?”
“We’re sure. In fact, we left everything in Sasuke’s hands and it’s worked for the most part…until Sakura.”
“She can’t be that bad--”
“You don’t know what she did,” Itachi interrupted.
“What did she do?” Minato asked, swallowing thickly.
“Nothing good,” Mikoto answered. “And it’s better--”
“No, I want to know what she did to my son.”
“You’ll need another Scotch,” Fugaku stated, finishing off his own.
~~
“How are you feeling?” Kushina asked Minato. She took her husband’s hand and walked beside him, setting a leisurely pace.
The February wind blew gently around their bodies, giving the air a slight chill reminiscent of early fall. It was perfect weather for a walk and they planned to take advantage of it. They needed to talk.
“I’ll be fine,” Minato answered.
“You were angry. I rarely see you angry.”
“It’s not every day our son is sexually assaulted. I mean, who does that kind of thing and to a boy no less? What was she thinking?”
“I think she was only focused on her end goal and not much more,” Kushina sighed. “If I ever see her again promise you’ll bail me out of jail.”
“Ha! I’ll be sitting in the cell across from you. We’ll have to call Fugaku and Mikoto.”
“They’d be proud of us!” Kushina laughed, swinging around to look at Minato while walking backward. “Now, if Itachi gets ahold of her…I don’t think we’d have a body.”
“Don’t joke about that,” Minato said.
“It’s not against the law and it makes me feel better. It siphons off my anger.”
“Hmm,” Minato hummed. He stopped and pulled Kushina into his embrace. “As long as it stays here,” he tapped her forehead, “and is not acted upon.”
“Huh,” she huffed. “Killjoy!”
“I’m serious, Kushina!”
“I know,” she laughed and kissed him quickly. Her smile fell and she hugged Minato tighter, mumbling, “I won’t let her hurt Naruto again.”
“No, I agree with you.”
“Then don’t fight Itachi. Let them do what they can to be rid of her.”
“I don’t like it,” Minato sighed.
“She won’t be hurt, which is more than I can say if I confronted her.”
“You’re sure? We don’t know what Itachi is capable of here. He has a devious mind.”
“I’m sure,” Kushina whispered, leaning in and kissing Minato again.
“Ok, but I hope for Naruto’s sake that it works.”
“I’m positive!” Kushina smiled, grabbing Minato’s hand and dragging him along the street and towards home.
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