Crazy Daze

VI

Eventually, days became something of a routine. Every day, I’d get to eat breakfast, have sessions with Iruka, lunch, art classes and then I’d get to go play with Sasuke and Gaara, plotting the downfall of Kakashi and Iruka. We were having fun. Still, routines had a way of being interrupted, and Gaara was stuck with his therapist for an extra long session after being the shit out of Neji when he’d insulted me of all people too many times. So Sasuke and I were done. I wondered if he’d tell me now what he was going to tell me the first day I’d arrived, and I opened my mouth to ask. But my teeth clicked shut when he sighed almost sadly.

“What’s wrong?”

He flicked his eyes to mine and looked away. I pretended not to see the signs of crying on his face.

“Did those bastards come again?”

Even I was surprised at the venom in my voice. For two weeks the city’s prosecutors had come and hounded Sasuke for Sasuke for what they wanted him to say and then one of them had had the balls to say that Itachi – while he was free to walk around because there was no real evidence to hold him – would be banned from seeing Sasuke again. I knew that much from eavesdropping on Iruka’s conversations. But it was destroying him.

- Separation form one you love always hurts. -

They’re brothers.

- Duh. Brothers can love each other. –

“Sasuke?”

“I can trust you right?”

I blinked. “Of course.”

“Then I’m gonna tell you. Everything.”

I reach out, touched his shoulder. I think that touch was what brought use closer together, because, well, I don’t know. It’s a feeling I can’t explain. It’s like, you walk into a room and make eye contact with someone across the room. You get butterflies, your palms sweat, and you get tongue-tied. Even still, you know that person is The One but you’re too nervous to talk, and you become friends and it just goes on until you finally take the leap of love and tell your beloved how much you want and love them. In that touch, I offered, he accepted and reciprocated.

- Never took you to be a romantic. –

And you always ruin the moment.

- It’s a gift. -

Obviously.

I was aware of Sasuke staring at me. I gave a tiny smile and he just shook his head.

“Kyuubi, shut up,” Sasuke said. Kyuubi grumbled and I gave a sigh.

“He’s quiet. Now can we play doctor?”

That earned a tiny laugh. “Yeah.”

I gave Sasuke a moment to collect his thoughts, looking around for spies or possible microphones. I mean, it would be easy to manipulate a tape of a voice, make it say what you wanted to hear and no one could refute it because it was in the person’s own voice. Maybe it wouldn’t be admitted as evidence, but considering Sasuke’s mental state was in question –

“Naruto,”

“Huh?”

- Ooh, you’re full of eloquence today. -

Screw you.

Sasuke huffed a little and smiled. “I think we’re okay. Tsunade doesn’t let them tape and Tonton can sniff them out.”

Oh. Right. Boob-lady’s evil pet porker.

“So... what happened?”

Sasuke gave a little smile. “My family wasn’t what you’d call loving. They pushed to be the best, especially my brother and I. I wasn’t the best. Itachi was. But he managed to escape the house and go away to college, to study to be a teacher. My father hated that. Well, one thing led to another and Itachi got disowned.”

“Seems like he’d be grateful for that.”

“He was.” Sasuke said. “He got angry when our father turned his desires to me.”

I blinked. “He tried to protect you?”

“I chose to live with him. They tried to get him on kidnapping but I went of my own volition, and he was my brother.” Sasuke continued. “And I was young enough that the tears broke everyone’s heart. So I got to stay. But then…”

“They got murdered.”

Sasuke nodded. “I’d gone to stay with them because Itachi was going out with his boyfriend.”

- Well, no wonder why the enmity between brother and father was so strong. -

People can be so cruel.

“He didn’t…?”

Sasuke shook his head. “No! No. I… I woke up and went to find my mother. I think I had a nightmare. I found her in the living room, bleeding everywhere. My father was fighting someone, but he was too tall to be Itachi and his eyes were wrong. Itachi doesn’t wear contacts because they irritate his eyes, he said, but this guy, he was wearing bright red ones. He killed them all. Itachi found me, and that’s why they blame him.”

“Institutions of justice suck,” I growled. Sasuke blinked and smiled, curling his fingers around my own. He clutched to me and I to him, all while Kyuubi growled in annoyance.

“It’ll be okay. You could tell him to come see me and I’ll just happen to be with you when he does.” I said brightly. Sasuke actually laughed.

“I don’t think Tsunade will bend to them, even if they are state prosecutors.”

I shrugged and smiled. “I don’t think they’d have the balls to go up against her.”

“Rarely does anyone,” Gaara growled as he plunked down on the other side of Sasuke.

“How bad was it this time?” I asked. Gaara slanted a glare at me. “That bad?”

He heaved a sigh. “Worse. I think if I see one more inkblot picture, I really will kill someone.”

- Shukaku’s pissed. -

No kidding.

“They ink-blotted you?” Sasuke asked. Apparently, getting the inkblot test was a bad thing. Gaara groaned and nodded.

“I don’t want to think about it,” Gaara sighed. “Shukaku doesn’t either.”

“Then don’t. Did you come up with an idea?” I prompted.

“For?” Gaara frowned. “Oh. Yeah. They’re your doctors, right? Figure you two could set them up.”

“Like how? Lie?”

Gaara rolled his eyes at me. “No. Tell the truth. Yes, lie you stupid fox.”

“Shut up, tanuki-bastard.”

Sasuke shook his head and gave a little sigh, smiling. “You’re kids.”

“So?” Gaara and I said together. We glared at each other for a moment before Gaara’s bruised eyes tore from mine and looked over my shoulder – and Sasuke’s head – eyes hardening to chips of emerald. Sasuke and I twisted to stare in that same direction and give each other a sly smile. A silent conversation, as we watched a bandaged and bruised and bandaged Neji wander into the room, And Sasuke and I decided to plan our rabid raccoon’s downfall. I mean, you normally don’t torture a person you really tend to hate.