Sunlight in a Dark Room

Author's Note: Thank you, AmuseMe, for the lovely beta. ^______^

Review Responses:

kkk: Yus! Quality time and the development of their feelings is definitely a good thing. And I sure hope it continues. *gets hit* XDDD Hmmm...the Akatsuki. I'm still debating whether or not to keep 'em alive or not. XD; We'll see later on. :D Thank you for your wonderful comment. ^____^

karin: I mentioned in one of the author's notes in the earlier chapters that Sasuke was 19. It's still summer so Naruto is 18. And Itachi is about 24? I think. XD

sainaru_fangurl: I agree. The SasuNaru stories are getting a little repetitive. I don't read too many fics at all anymore. :( I'm actually still not sure if Sasuke is ever going to know. That's something else I haven't quite decided on yet. XD;

Kamikyo: Woohoo!!! That's great. I was swayed by an ItaNaru fic. 8D Thank you for your awesome comment. ^_______^

Lemo: I didn't post here til now. XD;

hina88: I'm feeling really sorry for Sasuke too. The poor guy. XD; I can't wait for the ItaNaru too. *gets hit* XDDD Naruto's chakra will be explained later for sure, I'm just still working on the 'how'. :P I'm happy you liked the chapter. ^______^

FallenGoddessOfBattle: It's funny to think that he's not a morning person. I can't remember if that's canon though. XD; LOL. Naruto likes to piss Sasuke off. XDDDD *hugs him* Yup, Sai's still there. And there will be a bit of interaction between three. 8D Thank you. :D

AnA La PaNa83: LOL. Why thank you kindly. XDDD *hugs* It's always great to read your reviews. XDDD

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. ^______^

~*~*~*~

Chapter 6 - Rest

Sasuke had stopped his team to set up camp about one day from Konoha. They were in a hurry but everyone was still exhausted from their rushed trip to the Wind Country. As reluctant as he was, Sasuke deemed the rest necessary. Gaara was displeased with the order and had taken to meditating in the tree they had camped under.

When he had received word that Naruto was missing, Gaara had immediately ordered several scouting teams to set out for the various surrounding countries. It was highly unlikely that they would find him, but it was all he could do for his friend. And it made him feel useless and unworthy. That’s why he had decided to meet with the Uchiha at the abandoned Akatsuki base where Shukaku had been extracted. He left Temari to deal with his Kazekage duties and took Kankurou and his team with him.

He did not know the circumstances of how it was that Naruto was kidnapped in the first place, but he had a feeling the Uchiha was partly responsible. He and Sasuke really could never get along. A small smile formed itself on his face at the thought of Naruto stating that he could care less if he and Sasuke got along or not. The blond had been rather amused with their constant fighting. Sometimes, the idiot would even join in. That was so Naruto.

“Gaara-san?” A voice asked from the base of the tree.

Interrupted from his thoughts, the redhead glanced down at the Sasuke look-alike. Sai. He didn’t like this one either. He reminded him of Sasuke except he was openly perverted and said even ruder things. Gaara never took the time to get to know this friend of Naruto’s. He’d rather not.

He waited for Sai to state what he wanted.

“Dinner is ready,” the brunet smiled.

Gaara nodded before disappearing in a gust of sand and reappearing at their small camp.

Sakura looked up and smiled at the Kazekage, “Hello, Gaara-san.”

“Sakura,” he said quietly as he sat down. He didn’t bother to address the Uchiha. He had deducted years ago that there was no need to acknowledge the younger man. He assumed Sasuke had come to that conclusion as well.

The four shinobi ate in silence, each of them concerned about what news awaited them in Konoha the next day.

~*~

Naruto woke the next morning and groaned. That wolf really did a number on him. Why the hell hadn’t he noticed before? When he looked around, it appeared that Itachi had already cleaned up most of their camp and had breakfast prepared. Fish. As he ate in silence, Naruto silently wondered if Itachi had a thing for fishing. Or maybe, he ran out of travel rations. The blond chuckled.

“Finish your food. We have to leave soon,” he heard Itachi say from behind him.

Naruto looked back at him with a questioning gaze, the half eaten fish hanging from his mouth. And for some unfathomable reason, Itachi found the sight rather amusing. He waited for the blond to acknowledge what he said before cleaning up the rest of their camp. They had to move quickly. While Naruto slept, Itachi had gone back towards the former Akatsuki base. There were no signs of life, but with all the rock and the left over chakra from the four tails, he could not tell. Also, the oncoming unknown chakra signatures indicated that Rock nin were already deployed to investigate the area. He left the site as soon as he sensed them.

Itachi’s depleted chakra had already started to recover, but not quite enough to move as fast as he’d like to. Naruto would not be able to move very fast either. Along with the wounds on his arms, the Uchiha had seen a large bruise on the blond’s back. Most likely from the wolf.

“Are you able to run on your own today?” Itachi asked.

Naruto had finished eating his fish and was attempting to alleviate the slight pain from his back. His arms he could deal with, but shit did his back hurt. He was certain there was a nasty looking bruise there too.

“Eh? Oh. I’ll be fine. You must be tired from carrying me around all over the place anyways,” Naruto answered.

“We need to cover a lot of distance today. The nearest town is about fifteen miles west.”

“I think I can handle it,” Naruto smiled weakly.

To be honest, he wasn’t so sure he’d be able to travel very far. And his own stubbornness and pride would not let him admit this to the elder Uchiha. Well, not yet anyways.

It was going to be a rough day.

Itachi wasn’t convinced but he decided to humour the blond and let him travel on his own. For now. He suspected that Naruto would start to slow them down after a few miles. And by then, Itachi should have recovered enough to carry the blond most of the rest of the way. They would probably reach the town by the next day if Naruto managed to travel a reasonable distance on his own.

Itachi nodded at the blond then took off, not bothering to check to see if Naruto was following. He didn’t have to.

~*~

They walked in silence as they exited the dense forest. Itachi was impressed with how far Naruto had managed to travel before he ended up carrying the blond on his back. Naruto had been stubborn at first and refused the offer. He didn’t last any longer than that though and had ended up on Itachi’s back anyways.

“Wow! This is the town?” Naruto asked, his voice filled with awe.

Itachi looked over at the rambunctious blond and nodded.

The town was not as large as Konoha, but it was a fair size. And big enough to get lost in. Mikageishi. Despite its location, it was a peaceful and prosperous town. Itachi was not too fond of the friendliness of the people, but he tolerated it. Or rather, he had to tolerate it. There were several particular vendors that the Akatsuki dealt with over the last few years. Vendors that didn’t ask questions and did what they were told. Disreputable characters to the general public, but loyal.

“What are we doing here anyways?” Naruto asked, practically glowing with excitement, “Are we gonna eat? I’m starving. Is there ramen? I want ramen. Miso pork, to be exact. Hey! Are you listening?”

“No,” Itachi said bluntly.

Naruto’s face fell and he pouted with a whine, “Well, then what are we gonna do? I’m hungry.”

The Uchiha considered not answering, but one look at the pouting blond forced an answer out of him. He knew immediately that Naruto would bombard him with more questions if he didn’t answer.

“I have some business to do first. After that, we need to get clothing and a bath. Then, we eat.”

Naruto was quiet for a moment, absorbing Itachi’s words.

“Ramen?”

“Hn,” Itachi nodded after considering all of the possible scenarios if he answered in the negative. He didn’t like any of them.

Naruto whooped his victory and practically bounced all the way to the village. Tired as he was, the blond once again proved just how limitless his energy was. Well, Itachi supposed, it could also be in regards to the promise of ramen.

The hustle and bustle of the town was something that Itachi had grown accustomed to over the last few years. He weaved his way through the countless people making sure that Naruto was never too far behind. There were constant smiling faces directed towards himself and the blond. Itachi frowned. Once again, these people proved to be too happy. Not once had he ever acknowledged anyone, but the vendors he dealt with and yet, everyone seemed to smile. Some of the braver ones even managed a greeting.

Itachi turned back to see that Naruto had stopped following him. Instead, the blond was standing in the middle of the street and was glancing back and forth between the passing people. He looked like he was…

Lost.

The Uchiha walked back and stood in front of Naruto. He was a little unnerved at the fact that the blond had not even noticed his presence. He noted that Naruto had stopped glancing at the people and instead focused his gaze to the ground in front of him. That bouncy hyperactive personality long forgotten, Itachi raised his hand and tipped the blond’s chin up so that he was looking into Naruto’s eyes. The usual bright blue seemed dulled and worn out in some way as he studied the downcast features of his captive. The slight frown was the only other indication that Naruto was troubled about something. Or was it sadness? Having never experienced the feeling before, he honestly did not know.

This look in Naruto’s eyes was different from when the blond had accepted his inevitable fate. It appeared, to Itachi, that Naruto had experienced this sadness many times before. He presumed it was because of the bijuu and, for some reason, he was curious about it. He wanted to know why Naruto was feeling this way now.

He also wanted to know why he, Uchiha Itachi, was curious about this in the first place. Itachi realized that he didn’t have an answer to this particular question. He had never really been curious about other people. He never cared before so why now?

He watched as Naruto’s eyes seemed to focus again and finally notice his presence and close proximity. Itachi expected Naruto to jump back in surprise and even attempt to hit him. It never came. Instead, the blond stared back with that calculating gaze that Itachi had gotten used to this past week.

“Maybe we should eat first,” the Uchiha suggested.

The change was instantaneous. Naruto’s eyes brightened and he smiled. It was small, but genuine.

“Thanks, Old Man.”

Itachi stopped the sudden urge to twitch at the name. No one had ever called him names before. Kisame had never dared. And after hearing ‘Old Man’ a second time, Itachi almost wanted to take back his offer of eating first. He supposed, for some reason, to spite the blond for calling him that offending name.

He didn’t though.

“Itachi,” the older man stated, letting go of Naruto’s chin to turn around and start walking again.

“Eh?” Naruto asked before it clicked. He grinned, “You don’t like the ‘Old Man’ thing do you?”

Itachi gave no sign of acknowledging Naruto’s statement and continued to walk. He heard Naruto laugh softly behind him before the blond caught up to walk at his side. They shared a companionable silence until Itachi stopped at the ramen stand. All hell proceeded to break loose as soon as Naruto was seated.

To his amusement and slight disgust, Itachi watched as Naruto happily inhaled eight bowls of what he learned was the blond’s favourite, miso pork ramen.

The Uchiha was barely done his first bowl when Naruto had finished his eight. As a result, the blond had taken to watching him eat. Itachi didn’t mind this until Naruto was practically grinning from ear to ear.

“You’re even graceful when you eat,” Naruto answered Itachi’s questioning gaze.

“Hn,” the elder man grunted and got up from his seat, “Let’s go.”

Itachi paid for their meals and walked out of the stand with Naruto following closely behind. He led the blond through the crowded streets towards a less populated part of the town. As much as the Uchiha didn’t want to, there was only one particular man that Itachi wished to see. If it were any other way, he’d have killed the aforementioned man years ago.

Arriving at the familiar darkened shop, Itachi opened the door and scanned the empty room for the owner. A spark of chakra was emanating from the basement and Itachi recognized it instantly. He motioned for Naruto to follow him down a set of poorly made stairs, down a blackened hallway and to a brightly lit room.

Naruto had to admit that the place was rather creepy and very unwelcoming. It didn’t surprise him that Itachi would deal in places like this. The blond was amused at the thought that any person who wasn’t creepy and unwelcoming would only annoy the older man. Naruto knew for a fact that he got on Itachi’s nerves to no end.

Naruto was pulled from his thoughts when they entered the room. It was spacious and filled, wall to wall, with countless varieties of weapons.

A weapons dealer?

“Ah, Itachi-sama,” a melodiously eerie voice spoke from their left, “Your katana is ready.”

Both men turned at the sound of the voice and Naruto’s eyes widened. The man was, for lack of a better word, stunning. He was taller than Naruto, maybe around Itachi’s height. But he was definitely smaller than the Uchiha. Naruto supposed the man had an effeminate build. He wore, what looked like, a burgundy ANBU uniform that clung to him in all the right places along his slender body. His dark red hair was cut in layers, the longest stopping at the man’s shoulders. Naruto’s gaze followed the soft curve of his jaw, only glancing at the smirking lips, and looked up into warm, hazel eyes.

“My, my, Itachi-sama. It seems your cute little companion has taken an interest in me.”

Naruto blushed and looked away.

Itachi ignored the comment and moved to stand in front of the blond, “He is none of your concern. I’m only here for my katana and a favour.”

That peaked the dealer’s interest, “And what kind of favour, Itachi-sama?”

Naruto could not help but notice the man was blatantly flirting with Itachi. He was surprised the redhead was still alive.

“I need travel supplies, enough for two, and the usual set of weapons,” he looked back at Naruto for a moment and considered his next thought, “He’s going to need a disguise and something to cover up those marks.”

“I see,” the redhead smiled and peeked around Itachi to look at Naruto, “On the run, are you?”

“Just get the items I need and have them ready by tomorrow morning. I’ll deal with the clothing.”

“Hmph,” the other man pouted, “Give me all the hard work.”

The comment only earned a warning glare from the Uchiha.

The redhead chuckled, “Everything you need will be ready at dawn, Itachi-sama. But just one question.”

Itachi nodded.

“Does it matter what type of disguise I get for the boy? He’s cute enough to pass as a female, don’t you think?” The dealer said as he looked Naruto up and down.

The blond’s anger flared at that, “Shut up, you asshole! I do not look like a girl!”

“Feisty, isn’t he?” The redhead asked, looking back to Itachi.

The Uchiha put his hand on Naruto’s shoulder and pushed him towards the exit, ignoring the ridiculous exchange of words.

“You have work to do,” he said to the shop owner before he and Naruto left.

Naruto stormed out of the idiot redhead’s shop. He didn’t care what the hell that guy’s name was but he deemed that ‘idiot redhead’ was an appropriate name for the asshole. Ah, asshole was a good name too. To top everything off, the blond was angry with Itachi as well. The bastard Uchiha refused to allow him to go back and kick the shit out of the idiot redhead. He said something about ‘foolish blonds’ and ‘no chakra.’

The intervention only earned him a glare and a crude hand sign.

They walked back to the main part of town in silence until Itachi stopped Naruto and directed him towards another store. Naruto’s face brightened when he saw that it was a clothing store. He knew immediately that he’ll be able to bath soon. The thought gave him a sudden burst of energy that Itachi was not prepared for.

Itachi saw that gleam in Naruto’s eyes so he spoke in a quick, commanding voice, “Nothing gaudy.”

Just as quickly as he brightened up, Naruto’s face fell and he glared at the older man, “Why not?”

“Discreetness, Naruto,” was all Itachi said as he grabbed a pair of black pants, picked out a matching shirt and threw it to the blond, “Those will do. Pick out a few more things then bring them to the cashier.”

Itachi left Naruto there to glare at his back as he went about getting his own clothing. He figured the blond would not think to get anything warm in case they came across bad weather, so he picked out some thicker clothing for both of them. He was proved correct when he met up with his captive at the cashier. The only other things the blond picked out were several pairs of socks, black ninja sandals, another set of clothing and a black jacket with orange lined accents. Typical. It would have to do though. Itachi paid for their items and followed Naruto out of the store.

“Thanks,” Naruto mumbled, “For the clothes.”

“Hn.”

They walked in a comfortable silence until Itachi stopped in front of what seemed to be an inn. It was huge, in Naruto’s opinion. Itachi led him through the gate and into a vast garden. They took one of the many stone paths that weaved through the beautifully laid out landscape and walked over a small bridge. Naruto took a moment to watch the koi swimming in the murky water below and then gaze at the rest of the garden. He could hear flowing water somewhere in the distance and the soft chirps of birds within the trees.

It was beautiful. And calm.

The building itself looked like a temple. That was the best way Naruto could describe it. Intricately designed black and gold borders decorated the outer walls, framing the plainer, off white surfaces beneath them. Black painted columns rose well into the air to hold up the red tiled roof of the three story building. The aforementioned roof was bordered with more gold painted borders that accented the various dragon statues placed at each corner of the building.

Naruto had never been to a bath house as nice as this one. He found himself once again thankful that the Uchiha would bring him to such a place, despite their situation.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Itachi speaking with someone. A woman. Probably the owner. A few words were exchanged that Naruto didn’t care for until he heard the last part.

“Will the two of you be in staying in separate rooms?” the woman asked sweetly, quite obviously flirting with the Uchiha.

And Naruto found that rather amusing.

“No, we’ll be sharing a room.”

Disappointment crossed the woman’s pretty features but it was soon replaced with a forced smile as she guided them to a vacant room. Naruto bet that she would give them a discount on their room whether or not she got lucky with the older man.

He highly doubted she’d be able to get anywhere near Itachi tonight or ever for that matter.

Naruto laughed at that thought earning a questioning look from the Uchiha and a quick glare from the woman. Another thought made him laugh again when he saw the look on the woman’s face. As Shikamaru would so bluntly put it, ‘Women are so troublesome.’ But laziness aside, the shadow nin made some pretty damn good points.

“Please enjoy your stay here. If there’s anything you need, feel free to ask me,” Naruto noted the way she emphasized the ‘anything.’

He laughed again.

Itachi nudged him into the room and ignored the idiotic woman; closing the door before she could say anything else.

Naruto sighed as he flopped onto the large bed at the far end of the room. Without looking to see Itachi’s reaction, he mused aloud, “I think she likes you.”

When he didn’t get an answer, the blond turned and grinned at the older man, “Are ya gonna do anything about that? She’s a beautiful woman, if I say so myself.”

“No,” was Itachi’s blunt reply.

Naruto frowned and rolled over onto his stomach to face the Uchiha, “Why not? That asshole redhead at the store seemed to like you too.” Naruto scowled at the thought of the idiot.

Normally, Itachi would not have even considered answering, but Naruto seemed genuinely curious about his response. He wasn’t very fond of people prying into his business. No one ever had since his departure from Konoha. Even Kisame hadn’t bothered to question his personal matters before. It unnerved the older man even more to know that he didn’t mind Naruto asking him such things.

“He likes you more,” he finally said, the tiniest hint of amusement edged in his voice.

Itachi watched as what he said clicked in the blond’s mind. The reaction was instantaneous.

“You bastard! He does not!” Naruto had jumped off the bed and glared at the Uchiha, “That idiot was…who is he anyways?”

“Let’s go,” Itachi ignored the blond’s questioned and motioned towards the outdoor bath.

“Eh?” Naruto dumbly asked as he stared wide eyed at the older man who had already removed his shirt, “I’m not going in there with you.”

The faint blush that bloomed on his face only got redder when Itachi turned his head and replied, “Yes, you are.”

Naruto’s mouth dropped at the command. He was well aware of his situation and the logical reasoning as to why Itachi wanted him in the bath. It made perfect sense. But it didn’t make Naruto any less embarrassed. Damn Uchiha.

Naruto sighed and nodded. Instead of undressing in front of Itachi, he grabbed a towel and changed in the bathroom. He was surprised that the Uchiha would undress like that in front of him. To be more precise, the blond was downright shocked. Who would have ever thought? He mused to himself.

It felt good to take off his dirty, torn clothes. Naruto scrunched his nose in distaste at the smell of two days without bathing. He couldn’t wait to get into the steaming water.

Wrapping the towel around his hips, Naruto exited the bathroom and saw that Itachi was already gone. He stepped out of the open door and found his captor leaning against the edge of the bath with his eyes shut. Calm and composed were the first words that came to Naruto’s mind as he stepped into the hot water.

In control.

Naruto sat across from the silent Uchiha and let his eyes wander over the slightly heat flushed features of his captor. From the top of his chest where the water reached to his broad shoulders. Naruto looked at the beaded necklace for a moment and then his eyes moved farther up and followed the lines of a strong jaw. He saw that Itachi had untied his hair. It fell down in waves and rested on the side of the bath. He stopped his roaming gaze when he saw that Itachi had caught him staring and was watching him just as intently. Thankfully, his blush was well masked by the slight flush already adorning his features from the heated water.

“You know? I’ve never actually been to one of these places before,” Naruto said quietly, “Well, to one as nice as this.”

Itachi didn’t say anything and let the blond talk.

“I was never allowed to go to any of the onsen in Konoha. Kakashi-sensei took us to one before and Yamato-sensei even made one for us to stay at for the night,” Naruto chuckled, “ Ero-sennin was always going to onsen, but we were always kicked out. Damn pervert and his damn ‘research’.”

“Why?” Itachi asked quietly.

Naruto smiled sadly, “The owners didn’t want to serve a ‘monster.’ That’s a direct quote.”

Itachi nodded and waited for the blond to continue.

“I got used to all the whispers of ‘monster’ and ‘demon’ behind my back and to my face. It’s something that wasn’t going to change anytime soon, so I had to get used to it. I’m also only allowed in a select few restaurants and stores. I guess I had to get used to that too.” A dry laugh. “In town today, there were so many happy people so it was kind of weird not to hear any insults. I felt…out of place.”

So that was why Naruto had acted strange earlier.

“You were alone.”

Naruto nodded, “Always.”

There was a short comfortable silence before Itachi spoke again.

“They’re fake.”

“Hm?”

“Your smiles. They’re not real,” Itachi stated.

Naruto nodded, “It took Sasuke a lot longer to figure that out. Hell, it took everyone I care about a hell of a lot longer than he took too. And some of them still don‘t know the difference yet.”

“Why are you telling me this?” The Uchiha asked, genuinely curious as to why Naruto was suddenly being so open.

Naruto shrugged and leaned back against the edge of the bath, closing his eyes, “I don’t know. I guess I felt that I needed to explain myself.”

Itachi peered at the blond warily. Naruto never ceased to surprise him and he found himself wanting to know more about the blond.

Naruto was…interesting.

The older man was interrupted by another chuckle from his captive, “I also thought you may have wanted to know. You get this funny frown on your face when you’re trying to solve something in that genius head of yours.”

Naruto laughed when Itachi shot him a glare.

“I bet you didn’t know that either, Old Man.”

Naruto was very interesting indeed.

~*~

Sasuke woke up early the next morning. Well, he couldn‘t sleep. He hadn’t really been able to sleep at all since Naruto’s disappearance. And the involvement of his brother only served to worsen things.

He sat up and glanced around the camp. Sakura was still asleep and Sai, he sensed, was up in the tree. The black haired man had last watch. The Uchiha looked around for Gaara and found him sitting with his back against a tree. Meditating? Or was he sleeping? Sasuke couldn’t really tell.

“Even after Shukaku was removed, I have yet to sleep a full night,” Gaara spoke quietly.

Sasuke was well aware of Gaara’s sleeping condition. Naruto had explained it to him once before.

“You haven’t slept at all tonight,” Gaara stated.

“Hn.”

Gaara opened his eyes and studied the younger Uchiha. His eyes were slightly puffy and lined with dark circles unlike his own. Sasuke’s skin was paler than usual and there was also a deep pain in his eyes. Gaara thought the Uchiha looked horrid.

“Would you like to learn this technique?” the redhead asked, “You don’t really sleep, but you’ll be able to rest for a short time.”

Sasuke was a little wary of the offer, but threw aside his dislike for the Kazekage and nodded, sitting down beside Gaara.

When Sakura woke up she saw that all three other bedrolls were empty. She forced herself out of bed and attempted to stretch all of the kinks out of her stiff back. She was never really fond of sleeping on the hard ground. The kunoichi saw Sai was cooking them a simple breakfast for them and she looked up to see Gaara staring at the sunrise from the tree branch above their camp. Sakura smiled softly at the serene redhead when he turned to acknowledge her, then followed his gaze to the base of the tree. She laughed softly when she saw Sasuke leaning against the tree. Asleep.

She heard a soft whoosh of sand next to her, “I taught him my meditation technique and he fell asleep,” Gaara explained with slight humour tingeing his voice.

Sakura smiled at the older man again, “Thanks, Gaara. He really needed the rest.”

Gaara nodded at her and sat down near the fire to wait for breakfast, ignoring Sai’s morning greetings.

Sakura sighed and grabbed a blanket to place over Sasuke. Judging from his deep breathing, they were going to have to carry him back to Konoha. He was not going to be happy when he woke up. For some reason, she thought that Gaara may have done this on purpose at the Uchiha’s expense. She ignored the thought and turned around to join Sai and Gaara at the fire for breakfast.