Parasomnia

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Warnings: Language, blood, eventually yaoi. Most of my information comes from Wikipedia and other websites, so if some of this information is wrong, please tell me so I can fix it. Also, this story is not meant to offend, insult, or make fun of anyone.

Beta-ed by Akiru chan, (hugs), I won't admit to anything in this chapter, but just wait until the next one; I'll proudly admit there. That chapter is full of nothing but it

A/N: Well, it's that time of year again; finals! Unlike a certain someone who finishes school today cough Akriuchan cough, my finals are coming up which means I might vanish for the next few weeks. But I'm well prepared for this; the next two chapters are already finished, they just need a few small changes. And then its onto summer where I happily await the end of May. :)

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The office was brightly lit due to the light coming in from the window. It was a little too bright for his liking and Naruto found himself squinting in the rays of the sun. He darted his eyes elsewhere as he squirmed impatiently for Tsunade to show up. He was fairly certain he knew why he was in Tsunade’s office and Kakashi had warned him that he would get in trouble for punching Sasuke.

A groan escaped his lips; he didn’t want to be punished again. Especially since, it wasn’t his fault.

‘Arrogant prick.’

Behind him, the door swung open and his body tensed in the chair as Tsunade circled around the desk, followed closely by Kakashi. Her hazel eyes were serious and her face showed no emotions as she took her seat. Kakashi stood next to him and while his presence was comforting, there was something off about his stature and it was putting him on edge.

“Naruto.”

“I didn’t mean to do it, he started it!” He cried.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, “Tell me how you antagonized him.”

“Well, he was talking shi-ah, badly about the center and his brother and it didn’t seem right. Then he insulted me and you know I can’t take that, so I punched him.”

“Are we talking about the same subject?” Tsunade questioned.

Naruto cocked his head to the side, “Aren’t we talking about Sas-” He stopped, “Heh, I don’t know, you tell me what we’re talking about.”

Hazel eyes narrowed, “I was talking about the other night. Your run in with Itachi.”

Her gaze traveled down to his neck where dark purplish-blue bruises showed on the tan skin. They stood out remarkably and Tsunade could easily count the finger marks that marred the skin. It had been about three days since the attack and she had heard from Iruka that he had seen Naruto and Itachi talking in the hall yesterday and she wondered if everything was all right between them.

Naruto squirmed again, “Oh, that.” He unconsciously brought his hand up to his throat and gently rubbed it, “I’m fine. I talked with Itachi yesterday and we’re okay.”

Next to him, Kakashi turned, “Perhaps you would like to move to another section of the ward for a while, to cope. I know you say you’re fine, but mentally you can still be shaken up.”

“He didn’t mean to do it.” Naruto answered softly, “When we talked yesterday, I could see the guilt and hurt in his eyes. He feels awful about it and blames himself. If I leave to another section, it would hurt him more. He’s still raw from his family incident.”

“He almost killed you.” Kakashi stated, “If he relapses again, he might try to finish the job.”

The blond shook his head, “I trust him.”

Tsunade grunted, “You can’t force him to move Kakashi and Itachi is on probation for a while. Under your request, he’ll still have his computer and other work related items to see if that brings about the symptoms. As it stands, one of his partners has already called a few days ago to see him today; we can’t deny that to Itachi anyway. You can use this to test this theory.”

Kakashi narrowed his eyes but nodded nonetheless and his hand dropped to Naruto’s shoulder, “I’d still like to suggest that Naruto have another hour in session to help prevent any trauma; just to be on the safe side.”

“Very well.” Tsunade answered and turned to Naruto, “This will only stand for the next week unless you show signs of distress. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good, now what was the other reason you thought you were in here for?”

Naruto laughed, “Nothing! I need to go and meet up with Gaara; bye!”

There was a brief gust of wind and Naruto had vanished from the room. Tsunade shook her head and looked towards Kakashi, “What did he do that has him so riled up?”

“I already took care of his punishment, no need to bother you with it.” Kakashi answered.

She watched him leave and leaned back in the chair after the door shut. This whole ordeal was stressful and made her feel old; perhaps she should take the day off and sleep.

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When Itachi had woken up that morning, he had been surprised to find Iruka waiting for him at breakfast. He mentally sighed, knowing that this had to do with something from the past night, but he had been startled to discover that Kisame was coming by the center today. They had received a call from his partner a few days go and he had asked to meet with Itachi.

Not that he was complaining. It would be nice to leave the center right now and just get away from everything. Despite the talk with Naruto yesterday, he still felt bad and he had spent most of the night trying to think of a way to keep the blond away from him. He didn’t want anything else to happen to him and he’d be damned if he attacked the younger male again.

Itachi walked into the lobby so he could wait for Kisame to show up. The call itself was weird; he hadn’t expected the older man to just randomly stop by and see him. Something was up and he wondered if the center informed him about his relapse. Although it made more sense for them to call either Sasuke or Madara since they were family.

Well, maybe not Sasuke; he’d try to convince them to send him to jail, and Madara…perhaps Madara wasn’t the best choice either. His uncle had a tendency to overreact a little, especially when it came to family matters. The elder Uchiha would probably think Naruto wanted to sue them for bodily damage.

Strange as it seemed, Kisame was probably the most level headed to deal with the news.

A familiar car pulled up and Itachi walked through the sliding glass doors. He scowled at the use of the company car, but slid inside anyway.

“Where have you been keeping this beauty?” Kisame asked as he pulled away from the center, “She has great acceleration and turns on a dime.”

“Kisame, that’s the company car, what are you doing with it?”

The man laughed, “Well, I’m picking up the president of our company; I think that qualifies as a good reason to use the car.” He waggled his eyebrows, “Come on, you know you like it.”

Itachi grunted as they continued to speed down the road, kicking up gravel along the way. It felt nice to be in the presence of his partner again, where he knew what to expect. Although he had learned to expect the unexpected from Naruto; you never knew what he was going to do next and Itachi found that it was nice change of pace.

“So why are you here?” He asked.

“Always cutting to the chase, eh?” Kisame said with a chuckle, “I received a call a few days ago about some visiting day and that no one informed you about it. This doctor said that one of the patients begged her to allow you to go out with your uh, how did she say it? Ah yes, I believe he called me your ‘fishy friend.’ So I called back to schedule a date and here I am.”

Itachi shook his head, “Naruto.”

“Hm?”

They pulled into a parking spot outside a restaurant and exited the car. They requested a booth in the corner for privacy and once they were seated, Kisame looked Itachi over. The raven looked normal; calm and composed as he scanned over the menu, but the faintest hints of black were visible under his eyes and he seemed uptight. Well, more tense than normal but there was still an air of ease that seemed to surround Itachi.

Kisame took a sip of water that was brought to them and cleared his throat, “How have you been doing?”

Itachi didn’t glance up from the menu, “I’m going to ignore that question.”

“Itachi, something must have happened; you look like death, which is worse than looking like shit.”

An eyebrow rose at the statement, “Really now?

His partner nodded, “Yes. And another thing, did you know that Sasuke came home with a fat lip? I’m sure that the center doesn’t tell you what goes on outside but seeing as he’s your brother and all, I figured you’d like to know.”

Itachi simply grunted and Kisame stared at him; that was not the reaction he had expected. He was waiting for the protective, older brother side of Itachi to rear its head at the news; but the raven seemed oddly calm about the news. Kisame frowned in thought and tried to think of a time when Itachi had seemed this nonchalant about Sasuke.

“Did you get laid?” He blurted out.

“Excuse me?” Itachi’s voice was calm, but it held a deadly undertone that made Kisame shift in his seat.

“You just seem…different.”

The raven was silent as he inspected his partner. He didn’t feel different; he still felt like the person he was yesterday and the day before that. Nothing had changed. Blue eyes and blond hair flashed in his mind and he winced slightly as he remembered seeing Naruto going into Tsunade’s office. His eyes were bright still, but behind them lurked a slight sliver of fear and he knew that he was the cause of it.

Itachi set the menu down and leaned his cheek against his knuckles. “How do I seem different Kisame?”

The man shrugged, “You seem calmer, like the news about Sasuke didn’t upset you. Whatever they're doing to relax you at the center is working; its as if you’ve found something that makes you happy.” Kisame paused to study him again, “I’d almost say that you have strong feelings for this thing that is making you happy.”

“Feelings?”

His words were carefully guarded and his hand was clenched tightly at his side. This was the second time that someone had mentioned that word and it stirred in his stomach like a snake, no matter how hard he tried to push it aside. That word was something that was rarely in his vocabulary and if it was mentioned, it was to downgrade it.

‘An Uchiha doesn’t have time for foolish emotions. Emotions simply get in the way.’

The waiter drifted towards their table to take their order, breaking his train of thought. He ordered something simple and once Kisame ordered, the waiter left again. Silence settled over the table and Itachi had the notion that Kisame felt he had stepped out of line. He took a sip of water, letting the cold liquid wet his lips and rush down his throat before he spoke again.

“When the center called, did they tell you anything else?” He finally asked. Kisame shook his head and the raven sighed, “A few nights ago, I had a relapse.”

Suddenly Kisame looked uncomfortable, “Shit man, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep prodding you like that; you just seemed off. I was worried.”

Itachi smirked, “Trust me; your prodding is much better than Kakashi’s. But that’s not what's bothering me.” His fingers wrapped around the thin stemware of the glass and the iciness of it sent chills through his body. “I nearly killed someone; someone who always seems to be…there. He has this thought that I’m too uptight and it’s his job to make me relax.”

Kisame chuckled at this, “I like this friend of yours already.”

“Who said he was my friend?”

“Because partners, acquaintances, and random people can’t invoke emotions like this in you; they need to be close in order to make an effect. Besides, you are obviously letting him stay by you with no intent on pushing him away. That sounds like a friend to me.”

The raven grunted, “Which is exactly why I can’t let him stay with me.”

The waiter appeared at their table with a tray full of food and he carefully set the plates on the table. Itachi could see Kisame eyeing him over the waiters arm but he chose to ignore the look and instead focused on his meal. He had been hungry when they left, but now his previous sentence settled like a lump in his stomach making the food look unappetizing. They ate in silence, occasionally commenting on the food, but never mentioning the previous statement.

When they finished eating, they paid for the bill and left the restaurant. It wasn’t until they were in the quiet of the car that Kisame broke the silence that had fallen over them in the restaurant. “What are you scared of?”

Itachi glanced out of the window, waiting for Kisame to start the car but when the engine sat idle, he sighed. “If I let him stay near me, I’m going to end up hurting him again. He said that I won’t but I don’t want to take that chance.”

The car started and his partner carefully backed out of the parking spot. Once they pulled into traffic, he answered softly, “It sounds to me like he cares about you and even though he knows the risks; he’s willing to stay with you. If he trusts you, you should respect that and let him stay.”

“I don’t want him hurt.” Itachi stated, “But he insists on dragging me everywhere with him; whether it’s to play in the snow or when he took me with him on his day off.”

Kisame chuckled, “You’re going to hate to hear this, but you willingly went with him.”

The Uchiha turned to look at him, a dark scowl crossing his face, “What do you mean by that?”

“Itachi, when have you ever let someone push you around? If you wanted to, you could have stopped him, but you didn’t. You care for him more than you’re willing to admit.”

He grunted, “Drop the subject Kisame, and take a right at the next light.”

His partner didn’t say anything but there were the faintest hints of a smirk on his face and he eased the car into the turn lane. The man didn’t ask where they were going as he turned into a large shopping center that was somewhat empty since it was the middle of the week. Kisame parked the car in front of a store and jumped when a slip of paper was shoved under his nose. He took it and scanned the neat handwriting that flowed across the paper.

“What’s this?” He asked.

“I need you to pick up those items on the list.”

“You want a sunflower?”

The door slammed in response and Kisame hurriedly scrambled after him, “What are you going to be doing?”

Dark eyes scanned the store in front of him, “Just some things.” He answered softly and vanished inside the store, leaving Kisame standing outside with a confused look on his face.

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The store was warm as Itachi walked through the makeshift aisles and he felt his muscles relax slightly at the calming atmosphere. He came to this store for two reasons; one to think and two…well, he was trying to ignore reason two.

There was no way to argue about the truth; Kisame’s words had bothered him. He knew that he could have easily pushed Naruto away when he first started to make an everyday appearance in his life, but he hadn’t. Instead he had let the blond invade his days and found that he wasn’t bothered by the casual talks and time spent with Naruto. He wasn’t stupid, he knew what the underlying feelings he felt were, but he found it was easier to brush them off as platonic.

He didn’t; couldn’t care for Naruto.

Yet when Kakashi and Kisame had entertained the thought, the idea had seemed so ridiculous, but when he thought about it, things just seemed to fit. He couldn’t deny that Naruto was attractive, but it was more than just the physical aspects that allowed him to keep the blond at his side. Naruto was one of the few that treated him normally and despite everything that had happened, still wanted to be around him. It was a small and naïve gesture, but one that he appreciated.

Still. He shook his head and skimmed the contents on the shelf; these new feelings were simply platonic and there was no way he was attracted to the blond. Nor did he have feelings for him.

This was exactly why he was in the bookstore, scanning the shelves for a book that was definitely not for Naruto.

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Thirty minutes later, they were driving back to the center and a new book rested on Itachi’s lap. He tried not to look at it, but his fingers still curled around it, almost as if they were trying to prevent it from leaving. When he had first entered the store, it was to buy a book and in the back of his mind, he had wanted to get one for Naruto. Not for himself, but for Naruto. However, he pushed the thought aside after much thinking and proceeded to the business section to scope out the titles there. And low and behold; here the book sat.

The mind is easy to convince, but the heart cannot be so easily swayed.

He had left the store with one book in hand and it wasn’t a business one. Instead, it was a book called ‘The Amulet of Samarkand’ (1), and it was one that he wouldn’t read, but he knew Naruto would. He wanted to groan; what happened to his steeled resolution not to buy a book for the blond? He had to chuckle at himself though; his time spent looking at books for himself was short, five minutes at best before he found himself drifting away towards another section.

What was supposed to be a calming day had turned around to give him a headache due to all the thinking on his part. And he was still confused about where everything stood; and he didn’t like to be confused.

Kisame hadn’t questioned him on the subject of his list either and now two sunflowers were sitting in between his feet. There were other bags in the backseat of the car, but they were just simple things like the sweets he had been craving. The older man didn’t say anything when he handed him the bags, but there had been a twitch in the corner of his mouth before he turned around to watch the cars drive by.

They were silent as they drove back to the center but Itachi could see Kisame shooting glances at the flowers that sat in between his feet. He ignored the man and watched as the familiar fences came into view and the bricked building loomed in the distance. Kisame slowed the car down as they passed through the gates and came to a stop outside the entrance of the building. As they climbed out of the car, they heard laughter and Itachi recognized the sound instantly.

His eyes traveled towards the laughter and he quickly spotted a blond head of hair playing with another younger male. Kisame leaned against the car and the bags were momentarily forgotten as he watched the emotions flicker through the raven’s eyes. A small smirk crept on his face as his gaze settled on the blond male but he didn’t say anything. He waited until Itachi turned away from the blond and noticed the small smile on his face.

“What?”

“The blond is a ball of sunshine.” He said and flashed him a grin, “I’m glad he’s friends with you.”

Itachi’s eyebrow rose, “I didn’t say-”

“You didn’t need to.” Kisame answered and slid back into the car, “I’ll be seeing you boss.”

The car door slammed shut before Itachi could say anything and he watched as the older man drove away. A scowl spread across his face as the car vanished onto the road and he made a mental note to torture Kisame at work when he returned. He turned to go back inside the center, pausing only to watch Naruto for a while or, at least until his fingers grew numb.

He made his way to his room and deposited his bags on the bed while he tucked the book away. His gaze drifted towards the single flower that sat alone in his room and he carefully placed the two new ones in the vase. Outside he could hear the laughter coming from Naruto’s mouth, along with a loud shout and he drifted to the window to watch the scene outside. He had never seen the younger child before and wondered if he was in a different section of the ward.

Whoever he was, it was obvious that he was good friends with Naruto. The blond had let the child climb on his back and wrap his arms around his neck, despite the bruising apparent there. There was a series of short honks from the side of the yard and Itachi watched as a small car parked next to the brown grass.

Naruto walked over to the car with the child still on his back and Itachi squirmed when the kid rested his chin on the blond head. He knew he should move away from the window and stop watching the blond, but his body didn’t seem to want to move. Instead, it forced him to watch as two more younger children piled out of the car and attacked Naruto. An older male exited the car and they shook hands briefly before he made a gesture unseen by the children.

He couldn’t read lips, but he knew what the question was and he scowled lightly. Itachi watched as Naruto shook his head and waved the question aside before submitting to the needs of the children on the ground. The only girl in the group launched herself at the blond and placed a wet kiss on his cheek; Itachi turned away from the window.

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“I’ve got myself a lovely bunch of coconuts.” Naruto sang softly as he walked down the hallway. He mentally cursed Konohamaru for getting the song stuck in his head and tried to think of something else to sing. Maybe when he went back to his room he would listen to the new music he had bought during visiting day.

Speaking of that.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and wondered how Itachi’s day away was. The blond had seen the older male walking through the lobby when he left his appointment with Tsunade and he knew where he was going. It had taken a lot of begging on his part, but he had finally convinced the doctor to call Itachi’s partner so the raven could have a better day off. He wasn’t too sure how much Itachi had enjoyed himself in his friends company.

Naruto hummed to himself as he turned around the corner; if it accounted for anything, he had had a good day. He stopped in front of Itachi’s open door and arched an eyebrow; something was off in the room; besides the missing raven.

“What are you doing?”

The blond jumped and quickly turned around to see Itachi looking down at him with an amused look in his eyes. “Give me warning next time you’re going to scare me.”

He grunted and moved into the dimly lit room, “Why are you standing outside my room?”

“I saw you bought more sunflowers; you didn’t kill yours did you?”

Itachi chuckled, “No. Mine was getting lonely.”

“Lonely huh?” Naruto crossed into the rooms’ threshold, “Did you name said lonely flower?”

The raven raised an eyebrow at the question and moved to stand next to Naruto. They inspected the flower in silence until the blond spoke again, “You know, I knew a guy once who had a cactus and named it.”

“I’m not naming my flowers.”

Naruto grinned, “Good. ‘Cause that would be weird.” He glanced at Itachi, “So this was how you spent your day away; you bought flowers?”

“Amidst other things.” Itachi answered. “What did you do today?”

“I talked with Kakashi and he wants to have another hour in our sessions; something about preventing trauma.” Naruto sighed, “I keep telling them I’m fine, but they won’t listen.”

Itachi’s eyes traveled to the dark marks that marred Naruto’s neck and he flinched slightly when the blond rubbed his neck subconsciously. He wondered who this was harder on, him or Naruto. His hands reached out to gently trail over the tanned column and he heard the younger male suck in a quick breath, but otherwise didn’t move. The skin was warm under his cold fingers as he traced the marks he had made.

“You shouldn’t have let that child hang on your neck.” He murmured.

Naruto didn’t answer, but instead stayed still and hummed in agreement, as if in a trance as Itachi continued to lightly touch the skin, bringing goose bumps to the surface. The noise vibrated under Itachi’s fingers and his eyes flickered to the blonds face to gauge his reaction. Blue eyes were hidden under half-mast eyelids and his lower lip was caught between his teeth while a faint red tint covered his cheeks. He felt himself leaning forward, wondering what it would like to press his lips to the bruised neck; to kiss away the marks.

His hands paused and his eyes widened at the thought. Naruto’s eyes fluttered open and they were slightly unfocused. “Wha?”

Itachi slowly pulled his hand away, “You really should just push me away.”

Blue eyes darkened, “No.” His hand stretched out and Itachi flinched at the expected touch, but it never came. Instead, Naruto leaned over to pick up the sunflower in the vase of water and twisted the stem in his fingers. “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” (2)

“Frank Herbert?”

A small smile slipped across Naruto’s face, “Yeah, I haven’t read Dune yet, but I heard it was an amazing book.” He set the flower back into the water and his eyes flickered towards Itachi, “I’d rinse out the vase with some soapy water before you put the others in. You’ve let some scum build up at the bottom.”

His head dipped briefly, before he turned for the door. The shutting of the door was loud in the silent room and Itachi was reminded of the coffee cup that sat on his desk, which Kisame had so kindly gotten him on Bosses Day.

‘The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear.’ (3)

Kisame had given it to him as a gag gift, in hopes that it would tone down the death glares that he was known for. He wasn’t too sure if it had worked, seeing as several of his employees were still afraid to approach him at times.

He wasn’t sure why the blonds’ departure was affecting him; the feelings were supposed to be platonic. But seeing Naruto leave and him not doing anything to stop it settled uncomfortably in his stomach. Watching him leave was like he let him walk out of his life and not knowing if he was coming back. Itachi shook his head. Of course he was coming back; Naruto was the one thing that was a constant in his life right now.

Besides, the feelings were platonic and nothing more.

But despite that constant mantra that he chanted in his mind, he couldn’t help but feel as if he was making a mistake.

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1. First book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy, written by Jonathan Stroud

2. Quote comes from Frank Herbert’s novel Dune

3. Quote from H.P. Lovecraft

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Grr. This chapter was supposed to be up this morning before I went to practice, but we had storms move through last night so my computer was down.