Old Friends

~~~~~~~~~~~Chap. 9


A/N: Naruto is now sixteen and Itachi is twenty-one
WARNING: Lemon ahead!

Itachi had used every kind of chakra-concealing jutsu he knew on the house. The three
stayed inside as much as possible to avoid detection, only going out when necessary.
They knew it had worked when, one day, Miko came to tell them two strange men had
passed through a few days prior. Both had the black cloaks with red clouds on that
the villagers had been warned about. Of the other four, there was no sign.

The Akatsuki did not return to the village, presumably moving on to the next town to
search. Still, the Uchiha's family stayed hidden. Naruto and Itachi spent their days
studying scrolls and playing with their daughter. Their nights were given over to
passion.

"'Tachi, please!" The raven tormented his young lover, teasing the flesh everywhere
but where Naruto most wanted him. As Itachi sucked and licked at the tender skin on
the inside of the blond's thigh, Naruto gave a throaty groan. If the bastard didn't
hurry up, he was going to cum without ever being touched!

Itachi reached up and gave the hard shaft a few brisk pumps. He could feel the blond
tense, and tightened his fist around the organ, preventing the younger man's release.
He smirked as Naruto cried out in frustration.

"GAH! Bastard! Why do you always do this to me? I was just about to cum, too."

The Uchiha could hear the pout in the boy's voice. He bit back a chuckle. He could
always get a rise out of Naruto, one way or the other. It was amusing. Now, back to
business. The raven reached under the pillow for the lube, popped the top, and
slicked up the fingers of one hand.

Naruto propped his legs on Itachi's shoulders in anticipation of what came next. He
wasn't disappointed, either. With a smirk, the dark-haired nin teased the tight ring
of muscle before pushing his index finger inside. Oooh! Itachi knew just where and
how to move that finger! The blond growled in impatience as a second finger slipped
in. He wanted the real thing NOW! Questing fingers then rubbed his prostate and he
saw stars. "AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Sh, Naruto-kun. You want the neighbors to check on us?" Itachi asked with his
famous smirk. He leaned over the blond, bending the boy in half, and removing his
fingers, replaced them with his hard shaft. He inched his way in slowly, tormenting
his lover. Once fully in, he pulled out just as slow, driving Naruto crazy with
desire. Bending down, the raven sealed his lips to the blond's and rocked his hips in
a gentle rhythm.

Naruto growled again. The bastard was doing this on purpose! He knew how much the
blond wanted to be fucked! He tried bucking his hips, but the raven grabbed them and
held them in place.

"Patience, Naru-chan. Patience." The Uchiha smirked again as his lover mewled.
Itachi was still a sadistic bastard at times, especially times like these. He loved
all the pathetic sounds Naruto made when horny. They turned him on that much more.
To tease a bit, he thrust in fast and hard a few times before returning to his
previous slow pace.

"Itaaachii! Nooo! I want it faster. Harder! Come on, give it to me!" whined the
younger man.

Itachi smirked as he tilted his head to taste the tan neck. Shivers ran through the
body beneath him, and he quickened his pace. He repositioned Naruto's legs to change
the angle and was rewarded with a hissing cry. He aimed for that spot again, and got
the same response. He bit down on the junction of the blond's neck and shoulder,
delighting in the sound of Naruto's scream of pleasure. He pounded harder and deeper
into that tight ass.

Naruto was so close! Soon, his body tensed as his gut tightened, signaling imminent
release. With Itachi hitting his prostate with each stroke, Naruto soon was cumming.
"Itachi, I love you!" he cried, loud enough for the whole world to hear.

Hearing those words, Itachi lost all control. He quickened his pace, pounding into
the blond until his seed poured into his lover. He pulled out, lay down next to his
blond, pulled the boy close, and went to sleep.

Naruto let the deep, even breathing of the raven lull him to sleep.

~~~~

They had been in hiding for months now. It was nearing Fushigi's first birthday and
Naruto wanted to do something special to celebrate. He made a list of all their
friends that he would invite. Then, he made lists for refreshments and decorations
they would need. He ran around the house looking for supplies, but finding few.

Itachi let Naruto handle everything for the party; he spent his time trying to teach
Fushigi to say "Daddy." It was slow going; all she did was smile and laugh. He
persevered. He wanted to surprise Naruto at the party.

Naruto finally admitted defeat. He would have to go shopping for what he wanted.
Enlisting Miko, they arranged to go to a larger town to buy the stuff. Naruto
performed his Sexy no Jutsu, and covered his blond hair. Kissing the Uchiha good-bye,
he and Miko left for the three-day, roundtrip journey.

~~~~

The two rented a double room once they reached the town. The walk there had been long
and tiring. Miko went to get take-out while Naruto showered and got ready for bed.
When she returned, they ate.

"Nobody has been asking around about you and Uchiha-san, Naruto-chan. Maybe they have
given up."

Naruto gave an unlady-like snort. "You don't know those people like I do. Once they
set their minds on something, they don't stop until the job's done. As for the
Akatsuki, I don't think they will ever stop looking until they have me. They want to
torture and kill me for something the late Hokage did."

Miko glanced at him questioningly. "What was that?"

With a sad smile, Naruto told her, "I'm afraid I can't tell you that. It's a secret
of my old village. I may not live there anymore, but I'll never betray them. I'm
sorry, Miko-san."

They let silence settle between them then. Naruto cleared away the food, and Miko
took a shower. Before long, both were tucked into bed, fast asleep.

~~~~

Naruto woke to burning nausea. He raced to the bathroom, emptying his stomach in the
toilet. He heaved until nothing came out. He was vaguely aware that Miko was holding
back his hair and rubbing his back. "It must have been something I ate last night,
ne, Miko-san? Oi, how are you feeling this morning? You ate the same things I did."

Miko was worried for her friend. Indeed, she had eaten the same food, but she felt
fine this morning. As long as she'd known him, to her knowledge Naruto had never been
ill. What could have brought on this sudden bout of retching? She handed him a wet
cloth to wipe his face, and fetched a glass of water to rinse his mouth.

"Maybe you should take it easy and rest here today, Naruto-kun. I know what you want
to buy; I can get it for you."

"No, I want to do this myself. Fushigi is my daughter, and I want her first birthday
to be special. Even if she's too young to remember, I will."

Unhappy with the situation, Miko reluctantly agreed to do as he asked.

~~~~

As the day had progressed, the morning's queaziness vanished. Naruto was soon
bouncing from stall to stall, shop to shop getting what he needed for the party. His
good mood abruptly disappeared when they came out of a shop and he crashed full into
someone. Shopping bags went flying as Naruto was knocked on his backside. Looking up
to see who he had hit, blue eyes met coal black.

'No, it can't be! But the eyes, the whisker marks!' "Naruto? Dobe? Is that you?
Why are you using that jutsu?"

Cerulean blue eyes widened in panic. 'Sasuke! What's he doing here?' Scrambling to
his feet, he began to retrieve his bags. Miko looked on the verge of passing out, she
was so scared. They had to get out of there!

Refusing to meet those dark eyes, Naruto murmured, "Gomennasai...I don't know what
you're talking about. We must be on our way; our husbands will worry."

"Usuratonkachi. Don't lie to me. You were never very good at it. Besides, how many
times did I see you perform that jutsu?" At this time, the Uchiha was joined by the
rest of his team.

Kakashi's and Sakura's eyes widened when they saw who Sasuke was talking with. All
this time, they had been looking for a young man, and here he was disguised as a
woman.

Sakura glomped the blond teen, then hit the top of his head. "Baka! Do you know how
worried we've been?! We have been searching for you for over three years! Three
years!" She wanted to yell at him more, but was stopped by Kakashi.

"Let's take this discussion back to the hotel. We are creating a scene." He took a
firm grip on the missing-nin's arm and marched him down the street. The boy in
question hadn't even protested Sakura's treatment. They would get to the bottom of
this, one way or another.

~~~~

Sai silently watched the blond woman, trying to understand how this could be the male
shinobi they had been seeking. Could this be a henge?

The blond in question sat staring at her feet, mouth clamped tightly, as the
inquisition continued in Kakashi's hotel room. What was he supposed to say? He knew
they wouldn't let him go until they were satisfied with his answers. Miko sat next to
him on the bed, shaking in fear. Naruto felt bad for involving her in this mess. He
didn't even know where to start.

"Naruto, tell us what happened, why you left," Kakashi said. "There was no trace of
you after that. And could you release the jutsu? It's rather unnerving talking to
you as a woman."

Naruto made a seal with his hands, and with a poof, was again himself. Hair slightly
darker and longer, face leaner, he still resembled the boy from Team 7. Clearing his
throat, he tried to answer Kakashi's question. "It all started, really, years ago.
My friend had to leave Konohagakure, but said he'd be back some day to get me. He
came to my hotel room, so I left with him, and another guy that was with him."

"What happened then, Dobe?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto swallowed noisily. He remembered Sasuke saying he wanted to kill his brother
for some reason. He didn't want to let them know about Itachi, not just yet. "Well,
the two of them had a fight, and I ran away. I wandered a bit until I came to a small
village and settled down to live there."

Sakura was the next to ask. "Why didn't you just come back to Konoha? Surely you
knew if you didn't, you'd be classified a missing nin."

Pouting, Naruto glared at the pink-haired kunoichi. "I know that. I would have, but
I wasn't sure which way to go." He looked down at the floor. "I'm happy now. People
are nice to me, respect me. I have a home, and a family that loves me. I don't know
that I want to go back."

No one spoke. All remembered the way the villagers had treated Naruto. Hell, they
were guilty of mistreating him, themselves. Sakura had actively disliked him for no
reason other than that no one else had liked him. Sasuke had always put him down,
belittling the blond every chance he got. Kakashi was guilty of ignoring him in favor
of the raven. None of them had taken the time to try to get to know the blue-eyed
kyuubi-vessel. None had noticed the mask he had always worn in public. They had hurt
the boy as much, if not more than, the villagers. They were supposed to have been his
teammates, his teacher, his friends; they had been none of those things. Now, they
were faced with dragging him back to Konoha, or letting him remain happy. It was a
tough choice. They needed to learn more about his life now. Maybe that would help
them decide what to do.

Sai didn't know the boy, but he'd heard stories about the kyuubi-vessel. He didn't believe half of them.

Kakashi knelt in front of the blond, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Naruto,
I'd like to meet this family. Maybe they'd be willing to move with you back to
Konoha."

Blue eyes lit up at the suggestion, before dulling once more. Shaking his head, he
said, "I don't think that would be a good idea. Besides, I have to get ready for my
daughter's birthday party. That's why we were here; getting supplies." Naruto's face
lit up at the mention of Fushigi.

Sakura clapped her hands and squealed like a schoolgirl. "Great! We can help you set
everything up! You have a daughter? How old is she?"

"Sakura-chan! I don't need any help. Besides, just a few of our friends and
neighbors will be there. Nothing too exciting."

Sakura pouted. It had been a long while since she had something to celebrate. It
looked as though Naruto didn't want them there, though; didn't want them to meet his family.

She wondered what Naruto's daughter looked like; did she also have blond hair and blue
eyes? Did she smile alot? Who was his wife? She cast a glance at Miko. This
couldn't be her; she was old enough to be his mother.

Kakashi wasn't going to let the blond off that easily. "Naruto, we're going with you,
like it or not. After the party, you'll return to Konoha with us. If the Godaime
says it's alright to leave, we'll escort you back home. You have no other options.
Do you agree?" He left the boy no real choice. He would have to go home and face the
consequences.

Naruto nodded in defeat, and they all disbursed to their rooms for the night.

~~~~

Miko knocked on Kakashi's door early the next morning. His eye widened in surprise as
he let her in. Miko got down to business. "Kakashi-san, Naruto is ill. We cannot
leave today."

"Ill? Naruto never gets sick. Kyu..." Realizing what he'd been about to say, the
silver-haired jounin changed tack. "Tell me what happened, Miko-san."

"He woke up and began to vomit. It was worse than yesterday. I made him lie back
down, but every time he tries to rise, he retches again. I'm worried. He is
insisting we go now. If we don't leave today, we will miss Fushigi's birthday."

Kakashi was concerned. Kyuubi had always kept the boy from illness and healed his
wounds. Why wasn't the fox helping now? "I must see him. It might be a shinobi
disease."

"That's why I came to you. You'll make him better, right? He lives for that little
girl; he'd have to be dead not to be there for the party." She led the way to the
room she shared with Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Dull blue eyes opened slowly as the jounin placed his hand on
Naruto's forehead. "What are you doing here?" He moved to sit up and immediately
threw up.

Kakashi's uncovered eye curved up in a smile. "Miko-san tells me that you aren't
feeling too well. She also says that we have to leave today to be on time for your
little girl's birthday celebration. Let's try sitting you up." He helped the blond
sit on the side of the bed.

A wave of nausea washed over him, but Naruto didn't throw up again. Soon, he was able
to tolerate small sips of water, and was feeling much better. He couldn't wait to get
home and see his family.

Kakashi pulled Miko aside and told her it would be best if they travelled while Naruto
was feeling well. She nodded and began to pack their belongings. Kakashi left to
notify his team.

~~~~

They were halfway to the village Naruto called home, when the blond pulled his former
sensei aside. "Kakashi-sensei, I have to tell you something. The reason I didn't
want you to come home with me, it's because of Sasuke."

Eye opened wide, the older nin asked, "WHAT!? Why??"

Naruto dug the toe of his sandal into the dirt of the road. "It's his brother,
Itachi. He's my friend. The one I left with. We...we...uh, well. You see, um...we
are lovers," he finished with a rush. He ducked his head, expecting a blow. When it
didn't come, he looked up at the jounin.

Kakashi was stunned! Of all the things Naruto could have told him, that was the least
expected. Collecting himself, he said, "Naruto, do you know Itachi is a missing-nin?
He killed his clan, and left Sasuke an orphan. He is to be killed on sight."

"NO!! He's not like that! You don't know him! He's kind and gentle. Sure, he can
kill, and has; he's a shinboi. If what you say is true about his clan, he must have
had a good reason. I won't let you kill my daughter's father! If you can control
Sasuke, maybe we can talk it over, find out the truth. What do you say? Will you
listen? Pleeease!?"

~~~~

It was late evening when they finally reached Naruto's new home. Naruto entered,
calling out, "Tadaima!" as he removed his shoes. The others followed. A man with
long black hair came out of the kitchen, a dark-haired, blue-eyed child in his arms.

"Hello, little brother."

~~~~~~~
A/N: Sorry, but it seemed like a good place to stop. Next chapter: Sasuke's reaction