Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Brother's Can't Be Trusted ❯ A Stand Alone Love ( Chapter 24 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Although he had just delivered a brutal beating to his own brother, Sasuke felt more hurt than anyone else. Had he not felt so stupid for believing all of Naruto's lies, he wouldn't feel so bad. But the burning pain of actually wanting to believe his once trustworthy blond, was etched into Sasuke's heart. Here he was always trying to protect Naruto from being used, but in the end it was himself, who was being played.

Sasuke didn't take the time to hear Naruto out before he left the bar in a heated rush. Not that Naruto had actually said something after his cruel assumptions. His vision hazy with fury and sadness, Sasuke stumbled down the hall and back into his room. Slamming the door, he let himself collapse onto his mat. Immediately, he pound mercilessly into the mattress, though his knuckles were red with soreness from already beating Itachi.

He hated himself for always believing Naruto was a helpless victim that need his protection. But the blond didn't need any help to make the biggest mistake in his life. If he wanted to be just another of Itachi's fucking toys, then who was Sasuke to stop him. Even after he had warned him countless times, Naruto seemed to be more intrigued by Itachi's presence, and instead of avoiding him, he got closer. Whether or not Naruto had intentionally betrayed Sasuke, the Uchiha couldn't deny that he still always wanted to protect him, to trust him, and to be near him.

Naruto was currently coming out of his stupor, taking a moment to look around him in some sort of unbelieving embarrassment. He couldn't fathom his next action, he couldn't even register what happened. All he knew was he was relentlessly being stared at by the very people who had witnessed the whole argument. Naruto shamefully turned back to Itachi, watching the man struggle to pull himself up with the help of a chair. Even if he had wanted to help Itachi right now, he couldn't allow himself to prolong his own suffering when he knew Sasuke was still furious with him. So he was out of the room in a dash, following Sasuke's trail.

A soft grunt emitted from the aching male as he finally rose to his feet. He slowly wiped away the heavy amount of blond trickling from the side of his mouth with the edge of his sleeve. Itachi could barely comprehend it himself. Since when had his brother been so strong as to distribute such a sever punishment? But most importantly, why was Naruto protecting him? After what he had did to him, the blond still had the kindness to give him not only his forgiveness but his understanding.

"Damn it." Itachi snarled lowly. The soft of heart were always the stupid ones. Naruto was only digging his own grave by allowing himself to trust everyone; to fall prey to anyone's supposed kindness. Itachi wasn't given the time to even recover from the throbbing headache of blistering scars before he was punched suddenly in the jaw once more. He snapped angrily to the person who had the nerve.

"What the hell are you up to?!" Iruka yelled out. He didn't know what all was going on. But it didn't take a genius to see it was bad. As far as Iruka and the rest of the teachers could see, Itachi was a sexual predator to their students. What kind of sick ass 'dated' minors? And by the sound of it, tried to screw them over with phony kindness. "Stay the hell away from Naruto!" Iruka lashed out. "I would have the mind to have you arrested, but I wouldn't be so mean as to ruin Sasuke's lie by locking up the only family and guardian he has."

"You better get out of here." Kakashi interrupted. He knew how fearsome Iruka could be when he was pissed. And the sensei was just about pissed any time someone was a threat to his students. Who would have thought such a loving and sensitive teacher could be such a beast when it came to those he loved? Itachi took that advice and rushed out of there. But staying away from Naruto was the last thing that was on his mind.

"Sasuke...," Naruto stood terrified before his hotel room. His hand just fearfully hovering over the handle. He was desperate to open it with hopes of finding Sasuke in there, but he was also afraid for what he would have to face if the young Uchiha was in there. What could he possibly say to cheer Sasuke up? He already lied once, so what would make Sasuke believe him this time?

Throwing his worries to the wind, Naruto twisted the knob and slowly let himself in. The eerie creaking of the door as it was pushed forward, irritatingly plucked at Naruto's heart. "Sasuke?" He whispered shyly as he stared off into the darkness. Regardless of how well Sasuke blended into the black night, Naruto could still make out his gentle form against the floor. With subtle timing, Naruto closed the door and walked over to the Uchiha. He kneeled before Sasuke. A part of him sunk the moment Sasuke turned onto the side, his back facing Naruto.

Sasuke was intensely glaring at the wall, his red eyes narrow and malicious. If only he had stared at Naruto long enough, he would probably scare the blond away completely, easing some of Sasuke's anger. Make me want you. Make me want to believe you. Make want to protect you. Sasuke couldn't help but wish inside his mind. So badly he wanted to forget everything he learned tonight. He needed to hear Naruto tell him that it all wasn't true; but would that...be a lie?

"Please Sasuke...you have to understand." Naruto whimpered. His timidly shivering blue eyes felt to the cold shoulder directed at him. "I'm not sleeping with Itachi, I swear. But I did agree to be his boyfriend." Naruto explained slowly, his heart racing. He could feel the room going dizzy and his entire body throbbing with fear and anxiousness. "I would have told you...but we thought you would only be more upset." As if that was any different an outcome from now.

Sasuke wasn't any more pleased to hear that Naruto wasn't sleeping with his brother, because he was still with him, and that didn't mean it would eventually come to it. Regardless of how it would have turned out, Naruto still lied to him. Not only had he lied, he lend him on. He made Sasuke believe that everything was okay between the two of him. He accepted his kisses, his hugs, the flirting, but not once had he mentioned it was wrong or try to stop him. Just the thought of having kissed the blond when he could just as well been kissing his brother, made Sasuke sick. Maybe Naruto wasn't as innocent as he thought he was.

"Sasuke...say something." Naruto begged, his voice quaking. He squeezed the blankets beneath him and winced lightly to hold back tears. "Please, just say something. Tell me you hate me, tell me you forgive me, just don't ignore me." Naruto whimpered, his head bowed in defeat. Anything was better than having Sasuke treat him as if he wasn't there. An angry Sasuke would always be better than an indifferent Sasuke.

"How long?" Sasuke finally asked with a bitter voice. He received no answer, which only informed him understanding was lost in the communication. "How long have you been seeing him?" Sasuke cleared up. When had he got wrong and allowed Naruto enough time to let this happen? When had he not been there long enough to assure Naruto that only he was good enough for him?

The Uchiha glowered as he heard the other's soft sniffling. The idiot always seemed to make him feel sad for him even when he was angry.

"Since...the day you broke Aka-chan." Naruto murmured bashfully. Though Sasuke had finally spoke to him, none of the words assured him of any feelings Sasuke had for him right now. So the blond was still in dismay when Sasuke continued his role of silence after his answer. "Back then...Itachi wasn't so forward." Naruto explained. "He was kind to me...he kept telling me I couldn't stay mad at you for what you did and said. And he was right; I couldn't hold a grudge."

Sasuke growled at those words. To simply say he couldn't hold a grudge was an understatement. The idiot was protecting the person how tried to rape him! If you can't hold a grudge for that, then why the hell was this dumb-ass still alive? As far as Sasuke knew, Naruto would forgive someone who tried to murder him, and then try to befriend the guy.

"But back then..." Naruto whispered lightly. "I didn't think I could grow to like you so much." He confessed. "But as soon as we started I knew I couldn't tell you! You would hate Itachi more than you already did!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly with worry. "I don't want to tare up your family Sasuke...so I thought it would be best if you didn't know."

"Baka!" Sasuke shot up from his lying down position. "That's the most ridiculous excuse I've ever heard! You think we are a family? I already hate my brother and I always will! You couldn't possibly make me hate him any more than I already did." Sasuke knew he was giving a load of bull crap. He knew very well his pent up hatred for Itachi has more than tripled since the bastard came up with his plan for Naruto. But Sasuke didn't want to believe Naruto was important enough in their lives that he caused such a drastic change.

"You can't full me Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, looking directly up into Sasuke's eyes. "You use to like Itachi, you looked up to him! And at one point I know you loved him!"

Infuriated with Naruto's theory, Sasuke hadn't stopped himself from slapping the blond the next moment. "Don't you ever say that again! I've never loved that bastard. It's his fault for every fucking thing that went wrong in my life! He screwed our whole family. It's his fault our family is gone!" Sasuke hollered.

His cheek stung where Sasuke had so violently hit him, but Naruto wouldn't allow himself to be mad with Sasuke anymore. He knew Sasuke was just angry, and the anger was caused by him. The blond lightly cupped his reddening cheek, looking back to Sasuke with empathetic eyes. "You can't possibly believe that Sasuke."

"Of course I do!" Sasuke grumbled, turning back away from Naruto. He crossed his legs and glared angrily at the wall again. "That asshole lied to me all these years," Sasuke said in a soft voice. "Our parents didn't die on some stupid trip. I saw our parents fighting over something about Itachi just the night before they left, they hadn't mentioned to us they were leaving for any trip. So I didn't think anything of it and went to bed. But in the morning me and Itachi found out they were gone."

Naruto wasn't sure he was willing to hear Sasuke's side of the story. If it was different from Itachi's then he would only be more confused. Who was he to believe? Then again, would it be all that hard to chose from? Itachi could have told him a lie to get his forgiveness. Naruto crawled closer to Sasuke. "Sasuke, what happened?" He had to know the real truth.

"A week later I found Itachi reading some mail; he looked sad and yet relieved. I asked it him about it and he told me that it was a letter saying our parents were dead. I believed him back then. So when we received money in the mail almost every week, I just thought it was the courts supporting us. But Itachi never did let me read or open those letters." Sasuke croaked, which made Naruto stiffen. Was Sasuke actually getting worked up over this?

If Naruto hadn't known any better he would have thought Sasuke was the one about to cry. His speculation was right when he took a peek over Sasuke's shoulder and saw a thin line of water rolling down his cheeks. He comfortingly wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist from behind and pressed his head into Sasuke's back. Despite Sasuke's lower trust in him, Naruto would still be there for him.

"Just last month...I got home before Itachi. And I saw the same looking letter that he has been getting since their death. So I took the chance to find out for myself. But what I had thought to be just government notices, was really a letter from our mother. It turns out she's still alive and living in America somewhere. She was the one sending us all that money. In her letter she was speaking with Itachi. The whole time I read the letter I kept thinking...he hid this from me. He let me think our mother was dead when in fact she was contacting him every week." Sasuke stiffened when Naruto's grip around him tightened. "But I hated him more when she mentioned our father. He was in jail...for something Itachi did. Mother kept telling him not to feel guilty for putting him there."

Naruto's eyes widened. Their father was still alive?! He was in jail? But wouldn't that have given Itachi all the more excuse to lie to Sasuke? Itachi didn't want Sasuke to know their father was in jail for...for raping him. "Sasuke? Do you even know why he was there? Or what Itachi did?" Naruto asked. The young teen shook his head, proving Naruto's theory to be very true.
"Then how do you know it wasn't because of something your father did? Or that Itachi wasn't trying to protect you?"

Sasuke sighed. In a way he knew Naruto was right, but he didn't want to forgive Itachi or lessen his hate for him after so long. Without saying another word, Sasuke swiftly leaned to the side, settling down into his mat, but Naruto's arms remained around him. He lightly cupped the other's hands on his stomach and closed his eyes. "I still have reason enough to hate him for you Naruto." Sasuke mumbled to himself.

Naruto could at least accept that. He nuzzled closer into Sasuke's back and tried his best to rest. But his heart was still erratically beating from what he had thought would be Sasuke's rejection with him. Thankfully, Sasuke's own heart beat was claming enough to lead the blond into a peaceful slumber. Sasuke on the other hand, couldn't so easily fall subject to the control of sleep.

He stared off into the darkness, simply sulking in the words tonight. Here he was again, allowing Naruto to use him when he already knew Naruto's was not his to have...just yet. After a while, Sasuke couldn't allow himself to lay own any longer. He sat up, unlatching Naruto's arms from around him. "You don't have any idea how hard it is...not to love you" Sasuke tenderly caressed Naruto's cheek as he stared contently at the sleeping blond. "I'm no full Naruto." He sighed. "Even I notice when Itachi's turned soft." There was no denying it; Sasuke knew Itachi would have normally never let him beat him like that. Itachi didn't even fight back when he could easily over power Sasuke. Was it all because he thought he deserved the punishment? Did Itachi feel guilty for what he did to Naruto? Sasuke didn't want to think Itachi had a human side to him; that even he could feel regret and even he could deserve forgiveness.

Sasuke stood up and left the room. On any other occasion, he wouldn't have cared so much, but tonight he couldn't rest until he knew everything that went on. He stopped at the door next to his room an gently knocked. He heard a rumbling from inside and what sounded like someone falling over stuff. But finally the door was thrown up the next moment.

"What the hell do you want?" Came the drowsy voice of one very tired pervert. Jiraiya glared down at the Uchiha that stood before him with a solemn look on his face. "What can I do for you kid? If you haven't gotten Naruto by this time of the night, you might as well give it up." He suggested suddenly.

"I want to see the tape Jiraiya." Sasuke replied stoically. "I know you had my room wired all around, I want to see what happened today." At the moment he couldn't trust Naruto or Itachi, so how was he to know something else wasn't going on between them. So this was the only way to find out.

"Which room?" Jiraiya asked. Sasuke suddenly seemed repulsed by realization. Which room? That could only mean he has the bathroom video taped as well. The pervert.

"Any." Sasuke answered simply. He stepped inside without so much of an invitation. He eye brow twitched annoyingly when he stopped a large TV with countless electronic hook ups set in the corner of the room. How was this in the least bit not suspicious? Sasuke glared over to the other side of the room and was pissed to find Neji sleeping cozily in his mat. Who was to say the Hyuga hadn't discovered any of Jiraiya's sick hobbies when they were displayed in the open like this?

Without further whining, Sasuke sat down in front of the TV and waited for Jiraiya to get the show on the road. The pervy old man waltzed over rand excitedly slipped in the tape from today. "I don't know what you hope to find. But I must tell you, not even I have got to see it since we got back form the trip. Oh and about last night, I sure as hell wish I was in your position." Jiraiya laughed. "I had no idea Naruto had such a more efficient use of a big mouth like his," the man chuckled, making Sasuke more annoyed.

The Uchiha calmed down when he saw the show start. He seemed bored for the most part while the TV showed them preparing in the morning. But Sasuke suddenly became more attentive when he noticed Naruto was suddenly visited by his own brother when he left the room. His eyes widened unexpectedly.

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Naruto stirred lightly, no quite bothered by the constant soft knocking at the door. He turned squeezed his arms around what he thought would be Sasuke's waist, but his eyes suddenly popped open when there was nothing there to receive his embrace. "Sasuke?" The blond sat up, looking around. Sasuke was gone. Why would he leave suddenly? The ounce of worry forming in Naruto's stomach settled when he thought the knock on the door could probably be Sasuke.

He hoped off of the mat and scampered over to the door, anxiously throwing it open, calling out Sasuke's name. But he stiffened when he saw it was Itachi as his door instead. "Itachi?" For a moment he was baffled with the other's presence, but something instantly came to mind. "Itachi, Sasuke it's really mad at you." He suddenly explained. He could at least tell Itachi what he could do to clear things up with Sasuke, right? "You've got to tell him the truth right now, he doesn't really now that it wasn't your fault." Naruto informed ecstatically. Maybe things could finally go right this time as long as Itachi told him the truth. Sasuke just had to believe it when they put all the pieces together, he just has to.

To Be Continued...

A/N: I'm so relieved I found time to type! But the chapter didn't go exactly as I planned. Itachi isn't exactly comforting Naruto in this chapter, but more like in the next. But any who, thanks for the wonderful reviews and please keep it up! I look forward to what you readers think and I will update as soon as I can.

Next Chapter: Sasuke finds out what Itachi told Naruto. But can he so easily believe its the truth when he personally saw what Itachi did to Naruto and when his own memories prove against the theory. And there is still an issue of what will happen in Naruto and Itachi's relationship and where Sasuke will try to interfere, if not kill Itachi over it