Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ From Here to Eternity ❯ Kiss and Burn ( Chapter 30 )

 

 

Itachi was really wishing he had driven to school today. Why had he decided to walk, again…? Oh, yeah. Because he thought it would be good for him. Well, look where it got him now! He was red faced, embarrassed, and the back of his head hurt from where he had hit it on the ground. He sniffed, rubbing his eyes, and tried to focus on the sidewalk. He sighed.

 

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something he truly, TRULY did not want to see. An old, blue sedan with a busted right headlight.

 

“Shit…” he whispered, knowing it would be useless to run. He DID quicken his pace, though, and kept his head down. The car rolled up next to the sidewalk, and slowed.

 

“Itachi, get in the damn car,” said the driver, rolling down the right window.

 

“Like hell I will,” Itachi snapped, as he walked. He clenched his fists so hard that his nails stung his palms. He didn't care if they drew blood. He just didn't care anymore.

 

“Itachi…!”

 

“WHAT?” Itachi said, stopping short, and glaring down at the car. “What? What is it? What do you want, Kankuro? You wanna push me down some more?” he cried, his voice cracking ceremoniously.

 

“Get. In. The. Car.” Kankuro's voice was firm, like he was talking to a three-year-old. Itachi was not three. Itachi was sixteen as of June ninth. He rolled his eyes, and continued walking.

 

“Itachi, I need to talk to you! Please, get in the car,” Kankuro pleaded, swerving as the sidewalk turned.

 

Itachi paused, and sighed. He'd known this was coming… He'd known for a long time. He shut his eyes. `What are the odds that I can get out of this with my pride…?'

 

`What pride?' the other half of his mind snapped. `What do you care about more? Kankuro… or your non-existent “pride”?'

 

`…Kankuro.'

 

`Then get in the damn car.'

 

“Whatever,” he mumbled, turning, and walking over to the car. He pulled open the door, and got in.

 

Kankuro pulled away from the curb, and drove straight on. He didn't speak, so neither did Itachi. He slid down in the seat, and crossed his arms, bracing himself for a verbal attack. Every now and then, he'd look over to watch Kankuro's face for a moment. The teen's profile was drawn and angry, and his eyes were clouded. Itachi bit his lip, feeling the nervousness flutter in his stomach, more like stinging bees than flying butterflies. He swallowed.

 

`Whatever happens…' he told himself. `I don't want to sacrifice my friendship with Kankuro… even if he hates me… I have to… try.' He swallowed again. His throat felt coated with sandpaper.

 

They drove, and drove, and kept driving. When they had been driving for at least half an hour, Itachi began to get worried.

 

“Kank-“

 

At that moment, Kankuro slammed on the brakes. Itachi's body strained against the seatbelt, and he gripped the armrest hard in shock.

 

“Kankuro, what the hell? Are you trying to KILL us?” Itachi snapped, his breath hitching. Kankuro turned, and glared hard at Itachi, his dark eyes narrowed.

 

“Shouldn't I be asking YOU the same question?” he hissed, his eyes flashing. Itachi gaped, his eyebrows raised.

 

“Wh… what?” he said, his voice quiet.

 

Kankuro shook his head. Then he pulled the keys from the ignition, and got out of the car, slamming the door shut. Itachi blinked in confusion, then realized the austerity of what Kankuro had said.

 

“Oh… shit,” he breathed, before getting out of the car. He had no clue where they were… Kankuro had pulled over to the side of the road, but there was nothing on either side of said road but a field on one side, and a forest on the other. It was useless to wonder, anyway. He just hoped that Kankuro would still drive him back into town.

 

“Kankuro, stop! Come on… please!” Itachi said, seeing Kankuro walking off down the road. He paused, and turned. Itachi hurried over to him. “Kankuro, please! What… why…”

 

“This. Tell me, Itachi. Tell me what these are,” Kankuro snapped, revealing what he had clenched in his fist. Itachi blinked, and focused his vision on what Kankuro had in his hand. `Heisuke Uchiha. Take one per day with meals for…'

 

“Oh…” Itachi whispered.

 

“Yeah. OH,” Kankuro hissed, pulling the contained back from Itachi's sight. He jammed them into his pocket, and bit down visibly on his lip.

 

“Kankuro… I can… uh…”

 

“What? You think you can explain?” Kankuro said angrily, crossing his arms. “Well, explain away, Itachi! I got all day and no where to be!”

 

Itachi groped for something he could hold in his defense, feeling more desperate by the millisecond.

 

“Wh… How do you even know I had those, anyway?” he said finally, knowing that it was a pathetic attempt at denial.

 

“Haku. He found them in your locker,” Kankuro informed him, his eyes showing no mercy or sympathy.

 

“…Oh…” Itachi chewed on the inside of his cheek, remembering Haku being crushed by the avalanche from his locker. “You're… upset… right?”

 

“You think I'M upset? You should have SEEN Haku! I have NEVER seen him so worried! He was crying and sobbing and…” Kankuro shook his head, pulled off his hat, and wiped his eyes with the back of it. He had no make-up on today, thankfully on his part. Pressing his face into the hat, he choked out, “Why, Itachi? Why would you try to k… do something like this? I mean… you… You've got a great life, and friends… I don't see how you could be so desperate that you would do that!” He withdrew his face, and looked Itachi in the eye. “You're life… I would kill for it, you know? Parents who love you… great grades… friends in high places…” He sniffed, and looked down. “It's… practically perfect.”

 

“Perfect?” Itachi whispered. “You think… my life… is PERFECT?” He pushed his bangs out of his face, and fixed Kankuro with a bewildered stare. “You… you think…” Suddenly, before he could stop himself, he burst out laughing. He sank down to his knees, his legs giving way, and tried to stop giggling. He really did, but he just couldn't stop. “P-Perfect… ha ha… You think… I c-can't believe… AH HA HA HA!” Tears that he had been holding back burst forward, and streamed down his cheeks, as he laughed harder. “Y-You have n-no idea the shit I h-have to guh-go through, do you? The crap I h-have to put up with…” He dropped to his rear, his legs in front of him, wrapped his arms around his waist, and pressed his face into his knees, still giggling insanely.

 

“Itachi, what the fuck is WRONG WITH YOU?” Kankuro cried, falling down to his knees, and grasping Itachi by the shoulders, forcing the hysterical teen to look him.

 

Itachi made a sorry attempt to calm himself, but it only sent him into more laughter. More sick, twisted laughter.

 

Kankuro was scared, there was no other way to describe it. Itachi had never acted like this before… ever. Kankuro's grip on Itachi's shoulders tightened.

 

“Itachi… calm down!”

 

Itachi just shook his head, his volume never descending.

 

At that moment, something inside Kankuro's mind snapped.

 

“Itachi… SHUT UP!” he screamed, pulling back his fist, and thrusting it forward at an alarming speed. Itachi's laughter stopped, replaced by a small gasp.

 

Kankuro was lucky that he realized what he was doing. He stopped short, his grip on Itachi's shoulder faltering. Itachi fell backwards, Kankuro's sudden stop pushing him over. Kankuro didn't move, his shaking fist hanging in the air for a heartbeat… two… then…

 

“Oh… my God…” he whispered, jumping back from Itachi liked he was diseased, and falling onto his back. He scooted away from Itachi, his breathing hard. “I just… I almost… I almost HIT you, Itachi! Oh…” He stared at his hands.

 

`I'm just like him,' he conceived, shutting his eyes. `Oh God I'm just like him!'

 

Itachi sat stunned for a minute, his eyes wide.

 

`Kankuro… he's never done THAT before,' he thought wryly.

 

Itachi dragged himself over to where Kankuro was sitting. He wiped his eyes, and said, “Kankuro, are you okay? Hey, Kankuro?”

 

“I… almost hit you, Itachi…” Kankuro whispered. “I… I could've…”

 

“B-But Kankuro! It's okay, you didn't hit me, I'm fine, see?” Itachi said, gesturing to his face. “You stopped. It's fine.”

 

“No!” Kankuro said, looking up mournfully. “Not, it's not! What… what if I HADN'T stopped? Or what if it wasn't you, Itachi? What if it was… God, what if it was Haku? Or… or Gaara!” Kankuro dropped his face into his hands. “Or what about TEMARI?”

 

Itachi gently laid an arm around Kankuro's shoulders.

 

“Calm down, Kankuro… It's no big deal,” he said. “Kankuro… please… I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I did what I did. Please, calm down…”

 

“Heh… You're asking ME to calm down?” Kankuro said dryly, with a sour laugh. Then he sighed. “Itachi… you're the smart one. Why?”

 

Itachi leaned down against Kankuro, and gave him the most honest answer he could.

 

“I don't know. I really don't know.”

 

Kankuro groaned. “That's a bad answer,” he said, before falling backwards into the grass. Itachi grinned.

 

“Yes… But it's true,” he said, sprawling out next to Kankuro.

 

“Right,” Kankuro said, his eyes blearily watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky. He breathed deeply, and put his arms behind his head. “You know… Shikamaru was right.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Clouds really are nice to watch.”

 

Itachi sat halfway up, and looked down at Kankuro to see if he was joking. But his face was calm and serene, and Itachi burst out laughing again.

 

“What?” Kankuro said, as Itachi fell backwards against him. “What is it?”

 

“N-Nothing,” Itachi said, his laughter quieting. “Never mind.” He inched closer to Kankuro, and curled up in a way that Kankuro thought greatly resembled a cat. He was silent for a few minutes, then, “Kankuro?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Solemnly, and quietly, he said, “I'm sorry I took the pills.”

 

Kankuro was silent, as he considered the apology. Finally, he nodded.

 

“I'm sorry I almost murdered you,” he countered, looking down at Itachi, who giggled.

 

“With THOSE wimpy wrists? Please,” he said. Kankuro jammed his hat down over Itachi's face.

 

 

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“Here we are, Uchiha Estates,” Kankuro said, pulling into the driveway beside Itachi's bright red car. “Thank you for flying Kaze Airlines, please leave the plane via the designated exits.”

 

Itachi grinned, and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Kankuro?”

 

“Yo?”

 

“Well… thanks,” he said, smiling. “I think… I needed that kick in the ass.” Then he laughed. Kankuro frowned.

 

“Yeah, okay. Glad I could he-mmmph!”

 

Itachi suddenly leaned over the seat, and pressed his lips against Kankuro's, cutting off his words. Kankuro froze.

 

`Woah, woah, woah! What the fuck?' he mentally screamed. `I thought I would make the first move! Damn you, Itachi!'

 

Then Itachi pulled away, and stared at the dashboard.

 

“Uh… Ita-“

 

“I know, I know,” Itachi said. “Please… don't hate me,” he said, before pushing open the door.

 

“Itachi, dammit!”

 

“Huh?” Itachi glanced up. Kankuro grabbed him by the hem of the shirt, and claimed his mouth with his own. Itachi pulled the door shut, falling back into his seat, and wrapped his arms around Kankuro. When they finally broke for air, Kankuro whispered, “You have no idea how long I've wanted to do THAT.”

 

Itachi stared at him for a moment, then rested against him, and laughed.

 

“What? It's true, you know!” Kankuro protested. Itachi shook his head.

 

“Okay… I really have to go, now,” he said, opening the door. He leaned over, and kissed Kankuro on the cheek. Then, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks, he shut the door, and scuttled up into the house. Kankuro sat back against his chair for a moment, pondering the events that had taken place over the last five minutes. Then he started the car again, and drove down to the stop sign, where he turned on his music. He skipped to his Barry Manilow CD, and sang along the rest of the way home.

 

 

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It was four thirty and dark outside when Sasuke saw Kankuro's car arrive in their driveway. He glanced out the window, saw Itachi, and stopped worrying.

 

I mean, not that he WAS worrying, he was just… uh… concerned for his brother's well-being. No he wasn't. He… was… angry! Yeah, that's it. He was angry that his brother had taken off without telling him.

 

“What the hell are they doing out there?” he wondered out loud, turning away from the TV, and looking out the window again. There, he saw something that would haunt him for quite some time.

 

Kankuro.

 

Kissing.

 

Itachi.

 

Kissing.

 

Kankuro.

 

Holy shit.

 

“ACK!” he squeaked, falling off of the couch, and almost hitting his head on the coffee table. “Oh God… Oh God…”

 

He heard the sound of a car door slamming. He scrambled to his feet, and tripped over to the dining room, blushing furiously.

 

The front door opened, and Itachi came inside.

 

“Sasuke? You home?” he called, shutting the door behind him, and dropping his bag on the ground. “Hello?”

 

“Itachi! Dammit, where the hell have you been?” Sasuke barked, storming out of the dining room.

 

“Oh, hi, Sasuke!” Itachi said. His face was flushed bright red, and his lips were rather… swollen.

 

Sasuke shuddered.

 

“Hey, are you hungry? I can order us something if you want,” Itachi said, coming around the couch, and sitting down.

 

“Like an escort?” Sasuke grumbled, wrapping his arms around himself.

 

“Pardon?” Itachi said, glancing up.

 

“Nothing. Never mind. I said nothing,” Sasuke snapped, collapsing on the chair.

 

`Isn't there a song about stuff like this?' he thought, as Itachi picked up the cordless phone and dialed for pizza. `”I saw Mommy kissing Santa underneath the mistletoe…” AAAGH!!”

 

“You all right, Sasuke?” Itachi asked, one hand pressed against the mouthpiece on the phone.

“Fine! Fine!” Sasuke snapped defensively. “I'm… uh… gonna… go… study…”

 

“…Okay,” Itachi said, watching Sasuke disappear up the stairs. “Wonder what's gotten in to him?”

 

 

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