My Ex Want To Marry Again

Part - XI

5rd Nov, 2023
14:28

He had been living in his apartment for almost two years. He had settled back into life, and felt physically and emotionally strong again. He was ready to take the next step and get back to work. Maybe even find a relationship, though he had not met anyone who caught his eye.

He was coming home from a concert one night when he saw a tattoo parlor. And it got him thinking. He wanted to reclaim his body as his own, and somehow mark it as different from the one that had been shared for so long with Sasuke. So that when he was finally ready to take a lover, there would be a piece of himself that had not been seen by anyone else. An image sprang in his mind, coming from the many discussions he had had with Sifu Shima around the center of a person's chi being in the belly... the center of energy and strength. The next day, he had the tattoo done. And for the first time in almost two years, he felt the owner of his own sexuality again. Not just Sasuke's cast-off lover.

A knock on his door surprised him. There were only two people that knew his address. He opened the door, and saw Jiraya standing there.

"You going to just stare, or let your old godfather in out of the sun?"

Naruto grinned and clapped his hand on the older man's shoulder, pulling him inside. "What forgot how to use a phone? What brings you here?"

"I received an offer from an old student of mine." Jiraya had held several positions over the years teaching creative writing at various colleges. Somehow, they always ended with him leaving under the cloud of scandal. Surprise, surprise.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "If you are going to tell me some perverted story about some schoolgirl going down on you, I REALLY don't want to hear it."

"Brat," Jiraya said, but his eyes were dancing and Naruto guessed that the scene he had just joked about had probably played out at some point in the man's past. Far past the point of being able to be shocked about such things, Naruto just shrugged and waited for his godfather to continue.

"Actually, it is an offer for you, not me." Naruto sighed and opened his mouth to protest, but Jiraya held up a hand to forestall him. "Not for sex. To show your paintings."

That stopped Naruto. "What?"

"His name is Yahiko. He runs a very well-known art gallery. I sent him some photos of your paintings, and he wants to exhibit them. He said that he could also get you an adjunct position as an art teacher at a university he has connections with, or he could get you involved with artistic direction for a production company that shoots videos, depending on your interests. He was quite taken with your work."

Naruto thought about it for a bit, feeling a little queasy. His paintings were intensely personal. He had poured the worst emotions of his life into them. Put them on display? He wasn't sure. "Is his gallery in Andalusia?"

"No. It's in Japan. Naruto, it has been two years. It's time you went home. You can't hide forever. Go back. Make a new life for yourself, but don't keep hiding from your old life. Pick up the parts of it that you still want, and shed the rest. You had friends other than Sasuke. Good friends, who miss you. And I am sure you have missed them as well."

Naruto thought about it, ignoring the wave of panic that being back in the same country as Sasuke evoked. Was he still that weak? That he couldn't even live in the same fucking country? What had he spent the past two years doing, then? No, Jiraya was right. It was time. He was ready. He was going back home. And he would finally sign the divorce papers and sell his part of the business he had built with Sasuke. He'd cut the final cord.

.
.
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Sasuke woke up. It was dark, and he was on the couch of his study. What had woken him? He realized his cell was going off. He looked at the number, and yanked the phone open, his heart in his throat.

"Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yes, this is Uchiha Sasuke. Is this Dr. Tsunade?

"Yes. I am calling because-"

"Is everything alright? Has Itachi's condition changed?" Sasuke was already running to the hall, pulling on his shoes and looking for his keys.

"Yes, sir. I am calling to let you know that your brother has woken up. His condition is stable and he is alert and aware."

Sasuke started his car, his hands shaking. "I'm on my way. Tell him I will be there in fifteen minutes. Please, his whispered hoarsely. "Please don't let him go back to sleep."

Sasuke sped through town, amazed that he didn't get pulled over for speeding or reckless driving. He ran in through the emergency entrance, knowing that the main doors would be locked at this time of night. Dr. Tsunade was waiting for him, and escorted him down to his brother's room. Where for the first time in more than three years, Sasuke saw the eyes open on the face he had looked up to his entire life.

"Nii-san," Sasuke's voice was thick with emotion, and he quickly crossed to the bed and embraced his brother, feeling how thin he had become from years of hospitalization. They talked for a bit, Sasuke explaining what had happened in the accident, and the doctor explaining Itachi's current medical condition.

"Where is Naruto? Is he on a business trip?"

Sasuke's face shuttered, and Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Let's talk about that later. For now, let's just focus on getting you out of here. Your house has been closed up for three years, so we'll need some time to get it ready for you to move back in. You can come stay with me for now in my apartment."

Itachi noticed that Sasuke had said "me" not "us", and also noticed he did not mention the house that he and Naruto had built together. He also had not missed the smell of alcohol on his brother's breath, nor the marks of dissipation on his face. Something had gone terribly wrong while he had been trapped in a coma. But he was going to get to the bottom of it. That's what big brothers were for.

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TBC..

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Cr: NaruLove11
Dt - 05/11/2023 - 14:28
1137 words