another Chance

#57

Itachi  sat there on the sofa in the same spot where he had sat in the afternoon when Sasuke had left the house, it had been a few hours but he couldn't stop thinking. He wanted to know what was going on with Sasuke. What was he thinking? Why was he looking at him so intensely but then ignored him as if nothing? 'He has been out for the whole evening, what is he upto?' Itachi thought as he stared at nothing in particular. His slender and fair fingers tapping the armrest as he finally made up his mind.
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It was very late at night when Sasuke came out of the conference hall. Itachi who had been out looking for Sasuke saw him coming out of the hokage's building. He was about to go ahead and pick him up when he heard Sakura 's voice as she called out to Sasuke. Sasuke stopped and after talking for a few words Sasuke nodded at her lightly, Itachi suddenly felt a bit weird and before realising it  he decided to follow them closely. But the two of them were silent the whole way back to the entrance of the Uchiha compound. Just as he thought that he should leave now, he saw sakura's lips move. He focused on her lips to lip reading the whole conversation.
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Sakura walked with Sasuke in silence, accompanying him to reach the Uchiha compound. The moment they reached the Uchiha compound entrance, she couldn't help herself and finally said "Sasuke kun ..." Sasuke who was about to leave  and go home to Itachi heard the pink haired ninja calling for him, he turned around looking at her and waited for her to speak up. Sakura  got the green light to continue so she mustered up her courage and finally said what was troubling her "Sasuke kun, I have been meaning to talk to you..... I ...this afternoon..." she paused for a moment but seeing Sasuke growing impatient she quickly continued without pausing " this afternoon don't you think your interaction with Itachi san has been growing weirder. I...they way you looked at him was too.... I don't know how to put it in words .... I guess all I want to say....." Sasuke who was listening to her increased rambling  grew impatient and grasping the key points , she was trying to say something about him and his aniki so he interrupted her coldly "Sakura....is it that you have too much free time in your hand? Or is it that you think you can interfere with anything related to me. I'll say this once so you better listen carefully" Sasuke kept his eyes fixed on her, looking down at her due to the height difference, his voice dropping a few degrees colder " you are not qualified to interfere with me or my actions " after  giving her a warning to not to poke her nose in his buisness Sasuke turned around and walked away.
Sakura just stared at his cold back as moisture glazed her beautiful green eyes " blame me for being too nosy ...." She mumbled to herself, then quickly looked up and wiped the tears and continued " I'm not qualified.....but what should I do ..... I'm just so worried about you, Sasuke kun. Your back looks so lonely...how can I not worry and overstep my boundaries....this is just not fair...."
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Itachi saw the girl shed a tear and because he was reading her lips he could tell what she was saying.... he also looked at Sasuke who walked away coldly leaving the girl behind and then he looked at the pink haired girl who looked so sad when looking at his younger brother " yes ....indeed....he looks so lonely and fragile....how can anyone not worry about him..." He spoke softly before leaving a shadow clone behind to escort the sad girl back home safely while hiding.
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When he got back he saw Sasuke walking out of the house as he looked around then summoned a shadow clone, looking at his face, he expression looked gloomy and gave off a frigid aura. He looked at him curiously as he walked out wondering why his mood changed so drastically.
Sasuke who was instructing his clone seemed to have seen him as he stopped talking and released the clone. The moment Itachi got close to the main gate of their house Sasuke immediately grabbed him by his arm and dragged him inside the house. As soon as he entered the living room he let go of his hand and looked at him with a blank but somewhat softened expression completely different from earlier. As he was contemplating whether he should be worried about his drastically changing mood, he felt Sasuke who seemed to have stared enough at him, drag him again and made him sit on the sofa and then just sat down beside him. Leaning on him as if he had no bones in his body, just like after waking up this afternoon, he acted so sticky and asked him coquettishly (only in his perception, Sasuke was just too exhausted and was in so much due to the antidote so spoke very softly) "where did you go just now?" as he pouted (not) . Itachi couldn't help but suddenly find the 'contrast ' between him now and him from earlier cute. So he temporarily set aside his worries and let Sasuke drape himself all over him like a life size accessory, he hesitated then stretched out his arm and tentatively half hugged sasuke. After getting no resistance from him, he almost made him sit on his lap.
He then soothingly stroked his hair and said "I wanted to take a look around....so I went for a walk." Itachi found himself getting addicted to stroking the soft black locks, this action reminding him of the past, when everything was so calm....but the past was the past and he could not bring himself to live in those painful past moments  and memories.
Sasuke let Itachi do whatever he wanted and finally relaxed his tense and somewhat weak and tired body. He liked the feeling of Itachi's long slender and fair fingers threading through his hair and gently massaging his scalp. He found it difficult to stay awake, but he remembered the dinner. He couldn't sleep now, he should accompany his brother for dinner. Just as he was about to reluctantly push himself off of Itachi so they could go to the kitchen to make dinner. The front door of the house was opened and a very cheerful voice rang out "I'm home! Itachi nii san! Sasuke! I brought dinner too!" . Sasuke's tensed body relaxed when he heard Naruto's voice and he even slightly curled the corner of his lips into a barely perceptible smile. How could he forget about this hyperactive ninja, although he was loud he was still the only one who he could call ' close' family now.