Finally Happy

Chapter 22

Light footsteps could be heard, coming up the mahagony stairs. Itachi leaned against the railing, looking pitifully at his brother. Sasuke was crouched down at the foot of his bedroom door, clutching his hair. Trembles racked through his body, indication the young raven was crying.

Itachi sighed sadly. 'If only these two would tell each other.'

Slowly walking up to Sasuke, he crouched down silently and sat next to him silently. The sudden movement next to him, made Sasuke look up. Identical onxy eyes met his red rimmed and teary ones. Itachi looked at his in sympathy.

"Why don't you just tell him? It would save you all this pain." Itachi said, as Sasuke looked back down at the floor, trying to hide his tear-stained face.

Only silence was returned. Sasuke said nothing, just thinking about the scenario in his head.

"Hey Naruto?"

Naruto turned around and smiled, "Yeah teme?"

A tiny whisper of a confession could be heard faintly, saying 'I love you'.

Naruto's eyes widened. Suddenly he whispered, "You love me? After what you did, you have the audacity to tell me you love me? HUH!?" Naruto's eyes flashed in anger.

"Get the hell away from me!" Naruto screa-

"Sasuke!"

The young raven was woken up from his musings. He looked at Itachi with hopelessness in his eyes. Looking again at the floor, he whispered...

"And lose him again? I rather have him as a friend if it meant he would be in my life. I can't... I wouldn't be able to handle it. Him looking at me with hatred..."

Itachi smiled, knowing that such a thing would never happen. The older raven was curious though. He wanted to know just how deep did Sasuke's love ran.

"You love him that much? To the point where you can't live without him?" Itachi carefully asked.

"Yeah..." Sasuke said. "He was my best friend, but more than that he is my other half. What I lacked, he completed me with his. Naruto... he made me a better person. Without him, I would be an arrogant jackass who thought he was better than others."

Itachi's eyes softened. He ruffled his brother's hair. "Well not that you aren't an arrogant jackass already." Sasuke glared at Itachi and punched his arm. Itachi just laughed at Sasuke's childishness. Trying to piss off him further, Itachi chuckled, "Wow, I can't imagine what a dick you would have been earlier."

Sasuke glared even more and got up from his spot, flipping Itachi off.

"Jackass" he said, angrily.

Itachi just laughed further. After a few seconds it died down. He looked at his younger brother seriously and got up. Going closer, he poked Sasuke's forehead.

"Naruto could never hate you. Even if he doesn't reciprocate your feelings, he wouldn't hate you. Tell him one day okay? I want both of you to be happy and keeping your feelings bottled up, clearly is hurting you." Itachi said sincerely and walked to his room. Sasuke stared at his retreating back, shocked at the seriousness of Itachi's voice. Sasuke smiled wistfully and went to his room. Looking at the lump on his bed, he smiled lovingly. Walking up to his desk, he flopped down on his chair and stared at Naruto. .

"Sasuke?" A muffled voice came from underneath the thick blankets. The raven turned around in surprise towards Naruto.

"Yeah dobe?" He asked.

Naruto's body emerged from the covers as he sat up on the bed, rubbing the drowsiness from his eyes. His back was hunched, the shirt he was wearing hanging down from his neck, revealing the protruding collar bones. The whiskered face looked pale from the yellow light from Sasuke's desk lamp. There were hints of fear in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, moving to sit next to Naruto. Naruto wrapped his arms around himself and shuddered.

"Tomorrow... He will finally be gone?" Naruto asked softly, looking at Sasuke, those cerulean eyes finally revealing the blonde's vulnerability. Sasuke nodded in assurance.

"What if... What if they decide to let him go?" Naruto asked again. trembling a bit. Sasuke just stared at Naruto and shook his head in amusement.

"You truly are a dobe. What he did was despicable. It is cut and dry. What he did to you was wrong. Thats a fact." Sasuke said knowingly.

Naruto smiled, "Thank you teme." Sasuke smiled back, looking towards the window. Naruto sighed knowing what was bothering Sasuke. A stab of pain pierced his heart as he thought about the teme's 'secret unrequited love'.

The blonde fantasised about being together with Sasuke as a couple, walking down the school hallways hand in hand, Sasuke smiling down at him as he whispered the words he longed to hear... Suddenly another vision clouded his mind, destroying his perfect dream.

Naruto's hands grabbed at Sasuke's sleeves.

"Teme! I-I n-nee-d t-to te-l-l y-yo-u som-methin-g-g." Naruto stammered.

Sasuke looked down at him with a stoic face.

"I love you Sasuke!" Naruto said loudly, the words bursting out of his mouth.

Sasuke just continued to look at Naruto and turned away.

"What makes you think I could ever feel that was for you? I was just nice to you because I had to be. We are nothing. You are nothing to me." Sasuke said in a cold voice, not even looking at Naruto and walked away.

Naruto winced at that thought and immediately hid underneath the covers so Sasuke wouldn't see the hurt in the eyes.

Sasuke felt the jostle and turned to see Naruto curling and hiding himself under the covers.

"What's wrong dobe?" Sasuke sighed and asked, wanting to know what was truly bothering his secret love.

"Nothing Sasuke." Naruto said. ' I wish you could feel the same pain I am feeling teme.'

Sasuke could hear the pain laced behind his voice but he didn't push Naruto to say anything. He couldn't stop the urge to hug Naruto so he wrapped his arms around the blonde and the blankets. Naruto's face turned a bright shade of red and he stiffened before relaxing a little.

"You can tell me you know? I not going to force you to but just reminding you that you can tell me." Sasuke said before getting up.

"Tomorrow is going to a tiring day for you, so rest." The raven said. He turned off the lamp and climbed to the top bunk.

"Goodnight Sasuke." The blonde said softly.

"Goodnight Naruto." Sasuke replied back, his eyes closing as he laid down on the bed, his head filled with dreams of the blonde sleeping beneath him.