My Lover's Keeper

11. Usuratonkachi

When Naruto walked in, his parents were both home worried.

Sasuke had told them he didn't find Naruto home when he came back and they thought someone had got him, or worse Naruto could have sleepwalked somewhere.
"What's going on?"

"Where were you? You know you're grounded"

"I know...I was at the cemetery, I'm not grounded over that too am I?" He wondered. Whenever he was grounded, he could still visit his parents and grandmother. Kakashi and Iruka were more lenient when it came to punishments.

"You could have left a note" Iruka crossed his arms. "You know the rules"

"I did" he argued back, but his memory's ambivalence quickly took over "didn't I?" He asked less certain. "No...I-I did, I always do, Kaasan" he said, sure whenever he was home first and went out he'd leave a note. But still disappearing without permission wasn't exactly out of his character. "I left it in the usual place"

"We didn't find a note, Naruto" Kakashi sighed. "Not in the usual place and not anywhere else. You didn't leave one. You get a free pass today and only today. If it happens again, you're losing your visiting privileges. Understood?" Kakashi looked at the teen who was obviously not liking the confrontation.

"Hai, Tou-san" Naruto kept his head down. Hearing them use those tones broke his heart. He never wanted to ever make them disappointed and it sounded like they were.

He climbed the stairs to the upper floor and went to his bedroom.
Sasuke had overheard everything, his curiosity was starting to get the best of him. Did the empty room belong to a dead person? Was this Kurama Naruto's sibling by blood or just adopted with him? Or was he perhaps the biological son of one of the two men?

The house was pretty much silent after that. Sasuke was thankful his brother came visiting him. Because it meant he could take his mind off of all the theories his imagination could muster.

"How was work?" The teen asked as he shifted his attention back to his homework.

"Standard." Itachi's reply was always the same. "I'm going to be away for a few days...possibly a week"

"What?" Sasuke looked at him "why?"

"There are people who need help but can't come to us so we're going to them instead." He smiled. Itachi loved his job but he knew he won't be able to go on such travels when Sasuke is under his care. "Is goldilocks home?"

"Just be careful, Aniki" Sasuke wasn't fond of it because last time he remembers Itachi going on one of these trips, his brother came back with an injury. "Yeah, Naruto is back"

"Oh...I'll go see him." He kissed his brother's forehead and got out to the door across. Soft knocks sounded in the hallway and a moment later the door was opened. "I didn't mean to wake you"

"It's okay, Itachi-san. What can I do for you?" Naruto rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"I wanted to thank you for bringing Sasuke home safe." He bowed to Naruto.

"There's no need for thanks, Dattebayo?" He scratched his head nervously. His blue eyes found the obsidian ones of Sasuke's. He smiled at the raven but the latter simply looked away not acknowledging him.

"It was really stupid of my brother to go with a stranger" Itachi glared back at his brother.

"For the last time Aniki, I didn't just go with him on a whim. Shikamaru forcefully kissed me."

"Teme, do you even realize where you were?" Naruto raised an eyebrow questionably. He was evidently angry. "You were in the infamous Pedo Park. Shikamaru saw someone come near you and did what he had to drive them away. And then you went and threw yourself in the arms of a more dangerous predator."