you are home

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21

Naruto quietly opened the front door to his apartment, cringing when it made a loud creak. He tiptoed inside, slowly shutting the door and padding it closed. The boy breathed out a sigh of relief, only to scream when he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

"I can explain!" Naruto bargained, pressing his back against the door. 

"Then start talking," Jiraiya ordered, bringing a chair towards Naruto. 

Jiraiya set the chair facing towards Naruto, sitting down close to the boy. The blond slid down the door, plopping on the ground as he stared up at his guardian.

"Well?" Jiraiya leaned closer, glaring at the teenager under his care. "Start talking."

"I-It wasn't even my fault!" Naruto explained rapidly. "The whole thing was a plot against me—I swear! You've got to believe me, Pervy Serg, I've got enemies!"

"Enemies?"

"I'm not kidding! I admit I spray-painted some of the art on the wall, but the other half wasn't even my work! I didn't take a picture of it, but there was totally a difference in art style! I don't even know how to paint a bird! Since when have you seen me draw birds?!"

Jiraiya stared at Naruto in disbelief. The glare in his eyes was replaced with confusion.

"You've got to believe me!" Naruto begged, clasping his hands together and holding them high. "I'm telling the truth, I promise! Granny Tsunade even gave me time to figure out the other culprit! It wasn't just me! Someone framed me!"

"You..." Jiraiya started to say, only to pause and stare up at the ceiling, "...have got to be kidding me."

Naruto watched his reaction, flinching when the old man looked back at him.

"...You vandalized your school?" Jiraiya asked the boy. 

Naruto nodded.

"Again?" Jiraiya clarified. "The second time this month?"

Naruto nodded once more, confirming the man's doubts.

Jiraiya sighed disappointedly, shaking his head at the boy. 

"And here I was thinking I'd be able to talk some sense into you about your room," Jiraiya mumbled. "No wonder your school called this morning. I can't believe I forgot about the voicemail they sent."

Naruto perked up in confusion. "What about my room?"

"You haven't cleaned it. That's what I wanted you to explain."

Naruto watched in disbelief. A sudden mixture of relief and ignorance flooded his chest—not knowing what to make of the reaction.

"Honestly, what's so hard about keeping your room tidy?" Jiraiya berated, scolding the teenager, "You understand that it's a reflection of yourself, right? How are you going to explain yourself when you bring a lady friend home and she sees—"

"So," Naruto interrupted, "you're not mad about the art I made? You're mad that I didn't clean my room?"

"Of course I'm mad about the vandalism! I guess I'm more disappointed than mad, but still!" Jiraiya said. "And stop calling it art. It's vandalism—for crying out loud. Art doesn't harm infrastructure; vandalism does!"

The blond humphed, folding his arms across his chest as he muttered to himself, "You're just mad that you'll have to fill out a report about the incident."

"Oh, is that a bad thing?!"

"Seriously," Naruto blurted out, "you could've at least had a decent conversation with me about my room instead of cornering me like this!"

"Well, maybe if you cleaned your room before, we wouldn't be here!"

Jiraiya watched as the boy got up from the floor, grabbing his backpack and stomping away.

"Fine!" Naruto shouted back, entering the hallway.

"And where do you think you're going?" Jiraiya called out after the teenager. 

"Cleaning my room!"

The old man heard the sound of a bedroom door opening and slamming shut. He sighed to himself, shaking his head in disappointment.

It's just a phase, Jiraiya reminded himself. Every teenager's got them.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24

Naruto sat on the medical cot, watching as Sakura swept the floor around him. The green curtains were drawn back, exposing them to the front office. Shizune worked around the reception desk, taking calls and organizing files.

"How'd your detective work go?" Sakura asked.

"Awful," Naruto mumbled angrily. "Granny suspended me until yesterday. It was dead end after dead end. I'm not even sure I'll find the person that framed me."

"I tried asking Ms. Senju for an extension on your deadline. She wouldn't budge though."

"Thanks for trying. I'm just glad it's behind me."

"Yeah," Sakura nodded. "Me, too."

Naruto continued to watch his friend clean the area around him. He offered to help, but was told to sit and relax. It didn't feel right to do nothing. He kept himself busy by soothing the blanket near him, patting it down flat until there wasn't a crinkle in sight.

"Where is Granny anyway?" Naruto asked, looking around.

"I told you," Sakura said, "She's out of the office for today."

"Let me guess. Busy getting drunk?"

"Oh, for crying out loud—" Sakura grumbled, smacking her best friend with the hairs of the broom. 

"Ow!" Naruto screamed, covering the part of his head that faced the blunt of the attack. "What was that for?!"

"Are you always this annoying?!"

"All I did was ask a simple question! You don't have to hit me for no reason!"

"And I already told you, like, a million times!" Sakura reminded him. "She's out to visit the police station, remember?!"

Sakura huffed, going back to her sweeping. Naruto continued to massage the part of his head that was attacked, thinking back to what his guardian told him earlier that morning.

"It's like you never listen to me," the girl said. "The fact that your godfather is the sergeant of the police station... Did he not tell you either?"

"He did," Naruto said, "But then he started talking about research, and that's when I started to zone out."

"More research? Didn't he just come out with a book?"

"Yeah, but his agent is having him write a sequel since the new one is so popular. He had me give Kakashi a copy."

"Yeah, it’s pretty popular," Sakura said. "My mom's been obsessed with it. She reread it, like, four times already. Even my dad likes it."

"Seriously?!" Naruto exclaimed. "That popular?! I thought all he wrote was porn!"

"It is porn. It's more like a self-insert fanfiction, but the plot is pretty good."

"Hang on, you read it?" Naruto stared at his best friend in disbelief. "You read porn?!"

"You're making such a big deal out of this. It's just a book," Sakura waved off. "And besides, what if I wanted to learn some tips and tricks? It's a good source of information."

"What do you mean tips and tricks?!"

"Just some things. You won't understand."

Except Naruto wouldn't budge, and he insisted he should know. The blond crossed his arms, staring at his best friend intently, waiting for her to give him a proper answer.

Sakura sighed, pondering on the best way to go about the request. She searched her memory, thinking of a good way to mess with her best friend. She never actually finished the book; at most, she skimmed through it. She made up the part about the book having a good plot; she wouldn't exactly know about it. 

But there was one scene she remembered...

"Fairy lights come in handy," the girl said, shrugging as though it was no big deal. "They're pretty to look at. And they're quite sturdy. Durable, even."

"...Sturdy?" Naruto repeated softly. "Durable...?"

"Sturdy and durable," Sakura confirmed with a smirk, watching as the blond's complexion paled.

"Are you talking about...?"

"Oh, absolutely. I'm definitely talking about what you're thinking."

She had no idea what he was thinking.

But Naruto seemed just about ready to pass out. His best friend stared back at him, watching his reaction with the upmost satisfaction.

"I'm telling Ino," Naruto said, his voice wavering. "Whatever you're planning on doing—"

"Excuse me?! Don't you dare!" Sakura threatened, holding the broom high. 

"She deserves to know," Naruto yelled, getting up from the cot—swerving and ducking when the broom almost made contact with the side of his head. "You monster!"

He ran out of the office, ignoring Shizune when he heard the woman telling him to slow down. The blond ran through the hallways, yelling out apologizes to anyone he bumped into. 

With Sakura hot on his trail, Naruto didn't want his headstone to read 'DEATH BY BROOM.'

A few days passed since their first day at school. The Friday before their first weekend, Gaara and Sasuke met up at their school's library during their lunch break. The two sat at an empty table, exchanging notes for the days they missed school.

"Thanks again," Sasuke said, flipping through the notebook Gaara handed him.

"My sister told me you took notes for me on Monday," Gaara explained, copying down formulas from the notebook Sasuke handed him. "This is the only way I knew to return the favor."

"You didn't have to."

"I wanted to."

Sasuke skimmed through what was written on the notebook in his hands. He thanked whatever deity was listening from above for how neat Gaara's handwriting was. He took out his phone, taking a picture of a few pages littered with writing prompts. Gaara explained that their literature teacher was introducing journaling assignments for their homework next week. It seemed doable.

"It's harder than it seems," Gaara said, as though he read Sasuke's mind. "I thought the writing prompts would be easy until she made us do a practice assignment. I didn't exactly receive a good grade on it."

Sasuke looked up from his phone, watching as Gaara reached into his backpack and pulled out a sheet of paper. He passed it over to the raven, whose eyes widened at the score written on the top.

Sasuke picked up the paper, fixating his eyes on the score. "Sixty-four out of one-hundred?" 

"She said it could've been deeper," Gaara said. "The score was given as a practice trial, so it doesn't count towards my grade. But still, you know, it's not the best show of my work ethic."

"Could've been deeper? What does that even mean?"

The redhead shrugged. "The prompt was to write about what home meant. Apparently my writing wasn't deep enough."

Sasuke guessed it made sense, though he himself was unsure of how to explain it. He handed the paper back to Gaara. Going back to the notes, he copied down the last bit of information he needed for his classes. 

The two boys sat at the table, discussing certain parts they didn't quite comprehend. They filled each other in on the days they missed, letting the other know what happened in their classes. Soon enough, the bell rang, signalling that their lunch break was over. They busied themselves with packing before setting out for their next class together.

"Literature is next," Sasuke recalled, narrowly avoiding a student that almost ran into him.

Gaara nodded, making room for Sasuke as he moved closer.

The two boys watched as another student came running behind the one that almost bumped into Sasuke, carrying a broom in her hand. They barely ducked in time, almost having been hit by the swinging broom in the girl's hands. 

"What do you think we'll do in class?" Sasuke asked, phasing over the incident as though it didn't happen. 

"Beats me," Gaara said unsurely. "That class worries me. I've never gotten a grade that low before."

"If you're worried, we could always meet up to study together. I'm free during lunch."

"That's fine by me."

They stopped in front of their classroom. Gaara reached for the door, but the sound of Sasuke's voice stopped him from opening it to enter.

"I'm also free after school," the raven said. "You know, if you wanted to meet up outside of school."

Gaara thought about the invitation he was extended. He wondered if, in Temari's eyes, this counted as a friendship.

Sasuke stayed, waiting for a response. He wondered if the other boy even wanted to meet up with him. Surely, he could spend his time doing something better, but he didn't want to go home and see Itachi too soon.

The redhead smiled, responding back, "I'd like that."

Jiraiya sat in his office, looking over documents he was given by the chief of his police station. He was starting to piece together information on the latest case he was following, but there were still some clues missing on his end. He wondered what else he needed; every clue he was given so far led to a dead end.

A knock at his door took his attention away from the document he was analyzing. 

"Come in," Jiraiya called out.

In walked a woman. Her heels clicked as she strode into the room, shutting the door behind her. Jiraiya smiled at her, standing up to greet her.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya cheered, pulling out a chair for her. "You're looking as young as ever."

"I came by to drop off some student information," Tsunade informed, glazing over what Jiraiya said to her.

"Always down to business, huh?" The man chuckled, opening up a cabinet by his desk. "Want a drink?"

"...What do you have?"

"Your favorite."

Tsunade nodded, sitting down in the seat Jiraiya pulled out for her. She watched as the man poured her liquor in a mug, passing it to her. The woman took it, taking a small sip and humming.

"If it looks like coffee, they'll be less likely to question day-drinking," Jiraiya joked.

"More like afternoon-drinking," Tsunade correctly, chugging down the liquor in the mug and passing it back to the man.

Jiraiya poured her more liquor and passed the mug back. 

"So," he began, tidying his desk, "What do you have for me?"

Tsunade took out a file that was tucked under her arm. 

"You said you were looking for any connection to the name Uchiha, correct?" She passed the file over to the man, watching as he flipped through it. "A new student by the name of Sasuke Uchiha joined the school on Monday. His guardian's name is Itachi Uchiha. No parents listed; no emergency contact. It's not uncommon for the students at my school, but they might be related to this Uchiha person you're looking for."

"Actually," Jiraiya said, "This is exactly who I'm looking for."

"Sasuke Uchiha? But the kid is sixteen. There's no way he's running with the Akatsuki."

"Not Sasuke. Itachi Uchiha is the one we're after."

Tsunade sat straighter in her seat, stunned at the information she was given. Jiraiya had been chasing after this organization—wanting to crack down on their entire operation—for the past seven years.

"He's the missing piece," Jiraiya said softly, as though the walls could have ears. "I'm not really supposed to give you the details, but my officers finally found enough evidence to arrest him. By the time we got an arrest warrant, he moved. We finally have an address though, thanks to you."

"I have to go," Tsunade said, snatching the file back from the man's hands. 

"Tsunade—"

The woman got up and raced to the door. Jiraiya got up with her, catching up to her step. 

Tsunade reached for the door, only to flinch back when Jiraiya's hand rested on the doorknob. He stared at her, blocking her from leaving. She looked at the floor, refusing to make eye contact with him.

They stood close to each other. The only sound that filled the small office was that of their breathing. The noise from outside of the office barely made its way inside, yet it seemed too mellow for them to notice.

After some time, Jiraiya whispered to her, "You're not breaking any laws, Tsunade."

"I know."

"You're complying with the law. It's your duty to hand over any information that can help our case."

"I know," Tsunade said, almost as though she was trying to convince herself of that fact. "The Akatsuki is dangerous and needs to be shut down. I know."

Jiraiya kept staring at her, waiting for her to look up at him. He watched as she looked back at his desk, cracking a small smile.

"Sergeant Jiraiya," Tsunade said lightheartedly, "has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Jiraiya smiled at her. "You're right."

"How come you keep refusing promotions? Lieutenant Jiraiya could sound better. Or Captain Jiraiya."

Jiraiya looked at the name plate on his desk, knowing that it was what Tsunade was looking at. His title was carved on the black-plated material, sitting on the edge of his desk for everyone to reference.

"I've gotten too used to Naruto calling me Pervy Serg," Jiraiya joked. "It'll be hard to get used to anything else."

"Seriously?" Tsunade said unamusedly. "That's your reason?"

Jiraiya nodded, letting go of the doorknob and stepping away from the door. He watched as the woman exited the room. They bid their farewell, and Jiraiya continued to keep his eyes on Tsunade until he could no longer see her.

He shut the door softly, locking it before looking back at his desk. His eyes caught themselves on his name plate.

To this day, he couldn't bring himself to tell anyone the truth. He wasn't supposed to be a sergeant at his age. Having been offered promotions for his work, he couldn't help but refuse them. Being so inadequate to catch the Akatsuki made Jiraiya too guilty to accept any position higher than what he already had.

After all, what kind of sergeant would he be if he couldn't catch a couple of goons selling drugs?

The aroma of freshly-made espresso and baked pastries filled the coffee shop. Many of the patrons appeared to be students; their laptops and notebooks scattered the areas they seated themselves. The bumbling sounds of light conversations and coffee shop music created the perfect atmosphere for a soothing afternoon.

Itachi sat at an empty table, typing away on his laptop. He wanted to get his assignments done before the weekend, just in case work came up and he was needed last minute. Having spent the entirety of his morning and afternoon in the coffee shop, Itachi was proud of the work he was able to accomplish.

He expected himself to be done in a hour—at the latest. Surrounded with enough caffeine and sweets to power his thoughts, Itachi knew he chose a good location to get through his work.

Absorbed in the screen of his computer, Itachi barely noticed someone approaching until they asked, "Mind if I sit here?"

He looked up, taking note of the familiarity of the voice. 

"I don't mind," Itachi said, moving his laptop closer to himself. "Kisame, right?"

"You remember me?" Kisame said, smiling widely as he took a seat across from the raven. "Nice to meet you again, Itachi Uchiha."

"Just Itachi is fine."

"Alright, Just Itachi."

Itachi grimaced. "You're making fun of me."

Kisame shrugged, winking at the other man. "Only a little."

Itachi looked around the coffee shop, taking in how nearly every seat was taken. Barely a few spots in the cafe were open. 

Of all the places Kisame could have sat...

Itachi turned back to his computer, continuing to type up the report he was working on. He was almost finished; he didn't have it in him to worry about such minuscule details. 

"So," Kisame started to ask, "What are you up to?"

Itachi staying focused on his computer, still typing as he minimally responded, "Getting work done before the weekend."

"Any plans for the weekend?"

"I'm not sure. What about you?"

"Not much. I've got an orientation this Sunday at my new job, but nothing else so far."

The Uchiha hummed. "Congratulations on your new job."

"Thanks!" Kisame perked up. "It's this new sales gig that I picked up."

"That's nice."

Itachi read over what he typed. It was legible and it sounded right—just what he was going for. All that was left was to add finishing touches. He highlighted the entirety of the text he wrote, playing around with the font and size.

"So..." Kisame cleared his throat, noticing that Itachi hadn't looked at him once during their conversation. "Do you work?"

Itachi nodded, still looking at his computer. "I do."

"That's great! Awesome, even! Work is work. What do you do?"

"I take inventory for a business."

"That sounds pretty tasking."

"It could be."

Itachi pressed his lips together, debating between two different font lettering. He ultimately chose a more type-writer resemblance for his text. Once that was over, he started to skim through everything that he wrote in the past two hours.

"I'm not disturbing you," Kisame asked unsurely, "Am I?"

Itachi decided that his writing was ready to submit. He closed his computer in satisfaction, putting it in his backpack. Only then did he face Kisame.

"No, you're not," Itachi reassured, sitting straighter in his chair. "Any reason you came here today?"

He didn't develop any fondness for small talk since the last few days he talked to Kisame, but something in his gut told him that this conversation wouldn't be small talk.

No, no, Itachi argued with his mind, it was only polite to ask.

"Why?" The question seemed to peak Kisame's interest. The man smirked as he asked, "Is a man not allowed to go to a coffee shop without reason?"

"It's not illegal," Itachi admitted, "but everyone tends to have reasons for doing something."

Kisame nodded, as though he agreed. He held up the cup of coffee in his hand.

"There's this new drink on the menu," Kisame explained, putting the cup back down on the table. "I came to try it out. I think it's a sea foam spearmint latte."

The Uchiha watched as the other man took off the disposable lid of the coffee cup. He saw latte art of a leaf created on top of a thick layer of foam. A mint leaf was placed strategically alongside the latte art leaves, creating a shadowy illusion. 

"Does it taste good?" Itachi asked.

Kisame carefully pushed the cup towards Itachi, who stared back confusion.

"Try it for me," Kisame insisted. "I don't want to get my expectations up."

Itachi knew he should turn the offer down. It wasn't his drink; it made no sense for him to try it.

But faced with nervous anticipation in Kisame's face, Itachi figured he'd be polite.

Yes, Itachi reasoned with himself, this was only out of politeness. Nothing more.

He was offered a sip. Even though the preferred tea over coffee, it wouldn't hurt to try the drink.

Although he did so in uncertainty, Itachi took the cup and brought it to his lips. A bit of his curiousness took over the part of him that would've refused. He took a small sip from one side of the cup, only to grimace and put the cup down—sliding the cup back towards Kisame.

"You don't like it?" Kisame observed in amusement.

Itachi shook his head, trying to not let it show too much on his face. "It's a little bitter for my tastes."

"You have a sweet tooth," Kisame said.

"So I'm told."

The man nodded at Itachi's words. He then took out a paper bag, finishing out a pastry placed inside and laying it on top of the bag. Itachi noticed that it was a rather large cinnamon roll—almost bigger than Kisame's hands.

"This outta do it," Kisame said, sliding the cinnamon roll towards Itachi. "Let me know how it tastes."

"It's yours," Itachi denied initially. "You should have the first bite."

"I insist."

They argued back and forth for a while. Itachi slid the pastry back towards Kisame, who slid it back to him in reassurance that it was fine. The other patrons of the cafe gave quick glances toward their direction; one patron moved to sit elsewhere when their voices got louder.

Either way, Itachi knew he wouldn't win in a wit of stubbornness. He relented, taking the smallest morsel off of the cinnamon roll and eating it.

His face lit up as the flavors hit his tongue. "It's good."

"You like it," Kisame observed yet again, not bothering to hide the smile of relief that worked itself on his face. 

"I do. It tastes great."

"You can have it."

"What?" Itachi was agast. "No, it's yours. You paid for it."

"So? I want you to have it."

Itachi shook his head, gently sliding the cinnamon roll towards Kisame. He only intended to take the smallest portion—only to appease the man in front of him.

Only out of politeness, Itachi reminded himself.

"Fine," Kisame obliged, sliding the cinnamon roll back to the middle of the table. "We can split it."

The Uchiha thought of ways to get the other man to give in. While he appreciated the hospitality, he still didn't want to eat the man's food. It was one thing to take a sip of coffee, but it was another thing to offer sweets.

Itachi loved sweets. The cinnamon roll would be gone in mere seconds if Kisame was being serious.

But still, if he was being serious...

Itachi couldn't help but stare at the other man, observing the way the smile never left his face. His silver-grey eyes bore deeply into him.

"Think of it as payment," Kisame offered. "Until I finish my coffee, I'm going to annoy you with a pretty long conversation. You might as well have something to eat while I talk your ear off."

Itachi pushed the cinnamon roll back towards Kisame. "You won't annoy me."

"Challenge accepted."

Itachi opened his mouth to protest, but Kisame beat him to it.

"Oh, you're doubting me?" Kisame argued playfully, pushing the cinnamon roll back towards the middle of the table. "Because I can and will talk your ear off. This tiny cinnamon roll is a bargaining chip for your time."

Itachi kept staring at his eyes. They didn't wander one bit—only staying fixated on the Uchiha.

"That being said," Kisame said. "if you're busy, I can always annoy some other stranger."

He was giving Itachi a reason to go—to leave. If he wanted to, he could leave the coffee shop and wouldn't have to eat the cinnamon roll he was refusing so badly.

But this wasn't about the cinnamon roll, was it? 

Itachi didn't want to admit it out loud. He didn't know why he was feeling the way he was. The way Kisame's eyes stared into his own, and the way Kisame kept smiling at him with that toothy grin...

This was only their second (technically third) time meeting.

"I'm not busy," Itachi said, sliding the cinnamon roll closer to himself this time around. "And I doubt you'd annoy me."

"Is that so?" Kisame challenged, letting out a throaty chuckle.

Itachi all but smiled. "Do your best."

He didn't know what he was feeling, but he wanted to find out.

Music blasted through Sasuke's ears from his headphones as he walked home. He decided to forgo staying back, thinking that being holed up in his room was a better option. If Itachi was still on campus, then it would allow him to slip back into the apartment without talking to his brother.

That was—if Itachi was still on campus.

If Sasuke saw any inkling or presence of Itachi in the apartment, he'd turn around and go back to school. Simple as that.

As he neared the apartment, he started noticing the hoard of police cars driving in the same direction he was headed. It became more ominous when he spotted those same vehicles parked at the apartment complex.

Sasuke did his best to avoid making eye contact with any of the officers. He climbed the stairs to the second floor, then the third floor, then the fourth floor, only to find himself pushing past a few officers as he climbed up to the fifth floor. He wondered why he didn't just take the elevator up like he usually did.

His eyes gazed across the floor, spotting a few officers standing by his door. Sasuke turned down his music and placed his headphones around his neck. The boy put two-and-two together, ultimately deciding then and there that he did not want to be a part of the fiasco that was about to unfold.

He continued past the fifth floor and up to the sixth. He lived on the fifth floor; he would rather avoid suspicion. The sixth floor didn't have any cops lingering around, but he still walked up to the seventh floor—just in case.

He hurried across the corridor to the elevator, waiting for it to open. Sasuke went inside, pressing the button to the first floor. 

There were no cops in the elevator, nor were there cops guarding the elevator outside either.

As nonchalantly as possible, the raven left the apartment complex and walked back to school. No police officers stopped him or questioned him.

He would rather stay in the library for a couple of hours than confront a cop. It seemed like a hassle anyway.

Besides, they were probably there for Itachi. 

It wasn't any of his business anyway. 

The coffee cup had long since been sipped empty, and the only thing remaining from the cinnamon roll were discarded breadcrumbs and dusted spice. 

The coffee shop had to close soon. In a few minutes, the cafe's doors would be locked. The workers started to sweep the floors and tidy the shop, even going so far as to tell patrons that they needed to leave soon.

Itachi lost track of time. Not that it bothered him, but he didn't exactly want the day to end yet for some reason.

"You sure are a patient man," Kisame said.

Itachi smiled. "And you're not as annoying as you promised to be."

Their conversation lasted a little while longer—perhaps an extra five minutes before they were told to leave. Looking around the shop, they were the only ones left aside from the workers. Itachi and Kisame bid apologizes for staying so late, picking up their supplies and quickly exiting the shop. 

As soon as the cold evening air hit them, they turned to each other.

"I enjoyed our conversation," Kisame said, stepping closer towards Itachi. "I'm hoping we can do this again later."

Itachi nodded, staying put. He didn't think he should move out of the way; for some reason, he didn't want to.

Out of politeness, Itachi reminded himself. Only out of politeness.

"We should run into each other more often," Itachi said.

"Should we?" Kisame questioned. 

"Why? Should I dread our next encounter?"

"Maybe you should. Apparently I have to practice being more annoying."

Itachi, yet again, didn't know why he felt the way he did. He couldn't help but let out soft laughter at Kisame's words.

And yet again, Kisame's eyes never left his own.

"I'll see you around, Itachi," Kisame said.

Itachi hummed. "Likewise."

Itachi turned and started walking down the street—towards the bus stop. He looked back after a few steps; Kisame watched him walk off. The man raised his hand and waved; Itachi returned the gesture. The Uchiha faced the direction he was going, looking at the ground to cover his smile.

Why was he smiling?

This was different, Itachi thought to himself.

But for some reason, different didn't feel bad.

Jiraiya leaned against an apartment door. No one came to answer the door. Unit 505 was empty. There was no sign of Itachi Uchiha, nor was there any sign of Sasuke Uchiha.

"Sergeant," one of his officers reported, "We've searched the parameters. No sign of the Uchihas."

Jaraiya sighed. His wrist watch told him it was nearing eight o'clock into the night.

"Two more hours," Jiraiya said. "We keep up surveillance for two more hours before we call it a night. We'll just have to try again tomorrow if they don't come by."

"Yes, sir."

His officers dispersed, leaving him leaned against the door. 

Of all the ways he wanted to spend his night, he'd rather be writing the manuscript his agent wanted by the end of the year. 

Then again, this was the closest he had gotten to cracking down on the Akatsuki.

"Two more hours," Jiraiya muttered to himself. 

And within two hours, Itachi Uchiha would be caught.

Itachi strolled down the street, nearing his apartment complex. The bus ride back was soothing, to say the least. The Uchiha stared out of the window, contently watching as various vehicles and pedestrians passed by. On multiple occasions, he thought back to the conversations he had with Kisame.

He smiled to himself again, only to catch himself and wipe the smile off of his face. Itachi looked around, making sure no one saw him.

He felt weird. Not in the bad way; just in a way he didn't know how to comprehend.

Lost in thought, he didn't see the hoard of police cars parked at his apartment complex until he was right in front of it. Itachi paused in his tracks, taking in his surroundings. Something told him to turn back around, but another part of him worried for Sasuke.

He hoped Sasuke wasn't home. Of all the times before, Itachi hoped his little brother was out doing God-knows-what instead of being at home.

Itachi walked to the elevator, riding it all the way up to the fifth floor. He made his way towards Unit 505. The cops on the floor turned to look at him as he passed by, reaching for their guns. He kept his head down, pretending he didn't notice their actions. In front of his door, he raised his head, greeted by a man dressed in a bulletproof vest—blocking him from entering his apartment.

The man in question stepped forward, staring at him and asking, "Itachi Uchiha?"

Itachi looked at the badge the man was wearing.

SGT of Konoha Police

"That would be me," Itachi confirmed, staying on guard. "May I help you?"

He watched as the man pulled out a slip of paper, holding it up for Itachi to read. The dim lighting of the open corridor made him squint, but Itachi was able to make out the words typed in bold letters at the top of the slip:

ARREST WARRANT 

"I am Sergeant Jiraiya Ogata of the Konoha City Policy Department," the man introduced. "We'd like you to come with us for some questioning."

Itachi stared at the slip before looking at the sergeant in front of him.

"What am I being arrested for exactly?" Itachi asked.

"Suspicion of affiliation with the Akatsuki," Jiraiya barked out bemusedly. "Of course, I'd love to tell you all about the evidence we have. You'll just have to come to the police station."

Itachi refused to move a muscle. He watched as the sergeant lowered the arrest warrant and pocketed it, only to pull out a pair of handcuffs from behind.

"Listen, Itachi," Jiraiya said, beckoning two of his officers to come closer, "We both know you're a good kid. I'll give you a choice. We can do this the easy way, or we could do this the hard way. My advice is to do it the easy way. It saves everyone the trouble." 

For such a good day, it ended so terribly.