Sasuke reclined his seat and made himself comfortable as much as he could in the cheap train. He removed the shoulder strap of his black messenger bag and placed it on the empty seat next to him. He could smell the strong scent of coffee in the air, but he was too nervous to care about it right now. Closing his eyes, he decided he would try to get some rest until the train started to move. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't bring himself to doze off. He hadn't slept much last night either, busy packing and worrying about today. The train finally started to move with a loud whistle and clattering wheels, startling Sasuke for a second before he relaxed and leaned his head to make it touch the thick glass of the window. It was early spring, the snow had partially melted and let the green grass show under the white snow. Actually, he had realized that the weather was pretty nice while waiting for his train at the old, brick colored train station at Sioux Falls. He'd had the chance to do some sightseeing yesterday since he had a couple of hours to himself before he had to move, and actually found the place was quite nice. It was a shame people only knew the massacre instead of the beautiful attractions.

He watched the mountains and fields as they moved. Some people were chattering obnoxiously loud, making Sasuke groan in discomfort. He was uneasy anyway, and the last thing he needed was noise. He pulled out his earphones from his bag and shoved them in his ears, then plugging the other end to his iPod and selecting a playlist he had put together for the times when he couldn't sleep. Lana Del Rey's "Video Games" started to play, immediately soothing him. He turned the volume up until he wasn't able to hear any other sound. He fixed his dark eyes on the white clouds, watching the shapes they created. The journey would last for approximately 5 and a half hours, so he had a lot of time to do some thinking.

He had been alone since he was a little kid. At the age of 4, he was adopted by a couple who couldn't have kids. His foster parents were good people, they had never neglected him and were always there for Sasuke. He was thankful that he had the opportunity to go to private schools, get a college degree and live a life without ever worrying about money. But not knowing his real parents had always been upsetting for Sasuke. They couldn't understand his pain.

Then, all of a sudden, at the age of 23, Sasuke had found out that he had a brother. It was both shocking and exciting, making Sasuke's heart thud in his chest when his parents told him what they've learned. He had actually hugged them both with joy, a gesture he wouldn't often bring to life. His brother, Itachi was 6 years older than Sasuke. They had seen each other through a Skype call. He definitely was Sasuke's brother. The similarity was not something you could miss, only Itachi had longer hair and bags under his eyes. Not that Sasuke didn't have them, but Itachi's were much more evident. He had gotten to know about Itachi a bit; he was the mayor of a small town in Minnesota called Stillwater. He was living alone, he liked to read and visit cafés. Learning that their heritage is Japanese wasn't much of a surprise. Sasuke always had suspicions about having Asian roots.

As the song changed to "Good Life" by OneRepublic, he brushed his dark bangs out of his face and took a deep breath. Knowing he had a brother was a very nice feeling, reminding him he was not completely alone in this world without a family. His efforts to find out about his real parents was a dead-end and had only left him worn out. At some point, he had tried to focus on his job at Macy's. He didn't necessarily like it, but it didn't look like he was gonna use his architecture diploma anytime soon and he needed the money to pay the rent for his studio apartment in San Francisco. It paid well, and he would interact with so many people that sometimes, when he was very lucky, he would forget about his loneliness.

With all these thoughts clouding up his mind and anxiety making his stomach feel ill, he somehow managed to shut off his brain and fall into a dreamless sleep.

"Sasuke?"

He awoke with a thick male's voice and a soft nudge on his shoulder. His earphones were still in his ears, but no sound came. He pulled them out, remembering that he had set his iPod to shut off after 2 hours. Thinking he would wake up when it did was obviously a bad idea, but he didn't think he would sleep this deep.

He lifted his tired lids to see the person waking him up. His heart started to beat impossibly fast when he realized it was none other than his brother. Trying to figure out what to do, he opened his mouth. "Itachi."

The older man smiled at Sasuke and reached out his hand for him to take. After eyeing it for a second, Sasuke accepted the offer and took it. He stood up with the help and rubbed his sore neck with his other hand after placing the strap of his bag on his shoulder. They let their hands go and looked at each other. Neither looked too sure about what was supposed to be done next. Eventually, it was Itachi who broke the silence. "Let's get out of the train first."

Sasuke nodded. He followed Itachi to the exit, realizing now that the train was completely empty except for them. So much for the first meeting with his long lost brother.

The moment he stepped out of the train, Sasuke started to shiver. The wind was blowing heavily, and the shining sun didn't help with heating the weather at all. He licked his dry lips and started to look at his brother in the daylight, who was standing and gazing at him too. He was a bit taller than Sasuke, his skin pale and he looked distant except for the warmth flickering in his dark eyes that resembled Sasuke's. People were walking by, occasionally staring at the two.

Itachi cleared his throat. "Don't you have a suitcase?"

"No, my parents will mail my stuff. My foster parents."

"I see." Itachi nodded. He looked almost as nervous as Sasuke. Being the mayor and all obviously didn't help much with family situations.

"Should we… hug or something?" Sasuke finally asked, his voice sounding vulnerable to his ears. "Oh, and sorry about that. I didn't get to sleep much last night."

"It's okay," Itachi smiled. He had a warm, heartwarming smile, at least toward Sasuke. He stepped forward to Sasuke's personal space and wrapped his arms around his younger brother. Sasuke could feel the affection coiling around his body. He returned the hug and closed his eyes.

"Welcome home, brother." Itachi whispered to Sasuke's hair. After being away for 19 years, he was finally home; where he belonged. They parted after a minute, and Itachi urged Sasuke to get into his white Sedan right outside the station, possibly having felt Sasuke shiver slightly while hugging. Itachi was wearing a thick coat unlike Sasuke's thin jacket.

It would take half an hour to Stillwater from Minneapolis, giving them plenty of time to get to know each other. Sasuke realized they were more alike than he had thought during their Skype call. First of all, he observed that despite their nervousness, both were composed and knew how to keep their emotions at bay. Both clever. Sasuke wouldn't boast with this quality, but it's not like he didn't know it either. But Itachi was indeed as sharp as him, maybe even more so.

During the ride, they didn't talk about their parents or why Sasuke was adopted. Sasuke knew they were deceased, and wanted to learn what had happened with all his heart, but doing it in a car with the brother he had literally just met would be really inappropriate. It looked like Itachi was thinking the same thing too. He made a few jokes, making Sasuke laugh with the logic hidden behind, which was very relaxing because Sasuke usually never laughed. Not that he didn't want to, he just wouldn't find the jokes funny. After that, he told Sasuke about Stilltown, his job, how glad he was to see Sasuke again. Itachi was 10 when Sasuke had left home, which made it plausible for him to remember Sasuke.

"It's funny. I didn't remember you at all," Sasuke murmured, staring out the window. It was dark now, but he could see the lights coming from the town. They were close.

"You were 4. Most children don't remember that age. Maybe a few memories, but not much. And considering we didn't live together after that, there was nothing to trigger your memory. It makes me sad, but I can live with that."

"After that Skype call, I dreamed of a few things."

"Really? Would you mind telling me about them?" Itachi sounded intrigued.

"There was this… dinosaur plush. A green one. It wasn't a vivid dream, but I clearly remember you and me playing with it." The dream had left Sasuke with tears in his eyes. He wanted to remember more. He wanted to remember about his parents, about his childhood, anything.

Itachi chuckled. "Yeah, you definitely remember that. You were obsessed with it. I think I still have that somewhere in the attic. I don't live in the same house anymore, but I moved some stuff with me. What else?"

"Let's see," Sasuke hummed and tilted his head to see Itachi's face. "I feel like you had a habit of flicking my forehead."

A smile spread across Itachi's handsome features. "I did. You would crawl onto my lap and ask me to play with you, but I had my studies. I would flick your forehead and say 'Maybe next time'."

"And that next time never came." Sasuke stated. He could see Itachi's smile fading.

"I want to tell you all about it, Sasuke. I want you to learn about the past, about our family. But not right now. We can't change the past, but we can change the present. I found you after 19 years and I'm not planning to start re-building our relationship with haunting memories of the past, little brother."

Sasuke gulped hearing the last words. "Little brother…" he whispered. He could feel a knot forming in his throat, making him unable to speak or even breathe. The feeling was so very nostalgic but sad. He fisted his hands to keep himself from sobbing.

"I'm sorry." Whispered Itachi, like he was afraid to incite Sasuke further. He reached out and placed his right hand on Sasuke's fisted one, squeezing lightly. His eyes were fixed on the road. Sasuke blinked and started to study the small town now that they were inside the borders. After a minute of silence, Itachi removed his hand and pointed to somewhere. "That's where the Government Building is. You can't really see it in the dark, but it's that direction."

"Hm. Would you take me there sometime? I want to see where you work."

"Of course," Itachi said. "There's a library across it. You can go there too, if you'd like."

"Sure. I like reading."

"It must be the blood. Every Uchiha I knew liked to read."

"I'm assuming there's no one other than us, since you used past tense," Sasuke fidgeted in his seat. Itachi didn't answer. They kept driving, and passed something that looked like a bridge. He wasn't sure though, it didn't look clear in the dark.

"There's an elementary school over there," Itachi pointed to his left.

"You went there?" Sasuke asked, wanting to learn more about Itachi.

"Yes. And a friend of mine works there now, my neighbor, actually. He's a good guy. I'd like you to meet him."

Sasuke nodded. Itachi pulled over in front of a big house after a minute, turned the engine off and got out of the car. Sasuke followed him, closing the door with a shut. He looked around. The garden seemed nice, Itachi probably had someone to take care of it. He walked toward the door, getting in the house after he waited for Itachi to open the door.

"Welcome home, Sasuke." Itachi said again. He took off his coat and hung it in the coat cabinet.

"Thank you," Sasuke kindly answered. He was a bit overwhelmed by all this, having an older brother by his side. He looked around uncomfortably before removing his bag and putting it on the couch.

"Are you hungry? Do you want me to cook something?"

He was, in fact, very hungry. Lunch was skipped due to his nervous state, and the light breakfast was long digested. "Yes, please." He shyly said. Being with his brother was making him show a side that he had never seen himself.

Itachi walked toward Sasuke and placed a hand on top of his head. He had a serene expression on his face. He looked happy that Sasuke was here. "Is fried rice okay?"

"Sure."

"Make yourself comfortable until it's cooked. You can take a shower, rest or watch TV. The password for Wi-Fi is "Fumisait410", F is capitalized. Anything else?"

"No. Thank you." Sasuke looked up to meet Itachi's gaze. Itachi ruffled his hair lightly before leaving the room to prepare dinner for them. Sasuke let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and pulled out his phone from his pocket. He quickly typed in the password Itachi had said. What did that word mean anyway? It sounded kind of Japanese, leading him to open Google Translate to see its meaning. 'Did you mean? faisait" appeared. It didn't have a meaning either. He decided to ask Itachi later.

He checked his inbox for any e-mails. Two unread mails greeted him, both of them about commissions. As a method to earn more money, Sasuke was doing writing commissions whenever he felt like it. He had taken a few classes about creative writing, using the extra knowledge to improve his skills. After a while, he had found out that he actually liked writing whenever he was free. It was like a hobby now.

He decided he would read them later and put his phone back in his pocket, and started to contemplate his surroundings. The inside was smaller than how it looked on the outside, but then again, the lighting was poor and could've misled him. The walls were a light shade of grey, giving the room a soft yet cool effect. He couldn't help a smirk when he saw books in a corner, and this was the living room. He could imagine how crowded Itachi's study was.

After a while, he got bored of sitting and doing nothing. Thinking maybe there were pictures of their family, he stood up and started to slowly walk around the room. The delicious smell reached his nose and made his mouth water. His brother looked like he knew how to cook. He didn't know himself, his foster mother had always cooked for them. She was good at it too, but the thought of eating his own brother's food made his stomach feel weird in a good way.

He was disappointed when he didn't see any photos around. But he was sure Itachi had his reasons, so he let the subject drop and sat back down. He ran his hand over the cushion of the couch.

Itachi chose this moment to come in. "Sasuke, dinner's ready."

"I'm coming." He made his way to the kitchen. It was refreshingly decorated, mostly red and white. The rice on the table looked absolutely delicious.

"Sit down, you must be hungry." Itachi gestured Sasuke to take a seat. "Would you like to drink anything?"

"Water's fine," Sasuke made himself comfortable. This was his first time being in this house, with a man he barely knew, but he felt oddly comfortable. He watched Itachi sit down on the chair across his.

"Let's eat," Itachi smiled. Sasuke thought Itachi looked a bit tired, but he had probably came to pick him up after work, so it made sense. Plus, he was sure he looked tired himself.

They started to eat. The rice tasted absolutely spectacular. This was his brother, after all. The thought alone made Sasuke smile.

"What… are you thinking about?" Itachi asked tentatively and took another spoon of his rice.

"…I was just thinking how glad I am to have a brother." Sasuke said, smiling at Itachi.

"I'm not gonna lie, you're taking it all in pretty well. I thought you wouldn't even accept to stay with me, thinking I could be a psychopath."

"The thought did cross my mind, but I figured it would be okay since you're the mayor. The whole town would be screwed if that were the case, not only me."

"Very well. Still doesn't explain how you're comfortable staying with someone you don't really know," Itachi smirked. Amusement was evident in his voice.

"I don't know myself. Maybe it's that my body recognized yours when we hugged. I have no idea." He put the spoon down and drank his water.

Itachi hummed in response. "Did you like the food?"

"Very much. Thank you…" He wanted to add 'brother', but he didn't feel ready to call the older man that. Itachi seemed to have no problem with being addressed with his name despite the age difference, which made Sasuke very glad because he needed time to get used to things. Itachi started to gather the plates and glasses. "Let me help you with the dishes," Sasuke hurriedly got up, but was stopped by Itachi.

"No. You need to rest. I'll handle these," he put the dishes in the sink.

"But-"

"I said no. You look exhausted and I don't want to tire you even more. Besides, I'll find someone to show you around tomorrow, if you'd like. So you'll need to have energy."

Sasuke shifted his weight to his other foot. This much attention from someone who he barely knew was… kind of great. Especially since this person was his brother. They were flesh and blood. "That would be nice."

Itachi turned off the warm water and started to rub the sponge to a plate. "Mhm. Your room is the door on the right upstairs. There's an adjacent bathroom. Do you have something to wear? You can borrow whatever you like."

"I've brought some clothes in my bag. Itachi?"

"Yes?" Itachi looked at him.

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something. How much he was thankful to have him as a brother, how happy he was to be here. But he ended up bidding the older man a good night before leaving the kitchen and going upstairs after taking his bag with him.

There were 3 rooms. He guessed one of them was an extra for guests. He turned the door knob of the room on his right. A warm and cosy-looking place welcomed him. A king sized bed was in the middle of the room, black headboard touching the light blue wall. There was a computer, which Sasuke didn't need since he had brought his laptop along. A small bookshelf was next to the door. He eyed the books after putting his bag on the office chair. His eyes couldn't focus much due to his tiredness. Raking a hand through his hair, he started to take off his clothes to take a shower. He stripped down to his black boxers, folding the clothes neatly and putting them on the desk. The white door in his room opened to a rather large bathroom that had a shower cabinet, a tub and cabinets around. They all looked clean. He turned the tap on to let the water heat up and took off his boxers. He looked around for a hamper, and found a small one in a cabinet under the sink. There were also various soaps and towels in there. He chose a rag and a purple soap that smelled like lavender. The water was heated up enough now. He stepped inside, closed the glass door of the cabinet and let the warm water run over his body, relaxing his tense muscles. As much as he wanted to stay here, he also desperately wanted to sleep, so he quickly washed himself.

He returned to his room with a white towel around his waist. He pulled out boxer briefs, a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt from his bag, quickly putting them on before turning off the lights and practically throwing himself on the bed. The sheets smelled nice, and with the warmth of the room, he fell asleep without finding the chance to think about his day.

When he finally woke up, Sasuke was feeling sore all over. His eyes felt swollen from too much sleep, his body was loose yet aching. A hand reached to rub his eyes. The last time he had slept this much, he was still in high school. He finally found the strength to open his eyes and looked around blankly. The room was unfamiliar to him, and made him want to leave it immediately. As much as he didn't want to admit, it would take much time and effort to get used to this place.

He got on his feet after waiting for the dizziness to disappear. He relieved himself, brushed his teeth and washed his face. The sound of toilet flush was irritating, giving him a light headache that he was certainly not willing to suffer from, so he quickly closed the bathroom door and found his phone in his bag. The phone's screen read 11.42, Itachi was probably already at work. A loud grumble coming from his stomach was all it took to convince Sasuke to leave the room and find something to eat.

He made his way downstairs, to the kitchen. This room felt much better to be in, the colors not too bright but enough to cheer him up. A white paper on the table caught his attention.

I hope you have a good day. I set up someone to company you. He will be there around 12. Sorry I can't be there myself to show you around town, but I promise to do it someday. –Your brother

Sasuke took a deep breath and ran his fingers over the paper. The warm, unfamiliar feeling swirling in his chest was something he was longing for without knowing. He finally had someone he had blood relation to, someone who was close to him. Someone he could trust without questioning.

He put down the paper and rubbed his lips together. This was something he could get used to. Another grumble from his stomach pulled him out of his thoughts and reminded him to eat something. He pulled open the stainless steel door of the fridge, looking for something. Itachi seemed like a person who liked cooking, thus he had many ingredients. Hopefully, he had cereal too. Sasuke was in no mood to cook. He took the half used glass of milk and closed the door with his foot.

After placing a bowl he spent a minute to find on the table, he picked a random, red box from the shelf and poured some cereal, then milk in the yellow bowl. He found a spoon and started to eat absent-mindedly.

The doorbell made him jump slightly in his seat. He wasn't expecting this person to be early. He checked the time. His phone said 12.03, so they weren't early. He was just too lost in thought to realize how much time he'd spent playing with the soggy cereals in his bowl.

Swiftly dumping the rest of his food to disposal, he left the bowl on the counter and rubbed his nape as he walked toward the front door. When he opened it, the blondest person he had ever seen was standing right in front of him.

It wasn't like Sasuke was surrounded by brunettes all the time. His foster parents were both brunettes, but they had a blond neighbor and she would visit his mother every week for coffee. Also, his co-worker Ino at Macy's was very blond, too. But this guy had the shiniest, brightest, blondest hair of all time. He had sparkly azure eyes that complemented his hair beautifully, which were intently skimming over Sasuke right now.

"Hi, I'm Naruto." The blond finally spoke with a cheerful voice and extended his hand for Sasuke to shake.

"Sasuke." He shook the warm hand for a brief moment before letting go. "Itachi must've sent you."

"Um, yeah," he nodded. "He said he needed me to show you around?"

"I'd appreciate that much, yes. I need to get ready though. Can you wait here for a couple of minutes?"

"I thought you'd invite me in for that," Naruto scratched his cheek.

Sasuke raised a delicate eyebrow and brushed his bangs off of his face. "No. I'm not letting someone I don't know into Mayor's house. Don't even think about it."

"Like you're one to talk! You're not even from this town." Naruto folded his arms, irritation evident in his voice.

"Who says I'm not?" Sasuke's eyes were sparkling with amusement. He hadn't been messing with anyone for a long time, since he was too busy and emotionally unstable to. Naruto seemed perfect to show off his skills.

"Well, are you?" Naruto retorted. "I haven't seen you before, and trust me, I know everyone in this town."

"I am from here, but it's my first time here in 19 years. You clearly don't know everyone like you claim. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed."

With that, Sasuke closed the steel door without forgetting to smirk at Naruto's face and climbed the stairs two steps at a time. He pulled on the black jeans from yesterday and found a navy blue, V-neck sweater from his bag. It wasn't a huge bag, but he could fit his laptop, clothes for 2 days (his parents made sure the rest of his stuff would be here before he needed them) and a book. Apparently he wouldn't need it with Itachi being a bookworm himself.

He put on his socks and boots too and took his jacket to wear while he made his way downstairs. He had his wallet in his back pocket, and after shoving his phone to the pocket of his jacket, he opened the front door, only to find the sulking blond sitting on the steps in front of the house. When he heard the door open, he looked back and threw a look with his blue eyes. "Is the princess ready?" Sarcasm was dripping from his words.

"Hn. It's 'prince' for you." Sasuke closed the door. He didn't have a key, but he figured Itachi would be home by the time they returned. Or he would simply go to the Government Building. It would be a good chance to see his brother's workplace too.

Naruto got up and walked Sasuke to his car. It was a ridiculously bright orange Audi, making Sasuke immediately question himself whether he wanted to get in or walk. Everything about Naruto seemed too bright for Sasuke's liking. "Where do you want to go first? It's not that big of a town, but I'm sure you can find something to entertain yourself during your visit."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. "I'm here to stay."

"What do you mean?" Naruto opened the door to his car and got in. He waited for Sasuke to close the door before speaking again. "Why are you staying in Itachi's house anyway?"

"You…" Sasuke frowned. "Do you know who I am?"

"No? Was I supposed to?" Naruto hit the gas pedal slowly and looked around before turning right.

"I thought Itachi would tell you," Sasuke murmured. "And aren't you supposed to call him Mayor or something? You sound like you two are close."

"Heh, we kind of are. I'm his neighbor for 6 years, and friend for a lot more than that." Naruto let out a chuckle. His eyes were wandering over the signboards like he was trying to decide where to take Sasuke.

"So you're the neighbor-slash-teacher he told me about yesterday. I figured he was talking about someone smarter." He smirked at the change of Naruto's facial expression. "Maybe I was wrong."

"I am smart, you asshole," said Naruto. They were driving over the same bridge again. "Itachi wouldn't ask for me to show you around if I weren't, since you're such a smartass."

"I doubt he knows this part of me yet."

"Hm? You still haven't explained who you are. Why would Itachi let someone he doesn't know stay in his house?" Naruto wasn't looking at Sasuke, but Sasuke could see that he was interested.

He fidgeted in his seat. "I'm his brother."

"WHAT?!" Naruto slammed the brakes on, making Sasuke hit his head to the window. "What the hell do you mean you're his brother?"

"Idiot," Sasuke rubbed the sore spot on his temple. It would definitely bruise. "I mean exactly what I said."

"B-but…" Naruto stuttered, his eyes wide open as he stared at Sasuke's face. The gaze made Sasuke uncomfortable, but the boy was probably confused as hell right now, so he just returned the gaze. "You're his brother…" Naruto whispered.

"I am." He nodded.

"But where were you all this time? I practically grew up knowing Itachi, but never heard of a brother?"

"I don't think I want to talk about this right now." Sasuke dismissed. If Naruto was as clever as he said he was, he would know not to pry further.

"Alright. I was thinking of taking you to the museum, but I just remembered that it's Saturday. It's probably closed now. How about…" he drummed his fingers on the wheel. "We buy some coffee and I take you to a park? It must be a bit chilly, but not enough to catch a cold."

"Sounds good to me."

They had coffee cups in their hands now. The weather was indeed chilly, and Sasuke had to enwrap his hands around his coffee to keep them from shivering. His clothes would be here today, or latest, tomorrow. Buying another jacket seemed pointless.

After walking around for a bit in the place Naruto introduced as "St. Croix Boom Site", they found a clean bench and sat down. The scenery was nice, with a clear lake view and lots of trees. Although, Sasuke was sure he had seen better at Siaux Falls.

"Do you come here often?" Sasuke asked and took another sip from his now lukewarm coffee.

"I'd say so, yeah. My grandad and I used to come here to fish when I was a kid. It's kind of like my haven, but it's not as enjoyable as this when it's crowded."

"You fish?" This intrigued Sasuke. His father was a busy lawyer, thus he never had time to spend quality time with Sasuke to do stuff like this. Not that Sasuke really wanted to. He was sure Kenshi would be happy to turn down a client for Sasuke if he had insisted.

"Not anymore. It's a good activity to get your mind off things. But I can't even find time to do that now that I started to teach." Naruto kicked a pebble from his seat. It rolled down and dived into the water with a quiet sound.

"How come you accepted to show me around then? You didn't know I was related to Itachi either."

"Ah, it was just a favor. Itachi has done stuff for me in the past, and we know each other for… many years." He let out a sigh. "Before he moved next to my house. He's a good guy."

Sasuke fidgeted. "I don't know him very well."

Naruto threw a skeptical look at him before nodding. There was no way the blond knew what was going on, was there? He looked as clueless as Sasuke was about the case. They obviously both needed to let the new information sink in.

After avoiding each other's gazes, Sasuke finally mustered up the courage to say what he had in mind. "Thank you for doing this. For Itachi or not, it's still better than walking around town and possibly getting lost."

Naruto tilted his head and smiled. Sasuke could feel the boy moving his feet under the bench. Probably a nervous habit, he thought. A slight blush was on his cheeks, probably from the increasing harshness of the wind. "It's fine. I like getting to know new people."

"Can't say the same thing about myself, but you're okay." Sasuke smirked. "Aren't we supposed to head back? It's getting colder."

"Right," Naruto got up and dusted off the back of his jeans. "I'm used to the cold. Doesn't matter if it's spring or not, it's still Minnesota."

"Hn."

"Where are you from anyway? You must be from South if you're bothered by his." Naruto connected his hands behind his back. He looked around as he waited for Sasuke to finish his remaining coffee and throw the cup to the near trash bin.

Sasuke wiped his running nose with his hand. "California."

"Really?" Naruto seemed surprised. "It explains why your eyes are getting red and teary. Are you crying, Sasuke?"

"No, idiot," he bumped Naruto's shoulder playfully and blinked a couple of times. "My eyes are sensitive."

"Yeah, being a princess and all. You must have been living in a palace before you came here and decided to blend into society," he snickered. "Tell me, princess. Would you bestow me the privilege of buying you lunch?"

"Hmm. It's technically dinner, but if you promise to protect the country from bad guys, I'd be happy to."

They both smirked at this. Sasuke was amazed how easy it was to converse with the blond he had met just a couple of hours ago. Usually it would take months to get comfortable with sitting in a room alone with a person. The boy had a nice personality. He knew how to tease, but knew where to stop before crossing borders. He liked sarcasm, which he was not very good at, but he knew not to take offense. Sasuke would see how their friendship would go. He was planning on living here for at least a couple of years to learn about his homeland, his family, his brother. And he certainly didn't want to pass up the opportunity to have at least one person around him to satisfy his socializing needs. As much as he didn't want to accept, he was a human being too. He needed to interact.

They didn't speak much during the ride to Naruto's favorite buffet. The radio was on, playing "In The End" by Black Veil Brides. He said that the food is really good there, and Sasuke had no idea where else they could eat other than McDonald's he had seen when they first left the house, so he just laid back and let Naruto take him. The blond was humming the melody and bobbing his head up and down. Sasuke just sighed and started to watch the shops they passed by.

Naruto pulled over across a small buffet with a red awning. Sasuke followed Naruto inside. The blonde greeted a waitress before taking the table at the far end corner. It wasn't crowded inside, the soft music playing could be heard.

"Ayame, my usual. But bring two of them," the blond shouted at the girl he had said hi to earlier as he took off his jacket. Sasuke would keep his on.

"Your usual?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Did you just order for me?"

"Sort of," Naruto scratched his cheek. He had a goofy, apologizing smile on his face. "But I'm sure you'll like it. It's sooo good. You like burgers, right?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the assumption.

"Anyway, we talked about me all the time. Tell me a little bit about yourself." Naruto reached for the salt and started to play with the object. His eyes were locked with Sasuke's.

"I'm from California."

"Yes, bastard, I already know that. For example, what do you do for a living? What are your hobbies? Things you like? Things you don't like? Dreams?"

"I'm currently unemployed." He thought whether he should give the usual answer to the other questions: 'I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything.' But Naruto seemed… genuinely interested in the answers. Even though he liked to be a bastard most of the times, he figured it wouldn't hurt to be nice for once. "I… like to write."

"You do? What do you write? Wait, don't tell me you're published?"

"No. I usually write commissions to earn some money. People like my work, and I like doing it. Much better than working as an architect right now."

"So you majored in architecture." Naruto let go of the salt and nodded. "You don't sound like you're into it too much."

"Do I hate it? No. But I don't love it either. I worked at Macy's before coming here. In hindsight, it was probably even worse than drawing."

"Ah." Was all Naruto said before picking up the salt again. He looked at the kitchen door, trying to determine when their meal would arrive.

"Naruto." Sasuke murmured.

"Hm?" The blond turned his head to Sasuke.

He sighed before speaking. "I feel like a burden to you. You probably have better things to do on a Saturday."

The blond frowned at his words. "Don't be ridiculous, Sasuke. I'm enjoying this right now."

"But you're doing it for Itachi. Does he even pay you for this?"

"No. Some things are more important than money. I can't say that I know you very well, but if you're Itachi's brother, you're family."

Sasuke blinked. "Family? You and Itachi…?"

"Huh?" Naruto stared at Sasuke blankly.

Sasuke blinked.

"NO!" Naruto finally understood what Sasuke meant and burst into laughter. "God, no. Itachi's like a brother to me. And I'm pretty sure that he doesn't swing that way." As he said, Ayame came with two plates in her hands. She placed them, asked what they wanted to drink and went back to the kitchen.

"So," Naruto threw a fry in his mouth. "You're gonna be living with Itachi from now on?"

"I'm hoping to."

"I always got the impression that he's a lonely man. To be honest, I'm more than glad that an unknown brother showed up. You don't occur to me as a social butterfly either, so it'll be good for you both." He squeezed some ketchup to his plate from the bottle and reached for another fry.

"How come you judge me when you only know me for a couple of hours?" Sasuke knitted his brows.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm good with people. I can read that side of you like an open book. Funny thing is," he lowered his voice. "I can't tell much about you other than that."

Ayame brought their cokes and Naruto thanked her. They silently ate their burgers and fries. Sasuke wasn't sure how to initiate a conversation, and the blond looked in his own world as he took a huge bite of his burger. He pulled out his phone and checked his messages. His mother was letting him know that his cargo had reached Stillwater, and would likely be delivered today. There was no one at home though. Eventually, he decided to ask Naruto to help him with this. He remembered that didn't have a key, but he could just leave his stuff on the porch. He figured no one would try to steal from Mayor's house.

"You haven't touched your food much. Don't you like it?" Naruto's voice distracted him from his thoughts.

"It's good. I realized I'm not as hungry as I thought. Sorry," he muttered.

"S'fine. Let's go if you're done." Naruto reached for a napkin and wiped his mouth, making it a ball and leaving it in his empty plate. He shoved his hand into his pocket, pulled some money and put them on the table.

When they stepped out, the weather was slightly warmer than before. At least enough for Sasuke to not wipe his nose every 2 minutes.

"Are you tired yet? Do you want me to drop you off? I can take you somewhere else if you want to." Naruto was smiling, but his voice sounded less enthusiastic compared to before. He fixed his bangs with a hand.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Actually, my cargo has arrived. I need to pick it up."

"Oh. Get in then. It's not very far away from here." He unlocked the car and they both got in.

"Sorry. I can't get them myself since they're probably heavier than I can carry." He said and fastened his seatbelt.

"No problem. My aunt works there. Well, not exactly my aunt, but I call her that anyway. It'll be good to see her," he turned on the ignition and started to drive. "I walked in on her once. When I was a kid. They were doing it with my grandad."

Sasuke blinked. Being awkward in social situations had nothing to do with this. He was pretty sure that you were not supposed to be talking about the sex life of your aunt. Especially when it's incest.

"Don't worry, they're not blood-related," Naruto snickered when he saw Sasuke's horrified expression. "I was a curious kid. I wanted to learn anything and everything, and apparently they were making too much noise. I still don't understand how my grandad was fine with doing it when a small kid was living in his house." He snorted. "My curiosity ended up making me a teacher though, so I'm cool with it today."

"You seem to like your job," Sasuke started picking at the fabric of his jeans. "It must be nice." He noted that Naruto had been living with his grandad, but he didn't want to pry. Just like Naruto hadn't.

"Definitely. Children can be tough, but I like them. And here we are," he pointed at the blue signboard of the post office. The building was small, just as Sasuke had expected. It was a small town. But the white walls made it look well-kept.

"Here we go," Naruto turned the engine off and walked out. Sasuke followed him suit. It was starting to feel a little weird to be walking behind Naruto all the time like a lost puppy.

"Naruto!" A female voice was heard as soon as they made it through the door.

"Aunt Tsunade!" Naruto practically ran toward the source of the yell. "It's good to see you!"

"Where are you, brat? I haven't seen you in ages." Sasuke could hear them talk in a small room, but didn't go in immediately. After a minute, Naruto walked out with a blond, beautiful woman behind him.

"This is Sasuke. He moved here yesterday."

The woman narrowed her eyes at Sasuke, making him feel uneasy under the gaze. "I know you."

"What?" Naruto intervened. "How can you know him?" Sasuke was watching them with confused eyes. He clenched his fists unconsciously. He definitely wanted to hear the answer too.

"No, not like that. I don't know him in person."

"Then how come?"

"You're an Uchiha, aren't you?"

"Yeah, he's-"

"Naruto." Sasuke stopped him. "Let me. Yes, I'm an Uchiha. How do you know?"

Tsunade smirked. "I know an Uchiha when I see one."

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances at this. This woman was either really wise, or really crazy.

Tsunade let out a relatively loud laugh. "Pfft, calm down brats. I saw it on the label of your cargo. But still, you look like Itachi. I would've known anyway."

"Don't say that kind of shit! I was starting to think you finally turned crazy- Ouch!" Tsunade cuffed Naruto's neck, making the blond curse under his breath.

"Is that how you speak to your elders, Naruto?" Sasuke said as he watched the two amusedly.

Tsunade nodded in approval. "Finally someone who has some manners. Welcome to town, Sasuke. Don't let Naruto irritate you much," Tsunade ruffled Naruto's hair before going back to her office.