There's something about being outside that Itachi loves so much. The wind blows through his hair, but the air he breathes isn't as crisp as the air in Konoha. [Name] tells him it's all due to pollution, another concept she explains to both of them.

But Sasuke doesn't care about that. He can care less about how this world operates. The air is foul, the people that stare are weird, and he hates these crowded "cars."

Sasuke could care less about being outside, he's much more of a homebody anyway. The main reason he's out is that he wants to watch Itachi. Itachi's been too close to [Name] lately, and Sasuke doesn't like it. He wanted to be the first to kiss her properly, and Itachi stole that from him as well.

[Name] stops at a book store, as Itachi requested. Upon entering, Itachi's eyes grow wide from the hugeness of it all. Back in Konoha, the biggest bookstore only had ten shelves of books, this one, the one they're currently in, has nearly hundreds. It even had an upstairs.

"This is," Itachi breaths in, his eyes nearly sparkling. "Astounding."

He turns to [Name] and grasps her shoulders. "Is everything in this world big like this?!"

[Name] blinks. "Is it too much?"

"No! I just--Everything's just bigger than Konoha," Itachi says, turning back to the books.

"Ah," [Name] hums. "Well, enjoy yourselves, I'll be in the erotica section! Shouldn't have said that out loud!"

[Name] runs a hand over her face before scurrying off to the land of the lewd. Itachi walks at a brisk pace towards the fiction section. Sasuke follows after, scanning book covers with an uninterested glance.

"Why are you so interested in books, big brother?" Sasuke asks. "It's just a collection of dumb papers with words."

"Well, Sasuke," Itachi crouches, picking up a thick book. "The only books I've ever read until I graduated at the academy was about being a ninja. Other children got to read books about cute animal friends or heroic legends with happy endings. I guess I want to recreate my childhood and make a better one for myself while I'm here."

Itachi closes his eyes and smiles. There's a far away happiness in Itachi's eyes once he opens them again, the smile ever-present when he reads the summary of the book in his hands. Sasuke has seen that same smile before. It's full of the bittersweetness of a lost time.

It's the same smile Itachi presented him right before his death.

Sasuke looks away.

"Let's find you a good book Itachi."

...

"[Name]! [Name]!" Itachi calls to her cheerfully, carrying five books under each arm. "Can I have these ones? Please?"

[Name] peaks up from the story in her hands, seeing the puppy dog eyes Itachi gives her. She bites her lip, knowing each book, on average, costs fourteen dollars, and he has ten of them.

Thank goodness I got paid today. [Name] sighs and nods.

"Of course Itachi," she says and looks to Sasuke with his arms crossed. " No books for you?"

He shakes his head.

"Well, whatever. Mackenzie wants me to buy her the latest Bleach manga and another My Hero, so let's go to the manga section."

They follow her lead, going up the moving stairs--something the boys aren't accustomed to--and to the right. [Name] spots a group of three, all teens, and two adults. As much as she hopes none of them know Naruto, she knows it's useless. Almost everyone knows what Naruto is about.

"Remember your names," she tells them before heading over. She searches for the Bleach comic first, finding the lastest volume. Sasuke looks over some also, acting uninterested as usual, but his squint at the name Naruto written on the spine of a book.

So my life really is a lie. Sasuke thinks before smacking his brother's arm and pointing to the Naruto manga. He picks one up with his and his brother's faces conveniently on the front.

Itachi grimaces and shrugs. There's not much they can do about it. Their situation is hopeless, and [Name] is trying her best to help them adapt.

"Holy shit, are you two cosplayers?!" One teen asks, before turning to her friends. "Is there a con this week?"

"I don't think there is," mumbles a meek-looking boy.

"Our faces just look like this normally," Sasuke scowls, and the two girls nearly squeal.

"Wow! You even sound like Sasuke," the first teen says and then pauses. "Are you Sasuke?"

Before Sasuke can sneer at the poor girl any further, Itachi steps in, remembering what [Name] told them. "No, but we get that a lot."

"Do you think we can get pictures? You two look so similar to my favorite characters, I can't miss this opportunity!"

"I'll take a picture with you, but I don't know about Noah, he's a little camera shy," Itachi says, his eyes sparkling at the fact that he's a favorite character.

They set it up quickly on their phones, taking selfies and other pictures with Itachi.

Once the kids leave, giddy and thankful for the pictures, [Name] approaches signing with relief. The stress falls from her shoulders.

"You handled that pretty well. I was a little scared, not gonna lie," she speaks softly and laughs. "Come on, let's go and check out."

...

The drive back home is quiet. Sasuke takes a nap in the back, and Itachi invests in his new book. Upon arrival, the two men don't allow [Name] to bring in a single bag.

"It's okay, we got it," Itachi says, packing on five bags on each arm. "We've carried heavier things."

"Are you sure? I can-"

"Just open the door already!!" Sasuke yells, pushing her to the door.

[Name] takes out her keys while Sasuke guides her to the porch. She unlocks the door, and the two shuffle inside.

Shisui barges from the bathroom, a towel around his body. "[Name]! I missed you!"

He embraces her, his wet skin damping her clothes.

"I was only gone for a bit," [Name] says, caressing his cheek. "Is there something wrong?"

Shisui shakes his head, water dripping from the tips of his curly hair. "Nope. Just wanted ya near me."

He grabs [Name's] chin and presses a soft kiss on her lips. The entire gesture is innocent. "Welcome home."

The thought of Shisui dropping the towel and taking her right there crosses her mind, but she doesn't act on her fantasy.

I must be sexually frustrated. [Name] thinks over Shisui walks away. The muscles in his back are strong and seem to be sculpted by Michelangelo himself.

She bites her lip and swallows to damped her dry throat.

"These boys I swear," she mumbles and slips off her shoes. "All so tempting."

"I don't see what those boys get so riled up about. It's a measly kiss, and now they all want a taste of you," Madara says, seeming to pop out of nowhere.

[Name] blinks at his words, not thinking about the ones that are about to come from her mouth.

"Do you want to kiss me too?"

At first, the question sounds stupid, and the heat crawls up her neck. But as the silence goes on, she notices Madara's fingers twitch and the thin line that is his mouth.

"You... You want to?" [Name] mumbles out the question, pointing out his hidden desire. "It's okay if you want to. The others just take as they please anyway."

Madara rolls their eyes. "Tch. And that's why they'll stay boys. They don't know how to court a woman."

At that, Madara walks away, his arms folded across his chest and a crease in his brow.

[Name] sighs, finding the manga for Mackenzie and delivering it to her. Mackenzie, at the moment, is watching Netflix and eating chips as the boys prepare for dinner.

"I think the boys are," [Name] sighs again, throwing herself over her best friend. "I don't know. It's like they want me."

Mackenzie pats [Name] head, like a young mother with her child. "There, there. It's probably because they haven't seen a woman, besides Sasuke, of course, in years."

[Name] pouts. "Regardless, I'm not much of a woman. They have bad taste."

"They have perfect taste. You're the only one I know who would react to this situation so calmly. You can handle them, I know it. I would be too scared to talk to them, but you make them so approachable cause they listen to you," Mackenzie explains, shoving a chip in her mouth.

When [Name] doubts herself, Mackenzie is always there to pick her up and dust her off. Sometimes [Name] wishes she can do more for Mackenzie, but time and time again, Mackenzie tells her that just being her friends is enough.

"Thank you."

...

Bedtime.

Itachi convinces [Name] to join him in his room after she tells him about the fiasco with Shisui.

"I promise I won't smother you," Itachi jokes, leading her to the bigger guest room. For the most part, Itachi kept the room the same. The only difference is the two stacks of new books on the floor.

"We can still cuddle, right?" [Name] jokes back, but the blush on Itachi's face shows he didn't comprehend the joke.

"I mean if you--if you want to."

She laughs, pulling him to the bed. They fall on top of one another, tangling their limbs together.

Itachi finds [Name's] lips before she turns off the lamplight.

"Goodnight, [Name]."

The way he says her name, it's delicate and low, like a siren calling to her from across the seas. Her heart flutters like it never has before. She hasn't felt this way since she first met Adam.

Itachi rolls off of her, giving [Name] space. But she pulls herself closer to him, hugging his side.

"Goodnight, Itachi."