Chapter no.2

Everyone knows that Oto is a bustling area, especially in the city center. Rows of shops are always packed with people shopping or just window shopping. The streets is crowded with pedestrians almost all the time. The bustling atmosphere is common, especially during the middle of the day like now. The sound of police sirens wailing or the cries of "Thief!" sometimes become an atmosphere disruptor. Even a couple fighting can be easily found and have become free entertainment for people like soap operas on television.

But apparently it's not the thieves or the fighting couples that enliven the atmosphere on a hot day.

"LET ME GO, YOU BASTARD!"

The scream instantly made the heads of people within a five-meter radius turn. Some covered their ears, feeling disturbed. Some threw glances of criticism while others looked at the two people wrestling in the midst of the crowd with interest. A young black-haired man with disheveled hair tightly grabbed the arm of a younger man, dragging him through the crowd.

"NO! YOU MUST COME WITH ME NOW!" the older man roared.

"NO! I WON'T! LET GO OF ME!" the young man being dragged replied as he tried to break free.

"Stop acting childish, Sasuke Uchiha!" the man raged, still maintaining his grip. He muttered an apology to the old woman who was accidentally hit by him.

"Screw that!" the young man called Sasuke snorted, looking at the man with hatred. "I don't want to go home! Itachi, let me go!" he struggled again.

"Your behavior is like a girl's!" Itachi snapped impatiently. "I won't let you go. You have to come with me!"

"I already told you I don't want to!" Sasuke stubbornly said.

"What do you want to be on the streets? A vagrant?" Itachi glared at Sasuke.

"What do you care?!" finally Sasuke successfully broke free from Itachi's grip. Now he was also glaring at the man. "Is my dear brother really concerned about me?" he muttered sardonically.

"Of course I care about you, Idiot! If not, why would I bother to come back to Oto just to look for my beloved younger brother who ran away from home?" Itachi countered. He had never been that angry at Sasuke. The impulsive actions taken by his younger brother clearly made him extremely angry.

They glared at each other for a few moments before Itachi finally sighed, giving up. Pressing his stubborn younger brother further will only worsen the situation. "Okay. I won't take you home. But you have to come with me."

"What's the guarantee that you won't take me back to that strict home?" Sasuke challenged.

Itachi wanted to slap the arrogant mouth of his younger brother, but he restrained himself. "That home, oh my, who taught you to speak disrespectfully like that?"

Sasuke looked away, not answering.

"Okay. I promise I won't take you home, okay? You hear me, Sasuke?"

The young man looked at his brother with narrowed eyes, making sure that Itachi was serious with his words. Actually, he didn't need to because he knew for sure that his brother never lied to him. Until he finally nodded.

"Alright. I trust you," he answered arrogantly.

"That's easier. Follow me," Itachi got up from there while the people who were watching - both secretly and openly - began to disperse and continue their respective activities.

"Is there a problem?" Sasuke scolded the young man who stared at him wide-eyed before following his older brother. The young man growled and quickly fled from there.

"I can't believe you did this!" Itachi said, angry with his younger brother as he slammed the door of his car shut. Sasuke was already sitting on the passenger seat next to him, putting on his seatbelt in anger.

"It's not my fault!" he countered, not any less angry than his older brother. "Dad started first!"

"But it could be discussed peacefully. And you didn't have to run away and make everyone worried!"

Sasuke snorted. "Worried? Don't make me laugh, Itachi," he grumbled.

"Of course they're worried, you fool! Dad and Mom are very worried about you."

"That's a joke. Mom may be, but I'm not sure about Dad. If he's worried about me, why did he send those thugs to catch me?"

"Dad just wants you to come home," replied Itachi as he turned on the car engine. The black sedan moved slowly, blending into the congested traffic. "He was so stressed thinking about you, you know. Especially Mom."

Sasuke turned his face away, looking at the busy road.

"Of course Dad didn't mean for those people to beat you."

Sasuke snorted. He didn't respond.

Itachi sighed. "I know how you feel. I was also like you once, feeling like I was right, a strong desire to rebel..."

"But Dad is really authoritarian," Sasuke said, angry.

"Dad is tough, I know, but that doesn't mean he can't be talked to," continued Itachi patiently. "Someday you will know what Dad did only for your own good. He loves you, Sasuke."

"Nonsense," Sasuke mocked. "I don't care."

Itachi gasped, then shook his head in disbelief. "It's up to you then.."

The silence enveloped the two brothers as the car they were in began to get out of the traffic and enter a quieter area.

"I want Dad to treat me like he treats you," Sasuke suddenly said without looking at his older brother. "Like an adult."

Itachi nods. He understands. "In that case, act like an adult. Think with a cool head. Talk from heart to heart with your father."

Sasuke is silent. Things like that seem too difficult for him who is used to following his own ego.

"Difficult, right?" Itachi says as if he can read what he is thinking. "But you will learn. Usually you will learn a lot from your social environment. Do you have a close friend, Sasuke?"

Again the young man is silent. Many people around him claim to be his friends, only his heart feels unsure. Those who always surround him because he is a rich child and comes from a prominent family, those who admire his intelligence and handsome appearance. People who always make him feel on top. Are they really his friends, or ... What kind of adulthood can be learned from people like them?

What is a friend actually like?