When in Rome - SasuSakuIta
by Comicker
an AU Narutoverse fic set in modern day, re-invented from my old account.
Sasuke POV.
Hope you enjoy!
When in Rome,
Do as the Romans do.
Chapter One - Lighting the Spark
"Sakura, would you please quit it?"
"Let me just finish putting the pins in—"
"Dammit!"
"Sorry!"
Staring into a three panelled mirror, a fairly frustrated male made a more-than-annoyed face. Stray strands of onyx hair fell in front of his visage, and with his hands currently 'occupied,' he had absolutely no way of ridding them. He tried to blow them away, but to no avail. They tickled and teased his nose. His dark, uninterested eyes bore holes into the mirror—completely fed up with staring at himself for the past half hour. He jerked as he felt another pin prick his wrist, and almost went to pull his hand back.
"Sasuke-kun! Stop trying to mess me up!"
"I don't see why all of this is necessary." Sasuke's voice was monotonic as he gazed down to his right. The girl who was sowing the cuffs of his sleeve, Sakura, looked busy at work. Although she was a terrible singer, writer, dancer, artist, and almost every other creative art out there—she wasn't half bad at sowing. He scowled as another pin punctured the skin on the side of his palm. Well, maybe not today. She had the brightest pink hair, natural pink hair at that. Its shine on its own was too unnatural.
"You, Sasuke-kun, are attending a very special banquet." She spoke like an overprotective mother. Sasuke scoffed and looked back into the mirror. It was true. He had been born into a family of three; his father, his mother and his brother. His father and mother, who owned a world wide chain of automotive manufacturers, had not been in contact with him for years. Now, as the summer season was approaching, they had decided to throw a gala for the entire company and its contacts. This was to be hosted by the Uchiha family, not just the owners of the corporation. It was this small factor that made it almost mandatory for the Uchiha family in its entirety to attend. This meant himself, his mother, his father…
"I don't want to go."
"Why, because Itachi-san is going?"
"Don't give him honorifics."
The day outside was clear. It was the middle of June and the sun was high, a perfect day to be mentally tortured by the family he hated most dearly. Their small town was just off the coast of the ocean. It had a large population, however, which made it a central hotspot for business. Konoha was known for having its clear, pristine days of warmth. It was a beautiful little city that prided itself in its high education. Sasuke had lived here since he was born; never one thought of leaving the city had crossed his mind. Unlike his parents and his brother, he had rather enjoyed the general splendor that a small yet bustling city had to offer. That and he could never leave the people behind.
"Where is Naruto?" Sakura mumbled incoherently, looking around Sasuke's legs to the door. "He should have been here ten minutes ago. We'll definitely be late…"
Naruto, Sasuke's best friend, was also his right hand man. Even though it was an Uchiha hosted gala, there was absolutely no way the taciturn male would leave without a little sanity at his side. Naruto was far from sane, however; comparing him to the mindless drones of businessmen, he was a god given light. The three of them; Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura, had all been best friends since they were very young. They all attended the same school, and were eventually shipped off to the same high school as well. Now, in their final year, they had everything to gain and nothing to lose. They were three very different people, which made them the most unlikely of friends.
"He's probably eating ramen somewhere." Sasuke finally jerked his hand away from Sakura, examining the cuff of his sleeve with little to no real interest in her stitching abilities. He stepped down from the platform and stretched out his arms, beginning to grow slightly curious as to the blond idiot's whereabouts. Behind him, Sakura began packing her supplies away in a Tupper Wear container.
"Be nice to your family."
"Hn."
"Don't throw cake at Itachi again, please?"
"I was eight."
"You were thirteen."
"What does it matter?" Sasuke pressed his palm to his temple. "You're being annoying. It's my family; I'll deal with it how I choose." His voice held some discontent. His family had been an issue for years now. And to make matters worse, his brother…
The door blew open. Sasuke didn't flinch as the over-anxious blond jumped happily into the room—instant ramen in hand. He was dressed in a full white suit with a red bowtie, completely contrasting to his usual yellow figure. There were also three matching scratch marks on either side of his cheek. Naruto liked to believe he was a fox.
"So, are we going to this shindig or what?" He tossed the empty carton of ramen onto the floor, completely disregarding the cleanliness of the room. Sasuke sighed as he heard the dull crack of a fist connecting to the side of a jaw. He should've known better to litter on Sakura's floor. Sasuke rolled his shoulders, hearing a small crack as he did so. That was definitely stress.
"Are you two done fooling around?" It wasn't like he cared, really. Moreover, if they were late for introductions, he'd never heard the end of it. Naruto, obviously amused with Sasuke's lack of interest in attending, grinned brightly. There was nothing more pleasing than seeing Sasuke in such dismay.
"Yeah, for sure!"
"Don't screw this up." Sakura cautioned Naruto. "This is a big night for Sasuke-kun."
Big night, Sasuke thought. Great.
"This is sickening."
The hotel was beautifully lit. It had to be over forty floors high; each balcony bearing some sort of hanging light or lamp. The entrance was concealed with a large, black canvas conveying the Uchiha logo; under it were silver italics spelling out the Uchiha name. Even the concierges were dressed to impress, each one wearing a long flowing black tux with the Uchiha logo stitched into the front pocket. Roses lined the brick walls leading up to the hotel sign, intertwined with several decorative lights that flickered and danced along with the sound of light Debussy playing in the background.
Sasuke crossed his arms along his chest, gazing intently at the cheery doormen that puked excitement at the site of any given person. They must be paid a hell of a load of money to be that excited about a dull gala. He brushed a strand of hair from his face, still observing the men. How could they possibly be so motivated? He couldn't go in that way. They were probably contagious. It wasn't as if he disliked happiness, no… he just wished it was never invented. When you had a neglectful and selfish family, how else were you supposed to feel?
He sighed. Naruto was taking too long to park the car. It figured. And with all these greeters, they never once thought about paying somebody to park the cars. They just figured since it was Konoha, people wouldn't want their cars parked by someone else. How did that remotely make sense? Maybe his family was just being cheap, again. Sakura had gone off to meet with a couple acquaintances, which left Sasuke alone.
"Excuse me, are you Sasuke Uchiha?"
Sasuke tensed. Now that he thought about it, he did look a little bit like a creep—standing in the middle of a red carpet by the road, intently observing a group of men. He shuddered mentally, and for one moment, considered ignoring the voice and continuing on his slow but steady progression into the hotel.
"Yes." He replied coolly. Looking over his shoulder, Sasuke practically had to gaze down at the seemingly young boy behind him. He had wild brown hair and goggles on his forehead. There was no way he belonged here. Of course, observing him further, Sasuke noticed that his clothes were tattered and torn.
"Your family makes me sick." The young boy had a lot of nerve in him, he gave him that much. He smirked, examining the boy once more before turning around and heading towards the open doors. Naruto and Sakura would just have to find their own way in.
"Sasuke-sama, we're so glad you could make it."
"Mrs. Uchiha has been awaiting your arrival, sir."
Sasuke barely acknowledged their presence as he quickly shuffled past them and through the front doors. (Really, did they expect him to stop and uphold a conversation? Obviously they didn't know their bosses very well.) He faintly noticed that most of the staff seemed to stiffen upon his entrance; greeting him nervously and with a deep bow. The Uchiha name must have left a considerable impression upon them.
The main lobby itself was breathtaking. It was decorated from head to toe, all with the finest and most exquisite ornaments from around the globe. Sasuke stopped mid step, gazing up dully at the sparkling chandelier that clinked from the slight breeze coming in through the door. The people were scattered amongst the floor either socializing or lining up at the seven table long buffet. Sasuke ran a hand through his ebony hair, trying to suppress the amount of suffocation he felt. The smell of overused cologne was torture. He stood awkwardly for only a moment longer, taking one last look at the overall splendor. They must have spent a fortune on all the decorations.
"You're looking dashing as always, oniichan."
Knock off all thoughts of this possibly being a pleasant evening. The bastard. Sasuke had a brief mental spasm, contemplating the option of taking the meat knife at the buffet table and giving him a savory end. When he realized that this plan was flawed (considering he was more than twenty feet away from the damned thing,) he had no other option.
"Itachi."
The man standing in front of him was far from anything unpleasant (well, on the outside.) His hair was much lighter than his own and tended to grow much longer. He was only a bit taller than Sasuke and was definitely more defined. Itachi could pull off a tuxedo much better than the younger Uchiha ever could.
"How are you?" He smiled that fake, stupid smile. Sasuke wanted to smack it off his face.
"Pleasant." Sasuke replied dully.
"Have you seen Mom or Dad yet?"
"I just got here."
"Ah." Itachi smiled again, slipping his hands into his pant pockets. "Well, I'm sure they're looking for you. Why don't we find them together?"
"I'll pass." I'd rather eat live alligator.
Just as the conversation died, and Sasuke was ready to take his leave from the horribly awkward situation, he heard a rather disconcerting laugh. He froze, knowing all too well who was approaching them, and knew from that moment on there was no escape.
"Itachi!" Naruto plastered a wide grin on his face, extending his hand in Itachi's direction as he approached the two brothers. "It's so nice to see you again! Where have you been?"
Sasuke was livid. Not only had this turned out to be the most horrible night ever, but now the blonde dobe had started conversation with his brother. Naruto knew just how much he despised Itachi… why the hell would he pursue an actual conversation with the man? There was no way in determining Naruto's logic. Sasuke pursed his lips slightly, feeling his fingers grow tense in his pocket as he glared down Naruto and Sakura, who had come following him shortly after. She glanced at Sasuke for a moment, examining his expression. He swore he saw her smile.
Damn it all to hell.
"Naruto-kun, it really has been too long." Itachi took the blonds hand happily, showing no sign of hesitation. Sasuke was at a horribly mismatched family reunion. "I've been traveling abroad. I'm trying to expand our business over international waters… it's been quite a struggle really." He smiled again, letting go of Naruto's hand and turning to Sakura.
"Well if I do recall, you are Miss Haruno… correct?"
"Y-yes!" She beamed, fluttering those damn emerald eyes. Sasuke half twitched, pretending to care about the alignment of a picture frame in the far distance. He never thought that his brother's fake persona would be able to break through, but here they were; standing in the exact scenario Sasuke had imagined. Lovely.
"The last time I saw you I believe it was with half a cake in my face." He laughed heartily, which Sasuke promptly replied with a grunt. That was his thirteenth birthday party… not too many good memories from that day.
"Yes, it's been quite some time." She offered her response too pleasantly. Sasuke couldn't help but notice the charmed look on her face, although he tried desperately to ignore it. What was so damn charming about Itachi? He had no amiable qualities. Nothing about him was actually appealing… why would any women see it differently then he did? Itachi was a weasel. There was no way they'd know that, though…
"Actually, would you mind if I…" There was an awkward sort of pause that fell between the group as Itachi looked for the right word. "…asked you to dance, Miss Haruno?"
"I'd love to dance!" There was an overwhelming joy that swept across her face that left the younger Uchiha feeling uneasy. He scratched absentmindedly at his face as they continued on with their brief discussion before heading off towards the dance floor. Naruto turned to face his friend, offering a sympathetic smile.
"What."
"I'm sorry." Naruto shuffled his feet. "I forgot."
"Forgot what?" Sasuke snapped right back, almost bearing his teeth in his rage.
"That you hated him."
"Oh." Sasuke hissed. "You forgot, huh?"
"Hey now," He rubbed the back of his head anxiously. "Don't get angry at me! I'm not the one dancing with the man. Besides, you never even explained why you hate him."
"Yeah… well, that's not important." He didn't want to talk about it, let alone suddenly bring up the scarring memories of his past. That wasn't something you just brought up on occasion. Sasuke looked over at the dance floor. That was right. Naruto wasn't the one dancing with him. Then again, he had no right to tell her she couldn't. It wasn't like they were… an item or anything. Never was and never would be. Sakura was far too annoying and naggy to ever hold any real feelings for. However, as he watched her, dancing in the hands of a man who could never be trusted, he felt a strange tinge in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't trust Itachi. Sakura knew more about his family, his true feelings for his family, more than anyone else. She had been there to pick up the pieces of his shattered reality, much like Naruto had been. Still, seeing Naruto in Itachi's arms would not have irked him this much...
"When in Rome, Sasuke…" Naruto grasped Sasuke's shoulder, staring out onto the dance floor as he did. "…do as Romans do."
"What is that supposed to mean?" The ravenette raised a brow at his dunderhead of a friend's musing, but didn't suspect that there was one bit of relevant moral knowledge dwelling in the forefront of Naruto's mind.
"I don't know. I read it on a bumper sticker. It sounds smart." Exactly.
"…Hn."
This was going to be one long night.