Pilot
A/N: I think I've started taking a liking to this couple as the manga progressed and as I started to watch old episodes of the anime. The relationship between these two is undeniable. Fear not, Uchihacest is still my OTP
Curse of the Uzumaki
Naruto sighed as he stared at the paper calendar hanging over his desk. Although there was a picture of a beautiful sunset taken from a tropical island on the preceding page, the red circle around today's date filled him with dread. Since he had hit puberty ten years ago, every full moon he would turn into a small orange fox, a gift his mother had imparted him through her genes.
The Uzumaki was an ancient family of Japan. His mother, Uzumaki Kushina, had told him that long ago, a jealous and vengeful lover of one of their ancestors had cast a curse on their family. Every individual with any traces of Uzumaki blood would turn into a creature every full moon until they found someone who could accept them for who they were. Kushina had explained to him that the transformations were very painful physically, but what hurt more was the loneliness. The emotional aspects of the curse nearly made it impossible for an Uzumaki to survive on his or her own. It called for a union that would last forever. And if they didn't find anyone by 35 years of age, then they'd waste away.
Naruto had been looking for a cure for this condition since then. However, there weren't any texts related to the subject of their family except for several political ones. Kushina had never heard of one in existence, but Naruto was sure that there had to be something….
His alarm rang loudly, pulling him out of his thoughts. He had woken up earlier than usual because he couldn't sleep at all last night. It was probably because he knew that the full moon was approaching. He turned off the device and headed for the shower.
"Are you going to come home tonight, Naru-chan? I've already prepared everything."
"Yeah, thanks mom," Naruto said, trying to juggle his phone between his cheek and shoulder as he moved through the busy hallway. His laptop bag teetered on the edge of his shoulder as he tried to balance the large textbooks in his hands. He should have just checked them out from the library later.
"How's your first day so far? Made any friends?"
"No not yet. My first class was awesome, although I think –"
Someone bumped into him from behind and his books fell to the ground. He tried to catch his laptop bag from falling, but his phone dropped instead.
"Moron." The guy who had bumped into Naruto didn't even look at him as he muttered that one word and kept going. Naruto glared at the person's back, memorizing the blue black spiky hair and grey suit. A scent of spice with a hint of musk assaulted him then slowly faded. What the hell was it? He sniffed at the air, trying to find it again, but then he could a whiff of strong perfume, making him sneeze. A girl giggled beside him.
"Hey, need some help?"
Naruto looked over and wondered how long he'd been on the floor.
"Oh no! My phone!" He picked up the small device and saw that it was unharmed, but it had shut off. He turned it back on again and sighed in relief when he saw that everything was working just fine. He'd have to text his mom to apologize. He was becoming late for his next class.
"Thanks a lot," Naruto said, smiling as he gathered his notes that had flown out. "I really appreciate it. Some asshole bumped into me and didn't even apologize. I'm Namikaze Naruto."
"Yeah, I thought you looked familiar. You're the son of the District Attorney here, aren't you?" The girl had long black hair and kind, lilac hued eyes. She seemed really sweet. Naruto wouldn't mind if she was his soul mate. He laughed nervously, standing with his books in his hand.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"My dad talks about him all the time," she replied, holding one of his books. "He's a mobster." Naruto paled, and her smiling face became worried and she quickly added, "No! No! I'm just kidding! My name is Hyuuga Hinata. My dad owns Hyuuga Law. We're not out to get your dad or anything. We think he's great guy. I'm sure your dad has met mine at some point I mean –"
Naruto started smiling at her increasingly flustered expressions and started laughing. "It's ok. I knew you were joking," he said reassuringly. "We joke about the same thing in my family. I've heard of that firm before. Really prominent."
Hinata nodded but blushed, her gaze turning downward shyly. "R-right. Sorry for being spastic."
"Don't worry. It happens to me all the time. Where are you headed? I'm – I'm late!" He twisted his arm, trying to find his watch. He was already 10 minutes late? He looked around and saw that the hallway had cleared significantly. "I'm so sorry, Hinata. But I gotta go!" He started jogging ahead, forgetting that she still had one of his books. "We'll talk later! It was nice meeting you!"
"Bye, Naruto!" She called after him.
Naruto tried to calm himself down before entering the lecture hall. This was a private university so the class sizes weren't that big, but this was his first day, and he knew he'd stand out if he was late. Also, because his dad was already so famous, he'd be recognized instantly. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open not realizing how heavy it was. He tried to catch it from slamming shut but caused more of a ruckus than if he would have left it alone. The sound echoed loudly in the hall. He could feel the stares on him even before he turned around.
"I'm really sorry," he said, moving slowly up the stairs to a seat in the back.
"Ah yes, Namikaze Naruto, I presume?" asked the professor, a middle aged man with light blonde hair. Naruto read the name 'Hatake Kakashi' on the board behind him. He nodded, sitting slowly. "Well, hopefully this will be the first and last time you're late."
Naruto nodded again, relaxing once the professor started talking about something else entirely and not staring at him as he did so. He took his laptop out and turned in on and peered around the room. He caught sight of blue black hair at the front row on the other side of the room and scowled. That was the bastard that had run into him!
Once lecture was over, Naruto quickly packed his things so that he could confront the guy who had hit him. That asshole had quite the nerve. Sure, he looked sharp and intelligent in that suit but his face was probably just as ugly as his personality. Naruto couldn't wait to tell him off.
He was five steps away from the level flooring when he caught that scent again, the one he had smelt earlier. It was stronger this time, almost as if it were concentrated nearby. He sniffed at the air again without paying attention to where his feet were taking him. He missed a step and nearly took a tumble if the professor hadn't acted quickly and saved him.
"I didn't know Namikaze's son was such a klutz," the professor, Hatake Kakashi, murmured. Naruto quickly righted himself.
"I'm sorry. I can be a real idiot sometimes," Naruto said sheepishly, bowing.
"Hn, that's for sure."
Naruto straightened and glared in the direction of the voice but his rising anger quickly died. This mysterious scent, he realized, was coming from the asshole who had bumped into him earlier! Not only that, but he was incredibly attractive, nothing like Naruto had expected. He was slightly taller than himself, with pale, milky skin and aristocratic facial features. Dark hair framed darker eyes hooded by thick lashes. Naruto cleared his throat and shook his head, but his mind felt cloudy and the scent was distracting him from everything else.
"He'll probably need your guidance, then," Kakashi said, chuckling, "so I should introduce you to each other. Naruto, this is Sasuke. He's here for who knows what reason."
Naruto looked at them questioningly, wondering what kind of relationship they had if the professor was being so casual about him. He looked at Sasuke. "Are you wearing any cologne? Its making my allergies act up." It wasn't really true, but Naruto didn't know what else to say. Its not like Sasuke smelled bad, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Maybe if Naruto put the same cologne on himself, then more girls would approach him and he'd quickly find his mate.
Sasuke frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Kakashi sniffed towards Sasuke curiously, causing the dark hair man to inch away. "Mm, I don't smell anything, Naruto."
"Are you sure? It's really strange."
"Whatever. I'm not dealing with this. I have a case to review." With that Sasuke stormed off, his scent rushing towards Naruto as he passed him. Naruto was about to follow after it before Kakashi stopped him.
"You should visit my office sometime, Naruto," he said. "I'd like to talk to you outside of class." His smile was disarming, and Naruto nodded.
"Sure, Professor! I'll see you later!" He quickly left, trying to follow the faint trace of Sasuke.
Naruto searched for about 15 minutes before giving up and went to his third class, which went by rather uneventfully. Although he was excited about law school and following in his father's footsteps, he really wanted to find Sasuke again. He wasn't sure why he'd like to get to know a bastard like that better. It didn't make much sense. His mind was probably out of whack because it was a full moon.
"Hey, Naruto!" a voice called to him as he was walking to his car. He turned and saw Hinata rushing towards him. He stopped and waited for her.
"Hi, Hinata," he said cheerfully. She waved a book in front of him.
"You forgot this, remember?"
"Oh, right! Thanks."
"Are you going home now?" Naruto nodded. "Alright. I'll follow you to your car."
They walked slowly, mostly talking about Naruto's first day of class. She was a third year, studying corporate law under her father's orders. Naruto found that she was really easy to talk to, and it warmed him to know he'd made a new friend on his first day. Although she wasn't in any of his classes, she offered to help and give him her notes.
"I really couldn't, Hinata," he said regarding her notes from all her previous classes. "It wouldn't be fair."
"It's alright. Everyone studies in groups anyway."
"I know, but I'm really determined to do this on my own. My dad's family wasn't that well off, and he paid his way through and everything. He worked really hard, and I want to do that too."
She smiled at him and helped him unload his books into his trunk. He drove a 10 year old Honda, but it was still reliable and he'd bought it used with his own money from working in high school. "I see. But it's also good to accept help when it's offered," she said. "Well, if you need anything, just let me know."
"Thanks. I'm really glad I met you." The blush that rose to her face made all the trouble he'd gone through that day disappear, however, he still couldn't forget that scent nor the bastard to whom it belonged. "Do you know some guy named Sasuke?"
Hinata laughed. "Oh you met him face to face? He's Uchiha Sasuke."
Naruto nearly choked on his own spit and started coughing. Hinata panicked and patted him on the back. "Wh-what?"
"Yeah, his family's really famous. His older brother, Itachi, came here, too. He's a lot nicer though," she added shyly. Yeah, Naruto knew about Itachi. He thought Sasuke looked familiar, but didn't think they were related. Now that he thought about it, he could see the strong resemblance.
The Uchiha were an extremely wealthy family and were almost as old as his mother's, if not older. His dad mentioned problems he had had with trying to indict most of their clients. Although Minato hardly lost any cases he took, the Uchiha managed to trump him every time. Their firm charged obscenely high rates but also had an extremely high success rate. Minato had always wanted to investigate them, but there was no known evidence of foul play, and his wife constantly feared for what might happen if he did.
"Uchiha Fugaku let that one crime lord go free, Orochimaru," Naruto muttered. He remembered what a media fiasco that had been several years back. The trial had lasted for several months and yet he'd been cleared of all charges. Naruto was sure that the scumbag was still illegally experimenting on and killing people he'd pick up from poor neighborhoods. The memory of the trial and his father's frustration came back to him, and he decided that he already hated Uchiha Sasuke, who was probably going to defend men like Orochimaru.
"Yeah," Hinata murmured. "Anyway, I heard Sasuke is working with Kakashi's small firm now." Naruto's anger suddenly turned into shock. "His family doesn't approve of it, of course, but I guess since Itachi is going to take over, Sasuke has more freedom to do what he wants." She sighed wistfully, a sad look flickering in her eyes then disappearing as quickly as it had come. She smiled brightly once more. "Do you have class tomorrow?"
"Just a couple," he said, still reeling over the fact that Sasuke was taking a different path he'd expected, and upset with himself for judging too soon. Also, the look Hinata had given him just now unsettled him. Was she being forced into law by her family?
"I only have one, so we can hang out. Let's trade numbers."
Naruto drove straight to his parents' place right after leaving Hinata in the parking lot. They lived two hours away, which was nice and not as stifling as he thought it'd be. Some of his stuff had been left at home because he visited them every month for his transformation. Although he wanted to try dealing with it on his own, his mother had insisted that he be someplace that was familiar and made him feel safe. His undergraduate college had been only an hour away, so even then he was going home in times of the full moon.
He arrived just in time for dinner. Although his dad was busy most of the time, he hardly ever missed a meal, and only did so for emergencies. Eating and sharing stories with his family always made him forget about his terrible curse. His only wish was for a mate to love him like his dad loved his mom. It was obvious that she and Minato were made for each other.
"Hey mom, something happened earlier today," he said as they were sitting in his room after dinner. He still had a few more minutes till he would transform. Although Kushina didn't have to be there with him, she always was. When he'd fully transform into a large, orange fox, she'd open the door and let him wander around their large home and secluded backyard. He wasn't allowed to leave their property, nor did he want to. Although he was conscious during his transformations and didn't want to kill anyone, his urge to find a mate would be strongest, and he'd travel anywhere hoping to find that person.
"What?" she asked, her voice slightly rose with worry.
"Oh, it's not bad. Well, I don't think it is, but I think there's something wrong with the sense of smell."
"Like what?" she asked curiously. Naruto picked at his quilt on his bed.
"It seems more sensitive? It's never happened before. It was just really strange."
"Hmm," Kushina tapped her chin thoughtfully, but her eyes seemed hopeful. "Well," she said rather nonchalantly, "what did you smell?"
"Not sure. Like cinnamon, but not really. Maybe a hint of maple too, something sweet, and this other, really odd scent. I can't place it."
"I'm not quite sure, kit, but you know what I always say: your nose will never lead you astray." She giggled and tapped him on the nose. Naruto wanted to say something, but then his body suddenly felt like it was on fire, and the only thing he could think about was that scent and the horrible pain that accompanied loneliness.
The next day, he and Hinata had lunch at the cafeteria. Like himself, she brought lunch to school, but hers was made by gourmet chefs. Naruto preferred his instant ramen bowls.
"Is that good?" she asked curiously as they waited patiently for the three minutes for the ramen to cook. Naruto gasped.
"You mean you've never had this before?"
She blushed. "N-no. My chef has been in my family for as long as I can remember…. My father makes sure my sister and I eat certain foods."
"Hmm? So he controls your diet too? That's no way to live. Here!" He finally ripped off the cover and mixed its contents before he pushed the bowl towards her. "You've had ramen before, right? So just eat it like that. It's my favorite flavor, pork." He picked up some noodles with his chopsticks and held it up for her. Blushing harder, she leaned forward and took a small bite. Naruto watched her expressions excitedly.
"I-it's not bad at all," she said after she swallowed, stuttering from embarrassment. Naruto hardly noticed as he took back his ramen and started eating.
"Ithn't it awethome?" he said through a mouthful of ramen. "Tho good!"
"You talk with you mouth full as well?"
Naruto nearly choked on his mouthful and spent a whole minute coughing his lungs out. What surprised him the most was that even though he'd already experienced the full moon, he could still smell that strange, mysterious scent! Seriously, what kind of cologne did Sasuke use? He could even smell it over the scent of his ramen and other aromatic foods in the cafeteria.
"Don't sneak up on us like that!" Naruto shouted, upset that he'd embarrassed himself in front of Hinata for the tenth time. "What do you want, anyway?"
"Kakashi would like to see you if you have time. That is all."
"He could've just sent me an email…."
Sasuke stared at him a minute longer then walked away as quietly as he'd come. Naruto pouted when he saw that several hot girls were watching him and giggling as he walked past them. What did that bastard have that he didn't?
"You know Hatake-sensei personally?" Hinata asked him.
"No, I don't." Naruto finished his ramen quickly and sighed in contentment. "We should do this again. Same time next week?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, definitely."
Naruto didn't expect to see Sasuke in Kakashi's office as well. He was in another room with several people going over some documents, but Naruto could still smell him even though they were twenty feet away. Maybe it was because Sasuke was there so often that his scent was on everything. Kakashi closed the door leading to the other room and the scent's intensity abated. Naruto sighed in relief.
"How are you doing so far, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, sitting in a chair across from his. Naruto paused from studying his surroundings. Books were lined across the walls and there were some pictures as well.
"Awesome. How about you, Hatake-sensei?"
"You can call me Kakashi. I'm well. Busy, but I can't complain. I suppose you're wondering why you're in here." Naruto nodded. Kakashi stood and walked over to a particular picture hanging on the wall. It was a small 5 by 7 frame, and he took it down and brought it to Naruto. Naruto took the picture and looked at it. His dad was there, standing next to a woman and what looked like a little Kakashi.
"That was taken almost 20 years ago," Kakashi said softly. "Your dad was a lawyer working pro bono for the city. He took our case when no one else would, not even other pro bono lawyers. We couldn't afford anyone at the time."
"What happened?" Naruto asked, intrigued.
"My father had been murdered. He was a cop and was close to arresting the ring leaders of some drug dealing when he was discovered and killed. His partner had betrayed him because he was caught up in that whole mess. Detectives were dirty back then, as were most of the city officials. Your dad was like a savior in those times, and he quickly became the ADA. I know a lot of people hate him, but he's a great man, and I'll be grateful to him forever. He inspired me to become a lawyer and also teach prospective lawyers morality and ethics."
"Does he know you're here?" Naruto asked, in awe of how awesome his father was. Minato didn't like to talk much about when he'd first started practicing, and when he did, he was always very humble about it. Naruto had done his own searching and found how many people his father had brought to justice.
"No, he probably doesn't remember me, which is fine. And I ask that you do not tell him." He took the picture back and replaced it back to where it was. "Never in my life did I think I'd be educating his son, and because I am, I've decided that you're not going to get any special treatment."
"Ehh?" Naruto gulped when he saw the serious look his professor was giving him. "Wh-what do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Sasuke comes from a very strict family of lawyers, and I want to assign him as your tutor. Since he works for me, he has to do what I say…well, most of what I say." Naruto made a face at his professor's questionable statement. "He'll be grading all your work so that I will remain impartial. And although he will be tutoring you, your work will also be graded by other members of my team, who are all very qualified lawyers with a license."
"Wait a minute, sir. I'm not sure this is fair. Aren't there paid graders for these things?"
"Yes, it is fair." The look on Kakashi's face made Naruto clamp his mouth shut. "No man can surpass your father, except for you, perhaps. Although I am positive you can get there on your own, Sasuke is incredibly intelligent, and I am hoping that your shining personality rubs off on him."
"Oh…."
"Although the Uchiha are excellent lawyers, they'll do anything to win." Kakashi sat in his chair and lowered his voice. "I'm very glad that Sasuke has agreed to work for me, but I'm still dissatisfied with the way he handles things, and nothing I say seems to stick. Perhaps this is a big request from you even though we've just met, but I think you both can learn a lot from each other."
Naruto chuckled. "You thought of this in the first two days you've known me?"
Kakashi smiled. "I've known Sasuke for about three years now, but it seems like I've known you for even longer, Naruto."
After more chatting with Kakashi about everything and nothing, they entered the other room where the small group was working. Naruto saw (and smelled, very strongly) Sasuke, as well as another man and one woman. The woman was very pretty – Naruto's type if he would say so. She had long pink and a slim figure underneath her suit. By how close she was sitting to Sasuke, he guessed that they were probably together….
"Shikamaru, Sakura, this is Naruto. He'll be joining us for a short while as Sasuke teaches him a few things."
"Not favoring a student are you?" the brunet with the ponytail groaned. "Last thing we need is a runt to slow us down."
"Hey-!" Naruto shouted indignantly. Sasuke cut him off.
"I never agreed to teach him anything."
"Yes, well, I took the liberty of deciding that for you." Kakashi left and closed the door behind him. Naruto shifted awkwardly as Sasuke and Sakura returned to the pile of paperwork in front of them. Shikamaru gave a loud sigh and pulled out the chair next to him. Naruto eagerly sat down.
"Now, just read these and highlight anything with this phone number. I'm going to get coffee." Shikamaru left without saying another word, and Naruto had the suspicion that he dumped all his work on him and left to go gallivant. Nevertheless, he took the highlighter and the document that the brunet had left open.
"So, are you guys the same age as me?" he asked, trying to break the silence and the tension. He really just wanted to distract himself from Sasuke's scent. How was he ever going to get anything done if all he could concentrate on was how nice the smell was? It was as if his brain didn't want to shut off that particular stimulus, as if it was tell him to do something about it.
"I'm 26," Sakura said without looking up. Naruto's heart sank. She didn't want to give him the time of say.
"Same," Sasuke said after a while. For some odd reason, Naruto was extremely happy that they were talking to him.
"I'll be 26 this year too! October 10!" he said excitedly. "Wow, you guys probably went straight to law school from undergrad huh? I worked and volunteered a bit. It kinda put me behind but it was all really great."
"Sasuke finished undergrad in three and a half years and started law school right after," Sakura said curtly, as she highlighted a passage. Naruto nodded, remembering that he was supposed to highlight as well.
"That's really amazing. I did all four years because I just didn't want to leave, you know?"
"Are you sure it wasn't because you're an idiot?"
Naruto stood and slammed his hands on the table, startling Sakura but not even fazing the dark haired man. "Hey, what's your problem? I'm just trying to be friendly. Haven't you heard of getting along with your coworkers?"
"Being a coworker implies a fair amount of equality among parties," Sasuke said, jotting down notes. Apparently, he had a different job. "Obviously, I'm your superior." He looked up, his dark eyes shining with amusement. "Moron."
Naruto reached over and grabbed the man by the collar of his expensive looking suit, and the intensity of his scent made his head spin. Suddenly, he wanted to peel off the layers of that black suit and rip off the sky blue shirt and get to the skin underneath. Did all of Sasuke smell like this? Why did he want to sink his teeth into the visible column of the other man's pale neck?
"Naruto! Let him go this instant!" Sakura screeched, standing as well. Naruto did so as if he were burned, and he stormed out of the room and office without even looking back. His heart was racing and beads of sweat were forming on his brow. He quickly drove back to his apartment and took a freezing shower as he tried to scrub off the scent that had rubbed onto him from touching Sasuke.
As he walked into Kakashi's class, he was careful to sit as far away from Sasuke as possible. He sat next to a girl in the third row with strong, fragrant perfume. It helped to dull his senses for a while, but he couldn't ignore the fact that Sasuke was still in the room, emitting a very alluring scent. As soon as class was over, he bolted out of the lecture hall and forced himself to study in the library.
Kakashi called him into his office again the following week, right after he met with Hinata for lunch. This time, only Sasuke was in the other room with a pile of books and a laptop. Naruto wanted to turn and run away, but Kakashi forced him to sit down next to the Uchiha.
"I'm not sure what happened last week, but I sincerely hope you will work out your differences." He left into his office and closed the door again. Naruto took out his laptop and started to breathe out of his mouth, hoping that he wouldn't smell Sasuke at all. Unfortunately, he could still taste him. That fact freaked him out even more, and he began take deep breaths through his nose trying in vain to dispel the taste from his tongue.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sasuke asked. Naruto glared at him.
"I swear, you're wearing some kind of strange cologne! What is it?" He tried to reach for Sasuke but Sasuke rolled his chair back.
"I'm not wearing any, idiot! Don't come near me!"
"Do you shower regularly then? There's something wrong with you!"
"No! You've seriously lost your mind!" Sasuke stood and tried to put distance between them, but Naruto got up and followed after him. The dark haired man was about to head for the doors when suddenly it opened and a tall, intimidating figure suddenly appeared. Naruto paused. He'd recognize Uchiha Itachi anywhere – he was extremely famous in the legal circle. The man was also very beautiful, but he also looked extremely upset as he gazed at his younger brother.
"So this is where you've been hiding, little brother," he said, his smooth voice sending chills down Naruto's spine. Naruto stood, frozen, as Sasuke backed away from Itachi, and Itachi closed the doors. "I've been looking for you. Father wants to see you."
"I know. I'm not going to see the old man." Sasuke, once commanding before, looked subdued in the presence of his brother. Naruto grinned, liking the thought of Sasuke submitting. Itachi's gaze suddenly fell on him, and he hesitated before speaking.
"Hi, I'm Naruto," he said. Itachi's gaze shifted to him, and Itachi smiled. Had he always been this charismatic? Why couldn't Sasuke smile like that? Oh that's right, Naruto thought to himself, bastards don't have winning smiles.
"Nice to meet you, Naruto. I'm Itachi. I see you're acquaintances with my little brother?"
"Well, almost," Naruto said, slowly warming up to Itachi's personality. "Should I leave?"
"It's alright. I need to have a word with Kakashi then I'll be back shortly to collect Sasuke." His gaze turned to Sasuke, his eyes hardening slightly. "Don't go anywhere." He turned and left.
Naruto sighed and laughed. "Wow, he's pretty scary."
"Shut up." Sasuke's mood turned foul, and he shoved a chair into the table. Naruto became concerned.
"Hey, take it easy."
"I don't want to see my old man. I hate how Itachi makes me do stupid things like that."
"It's ok. He's your family so –"
"You don't know anything about me, so shut the hell up!"
Naruto flinched but wasn't the least bit intimidated. He approached the other man and carefully touched his elbow. Suddenly it was like he'd known Sasuke for years. Touching him seemed familiar, right. The scent was stronger now, and Naruto wanted to embrace him, to bury his head into Sasuke's neck. The urge was so strong it made his chest ache with longing. What was happening to him?
Oddly enough, Sasuke didn't pull away, and Naruto was truly happy.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly. Sasuke scoffed.
"It's none of your business," replied the dark haired man just as Itachi re-entered.
"Are you going to come with me?" Itachi asked. Sasuke glared at him.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really, but I am doing for you what I can, Sasuke." Itachi sighed, coming closer. Naruto reluctantly released the other man's elbow. "He won't accept you leaving without saying anything."
"What's the worst that can happen?"
"He'll probably disown you, but mother will never let that happen. At least come to her birthday party next month." Sasuke nodded slowly. Itachi smiled and ruffled Sasuke's hair. He looked over at Naruto. "You can come as well. Sasuke doesn't have any friends, and it would make mother happy if she knew Sasuke had made at least one connection."
"What about his girlfriend?"
Itachi started to laugh so hard that even Naruto felt embarrassed for Sasuke. Sasuke kept trying to tell Itachi to shut up but the older man kept laughing. Naruto tried not to smile at Sasuke's pouting face as he glared at his brother.
"He doesn't have a girlfriend?" Naruto repeated, confused. Itachi settled down and poked Sasuke's side, causing the other to flinch and then glare.
"My little brother? No…."
"Everyone is too troublesome, ok? I just want to focus on opening my own firm," Sasuke explained, still glaring at his older brother. Naruto didn't think Sasuke had had such a cute side, a personality that probably only showed up around Itachi. Naruto wanted to see more of it. He wanted to know more about Uchiha Sasuke, and he was determined to do anything to understand him.
"I know, little brother. I'll let you go this time and placate father a little more." His eyes softened. "Come home for mother, at least. She misses you terribly."
"Do you miss me?" he asked quietly. Naruto wasn't even sure he heard correctly until Itachi patted him on the shoulder then poked his forehead.
"You know I do. Visit me as well. I know it's awkward to see Kakashi outside of work, but we'll behave when you come over. See you around, Naruto." Itachi left without a word. Naruto blushed. Itachi and Kakashi were together? He didn't peg either of them as being gay but he didn't care about stuff like that. He was just surprised that their personalities didn't clash. Naruto didn't really think of couples in terms of gender preferences. He'd always told himself that if his mate was a man, then he'd still love and be attracted to him the same amount as he would to a woman. His mother might be upset with the lack of kits but she'd probably still be happy for him.
Kakashi entered with swollen, pink lips and Naruto had to look away. Naruto wasn't a virgin by any means but he didn't want to imagine his professor in a compromising position with another man.
"Well, what are you both waiting for?" he asked, adjusting his tie. "I do believe we have work to do."
A/N: I don't know much about law school... Correction, I don't know ANYTHING about law school. Please feel free to correct me on anything. Flames and reviews are welcome. I'm in unfamiliar territory and would appreciate any criticisms, as long as they are constructive, of course =]