Warning: Eventually, there will be boyxboy. So if you dont like it you can go ahead and click that back arrow in the upper left corner. [:
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto. I'm kinda glad I don't though...'cause if I did, I would eff it up. I've already said this before though. And as you all know, Naruto and all the characters belong to Kishimoto-sensei.
Summary: It was a publicity stunt. Neji broke up with Naruto, but it turns out there was nothing to break in the first place. It was all fake. A lie. Of course, Naruto won't go down so easily. He's going to take down the Hyuuga, and what better way to do that by destroying his career-the only thing that ever seemed to really matter? Naruto will become a better model and ultimately rub it in his stupid face, that is if he can ever get past a certain dark-haired bastard. SasuNaru AU
A/U: This is loosely based on Skip Beat, if you can't already tell by the summary. The plot will change though, alot. It's not too much like it in the beginning, anyways. I hope you like this. Oh, and for those of you who read "The better way" this is not the fic I was talking about that i wanted to post soon. That one is coming probably after thanksgiving. But I love this one just as much. Really long author's note...go ahead and read. [:
Publicity
Prolouge: Stunt
Naruto stared wide eyed as his boyfriend lowered onto one knee in the middle of the open-air café. He reached into the pocket of his dark slacks and pulled out a small black box as the string quartet began a soft melody. Neji slowly opened the box. Nestled in the lavender cushion was a sparkling ring, silver and white gold pieces lined up side by side, making the band of the ring, and sitting in between the two ends, sharply and expertly cut was a clear, shining diamond.
"Naruto…" Neji began in a silken voice. His lavender eyes looked directly into Naruto's. "Will you marry me?"
The blonde's breath caught as he stared unbelieving at the kneeling brunet before him. This couldn't be happening; Impossible. Hyuuga Neji—The Hyuuga Neji, target of most girls in Japan—was asking him to…marry him? It was too good to be true.
A wide grin split his tan face, "Yes…Yes…Yes!"
Neji smiled and slipped the ring onto Naruto's slim finger. He rose to his feet, taking his fiancé into a deep kiss.
Cameras flashed from the shadow of the bushes.
Naruto hummed happily as he walked down the halls of Hyuuga agencies. A bento wrapped in an orange fushigoki cloth was held secured in his arms as if it was his most prized possession—and in a way, it was. It was going to his most important person, after all.
"Hinata-chan!" He called as he saw the dark-haired girl exit her dressing room. She turned, a small smile bringing light to her soft features when her pupil-less grey eyes landed on Naruto. She was dressed in a simple strapless dress that nearly swept the floor, allowing only the tips of her sandaled feet to peak out. A woven wide-brimmed hat sat atop her head, a lavender scarf tied in a bow around the top. Her long black hair cascaded down her back in waves and framed her milky white complexion, cheeks dusted with a light pink. There was no doubt that she was a beauty; the top ranking model amongst the females at Hyuuga agency. Neji, her cousin, dominated the male population, of course.
"Hi, Naruto-kun," she greeted in a quiet voice. Even though she was the best female model, and the heir to the Hyuuga family, the girl was far from outspoken—quite the contrary, actually.
"You look pretty," Naruto commented with a smile, causing the pink on Hinata's cheeks to deepen. "Are you heading for a shoot?"
She nodded.
"Good luck, then. Oh, do you know where Neji is? He wasn't in his usual room,"
"He's in room six, he just finished his morning work," she answered.
"Perfect. Thanks, Hinata," Naruto smiled at the girl and eagerly headed off to the designated room. He had spent all of the previous night and part of the morning preparing the bento for Neji, and after four fails, he had finally got it right. He only hoped Neji hadn't eaten yet.
Naruto stopped before the door marked with a white 'six'. He reached for the door but paused when he noticed it was already slightly ajar and voices spilled out into the hallway.
"Why are you so tired today, anyway?" asked a female, who's voice Naruto recognized to be Neji's manager: Tenten.
The voice that answered could only belong to one Hyuuga Neji. "Because that damn brat kept me up all night," he said with an exasperated sigh.
"Oh? I hope you two didn't wake up the neighbors,"
Neji scoffed. "Like hell. He was in the kitchen all night banging pots and pans. He's lucky he's not fat, considering the way he eats—though I have noticed some extra pounds lately…And besides that, he is such a slob. When I woke up this morning he was asleep in the kitchen surrounded by the mess he had made,"
"How cute," Tenten said. "Did the ever cross your mind that he was making your lunch? He makes those things for you all the time, even though it's pretty pointless since you always throw it away—"
"You expect me to eat that? You've got to be kidding. It's full of fat and it tastes like shit,"
"Stop being so over dramatic," she said. Then muttered, "I swear you're such a girl sometimes,"
"I'm serious," Neji stated. "He's good for nothing. He can't cook, can't clean, the only reason he has a job is because he is kind of good looking and the only reason he is keeping it is because of me,"
Naruto stood motionless outside the door; a stunned expression froze on his face and the bento hanging limply from his fingers. Inside, Neji slumped onto the couch beside Tenten.
"If you hate him so much, why are you still with him?" she asked. "You never did tell me,"
"The publicity," He groaned. "People were apparently starting to lose interest, so some idiot came up with the idea of me dating. I needed someone within the agency, but not someone to popular who had the possibility to over-shadow me. That was around the time he started working here. He fit the criteria so we started dating and then came the even brighter idea of us getting engaged," He rolled his eyes. "The profits and ratings are up, but I doubt it's worth having to be with him 24/7,"
"So, are you really going to marry him?"
Neji let out something like a sarcastic laugh, "Hardly. The plan is to dump him next month—if I can even last that long,"
"I kind of feel bad for him, though. I mean, he thinks it's real. He's obviously in love with you," said Tenten.
"Don't give that thing your sympathy, he doesn't deserve it. He's an idiot, he's annoying, and he has been following me around like a dog ever since we got 'engaged'," Neji smirked, pulling Tenten into his lap. "Besides, you're much better than him,"
Neji froze just as he began to lean in for a kiss, feeling a murderous aura coming from the door. He cautiously turned, only to be faced with the solid black wood that was the closed door. That is until said wood was knocked down with a crash and in the vacant spot stood a vehement blonde.
"…Naruto?" Neji said hesitantly, his voice an octave higher in what was presumably fear. He cleared his throat and asked in his usual, 'I'm-better-than-everyone-and-everybody-else-is-inferior' tone, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be downstairs working?"
When Naruto remained silent, Neji's gaze slid down to the bento that was being held in the blonde's trembling hand. "Oh, did you bring me my lunch?"
"Why would you want to eat this shit?" Naruto murmured hardly above a whisper.
Neji froze. "W-What?"
"You're just going to dump it anyway."
…Shit.
Still, he tried to play it cool. "What are you talking about, Naru? Have you—"
"Don't play stupid, Neji. That's my job, remember?" Naruto said in a cold, flat voice that seemed unfit for the petite blonde, but at the same time suited him perfectly.
Neji opened his mouth to speak but before he could do so, a bento was being flung across the room toward him at an unnatural speed. Neji let out a girlish scream and ducked behind Tenten, leaving his manager to fend for herself. She held up a hand to shield her face, resulting in the small bento smashing against her wrist and undoubtedly fracturing something. As it clattered to the floor, the fushigoki came undone and the broken bento, along with its contents, spilled to the floor. The carpet was covered in a thick mound of rice, seaweed, and assortment of fillings—in the end, Naruto had only been able to make onigiri, but even those turned out a bit deformed. Neji quickly got off the couch and retreated to the opposite wall, as far away from his violent 'fiancé' as possible.
This couldn't be Naruto—Neji wouldn't believe it. The person who stood before him now was not the same blonde who he had been with for the past year. This person was completely different—an otherworldly creature. Killer intent radiated off of him in crashing waves, his body shook with unsatisfied hate. Something about the man before him brought a feeling mostly unknown to Neji—was it…fear?
But when the blonde shifted slightly, and his bangs swayed to the side, Neji caught a glimpse of his eyes; the beautiful, doe eyes. Azure orbs filled with hurt, saddened hate, and despair—almost to the point of over flowing. Whatever feeling he had felt before was vanished, and Neji swelled with a newfound confidence. Yes, this was the same person he knew. The person he had wrapped around his finger, which he could control and move to his will. The person he could ultimately crush.
"So it was all a lie?" questioned Naruto.
Neji smirked, straightening up. "You're not as stupid as you look,"
"H…How could…?" he started, choking on the words.
"I needed someone and you were the only decent option," he shrugged. "Easy,"
Naruto said nothing, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
"Don't act surprised. You couldn't honestly think that someone like me would love someone like you. Fate has something much greater in store for me," Neji said with a toss of his hair, looking down at the trembling blonde.
"Well I actually like to eat, instead of starving myself. I'm sorry I'm an idiot and not some rich prick who think he knows everything. And I'm sorry my I don't come from a line of prestigious assholes," Naruto spat.
The brunet narrowed his pale eyes at him. "Watch your mouth you ungrateful shit. You should be thanking me, the only reason a few people know your name is because of me; because you're with me. The little publicity stunt worked out for the both of us, it's not like you have any real talent, anyway,"
Naruto stalked toward the man, head low, bands falling askew and casting a shadow across his eyes. Neji merely looked at him with condescending eyes, unaffected by the shorter man—even enjoying it some extent. That is until said shorter man punched him square in the face with all the strength he possessed.
A/U: So how was it? I hope you all enjoyed it, as much as I liked writing it. Though some of the dialouge was a bit hard for me to write...I'm sorry if there are any grammatical errors toward the end, I didn't get to edit that part because in about twenty minutes I am going on a road trip to chicago and I still haven't finished packing. Eheh.
Reviews make me update WAY faster. Really, they do. So review! (You see that? I even rhymed for you guys. that should make you want to review even more).
Ja