For Better or Worse

Part 1

Reading guide

Italic - thoughts

"Normal speech"

'Quoted speech, words '

NOTE: I have decided to edit/re-write this story. Not everything is going to change, but just a few things to suit the direction of which I have decided to take this plot to. Some of you have already read part of this story. So if you don't want to bother going all over it again that's fine. And if you have any questions just drop me a line and I will try my best to answer it.

For those reading it for the first time, this story is set in the same world as my other story titled DADDY LEFT US an Itanaru, if you are interested. . Neji and Sasuke are featured in that story.

You don't have to read it to understand this story. The only thing I can point out is that some situations in the story that are the same as in DADDY LEFT US are in different character's perspective. This is mainly Sasuke and Itachi. For example, if something happened that affected both Itachi and Sasuke in DADDY LEFT US, it would be in Itachi's perspective in that story and in this story For Better or Worse; it would be in Sasuke's perspective

How does one know that they are in love? Are there bells to signal that you are in love? Is there such a thing as love at first sight? Is there such a thing as fate? Or better yet, do you believe in fate? Some say fate controls our destinies… and the most important of all is, do you believe in second chances?

Neji glanced in the mirror for a final check; he wanted to look his best for his job interview. Most of all, he wanted to look good for the one person who had managed to steal his heart at first sight. After all, that person was the reason he had decided to apply to that company. Besides that, that person was part of the reason he had had to start from scratch with his life…

Neji wore a brown suit with a white shirt and a white tie. Black shoes complemented the look effortlessly. His long dark brown hair was in a loose but smart tie at the back. He looked like he'd just sauntered out of those romance movies.

He picked up all the documents required for the interview. He made his way out of his apartment. The apartment was homely; after what had gone on with his family… Neji had found an apartment away from his family's mansion. It was far enough for him not to bump into them when he needn't to. But also close enough that he could get there if he was needed. Even though he didn't speak with his family; to be specific, his uncle, he still had responsibilities. Well hopefully this job would be permanent, and then he would settle down and fulfil his responsibilities without bothering his cousins.

His apartment had a single bedroom, a bathroom which accommodated a bathtub and a shower cubical. A toilet was separated from the bathroom. He had a living room with a cream corner sofa and a coffee table in between the sofa and an average sized flat screen TV. The cream sofa wasn't hard to maintain since he had no children to worry about them jumping on them with their little dirty feet or them dropping ice cream on it. Next to the living room was a room which had one section a kitchen and the other a dining area.

He walked to his black Mercedes. And he started off to the interview.

This was not his first job. After graduating high school, Neji had worked as a bodyguard for a while just to rebuild his life's foundation after being disowned by his family…

Neji parked his car and got out. He looked up at the large tall building. He was terribly nervous for various reasons. However, the interview was not one of the reasons. Neji had already had the main interview a day before. His interviewer had been Uchiha Itachi. Uchiha Itachi had been the one holding the interview because he was the main president and his little brother was just starting out in the business hence the interview. The younger Uchiha had just been given authority for part of the Uchiha business so he was in great need of an assistant.

Neji had been successful in his interview. Nonetheless he had been told that he would get his job after having a brief informal chat with the younger Uchiha. Guess that was fair considering how things had gone in the past.

So here he was, in front of the building that contained one of the rooms which had the younger Uchiha by the name of Uchiha Sasuke. He began questioning his decision of applying to the Uchiha business.

Maybe I should just turn around right now. He thought.

His heart was beating furiously with anticipation and fear of what would occur if he were to go into the building. He badly wanted to see the one person who had hunted him for the past four years. He couldn't take it anymore. He had heard on the TV that the younger Uchiha was back in Japan from where ever he had disappeared to for four years. Despite knowing that Sasuke was back, Neji had no idea how things would go between them; he didn't know how to approach Sasuke. Then as if guided by some great power, Neji happened upon an advertisement about the Uchiha Company recruiting for an assistant position. Neji had jumped at the opportunity.

He wondered if Sauke would accept him as his assistant after what had happened between them.

No. this is the risk I have to take. He encouraged himself. In any case, the worst thing that could happen was the younger Uchiha not accepting him for the job.

Neji strolled through the automatic sliding door of the building to the reception desk.

Uchiha Sasuke sighed for the…well he wasn't counting how many times he had been sighing.

He had just moved out of the Uchihas' main and biggest mansion which was now his brother's to his own mansion. He had to live on his own now.

He had just come back from England two weeks ago. And Sasuke held responsible for being morose on jet lag. Did it last that long? Oh well. Just when he'd thought that things couldn't get any worse, his brother had called him last night to tell him that someone who had been successful in the interview to be his assistant was coming in to have his 'okay' to get the job.

Itachi had said something like,

"You won't have a problem making your decision since you already know this person"

Sasuke had asked to have more information on the person but Itachi had simply answered with an "even though you don't need the information now, I will send it in on the email tomorrow before the person comes."

Well that was helpful. Sasuke had thought dejectedly after putting the phone down. Really, his brother loved to torture him.

Sasuke placed his elbows on his office desk. He leaned his head on his intertwined hands and stared at the computer's screen. The first thing that Sasuke had done when he had walked into his office was check his emails. He had felt his stomach churn with nerves when he had realised that his brother hadn't sent the email. He had made an immediate call to his brother and his brother had responded with,

"Sasuke, in case you don't know, I am a very busy man."

And Sasuke had retorted with,

"Brother, I have to know what to expect. What if I mess up?"

To which his brother had scolded him with,

"Sasuke if you can't handle one person, then maybe it's a bit too early for you to take charge of part of the business, If you are going to depend on me all the times then I might as well not let you take charge."

That had nothing to do with Sasuke knowing more about the person before meeting them. He knew his brother was just in a bad mood, which he seemed to be in lately since he had met that person at the party. Nonetheless Sasuke still felt angry at his brother for treating him like a kid. He had cut the phone call in anger; noting to himself to apologize for it before his brother called him on it.

The person was coming any minute now, and he had no idea what to expect. Sasuke had always been bad with meeting new people. Even in high school, there was only one person who had forcefully become close to him. That one person was Hyuuga Neji.

He shook his head to rid his mind of the memories which that name triggered.

Hyuuga Neji.

Sasuke was glad they never met again after their high school graduation party. What had happened that night was something Sasuke had deemed it "of which you never speak of" as long as he never meets him again that is.

Sasuke almost jumped out of his desk chair when the phone rang. He had been utterly immersed in the thoughts that he so much refused to acknowledge about the night of his high school graduation. The phone had snapped him out of it.

He wasn't certain whether to thank the phone call for the disruption of his unwanted reminiscing or be frightened of the call. That call meant the person he was supposed to meet was here; the person who his brother had said he already knew.

Who could it be?

To have the answer to that he had to answer that phone call.

"Uchiha-san, you have a guest." said a voice of the receptionist on the other side of the phone.

"Send them up to my office." Sasuke replied and set the phone back down.

He began a countdown in his mind. Childish as it was, Sasuke couldn't help himself.

The elevator dinged, signalling his last stop. He walked out of the elevator and headed for the younger Uchiha's office; he had been given directions by the pink haired receptionist.

Was that hair natural?

Neji shook his head; the pink hair issue was not his biggest priority at that moment. He was about to see the person he had been longing for, for the past four years.

He was at the door.

Sasuke's mental countdown was cut short by a knock on the door to his office. He sighed and responded with a,

"Come in."

The moment the door opened Sasuke felt like time stood still.

"Hello Sasuke. Long-time no see." Neji greeted him in a husky bedroom voice. Well it was similar to what he could recall; not that it was hard to.

No way. Was the only thought that popped in his mind.

TBC