Hello! This is my first real attempt to create a fan fiction, and I hope you like it. I always appreciate constructive criticism - but not just blind hatred. I honestly don't care how much you detest a specific character, and I'm not going to adjust my story to get rid of reduce the presence of a character you dislike. Period.

Now, without further ado, let's get on with the first chapter of- An Unexpected Reunion.


Beep! Beep! Beep!

He groans. With practiced swiftness, his hand slams down on the alarm clock, snoozing it in an instant. He knows that he should get up - brush his teeth, eat breakfast, get ready for work, that kind of thing, but he honestly just cannot find the energy. Five more minutes - that's all he needs, and then he can get up, for sure.

He flips over in his bed, closes hie eyes, and drifts back off to sleep.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Argh..." With poorly concealed venom, he silences his alarm clock once more, nearly breaking it beneath the weight of his irritation.

He definitely did not want to go to work today. Or any day for that matter. Day after day of listening to people's problems, hour after hour of prescribing medicines that only had idiots coming back, begging for more.

Fuck. Why did he become a psychiatrist again? He wasn't really sure ... whatever.

He goes through his daily routine. He peels off his pajamas - a white tank top and some blue sweatpants - and walks into the bathroom in just a pair of navy boxers. It takes him a moment to brush his teeth quickly, but after he's done, he strips off his boxers, turning on the shower and stepping into it.

The cold water jolts him awake, but soon it warms and a satisfied sigh spills from his lips as steam begins to fill the shower. He lives for moments like these, when he could just sit back and... think. Think about life, about what he would do once he finally clocked out of his job at six o'clock, after nearly twelve straight hours of work. Monday through Thursday, every day for the past two years ever since he had gotten his degree from college and finally found a place to work.

It truly was a grueling job... but even with all the complaints he had about it, he still loved it. He loved everything about it - minus the people, naturally. The intricacies of the human mind, peeling back layer upon layer of everybody from the average joe to the most deranged of psychopaths - it was fascinating, really. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Riiiinnnggg!

Another groan spills from his lips. He'd allowed his mind to drift - and already, the warm water was running out, being replaced with a searing cold that cut through his skin and chilled him to the bone. He finishs washing himself swiftly, and steps out of the bathroom several minutes later clad in only a white towel.

The phone is still ringing once he gets out, apparently whoever was calling when he had been in the shower hadn't stopped calling. That meant it could only be one person...

He picks up the phone, pressing the piece to his ear. "... Tenten?" he murmurs into the speaker.

"Where the hell are you?!"

He grimaces.

"I just got out of the shower." he says. "I overslept a bit... don't worry, I'll be on time, I promise."

A huff comes from the other end of the speaker. "Hurry up, mister." she grumbles into the phone, her voice chipped and stern. "This is the third time you've been late in two weeks, honestly, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing." he replies, just a little too quickly. He silently berates himself. "I'll see you in a bit, Tenten."

"Goodbye, Sasuke."Click.

Sasuke sighs, pressing his fingers to his forehead and rubbing it absentmindedly in a vain attempt to push down the headache that was slowly building up in his mind. Now he remembered why he hated his job... his fucking annoying secretary that the company he was licensed to insisted on giving him. He was technically, an independent psychiatrist - but the vast majority of his clients came from said company, a large conglomerate based in the city, and he couldn't afford to displease them. Thus, he had Tenten.

She wasn't that annoying, he supposed, going about his apartment, getting dressed. Just a little... zealous about the whole work thing. She was much more entertaining to be around when she had a shot or two of sake in her, though that was a rare occasion. Other than the whole pressing down his neck thing, she was... okay, at the very least Thankfully, she was married, so she didn't lust after him like half of the girls in the city did, that was certainly a plus.

He dresses simply- a nice, blue button-down shirt. A pair of grey slacks, a pair of black shoes that shine in the sunlight that drifts through his window. He completes the image with a simple black coat draped around his shoulders, and he looks at himself approvingly in the mirror.

It always helped to dress to impress in a field that required him to interact with people all day. He may hate spending time with most (all) people, but it didn't mean he wasn't going to look his best while he was busy hating the people around him.

Sasuke steps out of his apartment a few moments later, locking the door behind him with a refined diligence. He whistles a tune - one he had learned when he was young - as he walks, going down several flights of stairs until he reaches the lobby of his apartment complex. He gives a nod to the doorman as he steps throug the doors and out into the city street, a cold wind blasting him in the face as soon as he does so.

He quickly hails a taxi. Pulling the door open, he slides into the backseat, a sigh of relief spilling from his lips as the warm air of the taxi floods him.

"Where to?" the taxi driver asks him.

"Block fifty-two." he replies.

The drive is short, thankfully, after all, most people weren't even out of his bed this early, let alone on their way to work. He hands the driver his fare as he stops on the street he worked on, and he quickly heads towards his office building. Throwing the door open, he heads up several flights of stairs, brushing past aquitances and strangers alike before he stops in front of a door. Pushing it open, a picture of himself, covering up an entire wall, greets him - the words 'Akimoto Sasuke, professional psychiatrist.' emblazoned next to his stern image.

Tenten smiles at him, a phone to her ear as her fingers typed on a keyboard. She sat behind a desk - the door to his office right beside him, and several benches within the area so his patients could wait if they were to show up early. "Cutting it a little close there, aren't you, Sasuke?" she says cheekily, smirking at him.

He glares at her, cutting past her and pulling his door open. He steps inside, dropping onto his couch. He glances up at his clock... he had little more than five minutes to go before his first patient was to show up, he really had gotten there just in the nick of time.

Five minutes later, and he can hears the door outside open. "Are you hear to see Akimoto-san?" Tenten's eerily sweet voice comes in through the door. She always puts on a good mask to greet the customer - nearly a polar opposite to her actual personality, but it definetely made the patients, often very troubled people, feel better.

"Yes." a woman's voice replies.

"Good. He's just through that door - make sure you close it behind you on your way in."

The door opens, and a woman steps in. She's no older than twenty - with short, close cropped brown hair and matching brown eyes. She is clad in a simple green dress, a brown jacket wrapped around her thin frame and a lime colored purse dangling from her arm.

"You are Araki Aiko, correct?" Sasuke asks, standing up and extending his hand.

"I am." the woman replies, catching his hand and shaking it firmly. "Y-you're Akimoto Sasuke?" She looks him up and down - as a tiger might examine its prey.

"You got me. Nice to meet you," Sasuke says, sitting down. "Now, Araki-san..." he begins, directing her to sit beside him on the couch. "I understand things have been very... difficult, in your life ever since your divorce. Now, I recommend..."


"You want to go across the street with me for lunch?" Tenten asks him, holding the door open as she peers inside. He's sprawled out on the couch, his head hidden in the cushions. He was dead tired - already, he'd been badgered by six girls who wanted nothing more than to look at him as if he was an appetizing meal. It was unbelievably tiring.

"No." he replies, voice muffled. "I'm going to take a quick nap. Wake me up when you're back."

"Alright." Tenten says, closing the door. He can hear her footsteps slowly drift off, until he's left in complete and utter silence - only interrupted by the occasional honk from the street below. He groans, pushing himself off of the couch and onto his feet.

Walking to the back, he pulls out a 'hidden' bottle of aspirin, popping two of the white pills into his mouth and swallowing them with the help of a small sip from a bottle of water he always kept in his office. Striding over to his windows, he closes the blinds, darkening the room sufficiently. He was all ready to take a well needed nap - but of course, the idiot had to go ruin his free time... just like usual.

His phone buzzes in his pocket. Pulling it out, he turns the screen on, frowning at the contents of the message. 'yo, u up 2 go 2 yugaos 2nite?'

'Dammit, Naruto.' he thinks. Of course the idiot would want to go out and party - the blonde, for the first time in nearly three years, had taken a vacation, and thus had nearly two weeks free to do anything and everything. And, as a result, he had been harassed day in and day out for the past week to go to a variety of different night clubs that he despised, or pressured to go to restaurants with the blonde, usually so Sakura would be willing to go as well. It was irritating - so irritating, he definitely didn't want to go...

... then again, a bit of actual socializing sounded really nice right now. Naruto always had a knack for cheering him up from the deepest of depressions, although he never admit it to the blonde.

Oh well, he might as well go. What did he have to lose?

He quickly replies. 'Sure. When?'

The text reply comes within a minute. '8. i'll pick u up from ur apartment'

He knew he was going to regret this, but... whatever.

For some reason, even after several minutes of trying, he can't get to sleep - he can barely even close his eyes. Instead, he spends the rest of his lunch break coming up with a strategy for his next two clients, one plagued with constant suicidal thoughts and the other a recent victim of a mugging, and he successfully manages to push Naruto and the night club to the back of his mind.


"Bastard!" Naruto greets him cheerfully, quickly pulling the raven haired professional into a hug. With short blonde hair, a passion for the college orange, and a store of energy that couldn't ever be exhausted, Naruto was one of, if not the worst people he had the pleasure to call his friend.

His friend since middle school, he couldn't really complain - even if he dreaded every moment of company he spent with the Uzumaki. He owed him too much to complain.

"Naruto." he replies, letting himself be wrapped into the hug. It was pointless to struggle, he knew, and he knew it was completely platonic... hopefully, at least. "Who else is coming?" he asks.

"Uhh... Sakura-chan said she'd come if you came," Naruto says, a pink flush to his cheeks. "I think she's bringing Hinata. Ino and Sai are supposed to be coming too."

Sasuke purses his lips together. "Alright." he says. "Give me a few minutes to finish getting ready, and we can go." He turns to leave, but something quickly hits him. "Naruto, don't. Touch. Anything. Got it?" Sasuke says, obsidian eyes burning into Naruto's azure ones.

"Alright, alright..." Naruto says, hands raised in an appeasing manner. "Chill out. You act like I'd be able to destroy your house in five minutes anyways."

"I wouldn't be surprised..." Sasuke murmurs, heading to his room.

He dresses swiftly, pulling on a green t-shirt and a pair of dark, black pants. He combs his hair - in vain, of course, no matter how much he tried, it would never stop spiking up - and cleans his face with small splashes of water from the sink.

Crash! He winces.

"Sorry!" Naruto's voice comes from his living room, the blonde sounding obviously apologetic. "Just tripped - don't worry, I'll- I'll leave you some money to replace it!"

"Fuck you!" he calls into the living room, grabbing his jacket off his bed.

"I deserve that!"

Sasuke walks out to find Naruto hurriedly dumping pieces of a vase into the trash, using a broom and a pan he had pulled out from under the sink. The blonde had obviously been snooping around, for whatever reason, cushions were moved, and he had obviously bumped into various pieces of furniture judging by the bruises forming on his shins, easily visible because of the shorts he was wearing.

"You're an idiot." he says sternly, glaring at the blonde as he drops the last glass shard into the garbage can.

"Yeah, yeah, you still love me." Naruto replies, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "You ready to go get wasted?"

Sasuke sighs. "Should I kick your ass now or wait until later?" he asks, giving the blonde a blank look as they exit his apartment. He locks the door behind him, and they begin their descent down the stairs.

"Eh, let's say you wait until later, huh?" Naruto says, giving him a grin full of anxiety. "It's not like that vase was that important, right?"

"Your mom gave me that for my twentieth birthday."

"..."

"..."

"... oh."

"Yeah... 'oh'."

They remain silent until they're safely in Naruto's car. It was a bright orange Mercedes that Naruto absolutely adored - he had some weird fascination with German cars, and nearly every car he'd ever owned had been German in origin. Sasuke still wasn't sure why Naruto bothered owning a car at all, traffic in the city was hectic at the best of times, and it was generally easier to walk where you were going, or catch a taxi instead of driving there.

"So, we're going to Yugao's? Where's that, down near block thirty?" Sasuke asks once they're inside, slamming the door shut behind him. Naruto grins, sliding the car into drive and pulling out onto the road, his fingers thumping on the steering wheel with obvious excitement.

"Yeah!" he says with enthusiasm, blue eyes sparkling. "I hear they're have a special there today - buy two rounds of shots get another one free! What more could a guy want, am I right?"

Sasuke chuckles lightly. "You're getting a little too excited over alcohol, Naruto." he chastises gently. "Are Sakura and the others meeting us there?" he asks.

"Yeah." Naruto replies, stopping at a red light. "We should be pretty early, we aren't supposed to be there until six thirty after all." He sighs. "This traffic's fucking killin' me, though." he mutters, honking his horn. "Hurry the hell up you jackass!" he yells out his open window at the car ahead of him, which had yet to go forward even though the light had turned green.

Sasuke shakes his head. The blonde had no patience - the light hadn't been green for more than a split second for kami's sake.

They pull into the club's parking lot, and he can see the others waiting for them. Sakura was clad in a simple red dress that seemed to sparkle in the moonlight - immedately transfixing Naruto as he and Sasuke got out of the car. Hinata and Ino wore matching purple dresses, although Ino's was a little (read: much) shorter than the pale eyed girl's was. Sai stood to the side of Ino, linked hand in hand with the blonde bombshell as she waved at the pair striding towards them.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto!" Sakura calls, waving at them.

The pair walk up to them, and Naruto immediately engulfs Sakura in a hug - which she returns. "It's been a while, Sakura-chan!" the blonde says, grinning at her. His sparkly white teeth gleam in the night, bright enough to blind anybody within a five feet radius.

"It really has, Naruto." the pink haired woman says, laughing softly. "How've you been?"

"Good." Naruto replies.

"And you, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura says, turning to the black haired male.

"Fine." he grumbles.

"So," Ino speaks up. "You guys ready to get in or not?" she says, rubbing her hands together excitedly. "I haven't gone out in foooreeever! I am ready to parrr-taay!"

"Calm down, Ino-buta." Sakura says, smirking lightly. "We'll go inside in a minute... Naruto and Sasuke-kun literally just got here, I'm sure they want a moment to rest before we head in."

"Oh, shove it, forehead." Ino rebuffs, folding her arms over her bust. "Don't you guys want to go inside? Sai? Naruto? Sasuke-kun?"

"W-we have all night to go inside, Ino-san." Hinata says meekly, her black hair hiding her eyes as she looks down, gaze fixated on the asphalt. "I-is it really worth fighting over?"

Ino - and Sakura - both melt underneath the Hyuuga's undeniable cuteness. "Of course not!" they both gush, rushing up to comfort the shy woman.

"We weren't fighting we were just... having a discussion!" Ino says.

"Yeah!" Sakura agrees, grinning nervously.

Sasuke sighs, shoving his hands into his pocket. "Why do I hang out with you guys again?" he voices, his dark eyes staring up at the starry sky, a distant expression on his face.

"Put a sock in it, Sasuke!" Naruto calls, already on his way inside of the club unbeknownst to anybody in the party- considering half of them had been focused on Hinata and the other half hadn't really cared.

"Well, I guess we're going inside." Sakura murmurs, putting a hand on her hip. "Come on guys - it's time to have our first night out in what... two months? Three?"

"Four." Ino supplies helpfully. "Kami, I missed this. Work sucks, soooo much - I can't wait until I'm old and wrinkly and don't have to do anything besides sit around all day and take care of my cats." she says as they walk into the club/restaurant hybrid.

"We should enjoy our youth while we have it!, Ino-buta!" Sakura yells behind her, already in the club and following Naruto to the bar. "What's the point of being young and hot - at least in my case - if we can't enjoy it?"

"Yeah, you've got a point I guess." Ino yells back. Sai and Sasuke follow behind her, and soon all five of them find their way to a booth

Sakura slides her way in first, and Naruto (predictably) slides in just beside her. Sasuke sits beside him while Hinata, Ino and Sai all find their places directly across the booth from them.

"Should we eat first or dance?" Ino asks the table, blue eyes daring, just daring them to say 'eat first'.

Sasuke sighs. He hated this place especially - it was a dual-pronged nightmare, with irritating music, an equally irritating atmosphere, annoying patrons and terrible food. It was some sort of awful hybrid club that had gotten popular in the city over the past few years: you go in, grab a table, order some food, dance a bit, knock back a few shots and have a good time... at least, that was the theory. Most of the time, at least for him, it ended up being an awful night all around.

'Fuck.' he thinks. 'I should have just gone to bed.'

"Come on, it wouldn't hurt to grab a quick bite to eat before we go out on the floor." Sakura presses. "I'd kill for a hamburger right now, or maybe a turkey sub." she murmurs, rubbing her stomach in anticipation.

Naruto's grin grows even wider. "You are the perfect woman..." he almost whispers, his face flushed the same color as Sakura's hair. Sakura rolls her eyes at him, unable to hide the small smile on her face. Sasuke frowns.

The waitress comes by several moments later, a notepad in hand and a lusty look in her eyes as she catches sight of Sasuke and Naruto - both obviously single, especially compared to Sai, who was currently making out with Ino in the booth, an obviously uncomfortable Hinata blushing at the sight right next to her. "What drinks do you guys want?" the waitress asks.

"Bring us a round of shots!" Sakura says cheerfully, beaming widely. "Actually... make that two, no three!"

"Can I get a coke?" Sasuke interjects. "I can't drink too much tonight - I've got work tomorrow." Not to mention he was probably just going to slip out of here as soon as he could.

"Ugh... you're such a killjoy, Sasuke." Naruto says, playfully socking him in the shoulder. "Bring us a bottle of sake, would you?" Naruto tells the waitress. "Best kind you got - oh, and be sure to bring a couple of those... uh... what are they called?" He snaps his fingers, biting his lips as he racks his brain. "Oh, yeah! Bring a couple of those tangerines you guys got here! Man, I love those things!" His azure eyes flash with excitement, and Hinata giggles quietly.

The waitress smiles, writing down the orders on her notepads "I'll be back with your drinks in a minute." she says. "And your... uh, tangerines." She turns, walking away from the table and leaving them to their own devices.

"So, how was work, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura shouts over the sounds of the club - and of course, the sounds of Ino and Sai borderline groping each other not feet away from them.

"Tiring." he replies. "A bunch of idiots with problems that aren't that serious, but begging for me to prescribe every drug in the market for them to get rid of their 'troubles'." Sasuke groans, shaking his head. He bites his lip. "How was the hospital, Sakura?" he asks, his voice carrying easily over the obnoxious music the DJ was playing.

"Great!" she says, grinning from ear to ear. "I can't get enough of it - saving lives, helping people... it's great, so great!"

"That's awesome, Sakura-chan!" Naruto interrupts. "Now... why don't you guys ask me how my job is going?"

Sakura and Sasuke sigh in unison, dark shadows falling over both of their faces. "What is it?" they say simultaneously.

"I got a promotion!" Naruto nearly yells (nearly being an understatement). Several people in the nearby tables turn towards them, eyes filled with curiosity, and Naruto grins sheepishly until they all turn away. "I got a promotion!" he says, quieter this time. "I'm going to get something like five, ten extra grand a year." He rubs the back of his head, grinning widely. "I might be able to get that new car I've always wanted!"

"That's g-great, Naruto-kun." Hinata says, smiling softly at him. "Why did they decide to promote you? You haven't been working there very long, I'd of t-thought it'd be a little longer before you w-went up in the ranks."

"Well, I kicked ass in negotiations with this one rival business." he boasts, his grin turning absolutely feral. "I made those idiots look like - well, idiots, and I swindled them out of a bunch o' money. H.R. liked my performance so much... well, yeah, they ended up promoting me. It was awesome!"

Sakura smirks. "Well," she says, failing to hide her snicker. "I guess we know who's going to pay the tab tonight." A devious look crosses her face as she and Sasuke exchange a glance.

"Yea-!" Naruto says, before freezing. "Wait! No, it's- it's not that much extra money I'm getting...!" He says hurriedly trying to explain himself. "I- I can't pay for everybody!" he insists. "I-I-"

"What happened to that 'extra five, ten grand' you were getting?" Sakura says sweetly, her smirk only widening. "Would you really the value of a car over your friends?"

"Serves you right for bragging." Sasuke says, a flicker of amusement running through his dark eyes. Naruto deflates, putting his head on the table. Hinata gives him a sympathetic look, but even she can admit he was acting a little braggadocious.

The waitress comes back - a platter full of shot glasses in her hand, and she quickly distributes the shots around the table. She drops the cup of coke in front of Sasuke, giving him a small wink before turning around and heading to another table.

Sasuke takes small sips from his glass of coke, his face blank as the conversation ripples and flows between his friends. He wasn't very much of a talker - although he occasionally made some inputs, mostly when Naruto was making an idiot of himself. Actually, scratch that, exclusively when he was making an idiot of himself... which was often, admittedly.

Ino and Sai move to the dance floor soon after their done with their drinks, and Sakura and Naruto soon follow.

"You going with them?" he asks Hinata, draining the last of his third glass of coke before dropping the glass onto the table with a light thud. He'd been glancing at his phone every so often, but he'd mostly been busying himself by going over the dozens of different types of therapy there were.

She shakes her head. "N-no." she murmurs, head bowed. "I'm not a very good dancer... and, and I-I don't want to get into their way." She frowns. "W-why?" she says, looking up. "Where are you going, Akimoto-san?"

"To work." he replies simply.

Her mouth forms a small 'O' of understanding. "I-I'll tell the others that you're leaving." she says.

He nods, glancing at his watch. He frowns - it's already around ten o'clock... they'd gotten there around eight thirty and yet it felt as if they've been there for only about ten minutes. Time sure flew by... it would probably take him half an hour to get home from the club, and his first appointment was at six in the morning. He really, really couldn't afford to be late to another appointment, especially with that damn witch Tenten breathing down his neck. Just another excuse to go home early, he supposed.

"See you." he says, pulling out his wallet and dropping a few notes onto the table.

Hinata nods, looking down at her untouched shot glasses with a solemn expression on her face. Sasuke walks past her, and soon he's out of the club - the night wind blowing through his hair and forcing him to retreat even deeper into his coat. He zips it up, his teeth chattering lightly against the cool air.

The walk home is quiet. He doesn't bother hailing a cab, it's still relatively early, and he really does enjoy walking through the city. It was one of his pet peeves, the gentle sounds of the night surrounding him as he walks block after block. It truly was a nice city - and he loved it very deeply, despite it not having been there for more than a couple of years.

He steps into his empty apartment not forty minutes later. He shakes off his coat, tossing it onto the couch and slipping off his shoes, which he discards by the door. He glances at the place where his vase sits, well sat, and he silently reminds himself to kill Naruto the next time he saw the blonde.

His phone rings.

He takes it out, flipping it open and pressing it to his ear. "Yeah?" he asks.

"Sorry to bother you so late, Sasuke." Tenten says from the other end of the line, her voice soft.

"It's not a problem." he says. "What do you need?"

She winces. "You see... you're gonna have to clock another hour or two tomorrow."

Sasuke frowns, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. "And why is that?" he asks, his voice eerily blank. He hated working longer hours, he absolutely hated it... and Tenten knew that. He wasn't angry at her - he knew that if she was making him work longer hours, there would be a good reason for it.

"One of my company's biggest clients got into a car wreck the other day." she says. "The man himself is fine, but his wife has been... unsettled as of late, to say the least."

"What's her problem?" Sasuke asks.

"The client believes his wife is suffering from a mild form of PTSD." Tenten replies. "Now... this is important, Sasuke, I cannot stress this enough. This guy - he is a big honcho, and we can't, and I mean can't afford to piss him off."

Sasuke sighs into the phone. "I better be getting paid overtime for this." he grumbles.

Tenten chuckles. "Don't worry, you will." I've met her, the client's wife- and she's really nice, you'll like her, don't worry. You'll see her tomorrow at six in the afternoon."

"Alright, I guess." he mumbles, running a hand through his spiky hair. "What's the patient's name?"

"Uchiha Mikoto." Tenten says. "Don't forget - big dog, don't fuck up, six o'clock tomorrow. 'night, Sasuke." Click.

Sasuke sighs, rubbing his forehead. He tosses his phone onto the couch, quickly peeling off his clothes and crawling into his bed in just his undergarments. He's asleep within moments...

... blissfully unaware, that tomorrow, he would meet his biological mother for the first time.


Thank you for reading! Be sure to favorite, follow and drop a review if you liked it. I'll update as soon as I can - although that might be a while, with school and all. I hope anybody reading this has a wonderful day!

- YourEverydayConservative