So, I would like to personally thank my first reviewer, Deidaraluffer. I am forever in your debt. And I would also like to thank my great companion, Ember-Elric-x for helping me to title this story and for posting the second review. Thank you both very much! I do wanna say, if there is some out of character-ness, i suppose that's just too bad... I did note that this is an Alternate Universe story... so... The characters are slightly tweaked. :3 I do appreciate you taking the time to read! I also wanted to say, I'm sorry for the Sakura and Temari bashing. I don't really have anything against either of those two, but... It's for the sake of the story! Really! Please continue to R&R. You're awesome!

NARUTO
AU
INTERNAL AFFAIRS

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

Chapter two: Sadness, fights, and late-late nights

Ino was fairing quite well on her first day as an intern for Uchiha Enterprises. She began to grow familiar with her surroundings and if she was asked to go and get anything, she at least knew where to get it. Sasuke was showing her the copy room and how to work the xerox machine while others around them stabled things together, sent faxes and scurried around frantically. But there was casual chit chat between all of the employees and the overall atmosphere was rather lighthearted.

"If you need to make a double-sided copy you only have to press this button here." Sasuke instructed, snapping Ino out of her only momentary trance. She looked at the yellow button the man pointed to and took notice, giving him a nod. He noticed a slight discomfort in the girl's expression, feeling as though she may be overwhelmed. Sasuke chuckled a bit, leaned against the machine and gave her a small smile. "There's not really a dull moment here. So if you were thinking of making copies of your ass, you can forget it."

Ino's cheeks reddened with embarrassment, she hadn't expected such a stoic man to make such a snide remark, however, those around him seemed to chuckle and give Ino welcoming smiles. This brought her to ease as she relaxed a bit at their kind responses. She had expected more of a fight for respect, but she was pleasantly surprised to know that she already had it. Most likely because the Vice President was leading her about.

Suddenly, the entire room fell silent, and all who were chatting went straight back to work. The sound of heels clacking on the hard tile floors could be heard in mixture with the shuffling of papers and the beeping of the fax machine. Sasuke grabbed his suit jacket off the counter and slung it over his shoulder, glancing at Ino who looked rather perplexed.

It didn't take long for her to figure out why the employee's work ethic had done a complete 180. A woman with long chocolate hair that hung to the middle of her back in loose waves approached. She was wearing black and red stilettos and a tight fitting black dress and everyone in the copy room stared as she stopped in the doorway. Ino couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't taken her over sized sunglasses off of her round face, but once she spotted Sasuke, the glasses were removed.

"Hello, Sasuke. I take it this.." She gestured to Ino. "Is our newest addition?"

"Yes, this is Miss Ino Yamanaka. Ino this is our lead administrator Tenten Uchiha." Sasuke introduced the two and quickly Ino extended her hand to the woman. Sasuke watched as Tenten hesitantly shook the girl's hand.

"Well if I may, Sasuke, I think I'll borrow her from you for a bit." Said Tenten as she narrowed her dark brown eyes at the man beside Ino.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as well, but nodded in approval as there was nothing he could do. Don't kill her, Tenten. She's actually a smart one. Sasuke plead mentally as he watched the intern walk away with his brother's wife.

This has got to be the woman that Temari warned me about earlier. Ino thought anxiously to herself as they reached the fourth floor. Ino had not been on this floor before, so she was curious as to what was there, but Sasuke had assured that in due time she would see it.

"These are the executive offices for the company. Why don't you join me in mine, miss Yamanaka." Tenten requested politely as she opened the first door to their right after stepping off the elevator.

A little reluctant, Ino stepped inside of the office and watched Tenten close the door and take a seat behind a large wooden desk, neat and well kept. There were two seats in front of the desk that Ino looked at, unsure what her next move should be. She never expected to be so intimidated by another female.

"Go ahead and take a seat." Said the woman as she placed her purse on the desk and rolled her chair closer. She casually placed her elbows on the surface of the desk and softly smiled at Ino.

Ino obliged and took a seat in front of the desk, straightening her skirt afterward. The woman's kind smile put Ino at a little more ease, but Ino could see in the woman's eyes that she wasn't a nasty shark like all the other employees let on. "Why is it you wished to see me, Miss Uchiha?"

"You see, I like to start off on the right foot with future employees. I know very well that you've already been interviewed and hired, but I would like to get to know you." Stated the woman as she straightened a photo on her desk.

Ino nodded and looked at the photo that had just been re-positioned. It appeared to be Tenten with a man beside her that strongly resembled Sasuke with a much harsher expression. "Is that you and your husband?"

"Why yes it is. Thank you for noticing." Stated Tenten, smiling at the thought. "His name is Itachi, I'm sure you'll meet him tomorrow."

"You make a nice pair." Ino noted as she returned her gaze to the woman before her.

"Thank you again, Ino." Tenten said. "Are you married?"

"No," started Ino as she let out a quiet sigh. "Just haven't found the one I suppose."

"I'm sure you will in due time." Tenten paused for a moment before continuing. "So why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself."

"Sure!" Ino chimed.

Sasuke pulled up into his driveway and put his car into park, reluctant to get out of the vehicle after a long, yet eventful day at work. "God dammit." He mumbled to himself as he prepared to have a conversation with his wife about sentimental shit that they learned from their counseling sessions.

Turning the key, he pocketed them and dragged his feet to the front door and swung it open. He removed his shoes and placed them neatly on the mat to the right of the door and hung his keys on the key ring. He then made his way to the couch lazily and plopped down. The one good perk about having Sakura was that his 17,000 square foot home stayed immaculate and sparkling.

"What do you say when you walk in the door, Sasuke?" Came a voice from the kitchen.

Sasuke threw his head back and tried to remain calm. "I'm home." He grumbled.

"Did you take your shoes off?"

"Yes, I did." He replied annoyed.

Soon, the pink haired girl bopped out of the kitchen, wiping her floury hands on a frilly pastel blue apron. "How was your day, sweetie?" She said softly as she sauntered up to him on the couch and straddled him with one knee on each side of him.

"It was fine." He mumbled, looking away.

"How was counseling? What did you learn?"

Not even five damn minutes. "Great. Learned a lot."

Sakura sat up and placed her feet firmly on the ground. "You don't sound very convincing." Crossing her arms, she glared at him, waiting for a response.

Sasuke was about to come up with something to say, but the beeping of the oven came to his rescue. Sakura dashed into the kitchen to tend to their dinner and Sasuke lay back on the couch. Grabbing a throw pillow, he did his best to smother himself to no avail.

"It's ready!" Sakura cried as she placed two plates on their dining table. Sasuke forced himself up and threw the pillow back down onto the couch. He approached the table and looked up at the crystal chandelier, staring at multiple tiny reflections of himself.

"Sasuke!"

"Hm?"

"Sit down and eat."

"Yeah."

"Well, well well, it isn't every day that my husband gets home before me." Tenten said as she came through the front door.

Itachi was at their dining room table, sifting through paperwork. He looked up from his place and smiled at the brunette. "Evening."

"Evening. Are you cooking dinner?!" Tenten exclaimed as she joined him, standing behind his chair.

"Mhm." He replied with a smile as he turned to face her. Shortly after he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her in front of him. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her, burying his face in her chest.

Tenten dropped her purse and began to pet his head. "I think we can trust the intern. In fact, the girl is very sharp. She could be useful, and we should most likely hire her on full time soon."

Itachi looked up at his wife, perplexed. "But she just started today. We can't be 100% sure we can trust her completely. "

"No, you're right. But I just have a feeling. I like her. "

"You don't like anyone."

"That's because I don't want anyone trying to snag you from me!" Tenten teased as she continued to run her fingers through Itachi's long, black hair.

"That's impossible." He said, closing his eyes. "You're too good to let go."

"Ah you're such a liar."

Itachi chuckled at her remark, knowing full well she knew he was truthful.

"Ahhhh what a long day." Ino sighed to herself as she collapses on her back, Landing on her soft, purple bed. She looked around at the few boxes she had yet to unpack, lacking the energy to unpack the remainder of the things she needed to. Snagging her phone from the nightstand, she dialed her father.

"Hey, there's my girl!" Said a cheerful voice from the other end.

"Hey daddy. I'm surprised you're still up." Replied Ino as she ran her fingers through her hair. Her head felt so relived after being freed from her pony tail.

"Ah, you told me you'd call and let me know how your first day won't. So I waited."

"Oh daddy." Ino smiled.

"Go ahead, tell me how it went." He urged.

"It was pretty good surprisingly. The Vice President of the company was training me and showing me the ropes today."

"Vice President, eh?"

She sighed quietly and closed her big, ocean eyes. "Yeah, he was rather charming." Ino couldn't help but smile as she thought of him.

"Oh it was a he? Well you don't say?"

"Yes, but I'm pretty sure he's married. I think I noticed a ring on his hand." Ino shook her head in disappointment, despite the fact her father could not see her.

"Ah, well I'm sure there are others out there. What else happened today?" He asked, changing the subject after hearing the sad tone in his daughter's voice.

"Well the CEO's wife had a private meeting with me. Apparently she scares a lot of the employees, but to me she seemed rather nice." Ino said as she fiddled with the strings on her pajama pants.

"Well she's probably being nice to you at first, but as you get to know her, the true colors will show. That's usually how they are." Inoichi explained.

"I suppose you're right."

"Isn't dinner good?" Sakura asked as she stared at the man across from her in anticipation. But Sasuke's un-amused expression remained unchanged.

"Yes, Sakura. It is." He replied as he took a small bite of the potatoes on his plate. He could feel her green eyes burning a hole in him as she stared him down.

"Why can't you ever compliment me?!" She cried, slamming her fork and knife down onto the table.

Sasuke jumped a little at the sudden slamming noise. He blinked a few times and looked her dead in the eye. "If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a quiet guy. We've been together for two years, you should know that about me."

Sakura smiled and closed her eyes, picking up her silver wear once more. "Guess you're right, huh!" She started to cut her meat delicately before stopping and looking back at him. "So my therapist seems to think that you don't pay enough attention to me, and that bringing a child into the picture could help. Maybe we should have a little fun tonight, what do you say?"

It was Sasuke's turn to drop his silver wear. "Are you kidding me?" He choked out as his ebony eyes widened in confusion. "Sakura, just how selfish are you?"

Sakura looked at him, flabbergasted. "Wh-what?"

"You think bringing a kid into this world is gonna solve all our problems?!" He glared angrily at her. "I can't believe you. In this environment? With you constantly screaming at me, we can't ever get along! You think that's good for a kid to be around? We don't have our shit together."

"You're the one who is selfish, denying me of what I want!"

"Have you ever asked me what I want, Sakura? Once?" Sasuke questioned.

Sakura fell completely silent, still continuing t look at Sasuke with wide, tearful eyes.

"Goodnight." Sasuke spat as he got up from the table angrily, and stormed off to bed.

The following morning, Itachi rose early to ready himself for the day. He looked to his side, noticing his companion was not there. Swinging his long legs off the edge of the bed, he got up and made his way to the living room. There he saw his wife, sprawled out on the table, surrounded by paperwork still in her dress from the day before. Oh Tenten. He thought to himself as he walked over to the girl. He placed a gentle hand on her back.

"Hey." He whispered, leaning down and kissing her cheek.

"Hmmm..." She jolted up and rubbed her eyes.

"When did you fall asleep?" He asked.

"Oh, about an hour ago." Tenten mumbled drowsily.

"Dammit." Itachi quickly lifted her from the table and took her back into their bedroom where he lay her down gently. "That insomnia getting the best of you again?"

"I still had some things to do...just couldn't sleep. Then Sakura called and said there was a big fight between her and Sasuke." She said snuggling into the blankets.

"Are you serious?" Itachi asked after sitting next to her.

Tenten only nodded, too tired to speak.

"Alright, get some sleep, I'll call you later." He kissed her cheek and lingered for a moment before getting ready.

Ino walked into Uchiha Enterprises and was greeted by Deidara. "Morning, gorgeous!" The blonde chimed, standing from his position at the desk. He looked rather dapper in his deep red button up.

Ino give a small smile and greeted him as well. "Morning." She said, smoothing out her lavender blouse. She was very eager to get the day started and to find out what was in store.

It was shortly after they exchanged their 'good mornings' that a tall, well built man with dark brown hair walked into the building.

"Eyyy! Momochi!" Deidara yelled as he leapt over the desk and rushed to the man, giving him a welcoming hug.

The man hugged Deidara back and patted him on the back. "Where's the big man?"

"Don't know, should be here shortly though. " replied Deidara as he returned to his post. "Hey Zabuza, meet our new intern, Ino."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Ino." The man said as he extended his hand to the girl.

Ino shook his hand and smiled brightly. "Same here, Mr. Momochi."

They were still shaking hands when Sasuke walked into the building. He looked a bit tired, but he still was well presented in his suit and tie. "Oh, look who's back!" He exclaimed as a cheerful smile spread across his face.

When Ino saw his smile, she couldn't explain the feeling that was rising up within her. It felt like her heart stopped momentarily, even though the smile wasn't intended for her at all. The two men exchanged small talk for a few brief moments before another man entered the offices. It was the man she had seen in the photo on Tenten's desk.

He was taller than Sasuke by at least a head and his shoulders were a bit more broad. His expression was stern and Ino swore a chill came into the room as soon as he did. She gulped hard, trying not to stare.

"Oh, Ino." Sasuke spoke as he noticed the blonde. He found himself oddly disappointed that her legs were covered in black dress pants. "Good morning, I'd like you to meet my brother, the CEO, Itachi."

"Oh, yes. Of course! It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Uchiha." Ino spoke, giving him a respectful bow.

"The pleasure is all mine. From what I hear, you left quite the impression on my wife." The man spoke with a small smile upon his face.

Raising up, Ino blushed, rather surprised. But from the looks of things, she was not the only one who was surprised.

"Congratulations." Said the taller man, known as Zabuza. "You've done the impossible."

"Tch, yeah. No shit." Deidara said as he spun around in his chair.

"Language, Deidara. Itachi warned. "Now miss Ino, I have a meeting with these two in my office on the fifth floor. We all take our coffee black with two sugars, after that I'll have some copies for you to make."

"Oh! Y-yes sir!" Ino chimed with a smile, and she quickly made her way to the break room to get things started.

"Damn, damn, damn."

"She's the same age as your daughter, Zabuza." Itachi stated as he walked toward the elevator.

"How is my daughter, by the way." Zabuza asked, flowing him. Sasuke too, joined them in the elevator.

Itachi sighed. "Her insomnia is back. She didn't sleep a wink last night."

"She's been that way for a long, long time." Zabuza shook his head. The trio finally reached the fifth floor, which was one entire office. It was the size of a small apartment. And furnished like one too. There were three large, sectional leather couches, a coffee maker and TV. And Itachi's desk was like a conference table.

Sitting down, they all got comfortable before conversing. "How was your trip to Suna?" Itachi inquired of the man.

"Ahh, it was relatively successful. I think we struck a deal." Zabuza smiled and put his hands behind his head casually.

"Transporting the weapons down there would be rather difficult, don't you agree?" Said Sasuke as he leaned on the desk with his elbows.

"This is true, but I have some ideas. I just need some time. Listen, Itachi. You're gonna have to hire a book keeper you can trust because I can't keep runnin' guns and keepin' your accounts in check. It's gettin' to be too much for an old guy like me." Zabuza replied.

"I know, I know. Tenten seems to think we can trust the newbie. In fact, she says she is rather smart. She wants to fast track her internship and get her going ASAP. So just hang in there, and we will get it figured out." Just after Itachi finished reassuring his father-in-law, the three heard the elevator door open. The room fell silent as the blonde girl exited the elevator and hesitantly entered into the office where the three men sat.

"Come on in." Itachi assured. Ino nodded and stood next to to the desk, right beside Sasuke.

"Okay, three black coffees with two sugars each." Ino stated as she carefully set the drink carrier down on the desk. Itachi gave her a nod and rose from his seat.

"Thank you, Ino. I appreciate that. I do have some copies for you to make." He said as he walked over to the edge of the room where two small stacks of papers sat atop a granite counter top. He took the papers and handed them to the girl. "I need 60 copies of these, front to back, and when you're finished with that, I need 60 copies of this, one sided. Staple one copy each together and bring them to Deidara when you are finished. You may as well take him a coffee while you're at it. He takes his with lots of cream and sugar, but be sure to give him decaf, otherwise he is just absolutely ridiculous." Itachi said as he studied the girl. She seemed to be on top of things, so he wasn't too worried about overloading her with too much at one time.

"Yes sir. I'll get these done right away." Ino replied kindly. She glanced at Sasuke momentarily, and noticed that he was looking back at her. Quickly she returned her focus to Itachi. "Anything else?"

"Not at the moment. Once you're finished with those copies, ask Deidara if he could use a hand with anything. The three of us will be in a meeting for a while. After we are done, I'm certain Sasuke will notify you of any other tasks we need you for."

"Alright. Thank you, sir." Ino replied as she turned to leave.

"Thanks for the coffee! Don't forget what I told you about the copy room." Sasuke teased.

Ino never turned back to face him, she held the papers tightly in her hand, blushing furiously. Quickly she escaped into the elevator and headed back to the first floor.

Making the copies for Itachi went by quicker than she had anticipated. She was grateful for such an efficient copier machine. Soon, Ino lay the thick stack of papers on the desk before Deidara, along side a steaming cup of coffee.

"What's that?" Deidara asked, eyeing the ceramic mug, curiosity dancing in his dark blue eyes.

"That's for you." Ino replied.

"Awww! For me! Do you have a crush on me or something?" Deidara teased as he grabbed the mug and took a sip. "Perfect. Way to go, newbie."

"No, I don't have a crush on you. And you're welcome." Ino replied firmly as she leaned on the desk a little. He's only teasing, right?

"And the papers?"

"For Mr. Uchiha once he is out of the meeting." She stated.

"Alright, thanks. Got anything else to do?" Deidara inquired, looking up at the girl.

"No, not really. I was told to assist you if you needed it."

"Well, actually I could. Can you run this to the second floor and give it to Temari. She has a message." Deidara asked as he handed her a pink post-it note.

"Sure, absolutely!" Ino replied. She happily made her way to the second floor, eager to notify Temari that the boss's wife was not nearly as evil as she painted her to be. She approached the administrative hall and looked around for the girl with the multi-pony-tail hair style. It didn't take her long to find her, seeing as how once Temari spotted Ino, she approached her rapidly.

"What are you doing her, newbie? Didn't Mrs. Uchiha eat you alive?" She spat, a serious scowl painted on her face.

"No, actually, she didn't. I thought she was rather kind. I don't know what your problem is with her, but don't try to bring me in on it." Ino warned. "Here, you have a message."

Temari swiped the pink note out of Ino's hand before she could even hand it to her. "You friggin' bitch. You have no idea what she's capable of." She barked. "You'll find out though. Trust me."

"Sound's to me like you have personal issues. Not work issues." Ino said, turning away and heading to the elevator. Did she really just call me that?! If I wasn't new here I would've decked her in the face.

"Oh... That's not gonna fly with me." Temari mumbled.

"Anything else I can do?!" Ino asked Deidara after delivering the message.

"Yeah, you could sweep the front corridor, I suppose. The broom is in that closet by the stair case." Deidara informed.

"Alright, I'm on it." Ino quickly hopped to her task, efficiently sweeping the entire area free of any dust, or debris of any kind. She happily hummed a tune as she did so. Deidara subtly watched her, noting how well she did what she was asked, with no hesitations. He hadn't ever seen an intern work so hard, and do it with a smile on their face.

"Where is Tenten!?" Boomed an angry, female voice from the stairwell. Ino and Deidara both looked up and noticed Temari marching down the stairs angrily.

"She's probably at home, why?" Deidara replied, after taking a sip of his warm, fresh coffee.

"Tell that woman I'll be in her office waiting for her. We need to talk." And with that, Temari stormed right back up the stairs, like a toddler having a tantrum.

"Oh Lord have mercy, we're about to have a serious showdown." Deidara said wearily as he picked up the front desk phone to call Tenten. Before the he had time to dial any numbers, the second line rang and Deidara promptly answered. "Uchiha Enter... Oh hey boss. There was a loud crashing noise below you? Temari said she would be waiting in Tenten's office until she could talk to Tenten herself, she didn't tell me what the problem was. Your meeting is over?. I'll send Ino up then. Bye." He put the phone down and looked at Ino. "The boss wants you." Ino was rather nervous now, seeing as how the last encounter she had with Temari was not by any means a friendly one.

"Am I in trouble?" Ino asked as she slowly approached Deidara's desk.

"No, why would you be?" He questioned as he looked at her, a little concerned.

"Well, Temari called me a... well, she called me a bitch, and I told her she had problems." Ino said nervously as she clasped her hands together and looked down.

Suddenly, Deidara burst into laughter and slammed his hand down onto the desk repetitively. "Oh! That's great! No, no! You won't be in trouble in the least. Good for you, newbie!"

"Why don't you take Deidara and Ino out to lunch Sasuke. I don't know what's going on with Temari, but I don't want Ino to see it." Itachi asked his brother before the intern had made her way up to his office. "The last thing I want is for her to get caught up in some drama and quit on us like the last intern. From what I hear, she seems to be excellent.

"I can do that." He said happily. Going out with Deidara was always entertaining, adding a beautiful girl into the mix and you had a great day in store. Wait, am I... attracted to... Nah, she's just a girl... "And yes, yesterday she did quite well. She's a really fast learner too. I don't mind taking her and Deidara to lunch."

"What, I can't go?" Zabuza pouted, crossing his arms.

"No, I need you here in case your daugher tries to kill someone." Itachi said.

"Yeah, yeah." Zabuza said.

"So this lunch is on the company card, right?" Sasuke inqired slyly, taking complete advantage of his brother's frantic state.

"Yes, that's fine. Just go." Itachi urged as he walked over to his desk. "I need to call Tenten, so please leave my office."

Sasuke and Zauza were quick to oblige their CEO's request and made their way to the elevator where Ino was just emerging from.

"Let's go to lunch." Sasuke said with a smile.