Pilot

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Misashi Kishimoto does though!

Unlikely Friendship


As Naruto became used to being in such close proximity to Sasuke, his strange scent didn't seem to bother him as much. In fact, it had mellowed into something that made him feel comfortable. Even if Sasuke were as far as twenty feet away, he could still smell him and it soothed him to know that the other man was near. Likewise, when they'd accidentally touch, the scent would stay on Naruto's clothes until he got home. He'd only noticed he'd been saving those clothes in a pile by his bed when he was running short on clean things to wear. By the time the full moon came around again, he was confident that he could transform on his own and away from home.

His mother was extremely upset with that, of course, and demanded that he call her as soon as the sun would rise the next morning. Naruto knew he was going to struggle without the space and the freedom of his parents' backyard, but he couldn't keep relying on them for help. Eventually, he'd have to have the courage to show his mate this curse, and he could only do that if he came to terms with it himself.

That next morning, he found himself curled up in the pile of laundry covered with Sasuke's scent. He suddenly had the urge to see him. He wasn't quite sure what this longing was, and it scared him. When he called his mother that morning, he told her everything. She sounded truly happy for him, but he shouldn't have expected anything different.

"What's this luck guy's name, kit?" she asked. Naruto bit his lip.

"Uchiha Sasuke." The other line was silent for a while. Naruto knew she was still there because he never got a dial tone. "I-is something wrong? I mean, I know dad dislikes their law firm but Sasuke pretty much left it. He's working for my professor now, who does civil suits. Nothing amazing or noteworthy, but nothing shady…."

"O-oh no, kit. Everything's fine." Except Naruto knew when she was upset with something. "I'm really happy for you. Just give it more time until you think he's the right one. It takes a while, you know?"

"But you said you knew dad was your mate the moment you laid eyes on him."

"I know, but I didn't show him my true form until at least 3 months later…."

Naruto was starting to feel upset, and he told her he had to go before he'd feel even worse. What was wrong with Sasuke? Sure, he could be a bastard sometimes, but at least he was honest with his feelings. Naruto could appreciate that, even though there were better ways to go about it. He sighed and got ready to go to school.

Naruto could sniff out Sasuke before he saw him. He rounded a corner and stopped in his tracks. A redheaded man was talking to Sasuke, and their conversation didn't seem friendly. From what Naruto could tell, the other man was about their age, and slightly shorter than himself. The redhead reached out to grab Sasuke's elbow, but Sasuke brushed it off and started walking towards Naruto. Sasuke passed him without saying anything. The redhead frowned but turned in the opposite direction.

"Hey, what was that about?" he asked Sasuke as he caught up to him. Sasuke ignored him. "Bastard!"

"Keep your voice down," Sasuke hissed, finding an empty hallway and pulling Naruto along with him. Naruto's heart skipped a beat, his pulse accelerating due to the single point of contact. Sasuke released him. "Listen, if you ever see that guy, pretend you don't know me, got it?"

Naruto blinked slowly, his senses reeling from having Sasuke so close to him and whispering. "Why?" he asked curiously.

"Don't look at me. Don't touch me. Don't even breathe in my direction. We'll meet in Kakashi's office at 7 tonight. Do not come near me until then, Naruto." His eyes were piercing as they looked into Naruto's. Naruto nodded slowly, and Sasuke left him. He waited for about five minutes before heading to class, wondering what that was all about and what the relationship was between Sasuke and that other guy.


Kakashi had let Naruto hang out in his office an hour prior to meeting Sasuke. Naruto brought the older man some instant noodles, and Kakashi was grateful for it since he had so much work and usually ate out because of it. They were eating in the conference room when Naruto finally spoke up.

"You and Itachi-san are dating?"

Kakashi nearly knocked his ramen bowl over and straightened it before its contents could spill. "Well, define 'dating.'"

"Boyfriends?" Naruto said tentatively. Kakashi looked at his documents thoughtfully.

"Perhaps."

Naruto was silent for a moment. "Do you know if Sasuke is seeing anyone?" He could tell from his peripheral vision that Kakashi was looking at him, but he was too shy to meet his gaze.

"Not that I know of."

Naruto nodded, finishing up the rest of his bowl. His stomach was in knots. He really wanted to tell Sasuke how he felt, to show him his curse in the hopes that Sasuke'd be the one to cure him, but he really didn't want to take the risk. He wanted to develop a relationship with the other man first, just to see how well they clicked as a couple. Sasuke was starting to warm up to him; he really didn't want to ruin what they had now.

Just then, Sasuke came in and closed the door softly behind him, though hurriedly. He took off his suit jacket and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his white dress shirt. His scent was stronger because of it, and there was a hint of sweat, as if he'd been exerting himself.

"Good evening, Sasuke," Kakashi said, unfazed by Sasuke's flustered appearance.

"Hi," he said, taking a seat beside Naruto. Naruto bit his lip, his eyes trailing down to the expanse of skin showing at the top of his chest. He'd never seen Sasuke in anything more than a button down. It'd be nice if the other man dressed more casually and showed more skin. Sasuke turned to him and Naruto blinked, completely caught off guard. He hoped Sasuke hadn't noticed him staring. "Don't you have to write a paper for Izanaki's class?"

"Yeah." Naruto quickly went to retrieve his laptop so that he could calm down. Sasuke's scent was starting to overwhelm him again, and he was lucky that he'd stayed up all night the night before trying to finish up most of his paper. He could barely concentrate whenever Sasuke was with him.

"How far did you get?"

"I just need a conclusion, but I think my counterargument is a little shaky."

"I'll review it."

Naruto appreciated the help Sasuke was giving him, and even though it seemed like he was cheating, Sasuke never gave him any answers or gave his perspective on anything that required on Naruto's. He was extremely bright, though Naruto loathed admitting it, and his critiques were always constructive, even though he said them in a way that made Naruto feel inadequate. Naruto really hoped that there was something he could do for him in return. So far, Sasuke didn't seem like he needed any help other than issues with his family. Kakashi had said that he wanted Naruto's personality to rub off on him, but Sasuke was as stubborn as a mule and Naruto had yet to see what extremes Sasuke would go through to end up on top.

"I see what you mean," Sasuke said after a while. "You need more evidence for your counterargument. Otherwise, choose a different point to make." Naruto nodded, knowing that Sasuke was going to say something like that. He wasn't really good at writing. He was better with actions. Sasuke probably did both pretty well.

They spent the rest of the night helping Kakashi review his court case. Naruto knew how everything worked because he often sat with his dad in his office, but working on a civil case was interesting and different.

Kakashi parted ways with them first from the parking lot. Naruto started walking towards his car and noticed a man standing beside it. He heard Sasuke curse next to him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Let me handle this." Sasuke walked ahead and confronted the figure by his car. Naruto caught up and noticed that it was the redhead that he'd seen earlier with Sasuke. Under the lamp post, the redhead looked a bit eerie. He had the potential to be handsome, but his angry, almost murderous expression was trained on Naruto. "What the hell are you doing here, Akasuna?"

Naruto's eyebrows rose. "Judge Akasuna?"

The redhead's turquoise eyes ran over Naruto's figure, and his thin lips tilted up in a smirk. "I thought this was him. Namikaze Naruto. This is interesting." Sasuke stepped between them.

"Quit fucking around, Gaara. I thought I told you to leave me alone."

"No judge is going to grant you a restraining order, Uchiha. You're still mine, and the last I checked, I didn't give you permission to leave."

Those words made Naruto feel jealous and protective at the same time. He stepped forward. "Hey, I don't know who you think you are, but Sasuke certainly doesn't belong to anyone. He's not a piece of property you can pass around or own."

"I beg to differ, Naruto. Has Sasuke not mentioned our relationship to you?"

Naruto's blood ran cold, and the confident look in his eyes made Naruto doubt himself.

"There is no relationship. Get lost. It's over." Sasuke took the keys from Naruto's hands and unlocked the car doors. He got into the passenger side and started the engine. Naruto glared at the redhead for awhile longer before moving to the driver's side.

"You can't compete with me," the redhead said as Naruto opened the car door. "Even your father is powerless against me. See you around." Gaara slowly walked away, a black Rolls Royce pulling up to meet him. The chauffer quickly got out to open the door for him and Gaara slipped inside, his eyes trained on Naruto until he disappeared.

The car ride was uncomfortable. Naruto wasn't sure of where to go so he just went to his place. Sasuke didn't protest, which made him both happy and worried at the same time. His apartment complex was on the cheaper side so there wasn't a proper parking garage. He pulled up into a space in the lot and shut of the engine.

"What was that about?" Naruto asked after a while. He had been debating whether or not he really wanted to know, but he had to find out what kind of relationship those two had.

"I met him after I first passed the bar," Sasuke said after a while, his voice low. In the dark, with not much light, Naruto's senses were on overdrive. He could smell and hear Sasuke as if they were cuddled up next to each other. He wanted to reach out so badly to touch the pale hand on the gear shift, but it looked like a fragile, porcelain masterpiece. "Since his father is the supreme court judge, I was able to pull some strings with lower level judges. Obviously, Gaara wanted an exchange, but I've stopped that now."

Naruto was at a loss for words. Instead, he did what he did best, and he gave him his best smile. "It's ok now. You stopped all that, right?" Sasuke looked at him and nodded slowly. "Come on, let's have some coffee at my place. My mom got me this awesome expresso machine as a grad gift. She said it should help me wake up and stay awake since I love my sleep so much."

Sasuke got out of the car. Naruto grabbed his belongings and happily led Sasuke to his apartment, chatting amiably as he did so. Sasuke didn't say anything, but that was ok. Naruto felt comforted by just his presence and scent alone.

His apartment was a complete mess. He'd forgotten that he needed to do laundry, and quickly turned on his expresso machine before throwing half of his dirty clothes into the wash. Sasuke was inspecting his tiny living, from his small entertainment section to the books on his shelves and the pictures he had of his family and friends from home.

"I don't really have much," Naruto said from his kitchen. It wasn't completely closed off from the living room, and he could see Sasuke plop down on his couch and search for the remote control.

"It's nice, actually," he replied, finding the object and turning on Naruto's 32" flat screen.

"Do you like your coffee sweet? I only have French vanilla creamer."

"Just a couple teaspoons is fine."

Naruto made a face as he poured the creamer in, knowing that the coffee wouldn't even be remotely sweet enough for his palette. He brought the steaming mug over to Sasuke and handed it to him.

"Konoha Wildcats?" Sasuke read, staring at the mug. Naruto laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah. Where'd you go for undergad?"

"Tokyo U."

"Ohhh." Naruto cursed under his breath as he returned to the kitchen. The guy was too smart.

He made himself a cup and sat next to Sasuke on a couch he'd owned halfway through his undergraduate schooling. It was a black polyester sofa which probably had a lot of stains from parties and food, but Naruto tried to keep it as clean as possible. His possessions held sentimental value for him, and even though it was starting to wear out a bit, he refused to get a new one.

"This is pretty good," Sasuke said after a while. Naruto smiled.

"Thanks. My uncle got it for me. He travels a lot and always brings us stuff. It's Kona coffee, from Hawaii. Medium dark."

"Mm."

Naruto couldn't help but stare at Sasuke's profile. He looked like he'd been carved from ivory by a masterful sculptor. Naruto terribly wished he could tell Sasuke how he felt about him.

"Do you live alone?" he asked instead, turning his eyes back to the tv. It was on the History channel.

"Yeah."

"Where? I can drop you and pick you up again tomorrow. Your car is probably still on campus, huh?"

"I live on the other side of town. Yeah, that would be a good idea, if its not too much trouble."

Naruto smiled. He'd never seen Sasuke acting considerate before. "Nah, don't worry about it. I offered."

Naruto was excited to find out where Sasuke lived, and he hoped he'd be invited inside. He wondered what it would be like in there. It was probably saturated with Sasuke's scent. He was practically giddy with excitement. However, when he pulled up in front of the towering complex, Sasuke didn't invite him in (after all, why would he? It was 12am!) and just bid him a good night. Disheartened, but hopeful for tomorrow, Naruto drove home and placed his clothes in the dryer before going to bed.


Naruto was outside eating lunch with Hinata when he saw Itachi approaching them. Hinata blushed as he sat down next to Naruto on the bench and smiled at her.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"N-not at all," Hinata murmured. Naruto picked up a sushi from Hinata's bento and ate it.

"What's up, Itachi-san?" he asked through a mouthful of food. Itachi instead looked at their surroundings. Fall was just about to come to an end and the myriad of dead leaves were flowing with the chilly wind.

"My mother's birthday is this weekend. You'll bring Sasuke, won't you?"

"Isn't it more like he'll be bringing me?" Naruto tried to clarify, swallowing. Itachi looked at him.

"Not exactly. I'm sorry for burdening you with my difficult brother, but I figured you'd be more successful at making him do things than I am."

"Why would you say that?" the blond asked curiously, studying Itachi's expression. Unfortunately, Itachi disarmed him with another smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"I hope to see you there with Sasuke. It's this Saturday night at the mansion. Good day, Hyuuga-san." Itachi politely excused himself and seemed to be headed in the direction of Kakashi's office.

"I didn't know you were friends with Uchiha Itachi," Hinata whispered, her blush still visible. Naruto shrugged.

"Not friends exactly, but close enough, I suppose." Suddenly, he remembered something, and his heart nearly stopped beating. The full moon was this Saturday. There was no way he could possibly go! "Ah, sorry Hinata-chan, but I just remembered something and I gotta go. I'll see you later!" He dashed off to Kakashi's office, hoping he'd be able to catch Itachi and make up an excuse.

The door to the conference room was left ajar, and before Naruto could enter, he heard Itachi's and Sasuke's voices through the crack. His hand paused on the handle as he couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"The least you can do is attend for mother's sake. She does nothing but talk about you to her friends at the country club," Itachi was saying.

"I don't care. If that old man is going to be there, then it'll be like I'm not even there. I refuse to be in the same room as him."

"Introduce him to Naruto. That should keep father entertained for a while."

"Father hates Namikaze and would probably do little worse to Naruto….."

Itachi laughed. "How do you feel about Naruto?"

Naruto bit his lip as a pause ensued. He wanted to know as well, although he was anxious at the same time.

"He's a good friend," Sasuke replied at last, his voice low. Naruto chose that moment to enter, however, he had forgotten what he needed to say. Sasuke glared at him as if he hadn't said something sweet earlier. "We don't meet until later, moron."

"Umm, that is…." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah! I'm really sorry Itachi-san, but I really can't make it this Saturday night…."

"You invited him?" Sasuke asked incredulously. Itachi simply nodded.

"That's a shame, Naruto-kun," Itachi said regretfully. "Is there any way I can make you change your mind?"

Naruto looked apologetic. "It's something I can't help so…. I really wish I could though."

"Me too." Itachi smiled and patted his shoulder as he walked past him. "We'll continue this later, little brother," he called over his shoulder, walking out. Naruto looked at Sasuke, who quickly turned away.

"I know its none of my business, but you should really go to your mother's party," Naruto said quietly. "My mom would kill me if I didn't go to hers."

"We have very different mothers, Naruto. Don't presume that you know mine."

"I'd like to meet her sometime." At Sasuke's raised eyebrow, he quickly added, "I mean, she does a lot of philanthropy. I'm sure my mom would like to meet her too."

"If you want to meet her so badly, why don't you go to her party then?" Sasuke challenged. "I'll go if you go." He smirked. Naruto bit his lip, unsure whether or not Sasuke was being sincere.

"Would you really?" Naruto asked tentatively. Sasuke shrugged.

"Sure."

Naruto wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Maybe if he left early then he could avoid transforming in front of the Uchihas and their guests? The thought made him anxious. He really did want to meet Sasuke's family, and he hoped that he could help patch things up between Sasuke and his dad.

"Alright. I'll go and you'll have to come with me."

"Hn. Don't you have something else to do that night?" Sasuke shook his head, laughing. "Idiot. I was just kidding. Obviously, I wouldn't do something just because you are."

Naruto scowled. "Fine, then I won't go. Bastard." He wasn't sure what Sasuke's problem was. Naruto had tried to be nothing but nice to him, yet the other man insisted on being a prick. He only looked forward to the rare moments that belied Sasuke's vulnerable side. Also, Sasuke smelled too good to stay away from, no matter how hard Naruto would try (not that he really had). "You don't have to tease me about it."

"Whatever, moron."

Later that night, Naruto found himself supporting a drunk Sasuke on one shoulder as they walked from the bar to Sasuke's place. Naruto, in an effort to spend more time with Sasuke, had begged the Uchiha to go drinking with him. Sasuke had caved in, bringing them to a bar he frequented by his place. Somehow, beers had turned into harder types of liquor, and since neither of them wanted to be outdone by the other, they ended up drinking until the lightweight would make himself known. In this case, it was Sasuke, but Naruto was pretty trashed too.

"Damn it, we have class tomorrow, too," Naruto murmured, fighting the urge to drop to the floor along with his inebriated companion. "Oi, Sasuke, are you ok?"

"'m fine, you…you…." Sasuke was waving a finger in Naruto's face. Naruto gently pushed it back down.

"You know, I've been wondering – why do you insult me all the time?" Naruto was truly curious. He didn't see why Sasuke had to belittle him constantly.

Sasuke swayed, nearly pulling them to the ground. Naruto firmly held him around his waist and used his other hand to hold Sasuke's arm around his shoulders.

"Do you work out?" Sasuke asked. Naruto shrugged.

"I try to. I did a lot just before I started here."

"Hn."

"You still didn't answer my question." When Sasuke didn't say anything, Naruto just rolled his eyes and ignored it. Maybe he could ask him that later.

They got up to the tenth floor. Naruto figured the place cost at least a thousand in rent if the interior décor and high security were anything to go by. Sasuke took out his keys at his apartment door and tried to fit the correct one into the lock. When he failed four times, Naruto decided to take over.

He quickly brought Sasuke to his room left to bring him water. When he came back, Sasuke was slowly undressing. His shoes were already off and he was working on his shirt and tie. Naruto finally registered the fact that he was in Sasuke's living space and the scent of the Uchiha suddenly overwhelmed him, nearly making him drop the glass of water in his hand.

Naruto swallowed thickly as the shirt slipped off and Sasuke was working on his slacks. "Umm, I should really go." The reality of what was happening was starting to sober him up, however, the linger effects of alcohol was making his heart pound and impairing his ability to do the right thing.

"Jus' 'leep here," Sasuke said, lying down to take his pants off. He was having trouble getting them past his ankles, and Naruto placed the water down on the bedside table and helped them off. He couldn't help but stare at Sasuke's bare legs. He could make them out in the dark against the dark sheets underneath. He wanted to reach out and touch them, to run his hands upwards and – .

"That's not a good idea," Naruto said quickly, stepping back. "I'll see you tomorrow, k?" Even though he didn't trust himself to drive, he'd walk home if he had to.

"Fine, then. Jus' go!" Sasuke sounded upset, and that was enough to give Naruto pause. Sasuke got under the covers and curled up into a ball, shivering slightly. He probably didn't handle alcohol very well, and that was made obvious when he suddenly got up and rushed to the bathroom to throw up. Naruto quickly got him more water and helped him in the bathroom.

He felt bad for the Uchiha. He was probably stressed from working too hard and trying to meet high expectations. Even though it was still dark in the apartment, Naruto couldn't make out anything that personalized the place. Naruto would like to come around during the day and invited. He hoped he could come by everyday, in fact.

When Sasuke was done, he had the mind to quickly brush his teeth before crawling into bed and curling up under the covers. Naruto stood there, unsure of what to do, but then Sasuke spoke up.

"I thought you were leaving," Sasuke murmured, his voice raspy.

"Y-yeah, I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'll be fine. Just go." Again, the cold, almost scornful tone in Sasuke's voice made Naruto hesitate, and finally making a decision, he sat on the opposite side of the bed.

"I'll leave once you're asleep." He saw Sasuke nod slowly. Sasuke's breath evened out quickly after, and Naruto quietly made his escape.


The rest of the week passed uneventfully. On Saturday, Naruto was trying to start on an assignment but all he could do was think about Sasuke and his scent and how saturated his apartment was with it. It was a little frightening how much he wanted to go back there and how much he missed the other man. His emotions were probably going haywire because it was the eve of the full moon. He sighed. Why couldn't he live a normal life?

His cell phone suddenly rang, startling him out of his thoughts. It was Kakashi calling.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei."

"Naruto, can you come by my office today? I want you to be here as my team reviews this case."

"But I was just there yesterday." Remembering that Sasuke would most likely be there, he added, "Ok."

"Good see you then. Also, can you pick up some coffee for us? I'll give you the orders."

Half an hour later, Naruto appeared at Kakashi's conference room with two trays of coffee. He instantly sought out Sasuke, who was taking notes next to Sakura. Shikamaru was there was well sitting across from them. Kakashi had books open in front of him. When Naruto entered, he looked up and smiled.

"Thanks, Naruto. I really appreciate it. Here, come sit." Naruto did so next to Shikamaru. He tried not to stare at Sasuke but glancing at him every five minutes probably wasn't much better. Kakashi started briefing Naruto on the case and Naruto forced himself to pay attention to what was being said.

Several hours passed and no one realized it was almost seven in the evening untilNaruto's stomach growled loudly. Shikamaru left first, claiming that his wife would give him hell if he didn't make it in time for dinner. Sakura asked if Sasuke wanted to get drinks but he declined. She glanced at Naruto and asked him instead. Naruto didn't mind being second choice, and he did want to make new friends.

"Yeah, why not? Can we get something to eat first, though? I'm starving."

"Didn't you say you had something to do tonight?" Sasuke asked pointedly. Naruto inwardly winced.

"W-well it's not until later tonight, so…."

"If you're busy later, then we can go some other time," Sakura said. "I wouldn't want to make you feel rushed or anything."

"That is…."

"Bye guys. Bye Kakashi-sensei. See you on Monday!" She left after she'd packed her things. Naruto sadly stared after her. He got the feeling that she really hadn't wanted to hang out with him. He sighed.

"So I take it that you're not going to the Uchiha's party?" Kakashi asked, closing his books. Naruto looked at him.

"No. Are you?"

"Of course. Itachi's dragging me along, but its not like I won't get anything out of it."

Naruto coughed, nearly having choked on his own saliva. He didn't realize that his professor was so open about his sex life.

"Thanks for sharing," Sasuke muttered.

"Anytime."

Just then Itachi showed up in a black suit with a red silk shirt underneath. On top he wore a gray tie with a small white wolf on the bottom. "Good evening," he said, then to Kakashi, "Are you almost ready?"

"Let me put these away and we can go." Kakashi left the room, leaving the two dark haired men and one blonde. Itachi looked at Sasuke putting his things away.

"Still going to be stubborn, little brother?"

"Still going to be a bastard, big brother?" Sasuke replied snidely. Itachi chuckled and looked at Naruto.

"See what I have to deal with? I wonder what happened to my cute baby brother who used to follow me around and asked me to play with him. You know, Naruto, this one time – ."

"Shut up, Itachi!"

"It's ok," Kakashi chimed in, putting on his coat. "He's told me lots of stories about you, Sasuke; like that one time when you pretended you were a ninja and sprained your ankle trying to attack your brother."

Naruto laughed at the red on Sasuke's face. He was sure more was from anger than embarrassment.

"If you come along you'll hear more stories about Sasuke," Itachi said, coaxing Naruto. "My mother has this collection of photo albums. I'll be more than happy to show them to you, Naruto."

The blonde bit his lip, torn between two decisions. He really did want to go, but he didn't want to risk transforming in front of the Uchiha's. He could probably get away with leaving early, but even then it was still risky. He was most sensitive to Sasuke's scent now, and he didn't want to accidentally attack the guy in his parents' home, but if Sasuke wasn't even going, then he had nothing to worry about.

"I'm not even dressed though…."

"It's alright. I'll give you the address now. We're going a little earlier, but you can show up in an hour or two."

"It'll be nice to have someone other than myself who isn't an Uchiha," Kakashi added. "Great networking too. The Uchiha own half of the businesses here in Konoha."

"But Sasuke…." Naruto tried to say, gazing in the younger Uchiha's direction.

"I'm not going," Sasuke stated firmly.

Naruto turned back to Itachi and nodded. "Well, I can go for a bit. Maybe a couple hours or until the cake comes out."

"It's going to be good cake," Itachi said, smiling. "Kakashi, could you text him the address? See you soon, Naruto. Bye, little brother." With that, the two left. Naruto felt as if a huge weight had lifted off his shoulders. He wasn't quite sure why Itachi and Kakashi were still pressuring him to go if Sasuke was dead set against attending, but he was going to go as Itachi's guest, not Sasuke's. Besides, black mail material on the bastard would be nice.

"Be prepared to meet my father," Sasuke said as he was leaving the conference room. Naruto quickly followed. "He hates your father and would gladly make that known to you."

"It's ok. I can take it. My family gets threatened all the time."

"That doesn't bother you?" Sasuke asked, surprised. Naruto just smiled at him.

"Nah. My dad has always told me to try and be understanding of others. My mom helps out by volunteering in low income communities, so a lot of people know her there. That's why I want to meet your mom. A lot of the money that your family donates gets used where it's needed. Crime rates are dropping there, and the high school graduation rates are increasing. So even though your dad hates mine, I'm sure that if he actually got the chance to talk to him, he'll probably find some things in common with him."

"Hn."

They were about to part ways at the parking lot when Sasuke spoke up.

"I'll pick you up in an hour."

Naruto nearly tripped over himself on the way to his car. He spun around to face him. "Huh?"

"I said, I'll pick you up. Who knows what an idiot like you might say and get in trouble for it."

"So you're going?" Naruto said excitedly. "Wait, let me pick you up, instead! Since I might have to leave early."

"Whatever. Don't be late." Sasuke started walking towards his car, and Naruto wanted to do a victory dance. He wasn't sure why he was so happy that Sasuke was going. Maybe it was because he'd be able to spend more time with him. In either case, he couldn't wait to surprise the Uchiha's with Sasuke's presence.

After showering and making sure that he was cleanly shaven, Naruto didn't know what to wear. He had several business suits, but he wasn't sure if they'd be adequate. Kakashi and Itachi looked professional and formal in their suits, but Naruto always thought he looked bad in them. He'd also have to wear a tie, which he wasn't very fond of but had to endure, apparently. Deciding on a gray suit with a sky blue dress shirt and bright orange tie, he made his way to Sasuke's condo.

Watching Sasuke walk towards his car from the building almost looked like a scene from a movie. Naruto had seen him in suits before, but never wearing all black. The only bit of color was the white tie hanging down his chest. The stark contrast against his skin made him look almost ethereal, and Naruto could have sworn he was an actor or a model just from afar. The condominium workers all stopped to stare at him, as well as the guests and tenants. Naruto wanted to jump out of the car and rip their eyes out.

"You, um, look awesome," Naruto said once Sasuke got into the passenger seat. He immediately regretted it. What guy complimented another guy on his looks? Sasuke also smelled very nice, but he couldn't say that either….

"Nice tie," said Sasuke, smirking as he put on his seat belt. "Too random not be your favorite color."

"That's right. Now where to, Mr. Uchiha?"


The Uchiha's had their own valet service for the evening. Naruto pulled up into the circular driveway and got a ticket stub from a young man as he exited his car. He then looked up at the mansion in awe. It probably had to have at least ten full bedrooms and full baths. There was no way a normal family could live in there unless they were the monarchs of a small kingdom.

People immediately recognized them and started talking to them. Naruto got separated from Sasuke at one point, but at least he had the excuse of giving a card to the person of honor to politely excuse himself.

Naruto couldn't believe the amount of renown people who had showed up. There was the chief of police, the newspaper editor, the mayor, and even the governor. There were several senators as well judges. He recognized the Supreme court judge, Akasuna, and also found a redhead standing next to him. Gaara quickly spotted Naruto and approached him.

"Nice seeing you here, Namikaze. Where's Sasuke?"

"Not sure. It's nice to see you, too, Gaara."

"I'm not sure this is your crowd. Most of the people are do business with the Uchiha. Your father probably wouldn't be too happy about this."

"You don't know anything about my dad."

"Don't expect to find any dirt on anyone here. You'll be eaten alive before you can report back."

"Listen," Naruto said firmly. He was starting to get annoyed. "I'm here to support a friend, to have a good time, and to wish Uchiha-san a happy birthday. I don't want to be your enemy. I'm not here for some sort of espionage. Sasuke and Itachi are my friends. You can be too, if you want." Naruto smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you know where Uchiha-san is?"

Gaara didn't say anything as he pointed in Uchiha Mikoto's general direction. Naruto spotted her immediately. It wasn't hard, considering both her sons took after her. Fugaku wasn't exactly the best looking guy around.

"Thanks! See you." He left in search of Sasuke before meeting her. He found Sasuke talking with his cousin, Shisui, who was a surgeon in one of the hospitals, and his wife.

"Oh, nice to meet you finally," Shisui said, shaking Naruto's hand. "Sasuke always has good things to say about you."

"S-Sasuke did?" Naruto asked. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Only that you're a moron who doesn't pay attention. Let's go. See you, Shisui, Naomi." Sasuke steered him towards his parents and paused once his dad caught sight of him. Naruto noticed a change in Sasuke's emotions and grabbed his elbow reassuringly.

"Come on," he whispered. The room nearly fell silent as he and Sasuke approached the couple talking to another. Mikoto excused herself and embraced Sasuke tightly, nearly weeping as she held onto him. Naruto watched as Sasuke relaxed and returned her hug. He felt his heart swell at the sight. He was finally breaking through to him. Once Sasuke let her go, he faced his father, who looked disappointed but also relieved. They nodded to each other.

"Happy birthday, mother," Sasuke said. Mikoto kissed him on the cheek and hugged him again.

"This is the best gift I could have asked for. Thank you for coming, Sasu-chan." At the cute nickname, Naruto snickered. Sasuke glared at him, and Mikoto turned to him, surprised. "Oh, you must be Naruto."

"Happy Birthday, Uchiha-san. It's a great pleasure to finally meet you." He shook her hand. "I'd like to thank you personally for all of your work."

"Ah yes, your mother is the coordinator of the Urban Welfare program. She has such a handsome and polite son. She must be proud of you." She smiled.

Naruto blushed. "Not as proud as you are of Sasuke, I'm sure. He's taking good care of me at the university. He's a very intelligent and good person. I have much to learn from him."

"Hn. He's no son of mine if he continues to work outside of this family," Fugaku said suddenly. His stern expression wasn't even focused on Sasuke, but on Naruto. "Who did you say you were?"

"His name is Namikaze Naruto, the son of DA Namikaze Minato, and he's my very good friend," Sasuke suddenly said, effectively silencing the entire room. Even the orchestra had stopped playing. "I apologize for leaving so abruptly, father, and for avoiding our family for so long. But I'm here now and I want to make mother happy."

Fugaku glanced at Sasuke then at Mikoto, who's tearing eyes must have affected him because then he just turned away without another word. Sasuke moved to go after him, but Itachi's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Let's go together," Itachi said. Sasuke shook his head.

"You've always protected me from father, but I think its time I stood up to him. I didn't mean to get you mixed up into my little rebellion against him, Itachi." Sasuke smiled wryly. "Even if he disowns me, you'll always be my older brother. A bastard like you has to be blood related to me."

Itachi dropped his hand and hugged him instead. Sasuke's face was priceless. Naruto couldn't help but watch the brotherly display with a little bit of jealousy. He wished he had an older brother, or even a younger one. A sister would be nice too, but he'd probably beat up any guy who so much as looked at her the wrong way.

"Happy birthday again, mother," Sasuke said, following his father. Mikoto wanted to chase after him but Itachi managed to get her to mingle with her guests. The orchestra had started up and people started talking among themselves once more. Kakashi turned to Naruto and sipped thoughtfully at his drink.

"That went better than expected. Sasuke is full of surprises, like his older brother, probably." Naruto cringed, his mind instantly taking his comment as an innuendo. "You're a better influence on him than I thought. What did you say to him?"

"N-nothing," Naruto said. He gazed at where Sasuke had been. "That was all him." He had been surprised at Sasuke's response as well. He didn't think he'd introduce him as his best friend to his dad... Just the memory of those words made his heart race and his skin feel warm and tingly. Uh oh...

"Hn, unlikely, but I'll believe you." Itachi joined them again. Naruto vaguely noted that the expression "Hn" must run in the family. "Something's gotten into my little brother lately. Not sure if I like it."

"Well, there might be a couple things that might have gotten into him..." Itachi ignored Kakashi's muttering.

"I hope you'll continue to stay with my little brother," Itachi was telling Naruto. "He really means a lot to me, but it looks like I have to entrust him to you instead."

"Thanks, Itachi." He was starting to feel really warm now, and he could feel himself on the verge of changing. He shoved the card he had for Mikoto into Itachi's hand. "I'm sorry, but I have that...thing... I have to go to. I'll see you guys later." With that, he walked as quickly and inconspicuously as he could towards the exit. He felt bad about not saying bye to Mikoto and not having any cake, but it couldn't be helped.

He didn't have time to make it to his car (the valet having parked it) and decided to run to the side of the mansion and out to the backyard. He'd have to hide outside for the night, which had never happened to him. Lucky for him, the Uchiha Mansion was isolated and looked like it went on for miles. The closest house was another Uchiha mansion, they're family owning most of the western part of the rural area. The entire backyard had a flower garden and outside on the periphery was jungle. Naruto glanced at the full moon and before he knew it, he was changing.

Being a fox wasn't so bad, or at least that's what Naruto liked to tell himself. He rather enjoyed running around in the buff and chasing rodents. the air smoothing over his fur felt divine, and he only wished he had someone to scratch behind his ears. His mom or dad would pet him occasionally, and that usually put him to sleep. He thought less about school and work and any other problems he had. This was his escape. He'd miss it as soon as he found him mate, but he wasn't too upset about that prospect.

He was running through the garden, occasionally peeking up at that mansion. The crowd had died down somewhat, so it must have been late into the night. The valet would notice his car still there, and he hoped they'd just leave his key with the Uchiha's. Maybe Sasuke should have driven. He didn't expect that he'd still be out when he transformed.

Just then, he smelt Sasuke. He looked up over the hedges and wove around them, searching for that scent. It was getting stronger, and his heart was starting to race. Sasuke would finally see him like this. He needed to transform in front of him in order to break the curse, but this was good enough. He had been wanting to see him all night.

The Uchiha was by the fountain in the middle of the garden. Naruto hid behind the white rose bush, frightened yet eager to see him. Sasuke was sitting on the ledge, his tie undone, and his elbows resting on his knees. Without really thinking, Naruto appeared and sat in front of him, waiting patiently like a pet dog. His ears twitched and rose upwards when he heard a sob. Sasuke was crying.

Naruto immediately went up to him and nudged a pale hand with his nose. Sasuke freaked out and gave a surprised cry before falling backwards into the fountain. He resurfaced, sputtering and shaking in the cold. Naruto was beside him in the water, trying to lick him dry. Sasuke jumped out of the fountain.

"What the hell? Stupid fox! Fuck!" He took off his coat and started squeezing the water out of it. "I can't ever catch a break," he muttered softly, sniffling. Feeling horrible, Naruto darted off in search of his discarded clothes. He came back about a minute later with his clothes in tow. It probably wasn't a bright idea. He could always get spare clothes from his parents' house. Naruto just didn't want him to cry or be cold anymore.

Sasuke looked at the clothes then at the fox. "Those look like what that idiot was wearing... Did you eat him, little fox?" Naruto gave a yip, his fluffy tail wagging excitedly. "Where did you find these?" Sasuke came over and carefully picked up the clothes. Naruto ran around him a few times. Sasuke's expression turned dark, and he threw the clothes back onto the ground and stormed back towards the mansion. Naruto tried following him, but Sasuke closed the doors behind him before he could get in. He saw Itachi with Kakashi there, waiting for Sasuke. Kakashi glanced at him, and Naruto quickly ran away. He took his clothes and hid deep within the forest. There was still a faint scent of Sasuke on them, and he curled up onto the pile he made and fell asleep.


Another long chapter. I will try to make at least weekly updates, if not biweekly. Thanks again for reading!