notes: The story's previously been taken off-site because of plagiarism, but please bear with me as I re-upload the slightly edited chapters of Bad Behaviour. 'Slightly edited' because I want to keep my chapters as closely as possible to their original ones save for grammar and punctuation problems. This is in no way reflective of my current writing abilities—or the lack thereof, haha.

Here's hoping that this story's more consistent now! I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about the difference in writing style at the beginning and the end, but it should be progressive enough that it doesn't bother you too much. Thank you, and do enjoy. :)

two.

.

.

.

Sakura knew there were two kinds of rich.

There was rich, and then there was rich.

This man was rich.

It was pretty easy to tell. After all, there was something different between people who only acted like they had lots of money and people were, in all honesty, that rich. How genuinely rich people usually wore something new, for example, for whatever occasion—or how they always, always managed to look dignified no matter where they were. She hadn't quite seen it in Uchiha Sasuke back then in the ballroom, but now that they were alone in his car, she could sort of feel that aura radiating from him.

"So where do you live?" Sasuke asked, breaking the silence. He was leaning on his seat, his right hand on the steering wheel as he glanced at her.

"I live at, uh, Koenji Apartments," Sakura answered, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "You know, that apartment near the Uchiha Corpo—near your office?"

A smirk curled Sasuke's lips. So she did know who he was. Was that the reason why she accepted his offer so easily? Because she knew he was Uchiha Sasuke and she wanted to be on the cover on some cheap gossip magazine? Most women he met were exactly like that, and they weren't ashamed of it, too. A little bit of temporary fame was all it took to make them happy. Women were just so damn easy.

"I know the place," he assured her.

He also knew how expensive it was, and how people who led ordinary lives and had ordinary incomes would normally find trouble paying for it—unless, of course, she was somebody's daughter. She certainly didn't seem like it. Sure, she was dressed really well, but she didn't have the kind of primness and snobbiness daughters of the rich usually possessed.

He glanced at her reflection on the rear view mirror. "What's your name?"

She looked surprised, but then she smiled. "Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

Haruno, huh? He didn't know anyone named Haruno. "What do you do?"

"I…" she hesitated.

"It was just a question," Sasuke said indifferently. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"I'm an A&R executive," she answered finally. "I work for Hourglass. I'm sure you don't know it—we're not a very big production company, but I really like it there." She turned to look at him. "How about you?"

Sakura slowed the car, stopping for a red light just in time, and graced her with an odd look.

"I know you own the Uchiha Corporation," she elaborated quickly. "But do you, well, enjoy your job?"

The question was way, way overused. Then again, she was some kind of a talent manager. She must have had her fair share of interviewing people. "Of course I do," he said, supplying her with a stock answer. Swiftly, he changed the subject. "An A&R Executive? That's convenient. I have a friend who's thinking of pursuing a career in entertainment."

"What's he thinking of doing?" she asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"He's not sure yet," Sasuke replied. He was lying through his teeth, of course, but he was a good liar and little white lies like this never hurt anyone. "He's quite the talented one, though he has… ah, always been confused."

"That's not a problem!" Sakura exclaimed with enthusiasm. "A lot of people are usually confused with where they should start and they end up doing really good. In fact, I can just—" she reached for her purse and produced a business card, "—leave this here, for your friend. He can call me whenever he's ready. What's his name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," he answered immediately, saying the one name that appeared in his mind.

She frowned slightly. "I'm sure I've heard it somewhere…"

"Unlikely," he shook his head calmly, though she probably had heard it somewhere. Naruto had been mentioned in two or a thousand media as his second-in-command, but she wasn't to know that. Not until he drove away from her apartment tonight with no strings attached, anyway.

"Uzumaki Naruto," she repeated, but then shook her head. "I can't seem to remember anything about him. He sounds like a funny guy, though."

He smirked. "You think?"

"Sure," she nodded. "Names reflect who you are, after all. Sometimes you can tell what kind of a person someone is just by their name."

Now that was interesting. "Really, now?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Sakura grinned. "You, for example. I think you're a very nice person."

"Me? Nice?" Sasuke was taken aback at once. No one had ever called him nice before—he sure as hell was nothing close to nice. And for her to get it from his name… how on earth would you come up with nice from Uchiha Sasuke? "I'm a businessman."

"I know," she said, sounding amused. "I also know that business is a harsh world. But who you are as a businessman has nothing to do with who you are as a person."

He opened his mouth, about to contradict her, but shut it again. What was the point of wasting words on someone he'd never meet again? Instead he kept quiet and focused his eyes on the road.

Finally, they arrived in front of her apartment. She opened the door and climbed out of the car as soon as he unlocked the doors. It was almost as if she couldn't wait to get out of the car. He scrunched his nose in distaste at the idle thought and then quickly ushered it.

"Thank you for driving me home," Sakura said, giving a friendly smile. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem."

"I, uh—it's eleven and you probably should get going already, but… would you like to have a drink?" she stared at him, wide-eyed, "I really feel like I should thank you."

Sasuke hesitated. His manners told him to at least pretend to accept the offer, but god, it was eleven and he could really use a warm shower and a good night sleep now. "You got me out of the party," he replied carefully. "That's more than enough."

"I completely understand!" she replied quickly—too quickly—and smiled, and… wait, was that relief on her face? Why would she be relieved? How could she? She should be disappointed, darn it. He wasn't one of the most wanted bachelors for nothing!

A little bit incensed, he looked up and offered her a charming smile. "I'm afraid I have other affairs to tend to, tonight," he started, pulling off that apologetic face he managed so well, "But it's very nice to get to know you. Maybe next time."

"Well, okay then!" Sakura said cheerfully. "Thank you for everything."

"My pleasure," Sasuke replied, holding up the business card she'd left in his car. "I'll be sure to pass on your message. Thank you, and goodnight."

Her smile widened. "And to you, too."

It was another awkward silence, and Sasuke made a swift decision. "I should get going if I don't want to be late, to, uh," he closed his eyes and opened them again, continuing with whatever excuse that first popped into his head, "the meeting."

Shit. That was taking it too far. Who would hold meetings on a Saturday night, anyway? On eleven, least of all! He seriously needed to come up with better excuses.

"Okay, then." If she knew he was lying, she didn't show it. "Enjoy your night!" A smile. "I hope you get some goodnight sleep, Uchiha-san."

"Thank you," he replied, a little surprised. Well, that certainly wasn't what his dates usually said to him. He gave her a final nod, started the car, and drove away into the night.

Sakura watched as the car drove out of her sight, and gave a loud whimper.

xx

It was a sunny Monday morning, and Naruto was laughing.

In fact, Naruto was laughing so hard, he was reduced to a useless, cackling heap on the sole couch in Sasuke's office.

"My stomach! My stomach!" he cried out helplessly in between laughter, clutching his stomach, "Oh, darn it, it hurts!"

"Well, it would stop hurting if you would just stop laughing!" Sasuke thundered, clearly annoyed. If he had known this would happen, he would certainly add number five: never laugh at Uchiha Sasuke to their deal that night.

Naruto took a few deep breaths and finally calmed down. The only thing bothering Sasuke right now was the evil smile on his face as the blond stood up and patted Sasuke sympathetically on the back.

"There's no need to be angry, Sasuke-kun," he said, stressing the honorific for emphasis, "I was just, you know, admiring you. Your tactics to get her information were especially admirable." He eyed Sasuke, "I just wish you would tell me what really happened in the car, you know. Aren't you always the one with quick hands? Don't tell me nothing happened, 'cause I wouldn't buy it one bit!"

"Nothing happened." Sasuke glared at him. "And you know that! You're just disappointed that I won the deal and you feel like making me annoyed."

"No, really, I'm not," Naruto's eyes shone mischievously. "You forgot to do the most important part of our deal, my friend."

Sasuke's glare intensified. How long was Naruto planning to torture him? Any more and he'd castrate the blond. "I got her phone number. I got her address. I drove her home. I even made you a talented musician while I was at it. What more do you want?"

"Thanks. You know I enjoy it when I'm super-talented," Naruto grinned. "So you have her phone number and address. All the better, because you're going to need it." When Sasuke shot him a frustrated look, he gave another sympathetic pat on his back. "My dear Sasuke, you forgot to dance with her!"

"What? That wasn't part of the—" Sasuke's face fell, "—deal."

"Uh-huh." Naruto nodded, patting Sasuke's back. "I'm glad you agree with me. Now I'm offering you yet another deal…"

"No more," Sasuke interrupted flatly, shrugging Naruto's hand off his shoulder.

"Hey, now, that's not a very good businessman! What kind of a businessman just turns down a deal without weighing out the pros and cons?"

Sasuke glared. "Speak."

Naruto rubbed his hands together, looking extremely gleeful yet evilly satisfied at the same time. "So here's what I have in mind…"

xx

Sakura stared at the monitor, feeling a little miffed. How hard was it to write a new schedule for a budding talent? She didn't usually find it hard—heck, usually it was easy to check all the available slots and just arrange it in the most convenient way possible, but apparently it didn't quite work the same way today. The computer was slow as hell.

"Ugh," she muttered under her breath, turning to the other side of her table, "This is just plain—" At the sudden noise of her phone ringtone, she stopped. On the screen was an unknown phone number. "Hello?"

"Hi!" A cheerful male voice greeted her. "Am I talking to Haruno Sakura?"

Sakura leaned back on her chair. "Yes, this is she. Who am I talking to?"

"This is Uzumaki Naruto!" the caller said, still cheerful.

"Oh! Yes, of course," she straightened up at once, and then shifted to a more comfortable sitting position. "Uchiha-san has told me about you, Uzumaki-san."

"Ah, there's no need for formalities! Just call me Naruto," he told her. "So! Now that we know each other, what do you say to lunch?"

"Lunch?" she repeated, surprised at the sudden invitation.

"Yes," Naruto replied. "There's this ramen bar near the Uchiha office, and I really feel like trying it out. What do you say, maybe we can talk it over?"

Sakura glanced at the clock. It was one thirty, she hadn't had lunch yet, and she was certainly not making any progress with her work. Maybe a bowl of good ramen could change that. "Well…" she hesitated. Here she was, again, agreeing to meet a complete stranger. Whatever was in her head since last Saturday must still be lurking in the back of her mind even today. "Well, okay."

"Great!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "I'll come down to your place right about now, if that's good for you?"

"What?" Sakura widened her eyes, bewildered. "Oh, you really don't need to do that! I can go on my own."

"Oh, okay," Naruto replied easily. "So… two o'clock, Ichiraku's?"

She smiled. "Sounds good to me."

.

.

.

tbc.