Chapter Three: Clash of Wills
A week had passed since that day at the mansion. Since then Naruto had prepared to take a leave from the apartment he lived together with Gaara, since that's what Kakashi had required. It had taken a while but he finally had enough stuff with him as he made his way to the mansion.
When he arrived he was greeted by Kakashi and few of the other servants. One was a guy and the other a girl.
They each introduced themselves before Kakashi went in to show him where he would sleep. They went through the kitchen and dinning room as they came into a hall with several doors. They walked to the door on the far right and the blond went over and opened it as he looked around the place.
The room didn't look too bad; it was a pretty nice size with beige walls and wooden floors. There was one bed against the wall and a nightstand beside it. There was a wooden wardrobe opposite of the bed to the wall, a drawer beside it, and a door leading into what he assumed was a bathroom.
"You'll be working with Shikamaru and Kimimaro the first couple of days till you know how things work around here," Kakashi started explaining. "You will find the required attire in the wardrobe. If you have any questions come find me. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir," the blond said with a nod.
The silver-haired man smiled and relaxed in his posture. "Good. Feel free to explore for a bit before it's time to get to work."
And with that Kakashi left Naruto alone in the room. Said blond turned around and walked in, closing the door from behind. He dropped his suitcase onto the bed and put his camera bag onto the nightstand.
He looked around the room some more before he walked over to the wardrobe and opened the doors. A series of black, grey and white shirts, pairs of pants, vests and ties hung in there. As he looked lower down he also noticed three pairs of fancy-looking black shoes. He closed the doors and crouched down onto the floor to check the drawers. They were mostly empty and Naruto knew that this must be where he put his own clothes in.
He shut the drawers and got up. He then walked over to the door leading to the bathroom and opened to check how it looked.
It looked well. The room had black tiled floors and white walls. There was a sink on one side, a small white cabinet with a mirror to look into above it, a toilet and shower. It looked clean and didn't smell of anything so that was a good sign he thought before closing the door.
He then went back to the wardrobe as he opened the doors and took in a deep breath as he started to get changed.
Around ten minutes later he walked out of the room wearing the "required attire" as Kakashi put it. He wore a white shirt, grey vest, grey slacks and the black shoes. He had left his camera and the rest of his things in his room, but the phone he kept in his pocket.
He shortly left the hallway as he turned at the right places before arriving in the living room with the fireplace. The fireplace was still out and no one else was inside the room, which suited him just fine.
He walked over the fireplace where the photos, crystal rose and jewelry box were resting on the mantel. He carefully picked up the small box with the ring and opened to look at it again. It truly was a fine piece of work. He had done some research on what the gemstones meant.
Apparently alexandrites stimulate pleasure and love. It is also used as a lucky stone. The amber was a stone said to protect others from any sort of illness. And the last of them all was the topaz, which is said to be a very soothing and empathic stone that heals and energizes.
He gazed at the fine piece of jewelry for a long time, not noticing someone was standing just a few feet behind him, glaring at his back.
His home had been more noisy the last couple of days. Sometimes when he took his usual walk around the mansion he would hear the servants whisper. He thought that it was a bit odd but didn't dwell on it too much as he continued on with his life.
Today was a day when the whispers seemed the loudest. He had finally had enough and wanted to escape from the noises. So he fled to the sitting room, feeling that he needed some peace and quiet. Though when he walked in another person was already there, someone he'd never seen before.
From what he could see the person had spiky blond hair and was wearing the servants' attire. He was standing in front of the fireplace, by his armchair, looking down at something.
He took a few steps till he could see what the blond was staring at. His stature froze and his blood began to boil when he saw his mother's engagement ring in the hands of some stranger. His dark eyes shone in anger as he glared at the back of the stranger who didn't seem to notice he was there, which only increased his anger.
He took a step forward and said in a commanding tone. "Who are you?"
The voice startled Naruto as he swiftly turned around only to come face to face with an angry dark-haired man. He had closed the jewelry box before he turned to see who was asking.
The person before him looked to be around his age, he had a fair complexion, jet black hair that was spiky in the back and black eyes. He felt like he had seen the guy from somewhere before when it suddenly hit him.
The photos on the mantel.
He didn't need to turn around to confirm it; he knew that it was one of the boys. He also remembered Kakashi telling him about the master of the mansion. What was his name again? Oh right, Uchiha Sasuke.
"Who are you?" the dark-haired man repeated the question. This time it came out more like a hiss than the booming voice he'd used just a minute ago.
The blond swallowed before answering as calmly as he possibly could, "My name is Naruto."
The anger radiating from the other didn't falter one bit as his glare seemed to just intensify. He tried not to let his fear show in his eyes as he met the other's angry gaze with one of complete calmness.
They stood there; having a staring contest for a long time till the raven tore his gaze from him and asked, "What are you doing here?"
The tone of his voice was like ice. It sent chills down Naruto's spine, but it wouldn't be enough to make him cower in his fear. He didn't know how to quite respond, so he tried for a playful sort of approach. Something the other would never expect and not know how to handle.
He turned to put the jewelry box back on the mantel before he sent the other a smirk and said, "What am I doing here? Isn't it obvious?" there was a pause as he waited for a response, when none came he continued. "Starting from today I'll be working here."
He noticed that the other looked a bit startled, which only made his smirk widen into a full fledged grin.
"I'll be in your care then Sasuke-sama." He gave him a mock bow and a quick wink before he left the room for the gardens.
He dropped the grin and sighed loudly, suddenly feeling extremely exhausted and stupid.
What the hell have I just gotten myself into? He thought, putting his face in his hands. I must be crazy to make the one I'm supposed to serve angry.
He sighed once more before he thought it would be safe to go in.
"I'll be in your care Sasuke-sama."
And with that the blond walked out of the room leaving the master of the mansion alone. Said master of the mansion stood there frozen on the spot till he finally seemed to snap back to reality. When he did, only one name came out of his lips.
"KAKASHI!"
A few minutes later passed before the silver-haired man came into the room.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Is this some form of joke?"
The silver-haired man looked confused for a moment before it seemed to dawn on him.
"Ah. I take it you just met Naruto. He's interesting, isn't he?"
"Very," Sasuke muttered and then turned to Kakashi. "Why didn't you inform me about this?"
The silver-haired man met his gaze, completely calm as he said, "Because I knew you wouldn't approve of it. That's why I didn't tell you about it."
Damn right I don't.
"Also, it has been too quiet here these past few years; I thought that a change was in order," the silver-haired man said with a smile.
The raven didn't look happy but he didn't say anything as he walked over to the fireplace. He picked up the small jewelry box and opened it. His mother's ring was still there, the three tiny gems shining in what light was being let in through the windows.
"Just inform him not to touch what isn't his," he said icily.
There was a small silence before the silver-haired man said, "Inform him yourself." And then turned to leave.
"You-" the raven started as he turned around, only to find that Kakashi was already gone. "Damn it," he muttered and looked down at his mother's ring again.
He walked backwards till he hit and fell into the armchair, with the jewelry box clutched onto his hands. He held the box up to his face and closed his eyes as he thought about his family.
Mother… Father… Itachi…
Tears began to sting his eyes and in no time at all he was crying.
It had been almost a month now since Naruto came to work in the mansion. He was settling in quite nicely and the other servants were great company so he was never lonely.
It hadn't taken long for him to realize that there were only three young women and two young men – plus him – as well as the butler Kakashi and housekeeper Anko. It was really an impressing thought that so few people took care of such a big place.
He had come to know the servants' pretty well, especially Shikamaru, Kimimaro and Tayuya.
Shikamaru was a plain and boring kind of guy who mostly liked to just sleep or look at the clouds. But despite all of this he was very smart and a great guy to ask if you had any difficulty with anything (although he would find it a pain.)
Kimimaro was a really calm and quiet guy, though he was really kind and hardworking.
Tayuya though was another story. She wasn't really quiet, calm or kind, but more like foul-mouthed and rather bossy. She wouldn't call others by their names that often, instead she would find nicknames which she thought suited those best, when most of the time it was just an insult. She called Shikamaru "lazy" most of the time, Kimimaro was sometimes "bonehead", Karin – one of the maids – was "smelly bitch" and last but not least there was Ino who was "poison ivy". Naruto had been lucky so far not to join in on the "nickname calling" as the others called it. He didn't mind if Tayuya did though, he didn't think there would be anything bigger than what he's been called before.
Though that was not all that had happened this past month. Naruto hadn't seen Sasuke since that day in the living room, but maybe that was because he was avoiding him. So far luck had been on his side and they hadn't met anywhere, though he knew that sooner or later the day would arrive when they had to come face to face with each other. And he had a feeling that it wouldn't be pretty.
It was on his fourth week in the mansion that it happened. Naruto was taking a stroll around the mansion till he arrived in the music room.
It was a big room with much space. The floor was wooden and walls a cream color. There was a black grand piano standing on the right side by a window, there also were a few other instruments hanging on the walls or in cases that stood leaning against the wall.
He walked into the room and towards the piano. He didn't know how to play but that didn't really matter as he gazed down at the keys. He then looked up and out the window before walking over and opening it, to let in some fresh air. A familiar song suddenly entered his mind as he gazed at the greenery, and before he knew it, he was singing.
The past month had been both good and bad on Sasuke's part. He was a bit irritated that the blonde was ignoring him, but also glad that he didn't have to deal with him. The encounter on that day had been on his mind for a very long time.
He sighed as he began to make his way to the music room. Playing the piano always seemed to calm him down.
As he began to approach the room he started to hear a sound from somewhere. After a moment he noticed it was coming from the music room. He opened the door slightly to look at who was singing. He stopped though when he saw the blond standing by the piano, wearing an expression filled with sorrow.
What could he possibly be sad about? He thought.
He didn't linger on it though as he opened the door widely and walked in, closing the door with a rather loud bang, startling the blond.
Said blond turned around and for a moment their eyes locked before he turned away to look out again.
"You've been avoiding me," Sasuke said after a moment's of silence.
"So what?" the blond said without looking up. "I don't need to be right in front of you to be able to serve you."
The raven immediately felt his anger flare up but quickly killed it. He wouldn't let this guy make him lose it that easily. It was just something about the blond that just pissed him off.
"How are you settling in?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"Fine."
"How is the staff treating you?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because it's my duty. I honestly could care less how they're treating you."
There was a small pause before the blond said, "They're treating me well. I'm amazed how few people can take care of such a big place."
"Well, they do a good job in what they're doing. I can't afford weak, inexperienced staff members, I prefer to have the best."
The blond didn't like the tone of his voice. He finally turned around, eyes blank as he said, "Well, too bad then that you got me. I'm an inexperienced "staff member" as you call it," he finished with a smirk.
The raven stopped and stared at the blond for a moment. He didn't know what to say so he said nothing. He looked away and the blond did the same.
Several minutes passed before one of them did anything.
The raven walked towards the blond, taking slow strides as he approached the black piano. He stopped for a second before he sat down in front of the big instrument, his slender fingers hovering over the keys. He looked up to the blond who was still looking out the window. Deciding to ignore him he began to play.
He started off slowly. Sweet, light tunes were pooling out as his fingers wandered over the keys as he thought of happy times with his family. He later picked up the beat, the sweet music turning more frantic. It had emotion attached to it as he thought of the accident, the curse and his life now.
He played for several minutes, unaware of the pair of blue eyes that was watching him.
Naruto looked away and out on the greenery. It truly was an amazing view.
Several moments later there was some form of movement behind him, he didn't turn though as he waited till it stopped. It was quiet the first second; the next though was filled with music.
The blond glanced over at the piano, where the raven sat playing. The expression he showed was one of someone who was relaxed with a tint of warmth. His eyes were closed as his fingers gently traveled over the keys.
It didn't last for long though as the music changed. It became more… hectic. It almost scared him but he didn't look away and barely even blinked as he watched the raven. His expression had changed too, along with the music. Instead of the relaxed expression he now wore one of complete bitterness.
Suddenly the music stopped and lids opened to reveal dark eyes that turned to look up. For a moment Naruto saw a lot of emotions flash in those orbs of his. There was anger, sorrow, and loneliness before they turned back to its stony-like appearance.
The raven then turned to look down, one hand placed on the great piano while the other was placed on his thigh.
"Leave…"
The word had been spoken so quietly that the blond had almost missed it, but either way he still asked, "I'm sorry?"
"Leave."
It was stronger now. It wasn't a request he noticed, more like a demand.
He didn't question him as he turned and went to leave. As he put his hand on the handle, he turned around to look at the raven one last time before leaving the room.
