Author's note: Hello lovely readers. Any of you remember me? I really have treated this story so badly. I got a rather horrible anonymous review telling me what a disgrace I was to writing and how out of character it was. I was pretty upset; I've written and rewritten this chapter over and over. But it's my own fault for letting one person get to me. If you still have an interest in this story, then thank you, I'll try my best.
This chapter isn't as entertaining as the others, but it's necessary for the plot to move on! Hugs and kisses to you all. And please keep bugging me to write this if I ever fall lax again. (I give you permission to stalk me!)
RECAP: Naruto scowled, the other was staring with unmasked horror at a sleek silver car not to far ahead of them. "Oi, what's your problem, Teme?"
"We can't work here. Let's go to your place instead." Sasuke was about to turn around and head back to the car, but Naruto was having none of it. He pushed Sasuke up the path and towards the door. Any argument Sasuke had died at the feel of Naruto's warm hand on his back. The Uchiha was angry and disgusted at himself, but there was no denying that he liked the feel of Naruto's touch.
They were safely inside the house when Sasuke remembered the reason he had been so against being there. He grabbed Naruto's arm; perhaps they could escape to his room before their presence was discovered. But alas, the subject of his loathing was walking down the grand staircase into the main hall, looking just as condescending and superior as her always did. "Hello, little brother."
Sasuke swore.
While still holding on to Naruto's arm, Sasuke moved swiftly up the stairs, making sure to push past his brother. With any luck, Sasuke could make it all the way up before Itachi said anything else.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your little friend, Sasuke-chan?"
'Damnit'
Sasuke wheeled around, and maneuvered Naruto so that he was facing Itachi. "This is Naruto Uzumaki, my art partner. Uzumaki, this is the guy who pays my credit card bills…Now that introductions are over-"
Naruto sniggered, "You mean he's like a sugar daddy?"
Sasuke, if possible went even paler. "Dobe, that's gross. I meant that he's my older brother…I'm not old enough to have access to any money yet."
Itachi shook his head, and to outsider his face would look completely neutral. But Sasuke knew that, deep down (deep, deep down) Itachi was fighting the urge to laugh. Great. Itachi found the blond funny, and he probably realized that Naruto infuriated Sasuke like no other. If Sasuke wasn't careful, he'd find himself in a whole lot of trouble, and there was no way that he'd let his brother have another way to get to him.
"Well little brother, at least now you realize the importance of manners and proper introductions."
"Shove it, Itachi." And with that said, Sasuke continued to try and drag the poor blond up the stairs, despite the numerous protests that he could walk perfectly fine on his own. Naruto straightened his clothes once they had reached the top. He couldn't understand how someone with such a small frame could possibly have so much strength. Sasuke was standing in front of a closed door, though his attention was all on Naruto. It was kind of creepy.
"What's up Uchiha?" The blond said impatiently, running a hand through his hair in irritation. The brunette rolled his eyes; Naruto was so easily riled.
"Few people have ever been allowed into my room. In fact, you can count the number of people on one hand. So here are the rules: don't touch anything without permission, don't assume my silence is permission, and don't think your own permission is good enough. Failure to adhere to these rules gives me the explicit right to maim you in which ever way I deem acceptable…OK, let's go.
Naruto didn't know what he'd been expecting before he went in. Maybe a plasma screen TV, or some other trinket to show off his millionaire status. But if Sasuke had been truthful about the few visitors his room had seen, then it was fair to say that he wouldn't have a need to show off. Now that Naruto thought about it, he found that he really didn't know much about the other to make an accurate guess. The blond followed the Uchiha inside and took a look around.
Naruto's first impression was that the room was big. Much larger than a standard teenager's room. The walls were a surprisingly light shade of blue, with darker blues and white everywhere else. Taking up the space of an entire wall was a ceiling high bookcase filled with books, CDs, a few sports trophies, and sketchbooks. But apart from that, there really wasn't much else in the large room; just a bed, a desk with a laptop, a wardrobe and a-
"Dude! You have a balcony!? That's so cool, you lucky bastard. You could totally sneak out whenever you want!" Naruto hummed in grudging approval of the brunette's room. Sasuke rolled his eyes and made himself comfortable on the floor, motioning for the blond to do the same. Naruto followed his lead and sat (with a lot less grace) opposite Sasuke. He retrieved his art stuff out of his bag and began sketching.
For a while, there was nothing but the sounds of paper rustling and the quiet music from Sasuke's iPod to fill the room. The atmosphere was far more pleasant than either of the boys had expected, and both silently agreed not to comment on it. For the next two hours, they took turns drawing the other without as much bickering as usual, and Naruto started to feel uneasy. He wasn't used to paying attention to the Uchiha's features. Sure, if someone had asked the blond to describe Sasuke, he could tell them that he was slim, pale, black haired, (and a priss). But Naruto was now forced to notice the high cheekbones, the flawless skin and the piercing gaze his partner possess. He was a lot more good looking than many girls at their school.
Naruto saw something strange moving in his peripheral vision…and let out a (rather unmanly) squeak of surprise, though he was grateful for the distraction. "What the hell is under your bed, Sasuke!?"
Sasuke smirked and reached out under his bed to retrieve a small black cat. "Wow Dead Last, you were scared of a kitten. Just when I thought you couldn't act like any more of a loser."
Naruto bristled at the insult but reached for the adorable bundle of fluff. It really was insanely cute, and Naruto noted that the kitten's name was Rai. "I never took you for a cat person Sasuke; your hair screams 'mother duck' more than anything else. Tell me, did you spend hours on that duck butt, or does it come naturally?" Sasuke was about to reply, when the door swung open, revealing none other than Kakashi. Naruto squawked in an undignified manner for the second time in a few hours.
"Dr. Hatake…No offence dude, but did you get lost on the way to your porn shop or something? This is the last place I'd ever expect to see you, although Shika did say you had a soft spot for the Teme." Naruto teased, before wincing as Sasuke cuffed him on the head. The brunette sighed, only Naruto would say something so lame.
Meanwhile, Kakashi put on his best hurt look (which is hard to do with half your face covered). "How you wound me Naruto! Jiraiya's shop is a very fine establishment that deals with adult entertainment of the highest quality. Porn is such a derogatory word, and highly inaccurate. My smut is very much intellectual. As for why I'm here…I happen to live here! I'm so upset that my dearest Sasuke-chan keeps it a secret from everyone. I'm his legal guardian!"
Let it be recorded that at 6:43 PM on the 18th of November, Naruto Uzumaki was rendered speechless. (We can omit that the silence didn't last very long)
The blond's laughter could be heard all across the Uchiha mansion, and by the time it had died down, Naruto was wheezing, tears visible at his eyes. "Wow, for once I feel bad for you, Teme! I must admit, you kept it a secret very well. I'd just assumed it was only you and your clone of a brother." He looked at the clock on Sasuke's desk. "Anyway, I have to get going."
Sasuke nodded and stood up, while trying not to look too eager. It was best if Naruto left before anyone else came to the house. He would have died and gone to hell and back if Deidara or Kisame came home.
Naruto and Sasuke were almost out the front door when Itachi swept into the room. Sasuke scowled; the bastard was always making a dramatic entrance. "Sasuke-chan, let me take Naruto-kun home. You have kendo practice in a half hour. You can't drop him off and get to the other side of town on time…Don't tell me you forgot."
Itachi's serene face was a mask for the sheer unadulterated glee he felt within. It wasn't every day that he got to annoy his beloved little brother, and Itachi knew that Sasuke would be plagued by thoughts of the unknown conversations between Naruto and the elder Uchiha.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the honorific, but his gaze showed defeat. He had a competition coming up and couldn't afford to be late for practice. "Fine," he snapped "Dobe, it looks like your driving with Itachi…I'll arrange a pleasant funeral for you." And with that, the brunette grabbed his kendo gear from the hallway closet and was out the door. Naruto mulled over the weird comment for a while before shrugging it off and following the older Uchiha brother after shouting a quick 'bye' to his teacher. The blond grinned; he got to ride in two awesome cars in one day!
It was exactly eight minutes later while speeding down the road, that Naruto understood Sasuke's comment.
He looked at Itachi in horror, "Dude, you drive worse than the Teme! How is that even possible!? Oh crap, I'm really gonna freaking die!" The brunette looked at him strangely and told him not to exaggerate. The blond concluded that he bad driving was definitely an Uchiha thing. They usually moved with such grace, but on the road they were total hazards to the entire human race (and the local squirrel population).
The blond boy almost cried when Itachi took both hands off the wheel to search for his cell phone (which was on the back seat), and thus was grateful when they pulled up outside his house.
After thanking Itachi for the lift, Naruto stepped inside the house to be welcomed by the smell of ramen. 'Thank goodness! Food! If Ichiraku's didn't do take out, me and Jiraiya would've starved ages ago.'
"Oi, Pervy Sage! I'm home" The blond called before heading to the kitchen for his share of food.
Naruto had started living with Jiraiya four years ago. And at first Naruto had had his doubts; the guy owned a porn shop, consumed way too much alcohol for his own good, and was a total perv, but Naruto had grown fond of him regardless. Jiraiya wasn't around most days (he was very dedicated to his 'research'), but every now and again he'd get Ebisu (a fellow perv) to watch the shop for him.
Jiraiya's voice boomed through the wall from the other room. "Come and eat in here brat and tell me about your week. I left my important research to come see if you were still alive, and you don't bother to show up until past 7. I want to know what's up! Were you with that cutie, Sakura?"
Naruto grinned and carried his bowl of ramen and glass of coke over to Jiraiya. "First of all, you perv, you're way too old to call Sakura cute! It's disturbing! Secondly, I didn't know you were going to be home early today."
"If you had known, would you have come home earlier?"
"Hell no."
"How ungrateful of you! Ok, so you were with some hottie, right? Finally! It's about time you started dating. I'm your guardian, and as tribute to my sheer awesomeness, I demand details."
"Well, yeah he's really hot, but-" Naruto slapped a hand over his mouth and watched as Jiraiya choked on his ramen. Colour rose quickly to Naruto's cheeks. 'Do I really think he's hot!?' Naruto prayed that Jiraiya was drunk enough to forget the slip by morning.
"Brat…What exactly was that?"
"I don't know!"
"…Well if you need some help, you can take a look at some of the material at the shop, and-"
Naruto wasn't listening. 'How could one day screw my life up so royally?'
The exact pink of Sasuke lips still lingered in his mind.
So there it is my dears. If you find any mistakes, don't hesitate to point them out. Concrit is loved.
Peace, love, and NaruSasuNaru doujinshi to you all
