Beach Balls and Eternal Damnation
Itachi's nose was purple. It was neither swollen, nor visibly damaged in any way, except that it was a brilliant purple bruise, that shone all the more starkly because of his pale complexion. Poking it gently with a fingertip—"probing the area" as medical professionals called it—resulted in sharp bursts of pain, and what had to be a darkening of the bruise.
He was hideous.
Sasuke would pay.
Flipping off the bathroom light, Itachi emerged into the greater part of their apartment, and made his way into the kitchen. Morning sunlight streamed through the windows and painted the entirety of the black granite countertop, setting the stone sparkling. That the entire countertop sparkled, uninterrupted by any Sasuke-sized shadows was not lost on Itachi. He measured and ground his coffee beans with an almost obsessive precision, then set a pot to brewing. A brief glance at the stove clock told him it was well past the hour when Sasuke should have risen. Resigned, and determined to end the upcoming encounter without any further facial damage, Itachi crossed to Sauske's bedroom door.
"You've already missed your first class. If you value your dignity I suggest you do not miss the second." Itachi threatened, keeping his voice annoyingly cheerful.
"Die, Itachi."
"Mmm, while that sounds intriguing, I shall have to postpone that for a while. Now, are you going to get yourself ready, or shall I do it for you?" Itachi replied.
"Die."
"Very well, then." Itachi slipped a pin into the lock and twisted it expertly, adding a second to trip the second tumbler. With a satisfying snick, the lock clicked open. Itachi twisted the knob and was in the room before Sasuke could react. A brief scuffle ensued, in which Sasuke struck Itachi's nose, again, and Itachi bundled him up in the blankets, effectively creating a straight jacket out of the sheets and comforter. Itachi slung the squirming bundle over his shoulder with some effort, as Sasuke was almost his size, and carried him out of the room, kicking the door out of his way so it wouldn't strike Sasuke on the way through.
Itachi walked briskly around the corner, not giving Sasuke a chance to escape, to the bathroom, turned on the water with his foot and unceremoniously dropped the entire bundle under the icy water. Self-preservation kicked in, and Itachi beat a hasty retreat, slamming the door and holding the knob closed before Sasuke could disentangle himself from the sheets.. Sasuke shrieked at the cold and Itachi heard a storm of swearing just before the doorknob began jiggling under his hand.
"She's your mother too, Sauske-kun." Itachi said in response to one of the muffled curses, making Sasuke curse louder.
After a few intense minutes, Sasuke gave up, knowing from experience that Itachi had either found someone else to hold the door closed or found some way of locking it from the outside, and Itachi heard a change in the sound of the falling water, signaling Sasuke's acquiescence. He released the doorknob, wrapped one of his dozen expensive black leather belts around the knob and looped the buckle over the knob of the front door. At most, Sasuke would be able to open the door an inch, not enough to get out.
The coffee-maker chose that moment to chime the completion of Itachi's drink. Pleased by the timing, Itachi returned to the kitchen. He sat at the counter, his favorite mug, an delicate looking porcelain affair in solid black with red trim and a single red cloud on the inside of the rim, clasped in his right hand, a piece of toast smeared with precisely one Tablespoon of grape jelly in his left. His morning stock reports and the daily review of the company, delivered by fax at precisely 9:00, lay on the counter before him, and he perused them with a sense of indifference. Itachi knew his position as CEO was temporary, even if the rest of the company didn't, and he was simply a stop-gap until Sasuke was old enough to take over.
His exploits in Paris disqualified him from the position in his father's eyes. The man did not take kindly to being told no, and especially not by his son. The comforting weight of his phone against his thigh reminded Itachi that he had no regrets.
Taking another sip of coffee only to find the cup empty, Itachi let out a long sigh. An empty cup meant it was probably time to release Sasuke from the bathroom-prison and feed him before throwing him unceremoniously out the front door.
So it was that Itachi found his belt cut callously in two, and no so much as a drop of water on the floor to indicate the presence of the littler Uchiha. With an unconcerned shrug, Itachi returned to the kitchen, poured another cup of coffee, and settled back on his chair. He wasn't expected at the office until the following day, and with Sasuke expediting his plans by breaking out, Itachi found he had nothing but time.
XxXxXxXxX
Naruto admired his reflection in the mirror. Bright orange swim trunks hung perfectly off his hips, emphasizing the lean muscles of his abdomen and legs. He liked that they made him look powerful, yet sexy. It didn't occur to him to wonder why the designers were so keen on playing up his looks rather than their clothes.
He headed for the elevator, leather sandals slapping the floor loudly all the way, at a leisurely pace. Sasuke had arrived late, and, judging by the closed door of his changing room, still hadn't emerged to head to the set. Naruto slowed his pace even more, devolving from leisurely to downright stalker as he craned at the white door, waiting for Sasuke to emerge. After all, if he looked good in the swimwear, Uchiha had to look straight up godly
It wasn't until he'd stopped completely that Naruto realized he was waiting to ogle a guy. Blushing furiously and swearing at himself under his breath, embarrassed slightly by his behavior. Waiting for a friend was one thing, but with the way Uchiha acted, it was unlikely they would ever exchange more than a dozen words without resorting to blows.
Besides, once they got on set, Naruto would have all the time he wanted to ogle.
Naruto realized years earlier that he wasn't straight. Sure, girls were pretty, and he admired a nice figure as much as the next guy, but, well, they just didn't inspire feelings of romance. And the sudden mood snaps gave him whip lash, a fact he'd learned during the three months he'd dated Ino Yamanaka. They never got past holding hands, and called the whole thing off after they got into a fight that ended with him shouting at her and getting slapped for his efforts. By some great miracle they remained friends, a testament to the depth of their relationship, but after the bruise faded, Naruto essentially swore off women, dating, and anything more than a casual fling. It was a decision he never regretted.
As the elevator doors slid closed behind him, he wondered if it was time to reconsider, then berated himself again. Like the great Sasuke Uchiha would be interested.
He was jolted from his inner debate as the doors slid open. Naruto started forward, assuming he was at the basement, then stopped when he saw the Uchiha in question framed by the doors.
"Dobe, didn't you hear me ask you to hold the elevator?" Nope. Not a word, Naruto thought. "I don't even want to know what you were so busy thinking about. Actually, I suppose not thinking, in your case." Sasuke sneered, leaning up against the opposite wall and pressing the basement button. "You do at least realize you have to push the button to make the elevator move, right?"
"Shut up, Teme." Naruto felt heat rising to his face. "Bastard. Just because you are some famous super model doesn't mean you're anybody special here. You have to work for it." Sasuke flipped his hair out of his face in a vaguely Charlie's Angelish way and smirked, a classic expression used by the Uchiha's to sway the hearts of entire armies in times past and stolen the hearts of literally millions of women around the world that now served as an emotional slap in the face for Naruto.
Sullenly silent for the remainder of the journey downward, Naruto spent his energy staring at his toes and slowly counting the ways he might off Sasuke during the beach shoot. A volleyball net might work. Or I could just brain him with the volleyball a few dozen time. A bucket would work too. And it only takes two tablespoons of water to drown…
He was so involved in his own thoughts that he almost got stuck riding back up to the hair and makeup floor, and entirely missed his chance to admire Sasuke's outfit. Naruto was forced to jog to catch up, but still arrived at the set after Sasuke. Naruto nearly collided with the raven, who for some reason chose to stop in the doorway rather than enter the set.
"Oh hell no." Sasuke said, staring at the crowd and taking a step backward. His back collided with Naruto's bare chest and he flinched like he was burned. "Hell no. I didn't agree to this."
"What's wrong, Sasuke? It's just the beach shoot." Naruto almost completely blocked the door by leaning casually against the frame.
"Why the hell are there so many people?" Sasuke couldn't keep the hint of fear out of his voice even though he spoke in a whisper barely audible over the conversations taking place in front of him.
"They're extras. Jiraya charges them to come experience a real photo shoot and spend time with us. It's a hopeless bit of fan service, but it makes good money and we only do it once a year. It's a good chance to bond with our fans and increase our readership."
"No. Not a chance." Sasuke turned to make a run for it but Naruto's body was in the way. "Move."
"They'll only be here for an hour or two tops, then they go away and we get the real work done. Besides, this isn't optional, Uchiha." Naruto pushed him all the way into the room and closed the door firmly behind them. "Besides, now's your chance to get cozy with as many pretty girls as you want." Naruto walked away, hailing Ino, and by default Sakura, and missed the appalled look on Sasuke's face.
Ino strolled over, her bikini giving a certain roll to her walk that said 'I'm sexy and I know it. Try anything and I'll kill you without breaking a nail.' Bright purple, the bikini was exactly what one might expect to see from the Icha Icha label. Naruto feigned scandal.
"My god Ino, put some clothes on," He stepped between her and the crowd of extras protectively, and hugged her a little closer than necessary. "Some of those perverts might get ideas." She laughed and pulled away.
"Flirt, you're the biggest pervert, other than Jiraya, of course." Ino froze, noticing Sakura's concerned stare and followed her gaze to Sasuke. The raven was trying, rather unsuccessfully, to disappear before the mob of shrieking fan girls reached him.
"Is there something wrong with him? Why didn't he come over here? Now we're gonna have to rescue him." Ino sighed, placing a palm lightly on Naruto's chest.
"No way. You girls can go if you want, but I'm done dealing with the ice king for the day. Stick around him too much longer and I'll get frostbite." Naruto shook his head to emphasize the comment, mussing his already disordered blond hair and drawing a collective sigh from his fan girls.
"But Naruto-chan…what if…if there are perverts?" Ino said, eyes wide and seemingly on the brink of tears. The change in Naruto was immediate.
"I'll rescue him from the perverts. You ladies stay here." Naruto dove into the crowd of Sasuke fans and began searching for the cold hearted Uchiha. After much pushing, prodding, and T-shirt autographing, Naruto found him curled beneath some of the enormous rainbow umbrellas, drawn in on himself and rocking slowly, on the verge of tears. Shielded by his umbrella cocoon, the fans couldn't see him, but Naruto wormed his way into the fort and sat opposite Sasuke, forced into a similar fetal position by the lack of space.
"Are you okay, Sasuke?"
"Fine. Perfectly fine," Sasuke snapped, his voice lacking the usual venom.
"Are you really that bothered by crowds?" Naruto asked. His words sounded condescending, even to his own ears, and he hated them instantly.
"I had…a bad experience with…crowds when I was little. I have not been able to abide them since." Sasuke said at length, still rocking slowly. Naruto noticed his eyes were closed, as if imagining himself somewhere else, a subtle indicator that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
"I didn't know." Naruto said and Sasuke snorted miserably. "Seriously. Just because you're famous doesn't mean everyone knows everything about you." Sasuke didn't answer, so Naruto let the conversation drop and extricated himself from the umbrella fort to go find Kakashi. If anyone could get rid of the extras in a hurry, it would be him.
Though Sasuke was less than friendly, Naruto felt guilty about abandoning him, and it drove him to search for Kakashi even faster. Fortunately, he didn't have far to look. The silver photographic genius perched on his usual stool, in the usual place, surrounded by a ten foot ring of empty space. Evidently, he radiated some sort of aura that deterred even the most persistent of fans from approaching.
"Kakashi! Kakashi!" Naruto called, pushing his way into the Kakashi zone, earning a few angry looks for his troubles. "Kakashi, Sasuke—"
"I know, Naruto-kun. Yamato and Iruka are working on removing them now. We'll have the annual shoot some other time. If you and the others will wait on set, I'll get Sasuke set." Kakashi hopped off his stool as Naruto nodded and made a beeline through the thinning crowd to the umbrella fort and ducked inside.
"What was all that about?" Ino asked, coming up behind Naruto.
"I haven't the slightest idea."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Five hours and more frames than anyone cared to count, Sakura and Ino finally called it a day. Or more accurately, Kakashi called it a day for them. The last hour of shooting had been poses of them together, lounging with drinks, playing beach games, and generally looking adorable in their beach wear while doing vaguely beach related things. After his final idea—the girls running across the "beach" and flying kites—fell through because the accursed things wouldn't fly properly indoors no matter how many industrial fans he trained on them, he decided it was time to get the poses of the boys for the men's section. Neither answered his summons to the set.
With a beleaguered sigh, Kakashi called again before summoning the energy to get out his chair and go looking. Naruto was fairly easy to find, sprawled asleep under the fake sunlight, a copy of the latest Icha Icha novel across his chest. Utilizing some of his latent ninja skills, Kakashi swiped the book (not yet available to the public) and replaced it with a martial arts magazine, knowing Naruto wouldn't notice the switch until well after he left the set. Once the "artistic research" was secure, Kakashi nudged Naruto with a toe.
"Wake up, Naruto," he said, and the blond started, flinging the magazine behind him in a reflexive attempt to hide the dirty novel. Kakashi couldn't help but notice how adorable the blond looked, hair mussed, eyes still muzzy from sleep. He wished he had a camera in his hand to capture the moment, promptly trotted over to his tripod, and began shooting. Once Naruto was awake enough to realize he was being exploited, Kakashi proceeded in his search for Sasuke.
Not surprisingly, he found the raven slouched in a corner, nose in a weighty looking textbook.
"I expect all of those under my dominion to come when I call." Kakashi said. Sasuke said nothing, didn't acknowledge Kakashi in any way, so Kakashi tried another tact. "If you aren't on set in five seconds, I'll tell your brother." Still no response. Exasperated, Kakashi leaned down and whispered, "If you aren't on set in five seconds, I'll tell Naruto—"
"Shut up, Kakashi." Sasuke snapped the book closed and stood, fixing Kakashi with the famous Uchiha glare.
"Sorry, kiddo. I am more than immune by now." Leaving Sasuke to riddle that out, Kakashi sauntered back to his director's chair and curled up on the seat, camera in hand.
"Wow me." Kakashi said, focusing through the view finder. Digital camera or not, he preferred the old-style viewfinder to the digital display. For some reason the grainy display screen never quite captured what he wanted. Sasuke and Naruto stood there, awkwardly, all the tension from earlier shoots, and fist fights, hanging in the air between them. Sasuke tugged at the waist of his swim shorts, the dark blue pants riding low on his narrow hips and the fake drawstring doing nothing to help the situation. His action drew Naruto's eyes to his toned stomach and chest, and the blond stared appreciatively at the well cultivated muscle.
Adjusting his camera to fit both boys in the shot, Kakashi suppressed the urge to giggle at the sight of Sasuke subtly attempting to cover his entire body with the small trunks, obviously uncomfortable under the blazing lights half naked, and Naruto ogling him like a man starving. He was tempted to snap a picture, but he knew the monkeys upstairs would never approve it, and it wasn't really private collection material, so he let the moment pass. He was in the middle of setting up his first camera, a wide angle lens so he could take shots for the cover or centerfold, when his cell phone rang, the Caller ID flashing "HIM."
"Lucky, lucky, saved by the bell." He muttered, too soft for either to really hear. Before answering, just in case they did something spectacular while he was away, not that he suspected they might, but, just in case, he set quickly set his wide angle camera on a steady, stop action shutter, so it would take a picture every second or so. He ducked under the rapidly clicking shutter stepped into the hall before answering.
"This had better be important, Satan."
XxXxXxXxXxX
"You look good in that color, Sasuke." Naruto said, flashing the raven a quick smile so the statement wouldn't sound quite so flirtatious. Sasuke recoiled and frowned sharply. Naruto looked away, desperately trying to think of something to say to make the situation less awkward.
"Sasuke—"
"Just don't talk." Sasuke snapped, adding a "Dobe," under his breath for good measure.
"Why are you so afraid of crowds?" Naruto blurted, instantly slapping a hand over his mouth as if he could shove the words back into his mouth by sheer brute force.
"I—I'm not afraid. I just don't like them."
"You were crying under a mountain of umbrellas."
"I don't cry, dobe." Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.
"That's not what I saw."
"Get your eyes checked."
"Teme. I'm trying to be nice Not that you would know what that means, being a teme, and all. Sheesh, if you're this bad I'd hate to see what your family is like."
"Don't talk about my family." Sasukes voice dropped dangerously low, and he could feel rage building tension in his neck and shoulders.
"And your brother is just plain creepy. He looks like he's planning world dominion or something." Naruto continued, tapping his chin and gazing up, so lost in his musings he missed Sasuke's building fury.
Sasuke jumped Naruto, tackling him to the ground and pushing them both over a decorative lounge chair. Naruto reflexively tried to hook a leg around Sasuke's abdomen to pull him off, but Sasuke straddled his torso too far up and leaned to far forward for him to get a good grip. Failing that, Naruto wrenched to the side, dumping Sasuke over before he had a chance to establish his balance.
Not one to be outdone, Sasuke punched as he rolled, catching Naruto in the lip and cutting his knuckles on the blond's teeth. Naruto spat blood as he let his momentum carry him on top of Sasuke, straddling the ravens hips and pinning his hands.
"Spill." He commanded, amused by the sight of Sasuke's fury at losing.
"No." Sasuke mimicked Naruto's moves and rolled them over, breaking his hands free to pin Naruto's, but failing to break the leg guard. With Naruto's legs still wrapped around his waist, Sasuke used the blond's own arm to create a half strangle hold.
"I said, I don't want to talk, dobe. I don't speak merely to hear the sound of my own voice." Sasuke snarled. He immediately regretted the severity of his tone, seeing the blood dribbling down the side of Naruto's face and the hurt in the blond's eyes.
"I was just trying to help you." Naruto mumbled.
"Shit," Sasuke swore, noticing the blood on his hand and spattered across the sand on set.
"What? What is it?" Naruto craned his head and saw the chaos. During the scuffle the managed to ruin the perfectly manicured set, smash a chair prop and ruin the fabric by staining the white with blood spatters, and destroy the hard work of hair and makeup.
A soft clicking echoed through the silence.
"He's shooting this? Sasuke, we're dead. Like, deader than dead."
"No. Come on, dobe. If we leave before he gets back, we should be able to avoid his fury." Sasuke extricated himself and stood as he spoke, and extended a hand to help Naruto up.
"But Sasuke, he knows where I live."
"Guess you're dead." Sasuke left through the back door, leaving Naruto alone under the bright lights. The blond stood there for a long moment, then chased after Sasuke, heedless of the fact that they were both still in beach wear.
"Wait for me, Sasuke!"
XxXxXxXxX
When he returned to the studio, it was empty. There was blood on the sand, and the scuff lines suggested there had been yet another fight. The knuckle heads would pay this time, Kakashi thought. He had legitimate photographic evidence that they started fighting while was out of the room, and therefore, he could not be responsible.
Kakashi picked up the still clicking camera and stopped it, scrolling back to the beginning of the stop action shots, thrilled at the prospect of clearing his name with Jiraya. He perched on his stool, feet on the top rung, camera cradled in his lap. Brilliant set lighting left glare on the screen, so he turned them off with a loud snap, plunging the room into darkness. The digital display cast a faint glow, bathing his face as he queued up the first shots.
They began benignly enough. Naruto stood a few feet to the side of Sasuke, openly staring at him. Sasuke seemed to make some sort of flippant remark as Kakashi moved through the corner of the shot, and won a smile from the blond. Naruto slowly eased closer, still staring, obviously admiring. He said something, smiling.
For an instant, no longer than one frame, Sasuke smiled back. The expression spanned the entirety of his face, from the perfect arch of his lips to a radiant glow in his eyes, genuine pleasure, genuine happiness written there. If any of his fans saw it, there would be pandemonium.
In the next shot, he seemed to realize his stony mask had cracked and instantly frowned. The reaction was too quick, Naruto probably hadn't even seen the smile. Kakashi felt a hint of sadness for the little blond, and clicked through the pictures faster, skimming them rather than studying.
As the fight progressed, Kakashi felt his face flushing. From the angle of the camera, it certainly did not look like an innocent fight, or a fight at all for that matter, and if one ignored the fact that they were clothed…He shook his head, embarrassed at his own line of thought. The blush turned into a mischievous grin as he thought about what the monkeys upstairs would say if they saw any one of these pictures. Still thinking malicious thoughts about explosive nosebleeds and fainting, Kakashi gathered his equipment and headed off to his office. He had an e-mail to send.
XxXxXxXxX
Naruto cursed at his failure. He'd managed to follow Sasuke fairly well after they collected their clothes, though he never seemed to be able to catch up after the sneaky teme changed into street clothes at the speed of light, but then the troublesome Uchiha disappeared into the library. Unfamiliar with the establishment as he preferred his books in full HD color with surround sound and achingly beautiful actors, Naruto lacked even the slightest inkling of where he ought to begin his search. That he really didn't know Sasuke's likes and dislikes didn't improve the situation.
Naruto flopped into a chair in front of the nearest computer. He could only see one door, so if he kept his head down, Sasuke would have to come by at some point. Turning the monitor on, he resolved to pass the time with a few computer games.
"What do you mean, blocked? What happened to freedom of information?" Naruto grumbled, closing the fourth pop-up web blocker. Every site he visited gave him the same message, and while he irately closed yet another window, a small orange sticker along the bottom edge of the screen caught his eye.
In an attempt to preserve the environment of
quiet academia, this terminal does not support any recreational websites.
(Social networking, gaming, video streaming etc.)
Thank you for your commitment to knowledge.
"Commitment to knowledge? Who the hell writes these things?" Naruto growled as he landed back on the search page. A news feed scrolled across the top of the screen, and though Naruto usually ignored them, one word caught his attention: Sasuke. Certain it couldn't be the same Sasuke, but curious nonetheless, Naruto clicked the link before it disappeared out the right side of the screen.
"Prodigy Uchiha Makes First Commercial Debut Since Tragedy" the headline announced across the top of the page. Naruto scrolled down, still not quite believing what he was seeing.
This month's issue of the popular Icha Icha magazine features a new face—well, new to the Icha cast, at least. The face of Uchiha Sasuke has been the source of heartbreak for many teens around the world, but, until this month, the Uchiha's have made every effort to keep him out of the public eye. Not surprisingly, considering the events of just a few years ago.
Uchiha's startling emergence in the modeling field has sparked a great deal of speculation as to his motives. Why now? is the question on many lips, and with Uchiha Fugaku mum on the subject, our experts have decided to chime in.
The most popular theories seem to involve the abrupt reappearance of Uchiha Itachi in the business world. As Uchiha Inc's stock prices spiraled into the basement, the Uchiha heir stepped in and has attempted to stop the desperate hemorrhaging of funds. One can only suppose that Sasuke is trying to bring his family back into the public mind with the shocking photos released in this issue. But after such a traumatic departure from the limelight, we can't help but wonder if Sasuke is ready for this, and if his fans are ready to have him back.
Only time will tell.
Naruto stared at the screen, at a loss. Traumatic departure? He tapped the backspace key and began a new search.
"Uchiha Sasuke": 400,320,679 results in .19 seconds. Advanced Search?
Naruto clicked the first link, and started reading.
The world was shocked to hear Uchiha Fugaku confirm the disappearance of his youngest son this morning, putting an end to rumors that Sasuke was taking on vacation. Missing for nearly a month, investigators have no leads, no reliable tips, no evidence beyond a broken window to Sasuke's room and a grainy photo still from a security camera…
XxXxXxXx
A/N:
Back! At last. Phew, that was a long chapter, and tricky to write since it never wanted to end. But you get two chapters this month, so don't hate me for the cliffhanger.
A few notes of bookkeeping:
I don't own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't be a poor college student.
This is a SasuNaru. When we get that far, Sasuke tops. 'nough said.
I know Sasuke's being angsty. It is deliberate, and will end soonish. Everyone has their periods of emo-ish-ness and this is Sasuke's. Naruto will snap him out of it. I promise.
Whatever you're thinking about Itachi is probably right. And if you have doubts as to what might happen with him, refer to my profile. Hints abound.
In case any of you care, I succeeded at nano.
And now, thank you again to everyone who reviewed, favorited, alerted, reviewed, added to a community, and did I mention reviewed? this fic, and the others. You make me feel loved. Thank you.
Now, whilst you eagerly await the next chapter's revelations about our angsty duo, click the button. You know you want to.
(r&r)