After the fiasco at the tea shop, I had been trying so hard to calm my own nerves. I really couldn't fall for my boss, even if that's the last thing I did on this Earth before I left. I promised myself I wouldn't, especially since we were supposed to have a strictly business affair. But all that ended when he had shown up at my house, concerned for me. I'm sure he meant it in a colleague-way, but of course my mind had to twist it something else, gossiping with my heart.

I just couldn't stop thinking about him.

I mean, it's not like he even done anything to be remotely moved!

All he did was praise me for my hard-work, came to see me when I wasn't okay, and had flirted with me a couple of times, when times were rough! No way feelings could have developed from those small instances!

…Oh, who the fuck was I kidding?

I'm falling for my Boss.

I shook my head, sighing. I looked at the picture of us together, the one with me in the red dress. I frowned, knowing that I probably wouldn't work for his company long enough to obtain this stupid red dress. If Deidara had taught me anything, it was that whatever I did, there would always be someone dissatisfied with it, whether it be me or someone external.

Itachi, on the other hand, seemed to be taking this too well. He was pretty much still the same, acted amused with all the things I did, and still made playful jabs, but business was still business with the both of us. After the departure of Jun to Hachi, Itachi had went back to normal, but that was expected.

In fact, all things seemed to have stayed the same. The only who changed was me- Well, at least my outlook on some things.

I kept catching Sasuke making out with Sakura in various places exempt the photocopier room (thank god, I almost lived in that room for a month with all the proposals coming back). I would catch them in the supply closet, the meeting room, or even sometimes in Sakura's office. Hey, at least it seemed a bit more private, on terms of location. It's the thought that counts.

Kisame was still his ol' sharky self. Opal manned the reception desk like no other, and Pein. Well, he was Pein, keeping Itachi up-to-date with all the latest documents regarding his divorce and custody issues. I, on the other hand, happened to be falling for my Boss and wishing I wasn't a contract employee so I could be by him forever.

Really, the life and times of Komorebi.

The end of the day came by slower than usual, but when the big hand hit the 12, I almost jumped for joy. I could go home, change, and then go on to movie night with Deidara, forgetting about work and all its glory!

"Deidara!" I sobbed dramatically, hugging the blonde.

He immediately started struggling against me, prying my arms away, though they'd come back to his waist right away. "Get away from me, un!"

"Deidara, help me!" I rubbed my face on to his shoulder, Deidara smacking me upside the head. I winced, holding my head, letting go of the blonde.

"What's wrong with you, un?"

I took a seat on his couch, Deidara already starting on the coffee for me. "I think I like Itachi."

Deidara snorted, "I could've told you that." He slid my coffee to me, plopping into a seat next to me. "Why did you come all the way here to tell me something I knew, un?"

I took a miniscule sip from the cup. Ouch, that's hot. "Well, I thought maybe you could give me insight on how to not like him so much." I grinned, looking like a Cheshire cat.

"You can't fight the urge, un. If you like him a little, the feelings will grow even further." Deidara flicked my forehead with his fingers. "Just allow yourself to like him, he's not a bad choice, un."

I hissed, glaring at him. God, he was such a sadist! "But he's my Boss, Deidara! That's unacceptable." I frowned, knowing this conversation wasn't going to go anywhere.

"Does he like you back, un?"

I paused all my thinking, absorbing his question. Did he? I don't really notice anything he does in particular, except for when he flirts with me. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I know for a fact he doesn't dislike me because we eat lunch together every day, with no issues. Most of our rough patches had died down, and I," I smiled. "I actually almost feel like a friend to him."

Deidara pursed his lips. "Are you satisfied with being his friend, un?"

Well, of course! How cool is it to be friends with a powerful dude who owned like a third of the country? Plus, he was so intelligent, and seemed to make really good decisions with business. It'd be so nice to stay friends with him, even after I leave his company.

"Yeah, he's a great friend."

"So, the real question here is, will you be satisfied with only being his friend?"


I fidgeted in my seat, watching the two ex-lovers bicker. I've never seen Itachi so determined, and almost angry at someone before. Don't get me wrong, he had little tolerance for mistakes at the office, especially if he instilled what he wanted over and over again, but he dealt with those quickly so it wasn't like he had the time to get angry at something.

But they had been talking for half an hour already, and I could see Itachi losing his patience with Hachi.

They were here to try and settle an agreement for Jun's custody and child-support. I could see why it's appropriate for her to argue for it, but she fucking took so much with her, and yet she still wants to milk more of his money? I know her family went bankrupt and all, but still… Itachi has nothing left of their relationship, not even the ability to see Jun, and that's all he wanted.

"I'm not giving that much child-support, Hachi." I envied her because he didn't use honorifics with her, but that didn't matter right now. "I'm not saying I won't give it to you, but you must understand, it's too high to be called child-support."

"You have so much money, anyway, why does it matter? You're a workaholic at the end of the day, aren't you? You'll make back the money just by lifting your pinky finger." She snorted, crossing her arms over her chest, looking away from him. Gosh, she seemed really bitter about something.

Itachi sighed, almost feeling defeated. "I know you're upset because I had neglected our marriage. I'm sorry." Well, shit. "And though I've realized my mistake too late, you have also done nothing but cause me trouble. You took forty-percent of my shares, Hachi. You think I could trust you with money now?"

Hachi was silent. Dang, I'd be too.

I'm so glad my office was sound-proof now. I let Jun toy around in my office, giving him a stack of misprinted papers he could doodle on, along with some snacks, so he could kill time in the office by himself. I would not let him see his two most beloved people arguing.

Suddenly, Hachi broke out into a low laugh, her voice reminding me of a villain right now. "Fine. You can keep your damn money. Hyuga-san gives me a fatter salary than you do with this one." She eyed me like I was a piece of trash. I felt shivers all over me, feeling pretty trashy. Wait, did she say Hyuga? "Bring me Jun."

I got up and headed over to my office, peeking in. "Jun-kun?" I walked over, the kid pretty much asleep, his head on my desk. He was holding a marker in his hand, in the middle of a drawing. He rolled up his sleeves to avoid the colour getting on to his clothing.

And that's when I noticed something wrong.

I peered over him, studying his forearms. There were fresh bruises, old bruises and a cut on his arm. I covered my mouth. He was getting abused at home…!

Jun stirred in his sleep, dropping the marker to rub his eyes. "Mommy?"

"It's Komo." I smiled, kneeling down to his height. "It's time to go now." I brushed some hair away from his face. I helped him packed his bag, looking at all the pictures he drew. He even drew a picture of me! He was still a little sleepy, so I carried him myself to Itachi's room, his arm loosely wrapped around my neck.

I set him down on the floor, helping him put on his bag. Hachi walked over, glared at me, and took Jun's wrist in her hand. "Let's go, Jun."

Jun visibly winced. "Ow, Mommy, that hurts!" I almost reached back for him, but she had already left, slamming the door behind her.

I slowly made my way in front of Itachi's desk, plopping down into a chair, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "Komo-san…?"

The tears spilled, dropping off my face like water bombs. I couldn't stop them and they came like a steady stream. "I-Itachi-san…" I sniffled, Itachi pushing the tissue box towards me. "Jun is… g-getting h-hit…"

"What do you mean?" I heard Itachi's voice harden.

I looked up at him, staring into his eyes, my vision being blurred. "I s-saw his arms…" I took a tissue to dab some tears away, trying to calm myself down. "H-He h-has bruises all o-over them, fresh a-and old…"

Itachi got up from his chair, making his way to the window, looking out. After a few silent moments, he said, "Go home and get some rest, Komo-san. I need some time along for today. You're dismissed."

I nodded slowly, and I could only imagine the bare minimum Itachi was going through with his mind.


A/N:

Hello everyone! I apologize for the short chapter, but adding this was crucial to drive the plot forward. Also, I have good news; my internet is fixed so this will be updated on a regular basis now! Expect a new chapter every couple of days or so. I'm also very happy to see that I've been gaining many new readers and that it seems to be positive feedback (I hope) for me. Since this chapter is so short, I will include a small passage at the bottom of this Author's Note regarding the main character which was requested by KKR (thank you for your interest!). Also, sorry this took so long to update, I really hate this website Doc's Manager. You have to save the shit out of the documents or else it's all gone. I do all my chapters externally so that's not the problem, but when I do Author Note's and blurbs, I do them all on here. The website even logged out on me once while I was doing this -_- .

Replies (I realized that I could reply directly on the comments page, but I feel this is more personalized to include it in the chapter):

Mintakaa: I was scared that my chapters were too boring or that I was trying too hard! When I first developed this story, I wasn't sure where to take it, but the things have fallen into place. Hopefully, the events that happen continue to excite you.

annzzzy: Thank you for your kind words!


When I was plotting out the main character for this story, I had a totally different look in mind. I wanted her to have long, wavy lavender-coloured hair with bright cherry-red eyes, something really eccentric and fantastical. But I realized that it wouldn't be too hot for a story set in the modern world with big corporations and mediocre lives. So, I decided to go with a more typical look to make her seem more "relatable" and fit in the setting more.

Komorebi was described in Chapter 3 to have mid-length, wavy brown hair and hazel-coloured eyes. Everything else about her I made ambiguous so you can kind of think of how she looks on your own. In my eyes, I see a 5'5 and a half girl with a lanky body and relatively small-chest, kind of like Tsunemori Akane's body from Psycho Pass season 1. She has pale skin, almond eyes, a prominent nose and thin lips, a beauty mark below her left eye.

As for her personality (psychological and/or sociological), she's very blunt and stubborn. She prefers to say things straight-up, no sugar-coating or corner-cutting, which usually leads people to believe that she's bitchy or rude. Her stubbornness causes her to be the type of person to carry the blame on her back, to avoid having someone else to fall because she didn't monitor them properly with their tasks. Komorebi is also independent, but readily leans on Deidara for her deepest ruts. She works hard, not only for others to appreciate her work, but for her to stay in-tune with what she is capable of. At the end of the day, however, she is still a girl and will let the emotions from her heart take over.

Komorebi was a name I thought for her while I take the train to school. I know that in the Japanese language, they have a word for the phrase, "the light that is filtered by the leaves of a tree". If any of you were wondering, she has a last name.

Edit (08/11/14): Forgot to mention, she also has a tattoo on her right shoulder blade of a gold Koi fish. She's also 23 and is 4 years apart from Itachi in this story.