Chapter 6

Naruto stayed with his back turned to Itachi, the man who had hurt him so deeply years ago. He couldn't face him, couldn't bear how his body still reacted to him. His heart pounded harder, and his skin flushed.

"Why aren't you answering?"

There was no impatience in that voice, in fact there was nothing of emotions in that voice. He was sure they belonged to Itachi, that voice and those words. Curious, he turned around.

Itachi still looked the same, still taller than Naruto— unfairly so—still paler and handsome. The indifferent expression on his face evaporated as he saw Naruto's face. A look of shock, widening eyes and opened mouth, flashed through his face then it stiffened.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak but before he could, itachi's hands were on him shoving him inside the modern office. Affronted and discomforted by the familiarity he sensed within the touch Naruto stepped away and glared at Itachi who closed the door. What the hell was his problem?

Itachi turned around and Naruto's annoyance vanished at the stare, the once-over that made him self-conscious even though he shouldn't. Who cared what Itachi thought about his looks, really. Yes he pierced his ears and plucked his eyebrows and wore makeup now, so what. He wasn't the same person who did only the things Itachi wanted. He hasn't been for a long time.

"Why are you here?" Was the question after a really long silence.

Naruto blinked. Of course he understood the question but somehow he had expected a different thing entirely, a different reaction.

"I, what do you mean. Does this whole place belong to you or something?"

After saying that he realized that it did belong to him— well to his wife but they were essentially the same.

"Uh—" Itachi saved him from correcting himself.

"Why did you come here?" he asked.

Naruto glanced away from him hating the interrogation but still unable to keep from responding. " I didn't come here to see you if that's what you asking. "

"But?"

"I have business in Just Glamour. "

There was a pause.

" No, you don't. How can you?"

Yes he understood how absurd this really was without the man who held a position in the list of reasons why this was absurd telling him about it.

"I do okay, " he said obstinately, looking squarely at Itachi and unwillingly taking note of the differences. He wore pristine fitted, probably handwoven, navy blue suit, still kept his hair in a ponytail but he looked older. Much more older than his twenty-nine years old.

" What kind of business?" Itachi said with the same level of patience one would give a five year old.

" I'm an actor alright?" His cheek burned as he remembered an old talk they once had. From the get go Naruto had always wanted to be an actor, Itachi was the first to encourage him despite people saying things like actors needed to be good looking. He'd said Naruto looked great and every other actor just wore makeup and couldn't pull of his natural good looks. Naruto had been giddy at the time by that praise. That was the first time they'd ever spoken even though they saw each other everyday.

"I see. It can't be that you are one of the two new actors competing today. "

That amazed voice rubbed Naruto off wrong but he couldn't really voice his annoyance. After meeting Itachi for the first time in four—almost five years— Naruto didn't want to go off on him. He felt awkward and out of place.

" I am actually," he stressed.

" Why would you come here to work?"

"Look if you are going to harp on me—"

"Is it money you want?"

That stopped Naruto cold. " What?"

"Are you trying to start something? Because that's the only reason I can think of for you to want to work with me and Tsunade. Not after everything. "

Naruto stayed silent swallowing the shock.

"What exactly is your plan here. Let me hear it. " He paused, actually waiting for a response. " Is it blackmail? Are you going to bring up my past with you?"

Until he said it that hadn't even occurred to Naruto. It should have and he tried to see how things looked from itachi's angle. Yes Itachi was with Tsunade now, they were married. When Naruto first heard he had tried to kill himself. A stupid decision that only the universe could save him from and the scars on his wrist made sure he never forgot about it. Itachi was to the world a straight man. In fact, hadn't they always argued about that and Itachi would say, " no you are the only guy I have ever been attracted to and will ever. ?" Itachi didn't really see himself as gay, he was still attracted to women he said.

"You are quite full of yourself, it's not all about you."

Itachi nodded as if he agreed," so what is it about?"

" I'm just here for work, believe it or not. Jiraya jiji brought me here."

He didn't want any trouble. He was the victim here. Itachi had cheated on him and Tsunade, that ugly woman, had took all that mattered from him. He shouldn't have to be the one to hide like he did something wrong. Besides, he had already moved on and wanted to leave everything behind him.

"Even if that's the case, you can't work here. "

"Why the hell not?"

" There is too much history between us."

Naruto laughed derisively, " I don't have a problem."

" I am the one directing that movie, I'm also in charge of choosing which of you gets to play the male lead. You will never be free from me if you decide to work here."

Naruto stared at him not quite getting what he was saying.

" You say you've moved on but being reminded by seeing me everyday, seeing Tsunade, I think that wouldn't be considered a safe environment. We want people who can work at their best. "

" Screw you," Naruto growled. " I'm not crippled, I can handle looking at you. I have nothing to be ashamed of. "

Despite the bravado Naruto was still quite aware of the strange beating his heart was giving with each passing moment.

" You can't work here, Naruto. "

Hearing his name on itachi's mouth speed his heart further.

"I'll get you somewhere else,"

" No way," Naruto reacted with revulsion. " You think that would be better? I don't want anything from you. "

Itachi looked at him incredulously," then why are you here? To work, right. Who do you think will be paying you, who do you think you'll be working for?"

" It's not the same thing. I'm not-" the words were a awful lot harder to say than he'd have liked. " I'm not a beggar. I'm here because I was offered a job and I need it. I don't have to run from you or from anything. In fact it sounds to me like you want to run from me. "

"Oh that's what it sounds like."

Naruto ignored the mockery, " well yeah. You are so hell bent on looking at this like I came here to haunt you or something and you want to pay me off so I wouldn't get in the way of your happy life. "

His face turned stiff," you have no idea what you are talking about. "

"Except I do. You want me gone for your own peace of mind because you feel—" he stopped abruptly, eyes widening at Itachi. It couldn't be, Itachi didn't actually feel guilty. Did he?

Well he should, after stomping on Naruto's heart and running off to marry an older woman for money, he should be ashamed. He shouldn't even be able to talk that way to Naruto.

"What," Itachi eyed him pensively. Naruto stayed quiet for a moment then he said,

"I'm not here to ruin you life," though you deserve it.

"That's not even the problem. " Itachi sighed. " Listen, I want you out of here. You can't be here and you definitely can't work here. Tsunade cannot see you. "

Naruto frowned, feeling an awful twist in his gut that felt like pain even though he wanted it to be anger, pretended it was anger.

" You don't own me, Itachi. I don't got to do a damn thing you say." He was ready to walk out of there, facing itachi's rejection and pretending he was fine with it was just too much, but Itachi was in the way and he looked like he was not done tearing a whole into Naruto.

"Your stubbornness isn't going to keep you here. I can throw you out and tell the others that you can't make it. "

Naruto exhaled sharply, chest aching, " you can't do that. "

"I can and I will. So take my advice and take what I have to offer you. It's for your own good. "

Naruto breath in, feeling the hated sting in his eyes that were too quick to show emotions. "Is that what you tell yourself to help you sleep better at night?"

Itachi stayed quiet then started walking towards him. They had kept a relatively safe distance between them and at the sight of that distance closing Naruto reacted in a way that didn't make sense; shrinking away, turning to his side and trembling.

Itachi stopped and Naruto had to force himself to look at him. The confused understanding was too much to stand. " Don't look at me like you know me. And don't interfere with me any longer. "

"Not as long as you are here. You'd only get in my way. "

"It sounds more like you are the one trying to get in his way. " Before Naruto could configure a reply, Sasuke's drawl came from the door, his head peering in. Once he took full view of things he walked in.

"Sasuke?" Itachi sounded surprised to see him as did Naruto. Though his presence was a relief.

"Itachi. Acting like an ass as always. "

Itachi glanced between Naruto and Sasuke. " Did you come here together?"

How he had come to that conclusion went above Naruto's head. His heart was only now calming down to proper rhythm as he no longer felt that Itachi was going to get into his space. He needed a moment alone to consider his reaction to Itachi and why he had reacted that way.

"Not particularly, I was hoping to surprise Naruto- senpai but I'm the one who is surprised. " His eyes turned to Naruto and took him all in the way a mother would appraise her crying child. " Are you alright?"

Naruto nodded, looked at Itachi and avoided his gaze. " How come you are here instead of the conference room?"

" I held him back because I needed to talk with him. "

Sasuke was dressed in a white top shirt and black blazers with black designers pants. It was an unexpected look that really suited him and when he lifted his eyebrow at Itachi it made him look no longer like the little brat Naruto remembered. " Oh? I can't think of anything two people who have nothing to do with each other have to say. "

Itachi sighed looking as if he was wary of dealing with him. The story between this two was something Naruto would like to hear about, how their relationship —which had always looked like it was tethering on an edge had tipped to other side— turning out like this, but he wanted to be away from Itachi. The man terrified him like nothing else, Naruto had been wrong, he was no way prepared to deal with him.

"I'm going to the conference room," he said and met itachi's eyes briefly before skittering away, brushing past the hand Sasuke held to stop him. He got out the door and walked randomly to the left only seeking a quiet place to sort himself out.

Now the two brothers were alone in the office. Sasuke turned to go after Naruto but Itachi held the door and was staring at him dispassionately. He frowned, wanting to be there if Naruto needed him and that withdrawn pale look he had seen on Naruto's face, the look of someone in pain, told him that he did.

" I've got nothing to say to you," he said.

" I have a few questions to ask you," Itachi said over him and Sasuke had to wonder if his brother had always been such a rude jerk. His frown deepened.

" Have you met with Naruto before now?"

" What if I have?" He said with a sharp laugh.

"Did you tell him to accept this job?"

Sasuke squinted not quite sure what his brother was angling at. " I don't have to answer any of your questions, you understand that right?"

Itachi stayed silent," He can't work here. "

" Don't I know it."

" Get him out if you care about him. " He turned with that, opened the door and left Sasuke gaping after him.

Once that sunk in Sasuke followed, grabbed him on the shoulder and jerked him around. " You have no right to say that to me," he hissed. " You who hurt him like no one should. Do you have any idea what you did to him?"

Briefly some emotion fluttered through itachi's eyes, too fast for Sasuke to know what it was and he honestly couldn't care. He let go of his brother's shoulder. " Stay away from him if you know what's good for you. "

"Sasuke-kun?" He turned to see Tsunade, the blonde woman who ruled in the entertainment world. She was like he remembered, clocking fifty soon if not already and still looked thirty. Sasuke would have liked to ignore her but he had decided to work with Just Glamour, if only to be with Naruto and keep him safe in the midst of these two sharks.

"Ah, it's really you. I was so happy when you changed your mind and decided to work with us," she said now in front of him. He looked from his brother to Tsunade and couldn't understand what had drew the two together, why his brother would leave Naruto for this. He sneered.

" I am only here for a reason and it is not because I want to work for you or see my brother. So don't be happy, I can rip that contract any time."

Tsunade blinked, she still acted innocent but she didn't know what he knew about her. " I'm sorry that you hate us so much. I wish I knew what to do to stop you from hating us but I don't. " She glanced at his brother who remained stone faced.

" Don't bother. In this lifetime there really isn't anything you can do. "

"Maybe if I understood the whole story?"

Sasuke scoffed, " goodbye, Tsunade. " He turned and walked away.