Mesmerizing
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. For those of you who were curious about the poll, but can't see it for one reason or another…it's a list of potential pairings for new stories. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 7
A few moments later, Madara pays his cab driver and walks into the Mangekyo Diner. It didn't take him long to figure out where his brother and half-brothers were sitting. The table that all the waitresses were giggling at.
"Well it looks like you started without me." He chuckles as he pulls him side a seat. "I take it that Izuna briefed the two of you on the basics already?" Some things never changed and it didn't escape his notice that at least one waitress had been bold enough to leave her number.
He certainly had to give that one points for courage. Not many had the guts to approach one of them, let alone three of them at once. Still, watching his brothers be hit on by waitresses wasn't why he was here.
It might have been enormously entertaining, but Madara had something far more important on his mind. Kaguya. His 'saintly" mother and the reason why they had all gathered here today.
"That's right." Itachi nods.
Uh oh. Itachi had that look. THE Look. Really, it had become something of a trademark for the other man. It meant that his half-brother was going to be stubborn about something and it probably involved Sasuke.
He knew little of Itachi, but he Madara knew there were really only two things that would inspire the doctor to give them that look. Kaguya and Sasuke. More specifically keeping Kaguya away from Sasuke.
Speaking of his youngest half-brother, the graduate student beat physician to the chase. "Your fashion show is in Rome. We're going with you." Sasuke smiles. "Or we'll meet you there. It's summer break and Itachi has vacation time saved up anyway."
Oh so that's what they wanted to do! Those sneaky bastards and judging by the shocked look on Izuna's face, Madara wasn't the only one they had thrown off balance with that comment.
"You can't be serious." Izuna blinks.
Itachi sighs and shakes his head. "We're serious." He frowns at the thought. "The only reason why I believe this is a good idea is because Sasuke is of age now." What did that have to do with anything? "And I wouldn't put it past him to sneak off, buy some tickets, and join you in Rome with or without our consent anyway."
Oh. Well that made sense. Looking at the university student, Madara felt a swell of pride surging in his chest. It seemed that the cub had finally grown up into an Alpha Wolf in his own right. Sasuke must have put his foot down.
"Ah yes." The CEO laughs at that thought. "Believe me, I understand how foolish little brothers can be."
Izuna gives him a dirty look for that, but he didn't care. It was true and they both knew it. Izuna could be very foolish sometimes!
"And the two of you just want to go to Rome with us for the fashion show?" He shakes his head. "Do you really want to risk bumping into Mrs. Joo?"
Itachi smiles at the other man. "Not really, but she's up to something." The Uchiha in question sighs as he leans back against his chair. "And four heads are better than two."
"What about Zetsu?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "Wherever that woman goes, he's sure to follow."
The young Alpha was certain perceptive, it seemed. Which was impressive given the fact that Madara doubted that Sasuke had spoken to the most exotic looking son of Kaguya much, if at all. Itachi must have told Sasuke about Zetsu at some point, he supposed.
Izuna snorts at the mention of their eldest brother. "He won't leave Kaguya's side." That was accurate. "The man might as well still be attached to her by the umbilical cord. I wouldn't worry about him."
It was unnerving really. It must be nice to have a close bond with your mother, but there was such a thing as being codependent and well, Zetsu was that. Kaguya had trained him to be her loyal lapdog well.
"True enough." Madara shakes his head and smiles. "Well in that case, I shall order us some more plane tickets."
This could be nice, if the Black Widow didn't strike. Finally, they would have a chance to bond as family. Madara just hoped that everyone would make it out of this trip alive.
Meanwhile Hinata blinks as she gets a calls from her father. "Hello?" She recognized his number immediately.
"Hinata, are you alone now?" Though his voice sounded so different than usual. "I need to speak with you immediately." Panicked. Hiashi Hyuga sounded absolutely panicked about something!
That wasn't like him. What could possibly make such a stoic man lose his composure like that? For a moment, Hinata felt truly afraid and she wasn't able to entirely squash that feeling before answering him.
It was nothing short of a miracle that she was able to do so without stuttering, really. "Yes, I'm alone. Father, what's wrong?" She had to know.
"Good." He sighs in relief, only further adding to unease. "I'll be at your apartment in fifteen minutes." That was fast. "We have much to discuss!"
The bluenette thought about demanding more answers, but she knew it was likely useless. Besides, Hiashi would tell her what was wrong when he got there. There was no need distract him with such demands at the moment, especially not when he sounded so frantic.
She bites her lower lip and nods. "Alright." It must be important. "I'll see you soon." And with that, she hangs up as she glances at the tv.
That was probably a mistake on her part really. Now, the television actually reminded her of Madara. Which was not good! She couldn't be developing romantic feelings for her boss! That would only end in disaster!
"Though wolves are far more than just apex predators. They're also loyal. Did you know that they mate for life?" His words kept ringing in her ears and making her cheeks burn crimson red.
She shouldn't be blushing over something like that! He was the CEO of her workplace! Madara was firmly off limits and he had admitted that he enjoyed flirting with beautiful women. So she shouldn't take it too seriously.
Not that there was anything wrong with him being naturally flirtatious. As long as no one was protesting, it was easy to imagine that other women would quite enjoy the attention from him. No matter how superficial it might be.
"I'm being ridiculous." She shakes her head.
Hinata had firmly, but politely laid down her boundaries. The man might be a little too charming for his own good sometimes, but the bluenette doubted that he would knowingly violate those boundaries.
It was the unknowingly that was the concern. Truthfully, it would be all too easy to get caught up in the moment with someone like Madara Uchiha. Hinata would just have to be careful. That was all.
Back at Kaguya's home, she smiles as she packs their bags. They were going to Rome. The closest thing that she truly had to a home.
"You seem in good spirits." Zetsu smiles at her.
Of course, she was. Madara's defiance might have been irritating, but that was no reason not to enjoy their trip. It felt like it had been ages since she had last seen her favorite city, even if it had only been a few months.
Still, she nods at her eldest son. "Naturally." Kaguya smirks at him. "We're going home and we shall see how well Madara's little show turns out." Or doesn't.
She couldn't imagine that he would be able to pull this off. Kaguya would just have to pull some strings. Hell, she might have to buy some of the models off, but Mrs. Joo would give him no quarter. No mercy!
"Yes, we will." Zetsu's smile was as cheerful as always. "Don't worry mother. I'm quite certain that the only thing that will happen on this trip is that Madara will make a fool of himself."
She certainly hoped that was true. Though Mrs. Joo had learned long ago never to rely solely on luck.
There were times such as these when it became necessary to make your own luck. Well more specifically, when it became necessary to influence the luck of others. The lavender eyed woman would just have to ensure that all of Madara's luck would be bad luck as long as he was in the ancient city.
Kaguya would cede control to him. "I'll certainly drink to that when we're on the flight." Not now. Not ever!
The Fashion Queen would help Madara to learn his place. He might be good, but he would never be better than her. There was a reason why she had held onto control for so long and that reason was quite simply. Kaguya was the best in the industry at what she did!
The next day, Madara smiles at Hinata as the woman hands him a cup of coffee. "Good morning, Hinata." He sets said coffee down on his desk as he smiles at her.
"Good morning." She smiles back.
It seemed that the Hyuga woman had been sincere in her desire for a more professional relationship. So she wanted to pretend that nothing happened yesterday. That was fine.
It stung his pride to be gently reprimanded in such a fashion, but he would get over it. Though the sooner he stopped admiring the way that blue skirt accented her lovely hips and legs, the easier getting over it would be.
She was right to distance herself though. "I trust that you have a passport?" Hinata might not know it, but she was very smart to do so actually.
Keeping her distance meant that she was safe from the Black Widow. Madara highly doubted that Mrs. Joo would actually target his secretary. Not unless she believed the two of them were lovers and even then, that was a bit iffy.
Kaguya was an intelligent woman. She would know that her son realized who was behind his lover's disappearance or death. Certainly, it would be a risky move for her to make. Though the Fashion Queen had made enough risky moves in the past, that Madara couldn't help but worry about such a thing happening.
"Yes, of course." Hinata nods.
Her lavender eyes were filled with confusion. It was incredibly sweet how naïve she was at times and yet, not naïve. She'd certainly known that he was a wolf early on enough.
He smiles at her though. "Good because our next fashion show is in Rome and I would like for you to come with me." For several reasons, but he wills himself to focus on the more professional one.
It would be a good idea to have his secretary with him on a trip like that. There was almost no end to the possible requests for collaborations and such that Madara might get because of this show. Which meant someone had to keep track of them all and that someone would be Hinata. (That was after all, what he was paying her for)!
"Y-You want me to go to Rome with you?" Her confused eyes were now opened widely.
Such a wonderfully expressive face, he chuckles to himself. Were she a model that would either be her greatest asset or her greatest weakness depending on the shoot. Though he was getting distracted again.
"Yes, of course." Madara nods as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Just because I will be in a different country, doesn't mean that I will have any less need for your expertise."
Perhaps, expertise might be stretching it a bit much. The woman was essentially straight out of college, but oh well. Madara wasn't above fluffing the go of people, if it meant getting what he wanted and he very much wanted for Hinata to come with him.
Hinata smiles at the praise. "Well I suppose that I can't leave you to fend for yourself with only a note book." The young woman giggles and Madara nods.
"That's correct." He pretends to shiver in terror. "I don't know what I would do, if I had to resort to such prehistoric methods again. It's rather fortunate for me, that I have you here to help me now."
At that same moment, Hiashi sighs as he looks at Neji and Tenten. He could hardly be expected to tell Hanabi about this situation. She would worry far too much and quite frankly, she didn't really have access to Hinata's workplace, anyway.
"Are you sure?" Tenten's doe eyes blink up at him in shock. "Are you sure that Mrs. Joo is the one who is responsible for Karui's death because if you are, you should really report it to the police!"
That was exactly what he had said to Danzo and what Hinata had suggested when he spoke to her only the night before. Unfortunately, they didn't have anything else to go on besides Danzo's gut and what could be charitably described as circumstantial evidence at best.
He sighs heavily at the question. "We have no proof." That should have been obvious. "If we did, we would have already turned it over to the proper authorities and been done with this wretched affair already."
Neji raises an eyebrow at that. "Who is this we?" That was a fair question.
Though it was one that Hiashi Hyuga would have preferred to avoid answering, his nephew and Tenten did have a right to know. The lavender eyed man was potentially asking them to get involved in what could turn into a dangerous situation. It was important that they do so, knowing all the facts.
"Danzo Shimura." No further introduction was needed.
Tenten gasps at his answer. "Mrs. Joo's husband?" Not that Hiashi could blame her.
He would have had a similar reaction, were their roles reversed. The woman most certainly did get around. That much was glaringly obvious.
"Her ex husband." Hiashi nods, figuring it was best to clarify.
To which Neji just shakes his head. "It's an awful thing to accuse someone of, but how do we know that he isn't just trying to frame her?" It was a fair point.
Mrs. Joo's divorce with Danzo had been nothing short of brutal. For months, it had made up the bulk of most celebrity gossip. (Something that Hiashi debated with a passion, but one couldn't help overhearing things at times)!
"We don't." He shakes his head. "Which is part of the reason why I cautiously raised these concerns to Hinata." Emphasis on the cautiously part, he thinks to himself.
Tenten covers her mouth in disbelief. Most likely, because she was shocked that he had done so and well, perhaps even he was on some level.
That didn't change the facts. His daughter might very well be putting herself in harm's way. While he disliked this newfound rebellious streak, that didn't mean he was just going to leave her to the wolves.
No. He wasn't that cruel. Hiashi Hyuga was a man who held high expectations for his children, but he would never willingly subject to someone like Mrs. Joo or even Danzo.
"There's got to be something we can do." Her voice was now scarcely above a whisper. "To find out if it's true."
Hiashi nods. He felt the same way. The only problem was proving someone had killed Karui was be immensely difficult because everyone assumed that she had died in a car crash. It was an outrage!
Back at Tsukuyomi, Hinata smiles as she goes to answer the phone for Madara while he thumbs through some financial reporters. Well at least, she thought they were financial reports. She didn't know really.
"Hello. This is Hinata Hyuga of Tsukuyomi Modeling Agency speaking, how may I help you?" More than once, she had considered giving her position as well.
In the end though, she had decided against it. If they wanted to know, the person on the other end of the line would ask. Besides, many people would just demand to talk to Madara, if they knew that they were speaking to a secretary.
Some people really could be such snobs, the former Hyuga Heiress thinks to herself. She was barely able to resist rolling her eyes at the thought. More than half of the time, she could have resolved any of their issues with ease anyway!
There was a familiar laugh on the other end of the line. "Hinata, it is good to hear from you again." Itachi. Definitely, Itachi.
Hinata bites her lower lip at that thought. She might not know much about the other Uchiha, but she knew that he and Madara had a distant enough relationship that her boss had been rather shocked by his previous call. This might not be good news.
"Hello, Itachi." She smiles into the phone, trying to ignore her own anxiety. "If you want to speak with Madara, he's currently going over some reports." The man really didn't like being interrupted when he was in the middle of doing something. "Is it important?"
Honestly, Hinata was doing Itachi a favor by warning him. Madara tended to throw his everything into whatever task he was currently engaging in. Woe to anyone who dared to interrupt his focus!
She could imagine the man shaking his head. "No. It's nothing particularly pressing." Hmm. Did Itachi look a lot like Madara, she wonders to herself? "Please just inform him that Sasuke and I have booked our tickets separately and found rooms in the hotel that he will be staying at for his fashion show in Rome."
Itachi and Sasuke? There was another one?! How many children did this woman have?!
"I'll be sure to do so." She smiles into the phone.
Nevermind. That wasn't important. She had a message to deliver and that's exactly what she was going to do!
Itachi smiles on the other end of the line. "Wonderful. Thank you." And with that, he hangs up as Hinata informs Madara about the "good news."
Well at least, she hoped it was good news. Hinata wasn't entirely sure, if that was or wasn't the case. She supposed that she was about to find out though!
On the other side of the city, Kiba blinks at the strange man who his agent had insisted that he meet with. It seemed like he was trying to hide any trace of his face, really and that was pretty freaky.
"So as you can see, we would love it if you would model for our show next week." That hat, those sunglasses, and that massive overcoat hid a lot. "I know that it's short notice, but we are willing to pay you triple your normal rate for the inconvenience."
That was a very generous offer. Suspiciously so, really. Still, his agent had said this guy checked out. So Kiba was pretty sure that nothing too dodgy was going on.
It didn't matter though. "Well that's a kind offer." He'd already promised that he would be in Madara's show and an Inuzuka never went back on their word!
"I know." The man smiles at him slyly.
Too slyly for Kiba's taste. What was with this guy? He was creepy as Hell! Whatever. He was so out of here.
With that thought in mind, he stands up. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline though." Kiba was doing his best to sound professional, but it was hard. "I already have an event scheduled for that timeframe." The guy was giving him really bad vibes.
"Oh." He sighs as though thoroughly disappointed. "That's a shame. Alright then." Of course, it was alright!
This random guy didn't have any say over what the Inuzuka Model was going to do or wasn't going to do. He could make offer and his agent could schedule the meetings, but it was his decision at the end of the day.
"Yes, I'll see you later." Kiba places some money on the table to pay for his meal. "Have a good day." Before darting out of there like a bat out of Hell.
The man sighs heavily as he watches the Inuzuka run off. "Well that was unfortunate." Kiba was after all, one of Madara's most famous male models.
It would have been very bad publicity for the show, if the man had backed out at the last minute. Still, his day had been rather productive. He had already talked two models out of it and there was still enough time to make things very, very difficult for the CEO of Tsukuyomi.
He'd have a hard time replacing them on such notice, but knowing Madara he likely had a few backup models ready just in case. Which meant that he would have to reach a critical mass.
His job at the moment was to convince as many models as possible to quit unexpectedly as he could. Sadly, that wasn't an inexpensive endeavor, but it would be worth it in the end.
"She'll be so pleased with me!" He beams at that thought.
Once Madara had been thoroughly disciplined, then things would go back to normal. Nothing would make Mrs. Joo happier than to ensure that Rome was still her territory so to speak.
A waiter gives him a funny look. "Who will be pleased with you?" And he barely resists the impulse to strangle the man just as he had to Fugaku so many years ago.
It hadn't been easy of course. Fugaku Uchiha had been the Chief of Police and a rather high ranking officer in the military before that. Not to mention, he was almost always with his wife or brats when he wasn't at work.
The only way he had been able to manage it was with a sneak attack. He wasn't proud of it, but it had worked. And really, that's what mattered at the end of the day. Results.
"Oh just my boss." He smiles at the waiter.
The man looked a little less than convinced, but he wisely shut up in favor of serving another table. Which was fine with him. He didn't care what the servers thought.
The only thing that mattered was whether or not, the waiter had heard something important and if he was planning on telling the police. As he hadn't, well the server was little more than an insect in his mind.
Speaking of insects though. "I believe it's time to crush one particularly annoying dragonfly." With that, he places some money on the table to pay for his portion of the meal and swiftly departs.
He had a lot of work to do and not very much time to do it in. Besides, this was the fun part. The show was about to start the mysterious figure thinks to himself with a smirk.
