Misery Business
Author: Ladelle
Rating: R
Comments: Revised Edition!
Chapter 9:
Within ten minutes of arriving, Chouji had placed himself rather agreeably to right left side of Naruto and had effectively given the waiter an entirely new meal to retrieve. The red hue of exertion had thinned from his cheeks and his eyes were calmer, obviously thankful for Naruto's choice in company. The blonde silently wondered how the round boy knew Neji so closely, especially because he assumed the leaders of a multimillion dollar corporation to be somewhat high profile but he contented himself with his sandwich in place of asking questions.
Neji, who had been sitting silently for a few moments, returned his fork to a plate of very thick and saucy noodles. He looked back and forth between the two boys, and Naruto pursed his lips, not entirely sure of what to say. Chouji seemed to feel the boy's hesitation because he knelt over the table top in conversation.
"This is Naruto Uzumaki. The intern candidate I mentioned a few days ago." He gestured loosely towards Naruto and Naruto took another bite. Neji nodded, the look of examination crossing his gentle features, before forking a bundle of noodles into his mouth. After he swallowed, he took a sip of water.
"You never told me that he's actually studied cryogenics." His voice had risen substantially, and Naruto could tell that he was searching for information between the two. He wasn't surprised. To someone intelligent to be a business owner at such a young age, the long haired man was entitled to suspicion. Naruto secretly wished he had been a little more contained with his previous words, but inwardly shrugged. There was no going back.
Chouji looked towards Naruto in an attempt to confirm what information Naruto had given out. His features looked slightly troubled and Naruto could sense that he was debating what Naruto had revealed about himself. Naruto swallowed a juicy piece of tomato and turned towards Neji.
"Chouji never knew that I took classes in cryogenics. He did know that I held an interest in science, though." He said the comment with nonchalance, stuffing a rounded potato chip into his mouth afterwards. Neji seemed to accept the excuse and Hinata took his place in asking a question.
"There's a wide variety of topics to study in that field. What exactly did you study?"
Naruto paused as Chouji's food arrived, waiting for the commotion of the arrival to disperse. When the waiter had successfully disappeared from the room, Naruto answered.
"Cryonic Preservation. Ways to avoid damage to cells and organs."
Neji smirked. "That's an awful big topic for one student to study on his own. Especially since the information you'd need for that is only located through Boushi or Uchiha Industries."
Naruto could sense Neji closing in on him, trying to trap him with words. He kept his mind calm, carefully planning his words. He had no idea how science worked in the future especially when it came to education, and apparently, cryogenics was a classified topic. He observed Neji's expression as he ate, noting how the boy watched him carefully. Naruto felt his stomach tighten. Did he know he was from the past? The gentle demeanor in the lean brunette's eyes told Naruto that Neji had seen right through him, even though his common sense demanded for him to stay calm. Chouji seemed nervous, and Naruto breathed.
"You can find anything on the internet, if you're good enough. And even if it's not directly related to cryonics, if you're smart enough, you can make the connection."
Neji's head tilted to the side and he nodded, smiling rather fluidly. "Good answer."
Naruto felt his eyes narrow, feeling more daring now that he had successfully diverted the Hyuuga's interrogation. He pulled his hands together and rested his chin on them, glaring intently at the pretty business owner.
"If you're suspicious of my knowledge, ask whatever you want."
Chouji seemed hesitant and Hinata looked intrigued. Her demeanor had changed slightly when she had been introduced as a company president, and Naruto could tell that aside form being shy, she was incredibly intelligent. Neji raised an eyebrow at him, his look of interest peaking.
"Have you found the answer?" Hinata's voice was low and almost demanding. It caught Naruto off guard, and Chouji felt the need to answer for him. "No, no—"
"Part of it. The only thing I need is a way to prevent thermonuclear stasis." Naruto's voice came out smooth and calm as he felt his tongue form the familiar words. Even if Neji was suspicious of his knowledge, there's not way he would assume that he was from the past. It was obvious because the first chamber had been created a year ago, at least through the knowledge that Shikamaru had given him.
"Impressive," Neji commented. His eyes had narrowed substantially, and Hinata's had as well. They both looked extremely focused, and Naruto felt a surge of confidence, though he wasn't entirely sure why. If the first chamber had been created, why did the duo look so desperate for his words? He felt a cold aura fill the table, and could see Chouji slink back into his chair, unaware of the intellectual transaction that was passing between the trio. Neji and Hinata seemed to be weighing options, and it wasn't until they met each other's eyes that a silent decision was reached. Neji turned to Naruto, his eyes brimming with a new type of curiosity, one completely unrelated to his apparent attraction to Naruto. It was purely intellectual, and completely professional. Naruto lowered his eyes.
"We're not going to hire you as an intern."
Naruto felt his stomach do a flip and his muscles tighten. The Hyuuga's lips moved slightly, a symbol that he wasn't finished talking, and Naruto kept quiet.
"If you really do know that much, you're going to work for us full time."
Naruto felt his tension release, and he could feel Chouji breathing deep beside him. The larger boy knelt forward. "I don't know about that—he's still pretty young and he doesn't have a full education." His words weren't insulting. Naruto felt as though the boy were trying to rescue him from the offer, but to Naruto, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. The closer he was to research, the more of a chance he would discover a way to return home, and the sooner he could return home, the sooner he could solve the mess he was in.
Neji was quick to reply to Chouji's comment. "If he knows anything about preservation, I could care less his level of education."
Hinata spoke in turn. "Besides, poorly educated people don't know about things like thermonuclear stasis. I doubt even you know what that means, considering your major is history."
Chouji quieted.
"If I accept your position, I want a guarantee that I'll have full access to all of your resources." Naruto's mind had been ages ahead of the conversation for a few minutes, and he was carefully planning what restrictions he couldn't afford to have. Resources was definitely one.
"Of course." Neji's voice was placid. "Of course, that means Uchiha's resources, too."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, the mention of the raven's name bringing back memories. He tried to contain a flush that overwhelmed his features. Neji smirked.
"There's a good chance that we'll be merging in the near future."
Naruto felt fireworks in his mind. The possibilities were becoming endless. He smiled.
"I'll gladly accept the offer," Naruto finally said, and was surprised when Neji raised his glass in resolve.
"Cheers then. To our new boy genius."
Naruto raised his glass wantonly, and grinned. Hinata smiled brightly, and Chouji appeared to be distraught. Naruto could sense a lecture, but was grateful they still had dessert to enjoy before the long hover flight home.
"What you said in there was completely unnecessary. He would have hired you based off of interest alone."
Naruto grimaced as Chouji plummeted the car into the air, the action matching the frustration in his voice. Naruto didn't feel guilty at all and slumped low into the seat in an effort to avoid looking out of the window. "The more I know, the more access I'll have."
Chouji rolled his eyes. "If you're not careful, you'll give away everything."
Naruto debated for a moment and licked his lips. "Even if people may be curious about my intelligence, I highly doubt they'll assume I'm a thousand years old."
Chouji let out a short raspy breath, one Naruto assumed to be form irritation, before yanking the vehicle to the right. Naruto hissed as his stomach did knots.
"Can you please not drive so fast?" Naruto rubbed a hand on his stomach. Chouji looked apologetic and Naruto felt the car ease into a steady flow. "You know, I think you should add motion sickness into your list of future illnesses."
"Noted." Naruto said, his voice soft. It was true, he had never had a problem with motion sickness before. There was another turn and he peeked out of the window. "Where are we going?"
The drive had seemed somewhat longer than Naruto had imagined, and Chouji seemed impressed. "Are you already picking up directions?"
Naruto laughed. "I wish. We've just never passed by those towers before." He pointed to a small clump of skyscrapers. Chouji nodded and dropped the car to a lower level. "To Shikamaru's. I'm sure he'll want to hear about this."
Naruto felt insecure. "Are you sure that's okay?"
Chouji nodded, and Naruto began to recognize a few of the buildings around him, especially a well designed parking garage. He sat up as the car drifted in, more comfortable now that the car was near the ground. When the car was parked, Naruto stepped out, stretching on the shaded blacktop. He was always crumpled in the seat of the car due to his acrophobia, and he always felt like a sardine when he got out. He followed Chouji into the building and was surprised when Shikamaru's door opened at a verbal command, and not from a key.
He took in all of the familiar sights and sounds, and was surprised when Shikamaru wandered into the living room wearing only a pair of loose knit pants complete with a fraying drawstring. Naruto grinned. It reminded him of his college life back home.
"Long time no see." The Asian boy said, and Chouji waved a hand instead of communicating verbally. Naruto nodded a hello and found his way to Shikamaru's couch, sliding with practiced ease into the fluffy bedding. He waited as Chouji found a seat beside him, and Shikamaru shuffled out of the kitchen with drinks.
Naruto took one out of habit, not entirely thirsty for new age soda. He popped the top anyway and took a polite sip. Shikamaru sat in an armchair across form him.
"How's the future been treating you?" he asked.
Naruto shrugged. "I'm getting around."
Chouji scoffed. "Boushi just hired him full time."
Shikamaru almost spit out his swig of soda, and he set the glass bottle down beside him. "And how did this happen?"
Chouji rose and eyebrow and glanced at Naruto. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how you met Neji…"
Naruto rolled his eyes. "He kidnapped me, thank you. Hence the message I sent you."
Chouji laughed and peered over at Shikamaru, preparing to elaborate. "He sent me a two word text through his Icon. When I arrived at the restaurant, he was eating peacefully with Hyuuga Corporate."
Shikamaru's concentration seemed to have peaked, and he bit a fingernail. "Hmm. I'm not sure it was a coincidence that he found you, Naruto."
Naruto raised and eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Shikamaru took a deep breath. "Well, Sasuke's been looking for you, for one thing. And blonde boys are rare to find…especially well educated ones."
"Yeah, Neji did say something about Boushi and Uchiha Corp. merging."
Neji seemed put off by the comment and he shook his head. "Wait, Neji said that?"
Naruto nodded and Chouji followed in suite. Shikamaru picked up his drink and seemed to be thinking hard.
"Be careful…I have a feeling Neji knows more than he's letting on. This merger has been in attempt for a while now…it just seems weird that Neji's decided to confirm the deal now. More specifically, after meeting you."
Naruto shrugged. "I could care less about the politics between the companies. I just want to get home."
Chouji chuckled. "We know. But that doesn't mean you can't play it safe. All of the information you gave them today has made you extremely valuable."
"Let me guess, you told them about your studies?" Shikamaru seemed more annoyed than Chouji had been. Naruto nodded anyway, and shook his head.
"I don't understand what the big deal is. You said a cryochamber was created last year, so why does it matter what I know?"
This question drew a long pause from the two close friends, and they both glanced at each other in the search for the correct wording. Naruto's eyesight drifted between the both of them before Shikamaru spoke.
"Who do you think made the cryochamber?"
Naruto answered quickly. "You said...'Fang'?"
"The company is called White Fang. It's pretty new, but extremely powerful…it came out of nowhere with knowledge far beyond anyone else's."
Naruto's mind seemed to click. "So, Uchiha and Boushi need me and my knowledge." It was a statement.
"To be honest, if you give them what they need," Shikamaru said, "The fact you're from the past won't matter. If it gets out, that is."
Chouji hissed. "I don't think telling them is a good idea."
"No, I don't either. But if in the future, if it comes out, Naruto will definitely have the protection of the two largest companies in New America."
Chouji seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding. "You're right. Especially considering Uchiha's been looking for him."
Naruto was a little confused and he rubbed his head. "Um, what?"
Chouji laughed. "Well, think about it. What will companies protect above anything?"
Naruto shifted and didn't answer.
Shikamaru filled in the blank. "Assets, Naruto. And if you play your cards right, you could end up being their most valuable one."
Naruto nodded and frowned. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be an asset, but if it got him home, he was willing to do what he had to do. From beside him, Chouji's watch went off.
"Your Icon ring is so annoying," Shikamaru stated, and Naruto silently agreed. It was high pitched and shrieky, and Chouji seemed disgruntled when he read whatever text had come through. After a moment of silence he turned to Naruto.
"It looks like you have your first assignment tomorrow."
Naruto shifted uncomfortably, nervous because Chouji seemed to be so.
"What is it?"
Chouji almost smirked. "Private meeting with Uchiha and the Hyuuga's."
Naruto felt his mind spin. He really wasn't ready to see that man again.
