Disclaimer: The characters of Naruto belong to K. Masashi and this plotline is taken from the book Playing James by Sarah Mason.
Author's Note: I'm sorry! This is long overdue, but I finally sat my butt down in my chair and made myself finish it! I'm sorry it took so long! Anyway, I don't particularly like this chapter just because it's boring. There's only one scene that I really liked, the rest I don't like how it turned out. I hope you all enjoy it anyway, there's a lot that goes on, I guess, and I think I'm going to have a lot of angry people by the end of the chapter. ::starts digging hole to hide in from potentially angry readers::
Thank you all so much for your constant support! You are all so wonderful; thanks so much for the reviews! Oh, and I'm sorry I never reply to reviews…that's just me being very, very, very lazy. But I'll try to start replying to your reviews, okay? I'm sorry I haven't been doing that…
Oh, one answer to a very common question that is posed in reviews: Why doesn't Sasuke break the engagement? Haha, well, if he did, there wouldn't be much of a story, now would there? Okay, that's probably not the answer you're waiting for, but maybe the last scene of this chapter will clear things up…or get you all very very very pissed off. ::starts digging hole much much faster::
All right, I'll shut up now. Please enjoy the chapter, and review too! Reviews make me happy!
Love ya all, SilverRose88.
Chapter Ten
The Troubles of "Like"
"You mean you're not going to do anything about it?"
"What the fuck can I do, Kiba?" Naruto exclaimed, growing irritated at the brunette.
"You should tell him, dammit!" Kiba replied.
"What the hell for? He's engaged!" Naruto shouted. "I'm not going to break up his engagement! And why should I? If he likes me as much as you say, then he should break up his engagement and come to me!"
Kiba sighed and reached for his beer on the side table. He took a sip before saying, "But you're going to regret not saying anything."
"Better than telling him and being rejected," Naruto said.
"He wouldn't reject you."
"Right. We'd have some lame one night stand, and then what?" Naruto said. He leaned back against the couch and crossed his arms. He then mimicked Sasuke's voice and said, "'Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto, but I have an engagment to uphold. Nothing else can happen from this. …Same place, same time, next Thursday?'"
The blonde gave Kiba a look. "I'm not going to be his fuck buddy, okay?"
"You sounded just like him, you know that?" Kiba said, staring with awe at the blonde. "You really do like him if you can sound like him."
"Not helping, Kiba," Naruto snapped.
"What do you want me to say?" Kiba questioned. "I've told you everything I wanted to say."
Naruto sighed. "It's all my fault for falling for him," the blonde said. But then he stopped and sat up straight, thinking. "No, no it's not! It's Neji's fault for making me realize it! I was perfectly fine with being oblivious to it all! It's Neji who made me realize I liked him!"
"Now, Naruto, blaming me is hardly going to solve your problems," Neji said as he walked into the apartment.
Naruto and Kiba both jumped out of their skin at the Hyuuga's unexpected appearance.
"Dammit, Neji, don't do that!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Sorry," the Hyuuga replied.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Naruto questioned.
Neji shrugged. "Came to see how your day went," the Hyuuga replied. "What did you do all day?"
"It wasn't that bad, really. Sasuke was pretty normal, considering," Naruto said, thinking about the day's events. "We didn't have a case, so I was working on my article and Sasuke was working on who knows what."
"So, you're all right?" Neji asked.
"I'm okay," Naruto confirmed.
"No, he's not. He's panicking," Kiba said and Naruto glared at him.
"Am not!"
"Yes, you are. You have no idea what to do!"
"Yes, I do! I'm going to avoid Sasuke like the fucking plague!"
"Right, you're not going to show up for work?" Kiba quesitoned.
"I went today, didn't I?" Naruto said. "But, if things start changing then I might consider that."
"You're an idiot," Neji and Kiba both said at once.
"Hey!" Naruto replied, offended. "What do you want me to do, guys? I'm not going to tell Sasuke how I feel. I'm just going to forget about it. That's the only thing I can do."
"But-" Kiba began but Neji cut him off.
"Naruto's right," the Hyuuga said. "There's nothing else he can do."
"Then why the fuck did you make him realize his feelings?" Kiba demanded.
"Because I wanted him to know," Neji replied simply.
"What a wonderful reason," Kiba said mockingly.
"I'm just going to act like nothing happened," Naruto replied.
"Are you sure you can do that?" Kiba questioned. "I mean, Sasuke's going to remember what happened Saturday night and I can guarantee he's going to be even more persistent than before."
"You can't exactly hide from him forever, Naruto," Neji said. "You are his partner, sort of."
The blonde sighed and hung his head. "I know that, but—"
Naruto jumped up when his cell phone went off unexpectedly. He flipped it open and said, "Hello?"
"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke said.
The blonde slammed a hand over the speaker and exclaimed to Kiba and Neji, "It's Sasuke! What the fuck do I do?"
"You're not a fucking girl," Kiba said. "Be a man, deal with it!"
"Kiba!" the reporter exclaimed, but Kiba just shrugged.
Naruto looked at Neji but the Hyuuga just glanced away. Fucking bastards. I'm going to kill them both…especially Neji!
Reluctantly, the blonde put the phone back to his ear and said, "Uh, sorry, Sasuke, what were you saying?"
"What are you doing right now?," the detective said.
Confused, the blonde replied carefully, "Um, not much…Why?"
"Let's go have dinner," Sasuke said.
The blond's jaw dropped. "W-What?"
"I said, let's go have dinner."
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because I want to have dinner with you, okay?" Sasuke answered. "Be ready, I'm coming to get you."
"Ah, actually you don't have to do that Sasuke! I-I have plans! I completely forgot about them for a moment!" Naruto lied. He did not, could not go out with Sasuke now!
The Uchiha was silent for a moment. "What plans?"
"Well, I um have to, you know, go to this place for t-this thing and um meet so-some people and-and, yeah." Great going Uzumaki. Who the fuck would buy that lameass excuse?
"You're not just trying to get out of going to eat with me, are you?" Sasuke questioned.
"O-Of course not!" Naruto hated how his voice was steadily getting higher.
"Do you not want to have dinner with me?" Sasuke asked.
"I-It's not that, I just—"
"Good, then its settled. Be ready, I'm coming to pick you up."
"Ah, wait, Sasuke, you don't have to! Where are we going? I'll meet you there!" Naruto said quickly, knowing there wasn't any way to get out of going to lunch with the Uchiha.
"Don't worry about it, I'm almost at your place already," Sasuke replied. "Be ready." The Uchiha hung up.
Naruto sighed and shut his phone.
"What did Uchiha want?" Neji questioned.
"He wants to go eat dinner," Naruto replied.
I thought I told him to stay away from Naruto…the Hyuuga thought, eyes narrowing. Oh well, this might be better. Maybe Naruto will figure out what to do about Sasuke after spending some time with him.
"Man, Sasuke doesn't waste any time, does he?" Kiba exclaimed.
Naruto glared at him. "Not helping, Kiba."
The Inuzuka shrugged. "You're just going to eat, not getting married."
"Still! It hasn't even been a day and I have to see him already! What the hell am I going to do?" Naruto exclaimed, panicking.
"Well, if he doesn't act any differently, then what's the big deal? Just pretend you don't remember what happened," Kiba said.
"Or, you could act as though you remember," Neji said.
"Why the hell would he do that? It'll just make Sasuke jump him during dinner and I know I wouldn't want to see that will I'm eating!"
Naruto paled. "Oh, fuck, my life is ruined!"
"Quit being so over-dramatic," Neji said with a roll of his eyes. "You like Sasuke, right?"
"No, duh," Naruto said.
"He likes you, right?"
"I don't know," Naruto said.
"He does," Kiba and Neji both said at once.
"Okay, so he does. What's your point, Neji? Like I told Kiba, I'm not going to be his fuck buddy!" the blonde exclaimed.
"Be who's fuck buddy?" Sasuke questioned as he opened the door to the blonde's apartment.
Naruto practically screamed and jumped out of his seat. "W-What the hell, bastard! Is knocking something foreign to you?" the reporter shouted.
"I did knock, dobe," Sasuke replied, eyeing the blonde curiously after the unexpected outburst. "You just didn't answer so I tried the door. Not my fault for leaving it unlocked."
"Then you should have knocked harder!" Naruto said. He was feeling a bit unnerved seeing the Uchiha especially after what happened over the weekend. Naruto really wished he hadn't let Neji tell him what happened because that was all he could think about. And, he just knew Sasuke was going to do something perverted because of it. He just couldn't believe his luck. Why, why did he do those stupid things?
"Are you ready to go?" Sasuke asked.
"Oh, right!" the reporter said, snapping away from his thoughts. He looked at Neji and Kiba and said, "Thanks for your help, guys. I'll talk to you later."
"No problem, Naruto," they both said as the four all left the apartment together.
Once in the parking lot, Neji and Kiba took off in one direction while Naruto followed Sasuke to his car.
"So, whose fuck buddy are you?" the Uchiha questioned as they pulled out of the parking lot.
Naruto almost choked on the bottle of water he was drinking. He turned with wide eyes to stare at Sasuke and exclaimed, "No one's!"
"But I heard—"
"You heard wrong! I'm nobody's fuck buddy!" Naruto exclaimed, turning red.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Really?" he asked. "You seem suspiciously offensive about it."
"Of course I am! Anyone would be offended if they were accused of being someone's fuck buddy!" Naruto shouted. Dammit! Why did Sasuke have to hear that part of the conversation?
"What were you three talking about then?" Sasuke questioned.
"Nothing important."
"Must be important if you were talking to Kiba and Hyuuga about it."
"Don't worry about it, Sasuke," Naruto replied. "So, um, where are we going?"
"Rasengan," the Uchiha replied.
The blonde's eyes widened. "Isn't that a bit fa-fancy for just going to get dinner?"
Sasuke turned his dark eyes on the blonde and said, "Well, if we're going on a date then I'd think we'd be going to some place nice."
"WHAT?" Naruto shouted, blushing. "T-This is not a date!"
"I did ask you out, didn't I?"
"Yes, but—"
"And you said yes, didn't you?"
"Yes, but I had no—"
"Then it's a date," Sasuke concluded.
"No, it's not!" Naruto exclaimed. "Sasuke, stop the car now! I'm leaving. I'm not going on a date with you!"
"Why not?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto turned to look at him with anger. "Because you are fucking engaged!" he hollered. "Now let me out!"
"Naruto, calm down," Sasuke said.
"No, I can't! You're saying this is a date, but it's not! This is like cheating on Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Are you that set against going out with me?"
"Sasuke, you're engaged. I don't go out with people if they are already in a relationship," Naruto said.
The Uchiha scowled. "I hardly think what Sakura and I have is anything close to a relationship."
"Still, you are engaged, and I'm not a homewrecker, okay?" the blonde said. "So, either you admit this isn't a date, or you let me out right now." Kiba was right…Sasuke does move fast if he's already planning dates!!
Sasuke stared at him and then sighed. "Fine, it's not a date," the Uchiha said. He turned to stare directly at the blonde and added, "Even though I wanted it to be."
If Naruto had any doubts about Sasuke liking him, they had just flown straight out the window. This was proving to be a big problem. Naruto liked Sasuke; he really did. But he couldn't do anything about it. He wasn't going to ruin the Uchiha's engagement; he couldn't do that to Sakura. Even though he was glad Sasuke liked him back, he wouldn't consent to anything unless the Uchiha broke the engagement off on his own accord. But, apparently, Sasuke had no scruples; the man was already willing to go on a date when he was engaged.
Naruto felt a bit uncomfortable going out with Sasuke like this, but he wanted to spend time with the Uchiha as much as he could given the circumstances. For now, he'd take what he could get and then he'd leave Sasuke alone. It was all he could really do.
"Dobe, we're here," the Uchiha said suddenly and Naruto snapped out of his thoughts.
Looking out the window, his eyes widened, and he said, "But this isn't Rasengan!"
"Well, since this isn't a date anymore, I figured we'd go somewhere else," Sasuke replied as they got out of the car and headed into small restaurant. "And after I found out you're in love with ramen, I thought we could come here instead."
"Thanks, Sasuke! I love Ichiraku!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "They have the best ramen in the world."
"You've been here before?" Sasuke questioned, a little disappointed.
"Yeah," Naruto replied. "Sai brought me here once a long time ago and then I kept coming on my own because I love it so much."
The Uchiha clenched his fists angrily at the mention of his rival. "That's nice," he replied through clenched teeth.
"Have you ever been here before?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke shook his head. "I'm not much of a ramen fan."
Blue eyes widened as the reporter turned to look at him. "Then why are we eating here?"
"Because you like ramen," Sasuke replied, looking straight at the blonde. "I suppose I can bear it for today."
Naruto blushed slightly and smiled. "Thanks, Sasuke," he said.
"Quit talking and find a seat, dobe," the detective said.
"Don't call me dobe, bastard!" Naruto exclaimed with a glare.
Sasuke just smirked. "What do you want? I'll go order and you can find a seat," he said.
"Um, miso ramen!" the blonde replied excitedly and Sasuke nodded before heading to the counter. Naruto watched after him for a moment before turning to find a table. He seated himself in a table in the far corner and stared out the window.
He sighed, his mind going over the giant mess he was in. His talk with Kiba and Neji had proved to be practically worthless. He'd wanted to just keep his distance from Sasuke because it would be the easiest way to let go of his feelings, but no, Sasuke had to go and invite him to dinner today. Naruto was beginning to believe that Sasuke would never leave him alone now. He really hated this. Why couldn't Sasuke just cancel his engagement if he, like Kiba and Neji said, was so hung up over him?
Maybe he doesn't really like me…the blonde thought. Maybe he's just looking for someone to fuck before he gets married.
Naruto buried his face in his hands, feeling worse than before. What was he going to do? He hadn't been so attracted to someone for a long time and he knew it would hurt to just try and forget about his feelings for Sasuke. But no matter what he wasn't going to stoop low enough just to give Sasuke what he wanted. He wasn't going to be his fuck buddy and he wasn't going to have some one night stand. He wanted to be with Sasuke. But he knew he couldn't just wait forever. That would be virtually impossible. Sasuke's wedding was coming up soon, very soon. It hurt Naruto to think about it, but what could he do? There wasn't anything he could do. There was a lot that Sasuke could do. But Sasuke had already told him before that there wasn't any way he would break off the engagement. He wouldn't let such dishonor grace the Uchiha name.
Why'd I have to fall for him anyway? He wasn't even really nice to me in the beginning! And, I don't even know if he truly likes me. He really could be looking for a fuck buddy before his wedding.
"What's with that look, dobe?"
Naruto quickly hid all of his depressing emotions and greeted Sasuke with a bright smile. "What look?" he questioned.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he settled across from the blonde, setting a tray with their ramen on it on the table. "You looked depressed a moment ago. It didn't suit you," the detective replied. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Naruto said and then quickly directing the topic from himself, he grabbed his bowl of ramen with sparkling eyes. "Yes, ramen!" he exclaimed. "Itadakimasu!"
Sasuke followed suit and the two quietly began eating their meal. The Uchiha eyed the blonde curiously for a while, trying to figure out what could be bothering the reporter. It was obvious something was and it was annoying him that he didn't know.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong?" he finally asked, unable to take it any longer.
Naruto looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, Sasuke," he replied.
"Because, you can tell me if something's wrong. We are friends, aren't we?" Sasuke said.
"Yeah, we are," Naruto said. "But it's nothing, Sasuke, don't worry about it."
"How can I not worry when you look so depressed?" Sasuke demanded.
Naruto's eyes widened. "I-I'm not depressed, Sasuke," he stated.
"Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" Sasuke asked.
"Because it doesn't concern you!" Naruto exclaimed.
Sasuke's eyes darkened and he leaned back in his chair. "Well, okay then," he said stiffly and continued eating his meal.
Naruto watched him as he silently fumed. Why couldn't Sasuke just leave it alone? He couldn't tell the Uchiha that he was depressed over him! But he felt bad because Sasuke was just worried about him.
The reporter sighed and said, "Sasuke, look, I'm not depressed okay? I just have a lot on my mind."
"Why can't you tell me about it?" the Uchiha asked.
"It's not that easy," Naruto answered. "If I could, I would. But, I just can't. Can you please just accept that? I-I don't want you to be angry with me."
Sasuke looked surprised at the reply and said, "I'm not angry with you, just frustrated."
"Well, I'm sorry, Sasuke, but this is just something I can't tell you, okay?" Naruto said.
The Uchiha smirked and asked, "Why? Is it about me?"
Naruto tried desperately not to blush, but his body wouldn't listen. He felt his cheeks grow warm and Sasuke's smirk widened.
"Ah, so it is," the Uchiha said.
Naruto shook his head vigorously. "Of-Of course not, bastard!" he exclaimed.
"Then why are you blushing?" Sasuke asked as he settled his elbow on the table and placed his chin on his hand, watching the blonde with obsidian eyes.
Naruto cursed himself for being so easily flustered. "I-I'm not!" he defended pathetically.
"Oh? Well, your cute face sure says otherwise," Sasuke said.
If possible, the blonde's blush deepened at being called cute.
That's it! No more being out with Sasuke ever again! I'm going to give it away that I like him, and that will not be good!
"So, what is it about me that's bothering you?" Sasuke asked, still watching Naruto with amusement.
"I was not thinking about you, bastard! Quit being so fucking conceited!" Naruto exclaimed.
"You're a very bad liar, Naruto," the detective commented.
"I-I'm not lying!" Naruto said, blushing still from the look Sasuke was giving him. Why did the Uchiha have to be so damn sexy anyway?
Sasuke smirked and reached his hand over to grab the blonde's chin, pulling his face close. Cerulean eyes widened and red deepened on his cheeks. Sasuke's smirk grew.
"So, care to tell me what's bothering you?" Sasuke said. "I think I have the right to know, especially since it involves me."
Naruto mentally smacked himself for falling into the Uchiha's trap. What could he do now? There was no way he could lie to Sasuke when he was looking at him like that; the detective would be able to tell right away he wasn't telling the truth. Naruto bit his lip and quickly thought over what he could tell Sasuke instead of giving all of it away.
When he came up with an answer, he pushed Sasuke's hands away from his face and leaned back, taking a deep breath. Looking up into Sasuke's eyes, he asked, "I, um, was just wondering about what happened Saturday night."
Sasuke's eyes darkened. "You don't remember any of it?" he asked, and Naruto could sense the disappointment.
"Well, I-I didn't, but Neji told me everything," Naruto explained.
"Did he, now?"
Naruto nodded. "I-I just wanted to know what happened when you took me home," the reporter asked, liking where this was going. He'd finally be able to know for sure what happened, then just going off on a hunch.
The smirk was back on Sasuke's face and Naruto wasn't sure if he wanted to know anymore. Sasuke leaned close across the table and replied, "I can show you what happened, if you like."
And the blush was back. Naruto stared with wide eyes at the predatory grin on the Uchiha's face and felt his heartrate begin to accelerate. Quickly, he shook his head and stammered, "N-No, y-you don't have to do that, Sasuke. I-I was just curious."
"Are you sure?" the Uchiha questioned, once again grabbing the blonde's chin and pulling him close.
Naruto's heart threatened to fall out of his chest. Their faces were a mere two inches apart from each other and Naruto knew what Sasuke was about to do. He was glad his brain reacted before he let it happen.
The Uchiha's lips brushed against his cheek as Naruto had turned his head to the side in time. Naruto glanced at Sasuke discreetly, the Uchiha looking surprised. A moment later, Sasuke frowned and turned Naruto to face him.
"What's wrong? You were pretty willing on Saturday," he stated.
Well, now I know I did kiss him. Great going Uzumaki.
"Look, Sasuke, Saturday was a mistake," the blonde said quickly, and Sasuke leaned away from him.
"What?" the Uchiha asked with surprise evident in his voice and eyes.
"I'm sorry for everything I did, okay? I, um, get a little out of hand when I'm drunk," Naruto said. "I-I didn't mean for anything like that to happen."
While Sasuke should have expected this, while he knew it was true, he still was unprepared, and he still wished it was a lie. He was certain Naruto was starting to like him back, he was sure that the blonde's behavior at the club, while very out of character, was still partially true. But the blonde's previous words had just shot all of that down.
"So, I-I'm sorry, Sasuke," Naruto finished with a sigh. He hoped this would dispel any thoughts Sasuke had about him actually meaning what he had done. Well, he did mean it, but Sasuke didn't have to know that, it would just cause too many problems. "Let-Let's just forget about it, okay?"
The Uchiha caught the blonde's gaze in his own and leaned close again. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"What?" the blonde whispered, falling victim to the Uchiha's deep onyx gaze.
"Are you sure you want to forget?" he replied before successfully capturing the reporter's lips in his own.
D-Dammit, I let my guard down! Naruto thought, angry with himself for being caught like that. He tried to pull away from the kiss but Sasuke wouldn't let him, the Uchiha's hands had found their way to his neck and face, keeping him firmly in place. Sasuke's tongue was trying desperately to penetrate his mouth, but Naruto wouldn't allow him that pleasure. He knew that if he did, it would be over for himself as well; he woud be just as taken in by the kiss as Sasuke was. He couldn't allow that to happen; he couldn't let any of this happen. It was wrong, all completely wrong, and he wasn't going to go through with it, no matter how much he wanted it.
Naruto reached over and pushed Sasuke roughly by the shoulder. The Uchiha had no choice but to pull away. Breathing heavily, Naruto mustered up the best glare he could and shot it at the detective.
"Don't do that again, Sasuke," he said before getting to his feet.
"Where are you going?" Sasuke exclaimed as Naruto turned to leave.
"I'm going home," the blonde replied tersely.
"Why?"
"I came here to have dinner with a friend," Naruto said. "Not to get kissed by an engaged man!" And with that, Naruto swiftly left the restaurant, ignoring the looks he received from the other diners.
Sasuke stared after the blonde with shock. He couldn't believe what had just happened. It wasn't supposed to happen that way!
The Uchiha slammed a fist on the table and the bowls clattered from the force. "Fuck!" he exclaimed angrily.
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He was very aware of where he was in the standings. He knew he was falling behind in trying to get what he so desperately wanted. Saturday night at the club had proved just how difficult it was going to be for him. But he would never give up. He would never let go of the one person he loved. Naruto meant a lot to him; the blonde had shown him what it meant to have a relationship with another, to have friendships or even something more. He was not going to let Naruto go, not again. He had promised himself that when he had returned to Konoha. He wanted Naruto, he needed Naruto, and nothing would stop him from getting Naruto.
But recent events were throwing him off. Naruto was spending far more time with Uchiha than with him and the problem was steadily growing more severe. What was it about Uchiha that made Naruto look so happy? What was it about Uchiha that had Naruto's every attention? What did that bastard have that he didn't?
Sai normally did not wish the deaths of people, but he had never wished the death of anyone more than that of Uchiha Sasuke. That bastard was sneaking closer and closer to the one person he wanted more than anything. Sai would never let that happen. He couldn't let it happen. Naruto was his, dammit, and no fucking Uchiha would have him.
Sai had been so angry at the club on Saturday, sitting there and watching as Naruto spent his entire night clinging to Sasuke and not even paying attention to him. Did Naruto already have feelings for Sasuke? Is that why he was being constantly ignored? Sai could only hope not. What did Naruto see in Uchiha anyway? There wasn't much, if he had anything to say about it. But, there had to be something, right? Or else Naruto wouldn't have acted the way he had that night.
However, the one thing that made Sai's skin crawl in anger was the fact that Uchiha was engaged. Fucking engaged and he still had the gall to try and court Naruto. Sai would never forgive him for that. Who would do such a thing? It was dishonorable and stupid. Sai would kill the bastard if Naruto was hurt because of him. And he was getting the sinking impression that Naruto indeed was hurt because of him.
For the last two days the two had seemed cold and indifferent towards one another. Or rather, Naruto was acting cold and indifferent towards Sasuke, while the detective seemed pathetically pleading. It was a very odd situation to observe, especially for the fact that Naruto was never cold and indifferent and Sasuke was never pleading. Something had happened between the two of them and Sai would be damned if he didn't do something about it. And what better time than when Naruto and Sasuke were angry with each other?
"Hey, Naruto, is something wrong?" Sai questioned.
The reporter looked up at him and said, "Huh?"
"Are you all right?" Sai asked with concern.
"I'm fine, why do you ask?" Naruto inquired.
"We came out to eat and you've hardly touched your meal. Is something wrong?"
Naruto glanced down at his uneaten plate of teriyaki and sighed. He ran a hand through his hair before looking up at Sai and giving him a big smile. "I just don't have much of an appetite today, I guess," he said.
Sai frowned. "Well that hardly ever happens. Are you sure nothing's wrong?"
The blonde nodded. "Very sure," he replied. "Just have stuff on my mind."
Sai fixed the blonde with his gaze and said, "You know you can tell me anything, Naruto, right?"
"Y-Yeah, I know, Sai," Naruto replied. "Thanks for worrying, but I'm all right."
"I think you're lying," Sai stated.
Naruto frowned at the accusation. "I'm not!" he exclaimed, offended.
Sai gave the blonde a very pointed look. "You know there's no point in lying to me, right? I've known you for a long time, I know when you're lying."
"But I really am telling the truth! There's nothing wrong!"
"Then explain why you and Uchiha were avoiding each other like the plague for the past two days?" Sai demanded. "I may not have been at the station very long, but I know that it's not normal for you two to act like that."
"Why do you care anyway? You hate Sasuke," Naruto grumbled, annoyed that Sai had pinpointed the exact source of his problems.
"Yes, but I like you," Sai replied easily and smirked when Naruto's eyes widened.
"Sai! Don't say weird things like that!" Naruto exclaimed.
Sai's smirk widened and he replied, "It's not weird, it's true."
The blonde blushed and looked away. He wasn't sure why Sai's words were making him blush, but he couldn't help it. He liked Sasuke, didn't he? So why did Sai saying he liked him making him all uneasy?
It's only because he looks somewhat like Sasuke, if you look at him at just the right angle…Yeah, that has to be it! I'm over Sai anyway.
"You still haven't answered my question, Naruto," Sai said, snapping the blonde out of his thoughts.
"What question?" Naruto asked, trying to fake innocence.
"You what what I'm asking, Naruto," Sai replied sternly.
The blonde sighed deeply and threw his hands up in defeat. "Fine, fine! I'll tell you!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Good. What's going on?" Sai asked.
"I like Sasuke!" Naruto blurted out, a blush on his face.
Sai's entire world seemed to come crashing down around him at the blonde's response. "W-What?" he demanded.
"I know, I know, I shouldn't, right? Sasuke's engaged and-and I definitely shouldn't like him! I mean, there really isn't anything that great about him anyway, right, but I just can't help it! I don't know what to do, Sai! I can't just stop liking him, but I can't actually be with him either!"
After finishing his tirade, which he'd been wanting to let loose for a long time now, the blonde breathed deeply and stared at Sai, awaiting an answer to help solve his problems.
Sai, however, was not entirely sure what he should do. He couldn't believe Naruto had already fallen for the Uchiha. There wasn't anything remotely interesting about Uchiha, so why did Naruto like him? He hated the fact that somehow Sasuke had wheedled his way into the blonde's heart, and he hated that he hadn't been able to do the same. What he did know was that he would never ever let Uchiha have Naruto. That fucking bastard didn't deserve him! Sai would be damned before he let Naruto go to that bastard.
"Sai? Hello, are you still there?" Naruto asked, waving a hand before his friend's face.
Sai snapped out of his thoughts and faced the blonde, determination soaring through his veins. He knew what he had to do and he didn't care if Naruto hated him for it. He had to try at least!
He grabbed the hand that was still waving in front of his face and pulled the blonde's arm. Naruto let out a yelp as he leaned across the table.
"Sai! Watch it! What are you doing?" the reporter asked as he looked up into the brunette's face. His eyes widened and he blushed as he saw the intense look in his friend's face.
"Naruto," Sai said softly and the blonde's eyes widened even more as the cop leaned his face close.
"S-Sai, wh-what are you doing?" Naruto asked tentatively.
"You know you can't have Uchiha," Sai almost whispered, his voice deep. "So, why not fall for me again?"
Naruto felt his cheeks begin to burn and his heartrate increase by a million. He couldn't believe what Sai was asking him. How could he just stop liking Sasuke? There-There just wasn't any way he could! But…But, if there was a chance to fall for someone else, a chance to let himself not get hurt, should he take it?
"S-Sai, I-I don't know…I-" Naruto stammered uncertainly.
"Just say yes," Sai replied before he closed the space between them in a heated kiss.
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The atmosphere in the room was relatively light; the women were smiling happily while two of the elder men looked serious. The young man, however, was emanating such a dark aura anyone who stepped near him was sure to face certain death. It was a long while before anyone spoke, and once the conversation began, the young man knew he was spiralling towards his unescapable peril.
"So, everything is set then?" Haruno Hikaru questioned.
The head of the Uchiha household, Uchiha Fugaku, nodded. "Of course," he replied. "We have no complaints on our side."
Uchiha Sasuke flinched in his seat beside his father, the dark aura surrounding him growing larger by the second. His fists clenched at his sides and he ground his teeth so hard he was surprised they had not yet turned to dust.
He knew what was to happen was unavoidable. He could not and would not dishonor the Uchiha name by not accepting the offer, but he hated having to do this. Sasuke wished he were a bit stronger, more determined, then maybe…maybe he would have had the courage to tell everyone the truth. But he did not dare. He would not humiliate his family name and he did not want to face disownment, which would surely be his punishment if he came ever clean.
"I trust Sakura is all right with this as well?" Uchiha Mikoto asked pleasantly, turning to the young girl across from her.
"Oh, Sakura has been ready for this for a long while," Haruno Kyoko replied with a smile and Sakura blushed beside her.
"All right," Fugaku said as he got to his feet. "The wedding will progress as planned."
"Wonderful," Hikaru replied.
The two men shook hands while the women smiled at each other and Sakura looked about ready to cry from excitement. Sasuke stared fixedly at the wall wishing it would burst into flames and take the entire Haruno family with it. His future was going downhill fast and there was nothing he could, no, nothing he was willing to do about it. Sasuke knew he could never last in a relationship with Sakura; maybe even Sakura herself knew that, and she just hoped that he would come around at some point. Maybe that was what he was hoping for too…Hoping to fall out of his affection towards a certain blonde reporter because that would just make it all so much easier.
"Sasuke! Come here and shake hands," Fugaku called.
The Uchiha stayed seated for as long as he could, ignoring his father and continuing with his own thoughts. He knew it would be impossible to give up his feelings for Naruto; he hadn't felt that way about anyone for a long time and he'd be damned if he let the blonde go. He knew it wasn't right to try anything with Naruto while being engaged, but he couldn't help it. No matter what, Naruto would be his.
"Sasuke!" Fugaku practically yelled.
The detective pulled away from his thoughts and grudgingly got to his feet since his father's over-dominating glare was too much to bear. He stood before his father-in-law-to-be, who was grinning at him happily. Hikaru held his hand out to Sasuke, who in turn, slowly raised his own hand. As they shook hands, Sakura burst into tears and Sasuke could just hear the thundering and crashing of his life falling into pieces around him.