Disclaimer: See first chapter.

30 Kisses --- QianYun

11.

Summary: (SasuNaru) Most people go through their lives waiting for that one special someone. But when you find them and realize they are not who you hoped they would be, what would you do? Reject or accept?

Warnings: AU- allusions to canon; switches between Naruto's 2nd and 3rd POV; one-sided past NejiNaru


Generate

The next few weeks did little to soothe Naruto's nagging worries. He had yet to have another confrontation with Sasuke, nor did he receive any indication of his current status in the office. His co-workers had originally flocked around him the first few days after his summons, but his unusual tight-lipped attitude about the unsettling encounter caused the gossip to die down- at least around him.

Naruto spent his days in a hypnotizing routine, his original displeasure with the company gradually shifting to an anticipatory buzz.

Nothing had happened and Naruto was freaking out.

It was the calm before the proverbial storm, he just knew it, but there was nothing he could do.

Everything was at a standstill and Naruto was getting ansty – until news of Hyuuga Neji visiting caused a brand new wealth of gossip to flow through the floor.

It was common knowledge that Hyuuga's relationship with Uchiha was stemmed from and drenched with old family rivalries. It was not until Sasuke and Neji's generation that things had settled somewhat (mostly due to the Uchiha family's near extermination) and even now… the Sharingan and Byaguukan names had never been so fiercely pitted against each other.

Hyuuga Neji's visit had nothing to do with the blond, or so he supposed, but even so, a curl of anticipation settled at the bottom of his stomach and refused to unwind.

You can feel what will happen. You already know the words and knowledge that will pass between the two men. After all, he had said that they knew about your private life and Neji was very much a part of it. He was the first one to ask for your heart.

And you refuse to acknowledge the idea of another asking.

Even as you clutch his possession tightly in your grasp.

"You need to get your head out of the clouds before you trip and fall farther than you've risen," a voice piped up from his cubicle's opening.

Naruto blinked in confusion, having nearly been on the verge of sleep. The sweet alto voice pierced through his drowsiness and he stretched, yawning, before looking at his new supervisor. Within the first few weeks Naruto had been there, Aburame was promoted from floor manager to level manager on account of the previous one – a man named Jiraiya – supposedly retiring to write porn. It was only a rumor, but spoken as a fact by those who were well acquainted with his peculiarities. Surprisingly, his new floor manager was a person he had not seen since middle school: pretty-in-pink Haruno Sakura, whom he had once professed everlasting love to only to get smacked as a reply.

Naruto had since moved on, but once in a while felt a bit sore at the entire thing. Thrust into one funky situation while shoves into another stewing mess. He and Sakura reconciled though – had bonded quite well after nearly 15 years of separation – until Naruto broached the Sasuke topic and barely survived with his limbs attached.

In another twist of fate, Naruto found out that Sakura had spent most of her high school life chasing after the famed Uchiha Sasuke. It was only after leaving for college that she slowed down and gave up. Nevertheless, she kept her communication with Sasuke, allowing her to become one of the few people that he dared to call a friend. As such, Sakura realized the significance of the meeting even while Naruto vehemently tried to deny any such thing.

He realized the error of his ways with a few well-placed and well-timed bitch slaps. His cheeks still stung in remembrance- both sets of them.

"What's the point of dwelling under the clouds when there's nothing interesting to do?" Naruto threw her a cheeky grin and she smiled exasperatingly.

"Regardless of whether there's anything interesting to do, you know that you're under strict supervision, so you better finish that pile of paperwork on your desk before you even think about going to sleep." Sakura said sternly, eyes staring at him intently.

"Alright, alright, calm down. I'll finish my work, don't worry about it." Naruto waved his hand carelessly as a reply.

Sakura clenched her teeth in frustration, Naruto was taking his situation too lightly. He had no idea that if he was fired from the company, he would be locked out of virtually half of the companies in the industry and be hard-pressed to get a job in the other half. But explaining would do her no good, she knew, so she just gave out a frustrated puff of air, spun of her heel and stomped off.

When the sound of her steps faded, the blonde closed his eyes in defeat.

You haven't seen him more than two times; had barely spoken to him; had barely learned anything about him. But you feel a pull towards him.

And you're on the brink of giving up and following that pull just to see where it will lead you.


"How is he doing?" A casual question, but even Sasuke could tell that it was backed up by more than what was said.

"He's doing well enough. I'm surprised you even let him leave your company."

Neji blinked slowly, "There was nothing I could do about his unhappiness at his job. He seemed extremely excited when he heard that a position had opened in this company. Besides, he needed more than I could give him- I wanted to see if you were up to the task."

Sasuke chuckled lightly, hands busy at work even while he conversed with the other genius. "Are you sure you're willing to give him up just like that? You seem quite agitated."

And it was true, for Neji's hands were fisted tightly despite his neutral expression and voice.

"Besides, what made you think I would even be interested in him? Or that he would be interested in me?" Sasuke asked with genuine curiosity, even pausing his motions to listen to Neji's answer.

"No matter how subtle it may be at work, no matter how flexible it is, fate and destiny will make certain that some things will remain the same," Neji smiled enigmatically, relaxing for the first time since he entered the building. "Naruto once told me that he was waiting for his special person to save him, to rescue him from his so-called darkness." He bent his head in thought, "I asked him if he thought I could ever be the one and he said-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Sasuke's door was thrown open and his secretary ran through it straight up to his desk.

"Sasuke-sama! Sasuke-sama! Trouble, trouble!" She looked panicked, and seemed on the verge of tears, but Sasuke merely sighed and closed his eyes.

"What is it now, Shina?"

"It's almost lunchtime and I don't know what to get you and Neji-san for lunch? What should I do?!?" Her hands fluttered around frantically, eyes widening and narrowing in an attempt to hide her tears.

"Shina… Shina. Shina! Calm down. Neji, what would you like to eat?" Sasuke emphasized his words while he spoke, eyes on Shina the entire time.

With a hint of amusement, "I feel like I want Italian today, from anywhere and anything is fine." As each word passed through his lips, the secretary grew more calm until he finished speaking and she bowed in apology.

"Of course, Neji-san. Sasuke-sama, I apologize for my rude interruption." She kept her head lowered and waited for his response.

He sighed a little before dismissing the incident, "It's fine, just… try to control yourself next time."

"Of course, Sasuke-sama. And if I may ask, will Naruto-san be joining you today?"

Her question caused Sasuke to jerk and look at her oddly, "Why would he be joining us for lunch?"

Shina looked at her boss in confusion, "But it's already been three weeks. Sasuke-sama usually does something to make his victims unsettled by now."

She said it so plainly and matter-of-fact that Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to scold her for calling his dates 'victims'. It was true in a way, he supposed. Besides, her words did make a bit of sense. He glanced at Neji from the corner of his eye, contemplating his next step. There wasn't an obvious opinion on the other man's face, but Sasuke knew better than to trust appearances.

"After the food arrives, ask Sakura to inform Naruto of his new lunch plans."

"As you wish," she bowed and turned to walk away, once again skipping a little through the doorway.

"Your secretary…" Neji trailed off.

"She was the only one who was able to deal with my 'moods' and not just simply fawn over my looks and wealth."

"Ah."

Sasuke leaned his head on his hand and his eyes slid halfway down. Looking at Neji from beneath his eyelids, he contemplated the other man quietly. "Why?"

They were rivals who knew each other through and through and yet remained complete strangers, but they always understood each other. In a move unlike him, Neji shrugged and said, "I figured that if I helped him find his special someone, I might be able to find mine."

The Uchiha heir looked at him intently before closing his eyes and smiling softly, "You'll find yours soon enough."

They sat in a comfortable silence for several minutes, each deep in their own thoughts.


Over an hour later, all hell broke loose when Naruto punched Sasuke in the face. His pained grunt managed to reach Shina's ears and with a frightening battle cry, she ran into the room, leapt at Naruto and clung to him, her arms clasped tightly around the blonde's neck.

Touching his cheek and eye, Sasuke checked the extent of his injuries before sharply saying, "Shina, release him this instant!"

She looked at him pleadingly, "But Sasuke-sama! He hurt you! You can't-"

"Now, Shina!"

The brunette reluctantly loosened her grip on Naruto and slowly slid down the few inches she jumped back onto the floor. She gave a little pout but went into the door off to the side of the office and came back with an icepack.

"Here."

As soon as Sasuke took the icepack and placed it on his face, numbing the pain just a little, Shina let out a little huff and stomped out of the room. But not before she shot a nasty glare at Naruto, causing him to take a small step back, not that he would ever admit it to anyone if they asked. He rubbed at his throat, regretting his rashness just a little. He scowled and retracted his thought, the bastard deserved what he got.

You wonder, for just a moment, if your reaction was a bit too harsh. Looking at his slowly coloring face brings a twinge to your heart.

It was just a kiss.

Was it truly that horrible?

Silence fell over the room and Naruto shifted uncomfortably when Sasuke continued to ignore him in favor of checking for any shattered bones. He winced every once in a while and pointedly ignored Naruto's hesitant steps towards him. Unfortunately, Neji had left earlier due to a supposed emergency at his company and was unable to provide a distraction.

"I'm… sorry?"

Sasuke scoffed at the apology. It wasn't even a proper one; it sounded more like he was testing out the words than actually meaning it.

"I'm serious! I didn't mean to punch you. You just… surprised me." Naruto said awkwardly, hoping that Sasuke wouldn't take the punch too seriously.

"If I surprised you so much, why didn't you just push me away? I understand that you don't feel that way about me, but you didn't have to punch me, you idiot." Sasuke tried to reign in his temper, but failed dismally. He was pissed.

"I…" Naruto fell silent, not knowing what to say to make it better.

You regret it now. So badly. You didn't want him to be the one. Didn't think it was possible.

But you feel closer to him than you do to anyone else.

It couldn't be mere coincidence.

Are you willing to take the next step?

Steeling his nerves, Naruto walked up to Sasuke and placed both his hands on the other man's shoulder. The brunette petulantly tried to shrug off his hands, but his grip was too tight. He scowled fiercely.

"What are you thinking about doing now? Choking me to- mmph" Sasuke was cut off by another pair of lips.

Slowly, reluctantly, he softened his lips and accepted the kiss. It was what he wanted anyway.

It was tender, sweet, and delicious. It was cool vanilla ice cream on a hot day, rich chocolate milk on a cold day, spicy curry on a relaxing day, dreams and wishes and-

Naruto's kisses sucked.

But Sasuke bore with it and smiled lightly against the blond. It took a little longer than he expected, but he finally got Konoha's Number One Ninja at Surprises back where he belonged.

In his arms.

Owari


QY- So, from now on, do not believe me when I promise or swear that I will get a chapter up. Never again. But I always finish what I start. Even if it's (looks at DR) over a year and a half later. Much less this story. Ahem. I have the next 2.5 chapters ready. So if inspiration hits soon (and I get my schedule fixed) I should finish sometime… this year.

As one last note, the second to last sentence is there because this authoress cannot feel her fingers anymore because of the cold and decided that whatever comes out will be good enough. And that is what came out. Take it as you will.

Written: 1/16/07 8:45 pm to 11:45 pm (More like typed and severely edited, but eh)