Important Note: I got caught up, so this isn't all of the chapter, hence why it's so short (there's only 2 PoV in this). This is only the beginning of it, but in order to keep my Mondays in a row, I posted the beginning. The rest will be up by Wednesday at the latest, so you only got to wait a day or two for the rest. Thanks for your patience. Chapter 13 is still scheduled to be posted on Monday.
12 (sort of)
Deception
Resolutely, Kurenai folded her arms across her chest, shooting Itachi a frosty look. There was simply no other way to respond other than:
"No." The young man before her blinked, face impassive, his posture stiff and chillingly formal. He regarded her thoughtfully.
"You should reconsider." His voice was soft like velvet. Goading. Kurenai grimaced.
"Your father-ugh! You should go to your family about this! Not to me!" She hissed, beyond frustrated, but Itachi interrupted.
"Don't play the part of a concerned third party. It doesn't suit you, let alone is it believable. We both know your concern is not about my health or my family's wishes, but about what Fugaku's reaction would be. Correct?" He asked coolly. Kurenai flushed. It wasn't hard to guess the implication beneath his words. She shook her head, turning a blind eye to his case and pretending to go about sorting through files. Itachi didn't leave.
"He'd be furious." She pointed out needlessly. Itachi considered.
"Oh yes, he would be. You might even say he'd be furious enough to tarnish your image as a reputable lawyer. We wouldn't want all your hard work you put forth into becoming a lawyer and obtaining that image to go to waste, now, would we?" The words were demeaning and bitter, but a skin like Kurenai's was tough to pierce. She puffed up indignantly, like a toad warding off a snake.
"Fuck you! I worked hard for this and I'm a damn good at what I do! Whoever I fuck along the way has nothing to do with it. I would have gotten here with or without your father's penis. I can handle my own networking. So shut that snide little mouth and get the fuck out of my office, Uchiha." She barked out, rather bluntly. Her voice had risen without her realizing it. Itachi sighed, glowering at her.
"This is my life, my father has nothing to do with it any longer, and you are my family's lawyer. It's only fitting that I would come to you at a time such as this. As my lawyer, the information I have divulged to you stays strictly between us. I am your client first, not Fugaku's son." Kurenai sighed, taking a moment to answer.
"You need a witness. Just to certify that the will was actually made." She said tiredly, questioning her sanity. Did she want a death wish? Itachi nodded.
"I've brought my fiancée." He added. Kurenai rubbed her temples.
"Your father will kill me." She muttered, her fingers running from her temples and into her hair, massaging her scalp. She let her forehead rest on her desk.
"Well? Sit down then, dammit. And bring in your witness." She growled, not bothering to look up. Itachi didn't have to be told twice. He exited the office, and returned a short while later. Kurenai looked up as he opened the door. A young woman stepped in behind him, and even Kurenai did a double take.
Hers was a sort of mysterious, edgy kind of beauty. Sharp angles, high cheekbones, full lips, almond shaped eyes framed by thick dark lashes. Piercings. Lots of piercings that decorated her ears, her nose, her eyebrows. Yet, it was almost strangely appealing, the way she'd had it done. Her hair had been dyed a shocking shade of violet, and to accentuate her unique look, the woman had placed a white flower in her short hair. She was in a simple v-neck black tank top with black skinnies that hugged her like a second skin.
"This is Konan." Konan nodded towards Kurenai in acknowledgement, but was otherwise silent. Itachi wrapped an arm around the woman's shoulders, and guided her to a chair- which, with a gentlemanly flare, he offered to her and pulled out. Konan took the seat, a frown marring her features, but she didn't speak. Whatever thoughts plagued her were not voiced. Itachi sat down, seeming at ease, as if all of his previous anger had suddenly vanished, only to be replaced by a grateful, if not weary, smile. When he'd arrived, he'd brought along a leather brief case. He opened it, presenting Kurenai with a sealed Manilla envelope.
"This is it." Was all he said. Not bothering to disguise her uneasiness and overall lack of agreement on the matter, she flipped through the papers with an angry flourish. She didn't have to help Itachi. She could have easily sent him on his way and refused, but even Kurenai had to admit that there were times one took risks.
If even just to give the bird to any who dared imply that she couldn't think for herself on these matters because of Fugaku Uchiha's temper. Grumbling and still cursing, she ripped the last page from the stack.
"Sign it." She ordered brusquely. Itachi promptly did so. Konan attempted to peer over at the document, but her feigned disinterest was giving way to obviously suspicious curiosity. Kurenai idly wondered if the girl even knew what was transpiring. Considering that Itachi spoke to Kurenai, unveiling his secrets, with Konan outside of the room spoke volumes. Kurenai received the document with a curt nod.
"Alright. It's done." Itachi nodded silently, rising. Konan followed, and the two drifted out of the office. Kurenai closed the door behind them, but not before catching a snippet of conversation as the two walked down the hall.
"...sort of thing did you need a witness for?" Konan's voice was sharp, suspicious.
"It was only a business matter." Came the short reply.
Kurenai closed the door softly. Not only did Itachi Uchiha come to her office to have his will certified, but the young man had revealed a life-threatening ailment.
"I have a malignant tumor, cancer that actually began in my eye. I wasn't too worried when my vision worsened, as I do have a rare genetic case of macular degeneration. However, when the headaches became frequent and the Sharigan did little to help my eyesight, I decided to pay my private physician a visit. As it happens, the cancer has metastasized. I'm stage 4. There's little that can be done at this point, other than ease the pain of my passing. I have decided not to opt for any sort of therapy."
Kurenai flinched at his detached statement. He could have been relaying to her the goings-on of some meeting with the bland tone he used. She swallowed.
"You shouldn't be coming to me for this." She said quietly. He seemed unfazed.
"I've brought my will. I want you to certify it. I'm not coming to you for anything else. Don't flatter yourself. As if I would divulge this sort of information to you otherwise?" He chucked dryly at the thought. She grimaced.
"Your family will not be pleased...what about your brother? Sasuke? He will never forgive you for keeping this from him." It was a carefully aimed blow. While Kurenai knew little of the workings of the Uchiha family, she was certain of one thing: The Uchiha brothers were very close, even though they had a sort of competitive relationship. The two easily took bullets for each other, and it was unnatural for one to leave the other in the dark in this sort of way. Itachi paused, as Kurenai expected. For a full minute or two, he was silent.
"He will understand." He said finally, in an unguarded voice. "I'm also getting married." He continued suddenly. Kurenai's eyes almost bugged out of her skull.
"WHAT?"
"I want to leave her certain things. I want to ensure she is properly taken care after I am gone and my father won't shun her. She is...very dear to me." He paused again.
Kurenai shook her head, collapsing on her leather chair and sinking into it. What a day! Briefly, she thought of Fugaku. Once the man realized his son would leave a good portion of his inheritance to his future wife, the man wasn't going to be pleased. He would be downright livid.
We wouldn't want all your hard work you put forth into becoming a lawyer and obtaining that image to go to waste, now, would we?
She wriggled in her seat, uncomfortable. She was proud of her status, proud of what she did. She enjoyed the money and the success...
It had been a long road. Back then, paying for her graduate school tuition looked pretty bleak, not to mention the loans she had racked up to go to college. Sure, she'd had a scholarship, but one misguided night junior year had stripped her of the honor. She grimaced.
She'd met Fugaku Uchiha at a charity event for her college. He was one of the top contributors, a man of Ivy League status. A doctor who'd made medical history. He was well respected, charming, good looking, tall, with a crackwhip wit and a brutal sort of honesty. Kurenai hadn't believed in love then, but she had believed in passion, and Fugaku Uchiha was passion for her twenty one year old self.
Her gut twisted.
If it hadn't been for Fugaku Uchiha, she would still be paying off her loans. If it hadn't been for Fugaku Uchiha, she would have never made a name for herself with his company. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. Her phone rang.
Speak of the devil.
"What?" She snapped.
"Tonight. Seven. The French place you love so much." A voice rumbled on the other line. She considered. She thought of Minato, of her empty bed, and her insides burned. Kurenai Yuuhi liked to think she was a strong woman who didn't need a man to lean on, and in many ways, Kurenai was strong, but even the best of us are entitled to spin our own illusions.
"Only if you spend the night." She purred, putting on a façade. There was a satisfied chuckle.
"Don't tease me."
"Tease you?" She asked innocently. "If you want me to tease you, I'd tell you I was wearing the blue lace thong you love so much. I'm wearing it right now, and it leaves little to the imagination. Maybe you can take it off with your teeth." There was a heavy pause, a puff of hot breath.
"I'll see you tonight. Mikoto's home." He sounded irritated. Kurenai nodded.
"Bye, Fugaku." She said shortly, hanging up the phone with a snap. She stared at it a long while, angry. Finally, against her better judgement, she picked it up, and dialed. It rang four times before going to voicemail.
"You've reached Minato Namikaze. I can't come to the phone right now. Leave your name and number, and I'll be sure to get back to you!"
She shook her head at his cheerful voice, and closed her eyes, hanging up at the beep. She quickly returned to her files, forcing her mind to otherwise be occupied with what outfit Fugaku might appreciate best.
Naruto hadn't been sure what to expect when he faced Sasuke in English, but it surely hadn't been a normal, everyday routine ending with him wanting to kick the snide bastard's pale ass for reasons other than calling him out. He was shocked. Relieved, but nonetheless shocked. Sure, Sasuke heckled him for stupid things still, but it had been as though the previous night hadn't happened.
He sighed, rubbing at his face. Last night. He groaned. His grandmother, as usual, had been up early, and Mito had been a force to reckon with. It had been a little worse than usual. She actually hadn't been home when he'd returned from group, and he went to bed without having to face her. When he'd woken up, however, he was greeted with disdain, sarcasm, and his grandmother's forced attempt at reverse psychology, which had been beyond infuriating.
Hearing the familiar and welcome sizzle and pop of smelled like ham cooking on the stove (ham and eggs? YES!), Naruto trudged to the kitchen, tugging on a discarded shirt on the floor. He knew being shirtless upset his grandmother greatly, and he didn't want to bother with her. He noticed, uneasily, that the bag that held the clothing his grandmother had purchased for him was sitting on the table, as if untouched. He hadn't taken the bag to his room, and had left in the kitchen since Mito had given it. At that point, Mito turned.
"Oh, you're awake. Good." She observed tersely. "I got something for you." She added. Frowning, Naruto upturned the bag, spilling its contents onto the table: an atrocious plaid flannel shirt that screamed country hick, some levi jeans. A baseball cap of some obscure team he didn't recognize. Aftershave, a razor.
"Well, there you go. You want to be a man so badly. Go take your things and put them to good use." She snapped. He stared at her. She waited.
"Well? Go on. Aren't you a young man in need of these sorts of things?" He ground his teeth.
"You're not being fair."
"How am I not fair? I've bought you your boy things, now go use them. That razor especially, you have a little fuzz." She quipped. Naruto wondered why Minato and Kushina weren't awake yet to witness this. He shook his head, walked to his room, dressed, and grabbed his bag.
"Aren't you going to eat? A young man needs all the strength he can get." Mito called, just as Kushina and Minato began to stir and leave the bedroom. Kushina blinked, looking from Mito to Naruto.
"What's going on?" She asked, Minato peeked from around the corner, a toothbrush lodged in his mouth. He glowered at Mito, who returned the look in kind.
"Oh nothing, just getting ready for school." She said pleasantly. Naruto shouldered his bag.
"Yeah." He muttered, eyeing his grandmother with distaste as he walked to the door. Kushina called out to him.
"Naruto? Where are you going? You don't need to leave for another-"
"I have some homework to finish up. Wanna get there early." Naruto cut his mother off, hurrying out of the door.
He groaned, resting his forehead against his locker and twiddling with the little dial on his locker.
"Don't make me sing it." Came a voice. Naruto jerked upright, looking at Kiba. He snorted. Kiba had a particular song he liked to heckle Naruto with when his friend seemed down.
"Please don't." Naruto agreed. Kiba smirked, the trade mark mischievous grin both he and Naruto were known notoriously for lighting up his face.
"Well, in that case." He hooked an arm on Naruto's neck, pulling his friend to his side. "Hey Mr. Grumpy Gills! When life gets you down you know what you gotta do-?" But Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth.
"I mean it." He snickered. Kiba huffed.
"Aw, you're no fun." He sniffed, disentangling himself. Naruto grinned.
"Pssh. I am the fun. You're just the ridiculous sidekick that follows me everywhere." He retorted. Kiba's raised his arms.
"And he's back!" Naruto shook his head at Kiba's antics, smiling. Kiba considered him for a moment, but Naruto pretended not to notice.
"So what's up? I mean, really?" Kiba wanted to know. Naruto mulled the idea of telling Kiba about Mito over. He opted for something else.
"Pissy Pants is my partner for English." He said glumly. Kiba made a face, but he nudged Naruto lightly in the ribs.
"Told you he wasn't a gossiper." He said quietly.
"I don't really want to talk about it." Naruto muttered in response, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously.
"Yo Blondie." Naruto looked over his shoulder, surprised that Sasuke was approaching him outside of class. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"What?" He snapped. Sasuke sauntered over, taking his time before answering.
"If we're gonna do this I want to have the skit finished by Saturday. Sunday's my day off, got it? We're going to start on it tonight and get it done by tomorrow. We're getting an 'A' on this, feel me? So keep any dumb ideas to yourself and maybe I'll let you color the poster. Meet me out in the parking lot after school, we'll do the project at my house. Got it or do I need to slow down?" Naruto flushed, seeing red.
"Why you fucking little-!" Kiba grabbed Naruto by his sleeve before the blond could shoot forward and clock Sasuke in the face.
"Ooookay, Uchiha, if you got a fucking problem, spit it out, otherwise go take your snide ass elsewhere." Kiba butted in sharply. Sasuke regarded him for a moment, then slipped past, knocking Kiba's shoulder. He scowled.
"Yeah, go on, you're all bark and no bite." He taunted, laughing. Sasuke threw a dangerous look over his shoulder.
"Don't tempt me, Inuzuka." He said darkly. Naruto rolled his eyes.
"God what's your deal? Who spits in your orange juice every morning?" He asked. Sasuke didn't respond, only shook his head and walked away. Naruto frowned, seriously confused by the guy. One minute, he seems a little understanding. The next, he was just a fucking shallow, arrogant jerk!
Fucking Sasuke Uchiha! Who needs 'im!
A/N: What's happening with Itachi will end up having a lot of relevance. As for the whole Naruto/Kiba/Sasuke thing, we'll see how things progress. I want this whole thing to be a lot deeper. Everyone is going to be tested in their own day due to romantic choice, in ways that highlight accepting yourself and others, overcoming demons, etc. Just like I talk about in the very beginning. And then, we have the 'small world' factor, where a lot of people end up being connected to other characters even if its not outwardly. So we will see how this goes. Thanks for any reviews/critiques/thoughts you guys! :D Sorry I had to post only a little bit of it, but I'm still working on the rest right now but it WILL be finished in a day or two.