Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! I don't own Naruto! La le la le
Ugh... that L'Oreal omake from the previous chapter ruined me. Any time I see anything similar to 'because you're worth it' I just burst out laughing... Also, I think every single one of my reviewers from the last chapter had 'because you're worth it' somewhere in their review. XDDDD
Special Thanks to 01Trycia-chan01 for being my brainstorming partner on Rule 3! ^^ Also thanks to all my lovely readers/reviewers for being so wonderful! I love you all!
200 REVIEWS! *runs around like a chicken with its head cut off* Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you (Argh, no my fingers hurt...)
Sorry I missed last two updates, I had two important exams to study for then I had to do two projects for Biology and an essay for American Lit. I didn't have anytime to write at all, and believe me when I say IT WAS KILLING ME! I have never felt such love then when people were asking when I was going to update... Thank you all for loving this story enough to want me to update quickly! And just to say thank you, I'm updating 2 days early!
BTW: Itachi has the chance of being OOC in this chapter, just sayin'
Also, fall allergies have kicked in, so my temper is on a short fuse. Seriously, you try having sneezes so powerful that it physically hurts to sneeze (and sneezing four to seven times in a row), having eyes that go from dry as a desert to pouring water like Niagara Falls, AND not being able to breathe every so often (and I mean NOT BEING ABLE TO BREATH. It's like I forget how to breathe) and we'll see if you're still a ball of sunshine by the end of it!
Another thing, half this chapter was written during an insomnia attack. A major one, one of the worst I've ever had, so you've been warned...
Thanks to Beta: Lynn06
[edited 9:23 am 1/28/2016]
vvv Itachi's POV vvv
Where the hell was she?! I checked my watch again as I paced in front of the elevators. Exactly fifteen seconds have passed since I last checked it. It was almost nine. Ichigo was never this late, not even when Taka first stayed with her. If this was revenge for locking her in with Sasuke yesterday, I was going to strangle that woman!
Suddenly, the phone rang and the receptionist answered, "Uchiha Corporation. Office Reception Desk, how may I- Oh. One moment please, miss." The girl took the phone from her ear and opened her mouth.
I glared at her before she could speak. "If it is some fangirl, hang up," I snapped. "And call Ichigo-san while you're at it to tell her she has twenty minutes to get here, or start looking for another job."
The girl, whatever her name was, blinked in surprise. She wasn't used to dealing with my anger. No one was, except for Ichigo and my family, if even then. "Sir... it's Ichigo-san. She's calling to tell you that-"
"Give me that," I snapped, and snatched the phone from the poor receptionist's hand. I knew I was acting foolish, but this was ridiculous. I've been lenient with the girl who's been my assistant since she was sixteen, and she repays me by not showing up. "Taihen no, you had better have a good reason for-"
She interrupted me, "Sorry, Itachi-san, but I'm-" Ichigo broke into a horrible retching sound. I couldn't keep the grimace from my face. It sounded like she was trying to empty her stomach in one sitting.
After several minutes, Ichigo continued in a raspy voice, "I'm sick... I think I got something from Taka-kun. D-do you need me to come in?"
All of my anger disappeared with that one question. Even when she was horribly sick, Ichigo was still willing to drag herself to the office to make my life easier. I sighed, "No. Stay home and try to rest. Go see the doctor."
My assistant gave a breathless chuckle. "Says the man that... hates doctors," she said tiredly.
"Get some sleep, Ichigo-san," I said, both gently and firm at the same time; then gave the phone back to the receptionist, who was staring at me like I had grown two heads. I really couldn't blame her either. It must be strange to see someone change moods so quickly. Much less someone who rarely showed any emotion.
I went to Sasuke's office and opened the door without knocking. Sasuke and Sakura looked at me with equal expressions of surprise, they probably thought I was still pacing like a caged animal. I ignored my brother in favor for his assistant. "You're working for both of us. Ichigo-san is out," I said blandly, before turning to leave.
Two chairs clattered back and I glanced over my shoulder to see Sasuke and Sakura on their feet. "What happened? She's not fired, is she?!" Sakura said in a panicked voice, misunderstanding my meaning.
I raised an eyebrow at her, and the pink-haired woman looked down with a blush. "I need the Waraji Company files on my desk by noon," I said, instead of answering Sakura's question. I left the girl sputtering at her desk and made my way back to my silent office.
vvv
I didn't glance up from my computer when the door burst open; I knew it was someone I probably didn't want to talk to. Sakura was too timid to do such a thing, and if Ichigo had even set foot in the building, I would have her tied up and stuffed back into bed.
"Oi, oi, oi! What's this? Sasu-kun says that Ichigo-chan is gone. Don't tell me you fired her!"
I glanced at Shisui very briefly with a flat stare. "Don't you have criminals to catch?" I asked drily as I continued with my reports.
Shisui gave me an annoyed look. "You know, blatantly trying to avoid the subject is Sasuke's thing, not yours...," he muttered, before turning back into his irritating flamboyant nature. "Well, all I've gotta say to you, mister, is that if you did fire Ichigo-chan, you just let a golden opportunity go to waste!"
Slowly, I looked up at my cousin. I knew what he was referring to. "Your input isn't needed, Shisui," I said dully, and reached for a folder Sakura had put on my desk earlier.
Shisui cackled like a villainous character from an overly dramatized soap opera. "Oh, so you admit that you let the opportunity go? Tell me, why did you fire Ichigo-chan?" Shisui jumped when I slapped the folder down hard. Shisui raised his hands in a surrendering motion and gave me a placid smile. "Alright, alright... You're business is your business. But still, it's kind of strange that you fire her out of the blue, especially after all those years of total loyalty." Shisui's grin turned into a smirk. "Makes the gossip mongers think that the rumors are true about a certain third rule..."
My eyes narrowed slightly. "And just what are they saying?" I asked, my tone sharp.
Shisui leaned a hip against my desk and pretended to inspect his nails. "Eh, this and that. What I've been hearing mostly was something about you firing her because an affair went wrong... or something like that." The curly-haired chief of police suddenly brightened as if an idea occurred to him, and he pulled a magazine out from inside his uniform. "Oh! I forgot about this! Here." Shisui tossed the magazine down on my desk.
I groaned as I read the headline of Uwasabanashi Daily. It has only been a few hours since Ichigo called in sick, and already the gossip magazines were stirring up rumors of affairs. It was almost like they watched Ichigo and I for any scrap of romance, something I did not understand why. Rubbing one temple, I reached over to dial Sasuke's office line.
"Uchiha Sasuke's office." Sakura's voice quipped from the other line, sounding strained. It wasn't much of a jump to say that she and Sasuke probably had been arguing again. I could vaguely hear her voice through the wall that separated the offices. Shisui turned his head at the sound then gave me a strange look, as if he couldn't understand why I would call when it was thirty-two steps to the office.
I ignored him, "Put my brother on."
"What?" My younger brother growled when he picked up the phone, loud enough that my cousin was able to hear him through the phone as well as the wall. I raised an eyebrow at his tone while Shisui snorted softly. Sasuke was never short with anyone unless they deserved it, especially not his elder brother and boss.
Mentally shaking off my thoughts, I said in a flat, professional tone. "Contact our news agent. We need damage control. Shisui will tell you. And you're in charge for the rest of the day, I'm leaving." I hung up without waiting for a response and began the process of getting ready to go.
Shisui stood in front of my desk, a confused look on his face. "Eh? Where are you going?" I didn't answer him. I tossed my coat over my arm, and snatched up my briefcase before walking out of my office. After throwing a quick explanation to the receptionist, I hurried to the elevator.
vvv Sasuke's POV vvv
"What the hell did you do to Nii-san?" I demanded the second Shisui came into my office.
My cousin blinked at me and shrugged. "I don't know. I showed him that stupid gossip magazine and he jumped ship. Here." Shisui gave me the magazine he was talking about. I blinked at the cover that displayed Ichigo and Itachi in various pictures that made them appear to be very close. They ranged from the Joushi-joshu dance to the two of them walking around with Ichigo's nephew. There were even a few pictures from what I assumed was this year's Akatsuki Conference, with the two of them shooting not-so-subtle glares at each other.
But none of them were important, the main issue was superimposed over them all, showing a couple in bed. Though the photo was grainy and blurred there was no mistaking the raven and strawberry blonde hair that belonged to my brother and his assistant respectively. The headlines were screaming something about the 'couple of the decade' having a love child tucked away and Itachi was breaking it off because Ichigo wanted to bring the boy out in the open or something just as ludicrous.
Though I knew how both my brother and his assistant felt towards each other, I knew they weren't stupid enough to be caught even if they were dating, let alone have a kid. Besides, neither were really the type to keep a relationship a secret. This was nothing more than a reporter making a collage of images throughout the year, then throw in a very compromising picture that might or might not be Itachi and Ichigo, and claim it's a story. At least I hoped it was that and didn't have some truth to it. While I didn't mind Strawbatty dating my brother, as long as he was happy, I did mind having the media make a circus out of it all.
I looked at Sakura, who was too busy banging away at her keyboard to pay any attention. "Sakura, did Ichigo say anything last night to hint at-"
A pair of beautiful green eyes snapped up to glare at me. "I don't know," she snarled, cutting me off. I rolled my eyes. When Itachi had called, Sakura and I had been arguing about something trivial. Apparently, she was still angry over it.
Shisui, being Shisui, whistled, "Sasu-kun, you've got a handful. Where'd you find her?" Sakura turned her glare on Shisui; but he wasn't bothered by it, having already survived worse.
I leveled a flat look at him. "In high school," I said dismissively. I didn't miss Sakura's slightly surprised look, I simply chose to ignore it. I didn't understand why she looked surprised, it was the truth.
Shisui sucked on his teeth. "Alright... So what'chya think about it all?" He asked. I couldn't tell if Shisui was asking because he liked solving mysteries, or if he was genuinely curious about Itachi's love life. Knowing how much money Shisui had bet on the two getting together, I was confident it was the latter.
I stalled, "Think about what?"
Shisui rolled his eyes. "About the magazine. I checked the sources. They seem legit."
Sakura snatched the magazine from my hands, and her mouth fell open. "No way!" Both Shisui and I turned to the pink-haired woman, our eyebrows raised questioningly. She waved the magazine around. "Ichigo said something about a hotel room when she and Uchiha-sama went to the Akatsuki Conference. I didn't realize that it was this bad though..."
Shisui and I both stiffened. "What exactly did Ichigo-chan say?" Shisui asked in a serious tone.
The things my pink-haired assistant told Shisui and I were very shocking, but very pleasant to hear. Just a few more steps before my stubborn Nii-san and his equally stubborn assistant realized how much in love they were with each other.
I could almost hear the wedding bells.
^o^
Ugh, I was going to continue this, but my brain is fried from having to write an essay for American Lit, plus I didn't want to skip another update deadline for my very patient and loyal reviewers. I just can't do it to you again.
I know I promised someone (maybe multiple people?) that I would put fluff in this chapter, but I'm shoving it back to the next chapter or else I'd miss my deadline AGAIN. You'll get it in the next chapter PROMISE because that chapter is all about Ichigo and Itachi ;)
Huh, this is probably the first chapter I've ever written in history that didn't have a single POV from the main character (excluding special chapters and fillers...)
Flame Friendly.
Hey Hey Hey! Any and all artists reading this might want to pay attention! I'm holding a contest for FANART! That's right, a contest (ugh I feel like a used car salesmen...) and I want YOUR (Make that Uncle Sam) beautiful art. Draw anything that has to do with Rule 3, one of the characters, favorite scene... something. Prizes are:
1st place- One OneShot written by me (we'll work out the details when you win ;3)
2nd place- One omake of ANY story I write. It will appear on the next chapter I publish.
To submit your artwork, email it to freedom2read98 AT gmail .c o m OR put it up on a type of art gallery website (deviantArt, ZEROchan, Tumblr, photobucket... something) and PM me the URL address. If you send it to the email, please give me a heads up through a PM, because I don't get on that email account much.
The deadline to submit your fanart is January 30, 2015. That gives you 7 weeks to submit something.