Chapter 9: Happier
"So you're just ready to give up?" Sasuke cried. "After all we've been through you're ready to walk away just because you're scared?" It was the same fight that they'd had so many times before. The blond had started drinking early that day after having a dream about their past life and thinking about how Sasuke would inevitably leave him in the end. "We aren't them," he yelled, trying to get it through the other man's head.
"We both know you'll be happier without me," Naruto argued, running a hand through his hair. He didn't know how to make Sasuke understand that he was no good for him. "Just because we're soulmates doesn't mean we're meant to be! I clearly don't love you, we still dream about each other," he knew how to hit him where it hurt. Reminding him that he wasn't in love with him yet, otherwise they wouldn't be dreaming about their past lives.
"You don't get to decide if I'll be happier without you," Sasuke huffed, pacing their living room. They had been together for almost a year and in that year something in Naruto had changed. They used to be happy and Sasuke had fallen in love, but Naruto started drinking more and was getting into drugs the more he toured. They had recently moved in together and he thought it would help their relationship.
"But you can't deny that I don't love you," Naruto slurred as he leaned against the door frame, taking another drink straight from the bottle.
Sasuke shook his head, "The only reason you don't love me is because you won't let yourself love me. The minute you started to feel something even close to love you started getting drunk and high because you're scared. I'm scared too, but that doesn't mean we should just end our relationship." He moved closer to the other man, grabbing the bottle out of his hand. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to try," he calmly demanded. "Tell me you feel nothing for me."
Naruto paused, "You know I can't." He wanted so badly to be able to tell Sasuke he felt nothing. To make the other man give up and leave him, but he couldn't. Sasuke was right, every time he felt something close to love he'd sabotage it.
Sasuke cupped Naruto's cheek, "Then I'm not going anywhere. Go sleep this off and we'll talk when you're sober." He didn't leave any room for argument, guiding the other man towards the bedroom.
"I want to love you," Naruto admitted. "I'm just scared."
Sasuke nodded as he helped Naruto lay down, "I know. I'm scared too, but we'll figure it out. I promise, you just need to learn to let go of the past." He ran his hand through Naruto's hair, making the blond close his eyes as he leaned into his touch.
Naruto's eyes snapped open. He hated that dream, but he wondered if it was the universe's way of telling him not to give up on Sasuke. He understood Sasuke's fears. He had the same dreams that Sasuke had, even if they were from a different point of view. To Sasuke, Naruto had been the villain in his dreams, but Naruto could feel his past live's fear. Perhaps that was what Sasuke was feeling in this life.
It had been almost a month since he'd overheard the conversation between the Uchiha brothers and it turned out Itachi was right. The next day he had received news that Sasuke had been moved up and he had a new manager, Kakashi. An older man that had been in the industry a long time and had a lot of connections. Kakashi had been the one to get Iruka as his producer. Kakashi at first came off as if he didn't give a shit, but really it was just testing Naruto's ability. The blond was pretty sure there was something going on between the two men, or at least the potential for something with the way Kakashi flirted and Iruka would blush at the inappropriate things the other man said.
Naruto sighed when his phone dinged with a text message. He knew it was form his manager reminding him about the photo shoot he had that day. He was sure he'd never heard of the photographer before, yet his name somehow sounded familiar. He decided not to dwell on it as he got up from bed to get ready for the day. The only thing he had was the photo shoot so he decided for something casual, knowing they were just going to put him in whatever they wanted when he got there. He opted for black sweats and a white t-shirt, figuring he had no one he needed to impress. With Sasuke leaving he'd seemed to have lost all motivation to put effort into how he looks.
"You look like shit," Sakura commented when he walked out of his room. She always dressed nicely to go to a job and she was his stylist for the day. "What if people see you out in that?" she signaled towards his attire. "Are you trying to ruin your image as the desirable pop star by looking like a bum?" she rolled her eyes as she finished packing what she'd need for the day.
He shrugged, "I'm just being comfortable. You're going to put me in something uncomfortably tight the rest of the day, might as well be comfortable on their way there." He grabbed cereal from the cabinet, eating straight from the box rather than bothering to pour himself a bowl.
"What you mean is that Sasuke isn't there to impress so what's the point?" she teased before turning to look at him. "You know, other people eat that," she huffed with a disgusted look.
He looked down at the box, "No you don't, you say this is too sugary for you and that I shouldn't put it in my body. You want me to eat adult cereal, I'll stick with my kids cereal."
"I'd actually prefer you make yourself a real breakfast or maybe from fruit, but I know that isn't going to happen," she told him. "And I didn't say it was kids' cereal, I said it was unhealthy with all of that sugar," she corrected him. She tried to get him to take his diet seriously, but he just brushed her off and said he'd work extra hard in the gym.
"Same thing," he laughed, putting the box back on the shelf. "Doesn't really matter though, we gotta leave or we'll be late."
"Like your manager always is," she scoffed. The man couldn't seem to be on time to save his life.
Naruto shook his head, "I swear the man is always there, he's just waiting for me to be late so he can say something." He had heard that Sasuke picked his manager for him and he knew that the man wasn't going to pick someone that did things half-assed. "One day I'm going to be late and he'll just be sitting there waiting for me."
"You're paranoid," she told him as she grabbed her bag off the countertop. "If he is ever waiting for you it'll be with that porn magazine he reads in hand, not paying attention to the time. Let's go," she started to make her way towards the door.
As predicted, Kakashi was nowhere to be found when they showed up, though Naruto swore he was there somewhere. The photographer on the other hand was already there, directing people where to go. "You must be Naruto," he said as he looked at the man, assessing him. "You're exactly what I expected," he told him. "I'm Suigetsu," he introduced himself. "Sasuke's best friend."
Naruto's eyes widened, realizing where he'd heard that name before. "Best friend?" his jaw dropped. He looked at the man, he was dressed professionally, yet comfortable at the same time in a simple pair of black pants and a black long sleeve shirt. He wondered Sasuke had taught him how to be effortlessly attractive. He wasn't Naruto's type, since his type was simply Sasuke, but he could admit he was good looking.
"The one and only," he seemed to be enjoying the effect he was having on the blond. "Don't worry, I won't tell him you dress like this when he's not around," he grinned, making the blond blush. The light haired man fiddled with his camera, making sure the setting and attachments were correct for the look they were going for that day.
"I always dress like this," Naruto suddenly felt self conscious as he crossed his arms, knowing full well he was pouting like a child.
Sugietsu shook his head, "I've heard him bitch enough about how attractive you are, so I know that's not true." He knew when Sasuke said the man was hot, he wouldn't be saying that about him if he always wore oversized sweatpants and t-shirts. The clothes he was wearing didn't show off the muscles and ass Sasuke would complain about when they were working together closely.
"He talks about how attractive I am?" Naruto said, his tone far more excited than he wanted it to be.
Sakura laughed, "Of course that gets your attention. Have fun, I'm going to go set up, you better be at my station in ten." She walked towards her station to set up and Naruto knew that she'd yell at him if he didn't follow her soon.
"So, how much does he talk about me?" he asked curiously.
"Let's just say, I used to believe him when he said he doesn't want his soulmate and I don't anymore," he said, which made Naruto smile. "There's a reason Kakashi is your manager and it's not just because of his connections, at least not his music industry connections," he told him cryptically. "You should go before she drags you over there to get ready," he suggested, nodding his head in the Sakura's direction.
"Oh, right," Naruto hesitantly made his way towards Sakura. He had so many questions, though he was sure many of them Suigetsu probably wouldn't answer. He'd probably tell him to as Sasuke, but Naruto wasn't sure he could do that with how their last encounter ended.
"Sasuke's going to kick your ass," Kakashi said from behind him, obviously having heard the conversation between the two men.
Most people would have been startled, but Suigetsu had come to expect Kakashi showing up out of nowhere. He was pretty sure the man was secretly a ninja and that was why he could sneak up on people so easily. "I didn't tell him that you're his little mole on the inside to keep tabs because he's too afraid to ask himself," Suigetsu pointed out. "Plus, he knew what he was doing when he practically begged me to do this shoot. Honestly, I think he was hoping for it so blondie would confront him. He might get upset at first, but he'll be thanking me later."
The photo shoot was fairly uneventful. Naruto walked up to Suigetsu after changing, determined to get a little more information out of him before leaving. "Tell me the truth, did he book you as the photographer because I'm his soulmate?" he asked as he watched Suigetsu put away his equipment.
"Are you trying to say I'm not good enough at my job for something this big?" Suigetsu raised an eyebrow, having fun messing with the other man. He knew that it wasn't how he meant it to come off, but he couldn't help teasing him. He'd teased Sasuke when the dark haired man basically forced him to do the job while still trying to deny it being about wanting to know how his soulmate was doing.
Naruto's eyes widened when he realized how it sounded, "No! I just mean, with what you said earlier, it sounded like it." He continued rambling until he heard Suigetsu laugh. "What?" shifting nervously, not wanting Suigetsu to take it the wrong way.
"I'm joking," he said as he rolled up his sleeves, feeling hot after a long day of shooting. All of the lights and moving around tended to make everyone feel hot by the end of the day. "To answer your question, I think you should talk to him. He's never going to be the one to approach you, no matter how much he wants to." He sighed as he stopped what he was doing, "Sasuke won't admit it, but he was the happiest I've seen him in a long time when he was spending time with you. Most people wouldn't be able to tell, but I've known him long enough to see the change. His brother and father are assholes, but that doesn't mean he doesn't secretly want their approval. To show that he is good enough, no matter what his father says." He stopped talking when he realized that Naruto what staring at his mark, "It's rude to stare."
Naruto blinked, realizing he was staring, "Uh, sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit of his.
"You know my soulmate," he deduced from the blonde's demeanor. "Who is it?" he asked curiously.
"I think I should talk to him before saying anything," he told him. "He's not the biggest supporter of soulmates," he warned, not knowing how his best friend would react if he met his soulmate. Naruto had a feeling it wouldn't be a good encounter.
"Hm, I don't know if you've realize this, but I've dealt with someone hating on soulmates for a while now," he reminded him, both of them knowing how Sasuke hated the idea of soulmates. "It can change when they meet," he added, making Naruto smile a little. "I'm not going to force you to introduce us if that's what you're worried about," he assured him. "Our bond isn't very strong, we both get plenty of action without each other," he smirked when the blond made a disgusted face. "But back to you and Sasuke, I think you should talk to him. He's not a bad guy, he's just scared," he said sincerely as he went back to packing his things. "At least think about it," he'd tried to convince Sasuke to talk to Naruto a million times, but the Uchiha was far too stubborn for his own good.
Nartuo nodded, "I'll think about it." He was about to walk away, but turned to look at the other man one more time, "I really do hope he wants to meet you." Naruto wanted Kiba to be happy and he knew a string of one night stands and dates that ultimately ended when the other person met their soulmate wasn't truly making him happy.
Suigetsu smiled, "Tell him I'll expect him to get tested if he wants something between us. I know how often he has sex."
"Same could be said for you," Naruto retorted.
"Touché," he laughed. "I'll get tested if he will, but at least I had a boyfriend."
"Had is the key word," the blond pointed out. "As in you don't anymore?" he asked, hoping that the man had broken up with his boyfriend already. Kiba told him how much it sucked just to get dumped because someone met their soulmate, he didn't want that to happen to someone else.
"No, I don't anymore," he confirmed. "Shitty thing about soulmates is that people are quick to break up with you when they find theirs, even if they don't have feelings for that person," he told him. "I know you don't know how it feels, neither does Sasuke, your bond won't let you date other people," he wouldn't admit that he was a little jealous of how strong their bond was. That was something special that wasn't found often.
Before the conversation could continue, Sakura walked up and linked her arm with Naruto's, "You ready to go?" It wasn't really a question, it was more of a demand. Sakura was tired and ready to get home after a long day on set.
Naruto nodded and smiled at Suigetsu, "It was nice to meet you."
"I hope we'll see more of each other," Suigetsu smiled back. "Think about what I said."
Sakura looked at Naruto for an explanation as they walked out to the car, "Care to explain what he meant? You know I live for things like this." She was always the first to want to know the gossip and it was obvious that there was something to tell.
Naruto just shrugged, "He's Sasuke's best friend and Kiba's soulmate." He tried to seem nonchalant about it, "And he may have said that I should talk to Sasuke and implied that Sasuke wants to see me."
Sakura unlinked their arms and slapped his shoulder, "How could you sit in my chair and not tell me everything every time I touched up your make-up or made you change?"
Naruto rubbed his arm, "I swear you don't know your own strength."
Sakura chuckled, she definitely knew her strength, "Don't be a bitch. I want to hear everything."
Naruto looked at her, pretending to be offended, "To be fair, I didn't know he was Kiba's soulmate until he rolled up his sleeve while we were talking just now." She just looked at him, expecting him to continue. They both knew that she was far more interested in the story of him and Sasuke.
He told her what he knew as they drove home, explaining that Suigetsu had made it seem like Sasuke wanted to try to be with him, but was scared. "I think he know that he messed up with what he said and doesn't know how to fix it or is too scared to see my reaction," Naruto let out a deep breath, trying to decide what to do. "I mean, his words really hurt."
"Did Suigetsu say that's what he wanted?" she asked.
Naruto shook his head, "Not exactly, more so that he was just scared. He's his best friend so I know he wasn't telling me everything, I had to read through the lines a bit." The blond was happy that Sakura was driving because his thoughts were all over the place.
"Are you going to talk to him?" she asked as they pulled up to their apartment complex. Naruto remained silent as they pulled into their designated parking spot. Once they were parked Sakura turned to look at him, "Do you really have to think about it? He's your soulmate! You've been waiting to meet him for as long as I've known you. You can't just let it go when his own best friend is telling you that you should pursue it with him."
Naruto bit his bottom lip as he thought about it some more, "Maybe you're right."
"I'm always right," she corrected him as they got out of the car. "How about this, if you don't talk to him I'm going to slap you," she shut the door, the look she gave him told him that she was serious. "And, I'll go talk to him," she threatened, knowing that she was the last person Naruto wanted to have talk to Sasuke about their relationship. "Maybe I can knock some sense into him."
"And get fired," he said, reminding her that he was technically both of their bosses. He had taken over running the entertainment division of the company.
"I think he's secretly a softie and wouldn't fire one of his soulmate's best friends," she told him confidently. "You probably have that man wrapped around your finger and don't even realize the power you hold," she leaned against the car with a smug look on her face. "Embrace the fact that he's your soulmate and go get yourself a sugar daddy," she laughed.
He just rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to expect him to be my sugar daddy." The thought of using Sasuke for his money disgusted him. He wanted to make it on his own, not rely on someone else to take care of him.
"But you'll talk to him?" she asked excitedly. He nodded, giving in to be the first one to break the silence between them. "I wonder if he has a friend with my mark," her eyes lit up. "It would be fate, right?"
Naruto started to walk away towards their apartment, ignoring her yelling at him. He had made up his mind, he was going to talk to Sasuke and make the man listen to him. Between his dream and meeting Suigetsu, he was sure the universe was telling him it was what he needed to do. They were soulmates and he'd never forgive himself if he didn't at least try to make things right.