Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! Still!
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke left his friends behind to follow in his father's footsteps. 7 years later, he finds himself in an elevator with the last person he wanted to see. Will he walk away again? Will Naruto let him? Rating may change!
A/N: Okay! AN is officially over, and was super fun, and now I can upload at reasonable times :) And respond to you guys properly! I'm interested to see how you guys will react to this chapter. I want you to keep in mind that - although Fugaku is the main antagonist of this love story - all my characters are written to be human. Everyone has motives for what they do! Now start reading before I spoil everything!
Strictly Professional
Chapter 8: Confrontation
Fugaku didn't reply.
"Okay, let's try again," Naruto said, "why are you so intent on hating me?"
"Because you are a bad influence."
"In what way?"
"In every way!"
"Okay," Naruto breathed deeply. "Maybe if you give me an explicit example, I could change whatever it is that bothers you?"
"You could not."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Try me."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "…It is your influence that makes Sasuke…fragile. He becomes weak and impulsive."
"He becomes human?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. Fugaku glared.
"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe Sasuke just…doesn't take after you as much as you would have liked him to?"
Fugaku's eyes narrowed further, as if daring him to continue. Naruto didn't feel threatened.
"Is that why you hate it so much? Because when he acts like that, he reminds you of her?"
"Get out."
Naruto blinked. Fugaku's hands were balled in fists, but even that was not enough to stop them from shaking.
"I—" He said.
"GET OUT!"
Naruto didn't have to be told twice. In retrospect, he thought, making his way out of the building, he may have made things worse.
Sasuke heard about the confrontation from Suigetsu, and called Naruto for the full story. Naruto seemed to feel guilty about the whole thing. Sasuke grimaced.
"Did you really think it was a good idea to mention my mother?" He asked quietly.
Naruto sighed. "Well obviously now I don't, no."
Sasuke rubbed his temples. "Well, okay. We'll see what he does later in the week."
"Sounds good. We still on for dinner tonight?"
"Of course."
"Good." Sasuke smiled at the relief in Naruto's voice.
But Fugaku did not return to work for the rest of the week. After the first day, Naruto started to worry. After the second, they both did.
On Thursday, Sasuke bit the bullet and went to his family home after work: no one answered the door. On Friday, Naruto had an idea.
Sasuke didn't like it.
"I can go on my own," Naruto said softly. Sasuke gave him a look and grabbed his jacket. Naruto sighed.
"Okay, but we're taking my car," Naruto said. Sasuke gave a sharp nod.
But Naruto didn't go straight to where he thought Sasuke's father might be. He parked quickly, muttering, "I'll be right back."
Sasuke nodded, lost in his own thoughts.
Naruto took longer than he would have liked, but scurried back with his hands full as quickly as he could. Sasuke looked over in surprise at the various flowers and candles, and Naruto blushed.
"Even if he's not there," Naruto told him quietly, "I want to do this right."
Sasuke felt a lump in his throat and gave Naruto a small, shaky smile. Naruto nodded, and got into the driver's seat.
But he was there—Sasuke's father was at the graveyard. He sat in worn clothes, with a half empty bottle of wine in his hand. He looked…old. Old and exhausted. Naruto stared at the hunched figure and suddenly felt like he couldn't take another step forwards.
Sasuke let out a deep breath at the sight of his father. Naruto turned to look at him in question, and Sasuke understood. He gripped Naruto's arm gently, before taking the bouquet and bags from him. Sasuke walked forwards, and Naruto slowly moved over to a larger tree to shelter him from Fugaku's sight. This was a moment Sasuke and his father needed to have together: he would wait his turn.
Fugaku looked up as a bouquet was placed beside his wife's grave. Sasuke knelt down gently. His father shuffled away, moving the wine bottle behind him and wiping at his face.
Sasuke put his hand on his father's shoulder, and felt him freeze. He didn't pause, merely moving forwards to gently lay the candles around them. He knelt down, cradling a lighter in his palm. He did not look at his father, and he imagined his father was trying very hard not to look at him.
Sasuke broke the silence.
"You're going to have to retire at some point," he said quietly. Form the corner of his eye, he thought he saw his father jerk slightly in surprise.
"But you don't want to leave. You put so much time and energy into it that's it's the biggest part of your life," he paused, "and you don't really know what you are without it."
He turned to look at him. "Right, dad?"
Fugaku's eyes were red and he was swaying slightly.
"You never really moved on from her, did you?"
His eyes widened, and with a strangled cough, he looked away. Sasuke nodded as if it was an answer.
"I don't think any of us did," he said, lighting another candle, "I don't know how you're supposed to."
There was a pause.
"Do you remember when I took Naruto to meet her?" Sasuke's eyes were far away. "You were there, in the hospital. He was so excited to meet her. He comes barging in, already yelling half of his sentence, and falls flat on his face. He turned in mid-air so that he wouldn't squish the flowers. Do you remember?"
Fugaku slowly nodded.
Sasuke's breathed out a laugh. "What an idiot."
Fugaku's lips quirked against his will.
Sasuke smiled fondly, before it passed. His eyebrows furrowed. "I remember her smiling there," he said, and Fugaku nodded, as if his own memories were running alongside Sasuke's, "but I don't remember her very well."
Fugaku looked at him in alarm.
"No, I mean—" he sighed, "of course I remember my mother. I just…don't remember the details anymore. I tried very hard to forget them, at first."
Fugaku sighed deeply, but quietly.
"I'd like to remember her…better than we do now. Is that okay?"
Fugaku fought valiantly to keep his composure, but his lips quivered dangerously. He seemed to be on the verge of speaking. Sasuke let him think.
"Do you think…" his voice was thick and rough, and he swallowed to clear it, "do you think Itachi would come home for dinner? A family dinner, like we used…" he couldn't seem to continue.
Sasuke put his hand on his father's arm. "I think he'd be there in a heartbeat."
And with a great sob, his father slowly fell apart.
It seemed to be hours to Naruto, but Sasuke eventually signalled him over. His father seemed to have fallen asleep. He must have barely slept that week.
"How'd it go?" Naruto whispered nervously.
Sasuke stood to let Naruto hug him, closing his eyes to breathe in the scent of Naruto's hair.
After a moment, he stepped back. Naruto's eyes were wide and curious, and Sasuke felt the pain in his chest start to ease. He gave Naruto a small smile, which Naruto seemed to understand, judging by how his face brightened.
Sasuke squeezed Naruto's hand and went to gently blow out the candles. Naruto crouched down and stroked the gravestone gently, and when he thought Sasuke wasn't looking, he whispered something to it. Sasuke couldn't hear what he said, but he didn't need to.
They stood, and looked at the sleeping form of Sasuke's father.
"Do you think he drove here?" Naruto whispered.
Sasuke shook his head, but frowned. "I can check the parking lot."
Naruto nodded. "Do that. But I'll drive you two home."
Sasuke looked at Naruto.
Naruto shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't think he should wake up alone."
Sasuke sighed. "He's going to wake up as soon as we move him, probably."
"Okay," Naruto said.
Fugaku seemed to wake up enough to carry his own weight, but not enough to really realize what was happening, and the three of them stumbled into the car.
They had just finished laying Fugaku down on the living room's sofa, and they quickly went into the next room.
Naruto hovered at the door worriedly. "Are you sure he'll be okay sleeping there?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm sure he appreciates your concern," Sasuke smirked as Naruto gave him a look, "and if you want to move him upstairs to his bedroom, be my guest."
Naruto sighed.
"He'll be fine. Relax."
Naruto nodded, and turned back to Sasuke.
"So…do you want me to cab back and you can use my car tomorrow?"
Sasuke looked at him and coughed a little. "I don't really need your car."
"Oh—okay, well, I can drive yours over at some point this weekend?"
"No."
Naruto raised his eyebrows.
"He's going to have to get used to you sometime." Sasuke turned his head away, pretending his cheeks weren't warm.
"You don't want me to go," he said, taking a step closer to Sasuke.
"No," he whispered, "I don't want you to go."
Naruto's smile was like a floodlight, the way it lit up the entire room.
A/N: And there is your insight into Sasuke's history, and into Fugaku's...obsessive behaviour.
More tomorrow!
-Kinomi
