Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, the manga or the anime! You can't blame a girl for hoping though!

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: Uploading a bit later than originally planed because I was at my sister's graduation all day! I hope you guys don't mind too much.

This is actually the second last chapter! Does it feel too soon? Don't worry! This is the kind of story I'm going to keep updating for a long time with lots of sidefics and extras :) So let me know if you feel anything is left unexplained, or if you'd like to hear what was said during certain scenes that happened "off camera", so-to-speak.


Strictly Professional

Chapter 9: Family

Naruto spent his morning happily holed up in Sasuke's room, content to procrastinate going downstairs for as long as possible. Sasuke didn't put up a fight; he enjoyed waking up with Naruto as much as Naruto did with him. Unfortunately, Naruto's stomach betrayed them both.

"Unngh," Naruto clutched at his stomach, "I'm so hungry!"

"I think this is the longest you've ever gone without eating," Sasuke teased. Naruto went to whack at Sasuke's arm, but Sasuke caught it, and swiftly pulled Naruto over him on the bed.

Naruto leaned in to rest his forehead on Sasuke's chest.

"I'm so hungry," he whined.

Sasuke snorted. "Sex and food. Is that all you ever think about?"

"No!" Naruto protested. "I also think about what a jerk you are, you big jerk," he said, moving his face closer to Sasuke's with each word.

"Would a jerk do this?" Sasuke whispered, and then fluidly spun Naruto onto his back, Sasuke now on top of him.

"That's exactly what a jerk would do," Naruto whispered against Sasuke's lips, and Sasuke smirked.

They kissed for a moment, before Sasuke promptly hopped off of the bed and said, "okay, let's go get food."

Naruto groaned at the ceiling.

"Come on, idiot," Sasuke pulled Naruto up. Naruto glared.

"Now I'm horny and hungry," he hissed angrily. Judging by Sasuke's chuckle, it didn't phase him.


Fugaku seemed to pause as he saw Naruto, and his eyes flickered to Sasuke before he spoke.

"I," he cleared his throat a little, "I made breakfast. It may be cold now."

"Breakfast?" Naruto repeated in a hushed whisper. Sasuke spared him a small smile, and turned back to his father.

"Sounds great," Sasuke took Naruto's hand and pulled him into the kitchen, but not before Naruto spoke a hesitant "thank you."

Fugaku made himself sparse as Naruto and Sasuke ate breakfast. It was a relatively quiet affair, with Sasuke never really being one for many words and Naruto being terrified of screwing everything up.

They had just finished, and were speaking in hushed tones when Fugaku re-entered the room.

"Naruto," he started, before he seemed to shake himself, "ahem, may I call you that?"

Naruto flashed a bright mile and nodded a few more times than strictly necessary.

"May I have a word with you?"

At this, Naruto's smile faltered a little, but he went to move towards Fugaku. Sasuke gripped at Naruto's hem to make him pause, and looked at him with serious eyes. Naruto gave him a reassuring smile, and moved forward.


They entered a few rooms over, and Fugaku suddenly looked very tired.

"Naruto," he started, but paused to swallow. He seemed unable to look Naruto in the eye.

"I must…apologize," he clasped his hands together. Naruto looked at him in awe.

"I have behaved…abhorrently…these past few years. To you, and to my sons. No matter my reasons, I am not proud of the fact."

Naruto wanted to speak, wanted to tell Fugaku that he didn't blame him, that any man who went through what he did would have acted similarly, but found himself unable to interrupt.

"I know I cannot erase my behaviour from your memory, but I would like very much for us to start again."

Naruto pretended not to notice the lump in his throat as he fought to whisper, "I would like that very much, too."


It became obvious that Sasuke had wasted no time in contacting Itachi when the man arrived on their doorstep at noon on Sunday. The atmosphere has been tense, but cheerful until that point.

Sasuke greeted Itachi at the door, and although Fugaku had been warned of his arrival, he seemed to almost…hide from him. Naruto couldn't blame him; he was...unsettling.

"So, Naruto-kun," Itachi eyes were hard, "what do you think about all this?"

Sasuke mouth twitched into a frown, but he didn't say anything.

"About what?"

"All of this," he waved a hand. "The blackmail my father used against Sasuke, the fact that he forced him to leave you entirely and was entirely happy with doing so again—for that matter, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the psychological torture that being left without family and friends does to a young adul—"

"Itachi!" Sasuke practically yelled, looking more alarmed than Sasuke had ever seen him.

Itachi didn't look apologetic. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"No," said Fugaku from behind them, "he can continue. None of that was false."

Fugaku had his hands clasped in front of him very tightly, as if he fought to keep them from shaking, and seemed to be fighting the urge to look away from Itachi.

"Father." Itachi's voice was like steel.

Naruto suddenly felt like he should be anywhere but there.

"I—uh—need to go to the bathroom," he said quickly, excusing himself. After a moment, Sasuke followed, not feeling the need to give an excuse.

When they were alone, in Sasuke's room, they closed the door to soften the noise of tearful shouting and Naruto let out a puff of air with wide eyes. Sasuke gave him an apologetic look.

"Look, my father…"

Naruto shook his head. "You don't need to make excuses for him. I think I get it," he said quietly.

Sasuke looked at him, confused.

"I never knew them—you know…my, uh," Naruto cleared his throat, "my family. It hurts pretty bad sometimes. I can't imagine—I don't even want to imagine—what it must be like to have it ripped out from under your feet like that."

"I don't know if it's better or worse," Sasuke whispered.

Naruto nodded, swallowing thickly. "I don't know, either. But I know it would be…rough. Really rough. If…if like…we were," Naruto coughed again, "married—and I'm not being creepy or forward with this, it's just an example—and I lost you, I don't think…I think I'd make some pretty bad decisions too," he let out a puff of air with a hesitant smile.

Sasuke looked at him fondly, seizing the chance to lighten the mood. "Married, huh?"

Naruto turned beet red, and punched him in the arm. "I knew you'd focus—that wasn't my point!"

Sasuke chuckled. "A bit soon to be dropping hints, isn't it?"

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke couldn't have kept the smile off of his face if he tried. He pulled Naruto in, and kissed his forehead, fighting a smile all the while.

"Come here," Sasuke whispered, "I want to look at something with you."

"'Kay," Naruto breathed as all the fight left him and he let Sasuke pull at his wrist.

Sasuke opened his bedside drawer, and pulled out a thick album. He grasped it gently, and sat on the bed, signalling Naruto to join him.

"I asked my father for this yesterday," he explained. "I haven't looked at it yet."

Naruto looked at him as if he was explaining the secrets of the universe. Sasuke let his hand fall into Naruto's, and opened his family's old picture album.


Sasuke could feel his eyes burning as he traced his fingers over the photos—his mother looked so happy, he couldn't believe he had forgotten so much about her smile—but he couldn't seem to stop looking. Naruto was quiet, aside from an occasional watery chuckle at a particularly silly baby photo, but kept one of his hands staunchly on Sasuke's thigh.

Neither of them had any idea of how much time passed as they flipped through the photos. Sasuke barely dared to breathe, afraid that anything could set off the tears building in his eyes. A few had already escaped, but if Naruto had noticed, he hadn't said anything.

Naruto had noticed, in fact, and was actually so entirely in shock that Sasuke was letting him—or rather, Sasuke wanted him to—witness such a private moment that he couldn't seem to form words. It had certainly been a quiet few days for Naruto.

They reached the end, apparently no photos had been added since Mikoto fell sick, and Sasuke didn't seem to want to close the album. Naruto didn't blame him, but made a very strong mental note to dig up as many photos as he could of Sasuke from high school, and to take more photos in general. That album was really something.

He swallowed thickly. "I changed my mind."

Sasuke looked at him with red-rimmed eyes.

"I think," Naruto struggled to keep his voice steady, "I would have really loved to have something like this to remember my parents with."

Sasuke shut his eyes tightly, and tried to keep his breathing steady. Naruto took that as a cue to wrap his hands around Sasuke, and nuzzled his face into his neck. After a moment, he felt Sasuke's hands around him, and wetness drip on the side of his neck. He squeezed tighter.


A/N: A few tender moments, and some movement towards resolution - things are starting to wrap up. You're seeing more of Naruto's irritatingly forgiving attitude, too :P I'm sure Itachi harbors enough resentment for everyone, so if you're itching for a oneshot with a fight, let me know and I'll start planning ;)

Until tomorrow,

- Kinomi