A/N: I have no excuses for my absence and lack of updating thereof. I would occasionally open up this file and type a few words before closing it again. Hehe...well it progressed slowly this way so I decided to just anchor myself to the chair and finish this chapter up! I didn't want to disappoint my dear readers. Thanks to those of you who are putting up with me procrastinating x3. Enjoy the story
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Prince Complex adj. (prins kom-pleks); pertaining to, or describing a spoiled, arrogant person
Synonym(s):
Uchiha Sasuke
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Previously: After being kissed by the actor, Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto tries to get on with his life. Unfortunately, the actor's fan girls won't let him forget the incident. Sasuke rescued Naruto from such a fan girl. A plan was later revealed that Naruto was to be Sasuke's lover. To clear up the confusion Naruto and Sasuke awaits Shikamaru's arrival to explain everything.
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Naruto entered the house through large double doors. He stared at the interior in awe. A large staircase curved down from the second floor, plush red carpets adorning its steps. An archway stood underneath the staircase. Intricate carvings decorated the arch. The afternoon sunlight filtering through large picture windows danced across the white marble floor. It almost hurt to look at it.
"Go into the living room, I'll be there in a moment." Sasuke gestured to the archway. Naruto slipped off his shoes and replaced them with house slippers, then proceeded into the living room with Kyuubi trailing him. He sat down on a couch, his back rigid with tension. Kyuubi curled up around his feet and started to doze off. Naruto looked around the room. The walls were bare except for a picture hanging above a mantle. A young Sasuke stared back at him, his face wiped of any expressions. Sasuke's mother was standing behind him, her hands on his shoulders. His father stood to his mother's right. A sullen looking teen stood in front of the father. Everyone looked sullen except for the mother. She was the only one smiling brilliantly into the camera.
Naruto's head was suddenly snapped to the side. He came face to face with Sasuke.
"Hey! What do you...?" The words died in his throat. He thought he felt his heart give a loud thump. He felt the beginning of a blush starting to crawl its way to his cheeks. Sasuke's onyx eyes bore into his blue ones. The Uchiha finally looked away. Naruto released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Sasuke picked up a cotton ball from a first aid kit and soaked it with alcohol. He turned Naruto's face to the side and dabbed at his cheek with the cotton ball. Naruto winced and held back a whimper. Sasuke smeared antibiotic on the wound and placed a bandage over it.
"Pardon me, Sasuke-sama. Nara-san is here to see you." Sasuke handed the first aid kit to the butler.
"Please show him in." The butler bowed and left. A moment later, Shikamaru appeared with a disinterested look on his face. "Have a seat."
"How is that plan going to fix this?!" Naruto blurted out as soon as Shikamaru seated himself. Shikamaru looked curiously at the blonde.
"We'll make it look like it's a passing interest, that Sasuke is just..."experimenting." You guys would "break up" in a few weeks or so." Naruto blinked slowly. This plan still made no sense to him. How could it fix this problem? Wouldn't it just make it worse? He sighed. It's better than nothing, but it made him feel uneasy.
"So...will we have to kiss and hold hands...in public?" Naruto ventured.
"Of course." Shikamaru responded. A look of horror crossed Naruto's face.
"No! Definitely not, dattebayo! I don't want to do this!" Sasuke held back the urge to punch the blonde.
"Uzumaki-san, it has to be as believable as possible." Shikamaru said.
"No means no." Naruto turned his head to the side and huffed.
"Uzumaki-"
"I'll pay you so shut up and do it, usuratonkatchi." Sasuke interjected.
"No! I'm not a whore." Naruto glared at the actor, his blue eyes blazing. Sasuke sighed.
"Fine. I'll give you whatever you want." With this, Naruto's eyes lit up.
"A year's worth of ramen at Ichikaru!" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.
"He said he's not a whore, yet he sold himself for ramen." He muttered to himself.
"If that's all, I would like to go home." Naruto stood up and looked at Sasuke expectantly. Sasuke just stared back at him blankly. "I'm not walking home!" Sasuke just shrugged his shoulders and left the room. Naruto looked at Sasuke's retreating back, his mouth hanging open. "That bastard!"
"Uzumaki-san, if you need a ride home I can take you." Shikamaru offered. Naruto nodded and gathered up a sleeping Kyuubi.
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"What do you think of Sasuke-kun, Uzumaki-san?" Shikamaru glanced at Naruto from the corner of his eyes.
"Please just call me Naruto. And I think that Sasuke's an ass." Shikamaru chuckled.
"When you get to know him, he's not that bad." Naruto rolled his eyes.
"A guy like that is all bad."
"He wasn't always like that." Naruto looked at Shikamaru curiously.
"What do you mean?" The manager was silent for a while before he spoke again.
"Sasuke-kun used to be talkative and happy. He wasn't so cold or reclusive. An incident happened when he was about six or so. That incident changed his whole demeanor." When Shikamaru didn't say anything more, Naruto prompted him.
"What happened?" The brunette shook his head sadly.
"I don't think it's my place to tell you." Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"Why even say anything if you're not going to say everything?" Shikamaru smiled apologetically.
"You're just going to have to ask him yourself. After all, you guys will be living together from now on." The blonde stared at Shikamaru. Did his ears deceive him?
"What?"
"Oh. I must've forgotten to mention it. You guys will have to live together."
"Damnit! Say these things sooner you stupid deer!" Naruto slumped into the seat and fumed. "If I knew I wouldn't have agreed...but I can't back out now..." He started muttering to himself. Shikamaru sighed.
"What's the big deal? It can't be as bad as being labeled lovers." Naruto fixed Shikamaru with a strange look.
"Not as bad? I'll have to look at his snooty face all the time now!" Naruto sighed, defeated. It couldn't get anymore twisted than this. They drove the rest of the way in silence.
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"Calm down Sakura. Calm down. Maybe he just went over there to talk about what happened. Yeah. That's it. Naruto even said that they weren't...lovers. I'm just over reacting." Sakura raked a shaking hand through her hair. The pink haired girl got up from the floor and proceeded to the bathroom on shaky legs. Sakura propped herself on the sink, feeling drained. She looked into the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her; face pale, almost lifeless. She gritted her teeth angrily. Why is she reacting this way just from that stupid news? A pathetic laugh escaped from her. "What am I doing? I'm not like this!" She turned on the faucet and splashed her face with cold water and gripped the edges of the sink until her knuckles turned white. "Sasuke can't possibly like a loud idiot like Naruto." A sharp ringing jolted Sakura from her inner turmoil.
Sakura stumbled towards the living room. She practically dived for the phone on the floor. Her heart thumped in her chest as she answered.
"Naruto? Is that you?" A girlish squeal replied from the other end. Sakura had to hold the receiver away from her ear.
"How dare you mistake me for him? Stupid forehead girl!" Sakura glared at the phone. She put it back to her ear once the squealing subsided.
"Why are you calling me, Ino-pig? As if I'll give you Naruto's number! Why you ask? You'll probably make him let you talk to Sasuke-sama!" The pink haired girl had to hold the phone away from her ear again.
"You think I'll let you keep Sasuke-sama all to yourself forehead girl?!" Sakura had to laugh. She could imagine Ino all red faced and puffing on the other side of the line.
"Too bad, Ino-pig. Nyah!" With that she hung up, feeling slightly better. Sakura sat back on her feet, biting at her lips. She made up her mind. She'll have to make Naruto talk even if it meant torturing him.
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Naruto slumped into his mattress, letting out a long sigh. It's only been an hour since the discussion transpired at Sasuke's manor. Worries and doubts wouldn't stop nagging at his restless mind. What would his dead father think of his only son and heir now? He sat up and growled.
"Agh! Why do famous people have to drag other people into their businesses?!" He flopped back into the bed and buried his face into a pillow.
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"Naruto." The blonde blinked sleepily. He must've dosed off.
"Naruto." He sat up and looked around. He was in the middle of a pasture. Flowers of all colors bloomed and speckled the green hills. Butterflies darted and danced, making the scene all the more surreal. It seems like something out of a fairy tale book. A flurry of wind stirred up some flower petals and sent them into the air. The petals twirled around Naruto, brushing his cheek. They felt warm, like a mother's hand. The petals suddenly dispersed only to be replaced by flesh.
"Father?" Naruto blinked. The man was bent over Naruto, his hand still stroking his son's cheek. The sun framed him, casting shadows over his face but Naruto knew it was his father.
"Naruto." The blonde could feel a smile resonating in his voice. "Hardships are meant to test mankind. If they succeed then and only then can they find true happiness. Work hard Naruto, and find a place for yourself."
Naruto puzzled over this. "What do you mean, father?" There was no answer. "Father? Father?" The fingertips on his cheeks began to melt into petals. Naruto grasped at his father's hand, only to get a fistful of flower petals.
"Find your own place...Naruto." The wind kept whispering.
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Naruto woke with a start. His heart was pounding and he felt dizzy.
"What was that about?" He brought his hand to his head to steady himself. He noticed that his hand was still clenched. His eyes widened when he opened his palm. A single rose petal was resting against his palm, crushed.
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A/N: I'm sorry this one is so short! Well, it's 2 pages shorter than the others But I'm still sorry! I'm not satisfied with this chapter. A little boring for my tastes. Well, I can't help it The story writes itself after all! Let's dig a little deeper into Naruto's past next chapter, shall we?