Disclaimer: I wish…I wish…
I want to send a big Thank You to all of those who reviewed, favorite or followed this story, I really appreciated! This chapter is just for you!
College Warfare
Chapter 2
Reconnections
Fairy Tail City
Fairy Bar…
"Let me get this straight," Lucy Heartfilia said, giving the boys a disapproving glance. "You expect me to believe that Sasuke and Naruto Uchiha, probably the busiest men around the world, are coming back just so that they can participate in the finals?"
Natsu and Gray nodded, giving the blonde an exasperated look in return. "Why is that so hard to believe? Didn't you see how confident Shikamaru looked?" Gray asked for what seemed like the millionth time.
"There's absolutely no way!" Lucy exclaimed, she could never trust them after the countless pranks they performed on her, she wouldn't be falling for another one anytime soon. "He was probably just trying to scare you, I mean, the Uchiha Corps is the most powerful company in the face of the earth, no one can keep up with them! Sasuke and Naruto are the COEs, they can't just leave whenever they want!"
Natsu merely glared in protest. "We're not scared of them!" Gray nodded in agreement, they couldn't be letting people think that the Fairy Tail Duo were afraid of the Demons of Konoha.
"Yeah right!" Lucy gave her friend a dubious look, crossing her arms underneath her well-endowed breasts. "Remember the first time you met Naruto? That Youtube video is still getting millions of likes each day and it was three years ago!"
Natsu's face went red with embarrassment, even a brain like his could remember that. It was something he would never be able to forget, it was the day Naruto Namikaze Uchiha became his goal.
It was about the time they were all college freshmen and the first Fairy Tail and Konoha event in the year, the dancing contest. Natsu had gotten lost and came upon a humongous gym, easily one of the biggest he had ever seen. One of the most wondrous too.
Natsu, being the curious boy he was, went in, looking at all the expensive equipment the gym possessed. He had never seen anything like it. Pools, Jacuzzis, spa rooms, more than anything a person would need to get stronger or for relaxation. But what really got the pink head's attention were the two shirtless boys who were sweating like there was no tomorrow, their ripped bodies flexing after what probably was an extreme workout. One of them was just throwing various kicks around, performing various agility moves in the process, undoubtedly imagining that it was a real life situation with an opponent in front of him. Not that Natsu was gay, but he had to admit that the boy was the most attractive male that he had ever seen. His raven hair framed his face in a way that seemed almost feminine, innocent, but the dark, empty eyes that seemed almost endless told you that the young man was anything but.
He then moved his eyes the blonde boy facing away from him, the one who was sending blow after blow at the punching bag, his back flexing as strikes, which were too fast to be seen by the naked eye, almost created holes in the bag. What impressed the boy even more was the amount of damaged bags on the floor, he had counted up to twenty. Natsu, amazed, just couldn't keep his mouth shut, getting the young man's attention and challenging him.
It was a complete beat down.
And the worst part was that it was all caught on tape. It was the day Natsu started a seeing a whisked blonde young man every time he approached a punching bag.
"That will never happen again!" He growled, agitated especially because it was Lucy, his crush and best friend, who was laughing at him. "I been practicing, I'll show that bastard next time!"
"I was just joking, Natsu." Lucy said calmly, used to his little outbursts. "And besides, how can you beat Naruto when he's in Europe?"
"Naruto?" A sweet voice asked.
Gray, Natsu, and Lucy immediately turned, recognizing the voice. Their eyes widened as they recognized the familiar form of their beautiful white haired friend, Fairy Tail's number one beauty.
"Mira!" Lucy said as she stood up from her stool and ran to the girl, giving her a bone-crushing hug. "I knew you were coming back soon, but not this soon!"
Mira smiled as she returned the hug eagerly, she had deeply missed her group of friends.
"When did you return?" Lucy asked as she retreated from the hug, giving Mira a tearful gaze, they hadn't seen each other for three years now.
"Last night." Mira answered as she gave each of the boys a smile, getting two wide grins in return.
"Oh." Lucy gasped, giving her friend a hurt look. "Why didn't you call?"
"I wanted to be a surprise." Mira said as she looked around confusedly, her beautiful features turning into a confused frown. "But where is Erza? I was sure she would be with the group, you all hardly leave each other's presence during the day."
The boys' eyes narrowed at this, their hands forming into fists. Lucy, however, smiled widely. "She's with Jellal right now." She said, stars forming in her eyes as she joined her hands and brought them to her cheeks. "They're just the cutest couple!"
"Oh." Mira's happy mood immediately darkened, something that went unnoticed by the beautiful blonde and the two frustrated young man. "I thought they broke up."
Lucy merely waved her comment aside. "Please, those two just can't get enough of each other! I mean, they have their arguments every now and again, but they always make up. I even heard that Jellal is planning to propose soon."
"Oh, isn't that wonderful." Mira said with a fake smile plastered on her face, feeling the exact opposite.
"Yeah, and guess what?" The cheery blonde said as she took Mira's hand and guided her to an empty stool beside the boys. "I finally have a boyfriend!"
Mira, noticing the way Natsu's eyes darkened even more, deduced that the pink haired boy wasn't the boyfriend. "Do I know him?" Mira asked, hoping against hope that she Lucy didn't make some kind of mistake. Lucy wasn't the smartest when it came to boys, she had been looking for a boyfriend since Mira left. Specifically Natsu.
"You know him alright." Gray spoke up, a frown on his face as he inched closer towards a depressed Natsu, elbowing his rival a bit too roughly. "Orange hair? Glasses? The guy who always used to hit on you?" Gray clued in his female friend.
Mira gradually nodded, the boyfriend's features coming to her mind as she gasped in surprise. "You're dating Loke?!" Mira gave Lucy an incredulous look, wondering what happened while she was away.
Lucy nodded eagerly, mistaking her friend's reaction as excitement. "Yeah, he asked me out about two months ago."
"And you accepted?" Mira asked, hoping that the blonde was just joking with her, a welcome home prank if you will. "You hate his guts."
"Correction, I used to hate his guts, he changed now. He's a completely different man than he used to be." Lucy said, not catching the disbelieving looks on the boys' faces. "But, before we start talking about my relationship." Lucy said as she noticed something shiny on Mira's hand. "How about you tell me what that ring is doing on your finger."
"What ring?" Gray asked as he took a sip of his water.
Mira smiled as she displayed her luxurious ring to her friends, earning gasps of surprise. An eighteen-carat flawless ring adorned her finger. It was an octagon-cut diamond ring set in a platinum split base. The diamond itself was certified as a Type lla diamond, the most chemically pure type of diamond with exceptional optical transparency.
"W-who is it?" Lucy muttered as she marveled at the ring. She knew plenty about diamonds, often wondering if she would ever receive one of her own. Her blue eyes flickered towards the dead looking Natsu, her eyes full of sadness.
Gray couldn't even utter a word, even he knew not just anyone could afford that kind of ring. Whoever proposed to Mira was someone powerful.
"You'll find out soon enough." Mira answered with a small frown on her face, she hated to hide things from her friends but it was for the best. They wouldn't take the news very well.
Lucy and Gray frowned themselves at the answer. They wanted their friend to elaborate what she meant but they knew it wouldn't amount to anything. Mira wasn't the type to keep secrets unless it was for the best.
"Well, whoever he is, he must be made out of money." Lucy said, not sounding very cheerful at all as her eyes strayed from the ring on Mirajane's hand to the oblivious Natsu, something that Gray frowned at and Mira decided not question about. "Not just anyone can afford this kind of stuff. My dad himself would've had problems and he was pretty wealthy."
Gray, on the other hand, gave Mira a serious gaze. "Do you love him?" He suddenly asked, his eyes inspecting for any lies.
"Yes." Mira answered instantly, with conviction that drew shocked looks from her friends. "I love him with all my heart."
"Does he love you?" Gray asked, quickly regaining his composure.
Mira smiled at this, a smile so bright that it seemed as if it was the sun itself. "Yes." She answered. "He cares very deeply for me."
"How do you know? Boys often lie to get what they want and, if my memory serves me correctly, you never had a boyfriend before you left for Europe. You're not very experienced in this kind of thing." Gray continued, deciding not to mention that he was one of those boys.
Mira felt guilty then, she did in fact have a boyfriend back then too, Sasuke hadn't been much of a boyfriend before – understatement of the century, she told herself – but they were dating nonetheless. "Don't worry Gray, I know what boys are usually after, and I know for certain that he's after it." Mira said with a small blush on her face, remembering all the hungry looks Sasuke gave her every time she passed by him. And, she reminded herself as her face flushed even more, the number of times she felt his boner pressing against her whenever they would cuddle, which admittedly, was all the time.
"If you know what he's after, why are you still with him? He's probably just going to throw you away after he gets what he wants." Gray sneered, he probably knew every trick in the book since he was one of those types. Gray has been with plenty of girls before, girls who fell deeply in love with him. But Gray just couldn't do it, he just couldn't stay with one, he could never find one that could keep his interest for long. He tried plenty of times before, getting in relationships, but it would usually only last two or three months and then it would gradually fall apart. He accepted as it was and at least got pleasurable times from it. Don't get him wrong, he wouldn't just sleep with anyone with a pussy, he at least had the decency to sleep with people he knew for more than a few days.
"He isn't." Mira said confidently, smiling. "I trust him, he would do anything if it meant my happiness."
Gray merely glanced at his friend, wondering just who she was talking about with such conviction. Looking into her determined eyes, Gray sighted heavily as he gave up seeing as there was no way he would be changing her mind anytime soon. "Sound as if you found the perfect guy then, rich and loyal." Gray said as he gave Mira a sincere smile, hoping against hope that Mira knew what she was doing. "I just wonder if you told Elfman and Lisanna yet."
Mira gave him a small grateful smile in return. "No, not yet, I was in my way to their apartment but I had to stop to say hi when I noticed your car."
"I see." Gray smirked proudly, his pride and joy never failed to be noticed. He owned a black Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, a sturdy vehicle that was made for the trails and the open road. The power steeling and alloy wheels allowed for a smooth ride in the roughest terrain, making every drive seem as if it was an adventure. Gray and Natsu lived for wild rides. Like most boys, his life revolved around his ride.
Seeing as Gray was in lala land, Mira turned her attention to Lucy, who was giving her a serious look.
"What?" Mira asked, leaning away from the blonde seeing as Lucy was inching closer and closer towards her.
"Is he handsome?" Lucy asked, giving the white haired girl a frown.
Mira blushed at that, making Lucy raise an eyebrow in question. "H-he's gorgeous." Mira confessed, her blush increasing in color. "I never seen a better looking man, though I often hear other girls say his brother is just as sexy."
"I see." Lucy said, giving her friend a knowing smile. "You've achieved every woman's dream, finding a sexy man who has a sexy brother, I knew the moment I saw you that you were exceptional Mirajane Strauss."
If Mira's blush could've deepened more than it already was, it would have. "I-it's not like that! His brother and I are just friends, nothing else!"
"Calm down, I was just joking." Lucy chuckled good-naturally, bringing a glass of alcohol towards her soft lips. "Though it's nice to know that you get along with his family."
Mira nodded, her face gradually becoming the adoring pale it was used to.
"So…" Gray spoke up, glancing interestingly at his pretty friend. "Do you know anything about Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha? Are they still in Europe?" He asked, making Natsu break out of his saddened state. Naruto was always a cause for concern when it came to Natsu.
"Would you guys give it up!" Lucy sighted heavily, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "We already have the game next week in the bag, Shikamaru Nara was bluffing!"
"No he wasn't." Mira informed, drawing shocked gazes from her friends. "Sasuke and Naruto arrived just yesterday, they'll definitely be playing next Saturday."
Lucy looked dumbfounded while Natsu and Gray looked concerned, too worried to rub it in the pretty blonde's face that they had been right.
"We were right after all." Gray said, not sounding the least bit happy about it. But what he did sound was determined.
Natsu nodded in agreement, he couldn't wait till the game.
Lucy suddenly smiled brightly, giving Mira a hopeful gaze. "Do you know who the mystery girl is?"
Mira gave her a confused look in return.
"Oh, you must know about it, I mean, even Natsu and Gray know about it and they know as much about technology as monkeys do," – the boys frowned at this, their ego taking a hit – "they can't even operate their phones properly." Lucy said, raising an eyebrow in surprise when Mira didn't react to her words. "People all over the world are wondering the identity of the mysterious girl who is dating the Sasuke Uchiha, who, might I add, is probably the most wanted bachelor in the world. Twitter named her one of the top ten mysteries in the world. She's pretty high up in the list."
Mira giggled, remembering the various times she made fun of her boyfriend when that topic came up. Sasuke didn't really care about being secretive of their relationship, he didn't care what people thought. In fact, if it wasn't because he wanted peaceful dates with Mira, Sasuke would have probably declared to the world that she was his woman and if anyone ever even simply looked at her with lust in their eyes, he would personally remove their eyes from their sockets. Unfortunately, even though Sasuke prevented her from watching, she knew one time he did just that and more to a guy who had cornered her one night and tried to have his way with her. Before he could even touch her, Sasuke appeared. She never heard of the man again.
"So…" Gray said, trying to find some kind of leverage against his rival who always seemed to be in control whenever they battled. "Do you know her?"
Mira merely shook her head in amusement, if only they knew that the object of their curiosity was sitting right in front of them.
They sighted in exasperation, they finally thought they would get some kind of clue. They were beginning to believe the girl didn't even exist.
"Well, whatever." Lucy said as she typed furiously on her iPhone 6, a proud smile on her face. "I bet that I be the first to mention in Twitter that Sasuke and Naruto Uchiha are officially back."
Gray smirked as Natsu laughed. "That'll be pointless, do you really think we're the only ones who came up with that conclusion?" Gray asked incredulously, Natsu nodding to his every word. "Pretty much everyone around the world guessed that and unless you have any proof, people are just going to dismiss your claim as they did to many others before it."
Lucy immediately deflated at that, letting out a weak sigh. Her mood, however, immediately inflated when her phone started vibrating. She quickly unlocked her phone and read a newly arrived text.
"Oh, it's Loke!" Lucy said happily, gathering her purse as she stood up from her booth. "It's good to know that you're back Mira, I really missed you!" She said hurriedly, giving her friend a quick hug. She then sent a quick look towards Natsu, something that was not missed by her two friends, as she turned and hurried towards the door, throwing the boys a backward wave of her hand as she disappeared amongst the crowd of boys that were staring at Mira, too afraid to approach the girl since her two male friends beside her weren't exactly what you would call friendly.
"So she didn't want to hang out with us because she had a date with Loke?" Gray raised an eyebrow in question, noting that his pink haired rival was depressed once again. Mira was still looking at the wave of boys, where Lucy had disappeared from sight.
"It isn't a date!" Natsu growled, his voice thick with distaste. "Both of us know where she's going, it's pretty much what they been doing since they started dating!"
Mira perked up at this. "Where is she going?"
Natsu didn't answer, merely glaring at his drink as if it was Loke himself standing there.
"His apartment." Gray said, shaking his head in disappointment. "They've been fucking like rabbits left and right, no matter where they are."
Mira looked at Gray aghast, praying that her friend was joking around.
Seeing her look, Gray shook his head sadly. "I wish I was. Natsu and I tried keeping her away from him, but all that resulted in was getting her mad at us. We even tried threatening Loke to stay away from her, but Lucy always ended up running to him in the end."
"What happened to her? Lucy didn't…she was never like that." Mira asked sadly, what happened to the sweet girl that only cared about becoming a writer and Natsu?
Gray glared at Natsu at that, murder in his eyes. "This idiot happened." He said, venom in his voice. "He was caught fucking some bimbo he met after some party."
Mira looked at Natsu for an explanation. The boy mentioned merely gave Gray a side glance, too depressed to defend himself. "I was drunk." He explained slowly, his usual cheery eyes seemed dead. "Gray and I had a bet going on like we usually do and we lost ourselves to alcohol. I have no recollection of what happened after, only that the next morning Lucy came in and found me in her bed with some whore I didn't even know."
Mira could only gape at her friend in surprise. "You slept with another girl in Lucy's bed? What brought on that decision?" She knew that Natsu wasn't the smartest of the bunch, but he had to have some common sense, right?
Natsu shrugged. "I always used to spend my days with Lucy in her apartment, but now I'm lucky to even be friends with her." He said, sounding defeated at the last part of his sentence.
Mira merely shook her head in exasperation. Natsu never gave up.
"Did you apologize?" Mira asked.
Natsu nodded. "Still am, every time I see her. I tried everything. She hates me."
Mira could swear if Gray wasn't in the room, Natsu would've broken down in tears. She never though she would ever see the day Natsu Dragneel would sound so defeated.
Gray, however, was not one to care about how Natsu felt. He inwardly considered Natsu his best friend, though he would never tell a soul about that, but the pink head has really been pissing him off for the past few months. Especially because of the situation with Lucy.
"Don't tell me you tried everything, because you haven't!" Gray sneered at his friend. "Grow a fucking dick already and tell her how you feel about her!"
Natsu stood up at that, his face red with anger as he grasped Gray's white coat, keeping his rival a feet from the floor. "What part of "she fucking hates me" don't you understand?!" He growled, wishing nothing more than to be able to punch the hell out of the man on his hands.
Mira could only look on worriedly, knowing that when they started a fight nothing could stop them but Erza.
Gray, who was past the point of caring, threw a right hook to Natsu's jaw, sending the surprised pink head to the air as all the oxygen escaped from his body. "Are you really that fucking stupid?!" Gray snapped, jumping on top of his rival before he could recover and throwing punch after punch at the surprised Natsu. "Do you see the way she looks at you every time you come in the room?! The way she acts around you?! The way she glances at you every time she leaves us to go to fuck that fucking man whore?! I have no idea why a girl like her fell for a retard like you, but she did! And it's making me fucking sick!"
With a final punch, Gray stood up, grabbed his keys, finished his drink and stormed out of the Fairy Tail Bar, no one daring to get in his way. The crowd merely stared, already used to fights between the two young men.
Mira stood up from her seat and walked towards Natsu, who had blood and bruises all over his face. Natsu, however, didn't seem to be registering the pain, merely glancing at the ceiling with a dead look in his eyes.
"He's right." Natsu said, coughing blood in the process. "I… w-was always too m-much of a p-pussy to confess my f-feelings for her. I still am." He sounded miserable, dead.
"It's alright, Natsu." Mira comforted, as she politely asked the charmed bartender for a small towel. "Every boy has the same reservations when they care about someone. They try to act all cool, but inside, they're a bundle of nerves."
Just then a smiling bartender appeared with a small red towel in his hands. Mira graciously took the towel from his hands as she sent the man a dazzling smile, thanking the blushing bartender.
"D-did your fiancée do that?" Natsu asked, having difficulty speaking.
Mira smiled as she wiped the blood from his face, inspecting for any injuries as she did. "Yeah, he was probably the worst." She giggled as she remembered Sasuke trying to form the words to tell her how he felt about her, it had taken him about ten minutes to put two words together. It had taken him over an hour to confess his love for her. "He tried to act impassive about it but it only made things more difficult for him."
Natsu laughed, his jaw snapping back in place as he did so.
Mira noted that his lips were busted for the most part, bulged as if they were inflated with air. The pink head also had a black eye, busted cheeks and a broken nose, nothing unusual for a reckless man like Natsu.
Natsu groggily stood up and grabbed his own keys, giving Mira a small smile before he headed towards the door.
Mira could merely gaze on sadly as she wondered what happened to the small, but inseparable group of friends.
Konoha City
Neat hedges lined the sidewalks, each side kept in top condition by the ever-vigilant wealthy residents. Tress swayed lazily with the breeze, leafs floating slowly towards the ground. One man was in his garden, mowing his lawn, his pride and joy, to perfection. As he powered off the mower, he stopped, looking at the beautiful blue sky and the drifting clouds around it. This was why everyone wanted to live here, he thought happily, smiling. The peace. The tranquility.
In one moment, all of that was shattered.
The silence and tranquility in the atmosphere was torn by roars of powerful car engines as a black and gold Bugatti Royale screeched around the corner, the tires squealing in protest as the driver picked up in speed. Following it almost immediately was a white and blue BMW i8, who was rapidly gaining on the Bugatti. It was impended, however, by a white Corvette Stingray, whose driver had had a perfect drift around the corner, and kept threatening to pass the BMW if the driver let up on speed and intensity. Following last was a Porsche Cayman, barely keeping up with all the other powerful machines.
Shikamaru Nara clenched his jaw as he shifted gears, slamming his foot back down on the accelerator, allowing the adrenaline to course through him at the burst of speed it granted, the others doing everything they could to keep up with him.
He glanced at the mirror with a smirk, watching with amusement as Kiba struggled to stay in front of Neji, who was most likely only playing around with the dog boy, Shikamaru thought. He then glanced at the last car with a frown, the Porsche, the main one he had to worry about. He couldn't take Gaara lightly, especially when it came to the next turn, he noted as he looked to the course plotted on his computer, which would then take them towards the Highway, where Gaara and Neji would definitely start taking the race seriously.
Shikamaru eyed the corner coming up on his right, preparing for what was to come. He glanced at his mirror, then wrenched the handbrake up, twisting the steering wheel to the right. The back end of his Bugatti was thrown out as he slid around the corner. He slammed the handbrake back down, burying the accelerator.
His car immediately increased speed as he entered the Highway. He gave his mirror a quick glance, managing to see Kiba messing up on his turn, going too wide, allowing Neji and Gaara to fly past him. Shikamaru smirked, one down, two more to go. His smirk, however, subsided when he noticed the two sports cars bearing down on him. He shifted up a gear, trying to open up some distance between them, if he allowed Neji or Gaara to come closer it was over for him, their cars were much more agile than his. Especially Gaara's. He weaved in and out of the traffic, ignoring the blaring of horns and shouts of anger from other motorists as he went around them in dangerous speeds, his friends following closely behind.
He chuckled as he managed to put a little distance between his opponents, he would be taking this one home. Besides looking at clouds and maybe sex, there was no better feeling than the rush of adrenaline after every near miss, every high speed chase, and every drift.
He glanced to his side, and noticed, to his horror, a smirking Neji who had managed to draw level with him. He glanced towards his computer, immediately noticing that the exit they were supposed to take was coming up. Neji fell behind him as they entered a one lane, which would then lead them to an extremely narrow turn. Shikamaru didn't like it, but he would have to take the risk. When his friends were involved in a race it was either ride or die, anything for the win.
He dropped down a gear and swung his Bugatti around the corner, avoiding two cars by mere centimeters, the sound of rubber screeching on asphalt drowning out the horns of the other cars.
Shikamaru found himself on a long, straight road. He power-shifted up a gear, pressing the accelerator into the floor, immediately opening up a fairly sizable gap between him and his two remaining opponents, he couldn't even see Kiba's BMW anymore. The lazy genius turned his attention back on the road as he narrowly avoided hitting a black Audi R8, managing to evade the car by changing lanes, but allowing Gaara and Neji to surround him on either side.
"Fuck." He cursed as his fingers danced over the controls of his NOS injectors, toying with the idea of engaging the system. He hadn't wanted to use it, but he wanted to win.
He wrenched his hand away as he cursed. He wanted to save that little surprise for Naruto and Sasuke, the ones he can't ever beat no matter how hard he tried, those guys were fucking monsters.
He merely watched as Gaara swerved to the right, gaining the lead, and Neji followed closely after him. He had lost.
He slowed down considerably as he continued going straight and followed the usual route to the mansion the group would always spend together when they were younger, knowing that the race was over for him.
A horn was heard behind him.
Shikamaru glanced at his rearview mirror, gaining sight of a white and blue BMW rapidly becoming leveled with him.
"Haha, I knew you would lose, Shikamaru!" Kiba laughed, his unusual canines showing as he gave his friend a wide grin. "Those two bastards are crazy, they don't know the meaning of taking it too far!"
"Whatever." Shikamaru replied, giving Kiba an unamused look. "You talk as if you have common sense. You know you're just creating an excuse as to why you lost."
Kiba frowned slightly, knowing that Shikamaru had hit the nail on the head. "Tsk, I was taking it easy." Kiba gave up his charade, knowing there was no point to do so in front of the lazy genius. "I was saving it for the next time, when we face the real monsters."
Shikamaru nodded, his thoughts exactly.
They continued the drive in silence, not one of them being able to admit aloud their eagerness to see their two friends after three years. To see Konoha's trump cards, the Six Demons of Konoha, coming together once again.
Shikamaru smiled slightly when he caught sight of the place that contained most of his childhood memories, the Uchiha manor. He couldn't see it really well from where he was, but he had a quick glimpse every now and again as he drove around by tall trees.
The manor itself was one of those buildings whose architecture was extremely hard to find any others that are comparable to it. It was a Châteauesque-styled mansion built by Uchiha Madara, the founder of the Uchiha Corps. It was big, but nothing like the one Madara had built to compete against Hashirama Senju's own huge manor back in the days the companies battled for power. That mansion was humongous, with a total of 178,926 square feet of floor space and featuring 250 rooms. Shikamaru had no idea why so many rooms were needed and he didn't particularly cared. Way too much walking for his liking.
He pulled out his ID, letting the computer by the gates scanned it. At once, huge golden gates opened, allowing entrance to the huge mansion. Shikamaru didn't waste any time, putting on some speed as he followed a path through the huge field around the mansion, finally gaining full sight of the impressive manor. He had one word to describe it really. Beautiful. Definitely fit to be called one of the most beautiful homes of the Uchihas.
It was a three-story building, allowing view of the entire estate. Stained glass, sharply arched windows, vaulted ceilings and ornate furnishings played to the mansion's grand-yet-mysterious appearance. The mansion itself was mostly tinted yellow, the ceilings were the only part where it had the color of a slightly darker blue. It had a royalty look to it, making it look more like a mini-castle than anything else. What set this one apart from the many other Uchiha mansions, however, was the fact that it contained the most beautiful gardens, built by Mikoto Uchiha herself. Beautiful flowers, trees and bushes decorated the sides and front of the building and the track that lead to the front of the house, creating intricate designs everywhere he looked. But, for Shikamaru, the best part of the mansion was the lake behind it, the place that contained his favorite spot for watching clouds. In fact, it was due to that fact that he met the group of boys that hated each other with a passion, but would never leave the other alone.
He also liked the fact that the mansion contained a huge indoor swimming pool and a huge field right in front of the house. He smirked then, remembering all the crazy parties the boys had thrown back in the days when they were all together. No one else could throw a party like they did, not even Fairy Tail. The best part about the whole thing was that the mansion was away from the city, allowing them to be as loud as they desired.
He drove around a pretty fountain, parking in front of the entrance to the mansion, where an old butler waited for him. He slowly removed himself from his car, his legs snapping into place after being seated for so long.
"It's good to see you, Shikamaru." The old butler smiled at the lazy genius, giving the young man a slight bow of his head.
"I missed you too, Arthur." Shikamaru scratched his head as he returned the butler's smile. "You have no idea how many times I watched clouds and found that I had finished my drink, wondering why it wasn't refilled. I really missed my cloud watching companion."
"I have to agree with you there Shikamaru!" Kiba said as he got out of his BMW, his small dog following closely behind. "I missed you and your old jokes old man. I wish you were my butler!"
"I see you two haven't changed." Arthur responded, his old eyes then straying to the loud engines rapidly approaching their location. "And I presume that's the rest of the old group."
"Yeah." Shikamaru said, bitterness lacing his voice because of his loss. "We had a little race."
"A "little" race?" The butler chuckled dryly, giving Shikamaru a knowing look. "You expect me to believe that? Please, I remember when I used to be young and foolish."
Kiba padded the older man's shoulders, laughing.
"Please." He said, giving the old man a smug grin. "We both know you forgot all about your life old man, I mean, how old are you now? I'm pretty sure you're already in your hundreds."
The old butler smirked, removing Kiba's arm from his person. "First of all, I'm sixty-nine. And second, I have a photographic memory. It looks to me as if you're the one who constantly forgets everything."
Kiba's grin vanished, insulted. "I don't know what you're talking about old man, I'm like, crazy smart and everything." Akamaru barked at that, apparently agreeing with his owner seeing as Kiba grinned, happy someone believed him, even if it was his dog. No, happy especially because it was his dog. "See? Akamaru understands." He said, squatting to pat the fluffy dog.
The old man merely nodded politely at that, not wanting to comment since he was known to be sarcastic in nature.
Shikamaru, however, had no such reservations, muttering quietly under his breath. "What an idiot."
Lucky for him and his sanity, Kiba and his insane sense of hearing couldn't pick up on his little comment seeing as the sound of loud engines overcame the atmosphere.
The old butler watched with amazed eyes as a Porsche and a Corvette drifted around the pound, stopping perfectly behind the two super cars that arrived before them.
Neji and Gaara, respectfully, stepped out of their vehicles, looking at each other with determined gazes.
"I believe that was my win." Neji said, his face devoid of emotion.
Gaara slowly shook his head, his button up white shirt revealing his pale neck. "That was my win." He said, pointing to himself.
Neji didn't respond, but continued looking at his friend, determined to get his way. Gaara merely stared back emotionlessly, pretty much looking the same way he always looked.
"It was a draw." Shikamaru concluded, trying to calm the feud. Neji and Gaara continued with their stare off though, making Shikamaru sigh in frustration.
He turned to the old butler, who was bowing respectfully to the boys who had come from well-known families. "Arthur, you know why we're here."
The old butler nodded, leading the boys towards the arched wooden double doors. The doors were opened by two uniformly dressed maids, who bowed respectfully as the boys passed by them.
"Allow me to apologize for the mess." The old butler said, not sounding sorry at all. "We have only just arrived after all."
The boys didn't even bother answering, following the old butler with fond looks in their eyes.
The inside of the house was insanely bright, maids going left and right, putting things back in order. Most of the luxurious paintings were already in view, displaying their humongous wealth. The room was huge, two corridor on either side of the boys and a set of stairs in front that split midway through, directing towards the second floor. They walked around the set of stairs, going through the opened space under it that directed them towards the huge dining room. The floor was carpeted with a fine red and brown carpet, surrounding a table big enough to fit twelve people. They took an immediate left, going through a set of doors and arriving at the courtyard, which formed a chokepoint thanks to the quick access it provided to other areas of the mansion.
They went through another entrance that directed them towards the indoor Jacuzzi and swimming pool, which had glassed walls around it, allowing the beautiful gardens and the veranda to be seen, which contained a Jacuzzi, a big pool with counters all around it, and a bar. The boys specifically noted the bar that offered a variety of drinks Kiba used to drown in. Still does, only now it's in other places as well.
After that they came across the indoor basketball court. Neji narrowed his eyes at the tinted and smooth court, especially at the basket, the fact that Sasuke had beat him countless times before he left not escaping the Hyuga's mind.
The sound of determined grunts broke him out of his darkening thoughts of what he wished to do to the Uchiha. They were now at a complete workout room, where they could clearly make out a struggling Naruto trying to bench press what seemed to be 665 pounds of weight, a smirking Sasuke watching amusedly behind him.
Sasuke's smirk, however, disappeared when Naruto managed to propel the bar back up, putting it back on the stand.
"I did it! I'm beating you once again, you stupid asshole!" The blonde exclaimed loudly, his muscles bulging as he stood up from the bench.
"Only by twenty pounds." Sasuke replied, scowling, knowing that even twenty pounds was too much of a difference when it came to Naruto. Another month of bench pressing until he could catch up. And by then, Naruto would have added another twenty pounds. "And besides, I'm still much faster than you."
"Whatever." Naruto dismissed, his face forming a small smile. "You're just creating an excuse like you always do when I beat you."
"Which rarely ever happens." Sasuke finished, grunting.
"I bet I can lift more than both of you bastards combined!" Kiba suddenly exclaimed, heading for the two taken aback young man.
Sasuke and Naruto seemed surprise for a mere second before small smiles graced their faces.
"Yeah, right, dog boy. Last time you said that you almost died." Naruto gave his old friend a grin, drawing Kiba in an arm lock and messing with his wild hair.
Kiba struggled, pushing to get away from the hold so that he could kick the blonde's ass. Akamaru barked wildly behind him, drawing Naruto's attention.
"Oh, if it isn't little Akamaru." Naruto said, grinning maliciously. "I really feel sorry for you, I can't even imagine what's like following this idiot around."
"Shut up, you little fucker!" Kiba cursed, finally squeezing his way out of the hold. As soon as he was free, Kiba threw a kick to the blonde's head as he growled. "I'll teach you to insult me you dumbass blonde!"
Naruto deflected the blow easily, pushing the leg away and sending a punch of his own towards Kiba. Kiba's eye widened at the speed the attack was coming towards him as he crossed his arms across his face. He had blocked the attack, but the mere force of it had pushed the dog lover four steps back, an angry tint on his arm where the punch had connected.
"I see you have gotten stronger." Neji examined, smirking at the blonde. "Maybe now you can provide a decent match against me."
"You can say that." Naruto said, giving Shikamaru and Gaara a nod of his head. "Though I could kick your ass three years ago easily enough."
Neji gave the blonde a small smile. "It's good to have you back, Naruto." He said, he then looked to Sasuke. "Though I can't say the same for you, Uchiha."
"Hn." Sasuke smirked, the smirk that was guaranteed to annoy 99.9 percent of non-Uchihas. Well, except Mira, but she didn't count seeing as she was becoming an Uchiha soon. "I see you're still alive, Hyuga. Pity."
As much as he tried to ignore the smirk, it was clear to the boys that Neji was irritated.
"And I see you're the same asshole you were three years ago." Neji retorted testily. Naruto and Sasuke were one of the few who could make the usual polite young man unsettled.
Sasuke remained composed, his smirk still on his pretty face. "Hey, Naruto." He called to his brother. "Don't you recall seeing someone who was the exact replica of Neji in Europe?"
Naji narrowed his eyes at that, wondering what the Uchiha was planning.
Naruto immediately brightened, his face forming the adoring grin girls loved. "Oh, yeah, Hanabi was in Europe. She's really grown up now. And I mean ass and everything! It was the only reason I didn't mistook her for Neji."
Kiba laughed at that, looking at Neji as the pictures Hinata had showed him of Hanabi came to mind. They looked like twins.
Shikamaru and Gaara merely watched with amusement. Arthur shook his head as he retreated from the room.
Neji was raging inwardly, but remained calm. Though if anyone looked closely enough they would see that the Hyuga was struggling to keep his dignified façade in place.
Unfortunately for Neji, Sasuke was very observant. "And don't forget to mention the other thing."
Naruto looked confusedly at his step-brother, before his eyes widened. Looking guiltily at Neji, something that didn't escape the observant Hyuga, as he prayed Sasuke would keep his mouth shut.
"What did you do?" The Hyuga said, his tone spelling "you're fucked if you don't tell me." He knew he was playing right in Sasuke's palms, but he could tell this was serious.
Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously, a stupid grin forming on his handsome face. "N-nothing, don't listen to Sasuke, he's just doing this to get to you." He didn't sound very convincing.
Neji didn't let up, taking menacing steps towards the nervous blonde who kept backing away. "What. Did. You. Do." He repeated, glaring holes.
Naruto always hated those orbs that seemed to be able to see everything he did. They always made him nervous. And when he was nervous, things didn't usually end up going his way.
"I-it w-was nothing." He muttered unconvincingly.
Another step. Naruto was clearly about to crack.
"I…I k-kind of…of…" He muttered again, unable to finish his sentence.
The others leaned in, interested.
"You kind of what?" Neji urged, his eyes looking worried. This had to be serious. Did something happen to his cousin?
"I kind of fucked your sister or whatever!" Naruto panicked, drawing shocked gazes from his friends and an amused smirk from Sasuke, who was looking smugly at Neji.
Neji was paralyzed.
Shikamaru snickered, Gaara smirked and Kiba outright laughed. That was until he realized that the girl Naruto fucked was his girlfriend's sister.
"What did you say!?" He exclaimed, glaring knives at the blonde.
That seemed to have awakened Neji, who was now taking calmly steps towards Naruto. Too calm for Naruto's comfort.
Naruto backed away as he noticed the two boys were coming closer. "C-calm down guys! Why are you mad anyways Kiba? It's not like she's your girlfriend." He tried, he couldn't take on two experienced and trained fighters at once. When he noticed that didn't work, he decided another tactic.
"I-it was an accident!"
"An accident?" Sasuke spoke up, revenge in his eyes. "I lost count of how many times I walked into your office and found her sprawled on your table. You were too preoccupied fucking her brains out to even notice me. You're telling me that was an accident?"
"Shut the hell up, Sasuke!" Naruto knew why his brother was doing this. He was really starting to regret telling Mira about Sasuke's plans to get her in bed.
That little distractions proved to be his downfall. Neji and Kiba pounced, Kiba sending a roundhouse kick to the blonde's face and Neji coming onto the blonde after him.
Naruto ducked, watching as the leg passed harmlessly above him, but frowning slightly when he noticed he couldn't see Neji. Kiba suddenly jumped up, allowing Naruto to gain sight of a fist heading straight for him. Too surprised by the surprised attack, he could only watch with horror as the attack connected with his pride and joy. His nuts.
"Dammit!" He cursed, falling to the floor as curled into himself, the worst pain a man could feel overcoming his body. "Is this how you greet a friend you haven't seen for three years?!"
"No." Neji said, glaring at the blonde. "This is how I greet the fucker who slept with my cousin."
"I told you it was an accident!" Naruto cried indignantly. "And besides, why did you have to aim for the balls?! I would have allowed Kiba's kick to connect with my face if I knew this was going to happen."
"How the fuck can you fuck someone by accident!" Kiba scowled.
Naruto merely groaned in protest as Shikamaru, Gaara and Sasuke watched with amused smirks.
Sasuke's phone suddenly ringed, getting everyone's attention.
The raven Uchiha let a small smile grace his features when he noticed it was Mira, gaining interested looks from his friends. Sasuke never answered his phone unless it was his secretary. And he never did it with a smile.
"Hello."
"Hello!" Her sweet voice came through. Sasuke loved her voice. "How's your first day back?!"
"It's alright, I haven't seen annoying fan girls yet, so it's a good day in my book. How about yours?"
"Well, I talked to my siblings and some of my friends, so that's good." She didn't sound very convincing. "So, what are you doing right now?"
Sasuke decided not to pursue the subject. They could talk more about it later.
"Nothing much." He said, giving his friends a side look. "Hanging out with some idiots."
The boys scowled at this, but decided to ignore him seeing as he wasn't acting like an asshole for once. Well, at least to the person in the phone.
"That's not nice Sasuke." She said disapprovingly.
"It's the truth." He smirked. "So, do you want to do anything tonight?" He asked because he knew Mira was too nice to ask to take him away from his friends on his first day back. Though it was clear in her voice that she wanted to see him. He couldn't blame her. He wanted to see her.
"But you're hanging out with your friends." He could almost see her frowning at the other end of the line. "I don't want to interrupt when they haven't seen you for three years."
"Who said they couldn't come with?" He asked, knowing the group wouldn't object to a group date. "Besides, you can invite your friends. We can go bowling or something. I can even reserve Konoha's bowling alley for the night."
"My…" She was hesitating, he noted. "My friends are busy." She said, sounding sad. Sasuke tensed, seeing her depressed was one of Sasuke's worst dislikes.
"That doesn't matter." He said, smirking, immediately finding a way to make her happy, like always. "Tell Natsu and Gray that we're coming and it'll turn into a competition, they'll be there. The rest will follow."
She was silent for a minute.
"That does sound fun." She relented hesitantly, sounding much happier than before. "Alright, I'll give them a call. But what about you and your friends, are they alright with this? If Gray and Natsu come then they are bound to be more Fairy Tail students there, the same can be said about you and Naruto. Though in a much larger scale."
"Its fine, if that's what it takes for me to see you then I'll deal." He said, not noticing or ignoring the widened eyes of his friends.
"But if you don't enjoy yourself, I won't be enjoying myself." She said wistfully.
"Don't worry about it. Seeing Gray's defeated expression has always been a cause for joy." Sasuke decided to ignore her heavy sigh at his comment.
"But if my friends come we won't be able to spend any time together."
"Yeah right, like that's gonna happen." Sasuke responded. "The day that happens is the day I'll start to care about my fan girls."
"I thought you wanted to announce it to the world next Saturday." Mira said, sounding confused yet happy she may not have to pretend he wasn't there.
"That's meant more for the public than anything else since everyone will have their eyes on this game." He said smirking, the earlier the better. "I also wanted to give you some time to tell your friends and family."
There was a contemplative silence on the other end of the line.
"Alright." Mira relented. "Are you booking the place? If so, do it from nine to twelve."
"Yeah, I'll do that since I don't want people invading my home." Sasuke knew she would agree since she never liked keeping things from her friends. "I'll pick you up at eight?"
"Ok." She said, probably with a cheerful smile on her face, Sasuke thought. "I see you then, love you."
"Love you too, take care."
With that, they hanged up.
Sasuke turned to his friends. "We're going out tonight. Playing bowling." He said stoically, turning and leaving the room so he could take a shower and not answer the stupid questions that would come up if he stayed any longer. "Be there by nine, no later. Fairy Tail will be there."
"Troublesome." Was his answer as he walked away. He had been expecting it.
Once he left, the boys slowly turned to look at the blonde on the floor, giving him a questioning glance.
Naruto grinned. "You really think I'll tell you anything after that punch I received on my balls?" He asked, his ocean like eyes staring smugly at the boys.
Neji took a menacing step towards the blonde. "Yeah." He smirked. "It's either you tell us who that was or your balls, it's your choice."
Naruto immediately shuddered, covering his male appendage at the horrid thoughts that overcame his mind. But he remained silent, he couldn't betray Sasuke's trust.
Neji took another menacing step, the others following his actions seeing as they were quite curious as well.
Naruto broke, grinning stupidly. To hell with Sasuke, this was payback. And besides, Sasuke needed to start trusting them. They were a huge part of the plan. "Alright, alright! I tell you! Just stay the hell away from me!" With a grace fit for a boxer, he quickly stood up, keeping alert in case his friends decided to end his chances of having children. "It was Mirajane Strauss."
Even Gaara raised an eyebrow at that.
"Did you just say Mirajane Strauss?" Kiba asked disbelievingly. "As in the Fairy Tail beauty? As in the enemy of Konoha?"
Naruto nodded, smiling slightly. "The same one."
They looked skeptically at the blonde, not completely believing him. On one hand, this was Sasuke they were talking about, the one they always thought was too much of an asshole to care about someone else. But on the other hand, Naruto couldn't lie worth shit.
"What the fuck is Sasuke thinking? I mean, I would totally bang her and all of—"
"I recommend you never repeat that again, Kiba." Naruto interrupted, his tone immediately stopping Kiba in his tracks. Naruto never sounded so cold before. "Not in front of me and especially not in front of Sasuke, you will definitely regretted."
The gym was quiet, all of them wondering where the cheery blonde went.
"How did it happen?" Shikamaru spoke up for the first time.
Naruto was silent, giving his friends a serious gaze.
"I'm only telling you this because you're our friends and I know I can trust you." He said, his tone still cold and detached. Shikamaru and the others didn't miss the underlining threat that was behind the words. "I assume you heard about Ultear and me and how we were planning to marry."
The boys nodded at this, wondering how such a cold voice could utter a name so warmly.
"Ultear and I weren't the only ones in a relationship." He reveled, his blue eyes darkening with sadness and pain as he remembered the girl he was prepared to vow himself to. "Sasuke and Mira were a thing back then as well."
The reaction was immediate.
"You expect us to believe that?!" Kiba asked, giving the blonde a glare. "Sasuke never so much as approached a girl before, what makes that bitch so different?!"
Kiba's head was suddenly flunked to the side, spit coming out of his mouth as Naruto's fist connected with his left cheek, sending the young man sprawling towards the patted floor.
"I told you." Naruto said, giving the scowling Kiba a deadly glare. "Don't insult Mira like that. I don't know why Hanabi is so important to you, but, just as you are protective of her, I am protective of Mira. She's like the sister I never had."
Kiba wiped his mouth, growling but understanding Naruto's reasoning. "Whatever." He sneered, getting up and glaring at the blonde, but remaining quiet.
"I, for once, must agree with Kiba, the Uchiha is not the type to get attached, especially with the enemy." Neji stated, a confused expression on his normally know-it-all face.
Shikamaru stayed quiet, contemplating as he examined Naruto.
"What I want to know is why Sasuke is so different." Gaara spoke up, diffusing the tension that had overtaken the room. Whenever Gaara spoke, it was usually serious. "Before he left for Europe he had this insane look in his eyes, the very same ones I had before I acquainted myself with you guys."
Naruto nodded, remembering how much he used to hate the redhead. Gaara's father had abused his son to the blink of insanity, to the point it caused the boy to kill his own father to get away from the pain. After that, the boy never returned to normal. He took countless drugs and met countless brain experts to fix his mental illness, but it was never quite enough, not even all the money in the world could fix the tortures the boy had to go through. After he met the group and learned that they wouldn't take his shit sitting down, they became good friends. Inseparable even. But even now there seemed to exist of barrier between them that could never be fully erased, a world only Sasuke could now understand.
"Do you know why Sasuke and I moved to Europe?" Naruto asked suddenly, confusing the boys in the sudden change of subject.
The boys shook their heads. They thought it was because they had wanted to become associated with the Uchiha Company, getting used to the responsibilities that was now required of them. And to finish their education. But, now that they knew about Ultear and Mira, it didn't seem quite that simple.
"It was because we had to get away." Naruto answered, his eyes becoming swelled up with pain and grief. "You see, Sasuke isn't as perfect as everyone seems to think. He's got one serious problem, something only Gaara can understand." He stopped then, registering the surprise in the redhead's eyes. "Sasuke…he was born with a mental illness."
The boys stilled, surprise by the words uttered by the blonde.
They knew Sasuke went through some bad stuff when he was a kid, but they always thought the raven could always remain cool and collected, always finding a way to turn a situation around to his favor. But now they discovered that their friend had some kind of mental illness? This was a huge game changer.
"What do you mean exactly?" Gaara's monotonous voice asked, but this time it held a tinge of hope in it. Hope of being understood.
"You see," Naruto started, gazing fondly at his friends. "After my family was killed, the Uchihas adopted me since my parents were very close friends of theirs. I grew up with Sasuke. His family grew to be my family." He stopped then, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "Sasuke used to be very different back then, his eyes were always full of hope and happiness. Full of life."
The boys only listened in silence.
"But then something changed." Naruto's expression hardened, anger lacing his words. "My family died in a car accident." The way Naruto said it made it sound like it wasn't an accident at all. "Sasuke was the sole survivor, he watched as our parents were burned to death, not being able to lift a finger to help the ones most precious to him."
The boys looked confused. "Where were you and Itachi when this happened?" Shikamaru asked.
Naruto frowned at that, the handsome face of his kind elder brother coming to mind. "Sasuke wasn't the only one with an illness." He stated, earning confused glances in the process. "Itachi also had a terrible disease that was ultimately shortening his life day by day. I was the only one who knew it back then since I caught Itachi taking various medications. Being the curious boy I was, I blackmailed Itachi so that he would tell me what was wrong with him and if he didn't, then I would tell our parents."
"That's just like the Naruto we know." Kiba stated, a small smile on his face, their little argument completely forgotten. He earned various chuckles in agreement.
"Anyways," Naruto continued, giving Kiba a small grin that admittedly, held no warmth in it. "Itachi was having a hard case that day, so I decided to stay home with him to make sure he was alright." He stopped suddenly, his grin turning upside-down. "You know…sometimes I really regret that decision, thinking that maybe if I had been with Sasuke things would have, somehow, turn out different. Even when I know I wouldn't have been able to do anything."
The boys nodded at that understandingly, everyone feels like that at one point or another. It was part of life.
"Sasuke became detached after that. His smiles, which were so full of life before, were rare and far in between and nightmares plagued him every time he closed his eyes. But he survived through it. His mind remained intact because he still had Itachi and me by his side."
"So, the night Itachi died…that was when everything fell to pieces." Shikamaru finished for him, knowing that this was very difficult for the blonde.
Naruto nodded, giving the lazy genius a small smile. "Yeah, Sasuke, he…was no longer the same," Naruto finished weakly. "He became obsessed with revenge and Akatsuki, not eating or sleeping until he achieved his goal of taking down the most powerful mercenaries in the world."
"I see," Neji mused, he and the rest knew of the truth of Itachi's death. "But what does this have to do with him and Mira?"
"Like I told you before, Sasuke and Mira were dating, even before they started college." Naruto said, this time without any interruptions. "Sasuke met Mira when he was fourteen. He and I used to go to this café she used to work at and we slowly became friends. But for Sasuke it was more than that."
Kiba tilted his head in confusion, much like the dog beside him. "What do you mean?"
"You see," Naruto continued, amusement in his eyes. "When Sasuke looked at Mira, he didn't see this gorgeous girl every other boy gazed at, no, what he saw was this strong person that could survive through anything and continue smiling. Someone who witnessed exactly what he lived through, but overcame her grief and became stronger for it. For the first time in his life, Sasuke saw someone who was stronger than him. And it was a girl. And not just any girl either, but a poor one that didn't attend school and worked day and night so she could put food on the table for her siblings."
Kiba laughed at that, hard and loud. "Now you're just taking it too far, Naruto!" He said, disbelief clear in his eyes. "Mira stronger than the almighty Uchiha? The pride of Konoha?"
The other boys, however, held some form of understanding in their eyes. Shikamaru because he knew more than he care to admit about the Uchiha. But Neji and Gaara understood how the Uchiha felt, they knew what it was like to feel pain and never to completely overcome it. They knew it all too well.
Naruto glanced at his canine friend, his eyes seemed full of jealousy for just a moment before it was clouded with sympathy. "It is useless for me to try and describe to you how terrible if feels to lose everything you know and love, Kiba." He said, moving towards each end of the bench bar and removing the weights. Usually the servants cleaned up after them, but he felt like he had to keep moving, he was trying to keep the memories at bay. "If you have ever lost someone very important to you, then you already know how it feels, and if you haven't, you cannot possibly imagined it."
Kiba was dumbfounded. He had been the last to join the small group and he knew from the very beginning that there would always be a wall that separated them. He hated that wall at first, the wall that separated him from his friends; the wall that always made him feel like he was out of some big loop he would never be part of. But he gradually became to love it. He learned to appreciate the things he had, the things his friends couldn't possibly get it back.
As soon as the weights were back in their place, Naruto continued.
"Mira gradually made her way into the walls Sasuke had built around himself and eventually, broke through it. They became friends after that. She became a daily part of his life, the only one apart from me and Itachi who could truly understand him." Naruto finished, smiling softly. "But the bastard, as much as he would deny it back then, loved her. And she loved him too, but unlike other girls, it wasn't because of his good-looks or money, but because she wanted to help him heal and come to love the person he glimpsed at the mirror each and every day."
Kiba was silent now.
"After that, Sasuke decided to work at that café. He told me it was because he just wanted to help Mira out with his own money, but I knew Sasuke better than that." He chuckled with a grin on his handsome face as he put his hands behind his head. "He is a jealous and possessive asshole who wanted Mira all to himself, even if he could never bring himself to say out loud. He even started helping her with her studies so she could enter her dream college and achieve her dream."
"Is she the reason you and Sasuke returned?" Gaara asked.
Naruto nodded slowly. "Yes, she is." He confirmed it. "I knew she was the only one who could help Sasuke so I had her join us in our trip by offering her a position in the Uchiha modeling agency. She happily agreed, she had grown too attached to Sasuke. But, unfortunately, Sasuke was blinded by his hatred, he could no longer discern between reality and illusions. For three months straight he kept turning Mira away, mentally torturing her love for him and torturing himself in the process. He hurt her to the point that he demanded that she left. She eventually complied, seeing that her presence was only causing him more pain."
The gym was silent, curiosity in the atmosphere.
"I, being the awesome brother I am, knew he wouldn't last. I asked Mira to stay away from Sasuke for a few months." He looked proud of himself while he said it. "At the beginning, I didn't really think it was affecting him that much, but after a week, signs began to show."
The boys were curious. "What kinds of signs?"
No one knew who asked the question, too engrossed in the story.
Naruto grinned, wide and proud. "He stopped eating and sleeping. He was always angry and nothing he did seemed to comfort him. He even tried sleeping with a girl who was obsessed with him, but he couldn't even go through with that. All he wanted and could think about was Mira."
Kiba grinned at that. "Desperate situations call for desperate measures, I guess. Never thought I see the day I'd hear about Sasuke interacting with his fan girls, even if he didn't go through with the act. I bet it was a dream come true for the girl."
The boys shared a smirk at that.
"Sasuke lasted three weeks after the signs began to appear, something he did through simple willpower alone." Naruto continued, grinning wildly since this was his payback for Sasuke snitching on him and Hanabi. "On the beginning of the forth week, he went hunting for Mira. But Mira didn't go easy on him, no, that girl can be truly cruel when she wants to."
The boys were interested. "What did she do?" Kiba asked, leaning forward to make sure he didn't miss a word. He certainly wasn't the only one.
The blonde laughed, knowing that Sasuke would get him back for this. "She made Sasuke wait two days straight on her front door." The boys shared a laugh at that. "Sasuke had been desperate, so he did the only thing he could at that point. He waited."
The group was certainly amused. They wished they had been there to see it.
"For two days straight I ate ramen with Sasuke on her front door. What that bastard didn't know was that I was only there because it was so fucking funny to see the prized Uchiha in such a miserable state." Tears were falling down his face at this point. "He was so afraid that she would leave him that I even brought a camera in case he'd shit his pants. The bastard didn't even notice that he had been eating the food he hates the most!"
Even Gaara was about to crack up in laughter.
"Anyways," Naruto gathered himself, breathing deeply. "When Mira finally allowed Sasuke to come inside her apartment, he found out that he had deeply hurt Mira with his actions and words. Hurt her to the point that she didn't know whether she wanted to remain with him or not. To love him when he couldn't even love himself." Naruto stopped then, amusement leaving his face. "I never saw Sasuke more afraid in my life; that was when I truly realized that Sasuke loved Mira, the kind of love that overcame all others. He would go insane if Mira left him."
The room was silent, every sign of amusement was gone.
"Mira wanted real love, someone who would follow her around the world and back. Someone who would treat her like she was the air he needed to breath. Someone who was capable of feelings. And most of all, she wanted all of that in Sasuke." Naruto said, remembering her words all too clearly.
"That day I witnessed Sasuke in his lowest state, doing something I never thought I would ever see my prideful brother do."
"What did he do?"
"He bowed and apologized," Naruto stated, shocking the boys to the point their eyes were so wide you would think their eye balls would slip out. "After that day, Sasuke began to change, becoming how he used to be before life fucked him up. He was always either working, messing around with me or spending time with Mira, always making time for her. He started treating her like she was his world. Which she pretty much was."
The room was silent.
"You know," Naruto broke the silence. "From all my time of living with Sasuke, I learned one thing."
"What's that?" Shikamaru asked.
"It's very difficult for him to love," Naruto said, a tearful gaze on his face. "But once he does, he just can't let go. Mira will always be the one he is devoted to. Even revenge is unimportant compared to her."
Gosh, that was a long chapter. I didn't really mean it to be this long but when I started writing, I just couldn't stop. Anyways, I just wanted to get Sasuke OCCness out of the way so we could move on with the story. I really think he would fall for Mira if given the chance, they seem perfect for each other, she's so nice and attractive and Sasuke is seems like he would be attracted to someone strong like Mira. Next chapter is going to feature the bowling competition and the blonde's future chick who is very much like Kushina.
PLEASE REVIEW!