Chapter 2

Naruto sauntered into his math class the next day, with his earbuds in and his phone in his hand. He ignored the usual judgmental stares he received and hurried straight over to his secluded seat in the back. He was desperately in need to escape reality. He sat down and immediately gazed out the window. He greeted his friend, the cheery blossom tree with gentle eyes, and wished for their feathered companion to return.

He furrowed his eyebrows at the sudden presence beside him. He turned slowly and was surprised to find his book bag before his eyes in the grasp of his teacher. He grabbed the bag wearily and stared up blankly at the teacher as he lowered the bag beside his seat.

"Thank you, Sir." He mumbled.

The teacher sighed deeply and shook his head. "No more fights, okay?"

Naruto gazed down momentarily. "I can't guarantee that Sir."

"Why?"

"Can the omega stop the pack from attacking him?"

"The pack only attacks when the omega engage them."

"The omega will surely die if he's left alone without the protection of a pack."

The teacher smiled. "Sometimes, the omega has more strength than he knows. And when he comes to realize that, he'll understand he doesn't need a pack to protect him."

Naruto was skeptical but nodded. He didn't find it necessary to prolong the discussion, yet the words of his teacher could not escape his mind.

"No more fights." The teacher said lastly before returning to the front of the class. And for the entire period, Naruto gazed with ferocious intensity at the man before the board.

"Alright, that's all."

The group of workers left the conference room, speaking low to themselves as they returned to their post for the opening of the store. The hi-end fashion retail store was large, one of the largest store within the popular mall located in the center of the city. The store was well known for their various attainment of name brand products and clothing. The store was expensive and was rarely ever busy since only the well off could afford to shop there yet business was decent.

Kyuubi waited patiently in the room until the last worker had exited. He closed the door as he was instructed to do and stood before his manager, a woman in her early 30s with dyed blonde hair that was kept neatly in a bun. He watched her glossed lips curve into a smile.

"You wanted to see me?" Kyuubi asked cautiously.

The manager who goes by the name Shizune, sat at the edge of the wooden desk placed in the center of the office. "Sit down." She gestured to the chair across from her. "There's something I need you to do for me. This is a serious task and it's perfect for a hard worker such as yourself."

Kyuubi is flattered but his body remained on edge. "So what do you need me to do exactly?"

Shizune is momentarily entertained by a small object over the large desk. "As you know already, we are at the moment preparing the launch of a celebrity clothing line in our store."

Kyuubi nodded. The meeting that had ended not too long ago centered around this.

"Well, said celebrity has asked to get a tour of the store, before we receive his project." Shizune went on to explain that the celebrity's manager had already come to visit the store. However as of now, the celebrity himself has wished to have a first hand look for himself.

Kyuubi is still unsure exactly what is being asked of him. "So what exactly would I be doing?"

"What I need from you is to simply accompany him on the short tour. Show him around, make sure he's comfortable."

"No disrespect but shouldn't this be a task for a manager?" Kyuubi noticed the sudden tension in the woman's jaw. This caused him to avert his eyes to his lap. "What if I say the wrong thing or give off a bad vibe?" He was smart to present himself as the concerning factor in hopes of evading his current offense and saving his job. "I don't want to be responsible for anything jeopardizing this deal."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room for a moment until it was abruptly broken.

"Show him around the store. Answer the questions he ask. If you do not know, direct it towards me afterwards. Simple as that." Her stern expression never once faltered. "Concerns?"

Kyuubi stood up with a haste. "No, I understand. I can handle it, thank you for entrusting me to this task. Is that all?"

"Yes." She maneuvered to one of the comfortable, rotatable chairs behind the large desk. Just as the man nearly escaped her vision, she called him back once more.

"I was initially not allowed to reveal the identity of the celebrity due to precautionary reasons. However since I am giving you this task, I'll give you his name so you can familiarize yourself with him." She hesitated. "You are not to under any circumstances reveal this information to any other employee."

"You can trust me," Kyuubi wasn't the type to be caught up with pop culture and its relations anyway.

Shizune studied his eyes for any sign of insincerity. When she found none she spoke the name quietly. ".Itachi Uchiha, the well known actor and model."

Kyuubi broke into a cold sweat. The pace of his heart surged drastically and for a moment, it's as if time itself had stopped..

"Are you okay?" Shizune's eyebrows rose skeptically. The man looked like he had seen a ghost.

Kyuubi blinked and regained himself. "Yeah, I was just shocked."

He nodded and bowed his head respectfully. He was finally able to release the breath caught in his throat, his body physically shaking from the revelation of the name. His legs hurriedly led him to the bathroom, where he leaned against the door of the middle stall, his heartbeat seemingly trying to regain it's normal steady pace. He shut his eyes tightly, desperately fighting back the memories that resurfaced to remind him of the past he thought he had escaped. He didn't know how long he had been in the bathroom, but he knew it was a long while. For once a vacant store, was now filled with numerous customers. He put on a brave face and hurriedly headed to his post.

Later that day, at the start of the evening, the large supermarket held a decent percentage of the city folks. Naruto strolled through the cereal isle with his nephew beside him. As his eyes scanned the various boxes, his nephew's own were trained on the screen of his uncle's smartphone. At the moment, he was engaged in a serious game, his eyes concentrated and mind determined to reach a new high score. At the call of his name, he unwillingly placed the game on pause, his gaze turned to his uncle.

"What cereal should we get?"

The five year old hastily scanned the presented cereals before him and pointed to the blue box of Frosted Flakes at the bottom of the shelf near his uncle's legs.

"Why am I not surprised?"

Naruto lowered his torso to reach the cereal and immediately regretted the action. He hissed in pain, a pained groan escaping his lips from the throbbing ache in his side. He closed his eyes and brought himself back up, his hand rested on the bruise beneath his shirt.

Jay looked sympathetically at his uncle. "Naru?"

"I'm okay." His tone wavered and he breathed in sharply. He cursed lowly so his words wouldn't reach the child.

"You look sick." Jay placed the box of cereal in his small hands in the cart, generously aiding his uncle. "What else are we buying?"

Naruto smiled in gratitude. "Fruits."

"I know where they are, I'll get them:"

The five year old made a dash down the isle. Amidst the call from his uncle to stop running, he made a sharp turn and found himself on the ground from colliding into something hard. Luckily, the landing wasn't too harsh and he's back on his feet again. He rubbed the side of his head as his eyes peered at the towering stranger.

"Are you okay?" The voice is deep, the stale tone contradicting the concern behind his words.

Jay peered amazingly at the most beautiful man he'd ever seen. The man stood tall, a few inches over six foot. His broad shoulders and muscles are accentuated in the all black casual attire he wore. His presence was commanding and held a hint of arrogance. The man's lengthy hair was also left out and framed his face, falling over his shoulders and back. Fair skin and dark, cold eyes had poor Jay suddenly afraid, his small being intimidated greatly by the man before him.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked as he approached his nephew.

Jay hurriedly ran and sought protection behind his uncle's long legs. His hands clutched the waist of his Naru tightly as he peeked his head out to view the threatening man.

"Make him go away." Jay whispered.

Naruto sighed deeply. He gazed up, ready to apologize for his nephew's behavior when he is met with a familiar face that leaves him immobilize and utterly speechless. His eyes grew wide instantly and his mouth opened in a loud gasp. He wished to speak but he couldn't find his words.

"It's been a while, Naruto." A sense of playfulness lingered in his tone.

"Itachi?" Naruto tried to move and found his body held in place by a strong grip. He gazed down and his nephew shook his head, forbidding him from going near the man.

"It seems he doesn't like me very much." His deep voice was soothing, and delightful to the ears.

Jay looked up at the man and was met with the man's cold eyes that strangely resembled his own. He didn't like those eyes. He had never seen eyes so mean before.

"He looks like a vampire." He noted secretly to his uncle.

Naruto could not help but chuckle incredulously at the boy's words. He removed himself from his nephew's tight grip and hurriedly walked over to the man. He engulfed him in a tight hug, wrapping his arms around him earnestly and he felt the man reluctantly hug him back. He smiled as he pulled back and gazed at the man in disbelief.

"I can't believe you're really here." He observed the man's appearance. He shook his head in amazement. "Wow, you really are unreal."

Itachi smiled momentarily. "You don't look bad yourself." His attention quickly returned to the boy who glared at him from behind the shopping cart. "Who is this?"

Naruto followed the man's eyes to his nephew. He pulled the boy to his side and ruffled the top of the child's hair messily. "Introduce yourself."

Jay pouted his lips and folded his arms. "Mommy said not to talk to strangers."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "This is Jaron. He's…." The following words remained stuck in his throat. His eyes studied the man uncertainly.

Itachi's face remained expressionless. His eyes focused on the boy for a while longer before they averted to the blonde whom turned quickly from his surprising gaze.

"How are you?" He asked suddenly.

Naruto tried to remember if Itachi's voice had always been that deep and dominant.

"I'm fine. My life is pretty much boring compared to you, Mr. Actor, Model and Fashion Mogul."

"Mere titles."

Naruto nearly gawked at the man. "Do you know how much influence you have? You are everywhere. There's no one in Japan who doesn't know who you are."

The man gazed around awkwardly. He's suddenly reminded of his status as his body guards continued to push away insisting fans with cellphones and rising blood pressures. "I wouldn't go that far." His proud smile said otherwise.

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Naruto played with his hands as he welcomed the nervousness that overtook his body. He looked up at the man who gazed back at him with an unreadable expression.

"Is he here too?" He asked.

Itachi exhaled tiredly, displaying an emotion for the first time. "No, he's not. I'm sure he'll be on the next flight here when I tell him of our rendezvous."

Naruto grinned widely. Those words were enough to set ablaze the dimming flame of hope that remained inside his being. In that moment, he knew his life was about to change for the best. And he couldn't wait to start the adventure.

Thanks for reading.