Naruto was worn out at the end of the day, not only from Itachi's attempted rape but Sasuke's constant lectures about stupid things. Like Naruto really needed to know about how to organize papers or greet people or shake hands correctly. He was constantly changing his mind; he wanted to be a successful CEO but he hated hard work. It was like the worst kind of complex.
Now Naruto was sitting gloomily on his bed with absolutely nothing to do, wearing a strange pair of collared pajamas. Yes, even the pajamas were collared, although they were made out of some silk material that was really soft. Grimacing at nothing in particular, Naruto laid back on his bed with a yawn. He wasn't really tired, though, just mentally exhausted from all the learning and stress...and the fact that Itachi was lurking around the corner, probably waiting for him to walk by. Sitting up again and facing the wall, Naruto wished he had some form of electronic with him, something to keep him occupied. There was some sort of nagging in the back of his mind, like he wanted to get up and walk around or something.
"You look distracted. Something on your mind besides the usual stupidity?" An amused voice broke into Naruto's thoughts. The spiky haired blonde glanced over, relieved to see that it was the younger Uchiha. He sighed. "Not really. I'm bored." he said, swinging his legs over one side of the bed and sitting. Sasuke just smirked, standing in the doorway like some sort of conceited statue. "I figured." he said.
Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Is there a reason why you came all the way up to my room? Just to insult me? Because I'm not in the mood."
Sasuke looked a little sheepish. "Actually, there is a reason why I came. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go over to the company with me. There was some last minute stuff that came up, but it's not that important. And if you're not tired then, you know, maybe it would pass the time." Naruto suppressed a laugh. The Uchiha's expression was pained, like he was constipated or something. I guess it's that hard for him to ask for someone else's company, Naruto thought. It was kind of cute...WAIT. STOP RIGHT THERE, Naruto thought of anything else to distract him from what he had just thought. Sasuke was a cold, calculating bastard. Not cute in the least.
"Yeah, sure. But I'm in my pajamas." Naruto said, standing up and stretching. Sasuke's expression quickly changed back into its usual condescending tone. "Well then change, you idiot. Do you want me to magically transform your clothing?"
Naruto glared at the raven haired man. "I'll just go in my pajamas then. There's no need to be so sarcastic all the time."
Even though Sasuke wasn't exactly the type of guy Naruto would've preferred to be around he still had a pretty fine taste in cars. Naruto practically drooled when he set foot in Sasuke's garage. It was full of sports cars, everything from Lambourghinis to Ferraris. I'd love to take one of those out for a spin in the middle of the night, Naruto thought as Sasuke unlocked the nearest car. Without Sasuke, of course. That way I'd be driving, Naruto quickly added as the Uchiha told him to hurry up.
Sitting in the front seat, Naruto didn't put his feet up on the dashboard even though his instinct told him to, just to annoy Sasuke. Naruto actually hadn't been in the Uchiha building even though it made up part of Uzamaki Megacorp.
"So, is your office super clean?" Naruto tried to make conversation as Sasuke silently pulled out of the garage and onto the street. He didn't know why it was always so awkward between them. Or, maybe it was only awkward for Naruto. He couldn't get a good read on Sasuke's emotions. He was like...a statue most of the time. Unless he was embarrassed and started blushing like a little girl. Naruto grinned at the thought.
"What are you smiling for?" Sasuke glared over at Naruto suspiciously. "Oh, nothing," the blonde casually said. "Just thinking about how when you're embarrassed you get all flustered and your cheeks turn bright red."
The car swerved dangerously to the left, almost going completely into the wrong lane. "HEY!" Sasuke growled. "Shut up! I don't...I haven't ever been embarrassed okay? I don't know what you're talking about." This time it was Naruto's turn to smirk as Sasuke began to flush again. "You're turning red now, Sasuke. Are you sure you're not embarrassed?" Naruto sweetly asked. Sasuke reached over and smacked Naruto none too gently on the arm. "Shut up now, Uzamaki, before I make you get out of the car right here."
Naruto just laughed. So maybe the Uchiha did have some emotion to him. Although it wouldn't hurt for him to be a lot nicer and loose the sarcasm. And the creepy older brother. Definitely lose the brother, Naruto thought, recalling the dark bedroom incident and shuddering. It still amazed him how that memory stuck out in his mind. And it made him more grateful to Sasuke. If Sasuke hadn't shown up...
"Hey, we're here," Sasuke halted in front of a large office building. "It'll be humiliating to show up with a loser dressed in pajamas, but I guess it can't be helped." Sasuke remarked as they got out of the car. Naruto just rolled his eyes. "These pajamas are so fancy they look like normal clothes anyways." he said, running a hand through his spiky hair. Sasuke just sighed, locking the car and walking towards the front doors of the office.
Naruto had never been inside this separate part of the company before, so he didn't recognize the lady sitting at the front desk. She, of course, blushed and shyly looked at Sasuke as they walked by. When she saw Naruto looking at her with an amused expression she shot him a dirty look and quickly looked away. Naruto sighed. It seemed as though all the ladies were completely gaga over the Uchiha.
Stepping into the elevator after Sasuke, Naruto leaned against the wall. "Quite the lady killer, eh?" Naruto teased as Sasuke pushed the top floor button. Sasuke glanced over at him, an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean? I've never even had a girlfriend before." Sasuke said innocently, but Naruto wasn't convinced. "Whatever, Uchiha. Pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about."
The elevator doors slid open, revealing a bunch of cubicles, typical for an office building. Sasuke led Naruto down the aisle towards his office. Suddenly, something bouncy and blonde blocked Sasuke's path. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized it was Ino. Apparently she had made a fast recovery from the catfight that she had had with Sakura. There was just a band aid on one of her arms and a little scratch above her eyebrow but that was it.
Blushing slightly and obviously attempting to flirt with Sasuke, Ino sauntered up to Sasuke, batting her eyelashes. "Mr. Uchiha, the results of the last meeting have arrived," she said in what she must have thought was a seductive tone, handing Sasuke a folder. Naruto felt like gagging and rolling his eyes at the same time. It was typical woman behavior around Sasuke, although Ino was being really aggressive.
Sasuke just edged away, looking emotionless. "Thank you, Ms. Yamanaka." he started to walk again, but Ino was once again in his way. "But Mr. Uchiha, don't you want me to report the details? I'm sure I could come to your office and let you know. Just you and I. I have lots of information you might want."
Naruto felt his eyes widen. He knew that some girls really laid it on thick when it came to hitting on guys, but Ino was really being obvious. Wasn't she the least bit embarrassed? Besides, it wasn't like a guy like Sasuke would ever fall for Ino. Although Itachi had said that Uchihas had a thing for blondes...but did Ino count? Someone suddenly grabbed Naruto by the arm, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"What are you daydreaming about? We have to go to my office, remember?" Sasuke said, tugging Naruto along. Ino was persistent though, following them. "Mr. Uchiha, are you sure that you don't want me to review the material about the meeting with you?" she asked. Sasuke just unemotionally blinked, reaching his office door. "No thank you, Ms. Yamanaka. Now if you don't mind I have some of my own business to attend to." With that said, Sasuke quickly retreated into his office, pulling Naruto after him and shutting the door.
"Now do you see what I mean? Lady. Killer. Two words that perfectly describe you," Naruto smirked as the raven haired man glared at him. "Shut up, Naruto. It's not my fault that girl is like a professional stalker. For some reason she seems to have the idea that I am infatuated with her, which I am most certainly not."
Naruto blinked. What was up with his fancy use of words? "Whatever, Sasuke." the spiky haired blonde glanced around Sasuke's office, not surprised at what he saw. There wasn't a speck of dust to be seen; the whole office was meticulous and neatly organized. Naruto felt the urge to make a mess, maybe accidentally knock over some stuff, but he figured that doing something stupid like that wouldn't be the best idea. Especially since Sasuke was already a little pissed at the whole Ino thing.
Sasuke picked up some documents that were lying on his desk, tucking them under his arm with the folder he was carrying. Naruto sighed, somewhat tired. This wasn't the least bit exciting at all...at least, for him. All Sasuke had done was drag him out to his dumb office and pick up a paper or two. "Don't you wanna like...go out and do something?" Naruto asked. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Do something? Like what?"
Naruto shrugged. "Are there any restaurants around that are still open? Maybe we could go to an arcade or something?" His suggestions were lame, but he couldn't think of anything else to say. He didn't want to go back to the mansion. It was boring and somewhat scary with Itachi lurking around. Sasuke shrugged. "Not that I know of. Besides, working people don't have time to go do stuff like that."
Gaping, Naruto blinked furiously, staring at Sasuke. "What are you talking about? Of course working people can go out and have fun! And if you've never gone to an arcade or a restaurant then I really feel bad for you."
Sasuke just scoffed at Naruto. "I've been to a restaurant before, obviously. But I don't go to places like arcades where little kids are running around putting their greasy hands on everything. I prefer not to run into people like you." Naruto pouted, dragging himself after Sasuke as they left. What he didn't notice, though, as they both waited for the elevator, was a pair of eyes glaring furiously at him.
Ino, standing silently behind a cubicle, narrowed her eyes at the blonde. His name was something like Naruto, from what she recalled. But he had been a total loser, always getting chewed out by Tsunade. So why was he tagging around with Sasuke? And why was Sasuke talking to him? Naruto wasn't worthy of even standing near Sasuke. Ino growled. If Sasuke would accept Naruto then why wouldn't he accept her?
As she watched the elevator open and the two men go in, she started to form a plan. But she decided that if she wanted to do something about Naruto then she would need some help. The elevator doors closed as it began to descend and Ino watched the number counter for a minute. Then she reached into her bag, pulling out her cell phone and flipping through her contact list. She had never imagined that she would actually end up calling this number, but there was only one other person she knew of that would agree with her...
There was a click as the person on the other line answered. Ino grinned.
"Hey, Sakura, there's something I need to tell you...it's about Sasuke."
The next morning Naruto woke to a persistent beeping in his ear. He opened his eyes, lying in his bed in the dark, wondering what that sound was. Was it his alarm? No, his alarm never went off in the morning...and why was his room so dark? His apartment was always bright with moonlight...
I'm not at my apartment, Naruto realized, dragging himself over to the beeping digital clock on the nightstand next to his bed. It was 6 am in the Uchiha household. Groaning, Naruto shut it off and laid back into his bed. Who woke up at 6am? It was way too early. Settling back down into the soft comforters, Naruto felt himself start to drift off to sleep.
And then his door banged open. Of course, I can never get any piece around here. So typical. Naruto thought as a familiar voice greeted him.
"Rise and shine, princess. We have work to do." Sasuke commanded, already dressed and groomed for the day. Naruto glared at him, opening one brilliant blue eye clouded with sleep. "Go away, Uchiha. I'm sleepy," he mumbled, burrowing into the warmth of his sheets...which were ripped off of him with amazing speed. "Get. Up. Now. We're going to work together and you're not going to make me late." Sasuke snarled. Naruto glared at him. "What happened to all that bonding we did yesterday? You know, driving to your office together and all that stuff."
Sasuke let out what seemed to be a cross between a snort and a laugh. "Bonding? You must be sorely mistaken, because the only bond between us is that of a teacher and his lazy, ignorant student. Now GET UP!" Sasuke shoved Naruto with his foot and the blonde fell roughly onto the floor, landing right on his butt, which was still tender from when Tsunade threw him down. "Hey! That hurt!" Naruto groaned, unsteadily getting up.
"Good. Now hurry up and get ready. We're leaving in thirty minutes."
Thirty minutes later, hair still messy and eyes still clouded with sleep, Naruto climbed into Sasuke's car with a yawn. Sasuke glanced over at him as he pulled out of the driveway, raising an eyebrow. "So you weren't tired last night and now you're tired now. That's why I told you we couldn't go to an arcade, stupid."
Naruto just waved a dismissive hand at him, yawning again. "Whatever, Uchiha. Just keep your eyes on the road." He laid back in his seat, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep again.
When they pulled into the parking lot at the company, Sasuke glanced over at Naruto. The blonde was sound asleep, his lips slightly parted and his chest moving up and down slowly in synchronization with his soft snores. For some reason Sasuke couldn't tear his eyes away from the tanned blonde. He looked strangely peaceful and innocent when he slept, so unguarded. Sasuke's hand seemed to move on his own as his fingers brushed the whiskers on the sleeping man's face. And then he realized what he was doing and quickly regained his composure, shaking the blonde awake as gently as he could.
"Oi, sleepyhead. Wake up. We're here." Sasuke snapped as the blonde's eyes fluttered open. Naruto groaned, his expression darkening as he realized that he had been woken. "Come on. Just five more minutes." He groaned sleepily, shifting in his seat. Sasuke reached over, pinching him on the nose. "OW!" Naruto yelped, his eyes widening. "Good. You're awake. Now let's go."
Moments later, the two young men were striding up to the doors of the Uchiha building. The lady at the front desk blushed, as usual, trying to catch the eye of Sasuke, who just walked past her without a second glance. She caught Naruto giving her a funny look and just let out a little "Hmph," turning back to her computer as though she were doing something important.
"The people here really don't like me," Naruto complained as the elevator began to ascend. "They only like pretty boys like you, Uchiha. It's so annoying." Sasuke raised an eyebrow, looking a little skeptical. "I think it's just your obnoxious hair and personality that's a turn off, Naruto." Naruto glared at him. "Thanks. That really helped."
Sasuke smirked back at him as the elevator doors slid open at the top floor. "No problem."
Scowling, Naruto just stepped out of the elevator. "So I just get to watch you do boring stuff all day?" Naruto grumbled. Sasuke didn't reply, merely glancing over at Naruto with an amused expression as the blonde sulked.
"Mr. Uchiha! Were you satisfied with the meeting reports from yesterday?" a familiar voice greeted the two young men. Ino, her hair swinging wildly behind her, strode up to Sasuke, obviously intending to hit on him again. Sasuke, looking uncomfortable, just nodded, edging away from the fierce blonde woman. "Do you have any questions for me?" Ino said in a breathy voice, reaching towards her blouse...
Is she going to unbutton her shirt? Here? Now? Naruto thought, cheeks turning a shade of bright red. Instead, though, Ino just gave her shirt a little pat. Sasuke didn't seem to notice but he looked over at Naruto with an eyebrow raised. "What's wrong with you?" he asked. Naruto just quickly looked away. "Nothing. Nothing at all. I just felt a little hot for a second. Maybe a fever? Haha." Naruto nervously ran his hand through his hair. I was almost caught thinking something perverted, he thought as Sasuke just sighed and resumed walking towards his office, Ino tagging along behind him.
"I'm going to go to the restroom," Naruto called to Sasuke's receding back. The raven haired man just looked over his shoulder. "Come to my office when you're done," he said before turning around a corner.
Sighing, Naruto turned and looked around for a possible restroom. He didn't really have to go, he just wanted some alone time. Okay, that sounded weird, Naruto thought as he searched for the restroom. If he had a phone then maybe he could have texted Kiba or something, but sadly he didn't. Finally, spotting a restroom sign, Naruto hurried in. He tried not to look at his reflection; his hair was messier than usual and he looked really worn out. He sat on the bathroom counter, swinging his legs and thinking about random stuff. "I do need to get a cell phone," he muttered.
Meanwhile, Ino had stopped following Sasuke as he shut his office door. She smirked, reaching for her cell phone again. This is perfect! I hadn't expected the blonde to walk off on his own so soon.
She dialed Sakura's number as she walked down a deserted hallway, making sure that nobody could listen in on her conversation. "Hey, Sakura. The blondie has gone into the restroom. I think it's time." she said. She heard Sakura sigh on the other line.
"Ino, are you sure we should be doing this? I mean, isn't this really extreme? If anyone found out we would get into so much trouble." Sakura's voice was unsure and wavering. Ino scowled, gripping her phone more tightly. "Sakura, we can't go back now! Listen, we're not going to kill the guy. We're just going to teach him a lesson, that's all. No harm, no foul." Ino grinned. Sakura would easily be persuaded if it meant that it would help her chances with making Sasuke fall in love with her.
"Okay, Ino. But I don't want to get into any trouble," Sakura consented. Ino grinned. "Don't worry, Sakura. Everything will be perfectly fine."
Naruto had washed his face off and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to flatten it down a little. Of course it didn't really make a difference but at least he looked freshened up a little. Sighing, Naruto dried his face off with a rough paper towel and headed towards the bathroom exit. Great, now back to Sasuke's boring office, Naruto grumpily thought as he opened the door- and found himself face to face with Sakura.
"Oh, Naruto, you were just the guy I've been looking for," Sakura cried, suddenly throwing her arms around Naruto. Naruto, a little surprised, lurched backwards. "Um...Sakura...?" he said as he tried to pry Sakura off of him.
"Naruto, I have to deliver some heavy boxes and I nearly broke my wrist just trying to get them out of my car trunk! Can you come downstairs with me and help me?" Sakura pleaded. Naruto blinked twice, contemplating the situation. He wasn't in the mood to be lugging heavy boxes up and down the elevator, but then again, it was Sakura asking. Sakura was really pretty and had never stopped to even glance at Naruto before now. This could be my chance to get closer to a babe, Naruto eagerly thought.
"Sure, Sakura. I can carry heavy stuff pretty easily," Naruto grinned at her. Sakura smiled back, her white teeth practically glittering in the office lighting. "Okay, right this way," Sakura said, leading Naruto into the elevator. They descended, Naruto still grinning like a fool and Sakura emotionlessly watching the numbers count down in the elevator. Inside, the pink haired woman was scowling, beginning to feel the seeds of doubt growing in the back of her mind. This is wrong, so wrong, she thought, resisting the urge to push a different button than the first floor.
Too late. The elevator halted and the doors opened, revealing the neat lobby of the office building. Sakura began to walk towards the parking lot, tension building up in her chest. Naruto cheerily followed her, oblivious to her stressed expression. "So, how many boxes are there?" Naruto asked her as they walked. Sakura just shrugged. "Maybe only two? It's not that much," she said, her voice a little shaky.
They exited into the parking lot, Naruto following Sakura as she led him between two cars, striding forward...
Two muscular arms suddenly wrapped around Naruto from behind, hefting him into the air. "WHAT THE-?" Naruto managed to shout before a fabric bag was thrust down over his head, blocking his vision. Naruto kicked and struggled but his arms were pinned to his side and he couldn't see. The man who was holding him was way to strong. He heard Sakura call his name, but the man snarled, "You would shut up if you know what was good for you," Naruto heard Sakura scream, but was suddenly silenced. Naruto was roughly dragged across the hard pavement of the parking lot and thrown into what he assumed was a vehicle. He kicked frantically, punching at only air. "Stop squirming, runt!" the masculine voice growled, and suddenly something hard hit the side of Naruto's face and everything went black.
Sakura felt horrible as she watched the muscleman Ino had hired grab Naruto from behind. The man knew that Sakura was Ino's partner, so he didn't react to her watching the entire thing. Sakura, playing the role of an innocent worker, pretended to panic, calling Naruto's name and screaming, knowing that they were too far away from the building for anyone to hear. And the muscular kidnapper, also acting as well, had told her to shut up and she had willingly complied.
Naruto was stuffed into the back of a van and the man easily knocked him out, smacking him in the head with his giant fist. "Y-You won't hurt him, will you?" Sakura asked in a shaky voice. The man shrugged. "The Ino lady told me to just hold him hostage in this abandoned shed until she called me. She said she'll give me instructions when we get there."
Sakura nodded, pangs of guilt and regret clawing at her insides. Was this worth it? Kidnapping an innocent guy just because he was close to Sasuke? In fact, as Sakura stiffly turned and began walking back towards the building, she wondered why Ino wanted Naruto out of the way so badly. Hadn't Ino just seen Naruto once with Sasuke? Sakura felt tears well up in her eyes, but she held them back. Ino won't let the guy hurt Naruto, she thought. He'll just give Naruto a warning to stay away from Sasuke or something.
Sasuke frowned, peering down at the papers on his desk, then looking up at the door. He had been waiting for Naruto to return from the restroom for over twenty minutes now. Had something happened?
I bet that idiot is just wandering around the building lost again, Sasuke thought, standing up with a groan. There was no way he could focus on his work when he was distracted. He might as well find Naruto. He opened the door, scanning the floor. Everyone was just working in their cubicles. There was no sign of yellow hair anywhere. Sasuke strode down the aisle, heading towards the bathrooms. Had Naruto gotten sick or something?
Pushing the bathroom door open, Sasuke peered inside. No one. Maybe he was inside one of the stalls?
"Naruto, are you in here?" Sasuke called, hoping that one of his other workers wasn't inside. There was no response, though. Frowning, Sasuke checked all of the stalls anyways, just in case the blonde was pulling a prank on him. Empty. Every single one.
Could he have run away? Maybe he called one of his friends to come pick him up? But I didn't give him a phone and he wouldn't be that stupid to just run out of the building with no money or sense of direction, Sasuke contemplated, the blonde's face imprinted on his mind. Where had Naruto gone?
Ino casually walked up to him as he exited the bathroom. "Are you ready for the next meeting, sir?" she asked. Sasuke mentally slapped his palm to his forehead. He had forgotten about the important meeting that would commence in only ten minutes.
"Ino, have you seen Naruto? He's blonde, with blue eyes, whisker marks on both cheeks, dressed awkwardly?" Sasuke demanded. Ino was mildly surprised at how panicked Sasuke looked. He had always called her Ms. Yamanaka too, never by her first name.
"Sorry, I haven't seen him since he came inside," Ino said with a frown. Inside, though, she was grinning. I guess Sakura managed to handle that well, she thought. She reminded herself to call the guy she had hired to kidnap Naruto and give him another set of directions. Sasuke was already striding off towards the elevator, probably to check with the front desk. Ino let the grin show on her face now. She had arranged for the woman at the front desk to be missing at the same time Sakura and Naruto had walked out the front doors.
The other obstacle Ino had faced were the security cameras, but Ino had bribed the security worker to turn them off for fifteen minutes. She had made up the silliest excuse, saying that she would be moving some boxes in the front lobby and didn't want any record of her sweating. And the guy, after receiving $200, easily relented. She knew that she had gone to some extremes, but it would still be worth it. Sasuke would be hers. And she could teach that pathetic blonde, so called "future CEO of the company" a good lesson.
Ino pulled out her cell phone, walking casually over to an empty conference room and shutting the door, sitting in one of the chairs around the table. She dialed the number of the guy she had hired. She tried to recall his name. Had it been Jon? Bob? Whatever, it didn't matter.
"Yes, is this Ms. Yamanaka?" the familiar, ugly voice of the muscleman asked. Ino winced at the man's raspy voice. She hated ugly things.
"This is her." Ino curtly replied. "I have a new set of directions to give you. But I need you to follow them exactly, or else you'll ruin everything and I'll be greatly displeased," she said. "Whatever you say, boss," the man said. Ino smirked, relaying her instructions to the man.
Naruto groaned, his eyes fluttered open to reveal...nothing. His vision was completely black. He seemed to be sitting down, something restraining his arms and chests..."What the- where am I?" Naruto was immediately alert. He recalled being grabbed in the parking lot, Sakura screaming and then the guy stuffing a bag over his head and dragging him into some vehicle.
So that's why I can't see, because of this bag over my head. And I seemed to be tied down onto some chair. The only question that remains is..."WHERE AM I?" Naruto shouted. He was sure that the kidnapper, that buff guy, was around somewhere. Why would someone just grab him and tie him up and leave him there to starve to death? They must have wanted to talk to him instead of killing him on the spot. Had someone found out that he was going to become the CEO of the company? That has to be the reason, Naruto thought.
"So you've woken up." the snarling voice suddenly echoed around the room that he was in. Naruto glared at the dark fabric of the bag. "Yeah. I'm awake. Why am I here? What do you want?" he asked boldly, trying to erase his fear. He heard the man chuckle. "So many questions. Unfortunately, I'm not authorized to answer any of them. I'm just here to teach you a little lesson."
Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. "A...lesson?" he asked, not liking the sound of that. The voice laughed, a harsh, raspy sound, and suddenly something hard hit the side of Naruto's face. Naruto fell over, the chair toppling over with him and he groaned in pain, feeling something warm dripping down his cheek. This is not good, Naruto thought, frantically trying to get free of the ropes that were tied around him and the chair. "Can't we just talk this out?" Naruto asked. The voice just chuckled again and Naruto grunted in pain as something, presumably the man's boot, made harsh contact with his ribs.
"Sure, talk all you want. I, however, am not in the mood for talking." Another kick to Naruto's side made the spiky haired blonde cry out in pain. "Come on, man, at least tell me why you kidnapped me!" Naruto exclaimed, bracing himself for another kick. The man just laughed. For the fourth time. So annoying, Naruto thought. "Here's a warning, then, since you're so eager to have a conversation with me. Stay away from Uzamaki Megacorp." The man chuckled evilly (fifth time) and then his boot slammed across Naruto's face.
For a second Naruto saw stars, losing consciousness for a few seconds, but recovered just in time to receive another kick. If he keeps doing this I'm really going to start losing blood, Naruto thought as he tried to wriggle free of the ropes tying him to the chair. This is bad. So bad. I should never have been so careless. Damn it. I wish I hadn't gone to the restroom in the first place. I wonder if Sakura called for help? She must have seen the license plate number of the car I was thrown into.
Naruto inwardly groaned. His ribs were aching really bad and he knew that his face must look like utter crap. I have a high tolerance for pain...I have a high tolerance for pain... Naruto chanted mentally to himself as the man kicked him right in the stomach.
"GAH! THAT HURT YOU BASTARD!" Naruto half shouted half whined. "Listen, man, I get your point. I'll stay away, okay? So please, stop kicking me!"
There was no reply, but at least the man stopped kicking him as well. Finally, after waiting in suspense for about a whole minute, the man spoke. "Fine. I've had enough anyways. But remember, if I see you anywhere near the Uzamaki Megacorp I will not hesitate to kill you."
Kill? Geez, this guy is like a professional bruiser, Naruto thought as he sighed in relief. He heard a door open and close...and then...nothing. Oh crap. Crap crap crap crap double crap, Naruto thought, realizing that the man must have left. "HEY! WAIT! COME BACK! I'M STILL TIED UP!" Naruto shouted, wincing as his lip cracked. There was no reply. Naruto groaned to himself as he began to struggle against the rope. Eventually they'll come off, he thought grumpily, wishing that he could at least take the bag off of his face. It was wet with blood and smelled horrible.
Sasuke was panicking. He didn't want to admit it and he wouldn't if anyone asked, but it was pretty obvious. He had spent the last twenty minutes interrogating the lady at the front desk in the lobby. She had apparently hadn't seen any sign of Naruto. Then he had stormed over to the security booth, but the security guard claimed that the cameras hadn't shown anything. And when Sasuke demanded to see the tapes it seemed to be true.
"Ugh. Where the hell are you, idiot?" Sasuke growled to nothing in particular as he stormed through the fifth floor. He had already searched the first, second, third and fourth floor for Naruto. He had called Kiba, who apparently was a friend of Naruto's, but Kiba had no idea where Naruto had gone. He hadn't wanted to call Tsunade, since she got angry really easily, but he had anyways and Tsunade and screamed at him for ten minutes and told him to find Naruto.
Sasuke sighed, leaning against the wall next to the elevator. He was tired and worried and frustrated and panicked and scared and- Enough already, Sasuke mentally told himself. Why am I so worked up about him anyways?
Deciding to return to his office, Sasuke pushed the elevator button. Surprisingly, when the elevator doors open, he found himself staring at Sakura, who was really pale with red eyes, as though she had been crying. When she saw him, instead of trying to flirt with him, she just stepped aside, turning her face away from him. Sasuke didn't say anything, just walking into the elevator and pressing the top floor button.
As the elevator ascended the silence between them was really awkward. Sasuke found himself wondering why she had been crying, not because he actually cared about her but because it might have something to do with Naruto. "Excuse me, Ms. Haruno?" Sasuke addressed the pink haired girl coldly. "Would you happen to have seen Naruto anywhere?"
Sakura flinched, looking startled and Sasuke knew that he had hit a nerve. Did she have something to do with Naruto's disappearance? "I-I don't know," Sakura stammered, her eyes filling with tears, and then the elevator doors opened and she started to run out. Sasuke, however, quickly reached out, grabbing her wrist and roughly pulling her back into the elevator. "Wait!" Sasuke demanded. "Please," he added quickly as Sakura began to sob. He let go of her wrist. "Let's go to my office, okay?"
Sakura just nodded and the two exited the elevator, Sasuke leading the distraught girl to his office. When they went inside, Sasuke shut the door behind Sakura. Was seeing Naruto that traumatizing for her?
"Sakura, where did you see Naruto?" Sasuke asked as gently as he could. Sakura wiped her tears away but she was still shaking. "I...I...I can't tell you!" she said. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. She couldn't tell him? That obviously meant that something very suspicious was up. "Sakura, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone else," Sasuke promised. Sakura shook her head. "But if I told you I would get into trouble," she sobbed. Sasuke felt his eyes widen. What had she done to Naruto? Sasuke lost all pity for the crying woman.
"You'll be in a lot more trouble if you don't spit it out. Right now." Sasuke snapped, the anger showing obviously on his face. Sakura, looking frightened, finally nodded. "Okay, okay," she cried. "I was supposed to lead Naruto into a parking lot. He went out there and this guy grabbed him and drove off with him!"
Grabbed Naruto? Naruto was kidnapped? Sasuke felt his heart pound. "What do you mean you were supposed to lead him into the parking lot? Who told you to? And why did you do it?" Sasuke exclaimed. Sakura was still trembling. "It was Ino, okay? She said that you were too close to the blonde and that we had to get rid of him. She knows more than I do, she was the one who hired the guy who took Naruto! I just had one job!"
Sasuke was storming out of the office before Sakura could say another word. Sasuke would find Ino and make her tell him everything. And then Sasuke would fire her. After all, anyone who touched his precious blonde would pay.
Er...this is kinda an author's note I guess? Sorry if this chapter is kinda long and boring -.-'' And I'm very sorry that I made Naruto get beat up but I wanted to put a really weird twist on this story before it got even more boring... I know that Naruto didn't really react like a normal person when he was getting kicked around...I mean, I know that I would be like "HELP ME!" and I would probably start bawling like a little baby, but Naruto is just too cool for that...
Urgh, so I don't know where I'm going with this but I just felt like writing something in bold letters. I think that I'll start writing a different fanfic pretty soon, because looking back on this story I'm not sure that I like it :S I guess writing about businesses and all that stuff isn't my thing, since I kind of find it boring. Isn't that horrible? I find my own story boring =.= I can only imagine what other people think of it.
Well, enough of putting myself down. I guess I'll be working on another chapter for this and then my new story...wish me luck...lol.