Warning: This story, fortunately, is a work of fiction. What happened in Japan, however, is a disaster that should be lamented and mourned for all the loss they're experiencing. Let's all hope and wish that Japan will be able to conquer those difficulties as soon as possible.
*inhales deeply* So let's begin the chapter.
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He felt like he was floating, suspended in mid air. An indescribable calmness filled his body, ready to soar to the highest skies. Chasing after this sensation of serenity, Naruto felt being pulled by its gravity, the intensity of emotions increasing as he was falling down. However, it wasn't remotely scary or dangerous, even though there was a growing awareness of his nerves, senses and earthly warmth as he kept falling down and down. His feet landed to the ground but he couldn't feel the soil beneath him, instead, the first threads of consciousness were pulling him to awaken.
His brain was still a little bit numb, though it was already aware that the dream had ended and began realizing his surroundings, from the dark room with flickering lights, the static noise to the softness of the bed, altogether with the mattress under him. A warm body was also draped around his own, a slow and steady breathing synchronized with his. The oddest part is that the same sensation of serenity that filled his dream lingered in his conscious world, perhaps it was originated from the human temperature chasing away any residue of coldness inside him. Perhaps because it'd been so long that Naruto felt this type of contentment, sharing a bed and missing this intimacy, experiencing these familiar feelings.
"The most terrifying earthq (bzzt…) that shook the entire (bzzt…) of Tokyo…"
At some distant corner of his mind, a buzzing sound was tapping him to full consciousness as Naruto grunted in mild annoyance. "Ungh…"
"Many citizens, now homel (bzzt…), are living in temporary shelters donated by the govern (bzzt…), all of them shocked by the unexpected intensity of this earthquake. (Bzzt…) countries had already expressed their condolences as the Red Cross is (bzzt…) the loss of all Japanese people…"
He was half tempted to bury himself once again into this comfortable warmth and share again the human heat. The blond was beginning to awaken fully so he rubbed his eyelids in a lazy manner, preparing himself for what he believed to be another day of work. As his customary habit, he raised his body to the sitting position on the bed, only to stretch his arms wide with a contented grunt, scratching his hair with a sigh.
"Many homes, buildings and shopping centers were destroyed, (bzzt…)"
He felt fingertips lightly brushing his thigh, increasing his desire to return to his previous position. Before he could regain such a cozy sleep, the blond groaned from the noises of interferences and searched for the nearby remote control, determined to turn it down so he could lie down and lace his arms around the pale body next to him. However, at the moment his finger was hovering around the off button, his eyes widened at the familiar image displayed on screen.
"Unexpectedly, the century old Mitsukoshi, a building in possession of Uchiha Corpor (bzzt…) and was in means of reconstruction, had survived this terrible fate even tho (bzzt…) some floors are severely damaged."
Jaw slack, Naruto maintained his flabbergasted expression, completely petrified as he stared at the television, his brain still trying to process the information to properly have any kind of reaction towards the news. When he fully comprehended at last, an indescribable rush of feelings swelled in his heart, feeling light-headed and almost dizzy from exhilaration. Relief, happiness, lingering apprehension but hope…the blonde quickly shook the only person that witnessed this horrible experience with him as Naruto was determined to share this marvelous news to the brunet. "Oh my god! Sasuke! Sasuke, Sasuke, wake up!"
Sasuke only grunted annoyed. "Ugh…shut the fuck up usuratonkachi, my head—! Lem'me sleep…"
"No, you Bastard, wake the fuck up!" Naruto continued to shake the uncooperative lump on the bed with increasing strength.
He received a sharp glare in response. "Naruto, this better be worthy." Sasuke slowly emerged from the fold of blankets with a disgruntled frown.
"Asshole, just look at the building on TV!" Naruto pointed excitedly but Sasuke reacted with nonchalance, rubbing one of his eyelids with his knuckle and grunted:
"…so?" Naruto shook his head, apparently the bastard still couldn't comprehend the situation; therefore, it was his duty to spell it out for him.
"The earthquake is over! I mean, fuck, we're alive!"
In an instant, onyx eyes snapped open. "We're alive?" Sasuke repeated.
"Yeah! We're alive!" Naruto laughed cheerfully.
"We're alive!" Sasuke shouted relieved.
"We're alive!" Naruto immediately hugged Sasuke in reflex, the latter returning the hug with equal willingness. Then, as if they had received an electrical shock, they both bolted to opposite sides, staring incredulously at each other open-mouthed.
It was in this moment all the subtle tones of color became visible to his blue eyes and Naruto could capture with vivid clarity every inch of detail displayed in front of him: starting with the long neck decorated with multiple hickies that trailed down to his collarbone, the smooth pale chest that oh crap, is that teethmarks near his nipple? He continued to scan frantically only to notice other evidence imprinted on Sasuke's body, his vision pausing to stare at the most obvious one: dried cum on the lean stomach. Gulping dryly, Naruto raised his eyes to see the same surprised expression mirroring Sasuke's. He suddenly felt very naked under Sasuke's gaze and weirdly enough, it was rather chilly now inside this deserted room. Naruto looked down only to realize that he was also completely nude and sporting the same red marks all over his body, his clothes (and Sasuke's ) thrown haphazardly all over the place. Panic ensued. What the hell?
"Many are now concentrating in their tasks to find any survivor in Mitsukoshi center, as it was rumored that Uchiha Sasuke, the youngest son of the current president of Uchiha Corporation and the future heir of Uchiha Corporations, was last seen visiting this place…"
Naruto was almost scared to even make the minimal movement. Anything that would make him comprehend that they were sharing a bed naked. Any lingering protest from his body, demanding he scoot closer to that comfortable warmth was permanently halted, as his brain rushed to supply last night's state of events, that would recall why and how they managed to get into such a complicated situation—:
With a moan, he plunged inside that addicting tightness, reveling from the grunt he received back. His hips already moved in an automatic rhythm, a hazy ecstasy building in his body—
A heavy silence hung between them, the only discernible noises came from the television, still reporting the outside world to them.
Naruto expressed his thoughts at last:
"Oh crap."
A loud sound of breaking walls rumbled in, catching their attention.
"They did it! The firefighters finally opened the main entrance; another team is concentrating on entering two of the Emergency Exits." They have already seen some people exiting the place, the reporter narrated relieved. "The survivors are already receiving immediate medical attention, the entire population of Japan is also hoping that they will find Uchiha Sasuke safe and sound—"
"Oh crap." Naruto widened his eyes, his hands messing his golden hair with desperation. "Oh crap oh crap oh crap. What are we supposed to do now? They are going to arrive and we're in this state…Uuuuuuuh—"He shook his head, babbling. "What the hell happened just now between us, how did we manage to enter into this weird situation and—oh fuck." They turned around to focus on the television as they heard another loud shattering boom.
"One of the emergency exits was obstructed; therefore currently another team is using the fire truck's ladder to enter in the third floor's window. Hopefully this will hasten the rescue as it's still undetermined whether the Mitsukoshi building will hold up for much longer…"
Onyx eyes narrowed sharply as Sasuke's analytical mind caught up with the situation, quickly grabbing Naruto's arm for a light shake, succeeding to capture the blonde's attention.
"Forget about it. Forget about all this. Whatever we have done, we weren't in our right minds when we did it." Blue eyes clouded from remembering and he tightened his grip to maintain Naruto's attention onto his. "It doesn't matter right now anyways, we should move quickly before the firefighters arrive, and it'd better if they don't find us together here."
"Whu—why?" Naruto inevitably questioned.
"Since I'm fairly famous in Japan, if we appear together I'm sure you'll have too much exposure from the media and it'll be bad for your career, especially if they start trying to uncover your past and publish it in the most sensationalist newspaper. That's why…everything that happened last night shouldn't be known to them. So to avoid arousing any suspicion, we shouldn't appear together once we're outside."
"It can't be…that bad right? Both our companies are aware of yesterday's meeting, it's not going to be that weird seeing us together since I was only here fulfilling my job as Sarutobi's architect." The blond muttered.
Sasuke sighed. "Maybe. However, I've been single for so long and the media hasn't seen me in any relationship so they'll jump with any opportunity given. Japanese tabloids are also particularly annoying too, stalking me everywhere. So it's better if we go separate ways."
Naruto gave a faint nod, his mind still muddled to come up with any other kind of rebuttal. "Ok, but how we should do about all this? All the exits in this floor are obstructed."
"Obstructed for us, but I'm sure they have the proper equipment to clear out a path. If I stay in the first emergency exit on the 7th floor and yell for help, they can open up for me."
"O-okay, but lemme go to the emergency exit then, 'cuz—"
"No." Sasuke spoke with a tone of finality, as he turned his head around, breaking eye contact. "Because of...the contents inside that place, it'll be better if I wait there instead of you."
"Oh." Naruto cast his eyes to the ground, feeling very gloomy. "But will that be alright, I mean, the stench of corpses…"
"I'll be fine." Sasuke snorted. "Anyways, I'll also fake unconsciousness the whole time, which is the reason I didn't have the time to find any other survivors to help me out. You stay here and wait for the firefighters that are coming through the main entrance." Sasuke ordered as he pushed the blanket undaunted, though Naruto blushed staring at the increasing exposure of naked pale skin. The brunet moved to the edge of the bed, placing his feet on the ground and was ready stand up—
And promptly fell back to the bed.
Naruto cocked his head to the side, not exactly comprehending the situation. Did Sasuke have cramps or something? His confusion further escalated when a frustrated groan rippled from Sasuke's throat, one hand tenderly touching his backside. Now the slight reddish hue coloring the tanned face morphed into a full crimson one. Naruto scratched the back of his head, muttering embarrassed:
"Um…Are you alri—"
"Yes." Sasuke replied though gritted teeth. Summoning a great strength of will, he stood once again and maintained his upright position, even though he faltered some steps back and winced slightly. His eyes swiftly found articles of his clothing thrown haphazardly around the bed and picked up the nearest one with some restraint.
"Huh. How many times did we do it last night anyways?" Naruto thought mortified, also picking up a pair of pants, only to realize it was Sasuke's, as the brunet was searching for it through careful slow steps. The blond timidly raised the trousers to Sasuke's eye level and the brunet snatched them away from his fingers mutely, sitting on the bed as he got dressed through jerky movements.
"They reached the third floor, the survivors are already counting to ten people. However, no one has been informed yet whether they have found Uchiha Sasuke alive or…"
They had finished dressing up in suspended silence, Naruto throwing some furtive glances although Sasuke didn't turn around once, still buttoning his shirt. Some minutes passed by and although Sasuke still limped, it wasn't as visible as before. Maybe the soreness diminished? Or probably the icy bastard managed to conceal better to save face, Naruto thought with a crooked tilt on his lips.
"Well." Sasuke sighed, turning his head slightly with a weak glare directed at the blond. "I should go."
Not waiting for any kind of response coming from Naruto, Sasuke began walking towards the exit when the blond blurted out:
"Sasuke!"
The call, sounding strangely familiar and yet out of place at the same time, caused both young men to pause their movements, hearing the echoes between them. Sasuke fully turned around with a raised eyebrow, as if daring Naruto to continue the conversation.
"Eh…I just wanted to say…" Naruto fidgeted, his shirt wasn't completely buttoned so it showed glimpses of his well-built torso. Sasuke tore his eyes away from that vision, berating himself for falling into temptation when he succeeded in not sparing one glance while they were dressing themselves. "Anyways…good luck." The blond blurted out before he blindly went to find his shoes, too embarrassed to meet Sasuke's eyes.
Sasuke knew it was his cue to leave and so he did, as Naruto waited until he couldn't hear the retreating steps in the room. He threw his body to the bed with a sigh. What a fucked up situation. Completely awkward. He raised himself to sit in front of the TV as the cameras were now showing a middle-aged couple, a long-haired woman with delicate features crying and…he gulped dryly in recognition, Fugaku, gently soothing her back even if he was also frowning in apprehension. It didn't take a genius to guess who the woman was displayed on the screen.
It was some kind of comfort, that at least the blond was sure that they would find their son safe and sound, although watching their period of suffering was somehow disconcerting for him. Agonizing, waiting irrationally for some ray of hope…Jiraiya must be suffering in the same way, desperately craving for any sign of positive news—Naruto shoved his feet inside the shoe impatiently, somehow he could no longer just stand idly, waiting for the firefighter's arrival when time was passing by so mercilessly.
He sprinted towards the main entrance, heartbeats leaping out of his throat in anticipation, listening attentively to recognize any kind of human noise nearby. As Naruto came closer to his destination, distant voices reverberated across the hall, too far to recognize any words but still tangible enough to create a bubbling happiness blossoming in his heart. The blond man immediately shouted:
"Is anyone nearby? I need help here!"
Someone answered: "We're firefighters and we've come to help you out! Where are you, can you move or are you stuck below some debris?"
"I'm ok – I'm not stuck!" Naruto yelled back, running towards the source of those voices. "But I can't go to the lower floors, all the exits are blocked!" He saw columns of light moving around which he assumed came from flashlights and with a relieved grin, he ran until he stood on the edge. "I'm here!"
Four firefighters raised their heads, slightly bewildered seeing an American waving his hand. One of them yelled in Japanese: "Great! Are you the only one in that floor or are there other survivors up there?"
"No, I'm the only one on this floor." Naruto replied in Japanese, observing as the firefighters exchanged looks.
"Ok, it's still better if we search for other survivors afterwards. But first, we'll rescue you. Can you jump from where you are if we place a life net to cushion your fall?" The same firefighter asked.
"No problem!" Naruto nodded, as they prepared the equipment, once done he jumped without hesitancy, the successful fall resulted in receiving pats on his back from the firefighters as some members of the team guided him downstairs, the whole expectation of being able to go outside made Naruto feel lightheaded.
It was so good to be alive.
They finally exited Mitsukoshi; blue eyes automatically winced from the strong rays of light. Apparently, it was still day time, a fact Naruto couldn't notice since shopping malls were usually built with few windows to make their clients not notice the passage of time. A warm blanket was draped around his shoulders at once as the firefighters shouted to the medics, everyone running around to attend the survivors from the earthquake.
The blond tried to stop one of the firefighters to ask for Sasuke's whereabouts but before he could pick one, his eyes quickly captured thousands of cameras and reporters all surrounding one point, flashes and loud chatter nearby the ambulance. Logically comprehending that scenario, Naruto felt his body relaxing from the tenseness that he wasn't aware of before, blinking when he saw a female paramedic standing in front of him.
Her eyes were haunted and tired, from seeing too much in one single day but still refusing to rest until her job was done. She looked undecided on how to communicate with him, taking in his foreigner appearance when Naruto reassured:
"Don't worry about it, I speak Japanese."
She sighed in relief and commenced the usual check-up, asking some basic questions while her stethoscope searched for any abnormality in his body.
"Do you feel anything, nausea, any discomfort, blurry vision, any wound?" She turned on the flashlight to examine his eyes.
"No…" Naruto replied. "But I think I'm getting hungry now." He said sheepishly, feeling his stomach rumbling, the first signs of his body fully awakening from that mind-numbing experience he had passed through.
The paramedic smiled shaking her head and grabbed something from her pocket. "Here, take this chocolate bar, that's all I can give you at the moment. But try eating something substantial afterwards and if you feel anything out of place, throat dry or sickness, go to a hospital immediately. Since I don't see anything wrong with you, I guess you can go home."
"Thanks!" Naruto grinned, snapping the chocolate in two pieces and was ready to offer one to the medic when another shout attracted their attention and with a quick wave of goodbye, she went away.
Taking into consideration that he should go and not disrupt the paramedic and firefighter's work to save people since he already overstayed for too long, Naruto asked for directions and began walking back to his hotel, fortunately its location was nearby Mitsukoshi. Since it was his first day in Tokyo, he couldn't identify the changes caused by the earthquake, but it was painfully evident all the damage displayed in front of him; every trash can was tossed around chaotically everywhere, some electric poles were broken, the street had visible fissures in some areas.
Aside from other firefighters moving around and some people carrying groceries, the place was completely deserted. Naruto assumed everyone was in their houses assessing and attempting to fix up all the damage caused by this disaster. He passed through the Ginza train station, seeing some people sleeping in front of the closed entrance, although they were dressed decently to be passed up as street beggars. They probably lived far away from the city and couldn't find transportation to go back home at this moment.
It was incredible how an earthquake, that lasted only few minutes in total, could throw so many lives in disarray…Naruto contemplated as he arrived at his hotel which was fortunately still intact.
However, once he entered the hotel, an unusual scene caught him by surprise. The hotel was packed with people, mostly families were sitting in every possible space in the lobby, children crying while adults talked heatedly about the situation, all employees moving around, completely occupied. Through cautious steps, Naruto arrived at the reception desk though everyone was busy answering the phones or barking orders to the bellboys. Finally, one receptionist noticed his presence and asked politely:
"May I help you sir?"
Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Ah yes…I'm one of the guests of this hotel and I wanted to ask for my key."
"Could you tell me your name or the room number please?" The receptionist grabbed a nearby keyboard, ready to type his information.
"Uzumaki Naruto, but I'm not sure about my room number, I apologize."
The receptionist stopped in his tracks and peeked back cautiously. "Uzumaki Naruto-sama? I see…you paid for a double suite on the 14th floor right?"
"Yes, I did. Is there any problem about it?" Naruto asked.
"Well…you see, unfortunately, this recent earthquake destroyed many houses and now many families are homeless. However, our hotel didn't suffer any damage so our director decided to offer temporary shelter until the government could issue proper assistance. This also means that our hotel is working in full capacity but there are still a lot of families that need a decent accommodation here. Your suite…" The receptionist cleared his throat and continued, albeit hesitant. "Is enough for a family of four so if you don't mind changing to a single room…"
"Oh, is that it? I don't mind, feel free to do so." Naruto answered untroubled.
The tone of relief was evident on the receptionist's voice as he bowed profusely. "We are very sorry for this inconvenience and thank you so much for your cooperation; we guarantee we won't charge for your stay."
"Huh? Don't worry about it. I'm willing to pay if it'll help this hotel."
"No no no, we refuse to charge anything for your benevolent help." The receptionist shook his head, bowing once again. "I'll ask the bellboy to relocate your luggage—"The phone rang once again at the reception desk and the employee looked apologetic towards Naruto. "I'm sorry Uzumaki-san, but I—"
"I'm in no hurry, take your time to do your work." Naruto smiled back in reassurance, as the receptionist bowed one last time before he went to answer the phone.
Behind the reception desk there was a plasma widescreen TV to entertain the guests while they waited to be attended, so Naruto automatically fixed his eyes on the screen, expecting more news regarding Tokyo's current status after the earthquake.
However, what he saw was another odd coincidence; Naruto widened his blue eyes as he immediately recognized the duck-butt haircut. Sasuke was surrounded by dozens of reporters, the speaker narrating the following events, expressing relief that the current heir of the Uchiha Corporation was safe and alive. The cameras continued to record Sasuke's mother crying and hugging her son tightly, as Sasuke made soothing motions on her back. She released him when Fugaku approached and much to Sasuke's and Naruto's shock, his embrace had the same emotionally charged strength, his eyes closed in a frown, as if it was attempting to block the incoming of tears.
Sasuke stood there a few seconds dumbfounded, looking like a lost child as the elder Uchiha continued to embrace him. Then, bit by bit, the young man hesitantly raised his arms and returned the hug as his mother stood closely by their side, her hand on her husband's shoulder and a bright smile on her lips.
At seeing such an emotional scene, Naruto smiled; somehow feeling immensely satisfied witnessing such a positive outcome. He continued to watch fondly as Sasuke's mother kissed the brunet's forehead when someone called out to him:
"—maki-san? Uzumaki-san?"
Blue eyes blinked bewildered before focusing on the receptionist. "Yes?"
"We have already moved your luggage to your new appointed room. Here's the key." He offered the magnetic card as the blond picked it up. "Thank you once again for waiting and for your cooperation. Still…" The receptionist threw a glance over the crowded lobby. "I didn't expect that our hotel would survive this horrible earthquake. We do maintain the facilities in impeccable order, but this hotel is almost 50 years old…"
"54." Naruto corrected. He also considered this outcome, even with the constant maintenance, the usual life expectancy for a modern building would be around 40 years. After this selected period of time, most material would corrode and suffer oxidation, making it frailer for this type of natural disaster. So what caused these buildings, Mitsukoshi and this hotel, to withstand a 7.7 scale earthquake? What did they have in common, using a technology that differs from the buildings that crumbled under this disaster? Naruto roamed inside his mind, trying to remember the details of his Master thesis. Maybe Sarutobi's style… "Maybe it's the pre-stressed structure. Also, since they are older buildings, they have a wider arrangement to distribute the weight combined with engineered dampers."
The receptionist blinked astonished until he spoke impressed. "Uzumaki-san, you seem to be very knowledgeable regarding this. Are you an engineer, architect of some sorts?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I'm an architect. Hey, if you don't mind, can I contact your manager so I can inspect the lower floors and also the maintenance room in the next few days? I wanted to examine them so I can adapt and utilize my findings for my next construction project."
With the advance of technology, it was easier to find better materials that were more flexible, giving opportunities to create a more innovative design. However, this had also created a concept of valuing the shape over the safety quality of the structure; most buildings nowadays were designed to withstand a 6.5 scale of earthquake, dismissing that if there's any higher scale it would be counted as an exception. However, this 'exception' had cost lives of innocent people and experiencing this trauma up close and personal brought forth a resolution that Naruto vowed to himself to never make that particular mistake of underestimation again.
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"Stop pouting Sasuke."
Sasuke weakened his glare a few notches before grumbling back. "I am not, mother." One of the doctors examining him cowered when the young Uchiha stared menacingly towards the stethoscope, giving a nervous glance towards Mikoto.
"Yes, you are. I know how much you hate doctors Sasuke. Now stop intimidating them or else they won't be able to do your check-up." Mikoto chastised his son, smiling apologetically to the doctors surrounding the brunet.
"I don't even understand why I have to do this check-up, I'm feeling perfectly fine. The paramedics confirmed this when I exited the shopping mall, mother." Sasuke rebutted in slight annoyance, even though he sat obediently on the hospital bed. God, he hated wearing those hospital gowns, but at least they were covering the front part of his body. It was rather awkward showing his nude body to his parents considering…last night's circumstances.
"Well, but it wouldn't hurt to be completely sure about this right? You stayed for too long inside that building, I'm surprised that you weren't dehydrated in the long run and you didn't suffer fatigue, only mild hunger." Mikoto replied calmly, sighing as the doctor gave up examining Sasuke with his stethoscope and gave a quick excuse to exit the room. Maybe later then.
"It was only for a day, that's why there isn't anything wrong with me."
Mikoto appeared to be considering this answer until she shook her head. "Ok, then maybe we should scan your body…make sure you don't have any broken bones or something, after all you laid unconscious through the whole night."
Sasuke sighed, Mikoto was oddly acting like a doting mother, a completely different facet from the usual workaholic; genius in finance he was used to working with. It'd been a while since she fussed over any small thing, usually preferring to give him an austere education over pampering her child. He briefly glanced at Fugaku, expecting his father to intervene her decision when the elder Uchiha saw Sasuke's exasperated expression and crossed his arms.
"Your mother is correct, it'd be better if you go through a complete check-up. Your well-being comes first."
"Stop sulking Sasuke." Mikoto smiled indulgently.
"Ugh." Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes, although he still obediently went through the usual procedures in examining his body.
While they were waiting for the results though, Mikoto's secretary lightly knocked on the door before opening with a whisper:
"Excuse me, Uchiha Mikoto-sama…you have a call."
Mikoto frowned in displeasure as she replied. "Can't it wait until later? The results are arriving soon."
"I'm sorry but…the prime-minister of Japan wants to talk with you. We already set your up laptop in the next room." The secretary bowed apologetically, waiting for Mikoto's decision.
Mikoto still appeared to be unwilling to exit the room, as she glanced briefly towards her son. Sasuke reassured her. "I'm alright mother; you have more pressing business at the moment rather than waiting for the results from my check-up. We'll notify you once it arrives."
Mikoto sighed, patting Sasuke's shoulder lightly. "Okay. I'll be nearby if anything happens." Once she began talking to her employees, her gentle features steeled with calculating edges as she exited the room.
A somewhat uncomfortable silence settled between them, Fugaku sitting on a chair while Sasuke sat on the bed, his feet dangling a little, strangely feeling like a reprimanded child in front of his father. Fugaku wasn't staring at him, opting instead to close his eyes in calm meditation while the younger Uchiha attempted his best to relax his posture but without looking completely undignified.
Longer minutes passed and suddenly Fugaku stood up, making Sasuke straighten up, wary. "It is taking too long for the results to arrive."
Sasuke paused in contemplation and answered. "Probably everyone is busy at the moment attending the survivors. Can't we ask one of employees to pick it up then?"
"They are all busy helping your mother. Because of the earthquake the stock market will remain closed for about two days or more. It's inevitable that once they re-open, we'll end up with a negative profit. Currently your mother is discussing the economical plans to prevent any further crisis, and decide whether the Uchiha Corporation is going to donate a sum of money along with the government releasing another amount from the Bank of Japan to normalize the market."
"I see. Moreover, we need to reassure the population and global community that we weren't greatly impacted by this earthquake and our reconstruction is already at hand. We need to provide assistance to those who have been affected by this earthquake and help diminishing their fear caused by this trauma since I'm sure we'll suffer aftershocks during the next month or so."
"Good. Then, I'm sure you'll know your designated tasks once you're ready." Fugaku nodded in approval and spoke calmly. "But for now, I'll go pick up the results of your tests."
Sasuke widened his eyes alarmed. "I can go instead; you don't have to do this father." He spoke, removing himself from the bed, when Fugaku undeterred placed a hand in front of him.
"No, you stay here. After experiencing such a traumatizing event, you need to rest physically and mentally, so stay in bed till we see the results and go home." Fugaku replied. "Also, it seems that you're limping a little…what if you have a sprain somewhere and need medication?"
Pale cheeks reddened slightly but the youngest Uchiha succeeded in maintaining his composure. "It's nothing serious…probably I stayed too long in an uncomfortable position. That's why it's fine if I go instead of—"
"Stop being so stubborn and stay here to rest. I'll be back as soon as possible." Fugaku interrupted, his voice stern and inflexible. Sasuke closed his mouth and didn't dare to create any rebuttal as he observed his father exiting the room.
Finally alone. Why is it always more difficult to interact with his father than his mother? Sasuke mused, also blaming his ineptitude to read and comprehend his father's actions. There were many attitudes and words being misinterpreted, always having problems with communication, both father and son guarding their emotions and failing to express them correctly. Until this day, Sasuke was sure that in Fugaku's eyes he was nothing but a phony replacement, never living up to his expectations, never impressing his father enough.
And then, the hug Sasuke received when he finally escaped from the building stole his breath. His father was truly concerned over him; he was suffering from Sasuke's absence. One simple action washed away bitter feelings of resentment, elated that he could understand more about his father. Harboring negative emotions towards your own parents was always so tiring.
His stomach growled, surprising the brunet. There was a button to call for help, though Sasuke assumed that asking for mere food when every nurse was busy attending worse cases sounded too obnoxious to his ears. Also, his pocket still contained some coins to buy something from vending machines and it wasn't like he was an invalid, he could walk perfectly fine with his two feet, even though that usuratonkachi almost rendered him immobile from the rough sex. (How many times did they do it last night? Sasuke wondered with a frown) Remembering the blond made him realize that Naruto was correct that Fugaku cared about him. The Uchiha frowned even further, does that mean that the dumbass could read his father better than he could? He snorted, dismissing this idea as he placed the coins inside the machine.
"…yes, we've come from Mitsukoshi and now I'm waiting for my mother's test results." A feminine voice attracted his attention involuntarily while Sasuke was crouching to pick up his snack. Apparently, it was a young girl currently being interviewed by a reporter sitting nearby as she continued to narrate. "It was such horrible confusion that I was separated from my mother when we were escaping from that building. Luckily I exited first, because there was a blond man; a foreigner I'm sure, that guided us to the Emergency exit."
The instant Sasuke heard this speech, he momentarily froze astonished, before picking up the food and slowly opening the package, his ears trained to hear her testimony.
"My mother said that it was fortunate that I used the Emergency exit, since the entrance was so narrow that some people were injured when part of the ceiling was falling off or others were trampled during the confusion. However…" She looked down her coffee cup and whispered. "I've heard from other survivors that I was also lucky that I was quick in climbing down the stairs since some minutes after I was outside, they heard a loud rumbling on the upper floors, probably it crumbled or something like that. I hope…" Her words sounded pained and guilty. "I hope that kind foreigner escaped alive after this…"
"Hn." Sasuke crunched his snack food, leaving the place and tuning out her interview. Somehow, hearing that Naruto did succeed in saving lives even through those dire circumstances brought a small smile to his lips, as he walked nonchalantly back to his room.
"Sasuke!"
The brunet heard his mother shouting and turned around. Mikoto was running even though the hospital was packed and quickly grabbed his arms.
"You! I told you to stay in your room didn't I! Your father said the same too!" The desperation was clearly laced on her tone as Mikoto squeezed his arms. "Don't you realize how worried I was when I didn't you see you inside, I—"
"Mother. I went to buy some snacks and I was going to return quickly as soon as I was done." Sasuke removed her trembling hands from his arms and guided her back to his room.
"One whole day." Mikoto whispered, trying to contain the tears welling in her eyes. "You were gone for one whole day when this horrible earthquake had happened, we didn't know your whereabouts and the authorities were forbidden to search you for a whole night. I'm sorry that I overreacted but—"She hiccupped, her son searched her purse to find a handkerchief inside.
"It's ok, mother." Sasuke combed her hair as he offered the handkerchief to dry her tears.
"You both are my precious sons. I'm sure I'd die of sadness if you disappear from my life…I was already torn when your older brother vanished all of a sudden, if this…" Mikoto hiccupped once again. "If this happened to you too, I don't…"
Itachi. You will always leave a scar inside this family…won't you?
"Mother…" Sasuke gently squeezed her shoulder to assure that he was there, by her side. "You know that I won't ever leave you, it's a promise."
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Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. He was so tired. Naruto sluggishly walked towards his bed until he fell haphazardly on it, sighing contentedly. It felt so weird laying down, relaxing when over the last day he suffered so much. Now everything seemed like nothing but a horrible nightmare, a vivid memory that he hoped he would be able to erase through passage of time. Azure eyes squinted at his watch; it was already 3:00 pm. That probably meant that it was 2:00 am on Jiraiya's time. The blond at first figured that he shouldn't bother his adoptive father so late at night…but the images of Fugaku and Sasuke's mother waiting, shown on the TV screen formed a knot in his throat. No one deserved to receive the excruciating task of waiting, suffering with each tick from the clock.
Naruto picked up his laptop, turning it on, as thankfully, the internet was available for use. He used Skype to call Jiraiya's number; the telephone only had to ring once when someone picked it up, his voice breathless:
"Hello?"
Naruto smiled. "Ero-sennin."
It took several seconds in suspended anticipation when Jiraiya released his breath with a grunt. "Jesus! You're alright. Don't scare me off like that!"
"Yeah yeah yeah, I'm still intact, alive and kickin'. Psh, I'm still ready to pester you for the next few centuries ero-sennin." Naruto laughed on the phone relieving the somber atmosphere.
"But where were you while the earthquake happened? It was 7.7 magnitude, you know that right? Everyone was so worried, we tried to search for your whereabouts in the missing person engine on the internet, but we didn't find any further information. Also, it took so fucking long for the authorities to return to the city after the second earthquake had happened. Luckily the last one wasn't as strong as expected."
"Well, I…" Naruto figured that he shouldn't worry his father unnecessarily so he invented a white lie. "I stayed inside the hotel most of the time, only to evacuate on the second earthquake. I should thank Sarutobi-jiichan for designing this awesome hotel. Can you believe that even though it's old it didn't suffer any damage in comparison to newer buildings?"
"Really…? I guess, as long as you're safe Naruto." Jiraiya replied on the phone. "We also saw when the firefighters were rescuing survivors from Mitsukoshi, we thought that you were inside when Mr. Sasuke Uchiha was also there. When I didn't hear any news regarding you, I…" Jiraiya trailed off, obviously moved from the impending disastrous future that fortunately wasn't fulfilled.
Naruto fell silent, feeling guilty for worrying his father, hearing the uneven breaths and some sniffling coming from the speaker, as it appeared that Jiraiya was attempting to hold-off from crying. "I'm fine, ero-sennin." The blond spoke. "I'm fine, I'm alive, I'm here and I didn't suffer any kind of injury, so don't worry about it."
Jiraiya rasped out, his voice hoarse. "Okay…" He inhaled slowly and repeated, more to reassure himself than anything. "Okay…"
Hazy memories focused in his mind and Naruto felt that he wanted to fulfill one wish, once denied because he was too prideful, didn't recognize its true value before it was almost too late. So he also inhaled a great amount of air and gripped the sides of his laptop.
"Father." His hands were shaking without his permission. "I love you." He felt a large lump forming in his throat but still pressed on. "Thank you so much for taking care of me through all these years."
The other side of the phone was completely mute, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, as both parties were taking their time to absorb those words.
Jiraiya answered. "What really happened last night? Did you meet a life and death situation or maybe you inhaled some toxic gas…?"
Naruto rolled his eyes. "No, I really mean…"
"But you know what? I love you too brat." Jiraiya chuckled. "But you don't have to thank me for taking care of you. I just…did what any decent father would do for his son. I just regret that I didn't give you a decent school that you deserved, even if you found a way to overcome those problems. You were always the hardworking type and I knew it would pay off sooner or later."
"No, you still educated me well and provided me food and housing, I should be the one to blame myself for taking so long to repay your help—"
"Bullshit, I don't care about that." Jiraiya said flippantly.
"But I wanted to become someone worthy, make you proud of me and…"
"Naruto…I was already proud of you the moment you were born. I don't care what you'd become, but I always knew that you'd grow up and become such great son that you are nowadays. Remember that."
Naruto took few a minutes to acknowledge this information when he declared, pressing his palms on the keyboard so heavily that some snapping noises could be heard coming from the plastic material. "Then, if you are already proud of me, can't we stop the whole facade of me lying about the fact that you're not my father?"
Jiraiya paused before groaning in exasperation. "What, we're going to talk about this now…? I can't believe you…"
"Because I am as proud of you being my father, what kind ungrateful son would I be if I can't recognize the one who helped me out the most?"
"…" Jiraiya grumbled. "It is not that simple."
"But maybe it's not that complicated. C'mon ero-sennin." Naruto grinned. "You trust me, you trust your son, don't you? I can take care of this myself."
This time, the older man took a few quiet minutes to reflect on the proposition before surrendering with a disgruntled noise. "Fine, fine, do whatever you want."
Naruto beamed brightly. "Thanks!"
"I should go now, waiting to hear your bratty voice exhausted me."
"Bah, my handsome voice is like a lullaby that will deliver the sweetest dreams from the angels. You just don't know how to appreciate it."
Jiraiya snorted. "I'm sure. By the way, I'm going to inform everyone later. They were also worried about you."
"Okay…just." Naruto remembered and grumbled. "Just don't add the details of this conversation ok. I don't want you babbling that we were talking about our relationship."
"Of course I won't." Jiraiya replied amusedly.
"Yeah…sobbing like little girls and talking about feelings. We did manly things and discussed about manly situations." Naruto harrumphed haughtily.
"Yes, I'll deliver as requested you brat." Jiraiya laughed. "I'll even add that the only reason you couldn't contact me before was because you were busy being the super hero and saving countless lives, if that makes you happy."
"Whatever. Gotta go take a bath, I stink old man."
"Fine. Have a good day Naruto." Jiraiya turned off the phone as Naruto shut down his laptop.
His body greatly welcomed the warm shower, removing any residue of tenseness as he calmly soaped his blond hair. Once done, Naruto was too lazy to dry it and fell back on his bed, sighing contentedly as he stared at the cream colored ceiling.
This was the strangest couple of days he ever faced in his life. Definitely the life-altering type, screwing your mind and leaving you disoriented. Naruto wondered why it was so remarkable when those memories were already blurring out…not that he would ever forget it…
"Forget about it." A hypnotic voice echoed in his heart, one pale hand enveloping his arm. "Forget about all this."
Yeah right. Naruto snorted, cogs in his brain moving and restarting to recall those past events, as he wondered.
Forget about what?
The hot skin, slicked with sweat slid so deliciously with his own, his teeth nibbling on a hardened nipple as his lover ushered him to approach their faces, latching on the long neck and suckling lightly on the pale skin, a moan reverberating from his throat—
What?
Blue eyes blinked rapidly, not comprehending the sudden flash of memories. He sat up from his bed and rubbed his eyelids, calming down the remaining sensations that were beginning to…
Reawaken.
Their tongues danced in a frenzied rhythm, blunt nails scratched his sun-kissed back - the erotic pain making his vision hazy with desire. He threw one leg over his shoulder as two fingers were already inside, already lubed from their previous tryst, the cum dripping out hastened his preparations, one masculine yell as he further stimulated the same spot over and over and—
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh." Naruto shook his head violently, both of his hands scratching his golden hair. He was sure that both were too drunk for him to remember anything in detail, even if logically he knew what transpired that night.
So why is he recalling everything now?
Naruto shuddered, feeling the sensation of legs enveloping his waist, as he drove inside over and over—
His cock pulsed inside that tight entrance until it burst out and he orgasmed with a guttural yell, watching long fingers pumping the erection to completion, spraying the sheets. Naruto kissed the lean stomach, climbing up till their lips connected and moved lazily, still recovering coming from the tremendous high. Darkened onyx eyes stared at him lustfully while hands slithered down and gripped both cocks, pressing them together as they slid with each roll of their hips. The blond shivered, this added pleasure was still feeling too new to him, as Sasuke cupped the back of his neck and his teeth nibbled his lower lip—
"Forget about it. Forget about it, forgetaboutitforgetaboutit…"Naruto groaned as his body was reacting from the arousing recollections.
But he didn't want to yield to these new sensations. He tried desperately to refuse to allow those emotions and memories to invade his thoughts. It was too late, raging waters were breaking the dam—
His tongue licked lazily up the long, toned back, thrusting in and out, in and out, already fucked too many times to be unfamiliar with that pale body, already heard too many cries of ecstasy as he struck accurately, knowing by now what would bring Sasuke the highest pleasure. His voice was muffled by the pillow placed below, face flushed from built euphoria as Naruto thrust forward, drawing a choked moan with each slap of skin, his knees and arms bent on the bed, his ass high and exposed for Naruto's greedy eyes. He watched, transfixed, as the tight hole stretched and accommodated his length, his cock appearing and disappearing over and over, the speed increasing with each thrust, tanned hands wrapped around pale ones as they pumped together around the dripping cock. Sasuke was opening his mouth into a silent yell, until he shouted:
"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed on his bed, his vision still blurry and his breath ragged from exhaustion.
It was at this moment that Naruto noticed some things. His pants were halfway down his legs, his hand had somehow sneaked inside his boxers and was rapidly jerking him off and, if the amount of semen dirtying his bed was any indication, he just came from a rather intense orgasm.
"Oh…crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap…" Naruto groaned, staring at his soiled hand. He was screwed.
He was so screwed.
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Report 07: Warm stickiness soiling the expensive Egyptian bed sheets.
AN: *sigh* I don't know if I'm in the mood to say this and I bet everyone is aware of the latest news, but well, at the current moment I'm writing/editing this chapter, a horrible earthquake and a tsunami really happened on the northeast coast side of Japan and nearby Tokyo.
While I was writing this part, I couldn't help but to feel some kind of relief in being able to control this universe and make the earthquake affect a low number of people and allow this chapter to have a positive conclusion about this event (between the characters). Sadly, the real world doesn't always work like that and there's nothing to numb this suffering the Japanese people are feeling at this moment.
I can only hope that the areas affected will be rebuilt as soon as possible with the courage and dedication from everyone in this world. This is a horrible tragedy but I believe that the Japanese people will be able to stay strong and overcome this trauma in the end.
Anyways, it's been a while but I've always wanted to thank each reader of RC and your lovely reviews too! I wanted to reply each one of 'em, but uuuuuh…I don't have a lot of free time. D: Ok, the worst excuse evar…sorry and thank you all once again.
As usual, thanks Belledragon for being my beta and noticing (a lot of) plot holes that I dismissed. :P