Ah, blessed drink from the heavens…Jiraiya opened his beer and emptied it in quick gulps, already picking up another can from the refrigerator while he rummaged around to find some decent food. He heard some keys dangling and quietly opening the door as he shouted to his son:
"Hey brat! Sorry I didn't warn you before, but my editor called me all of a sudden to attend an interview in New York and I thought I could crash in your house tonight if you wouldn't mind." He continued to examine the refrigerator as he complained. "You need to restock your food, I'm not seeing anything healthy aside ramen, some leftovers, junk food…you really need to eat some veggies brat!"
"Ero-sennin."
Hearing the tone, Jiraiya immediately dropped what he was doing and ran towards the living room, alarmed:
"Naruto, is there something wro—"His eyes widened when he saw the state of his son. Bruises all over his face and arms, clothes all tattered. The oddest part of all was that he reeked of smoke—some parts of his blazer were charred. "What—what's…are you alright?"
Jiraiya tried to survey any other possible wound or bleeding, uneasy that the blond was so quiet. Worried, he peered at Naruto's eyes, noticing a blank stare, the fogginess permeating inside. Jiraiya shook his son's shoulders, asking:
"What's wrong with you? Who did this to you? Naruto?" He shook him again in emphasis.
As if he was snapped out of stupor, Naruto blinked several times before acknowledging Jiraiya:
"Father." His voice still bleary from all the emerging feelings surrounding him.
The blond placed a hand on his temples, murmuring to himself:
"I don't know what's happening to me…"
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Report 13: Trapped inside immaterial walls
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He couldn't think of anything else, hear anything else, see anything else aside cerulean eyes that expressed so much grief and frustration, warm droplets of tears falling on his pale cheeks. Painful words were uttered, intensifying the emotions being poured out. He couldn't bear seeing such sadness in Naruto's eyes, wanting to stop that voice from saying those hurtful words, craving to end it, interrupt, do whatever it took to halt the pair of tempting lips from moving.
On a whim, fingers quickly grabbed the back of the tanned neck and he effectively silenced Naruto by sealing his lips onto his. In this instant, everything felt right, like every piece had assembled perfectly. Ignoring the startled gasp, he delved inside, tasting Naruto, not leaving any part unexplored.
It was bliss—he'd never imagined how much he had missed this, but now he definitely didn't want to stop it. Feeling that warm skin, tasting his delicious mouth, their bodies melding perfectly, as if Naruto was made to fit him—
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh." Sasuke thought to himself, sighing inwardly as he rubbed his eyelids. Glaring at the spotlights that were almost rendering him blind, he attempted to focus on Fugaku's speech to the press.
Fortunately, all the cameras were recording his father, so no reporter would be able to register his distress. If any of them would trouble themselves to notice his behavior though, they would see a perfect mask of nonchalance - coolly clapping his hands while Fugaku delivered his speech - not expressing his inner turmoil. Lucky for Sasuke, he was able to keep a poker face. This way, no one would be able to see him desperately trying to remove stupid tasty blondes from his head, the addicting kisses, the way fingertips had caressed his skin—
Their lips moved frantically as their tongues clashed and slid together, nibbles and gasps alternating in between. His head was throbbing from all the sensations, from the swollen cheek, the bruises that kept stinging from time to time, to Naruto's arms tightening around his body, his tongue running smoothly on his lower lip. A set of teeth sank lightly on it and Sasuke succumbed, continuing their open-mouthed kisses.
"Uuuuuugh." Aside the current mental scream Sasuke was having, there was only a slight twitch of his left eye that betrayed his stoic expression. He just couldn't stop the onslaught of images from rampaging around his brain. A week had already passed but the memory was still fresh as if this incident had happened only a few seconds ago.
Because he had been wounded from the fight he had with Naruto, he had no choice but to arrive a few days later on the day of his mother's celebration. The instant he arrived via the Uchiha's private plane, he applied the best medicines and salves all over his skin, also asking his staff to cover the bruises with some subtle makeup and thin Band-Aids. He also called his father and explained that he still needed to find a suitable present for his mother before meeting with the family. A bit disgruntled, Fugaku conceded and told Sasuke he had already arranged for a necklace from an Italian jewelry artisan. Both of them agreed that considering it was a special present to Mikoto, Sasuke should retrieve the gift since it was also on his way, which conveniently for Sasuke allowed one extra day for healing.
His mother also shared his interest and passion for Japanese culture; being the one who introduced Sasuke to the subject, so the brunet figured he should buy an original print from Hokusai. He eventually found an art dealer that lived in Hokkaido that had a suitable print. Framing took another few hours so once he arrived home, luckily his most prominent injuries weren't as visible and some of the gashes were also healed. Mikoto fortunately didn't question much the reason why he had make-up on his face.
At the moment he was attending Mikoto's official celebration for her successful nomination, every important name or politician was present, meaning that he didn't have the luxury to slip up. Meaning also that he should concentrate on the task of welcoming the guests, not letting his mind linger on memories of the close proximity of Naruto's warm body that set his heart ablaze, his lips brushing his, fingers gliding lightly over his dark scalp as—
Wait.
With another twitch of his eye, Sasuke diffused his wandering thoughts, narrowing his eyes on a very recognizable and yet distant figure.
Itachi.
His older brother was the first one to greet him once he was home, with the same serene smile that, ages ago, would soothe Sasuke's restless heart, but now it only left a bitter taste of resentment in his mouth. Whenever Itachi tried to start any conversation, Sasuke would just grunt back, clearly not in the mood to have any sort of interaction with him.
Mikoto, on the other hand, was absolutely ecstatic that every member of their family was united once again, hugging her sons with a blissful smile that tugged Sasuke's heartstrings. It made him wonder how much she must have suffered from Itachi's absence, even though he suspected his mother purposely hid those emotions to keep the family ties intact. Witnessing the relief and joy brightening her eyes, was the only reason Sasuke didn't start a full-blown argument with his older brother.
Fugaku silently observed the interactions with a guarded stare, crossed arms expecting some sort of closure coming from Itachi. Once Mikoto released him from the hug, Itachi turned to face his father with a solemn look, appraising the situation in a silent moment.
Startling everyone in the room, Itachi kneeled in front of his father, the bowing position already showing his intention.
A request for forgiveness.
Sasuke paid close attention to see if he could detect any sign of a lie or false expression but Itachi appeared to be completely sincere. His speech didn't seem to be rehearsed; his eyes conveyed every emotion that fit with his words of repentance, making it hard for Sasuke to be mistrustful of this new revelation. However, this also increased his resentment and abhorrence towards his older brother, an old emotion that refused to be removed so quickly. So the youngest Uchiha simply listened detached; Itachi declared that he missed his family and desired to make amends for all the grief he caused in the past, and to compensate for all the time that had been lost.
In an instant that passed into eternity, Fugaku's eyes softened - his rigid posture no longer unyielding and judgmental - and placed one hand on Itachi's shoulder -requesting his son to stand up, pulling Itachi into a comfortable, albeit hesitant, hug. Forgiveness. He had learned his lesson. It was the end of a long journey.
The Prodigal son was back.
Sasuke snorted humorlessly to himself, noticing the irony. On the one hand, unforgotten emotions were resurfacing once again…On the other hand, other unnamed feelings were emerging, ready to engulf him completely—
Sasuke's hands securely held the tanned neck as moist lips caressed his mouth and a probing tongue casually explored inside. Each time Naruto halted his movements, Sasuke would almost groan in frustration, his lips still tingling from a sweet ache that could only be soothed once that addicting mouth moved in tune with his own. But Naruto was slowly decreasing their contact each time, and in each added second that ache would increase, pleading for more, gradually pulling out an emotion that rested at the farthest place of his heart. With every pause between kisses, their physical bodies widening their distance, Sasuke felt that emotion emerging, almost demanding to be recognized, until they finished with a simple peck of lips, gradually opening their eyes…to realize.
Ugh. He really should stop this, Sasuke mused with a frown.
It was surreal. Back when he had sex with Naruto, he had been able to keep his lust and emotions better under control. Sure, he dreamt frequently those first days about that unforgettable night, sometimes even orgasming from those memories. He also recognized that he liked it, the intensity and the desire shared proved to be one of his best sexual encounters till now. But everything had been manageable in comparison.
But now, look at him. Remembering and rewinding and replaying a simple kiss over and over again, as if he was some sort of pathetic prepubescent teenager daydreaming about his first crush! Sasuke groaned exasperated, he looked ridiculous. And this time he wasn't sure how he would face Naruto if he saw him, this kiss was giving too much impact on whatever feelings he was having towards Naruto.
"And now, I'd like to share some fortunate news with you all. After some years, our son; Uchiha Itachi, has returned home." Fugaku's voice cut Sasuke's line of thought, the youngest Uchiha raising his head to notice everyone clapping as Itachi approached their father.
Sasuke couldn't stop the bile coming to his throat when Fugaku once again pulled Itachi into another hug, the applause increasing under continuous noises of flashes from cameras. For the sake of appearances, Sasuke also clapped with them, approaching the family as they had another official shoot that would no doubt be tomorrow's headlines all over Japan.
He could feel the happiness radiating from his mother and the silent acceptance from his father as both parents tightened their hold around their oldest son till the photo shoot was over. Everything was going exactly as Sasuke had predicted…aside one important fact: his own feelings.
He expected that the intensity would be stronger, to the point where he wouldn't be able to hide them from his family. The bitterness still resided there, seeing his father's attention refocused on the 'prodigy and rightful heir' of the Uchiha clan, and he would be lying to himself if he didn't admit he feared the future that lay ahead of him. However, he found he could sympathize with the relief their parents were feeling now…and, somehow, as he watched Itachi become the center of attention again, the throbbing stab in his heart wasn't as excruciatingly painful…he wondered why the change…
"Sasuke…but your father does care about you, he also recognizes you as his son." Concerned blue eyes looked directly towards him, conveying absolute sincerity in his words.
Are those wounds really closing up to leave only a scar in the end?
"Why can't I stop thinking about that dumbass…" Sasuke wondered to himself, rubbing his temples.
Staring inattentively while his mother delivered her speech, he continued to contemplate how Naruto managed to affect him so much. Never in his life had someone aside from his family been ingrained so deeply in his mind and this fact was what disturbed him the most. Even though they'd only known each other a short time, it was undeniable that he felt the closest to Naruto than to anyone else - his soul had awakened a craving of the other's presence on an aggravatingly persistent basis. He even resorted to punching Naruto to attract his attention to satiate his level of frustration. These thoughts and feelings only lead to an abnormal situation that, once again, had stripped him of all his defenses.
His cheeks were enveloped by a pair of tanned hands, blue eyes staring in earnest, liberating a flurry of emotions that ruptured through the casket of his heart.
"Sasuke…..I…"
"…" Onyx eyes trailed to a distant point, unfocused, paying no mind to another round of applause as the orchestra started playing a classical piece. Sasuke noticed though that someone had placed their hand on his shoulder and turned to glare at the person that disrupted his thoughts.
"We should attend to our guests." Itachi offered a glass of champagne to his younger brother. "You looked distracted through this whole event. Something on your mind?"
Sasuke ignored Itachi and grabbed another glass of champagne from a waiter. Fugaku approached his sons and spoke:
"Sasuke."
The youngest Uchiha immediately straightened up. "Yes father?"
"You will accompany me tomorrow to New York, there's some business to attend to. I have already had your appointments rescheduled and travel arrangements made, so be prepared to go first thing in the morning."
"New York?" Sasuke widened his eyes, quickly adjusting his expression as some guests approached with glasses in hand. New York…
He wondered what Naruto was feeling right now…
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"Zombie version 2.0. Definitely zombie v.2.0." Shikamaru stared, mildly impressed and alarmed at the completely unfocused, open-mouthed and brain dead expression on his blond friend as the latter sat haphazardly in his seat.
On the day of the fire, once he saw the news, Shikamaru immediately called Naruto, worried if the blond had escaped safely and was ok. His concern further escalated when Naruto hadn't return his call four times, even though later the news reported that no one was heavily injured in the incident. It was only on his fifth try that he succeeded, but the one who answered was Jiraiya, assuring him in a clipped tone that everything was fine. Jiraiya had also asked Sarutobi to grant Naruto a short vacation, stating the need for some 'father and son bonding time' so Shikamaru didn't see him until after the weekend.
The moment Naruto stepped inside the office, his appearance increased Shikamaru's concern. Not only were there noticeable injuries in several places on his body that were in the process of healing, it was obvious that they were recently made, but whenever Shikamaru asked about the incident, Naruto trailed off, his mind basically travelling to outer space.
It had been hard enough to stay on task before meeting Uchiha, but now he couldn't concentrate at all. He could do some things on auto-pilot like fixing calculations in AutoCad or organizing materials, but he couldn't pay attention to any conversation with his co-workers or clients, so Shikamaru wisely postponed the rest of his meetings until the next week. This time everyone noticed the blond's behavior, to the point that Sarutobi gently offered another day off to Naruto, which he politely declined.
Unable to extract any information from Naruto and having to put up with the constant sighing and those blue, unfocused eyes, Shikamaru deduced some vague conclusions of his own. Uchiha and Naruto probably fought during the fire accident which probably resulted in ending their relationship and they parted ways. Naruto was still feeling the side-effects from this upsetting conclusion, and thus, this whole odd behavior.
Good God, this was, by far, the most complicated crush Naruto had ever had. Shikamaru groaned, lightly whacking the blond's head, only to be left unnoticed by his friend, his head facing the ceiling, mouth hung low. At least in Sakura's case, all he did was cry for a few days followed by drinking copious bottles of beer, courtesy of Jiraiya. This situation was dragging on waaay too long.
On the other side of the city, the Uchihas were finishing another meeting when Sasuke noticed on his agenda that he had some free time between meetings. Maybe it's a small break…? His heart skipped a beat when he realized that it was the perfect excuse to visit Naruto, maybe…Sasuke admonished himself. He really shouldn't attempt to see Naruto, who knew what would happen if he did? How deep would he fall towards that pair of beautiful blue eyes?
"Sasuke, we have another matter to attend to. Come with me." Fugaku said, interrupting his line of thought.
The young Uchiha looked confused. "But you hadn't scheduled anything now. Why haven't you warned me about this before?"
"It's going to be resolved quickly, I hope. That's why I thought there was no need to warn you." His father answered, getting into the car.
Bewildered, Sasuke obeyed, the limousine exiting the building and driving to an unknown location. A few minutes passed, as Sasuke idly observed the movement on the streets until he started noticing, alarmed, a very familiar route the car was taking.
This was probably a coincidence right? Even though his rational mind knew that there weren't any other partners or branch companies that had offices there. It was only when the vehicle stopped exactly in front of Sarutobi's office building that Sasuke's suspicions were confirmed. He stared at his father, who was nonchalantly stepping outside and gazing back at him, silently ordering his son to do the same.
As they approached the office, puzzled, the receptionist identified Sasuke, but swiftly composed herself once she also saw that his father, the CEO, was with him. Fugaku declared:
"I'd like to talk with Uzumaki Naruto now if it wouldn't be too much trouble."
The receptionist nodded nervously and picked up the phone, calling the blond architect. She showed them to the meeting room and arranged for coffee and tea for them as they waited. Something in Sasuke's gut was foreboding unpleasant things.
Not long after, Naruto arrived as confused as ever, staring at the situation in front of him until their gazes collided and Sasuke tightened his hands to prevent any illogical act. Only one week had passed and he still had the ridiculous urge to kiss the daylights out of Naruto. The blond kept that stare for a couple of seconds, until his head lowered and he turned to Fugaku, bowing politely:
"I've heard that you're looking for me. Is there a problem?"
Fugaku cleared his throat, standing up. "Yes, actually, it's something that caught me off guard. A Japanese newspaper rudely contacted me in regards to these photos here." With a folder in his hands, he pulled out some photos and threw them on the table.
In an instant, the world had turned upside down once again. Sasuke felt his blood draining out of his body, his head throbbing erratically as he stared at the contents of each photo. The first one was him giving the plane ticket to Naruto, a visible smile on the blond. Several other pictures were of both of them looking at an art exhibition, other photos showed them walking towards the temple. Photos with Naruto praying in front of the temple while the brunet stood next to him and then one with Naruto whispering close to Sasuke's ear, the angle of the photograph increased the sensation of intimacy between them.
The young men inside the room continued to stare incredulously at each photo. As the story progressed, each photo had been taken with the distorted intention of showing them close to each other, but portraying as if it was something wrong, illicit. Unfocused pictures of them eating kushiage at the restaurant, later Naruto getting into Sasuke's car. All the shared experiences that at that moment had been carefree for them, somehow now showed in a negative light.
And the last ones…Naruto trying to remove Sasuke's shoes at the beach. One photo managed to frame exactly the second when their bodies were pressed closely, their faces just a few inches apart. This moment was supposed to be something exclusively between them, was now exposed to his father and potentially to the whole world.
Fugaku sighed, shuffling the photos. "They warned me beforehand about their intentions of publishing those photos, but fortunately I negotiated with them to trade the information as well as the negatives with a sum of money and also by giving them exclusive footage of Itachi's return."
Unable to move an inch, their whole bodies were numb, until Fugaku placed one hand on the table and said with a grave tone, making them flinch a little.
"Although it astounded me seeing so…evidently my son's preferences, there's another issue that should be addressed, since the other one involved is you, Uzumaki Naruto-kun. So, I'd like you to tell me, what kind of relationship do you have with him?"
All air escaped from his lungs, Sasuke felt like he was suffocating—the lights dimmed in his blurry vision, panic slowly building in his mind. He tentatively glanced towards Naruto, completely lost.
However, Naruto looked back, his tanned skin now sickly pale, his expression perplexed. His eyes were silently begging the same question, waiting for Sasuke.
A cold sweat gathered to his palms, and before Sasuke could even form any sort of rational response, words were stumbling out…:
"It's…it's a misunderstanding. Father. We don't have any kind of relationship you're implying, nothing that goes beyond co-workers." His mouth was moving without his accord, sentences forming like sharp icicles, but it felt like his own heart was breaking apart. "I would never get involved with him, those photos, none of them are true." Sasuke gulped dryly and let out a contemptuous chuckle. "As if anyone would be interested in a poor, insignificant idiot."
A sharp pain burned against his face in a split second, a solid fist brutally colliding with his cheek, making him stumble over chairs and tables, sounds of clattering echoing everywhere. He was expecting this, which was something that terrified him the most, this feeling of being at the edge of a cliff. Sasuke turned around by reflex towards his assailant, only to meet such pained blue eyes that directly mirrored his own.
Before Naruto could make another move, Fugaku swiftly appeared between them, one hand securing the blond far away from his reach, positioned to protect his son. "Stop this right now! What's the meaning of all this?"
Fugaku's menacing voice felt like a cold bucket of water on Naruto's senses. He…just punched the son of an important CEO from a top, multinational corporation, obviously he wouldn't be able to escape unscathed after all this.
Fugaku continued, while directing Sasuke to sit down. "I knew that you could be a very impulsive young man based on seeing you at our first meeting, but I believed that you would restrain your behavior, since you're part of Sarutobi's staff. I'm deeply disappointed in you, punching my son. Sarutobi clearly misjudged, if this office is filled with undisciplined people like you—"
"It's not Sarutobi-sama's fault." Naruto blurted out.
Fugaku narrowed his eyes in response. "Care to explain?"
Naruto looked down. "Please, don't place the blame on Sarutobi-sama or this office. This was completely my fault and I guarantee that the only mistake Sarutobi-sama has made was to be too trusting of me and I have abused that trust. That's why…please, don't blame him, this mistake that I've made shouldn't concern the friendship between the two of you."
Fugaku paused in contemplation, crossing his arms.
All of a sudden, the door burst open and the receptionist entered with a worried face. "I heard loud noises, is everything alright?"
The eldest Uchiha turned to face her, responding. "Don't worry about it, it'll be over soon."
However, it appeared that this answer wasn't enough to calm her down, as she, respecting his answer, gave a quick nod and closed the door but they could hear sounds of steps going towards the main office.
Fugaku turned to stare at Naruto, unperturbed by the growing commotion and spoke with an intimidating tone. "If you're accepting the blame then you do realize that you have to take complete responsibility for your mistake right?"
Naruto nodded, bowing in humility. "Yes. I'll resign my post as the chief architect of Sarutobi-sama's office now. I just have a small request…that this issue won't compromise the ongoing business with the Uchiha Corporation as well as the reconstruction of Mitsukoshi."
As he absorbed Naruto's words, Sasuke eyes widened as he stood up. "Wait—you—"He approached the blond, but the latter kept a guarded face. This situation was slipping away from his hands, mercilessly falling apart leaving nothing but sharp shards of glass.
At last, Fugaku conceded, no longer expressing a menacing aura. "I won't. Now that we've solved this problem, you're allowed to go."
With a long intake of breath, Naruto nodded back, preparing to turn around when a voice suddenly interrupted him.
"Is that it?" Fugaku said. "You're really shouldering the entire blame on yourself? You don't want to add any remark about this, or explain yourself why you'd want to punch my son out of nowhere?"
The blond head slowly turned back to reveal an expression that would fix inside Sasuke's mind forever. There wasn't any trace of bitterness, anger or even thirst for revenge.
What reflected on Naruto's eyes was…understanding.
The blond said. "There's nothing else for me to add, it's exactly as Uchiha-san said: we don't have anything beyond co-workers and we're not involved in any way as the photos had falsely insinuated. I just…" Naruto sighed, grasping the door handle, wanting to flee. "I just punched him because he offended me, that's all. Now…"
As he opened the door behind him, gradually widening the distance between them, Sasuke stayed rooted to his spot, as if there were shackles tightening around him. He saw Naruto's hand was still desperately clutching the handle and feet taking subtle steps backward symbolizing another piece shattering beyond repair and no matter how much the very core of his being wanted to deny it – he refused to admit that he was the one that pushed this situation to the edge of the cliff.
"I'll excuse myself then. Uchiha-sama." Naruto bowed once again, closing the door.
When there was nothing left but a sliver of light, the blond murmured.
"Goodbye Sasuke."
Turning around, the blond instantly choked a sob, grateful that there was no one in the corridor nearby. Naruto furiously rubbed his eyelids before they could make his vision misty, trying desperately to force his mind to calm his turmoil. He could hear hasty steps coming closer; in which he feared it'd be Sarutobi and Shikamaru. They would definitely drag him back for a proper explanation, and no matter how much he would try to avoid conflict, Sarutobi would still discuss it with Fugaku. Naruto would hate to drag Sarutobi down, just because of his actions.
I don't want to go back…
He checked and found he had his wallet and car keys. He couldn't go back to his table or ask for his resignation now. Guided by his impulses, Naruto sprinted towards the exit and ignoring the startled shout of the receptionist, he practically punched the button for the elevator. A few seconds passed but the blond couldn't wait any longer, hating this stagnant atmosphere suffocating him, so he burst open the emergency door, ran down the stairs and gasped for air.
He couldn't think and didn't want to spare a second to form a rational thought and before he knew it, his foot was already gunning the accelerator, driving at top speed.
Sasuke, however, still couldn't move an inch, his body inanimate until the door opened again, Sarutobi exclaimed:
"What happened here!"
Fugaku sighed, closing his briefcase and readied himself to explain the situation. Shikamaru however, was quick to notice something was off, questioning with narrowed eyes:
"Where's Naruto?"
Hearing his name tugged painfully at Sasuke's heart, his cue to really realize all the damage he had done. Shikamaru didn't wait for any sort of explanation as he ran out to the reception area, Sasuke followed him, noticing that the dark-haired architect was asking his co-worker about Naruto's whereabouts.
"So where is he?" He asked to Shikamaru.
"We're asking the security if he already left in his car." Shikamaru replied slightly impatient, waiting for the receptionist's response, as she confirmed that Naruto had already left.
Shikamaru then picked up his cell phone and returned to the meeting room. With one last look at the elevator, hands balled into tight fists, Sasuke returned as well and saw Shikamaru calling and waiting for Naruto to pick up. Fugaku and Sarutobi appeared that had already finished their conversation, though Sarutobi had a distressed expression while Fugaku still maintained his nonchalance.
One of their assistants appeared, with a cell phone vibrating in her hand. "Shikamaru. Naruto's cell phone…" She gave it to Shikamaru, who sighed in aggravation and turned off his cell phone.
"I'll call him later, it's possible he's heading home and it's a little bit far from here." Shikamaru said to Sarutobi, the old man nodded in agreement. Shikamaru murmured. "So what happened…?" Sarutobi cleared his throat, prompting his employee to close his mouth.
Everyone glanced subtly at Sasuke, an uncomfortable silence hanging inside the room.
"Sasuke, we should go." Fugaku said, seemingly unaware of the desperate look on his son's face. "We have another meeting in a half an hour."
But…
Sasuke tentatively responded. "Maybe…maybe we should first make sure Na—Uzumaki-san has returned safely home, I—after all, I—"
"There's no need Uchiha-sama." Shikamaru intervened brusquely. "After all, this situation is beyond your control so there's no need for you to waste time here. You should go."
Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, frustrated. "…but—"
"Sasuke." The imposing voice of his father broke his line of thought. "Nara-san is right. It's not any of your business to meddle in this situation."
The youngest Uchiha swallowed dryly, still hesitating between obeying his father and obstinately waiting for any kind of news about Naruto.
"…unless you have a good reason wanting to know his whereabouts?" Fugaku said.
Onyx eyes widened, unable to come up with any excuse, he saw Nara giving the briefcase to him and with a knot in his throat, Sasuke accepted it silently.
Once they exited the building, Sasuke heard his father mumbling in contemplation. "It is a shame he's gone. He followed his principles till the very end, and I respect him for doing that."
Needless to say, Sasuke couldn't pay attention to one word during the meeting they attended afterwards.
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Three days. Three whole days had passed - every hour excruciatingly slow. Sasuke couldn't stop replaying the disaster in his memory over and over again, a turbulent storm of emotions corroding the last of his fortitude. Unable to concentrate on anything, thinking only about Naruto, feeling like his soul was split in two.
Regret, resentment towards himself, frustration…fear that he had messed up to the point where it was too late to make amends, that he most probably had screwed everything so royally that he could no longer fix it - he was going to lose Naruto indefinitely.
His cheek stung whenever he thought about it, as a physical reminder of his mistakes. He actually mustered enough courage to defend Naruto, claiming that he did indeed insult him so his resignation was uncalled for. His father answered nonchalantly while handing him the salve:
"Well, if you weren't offended by the fact that he punched you, I don't see any problem undoing his decision. Contact him and solve this issue as you see fit."
So it all narrowed down to Sasuke staring at his cell phone for an indeterminate time, Naruto's name displayed on the screen. He tried to come up with an excuse or explanation…none of them sounded convincing enough. He couldn't find any solution to this impasse; mainly because he knew he'd end up hurting Naruto's feelings since he still had no intention of admitting his own, but he couldn't find a way to move beyond this point. And in the end, Sasuke waited long enough to be interrupted by his secretary or he'd placed the cell phone too far away from his grasp and with a sigh, ultimately figured that he should give Naruto some space.
Deep inside, however, he knew he was simply attempting to escape from the inevitable and he chastised himself as all sorts of coward.
But even though there was one side of him that wanted to avoid the confrontation for as long as possible, his longing emotions only increased. If thinking about him almost 24/7 wasn't enough, memories continued to haunt his dreams. Sasuke would get worried about Naruto then, wondering how he was managing after all this. Staring at the phone, obsessing over Naruto, his mind almost unable to withstand the constant yearning, his mask cracking with each tick of the clock – he was coming undone.
Just at the moment Sasuke was trying to formulate another excuse, his cell phone rang. The brunet didn't recognize the number. With a dreadful feeling in his gut, answered the call:
"What have you done to Naruto?" An angry voice hissed.
"…what?" Sasuke responded.
The voice replied. "It's Shikamaru Nara. I don't know what happened in that room, but because of whatever happened Naruto has been missing ever since!" Sasuke was sure that his heart had stopped. Shikamaru continued. "His father is worried sick about him. What exactly did you say that generated such a strong reaction?"
Sasuke recoiled heatedly, also frustrated. "Didn't Sarutobi-san already give you an explanation?"
"He only gave a vague explanation and said that due to some misunderstandings, Naruto made a mistake and the discussion escalated until Naruto felt forced to leave that day. Has he tried to contact you since then? Have you received any calls or…anything at all?"
"No…nothing." Sasuke answered quietly.
"I don't get it. Naruto has never acted so desperately before. Normally whenever he encounters a problem, he just bounces back as if it were nothing extraordinary. This is the first time I've seen him do something so—uncharacteristic. At least he's strong minded and so I don't think he'll do anything rash."
"You don't have any clues, anything at all?"
"Actually, his father is asking the credit card company to track the last time he used it to see if he slept in a motel or anything." Shikamaru explained and then paused to contemplate. "I still don't understand…how can you affect Naruto so easily. He has never reacted this way before, and I'm now just wishing whatever bomb you've dropped that day…hadn't devastated him so much." Shikamaru said bitterly.
Sasuke retorted annoyed. "It wasn't my intention. If I could retract some of the words I said that day—"
"Frankly, I don't care whatever issues you're having to act that way, just don't drag down a good guy like Naruto. He doesn't deserve whatever this is." Before he could hear any snappish response from Sasuke, Shikamaru spoke again. "I should go. I'll ask some of his friends or colleagues. Goodbye, Uchiha-san."
Sasuke sighed, running his hand through his hair. "If there's any new information about him…please…notify me."
He heard a groan. "Whatever." Shikamaru retorted with a tired exhale. Before he hung up, Shikamaru murmured almost inaudibly, as if he was talking to himself. "…getting involved with you was the worst mistake Naruto has ever made in his life."
It took a few hours for Sasuke to recover himself from that last sentence ringing in his mind, hating the fact that statement was probably true.
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Arriving a few hours earlier than normal, Sasuke walked straight to his office, ignoring the polite greetings as he walked past other subordinates. He slouched in his seat with a sigh, placing both elbows on his desk and rubbing his face with his hands. He seriously wasn't in the mood for anything let alone a meeting which his secretary noticed immediately when she saw him glaring daggers at anyone who passed near him.
Under normal circumstances he would admonish himself for this lack of concentration and his lack of competency to properly fulfill his duties, but his concerns over Naruto had overwritten everything else.
What if Naruto had been in a car accident? Or maybe he got so drunk and ended up being robbed. What if he had up and moved to another city to get away? That dumbass, getting into trouble and making everyone worried about him. Sasuke groaned - multiple scenarios and questions filling his brain, he was going insane.
Nara Shikamaru hadn't contacted him yet, making him increasingly restless. Sasuke hated this constricting sensation, unable to help in any kind of way. His feelings towards Naruto, the guilt and regret eating away on the inside and now Naruto's sudden disappearance, everything had spiraled out of control and threatened to break the last residues of his composure. Sasuke attempted to focus on any way he could think of to try and find the blond - perhaps the car had a GPS that could be accessed to find his current location? He'd have to know Naruto's license plate nevertheless, and he imagined that Nara was less than willing to reveal the numbers. He figured it was possible they had already considered this possibility and had gotten negative results. Then… he considered Naruto's personality – what sort of places would he go in these circumstances?
Too engrossed in his own world, Sasuke didn't notice quiet steps approaching until a grave voice spoke:
"You look extremely distracted now, otouto."
Itachi. Sasuke threw a nasty glare towards his brother. He didn't want to deal with this annoyance now. "Why are you here?"
Itachi appeared unruffled about Sasuke's caustic words, smiling indulgently. "What's the matter? Father asked me to come here and talk with some of our main investors, so I thought that I would also pay a visit to see how my younger brother is managing."
"I don't care. Now that you've already succeeded in bothering me, go away now." Sasuke grunted out, purposely focusing his vision on the monitor, eyebrows furrowed.
"I don't understand. Why are you acting so rashly towards your own older brother?" Itachi asked.
Now that's something rich. Sasuke snorted scornfully. "Do you really think you're free from any guilt, after what you have done to this family? After breaking it, do you really think that you can just waltz back into our lives as if nothing bad had happened?"
Itachi sighed. "I'm aware of my mistakes - that's why I returned so I can make amends."
"But I don't want you to try and make any amends with me. I'm fine with everything being just the way it is." Sasuke hissed, his patience wearing thin.
"You shouldn't act this way towards anyone, especially with someone from your family." Itachi murmured.
Sasuke immediately straightened up, his palms banging on the table. "Family? Don't you dare speak to me as being part of my family when you were the one who walked away and abandoned us for your own selfish reasons!"
"I did walk away, that's why I'm back, in hopes that you'll for—"
"Well, you won't get any from me! You completely destroyed my life!"
Itachi blinked slowly. "How did I manage to destroy your life?"
This sincere confusion coming from his older brother, instead, managed to rile Sasuke even further. "How? HOW?" He sputtered. "You abandoned us and threw me in this hell! Every day, every single day I'm forced to wear your shoes and suffer the inevitable comparison! Every time, I try to fill the void you have left I'm never enough! Every goddamn time, no matter what I accomplish, father looks at me, wishing that it was you instead! They threw your duties on my shoulders while you disappeared from the map!"
"I apologize for the trouble I've caused you, but they shouldn't have pressured you so much. And you too…you shouldn't have sacrificed your entire future for their sake."
Sasuke threw a sardonic chortle. "I'm not going to listen to someone that ran away from home and returned with his tail between his legs, begging for forgiveness."
"I regretted cutting the ties with our family, I didn't regret my decision." Itachi answered, unperturbed by his younger brother's rash words. "Family is important, but not enough to stifle your own happiness. There's no need for you to listen and obey our father's every command. Besides…who exactly are you trying to fool by playing the part of the perfect son?"
Sasuke threw an ashtray that flew past Itachi, barely grazing his left ear and crashed noisily to the ground. His shoulders were tense with balled hands, silently conveying how much he wanted Itachi out of this room.
Itachi however, just continued his speech, relentless. "Isn't that the truth? You don't want to admit an ugly part of yourself, so you'd rather project this hatred on someone else. Whether our father crushed your dreams or I inadvertently placed a weight on your shoulders, you don't want to admit that you fear changing."
A vivid image of golden strands of hair gleaming in the sun, turquoise colored eyes and a bright grin overflowed Sasuke's memories, painfully clenching his heart. He squinted his eyes with an agonized sigh, feeling his head throbbing so much that it was going to explode.
"You fear change…even if it's a positive change. That's why you're unable to move, the biggest obstacle will always be yourself." Itachi paused, staring with pity in his eyes. "Because in the end, deep inside—"
That's enough, he didn't want to hear it…I don't want to hear it!
"—You're just a coward."
"SHUT UP!" Sasuke screamed, throwing everything on the table to the ground. Documents flew astray, the monitor broke in half, the keyboard and mouse fell with a loud thud and the youngest Uchiha glared venomously.
Itachi glanced briefly at the broken objects around him, exhaling a heavy sigh and murmured. "You haven't changed at all…resorting to violence whenever you reach the peak of your very limited patience."
"And you should keep your mouth shut while I'm beating you. That's the least you could do after being gone for so many years." Sasuke snarled.
"If your rage was truly directed at me, I wouldn't mind facing it since I deserved it. But this is not the case. You're only doing this because you're frustrated with your inability to change and you need a scapegoat. You're cornered but you're too weak to voice your own desires, even if your alternative is a chance for a happier life."
"I told you to. Shut. Up!" Sasuke threw the telephone towards Itachi's face who avoided it in time to have it miss him by a hair.
"You complain so much about your current ordeal, but you've never moved on your own to change it. You're just too scared to face the unknown and lose the stability that you have right now."
"SHUT UP!" Sasuke shouted, kicking his computer, throwing nearby objects, everything within his reach met its doom.
"You're incapable of disagreeing with our father's orders, even for a worthy goal to pursue after. Why? Because you are insecure and don't have a strong will to defy him."
"SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY OF THIS! SHUT UP!" Sasuke yelled nearly in hysterics, destroying statues and all the expensive trinkets, in his office while Itachi continued to recite, unmoved.
"You're trapped by the shackles you created yourself, unable to chase your happiness and losing what's really important to you because of your own cowardice." Itachi turned around to look at Sasuke. "Even now, in your most wretched state, feeling nothing more than utter sadness, you'd prefer drowning into deeper darkness rather than fighting against it. You're losing a chance for something precious and yet you're not moving a finger to chase and hold it close to you."
With every object inside his office now broken beyond repair, Sasuke gasped breathlessly, his energy spent.
Sasuke rasped out, his voice guttural and tired. "Stop this…"
Itachi continued to stare at him, his expression neutral but with a tinge of compassion. He spoke quietly:
"Just look at yourself. I'm sure that at this moment, no one in the whole world is more miserable than you. So what's your point of prolonging this any further? How long are you going to keep rooted in this stagnation, unable to move against your own fears?"
Sasuke lowered his hands, incapable of moving any further as he stared at the floor, pieces of glass and other objects scattered around. He remembered about those words again…spoken with a more sympathetic tone and accompanied with an encouraging smile that gave him a sensation of unwavering strength to pursue his own dreams. But why did he decide to reject Naruto's presence in the end? How could—
"And even now when you had many opportunities to injure me, you couldn't dare to throw one punch against me. You really are a spineless coward." Itachi taunted, narrowing his eyes.
Sasuke instantly saw red and went berserk as he aimed his fist at Itachi's face. However, before he could reach it, Itachi twisted his arm and threw him to the ground. The older Uchiha shook his head, finally walking towards the door.
"Just because I incited your anger, doesn't mean I wouldn't react back. Remember that I'm a black belt in judo, foolish otouto."
Staring at the ceiling and feeling utterly defeated, the passage of time was barely noticed by Sasuke. A tight knot gathered in his throat but no tears would come out. His world was breaking apart, every single emotion was threatening to burst out and yet he was incapable of letting it all out, feeling undeserving to do so. Now there wasn't anyone that he would be willing to expose his ugliest side to and would accept him the way he was, no one that could embrace his weakness and allow him to cry…recognize he was only a fallible human. He no longer had someone that understood him - Naruto left a void that was impossible to fill. Why was he finally realizing Naruto's importance now that it was too late? Sasuke covered his eyes with his hands, expelling a trembled sigh.
"Naruto…"
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"Shikamaru, Mr. Sasuke Uchiha is on the line." The secretary informed him, Shikamaru felt grateful for the empty office, knowing that the pending discussion would most likely be unpleasant.
"Shikamaru Nara speaking." He said.
"A whole day has passed and you haven't called me back. You said you were going to let me know when you found him." Sasuke said with an impatient tone. "Did his father find out any information from the credit card company? Do you have any clue about Naruto's current location now?"
Shikamaru sighed. "I never promised that I would inform you about it, and also, I can't see why I should share this information with you."
Sasuke growled, he had enough of people defying him. "But I don't understand why you won't share it with me. Naruto disappeared and he could even be dead and I have resources to help you in finding him but instead, you're wasting my time."
"Hm. Then, let me ask you one thing Uchiha-san. Why is Naruto's whereabouts and situation so important to you? Wasn't he supposed to be only an insignificant employee to you?" Shikamaru asked.
"…that is none of your concern." Sasuke answered with a clipped tone.
"Sorry…" Shikamaru took a long intake of breath and said. "Naruto is my friend, so this concerns me."
At first Shikamaru hated to admit, he was so angry with this aggravating situation that, once he realized that Naruto disappeared, he had acted on a whim, calling Sasuke Uchiha with the intention of putting the whole blame on him. He didn't want to admit his own guilt, that he was probably part of Naruto's sudden departure, when he pushed his friend to abruptly terminate his feelings towards the Uchiha.
He should have figured that Naruto wouldn't be able to cope with this sudden change, attempting to rationalize something that couldn't be viewed logically. He also wasn't expecting Sasuke's own response over Naruto's sudden distance, didn't know that the Uchiha would react so strongly plus he miscalculated that Naruto would miss Sasuke back with the same intensity.
Once Shikamaru realized all of this, his mind was filled with shame. He hated so much when people misjudged his relationship with Temari, looking at it superficially and making shallow conclusions about them, but he had done the same thing with Naruto and Sasuke's relationship. Now that this situation was out of control, Shikamaru felt that he shouldn't underestimate their feelings. Maybe he would give the Uchiha a chance, in hopes that it would make a positive difference. He said:
"Naruto is probably suffering now, so frankly, I don't want anyone carelessly meddling in his life and knowing that you were the main reason for his torment, why should I even bother talking to you?"
Sasuke snapped. "I've made mistakes before, but I'm willing to set things right now."
"Why? Why are you so determined to fix this? Because you feel guilty? Then, I'll say that it's totally unnecessary, Naruto doesn't need to be involved with you again just so he can relieve your own conscience."
"You don't underst—"
"You're worried then?" Shikamaru interrupted. "Well I'd rather you stay far away from Naruto, since your presence is what caused this whole problem. It'd be better if Naruto never got involved with someone that will only bring him down emotionally." Shikamaru added darkly. "If you even dare to say that you want to know just because you're curious, I swear that I don't care if you're an Uchiha, Sarutobi will have to find yet another chief architect to tolerate your presence."
Shikamaru waited for Sasuke to absorb his words, getting ready to drop the last bomb:
"If you want to know about Naruto's whereabouts purely because of one of those reasons I mentioned, I'll refuse to inform you, no matter what the circumstances. So tell me, why…why are you so determined to find Naruto? What makes you go so far for him? I'll withhold any information till you finally find and give me the answer." Shikamaru hung up the phone, praying that he made the right decision.
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Sasuke threw his cell phone haphazardly to the ground, his mouth opening in a silent yell while his hands scratched his scalp. He wanted to have the heart to be rightfully angered with Nara's presumptuous action, but he was simply tired.
How dare he meddle with this situation, asking such an intrusive question in which Sasuke always had instinctively known the answer…
Why?
I miss Naruto.
Sasuke sobbed quietly in the midst of the dark living room. He missed everything about the blond -the way his laugh almost literally brightened the room, his stupid grins even his weird obsession for ramen. He missed the connection they had whenever they recognized the loneliness in each other's hearts, missed recognizing the occasional bitter side that Naruto portrayed only to him. He missed their crazy battering, the natural way Naruto treated him. He missed Naruto's good qualities, flaws, everything, the way he completed Sasuke in a way that no one had ever came close to before in his life.
Onyx eyes slowly widened, reaching an epiphany.
I…
AN: 2 more chapters and we'll finish this fic! YAYYYYYYYY! Yeah, so I kinda promised that I would update this fic in August right…so lemme teach you one thing. Never trust fanfic authors. *flees from projectiles*
So I went to Tokyo again, and used this opportunity to go to Ginza. I have to share some interesting photos:
pics . livejournal .com/fourangers/pic/007ehrsc
And what's more interesting:
pics . livejournal .com/fourangers/pic/007ekfg2
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—Aaaaaaah *sigh*. It's incredible that I'm more accurate knowing details from an Eastern metropolis while I struggled to find some basic information about NY. *scratching of head*
As usual, please thank my beta's infinite patience and efficiency, without her help this story wouldn't be as awesome as it is now. :3