Sasuke stared down at his hands resting on the table, noticing that they were trembling a little. He covered one hand above the other with a groan, glancing at the clock and repressing the urge to groan again in frustration. He had scheduled a meeting with his father in the next few hours, restless from the possibility that the news he'd deliver would bring negative repercussions to his life.
Logically, it would have been better if he had chosen to talk after work but he couldn't wait any longer. He had wasted too much time feeling cornered, immobile from his own fears when Naruto may be in danger right now. Once Sasuke sorted his feelings at last, his head cleared and began focusing on thoughts of finding the blond and hopefully…he would be able to untangle whatever the problems were between them, even though Naruto had every right to not forgive him.
Sasuke had to convince his father that he should return to New York to search for Naruto. The brunet was already predicting the inevitable confrontation; Fugaku would probably accuse him of neglecting his duties, asking for explanations…the youngest Uchiha was ready to face the inevitable scene head-on. He was prepared to forfeit his position in the company if necessary…they were nothing but annoying tasks that his parents forced him to fulfill.
Sasuke shook his head, trying to dispel those dark thoughts. He shouldn't dwell too much over the small details, his first priority would be finding Naruto, assure he's safe and sound, then get ready to face whatever the consequences. Although at the back of his mind, he wondered if his idea had enough substance when Naruto could hide pretty much anywhere inside such a large country. But he couldn't stand being swept by merciless tides, everything going against his wishes as he stood inanimate. It was about time to move forward, now that he had something worthy to fight for.
Sasuke snorted to himself, the melodramatic words running inside his mind were nice, but he still couldn't cover the fact that he was pretty damn nervous about all this. He didn't even know how he was supposed to start this whole speech…how was he going to explain to his father that not only was he homosexual, but he also wanted to get out of his current duties to pursue his own personal interests?
"I'm impressed. This is the third time I've caught you distracted, thought you'd learned your lesson last time I came to your office." A monotone voice broke his line of thought.
Sasuke growled, pushing his chair farther away from his older brother. "Itachi, haven't you had enough of humiliating me? Go away now."
Itachi stared for a while in contemplation, until he responded calmly. "About yesterday, maybe I was too rough on you." At this, Sasuke scornfully snorted. "So I figured that I should apologize for my harsh behavior. Here's some salve, since I noticed that you also have other wounds around your face."
Sasuke was half-tempted to grab it and throw it at Itachi's face, until he noticed some details on the lid. "My name is inscribed on it." The young Uchiha said confused as he picked up the luxurious container.
Itachi smiled back. "Of course. Not only do I have your box, but also our parents' and mine. At that time, when I decided to run away, I wanted to take along with me a reminder - a keepsake of my family members to have something of you with me always."
Sasuke wordlessly tightened his hands around the container, not knowing how to react in response. He examined the small lacquer box, lightly touching the engraved details as he murmured. "I don't remember having this."
"You were too young, I guess, plus mother used to keep it with her in case you would lose it. Apparently our ancestors used to be a renowned clan of warriors, some rumored that we were indeed the Uchiha clan described in the legend of Uzumaki Naruto. That's why this salve has a secret recipe and every clan member had this small container and would carry it whenever they were out on a mission. Whenever an Uchiha is born or someone joins our family, it is tradition to craft this box for them, with their names inscribed on it. Each one has a unique design crafted specifically for the clan member it was made for." Itachi replied, still wearing that serene smile.
Another silence fell between them, as Sasuke continued to stare at the container. "So you're returning it back to me now?"
With one elegant shrug of his shoulders, Itachi answered. "I suppose. Since I intend to be around from now on."
Sasuke glanced at the lacquer box once again before placing it on the table. He noticed then, his brother discreetly relaxed his posture, probably relieved that Sasuke hadn't tossed it back to him. There were many other bitter memories that needed to be addressed so Sasuke spoke up. "If we were so important to you, why didn't you return any sooner? What took you so long?"
"Ah yes." Itachi sighed, turning his head to recollect his memories. "I guess my best excuse is that I didn't notice the passage of time. I know it's not enough for you to forgive me right away, but it is the truth."
Itachi paused to see if he was going to be interrupted but received only a raise of an eyebrow coming from his younger brother.
He continued then. "Took me some time to enroll into a Med school, it was also difficult to forge a whole new identity in a way that our parents' hired detectives wouldn't find me out. After several years learning and then graduating, I volunteered in 'Doctors Without Borders', an ambition of mine that I had always wished to fulfill, and have been helping out in several countries in Africa since then. That reminds me that another reason I returned at this time was to talk with our father about the possibility raising the donating funds given by the Uchiha Corporation to those humanitarian causes, and I also want to organize donations of food and medicine to these underdeveloped countries. Our parents agreed to these ideas as long as I took charge over all the organizing and details as well as agree to take on some of the other executive administrative tasks for the Corporation. It's a fair deal I guess…I've been exposed to so much injustice and misery all those years and it's frustrating being only one person - you can't do much. At least with some financial and political power, I can aid thousands of families instead one life or two."
"How poetic. I'm sure that all those poor people will be eternally grateful for your benevolent sacrifice and altruism." Sasuke bit out sarcastically, no longer interested to hear the rest.
Itachi appeared to be surprised at Sasuke's acidic words, until the older Uchiha corrected. "Sasuke that was just one of the reasons why I decided to return, but it's not the main one. I truly returned to make amends with my family."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, stood up and walked towards the window, in an attempt to tune out his brother's excuses. What he didn't expect, was hearing what came next:
"I saw the news about the earthquake in Japan and I followed the entire rescuing operation too."
Sasuke turned around, widening his eyes.
Itachi balled his fists, his eyebrows furrowed as if remembering pained him. "At first I couldn't really believe it, seeing all the images of that building shaking and collapsing everywhere. I prayed so hard, begging every god that you were left unharmed but instead, the news reported another wave of earthquakes happening shortly after. It was in that moment that I…I regretted so much in my life, that maybe I had lost my chance to see my family one last time and say some—anything to ask your forgiveness. Maybe one of you were dying and I should have been there helping you out but instead I was miles away, only able to follow the news on TV, utterly powerless."
Sasuke silently mulled over his older brother's words, unable to voice any scathing retort. The sincerity in Itachi's tone, as well as how he stood shaken from recollecting those memories was having the effect of removing the resentment lodged in his heart. After harboring these negative emotions for so many years, feeling them melting away gave him indescribable relief.
Because you've built up those negative emotions for so long, and you have to let them go, or else they will haunt you for the rest of your life.
"And…once I saw you being rescued from that building and mother and father hugging you…I have never felt so happy in my whole life. Relieved that you were alive and unharmed…it's when I noticed how much I wanted to be there too, comforting our parents while we waited for you and also hugging my younger brother, sharing this joy… It finally hit home how much I missed my family and how many years had passed since I left. That's why I returned otouto…because I missed each one of you." Itachi looked at him with a teary-eyed smile as Sasuke stared back with a knot in his throat, tightening his hands.
The younger Uchiha opened his mouth to form a retort but Itachi raised his hand to interrupt.
"I know…" Itachi said. "that I should have made smarter decisions in the past, that I shouldn't have reacted so rashly and should have talked better with our parents to reach a solution before running off. But I guess—there are certain things you finally understand when you're older. I said before about not regretting my decision but I admit…that I should have handled it better. I should have listened better…but what's done is done and now I want to compensate for any damage I have done."
Sasuke took some time to absorb this information, calming himself so he could think. He murmured slowly. "…I know that you're being sincere and I can see that you want to make things right again, but there's still some things that I can't let go of easily, some parts of the past that I'm still unable to forget about. You took so long to return…maybe it may also take some time for me to accept you again."
Itachi slowly nodded in understanding. "I know. That was also the reason that I didn't contact you all immediately after the earthquake. Because I feared that maybe I was too late in realizing my mistakes and was too late to fix them. But I believe that it's never too late…" Itachi lifted a small smirk that made Sasuke narrow his eyes. "As long as you still have the will and courage inside you, I'm sure you will find a way someday." Itachi inhaled briefly and said. "I'm here in hopes that I'm still useful as your older brother…I'm also here to apologize for all the misunderstandings I had with our parents, the fact that at that time I couldn't see their real concerns about my future—"
Sasuke snorted loudly, interrupting his older brother's speech.
Itachi blinked. "Have I said something wrong?"
"No… but now you actually want me to believe in this lunacy? That at that time, our parents were more worried about your future instead of the future of this company?" Sasuke crossed his arms, incredulous.
"…yes, they are our parents after all." Itachi rebutted with conviction.
Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes. "You probably spent too much time away from them; you must have forgotten some of their most irritating traits. Especially from our father." He added with a dark tone.
"Is that so?" Itachi paused, then quirked an unreadable smile. "Well then, let me give you some interesting information as some sort of small compensation for my long absence. First of all, let me ask you: In your eyes, how important is the Uchiha Corporation to our father?"
Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, the answer being too obvious. "What exactly do you mean by that, obviously it was always his highest priority, he's completely dedicated to it, because he's so blind over his pride of being an Uchiha and—"
"Well, what if I tell you that our father wasn't originally an Uchiha?" Itachi interrupted and nearly chuckled when he saw Sasuke astonished face. "On top of that, our mother's maiden surname is Uchiha, our father took her surname."
"What?" Sasuke slacked his jaw. "That can't be—that's impossible! Where did you get such an absurd idea? It doesn't make any sense. "
"Haven't you ever wondered how our mother managed to work and become a powerful business woman in such a sexist society like Japan's? Nowadays things have gotten a bit easier but at that time, the moment that a woman married, she was expected to resign from her job and become a housewife. An exception to this rule was, if her husband allowed it to continue to work in his family's business."
This time Sasuke simply listened mutely, too surprised to interject. Itachi smiled, satisfied that he'd piqued his younger brother's attention.
"Now we come to the part where we have some interesting details about our mother's past. At that time, being the only child of the current head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Mikoto was ready to inherit the company. The Uchiha Corporation was on the verge of bankruptcy, being too tied to old concepts and losing out to American companies. However, she was aware that the majority of the board of directors wouldn't listen to a woman commanding them, even though she was one of the first women enrolled in Toudai in Administration and she possessed a cunning talent in finance. Even with that obstacle, she was ready to face them head on."
Sasuke absorbed this information, muttering. "But…"
"But she met our father. They used to be classmates at university. They dated and before she knew it, our father proposed to her and she was faced with a difficult situation because unless she stayed single, her cousin would be the next one to be chosen as the director. So she proposed that he adopt her surname and become the new head of this company."
Both sons paused, knowing instinctively that Itachi's next set of words would change Sasuke's point of view completely.
"And…we live in a Japanese society, you know the repercussions, you understand the extreme importance of a surname to a man and how his dignity would be completely destroyed if he sullied it. And you know our father – a very typical Japanese man, full of pride, inflexible and unyielding to anything and anyone… he said yes. For her sake. "
Before he realized it, Sasuke released a sigh of relief in reaction to Itachi's speech.
"However, it was obviously very difficult for them and they met many obstacles from both sides. At first, the Uchiha Clan struggled to accept that an outsider would be given the position of head of the Clan and that they would be allowing a woman to take care of their finances. And don't think that it wasn't a big deal for our father to give up his family name and change it, although there are some examples in history of men taking their wives' surname, in this case he had a lot to lose because he came from an old noble family. Our grandfather disapproved of his son's decision so vehemently that he disowned and banished our father from his family, only to forgive him on his death bed. I found all this out from a relative on father's side… Apparently the Uchiha clan wanted the truth hidden and never speaks of it, so we never heard about it before."
Itachi approached his younger brother, lightly patting his shoulder and was relieved that Sasuke didn't recoil from his touch.
"I told you, there are some things that you'd only understand once you're older and your mind was more mature. I was so determined in chasing my own ambitions and beliefs that I failed to see our parents' point of view. Maybe we shouldn't just see our parents as some force pulling us down. Maybe our father has other reasons to be so dedicated to this company, aside from his own motives and our mother's too…maybe there's something more than meets the eye."
"I wasted so many years blaming everyone around me …that I forgot to take into consideration their feelings." Sasuke thought to himself, guilt lingering heavily on his mind.
"Our parents have fought many different adversaries, faced many hardships through their lives…but for them, it was worth it, since at least they had each other for support. I'm sure that our father is aware of the blame we put on him and he accepted the burden…because he at least had our mother who could understand him and encourage him." Itachi gave Sasuke's shoulder another pat, with another enigmatic smile. "What about you Sasuke? Do you have someone like that in your life?"
~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~
The door suddenly burst open, almost making Fugaku spill his green tea when he saw his youngest son enter, breathless. It almost reminded him of those cliché moments in samurai movies he used to watch, when the protagonists invaded the enemies' headquarters to begin a bloody fight.
He raised one eyebrow as Sasuke panted, trying to recover his breath. With a hand sign to his secretary, she promptly obeyed with a courteous bow and gave a glass of fresh water to his son, which he accepted and emptied in a matter of seconds.
"Father, I need to speak to you." Sasuke said once he rested enough.
"I thought our talk was scheduled for two hours from now, any reason why the urgency?" Fugaku said, while he organized the documents.
Kind of…Sasuke found himself unable to give a reasonable argument since he pretty much ran there on impulse. But Itachi's words had left an impression on him, being able to see a different side of his father and hearing his parent's past had oddly inspired him and before he realized it, he was inside the elevator and running towards his father's room. Sasuke said:
"It is a matter of personal urgency, so if I could—"He glanced sideways.
His father contemplated for a while until he cleared his throat, indicating for his staff to leave the room, quietly closing the door behind them. Once silence settled inside, Fugaku threw an inquisitive glance, expecting his son to begin.
Sasuke noticed the quiet questioning, though he was still too nervous to drop the sudden news. After a long inhale and tightening his hands to stave off the gathering of cold sweat, Sasuke started slowly:
"I…I have to go to New York, to find Na—Naruto."
Fugaku straightened in his chair, furrowing his eyebrow. "To find Uzumaki-kun? Why?"
"He's been missing ever since that last meeting so I'm worried about his whereabouts."
Fugaku widened his eyes. "But I thought you had contacted him when I told you to clear up the confusion that occurred."
"I—I couldn't. At the time I couldn't make myself talk with him." Sasuke gulped dryly. "Nara-san informed me about this situation and now…I intend to find him, and resolve this situation between us."
Fugaku thought for a few moments and asked once again. "So why are you so motivated now to find him?"
This simple sentence threw Sasuke into more turmoil, unwilling to give the answer so quickly. This is it. This was the moment where he would choose a different path and lose the stability in his life as he'd always known it, his head throbbing and running haywire, rationally knowing that his future was impossible to predict.
He briefly closed his eyes, recalling every reason that would erase the doubt in his mind and raised his head with dignity, ready to fight his own demons.
"Because Naruto is a precious person to me father." Sasuke declared, his voice never sounding so clear. "I have made a mistake for not recognizing this fact, but now I have every intention to fix this and let him know…how much he means to me."
Sasuke fixed his eyes on his father, frightened to see any negative response or dismissal but Fugaku kept his expression unreadable. His father readjusted his position on the chair and for a few brief seconds, Sasuke could almost see a flash of a smile, before Fugaku laced his fingers and placed them on the table, his face pensive.
"So in other words, you acknowledge all the evidence I saw in those photos?"
Sasuke bit his lower lip, slowly nodding in response.
"But Uzumaki-kun denied his involvement with you on that day, maybe does that mean it's a misunderstanding on his part?" Fugaku enquired.
"Naruto helped me out even though I…wasn't prepared to acknowledge our feelings yet." The guilt uncomfortably curled on his stomach, increasing his desire to find the blond and try to compensate this somehow. "I had taken his consideration for granted and I want to amend this. I'm sorry that I chose to hide the truth before but I couldn't—I was afraid of admitting…" Sasuke lowered his head in shame.
"That you're homosexual?" Fugaku finished with a raised eyebrow. "Your mother and I have known about this fact for quite a while."
Sasuke slackened his jaw flabbergasted. "You don't—"
"Mind? Of course not." Fugaku resumed drinking his green tea in calm gulps. "I could see how much you were trying to hide this fact from the press to avoid giving us any trouble, but I just wish you could've trusted us to open yourself to . I'm relieved that you changed your mind now."
Sasuke blinked twice in awed silence. This was way too much information to be absorbed in one day.
"So in other words, are you and Uzumaki-kun in a relationship then?"
An image of Naruto staring at his Ramen cup with an almost marveled reverence unexpectedly polluted Sasuke's mind out of nowhere and the young brunet repressed the urge to snort.
Fugaku watched in confusion towards his son. The latter cleared his throat to cover his mild embarrassment, answering:
"No, I guess we're not yet. But once everything is cleared up and if the situation winds up in my favor, I hope to start a relationship with him." With a crazy, nonsensical usuratonkachi and a ramen addict to boot, Sasuke wanted to add. He was now very aware of the trouble he was going to be in. He mentally shook his head in amusement.
"Well. I'd like to allow you go to New York and find Uzumaki-kun, but unfortunately there are other pressing business matters here that need your immediate attention. You don't really have to waste your time looking for him when I'm sure our investigators would do a better job." Fugaku said stoically, picking up a pen to sign some papers. "You can go talk with him once we find him."
"I have a vague idea where Naruto was headed, and I wanted to ask Nara-san about it. And also, actually... I want to concentrate my efforts on finding him but in the future - although I don't intend to abandon all of my responsibilities - I'd prefer if I could…be alleviated of some of them."
Fugaku stopped in mid action, raising his head to glance at his son. "Why?"
Sasuke stared back, mulling over how he should address this situation without sounding too disrespectful to his father. He lowered his vision in an evasive reaction, unable to keep his eyes towards Fugaku as an akin of shame for his decision. He figured, beginning to bend his legs and prostrate in front of Fugaku, that this should be the least he could do to compensate for disobeying his father.
"Enough." Fugaku's voice easily reverberated inside the spacious room, a sharp reminder for Sasuke about his imposing aura. His father stood up, walking around the table and approached him, saying with a sigh. "I'm tired of seeing my children bowing to me, because it feels like I failed somewhere in your education. Stand up."
With another furtive glance, Sasuke awkwardly straightened up, still not meeting his father's eyes.
"Very well then. Now look at me, and explain clearly as the adult that you are now, instead of feeling the need to resort to other tactics."
Sasuke obeyed, gazing upon the elder's somber eyes, his emotions boiling and spilling out of control. Random sets of words flashed at the back of his mind, and although Sasuke was trying hard to construct the perfect and persuasive speech that would express his mature and rational desire for freedom, his mouth blurted out. "I'm sorry that I'm such a disappointing son."
He could see Fugaku frowning immediately but Sasuke couldn't stop there. It was as if every negative thought he'd accumulated in the past, his fears, frustration, everything that he buried to avoid confrontation with his father and had been suppressed for too long that it had to be let out. These latest events had left him emotionally exhausted; his pride couldn't raise another wall even after his defenses had all but crumbled. His head was throbbing, feeling wave after wave of nervousness and a plethora of other mixed emotions that he wanted to control, his body was shaking unbeknownst to himself.
"I've tried so hard to meet you expectations, but I know that I've never succeeded. Being in this company is suffocating…this task was never something I fully enjoyed no matter how hard I tried. I know that you don't want to hear such things and for a long while I have avoided confessing this to you so that's why, I know you must be disappointed in me."
Fugaku exhaled a heavy sigh, turning his head and breaking eye contact, this familiar set of actions generated a small panic attack from Sasuke as he lowered his upper body into a humble bow:
"You placed responsibilities and duties in which I, as your son, wished I could fulfill but I failed to achieve perfection. I have my own ambitions and interests in a different area that unfortunately isn't related to our family business. I know you're not going to forgive me for my foolishness but I'm sorry…I can't do this anymore. Not like this." He said, exhausting the last of his emotional outburst. Sasuke was dreading the possible consequences; his father would probably roar at him, complaining about his immaturity and impudence or maybe even expel him from the clan. It was too late, and now the young Uchiha waited the impending disaster in a catatonic state.
Fugaku didn't answer right away, his face distorted in a grimace. Perhaps Sasuke was too anxious, focused to notice his father's every movement and the imminent backlash…or maybe Fugaku was showing an expression so different from the usual solemn and stern exterior…but beneath his frown showed layers of wrinkles on his temple and eyes in vivid detail, and for some reason, Sasuke couldn't sense his father's unapproachable aura, appearing instead to be just like a regular old man.
Fugaku propped his hands on the table, expelling a murmur. "So this is how you view me…?"
Sasuke winced at the pained tone coming from his father, the guilt escalating even higher. His father rubbed his face with his fingers, finally giving into mental exhaustion that had been building up since the start of the conversation.
"So you think…I would—You fear me?" Fugaku asked bluntly, his guttural voice almost made Sasuke cower in response.
Fugaku waited till his youngest son gulped dryly and avoided looking in his eyes. This reaction further increased Fugaku's own regret as the oldest Uchiha prepared himself to reveal his own share of confessions.
"Sasuke." Fugaku called and his son raised his head, staring back. "I don't want you to blame yourself and it was never my intention to hurt you or make you so miserable. You're my son."
"…I know." Sasuke answered as a few tears prickled the corner of his eyes.
"I don't know…where you got those ideas and I really wish I had detected this in the past to dispel it because I would never…" Fugaku raised his voice, thundering inside the spacious room. "I would never think that you're a disappointment. Understand this."
The way his father declared this with such conviction soothed Sasuke's spirit, realizing all of a sudden…that this was probably the first time that they had such a candid conversation. Their emotions were scattered everywhere but it seemed that they were starting to reassemble correctly.
Fugaku mumbled, as if he was recalling a far away memory. "Actually…I didn't want to put the burden of becoming the heir of this company on you in the first place."
Sasuke froze nevertheless, his deepest fear crawling back from the corner of his mind, that he was just a faux substitute, a replacement.
"It was a set of unfortunate events. We were still a cooperative company with limited shares, the head of the clan having the largest percentage of capital. The Uchiha Corporation was in the process of becoming an unlimited company, but, unlike nowadays, there were many legal complications to overcome in order to change the company's legal structure. So we still needed Itachi as the next head to give the stock market some assurance. But the year Itachi decided to run away from our home was when Japan was having an economic crisis, finally collapsing after a decade of built up recession."
Sasuke listened quietly to his father's explanation, dreading for the moment Fugaku would admit that he simply needed someone to fill the void Itachi had left.
"Obviously the stock market was already in turmoil from the current crisis, and once the press has gotten hold of Itachi's disappearance, the stock indexes were dropping rapidly, heading towards a crash. Our company wasn't international at that time, but we already highly influenced Japan's economy. Even with your mother's brilliant strategies devised to keep the breakdown to a minimum, there would be a layoff of a thousand people as a result."
Fugaku's eyes were reflecting weariness, recognizing a weight that he carried through the years.
"I am the head of the company; the lives of many depend on my decisions. Thousands of jobs—Thousands of families were at stake. If we didn't control the problem, it'd further aggravate Japan's economic crisis, influencing other countries too by default. They were my responsibility; I had to find an answer and avoid ruining their lives. This country's population needed to receive this solution, as soon as possible. The future of thousands of families…or the future of my son. Every logical reason pointed out the obvious so I chose you as the heir."
For once, Fugaku was the one who looked guilty over this piece of information, watching his son to see any kind of reaction. Sasuke only stood inanimate, eyes wide in surprise from this revelation. Fugaku continued then.
"Unfortunately, the press altogether with the stock market kept a close surveillance over your life, so I had to make sure that you were an exemplary student and would succeed in being the successor of the company. If I was too harsh…or acted wrongly that made you misinterpret my decisions, leading to today's events…it wasn't my intention. I wanted to raise you into a respectable adult and to be a source of our family's pride. I thought…I assumed that this was the best way to educate a child."
"But you never—you had never approved any of my actions." Sasuke retorted, his head still muddled between mixtures of newly-found commiseration and remnants of resentment. "No matter what I did, you kept wishing I could do more. Even if I excelled or showed any exemplary work, it wasn't enough." He spat out.
"Because I believed that you could surpass yourself. Pushing you to the limit, that's how I believed it'd work—"
"And how far did I have to go to finally make you satisfied?" Sasuke raised his voice, his patience wearing thin. "Because it doesn't appear to me that you ever considered me our family's pride!"
The last sentence echoed long enough to allow a tense silence to hang between them, father and son reaching the snapping point in which nothing would be left uncovered.
"As it appeared, I probably asked for too much and I'm now paying the consequences." Fugaku said quietly.
Sasuke shook his head, to prevent further lashing out at his father. "I didn't—I swear I didn't say this to blame you." He found himself unable to, not when he finally understood Fugaku's point of view.
Fugaku simply nodded in response, resuming his explanation. "You grew up corresponding to my expectations and were fitting to be the next head of the clan. I thought that you would inherit the passion with economy and administration like your mother and I have, that you were interested in following our footsteps and carrying on our legacy…" Fugaku shook his head. "But it was only after many years that I noticed how unhappy you were with this kind of life. I should have seen through your behavior, but maybe I was too blinded by my selfishness…"
The final piece of the jigsaw puzzle finally melded to reveal the entire picture and Sasuke understood his father at long last, cleansing any remaining dark residue from his heart. All the past displeasures had lost their substance, recognizing that his father was human too, capable of having his own emotions go astray and feel wounded. Being able to grasp this knowledge helped reinforce their connection that used to be tied only through blood.
Fugaku declared, putting an end to his speech. "I shouldn't have made that kind of decision back then. Thousands of families or not…you're my son. It is my duty as your father to put you as top priority but I failed to do so. If there's anyone that should apologize, it should be me. For forcing you to do something against your will, for not noticing this any sooner…I failed to be a good father, Sasuke."
"No…" Sasuke promptly said, relieved that his answer came sincerely from his heart. "I told you, I'd never blame you. We've had our rough times, we've both made mistakes…but you still raised me with dignity and that's how you truly molded me in the end. And for that, I'll always be grateful…father."
With this last whisper, a heavy weight lifted from his chest and soared away, making him feel lightheaded and exultant. He noticed that his father was feeling the same effects because Fugaku smiled serenely at him, and for the first time in a while, Sasuke saw him not as a distant and commanding figure, but as a man that was constantly concerned over the people he cared for and preferred to keep his emotions hidden. Great, he's the spitting image of his father.
They really were a perfect pair of fools.
Fugaku cleared his throat, returning to his stoic expression as he resumed the conversation. "So…once I noticed how unhappy you were with those shackles I threw on you, I knew that…even if I relieved you from your duty, you would obey me but you would be unable to move on your own, because I conditioned you to do so. That's why I had to find you another role model, someone who fought against any adversary and every condition that would meddle with his dream, someone who succeeded in building his own life…so I had hopes Uzumaki Naruto would help you in this journey, which was the reason why I introduced you to him."
Sasuke's brain stopped, slowly processing yet another bout of information. So the reason his father said that he admired Naruto, also the reason he was more lenient than normal towards the blond, not to mention at the beginning his father forced him to have meetings with Naruto and rescheduled his day just so he could meet Naruto at the airport and inspect Mitsukoshi and was strangely complacent when Sasuke ditched his work to help Naruto explore Kyoto…that meant…wait a minute—
"You were trying to match-make me with Naruto?" Sasuke asked with mild incredulity, his eyebrows shot to his hairline.
Fugaku furrowed his eyebrows, looking slightly mortified. "I didn't know he was gay."
Sasuke almost wanted chuckle and say that Naruto wasn't gay, not in the normal sense anyway, but he chose to shake his head amused, contentedly seeing that his father had also softened his expression.
"It appears to me that you're not complaining about this decision this time…after all, besides the Hyuugas; your childhood friends, I have never heard you calling anyone else by their name." Fugaku smirked.
Sasuke blushed faintly and snorted. "Hn. I should get going…my secretary already arranged my flight and I should get to the airport soon. I promise we'll talk in full detail about the new division of tasks, because I won't neglect my current responsibilities."
Fugaku nodded. "I will want to hear about your true interests after that… and see if I can help you in any way."
"Okay…" Sensing that the discussion was over, Sasuke was almost tempted to hug his father but restrained himself. Maybe later. He settled with the words:
"Thank you."
He turned around and felt healthy pats on his back, signaling a father sending off his son on a new journey. When Sasuke looked back, Fugaku was already at his table picking up the phone so the young Uchiha closed the door with a soft click.
"Sasuke." His mother's voice beckoned him and Sasuke noticed Mikoto approaching him from the corridor. She regarded him for a few seconds until she said. "I can see that you had a very long talk with your father right?"
Sasuke blinked, before nodding in agreement.
She smiled. "Well then. I guess I'll have to do what I'm sure that my hard-headed husband would never have the wit to do it so."
Unconcerned with the workers looking at them, Mikoto drew her son into a tight hug, and whispered to Sasuke:
"Always remember, no matter what you do or think, you are our son and we'll accept you just the way you are."
She released him then, watching his back as Sasuke took his first steps into an uncertain future, beginning an exploration inside an unknown path—but this time for some reason, he had never felt so excited like before.
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Fugaku picked up his cup of tea when someone knocked on the door and approached his desk. He didn't even bother to look up, his senses already instinctively knew the identity of the person as he also already knew after many years of marriage that Mikoto was now widening a very smug smile.
"So I've heard that Sasuke is off to New York." Mikoto declared.
Fugaku nodded, sipping his green tea. "He's heading at this exact moment to find Uzumaki-kun, ready to deliver some heartfelt confession or something like that. Deep inside, I suspect that you Uchihas have a penchant for melodramatic displays of emotions. That's probably the main reason why you bother so much to bottle your feelings inside only to let it explode spectacularly."
Mikoto narrowed her eyes. "The pot calling the kettle back."
"I don't bottle any feelings, I simply don't display it so freely, Uchiha-san." Fugaku replied with a smirk.
"…hn." Mikoto didn't bother to contradict his statement this time, settling to continue her smug beam. "See? I was correct. I told you the first time I met Uzumaki-kun, that they didn't appear to be mere friends, and I bet there must be something more going on between them."
Fugaku sighed. "But that doesn't make sense. I received reports showing that Uzumaki-kun previously had relationships with women only, which made me assume that he was heterosexual and they would have a normal friendship." He said, but he looked far from being displeased.
Mikoto giggled and answered. "Well, call it a women's intuition then. But I'm here mainly for one thing." She smiled once again. "So I won the bet."
"There must be something fundamentally wrong when a mother would use her son for betting." Fugaku retorted without any venom in his voice.
"But you accepted, which makes you my partner in crime. Just like good old times." She said in a conspiratorial tone, approaching her husband's back and lacing her arms around his neck.
They stayed in that position for a while; contented to simply feel the presence of each other, Fugaku occasionally caressed Mikoto's arm with his hands. After some time, he turned his head inquiring:
"So? What are going to ask for as your prize, Uchiha-san?"
Mikoto slightly lifted her chin in contemplation, until she beamed back. "It's been a very long time since we had a date Kujou-kun."
Fugaku didn't frown from the almost forgotten nickname, resorting to raise an eyebrow in mild surprise. "I believe that you're aware of the fact that we're running a multinational Corporation and if we simply left without any warning our offices would go on a rampage without us."
"It's just for a few hours and we'll have our cell phones too anyway." Mikoto answered readily.
Fugaku sighed again. "Disregarding the rules, as expected. No wonder Itachi is so rebellious; he certainly got that trait from you."
Mikoto only giggled, tightening her arms around him. "We'll discuss who's the more rebellious of the two on our date and I know I'll win."
Fugaku harrumphed softly, but didn't bother to disagree with her.
"Fugaku?" Mikoto whispered next to his ear as he rose an eyebrow questioning. She said kissing his temple. "I hope Sasuke will find in Uzumaki-kun what I have found in you…"
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"Shikamaru Nara speaking." Sasuke heard the characteristic lazy tone and answered:
"Nara." He spoke through his cell phone while exiting the airport. "I know that I still have to give an explanation about last time but now I have an idea where Naruto has headed. I'm going to your office now if you could hel—"
Sasuke heard a sigh and a retort. "No need to. Naruto just contacted us yesterday."
For a few moments the world stilled around Sasuke and he choked a short laugh, feeling relief blossom in his chest, as if a strong ray of light cleared up the grey sky and melted his insecurities, his skin prickling from the warmth. Oh God, Naruto was alive. This was the most wondrous news he had ever received in his life, he didn't know the blonde's current condition but at least Naruto was alive.
"Is he alright? When is he going to return? Where is he?" Sasuke asked, already getting into his limousine and heading to Sarutobi's office.
"I'm not sure about the details but Sarutobi just received his letter of resignation."
Every ebullient feeling crashed and crumbled in an instant, any residue of warmth had left Sasuke's body, cold sweat sliding down his back. Naruto was…onyx eyes narrowed with determination. No way he was going to allow something like that to happen.
"I'll be there shortly to clear up this situation. Bye." Sasuke growled, turning off the cell phone and missed the confused protests from Shikamaru.
He didn't get stuck in much traffic on the way, as he also barked orders for the driver to increase the speed. Once he reached the door, he hastened his steps to the building, the elevator, and finally the office. The brunet didn't even acknowledge the confused receptionist, bluntly entering inside. His eyes focused on finding Sarutobi; surveying each room he walked through, when he saw the old man walking towards him in the hallway, busy talking with a group of people.
Sasuke's mind, body and heart all moved in unison, acting on instinct as he dropped his knees haphazardly to the ground, his voice loud enough to gain everyone's attention:
"Please don't fire Naruto!"
Sarutobi widened his eyes, recognizing the prostrating figure:
"Sasuke-kun, wha—"
Sasuke shook his head, eyes furrowed and his head hanging low. "Please, don't fire him. I swear that the last meeting is entirely my fault and Naruto suffered the consequences. I have already cleared up this situation with my father so Naruto can continue to be the chief architect of this project. I beg you to reconsider his resignation because Naruto is a very competen—"
"I didn't fire him." Sarutobi interrupted, confused.
Gray-colored eyes snapped open and Sasuke raised his head, staring in complete bewilderment at this statement.
Sarutobi repeated. "I didn't fire him. Naruto-kun sent me an e-mail giving his resignation in which I refused. I already know about Fugaku-kun's side of story too."
Sasuke's pale face was acquiring a faint pink color, the brunet almost groaned in absolute mortification, wanting nothing but the earth to engulf him.
The old architect appeared to find this situation amusing, as he cleared his throat, sympathetically patting Sasuke's shoulder. "Well, since I also heard from your father how you're keen to find Naruto-kun, once you see him, could you please tell him to hurry up and return to work? There are several projects that need his help." He coughed to get everyone's attention, his entire group then headed to the exit, leaving the corridor empty.
Sasuke was still taking his time in contemplating suicide after he had made a complete fool of himself for nothing when he heard a snort, noticing Shikamaru next to him.
Sasuke glared daggers at Shikamaru, while the latter observed the Uchiha heir propping himself to stand, his face still red. With a sigh, Shikamaru picked up his cell phone and clicked quickly.
Sasuke's cell phone immediately rung, and with a puzzled glance, Sasuke saw an address displayed on the screen.
"The only one that Naruto contacted was his father. So his father is also the only one who knows Naruto's whereabouts. He's currently at Naruto's house, so if you want to find Naruto, he's the best source of information."
Sasuke nodded in response, already calling his driver to pick him up, until he realized. "Wait a minute. If his father knows the whole story and I'm going there to ask about Naruto, he's probably going to kill me!"
Shikamaru promptly answered with a laidback tone. "I'm actually counting on this possibility."
Sasuke glared back. He didn't bother himself to say any courteous words of goodbye as he turned around, walking back to the entrance.
"Uchiha." Shikamaru called, Sasuke turned back with a raised eyebrow, slightly confused from the sudden lack of honorific. Shikamaru continued. "As you're aware since we're working on one of the Uchiha Corporation's projects, Naruto and I have some defined tasks. While Naruto mostly works on the sketches and its forms, I'm the one who helps him out to ensure that his ideas are sound. In this way, I also organize the time schedule of the whole project from the construction to logistics, materials and so on."
Sasuke stared, a little bit put off from the nonsensical speech, but still didn't bother himself to interrupt Shikamaru, crossing his arms as he listened.
"Working on these logistics, I have to calculate the time when the material will arrive, how long it'll take to do the basic frame, predict some weather interferences, everything to make sure we don't get behind schedule." Shikamaru paused briefly. "However, I also have to consider the fact that, to construct a building depends mostly on manpower, and they are human, capable of making mistakes. I have to remember that sometimes one will get sick, or have a very shitty day, or have his heart broken by a foolish rich boy… all those troublesome details here and there."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, already comprehending where exactly this conversation was going, his mood souring a little. "Is there any reason why are you taking so long to explain this to me?"
Shikamaru smirked. "As I was saying…" He continued, unruffled by Sasuke's impatience. "Those are human feelings that as meddlesome as they are, I have to include an allowance in the logistics, but since it's something that can't be understood logically, it's impossible for me to measure accurately. Therefore, I have to estimate a certain number of days, but since they are simply emotions and those emotions shouldn't compromise the actual construction schedule too much, it's my duty to estimate the minimum and expect that those numbers, those irrational numbers lead by immeasurable things, should be insignificant and won't impact the schedule much."
Shikamaru closed his eyes and memories of Temari showed in his mind, making him want to offer some support to Sasuke, hoping that maybe with one successful example, it'd give him one more reason to be determined with his own cause.
"Well Uchiha. Show me, that even with all the odds against you, with this low probability, I want to see if you can assure that this immeasurable emotion will be able to turn the tables and win him over in the end. That's the only reason I gave you Naruto's address as your last chance, after all the trouble you gave him. Naruto's father's name is Jiraiya, I guess that's the other bit of info I can give you to help you out."
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Sasuke stared at the closed door to a rather big house, located in the suburbs. He probably stood there for over five minutes, still unsure of what he would say to convince Naruto's father to reveal the blonde's current location.
The brunet remembered how much Naruto talked fondly about him, so Sasuke supposed that Naruto's father was probably a very wise, sensitive person that would listen if he explained the situation thoroughly to him. Steeling his resolve, with a sharp inhale, Sasuke pressed the doorbell.
A grave voice asked him:
"Who's there?"
Sasuke cleared his throat, answering:
"Uchiha Sasuke."
Before he could even blink, the door was violently opened; a large hand swiftly grabbed him by his neck, dragging him inside the house while closing the door with a loud rumble.
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Report14: Past, Present and Future
AN: Me thinks that the alternative title should be: "Meet the weird Uchiha family."
Anyways, I'm looking forward to write Jiraiya and Sasuke's confrontation. Ah…it's going to be awesome…*wide and evil smile*
By the way, I know that I didn't cover a lot of Mikoto and Fugaku's past, but I already have a one-shot pictured ready in my head about them. At first I was like: "but lol, who the hell would read a Mikoto X Fugaku fic?" but after finishing this chapter and talking to my beta, reinforced my desire to write it down. But well, I wanna ask. What do you all think in reading about their past? XD Interesting? Meh? Hell no?
Some info:
en . wikipedia .org/wiki/Kuj%C5%8D_family
Fugaku's surname is Kujou (at first I wanted to keep his surname a secret but changed my mind). As described in wiki, it's a powerful noble family with strong political ties sooooo yep. Fugaku had lot to lose when he decided to take Mikoto's surname.
en . wikipedia .org/wiki/Toudai
Toudai or rather, the official name; University of Tokyo, the university in which Fugaku and Mikoto studied is THE most important and prestigious university in Japan.
And last, but not least, Dákkar made another fanart based on the 13th chapter. *hugs her*The drooling Sasuke is one of the cutest things I saw in a while. XD
dakkar-h . deviantart . com / art / RC-Report13-262299950
ONE MORE CHAPTERRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Edit: The awkward moment when you go re-read this fic's lemon and you go "wtf" reading the long-ass sentences that seriously needs some urgent fixing right now.