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No Goodbyes	By : Lanie12777 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1667 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, nor do I make any money off this story.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, nor do I make any profit from this story.

AN: So I really have no idea where the idea for this came from. But I�ve seen so many stories where Sasuke is the one who is being groomed for carrying on the Uchiha name and getting married while Itachi is off doing whatever he wants, that I wanted to switch that and have Itachi be the one in that position. This is the first time I�ve tried writing in first POV, so it�s a bit different from my other stories.

Summary: Itachi left, after three years together he just disappeared without a word. Now he�s back, but Naruto isn�t so willing to just forgive and forget. AU/AR, ItaNaru, slight SasuSaku, angst, cursing. Characters are a bit OOC, but they need to be for the story.

No Goodbyes

That tingling sensation that had first disturbed me when I stepped into the room got worse as I scanned the faces around me. I knew I was being watched. Just as I perused the people on my side of the room, my gaze locked onto a set of piercing black eyes I had almost thought to never see again. Though I was here with a close friend of his, Pein, I�d had no idea he was here; staring right at me was Itachi Uchiha. My ex-boyfriend, the man who broke my heart and left me without even a note of goodbye or a �fuck off�.

Of course, it stands to reason there might have been a good chance he�d show up here. This party, which I�d been talked into attending by Pein, Itachi�s closest friend and part of the elite rich of society � to which I, Naruto Uzumaki, was definitely not a part of � was Itachi�s scene. My azure blue eyes glared up at Pein, who simply shot me a halfhearted grin at the dark expression on my face. I�d been set up, by someone whom I�d finally considered a close friend. He and I had gotten very close after Itachi left, becoming a good friend to me, which is what I�d needed at the time. Pein had told me that Itachi was back in town, but so far either he hadn�t wanted to see me or I�d gotten lucky, as we hadn�t run into each other. Until now.

It had been just after nine this morning when my phone had rung, the caller I.D. showing Pein Hill�s now familiar number. I�d met Pein when I had first begun dating Itachi almost five years ago. He and Itachi had been best friends pretty much their whole lives, and it showed in the everyday bantering and teasing they exchanged. They ran in the same circles, both being from wealthy backgrounds, which is why it was so mind-boggling that I�d even met Itachi. His father Fugaku was the founder and CEO of his own pharmaceutical company, and his mother, Mikoto, was a top researcher at the large laboratory the company owned. Pein�s parents were what was known as �old� wealth, his great-grandfather some sort of land baron up in Montana back in the early 1900�s, with enough money to keep Pein�s own grandkids from having to work if they didn�t want to. Pein�s grandparents had moved here to California in the �60�s, just across the street from where Itachi�s parents had their own home built after coming to the states from Japan. Pein�s mother was a stay at home mom, who spent the majority of her time ordering off the home-shopping networks and spoiling her two Pekingese dogs more than her son. I�m not really sure what Mr. Hill does, Pein just makes jokes about it while sort of skipping around the actual subject. The only time I�ve ever seen either Itachi�s or Pein�s parents was at some social benefit Itachi dragged me to a few years ago. Though I did see his younger brother Sasuke quite a bit; we�d become good friends over the years, even though he was nearly as much a bastard as Itachi.

It wasn�t like Itachi had been hiding me from his parents exactly, but at times it had certainly felt that way. He'd never wanted me to spend the night at his condo (this had been before we'd moved in together of course; oh, how Fugaku had been furious at that!), saying his mother had a tendency to pop in on him every now and then and it would be too awkward to deal with. If we went out, it was to places his parents didn�t frequent. And when I did finally meet them, all I got was a cold glance and stilted greetings from his mother. To be honest, I don�t know who had the more trouble dealing with Itachi�s homosexuality: him or his parents. He�d been more nervous and jittery about introducing me than I was to meet them. And they obviously knew; neither were surprised. In fact his father had muttered something about me being �another one�. That had been only a couple of months before Itachi had left.

So I had been more than surprised when Pein invited me to attend this gathering with him. �Come on Naruto, it�ll be fun!� he�d begged (whined). A small smile lifted my lips at his pleading tone.

Sighing, I asked, �Am I gonna have to wear a tux? I�m not going if I do, there�s enough penguins in the world.� I absolutely hated wearing suits, especially tuxedoes. I�d had to wear one to my cousin Ino�s wedding when I was fifteen, and it had been the most miserable four hours of my life. I�d vowed never to put one on again. Needless to say my prom date hadn�t been all that happy when I�d foregone the accursed suit and come out of the house in my favorite pair of black jeans and one of those tux shirts, y�know the ones with the tux designed on the front? Not like I�d really cared anyway; my mother had set me up with one of our neighbor�s daughters, not knowing at the time my preference wasn�t for the fairer sex. �Course, my date couldn�t really complain, as she�d been too excited at being able to go.

Anyway, Pein assured me that some nice slacks and an actual shirt � not a t-shirt � would do. Itachi had taken me to a few of these upper-class affairs, but only when it was vital for him to show up as he knew I detested them. I was still thinking over the invitation as Pein�s voice turned high-pitched and whining, �Come on Naruto, pleeeeaaaassse? I don�t wanna ask Konan, she�s been really moody lately, plus I have more fun with you.� Wow, if he was desperate enough to consider his on-again, off-again psycho girlfriend Konan, he must really need a date. She hates these things even more than I do.

�Well, I guess I could stay for a little while,� I finally capitulated, hearing Pein�s excited whoop of delight. �What time do I need to be ready?� I asked.

�I�ll come pick you up around 8. Thanks a ton, Naruto!� The phone cut off as he hung up, and I laid the phone back on its cradle; I�m such a sucker. Damn, now I have to find something to wear.

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As promised, Pein knocked on my apartment door at 8 precisely. He was in a very nice Armani suit, the dark gray material of the pants and jacket going good with his orange hair and warm brown eyes. He was about half a foot taller than me, his physique nicely muscled though he wasn�t as muscular as Itachi. If he�d been gay, and I hadn�t been dating Itachi, I would have made a move on him years ago. His skin was pale, a creamy tone that spoke clearly of his mother�s Irish heritage. His chin was chiseled, a cute little dip in the center that he boasted drove all the girls wild. The only thing that I found distracting was his piercings. He had six silver barbells through his nose and about half a dozen studs lining each ear.

Bright white teeth gleamed as he grinned down at me. �You clean up pretty good. You ready?� His words caused a flush to appear on my cheeks, and he laughed as he saw the red creep up my face. Pein always loved to tease me, said it was one of his favorite pastimes. Jerk.

�Shut up,� I mumbled and pushed him out the door, locking it behind me and following him down to the first floor of my building. I had decided on a pair of new khaki slacks and a royal blue polo, which was only a shade darker than my eyes, a tan sportscoat and a simple pair of light tan loafers on my feet. My golden-blonde hair was brushed back off my face; it had gotten a bit long since I hadn�t had a haircut in a while, and some of it spiked up on the sides no matter how much I tried to tame it. My bangs, which had grown down to my cheeks, were tucked behind my ears. I really needed to have my hair cut soon.

Stepping off the last stair, I noticed a long black limousine waiting at the curb in front of my building. �Doesn�t anyone in your family ever drive?� I quipped. Pein just laughed.

�Why should we when someone else can do it for us?� A typical �rich kid� answer from him. I really liked Pein, but sometimes he was just too spoiled. I guess coming from a working class family, it was hard to understand how some people could just throw money away like that. My father Minato, who had moved to California from Japan with his American father after my grandmother died, had been taught to be self-sufficient and began working at sixteen. He�d gotten a job at a local steel mill, and had met my mother Kushina when he was nineteen and she was eighteen. My father had instilled the belief of working hard and being self-sufficient into me, and because of that I�d been able to work my way through college without having to ask my parents for money, a feat I was very proud of.

The limo driver, a portly man who looked to be in his early forties, opened the back door for us as we stepped onto the sidewalk. Pein motioned for me to enter first, and I slid forward onto plush leather seats as he climbed in behind me and sat across from me, the partition at the front giving us privacy from the driver. A few seconds later I felt the front door shut and the car start. Pein reached over to the bar along the left side of the vehicle, grabbing a bottle of what looked to be vodka.

�You want some?� I shook my head. Though I was old enough to drink at twenty-four, I never really drank a lot. Me and alcohol just didn�t mix. I watched him pour himself a small shot glass full, tip his head back and drain it, then repeat the process. For some reason he seemed almost� nervous.

�Pein?� I called, my right eyebrow lifted in question.

�Hmm?� He continued pouring and swallowing.

�What�s going on? The only time when you drink like this is when you�re nervous or guilty about something. So come on, spill.�

Pein�s hand stilled. He plastered a happy smile on his face, �Nothing is going on!� Of course, I didn�t believe him, but I shrugged it off for now. We rode in silence for another five minutes, the vodka bottle once again back with the other bottles of alcohol. Pein actually fidgeted as he sat, his hands twitching, and I knew something was going on, but as we stopped in front of his palatial three-story house (mansion), I let it go. I�d find out later.

The door opened, and before even stepping outside I could hear the sounds of dozens of people laughing and talking. I really hated coming to these parties, but I�d promised Pein, and besides, I was already here. Sucking in a breath, I allowed him to lead me inside and into the �lion�s den�.

Walking behind Pein, I entered the double front doors and gave my jacket to the doorman who was collecting everyone�s coats to be put away in the large closet adjacent to the ballroom. The glass doors leading into the ballroom were open, and I stepped into the beautifully decorated room. Pein�s mother had pretty much gone all out with the cut-crystal vases of white lilies and pale yellow roses adorning what looked to be maybe two dozen round tables on the left side of the room. White lace tablecloths were draped over each, and four place settings were arranged neatly on every table with lit candles in glass sconces in the center around the flowers. The elaborate chandelier twinkled above, the hundreds of crystals hanging from it reflecting light in every which direction. Soft classical music was playing in the background, barely heard above the chatter of the guests. Waiters and waitresses dressed in black traversed the room with trays of champagne and hors d�oeuvres.

Pein stayed by my side for the most part, introducing me to anyone I didn�t know and stopping to converse with a few people I did. I briefly noticed Sasuke in conversation with Neji Hyuuga, whose father ran a shipping business that Uchiha Corp. used. Sasuke looked up and saw me, and I waved absently to him and Sakura, Sasuke�s fiancé, before turning back to Pein. We�d been here for all of twenty minutes when I looked up and saw him watching me from the other side of the room. Anger welled up in me as I caught Itachi�s amused gaze, and I turned away to glower up at Pein.

�You asshole! You knew he�d be here, didn�t you?� I accused, furious with Pein for doing this.

Pein had the audacity to smile at me. �Come on, Naruto, be truthful. You never would have come tonight if you�d known Itachi would be here.� His voice was low, but still I could hear the firm tone.

I didn�t say anything else; I spun on my heel and stalked towards the entrance, only to be stopped by Itachi�s imposing form blocking my way. He looked exactly the same; damn, but he could still make my heart flutter. I mentally slapped myself for this thought as I stared obstinately up at him. His obsidian eyes scanned almost hungrily over me, but I just snarled at him.

�Come now Naruto, no need to make a scene,� his cultured tone washed over me. I�d not heard his voice in over two years, and hearing the deep yet smooth baritone took me back to when we were together. Lying in bed, him whispering in my ear, his seductive laughter. No, I can�t let him get to me. He left me, just took off without a word. I had every right to hate him. My glare was directed at him as I tried to dodge around him to the door, but he just matched my every move and prevented me from escaping. I felt a muscled body at my back, and turned just enough to spy Pein behind me.

�Don�t fucking talk to me!� I hissed when Pein opened his mouth. He looked a bit startled at my vehemence, but nodded and closed his mouth. Itachi chuckled and began walking to me, his eyes raking over me almost physically. I jerked back when he placed a large hand on my wrist, but his grip remained firm. Short of digging my feet into the marble floor and causing a huge commotion, I had no choice but to let him drag me into the foyer, unmindful of the curious stares of the guests. He continued on, heedless of my struggling once we were out of the ballroom, and headed straight for the home office next to the front doors.

Looking back at Pein, Itachi threw him a small smirk and closed the door, locking it and effectively muting the sounds of the party. He placed the key in his shirt pocket, and unless I was willing to jump him and dig through his pocket I was stuck in here with him.

Yanking my arm from his grasp once the door was locked, I stomped over to the window by the antique Queen Anne desk and promptly ignored Itachi. He didn�t say a word, just went to the brown leather sofa on the other side of the office and sat down. I could feel his eyes on me, and it was starting to grate on my nerves.

A mutinous glare on my face, I finally faced him. He looked pretty much the same as he had two years ago. His midnight-black hair was long, the thick strands tied back in a ponytail that reached the upper part of his back. His bangs were long, falling down the sides of his face, and I recalled how I used to love running my fingers through his silky hair when it was let down. Damn it, stop doing that! I admonished myself. I didn�t want to remember the good times with him; it just made everything worse.

I continued my perusal of him, noting his skin was still that smooth porcelain white. I used to marvel at the differences between our skin tones, his so pale while mine was dark. My skin was an olive complexion, a trait I had inherited from my dad along with my hair and eyes. With my blonde hair I tended to look more like a surfer.

His black slacks and crisp white dress shirt displayed a lithe and sleekly muscled body. He towered over me, a daunting 6�3� to my measly 5�7�. I�d gotten my mother�s height, as well as some of her features. Everyone always told me I looked just like a blonde version of her. Great, so I was short and looked like a woman. �Course, it didn�t help that I weighed 130 pounds soaking wet and was as slender as a girl.

Huffing in annoyance as he just stared at me with amusement, I turned my attention back to the window. I hope he doesn�t intend to simply stare at me all night; I needed to get home, I have to be up early in the morning to go to work. I still worked at the corner café where I first met him all those years ago; he�d come in during his lunch break, and I had been his waiter, though now I had worked myself up to manager. I hadn�t really been looking for a relationship at the time, but he�d come back every day after, each time asking specifically for me to wait on him. I�d been flattered of course, he was after all an extremely handsome man. For three weeks he pursued me, wearing me down until finally I agreed to go out with him. That one date had been the start of our three-year relationship. Little did I know it would end on the same day.

Onyx orbs regarded me closely. I felt the weight of that stare, and after enduring it for several moments I leaned against the window embrasure and met his gaze, my arms folded defensively across my chest. If I�m to be stuck in here with him, I may as well put this time to good use and ask him the question that had been plaguing my mind for the last two years.

�Why did you leave without saying goodbye?� My voice came out steady, a fact I was very proud of considering my desire to rant and scream at him.

Itachi remained silent, which pissed me off. The least he could do was answer my question!

�Two fucking years, Itachi! You disappear without a word, no letter, nothing. I didn�t know if you were even alive! How could you do that to me?! And especially on that day!� His eyes left mine, like he was ashamed to look me in the eye. �I thought you loved me. But I guess that�s what I got for thinking, huh? �Cause if you really love someone, you don�t just vanish without a trace. If you didn�t want to be with me anymore you should have told me. I deserved a note at the very least.� My breath was heaving now, all the emotions I�d been holding within bursting out. I felt tears threatening to pour out of my eyes, from anger or hurt at seeing him again I didn�t know. I didn�t want him to see me cry, but it was getting harder to keep them at bay. I hated myself for it, but I still loved him. I must be a glutton for punishment.

Looking back out into the darkness just beyond the window, I heard as Itachi stood up from the sofa and began walking towards me, his footsteps muted on the red and gold Oriental rug. I refused to look at him; my eyes had a film of tears obscuring my vision, and my body had begun to shake lightly. I jerked roughly when I felt Itachi�s arms wrap around me, holding me like he used to. I fought to escape his embrace, but he tightened his grasp until I stopped fighting.

I felt his head nuzzle the side of mine, his breath fanning the fine hairs at the top of my nape gently. I scowled, not wanting to be comforted yet despite myself enjoying every moment of it. It�s been so long since I felt his touch, and a part of me couldn�t deny it felt good to be in his arms again.

�I know I don�t deserve your forgiveness,� his deep voice vibrated next to my ear, �but I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you, Naruto.� Oh god, why couldn�t I move? I had all these things I�d planned to say to him in my head, but I was frozen. His words had the tears flowing down my cheeks immediately, and I despised myself for it. I couldn�t shake his arms off, so I remained rigid as my body trembled lightly. He�d been such a huge part of my life, and when he�d left I had refused to let anyone see me cry, keeping my emotions bottled up with a fake smile.

I don�t know how long I remained in his embrace, but eventually my tears dried and I let the anger surface. Did he think a measly apology would suffice? You don�t spend three years of your life with someone, claim to love them, and then just cut and run with no explanation. My body stiffened even more in his arms, and suddenly I couldn�t stand to have him touch me. No fucking way is he just gonna apologize and think everything will go back to how it was. It doesn�t work that way.

And I guess the reason I felt so bitter about it was because the bastard had decided to abandon me on our third anniversary. I had prepared a candlelit dinner, wine chilling in a bucket of ice, and soft music playing on the CD player. I knew he got off work at five, and would be home by a quarter after (Itachi was nothing if not punctual). When he still hadn�t shown up by eight, I had started to get a little worried and annoyed. Maybe he�d had a meeting and was just running a bit late? By ten I was freaking out, thinking he might have gotten into a car accident since he wasn�t answering his cellphone. But after calling the hospital and verifying he hadn�t been admitted, then calling Sasuke and finding out he�d been at their parents� house all day instead of work, the annoyance crept back. The dinner was ruined, so I had dumped it in the garbage and gone to bed, determined that when he came home in the middle of the night as he was bound to, he would find a pillow and sheets on the couch waiting for him. But when morning came and he was nowhere to be found, I gathered my courage and called his father. Fugaku seemed almost to relish telling me how Itachi had gone off and married the daughter of a family friend before hanging up on me. To say I was stunned would be the understatement of the century. I fully expected him to at least call me and tell me what he�d done, but after a week of silence I packed my things and moved out of our apartment.

Shrugging his arms off me, I turned and glared up at him. �You never meant to hurt me,� I mocked, �but you did. I might not have grown up with all the privileges you had, but I�m not stupid. So where is she?� The emotionless and stoic look on his face served to piss me off more. I could never read what he was thinking when he looked like that.

�Where is who?� he asked quietly.

Oh, he is so not gonna play innocent here. �You know who I mean. Your wife.�

Itachi�s brow furrowed in startled annoyance; he sighed as he stepped away from me back to the couch.

�How did you know about Karin?� So that was her name. Pein hadn�t told me her name, just that she was the daughter of one of Itachi�s father�s friends (which I�d already found out from Fugaku) and he�d met her a few times. I had hounded him for all the information he could give me, but unfortunately that was all he�d tell me.

Turning from him, I focused on the rich silk material of the cushions placed on the window seat. �When you disappeared two years ago, I called your parents� house and your father answered. He told me you were engaged, and had gone to get married but wouldn�t tell me where you were.� I snorted. �Probably afraid I�d go after you and make a scene while you were at the altar.� That�s exactly what I would have done, but he didn�t need to know that. �And I asked Sasuke. He told me you�d gotten married.� Sasuke had confirmed what Fugaku had told me, but he had no idea where Itachi was at the time. A convenient lie.

Gathering my nerves, I faced him. I�m so tired, all I want to do is go home and crawl into bed and forget Itachi Uchiha exists. I held my hand out to him. �Just give me the key, I want to go home. I have to be at work by seven.�

�Naruto, I had no choice-� I cut him off.

�We all have choices, Itachi. And you made yours. Your daddy�s money and that company are more important to you than I am or will ever be.�

�That�s not fair, Naruto. I loved you; I still love you. But I had to marry Karin or else I was disinherited. I couldn�t afford to lose the company.� His tone was almost detached-sounding, yet I could hear a faint hint of what I thought was regret, but I steeled my heart against him. He tore my heart to shreds, and there was no way I was opening myself up to that again.

Drawing away from him, I sighed again. �You know, I actually can understand that. As much as I hate to admit it, I do. But you could have at least told me, hell even lied to me and said you didn�t love me and wanted out of our relationship. But you did the cruelest thing you could by just leaving without a word. And I will never forgive you for that.�

Itachi�s eyes stayed on my face, his body still. His hands were clenched tightly by his sides, yet his face remained impassive. He gazed into my eyes, and finally after several moments he retrieved the key out of his pocket and wordlessly handed it to me. I took it from him and proceeded to walk to the door to unlock it. I glanced back at him as the door swung open; he�d not moved, simply staring after me. I turned and headed for the coat closet, intent on grabbing my jacket and calling a cab to take me home.

A movement caught my eye, and looking towards the ballroom doors I saw a pretty redheaded woman with black wire-framed glasses on her face. I don�t know how, but I instantly knew she was Itachi�s wife Karin. Judging by the hateful sneer on her face directed at me, she�d been told who I was as well. Pein was right behind her, giving me an apologetic gaze which I ignored. I heard footsteps behind me, and knew without looking it was Itachi.

�Itachi, darling, there you are! I�ve been looking everywhere for you.� I drowned out her simpering voice, snatching my jacket from the hanger it was on and pulling it on roughly. Itachi brushed by me, but I disregarded him and pulled my cellphone out of my pocket; I could hear her mindless chattering at Itachi as she led him back to the party. As I walked out of the house, I could feel his intense eyes still watching me, but I shut the door I�d opened, blocking all sight of him as I called for a taxi and leaned against the solid wood in exhaustion from my emotions. I knew I shouldn�t have answered my phone this morning.
　

　
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No Goodbyes