Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Torrid	By : KageKitsuneXXX Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 4665 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
A/N: I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that since the World Cup effectively ended when Brazil (sob) was eliminated, this chapter should have been here sooner. I see why you might think that, but that would mean you hadn't factored in all the time I would need to apply heavy mascara, don my black dress and veil, and then weep passionately in a dark corner. What? What's that you say about me being melodramatic and that it's just a game? Why the nerve! This is football, people, the World Cup! Still, I fast forwarded through all the stages of grief; but then, Wimbledon started, and Rafael Nadal required all my attention. Just saying what happened is all... (coughs, mesmerises you with fluffy bunny tail.)
Chapter title is taken from John Legend's 'Ordinary People', a song that never fails to get to me. If 'Torrid' had an anthem, it would be this song.
I hope you enjoy. Please tell me what you thought!
"I love you."
The silence that stretched following the bombshell admission seemed to go on forever. Sasuke was soon shivering, feeling naked and vulnerable in light of his confession. He stood waiting as Naruto gaped wordlessly at him, feeling the nervous tension in his body rise to near unbearable levels. He stared back, feeling uncertainty and fear build as a result of Naruto's unresponsiveness. He hesitated briefly before trying again.
"Naruto, I'm trying to tell you that I love you. I mean, I finally figured it out. I was stupid to need all this time and these clues, and I don't want it to be too late. I love you."
Still nothing, and Sasuke was beginning to fray miserably around the edges. "Don't just stand there, Naruto; please, say something. Say anything, I-"
Sasuke's plea was cut off as Naruto suddenly reached out and hauled the surprised brunet to him, pulling him into a desperate kiss. Sasuke didn't hesitate as he immediately mirrored Naruto's actions, quickly fisting his hands into the blond hair as the kiss deepened. He abandoned his earlier idea of postponing the physical side of their relationship as he felt his fire rush back through his veins, racing through his body, warming and igniting the cold darkness that had been threatening to consume him up until this point.
The kiss grew more frantic as the rain continued to pour down around them. At length, Naruto pulled back and Sasuke almost pitched forward following him. There was a moment of stunned silenced as they stood staring at each other, eyes glazed and breaths shaky as they stood oblivious to their dripping faces and drenched clothes. Then, in another move that Sasuke could not have predicted, Naruto drew back his fist and let it fly, connecting it with Sasuke's face while putting the full force of his weight behind it. Sasuke landed on the wet ground with a thud, writhing as he clutched his face. He was soon whimpering in agony and groaning through the pain and disbelief. Naruto did not escape unscathed either, wincing as sharp pain shot up his arm. As beautiful as it was, Sasuke had a face like concrete.
"What the hell!" Sasuke's muffled protestations came through his hands as he continued to clutch his face. It was nothing short of a miracle that his nose wasn't broken. Naruto stood hesitating for a moment, flexing his throbbing fist as he watched the grounded man. Soon, he turned heel and all but ran from the clearing. Sasuke struggled to stand and failed- his legs still wobbly from all the events of the evening. He lay supine on the ground and stared blindly up into the night sky. He finally managed a smile in spite of the pain the action merited him. It had been the most terrifying experience of his life, but he had gotten through it. Naruto's response hadn't been the most encouraging, but it was a start, and he knew now that the door wasn't closed entirely. He sighed his relief and wondered if his legs were up to supporting him now. He opted against moving and lay there for awhile longer. He didn't mind the rain. Besides, the day had never looked brighter.

When Kiba exited the elevator on Naruto's floor, there were already a number of people peeking out of their apartments and staring with concern at his friend's door. He couldn't say he was surprised, the thuds, crashes and muffled swearing would make anyone apprehensive, especially at this time of night. Tachibana-san, the maintenance manager who had called Kiba, quickly approached him.
"Thank goodness you're here, Kiba-kun. It's been like that for awhile, and it's disturbing the floor. I didn't want to call the police or anything, because Naruto's usually such a good boy, but…"
Kiba nodded his understanding, noting as well the man had forgone trying to talk to Naruto as well; although as he heard the sound of glass splintering against a wall, he could understand the hesitation. He smiled his reassurance at the people hanging about and knocked on Naruto's door briefly before opening it and slipping inside. He was almost brained by a ceramic lamp for his efforts. He quickly plastered himself against the wall as Naruto went through the motions of destroying his apartment. The living room looked like Normandy after the invasion, and his friend wasn't nearly done. If it wasn't nailed or cemented down, it was not safe.
"Son of a bitch! That two-timing, blindsiding motherfucker!" Naruto yelled as he tossed over an armchair.
"So… What's new with you?" Kiba croaked as he watched Naruto do his best 'Godzilla' re-enactment. He shrunk a little more into the wall as Naruto whirled on him.
"Sasuke! Sasuke is what's new. He tracked me down tonight, and do you know what he did?"
Kiba suspected that it was a rhetorical question, but he shook his head violently anyway. In Naruto's state, the last thing he wanted to be regarded as was 'unresponsive'.
"He told me that he loved me…" Naruto breathed out, most of his violent energy being expelled with the simple statement. It had been a few hours, but it was still the most potent and disarming admission he had ever heard.
Kiba stared, wide-eyed at the information, and immediately rethought telling Naruto about the conversation he had had with Sasuke earlier that day- at least for now. After all, Kiba couldn't be really sure that what he said had anything at all to do with Sasuke's admission, and it certainly wasn't worth getting brutally murdered over.
"Really? Wow, that's…that's something." Kiba offered lamely, afraid to move away from the wall in case Naruto suddenly got his second wind. His friend didn't seem in danger of another violent fit, however. Naruto deflated, looking a wretched mixture of confusion, hope, annoyance and defeat.
"He tells me he loves me… at a time like this; just when I am getting my crap together, just when I am moving on."
Kiba wasn't aware of how incredulous he must have looked just then, but realized it immediately when Naruto bristled defensively.
"I was trying my best! I was making progress, I think." Naruto trailed off uncertainly. He inhaled deeply, trying to regain full control of himself and his errant emotions before taking stock of his extensively damaged living room, and his very tense friend. He blinked at Kiba, as if seeing him for the first time. "Kiba, it's after midnight! What are you doing here?"
Kiba relaxed a little, relieved to see sanity return to blue eyes. "Your super called me. Tachibana-san was afraid you were planning to knock down the entire building."
"Oh…" Naruto looked contrite and embarrassed as he headed for the door. "I better go apologise to him. I'll say sorry to the rest of the floor in the morning."
Kiba slumped as the door clicked behind Naruto, as his friend left to find the maintenance manager. He was never more grateful for his relatively tame problems with Hinata than he was at that moment. If this situation with Sasuke and Naruto taught him anything, it was this-
Love was insane.
Sasuke couldn't say he was surprised when Sakura barged into his office in the middle of the morning. Sasuke's florid-faced secretary was close behind her, protests falling on deaf ears as his determined wife muscled past her.
"What the hell is this, Sasuke?" The upset woman slammed some papers down onto her husband's desk and glared. Sasuke nodded to his secretary, dismissing the woman, as she reluctantly stepped out of the office.
Sakura's outburst further startled another young woman who, up until that moment, had expected nothing more than a routine interview. Nemoto Shizune quickly got to her feet and bowed politely to the intruder.
"Haruno-san, I mean, Uchiha-san, it's such a pleasure to meet you. I have been looking forward to working with you-"
Sakura stopped the introduction with a cutting look before turning her attention back to Sasuke. She waved the papers in his face and once again, demanded an explanation.
"You have been demoted, Sakura. I thought it would have been clear enough for you." Sasuke responded coolly as he rose to his feet. "Nemoto-san will be assuming your former post as the lead scientist at Haruno Pharmaceuticals, and I expect you to give her your fullest cooperation."
Sakura's head swivelled from her husband to the young woman in disbelief. "You can't do this, Sasuke. You can't pull me off my own research! The cystic fibrosis trials are ongoing, my antibiotic developments; these are my projects, the start of my life's work!"
"On the contrary, all endeavours of Haruno Pharmaceuticals are the intellectual property of Uchiha Corps." Sasuke pointed out mildly to the agitated woman, as Shizune stood watching helplessly. "And I am not 'pulling you' off your projects, Sakura. As I said, I expect you to give your full cooperation to Nemoto-san, and see her to the successful completion of your active research. However, if the demotion is so unbearable to you, then perhaps I can see to you being released from your contract."
Sakura stared at him, stunned and immobilized at the idea of being forced out of her own company. "Please don't do this, Sasuke. This is my work, my life…"
"Perhaps you should have been a little more selfish in your negotiations with my father and cemented a permanent place for yourself in the company." Sasuke shrugged as he resumed his seat. He stared up at his young wife thoughtfully. "Which reminds me, Sakura, if you do decide to leave, please be reminded of the confidentiality clause to which you have agreed. I know you have a tendency of spilling trade secrets when you want to get your way. So keep in mind that if you divulge anything of our patented research to any unauthorized company or individual, I will personally ensure that you are sued out of existence."
Sakura could only stand there gaping as Sasuke already began to dismiss her.
"This is not the time for such discussions, Sakura. I'm in the middle of a meeting. Address your concerns to me at another time." Before Sakura had a chance to mount another protest, he smoothly shut her down. "If you insist on making a nuisance of yourself, I'll have security escort you from the building."
Sakura swallowed her words as her eyes shifted to the dumbfounded young woman who stood rooted next to her husband's desk. She whirled and exited the office with as much dignity as she could summon, before embarrassment and humiliation could overcome her. Sasuke snorted derisively before addressing Shizune once again.
"I must apologise for that disgraceful display, Nemoto-san. I can assure you that it will be the first and last time that happens. If Sakura does continue to work under you, I will see to it that you have no difficulties working with her."
Shizune turned slowly to face Sasuke and gave a small stiff bow. "I'm sorry, Uchiha-sama, but I'm afraid I cannot accept this post."
Sasuke blinked his surprise, sitting up straighter in his chair as he sought to reassure the young woman and get the negotiations back on track. "If it's because of what just happened-"
"I admit that I am at sea about what just transpired. I took this job believing I had earned the offer on my own merit. I was also eager to work with Sakura-san as well, since she too was an apprentice of Tsunade-sama and a very gifted medical scientist. I could be wrong, but it seems as if I am only being used to teach Sakura-san some sort of lesson. As wonderful as this opportunity is, Uchiha-sama, this is unacceptable to me. I do not appreciate being used as some sort of tool or as a means to an end. I strongly doubt anyone with any self-respect would tolerate such a thing."
Sasuke was speechless as the young woman bowed again and started to gather her things. She smiled nervously at him before she took her leave.
"I am probably going to kick myself hard in a little while for doing a thing like this. I really hope I haven't angered you or burnt any bridges between myself and Uchiha Corps." She scratched her cheek sheepishly, knowing that it was probably pointless to make nice after her speech. "I really hope to work with the team at Haruno Pharmaceuticals one day; just under different circumstances. Ah, have a pleasant day, Uchiha-sama."
Sasuke gave a jerky nod as Shizune exited his office. Her chiding speech, which still rung in his ears, sounded very similar to complaints Naruto had made more times than Sasuke cared to recall right then. He sighed and rested his head tiredly on his desk, feeling hopeless. He was a mess, and with all the ground he had to make up, he was starting to wonder if he could ever be a better man; and if Naruto could ever look at him the same way again.

Despite years of practice, it still took Neji a great deal of physical restraint not to show his surprise when his uncle showed up in his office. He stood quickly as his eyes riveted on the distinctive documents in Hyuuga Hiashi's hands, and his heart quickly starting pounding in his chest. He was amazed that his uncle even had them. When he had handed the bound stack of proposals to his uncle's secretary, she had given the documents a quick once-over and did a noticeable double-take when she had realized that he was submitting them on his own behalf. She had raised a cool eyebrow. As a member of the Main House, it was fairly obvious she thought that this was yet another piece of evidence of Neji's audacity and presumptuousness.
"You understand that Hiashi-sama is very busy." She had informed him icily, as she tapped his documents with the tip of her pen. "He may not have time to read things he has not expressly sanctioned."
"If that is the case, so be it. Just be sure that he gets it."
She had sniffed her indignation at his brusque tone, her eyes ghosting over his cursed seal before nodding stiffly. They stared at each other for a moment in a mini-standoff.
"Now, if it's not too much trouble, Haruko-san."
She had frowned before standing abruptly from her desk and stalking with his proposals into Hiashi's enormous office, placing them slowly and deliberately on his uncle's desk in his view. He had nodded and smiled pleasantly before walking off; almost positive the witch would dump them in a shredder once he was out of sight. He had already sent the corresponding email anyway.
So to see those very papers in the patriarch's hands shocked Neji. Then again, it made sense. She probably wanted to make sure his uncle realized that his upstart nephew needed to be put in his place once and for all. Neji knew that his blood bond with the Hyuuga patriarch had given him a certain extent of security, despite the fact that many members of the Main House, and even a few of his peers in the Branch House, wanted him taken down a peg or two. But doing a thing as forward and impudent as making business suggestions to the head of Hyuuga Corps might well be the final straw, even for his uncle.
His heart continued to thud, making him wonder what the hell he had let Naruto talk him into. Despite the issues and resentment he had with his clan, its ways and its world were all he knew. He could never admit it to his lover now, but he didn't want to be estranged from his friends and family; and this risky step might have caused just that. Still, he had promised he would try.
"Neji…" His uncle intoned coolly as he headed around the desk. Neji quickly stepped away from his seat, surrendering his chair to the older man. His uncle sat and nodded, indicating that Neji was free to sit. "I read through your proposals earlier. I have to admit, I was surprised to see them. You've never expressed an opinion on the day-to-day operations of the clan's business before."
That was because he had thought it would be pointless. Neji remained silent as his uncle flipped through the papers, waiting for the axe to drop.
"Quite frankly, your proposals are brilliant, Neji. They are a unique and fresh take on the management of the company and its divestments. Some of them are so simple and straightforward in their genius, it makes me rather embarrassed not to have thought of them myself."
Neji could feel his eyes widening as he stared at Hiashi. At no point did he anticipate his uncle acknowledging the proposals, let alone in a favourable light.
"I'm relieved that you have finally taken an interest. I was so pleasantly surprised to find this on my desk. It's the type of forward thinking this clan and its companies need." Hiashi nodded slowly before looking his nephew directly in the eyes. "Since they are your ideas and your proposals, you'll have the task of implementing them. Start on it immediately."
Neji was blatantly gaping, wondering if he had fallen asleep at his desk. There was no way his uncle was saying these things. 'Implement his ideas'? He had to stifle the urge to ask his uncle if he was crazy, or to remind him of the politics of the clan. Patriarch or not, Hiashi did not have the carte blanche that the title assumed. There would most likely be protests and backlash from the other members of the Main House. Implementing major policy change was not a thing that a Branch House member could dare aspire to, and yet, his uncle was sitting in his office, giving him the authority. The fallout would be epic.
"You remind me so much of your father, it is gratifying and painful at the same time." Hiashi mused softly as the sentiment brought him Neji's full attention. He leaned back in the chair and regarded his nephew. "He was the one with all the talent and the genius. He should have been the one to take this clan forward. Sometimes I fear that I robbed us all by being born first, but the gods know best, I imagine."
Hiashi sighed, slapping his hands on the arms of the chair before rising smoothly, thus ending the brief moment of reflection and self-perceived weakness. Neji stood quickly, hands automatically smoothing out his tie as he grappled with the enormity of what just happened, what washappening. The was a moment of awkward silence as both men stared at each other, before Hiashi cleared his throat gruffly and started towards the door. He was just abreast of his nephew, when the younger man spoke.
"You remind me of him too, sometimes."
Neji had no idea what possessed him to admit a thing like that. Perhaps he was still giddy from the small victory he had never imagined he would win.
"Not just because you're his identical twin, but…" Neji sighed, not sure how to end the thought. "You just remind me of him too."
It made Hiashi hard to hate at times, though Neji gave it his best effort; but some days were harder than others. Hiashi didn't respond, and there was another small stretch of silence.
"Get started on those proposals as soon as you can- alert me if there's any trouble. Now that I know some of the potential that lies within you, I shall be expecting more. Do not disappoint me, nephew." With that, Hyuuga Hiashi finally exited Neji's office.
Neji couldn't stop the small smile from spreading as he stared unseeingly at his desk. Now there were expectations of him; but he didn't mind. They hadn't seen anything yet.

When Sakura finally found the courage to head into the condo that night, she was surprised to find her husband seated in the sunken living room, facing the glass doors of the balcony as he swept his bow across his cello. She stood staring and listening as he played, having never seen him play outside the confines of his study. Unconsciously, she closed the door and drifted closer to the musician.
"Do you know who my favourite composer is, Sakura?"
The quiet question startled her and she halted her advance, only a few meters behind him.
"It's Mozart. It sounds like an easy and generic guess, but it's the truth. It isn't because of his compositions, though they're amazing. It's because he could do what I couldn't. He got those 'genius' and 'prodigy' labels as early as anyone could and was under pressure from the very beginning to produce brilliance. That's just what he did. He made it work and gave the people what they expected."
He stopped playing and put the cello aside, before standing to face his wife. Sakura took a step back, regarding him with barely concealed suspicion and confusion.
"What I did was wrong, Sakura. I should not have attacked you like that, especially in such an area as your professional life. I have rescinded the decision to demote you, so you'll keep your post as lead scientist with the company."
Sakura blinked rapidly, her shock visible as Sasuke conceded his wrong doing. Before she could respond, however, Sasuke retrieved a folder from the nearby coffee table and handed them to her.
"What's this now?" She asked dazedly, as she automatically opened the folder to scan the papers within.
"Annulment papers…"
Her eyes snapped up to his cool ones. "Annulment papers? You're moving to have our marriage annulled?"
"That is what will happen, Sakura, and it would be easier on both of us if you signed your consent willingly. It will not be difficult for a judge to grant our request, even without the weight of the Uchiha name behind it."
She stared at him, her brows furrowed in disbelief and consternation as she looked from her husband to the papers in her hand. Not even a divorce, but an annulment? To have the marriage wiped clean, as if it never happened or mattered, as if she never mattered?
"You don't know me, Sakura."
His words focused her attention, as she struggled to come to grips with yet another devastating turn of events.
"You don't know me…" He repeated, as he looked at her with an intensity and sincerity she hadn't seen before. "How can you love someone you don't know? If you had a clue as to who I was, you wouldn't fight this, you wouldn't have made the move to marry me in the first place. I can be cold, Sakura. I can be cruel, unforgiving and vengeful, without even wanting to or trying; but especially when I have the motivation. You're finding that out now; but there are so many sides of me you don't even know. The little you do know, you over-romanticize, and that isn't love, it can't be. I may not know for certain what love really is, but I at least know that isn't what you feel for me."
Sakura shook her head. Her eyes began welling up in light of the overwhelming finality of the moment. "But I do love you, Sasuke."
Sasuke sighed as his frustration increased. He still wasn't comfortable with the topic, feeling completely out of his depth. He wasn't sure what it would take to convince Sakura, but he had known what it was like to receive the real thing, though he didn't appreciate it then. It was completely alien and opposite of what Sakura was trying to force on him.
"I don't think love needs much of anything to exist, Sakura; but is it love when it only acknowledges a part of a person? I would think it's real when it takes in the entire individual, not just the attractive parts but the ugly side too. Does that sound wrong? Can you really say that in regards to whatever it is you feel for me? I haven't even begun exacting my revenge properly and already you're becoming afraid."
Sakura remained silent, unable to contradict Sasuke's claims. She had thought his exaggerated avoidance of her and the stinging barbs would have been the apex of his retaliation. But then she found herself on the receiving end of an icy dismissal from the post she valued above almost anything. When her rage had subsided in the wake of her humiliating confrontation with him, it had finally hit home to her that he fully intended to crush her. It had shaken her to her very core.
"Take some time to think about it if you need to, Sakura, and then sign the papers." His tone was firm, brooking no contradictions or arguments. It easily hinted that if his patience was tested, then the momentary ceasefire would come to a shattering end for her.
"Was there ever a chance, Sasuke?" She asked softly as she stared into the dark, unflinching eyes. "If I had done things differently, been different, something… could there have been a chance?"
Sasuke's expression finally softened, and Sakura found the moment almost indistinguishable to the one that happened all those years ago. His gentle, platonic words had crushed her then, just as they would now.
"I'm sorry, Sakura. There was nothing either of us could do to make that possible. It seems a person like me only has it in him to love once, and then, that lasts forever."

Naruto was lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling when Neji entered the bedroom. The latter undid the tie at the end of his hair before climbing onto the bed and lying on his back, resting his head on Naruto's torso. The blond reached across, curling his fingers into the long, brown hair.
"Am I hallucinating, or is your apartment significantly barer than it was yesterday?" Neji felt Naruto shrug in response.
"Overly aggressive Feng Shui, I guess. I was just moving some stuff around and got a little carried away."
"Ah…" Neji held off on telling Naruto the newest developments concerning his uncle and Hyuuga Corps, as he picked up on Naruto's strange mood. "I was waiting for awhile last night."
He felt Naruto shift uncomfortably beneath his head.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I got in well after midnight. A former teacher of mine had stopped by earlier, and some of the stuff he said put me in a weird place, so I took off for a bit. I should have called you."
Neji only nodded his response, feeling discomfited by the random puzzle pieces that pointed to a larger picture that he'd rather not see. He flipped over and started trailing kisses along Naruto's jaw-line before capturing the blond's lips with his own. After a moment's hesitation, Naruto returned the kiss, slowly relaxing as Neji moved to straddle him. They both ignored the sound of the telephone as it began ringing.
The phone rang without heed until Naruto's voicemail picked up and left cheerful instructions as to what the caller should do. There was no human voice leaving a message, only the barely audible sounds of shuffling over the machine. There was a second of silence when all the muffled noises stopped, and then came the unmistakable sound of a cello floating across the lines.
Naruto's body stiffened immediately, derailing Neji who had been blissfully ignoring the peripheral up till then. He blinked down at the stricken Naruto quizzically, before finally becoming cognizant of the strains of neo-classical music filling the room.
"What the hell is that?" Neji sat up abruptly as he took in another strange thing in an already strange day. He was nearly upended as Naruto rolled from underneath him.
"Nothing…" Naruto quickly picked up the receiver, hissing a terse 'stop it' into it before slamming the instrument down. He stood staring at the phone, breathing heavily as he waited in anticipation of another call back. Neji sat up; crossing his arms as he silently took in the scene.
"Just what did I miss yesterday?" Neji asked frankly. He was no good at sticking his head in the sand, even at a time like this when he wished he could. He watched as Naruto sighed and rubbed his neck tiredly before turning to face him.
"While I was out last night, Sasuke found me…"
Neji raised an eyebrow in surprise, having been under the impression that 'no one' could find Naruto when he was in one of his moods. "Oh, did something happen?"
"Yeah, you could say that. He told me that he loved me."
Neji deadpanned at Naruto's words, feeling a strange stillness wash over him. "Oh?"
"No one has ever said that to me before." Naruto admitted shyly as he stared at an imaginary spot on his bedroom floor.
"I see…he certainly knows your pressure points far better than I do." Neji murmured cryptically. "And then what happened? What did you do?"
"I punched him." Naruto offered hopefully, thinking it prudent to skip the part about the kiss. "And then I left and came home."
"That was a major confession to you; it must have affected you deeply." Neji pinned Naruto with a stare. "So what changes now?"
"Nothing." Naruto reassured firmly. "I admit that it threw me for a loop, but I made my decision before and I'm sticking to it. You don't have to worry, Neji."
The man could only nod in reply. If only he could believe that.

Sasuke had no intention of staying at the luncheon fundraiser a second longer that he had to. He would make sure the relevant people saw that he had made an appearance and leave the moment he had a clear chance. It had been nearly a week since he had confessed his feelings, and he had been a little gun-shy after the conflicting messages of the kiss and its subsequent punch. He had been calling and leaving messages to no avail. Now it was time to take another chance. He had just finished greeting Governor Akio, and figured he had done enough for the day. He turned to ditch his glass of champagne and make a stealthy exit from the conference hall when he almost collided into the solid wall that was Hyuuga Neji.
"I think I've been fairly tolerant, empathetic even, to your ongoing struggle to figure out just what your relevance is in the grand scheme of things." Neji stated without the preamble of a greeting. "But to say you're severely testing my patience now would be an understatement. I'm only going to say this once. Stay away from Naruto and quit the harassment: the phone-calls, the pathetic messages, the crappy, classical music creeping into the room, they all end now."
Sasuke took a slow, measured sip of his champagne as he regarded Neji with ill-disguised amusement. "You know, in the wild, many frightened and threatened animals would make their hair stand on end to appear more imposing and less insecure. Maybe you should try that. Then again, I would understand your hesitation if you didn't. You'd end up looking ridiculous and you still wouldn't make an impact. Get the hell out of my face before I move you."
"Would you care for some shrimp puffs?"
"NO!" They both answered in sharp unison, and the unfortunate waiter made a fluid U-turn away from the tense situation.
"I would have thought that in your long day's journey into self-awareness, that you would have uncovered some sort of conscience or sense of decency that would tell you to leave Naruto in peace. After the damage and chaos you left behind, have you really deluded yourself into thinking you deserve another chance with him?"
It was enough to puncture Sasuke's confidence and it showed briefly.
"No, I know I may not deserve another chance, but that won't stop me from trying to get one anyway. I intend to spend the rest of my life atoning for it with Naruto. Now if he agrees, and that leaves you without any end of the stick…well, there's only so much my shrivelled conscience can force me to feel bad about." Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly as he swirled the contents of his glass. "Whether or not it was you or Naruto who finally instigated this relationship, you would have known very well that he was in no way, shape or form ready to get into a serious relationship. So now that you think it's ending, you're scrambling to stop the inevitable. Don't worry about my conscience, Hyuuga. Instead, try and work out just how long you intend to guilt him into staying with you. Despite what has happened, we both know he was meant to be with me."
Neji's spine straightened as he glared Sasuke down. He gave a cursory glance about the room at the powerful business and dignitaries that milled about chatting. Inspired, Neji threw down the gauntlet.
"Perhaps what we need is a second opinion, Sasuke." Neji suggested breezily as he inclined his head towards a group of men a few meters away. "Governor Akio is said to be pretty wise and fair. Maybe he can be our modern day Solomon and say who he thinks should be with Naruto."
He watched with growing satisfaction as Sasuke shifted uncomfortably and frowned, giving a concerned glance around the room.
"Or perhaps we can ask Yamada-sama for his input? There's no end of wise, old-fashioned heads in this room, Sasuke. Why don't we inform these learned gentlemen of the romantic woes of the married, closeted heir of the Uchiha Empire? Perhaps then we can finally move beyond this impasse."
He snorted as Sasuke remained silent. The younger man chewed his lower lip in consternation as he gave another worried glance around the room filled with powerful and influential leaders of Konoha and its prefecture.
"You see, that's why I don't have to guilt Naruto into anything. You can keep forcing him to make a choice, and he will always keep choosing me. He's through with scared little boys, Sasuke, and he's with a man now."
Sasuke glowered at his smugly triumphant rival, but held his tongue. He represented his father and Uchiha Corps at this charity luncheon and to his left, the managing director of the prefecture's largest bank was discussing the stability of the Yen with a few of Konoha's business elite; to his right Governor Akio was laughing heartily at a joke told by the secretary of the democratic party. Sasuke sighed as he drained the remaining contents of his glass.
The punch caught everyone by surprise, not the least of which was Neji, who was sent reeling backwards into the hapless waiter and his shrimp puffs. The appetizers rained down over a few of the surprised guests as Neji took a split-second to gather his wits and assess his bleeding lip. He then launched himself off the already tottering waiter to fly at Sasuke, slamming his shoulder into the other man's abdomen with a rugby-grade tackle.
Effectively knocking the wind out of Sasuke, Neji gained the advantage and straddled the man. He quickly delivered a few heavy, stinging slaps and backhands to Sasuke's face before the latter managed to bring his knee up swiftly, just millimetres away from lodging his patella directly into the man's groin. The force of the action was still enough to cripple his adversary long enough for Sasuke to land a hard punch to the abdomen. He was finally able to dislodge Neji with a sharp elbow to the face.
The rest of the room stared with slackened jaws at the deteriorating fracas. Sarutobi Asuma smirked as he watched the intensifying fight.
"I knew that something interesting was bound to happen at one of these meetings, one day. It's all in the law of averages."
It required Sasuke's taking hold of Neji's hair with the full intention of repeatedly smashing his antagonist's face into the floor, to shake some of the onlookers out of their collected stupor. They quickly surged forward and pried the battling men apart. As the luncheon dissolved into a hubbub, Asuma flipped his cell-phone open.
"Oi, Shikamaru…you're not going to believe this."

Sasuke dipped his head under tap of his kitchen sink and let the cold water run over his face. His face still stung and burned from where the bastard had slapped him. Why a clan would teach a man to slap another man as a fighting technique was beyond him. His entire body felt overheated from the rage and residual violence in his system, and he cursed the busybodies who had interfered and stopped him from stomping Neji into the floor. He was startled by the sound of his door crashing open, and promptly smacked his eye into the faucet.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"
Shouldn't people get quieter as they get older? Then again, maybe Naruto's volume had been ebbing over the years- the man was pretty damn loud to begin with.
"Where the hell do you get off attacking Neji?"
Sasuke straightened up, closing his eye against the throbbing pain lancing through it. Naruto trailed off as he took in the damage. His brow furrowed in concern as he walked over to Sasuke and smoothed the hair away from the injured eye.
"What happened to your eye? Did Neji do that to you?"
Sasuke wondered briefly what the best answer would be to score him maximum points in the situation, but stopped himself. "I banged it into the pipe when you came in. You startled me."
Naruto gave a snort of disgust before heading to the refrigerator. He quickly shook out a few ice cubes onto a dish towel, wrapped them up, and ran the makeshift cold-compress briefly under the tap. "Sit down, you moron."
Sasuke acquiesced meekly and took a seat at the kitchen table, as Naruto sat on the table-top and stared down at him before unceremoniously smacking the compress over the hurt eye.
"Ow!" Sasuke protested the rough treatment and earned an eye-roll from Naruto.
"Oh, shut up." Despite the reproach, Naruto's free hand drifted up to stroke Sasuke's face while the other held the compress in place. "…such a frigging baby sometimes."
Sasuke rubbed his cheek against Naruto's palm, feeling the hot, negative energy drain out of him.
"I could have sworn the last time we talked, I asked you to stay out of my life, a life which Neji is now a part of, Sasuke."
"You said and did a lot of things the last time we spoke." Sasuke pointed out significantly. "Some of it was contradictory."
"The kiss was the odd thing out; it shouldn't have happened. Take that out, and the rest of the story is pretty damned consistent."
Sasuke didn't have a response to that, opting instead to slide his hands under Naruto's shirt to cool his palms against the less heated skin underneath it. Naruto didn't flinch away, too accustomed to Sasuke's idiosyncrasies to mistake the gesture as a sexual one. At length, Naruto took the cold compress away from Sasuke's eye and placed it on table. He stopped his other ministrations, but kept his seat on top of the table and continued staring down on his former lover.
"Stay away from Neji, Sasuke."
"I didn't start it; he did!"
"Well I'm ending it!" Naruto retorted testily before slumping forward tiredly. "I've been trying to end it for months now. Why won't you let me?"
"Because we're supposed to be together, Naruto. I know I screwed everything up, and I know I shouldn't hope for another chance, but I do. I know there's still a chance for us to work this through, and you believe that too." Sasuke declared as his removed his hands from beneath Naruto's shirt to fist them into the man's jacket and tug him closer. "Or else you'd be with Neji right now, instead of being here, looking after me."
Naruto looked down on him silently, before his hand came up once against to stroke Sasuke's cheek. The moment stretched, and finally he shifted, getting off the table and pulling away from Sasuke.
"Make sure to put the ice back on your eye after a few minutes."
"Naruto…" Sasuke forced himself to stay seated as Naruto, wary of applying too much pressure to fast. He didn't have time to dwell on the door clicking shut as his self-phone started screaming. He sighed heavily before answering the call.
"Yes, Father?" He winced as his father's voice came sharply across the line. "I understand, father. I'll be right there."
TBC
- 17
- 18
- 19
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Torrid