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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.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
AN: I know the chapters are coming fast, I actually have this story up at fanfiction . net. I have limited use of the computer, so I�m only able to post either late at night or in the morning. This was originally intended to be a two-shot, but I extended it because I got a longer plot idea for it as I was writing the second chapter. I�ll probably post chapter 5 later tonight or in the morning (my computer is being a bitch right now and won�t cooperate with me), and I�m currently working on chapter 6.

Thank you to JtheChosen1 and Gingitsune for your reviews.

Chapter 4

I gaped up at Itachi. He was the last person I expected to see at the door; hell, I didn�t even think he knew where I lived! We stared at each other for what felt like hours, but in reality was only seconds.

�Aren�t you going to invite me in?� his deep voice washed over me and snapped me out of my stupor. Strangely enough I could detect no teasing note in his tone, unlike last time. Blinking, I mindlessly moved aside and allowed him to step through the doorway; the idea of just slamming the door in his face unfortunately didn�t occur to me until he was inside my apartment. Crap.

Seeing Itachi in my apartment was almost surreal. But that feeling was quickly ebbing away as I noticed his scrutiny of my home. Sure, compared to his parents� mansion and the luxurious condo we�d once shared (and I will admit I was a bit self-conscious at first living there) my apartment must seem like a hovel, but I paid for it with my own money that I earned, not with paychecks signed for being in a high-paying position gift-wrapped by daddy.

�What do you want, Itachi?� I asked, my hackles raised by his presence. What the hell was I thinking letting him in here? I shouldn�t have frozen and just slammed the damned door in his face.

He turned to face me. Despite myself, I could see he was tired, and my first instinct was to comfort him, which I tamped down hard. He gave me a small smile, but remained where he was, instead opting to sit on my couch. The disdain at his surroundings that I was fully prepared to see was surprisingly absent.

�I just wanted to see you, Naruto,� he spoke softly. �I meant to explain everything to you, it wasn�t right that you had to learn of Karin from someone else. Sasuke meant well, as did Pein and Sakura, but the truth is I should have been the one to tell you.� He paused, his eyes searching mine as he continued.

�And I should have told you my intentions two years ago. I wasn�t lying when I told you I still love you. I do. But I knew if I told you what I was planning to do, then you�d have talked me out of it, and I would have let you. Either way I went I knew I would end up hurting someone I love: you or my brother. It doesn�t mean I love you less, but I couldn�t let my father do that to Sasuke. And I honestly never thought it would take two years for me to gain control of the company.�

I stood silently. I knew he loved his brother, but I couldn�t help feeling bitter that he had ended our relationship because he wanted to help Sasuke. �I don�t know what you want me to say, Itachi. I told you how I felt, and that hasn�t changed.� If I said it enough, then maybe I�d believe it myself.

He gazed at me, rising to his feet to face me fully. �I�m hoping that maybe in time you�ll find it in your heart to forgive me. And I�m not giving up on us, even if it takes years to win you back.� His ebony eyes hardened with sudden determination. Stupid Uchihas! Look up stubborn in the dictionary, and you�ll find pictures of both Itachi and Sasuke there.

�Then you�re gonna be waiting a long time. I don�t trust you anymore, Itachi. Not after the way you left me. Damn it, you got married! How can I be sure you wouldn�t do something like that again? Just cast me aside in another crisis?� My voice had steadily risen with each word, my anger coming to the fore. Why did he have to come here and pull this shit?

�It won�t happen again, that I can promise you. Sasuke has the company; it�s simply a formality right now that he doesn�t assume control until Monday. And I�ve let my father know of my divorce. So there�s nothing and no one to worry about again.�

I snorted. �Your divorce, huh? I bet that went over well with Fugaku.�

Itachi actually broke out into a half-smirk, half-smile. �Let�s just say Karin isn�t the only one who can scream and curse.�

My lips quirked up, though I tried to fight it. I couldn�t help it; the thought of old man Uchiha screaming like a fishwife was funny. But I sobered quickly. His divorce changed nothing. I couldn�t let it.

I stepped away from Itachi. �Doesn�t matter if you�re divorced. I won�t let you or anyone else hurt me like that again.�

Sighing, Itachi bent down and retrieved his coat, which he�d hung over the arm of the couch. He slid it on, then turned and began walking slowly towards me. I backed up, my body hitting the wall behind me after only a few steps. He braced his arms on either side of me, cornering me like a wild animal. His face lowered until we were mere inches apart. His dark eyes bore into mine.

�I�m not giving up, Naruto. I�ll do whatever it takes to get your trust back. To get you back.� His breath ghosted over my lips, the scent of mint and his oh-so-familiar aftershave wafting over me. As the nostalgic scents hit me, his mouth closed over mine. I couldn�t move; I whimpered as my mouth automatically moved with his, unconsciously seeking more contact as my eyes drifted closed. My hands reached up and clung to his upper arms, my fingers digging into the hard muscle as every thought in my head vanished. God, it�s been so long since I�d last known his taste. And it was just as good as I remembered.

Our kiss lasted for mere seconds, Itachi moving back all too soon. I opened my eyes and stared up at him in a daze, my lips tingling with aftershocks. So much for my resolve to keep him at a distance! All I wanted was to drag his head back down and resume our embrace, but I shook it off and stayed where I was as he walked to the door and opened it.

�I�ll see you around, Naruto,� he said and left. I remained where I was for several moments before my knees buckled and I slid down the wall. This is gonna be harder than I thought.

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I was just getting ready for my lunch break the next day when I looked up and noticed Pein come into the café. I was no longer angry with him over the party, which is why he felt it was safe to approach me. His carefree grin was plastered on his face as he waved.

�Hey Naruto! Got a minute?�

I nodded. �I was just about to go on my break. What�s up?� I was a bit distracted today; all I could think about was that kiss yesterday.

�Nothing really. Just wanted to say hi and see how you were doing. We haven�t talked for over a week now.�

Hard to believe it�s been eight days. Time flies when your life is a mess, huh? I led him to a vacant table and sat across from him. �So what�s going on?� I asked. Luckily the café wasn�t too busy today, so I didn�t have to strain my ears to hear him.

Pein�s brown eyes regarded me thoughtfully. �Have you seen Itachi?�

�Pein�� I sighed. �Look, don�t start, ok? I�m tired of everyone butting in on my love life.�

�Don�t you mean lack of one?� Pein retorted.

Ouch. He�s lucky he�s in a room of people and I have to play nice so as not to risk losing my job, or else he�d have his face imprinted on the nice china plate in front of him. I think he got the message if the heat of my glare was any indication. But he continued.

�What is it with you two? Damn, you�re just as stubborn as Itachi! You�re both miserable, but you won�t let yourself forgive him because you�re afraid of being hurt. St-�

�Pein.� My head jerked up in recognition of that cold tone. Itachi stood right behind Pein, glowering down at the redhead. His presence stopped the angry words about to leave my mouth, and I noted with some pleasure that it shut Pein up too.

�I appreciate you trying to help me, but I can speak for myself, thank you. Now if you don�t mind, I�d like to talk to Naruto alone,� Itachi said, no emotion in his voice. Pein nodded, threw a smug smile at me like he�d planned the whole thing (which, knowing him, he probably did), and sauntered out of the café. I was left sitting with Itachi.

My mind scrambled for an excuse to leave the table. But before I could say a word, Itachi beat me to it. �I am sorry about that; I had no idea he would come here.�

I shrugged, it didn�t matter anymore. �Um, I have to get back to work,� I lied; my break wasn�t over for another twenty minutes, but he didn�t need to know that. He smirked like he knew I was lying, and leaned back in his chair with an appraising look.

�Very well then. I would like a plain black coffee, no sugar,� he ordered. A sense of déjà vu swept over me; wait, that was the exact thing he ordered the first time I met him! I narrowed my eyes at him. �What are you playing at?� I hissed.

Itachi�s eyes flicked over me before meeting my own blue. �Nothing. Can�t a customer order a beverage?�

I gritted my teeth, turning about and almost stomping to the coffee machines behind the counter. When I had the coffee poured into a small white mug, I passed it off to Travis to serve it to him. No way was I going back to that table.

Itachi stayed in the café for another ten or so minutes, then paid for his drink and came up to the register where I stood.

�Naruto,� I gave him an exasperated glance, �would you go out to dinner with me Friday?�

My eyes felt like they would bug out of my head. �W-what?� I couldn�t have heard right. He smirked and repeated his question. �Would you like to go out with me on Friday?�

I shook my head. �No,� I said in a low voice. What the hell?!

Itachi gave me his little trademark smirk and inclined his head at me, then walked out the door. I stared at his back, a mix of bemusement and irritation inside me.

He came back the next day. And the next. For two weeks solid he showed up every day that I was on schedule, usually during the lunch hour. And every day he asked me the same question.

I knew exactly what he was doing. He was re-enacting our first meeting, when he came every day for those three weeks and asked me out every day. I have to admit it was harder this time around, knowing what I did and having been in a relationship with him. I told Sakura about it, and she just cooed that it sounded romantic. Traitor.

Today was Thursday, and like clockwork there he is. He came in and sat at the table closest to me, his eyes keeping sight of me as I stood behind the counter and greeted customers, letting the new girl Holly serve him. He stayed for about forty-five minutes, then got up to pay for his meal. As he stared down at me, he again asked me to go out on Friday.

Looking up at him, I sighed in annoyance and snapped, �You�re gonna keep coming in here every day and keep asking me out, aren�t you?�

His lips twitched. �At least until you say yes. I told you I�m not giving up, Naruto.�

Throwing my hands up in the air, I gave in. �Fine! If it�ll make you stop this, I�ll go out with you tomorrow night. But only one night, then you leave me alone after, okay?�

A true smile graced his features. �Very well. I�ll pick you up at seven.� He headed for the door, then turned back to me. �Oh, and dress nicely,� he said. I waved him away, letting one of the waitresses take over at the register and going into the office. I sat down heavily at the desk, laying my head in my hands. The shock of what just happened washed over me. What the hell did I just do?

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That Friday night, as I searched through my small closet for something appropriate to wear, I felt like tearing my hair out. Why did I agree to this again? Oh yeah, �cause Itachi is a manipulative bastard who just has to get his way ALL the time.

�Oh stop your whining, it can�t be that bad,� Sakura�s voice broke through my silent ranting. I scowled at her, earning a raised brow and a smug smile. Sasuke wasn�t much help either, just sitting on the edge of my bed with a bored expression on his face. I swear, all Uchihas must have been bred to perfect such looks. Stoic assholes.

�I�m not whining! And since when have you been all gung ho for me and Itachi to get back together? If I remember right, wasn�t it you who said if he came back you�d tear his head off and use it for a basketball?� Not a very appealing mental picture, but at the time she�d seemed more pissed off than I�d been.

Sakura had the decency to blush. �Well, maybe I see that you two are meant to be together. And he is going to be my brother-in-law.�

I snorted. �Yeah, god forbid you have to kick your husband�s brother�s ass,� I mumbled low, snickering at the idea of Sakura beating the crap out of Itachi. Well, I thought it was funny.

With a cry of triumph, Sakura pulled out a pair of dark gray dress slacks my mother had bought me a few years ago from the back of the closet, and laid them down on the bed beside the white button-up shirt she�d found. I�d forgotten all about the pants; damn, there goes my whole �nothing to wear� excuse.

She gazed at me expectantly, and with a sigh I gave in. �Fine, fine, I�ll go. Now get out so I can get dressed.� She and Sasuke left the room, leaving me to change. I�d already had a shower, and all I had left to do was try to brush my hair into some semblance of order, slip on my shoes and I�m ready to go. I looked at the clock; it was nearly six-thirty, Itachi would be here soon.

Once dressed, I carried the black loafers that I would be wearing to the living room and set them down next to the couch. Sakura and Sasuke were seated on said couch, Sasuke�s arm wrapped around Sakura�s waist. A part of me couldn�t help envying them.

We were all quiet as the minutes ticked by; just as I slipped my shoes on there was a knock at the door. Sakura gave me a thumb�s up, which I ignored, as I stood to open the door. My hand shook a little as I turned the knob, my stomach in knots from nervousness.

And there he was, standing at the door in a casual attire of navy sweater and dark pants. Very seldom had I seen him in other than his designer suits, and I�d almost forgotten how good he looked in regular clothes. Itachi looked me up and down before meeting my eyes and smiling. I grabbed my wallet and keys, nerves back in full force as Sakura and Sasuke filed out behind me into the hallway, and I locked the door before we all headed for the stairs.

Stepping out of the building, Sakura waved to me as she and Sasuke walked to his car parked around the corner. I stood nervously on the sidewalk as Itachi moved around to open the passenger door of a sleek black BMW E60 sedan. He always did have expensive taste in his cars. He held the door open for me, and I sank down onto soft leather seats. This one is a bit newer than the one he�d had when we�d lived together. He slid into the driver�s seat and started the engine; it was so quiet that I couldn�t tell the car was even on.

Pulling out into traffic, he headed for the downtown area. �So, uh, where are we going?� I asked. I needed to break the silence.

�You�ll see,� was all he said. We drove for about fifteen minutes before he pulled into the parking lot of a small restaurant. I didn�t catch the name of it, but it was a nice building. Not really classy, but elegant in an understated way. Once again, Itachi came and opened my door for me, hitting the alarm button on his keychain as we walked inside.

The inside of the restaurant was very nice. Dark red curtains hung at the windows, blocking out views from outside and creating a cozy atmosphere. A dark gold Berber carpet lined the floor, and sectioned booths gave the place a private feel.

A pretty young dark-haired woman greeted us as we walked in, and we followed her to a secluded booth at the back of the restaurant that was almost like another room. She sent a waiter to our table and headed back to the front as we sat awkwardly across from each other. Two glasses of water, two empty wine glasses, silverware and napkins were already laid out on the table. �I had this table reserved for us tonight,� he told me at my inquiring look. Our waiter hurried to the table with a bottle of red wine and two menus, and Itachi looked over the wine�s label approvingly before nodding to him.

As the waiter poured wine in our glasses, I stared at Itachi. He took the menus and set them down as the waiter walked away, then gazed back at me.

�What�s with the wine?� I asked. He knew I normally didn�t drink; when we used to go out I�d always order soda or water.

�I thought we could share a celebratory drink.�

My brow arched. �And what are we celebrating?� My curiosity was peaked; his mood was just a little too jovial.

�Well, as of three-eighteen this afternoon, I�m officially a free man,� he took a sip, eyeing me over the rim of his wineglass.

�Oh?� I tasted the wine, and a grimace fell on my face for a moment. Itachi chuckled at my expression. I set the glass down, and reached for the plain glass of water to wash the horrible taste out of my mouth. �Karin just agreed to the divorce, no problem?� Shoot me, I was curious.

�Hn,� and there was that damn grunt I�d always hated. Why couldn�t he just say �yes� like normal people?! �Well, she was petitioning for $100 million, and $10,000 a month in alimony,� I nearly spit out my mouthful of water at that, �but after my lawyer showed some, shall we say, incriminating pictures, she settled for $5 million, which in my opinion is more than fair. So once again I�m a single man.� He leaned back in his chair, his ebony eyes studying me for my reaction.

What could I say? Yes, a part of me was elated that he was divorced, while the rational part of my brain was telling me it didn�t matter. I looked down, searching for something to say.

�Naruto?� I glanced up. He was watching me closely, trying to gauge my response.

�What am I supposed to say, Itachi? Am I supposed to be happy that you finally divorced the woman you left me for? What do you want from me?� I felt tears threatening to spill over. Damn it, I told myself I wouldn�t cry over him again.

He looked a bit taken aback. �I want another chance. I know I screwed up, and I can�t change that. But if we could start over, I promise nothing like that would ever happen again.�

I had to ask myself: can I trust him? Do I want to trust him? Honestly, I wasn�t sure. All I know is that I miss him, and it�s been awful these last two years without him. He waited patiently for my answer as I played with the edge of the tablecloth.

�And your father?� I had to know. I couldn�t possibly even consider being with Itachi again if I had to constantly worry about what his father might do or how he may act.

Itachi met my gaze. �He knows that I gave the company to Sasuke, but by the time he found out it was too late. We had a talk about everything, and I told him I was going to try to get you back. He wasn�t happy at all about that, my divorce or my little coup; needless to say I�m not very welcome in his home right now.�

And that is exactly what I didn�t want to happen; I never wanted to be the reason he was isolated from his family. Itachi seemed to pick up on my thoughts.

�It�s not your fault, Naruto. My whole life I�ve had my father�s ideals crammed down my throat, what he believed I should do and who I should be drilled into me. We haven�t been father and son for years, and he was never a father to Sasuke. I�m doing what I want to do, be with who I want to be with. And that�s you.�

I mulled over his words. He had steadily broken down my defenses the last few weeks with his� well, I guess you could call it courtship. No, he hadn�t left flowers at my door or anything corny like that (I�m not a woman, I don�t do flowers), but the way he�d pursued me, just like from five years ago, was kinda sweet.

If I was honest with myself, then yes, like Pein had said, these last two years had been miserable. And maybe I am too naïve sometimes, but when I�d found out why Itachi had done what he�d done, it had changed things for me. Of course the anger and hurt was still there, it would probably be there to a certain degree for a long time, but I understood why he did it. If he�d gotten married because he�d been cheating on me or gotten bored, then I wouldn�t have even considered taking him back. And finding out he hadn�t even had sex with his wife had been a major part of my decision.

�I want to take things slow for now. I�m still not entirely sure if I can or even should forgive you,� I finally told him. �I just � I just need time to sort through everything. You really hurt me, Itachi.�

He nodded, his shoulders sagging a bit in what seemed almost like relief. I think he�d been expecting the worst. �That�s fine. Take all the time you need. All I ask for is a chance to prove to you that I�ll never hurt you like that again.�

Looking into his dark eyes, I read the sincerity in them. But I wouldn�t rush this; my feelings, much as I�d denied them to myself, were still strong for Itachi, but I don�t want to jump into a relationship with him again right off the bat.

We talked for about an hour at the restaurant, and I agreed to have dinner with him again next Friday. He dropped me off in front of my building, walking me to the entrance. He bent down and lightly brushed his lips over mine, the contact lasting only a few seconds before he whispered, �Goodnight,� then he was striding back to his car and waving as he drove off. I slowly headed upstairs, and as I got into bed half an hour later I had no trouble falling asleep.

~TBC~
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No Goodbyes