It was a mistake. It wasn't supposed to happen. It was a nightmare. To all the three people involved. And it was a shock to everyone else. But let us begin at the beginning.

Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto were the worst kind of friends and the best kind of enemies. Their rivalry in things both significant and trifling was commenced by the Uzumaki. However, the Uchiha was only an all too willing participant. He found it amusing and at times challenging to 'mess with the Uzumaki's head.' Their other friends would look on in exasperation while the duo bickered. Some of the more astute ones - such as Shino, Shikamaru, Sakura and Neji would come to the conclusion that the only time Sasuke lost his cool was around the blue-eyed blonde.

They had met in middle school. Naruto was the new kid who had come from some unknown place no one was interested in. As such, he was relegated to the bottom of the social pyramid. Talking to any new kids was a no-no as social groups and cliches had been firmly established during junior year of middle school. Also no one wanted to talk to a new kid who had managed to call THE Uchiha a bastard on the first day. So Naruto won friends the only way he knew how to - by brute effort and unyielding determination. He had beaten it into Neji, Kiba and Gaara; eaten it into Chouji over Ramen, discussed it with Shika over countless games of chess, blushed it out with Hinata; fought it out with Lee, argued over it with Ten Ten and Ino and drooled it into Sakura. As for Sasuke, Naruto was the only person who would ever stand up to him. That was apparently enough for the Uchiha. So in a strange way, it was Naruto who brought different people from different cliques together. The 12 of them were the kind of people no one expected would be friends - if it were not for one Uzumaki. By the time senior year was over, Naruto had firm buddies who respected and protected him.

So, it was a given that they would all hang out together in high school. And it was another given that if a group had the 4 hottest guys in school - Sasuke, Neji, Naruto and Gaara ; it would ultimately become the coolest group. It also helped that the Uchiha, Hyuuga and Sabaku were extremely well off families.High school ended out to be another roller coaster ride - with the added addition of boyfirends and girlfirends. However the Clique, as they called themselves resolved to weather every crisis that might upset their friendship. And some sure did. Many revelations were made throughout high school. Naruto realized that his obsessive adoration of Sakura was his inner desire for a sibling. The last time he asked her out, he did so as a brother. They had a date that Sakura swore fiercely would be the best in her life. Sakura and Ino however, took some time to grow up. The duo alternated between friendship and enmity and it took all the Clique had to prevent them from going at each other's throats. This abruptly ended as friendship when Sasuke admitted that he was gay. That was, officially the day time stopped for Konoha High. Groupies and fans of the Uchiha shrieked in horror and threatened to commit suicide while all the guys gloated. Sasuke began dating Neji, however THAT ended in less than 3 months. The 2 geniuses were much too alike.

The relationships and bonds that were formed in middle school lasted through college. It was probably just pure dumb luck that all of them ended up at Konoha University - which was famed for all of its academic programs. Sakura had finally decided to settle for Lee after requesting that he thread his eyebrows and change his outfit. The result was actually quite pleasant and she was rewarded by Ino's shocked and jealous looks. By senior year of college - most of them were in serious and established relationships. Ino had gone for Chouji, Temari for Shikamaru. Kankuro and Kiba had decided to be gay together. Hinata had grown out of Naruto and in to Gaara. A surprising coupling was Shino and Ten Ten. All that were left were Neji, Sasuke and Naruto. It was thus understandable that after finding the other mutually unfit for anything longer than a quick fuck, both the Hyuuga and the Uchiha had their eyes on a little blonde.

So you can imagine the disbelief when Naruto denied having feelings for either of them. In all of the Clique, Naruto turned out to be the only one who hadn't dated any of them. The hunt for Naruto brought out the competitive streak in Sasuke. It was the Uchiha pride on the line and he didn't intend to lose to some cocky Hyuuga with an attitude problem. Thus, taking great pride in his ingenuity he arranged for himself and his blonde crush to be stranded in an exotic island in the Pacific that he had purchased for this very purpose. The island was to be stocked with all human necessities, including the slimy stuff called Ramen that Naruto inhaled. There was to be no communication channels in or out of the Island except for television. In fact, Sasuke had also explicitly arranged for himself and Naruto to be picked off the Island exactly two months after they landed - hopefully as a new couple. He had also forbade any other vessels to approach the island - for maximum privacy. It was an excellent plan and all the elements were in place. Naruto was to be drugged, blindfolded and delivered to his private plane which would then drop him off at the Island. He would follow Naruto to paradise after staying around long enough to rub it in the Hyuuga's face.

So Sasuke was shocked when come Monday morning and his pilot called up to say that both Naruto and himself were on the Island. That was a definite wake up call when he found himself to be in Konoha. After calling around, he discovered that the unfortunate pilot had failed to differentiate between the Uchiha brothers. As a result, it was his elder brother Itachi on the island with his crush. Itachi - who had never taken a break once in his life was now forced to sit around idling for 2 whole months. With Naruto! Sasuke didn't know if he should laugh or cry. However, he did fire the pilot. And also decide it would be in his pride's best interest to stay out of a certain Hyuuga's sight .

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ON THE ISLAND:

"Bastard" screamed Naruto at the top of my voice. "Where the hell am I and what am I doing here?" He looked at the sprawled form of the Uchiha an delivered a kick to the side. Now all those who are intimately connected to the elder Uchiha would advise you that it is a bad idea to kick him - period. However, Naruto had none nearby for his counsel. Hence, he was shocked when a hand reflexively grabbed his leg and pulled him on to the floor. Pale fingers gripped his tanned neck and eyes of onyx deeper than Sasuke's stared at him.

"Who are you?" hissed the elder Uchiha.

"Pretending you don't know me no, eh bastard?" sneered Naruto.

Itachi frowned. "I don't take kindly to people calling me a bastard. Please introduce yourself. My name is Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto closed his mouth, the opened it again. He resembles a stricken goldfish, thought a bemused Itachi as he elegantly arose and surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Uzumaki Naruto - I know your brother. " replied Naruto at last.

Itachi raised an eyebrow in interest. "We're on an island," he observed. "It's seems fairly big and this house is a 10 minute walk from the beach."

"Do you think there's anyone else here?" asked Naruto hesitantly.

The elder Uchiha paused, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Let us perform a complete search on the house," he suggested. 'Search for any means of contact with the outside world - cellphones, laptops etc."

A thorough search and 2 hours later, Itachi and Naruto sat down on the couches in the living room. More descriptively - Naruto flopped on a couch and Itachi elegantly lowered himself down a polite distance away. They had found no means of contact with the outside world. However, apart from that - the house seemed well stocked. There was more than sufficient food, all other modern appliances and gadgets, a functioning television, ample DVDs and CDs and a plethora of other things for both survival and entertainment.

The situation became clear when Itachi found the paper and receipts from the ferry company that was supposed to pick them up in two months. It stated that they were on their own till then and strict intentions had been given not to initiate contact with the island before the alloted time was up. The deal was non-negotiable, meaning that most probably Sasuke wouldn't be able to get them off before that.

"You mean Sasuke wanted both of us to be jailed here for 2 months?" asked an incredulous Naruto. "And they mistook you for him?"

"That about sums it up."

Naruto was silent. "Wow," he muttered. "Two months and no internet. There's nothing to do except eat, sleep, play video games and watch TV."

Itachi shrugged.

"You're taking this way too calmly." Naruto said.

"I can assure you that I'm furious," Itachi replied. "However, getting worked up is not going to change the situation."

"Do you want to explore the Island together?" asked Naruto tentatively. "It might be safer."

"I highly doubt otouto wanted to get himself killed" stated the Uchiha dryly. "I'm sure the island is safe. Naruto-kun, we need to set some ground rules for our daily interactions over these 2 months. After that has been decided upon, we can each be free to do whatever we want."

After a lot of haggling over what rules to have, it was decided that each of them would be responsible for cleaning their own mess and would take turns perusing the TV and DVD collection. They would cook their own food and do their own laundry. When that had been decided, Itachi relapsed into his won catatonic state and Naruto couldn't get anything more out of him. He decided to go exploring by himself.

Sasuke had chosen a wonderful place, Naruto thought. He was mildly touched that the Uchiha had gone to such lengths to ensure his attention. The island was of a perfect size. A day's trek at a hefty pace would cover its area. The beach was pristine and unsullied - its waters blue and sparkling in the sunshine. The sands were a soft white, perfect for sunbathing. It was picture-perfect. Everything about the scenario was picture-perfect, except that he was here with the wrong guy. Naruto had had a crush on the younger Uchiha for about 6 months now and he knew his desires were reciprocated. He hadn't expressed his feelings because he had been crushing on Neji at the same time. However, his present affections for the younger Uchiha were at an all time high. To think that Sasuke is this romantic, he wondered.

Naruto walked across the island and was once more, pleasantly surprised. Their house was the only one on the island, the rest was just Nature. The lawns were well-kept and lovely and the woods even more so. Naruto spotted some animals - hares, foxes and deer, as well as many species of birds. Itachi had been right, there was nothing remotely dangerous. As he trekked back to the house, he saw Itachi still sitting on the couch, deep in thought.

Just my luck, sobbed Naruto inwardly. I end up with Uchiha Itachi....Naruto had heard a lot about his brother from Sasuke and none of it had sounded as though the elder Uchiha was friendly. Itachi, he remembered - was the President of Uchiha Corporation Inc ; he had been so for almost a year now. He remembered Sasuke bitterly reminiscing about how his brother always seemed to be favored more and how harried the raven always appeared. "Aniki never had time for a social life" Sasuke had told him."All the socializing he does - is only with his business partners and all the discuss there are deals. His social life is just the Akatsuki - the group of chairman of the most powerful companies around the world."

Naruto frowned. He wondered if he could get the Uchiha to open up.

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Itachi was still pondering. The boy Naruto seemed to be quite interesting. Physically, he was one of the most attractive people Itachi had ever seen. (And he had seen a lot.) Naruto had shoulder-length blonde hair with reddish streaks. His hair fell in luxurious waves, framing a heart-shaped face with angelic features. He had an aquiline nose and full lips. However, Naruto's best features were his eyes. They were slanted and almond shaped and colored a mesmerizing blue. Looking outside, Itachi could see that the blue of the waters did not even come close to emulating the perfection that was Naruto's eyes.

The blue eyes were both innocent and intelligent - a combination that Itachi had never seen before. The boy had a slender figure, that was - noticing this Itachi raised an eyebrow - His figure had curves. Curves at all the right places, that a woman would slit her throat for. And Naruto carried the look very well. He had a rare beauty that seemed to shine through - as though his very soul was beautiful. This made the effeminate blonde seem both weak and strong. No wonder otouto has a crush on him, thought Itachi with a smirk. He must be fuming right now. As am I. For 2 months I am stuck here with nothing to do, he thought stoically.

Itachi was woken from his thoughts when his nose picked up on an appetizing smell from the kitchen. His stomach responded to the smell and he automatically made his way towards it. Naruto was making an omelet.

"Do you want one?" he offered.

Itachi hesitated. 'No, thanks," he replied.

Naruto looked dubious. "Are you sure?I don't mind making one for you."

Itachi nodded and within a few minutes, he was presented with a piping hot omelet, that was undoubtedly the best he'd ever had.

"You're not a bad cook." he commented.

Naruto snorted. "You know, you're just like your brother.You could just say I'm a good cook, but Noooo, you have to look at things from a negative point of view." The Uchiha was amused and amazed. No one had ever said anything like that to him. He was used to people fawning over him, clamoring to help him or sleep with him but not rebuking him. It was the first mild insult he'd heard in forever from a member outside his family.

"There are few things positive in this world, you know," he replied.

Naruto looked at him, shocked. "How old are you?" he asked suddenly.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "26."

"See, you're not even that old. And you've got the outlook of a jaded old man. You have so many things going for you, you know. You're young, good-looking, rich and smart. People worship you. You have a family. You have a job. There are a lot of positive things in your life.It wouldn't hurt you to be a bit happier."

Itachi elegantly took a bite of his omelet. "Are you criticizing me?" he asked slowly.

Naruto gave him a surprised look. "No, I'm not. I'm just reminding you that there are people worse off , for example me."

"And how are you worse off?"

"I'm poor. I'm in debt - I took loans to cover college. I don't have a job. I live alone in a shady neighborhood - no family. Orphaned before I even knew my parents. Was passed around from foster home to foster home before being adopted at the age of 13. And not all of those homes were a walk in the park", he added shuddering. "I haven't had one serious relationship in my life. I personally don't think I'm cute or smart. I look too much like a girl. And unlike you, I have to earn respect - it isn't handed to me. But you know what? I'll survive. I've seen a lot of bad things and few good things - but as long as there's even the tiniest bit of good, I'll allow myself to hope. And that keeps me alive. I don't mean the breathing type of alive either. I mean the happy to live, smile for the moment kind of alive." he finished.

Itachi digested this all in. He felt a little more respect for Uzumaki Naruto, but he identified in the boy some relic of childhood that he had long abandoned.

"You look at the world through the eyes of a child." he replied.

Naruto flushed with anger."Well, excuse me for not wanting to shoot myself because my life sucks," he shot back.

"Hn."

"Do all Uchihas tend to reply in monosyllables?" Naruto wondered aloud.

The raven looked at him, amused. In 26 years of life, this had been one of the most interesting conversations he was participating in. Naruto was objective. The fact that Uchiha itachi was the Chairman to one of the biggest conglomerates of the world had hardly effaced him. That was definitely a first. Even most Hyuugas - a family notorious for their pride would be more respectful.

"You know, how are you going to even work while you're here?" asked Naruto curiously. "Don't you like, have a company to run?"

Itachi winced. "Father will probably temporarily take over." He wont be pleased, he added mentally.

"How often do you take a holiday?"

The Uchiha paused in thought. "This is my first."

Naruto's jaw hit the floor. "Your first holiday?" he shrieked. "Are you crazy? What are you, a workaholic?"

Itachi shrugged. "I guess."

Naruto muttered something about crazy Uchihas. "You know, you should really let go then. There's alcohol. Get drunk. Go for a swim. You need the break."

"I detest getting inebriated," said Itachi with distaste. "But I might go to the beach." He stood up and nodded politely to Naruto on his way out.

Naruto chuckled. Uchiha Itachi was way to proper for his own good. Though the elder Uchiha had seemed fun to talk to , it was clear that the worlds they inhabited would never meet.