Hurray for ice storms! The university is on a two-hour delay, so I had time to finish the first part of this. I have decided that it will be a two-shot, since I seem incapable of writing one-shots. Ill have to work on it. Anyway, this is an AU fic set in a more modern-day kind of Konoha. I think that is all you'll need to know for this, but feel free to ask questions if you need to.
Disclaimer: -sigh- Itachi...I mean, Naruto is not mine.
Uchiha Itachi was not quite certain how he had allowed himself to be talked into this. His dark eyes narrowed in on the spiky blonde head of the young man in front of him. Uzumaki Naruto was his younger brother's best friend and, in Itachi's opinion, the number-one idiot in Konoha. Said idiot was currently acting his (mental) age as he bounced from foot to foot in excitement, peeking out through the slightly parted curtains. He turned back to the other men who were gathered backstage, blue eyes alight.
"There are a lot of women out there, teme!" he exclaimed, elbowing Sasuke.
The younger Uchiha pushed his friend away.
"Che. What did you expect, dobe? You're selling the great Uchiha Itachi," he responded, no hint of bitterness in his tone.
Itachi resisted the urge to scowl at his sibling. He was doing rather well too, until Sasuke shot him a smug grin.
"You're being sold as well, otouto," he reminded.
Sasuke shoved his hands into the pockets of his dress pants, not losing his smirk.
"But I'm just one of the appetizers. You're the main course, aniki," he said.
Itachi didn't respond, instead looking away from his brother's gaze. He maintained his calm expression until Naruto decided to bestow him with the same elbowing he'd given Sasuke.
"Nee, Itachi, how do you do it? How do you get the ladies to fall all over you? You're such a cold, arrogant-" he started to say.
Itachi's fingers twitched with the urge to wrap themselves around Uzumaki's neck and squeeze. He stepped away from the blond, instead cutting him off.
"I'm rich, that is all that is necessary to secure their attention. And I am my father's legitimate heir, so I would ask that you refrain from insinuating otherwise," he said coolly.
Naruto took the hint, returning to Sasuke's side.
"What do women see in him?" he whispered loudly.
"Like aniki said, he's rich and handsome. They go after him looking to take advantage of his status," Sasuke caught the envy in his friend's eyes and shook his head. He continued softly so that his older brother wouldn't hear him, "It isn't as much fun as it sounds,dobe. He is constantly surrounded by people who want to use him and there's no one outside of our family he can trust."
The blond was sobered by that for only a moment. He caught Itachi's gaze and gave him a bright smile.
"You have me as your friend now too. Believe it!" he said.
The elder Uchiha's eyes turned questioningly to his brother, who could only shrug helplessly. Fortunately, Hatake Kakashi chose that moment to join them backstage.
"You're late!" Naruto accused.
The lower portion of the man's face was hidden beneath a cloth mask, one of Kakashi's many quirks, but his eyes crinkled in his version of a smile.
"Sorry, Naruto, I had to rescue a cat from a tree. Anyway, it looks like everything is ready, so I'll go get this started," he said, easing through the cluster of young men.
The silver-haired man stepped through the curtains and into the bright lights of the stage. Disoriented, he blinked for a moment in an attempt to regain his vision.
"Five hundred!" a woman yelled.
Kakashi blinked, stunned for a moment.
"I'm, um, not one of the participants-" he began.
Another voice screamed, "One thousand!"
Looking distinctly uncomfortable, Kakashi hurried on, "I'd like to thank all of you for being here tonight and take this opportunity to remind you that all your contributions-"
"I'd like you to be my contribution!"
"-will be going to the charities sponsored by One World, Inc. Without further delay, I'd like to introduce our first bachelor-" Kakashi continued.
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" two voices yelled in unison.
A pair of green-clothed men leaped onto the stage, landing in dramatic poses. The elder of the two pointed a finger at Kakashi.
"My eminent rival, why was my dear student, Rock Lee, not asked to participate in this youthful fundraiser?" he demanded.
Kakashi blinked at the intruder, then asked, "Who are you?"
The green-clothed man looked utterly rejected for a brief moment before straightening his pose and flashing the audience a thumbs-up and a blinding grin.
"He is so awesome! No other man would be worthy to be the rival of the great Maito Gai," he exclaimed.
Kakashi sighed before saying, "Look, we'll include your student if you'll get off the stage."
"Yosh! Dazzle them with the brilliance of your youth, Lee!" Gai declared.
"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Lee responded enthusiastically.
Itachi, who had been watching through the curtains, turned away from the scene. His thoughts returned to the events that had landed him in this humiliating fundraiser.
It was all Naruto-baka's fault.
One day, the blond had decided to visit the lower-class areas of Konoha City and had instantly decided it was his mission to help those less fortunate. And what better way than to enslave the eligible bachelors of Konoha and sell them off to the highest bidder? When Itachi and Sasuke's father had heard of the idea, he had seen the opportunity for great publicity for the Uchiha Corporation and volunteered the services of both his sons. Not to be outdone, the head of the Hyuuga Federation had entered his nephew, Hyuuga Neji, since his only children were girls. The event had snowballed from there until many of the greatest names in Konoha City were represented by the men gathered backstage.
Itachi returned his attention to the stage for a moment as one woman at last bid on Lee just to get him offstage. Naruto was next to go out and, since he was to be the last, Itachi judged that he had plenty of time before it was his turn to be thrown before the wolves.
The Uchiha scanned the men around him. Most were dressed to impress in suits and ties. Even his rebellious younger brother had condescended to at least wear a dress shirt and pants—no tie for him though. In contrast, Itachi had dressed in a faded black shirt and worn jeans. His long, black hair was pulled into a casual ponytail at the nape of his neck, all in an attempt to look shabby compared to the other men. From his perspective, Itachi thought he had succeeded, but only time would tell if the women agreed.
An hour later, Itachi was the only one left backstage. Naruto had been claimed by a blushing Hyuuga Hinata. His brother had been purchased by Haruno Sakura. While the women who had already won their men had left, there was still a huge crowd left in the theater. They were now holding their breaths as Kakashi launched into a long introduction.
"You look nervous, Uchiha," a cool voice came from behind him.
He turned to see Hyuuga Neji standing there. The brunette woman beside him looked distinctly displeased with her escort, but she remained quiet. Itachi raised an eyebrow, knowing he looked nothing of the sort. He had learned long ago to never outwardly show his emotions. Even if he was nervous, which he in fact was, he would never betray the feeling. The Hyuuga smirked.
"You are tapping your finger, which you only do when you are bored or worried about something," he stated.
Itachi's eyes narrowed.
"I wasn't aware that you had spent enough time with me to recognize my habits," he said tonelessly.
Neji stepped forward until he stood next to him just behind the curtain.
"I am a Hyuuga. I was trained to pick up on any signs of discomfort from those who would be our rivals," he explained.
"Neji," the woman spoke up, "Uchiha-san is not-"
The tall Hyuuga silenced her with a glance and Itachi was instantly on the alert, dark eyes turning from the woman to the man next to him. His bearing was tense as Neji gave him a slight smile.
"Nothing personal," he said.
Before the older man could react, he felt a hand on his shoulder shoving him through the curtain. At the same time, there was a tug on his hair, then the black strands were falling freely into his face. The women went wild.
Itachi straightened, lifting one hand to brush back his hair. Inwardly, his mind was running through untraceable ways to kill the Hyuuga, but outwardly his face was expressionless. Kakashi dared offer him a wink.
"Nice entrance, Itachi-san," he said softly, covering the mike. He turned back to the crowd and the bidding began in earnest.
Itachi stood there quietly, listening as the price soared higher and higher. He could feel the women undressing him with their eyes and, had he been anyone else, he would have been blushing badly. As it was, only his dark eyes reflected his growing humiliation. His gaze turned as one woman climbed onto the stage. He stiffened, ready to either run or fight if she came after him, but instead she walked over to Kakashi without glancing his way even once. She whispered something in the man's ear. He shook his head, starting to motion her away. She laid a hand on his shoulder, saying something else. Kakashi crinkled his eyes in a forced smile and turned back to the crowd.
"Sorry, ladies. Uchiha Itachi goes to Inuzuka Hana," he announced.
The woman had already turned away as the theater filled with disappointed cries. She marched past Itachi without meeting his eyes.
"Don't just stand there, come on!" she barked.
Caught off guard, the Uchiha followed without protest. She ducked behind the curtain, holding it open for him, then stopped backstage, folding her arms across her chest. Itachi took a moment to study her. His dark eyes moved up her lithe form, slowly enough that she should be shifting in discomfort by the time he was done.
"My face is up here," she snapped.
Startled, his gaze lifted to her face, lingering on the red fang tattoos which marked her cheeks. When he at last met her eyes, they were sparkling with impatience.
"Look, I really didnot have the money to spend on you. I wouldn't have come at all if my little brother hadn't been involved," she said.
He recalled Kakashi calling her an Inuzuka, which would make her brother Kiba.
"Then why did you buy me?" he asked.
She looked frustrated as she turned away from him.
"I've got a thing for strays, all right? You looked so alone and helpless with those women salivating over you," she said.
He blinked, feeling quite affronted. She had just compared him, Uchiha Itachi, to a stray mutt? His eyes narrowed and he started to speak, only for her to interrupt.
"It's done now, anyway. So you can go your way and I'll go mine," she said.
Again, Itachi was left blinking at her.
"You're going to waste your money?" he asked.
She turned her head to smile at him.
"It wasn't a waste, Uchiha. I got to save you from a pack of slavering wolves," she said, glancing at her watch, "I need to go, actually. Goodbye, Itachi."
He stared after her as she began to walk off, eyes narrowing. Did she think that, because she had rescued him, he would owe her a favor? Was she planning on holding this over his head at some point in the future to gain what she wanted? He was certainly not going to allow that. In a few long strides, he caught up with her and spun her to face him.
"You will go on a date with me," he stated.
Her brow furrowed, "Excuse me?"
"You purchased me for a date and I will fulfill my obligation to you," he explained.
"Oh…well, I meant what I said earlier. I do need to be going. Besides, I don't want to go on a date with you, Uchiha. You aren't my type," she said.
She was lying, he knew it. Every woman wanted to go on a date with him. He frowned at the woman.
"You will go on a date with me. Tomorrow," he repeated.
She folded her arms in a gesture of annoyance.
"I have to work tomorrow," she responded stubbornly.
"I will pick you up. Where do you work?" he asked.
Hana turned away from him and he was forced to grab her hand to keep her from leaving. She ripped it from his grasp, nearly snarling at him.
"Look, there is no obligation. Just forget this ever happened, all right? I don't want to date you, Uchiha. I will be perfectly happy if we don't meet again," she said.
This time, he was too dumbfounded to stop her from storming out of the building. After the door slammed shut behind her lithe figure, he gathered his wits.
Playing hard to get was typical female behavior, though he had never seen it taken to this extreme. No matter. If he was persistent, she would give in to what he knew she wanted and he could take her on the date. Once that was finished, he could forget that Inuzuka Hana even existed.
.oOo.oOo.
Later that evening, Hana opened the door to her home and was immediately besieged by four dogs all clamoring for her attention. She slipped off her coat with a heavy sigh, rubbing each of the dogs on the head, as she followed her nose into the kitchen, where a bubbling pan awaited her. She spooned out a bowl of soup and went to sit at the table. No sooner had she lifted the spoon to her lips than Kiba's face peeked around the corner.
"Hana and Itachi sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" he announced.
She glowered at the young man, resisting the urge to throw her bowl of soup at him.
"Act your age, Kiba," she growled.
He sighed, joining her at the table and rubbing a hand through his unruly brown hair. He gave her a sly smile.
"No, really, how was your date with the Ice King of Konoha?" he asked.
"There was no date. I told him to buzz off," she said tiredly.
Kiba frowned, fishing out a poster and holding it up.
"You mean to tell me that you don't want a piece of that?" he asked, pointing at the picture which took up half the page.
Hana immediately recognized the ad for the fundraiser. She took it from Kiba, scrutinizing the picture. It had been taken on the beach, so Itachi was wearing only swimming trunks. His long hair was falling loose around his serious face. With a picture like this in their minds, no wonder all those women had been drooling over him.
"No, Kiba, I don't 'want a piece of that.' The poor man already has enough women hanging over him," she said.
Her brother looked put out, leaning back in his chair so that his dog could put its massive head in his lap.
"At this rate, we'll never get rid of her, Akamaru," he whispered, winking at his older sister.
She shook her head, finishing off her soup and carrying the bowl to the sink. The Inuzuka were known for family loyalty if nothing else. Even if her brother teased about getting rid of her, she knew he did not mean it. Once the food was taken care of, she retreated to her room, where she found herself again studying the man in the picture. She searched those dark eyes for any trace of the vulnerability she had seen in them tonight, but found only cold arrogance. Her eyes dropped to the caption underneath the picture: 'Uchiha Itachi: Cheap' it read. She snorted, thinking of all the money she had spent on the man.
"Oh well, not like I'll see him again anyway," she said aloud, reaching over and turning out the light.
The second part should be coming sometime next week. It will be interesting. n.n As always, read and review! I want to know what you thought of this. Thanks!