Author: M00nlight Shadow
Characters/Pairing: ItaNaru and NaruSasu
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama
Rating: M
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto
New summary:
Everything started with this ridiculous bet that was meaningless and childish. But now with a killer on the loose… maybe this bet could be taken as an advantage, after all Naruto needed all the protection he could get.

Unexpected changes

Chapter 10 – The Test - part 1

His legs were shaking, one hand playing nervously with his bracelet. Blue eyes weren't focused on his teacher or on the school board, but were looking outside. It really was a beautiful sunny day. The blond tried to calm down by looking at the clouds, but that failed miserably. The young man was nervous. He really was very nervous! It almost sounded so stupid! Why? Why was he so nervous? A sigh left his lips when he saw a pigeon land on a branch of the beautiful tree outside, next to his window. His eyes followed the bird, but his mind was still somewhere else at the moment.

"Naruto."

Time sure flies, Naruto thought silently. He really hadn't been looking forward to this day. Before he knew it, it was already Thursday. The day he had to go to work, not at the White Rose but at the well known first Sphinx building. The young man had to prove today that he could be a good employer again. Which was utterly ridiculous, because Naruto had not done anything wrong. Okay, so he almost beat the old man at the restaurant, but he really had asked for it! And he insulted his friend Sakura.

Now that he thought about it the blond really didn't regret charging at the old man like that, he'd deserved it. Still… because of him, he needed to go to… Naruto suddenly wanted to melt away, he wanted to disappear. He was going to see him again.

Uchiha Itachi.

Normally Naruto wouldn't mind. I mean it was just a silly test for only a few hours and then it would be over, right? It wasn't as if the world was going to end… right? His shaking legs and nervous hands probably did not agree with him. So why was he so nervous? Yes, Itachi was the biggest bastard he ever had met in his entire life, he was rude, and not to mention he lied to him. And worst of all he had to marry him…

"Naruto."

Naruto blinked and turned his head to his teacher, seeing Iruka's irritated look. Naruto mentally began to shrink. Damnit! He was so busy with his own thoughts that he missed everything what his teacher said for the past... how long has it been? The blond really needed to stop thinking about tonight and to start focusing on what was happening now.

He looked nervously around and saw that his whole class was looking at him. Kiba looked at him with an unreadable expression, which Naruto found very odd. Then again, Kiba had been acting a bit odd these past three days.

Three days ago, the day Kiba stayed over, he woke up from his nice sleep, of course he woke up late again and they were again late for school… but just knowing that Kiba was near made him feel safe. When he opened his bedroom door he had seen Kiba sitting on the couch in, most likely, deep thought, since he didn't look up to greet him. When the blond stepped closer he could see Kiba had dark bags under his eyes, which Naruto found strange. He asked himself if his friend had hardly slept at all.

After Kiba noticed his friend looking at him with questionable eyes he smiled weakly at him. From that moment he had acted a little awkwardly. The brunette was quiet most of the time, even when he was known as the more talkative of the two. When Naruto asked him what could be possibly wrong he just shrugged and said that hadn't slept well because of the mosquitoes. Odd because Naruto had never have burden from mosquitoes. Maybe it was a private matter, or maybe he did have a bad morning, so Naruto just let it rest, knowing it would most likely pass. But it did not.

On the way too school, at school and the way back he was quiet, and most of the time in deep thought. When Naruto asked once what was wrong, Kiba just said he was fine. This had really bothered Naruto. Kiba was never usually like this.

The day after that, he had still acted pretty strangely. Something must have happened during that night, but that was impossible right? It was so confusing for the blond and he hated to feel so helpless. Kiba was always there for him when things went bad, like now for example… but now Kiba was so down and he couldn't do anything to cheer him up.

"You're finally back on earth?" the teacher said with sarcasm.

Naruto scratched the back of his head with his hand, which he almost always did when he was nervous, and laughed hollowly. "Yeah, sorry." That was all he could say after all.

The teacher sighed tiredly while he rubbed one of his temples. "Have you heard anything I been saying for the last forty minutes?"

Forty minutes! Wow, the time did indeed go fast. Naruto gave him just a small, shy small. "U- uhm well-… no," he confessed.

Some girls giggled softly while Iruka mumbled something between his teeth. "I'm supposed to give you a detention," he said slowly, "But since you're always the one who cleans the classroom after school…"

Some girls giggled again, this time a bit louder. Kiba became annoyed of the giggling sounds and grumbled something like 'shut up already' but Naruto wasn't sure of that. The blond sure noticed that his friend was rather moody today.

Iruka just continued with class and Naruto felt lucky he just let the issue drop.

He looked sideways to his friend. Naruto was determined to find out today what had made Kiba act like this and why. After school he would ask him directly. He was his best friend, and best friends help each other out.

Sasuke's onyx eyes were focused on the teacher, but once in a while he looked at the young blond student not far away from him. He was nervous, any fool could see that, and the dark haired student knew why. Today was the day Naruto had to go to his brother for some… test. It probably bothered the blond as much as it did his brunette friend. Kiba surely knew what was coming today. He was Naruto's best friend. If Naruto told him he must have already told the brunette. The dog lover looked annoyed today and even a little restless.

It somehow really irked him that his blond colleague needed to go to his brother. Sasuke still hadn't found out what his brother's intentions were and it was honestly creeping him out. He hated secrets.

Suddenly his thought were drawn back at the time he told him his story about this… arranged marriage. The blond boy had told him with an uncomfortable tone in his voice. Sasuke had also noticed that his eyes held a flicker of fear in them. At least, that was what Sasuke thought he saw.

He began to wonder what Itachi had actually done to him, not physically, but mentally. Somehow Naruto had changed a little since this bet all started. There used to be more fire in him, but now it had seemed the fire had been extinguished. Naruto seemed suddenly so fragile and even a bit scared. Was this his true self? Or was his brother the real cause of this? Sure Naruto told him the things that had happened at the restaurant he was working at, but did he say everything that had happened? Or did Sasuke just think too much?

God he really was thinking too much about it! He'd already slept terribly because of what was coming today. Why was he so restless about it? Why did he care! Sasuke closed his eyes and rubbed his temples slowly. When he opened his eyes he looked at the blond again, who was looking out of the window in deep thought, yet again.

He saw Naruto begin to play with his bracelet once more and frowned slightly. Naruto's behavior was making him nervous. God he really hated his brother… he didn't want to admit it out loud, but he was sort of worried. He didn't know why, but he somehow wanted to comfort Naruto, tell him that it was all going to be okay.

The young Uchiha blinked, completely stunned by his own thoughts. Worried? Comfort? He wanted to comfort Naruto? Not believing what he just thought a few seconds ago, he pitched his eyes close and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. Oh good lord… what was becoming of him?

Kiba waited in the car. He looked at his watch, knowing that Naruto would be done with cleaning soon. The brunette groaned in frustration. He wanted to punch himself for being like this. He had been such a dick these past three days. Naruto was trying to help him by trying to figure out why he was acting so moody all of sudden.

When he thought back to the moment his blond friend had asked him what was wrong, Kiba had just given him a simple excuse, and Naruto had looked down, knowing that his brunette friend had just lied again. Kiba wanted to pull his own hair out, but he just couldn't tell Naruto that he had to move in with that guy in the near future!

The brunette couldn't find a good way to tell him, because it didn't matter how you told him, Naruto would hate it either way. Kiba knew that. Naruto didn't like the guy anyway, and now he suddenly had to go live with him. Who would be glad to hear that?

After two days Kiba still could not find a way to tell him and it was annoying the hell out of him. Now Naruto thought there was something wrong. Damn, he'd really made a mess of this! His friend already had it badly and Kiba was only making it harder for him.

This was Kiba's last chance to tell him about moving in at the older Uchiha's home. But of course he had to make up a excuse why he had to move, which was impossible to come up with on the spot, because why would he unexpectedly need to move in at somebody else's place?

One of the last things Naruto's father had said, three days ago through the phone, was to fabricate a story quickly and make it believable. Fugaku had given them an option to let Naruto stay in a more secure place. The Uchiha was not in the mood for making up stories, so he'd let Minato handle that part. Of course Minato had asked for help from Kiba, since his best friend could tell him in a more easy going way. That failed of course. Neither he nor Minato had found a believable story yet.

Just a few pathetic stories sprung to mind, such as Minato had contacted Kiba to tell him that Naruto had to live with the older Uchiha as part of the bet. It would be like the divorce rule, which wasn't on the contract either and had been forgotten.

Kiba groaned again. God that was an utterly weak story! Maybe something like he thought it would be a good idea to live with him, because maybe the Uchiha wasn't as bad as he thought he would be…? So maybe they could be become good friends…?

Kiba slammed his fist on the wheel. Dear lord, that was even worse!

Why couldn't he make up a good, believable story! The brunette felt miserable. He was preparing to lie to his best friend again. Well, he had actually been lying to him for years…

Kiba sighed in defeat. He just couldn't do that to him, especially when he saw him acting so nervous today in class. It was obvious that he wasn't looking forward to this night and he couldn't blame him.

Yet… Kiba frowned. Fugaku certainly would have already told Itachi what the situation was one of the past three days. So the question was; would he act differently? By Naruto's knowledge he acted like a rude bastard at the White Rose, but he was an Uchiha. They probably had it in their genes.

Kiba looked outside, watching the traffic go crazy while thinking about the situation. Would Uchiha Itachi be kinder to him now? Would he treat him with a bit more respect now?

Kiba blinked suddenly, realizing that Itachi most likely had to sign the contract now. That meant he could no longer threaten Naruto by blackmail. After all, Uchiha Itachi was part of the police force and he would have to take this seriously now. After all, there was still a psychopath walking around in this city, at this very moment in fact. Just thinking about him was giving Kiba goosebumps.

Kiba blinked catching movement out of the corner of his eyes. His head turned left, noticing Naruto slowly walking to him. The look on his face made Kiba sigh in defeat. No, he just couldn't tell him. His friend already looked beaten and he was only making it worse. He had no intention of doing that. The brunette decided he would wait until this night was over. Maybe Naruto was making a big deal out of this. Maybe Kiba was making a big deal out of this. Maybe, or rather he hoped, that the older Uchiha would act differently from now on.

Kiba fiercely hoped so.

When Naruto was about to open the door of the car, he stopped abruptly, a bewildered expression on his face. He looked around, causing Kiba to sit there in confusion. It almost looked like the blond was looking for something.

"Something wrong Naruto?" he asked softly.

Naruto looked around again before he answered, "No, nothing." He opened the door and sat down in the leather chair. "Just a stupid feeling."

When Kiba looked at him with a worried look, Naruto smiled weakly at him. "It's nothing really."

The brunette looked at him for a second, analyzing his face, but after a while he gave up. "If you say so," he said eventually.

He started the car and drove away from the school. The way back in the car was mostly silent, which was odd, again, because they had always talked about something. Kiba tried to restrain himself from driving faster to let out some frustration. He looked to his left, seeing the blond looking forward, watching the traffic move. Gah, it was to quiet for his liking. They had to talk about something or Naruto would probably think that he was avoiding him or something.

When Kiba was about to say something to fill the silence, Naruto's phone rang. It caught them both by surprise. When Naruto searched his pocket and grabbed his phone, he looked at the display and saw the word 'Dad'. His father was calling again, as he always did after school. The blond looked nonchalantly at it and didn't make any movement to answer it.

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you pick that up?"

Naruto shrugged. "No. I'm not in the mood," he said softly. After a while the phone stopped vibrating and the screen showed 'missed call.'

Kiba looked seriously worried now. "This is the third time you haven't picked up. Your father is going to be worried sick you know?"

Naruto sighed. "Yes I know it's just that-" he looked away. "I don't really feel like talking to him right now."

Kiba couldn't even imagine what Naruto's father was going through right now. Minato had said he'd feared this would happen. "Then at least send him a text message," he said after a while.

He saw Naruto bite his lip, clearly thinking about it. "Okay I will," he said, flipping his phone open and writing a message to his father.

Kiba smiled a bit. Hopefully Minato would be satisfied with his text message or else the elder blond was definitely going to call him in the evening again.

To Kiba's surprise, Naruto was quickly done and he began to wonder what his friend had sent.

When Kiba turned right at some point he heard Naruto mumble something. He looked to his left and saw Naruto frown at him. He wanted to say something, that was obvious to Kiba, but he was having difficulties saying it. And when he finally spoke he didn't expect to hear the words that came out of Naruto's mouth.

"I'm sorry," the blond said softly.

Kiba just looked dazedly at him. What? he thought.

Naruto, on the other hand, continued, looking down. "A lot of damn things have happened these last few days and I know that I have been acting a bit isolated." He began to play with his bracelet again. "I have been thinking about myself the whole time and I became blind to others, like you-" He swiftly looked at him before looking down again. "Who maybe… is also having a difficult time too and-"

Kiba still looked shocked at Naruto while he rambled on and on. He was glad he had stopped for a traffic light or else he probably would have bumped into another car.

"I know I haven't been fair to you. You always listen to my wining complaints and I never really asked if you have some-" Naruto raised his head and looked at Kiba. "So please tell me what's bothering you! If it's my fault for being such a nuisance them I'm really-"

Oh god, this had to stop. Kiba wanted to hit himself again. Naruto had it so terribly wrong! How the hell could he blame himself for this? This wasn't Naruto's fault. This was his own damn fault not finding a simple story during the past few days.

"Stop! Just stop it!" Kiba finally shouted out. He immediately regretted it because the way he had shouted sounded as if he was pissed off with Naruto. Naruto looked at him with surprised and shocked eyes. The brunette mentally slammed his head on the wheel. God he was such an idiot.

Kiba took a deep breath. "Sorry I didn't mean to say it like that." He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. "Naruto, I'm just making clear here that my behavior the last few days has got nothing to do with you. You're not to blame for it, alright?" he said careful not to hurt his friend anymore. Naruto looked still confused but he nodded slowly.

The traffic light turned green and Kiba slowly drove forward. "You already have a tough time dealing with this… situation you're in now," he said while picking up more speed. "I really would be a shitty friend to you if I ignored you now, right? So please don't mind me I-"

"But can you please tell me why you are acting so down all of sudden?" the blond interrupted. "You've been acting like this since Tuesday morning."

Kiba gritted his teeth, which of course Naruto noticed.

"Did… something happened that night?" It was a silly question of course. What could have possibly happen in those few hours?

When Kiba looked at him again their eyes met and he just knew he had to make up a lie again. "It's just a small thing. I got a call from a friend of mine and he was having a hard time with something-" It sounded so pathetic. He was really bad in making up stories. He could never be a writer that's for sure.

"And he asked me to help him with it, but I couldn't find a solution for him so we're both kind of stuck now." He looked at Naruto again. "So that's the short version of the story. Believe me, it's really not your fault okay?" He saw Naruto trying to let it all sink in. "I'm the one who's sorry. I have been sort of ignoring you because of this… stupid thing." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

Naruto smiled a little. "Don't be. And it's not a stupid thing, he's your friend right? Then it is important." He scratched the back of his head with his hand out of habit again. "Gosh I'm feeling like an idiot right now." He grinned shyly. "You really just could have told me, maybe I could help you with your friend's problem."

Kiba huffed. "You've got enough problems at hand." It was clear that he referred to tonight.

Damn... Kiba pinched his eyes closed, hoping that he hadn't ruined the mood. When he looked to his friend again he saw that Naruto just sat there with a goofy smile. "Oh well then, another one joining the bunch isn't that bad right? I'll get used to it," he said sarcastically.

Naruto suddenly seemed in a good mood. The blond was glad there was nothing wrong with his friend and he was happy he wasn't at fault. Just knowing that his friend was okay now did him well, even when he still had a long day ahead.

Kiba laughed softly at his friend. He had to admit that Naruto's moods could change just like the weather.

After a while, the tension was gone and they talked about some simple things. It took roughly twenty minutes until Kiba finally parked his car in front of Naruto's apartment. Even when his blond friend was in a good mood right now he just had to ask, "So are you going tonight?"

Naruto scratched his neck while looking troubled. "Yes I think so. I just want to get this over with." He stopped for a moment. "I just want to work at the White Rose again. I don't want to lose that job. I'll be a disappointment to Sakura and… to dad," he said sadly, though Kiba doubted that Sakura and his father would be disappointed at Naruto for such a stupid thing.

Naruto took a deep breath. "And I need to talk about this contract with Itachi." There he'd finally said his name. After the incident at the White Rose, he'd never said his name out loud. He'd named him by the words 'that man' or just 'him' or even 'person'. It would be childish to avoid speaking his name. Naruto just hoped that he would be a bit more civil now.

"Well anyway thanks for the ride!" Naruto announced rather cheerfully. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He was about to step out of the car when a hand touched his shoulder. Naruto turned his head to see his friend with a little smile on his face. "You know I could pick you up at nine o'clock?"

Naruto looked at him for a second before a smile appeared on his face. "You've already done so much for me. You really don't have to-"

Kiba quickly interrupted. "I insist." Naruto looked a little stunned. "You're my best friend and you're having a tough time right now. Just see it as a making up act for being such an ass these past few days," Kiba explained. "So I'll be standing right behind you, supporting you. Besides," Kiba shrugged nonchalantly. "I've nothing better to do this evening."

Naruto looked at him with grateful eyes. Kiba really was the best friend you could have in the world. The blond grinned. "Okay," he said, seeing Kiba smile back at him. "But-" Naruto held up a forefinger. "You have to pick me up as well because daddy doesn't like it when his little boy goes back at night all alone," he said playfully.

Even when Naruto meant it like a joke, Kiba looked quite serious. "I intend to."

"Uh? Uh no, Kiba that was just a joke. The party will end very late. You don't have to stay up that late I'll take the-"

"Bus?" Kiba asked quickly before Naruto could finish his sentence. "The metro? Naruto they don't ride at that hour. So what else could you do, hm? Walk, since you don't have your bike anymore? And how long wouldn't it take until you are back home? Hours maybe? Not granted," he said dryly.

The blond looked defeated for a moment. "Damn… I didn't think about that."

"Of course you didn't," He playfully ran one of his hands through his hair. "Because I do the thinking work. You know that dumb blonds can't think that well."

Naruto punched him on the shoulder. "You're such an ass," the blond said with a small smile on his face.

Kiba grinned and just shrugged. "Well somebody's got to be the ass."

Naruto shook his head at his friend. "Thanks Kiba, I really owe you a lot."

Kiba just waved it away, "Nah, trust me you don't."

Naruto said his goodbyes and waved at Kiba when he drove away. His lips tucked into a small smile. Kiba was such an idiot sometimes. Still, he himself could be an idiot too. He mentally slapped himself. He had been planning on taking the bus back.

Really, now that he thought about it, he hadn't thought about how he was going to get back home. The blond was so focused on tonight that he hadn't thought about the situation after the party.

When Kiba was out of sight, Naruto suddenly froze. Immediately all the thin hairs on his body rose. There it was again, that cold feeling of someone watching him with a cold stare. He'd felt it after school when he was about to get into the car and, just like then, he rapidly looked around. There was nothing foreign around besides the traffic moving at great speed and, behind him, his own flat building. Naruto shook his head in dismay. He really wanted to say that it was just his imagination, but this had happened so frequently… Or was he really going nuts? Maybe it was stress or something…

Before he could think any more, it happened again. He felt as if needles were being stabbed into his body, all over. It really was such a cold feeling, even when it so warm outside.

Naruto couldn't move out of shock or rather, was it fear? Suddenly he felt nauseous and placed his hand on his stomach. The blond felt like his stomach was being turned over. What if he really was being followed? Who was it? And more importantly why?

The blond felt his heartbeat go nuts. He was scared, really scared… He felt like he was a deer in the headlights, not knowing how to react. Naruto felt alone and vulnerable, even though the streets weren't empty. His eyes moved from left to right, still not seeing anything suspicious. He somehow hoped that Kiba would turn back to him. He really didn't want to be alone right now.

He was so focused on everything around him that he gasped in shock when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Naruto jumped away, immediately turning around.

To Naruto's surprise he saw a familiar face, the doorkeeper of his flat. His name was André and Naruto had known him since he had moved here. He was a kind man. The older man, who was in his sixties, looked with concern to the young blond man. "Are you alright Mister Uzumaki?"

Naruto closed his eyes and sighed as the tension of his body flowed away. He was so glad to see a familiar face at the moment. "Yes, I'm fine thank you."

The older man nodded thoughtfully. "It looked like you were scared of something. When I saw you look around in panic I almost thought you were having a fit of some kind."

Naruto frowned. Did he really look like that? As if he was in panic? Just thinking about it made him feel uncomfortable again. He smiled weakly at the man while he spoke, "Ah, no it's nothing don't worry about it, but thanks again André."

He walked past the man toward the entrance.

"No problem Mister Uzumaki. Just tell me if there is someone bothering you so I can inform the security of it."

Naruto thanked him again. "Sure I'll remember it. Oh and like I said before, just call me Naruto. Mister Uzumaki is my father."

The older man smiled kindly at him. "I'll try to remember that Mister Uzumaki."

Naruto gave up with a defeated sigh; the man never learned. He quickened his pace towards the entrance. All he wanted to do was to get inside his apartment, lock the doors and all the windows and have a hot cup of chocolate to calm down.

It took every inch of willpower to restrain himself from snapping his cell phone in half. Minato shoved his phone to the corner of his desk so it would be safe from his wrath. The blond adult stood up from his chair and leaned against the window, trying to calm down. Through the window he had the most outstanding view, but even that wouldn't make him feel better.

His own son had been avoiding him for three days and he was worried sick about him. Was he alright? Was he eating well? Did his son hate him?

Minato placed his hand on his forehead. Of course Naruto hated him. He really wanted to see him, explain everything to him but he just couldn't. He just couldn't!

Maybe he should go to Naruto after his work. Though, it would take hours to get there, even if he went in his own car. He really disliked the traffic in the city. He really missed his old home in Leafdale, but at the same time he hated that place. He almost drifted away to the past again so he quickly shook his head. No, this was not the time for that. He needed to think about his son now. And even when Minato got home today, he would be arriving there late. Naruto would most likely be sleeping by then.

He sighed again. He really wanted it to be the weekend already so that he could see his son.

Then his phone began to vibrate for a second. Minato raised an eyebrow while he picked up his cell phone from his desk. The display showed, '1 message'.

Curious, he flipped his cell phone open and clicked on messages. He began to read, 'Hi dad I'm fine, I just don't feel like talking right now. I'll see you at the weekend, bye'.

Yes, there was certainly something going on. Naruto never sent text messaged. But Minato was glad he'd answered because, for a minute, he'd thought Naruto was never going to talk to him again. Still… why didn't he want to talk to him?

Minato blinked in realization that maybe Kiba had already told him about moving in at someone else's home! And not just anyone, but Sasuke's older brother. If Kiba had told Naruto, he probably thought that Sasuke's older brother was just as bad as him or even worse. Minato fiercely wished that what Fugaku said was true about Itachi. Even policemen could be total jerks, Fugaku was the living proof of that…

Yet, Naruto himself had never had met him, so maybe they were just judging too fast.

Uchiha Itachi, who had just walked out of the shower, entered his own living room with a white towel on his head. He was content that he was finally at his own apartment. Living with his little brother and old man was a real nuisance to him. Fine, the only thing he had promised to his mother was that he, once in a while, visited his little brother and father just to be social of course. Even when there was nothing to be social for… He barely saw his old man and Sasuke. So why would he even go back? He had better things to do, especially since his last phone call with his father.

After he'd tried to contact his father several times for answers about a certain case named '307', his father finally called back. And before the young man could question him, his father asked him for a favor, which was odd to start with. His old man never asked for favours. He mentally shrugged and decided he would hear him out and then ask his own question about this case.

To his complete surprise Fugaku asked, always right to the point, if Itachi could let Uzumaki Naruto move in at his place. As expected it was silent for a while. To Fugaku's knowledge Itachi had never met the boy. And Itachi sure wasn't going to tell him he was wrong. He thought back when he was on the phone with his father.

-earlier-

It was Itachi who eventually broke the silence. "Why?" It was just a logical question after all. He decided to make a wild guess. "Could it be that this has something to do with the case 307?" he questioned with a serious tone.

He probably hit the jackpot because it was quiet again after that. He heard his father sigh through the phone. "Well it was probably already expected that you looked through the files of the Uzumaki family. Let me guess, the reason you called several times was because you couldn't get access through the files, am I right?"

"That is correct," Itachi said shortly.

"Okay I'll tell you what, I'll make a deal-" Itachi mentally rolled his eyes. Here we go again. "If you let the boy stay with you for… a while I'll give you the access code of case 307, deal?"

Again silence filled the room. But he was used to it now. They never talked that much with each other after all. Itachi's ears picked up mumbling sounds through the phone before his father spoke again. "Look I know you favour your own personal space..." he took a deep breath before he continued, "But trust me the kid needs the extra surveillance."

Itachi blinked. Surveillance? "You mean the surveillance system that people with a higher rank receive?"

Fugaku hummed. "Precisely."

The younger Uchiha didn't like where this was going. Not a single bit. "Tell me the truth now father. I don't appreciate being left out in the dark," he replied coldly.

When Itachi heard no reply, he decided to question him. He'd waited a long time for answers and he wanted them now. "Answer these questions for me or I will not welcome Uzumaki Naruto to my home; why can't I have access to the 307 case file? Were you taking part in that case?" Though somehow Itachi already knew that his father participated in that case. "Why was Uzumaki Naruto's mother murdered? Was this marriage thing already set up long ago in order to receive the surveillance system?"

Fugaku wanted to groan. He really felt like a criminal being questioned right now. "And more importantly, why does Uzumaki Naruto need the surveillance system? Is his life in danger?" He paused for a second. "He could not possibly have done anything disturbing back then. He was just a four-year-old child." And for Itachi that could mean a few thing like an act of revenge or even worse...

There were a lot of questions with very long answers, but Itachi thought that these were the most important things he needed to know right now. He had still a lot of other things to discuss about but that would have to wait.

After that, his father decided to tell him the truth. He told him of the case that took place years ago. Fugaku remembered that day like it was yesterday. He started at the beginning when Minato called him and asked for his help.

Itachi listened silently, not interrupting his father.

The dark haired man sat himself on the large sofa and enjoyed the beautiful view he had. For a moment Itachi just sat there staring out of the window while he was in deep thought. It had indeed been a long story his father told him a while ago. Still, his old man refused to give him the access code until the boy really had moved in. Damn his father…

Fugaku told him the basic facts and the most important things. One of the things that was left out was the reason and the cause of murder of Uzumaki Kushina. Itachi was told that all the information was in that file but now he just had to wait patiently. It was his case now after all.

But this certainly had been a big surprise. The Uchiha remembered the day at the White Rose when he first met Uzumaki Naruto. Through his eyes, he just looked like a common teenager with a shy, but sometimes fierce, personality. Never in his life would he have thought that this boy's family as himself had such a tragic past. Life was indeed full of surprises.

What also surprised him was that Naruto's best friend, 'Kiba', also knew of this matter and was trained as his protector. Itachi knew Kiba's older sister Hana. He'd worked with her in some cases. Hana was a real workaholic when it came to work, but she was also a really good police officer and Itachi didn't say that often, which said something about the thirty-three year old woman. If this Kiba guy had the same spirit and will as her, then Naruto was a lucky person.

But it sort of dazed Itachi that the most important person in this 'case' did not know what was going on around him. Uzumaki Naruto was kept in the dark because apparently his father just wanted him to have a normal lifestyle. So he told him that his mother passed away because of a traffic incident. Maybe Uzumaki Minato just acted paranoid. It was really cruel in some way.

Everyone who was close to him knew more about him then he knew about himself. And now Itachi knew his past and the reason why his father and Naruto's father wanted Naruto to move in with him. Itachi huffed. It began with a ridiculous bet and now look how this could be an advantage for the boy.

Still, if it was true what his father said, that the murderer of Uzumaki Kushina was now walking around freely without surveillance or any kind of supervision, it was extremely dangerous. Itachi's father was responsible for the murderer's supervision, but in a small amount of time he'd lost the suspect. He remembered his father's voice when he confessed that he lost track of him, he'd really sounded upset. Itachi couldn't blame him, since there was a chance that he would strike again and if that would happen all the eyes would be looking at him since he was the responsible one.

He mentally complimented the people who were able to keep this quiet from the media. Normally all the newspapers would announce that there was a suspect of murder on free feet without any surveillance. That would be a direct hit for the police force. Itachi had to accept that this killer was a really dangerous one, since even his own father feared that Uzumaki Naruto life was in danger, even though he already lived in a high security apartment. The Uchiha was getting more curious by the second. Somehow he just had to know. He disliked hearing only half of the whole story. The only thing his father said about the killer was his name.

He narrowed his eyes. "…Kyuubi," he whispered to himself. It sounded strangely familiar to him.

Who was he? What was his past? Why did he sound so familiar? Why had he murdered Uzumaki's wife and why was Naruto's life now suddenly in danger? These were the questions that were still unanswered and his father refused to answer them.

But the message his father had sent him was clear from the start. Protect him.

Knowing that he would soon to be part of case 307, or rather that he already was part of the case, the young man made up his mind. He would see this marriage to be part of this case. But Naruto may never know of this.

The dark haired man couldn't explain why, but he almost couldn't wait to see the blond boy again. He could remembered his pouting, shy face and his surprise, embarrassed expression. Usually he forgot any unimportant face like his. At that time he still was a silly young boy with a big mouth, but for some reason his face had remained in his head.

The party didn't mean anything to him anymore. Itachi just wanted to find out more about this case and Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto looked around him, finding the lobby - which he had seen a thousand times already- suddenly very interesting. It was getting dark outside and as usual the orange sky looked beautiful.

The truth was, Naruto just wanted his mind to be occupied with something else then focusing his thoughts about tonight or… He gulped. His stalker. The blond just couldn't find another word for it. Maybe, well he actually hoped, it was really his imagination or maybe even stress. Still it was weird that everytime he felt that icy feeling of being watched, he could not move! As if his body was frozen! It scared him so much that even a warm cup of cocoa did not help. Even now while he tried his best to think about something else his mind wandered back at those times he felt like he was being watched. Naruto scratched his nose. Maybe he needed a psychologist or something… The young man mentally shook his head. No they would declare me nuts in no time! That's for sure.

Naruto nervously looked at his watch, knowing that Kiba would arrive soon, he hoped. He had purposely waited inside, fearing that he would have that feeling again. No way he would wait alone outside now!

He let out a small growl of frustration. This was so annoying! He felt vulnerable, weak and was scared enough to wait inside. It was so childish and not to mention uncool. How old was he again? Oh yeah, nineteen! Yes nineteen! And he was afraid to wait outside, even when it was a few steps from the building! God he felt like a pathetic teenage girl right now!

The blond scratched the back of his neck and sighed in defeat. Fine… He wouldn't deny it. Let him act like a scared girl this once…

Suddenly his ears picked up the sound of a hooting car and Naruto immediately knew that it was Kiba. Without thinking about his fear, Naruto sprinted towards the door. It didn't take long when he was outside, when he spotted Kiba's car. Again he sprinted to the car and opened it, jumped in and closed it with one swing, only to get a frown from his friend.

"Hey hey! How many times I need to tell you? You break, you pay."

Naruto just smiled shyly at him. "Sorry."

Kiba looked at him for a second with worried eyes. "You okay? You look a little pale."

Naruto shrugged weakly. "No I'm fine."

His friend pressed his lips into a thin line, obviously not believing him. "Okay, I'm just somewhat tired, that is all, jeez," Naruto said quickly.

Again Kiba looked suspiciously at him, making the blond sigh with a slight frustration. He really didn't want to be asked questions right now. "Please just drive Kiba, I don't want to be late."

This time Kiba sighed. "Fine have it your way." Before the brunette pushed on the gas pedal, he cleared his throat while looking ahead of him. "But I'm here if you need me." He paused for a moment and scratched his neck. "And if you don't feel comfortable tonight you can call me, I'll pick you up in no time," he added softly.

Naruto looked at him and suddenly grinned. Kiba really was a softy sometimes.

When Kiba finally looked at his friend he saw his friend grin at him. "What?" he asked, annoyed. It was clear that he was slightly embarrassed from his own words.

Naruto just smiled at him. "Yes mom," he said jokily.

Again his nerves kicked him when he opened the car door. Naruto slowly got up from his seat and was immediately greeted by the enormous building right in front of him. He gulped and noticed his throat was dry. Damn.

When Naruto looked up he could easily read 'Sphinx' in big blue shining letters. He had to go all the way to the 37th floor, the highest floor of this building. After a moment, his neck began to feel stiff by looking up the whole time. He began to wonder what it was like to work so high from the ground. What kind of party was this actually? The blond had never thought about it before. Just thinking about made his stomach turn around.

It took him a few seconds before he heard Kiba called his name. "Yo Naruto, you alright?"

Naruto blinked and then turned his head to his friend, giving him a fake smile. "Yeah, perfectly fine," he said with a shaky voice.

Kiba could do nothing but sigh. "You'll be alright Naruto. You worry too much kiddo."

Naruto actually didn't agree with him this time. That's easy for you to say…

Awkwardly Kiba cleared his throat. "Well I'll be going then… Uh, well like I said before you can call me if that guy is being a trouble for you."

"Yeah, thanks Kiba. I own you one," he said softly.

Kiba huffed at his words. "You own me more than one."

"Hehe… Well yeah sorry…"

The brunette waved his words away. "Don't worry about it."

Naruto saw his friend hop into the car and gave him a little wave before he drove away.

Suddenly Naruto realised he was standing there alone again. Naruto's mind went back from the experience he had only hours ago when he felt he was frozen to the ground in fear. His heart automatically began to beat harder and faster just by the thought of it. The young man really did not want to feel like that again at the moment, so he quickly moved to the entrance of the Sphinx building. It was quiet, to his relief, when he got inside. Blue eyes noticed other people, probably also waiters and other staff, who were checking in at the desk.

Naruto looked at his watch and saw it was already half past nine, which meant he only had thirty minutes to get ready. It wasn't that crowded. Most of the staff would already be on the 37th floor, because having thirty minute left wasn't that much. The blond mentally slapped himself. Darn it! I should have gone earlier…

While he walked towards the desk, he began to wonder how this thing worked. He'd seen that there were two desks. One smaller one, which was probably for the staff and a bigger one, that most likely was for the guests this evening. Naruto spotted a few young men and women who were being given their working clothes at the smaller desk and later on they would step into an elevator. Naruto frowned. So I guess I will have to change upstairs? He thought wearily.

While he was waiting behind a few people he decided to look around. The lobby was very big, bigger than lobby of his apartment, yet instead of an old fashion homey touch, this place feel quite modern. It didn't have the nice warm yellow-orange color it did have back home, instead he saw a lot of white, blue and glass around him. Because of the glass the space looked a lot bigger than it actually was, even the desks were made of transparent glass so you could see the woman sitting right behind him, which was kind of odd to Naruto. He'd never seen that kind of desk.

He also spotted men in black who were standing and walking all over the place. The blond presumed that they were the security staff. Once in a while they raised their hands to their ears and said something into their receivers, just like in the movies. Damn, now that he looked around, he noticed that the security was really tight. What kind of party was this anyway?

But the most eye-catching things in the lobby were the aquariums that were as tall as the walls in the hall. Naruto could only stare at them with an open mouth. The only colorful things on this floor were the magnificent plants and fish, who were swimming in the aquariums. It really was a beautiful sight. The blue-ish light that came from the aquarium gleamed on the shiny white tiles on the floor, making dancing motions on the tiles. It was truly hypnotizing to watch. The beautiful moving lights on the tiles were distracting him so much that, yet again, he didn't hear a feminine voice calling his name.

"Can I help you, sir?" a young black-haired woman behind the desk repeated tiredly.

Naruto jumped in surprise and looked at the woman. "Oh, I'm sorry I was just-"

"Distracted by the lights…" she finished with a tired sigh. "Yes, that happens a lot here."

Naruto just looked at her with an apologetic look.

She waved it away. "Don't worry about it," the woman said plainly. "Anyway, what is your name?" she asked, typing something on her computer.

"Oh, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto saw her typing his name and he expected that she just would give him an 'alright' and pass him the working clothes he needed, but of course it's not as if he was having a good day…

Her blank face turned into a deep frown. And that of course wasn't a good sign. Well that was at least what Naruto had expected. When she shook her head and tried again she probably got the same results. Then she looked up from her screen and looked at him.

"I'm afraid you're on the wrong line sir." She said sweetly.

Naruto frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Well this desk is only for the staff crew for this evening-"

"I know," he interrupted her. "I'll be working here as a waiter tonight."

The young woman looked confused when she looked at her screen again. "But it says here that you're not on the waiter list but on the VIP list," she said with an uncertain voice.

Naruto was dumbfounded. "What?" he said in disbelief. "Then there must be a mistake, I'm really here to do my job as a waiter, because…" Naruto struggled for a second to find his words. "Because Uchiha Itachi personally requested me to do so not that long ago. "

There was a silence after that and Naruto could feel eyes boring into the back of his neck. The people behind him were getting impatient, he could feel it. God, why did this always have to happen to him? Bad luck was apparently his best friend. At that moment Naruto just wanted to go home and rest. He'd really had enough of this.

"Just a moment then," the black-haired woman said eventually. "I have to make a phone call first."

Naruto nodded thankfully and watched the desk woman push a few buttons, waiting until the other line was picked up. Fortunately she did not have to wait long.

"I have a young boy here in front of me who claims to be a waiter for this evening, but on my computer it says that he's a VIP."

Naruto waited patiently, wondering who she was talking to.

"Uzumaki Naruto is his name," she said quickly, looking at her screen. "Yes." She nodded. "Yes. Of course sir." Then she hung up and typed something before looking up to Naruto.

"Well you're a special case he says, so-" Naruto blinked. Special case? Don't tell me… He sighed. The one she had called was definitely Itachi.

"You can take the elevator, stop on the 36th floor, walk straight and take the second door," she told him strictly.

Naruto, who was very confused at the moment, gaped at her. "Wha..? but isn't this thing on the 37th floor?"

"Yes, but his office is on the 36th floor, since the 37th floor is only used for certain events."

The blond's stomach turned once again. "And by him you mean…"

"Yes, Uchiha Itachi."

Again he felt nauseous. "B-but why?" he stuttered.

The woman looked bored and shrugged. "I don't know, it was his request."

The young man looked completely hopeless right now. What the hell was going on now?

Naruto thanked the woman and was about to turn around when something jumped into his mind. "What about my working clothes?"

Without looking from her screen she answered him. "He has them," was all she said.

Naruto, who already was totally confused, wanted to drop on the floor. What the hell? This wasn't making any sense at all! He wanted to pull his hair out and call Kiba to pick him up already… Ugh the temptation was to do so was massive.

God that man had done this to annoy him… And he'd succeeded alright.

Once Naruto got into the elevator, he pushed the number 36. It took a while to get there and the more floors he went up, the more nervous he got. When he heard a 'ting', the elevator doors slowly opened in front of him.

Once again his feet felt like rocks, he honestly didn't want to meet Itachi again. When the elevator was about to close, Naruto automatically reacted and jumped forward, just in time before the doors closed behind him.

That was close...

The young man looked around, seeing the same shiny white tiles there had been downstairs. Naruto could swear that he couldn't detect a single hair or dust on the floor. In a way it scared him, the fact that everything was so neat and clean. The corridor he walked along was almost large enough to be considered a hall. This time there were just normal white walls with some artwork dotted around.

He did what the woman told him to do walked straight ahead. It wasn't long before he stood in front of the second door. Naruto stood there for a moment… or more like a while.

The blond tutted softly. Come on Naruto, just stay calm and collected, he told himself, knowing that calm and collected wasn't his thing at all... Don't let him get under your skin! Just play polite and do this so you can go home.

Yet he knew that this wasn't going to be his last time meeting Itachi especially since he had to marry this guy. The blond just really, really hoped that his personality wasn't like it was at the White Rose, but that was impossible he guessed. Personalities didn't change that quickly.

Naruto looked at his watch; it was almost time and yet he still stood there like a frozen monument. He took a deep breath, raised a hand and knocked on the door three times.

Immediately, he heard a reply. "Come in."

Sasuke repeatedly tapped his fingers on his desk. He looked at the college book that lay in front of him with disinterest. They had a test next week and the youngest Uchiha always started revising week before the test. He just had to read it once to understand the subject matter, but Sasuke couldn't seem to find the concentration to read, let alone learn. He had been sitting since... well he couldn't remember the exact time.

He continued tapping his fingers on his desk and after a while he added the other hand…

Just like that, Sasuke had had enough and suddenly shoved all of the objects on his desk onto the ground.

Bewildered by his own actions, Sasuke looked at the floor with wide eyes. It shocked him that he'd actually done that… He almost never lost his cool, except when he was highly irritated. What had made him react this way? The dark haired man growled in frustration because he didn't need to act stupidly. He knew why he'd reacted like this.

It just bothered him so much; not knowing what would happen at that party tonight. And for some reason he just wanted to bite his nails off. His brother was, in his eyes, one hell of a bastard! And now, because of this marriage thing going on, Itachi was, he assumed, busy with this whole situation. In other words he would be busy dealing with Sasuke's classmate.

God that just sounded so wrong.

Sasuke stood up and walked to his bed, only to let himself fall on it.

Fine. He admitted that he was sort of worried about Uzumaki Naruto because Sasuke knew how intimidating and threatening Itachi could be around people, especially the ones he disliked.

Someone probably like… Sasuke closed his eyes. Someone like that annoying blond perhaps?

For once he decided to do something completely out of character. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and started typing. When he was done, he looked at the little display for a moment, deciding if he would send it or not. After three minuteshe pressed the send button and let out a sight, hoping that Itachi would listen to him.

"Go easy on him."

When the young man closed his phone and lay it beside him on the bed, he immediately regretted sending the message.

Sasuke placed his arm behind his head and placed the other on his face to cover his eyes. God he was such a fool.

Naruto swore that this really was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life… When Naruto had opened the door he was greeted with blinding light at first, but when his eyes adjusted, he saw silhouette that definitely was from a man and something that most likely was a desk. Aside from that, his attention was immediately drawn to what was behind that person.

It was no secret that the aquariums on the ground floor were marvelous, but this just made his jaw drop on the floor.

The whole wall behind the desk was made of glass and, behind it, was a stunning aquarium with the most exotic plants and fish he had ever seen. On top of that the room was large and high, meaning that it almost looked like you were in the aquarium yourself. And just like on the first floor, he saw the most beautiful light that came from the aquarium dancing on the white floor. It wasn't only blue-ish, but colorful at some points due to the fish and plants. This whole room was like a piece of art. It was phenomenal, magical and enchanting. The young man could easily stare at it for hours.

Being completely dazzled by the dancing movements in the room, he almost completely forgot what he was there for. The blond blinked, suddenly realising that he had been completely rude. His blue eyes looked at the silhouette, which was quickly changing into a very well-known figure to him.

Uchiha Itachi was standing with his back to him. Even when Naruto knew who it was he still slightly widened his eyes when the young dark haired man slowly turned around to face him. While he did that, Naruto - just like before - could do nothing but stare. Just the whole sight of the aquarium, which was gleaming into the room and also on Uchiha Itachi, made him look like a mystical creature, made it all look like mesmerizing and dazzling. It was like some sort of a fairy tale picture he saw right before him. He didn't want to admit it but it was just… wow…

It almost felt like dream. The lights were so soft and nice…

But he was about to get a reality check.

It all shattered when he saw the tiniest hint of a smirk on the man before him. Even thought he still looked… well, you know good with the background scene and all…

Oh darn it… He mentally shook his head. Stop it!

"I see you haven't changed much."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Like before," the older man explained, slowly turning around to face him. "It's still impolite to stare."

Just like that, he began to feel infuriated again with just a few words that came from Itachi's mouth. Of course he remembered the first day they had met and knew that he said something about how it was impolite to stare. The blond was already upset and Itachi probably saw it on his face because his tiny smirk increased a bit more.

Unaware of it, Naruto turned his hands into tight fists, resting against his side. This man was going to be his spouse for a while and he wasn't looking forward to it at all. He had been fooled by him from the start and he was clearly enjoying taunting him! This man was just there to make him feel small and useless… Like he had just now with only a few words! Just the way he said those words… Gah!

Itachi noticed the boy's body turn a little tense, as if he was ready to defend himself or something. He wouldn't have it. "You can relax Naruto."

Naruto looked at him for a while before he slowly relaxed his hands. Of course… Calm down Naruto! Calm down. You're making a scene, he thought silently.

Getting a little awkward now, since it was rather silent in the room, Naruto decided to speak. "Uh, I-I need my working clothes… and uhm..." God why was he so nervous! "And the woman on the ground floor said I had to come up here to get them, which I don't entirely get and then there's also the VIP thing I don't understand since I'm not-" Oh great… now he was rambling! Of course Itachi already knows that. I mean he was the one who requested him to meet him here.

After that he just abruptly stopped talking, knowing that everything that came from his mouth would be rubbish anyway. He mentally cursed himself. Why the hell was he is so nervous around this guy!

Feeling very disappointed and mad at himself at the moment, he looked down. Damn he really felt like a fool right now. The blond just wanted to die.

…Especially when he heard him chuckle. "You really are," a pause, "Something special."

Naruto looked up after hearing that, meeting Itachi's eyes… and smirking. The blond bit on his lower lip, feeling intimidated by the gaze of the Uchiha's eyes and turned his eyes away. He really did hate those eyes.

Itachi, who was clearly amused by the scene before him, decided the give it a miss, even when he was tempted to tease the boy more to see his cheeks glow from embarrassment. There were more important things to do from now on.

The Uchiha reached to the pile of clothing on the desk. "These are your working clothes. I called you here because my assistant for this evening called in sick," he said while slowly walking to the blond stopping in front of him. "You are to fill his place," he said boldly.

Naruto, who was shocked about the turn of events, furrowed his eyebrows. "B-but," he began to stutter slightly, but he didn't know whether it was because he didn't have a good answer or because he was standing so god damn close! "I can't be a assistant, I'm a waiter I can't be a assistant I-I don't know how-"

"You will do fine," was all he said, yet Naruto wasn't convinced at all. He even looked kind of scared. Itachi almost pitied him.

"The fitting room is on the 30th floor," Itachi said while he handed Naruto the clothes, which the boy took slowly from his hands. To the blond's surprise, it looked like an expensive black suit with a tie. Naruto gaped at it. He'd never worn something like this before. He didn't even want to know how expensive this suit was. This made him really feel uncomfortable.

"But wha-"

"Later," the Uchiha interrupted him. Ignoring the boy's pout, the man looked at his watch. "You have ten minutes Uzumaki Naruto."

"Uh but-"

"Later," Itachi repeated. He turned around towards his desk, leaving the bewildered blond in his place. "If I were you I would make haste," he said eventually, making the boy jump in surprise. Itachi turned to face the boy again, his lips turned again into a tiny smirk. "Nobody appreciates latecomers."

Yup he had done it again. Naruto gritted his teeth, obviously mad at hearing those words. "Fine!" he finally blurted out before turning around and smashing to door behind him as he walked out.

Itachi just looked at the door where the boy had just left and eventually turned to look at the enormous aquarium. "Something special indeed..."

Suddenly he heard his cell phone beep. Itachi reached into his pocket and flipped his phone open. To his utter surprise, he saw he had received a text message, which he hadn't received before. Itachi only used his cell phone to call, not for text messages. But what surprised him more was who the message was from. His eyes gazed at the little display for a moment, reading the name Sasuke.

This was certainly odd to him.

He opened the message and instantly the corner of his lip tucked up. 'Go easy on him.'

Well well… Looks like his little brother had a soft spot for the boy after all.

A/N

First of all I want to thank those for all the new 'alerts' and 'favorite story' !

It makes me really happy!

But can you guys do something for me? It's true that I'm finally continuing this story but I'm writing this without an actually ending in my mind… So I'm just writing whatever seems nice… you know; go with the flow or something… -hehe…-

So I'm asking for your opinion!

What is missing in this story and what would be nice to add? More characters or less? Is it still interesting? Is it going too slowly?

I know I'm being very annoying, but it's really important for me to know how this story is coming along for 'my readers'.

It's not the most well written and detailed story I know that… -cries in corner- but I'm learning!

So leave a review!