A/N – Well this chapter was meant to be out about two weeks ago and be a little longer. To keep this short my Laptop is more or less dead at this moment. So this fic was trapped in my documents. Thanks to a friend I finally got it off and decided to just post what I have so far since the end of semester is coming up and papers and projects are being pushed at me to do. So I didn't know when I was going to be able to work on this next. Good news is that this will probably be more like four or five chapters long now… Yay? Maybe… lol.
Anyways, Disgruntled minion beta'ed this for me. I love her… plus she writes me kick ass ItaNaru fics… not to mention I have her to thank for getting me obsessed with this pairing now. XD
Disclaimer – Don't own Naruto, nor Nor I make a profit of of it. xP
Chapter Two: Revenge Gets You Everywhere
If one were to tell Naruto a week ago that he would be cursing his current promotion, the blond man would have laughed. If they had told him that the reason for him wanting his old job back was because the job was too perfect, he would have called them crazy.
The truth was, Naruto didn't find any of them crazy or laughable. His job really was too perfect. It was driving him crazy.
He had been working for Mr. Uchiha for over a week now, and he couldn't think of a better job. Naruto was treated kindly, almost like an equal. He had already gotten to attend some important luncheons with Itachi and possible clients. There were even times when Naruto himself got to participate in a meeting as a replacement for his boss who had other matters to attend to.
It was wonderful and that was the underlying problem. When Naruto had started, he was expecting to walk into the ground zero of his new hell. The first day was like walking through a zombie infested home, like one of the horror movies that line his shelves. One wrong turn and Naruto was sure he would get his face mauled off.
Naruto was just so ready to face the torment Itachi was sure to place upon him in some sort of twist revenge. Yet all he received from the older man were nods, 'thank you's', and dare he say, kindness.
You would think this would settle ones nerves, but for poor Naruto it only seemed to heighten them. He was waiting for the proverbial bomb to drop. Naruto just hoped that it wouldn't be a nuclear bomb.
Maybe he should just ask for his old job back. He was rather fond of his cubical and sanity. Plus, with this new job, he had nowhere to sit Yo Soy; his potted cactus, which he always kept lovingly on his desk. Now the poor plant sat alone in his apartment.
Perhaps he would have to find a place here for her after all. She just looked so miserable on his empty windowsill. Naruto's eyes wandered over to the small space at the edge of his desk. The spot was currently taken up by his phone, but with a little rearranging it would make a perfect new home for his cactus.
Happy with the thought, Naruto didn't bother to look up when someone stood before his desk. It wasn't until a file was pushed under his nose, that he took the time to greet who ever it might be.
He was shocked to Itachi standing before him. Usually the man was busy during the early morning hours. It was beyond Naruto's understanding, why someone would schedule all their meetings for the morning. It became a really pain in the ass when he had to attend them in his bosses place.
Maybe Uchiha's were just morning people. It wasn't as if it mattered, either way Naruto looked at it, he couldn't change the fact.
Naruto prepared himself for anything. He still couldn't bring himself to let his guard down in front of this man. Something told him to keep his wits about him; all hell would break out soon. It was like an annoying itch in the back of his mind. It wouldn't let him forget that his life might be in danger. Growing more and more intense as he tried to force it deep in his mind.
Itachi eyed him, noticing the tenseness of his shoulders. The whole thing was too amusing for him. If he had been anyone else, he would have broken out in dark laughs long ago. It was just so humorous to see this boy jump at the slightest thing. Naruto really was becoming paranoid, and Itachi became all the smugger because of it. He loved how those piercing blue eyes look so much more alive when Naruto was on high alert.
Smiling, Itachi tapped the folder twice bringing the blondes attention back to it.
"This," He said, in a too friendly voice. "Needs to go up to floor seven. Sasuke needs it for his meeting this afternoon. Make sure he gets it, and don't come back until it's safely in his hands."
Naruto nodded, finding the request mundane and boring. Tasks like this were more common than he would like to admit. Naruto would have much rather gone on another lunch or dinner meeting. At least then, he would be coming back with a full stomach.
"Yes sir." He sighed, but was sure to keep his eyes on his boss at all times. For all he knew the next step he took would be his last. The floor could cave in, buckets of poisonous spiders could be spilled on him, or even worse, the raven could jump him and do Naruto in himself. Naruto stiffened, the image that came to mind wasn't what he had expected, nor wanted.
Hmm, maybe having his boss jump him in a sexual way wouldn't be all that bad. Naruto laughed, yeah like he was going to let that cheesecake-hogging jerk lay a finger on him. He didn't care how fucking gorgeous he was. He could be Adonis himself, and Naruto wouldn't touch him with a ten-foot stick. No, he lied. He would touch him with a ten-foot stick with a tazer on the end, or something sharp.
Itachi raised an eyebrow at the sudden mirth in those blue eyes. Something told him that hitting the fox now would be a good idea, but he brushed it off. No use ruining his plans this far into the game. So instead, he opted to watch the blond walk happily to his unknown hell.
It was just too wonderful. Itachi couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his throat. He couldn't bring himself to feel upset; it was just that good.
Was the dinging of an elevator supposed to sound so ominous? To Naruto it sounded like a heart monitor calling out the ending of someone's life. The heart slowing down until that final beep. The doors opened then, beckoning Naruto forward.
It was silly, Naruto decided, to think of such things. The elevator wasn't going to hurt him, if anything it would only serve to get him further away from Itachi.
He walked inside, letting the heavy doors slide closed behind him. The line of buttons waited patiently to be pressed. Naruto was sure to pick seven, which was only four floors below.
Naruto was positioned on the top of the building; floor eleven. He often wondered if there were a fire, would the ladder truck reach that high? His friend, Kiba, was a firefighter. The next time they went out for a drink, Naruto would have to ask. The last thing he needed was to have to die in burning flames with his boss.
Not his ideal death by any means. If he had his choice, Naruto would love to die during sex. Just think about it, dying during an orgasm. Ok, so maybe not the most noble of deaths, but Naruto didn't see anything wrong about feeling good when you kicked the bucket.
So, you see dying with Itachi wouldn't be on his list of things to do. As to why, one would just need to look back to his earlier 'not touching that jerk with a ten foot stick' rant. If Naruto wasn't going to touch him with a stick, he sure as hell wasn't going to touch him with his dick. Haha, that rhymed. Naruto laughed to himself as the elevator continued it descent.
Naruto made a mental note to discuss his concerns with Kiba. There was no way in hell he was going to kiss his life goodbye in the above fashion.
The doors opened, welcoming him to the seventh floor. Like all the other levels, this one was plainly decorated with cream walls and reddish brown carpet. The design was taste full, but too dull for Naruto. Even the pictures on the walls were boring, just a bunch of abstract lines. They meant nothing to him. How could people even call this crap art? Naruto was sure that he could do better, and he sucked at drawing.
Deciding to ignore the less sightly wall ornaments, he trudged down the hall. The further he walked, the less he looked forward to the encounter that was to come. Sasuke was literally a mini clone of his older brother, only fouler and more of a bastard. This man wouldn't hesitate to murder Naruto if the need arose. Scary thing was; Naruto was almost positive he could get away with it.
He had to say, he preferred Itachi. It was the better of the two evils. At least with the older Uchiha, he knew his life wasn't on the line, or so he hoped. Itachi just didn't hold that maniacal glint in his eye.
Itachi reminded him of a raven that would peck at you until your eyes were gone and you were a suffering bloody mess. Sasuke though was a snake, one bite and you would be worm chow. So needless to say, Itachi was the better of the two.
To add another item to Sasuke's cons list, his damn office was too fucking far. Naruto swore that it took about an hour to maneuver through the hallways to get to Sasuke's office door. The bastard had to be located on the opposite side of the building. He must really enjoy making his employees suffer. Naruto shrugged; at least he didn't have to deal with the little Uchiha on a regular basis.
Hallelujah, Naruto could almost scream as those big ass doors loomed around the corner. To Naruto they looked more like the doors to some medieval dungeon then the welcoming doors to an office. Probably because Sasuke's office was really a dungeon, enough torture went on in there.
Now this is were the bad news came in. The secretarial desk positioned by the door was empty, which meant that Shikamaru had snuck off again. Usually the lazy man could be found asleep on a couch in the lounge or sitting on the roof, cloud gazing. Normally Naruto could care less what the man was up to, but not today.
Shikamaru usually was a good mediator between the two. If Sasuke were about to leap over his desk to choke the blond, then Shikamaru would intervene and save Naruto's life.
With him gone, this only upped Naruto's chances of dying here. Not his preferred way to go. Murder was not on his list of top ten way's to die. He would just have to pray to whatever god smiled upon him that he would walk out of this in one piece.
Naruto grappled to round up his courage. He could do this; it wasn't that hard to stay silent and agree with the bastard... was it? Apparently he was about to find out. Raising his still fist, because it was not shaking, he knocked lightly on the door and waited. Then he waited some more. Only silence met him, and it irritated him to think Sasuke was ignoring him.
This only caused him to rap on the door, his fist hard and loud on the cold wood. That asshole wasn't going to pretend like no one was here. Naruto waited again, and continued to wait.
Completely forgetting his need to stay on Sasuke's good side, Naruto pushed the door open. He would give Sasuke a piece of his mind. Naruto though, did not expect the sight that lay before him. His insulting words died on the tip of his tongue as he blinked in surprise.
There before him was nothing but an empty desk. Sasuke wasn't in his office, an oddity in itself. The man was a workaholic; he never gave himself the liberty to take a personal break. Naruto was the complete opposite. He would grab for any time off that he could get.
Naruto sighed, looks like he was going on a hunt. A rabbit hunt. His lips tilted up in a smirk as his mind echoed the words of Elmer Fudd. He missed his Looney-Toons. With a new wave of determination and a promise to get up early to watch Saturday morning cartoons, Naruto was off.
Thankfully, the walk back to the elevators didn't seem quite as long. Maybe it had to do with his occupied mind. He wasn't really paying attention to the going ons around him.
The elevator opened quickly, not having moved since Naruto had last gotten off. The blond entered, suddenly unsure of where to head next. He guessed the obvious answer would be to head towards the third floor. There he could check the lounge and the copy room. Maybe Sasuke had gone down to refill his coffee since his secretary was obviously not around to do it for him. It amazed Naruto that Sasuke even bothered to put up with it. If it had been Naruto, he was sure he would have been fired in no time.
To give Shikamaru some credit, the lazy man was a genius. So maybe he was move valuable to Sasuke, then to just throw him to the curb.
With his mindset, Naruto punched in the glowing three and awaited his decent. It didn't take long for the elevator to stop a few floors down. Naruto ceased his sing along with the eighties music that filled the small machine, to look intently at the door. He faintly wondered who he would be sharing his ride with, when the doors opened to reveal the answer.
Ino stood with a heaping stack of papers. It looked like she was filing again. Naruto knew just how much the blond woman detested the monthly filing she did, and he couldn't say he blamed her. It was a tedious and boring job.
"Hey!" He chirped, hoping to brighten the sour mood he knew she was in.
Ino smiled lightly, not letting it reach her eyes.
"Hi Naruto." She walked in quickly and slumped against the wall. The weight of the papers feel against her chest causing her to grunt.
"How much do you have this month?" Ino glared at him. Obviously, she thought he was amused when he shouldn't be. Naruto couldn't help it, Ino just over exaggerated things.
"I have two more piles like this upstairs." Or maybe not. She laughed finally at the look on Naruto's face. "Where are you headed?" She asked as the elevator stopped on her desired floor.
"I'm trying to find Sasuke." He cringed, clearly showing his dislike over his task.
"Oh well good luck with that." She paused to smile. "I think I saw him earlier today talking with Neji. Might want to check his office."
Naruto smiled and thanked her; if he didn't find the bastard in the lounge then he would be sure to check Neji's office next. Neji was just like the two Uchiha's only that he had a sense of kindness and decency. It didn't take Naruto long to befriend the usually serious Hyuuga. A feat that he was very proud of.
The door closed again as the elevator continued to descend. Once alone, Naruto began to hum the chorus to some late disco song. For the life of him, he could not remember the songs name. He shook it off, it wasn't like it mattered. The song was too awkward. Hearing it reminded him of old men trying to relive their glory days. It wasn't an image Naruto wanted to be reminded of on a frequent basis.
Chiming, the elevator announced the third floor and opened its doors in a lazy manner. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion this morning. Naruto couldn't really complain, he wanted to delay the inevitable for as long as he possibly could.
He willed his feet to move, dragging them down a hall identical to the last. It would suck if someone blindfolded him and then dropped him on a random floor with the task of identifying the level with all the doors closed. Naruto would be sure to fail. Every floor was a freaking clone of the other.
Again, Naruto had to pull his mind back to the task on hand. Could he have ADD? Thinking back on it, Naruto would not be surprised. Hell, it would explain a lot of things. To bad he didn't feel like getting tested and be labeled. The last thing he needed was for someone to judge him for a condition he had.
The entrance of the lounge came up ahead. It's dim light spilled into the hallway, brightening the wall opposite. It was quiet, so Naruto assumed that it was empty. Usually some chatter could be heard, but then again this was Sasuke he was talking about. Mr. Antisocial himself. He probably wouldn't interact with anyone willingly even with a gun to his head. Okay so that was an exaggeration, but you still get the gist of it. Sasuke didn't chit-chat.
Sure enough, the large room was empty. It seemed that someone had been there earlier, with the fresh aroma of coffee floating about and the brewed pot on the counter. The most surprising thing was that Shikamaru wasn't passed out on the couch. It only meant that he was probably on the roof. It was just surprising since they had locked the roof's door. Maybe the lazy man wasn't so lazy, to take the time to pick the lock. Just went to show that you couldn't keep a man from his cloud gazing.
Well there was still one more room left on this floor to check. The copy room was only a few doors down, but upon sticking his head out Naruto saw that he would find that room just as empty. The door was closed and the lights turned off. Unless Shino was in there with his pet cockroaches again, Naruto doubted he would find anything in the copy room.
Naruto tapped his foot in irritation. He really didn't feel like going up to Neji's office. Considering the time, the man would be busy and wouldn't welcome an interruption. Just because he was nicer than the Uchiha, didn't mean he couldn't be a bastard.
He was just about to turn back towards the elevators, ready to take his search else where when a crash bounced off the quiet walls. Naruto's first instinct was to call out his innocence. For some odd reason he always was blamed for everything. It made no sense to him. Did he look like a troublemaker or something?
The noise brought him back to the copy room. Naruto really hoped Shino wasn't keeping some dark loving insect in here again. Perhaps he would talk to Itachi about keep the lights on from now on. What was so bad about spend a few more bucks on electricity as apposed to dealing with bugs? Especially big creepy bugs. Naruto shivered, not something he wanted to deal with.
He could only pray that some blond eating thing wasn't being stashed in there. He didn't want to die today. Gathering his courage for the second time that day, Naruto turned the handle and threw the door open. The sudden surprise might scare whatever was inside, and in turn leave him alone.
Well Naruto was half-right. It did surprise the rooms' inhabitants, but Naruto's life was hanging on a thread. Blue eyes flew to the floor; a broken vase seemed to be the culprit of the noise.
How the vase got there seemed to perk Naruto's interest. There, in the place were the vase normally stood, sat Sasuke his eyes wide and face flushed from either embarrassment or anger. Naruto couldn't be sure. The real problem was the situation between Sasuke's parted naked thighs.
In any other situation, Naruto might have been impressed. No doubt, it took a special person to get Shikamaru to do anything but sleep, and Naruto was pretty sure giving head wasn't similar to watching clouds. Could this be why Sasuke bothered to keep the lazy man around, for his oral sex skills? The thought was laughable, if only Naruto didn't feel like his life was in danger.
"Uzumaki!" Was it possible for anyone to sound that menacing? Thank god, looks couldn't kill. Naruto would have been dead upon opening the door.
Sensing that now would be a good time to leave, Naruto stuttered some incoherent words. He hoped that Sasuke made some sense of them, because he sure as hell didn't.
Swallowing thickly, he tried again. "I–Itachi wanted me to give these to... you. Since you're... umm... busy, I'll just leave them here." Naruto laid them on a small table by the door. That way Sasuke could retrieve them when he was occupied with other things.
"Uh... Sorry..." He didn't know why he bothered to apologize, maybe because he couldn't stop staring. Shikamaru was even looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Anyone else would probably have been smart enough to leave as quickly as they had come. No one ever said Naruto was the smartest person.
"Get out!" Yup, Naruto's life was over. If Itachi wasn't going to make his life miserable, it sure as hell was going to be Sasuke.
Deciding that if he left now he might get a few more hours to live, Naruto scampered off. He wouldn't be able to get to the safety of his office quick enough. Even the elevator seemed to be against him. It inched along in getting here. Naruto really wanted to murder who ever had to use it after him, and did they really need to go up that many levels?
Finally, the doors slide open, salvation only moments away. The sooner he could get to the safety of his desk the better. Someone must have disagreed with him, since the elevator inched along. Naruto made a mental note to just take the stairs next time.
Naruto was unsure how he should feel when he saw Itachi sitting in his chair waiting for him. A part of him wanted to yell at his boss for invading his workspace, but he bit his tongue. He wasn't about to compromise anymore of his life.
The smirk on Itachi's face immediately alerted the fox that something was up. He had only seen that smirk once before. It had hung smugly on the ravens' face the night Naruto found out who he was now working under. Something was up, and Naruto knew that he was not going to like it.
"Ah Naruto, I am guessing that your task was a success?" Naruto felt like lashing out at the man. 'No it wasn't a fucking success. I got my eyes burned from their sockets, and I now have your brother out for my blood. Oh and by the way, did you know Sasuke was doing the naughty-naughty with his secretary in the copy room!?' All that did end up leaving his mouth was a simple grunted "yes".
"Is anything the matter? You look like you have seen a ghost." Naruto could have laugh. 'Oh, if only you knew.' Blue eyes narrowed as Itachi's smirk grew. 'Or perhaps the cunning raven already does.'
Itachi removed himself from Naruto's chair, moving towards his office door in one fluid movement. Really, no man should be able to walk that elegantly. It irritated Naruto. Whether it was because he found it sexy or annoying, he wasn't sure. If he had to pick it would have been the latter. That way he could still hold onto some of his sanity. Last thing he need was to admit he was attracted to his spawn of Satan boss.
"Naruto." Said boy looked up, black eyes pierced into him. He had to force himself not to look away. "Be sure to avoid Sasuke. It really would be a shame for you to die before I finished having my fun." And then he was gone leave Naruto with those ominous words.
"Well shit." Naruto slumped into his desk, trying to ignore the pleasant warmth of his chair. Maybe it would be smart to call Sakura now, and see if he couldn't get his old position back. His life and sanity was really more important than a higher paycheck.
His hand shot out to wrench open his desk drawer, his cell phone should be in there. One pull, and the drawer stayed immobile, firmly shut in place. Two pulls and the handle flew from the wooden face.
Naruto could only stare. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that his desk drawer had been glued shut. Funny, who would bother doing something so childish?
An image of Itachi immediately emerged in his mind. The bastard did not glue his desk closed. 'Please tell me he did not glue the drawer with my cell phone in it closed!!'
Naruto hit his head upon his desk. The atomic bomb had indeed just descended.
To Be Continued . . .
A/N – Well there you have it… it now begins… I only hope Naruto can come out of this alive… xD Oh the crack this fic will spew… so sad.
Also doing my duty as a ItaNaru writer… and I am sure everyone knows it by now… but there is a contest thing going on… and the nomination time has now been extended so if you want to nominate your favorite author or fic, go to my profile for the link to all the info you will need.
-Akiru-