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Chapter 1

O

Sweeter than honey

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He stood at the center of the wall of glass, thick light poured through the room, bathing it in luminous rays of sunshine. His eyes watched the city below, carefully watching the people as they come and go out his line of vision. And then he sighed.

"Father," His words, rich and dark like chocolate. The heaviness of them bounced off the glass and echoed through the room like a tone of music. The figure behind him lounged leisurely, the chain of smoke from his cigar floated and curled before vanishing in the air. "What brings you to my office...unannounced." He slowly enunciated the last word angrily. If his father heard it in his voice, he didn't make it clear. Fugaku knew Itachi hated when he would drop by without an appointment or phone call, he also knew his son's tricks and ways to skip out when he would make the effort to tell him, now he chose to come in by to surprise and catch the Uchiha before he could run. Itachi knew nothing good came from his father's visits, and only knew he would be highly irritated after his father pried information about anything in his personal life he wouldn't tell his mother, which is why he skipped out on his father's visits, nothing but a headache came out of it.

Fugaku took a long drag of his cigar, the smoke curling from his nostrils like a dragon as he slowly opened his narrow eyes to glance through the blinding rays of light to watch the unmoving figure in front of the window. Putting out the remaining stub, he rose from his seat and languidly marched his way to stand next to his eldest son, looking opposite of his eyes, he watched the overhead of the city, the planes and blinking lights of up top buildings seemed more interesting than the people below his son scouted intently. "You have always been a blessing to the clan." His father started. Itachi was all but familiar with his father's lectures, this was his introduction sentence; the opening of the Pandora box. Itachi glanced at him from the corner of his eye, and slowly dragged them back to their previous place, downward.

"As so I've been taught to know."

His father seemed dissatisfied with his response. "Sasuke has already courted a young lady from under the consultation of the elders. A date as already been set. They are talking about what to do with you, next. As the heir to the clan, it is a must..." 'So this is what he came for,' Itachi bitterly thought. The elders has always pushed for Itachi to marry someone under their approval and each time, Itachi has gotten out of it by throwing his self into his work to the point his schedule is day and night and his bedroom is in the next room over. He doesn't leave his office. He doesn't interact outside, he only watched the people as they freely go, having not to be chained down to a life made of cards dealt to you by someone else of the same esteem as you. Calling themselves elders because age and not lords because of spirit. They like to entrain the thought that they are, though.

"I'm too busy," He said his signature line, the line that got him out the courtship with the Uzumaki female, Karin, out the courtship with the Hyuuga heiress-Hinata, the line that got him out a courtship with the Yamanaka heiress-Ino, even out of one with the prime minister of Suna- Subaku no Temari. But he doubted the line will not get him out of this, now.

"The elders has taken that into consideration. They are giving the company and your work to Sasuke and Shisui until you are married and if they are specially upset-until you've had your first born." Fugaku watched from the corner of his eye as his son's face unwavering to his words, only the slightest of his eyes narrowing and the throb of a vein in his neck showed his discomfort in this.

"How many agreed to this?" He said through clenched teeth

"All."

"Ridiculous." He sneered. "They seem to not get the concept that I am not ready to settle down with just anyone. Especially with anyone of their choosing."

"They are open to compromise but only if in the end, they are getting what they want in a time's notice." His father sympathized only a little with Itachi. His son was knee deep in work constantly, knowing little of the motive behind his sudden outrageous work ethic, but knowing it did wonders for their company and for the police force. He felt Sasuke or Shisui for that matter wasn't ready to take on such a precious company that needed the constant care Itachi poured into it night and day. He along with his wife, Mikoto were against the idea of forcing Itachi from his work but his beloved was more concerned with his health than the well being of the company in the hands of his nephew and youngest son.

"What compromise?" He breathed out irritably, the elders rarely made such deals unless blood was on the table or in his case, a wedding ring and he was very skeptical to their proposal.

"They will let you marry a woman of your choice but you have only six months, that includes months without work. This building is not allowed to let you step foot past the lobby. Your mail will be forwarded to the compound and you will live in the main house under your mother's dire wishes." Fugaku watched the throbbing of the vein in Itachi's neck, the stress in his eyes as he closed them momentarily before opening them again to seek comfort in watching people below. "Son..." Fugaku started.

"A man of your caliber should not be troubled by simple things such as vows. You have a whole company and an army of men at your disposal. Stress should be the last factor controlling you. Perhaps you just need the comforts of a woman to help you relieve some of this tension." The way the word rolled off his tongue made Itachi cringe. His father found it amusing Itachi was referred to amongst the elders as asexual. Itachi didn't find men or women attractive, he would blow off super models, turn down dates with actresses and not even subjecting him self to the sweet pleasures of a woman. To toy with him on his 18th birthday, his brother bought him a dominatrix, curious to see if that was Itachi's cup of tea. Itachi had calmly turned her down, apologized for the waste of her time and allowed her keep the money and called it a night. His brother and father on the other hand, took the pleasure to indulge in the taste of the forbidden fruit, leaving their wives at home to gallivant with another woman and come back smelling of fresh soap and no regrets.

Itachi had to scoff. "I don't want to bed a lowly concubine, especially not one my father had bed previously behind the back of my mother." Venom dripped from his words. His father's eyes narrowed warningly, he took a firm step closer to Itachi.

"Boy, you speak freely like again that and I will relieve you of your tongue." His father roared. Silence thickened between them, Itachi was not too quick to break the hush that washed over them. He watched a black Ferrari drive past a red light and someone running for the bus across the street. The two came in close contact by a hair as the Ferrari whipped past the woman who's prime obligation was to chase after a vehicle instead of avoiding being hit by one, for a moment, he left like the woman; running for a bus he could never catch.

"Now..." His father seemed to find his composure, straightening his jacket and tie, his eyes cut to Itachi. "You haven't even lain with a woman and yet you judge my actions?" His father scoffed as if what his son thought of him was absurd. "I will let your words slide...Only because you do not know the pleasures of a real woman." His father smiled nostalgically. "It is sweeter than honey."

Itachi felt a little ill inside.

"Be it as it may, you will be happy to know I have prior engagements to attend to." Fugaku turned his wrist to glance at his Rolex before straightening up again with his hand behind his back, general style.

Fugaku turned sharply on his heel, he arrogantly strode towards the door of the expansive office, the light of the room seeming to make it appear he'd been cornered without an escape when Itachi felt the exact same way. "Ah, I almost forgot to mention." He finally broke the silence. With his hand was on the knob and the other behind his back, Itachi couldn't help but know his father never forgets anything, so he must have intentionally left this out.

"You have an appointment at the hospital in an hour. Lady Tsunade insists on checking your erratic breathing patterns."

"You understand that I have someone who informs me about things of that nature." Irritation washed over the eldest Uchiha, is that what his father intentionally left out? What was the point? He didn't ask his reasoning for uselessly reminding him something he would've found out eventually from his assistant.

He watched his father close the door behind him, listening for the sound of the click.

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Thanks for reading!,

If I play my cards right, all the chapters will be posted up at a timely fashion of once a week (if I'm not lazy or too indulged in my other two Sakura x Itachi fics)

My chapters aren't this short but I cut this chapter in half to have fun with the second one, so yea...

Keep your fingers crossed!

Beta Wanted

Thanks for reading!

R&R and tell me what you think.

-Tess