Sasuke was checking the monthly chart about follower growth alongside the monthly expenses to boost their social media account when his brother called.

"Good morning otouto-kun. How are you doing so far by yourself, you need any help?"

"Morning. So far nothing of the tragic nature. Thanks for asking anyways." He tilted his head to one side to steady his smartphone in between his ear and his left shoulder, while he used both hands to type on his laptop. "By the way, you met your soulmate already?"

"I did! He was waiting for me at the airport. A very fascinating individual, knowledgeable and has a keen sense of everything since he traveled across the globe, learned all different kinds of culture and society. I had a wondrous time talking with him."

"That's great." Sasuke muttered.

"Also, he shares some long-distance ancestry with us! Apparently, his great-great grandmother is an Uchiha that detected that her soulmate lived in the Netherlands and migrated here. The only clue he has some Japanese genes might be the fact that he has more of an almond shaped eyes, but his hair is curly unlike ours."

"Huh, really? Interesting."

"We're going to do a city tour in Amsterdam. I mentioned that I like seeing anything related to art and history, so he already programmed an entire schedule visiting Van Gogh's museum and other great places."

"I see that he's not wasting one second in trying to get into your pants huh. Give me his number so I can tell him that if he ever dares to make any wrong move I'll tear him into pieces." Sasuke scowled, frown in his face as his fingers pressed on the buttons loudly.

He heard Itachi's amused chuckle. "Otouto-kun, don't worry about it. He really appears to be a kind man and I believe I'm a good judge of character. I'll keep you and mom posted about all this, because I know you two will be nagging me no matter what."

"Hn."

Even despite his current reservations, it was refreshing and odd listening to Itachi's upbeat voice. He was glad that his older brother was acting his own age for once, since he was forced to be more mature in his teenage years to defend his own mother and protect Sasuke. So it was nice hearing Itachi's honest excitement, proper from a young man such as him, which was the main reason Sasuke curbed most sarcastic and critical remarks, not wanting to put a damper on Itachi's mood.

"Talking about soulmates, how did you fare with yours, by the way?"

Sasuke almost bit his own tongue, coughing dryly.

"That bad?" Itachi questioned, apprehensive.

"No, actually…" Sasuke cleared his throat. "We're going to try and go on some dates."

"…"

Sasuke could almost feel Itachi's smiling on the other side of the phone. "Nii-san, your sudden silence is somehow more infuriating than your usual smartass quips."

"So you say. Anyways, I have to go for now. Call me if you have any questions Sasuke."

⏤.⏤

Sasuke yawned, adjusting his laptop settings so it'd pair with the TV screen. Neji and his crew would be arriving soon to adjust the overall schedule and other general alignments. Nodding to himself, he went to the bathroom (those meetings tend to drag for hours), only to see Suigetsu adjusting his hair style, straightening his clothes.

"Suigetsu, what are you doing?" Sasuke deadpanned, raising an eyebrow as his friend continued to turn in all angles, trying to get the best look in front of the mirror.

"Well, Uzumaki is coming here today right? I'm sure that you already dumped him at this point of the story so he's free for grabs! I'm definitely going to try asking him out."

Sasuke opened his mouth to elucidate the whole situation but they heard the receptionist's voice so Suigetsu was first to go towards the entrance, Sasuke trailing behind. He saw Suigetsu affably shaking hands with everyone, before changing his tune when he saw Naruto. He was definitely feeling up the blond's biceps while they greeted each other.

Sasuke frowned, stepping in with a grunt. "Naruto, Neji, everyone. It's nice to see you all again."

Naruto was positioned so his back was facing him, instantly turning around with an exclaim. "Oh hey, Sasuke!"

Sighing, Sasuke controlled the urge to blush witnessing how Naruto's eyes brightened up, grin widening as their gazes locked together. That dumbass looked exactly like an overexcited puppy. Neji even patted the blond head twice, before shaking Sasuke's hand. "Nice to see you again. I hope our meeting wasn't too much of a trouble for you."

Sasuke nodded, stepping aside to let them in as they settled in the meeting room.

"So, first things first, I'd like to present Takahashi Ayumi-san. She's going to be Shinrei's account manager from now on." Neji explained, as the aforementioned woman bowed respectfully, giving Sasuke her business card.

"Is that any reason for such a change?" Sasuke exchanged their cards, bowing back at her while he glanced towards Naruto. The blond man on the other hand, didn't look troubled nor guilty, settling some of his own fears aside.

"Naruto is our main social media manager and we're getting new cases for him to take care of, so I thought that it'd be better for him to focus solely on his tasks." Neji said.

"I'll still go with you to meet any possible sponsor, or give reports to your current ones. But anything related to your social media accounts will go through Ayumi-san from now on, to organize our workflow better." Naruto filled in the rest of the speech, also opening his laptop. "So we're also here to make the transition go smoothly, and she'll be up to date with the overall demands and so on. You don't have any problem about that, right Sasuke?"

Sasuke shrugged, as everyone concentrated on discussing the rest of the procedure, covering all details. Once they finished the meeting and Neji's team departed, Sasuke returned to his office, seeing Suigetsu's roguish smile.

"Hey, I managed to get Uzumaki's number. Well, obviously he still thinks it's work related but…I'll turn things around. I gotta tell you, I had a glimpse of a bright future when I saw him bending down to pick some paper, that's a nice juicy butt that I haven't seen in a while. Man, I just want to get in between that round asscheeks and thrust."

Sasuke had enough. "Naruto and I are dating."

Blinking, Suigetsu slackened his jaw then uttered out. "What?"

"Naruto. And I. Are dating." Sasuke spelled out with gritted teeth.

"Again, what? He's your soulmate, isn't he?" Suigetsu saw how Sasuke clenched his mouth, frown in place. "I don't get it, after all the time when you kept complaining about how the soulmate system sucks and you'll never get together with your soulmate because it's a waste of time and so on and so forth you're dating him? Am I missing something?"

"It's a long story, let's just say we talked, and I'm going to try, see if it's going to work."

Suigetsu stared in awe, before snorting at last. "I knew you wouldn't last long. I mean, when you have a soulmate like that, you'd want to call first dibs. I would do that too if I were you."

"We're just dating, not having sex like some kind of horny animals." Sasuke muttered, glowering back.

"Right, as if part of the whole dating business doesn't have people fucking like horny animals." He quirked a haughty smirk, wagging his eyebrows. "Aw fuck, I was getting really turn up in asking him out! Maybe we should both try getting him on dates, and then make him choose between one of us⏤"

"Suigetsu."

"Right right, jeez." Suigetsu raised his hands in mock surrender. "You don't have to get so defensive. I won't make any moves, whatever."

Sasuke snorted, noticing the message ping showing Naruto asking him to go to the lobby once again.

"So, you hungry?" Naruto beamed, while he was busy typing on his smartphone. "I asked Neji to stay for a while longer so we can go out for lunch."

"Lunch sounds like a good idea."

"Great! You'll lead the way, but please don't choose any expensive restaurant because I'm on a budget ok. Don't pick anything weird that will make me taste shark semen or some weird shit like that."

Sasuke smirked. "Actually, I've heard that in China it's a good aphrodisiac so⏤"

"Yeah, see, that's what I meant." Naruto poked his arm repeatedly. "I just want to eat some Ramen for all I care."

He ended up choosing a traditional Japanese restaurant, specialized in Teishoku (set meal). While they were waiting for the food to arrive, his curiosity got better of him so he questioned. "So, why did you and Neji ended up giving the task of managing Shinrei to Takahashi-san?"

"Hm, well…it's something that I thought over this weekend. Now that we're dating, that means it's gonna be more difficult setting work and dating apart right? I don't want to end up discussing with you over something work-related while we're on a date, or flirt with you while we're talking about work. Plus, I might get frustrated about having to solve some issues about Shinrei and then out of nowhere you might send something personal on LINE. It's those things here and there that makes me afraid that it might hinder our relationship and I don't want this to happen to us. So I talked with Neji, he suggested this solution and Ayumi-san was on board to help me out." Naruto explained, while he adjusted the napkin in his lap. "You don't mind that, right?"

"Not at all, I actually agree with your idea. Never expected that a usuratonkachi like you would be so thoughtful."

Naruto rolled his eyes, then broadened a playful grin. "You know what does that mean too, right? That I'm free to send you dick pics, all to my heart's content."

"That also mean I'm free to block you once again if you step out of line."

"Aw, you wouldn't do that, would you? Not after you accepted going on the Best Date Ever in History!"

"You're pretty confident with your dating skills." Sasuke shook his head in amusement. "I trust you already came up with a detailed itinerary then?"

"Maybe, but I'm gonna keep this as a surprise."

Sasuke stared nonchalantly towards Naruto's cheshire smile, snorting softly. Their food soon arrived, they enjoyed the fragrant dishes in between chuckles and teasing remarks. It was hardly a chore getting in tune with Naruto, lowering his barriers. It's been so long he felt so relaxed around someone aside from his mother and older brother.

While they were going back to Sasuke's office, Naruto read a message, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh. You know your employee Hozuki-san? He scheduled a meeting this wednesday but he just cancelled now, telling me that he fixed whatever issue he wanted to talk about, but when I asked, he just said that it's nothing big. That's weird, you know anything about it?"

Sasuke smirked, but schooled his expression to a neutral one. "Yes, but don't worry about it, usuratonkachi. I assure you that Suigetsu wasn't asking for anything important that really needed you help."

"Hm…" Naruto wrinkled his nose, tilting his head to one side. "You seem to know him pretty well, he's been working in your company for a while?"

"Actually, I've known him since college, I decided to ask him to work with me when Nii-san and I founded our company."

"That's cool, how did you guys meet?"

"We used to have a lot of classes in common, and then we formed our group of friends." Sasuke muttered, recalling his memories. "Crazy friend, but at least helped me hook up with some guys."

Naruto stopped walking at once.

Sasuke also halted his steps, turning around with a quirked eyebrow.

The blond man strode menacingly, glowering. "You did what? After what happened between us?!"

Seeing the indignant expression on his face, Sasuke instantly understood that he stepped on a landmine. He began a well-rehearsed speech. "Well, technically, at that time we weren't in a relationship and also we were just young hormonal teenagers, so officially, there's nothing that really binds us together so…"

"What the fuck Sasuke, what did you want?" Naruto snapped back. "Some official document, registered in the government with our signatures, stamps and even some blood pact for some special effect? We didn't have any extra-official but I thought that, well, since we were in this together…"

"If there's any consolation the number of hook-ups is under one single digit, so can we drop this." Sasuke snarled, tensing his shoulders.

Naruto stared back incredulously, before giving out a sardonic scoff and crossed his arms. His eyes glanced up and down towards Sasuke, growling.

"Oh, so that's how you justify yourself by cheating on me."

"Again, back when we were teenagers, we've done nothing but fooling around together." Sasuke emphasized, annoyed. "I honestly thought that you have done the same, considering that we lost contact while in college."

"Sure, okay, cool, thanks a lot for pointing that I'm a fucking idiot for wasting my chances while I was waiting for you like a fool." Naruto's voice was bitter and angry, taking Sasuke off guard from this uncharacteristic behavior. "I should have followed after the first vagina or dick available while I was in college. Hey, maybe I should do this right now, to pick up since I'm behind."

Whatever tight control Sasuke was attempting to reign in, snapped apart as he glared towards Naruto's rebellious face. He knotted his shirt into his fists, Naruto mirrored this movement, wrinkling the expensive fabric. He growled. "I thought we were in agreement that we're dating now. A suggestion, might I add, that you gave it to me."

"Well, that was before I discovered that you probably slept with half of the campus or where else more. So sorry if I'm not taking this piece of news all too well." Naruto said with gritted teeth.

Sasuke huffed. "I already told you, it was only under one single dig⏤"

"Who the fuck cares, one, one thousand⏤! You cheated, that's what happened!" Naruto pushed Sasuke away, throwing his hands to the air. "You know what, fuck this shit, I'm outta here!" He turned around, already stomping away from him and yelled. "Have a nice fucking day, asshole!"

Sasuke clenched his jaw, his body tensing to pursue Naruto but he dug his heels down. He better wait till Naruto would cool his head. Who'd have thought that such pleasant lunch would end up this badly?

⏤.⏤

Naruto was ignoring him.

At first, Sasuke let it slide, waiting till Naruto would bounce back and forget about what had happened. However, days had passed and after few tentative messages were sent, receiving nothing from Naruto's end.

On the other hand, this situation just made him mount considerable respect over Naruto. Only one week had passed and Sasuke was resisting the urge to barge in Naruto's apartment to stop this silent treatment he's suffering. And Naruto waited for seven years? Sasuke resigned himself not to pressure Naruto after everything he had done in the past.

For such an easygoing man, that dumbass could surely hold some grudge.

Sasuke couldn't bring himself to pester Naruto, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't gatter intel from other sources.

"So…how's Naruto lately?"

Neji stared unsurprised while Sasuke drank his beer, glancing sideways. "He's acting all the same, cheerful, energetic and everything. Why are you asking me if you can contact him anyways?"

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. "He didn't tell you what happened a few weeks ago?"

Neji hummed, smiling. "You know that Naruto opens himself just to you. I mean, maybe Gaara and Shikamaru occasionally, but yes. Mostly you." Then, he sighed, pouring more beer to his cup. "Though after years working with him, I could see that beneath all that smiles, he's angry over something. And after you asked how he was, just gave me the easiest confirmation about my suspicions."

"Hn."

"I know I'm going to regret asking this…what happened?"

Rubbing his temples, Sasuke paused in contemplation before confessing. "I told him that I had some past flings back in college."

For the record, Neji used a total of five seconds to show an incredulous expression before he mumbled. "For someone who used to be the genius back in school and have a master degree, you can be pretty stupid sometimes."

Sasuke glared.

"Why did you do that?" Neji asked.

"We were just chatting, I said it without really considering much. I honestly thought he wouldn't make a big case over it." Sasuke huffed. "And well, I thought that since we haven't seen each other for over seven years, Naruto would have his own flings too."

"Yes, that's the stupid part I'm talking about. You can't expect that everyone would do the same journey as you did."

"I know, which is why I'm patiently waiting to amend the mistake I did. I even sent him messages, writing that I'm sorry and all the bullshit you're expecting me to do."

Neji didn't really trust Sasuke's input. He snatched the smartphone out of Sasuke's hand, scrolling down while he mentally shook his head. "Right. I'm only reading 'Naruto' 'I can explain' 'stop sulking and talk to me' 'Naruto, it's been five days you dumbass' ah…I'm not finding any 'Sorry for everything' here. Perhaps you wrote 'Let me grovel on your feet if it makes you happy'? Ah nope, nothing of this sort."

Sasuke did not appreciate Neji's sarcasm, grabbing his phone back. "It's been more than a week and he still hasn't answered any of my messages."

"Well…have you considered calling him?"

⏤.⏤

Usually Naruto was too lazy to answer phone calls, since most of the time it's telemarketing or scammers trying to get his credit card. Suffice to say, he was flabbergasted seeing Sasuke's contact buzzing on screen.

Sighing, he stared at his smartphone, hot anger burning on his gut. He willed it down, grumbling. "What."

"…" Sasuke bit his lower lip, mumbling. "I see you're still angry over what we talked about a week ago."

Naruto closed his eyes, dropping himself on the sofa as he responded. "No, not really. I was actually kind of waiting you'd talk to me."

"Well."

"Yeah?"

Sasuke chugged some more beer down his throat, clearing his throat. "I don't know what exactly I should say to make us return to the way it was. I can't change it, it's all part of the past."

Naruto groaned, messing his head. "I know, I get it. It's just⏤now I can't get the idea that you got involved with other guys in my head. Were they one time thing? I mean…did you do it to satisfy some curiosity about how different it'd be having sex with someone who is not your soulmate? Or did you do it because you wanted a relationship with someone else? Or were you bored⏤"

"Naruto, I'm not answering any of these. It'll only make you angrier." Sasuke said in a quieter tone.

"That's not fair."

"It is, because it's about my life, and my life only. I'll reveal if I want to, but you got no involvement in it."

"How so? But before you disappeared out of nowhere, we were⏤"

"We're just two teenage boys who had nothing definite aside from two matching tattoos. We're going on circles, this is going nowhere."

Naruto stomped angrily, standing up. "That's your fucking problem, you know. You used a loophole, used the fact that we didn't cement anything before you just disappeared out of my life. You were always such a manipulative asshole, sometimes I⏤AAAARGH! I just want to reach your fucking neck and shake you. Really hard."

Sasuke listened to the furious inhales and exhales, and mumbled. "I will…leave you alone if you prefer⏤ "

"Yeah, I prefer it." Naruto paced around the room, scratching his head. "We definitely went on different paths because we had different points of view. I still believed in the soulmate system, so the wildest thing I did in college is trying to steal some statues on campus. You got disappointed with this system, so there was nothing stopping you going after some other guys."

"Still…" Sasuke clutched his smartphone tighter. "I admit that I hurt you. And I'm sorry about that. Like I've said, there's nothing that I can change about the past, aside that I promise I won't do it again. And if there's anything I can do to make you feel better…just ask."

"…HMMMMmmmmMMmmmmmm."

Sasuke knew Naruto enough to understand that particular tone. "Anything that is not outrageous or sexual in nature, get your mind out of the gutter dumbass."

"Not even you wearing a sailor fuku?" Naruto practically singsonged, his mind also picturing Sasuke with stilettos.

"I'm glad that even with all the current resentment you have on me, you still have enough imagination to come up with the most ludicrous ideas." Sasuke teased back.

"Yeah yeah. Sasuke…" Naruto raised his eyes to stare at the ceiling, his body relaxing. "I'm still not giving up with the whole date thing, ok."

Sasuke released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "I'm glad."

To tell the truth, even despite some reservations and fears, Sasuke was looking forward to starting this relationship with Naruto, only to have it temporarily halted. But he's willing to take the backseat until things would calm down if necessary.

Taken aback from Sasuke's honesty, Naruto scratched his head. "So, you willing to wait some a little bit more? I guess I just gotta organize this new information in my head."

"Sure."

⏤.⏤

On the next day, Sasuke received a message from Naruto.

You free tonight?

Bewildered, since he originally considered that Naruto wanted more days to restart their date, he answered nevertheless.

Yes.

Ok, great. I'll be waiting for you in the lobby from your office. I'll be there in half an hour.

Sure.

Oh. Naruto stopped typing before sending this message. And bring your business cards. Tons of it.

Sasuke's confusion further escalated, but he obeyed nevertheless. Naruto was waiting him with crossed arms, tapping his right foot.

"Hey." He analyzed him, looking up and down before shrugging. "Alright, you look fine enough. But use this jacket instead." He threw it in Sasuke's direction and he caught it with ease.

Black eyes studied the smooth fabric, clean cuts and the tag showing that it's a renowned brand, which all points to the fact that this tuxedo jacket was pretty expensive. "Where are we going?"

"Hm?" Naruto mumbled, his gaze fixed on his smartphone.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke repeated the question. Naruto never cared for appearances whenever they went out, thoroughly ignoring all the malicious glares and whispers focused on his gaudy orange jumpsuit and loud voice. But this time he was wearing formal attire (that looked pretty good on him, actually), also ensuring Sasuke would be decent looking.

"Yeah, I'm comparing if we're going to be faster using uber or going to the subway. There are some points of heavy traffic, but nothing too drastic. I don't want to ruin our clothes too since now the subway is definitely crowded so…yeah. Using uber. He's arriving in three minutes."

"Okay." Sasuke waited while Naruto was still focused on the phone, muttering. "You still didn't answer my question."

Naruto gave him a lopsided grin. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice that."

"So. Do you intend to give me any explanation?"

"Nope." Naruto intervened before Sasuke could further inquire. "Because I'm still angry about you."

Then why did this dumbass go through all this effort to go out with him…Sasuke's head was full of question marks but he expressed with a baffled glare. But that only caused Naruto to laugh in amusement, patting him on the shoulder while they entered the car.

On the course of the trip, Naruto continued to use his smartphone, not striking any kind of conversation. And as much as Sasuke valued quietness, seeing the usual blabbermouth behaving in such uncharacteristic way was unsettling to say the least.

"…Do you intend to talk to me any time or are you going to keep on this silent treatment till the end of this date?"

Naruto snorted, rolling his eyes. "I'm still considering it. Why?"

"If you're going to act like that, I'd rather if we cancel everything then. I'd rather be alone than submit to whatever ill-intent you have stored for me."

"Oooooh you're making me sound like a villain, I like it." Naruto grinned from Sasuke's roll of eyes. "Don't worry about it okay. It's gonna be a surprise, trust me."

"…hn."

Sasuke vaguely recognized the tall buildings and elegant architecture, noticing that the car stopped in front of a high-end hotel. Naruto stepped outside, moving his head to signalize him to do the same, as the blond man was reading some instructions on his smartphone, following the sign arrows.

They arrived in what appears to be some kind of party, he could hear a constant buzzing even behind the huge mahogany doors. There were several security bodyguards, as well as a reception desk at the entrance, so Naruto approached while they questioned his name.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

They bowed politely, confirming his name on the list and asked. "And the gentleman behind you?"

"He's with me. His name is Uchiha Sasuke."

They opened the doors, and his vision was suddenly inundated with bright lights, women wearing glittering dresses or kimonos, all men wearing formal attire. Waiters moved around smoothly carrying all kinds of tasty dishes, beverages and champagne. There was a classic ambient music echoing in the opulent room, and when he focused his eyes at the center stage, everything became clear when he read the huge banner:

Uzumaki Tsunade-sama for Tokyo's mayor

He deadpanned back to Naruto. "Your aunt's party? Really?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I couldn't say no, she'd kill me and you know that!"

"Fine, then why am I here too?"

"Well, even considering the current situation between us, I have to admit that you're still pretty entertaining so I won't get bored while we're in this thing."

"Glad to be at service." Sasuke replied sardonically.

They heard a familiar shout.

"Naruto!" A blond woman came rushing towards them, widening a smile. "I'm glad you arrived. Well, here he is everyone, the mastermind behind my social media campaign!"

Naruto and Sasuke were swarmed by a group of men from all ages, gazes sharp and shrewd.

"You said that Naruto-kun is your nephew right? It's my pleasure to meet such a talented young man." One older man approached, offering his hand. Of all the people in that circle, he appeared to be the most astute.

"Thank you, but I've done nothing out of ordinary." Naruto replied, shaking hands.

"What, really? That's my nephew alright, so humble." Tsunade squeezed his shoulder, beaming. "You know that due to your social media strategies I could get in close contact with the younger demographic."

"Yes, and it's thanks to her that she's the frontrunner in this year's election! The first female mayor in Tokyo. We're looking forward to seeing you ruling this city."

"Let's not count the eggs before they hatch, the election will only happen in the next two months." Tsunade warned. "Also, we don't know who might be listening to this conversation."

"True, but it's still very impressive." He responded, giving a significant glance towards the blond man. "Is Naruto-kun available to help other parliaments to win some elections?"

Naruto huffed silently, though only Sasuke could pick that subtle movement. "Sorry, I work only in the private sector. Helping my aunt is due to the fact I know her political history, so I know that I'm aiding someone I trust with my life."

"Yes, too bad right, Honda-san." There was an indignant twitch on Tsunade's eye, as she focused on a newer topic. "Oh, I see you brought Uchiha-kun."

Naruto threw his arm around Sasuke's, grinning. "Yeah, a nice date with my soulmate."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow in response, but it garnered enough interest in the group.

"Oh? Your soulmate? Congratulations, I gave up trying to find mine years ago. But well, now that I'm on my 2nd divorce, I always wonder how wonderful it'd be if I got married to my soulmate."

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged significant glances so Sasuke stepped in. "Actually, our Uchiha clan is renowned for finding anyone's soulmate over the centuries, and now we developed a technology to match the soulmates all over the world faster."

"He found me using these powers, as many others, it's an ancient knowledge only their clan possesses." Naruto further explained, though he could see his aunt narrowing her eyes.

"That's really interesting. I would like to talk more about this. Here, my card." They exchanged business cards as other people in their circle flocked around them, collecting Sasuke's cards.

"Well…Naruto, let's get some food for you while we get our conversation up to speed, right." Tsunade made a face of 'you better obey me or else', so with a shudder, Naruto obeyed his aunt.

They walked to a more secluded place, so Naruto was first to protest. "You didn't ask me to go to this party just so you can throw me more politicians to be his social media manager right?"

"Of course not, you really think I want to share my golden egg with everyone else?" Tsunade snorted, crossing her arms. "That Honda-san, I knew he was keeping an eye on you, I wouldn't imagine that he'd have such audacity in asking right in front of my face, that old geezer…Anyways." She smoothed out her glower, looking concerned towards her nephew. "Brat. I thought you were still angry over some things your soulmate had done back in college."

Naruto glanced down, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I still am but…this party will be good for his company."

Tsunade stared, then unceremoniously whacked the upside of his head.

"Ow! What the hell, old hag?" Naruto yowled, his hands nursing the painful spot.

"You deserved this. You really need to stop being too generous." She harrumphed, placing her hands on her hips.

Blue eyes blinked, pointing out a bit baffled. "Um, usually people see this as a positive thing."

"Not so positive when people use this to their advantage." Tsunade sighed, smoothing the sides of his shoulders and squeezed them thoughtfully. "Be careful okay?"

Naruto gazed back, wordlessly nodding. Some of Tsunade's staffers called her, so she walked away while the blond man went back to find Sasuke. He was talking with a new group of people, spotting him from afar as he whispered once Naruto positioned himself next to him. "That took a while. I thought I was supposed to entertain you, not random strangers."

"Sorry about that, my aunt wanted to talk about some things." Naruto shook hands with everyone in vicinity, scurrying them aside as everyone went on their own way. "Did you manage to get a lot of new contacts?"

"Yes, and even some possible businessmen that might buy some of Shinrei's stock." Sasuke replied, smiling in such a contented way that caused Naruto to beam in return. "Thanks for giving me this opportunity."

"No problem, glad I could help you out."

"It's roughly 8 o'clock right now, I'm sure you're dying to eat some dinner⏤" On this cue, Naruto's stomach decided to growl. Loudly. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "There are dinner tables settled in front of the stage, I suspect they'll call us to sit there once the food is ready."

"Yeah, thank all gods. I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow. But it's probably one of the fancy shmancy restaurant, they'll probably give me some food the size of my pinkie telling me that it's some reinvention of Japanese cuisine."

"Sounds like something right up my alley. You're the one who likes to eat junk food like Ramen." Sasuke smirked.

"Ramen is comfort food and one of the main staple of Japanese food, how dare you diss them!" Naruto grumbled, when the waiters asked them to go their respective tables, redirecting to their seats. Considering his close parentage with Tsunade, they placed him right in front of the main stage, sitting in the same table with what they could recognize that those people were very influential and powerful politicians.

One of Tsunade's secretary whispered something on Naruto's ear, so he excused himself, bowing politely. In a few more minutes the room went dark and strong flashlights focused on Tsunade, who stood behind a podium.

"Hello everyone, thank you for participating in this beautiful event. I'm honored sharing this special moment with all my friends, allies, comrades. People who share this common goal with me and will bring everyone to victory. Others at some point have its fate intertwined with mine and now will help me to reach such success." Tsunade's voice was calm and commanding, bewitching all in vicinity. "Fate commands in many different twists and turns in our lives, making us grieve, laugh and learn. I'd like to believe that my fate has given me many obstacles to strengthen myself and grow. My late husband was the one who was interested in politics, and once he was murdered due to skirmishes with Yakuza, I inherited his will. My dearest little sister unfortunately passed away from a terrible disease but blessed me to take care of this bright young man, Naruto."

She turned around, arm raised as Naruto approached her, bowing to the audience as he stood next to her.

"My nephew helped me in this campaign and I'm happy to say that we have currently 65% intention for votes⏤" Tsunade read on her iPad. "And I'm the leader to win Tokyo's election that will be held in the next two months. Thank you everyone! Here's a reminder to everyone who is and was challenged by fate, those who are still struggling and may we bring them to a brighter future!"

She raised her glass as everyone mirrored her, chanting together.

"Uzumaki-sama for mayor!"

⏤.⏤

"Maaaannnn. No matter how many times I was forced to go to these kinds of parties, it's awkward as fuck just keep on standing there next to my aunt, and having to put that fake smile whenever she made me talk with other politicians." Naruto groaned, while they were walking to the subway station.

"Hm, really? You behaved pretty well considering that you're usually a spazz, usuratonkachi."

"One of my aunt's secretary, Shizune-neechan gave me most tips. It was the most attention I could get since my aunt was, you know." Naruto shrugged awkwardly. "Getting all busy being our town's mayor and climbing in the political scheme. I mean, she raised me the best she could, but I guess it wasn't enough."

"I see, this is also the reason you were so fascinated being a pain in the ass and nagging me wherever I go back when we were kids." Sasuke snorted when Naruto gave a squawk of indignation.

The blond man reconsidered and responded. "Maybe, I guess. We were the only kids with no friends back in school so I wanted to show you that I was there."

"I suppose it worked. There wasn't a day where I wasn't forced to participate in your ludicrous plans of mischief."

"It was entertaining!"

"You certainly entertained me better at the end of high school."

Naruto snorted. "Yeah. Good ol' times."

"Is reminiscing those memories good enough for you to dismiss the current anger you have on me?"

Their steps diminished to a quiet halt, Naruto turned around to gaze at his childhood friend. Under the soft glow of street light, Sasuke looked austere, solemn though his eyes shadowed some bashfulness and guilt.

Naruto exhaled tired, muttering. "I'm still…⏤not as much as before but maybe there is some bitterness lingering. Sasuke, now I get why I couldn't forgive you right off the bat. It's not because you slept with other guys…"

A black eyebrow was raised and he chuckled, waving his hand in negative.

"No, it's not what you're thinking, I didn't like that you got involved with other men, but it's not the main reason. Sasuke, you didn't give me any satisfaction when you went to college, you didn't call me or message me something like 'we're over' or 'I want some time for myself so let's be free to pursue other things', so I was stuck in limbo. And, even regarding how much you don't believe in the soulmate system, I thought that…considering that we know each other forever, you'd at least inform me."

"I know. I regret not doing this, hurting you in the process. However, I cannot change the past, all I can promise is that I will correct my mistakes." Sasuke promised.

Naruto nodded. "Another thing, is that what you said to me about the flaws of the soulmate system really made me change my point of view. I could tell that the fact I was angry is solely my own feelings, but another part wanted to forgive you. I wanted to analyze if this part is because you're my soulmate or it's also part of my own self."

"And your conclusion would be?"

Naruto chortled, shrugging. "50/50, maybe. Sometimes leaning more to my own emotions. But I wasn't sure. That's why I took more than a week to talk to you."

"And when am I going to get back to your good graces?" Sasuke wondered, and they restarted walking.

"I think I tortured you enough after tonight. I'll be back planning the Best Date ever in History."

Sasuke sighed in relief, a comfortable silence falling between them while they walked in the deserted street. He was guiding Naruto to the subway station, but took a detour to a darker corner that he knew no onlooker would bother them there. He stopped, staring towards the blond man.

"What?" Naruto muttered, a little unnerved from the piercing eyes.

"I'm impressed that you still hadn't used your usual old trick of poking me on the shoulder and surprising me with a kiss."

"I said that I'm not going to torture after tonight, but the day hasn't turned yet. So I'm still in the angry mode." Naruto grinned. "It's a punishment for not being a good boy in the latest days."

Snorting, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Good boy? I wore this jacket you threw at me, I behaved well as your date in that party, I was exceptionally so good, that I'm sure I deserve a gold star."

"Yeah, but I'm still smarting with the whole you cheating on me thing, that you got a demotion from childhood sweethearts to first daters. And while I was sure you were gonna get back to my good graces eventually 'cuz I don't hold grudges forever Sasuke, I needed some gradual steps till we'll get to that much needed direction."

"Fine. At least it's over after tonight." Sasuke concurred, smirking. "Do I at least deserve one kiss on this first date?"

Naruto peered back with increasing suspicion, then consented, giving a short kiss on his cheek.

Sasuke scoffed in derision. "Hm, I'm sure that even kids in middle school gave more significant kisses to their crushes than you just did right now."

"Whaaa⏤wait a minute you bastar⏤" Naruto's incoming diatribe was interrupted with Sasuke's lips against his own, hands snaking around to grip his torso.

Naruto took a second in shock before melting in his arms, breathing out a happy sigh as he pushed forward, deepening the kiss. Surrounded by familiar senses and new ones, he explored the hard edges of Naruto's body, scrawny arms now filling with muscular ones, though his mouth remained soft and pliant, always inviting to taste some more. When Naruto laced his hands behind his neck, tongue tracing over his lips, sliding in and wrapping with his own, Sasuke couldn't contain the shiver in excitement, moaning.

After countless minutes kissing, lost in their own world, they retreated for a bit, Sasuke's taste persisted in his mouth, making him lick his lips. Moist mouth softly caressed his own, whispering.

"See? This is how you were supposed to kiss me on our first date."

Naruto's cheeks flamed red, but he managed to roll his eyes, disentangling himself from Sasuke. "Whatever. See you later bastard."

He turned around ready to walk his way before a hand held his arm and spun him back to Sasuke, receiving another peck on his lips. The light touch was innocent but when Sasuke released him, his stomach fluttered when he witnessed the heated gaze and the playful smirk.

"See you later dumbass." Sasuke waved him, walking back to the brighter street. "I'll be taking a bus, the subway station is on your left."

Naruto grumbled with himself, cursing about stupid sexy assholes and the habit of making everything a competition.

He smiled all the way back to his home.

⏤.⏤.⏤.⏤.⏤.⏤.⏤.⏤

AN: I'm sure that you guys are wondering "So Itachi's soulmate is…" Yeah, he's Shisui. I didn't want to make his name a mystery, I just didn't find a space in the dialogue for Itachi to tell Sasuke his name.

Onto good news. The story is shaping a little bit better, so my estimate is that it'll take roughly 10 to 12 chapters long. I have all the sub-plots and main plot ready in my head, I just have to organize to sound more concise…

I guess what's interesting in this story is about two people who know the other one so well but has to relearn to fall in love with his other half.

The most difficult part was writing the kiss. Not the act itself but it's just that Naruto and Sasuke are officially japanese in this era, that means that Japanese people are usually way more reserved in PDA. Sasuke, on the other hand, doesn't care about public opinion, which was why I was more ok with him initiating, and he also waited till the street was deserted and dark and went to a corner. I researched a little and in recent years Japanese are more ok with light PDA, but generally kissing (and long deep kissing) is frowned upon.