Title: It Never Hugs Back

Author: myinukoi

Pairing(s): SasuNaru (main), some: SasuSaku, SasuIno, NaruHina, NaruSaku, NejiNaru, KibaNaru, GaaNaru, SaiNaru, ItaNaru

Warning(s): AU, OOC, shounen-ai, DesperateforMoney!Sasuke, swearing...the usual.

Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

--

I t N e v e r H u g s B a c k

Chapter Four: Enough?

Too much money is as demoralizing as too little, and there's no such thing as exactly enough.

--Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966–

--

When Neji saw Sasuke and Sakura walk into the small yet expensive café, he kept his dark-haired head tilted down and watched the pair vigilantly through his tinted $200 Marc Jacob sunglasses, undetected.

Unfortunately, when he was detected by the couple, he feigned a polite smile and beckoned them over.

Sasuke and Sakura smiled at each other, and Neji observed that they seemed almost giddy.

He was disturbed.

"Neji-kun! How nice is it of us to meet again?" Sakura beamed, her straight white teeth blinding him with its cheeriness. He was thankful for the shades. She held out her hand.

He took it into his own larger, and surprisingly paler, one. His lips brushed against the base of her fingers with a softness a butterfly's wings could only hope to accomplish; yet the slight touch of 'affection' was kept brief by disdain and jealousy rather than tenderness.

Such were the mannerisms in the 'Wealthy Socialites: Guide to Proper Breeding and Upbringing' handbook. A holy doctrine of amenities every member of the Hyuuga clan memorized by heart and breath.

Hyuuga Beau Monde # 58: Each lady, as poor or as unsightly as they may be, must be treated with the same gusto as one would any other richer or more beautiful female.

Even though Neji's pale gray, almost colorless, eyes were hidden behind designer shades, Sasuke smirked knowingly. Neji hated those triumphant smirks almost as much as his dear friend, Naruto-kun, did. The thought that your trained emotions and disciplined conscience could not be hidden or buried from those diabolical coal eyes was... unnerving.

"Hyuuga-san," the darkest brunette voiced curtly, his tone informing the pale-eyed young man that this was not a social visit; strictly business. "We are here to offer you a proposition."

Neji choked on his laughter. Sasuke glared and Sakura's brows furrowed.

To think...! To think that Sasuke; poor, broke, bankrupt! Sasuke, was trying to negotiate with him?! The thought was too funny! As if the miserable man had anything that could be of use to him!

"Shut up." Sasuke growled. Neji's laughter quieted down, a faint smile the only reminder the joyous sound was ever there. Yet, that disappeared swiftly as well.

"What do you want?" Neji began to become annoyed, his patience was thinner than a pencil line.

"A date!" Sakura chirped. Neji blanched. And Sasuke sighed.

Sakura's hair rivaled her cheeks as she realized her mistake. "A-Ano...Neji-kun! Not a date with us, you see, but...er...rather, if you're willing and all... would you mind..."

Sasuke decided to cut in, wisely, seeing as Neji's annoyance and anger seemed to be teetering his tolerance scale. "We'll give you a date, with Naruto..."

Neji allowed his glasses to slip off his slightly pointed, yet utterly perfect, nose, permitting for his shock and disbelief to show.

"For a price."

He face-faulted. Of course Sasuke or Sakura, especially the two together, would never allow such a heartfelt task to go without reward thus unto themselves.

Of course! Broke asses would go to any length to receive riches! How could he have not seen this?

Hyuuga Beau Monde # 97: Those penniless can be expected to go to brutal lengths to obtain comfortable surroundings at your expense. Acquaintances of this description should be ostracized and disposed of in an apathetic fashion unless proven to be beneficiaries in a different field.

--

Sasuke was anxious.

He used his work earnings to buy him a nice Armani suit at a nearby Macy's. He sighed sadly as he realized he spent all his money, but assured himself he would just ask for a raise; one he was sure to be granted. He looked at himself up and down in his suit, pleased yet ticked. If he still had his wealth, he would simply fly over to Paris, France and buy fifty Armani suits straight off the backs of Giorgio's gorgeous, male, runway models.

His wealth... this brought a scowl to his face as he remembered exactly why he was fixing himself up and sending his money amount down.

Itachi.

Kakashi's words from two weeks prior rang reminiscently in his mind.

'...you and him should go to dinner this weekend. Brothers catching up and all...'

Back then, Sasuke had hoped that Itachi would forget about the dinner, and the elder Uchiha had. Yet Sasuke, finally getting over his shame and embarrassment, contacted his brother, as he knew Itachi had planned; and while reigning in his anger and hatred, Sasuke practically begged him to dinner.

Itachi had eventually accepted, amused, after half an hour of groveling at his brother's expense.

Now, Shikamaru was parked outside in his silver 2007 Volvo S60, a gift he received from a prominent University a year ago as a persuasive treat to help convert the genius to their sought-for school.

In the end, Shikamaru didn't go to college.

Sasuke entered the car, and the fifteen minute drive to the restaurant was spent with casual banter and polite conversational necessities. Sasuke was thankful Shikamaru didn't bring up any questions of his money, job, or what he plans to do at dinner with Itachi. Shikamaru was his favorite friend to come to at times like this. Naruto would be too oblivious to know Sasuke was uncomfortable with a topic and Neji simply wouldn't care.

When the car parked in front of the top-class restaurant, Sasuke climbed out and asked Shikamaru when he would be back to pick him up.

"I'll be at the movies. So, is an hour and a half alright?"

"Sure." Sasuke closed the door firmly and walked into the building.

The restaurant was... beautiful, for lack of better word. From the high ceilings decked with German-imported crystal chandeliers above his head, to the ebony Rouge de Rance marble from Belgium underneath his feet. Red wine silken curtains adorned the tall lavish windows that served some aristocrats present as decorative exhibits to the outside world beyond their affluent, utopian lifestyle.

Sasuke drank it all in greedily, forcing it to memory. This was what he was forced to leave behind? Would he ever be able to leave this restaurant knowing that these kinds of luxuries might never be bestowed upon him to his heart's content again? How was he supposed to turn away from this all...?

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. When he opened them, he was greeted by a bright female waiter who smiled at him, waiting patiently, all the while ignoring his odd behavior.

"Are you unhappy, sir? May I be of service?" She asked, with a cheeriness only days of training and a healthy paycheck could produce.

"Yes," he shook his head lightly. She continued to smile. "A reservation was made. I'm here for to meet with my brother Uch--"

"Uchiha Itachi?" She cut in brightly.

"Ah, yes..." he tried to produce a false smile of his own, secretly wanting to know if he was 'polite' enough to quit that damn mall job and work here instead.

Yet, by her concerned look, Sasuke adduced he failed miserably.

"Are you sure you're alright, Uchiha-sama?"

Sasuke smiled bitterly. Uchiha-sama. It's been so long since he heard it... he almost didn't realize she was addressing him.

"Ah. Just fine. Thank you." She nodded, satisfied.

"Follow me, please."

Her walk was fast and brisk, but his long legs had no trouble keeping up with her.

She stopped suddenly. "Would you prefer the elevator or staircase, Uchiha-sama?"

"Staircase, please," emerged from Sasuke's mouth without an affirmation from his brain. Before he could even question himself, she was walking away again. He followed.

The spiraling stairway was just as beautiful with famous traditional artworks on the wall. He ignored the golden railing and peered over to view the pictures but quickly became bored. All were things he had seen before, none of it had ever interested him: all were shika-e, bijinga and monogatari-e artworks.

Before he knew it, he was standing in front of Itachi. Their table was small and circular, much different to the large, rectangular ones the Uchiha family was so used to. Yet, Sasuke thought, so

much has changed, so why shouldn't this? So many things are different. And I am about to find out why...

The table with Itachi was the only one in Sasuke's vincity. Leave it to an Uchiha to get the nicest floor and be possessive enough not to want to share it with anyone else.

"Please," Itachi gestured gracefully, "have a seat."

Sasuke sat down stiffly, his eyes never leaving his brothers.

"You seem..." Sasuke didn't want to use this word. Using this word and his elder brother in a positive sense seemed...taboo, "happy."

Itachi smirked, his closest facial expression to a smile. "I am."

Sasuke growled. "At my situation, bastard?!" is what he wanted to yell, but refrained and settled for, "And what would be the cause of this?"

"Oh," Itachi waved a hand dismissively, "just being with you, younger brother, makes me happy."

Sasuke scowled. "Is that so?"

The elder Uchiha raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe me? Oh, Sasuke! How long has it been since we've had such a touching reunion among brothers? Eight...nine months? This is a joyous occasion. Cheer up!"

Sasuke's scowl deepened.

"Naruto."

Itachi looked up from his menu. "Come again?"

"Why am I bankrupt? Why did you make me live with Naruto? I mean, living with you would be pretty crappy and all, but at least I'd still be rich!! Itachi!"

Itachi yawned passively. "No use crying over spilt milk..."

"But that's the thing. It's not spilt milk! Take me into your company. I'll learn all the basics and crap. Make me your right-hand man and make me rich again!" Sasuke clenched his fists again in fury. A crappy habit that emerged when he proves to be enraged.

"No can do, little brother." Itachi's abnormal, scarlet eyes glittered with fake concern."I mean, if I wanted you to be well off, I wouldn't have withdrawn your inheritance funds."

The menu Sasuke had in hand (out of sheer politeness, because sitting with his brother made him anything but ravenous)wasgripped so severely that crescents punctured the synthetic leather bindings of the pamphlet.

Itachi tutted under his breath.'Artificial cowhide menus? How disappointing. At first glance I believed this restaurant to be first class...' His thin, coral lips pursed in a disapproving frown.

Sasuke recovered from his shock and anger, sooner than Itachi had expected, causing the elder Uchiha's further thorough examination of the restaurant to be cut short.

"Itachi..." Sasuke's dark bangs shielded his charcoal eyes from view, shadows displayed in all the terrifyingly accurate positions made Sasuke look ...well, terrifying.

Still, Itachi was unnerved. "Yes."

"How did you get the money?! I thought you were no longer entitled to our families riches seeing as you got yourself emancipated from the Uchiha name when you were fifteen!" Sasuke began to loose his cool. How the hell did the accountants at where-thefuck!-ever let Itachi go away with all of the Uchiha family riches?

It was an international scandal when Itachi - the perfect Uchiha son - divorced from one of the world's most wealthiest, famed families. Rumors spread unabashedly about their strict but fair father, Fugaku. How he abused his children: forcing them with audacious aggressiveness to be absolute, unequaled, and flawless to such a preposterous feat, that Itachi, the known over-accomplisher, betrayed the family. Mikoto, of course, had her fair share of denigrations. Accused of alcoholism and drug use; "an unhealthy, selfish recluse from her husband's fading mentality and children's tortured beings; she is a despicable mother" one media press crowned her. The Uchiha family took the slander to her- sweet, caring, Mikoto; the only compassionate one in the family - the hardest.

Sasuke had never hated Itachi more in his life. Not when Itachi received all the attention, not when Itachi took mother's last homemade blueberry muffin every goddamn morning before school... Sasuke had never hated his brother more. The shame he has brought upon his family...!

Itachi was so popular, he was preferred over the entire Uchiha family. That brought forth belligerence that Sasuke did not even know he was capable of...

Yet how could Sasuke hate the man who gave him piggyback rides every evening throughout their estate's fifteen acre garden? Or the same man who tucked him in at night with varied bedtime stories and traditional rhymes of 'Miss Muffet and the Eight Legged Freak', 'Hansel and Gretel: The Diabetic Arsonists', or 'Goldilocks and Her Three Grizzly Sex Slaves'?

Very hard to hate such a man, especially when said man is your elder brother.

Yet after three months of evil propaganda and vicious rumors, the Uchiha family's psychological torture ended.

Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha were murdered.

Sasuke found it easier to hate his Aniki after that.

Yet, his loathing was brought to a new high, seeing as when Itachi left the family, he created a business successful enough to rival the Uchiha's. Even though Itachi was in charge, he left all the caliber work to a group of minions and raked in the majority of the money for himself. What was the group called again...? A Cat Ski? A Coat Sew? Akat...-?

"Meh, you're right...to a degree. I did emancipate myself from the family as a minor, but I did not relinquish the family name..." Itachi smiled slyly.

Sasuke looked at his brother, dismayed. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to care if his elder brother was losing his marbles, but now...? When his money is on the line...?

"Itachi... when you emancipated yourself," Sasuke spoke slowly, watching his brother through skeptical eyes, "mother and father removed your name from the will, alienating you from all of Uchiha's future posses--" Sasuke was cut off.

"Ah, ah, ah," Itachi waggled a finger tauntingly, then took a sip of deep, red wine - his favorite. "And that is where you are wrong, young brother. Did mother and father tell you specifically that I was off the will?"

Sasuke blinked, confused. "No, but you embarrassed them, internationally, so why the hell would they keep you on the wi--" He was cut off once again.

"Did you see the will for yourself?" Itachi broke off a piece of the Sicilian bread stick in the silk-dressed basket.

"No, why would I have to see the wi--" Sasuke was interrupted once more. His eyes narrowed. His brother's constant disruption was becoming annoying.

"Did you ever stop to consider that perhaps our parents were too caught up in the distress and embarrassment over the lost of me," he pointed a bread stick at himself vainly, then continued to twirl it between his nimble fingers. The action went unnoticed to Sasuke. "That they didn't even consider removing me from their death testaments yet within the three months before their deaths? Hm, Sasuke-chan?"

Sasuke's breath hitched in his throat and his face became near transparent. Itachi could've sworn that if his face got any paler, veins and blood would become visible through the seemingly thin, lucid skin.

Yet, his appearance was the last of Sasuke's concern. Was Itachi implying...

"I kept the money for years. It never belonged to you."

No...! No! It couldn't be possible! No way...no way his Aniki...

"The Uchiha Industries always belonged to me. I control both that company and Akatsuki! I am the most powerful man in the world!"

Did Itachi...

"But I became bored so I figured it was time to do something exciting. The withdrawl of your bank accounts was fun Sasuke. Just like this dinner. The Uchiha family never fails to entertain me."

Could Itachi have had something to do with his parent murders?!

As Itachi walked out the door, he was not fooled. His brother's willpower did not go unnoticed. And now that his Otouto knew the truth... His brother was becoming a bit too cocky for his taste anyway... When the parents are gone, whose responsibility is it then to make sure the youngests keep their ground? Sasuke had more than enough luxuries anyway...

"Too much money is as demoralizing as too little, and there's no such thing as exactly enough..."

He smirked.

The game just got a lot more interesting.

-::-

"So what do you say?" Sakura's cheeriness, Neji decided, was contagious, for he was feeling a bubble of bliss boil in the depths of his being, as well; a rare occurrence.

He remembered his rules, his teachings, and training. He knew the obvious choice. The conclusive answer, the right answer, was at the tip of his tongue. The 'Get the fuck away from me with your stupid, queer, crap!!' (though a blase version would be more sufficient) was there! But something was holding him back...

"Do you want Uzumaki or not, Hyuuga-san? For I'm sure many others would give a sure, quick affirmative to such a request, do you not agree?" Sasuke sneered, his impatience bursting from it's weak, brittle chains. "Because me and my partner here can easily be on our way to more cooperating customers."

Customers? Neji mentally questioned, but his internal happy pot had finally spilled over, filling his body with warmth and glee.

He answered quickly, never one to opt for keeping others waiting.

"Yes. Time and place?"

-::-

AN: Neji is jealous that Sakura holds Naruto's affections.