Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Naruto.
Warning: This does contain boyxboy so you have been warned. Don't like, don't read!
Now there was one week in October (usually the second) that threw everyone at Uchiha corp. off. In the American division every employee was happy because during that week Uchiha Itachi was always in a good mood, offering pay rises and complementing the staff on the most trivial of things. The company always made the largest profits in the year that week and everyone was content and secure with their jobs.
In Japan however, things were not so rosy. The men and women working under the younger Uchiha dreaded this week knowing that no matter what they did, it would not protect them from the wrath of their moody President. Like a demon from hell, he would swoop into the offices, reprimanding each employee for the most trivial of mistakes and if you dared to answer back, you would have to face the Uchiha glare of death (a fate few have survived unscarred from) and most likely be fired. Even the high ranking employees were not spared from the foul atmosphere. The normally kind and considerate pink haired physician became easily angered and violent, with anyone foolish enough to ask for her help with a less than life threatening illness being told to 'suck it up and stop being such a baby!' During this week fights were common between her and her best friend Ino which only served to annoy Sasuke and Neji more because their secretary was too busy fighting to get the sheets they asked for.
All in all it was never a very pleasant, nor productive week for the company, although that was often chalked up to the fact that every year without fail Shikamaru ended up fired, usually after Sasuke had sent several verbal assaults about how he was a lazy asshole who barely did anything around the office anyway. Shikamaru didn't seem to mind though as he announced that the whole week was too 'troublesome' anyway. However there was a great panic in the design and development team as, contrary to Sasuke's accusations, Shikamaru was the brains behind the whole group. They needn't have worried though as the following week Shikamaru was back acting as though nothing had happened and this continued to happen every year. Once they realised this, there was a great deal of relief amongst his co-workers and they began to treat it as an anticipated event, placing bets as to when in the week the head of the department would get the sack.
This though, was perhaps the most puzzling aspect of the week. After that one week, life went back to normal. The cheerful attitude and content atmosphere returned to the company along with most of the employees who had been temporarily removed from the staff. Ino, being the practical secretary that she was, always scheduled in as few meetings and conferences for the president as was possible, so as to limit the damage done to any business partners. So by the third week in October, the company would be back to normal working order with the increase in business in America balancing out the drop in production in Japan.
The staff though, couldn't help but speculate as to the reasons behind the odd week until one employee wisely pointed out the friend that they all seemed to share. Perhaps something had happened to him at this time of the year? If that was the case then they were probably just upset remembering him. However that didn't explain the boost in motivation in the American division another pointed out. The first pondered this for a moment before answering that maybe the friend and Itachi didn't get on. This then led to further speculation as to whether or not the elder Uchiha was really sadistic enough to take pleasure out of the death of his little brothers friend until the area supervisor came and told them off for chatting instead of working. Needless to say there was much confusion and head scratching over the subject until one year things didn't go back to normal.
It had been a few particularly nasty weeks' weather wise for the time of the year and it had rained almost non stop in the city. However the dreaded week had passed quickly with Shikamaru being dismissed on the third day (winning Kiba a substantial amount of cash) and only a few of the stupider employees being sacked. By the time Monday came round again, most of the staff were looking forward to the good week they were guaranteed. However the development team found themselves without their lazy genius; Kiba was deliberately delaying everyone by insisting on checking everyone's identity passes, turning away staff who couldn't produce them; Sakura and Ino were throwing profanities at each other in the entrance hall while Lee was attempting to separate them before the match turned violent. However none of the others anger matched up to Sasuke's explosion. He stormed into the hall, long jacket billowing out around him, like a god of thunder with the sounds of the storm in the background. He screamed bloody murder at the sight in front of his eyes before storming off to his office leaving behind the promise that if he was disturbed because of anything less than a life or death situation, his revenge would make his brother look kind. Shivering slightly at the mental image of a kind Itachi, Neji who had remained clam through all of this, shooed the staff off to their stations knowing that there was no point trying to talk to their furious leader at the moment.
It was later on that day that the blond appeared. No one was is a particularly good mood as their lunch, normally good enough to put any top chef to shame had turned out to be cold lumpy gravy of some sort and the staff had been forced to leave the building in search of an edible meal. So when a travel worn and soaked young man approached her desk asking to see the president, the main receptionist decided that he would be a good way to take her anger out.
"Do you have an appointment, sir" she asked disdainfully.
"No but if you tell him Uzumaki Naruto wants a word, I'm sure he'll be happy to give me a few minutes," he replied, flashing her a dazzling smile. Upon seeing it, the receptionist felt herself replying with her own smile and taking a moment to study the man further.
He was wearing an old orange hoody with equally scruffy jeans, a travel bag slung over his right shoulder. However despite his less than impressive wardrobe, he was still a drool worthy sight with tan skin, blonde spikes for hair and a pair of the brightest blue eyes. However despite his good looks and pleasant tone, the receptionist knew that there was no way she could let a complete stranger in to see the president. After all terrorists can look like the nicest of people before the turn all psycho on you and start shooting. Briefly she wondered how he managed to get past Kiba especially with his excessive checks, but perhaps that was an even bigger reason to prevent the man from proceeding further. Plus with the mood the young Uchiha was in, she thought she might not survive informing him of the ragged, unannounced guest.
"I'm sorry sir but the President is currently unreachable" ('not exactly untrue', she thought). "However if you give me your details, I will inform Uchiha-sama and have him get back to you when he can." The blond sighed and shook his head a little.
"Look it'll only take a second; I just really need a word." The woman frowned back. 'So he was going to be difficult, was he!'
"I'm sorry sir," she replied forcefully. "The President is very busy. An appointment is the only way to fit into his schedule!"
"But…" Just then there was a squeal to the side before a mop of bright pink hair collided with the blond causing him to sway dangerously. Regaining his balance, he laughed at the antics of the woman accompanying the pink hair.
"Sakura! How are you?! How's Lee and everyone else?" Untangling her arms from the grip around the blonds' neck, she grinned at him while replying.
"Yeah everyone's fine, myself included! Much better now your back. Things should be getting back to normal now. God, I don't half hate this week Naruto. Everyone's so depressed with out you here."
"Awww! I didn't know you cared!" Naruto replied with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Is the bastard around? I was gonna go check in but apparently I need an appointment", he said glancing over at the receptionist who had been following the conversation with mild confusion.
Ok so this man, Uzumaki Naruto, is clearly more important than his appearance had led her to believe. He was obviously very good friends with Dr Haruno so he was probably known by the rest of the group. That must be why Kiba let him through, the receptionist concluded. But just who was he! She had worked the front desk at the main offices of Uchiha Corp. for several years now yet she was sure she had never laid eyes on him before! He wasn't recognisable as an official from any of the company's partners and he looked too casual to be any kind of businessman. Sakura scoffed.
"Somehow I think Sasuke would be more annoyed if he knew you were here and hadn't come to say hello. He's been sulking the whole week and he keeps freaking out thinking Itachi's going to try to take advantage of you or something."
"Geeze, I wish he had a little more faith in me!" Naruto replied, a scowl present on his tanned face.
"I think it's more that he doesn't trust Itachi with you", she said smiling back at the blond in an attempt to appease him. Naruto returned the smile.
"I don't think Itachi would dare do anything", he admitted with a snort. "After all, no matter how much he likes to tease Sasuke, he still values his life."
"True", she replied agreeing whole heartedly. "Well at least now we can get Shikamaru back. The whole department has come to a standstill without him and I've already had poor Lee break down in tears from the lack of 'Youth', or something like that."
"God, is he ok?" Naruto asked concern evident in his stunning eyes.
"He will be as soon as you do something about your rampaging boyfriend!" she said glaring hotly at him.
It was at this point that the receptionist decided that despite the fact she was eavesdropping, she simply had to discover who this man was. As the conversation had gone on it had become increasingly obvious that this young man Naruto, was somehow linked to the terrible week in October the company always had to deal with and she realised this was her chance to solve the mystery once and for all!
"Um, excuse me Haruno-san, but who…"
"Damn it Ino! I asked for those papers half an hour ago! What the fuck have you been doing all this time?!" Stopped in her tracks, the receptionist turned to see none other than Uchiha Sasuke storm in yelling at his secretary who was marching beside him looking equally murderous.
"Well excuse me! In case you've forgotten, you've had me cancelling all your meetings today! Do you no how much hassle it is to have to explain to a bunch of middle-aged snobs that their oh-so precious time would be wasted if they turned up for a meeting they've had booked for two months, because the president is in a foul mood!" she threw back practically screaming at him.
"My mistake! Here I was thinking you might be competent enough to fetch some papers and make a few phone calls but no, I guess that's to much for such a fucking dumb blonde!" he yelled back, his face flushed in anger as he waved the aforementioned papers in his hand.
Briefly, the receptionist forgot all about the blond stranger as she watched the president rant. Despite his current foul mood, Uchiha Sasuke really was incredibly handsome. Jet black hair, matching jet black eyes and skin so pale and creamy that any girl who laid eyes on him was consumed by jealousy and lust at the same time. His body was well toned from constant workouts and his muscles could be seen through the white shirts he often wore. His good looks and wealth made him one of the cities most sought after men and he turned down at least ten admirers everyday. She should know. The receptionist was often the one who had to turn away the determined women ,who demanded to see their "true love".
However she was startled out of her musing by the look on the blond mans face when he spotted the two. Looking at Dr Haruno she spotted the same look on her face too- an evil grin. The blond to a deep breath in, then started walking towards the still arguing friends, angling himself so that Ino would see him first.
"Who the fuck do you think you're calling a dumb blonde, you arrogant prick! You're bloody lucky I don't just… Naruto?!" Ino shouted her eyes widening with shock as she spotted the blond man creeping up behind the unaware Uchiha.
"Huh? What the fuck?! Do you have a death wish?! I don't need a reminder that he's not here and is probably being molested by Itachi as we speak!! Oh God I knew I shouldn't have let him spend another day there…" Sasuke trailed off miserably covering his eyes with his hands.
"Yeah well, he offered, but I figured you would kill him and with him dead and you in jail, who would I have to play with?" voiced the blond wrapping his arms around the Uchiha's waist.
Sasuke visibly stiffened and slowly turned around, staring incredulously at the slightly shorter man holding him around the waist. He then glanced up at Sakura who was visibly trying to suppress her laughter. "Sakura, I think I'm hallucinating…"
That did it. Sakura erupted in laughter and was quickly joined by Ino, both having to clutch their stomachs in pain when they heard an indignant reply of, "Just who do you think you're calling a hallucination, teme!" followed a thump, as said hallucination whacked the president on the back of his head
"Ouch! You didn't have to hit that hard Naruto! Oh my god… Naruto!" Sasuke yelled pulling the blond in close and hugging him tight. "What are you doing here?! I thought your flight had to be canceled?"
Wrapping his arms around the Uchiha's neck Naruto grinned. "Well when I called Itachi to tell him what had happened he said something about not surviving his little brothers' wrath and arranged for me to fly on his private jet," he replied, his smile becoming more and more mischievous. "Why Sasuke? I thought you'd be pleased to see me home early. If you want I could just go spend another few days in America…" he trailed off pouting.
"NO! Never again!!" Sasuke yelled grabbing him closer. "I'm not letting you out of my sight for the next century!"
"Awww, Sasuke… so sweet! But you know I would never do anything to hurt you, right?" he asked cupping the younger Uchiha's cheek with one hand, a gentle smile present on his face.
"Yeah, I know," Sasuke returned softly, leaning his forehead against the others. "But I'm still not gonna even give anyone the chance to think they could have you!" his face forming his trademark smirk.
"Tch, possessive Uchiha's…" Naruto muttered returning the look with a glare. "If it will stop you taking out your bad mood on everyone else, then I guess I can hang around for a while," his smile returning to his face as he leaned closer before Sasuke claimed his lips with a powerful but love filled kiss. Unconsciously tightening his hold on the blonde's waist, Sasuke held his most precious person close, as he claimed his lips over and over again.
When they finally parted, both were greeted by the sounds of wolf whistles and cheers. Unnoticed by the happy couple, the forgotten secretary had been calling various departments within the building, informing them that something big was happening and the result was that half the building was now congregated within the entrance hall, all slightly shocked that their previously believed asexual President was tonguing an unknown but unquestionably attractive man in his offices.
Wrapping one arm around his now blushing boyfriend's shoulders, Sasuke smirked at his confused employees. "Ino, you said you'd canceled all my meetings today, right?"
"Yeah, you've a clear schedule for today, sir," she replied grinning in amusement, all previous anger forgotten.
"Then if you'll excuse me, we have some catching up to do," he announced, steering Naruto towards the doors. "Oh and Ino, could you call Shikamaru and tell him he has his job back? Thanks!" he threw out as they left through the glass doors Kiba was holding open with a grin.
"Right away!" she said with a salute (everyone in the research and development department audibly sighed with relief at this point) and turned with a grin to her best friend. "Thank God he's back! I wasn't sure I could deal with such a depressed boss for another minute longer!"
"Yeah, I know what you mean" Sakura replied, staring at the retreating backs of the men. "I think I would have strangled Sasuke if he had sent on more employee to me, claiming there must be something wrong with them to have such low intelligence!"
"Hey you don't have to spend most of the day running around after him! It sucks! I wish Naruto didn't have to go away every year."
"Um, excuse me Dr Haruno… Ino-san?" a timid voice asked from the group of curious workers who still surrounded the girls. "We were wondering something… about Uchiha-sama and that man…? Not to be rude or anything…but who…?"
"You want to know who he is, right?" Sakura asked the worried employee, laughing. "The blond you just saw is Sasuke's boyfriend incase you didn't guess from the kiss." There were several wails from various Sasuke admirers at the mention of the word boyfriend, although Sakura continued as though it happened all the time. "His name's Uzumaki Naruto and he went to school with Sasuke and I. Naruto was one of my best friends but I told him I'd go out with him if he got me information on Sasuke, who I had a massive crush on at the time. When they started hanging out together though, they ended up falling in love and they've been together ever since."
"But Haruno-san, how is he connected to the Presidents bad mood at this time of year", a slightly braver office assistant spoke up. Sakura's face grew solemn and she sighed heavily before replying.
"Well you see, although Naruto and his family are Japanese, his parents lived most of their lives in America, so when they died, they asked in their wills to be buried over there. Naruto was pretty small so he moved over to Japan with his guardian after it happened but he always goes back every year for the anniversary," She finished with a grim look.
"Of course it pisses Sasuke off to no end because he always stays with Itachi," Ino added with a smirk as she leaned on Sakura's shoulder enjoying the gossip and feeling like she was back in high school. Catching the feeling, Sakura sported an identical look and leaned in towards their eager audience.
"Yeah, the first time Itachi met Naruto he just took one look at him before grabbing his shirt and kissing him!" She added, giggling at the memory. "Sasuke was so mad he actually set Itachi's car on fire! The look on Itachi's face was so funny! Itachi hasn't dared touch him since. But Sasuke still gets worried and he hates the fact the Naruto's away anyway. It's really cute but totally annoying because everyone ends up in a bad mood." Sakura ended with a rueful smile.
"He's like our sun, always shining his light into our lives," a gentle voice added, making everyone jump.
"Neji, when did you get here?!"
"Just as Naruto-kun was leaving. It's nice to have him back," he replied, a smile tugging on his hansom face as he brushed his long silky hair out of his eyes.
"Hmm, well you're right about the sun comment. The days seem much darker without him. I'm glad he's back too and not just because things can go back to normal now," Sakura added tensing up. "I really hate him being over there alone and sad. I wish he would let one of us go with him!"
"I don't believe Naruto-kun would like us to see him upset though. That's probably why he refuses even Sasuke," Neji replied grimly. "All we can do is be there for him the rest of the time."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ino said sighing over the situation. "By the way Neji, was there something you wanted or did you just come to see the boy on boy action!"
Neji smirked slightly. "As nice as it was to see Naruto back, I actually came down here for a purpose. You see as I was walking through the building I noticed an alarming lack of people at their work stations." (Several of the gathered people started to look nervous at this point as Neji's voice got colder) "You see I was under the impression that they were all getting nice big pay-checks for actually doing their work!"As Neji's voice reached an alarming volume, there was slight chaos as everyone scrambled to their posts so as not to invoke the wrath of the Vice-President.
After that life in the company went back to normal. Sasuke returned to being the cool level headed boss everyone was used to, with the only difference being that due to their extra day of separation, Sasuke was being extra clingy and would, on occasion, drag Naruto to work with him. In that way, the employees got to know him better and began to realize the significance of Neji's words. The blond really did make everything seem brighter.
And so it was that the staff of Uchiha Corp. learned the significance of that one week in October but despite that, they all agreed that working for the Uchiha brothers was definitely not a bad job. Especially since they had a bright blond ball of sunshine to bring a little light into their lives.
Yayyyyy!!!! I finished it! So how was it? Good? Bad? Let me know please!
JJ