Disclaimer: All recognizable characters rightfully belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, the OCs and the plot rightfully belong to me.

Special thanks: to AnimeSiren who took her precious time to fix the horrible grammatical errors and add magic to make the story presentable.

Chapter 1: Trouble Follows Everyone

OUTGOING FAMILY FEUD: UCHIHA FAN CRISIS
By: Mitarashi Anko
August 23, 2014

After several weeks, the final answer to the proposal made by Uchiha Fuguku has been answered. Heir to the FANboy Game Corporation, Tokyo's hottest bachelor and renowned singer of CriMson Night, Uchiha Itachi, has left home and has been declared as having no more relations to the Uchiha Family.

The elder Uchiha brother has not been spotted anywhere since this outrageous declaration. Although Uchiha Fuguku, head of FANboy Corporation, is still active and vigorous, a new heir is needed to succeed his prestigious company. Uchiha Sasuke, the youngest son of the Uchiha family and a rising star in the entertainment world, is the most compatible candidate for the position; however, he has also moved out of the Uchiha Manor shortly after his brother left –having no desire to take over the family's business— to continue his modeling and actor career. If Uchiha Sasuke hadn't left Hyuuga Hinata at the altar on that fateful day, then Hyuuga Neiji, his would-be brother-in-law, could've replaced his position.

With no one to succeed the Uchiha family corporate dynasty, what will happen to the fate of FANboy Game Corp? Will the position be handed down to some unknown company corrupter, or will someone trustworthy emerge? Perhaps someone such as Arisugaki Sai?

"What the hell?"

The outburst, rivaling Mount Fuji's eruption, seethed out of his teeth at will, revealing irritation and rage. A low snarl followed the burst and the poor newspaper in his hands was smashed up into a ball almost immediately. The rage was almost tangible.

"Naruto!" Sakura chided sending a disapprovingly glare his way. "What did I tell you about using such words in this house?"

At her scolding, the anger dissipated at once.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan." Naruto scratched his head and smiled guiltily. "But Sai might inherit Uchiha FANboy Game Corp! I can't let him beat me! My dream is to become CEO! "

He smiled cheekily at her, "Forgive me, please?"

Sakura sighed tiredly and shook her head; she seemed not to find the news that stunning. "Oh Naruto, what am I going to do with you?"

"You can marry me."

"Oh La La! Somebody's proposing to his very own sister!" A man in his late thirties with platinum blond hair was sitting at the end of the dinner table and making squeaky giggles while watching the scene in amusement. "The emergence of a forbidden love; how scandalous!"

"You're so funny." Sakura scowled with heavy sarcasm in her voice. Then she directed her speech to Naruto, "Wait until Hinata-chan hears you. She'll break up with you in an instant."

"Not exactly. We're not blood siblings, and Hinata-chan does know that I used to love you years ago." Naruto stated bluntly. He waved a hand in the air as if to demonstrate the nonchalance of the situation.

"Really Naruto, I feel sorry for your girlfriend."

"Hey! We all know that I'm the best boyfriend in the whole entire world!" Sakura snorted at Naruto's proclamation. "Besides, I love her this much," The blond hair boy spread out his arms to exaggerate how much he loved his girlfriend.

"Then why would you proposed to me?" Sakura's eyes narrowed and she shook her head. If she didn't know any better, she would've grinned. Naruto could even make the most superfluous situation amusing.

At that particular moment, the jiggling of the keys resounded from the grand entrance door and a woman with plain chocolate brown orbs and matching colored hair bounced in, wearing an enthusiastic smile.

"Good morning, sunshine!" She chirped.

"What are you doing here? And why the hell do you still have the key to this house?" Naruto pointed his index finger accusingly at the woman. Sakura glanced at him in quick disapproval.

"Why can't I be here, huh?" The woman quirked an eyebrow with a mischievous smile.

Naruto glared at her, "You're not welcome here! Not until you return Yukii-chan to me!"

"Naruto, be nice!" Sakura scolded.

Naruto folded his arms and pouted, "Yukii-chan was growing up just fine, but someone had to kill her!"

"That was years ago, Naruto-chan," Jiraiya reminded him loftily from the end of the table, "You were sick in bed at that time and Tenten-chan was just trying to be nice by helping you water Yukii-chan. Don't mind him, Tenten, he's just bitter about Yukii-chan. Of course you're welcome here at any time. It makes me joyful that like all my children are with me."

"See Dobe? I'm welcome here at any time, so of course I have the keys to this house." Tenten grinned in triumph as she dangled the key in front of his face.

If possible, Naruto's lips puckered out even further. "She was being too helpful and drowned her! And I'm not a dobe!"

"Sakura, I need my hair done for—Tenten-neechan!" A high pitched voice squealed in delight. Frantic footsteps were suddenly running towards Tenten and all at once a small girl threw her arms around the Tenten, knocking her off center.

Tenten smiled and dropped her bag to the floor. Picking the girl up, she twirled her around in the air as contented giggles resonated through the house. "Hikari-chan! How's my favorite niece doing?"

"Hikari you traitor!" Naruto frowned, "You're supposed to hug Naruto-niisan first every morning! Not her!"

The little girl with hair as bright as the sun and eyes dark as coal smiled prettily at the older man, "I love you too, Naruto-oyajii!"

"What did you call me?" The older man growled with menace, but a grin was present on his face as he reached over to pick the younger girl up, "I told you not to call me oyajii! I'm at least twelve years younger than Jiraiya-oyajii." With that, he tackled her into fits of giggles and laughter.

"Gomenasai! Gomenasai! Naruto-niisan!"

"Hikari, let's get you ready for your first day of school," Sakura said, ushering the girl up the stairs into the bathroom. Tenten followed close behind with a grin plastered on her face.

"Why are you here so early? Don't you have a shift to get to soon?" Sakura inquired as she split Hikari's hair into three sections.

"About that…" Tenten trailed off and grinned sheepishly. "…I got fired."

The cherry blossom hair colored woman looked up and sighed, "You should've stuck to the business career rather than quitting altogether and becoming a waitress at some small restaurant after you got fired by that strict boss of yours. Technically it was your fault."

"There's nothing wrong with Choji's restaurant, mind you." Tenten retorted defensively. "His food is scrumptious and he never gets mad at me when I'm late. He is so much better than my previous boss."

"I love Choji-san's food!" Hikari interjected.

Sakura smiled at the girl and then looked up at Tenten, "How come you took Hikari there, but never me? And tell me why you got fired, no avoiding."

"Because Tenten-neechan loves me more than she loves you!"

A rosy color appeared on Tenten's face, "I…umm… I slipped and used the taboo word."

Sakura looked confusedly at Tenten, her hands paused in the middle of the process of braiding.

"I called Choji fat...but I was defending him! I really was! Some stupid customer got mad because there was a stupid strand of hair in her food. She went all bitchy and demanded the chef to present himself!" Tenten threw her hands in the air for effect, "Then she bitched at him for like a good five minutes! Everyone was looking, and she started rambling on how Chouji-san was fat and everything."

Sakura nodded. "So I took the initiative to defend him and I said to her that even if Chouji-san was fat, he could actually cook and she wouldn't par up to him even if she tried and… yeah." She ended up lamely, expecting a lecture from her friend. Instead, a chirpy laugh escaped the Sakura and her emerald jade eyes twinkled like the stars. Something triggered in Tenten, reminding her of the times when Sakura was just a young girl; cheerful, relaxed, and mischievous.

"Sakura-chan! If you guys don't hurry, Hikari-chan is going to be late!" Naruto's flamboyant voice echoed from the kitchen.

"What time is it?" Sakura yelled back, turning she made her hands work faster.

"Eight fifteen!" Naruto's voice echoed up, even louder than before.

"How about I drive Hikari-chan to school?" Tenten offered.

"Since she skipped a grade, I think it'd be wise for a guardian to accompany Hikari. Jiraiya-ojiisan has a meeting this morning with the school board and Naruto has his lecture class so he can't take Hikari."

"Don't you have to go to school, too?" Tenten asked.

"Hikari-chan, go downstairs and get your lunch box on the counter. I'll come down soon okay?"

"Hai!"

Tenten watched the bubbly girl skip out the door and heard her footfalls down the stairs. "You know, you shouldn't be worried about Hikari-chan's upbringing. I mean, Jiraiya-oyajii isn't that scary, he did bring Naruto up."

"Pssh. Look at how warped Naruto turned out to be!"

Tenten giggled, "Yeah, but he did bring you and me up, too. Don't tell me that we're both warped. We can be weird, but we were brought up well. Besides, Hikari-chan has Naruto and you, especially you."

A flustered smile graced Sakura's face as she muttered, "That meant a lot to me."

- MAELSTROM -

"So tell me, don't you have to go to school?"

"School doesn't start until next week." Sakura answered as she bit into Chouji's syrup-coated anko dumplings. "This is delicious!"

Tenten glared back at her good naturedly, "So you never believed me, huh?"

Sakura merely smiled.

"So about tonight…" Tenten said tentatively.

"What about tonight?" Sakura took another bite of her dumplings and looked over at the other girl with a questioning stare.

"It's Friday," Tenten frowned.

"And…?"

"What do you mean by 'and?' Don't tell me you're going to stay home again."

"Yes, I am. Want to join me with Hikari-chan? I think Naruto is bringing Hinata-chan home tonight. I don't know what Jiraiya-oyajii will do." Sakura smiled genuinely.

Tenten scoffed and shook her head disapprovingly, "Sakura, you're like a sister to me. I love you and everything, but why do you always have to take me to the brink of insanity?"

Sakura looked up from her food, "I'm taking back what I said about the whole 'you should stay in the business career.' Acting suits you much better. Your drama and ways of exaggeration can get you very far in that career."

A growl of exasperation emitted from Tenten, "Stop playing around! Can't you do something fun for once?"

"How about you? Can't you be serious for once?" Sakura turned it around on her.

Tenten said nothing.

Sakura could sense Tenten's brooding mood. "Your definition of fun is completely different to mine. However, I think I can spare a day with you. Speaking of which, I need to think of a new plot for my story."

"You have amazing plot ideas, Sakura. A bit clichéd, but your readers love it. As expected from the Best Time Seller, Vita—"

"Shh!" Sakura nearly knocked over the plate of spaghetti as she launched over to put a hand over Tenten's mouth, "Do you want to die?"

Tenten sweat dropped, "Gomen, Sakura-chan."

The pink haired girl continued to frown.

"But seriously, when are you ever going to reveal yourself, Haruno Sakura?" Tenten knew she was treading on a serious matter now. She had to play her cards carefully or a fight would definitely break out between them.

Sakura flinched at Tenten's surprising seriousness. The girl was known to be ingenuous and bubbly, but here she was, looking at her with a grim face. It made her nervous, especially because of the looming topic.

"Please," Sakura rolled her eyes to add color to her attitude. "If my readers find out that Vita Winter, who writes romantic stories, is a woman with a tragic life, then surely the sales will drop."

Tenten bit her lip. The taboo subject was obviously touchy on Sakura's part, and the said girl was just covering it up with denying its existence. However, Tenten knew that in order for Sakura to live a better life, she needed to face her fears.

"You know what? I think you need to get yourself a man," She proclaimed.

Emerald eyes immediately narrowed and Sakura hissed out flatly, "No. We are not going to have this conversation again!"

"Why not?" Tenten demanded.

"I'm content with my life." Sakura answered, "I'm content with living with Hikari-chan, Jiraiya-oyajii, Naruto, and you. My life has no surprises or drama, so therefore, there are no disappointments either."

"But Naruto will leave when he marries Hinata-san. Hikari-chan will grow up to have her own life. Jiraiya-oyajii can't stay with you forever and one day, I will have a family of my own. You're just scared, Sakura. You're not forgiving yourself by living a life like this. She wouldn't want that—"

"You don't understand!" Sakura interrupted, her voice somewhat shrill. "You don't understand, Tenten. By living like this, I'm forgiving myself."

BAM.

Tenten slammed her palms onto the exquisite table, ignoring all the stares cast their way. "You're not! You're just punishing yourself! That is not forgiving yourself. You can't even face the past! You're practically living a lie!"

"I am not!" Sakura rebuked instantly, "I am not…"

"If you think you're forgiving yourself and that you've moved on from the past, then write about it. They say that a person can only move on when he announces to his world his story. "

Sakura's eyes widened at Tenten's challenge.

"If you promise to write your next story based on your life as Haruno Sakura – not as Vita Winter— then I will return to the business path."

Sakura bit her lips and stared down at her empty plate. "Fine. But here are my obligations. You have to snatch the secretary position under Hyuuga Neiji, Hinata-chan's cousin. When you complete that task, I will start writing my story."

Tenten frowned at the name. She'd heard the name before. "Hyuuga Neiji? Isn't he… really strict?"

Satirical amusement was present in Sakura's eyes as she announced softly, "We're both facing our inner demons. For you, I will try."

- MAELSTROM -

YOU HAVE 94 MESSAGES

There was another alert tone.

"You can't be serious, Sasuke-kun!"

"Get out, Karin."

The red haired woman flinched at the harsh tone. "Fine," She grabbed her cell phone and started pressing buttons. Then she showed it to him, "See, I've already deleted all the men whom I was dating from my contact list. You can't be jealous of this anymore. I really love you, Sasuke-kun."

"Love? Do you love me as Sasuke or me as Uchiha Sasuke?"

There was a brief silence. "I'm sorry Sasuke."

"I know."

"I…"

"I know."

YOU HAVE 115 MISSED CALLS.

Another alert tone.

YOU HAVE 75 VOICE MESSAGES.

Darkness enveloped the room except for the electric blue hue emitted from his cell phone. The soft tune coming from the stereo resonated through the room.

A reflection of the blank sky

Stars once decorated this view

I wanna be with you

A dream worth mentioning

But insincerity pulled us apart

The embrace of coldness and sadness

I've lost control

Where are you?

Where are you?

Where are you?

There was a click and the door unlocked.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

A lazy drawl of his name was emitted by his rather indolent roommate. There were shuffling sounds around the room and the 'cling' of a key being thrown onto a table resonated in the air. In the next moment, the stereo was abruptly turned off.

"Don't turn the lights on," He commanded and the intruder sighed.

"Why do I have to room with someone so troublesome?"

"You don't have to. Just move out and I'll pay the full cost." Even in the dark, Sasuke could tell that the other party was rolling his eyes.

"I was the one who rented in the first place, you know," Shikamaru drawled, "Anyway, Hyuuga Hinata is here to see you."

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, revealing golden pools of onyx. Hyuuga Hinata, with her trademark white eyes and long raven-colored hair close to the shade of indigo, was wearing a black satin dress, and standing directly above him.

Sasuke sat up. "Why are you here?" he asked, his voice softer than the tone he'd used with Shikamaru.

"I've been trying to reach you for days. You can't hide forever, Sasuke-kun," Her voice was soft, almost inaudible; she was shy and quiet, but she held an air of elegance par up to her family name. Back then, he remembered being annoyed at her stuttering habit. Over the years, the habit had diminished, but the girl was still quiet.

"I wasn't hiding. I just needed some time alone," he replied.

"You're just bitter because your brother left you in the clutches of your dictator father," Shikamaru injected from the kitchen. The sound of the refrigerator door being flung open could be heard. "Hyuuga-san, do you want water, coke, or pepsi? There's also milk and tea."

"Water is fine," answered Hinata offhandedly as she continued to stare at Sasuke. "And please call me Hinata."

"What?"

"Water, and call her Hinata," Sasuke repeated for her. "I'm not bitter about Itachi leaving. That useless brother moved out five years ago. Who would care about him?"

"Uh huh, whatever you say. If I recall, that song you were just listening to, was sung by Uchiha Itachi."

The heir glared at the lazy boy.

Another alert sound was heard.

"Ano… are you going to check your phone?" Hinata asked, giving him a reprieve from her tentative lecture.

Sasuke sighed, and picked up his phone.

"Sasuke, where are you, young man—" Click. Delete.

"Uchiha, you have a shoot this upcoming weekend. Call me back and I'll give you the details."

"Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry." Click. Delete.

"Sasuke! When are you going to come home—" Click. Delete.

"Sasuke-niisan, you better keep your promise!"

"Pick up the damn phone!"

"Sasuke, pick up the phone, please."—" Click. Delete.

Click. Delete.

Click. Delete.

Hinata watched as the Uchiha listened and deleted the majority of his messages, his face frowning over few, and at some point, he began glaring at them. Suddenly, his facial expression changed altogether as it froze in surprise.

"Little brother, miss me? Sorry about having to leave you with Otou-san, but I'm sure you'll be able to manage. After all, you were always the one better at keeping patience around him. I can't tell you where I am yet because knowing Otou-san, he'll just drag me back to be his pawn. CriMson Night is doing a worldwide concert tour soon, so I'll be leaving the country, but if you ever need me, just call, text, email, or whatever works. Of course you can hate me and not contact me at all. Good luck on pursuing your career, foolish little brother. "

YOU HAVE NO MORE VOICE MESSAGES.

"Everything okay?" Shikamaru asked as he brought over a can of pepsi and Hinata's glass of water. His tone may have been lazy but his body language was alert.

"Hn."

"You broke up with your girlfriend didn't you?" The question came out more like a statement, if the incident was inevitable. "How troublesome."

Sasuke deigned to reply.

"What… happened?" Hinata asked, eyeing her ex-fiancé.

Sasuke remained quiet and Shikamaru decided to drop the subject altogether. "This is too troublesome. Let's just go out and see a movie, or we run a movie marathon."

"Aren't most women all the same?" the unexpected question left Sasuke and he ran an anxious hand through his hair.

"They're all troublesome, if that's what you're looking for," Shikamaru offered and took a long chug from his can. Hinata wisely kept quiet.

"Most of them are just after money and fame. What happened to the idealistic dreams of being in love?"

"You know, you sound like a girl right now," Shikamaru frowned, "Forget Karin. She was really troublesome and I didn't like her. Even if she was some prominent model, you'll find someone better."

"I…didn't like her… either," Hinata struggled out, "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun, you'll find someone better, just like Nara-san said."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Typical advice. If this was one of those dramas I've starring in, the next thing you know, I'll be falling for some nerd or wallflower."

"Anything is possible," laughed Shikamaru. "After all, who would've thought Uchiha Sasuke to be a romantic?"

Sasuke groaned in response, "The tabloids on Monday will be a killer."

"She is a troublesome woman after all."

A/N: Thanks for reading and please review!

+K Tram~

Publication: 04.03.10
Revision: 08.21.11