Renewing Changes - Report 15 - Part I

[fourangers]

Title: Renewing Changes
Author: Fourangers
Rating: M
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Wordcount: 17.505 words
Summary: "Oh crap." Muttered the blond. Sometimes, there's something worse than one-night stands. It's called we're-doing-this-because-we're-going-to-die-tomorrow desperate sex. Too bad they didn't in the end. NaruSasu.
*happy grin* After two years and a half writing this story, a long hiatus (sorry...) and 133.878 words...It's over! Many many thanks to my beta belledragon, without you, this fic wouldn't be half as decent as is it now. :P



The faint sunlight illuminated through his curtains, the insistent noise of alarm blaring marked the start of another day. His hand slammed on the button and turned it off, scratching his head as he headed to the bathroom.

"Ugh, why did I have to dream…" He rubbed his face with his hands and sighed. He stared at the mirror for few long seconds, before he grabbed the toothpaste with another tired huff.

Once done, he picked up his uniform, preparing himself for another work day. His fingers combed haphazardly through his uncooperative locks as he walked towards the elevator until he noticed something on the wall. He touched the appointed place and with a grimace, he noticed that it was slightly dampened.

He returned to his room and called someone with several instructions. He waited in the corridor until a blond woman arrived.

"So there's a leak? Well, I remember that there's a bathroom behind this wall…" She said, also surveying the appointed area.

He scratched the back of his head. "That's kinda weird…I designed this hotel so all the plumbing is mostly placed between each floor. If the wall is damp and not the ceiling, that means there's an infiltration too. I have to check this out."

"I brought the ladder for you." The woman stopped at his side and offered it to him.

"Thanks baa-chan!" He chirped.

"Stop calling me that, it's Tsunade, you brat!" She lightly chastised him, punching his arm.

"Ow…that freaking hurt you old hag!" He cowered when she showed her fist, climbing the ladder and clearing his throat to change the subject. "So can you hold the ladder for me?"

Tsunade glowered for a moment before placing her hands on the base of the ladder. While she was holding it, she saw some teenage girls walking towards them, happily chatting until they noticed them. Or better, they noticed the handsome blond man that was inspecting the wall. When they were passing through them, the girls slowed down their steps, glancing furtively till they giggled once they were close to the elevator.

Tsunade lifted a languid eyebrow unimpressed, also staring at her newly appointed employee. No matter how many years had passed, she would always fondly regard him as the usual nagging and loudmouthed brat. She was still taken by surprise by the fact that her childhood friend Jiraiya had managed to raise this young man by himself, even when they had refused any financial help from her. Tsunade saw the blond rubbing the back of his neck in contemplation and asked:

"What's the matter?"

"Hm? Nothing, the leak doesn't seem to be very bad, but I still need some tools and material to partially break apart the ceiling and then fix it up."

"Can you do it? Do you think it'd be better if I call the plumber then?" Tsunade suggested.

The young man shrugged, shaking his head. "Nah, it's kinda easy, I can do it. I'm more worried about the infiltration inside the wall though."

Tsunade made a worried hum, retorting. "How bad is it? I don't have to destroy this whole wall right? So what caused this permeation? I hope it's not because of that blasted contractor, I swear if he chose bad materials on purpose-"

He rolled his eyes. "Hey, c'mon, I was there, inspecting the whole process. I wouldn't let such a thing happen."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, well. You did help me whenever possible and you smoothed over all the disagreements I had with that contractor."

"You mean; I stopped you whenever you wanted to throw him out of the window." He raised one eyebrow incredulous.

"Same difference." Tsunade smirked unruffled. She heard the ding of the elevator; the same teenage girls with some extra friends appeared and walked back to their room with a mischievous beam. Mentally shaking her head, she said. "So if it's not bad materials then…"

"It's something natural caused once a building starts to age, that's all. It'd happen sooner or later."

"You designed this hotel five years ago-"

"Almost six. Well, this is the first time I've seen this kind of issue here and it's not that bad, so your hotel is still in good condition in my opinion. Usually though in these cases you'd have to destroy the wall and build a new-"

Tsunade automatically frowned.

"-but there's a new type of glue in a syringe that you insert in the wall to fix this kind of problem."

"But I seem remember that this glue is expensive right?"

"I know some contacts that will sell it to me for a cheaper price. I better start fixing the plumbing after today's work shift."

"Thanks for the help Naruto." Tsunade said, noticing the teenage girls passing by them once again, whispering to each other between some playful giggles. They stopped for few seconds to ogle the young man until they hastened their steps towards the elevator, staring and sighing dreamily while they waited for its arrival, leaving at last with a bit of reluctance. Tsunade shook her head. Those girls are one step away from literally grabbing some chairs and sitting nearby, fully appreciating the view.

"No problem." He answered, climbing down and folding the ladder, oblivious of the girls' obvious attention.

"I'm so glad that I hired you to temporarily substitute for the receptionist who's on maternity leave. You're bilingual, help me with heavy chores, teach skiing and also take care of the maintenance in this hotel. Multi-talented and MBA graduate - a great package at the cost of only one regular salary. A very fair deal if I do say so myself." Tsunade nodded, widening a satisfied smirk.

"Cheapskate." He grumbled and then shouted in surprise when she smacked him on the head in playful vengeance.

Tsunade observed him as he placed the ladder back in the maintenance room and said, "I'm glad that you'll fix the plumbing, but don't you want to rest a little after work, relax or go skiing or something? Ever since you got here you either help me out or you inspect this hotel. You could go to a nearby town and have some fun too."

Every emotion shown in his cerulean eyes slowly closed up as Tsunade observed concerned over this odd behavior, not used to see this young man guarding his feelings. She could still read some remnants that escaped through the cracks, like the way his shoulders slightly tensed and his face almost expressed some sort of longing…? - mixed altogether with forlorn and aching loss.

Whatever the reason that caused him to suddenly arrive here out of nowhere was certainly tied with such a complicated display of emotions, Tsunade mused with herself. She wished she could understand and help him, after all, the young blond was a dear friend of hers and she knew him ever since he was a kid.

But Naruto only quirked a mollifying smile towards Tsunade, stopping any question from being voiced. He shrugged, scratching the back of his head and said:

"Nah…I'm not interested right now. Maybe later." Then, he added before Tsunade could further enquire. "Well, I gotta go to the reception desk now, some clients are there. See ya."

A middle aged Japanese man was waiting, staring at the empty reception desk with an air of disapproval. Once Naruto arrived, the older man narrowed his eyes and curled his mouth downwards, placing his suitcase on the floor. Naruto opened his mouth, ready to apologize for making the guest wait, though the client spoke first in English:

"Hello."

Blinking confusedly, Naruto answered with the same language.

"Hello and welcome to Green Hazel Hotel! Would you like a room or have you already made a reservation?"

"I already made a reservation." The man answered curtly, placing the documents on the table.

Naruto thanked him and started typing all the necessary information into the reservation system, noticing that a woman, probably his wife, appeared next to him.

"Have you finished already?" She smiled to him, speaking in Japanese.

"No…this American is taking too long to do his work. As expected, I know that if it was one of our people, he wouldn't be this inefficient and slow." Her husband responded in a hushed whisper in Japanese that was still audible enough for Naruto to hear. His whole body was going numb and he closed his blue eyes, sighing.

"Oh Dear…don't say something like that!" She lightly chastised him.

The old man softly snorted. "Don't worry about it, it's not like he can understand us anyways. I'm surprised Tsunade-sama would employ him when she guaranteed that her main staff would be all Japanese. I came here for a vacation specifically to avoid those Westerners and their usual goofiness but I'm still forced to face this gaiji-"

"Sorry for making you wait- your registration is complete now." Naruto said in perfect Japanese and the couple snapped their necks in his direction, widening their eyes. "Here's your room key."

They glanced towards each other awkwardly, before the old man cleared his throat and picked it up. "Well…thank you."

"You're welcome." Naruto smoothly responded with a professional smile. "I apologize that I may have taken so long to attend to you and my appearance doesn't appear professional in your eyes but I assure you that I'm doing my best to make sure all the guests of this hotel have the best experience possible. I hope that at least my Japanese is passable, nevertheless."

The couple muttered incomprehensible apologies, picking up their luggage albeit with stiff and clumsy movements.

"Oh, you don't have to carry your luggage. I'm calling the bellboy right now, there's no need for you strain yourself carrying those." Naruto assured, picking up the house phone to make the call. "It's our job to serve every client with utmost dedication and there's no way we'll allow anyone to feel uncomfortable in this hotel."

They blushed in mortification while they accepted his help, bowing in apology. While the blond watched them walking towards the elevator, he heard a clap of hands and turned around to see Tsunade quirking an amused smirk.

"Well, that was an interesting turn of events. Sorry about that. They've been faithful guests ever since I opened this hotel but unfortunately they hold a little bit of grudge against Americans. I guess no one is perfect."

Naruto shrugged, shuffling the papers. "I'm used to it."

"What I'm surprised about is that you actually confronted them." Tsunade responded, noticing the young man stiffen at her remark. "Don't deny it, Jiraiya told me about your bad habit of letting people badmouth you without defending yourself."

Naruto sighed. "I didn't want him to worry about me, but I guess he'd notice after all."

"He is your father - of course he would notice it." Tsunade smiled back at him. "I was getting ready to talk to the guests when their comments were getting nastier, but I'm glad you fended it all by yourself. It's surprising, and it's a certainly a very welcomed change."

His vibrant blue eyes shifted into a gloomier color as the blond paused to contemplate. He murmured. "I guess."

Tsunade thinned her lips in consternation, recognizing once again the troubled look coming from Naruto. Since it seems that the young man didn't intend to talk about his problems to her, she had no choice but to leave him until he felt better. "I still think this is great, no matter what caused you to change. Well, I should get going. I have to organize this month's bills." Tsunade waved her hand as she walked to her office.

Naruto just answered with a short nod, his eyes still distant and lost in his thoughts, his arms resting on the reception desk. While most guests were outside having fun, Naruto simply stood immobile, barely noticing the time passing by.

He suddenly shook his head, vigorously messing his hair with his hands as he groaned in frustration:

"Aaaaaaaaaargh. I'm thinking about that bastard again."

Naruto banged his head on the desk a couple of times till he rested his cheek on the marbled surface, exhaling a loud sigh.

But even though he refused to spare an extra thought over Sasuke, he couldn't help but wonder how Sasuke was coping right now…

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I'm going to die. Sasuke gasped, unable to breathe properly as he was lifted several feet above the ground. I'm definitely going to die.

"YOU!" Jiraiya growled, tightening his fingers around Sasuke's neck. "I don't care if you're an Uchiha or whatever, hell, I don't care if you're God but for hurting my son-you're going to pay!"

Sasuke tried to come up with any rebuttal but he only managed to wheeze out some feeble whimpers. He attempted to loosen the fingers around his throat and kicked anywhere possible (his life was at stake here) but without any avail. This fueled Jiraiya's wrath as he banged Sasuke's head to the wall repeatedly and snarled:

"And you dare coming here after all you have done to my son, you son of a bitch? I'll tear you limb by limb and throw you in a tank of acid!" Jiraiya suddenly released the young brunet and growled. "Now say your last wishes before I send you to hell!"

Sasuke coughed non-stop, breathing rapidly to recover the lack of oxygen in his brain. Oh God, he almost died just now. He swore that he almost saw a field of flowers and the river Styx, his soul slowly detaching from his body. This man was Naruto's father? Sasuke was still incredulous from this revelation because above all else, this monstrous strength was surely inhuman.

Jiraiya was glowering darkly at the young Uchiha, snapping his knuckles. A cold sweat ran through his spine. Figuring that it'd be best if he started slow, Sasuke said:

"I…want to talk with Naruto."

One stunned second passed until an enraged roar of "WHAT?!" emitted from Jiraiya as he stalked menacingly towards the Uchiha.

"Wait! I can explain!" Sasuke replied, sprinting away as he attempted to buy more time.

"To hell with explanations! I should have killed you instead of giving you extra time to spout this foolish nonsense! Don't you dare try to escape from me you little fucker!"

Sasuke looked around, noticing a long corridor on his left and a door located in the middle of it. Maybe he should run for cover in that room-a large part of his ego was against this decision. He's an Uchiha after all. Uchihas don't cower under overprotective parents; Uchihas don't flee under perilous situations, Uchihas-

Out of nowhere, alarm bells rang loudly in his brain and Sasuke ducked, missing by a hair one punch delivered by Jiraiya. The brunet was incredulous as he saw his fist leaving a gaping hole in the wall.

…right. On the other hand, it might be wise if he made a strategic retreat and wait till the older man calmed down. Sasuke evaded when Jiraiya attempted to grab him by his neck and dashed away as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, Jiraiya noticed Sasuke's intention, shouting as he followed the young Uchiha:

"Are you going to hide now you coward?! You-" He aimed another punch on the pale cheek but fortunately Sasuke parried with one hand and with the other pushed the old man a few steps back.

Sasuke said. "Please. I don't want to fight y-!" He avoided other jabs in his direction as Jiraiya destroyed the wooden door with one blow.

"Why do you want to talk with Naruto now?!" Jiraiya yelled, throwing random objects towards Sasuke's direction. "After everything that you have done to him, you have the balls coming here asking for my son?"

"I have a good reason!" Sasuke shouted back, dodging a vase as it shattered the wall.

"You thought you haven't tortured Naruto enough you piece of shit?" Jiraiya said, his hand blindly trying to find any other object to throw at the young man. Once he realized that he had nothing nearby, he decided to chase after Sasuke, increasing his speed.

Sasuke immediately realized the impending doom as he jumped behind the couch, one man located at each side running in circles ultimately reaching an impasse.

Sasuke heard Jiraiya muttering under his breath in Japanese. "This damn cockroach is taking time to die…"

Well, it appears that Naruto's father is surely fluent in cursing in Japanese unlike his son.

"Jiraiya-san…"Sasuke started slow though he heard a scornful snort in return. "I do not want to harm your son, I want to set things right with him."

"Don't give me that crap you brat." Jiraiya glared darkly, snarling. "You hurt him! Physically and emotionally, I have never in my entire life seen before my son looking so affected, troubled, lost." He said, recalling the day when he saw Naruto with charred clothes. "And then, what you said to him…"

Jiraiya closed his eyelids in a frown until he reopened them, his eyes narrowed to slits. He pointed at Sasuke, an accusatory voice that reverberated resentful hatred. "I don't want you anywhere near my son from now on. For all the damage you have done already, it's obvious that you're only affecting him badly so you'll harm him if you see him once again."

Sasuke stared back at the older man, unable to come up with any words of rebuttal as his mind went blank. His fingers slowly enclosed into a fist, blurting out. "Why can't you give me another chance?"

Jiraiya suddenly expelled a loud sardonic chortle, grabbing his side of the couch and shoving forward, unbalancing Sasuke who was positioned on the other side. "Why do you keep insisting on this moronic idea?" He said as he climbed over the furniture and almost managed to yank Sasuke's shirt.

"All I'm asking is for one more chance! I can clear things up with Naruto-"

"I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN GIVE ANY CHANCE TO AN IMMATURE AND SPOILED BRAT LIKE YOU!" Jiraiya roared, trying to approach close to the brunet. "You're nothing but a cowardly son of a bitch that couldn't admit anything with my son because you're so goddamn selfish with your gay insecurities! And Naruto had to pay for that!"

Sasuke gulped dryly, memories of their last encounter still stinging fresh in his mind, replaying the moment when he saw Naruto's pained blue eyes. He muttered. "I am well aware of all the damage I have done to him. That's why I want to talk to him, at least apo-"

"DON'T WASTE YOUR BREATH FREAKIN' ASS! You better leave Naruto alone if you really want to apologize him, you worthless piece of shit!" Jiraiya threw a small pot of plant that Sasuke dodged.

Jiraiya wheezed heavily from exhaustion, finally taking a second to rest. He gritted out. "And you know what really angers me the most? My stupid son actually bothered himself to defend you!"

That caught Sasuke's attention, hearing about Naruto's latest news as he asked, breathless. "R-really?"

"Yes!" Jiraiya begrudgingly agreed, scratching his head. "Last time he called and confided in me I said that he should let everything that happened with you out in the open so everyone will know and you know what he replied to me!?" Jiraiya inhaled slowly and expelled a frustrated groan. "That I have to understand that you have a lot of complicated problems and he shouldn't bother you over this." Jiraiya snorted. "Have to understand…I'd rather swallow burning coals than to try and understand a spoiled brat like you. I don't know what the hell he saw in you."

As Sasuke absorbed this new information, his eyes narrowed in response, gathering strength from every nerve in his system as he admitted. "I also don't know what Naruto saw in me but I can guarantee…I do return his feelings with the same intensity."

Jiraiya gritted his teeth, taking broad steps towards the young Uchiha. "I am not going to hear this bullshit."

"It's true! I vow to you, Naruto is my most important person!" Sasuke declared without hesitation, an unwavering voice that left no doubts of his sincerity.

Such words actually left Jiraiya shocked, unable to move while he fully comprehended the concept. He slowly balled his hands, murmuring.

"If he's that important to you…" Jiraiya howled, punching the wall and shaking the whole house. "Then why did you do something like that to him!?" His fist left a large crack behind it, peeling off the paint and all nearby objects having fallen to the ground.

"Because…"Sasuke opened his mouth, stumbling to come up with a reasonable answer but he ended up confessing, his head lowered in shame. "Because I didn't realize how important he was to me until I lost him."

Jiraiya sighed heavily and for the first time in this conversation, there was a tinge of sympathy in his voice. "But it's already too late brat, admit it."

"It's not too late, I have changed." Sasuke continued, obstinate. "It's true that I can't undo my mistakes, but at least let me try fixing it-"

"Then you have a lot to do to fix those massive mistakes young man!" Jiraiya snarled, his rage returning in full bloom. "Not only did you leave my son heartbroken, you humiliated him and forced him to resign what was literally the job of his dreams! God, I don't even know how I'm going to convince Sarutobi-sensei-"

"Sarutobi-sama is not going to fire Naruto, he said so himself." Sasuke remembered something and snorted in self-deprecation. "After I bowed and begged to him needlessly."

All of a sudden, Jiraiya grabbed Sasuke's neck with one hand and violently shoved him to the wall, growling. "You really think I'm going to buy this idiotic statement and pity you?"

Sasuke coughed and scowled. "I'm not lying."

"Give me a break. You're just a rich boy who can't think of anyone besides yourself. You'd never do something like that." Jiraiya scoffed, tightening his hand around Sasuke's neck.

"You might be right that I am selfish. I didn't even understand why I was doing that but…it felt like my body was moving on its own." Sasuke confessed and widened his eyes as an epiphany finally dawned on him.

His entire life, even though he followed his parents' decisions or attempted to impress them, deep inside, he wanted their recognition to satisfy himself. It was the first time that he acted on his own whim, he wasn't expecting Naruto's gratitude afterwards, he didn't want to relieve his own guilt - his heart simply dictated his body to move. He was willing to throw his ego, pride and everything-

"I bowed and begged because I only wanted Naruto to be safe. I know it's a small fraction of all the mending that I have to do but…at that moment, nothing was more important than Naruto and if I could do anything to help him…Then…then… it'd be completely worth it." Sasuke wheezed between tired breaths, his head still dizzy from this revelation.

Slowly…Jiraiya detached his fingers around the pale neck, silently observing the young man coughing for air. Jiraiya sighed with a loud huff, turning his back as he started mulling to himself, still undecided which course of action he should take.

"Jiraiya-san, I just need to talk with Naruto one more time, that's all." Sasuke said. "If Naruto rejects me even after this explanation, I swear I will leave him alone."

Jiraiya grumbled some nonsensical noises, settling to turn around with another huff and his eyes zeroed onto Sasuke's graphite ones. "Fine. But after everything that you have done, I can't just…give his location, just like that."

Sasuke inhaled deeply and murmured. "Then…"

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"You talked with Jiraiya yesterday, right?" Tsunade asked, sitting on the flatbed truck while Naruto placed all the vegetables inside a box.

"Yeah yeah, I did, satisfied? You were really annoying nagging me every five seconds 'bout it." Naruto grumbled, rolling his sleeves.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tsunade noticed the growing number of female onlookers subtly looking at them. It wasn't her fault that she 'only' found one set of overalls that were actually a few sizes smaller than normal and with very minimal movement it showed every hard line of Naruto's fit body. And she couldn't help that with all the physical exertion, the blond would have no choice but to unzip the upper part of the cloth and roll up the sleeves, showing his tan muscles. And it was definitely a coincidence that the ski booth was placed near them, and while everyone was looking at them, they would have no choice but to pay for the classes and equipment too.

Ah...good for profit.

"And yet you were so stubborn about this, making him worry over you the whole time. You only listened to me when I threatened to kill you, stupid brat." Tsunade retorted back. She contemplated then. "Though I admit that I'm curious about why you decided to visit me out of the blue and accepted working here, in a place that is so far from your home, above all."

Huffing, Naruto ignored her with a roll of eyes, picking up the boxes and walking towards the kitchen door.

A light bulb suddenly went off and with a snort, Tsunade examined her fingernails in fake interest, watching the young man pass her by. She said nonchalantly. "Someone dumped you huh."

Naruto nearly tripped.

Tsunade scoffed raising her chin and flung her ponytails. "Aaaaah…I thought so. Ah, youngsters...I remember the time when I had to-"

"I don't want to hear your century-old fairytales, old hag." Naruto deadpanned.

He hastened his steps to duck the snow balls furiously aimed at him.

Once done, Naruto returned to the hall ready for another day of work, noticing the Japanese couple he dealt with yesterday and to his surprise, they bowed courteously albeit a little bit stiff. Naruto bowed back at them, not suppressing a small smile as he watched their backs.

He had spent most of the time answering the phones and taking care of the guests (for some odd reason female guests just kept arriving with some really basic questions that puzzled Naruto. Who wouldn't know how to connect to a wireless internet in this day and age?). Even though he generally spoke with the guests in English, the hotel also received a reasonable number of Japanese people too. No wonder Tsunade literally grabbed him the moment he said that he was free; she also looked really busy running everything by herself. But really, he was still struggling to get everything done right; attending to everyone, filing all the information and responding to their complaints…Naruto sighed as he typed on the computer; he seriously wasn't made for this.

However, realizing how much he didn't fit in this environment also made him remember about his previous job. Naruto mused distraught, he should probably give up his architect career, after all, even if Sasuke didn't hold a grudge against the punch, Naruto couldn't hold out much hope that Fugaku would do the same. Plus, what kind of architectural firm would hire someone who punched the president's son of the most prestigious company in the world?

Maybe he should open his own firm then, start slow and build a reputation in small towns. Naruto groaned; his future was looking bleak. He shouldn't dwell too much on those possibilities and negativities. First thing he should do, would be to apologize to Sarutobi-jiichan and Shikamaru for all the trouble he caused once he returns then check his bank account and depending on the situation, maybe he should move to another state. Or another country. Another planet would be even better.

Naruto massaged the bridge between his eyebrows as he finished typing all the information. This was the…twentieth time in a row that Japanese guests had arrived. Ever since yesterday there was a sudden increase of Japanese people frequenting the place, for some odd reason. Was there some kind of convention being held over the next few days or something?

Naruto rummaged through the hotel's schedule, still having some trouble comprehending the system. He raised an eyebrow at what was scheduled over the next few days:

50th annual festival on Japanese culture

It did sound kind of interesting in some way…if only they could add some people cosplaying as samurais and ninjas. Naruto wrinkled his nose, now noticing that most of the people strolling in the hall were middle-aged Japanese groups. Such a serious convention, only someone who takes jokes too seriously, is a moody and stoic bastard would like participate that.

Sasuke would probably be pleased to see such an event being held here…

Naruto groaned loudly, banging his head on the table:

"Oh God! I'm thinking about that bastard again! Seriously, what the hell is my problem?!"

"You're thinking about who, usuratonkachi?"

Naruto immediately whipped his head upwards, incredulous at hearing that familiar baritone voice. But lo and behold, Sasuke was staring back at him with mildly amused eyes. Naruto blinked twice, jaw agape. This was impossible; he must be seeing and hearing mirages.

Sasuke spoke again, smirking. "Well, dumbass. What bastard were you thinking about?"

What? Wut? Huuh? This mirage looked really realistic…

Sasuke cleared his throat to somber the mood and said. "Naruto, I'm here to tal-"

Naruto jumped over the receptionist desk and dashed off.

It was Sasuke's turn to halt a few seconds in bewilderment until he got ahold of himself and without wasting much time chased after him.

"What the hell?! Why are you here!?" Naruto shouted as he continued running. "And why the fuck are you following me!?"

"Why are you running away then! Naruto! We have to talk!" Sasuke growled, trying to catch up.

"What?! No! Go away, go away!" Naruto yelled back, stumbling into some people as all the onlookers watched the chase confused.

"I'm not going to! Get back here you dumbass!"

Naruto found the janitor room and scrambled to reach the doorknob, opening and entering inside as he rushed to close the door-

Sasuke finally reached the other side and grabbed the doorknob, starting a tug of war.

"What the-release the door you bastard!" Naruto snarled, trying to pull it closed on his side.

"Only after we talk usuratonkachi!"

"What the fuck! Since when are you one who likes talking you asshole! Go away dammit!"

"You know that I'm not going to do that now stop being so stubborn!!"

"Stu-who's stubborn?! I'm not stubborn! You're being stubborn!" Naruto roared.

"And you're also being a dumbass! Open the door Naruto!" Sasuke roared, pulling the doorknob.

"No I won't you asshole!"

"Yes you will dumbass!"

"What the fuck, are you fucking deaf? I told you to go away!"

"Only. After. We. Talk!" Sasuke punctuated each word through snarls.

"No!"

A loud cough caught their attention and they momentarily stopped their skirmish to glance at Tsunade while she was observing the situation with an amused smirk.

"I'm just here to inform Uchiha-kun that your room is ready, the bellboys have already carried up your luggage and here's your cardkey."

Sasuke frowned at the interruption, both hands holding the doorknob securely as he stared at the offered card. He raised one of his hands to grab the card and as he did so Naruto quickly took advantage of the opportunity and closed the door, locking it.

"Wha-"Sasuke banged loudly on the door yelling, "You're not going to get away from this usuratonkachi!"

"Fuck off bastard!" was the muffled reply from behind the doors.

Sasuke almost emitted an inhuman growl until he noticed several people looking at the present situation, some were even pointing at them. He pulled out the nastiest Uchiha Glare ® in his arsenal which was enough to make them scurry away while Tsunade, who was still watching in bemusement, folded her arms to her chest.

Sasuke bowed courteously and said. "Thank you, Senju-sama. Now if you'll excuse me…"

The brunet turned around, breathed slowly a couple of times to calm down, raised his hand to knock on the door and muttered.

"Naruto, come out. We need to talk, just for a few minutes, I swear. I just need you to hear me out and let me explain."

Sasuke waited for any kind of reaction but he only heard the sound of Naruto shuffling to sit down. Naruto curled into himself, placing his elbows on his kneecaps, his head softly touching the door as he let escape a heavy sigh. Heartbeats were throbbing loudly on his ears, tempting him to open the door and listen to Sasuke. He couldn't, not when there were still flesh wounds refusing to heal, the bitterness pulling him to the ground. He bit his lip when he heard Sasuke knocking again.

"…Naruto, please."

Sasuke was growing restless when he only met an uneasy silence in return. He moved to knock on the door but Tsunade intervened with a hand wrapped firmly around his wrist.

"Well Uchiha-kun, maybe it's time for you to get settled and relax in your room - maybe admire the view, right." She said, piercing golden eyes leaving no room for discussion.

Sasuke frowned from the unnecessary intrusion. He was so close to seeing Naruto after being deprived of his presence for so many days; his entire soul ached for the blonde, thinning his very limited patience even further. He wanted so much to clear things up with Naruto and to be basked in his warmth, but the blond was refusing to see him and to add fuel to his growing frustration, outsiders were also hindering their reunion.

The young Uchiha detached his wrist from Tsunade's grip with a little bit more force than necessary and growled. "Thank you. Maybe I'll do that later Senju-sama."

Tsunade glowered, snapping her knuckles with her hands as a threat. "How about now, Uchiha-kun?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in response, knowing full well about Tsunade's combat abilities since she came from a traditional clan that encouraged each member to learn at least one type of martial art. Sasuke grumbled inwardly, in this short period of a few months he had been in more brawls than he had before in his entire life. He could avoid this particular battle since it was rather unnecessary, plus he had the whole day to find Naruto and talk with him. However, he just couldn't step aside so easily, when Naruto was so close to his grasp.

"You know that the room has a back door which Naruto most probably used and exited through by now?" Tsunade said, terminating any sort of plans running through Sasuke's mind. Sasuke glared but she only smirked back. "Don't get me wrong Uchiha-kun, I don't like meddling in someone else's business unless it's necessary. Now, do you need me to show you where the elevator is?"

Sasuke frowned and responded. "I can locate it myself, thank you Senju-sama."

Tsunade waved her hand with a sweet beam, watching the young Uchiha walking away. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the door slightly ajar so she opened it unceremoniously, Naruto falling to the ground with an "oof".

"He's already gone brat." Tsunade said as the blond man scrambled to see any sign of duck-butt hair nearby.

"Oh." Naruto sighed relieved, standing up. "Thanks for covering me baa-chan."

"You're welcome, but knowing he's an Uchiha, he won't fall for this lie next time because he will check the whole building to the smallest detail for any future possibility." Tsunade replied. "So, what horrid thing did he do to you, did he cheat on you or something like that?"

Naruto stared back at her, grumbled some nonsensical noises and walked back to the reception desk.

Tsunade followed, musing out loud. "Turbulent relationship that ended in disaster? Hm, maybe then-?"

"Do you always have a habit of sniffing for some gossip, wrinkled old hag?"

The murderous aura was thick in the air. Tsunade howled, snapping her knuckles. "SAY WHAT YOU LITTLE BR-"

"Oh, look at all the people waiting in the reception area! Gotta go help all the guests, bye!" Naruto sprinted far away to avoid any possible retaliation.

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It's a wonder that the guests didn't mention about the blond receptionist's odd behavior; Naruto was constantly glancing around, blue eyes narrowed and suspicious. He jumped every time he heard the ding sound coming from the elevator, sometimes crouching behind the desk while the guests looked bewildered at him.

This neurosis had paid off because it didn't take very long to see a grouchy Uchiha Sasuke bursting out of the elevator, his eyes sharp like a Hawk hunting his prey. Naruto instantly ducked behind the reception desk, groaning exasperated.

Sasuke strode towards the reception area, already noticing the lack of a certain dumb blonde. Disregarding all the onlookers around him, he jumped past the reception desk only to meet empty space. He obviously opened the back door then, searching for any hair or hide of Naruto but the service area was also empty. There was another door leading back to the main hall, as Sasuke's patience had practically evaporated, he pried it open with a glare only to meet Tsunade blinking surprised.

"Uchiha-kun? What are you doing here? This place is authorized only for workers you know that right?"

"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked, not in the mood to waste a second with needless hindrances and unwanted distractions. He saw Tsunade raising an eyebrow in response from his blunt approach, but nevertheless, she answered.

"There's one guest that complained about some issues in the bathroom, or something like that, he went there to check it."

"Since when is Naruto employed as not only a receptionist but also as a plumber too?" Sasuke grumbled.

"Well, he's multi-tasking!" Tsunade snorted. "Now Uchiha-kun, if you don't mind stepping aside, I need to work."

Not fully convinced, the brunet obeyed Tsunade, a deep frown showing on his face and began exploring the whole hotel, not leaving one place undiscovered. Tsunade watched from the reception desk, as the young Uchiha stalked everywhere with a permanent dark cloud looming over his head, glaring hard enough to break diamonds. She idly shook her head, Uchihas and their perennial bitchiness.

Spiky golden hair peeked out from behind the desk; slit cerulean eyes peered across the entire area, searching for one arrogant bastard.

"He's still here, you know." Tsunade said, placing her chin on her palm when Naruto lowered in urgency before Sasuke found him.

Naruto scratched his hair with a troubled look, musing for a while. "Hey baa-chan…" He said. "Would you mind if we change shifts, you take the afternoon while I'll take at night and morning?"

Tsunade deliberately paused, as if she was silently questioning his decision. "Hm. Well…let's see. Naruto, do you know our neighboring city Brunswick?"

"Brunswick, the one that I have to drive for almost 2 hours to get to? What about it?" Naruto narrowed his eyes suspicious.

"You see, Brunswick is particularly famous for their beer, which is still a home brewed production. I certainly wouldn't mind switching shifts if you could buy two barrels as a gift for my trouble."

Naruto took a while to process the idea until he muttered, eyebrows furrowed. "Wait. Is that extortion? Are you asking me to bribe you?"

"If you want this in laymen terms…" Tsunade smirked. "I guess."

"Two barrels?!"

"Aren't you glad that I didn't ask for three?"

Naruto scowled. "You're one corrupt old-"

Tsunade raised her voice a tiny bit. "Oh, Uchiha-"

"-Nicest lady I have ever met. And the old part? Slip of the tongue, I swear you look in your twenties ba-Tsunade nee-san." Naruto said with gritted teeth.

"Now that's way better. Have a nice trip Naruto-kun."

Naruto sulked. "This is unfair. You're practically ordering me to do this, don't deny it."

"Hmm."

"You're a ruthless dictator."

"Of course." Tsunade nodded laidback.

"This is…like fascism. No, Despotism." The blond continued grumbling like a petulant child.

"Uh huh. You know Naruto…" Tsunade whispered when she saw Sasuke surveying the area nearby. "You're free to refuse my offer if you prefer."

Blond eyebrows knitted together as Naruto shifted towards the back door. "I'll do it."

Tsunade thinned her lips, unable to refute the fact that she was mildly disappointed with his decision. She crossed her arms when the young blond opened the door gradually, his back facing her.

"You shouldn't ignore the fact that Uchiha Sasuke came all the way here just to meet and talk with you." She said and Naruto promptly froze in his tracks. "Can't you give him a few seconds to hear him out?"

Naruto continued to tiptoe inside the service area, apparently unruffled by her enquiry. "No." Naruto said, one word ringing unrelenting and emotionless, though the older woman could almost detect a tremble in his voice.

How is it possible that this usuratonkachi always managed to get on his nerves? Sasuke kept wondering while he rechecked the reception area for the umpteenth time, only to see Tsunade attending the guests. He didn't have time or the mood to play Naruto's stupid game of chase. Fine if the blond dumbass managed to avoid him till now, it's not like he didn't have some extra cards to play either.

One of the many quirks Sasuke learned when Naruto was working in Kyoto was that his stomach functioned like clockwork. That meant that no matter what place or moment, at 11:00 pm Naruto wanted to have his so-called "Ramen time". It was like some kind of frightening addiction, Sasuke had never seen anyone go so far for some mere junk food. There were many times he wanted to warn the usuratonkachi about the dangers of constant consumption of saturated fat and unhealthy additives (but he could imagine the shocked rebuttal of 'Ramen also has vegetables and it's a very complete and healthy meal, so stop complaining bastard').

This time he was going to use this knowledge to his advantage, laying his trap carefully. Both the kitchen doors were closed at night, though Sasuke assumed that since Naruto was part of the Hotel's staff, he probably had the key to the outer door. The brunet arrived a half hour earlier, noticing the lights on in the room and Naruto cooking his nightly snack, while grumbling something like 'Instant noodles aren't exactly like cup noodles, that old hag-'

"Hello usuratonkachi."

Naruto literally jumped a few feet and swiveled around to see Sasuke planted in front of the door, crossing his arms with a victorious smirk. Fuck! He wasn't expecting that Sasuke to remember this habit. He should have cooked it earlier and then eaten in his room but it was already too late.

"Now you have nowhere to run and you will listen to what I'm going to say to you."

Sasuke expected Naruto to whine or complain about this, but the blond squared his shoulders instead and muttered calmly. "You know Sasuke, why can't you give it a rest? I've had enough. You're going to step aside right now."

Sasuke felt unsettled that Naruto had said it with such threatening conviction, though he responded coolly. "I see no reason to obey your request."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Why are you so damn persistent? You just can't handle when someone refuses you so you keep insisting like some sort of grumpy brat."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, unbelieving about what he had just heard. "Brat? I'm not the one who kept avoiding the situation instead of properly facing me, dumbass."

"I wasn't avoiding you. I just don't want to hear you anymore. Maybe you should have gotten the clue and left me alone." Naruto growled.

"Why won't you just listen to me?" Sasuke said confusedly. "Can't you see that there's a reason why I'm here?"

"Huh…so what?" Naruto straightened to stare icily towards the brunet and muttered back. "Do I look anywhere near interested to know why you're here?"

This sudden attitude threw Sasuke off guard, though he still rebutted, lowering his tone. "Because if I'm here, after all that has happened between us, obviously now I have a good reason in wanting to find you."

"And I already said that you shouldn't do this, you're only wasting your time." Naruto stared straight towards Sasuke, his blue eyes acquiring a sharpened edge. "What makes you think I'm going to believe whatever you're going to say Sasuke?"

Sasuke felt a cold sweat rolling down his back, not expecting such blatant antagonizing coming from Naruto. He steeled his nerves, ready to face him. "We still have much to talk about, especially considering that we still have unresolved-"

Naruto interrupted with a loud chortle, hollow and devoid of any genuine amusement coming from his lips. "Really? What unresolved issue are you talking about? Sasuke, I'm pretty sure you've already established the end of whatever thing we had started the moment you called me a poor insignificant idiot."

Sasuke concentrated his every nerve not to recoil from this accusation but he still felt a shiver spreading through his skin. He murmured cautiously. "What I said back then, was nothing relevant-"

"What?! No…I think it's quite relevant." Naruto said in mild incredulity. "Those words…you didn't say that out of nowhere. You knew exactly what those words meant to me, you knew how much I hated it, so you knew how I would react once I heard it to get the reaction you wanted. But you know what angers me the most? You know all about it because I told everything…to you!"

Naruto's voice rumbled inside the empty kitchen, loud echoes expelled every emotion that the blond had bottled up inside himself up till now. It was enough to make Sasuke speechless for few seconds, as he responded, albeit hesitant:

"Naruto, I didn't mean to say them in the first place…"

"That doesn't matter, that's not the point!" Naruto growled. "You knew how much it would hurt me hearing those words and yet you still said them. Why should I even bother myself listening to you when I won't be able to trust you after all this? If I'll be unable to talk with you, fearing that whatever I'll say you'll throw it back to me somehow?"

Blazing blue eyes focused in a cold fury that was entirely aimed at Sasuke, and somehow he was incapable to avert his gaze, receiving every bitter emotion that Naruto was lashing out.

Sasuke said. "It was my mistake that I said those things, but I won't do it again, tru-"

"Trust you? Why?" Naruto interrupted, walking towards Sasuke. "I may not look it, but actually I'm not someone who can talk about my private issues to just anyone Sasuke. Some things that I said to you I have never mentioned to anyone else before…and this was the result in the end."

With one hand clutched to his chest, Naruto approached even closer to Sasuke, golden eyebrows furrowed as teeth grinded out another growl:

"I have confessed parts of my past… parts of myself that I have never told to anyone before…and you used it against me in the end."

The Uchiha only felt a swift breeze against his face, as a tanned hand reached towards the door behind him, icy eyes trapping his attention and robbing his breath. Naruto snarled, just before he finally opened the door and exited the kitchen:

"Now tell me again Sasuke-why the hell do I have to listen to you?"

Part II