An Indecent Affair

Nineteen friggin’ pages long. What is wrong with me? Do I get some kind of sadistic gratification in giving myself carpal tunnel syndrome?

Sorry for the delay in updates to all my fics. I still can’t get a schedule worked out and am working on them by moods. This chapter I didn’t like so much but… I hope it’s tolerable.

Also here is some (well not fanart but) fanart by Zenith-Kaitou: http://zenith-kaitou.deviantart.com/art/Haku-Hyuuga-73465135 Inspired by this fic. I say thank you for sharing it. Myah! *luffs Haku to death*


Chapter 15
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Sasuke hated attending meetings. Sitting around a large table, discussing profitable financial schemes and batting around ideas on how to make even more money was always an activity he never looked forward to. They were as annoying as the common cold, and came around just as frequently, and Sasuke always made sure to avoid them as such whenever he could.

He’d come up with elaborate excuses as to why he couldn’t attend, send Sakura to sit in on his behalf or often times he just wouldn’t give a damn. This time, however, Itachi made it perfectly clear that he was to be in attendance…or else, and Sasuke grumbled to himself as he gathered the minutes from the last meeting and a few items of stationery before making his way out of his office.

“I’ll be back in a few hours, Neji,” he grunted curtly as he stormed past the secretary’s desk.

“I’ll take your calls,” and the other man raised a hand in farewell without looking up from his computer screen.

The Uchiha smiled at his dedication towards whatever it was he was working so diligently on this morning. Sasuke had given him so many opportunities to slack off, take a break or even go home for the day, but Neji would always refuse. It wasn’t like he had that large a workload, even though he should. Sasuke did the majority of it when he could and the rest he gave to Sakura. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hand the Hyuuga any responsibilities either but even if he or the other woman didn’t then Neji would always find something constructive to busy himself with. It wasn’t that the young man wanted to prove a point either. They were long past that misunderstanding. He was just hard-working by nature and that was one of his many admirable virtues that Sasuke adored.

Damn…now he really didn’t want to go to some boring, old meeting. He wanted to stay and pester Neji until he became frustrated and started yelling in that shrill voice that he slipped into whenever he was exasperated. He wanted to call him on his telephone extension or send him pornographic e-mail and have Neji reply and ask him if he had nothing better to do. He wanted to turn off the air-conditioning unit, switch on the heater and lie and say that it broke down again just to see if Neji would take off his shirt this time. He wanted to give Neji another one of their lessons. They were making great progress now and he wanted to test what else Neji would allow him to do.

He just wanted to be with Neji right now, not in a room full of gluttonous, capitalistic fat-cats.

There was no point in grousing about it now, besides, Sasuke wanted to be one of the first to arrive because he didn’t think Itachi would take very kindly to it if he dared to show up late either. It was the first time Sasuke had been to one while Neji was employed under him and not even a full ten minutes had passed before Neji actually started to miss him. True, there were times Sasuke would barricade himself inside his office to avoid interruptions while working on something important, but even though he was just in the next room, he was still ‘there’. Not like now, when Neji knew he wouldn’t be spontaneously bursting open the door and trying to find some reason to get him to go out and have a drink with him, take off his shirt or shoes or hiding his things everytime he turned his back, and sometimes, Neji felt as if he were a day-care worker having to put up with the other man’s childish behaviour.

Neji stopped typing and a small smile touched his face when he recalled Sasuke’s latest series of pranks. He had to hand it to the Uchiha, he was very creative and if only he would put that misguided energy into something more productive then he would be an outstanding, contributory member of society. But to change even that tiny trait about him would be to change the very essence that made him who he was and Neji found that he liked Sasuke just the way he was. Misconduct and all.

The sharp ring of the telephone snapped him out of his musings and Neji reached out to take the receiver and cradle it in his shoulder while he continued typing and before he could even say his polite, practiced greeting to the caller, Naruto’s breathless and panicked voice met his ear.

“Neji, is Sasuke there?”

“Ahh, no he already left for a conference call,” the young man explained.

“Shiiiit,” Naruto hissed and Neji frowned when he detected the urgency in his tone of voice amidst the cacophony of telephones and human voices in the background.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, diverting all his attention now to the boy on the other line and he gripped the receiver tightly in one hand.

“Yeah…kinda,” Naruto muttered despondently.

“Do you want me to put you through to Itach-”

“NO!” he screeched and Neji had to pull the receiver away from his head lest he burst an eardrum. “Whatever you do, for the love of God. Don’t.Tell.Itachi.”

Neji nodded in compliance then cleared his throat. “Umm, alright,” and Naruto sighed loudly with relief and desperation.

“I guess you’ll have to do,” he admitted reluctantly. The last thing he wanted was to have to deal with the priggish Hyuuga on such a maleficent manner but he was up shit creek without a paddle and if Itachi ever found out about it, he was going to get sunk. “Listen. I need you to do me a huge favour,” the boy said, but it sounded more like a demand than a plea and he didn’t even wait for Neji to say ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ before he continued. “Go to Itachi’s office. In the top drawer is a wallet he usually keeps there for emergency purposes. Don’t worry, the drawer isn’t locked,” he quickly added as if reading the Hyuuga’s mind. “Just take about five hundred dollars, or bring the whole thing if you-”

“I can’t do that,” Neji interrupted disdainfully. Flabbergasted that Naruto would even think he was capable of something like that. “I’m not going to take money from his wallet without his permiss-”

“You have my permission,” Naruto cut him off angrily.

“But-”

“God, I knew you were going to be a bitch about this,” the young man huffed and threaded anxious fingers through messy, blonde hair caked with sweat, dirt and blood. “Look, Itachi’s gonna be at that meeting too so he won’t even know you were in his office. The money in the wallet, as I said, is money that Itachi left for me or Gaara if he’s not around so it’s not like you’re stealing from him or anything. He’ll just think me or Gaara used it.”

Neji bit his lower lip, unable to find a response. He wanted to say ‘No’ because Naruto’s argument was not enough to convince his conscience that he was doing something immoral. But the boy did sound as if he were at the end of his rope and his altruistic character would not allow him to walk away when another human being needed him.

“Hello?” Naruto snapped, jarring Neji out of his ethical tug-of-war.

“Y-yes. I’m still here.”

There was a brief intermission and Neji heard a man’s voice address the youth on the other end to which the boy rudely asked him to keep his panties on. “I only have two minutes left on this fucking call. Are you going to do it or not?”

“Were you arrested?” he asked just as realization suddenly dawned upon him and a quick glance at the caller I.D. confirmed his suspicions along with Naruto’s curt ‘Yes!’. “What happened?” he then asked, suddenly very concerned.

“What’s with the twenty questions?” the boy scoffed, making it perfectly clear that it was none of his business. “Look are you gonna bring the money or not?”

Did he have a choice? Well, he did, but his philanthropic personality did not leave it up for further debate. “I’ll…I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Neji muttered in a defeated voice and made a mental not of the precinct from which the boy was calling from by way of the caller I.D. It wasn’t too far and he could be there and back before the meeting ended and before Sasuke missed him.

“Thanks,” Naruto breathed on a relived sigh.

“Who’s that?” Gaara’s faint voice came from beside him.

“Neji.”

“Can I talk to him?” the red-head asked.

“No,” Naruto snapped and slammed the phone down on the receiver, crushing any hope Gaara had of speaking with the other man by canceling their one, allowed telephone message.

Neji hung up once the line was disconnected. He knew he was going to immensely regret this and as he got up and made his way to the door he cringed and swore inwardly when he realized that he had absolutely no idea where Itachi’s office was. He didn’t have time to go peeking in every single room from the first floor up in hopes that he’d eventually find the right one. This was a multi-storied skyscraper with over twenty three main departments and at least four others branched beneath them and Neji didn’t even know which division Itachi was responsible for.

Sakura was the most obvious person to ask. She knew more about Sasuke than the Uchiha probably knew about himself, so she most likely knew where his brother’s office was located, but the girl was no where to be found and, according to the security guard, she’d left to run an errand and wouldn’t be back for another half-hour. Neji supposed he could wait for her return but he didn’t think Naruto would have that much patience. He decided to question the guard instead but that turned out being a waste of time because the watchman didn’t even know what Itachi looked like, much less what floor he worked on. One thing he was certain of was that he did not work in this department because the meticulous man kept a list of all the employees that were on the pay-roll within this wing.

He’d have to ask someone else, but it was difficult for him to muster up the courage to interrupt anyone. Everyone else seemed so very busy as they dashed from one place to the next; Taking calls and typing up important documents before the approaching deadlines and Neji felt like a lackadaisical loiterer, drifting from offices to cubicles and desks as he hoped that someone would spare him just a few seconds to answer him. The only people he could ask were the grunts and gophers that hovered around photocopier machines and water coolers but they were just as clueless as to the whereabouts of Itachi’s department as he was.

He went to the elevators again and stood amongst a group of his peers, preparing to search another floor but the young man jumped when a good-natured and familiar voice called out to him. A gracious sigh escaped his lips and he turned to see his old floor manager approach him. “Mr. Ishida, I’m so glad to see you,” he said and met the man half-way just as the doors opened and the others made their way inside. He hadn’t expected to see his old manager so far away from his own floor but the briefcase in his hand tipped-off the observant boy that he was most likely on his way to the same meeting as Sasuke.

“I’m glad to see you too Neji,” the man beamed and clapped a heavy hand on the youth’s shoulders, rattling his lean frame. “I never got the chance to congratulate you on your new position.”

“It’s…no big deal,” he muttered awkwardly at the sincere praise.

“Nonsense,” the other assured him and pulled him out of the way of those that had now disembarked from the lift. “Why, I remember when I was around your age, I too made a risky job change. The pay was significantly less and the hours were rough but look where I am now,” he smiled and lifted his black, leather case in example. “You’re in a very propitious position now Neji. Working directly under your employer can be unsettling at times, especially when mistakes are made, but without competition it’s much easier to advance in your career, and when it comes time for your boss to look for a replacement, he’ll need to look no further.”

The Hyuuga nodded in understanding. “I see what you mean.”

“Yes. You won’t regret that decision I assure you, so don’t take what they’ve been saying about you to heart, okay?”

A slight frown appeared upon Neji’s brow when he asked, “What…have they been saying about me?”

“Oh, that’s right,” and he slapped himself against his slightly balding forehead. “You’re out of the ‘grapevine’ now,” he said, referring to the rumor mill that circulated on his floor. “Well, it’s not important. Everyone just thinks you made a bad career move, that’s all. Someone from Personnel blabbed that you turned down Orochimaru’s lucrative contract for Sasuke’s,” he explained with a dismissive wave of his hand. “They say you’re stupid or have some ulterior motive; I say they need to mind their own business,” and the man sighed somewhat sadly. How he missed the good old days where busy-body women gossiped around the kitchen table instead of the work-place.

The ‘ding’ from the elevator snapped the man back to the present and he excused himself to take it to the appropriate floor.

“Oh wait!” Neji called out to him, suddenly remembering why he was glad to see the other man in the first place. What everyone was saying about him behind his back, he would let roll off of it for now but he couldn’t help but feel distressed that they were saying such things about him. They didn’t know the horrifying truth behind his decision to work with Sasuke as opposed to his step-father so he supposed they would come up with any reason to gather for an additional five minutes as they discussed it around the coffee machine. “Do you happen to know where Itachi Uchiha’s office is?”

“Itachi?” the man echoed as he looked over his shoulder and when he realized he’d missed his chance to get on the elevator he opted to spend the extra time giving Neji detailed directions. “His office is not too far from here actually. I’d take you myself but…,” and the kindly man winced as he lifted his hand to take a glance at his silver wrist watch. “Just go up four more floors. From the elevator, head to your right and continue down the hall until you come to a flight of stairs. It’s pretty barren up there and the hallway’s linear so you can’t miss it.”

“Thank you,” Neji said appreciatively and moved to stand next to Mr. Ishida when he pressed the elevator button.

“It’s no problem, but…if you want Itachi, he won’t be up there, he’s going to be in the conference room, which is where I’m headed, so you’re welcome to tag along,” the man smiled.

He couldn’t very well tell him that he wasn’t looking for Itachi and that he only wanted to go into his office when he knew he wouldn’t be there. He could lie and say Sasuke commissioned him to collect something from Itachi’s office but what would happen if the old man happened to mention something to either Uchiha when they were both going to be in the conference room as well?

No. He’d have to go up with him and maybe think of some excuse to head in the other direction then double back to the lift. Neji chuckled, suddenly feeling like a secret agent or some kind of ninja, but all traces of humor vanished in an instant and his body became cold with fear when the elevator’s doors parted and he was pinned in place with piercing, yellow eyes.

“Mr. Uchiha!” the older man greeted Orochimaru warmly. “Going up?” he teased, knowing very well his boss was heading in the same direction he was. “I hope you don’t mind but you’ll be having some company.”

Mr. Ishida stepped into the small chamber but Neji remained rooted in place, unable to move, breathe, or even think. His heart was pounding at such an accelerated rate that he was certain it would burst forth from his ribcage at any second. His skin broke out into a thin film of perspiration, making it clammy and his clothes feel like an uncomfortable layer of flesh. His body shook slightly but it was hard to see since his spine had stiffened until it was ram-rod straight and his chest rose and fell with the ragged puffs of air he had to force himself to take before he fainted from lack of oxygen.

“-ji? Neji?” the gentleman called out to him, his voice hard to hear over the erratic beating of his heart. “Aren’t you getting in?”

“Yes Neji, why don’t you join us?” Orochimaru beckoned to him with a purr and the wicked smile that splayed across his thin lips was missed by the man next to him.

“I-I’ll…t-take the…stairs,” was the young boy’s rasped reply before he managed to tear his eyes away from that ravenous gaze just as he imagined that monster pouncing out of the elevator like some predator to devour him right there in hall.

Neji wheezed as he dashed up the stairs and his vision became blurred with unshed tears, but he did not dare bring his hands up to wipe them away or to stop because the sounds of footsteps behind him grew louder and faster.

Any minute, he expected a pair of rough hands to grab him from behind and throw him towards the hard, cold ground. Any minute, he expected his clothing to be torn from his body by sharp, angry claws. Any minute, he expected his body to be violated in the most deplorable and inhumanely possible way and those thoughts made his stomach churn until it lurched and he had clap both hands over his mouth to keep its contents down.

It was only then that he realized, in the quiet of the stair well, that it was only his imagination that had overcome him and made him think he had been followed. The footsteps that he heard and thought were Orochimaru’s were only his own and the tiny sobs that echoed against the white walls were his as well

Neji wiped his face and took, deep, calming breaths before pulling himself up on unsteady legs and gripping the rails tightly to prevent himself from collapsing into a helpless mess. It was a longer, but much safer route, he’d taken and although he’d already made speedy headway, his progress was now impeded by his previous panic attack.

The other man was right when he said this floor was empty and it was very much like Sasuke’s own before he started working there. The only people that ever came up here were Itachi, Naruto and Gaara so Neji wasn’t surprised to find that the doors were unlocked.

The layout was similar to that of his brother’s with a large, elaborately decorated waiting room and an office on the opposite side of the main entrance. It was not as spacious as Sasuke’s but that was only because he was working from his father’s office and, if he remembered correctly, Fugaku Uchiha had the largest office in the entire building. Whoever worked here prior, had far better taste than the boys’ father and gave the room a more welcoming atmosphere with antiquated furnishings in rattan and pastel shaded upholstery as opposed to the darker, more intimidating contemporary style of the other offices. However, in the middle of the room, standing out like an eye-sore, was an enormous entertainment system, framed with a cutting-edge speaker system and a sturdy, wooden cabinet which housed various video game systems and their respective game cases.

This, Itachi purchased primarily for Naruto to keep the hyperactive boy occupied while he worked, but it seldom held his short attention span long enough and that was why he had to get him Gaara. Gaara was not much of a gamer though and couldn’t play as well as Itachi, and even though he had no problem just sitting there watching Naruto and being a back-seat player they would both lose interest fairly quickly before running off to concoct some mischievous deed.

Which was probably what got them arrested in the first place.

Neji closed the main door behind him before making the short trip towards the office. Unlike Sasuke, Itachi had the name on the door changed to his and Neji probably assumed Sasuke retained his father’s name plaque for sentimental reasons.

Itachi’s office was surprisingly warmer than most others. He kept the air-conditioning at a comfortable temperature but only because Naruto often complained that he was freezing and the cold would make his nipples hard. Then he’d want to prove it by making Itachi touch them which eventually amounted to forty-five minutes of his schedule he’d never get back. His office was also tidy, not that Sasuke’s wasn’t but Itachi’s desk was devoid of any paper, folders or binders and if it wasn’t for the wind-breaker slung over the chair and the two, leather leashes tied to the foot of the table then one would assume that no one worked in this office at all.

Actually, Neji wasn’t even sure what to make of the leashes when he first laid eyes on them. He assumed Itachi used them whenever he brought his dogs to work. Celebrities and other people in affluent lifestyles did indulge in peculiar behaviors such as that and the thought of him chaining Naruto and Gaara to his desk, whenever they needed a time-out, never once crossed Neji’s mind.

The wallet was exactly where Naruto said it would be and Neji stood there for a good few minutes, just staring at it, too fraught with guilt to reach out and take it. He took a deep breath then and quickly snatched up the dark, leather item, feeling somewhat surprised that the ground did not open up beneath him, condemning him to Hell for his actions. Well, the sooner he finished this task then the sooner he could reconcile with his conscience for atonement but before he could even pocket the wallet and close the drawer he heard the main doors in the adjacent room close and Neji froze, with the incriminating evidence clutched tightly in one hand.

He’d left it open and, in his haste to escape the ‘ghost’ of Orochimaru he’d forgotten to shut it back behind him.

‘Relax,’ he tried to tell himself but it was hard to hear over his rasped breathing. ‘It’s probably just a security guard curious as to why Itachi’s door was open, or maybe one of his employees with something to leave on his desk until he returned.’ But no manner of excuses could console his rattled nerves or calm his racing heart.

He needed to put the wallet back where he found it and come up with a very good excuse as to why he was even in here but Neji’s brain was not working at its full capacity and the only conundrum it was obsessed with solving was: Who was on the other side of that door?

At worst, it could be Itachi… He may have forgotten something and came to retrieve it but Neji was going to have a lot of explaining to do to the elder Uchiha if that was true. But even worse…

‘No,’ Neji tryied to disrupt the train of thought he knew his mind was taking.

*‘It could be…’

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard, praying to any god that would listen that he’d suddenly be afflicted with major brain damage, or at least disappear.

*‘Orochimaru…’

‘Shut up.’

Think about it… Mr. Ishida knows you were coming up here and, in a casual conversation, could have relayed that information to Orochima-

‘That’s not possible!’ Neji tried to assure himself but that thought didn’t stop his stomach from churning.

*‘The odds do seem low, even highly coincidental, but not impossible.’*

They would soon find out who won their little wager as the anonymous person took the door knob in hand and began to turn it, and the soft click rang like a gun-shot in Neji’s ears.

His heart seemed to stop in that moment and it wasn’t until he tried to gasp that he realized that he’d stopped breathing as well, but when a pale head, topped with inky, black hair peeked out from behind the door Neji jumped back as if he’d been shoved and staggered backwards until his back slammed against the wall.

“No,” he whimpered pathetically, feeling helplessly trapped. A weak sob escaped his lips then and his legs gave out beneath him and as he slowly sank to the ground a light trail of tears crept down his cheeks.

It was happening all over again… at least, in Neji’s mind it was because his imagination subjugated his visual perception, seemingly creating an optical illusion and making it impossible for him to differentiate between Orochimaru and his eldest step-son.

Itachi could only stare in surprise at the young man, huddled against the far wall. The last thing he expected to find in his office was Neji and even less Neji having a breakdown.

Was Sasuke working him too hard? Had they got into some kind of argument? Or did his foolish brother mess up and call him Haku by mistake? All these things Itachi wondered to himself as he quietly closed the door behind him and approached the shaking lump but when he got a little closer he stopped in his tracks and frowned with concern when he realized that Neji was not at all sad… he was terrified.

His breath wheezed through distraught lips as he struggled to breathe between his hyperventilations and convulsive crying. He was looking up at him with pleading purple eyes, brimming with moisture but what Itachi found so strange was that, even though Neji was looking right at him, he seemed to be looking right through him. His first inkling that something was seriously wrong here had become a rapidly growing suspicion and as he cautiously approached the boy this time he could hear him muttering something like a mantra.

Neji’s eyes never left his, even when he got down on one knee in front of him and his cries became louder when Itachi reached out a large, pale hand to assuage him and he could clearly hear him as he begged over and over again, while lightly shaking his head from side to side: “Please don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me…”

***

Sasuke had the right idea getting to the conference room early and although he wasn’t the first to arrive at least he was here before his brother, who was now fifteen minutes late.

It wasn’t as if Itachi was the only one arriving past the appointed hour since other managers were quietly slipping in with sheepish expressions and weak excuses, but it was uncharacteristic of his older sibling to be tardy and Sasuke wasn’t the only one who found that surprising.

Well, he didn’t care. Since Itachi was never late it probably meant he wasn’t coming and since the meeting couldn’t start without him then it was going to get postponed and that gave him something to rub in Itachi’s face later. It also meant he could engage in one of his most favourite past-times.

Glaring hatefully at Orochimaru.

It was the only reason Sasuke even came to these stupid things at first but the assembly found the childish action to be too distracting and it always created an uncomfortable air within the room. It never bothered Itachi either, even though he was the more civil of the two but there was a time and place for everything and while Sasuke vented his frustrations towards the older man on a whim, Itachi did his when he wasn’t in a professional frame of mind.

That, and he got a lot of complaints about it so he ordered Sasuke to behave himself but the younger could not agree to those terms and just stopped coming altogether and with no Itachi to smack him against the back of his head, he was free to do whatever he wanted and be damned to the tattle-tales who were going to complain to his brother too.

Orochimaru was the only one that found his flippancy to be quite amusing, especially since the other man was only making himself look bad in front of everyone else. He always had a hard time keeping his laughter contained even though he could do nothing about the smirk curled upon his lips, and as he prepared himself to take notes and present his own ideas to the board, he would occasionally take sly glances in his direction to see if he was still staring.

He always was.

A quick browse around the table would show men and women shifting uncomfortably in their seats, shaking their heads in criticism or disdainfully whispering among themselves.

Everyone knew both boys were opposed to Orochimaru being their step-father and most remembered well when they did everything within their legal right to strip him of their family name. They thought the boys were just being selfish with their fortune and the fact that they reconciled after feuding for so many years just so they could retain most of the power over the company proved that to them. In their eyes, Orochimaru was the one being victimized by spoiled, spiteful and self-seeking little boys, but they didn’t know that the real victims were Haku and Neji.

Sasuke’s mobile phone went off, threatening to break his concentration and further displeasing his co-workers by him disrespectfully leaving it on. He would have ignored it until who ever it was hung up but that was the ring tone he’d selected specifically for his sibling, and without blinking or turning his gaze away from the man across the desk, he answered it.

“I’m here. Where the hell are you?” Sasuke greeted him gruffly, assuming Itachi had called to make sure he was exactly where he promised he would be.

“Come to my office,” his brother replied just as curtly.

Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes lest he take them off his target. First he bullied him to come to the meeting on time; then, when he did, Itachi had the audacity to be the one to show up late and now he was summoning him from the conference and into his office? Why didn’t his big brother make up his damned mind?

“Just in case you forgot, the meeting’s being held downstairs. Not in your office,” Sasuke sneered and the animosity he was reflecting towards Orochimaru was evident in his tone of voice.

Itachi made a rude noise by clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He didn’t have the patience to deal with his brother’s pugnacity right now, especially since Neji’s ‘condition’ seemed to grow worse. “Save the conniption fit for later and bring your tired ass up here. Right now!” Itachi snapped, and just as quickly as he’d lost his temper he reigned it under control again before exhaling slowly while counting to five. “Neji’s in my office and something’s wrong with him.”

Sasuke blinked and all interest in Orochimaru vanished in that metaphorical motion. “What? What’s wrong? Is he alright? Did something happen to him?” the frantic brunette asked, jumping to his feet and looking over his shoulder as if he could magically see his brother through the phone.

“Calm down, Sasuke. He’s alright…more or less,” Itachi supplied after taking another glance at the shivering boy he’d carried over to the couch. An inner voice warned him not to move Neji from where he was because the second he placed a hand on him the Hyuuga bawled and crouched over while shielding his head with both arms as if protecting himself from an avalanche. He kept crying ‘Please don’t hurt me, Please don’t hurt me,’ but when Itachi lifted him in his arms and tried to console him with reassuring words Neji kept shaking his head and saying ‘No, no…please stop’. It was then that the older man realized that his eyes were closed now and he was at the mercy of whatever it was that tormented him in the darkness of his mind and the thick blanket of his subconsciouness inhibited him from recognizing Itachi’s voice. The only thing he was physically aware of was that hands were touching him and even when he was laid on his side on the soft sofa, they did not leave him and continued to molest him against his will.

Itachi sighed, feeling very helpless as he watched the young boy weeping puddles on his leather upholstery and writhing on the cushioning while brushing away at invisible forces on his body with one hand and occasionally shielding his crotch area with the other.

“I think he’s reliving those experiences again and I think I just made it worse,” he admitted apologetically.

Sasuke tensed and the grip around his cellphone grew tighter. “Why? What did you do to him?” he ground through clenched teeth.

“I didn’t do anything,” Itachi growled in response, taking great offense to his brother’s implication. “This interrogation seems to be more important to you than coming to check on Neji for yourself so I’m going to hang up now,” and so said; so done. He knew that was uncalled for and knew his sibling was just worried about the other man but insinuating that he was no better than Orochimaru pissed him off to no end.

Sasuke wanted to cuss his brother out for hanging up in his ears like that but knew he couldn’t blame him. Hell, he would have done the very same thing (with a lot less class) if Itachi had insulted him in such a manner.

Those words had slipped from his mouth with little thought behind them and he knew he was going to have to apologize but that was the furthest thing from his mind as he stuffed his phone into his pocket and darted out of the room, oblivious to the many pairs of curious eyes on him.

He stopped outside of the elevator and punched the button impatiently with his fingers but it took its sweet time getting to his floor so he forgot it and decided to take the stairs instead, climbing them two at a time. Sasuke didn’t knock, instead he barged through the office door, surprising his brother by the force.

“Where is he?” Sasuke asked breathlessly, already scanning the room.

Itachi pointed to the sofa just opposite where he was leaning against the edge of his desk at the same moment Sasuke’s dark eyes found the person he was looking for.

“Oh.God!” he said with a pained voice. Itachi had said something was wrong with him but Sasuke hadn’t expected to find him in this state and if Sasuke’s eyes weren’t deceiving him then he’d believe that he was watching Neji being raped, right this very minute. “What happened to him?” the man asked and took slow, cautious steps towards the shuddering body.

That question was a vocalization of his own inner thoughts and Sasuke hadn’t realized he’d spoken out loud until Itachi replied with a shrug. “I don’t know, when I got here I found him like that,” he recounted somewhat sadly and recalling the look that Neji gave him just moments ago, the same look he gave Orochimaru as he was being abused on that video, made Itachi feel like the lowest person on the planet. “When I opened the door he was on the floor, crying. I tried talking to him but I don’t think he even recognized me,” and the older man clenched his fist, loathing the fact that Neji mistook him for that monster. “Then I carried him over to lay him on the couch so he’d at least be more comfortable but when I lifted him into my arms he started doing…that,” and Itachi pointed, indicating the one-sided wrestling match Neji seemed to be having with himself.

Sasuke got down on his knees next to the couch, deep frown lines marred his handsome face as he took on the inner struggle the other man was forced to endure. He didn’t want to look, couldn’t bear to watch him like this and if this was even the tiniest indication of what had happened behind those closed doors then Sasuke was glad that he hadn’t watched that tape.

“Neji?” he called out to him softly but his voice could not permeate the thick veil of his hallucination. “Neji,” he tried again and reached out to gently brush away the wayward strands of hair that clung to his wet face but he recoiled from him the second those fingers touched him.

For some reason, that hurt Sasuke a lot more than he cared to admit and while he couldn’t fault the Hyuuga for wanting to pull away in this situation, it made him feel like a failure, especially after everything they’d been through so far.

But why was this happening now? Sasuke wondered, fighting the pain that constricted his chest as he listened to Neji’s moaned pleas. “Neji, it’s me, Sasuke,” he said, hoping that maybe he’d recognize the name but he wasn’t even sure if Neji had heard him at all.

There was one other thing he could try, but would Neji be receptive to it right now? He reacted negatively to any kind of physical contact as reported by Itachi and confirmed by himself when he tried to touch him just now and he knew Hyuuga liked to be held in a particular way but would the familiar gesture be enough to snap him out of it?

Sasuke scowled and pressed his lips into a tight line. He was going to risk it, but only because he couldn’t stand to see him like this any longer.

“Come on,” he said with a grunt and slipped his hands beneath the older man’s arm pits so he could lift him to his feet and Sasuke regretted his decision the moment he did that.

Neji was by no means heavy and Sasuke was confident enough in his strength to know he could easily heft the slightly shorter man and although he was limp with his grief, and his legs were too weak to support him, he’d managed to utilize his body weight like a defense mechanism as a sign of resistance. Much like a stubborn child who didn’t want to go to the dentist.

“Nooo, don’t…please, no,” the boy wailed through sobs ripped from his throat.

“Neji, it’s okay. It’s me, Sasuke. I won’t hurt you,” he told him as he struggled to pull him to his feet but not wanting to yank too hard or unintentionally hurt him but Neji wasn’t making it any easier by trying to pull away.

It took some careful doing on Sasuke’s part but he was finally able to get him to his feet and he quickly wrapped his arms around his waist to lock him in place. Supporting him securely with one powerful arm, Sasuke raised the other to the back of his head and pressed his damp face into his shoulder and began gently rocking him from side to side while softly cooing reassurances in his ear.

“Shh, it’s okay baby. It’s just me. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

For a moment, the Uchiha didn’t think it was going to work. Neji continued to struggle and push against him and already his shirt was soaked on the shoulder from all his tears, but that particular cologne and Sasuke’s unique body scent, coupled with the cognition of the way he was being held, triggered a specific memory that Neji held very dear to him.

His loud sobs died down to light sniffles and his shuddering became weak shivers as the anamnesis passed and Neji slowly opened his bleary eyes. The first person he saw was Itachi but his vision was still somewhat blurry and he didn’t recognize him at first. Itachi picked up on the second instance mistaken identity when he saw the other man tense and he tried not to take it personally.

“Are you alright?” Itachi asked, folding his arms over his chest and tilting his head slightly to one side.

Neji nodded meekly in response. The graininess in his throat made it difficult for him to give the other man a verbal confirmation.

Reluctant to let him go so soon, Sasuke moved his arms from around his body and lifted them to cup Neji’s puffy and tear-streaked face. Those dark eyes roved over his pale, blotchy skin and took in the red, haggard eyes still brimming with moisture.

“You sure?” and Sasuke stroked his soft cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

Neji nodded again but was unable to make eye contact with the man standing before him. He was much too embarrassed to meet his concerned gaze. “I-,” he stopped to clear his throat. “I’m okay now. Thank you.”

Both Uchiha brothers were greatly relieved to hear that and Sasuke took a firm grip on Neji’s arm to lead him back over to the couch so he could sit down. “Can I get you anything?” Sasuke asked, getting down on his knees again and prepared to get Neji anything he needed. “Would you like some water?”

He declined with a shake of his head. “ ‘M fine,” he rasped then cleared his throat again before bringing his fingers up to gingerly touch the irritated flesh.

Maybe a glass of water wasn’t such a bad idea.

He swallowed instead, using his saliva to moisten the burning sensation within his neck. “Wh- Where am I?” he then asked suddenly unfamiliar with his surroundings and feeling very disoriented.

“You’re in my office,” Itachi spoke up from his place over by the desk before Sasuke had the chance to respond.

“Itachi found you in here like this,” his brother continued while continually doting on his troubled secretary by stroking his hair, face and shoulders. “What happened Neji? What were you doing in here?”

Neji frowned and rubbed his arm in confusion. He couldn’t remember why he was here in the first place, much less how he got here. He tried to think past his recent episode…past the shadow of Orochimaru chasing him up the stairs…past the conversation with Mr. Ishida…past the telephone conversation with Naruto-

Naruto!

A spark lit within his eyes as his memory rushed back to him. “Naruto…he’s in trouble,” Neji said and made a motion to get up but Sasuke pushed him back down.

“Naruto what?” Sasuke asked. Neji’s voice still wasn’t strong enough yet and it was a little difficult to hear him.

Itachi piqued at the mention of his boyfriend’s name and stepped closer to the two.

“I remember now, I came here for money.”

The brothers exchanged a puzzled glance. “What money?” Sasuke asked slowly, unsure if Neji was some how rambling through a temporary bout of insanity.

The Hyuuga seemed to ponder his question as if he didn’t understand what those either of those two words meant but his addled state fled when he realized what he’d just said, and fearing that they’d get the wrong idea about him he stammered an explanation. “It’s not what you think,” he gasped with wide eyes. “I wasn’t stealing, I’d never steal from you, Itachi.”

“Hush, it’s okay. No one’s accusing you of stealing,” Sasuke placated him with a light squeeze on his shoulder.

“What were you saying earlier about Naruto?” Itachi then asked, somehow knowing that both subjects were connected. “Does he have something to do with this as well?”

‘Oh no!’ Neji grimaced and swore inwardly. He’d already said too much.

“Neji, did Naruto ask you to meet him here?” was Sasuke’s question and he gritted his teeth together at the wild rail-road his thoughts were barreling on. Had Naruto called Neji here then done something to upset him this way? If so, whether he was his brother’s property or not, he was going to break him in half.

“Neji, it’s alright. I’m not going to be angry with you if Naruto put you up to this,” Itachi assured him. “If this is one of his pranks, it’s alright to tell me. This has obviously upset you and I’ll make sure he understands not to get you involved in the future.”

“No,” Neji shook his head. They were making too many incorrect assumptions. He’d promised Naruto he wasn’t going to tell Itachi and he actually found he hated himself for letting the young blond down, but if he didn’t come clean then Naruto would get in more trouble for something he didn’t do.

He took a deep breath before making his confession.

“After Sasuke left, Naruto called,” Neji began, still unable to meet Sasuke’s eyes and now avoiding Itachi’s. “He said… he told me not to tell you but he and Gaara had gotten themselves arrested and needed me to get money from your wallet to come bail them out and I wa-” he stopped there and just in time too. If he mentioned that he’d bumped into Orochimaru on his way over here he knew Sasuke wasn’t going to take it very well.

“You what?” Itachi urged.

“I…,” and he rubbed his arm while shifting awkwardly against the seat. “I guess…I had a flashback.”

“What triggered it?” Sasuke asked next.

It was a completely legitimate question. Sasuke was trying to cure him, wasn’t he? And he’d want to keep Neji away from people, places or items that enticed bad memories while reinforcing good ones with new habits and surroundings.

It was a perfectly reasonable question for him to ask but Neji just wish he didn’t have to lie in response.

“I… it was… I,” he stammered. He was never any good at fabricating the truth and Sasuke could tell he was trying to hide something from him. Well, he’d been through enough already so he wouldn’t force him this time.

“Shh, it’s alright. Whoever it was, he’s gone now, right?” Sasuke said and comforted him by combing a lock of hair behind one ear.

“Mm,” Neji bit his lower lip and nodded.

‘Gotcha!’ Sasuke thought to himself triumphantly. It was definitely that rat-bastard Orochimaru and Itachi deduced the same from the little guise Sasuke had used to trap Neji.

“Well, I’m going to the meeting. It makes no sense us both staying here,” the eldest man said and turned back to his desk to collect the papers he’d left behind.

“Umm… what about Gaara and Naruto?” Neji asked of him as he watched the tall man retrieve his wallet from the floor and toss it back into the drawer.

A playful smile touched his thin lips and a mischievous light sparkled in his eyes as he said: “I think I’ll let them simmer for a few hours before I collect them. I know them both very well, and I’m sure that they deserve this for whatever it was that they did.”

“Besides, those two should be the last people you should be concerning yourself about,” Sasuke cut in after his brother promised to memo the minutes to him tomorrow. “What about you, are you feeling better?”

“Yeah,” Neji smiled, finally confident enough to meet his dark chocolate eyes.

“Glad to hear it,” Uchiha grinned and leaned in to take his mouth in a quick kiss. “Mmm, salty,” he teased and licked his lips after tasting the Hyugga’s tears. “It’s enough to give a guy high-blood pressure.”

Neji laughed at his little jest and he had no idea just how much that little sound warmed Sasuke’s heart. “Do you want to wash your face?” he then asked as he rubbed at the dried trails of water on his skin and when Neji nodded he led him into Itachi’s bathroom.

He stood nearby, like a devoted bodyguard while Neji lathered up with soap and cleaned his face before cupping his hands to catch water and rinse it off.

“There, that’s much better,” the younger man smirked at his now clean face that glowed in the fluorescent light and he handed him a few sheets of paper hand towels which he used to pat his face dry.

“Thank you,” Neji smiled softly and tossed the balled piece of paper into the trash.

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pants pocket. “You good to go?”

“Yeah,” Neji nodded and wiped his on the lap of his jeans.

Sasuke turned to leave then but stopped when his name, on Neji’s voice, bounced against the beige, ceramic tiles and the Hyugga clapped a hand over his mouth at the sound. He hadn’t meant to say his name so loudly.

“Hm? What is it Neji?”

He was avoiding eye contact again and a faint blush had made itself visible upon his cheeks.

He was too embarrassed to ask.

Sasuke approached him and the rouge became deeper as his eyes looked at anything not above Sasuke’s neck.

He was incredibly cute when he did that.

“What is it?” the darker man encouraged him with a silky smooth voice and tilted his head back by pinching his chin between a thumb and forefinger. It was strangely erotic, looking at Neji like this.

“Sasuke… will you-” he broke off before taking a shuddering breath. “Will you hold me again…please?”

There was a name for the feeling that swept over Sasuke and threatened to make him pass out with his dizzying effects, but damn he couldn’t remember what it was and he’d be damned if he stood there trying to figure it out when he could be holding Neji instead.

“Of course,” he replied, long after his eager arms had already made themselves home around his lean waist and Neji found purchase by securing his own around the column of his neck and nuzzling his head in the familiar crook of his arm.

He loved that smell. Sasuke’s smell.

It was like the whiff of the ocean breeze for the busy salaryman on his first day of vacation, like the aroma of mother’s freshly baked cookies she made only on Sundays and to a lesser extent, the scent of a brand new vehicle. Those smells were all associated with simple, yet fond life experiences, but to Neji, Sasuke’s own was better than all three of them combined and was a highly, relaxing aromatherapy.

Sasuke didn’t know this, however, and assumed Neji was still sniffling from his earlier shock but if he had known that Neji was actually sniffing him then it would have turned him on to no end.

Even though he didn’t want the other man to be upset he was glad that he at least got to hold him again, but God, he’d never been so scared in his life and he found he’d wanted to kick the ass of the invisible force that was harming Neji, no matter how asinine it sounded. He was just glad that it was finally over, those few, torturous moments seemed like an excruciating lifetime to him. If only he’d dared to face his brother’s wrath, flip him the bird and refused to attend that meeting then he’d be there when Naruto called. He probably would have flipped the blond the bird too because he was notorious for getting himself in trouble and, like Itachi said, he probably deserved what he got. Sasuke would never have dragged Neji along and he probably would have handled it himself, but only if he were in a particularly philanthropic mood (i.e. if Naruto groveled long enough).

Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed loudly, unsettling a few strands of the Hyuuga’s healthy hair while pulling him even closer until their bodies were flush against each other.

Why did everyone want to take advantage of him? He was much too naïve and trusting for his own damn good. He was also too unselfish and kind-hearted and acted as if ‘No’ did not exist in his vocabulary at times. He’d have to administer a little tough love because he didn’t think he’d be able to concentrate knowing Neji was alone and out of reach.

He knew he was being silly. Neji was a grown man, capable of watching out for himself. Hell, he was two to three years older than him and here he was making plans to baby him. But Sauske wanted to do everything in his power to make sure that what happened today never happened again and he knew that he was never going to let his Neji out of his sight from now on.

-~-~-~-~-

Tyra 2007-10-01
Ooh la la!
Well that was something!
The second lesson was great. A little touching here and there already.
And it seemed that Neji enjoyed it very much, not even able to get back to his work. xD
And what about Sasuke then? Poor him, not being able to sleep 'cause his too horny!
It was seriously great.
Hahah, And 'Pajama Day'.. I remember when there was once that kind of day in my school. xD

Heh, and Naruto and Gaara? Those two are hilarious!
I can see it clearly in my head just how cute Gaara looks! xDD
Hmm, I think Neji would look pretty good too, in that kind of clothes! xD

Meh, I hope you keep writing and update soon again!
I love ya and your story!!!

ClaireBear Yes, let the touching begin! But seriously, if Sasuke was to touch you do you think you could concentrate for the rest of the day? I know I couldn’t. XD

Neji’s always unintentionally doing cute, little things to turn Sasuke on but he’s such a good boy holding in his lust or he would be humping Neji’s leg by now. Poor Sasuke!

I love Naruto and Gaara too but Itachi has them spoiled rotten. They run all over the place, doing whatever they want but when they eventually go too far it’s time for disciplinary action. >:D (You’ll see what I’m talking about).

I hope to keep writing. I’ve been getting back into the flow these past few days and I hope it keeps up. *gulp*


stalkerocandies 2007-10-23
While I've read many, many stories at AFF, this is the first time I've felt compelled to write a review. I am enjoying your story very much. I'm a very serious uke!Neji fan, and you write him sooo well. Thought I'd bring up that people who experience something as traumatic as rape (and in this case multiple rapes...gah!) end up with a syndrome called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. They have nightmares about the abusive person and when the incident is severely brutal victims relive their experiences when conscious, their memories totally overwhelming reality around them.

Pardon me if you already know this. I thought it would add a touch of both reality and interest to your story (and because I also lub an abused!Neji). *winks*

stalkerocandies~
Thanks for sharing your ficcies. BBFN.

ClaireBear
Yay! I’m glad you liked my fic enough to write a review. That’s all us writers ask for really. A little feed back and a lot of luv. ^_^ I’m really glad you like the fic that much, it means I’m doing something right and encourages me to continue (just as soon as I get off my lazy ass and STOP PLAYING WoW!)

Yay, more uke Neji fans. The world needs more of us. I try to remember that he’s this hardcore A-rank ninja in the franchise but, damn… I just love abusing him and turning him into a simpering, pathetic mess all prepared for Sasuke to come along and mop up. Yum!

Thank you sooo much for that piece of information. It actually helped me flesh out chapter 15 a bit since I hit a block and wasn’t exactly sure what to do with it. I have learned something new this day.


Eremi22 2007-11-14
Okay. This fic is truly awesome. I am looking forward to hearing more from you (on this particular fic) in the future if you haven't already scrapped it.

ClaireBear
You, my friend, are truly awesome for loving this fic enough to leave a review. Seriously, and that applies to everyone who has. It makes me want to cry tears of joy. ;_;

And don’t worry, I haven’t scrapped it, just been lazy.


dragonslayer1 2007-11-28
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHY HAVEN'T YOU CONTIUNED THIS YET I LOOOOOVE THIS STORY SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH PLEASE DON'T STOP!!!

ClaireBear
Oh come now, it’s only been about what… two… three months since the last update. Wait? What? That long? Dang, I’ve been slacking off. I must get back to work.


Zenith-Kaitou 2008-01-01
I know this isn't a fanart...but since your story inspired this one it's only fair that I give you a link http://zenith-kaitou.deviantart.com/art/Haku-Hyuuga-73465135 and I gave you credits.

Really awesome fic you have here, please update soon =^.^=

ClaireBear
And this is why Haku should have been a Hyuuga. He was adorable before but those eyes make him sooo kawaaiii. Thank you muchly for sharing that. I do so love me some Haku.


tekremp06 2008-01-15
This is one of the best fanfics ever. I have been watching it constantly to wait for an update. I wants more!!!!!!!!!!

ClaireBear
Thanks for the compliment. I’m glad you like this fic. I like it too, just like I love all Sasuke x Neji goodness. Here is more and I hope there will be even more later.

That’s it for today. I hope you liked this chapter and I shall try to bring you the next one post haste… after I play WoW. Yoink!