Colors

*Greetings again readers. Here’s another chapter for your reading pleasure (hopefully its pleasure). After this post, I’ve decided to put up a chapter a week in order to ensure I stay ahead of your speedy reading skills.



Do feel free to review if need be and let me have your comments should you feel anything sucks OR, does not suck.



Well, enough of my blabbing. Onward!




*Additional A/N : Gosh I can't believe I did it twice. Antiques? Antics??? Grrr!!! Edited.

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Chapter 2



Sasuke’s shout had earned him a number of decent glares due to the commotion that Naruto had just caused. He was furious that the pleasant day, which had begun smoothly just turned sour all because some well built cute dumb blonde had ruined his Zegna suit. He stood up to shake off the rest of the coffee droplets that were slowly staining his pants and worse, burning really near his balls.



“Oh my god! I’m SOO soo sorry. I really didn’t see the waiter. Shit. Fuck. Here let me get that.” Naruto apologized frantically.


“Leave it, I said leave it!” Sasuke smacked Naruto’s hands away, offended by the invasion of space caused by his efforts to wipe away any remaining evidence of his action around Sasuke’s inner thighs.




“I’m really sorry. Here’ let me pay you back for damaging your pants.” Naruto turned to grab his cheque book.



Sasuke eyed Naruto closely. “Don’t be fucking stupid. I doubt you can afford it.”



“Hey, what the fuck is that supposed to mean?”



“I mean exactly what I’ve said. Now fucking just leave this as it is, if not the next thing you’ll see are my knuckles on your face.” Sasuke growled.



Knowing Naruto’s unyielding personality, Shikamaru got up from his seat to stand between the two fuming adults. “Hokay you two. Let’s just be a little more civil here. The coffee’s on me so let’s not let a little mishap like this cause anymore trouble than it should, kay?”



Much to Shikamaru’s relief both men let down their guards and backed away with Naruto slumping in his chair and Sasuke bolting out the café’s entrance with a very disgruntled expression. Shikamaru returned to his seat and remained silent whilst observing his friend. Naruto had calmed down but his breathing still remained unsteady and it was not normal for the guy to be this aggravated by a little spilt coffee. The usually spirited blue eyes had lost its luster and Naruto stared blankly at his empty lunch dish. He wondered if he should approach Naruto with the question to ask what was wrong at all. Unable to bear Naruto’s zoned out expression any longer, Shikamaru spoke.



“What’s up?”



“Huh? What?” Naruto’s roving mind returned to the café.



“You know what I mean. What was up with that maniacal display? You hardly get angry and just now it looked like you were about to claw that guy to death.”



“You mean you don’t remember him?” Naruto asked Shikamaru a little wide eyed.



“Remember who?” Shikamaru lifted a brow, confusion marking his face clearly.



“That jerk-off just now. The one you were trying to stop me from killing.”



“Oh, THAT guy.” Shikamaru paused, rolling his eyes into his head as he tried to remember. “Hmmm…Nope, can’t remember.”

Naruto sighed.



“That’s Uchiha Sasuke. Rings a bell?”



“Oh… You mean THE all time prick. The one who was the mighty of all things, superstar idol to all females and/or some males, and no one’s friend? The one you seemed to have an uncanny admiration for?”



“Yeah, that prick,” Naruto smiled at Shikamaru, tickled by his exaggerated and yet highly accurate description.



“Damn, he’s even more of a prick now than he was.”



Naruto giggled and Shikamaru gave him a small smile, relieved that he was able to bring some life back into his friend. Taking another sip from his coffee, he let the memories of their school days flood back into his brain. Unable to remember which year it was exactly, he slowly recalled that Sasuke, a girl named Sakura and Naruto had sat next to each other in classes. They had been forced to do their assignments, extra periods and conduct study sessions together, which meant that the 3 were almost never apart during school hours. Their home room teacher, Iruka sensei, figured that it was the only right thing to do and believed that by placing Naruto’s near hopeless brain next to not one, but two of the best performing students in the school that he’d somehow leech their qualities and improve. Iruka sensei was right in doing so and the placement did indeed have a positive effect on the boy’s performance. Unfortunately, this also forced Naruto and Sasuke, who were already hostile with each other to become the worst enemies in school, often getting into fights and bouts of challenge displays with Sakura caught in the middle. Rivals as they were, one day, Sasuke suddenly transferred and Naruto had strangely sunk into deep depression. For months he would skip lessons, spend lunch breaks idle under a shady tree and was mostly distant not speaking to anyone. If Neji and Shikamaru had not persistently approached him on a daily basis and painstakingly nursed him back to being his old self, Shikamaru wondered if he would be having his coffee with him today at all.



“I bet you he didn’t recognize me.” Naruto’s spoken words broke Shikamaru’s chain of memories.



“So what if he didn’t and don’t you dare start that weird shit on me again. I think I’ve had enough years of lugging you around
when you were in that miserable state.”



“What weird shit?” Naruto asked slightly offended.



“That depression phase you had when Sasuke broke your heart leaving the school.”



“I was depressed because he left without me ever beating him once in anything and NOT because I was broken hearted. I’m STRAIGHT. See this straw, straight.” Naruto flung the plastic appendage at Shikamaru sprinkling little drops of soda on him.



Although Shikamaru had to wipe off the disgusting saliva laced soda from his skin, he managed to catch a glimpse of Naruto’s slightly flushed cheeks, earning him a small victory and causing him to smirk inwardly.



“Come on, its getting late and I still have a launch plan to work on. Let’s go.” Saying nothing further of the situation, the two young men left with Naruto heading back to his art gallery.



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“Your brother called.” Miki, Sasuke’s devoted secretary and personal assistant filled him in.



*Great, more fucks. Just what I needed*, Sasuke briefly thought.



He gave a curt nod and strode into his office locking the large solid mahogany doors behind him. Once alone, he relaxed himself against the doors. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the frame. The blonde was familiar and yet so different. He remembered him more tanned, skinnier and a lot more unpolished than the person he encountered. Sasuke slowly let the memories envelope his vision as he tried to remember the features of his classmate in an attempt to match him to the striking young man today. Then he caught it, that one similarity, the one quality that was unique to that bungling idiot, those blue eyes that overflowed with life. He hated looking into those eyes that seemed as if they were the fountain of youth, promising endless hope and happiness. He remembered why he had hated the boy and how much his sunlit qualities seem to burn right down to that broken part of him. Unfortunately, this time, those blue eyes had been accompanied by a toned body, luscious locks of honey blonde hair and very tight buttocks. Sasuke shook his head to free himself from that earlier sinful image of the two round globes facing him when Naruto had bent over his chair to rummage his bag. His skin began to tingle with his body gradually heating as a result of his former rival’s assets.



The sound of his office phone ringing saved him from further indulgence and he prepared himself for the next chore to come. Knowing that it would be his brother on the line he rushed to the phone. Quickly composing himself with a deep breath, he picked up the receiver calmly.



“Hello,” he said in his usual tone.



“Its me, the guy who owes you a pair of pants.” Sasuke remained silent, shocked with the unfamiliar voice. He then realized that Naruto couldn’t have easily forgotten him in their younger days. After all, Sasuke himself who would not normally be sentimental found himself still able to recall the feeling of intense rivalry between the both of them.



Quickly blocking out all earlier thoughts, he answered, “Now what the fuck do you want? I told you not to bother.”



“Wait a minute. You’re not curious how I found the number to call? You knew who I was?”



“Yeah, why wouldn’t I remember the number one Dobe of Konoha High? I’m not surprised you found me though, since I’ve been all over the news lately. Only a shallow idiot would’ve missed the ruckus I’ve been causing and failed to make the simple deduction on how to locate me. However, I’m curious as to why my secretary let you through.”



“Let’s just say I have a way with women.” Naruto said smugly.



“A stray like you and women don’t exactly fit.” Sasuke retorted.



“Ok, let’s not get into another stupid fight. I really just wanna pay you back.”



“I thought I said you don’t have to. As I recall you were a slacker, an orphan and a bum-to-be. I doubt you’ll be able to afford a normal suit, let alone a Zegna one.”



“I know its Zegna, I’m not blind. I have one of those as well. Now can you let me fucking pay?”



Sasuke went silent again, stunned from what he had just heard.



“Hello, are you still there?”



“Yes.”



“Sigh, ok, I’m not going to insist but if you ever wanna claim that IOU, then pop by the Spiral Art Gallery Saturday evening after next. I’m launching some new paintings and you can come have a look if you’re even interested in stuff like that. I’ll drop you an invitation so that you’ll know where it is. See ya,” and Naruto hung up.



Sasuke put down the phone slowly. He felt dizzy. Had Naruto finally caught up with him? Was he no longer the loud, hopeless and near brainless ruckus that only boasted empty ambitions about being a wealthy rich man? He sank into his chair and raised a hand to massage the now throbbing temple on his forehead. Why couldn’t he just have a day where everything went in his favor? Perhaps his parents were watching and laughing at his misery, enjoying each moment that he had to forcefully hold back his tears for want of pride. But, parents would never want such misery to befall their children. They would love them with all that they had till the time came when they could no longer grace their children’s lives with their love-filled presence. Sasuke suppressed the tears that were threatening to spill onto his flawless pale cheeks.



His cell phone started to vibrate. Lifting the sleek black Vertu from his desk, he stared at the caller ID. It was Itachi. *What perfect timing*.



“Hello.”



“Yo, little brother. Looks like you’ve been pretty energetic lately running around the newspapers.”



“Sorry for causing you displeasure.” Sasuke said, trying hard to hide the sarcasm in his apology.



“No, actually, I’m quite impressed with your little antics. But then again, news reports can say what they want. You my little angel still have such a long way more to go.”



“Cut to the chase Itachi. What do you want? I know you’re not calling to flatter me or to lecture me on things I already know.”



“Patience, brother. I was just about to get to that. But if you’re really so anxious, make sure you get yourself to my place right after work tonight. I’ll be sending Deidara over to pick you up so do keep a look out for him, yah? See you later my little angel.”



Sasuke ended the call and placed his phone back upon the table. He reached out across his desk to pick up a stack of reports and contracts to work on. As he filtered through them and read their contents, he couldn’t help but let the tears slowly trickle down his cheeks as he silently and diligently went through the papers.



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Naruto finished putting in all the final touches to his event plan. He had thought of a simple classy cocktail party but included a little interesting launch gambit, which he hoped someone would be able to fix in time before the launch. Counting that he still had two weeks left and being as usual, optimistic about the idea, he brushed the thought aside and pushed all the rest of the work-in-progress for the next day.



The bells tinkered. Naruto quickly shut the doors to the viewing gallery keeping the latest work unseen till their debut and rushed to greet his following guests.



“Gaara! Haven’t seen you in a long time.”



“Hello Naruto. Anything new in the works? I brought my sister along to have a look at your paintings. She’s interested in buying something new to fill in that apartment she just got. You remember Temari?”



Gaara was being his straight-to-the-point self. Naruto was disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm from his good friend, but understood that he hardly ever showed any sign of emotion especially not in front of his family. He also doubted that his sister knew about Gaara’s more deviant side and a certain relationship he had with an artist he knew.





“Sure, follow me and I’ll take you through a brief tour. But before I begin, do you have a preference?”



“Well Gaara’s been telling me that you have some pretty realistic pictures of some animals, by someone called Tai?”

Naruto shuddered. He hated when someone got one of his artist’s names wrong.



“Its Sai and yes, we do have some of his works. Follow me.” Naruto led them past several paintings till they arrived at the still life section.



“Aside from Sai we have several other artists in this section. This one’s from Hatake Kakashi. He’s always been an admirer of skies and lightning especially. This particular one he called “love” and he painted this after catching a similar scene on a particularly stormy night.” Naruto described whilst gesturing towards a painting with a very real lightning bolt that had spread into many branches across a calm blue grey sky.



“Here we have “Pandora’s Box” painted by an artist that names himself Mushi or rather bugman. His real name is Shino. Notice the detail of each locust that’s been painted out of the hundreds on the painting.” Temari gazed at the painting and let out a small yawn. Observing how she didn’t seem interested thus far, Naruto breezed past the other paintings before taking them further in until they arrived at the gallery’s collection of animal paintings.



“Now finally, we have Sai. Sai’s specialty, as you’ve already come to know, is in animals…”



“Woah, Gaara, look at this!” Temari suddenly exclaimed.



She scooted over to a painting of a fox. It was painted in firey orange brown with fangs and claws drawn in such detail that it gave the viewer the impression that they might cut themselves should they reach out to touch the canvas. Glowing in rage and anger, baring its fangs with slit yellow eyes, the fox was clearly readying itself to pounce on passing viewers, intimidating anyone who set eyes on it. The one odd thing about the fox was its nine tails fanned out at the back. Despite their misplaced nature, the tails were mesmerizing. Using a combination of yellows, reds and orange, the artist had skillfully matched the vibrant colors with clever brush strokes, stealing the breath of onlookers and giving them the hypnotic impression of movement at the same time.



“Who’s this by?”



“Oh, erm, that. That’s by … me.”

Temari turned to glare at Naruto. “You?” She raised a suspicious eye brow.



“Yes.”



“Liar.”



“Actually, he’s not lying and I doubt that one’s on sale. Correct, Naruto?” Gaara said in Naruto’s defense.



“Yeah. Its not. I guess you could say its my gallery mascot. I had a dream of it sometime before I opened for business and decided to paint the image on canvas. It’s the only painting I’ve drawn since and when I opened I decided to just put it here.” Naruto said gingerly, he could never get himself used to the countless praises or questions he got with the painting.



“The really interesting part is that it isn’t even under a spotlight.” Gaara added.



“Oh my god you’re right and it still radiates. Well, if this is really done by you Naruto, you should actually consider becoming a full fledged artist. Why didn’t you?”



Naruto couldn’t answer Temari’s question. He had many reasons to paint what he did then, many due to the feelings he had bottled up in him, which he needed to vent. Unfortunately or rather quite fortunately, he just didn’t have any reason to paint anything now. So he gave the standard reply. “Well, artists wouldn’t be called artists if you could fully understand what’s going on in their minds.” He flashed a smug grin.



“You’re so full of it.” Temari answered. Naruto quietly breathed a sigh of relief, having once again avoided a rather lengthy and painful explanation.



“Well, seen anything you like so far other than the fox?”



“Mmmm…. I’ll settle for ‘cat’”. Temari finally pointed to a painting aptly named just so. ‘Cat’ was a painting of a feline that embodied everything a feline represented. It was a large, ginger colored tabby that stood with its head held high and eyes closed. Proud and bold it was fat and sly. The painting was definitely one of the best impressions that any artist had done on a cat and Naruto inwardly acknowledged the wise choice.



Even if it meant that he didn’t earn much from selling one, Naruto was glad the artwork had sold, providing one of his supported amateurs a step closer to stardom. He packed the painting in orange colored rice paper before handing it over to Temari and thanking her for her patronage. As soon as she had stepped out the doors Gaara reached across the counter and tugged on Naruto’s sleeve.

“Hey, sorry I sounded cold.”



“No worries, you just earned me an additional ¥75,000. Its all good.” He winked at Gaara.



“Seriously Naruto, would you ever consider coming over to my side of the counter?”



Naruto gave a small laugh. “No way, the ladies are treating me too good. Maybe you might wanna go over to their side of the counter.”



“You know women annoy me.”



“Anyway, I really think you should stop making passes at me. What if someone finds out?”



“You mean my sister?”



“No, I mean… Sai.” Naruto said quietly after checking that none of his assistants were around.



“The guy’s a stoner. I don’t think he even realizes that I have the “L” word tattooed on my forehead.”



“He’s not that bad. If he’s stoned why would he find you fucking hot?”



“I don’t know.”



“Gaara go home and tell Sai I said ‘hi’.” Naruto said sternly.



“Tsk, fine.” Gaara ended and made his way out the door.



Meanwhile, Naruto remembered that he had a list of invitees to note down.