Hold On Tightly, Let Go Lightly

Review Thank You’s

Jen (AFF.net): Thanks SO much for you detailed review! I’m so glad you like the story so far. Grandlinegirl and I worked very hard on the concept and I’m so happy the content is being received well! Also, thanks for your compliments on our characterization of Sasuke and Naruto. For me, I like to keep the situations real and try and research as much of my info as possible so it feels realistic and I thank you for picking up on that. I hope you will continue to enjoy and a big thank you once again for your amazing review!

~Xasus

 

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3am found Sasuke finally locking up his office and heading home for the day. He had been working non-stop to find anything he could use against the opposing side. So far though, the man had a very good alibi but he was certain he could find a hole somewhere. The man was obviously guilty, there was no doubt about it, and he just had to prove it.



Once he arrived to his high rise condo, the raven haired attorney took off his shoes at the door and removed his raincoat that he had brought home from the office. It had still been raining ever since he had left the diner and he was glad he was always prepared.



Placing his things in the proper places around the immaculate house, Sasuke opened the fridge to see if he could find anything to eat that hadn't gone bad already. With his line of work, he was lucky to even be home for more than just sleep, while working on a big case.



As he made himself a tuna sandwich, his mind drifted back to the kid from earlier. Why was he thinking about him? There was nothing more to think about... He helped a starving kid; that was it. But then... there was something that kept nagging at him... his conscience... the little shit that it was, was trying to actually make itself known.



Sighing once again and shoving the thoughts away, the Uchiha took his food and drink to the living room where he made himself comfortable on the couch and turned on the news to mindlessly watch and keep his mind from wandering any further.



Xx



Naruto shivered and pulled his arms into his sweatshirt, wrapping them around himself to try and retain some warmth. A bitter cold had suddenly swept across the town, catching him completely unaware. It was impossible to sleep; his muscles ached so badly from the tension as he trembled. It was a lost cause. He had no idea what time it was; he suspected two or three AM, which meant he still had time… Groaning, he pulled himself to his feet and grabbed his backpack, making the three block journey to the ‘ghetto’.  



Just outside of it sat a beautiful house; a three story manor of pristine white, with black shutters and accents. He approached the speaker outside the gate and hit the button. A few seconds later there was some static before a voice said, “Who is it?”



Naruto weighed his options for a moment; stay outside in the biting cold or sleep in a warm bed for the night. The decision was easy.



“It’s Naruto. Does he wanna see me tonight?” There was a pause and then the mechanical whirl of the gate opening sliced through the silence. The blond stepped inside and made his way right to the front door. It was open so he let himself in to the marble entrance.



“Naruto,” a voice hissed from the stairs. He turned towards it and bowed his head to the man that stood on the bottom step, dressed in a long, purple robe. He could feel the yellow, serpentine eyes boring into him and heard a lighter flick as a cigarette was lit. “I was wondering when you would come back to me.”



Naruto straightened to face Orochimaru Sannin and smiled weakly. “It’s freezing out there.”



A smirk lit Orochimaru’s face as he tucked a long strand of black hair behind his ear. “Well, by all means, come in. You are always welcome here; I always have a place for you.”



Naruto didn’t even flinch as that eerie gaze trailed up and down his body; he stepped towards the man, pushing down the self-loathing that was quickly rising up.



“You can take a shower, first. Your body is not touching my bed until you do,” Orochimaru instructed as they ascended the grand staircase.



“I know,” the blond muttered, pulling the strap of his bag further onto his shoulder. “Hey, you got anymore blow?” he asked with a cheeky grin.



The Sannin’s dark laughter echoed through the house as he ushered the boy upstairs and into his bedroom, closing the door behind them with a soft click.



XX



The ten deep scratches stung horribly, the pain of it burning down Naruto’s entire back. That’s how he awoke on Sunday morning, his body aching from having kept himself at the far edge of the bed, a hairs breadth from falling onto the floor. He might have given himself to Orochimaru, but he wasn’t going to cuddle with the bastard. He still had a little pride.



Sliding out of bed, the blond tucked his new treasures into his bag and reached in to pull out his clothes – only to find they were missing. Panicked, he glanced around the room until his eyes landed on a small pile on the table nearest the door along with a few bills for his ‘services’. They were stacked there, folded and neatly cleaned. Heaving a sigh, Naruto dressed and packed everything up before heading downstairs.



“Ah, Naruto. How nice to see you,” Kabuto, Orochimaru’s assistant, said as he exited the kitchen. The man pushed his glasses further onto the bridge of his nose, smiling cruelly at the blond. “Came crawling back to him again, hm? You must be getting desperate; that’s three times you’ve come this month.”



Naruto stiffened and shot the silver haired man a glare but said nothing. No point in ruining what he had going for himself.



“Whatever,” he shrugged, heading for the door. Anything else Kabuto said was lost as he made his way outside and back onto the streets.



XX



Sasuke jerked awake, his plate falling to the carpeted floor with a small 'bing' as he looked around. The sun was shining through his bay windows that overlooked the city and the T.V. was still on.  



'I must have fallen asleep.' he thought as he stood, stretching his cramped muscles. Looking at the DVD player, he noted it was around noon and yawned as he made his way to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for a day of nothing... He really hated Sundays.



After about an hour of doing nothing but read, Sasuke was starting to feel restless which was unlike him. He always had something to do, whether it was work or some kind of plans. That's why he hated Sundays so much, there was nothing planned. No work, no meetings... nothing. And he would never even consider church, religion not being one of his top priorities.



After changing into something a bit more presentable for going out, the pale young man grabbed a coat, knowing it was freezing outside despite the sunshine.



'I may as well go grocery shopping...' he thought as he got into his sleek black Mercedes and headed toward his usual shopping area.



XX



Naruto had the same idea, though what he was shopping for was completely different. He walked along the busy road, looking for an easy target. Someone with money; someone who would take him. He was rather well known in that area. Usually at night, but still. He didn’t think he’d have a hard time. While he had a bit of money, he wanted to make enough to buyout a shitty motel room for a few days while he went on his usual binge after seeing Orochimaru. He’d gotten enough to keep him high as a kite for at least four days and he planned to take advantage of it – provided he found a client.



He stopped as a car pulled over; it was an expensive, silver Lexus. Promising. The tinted window on the passenger side rolled down and Naruto recognized the man inside. Letting a grin slide onto his face, he sauntered up to it and leaned over so he could speak with the driver.



Sasuke made his way down the road slowly. Some stupid jerk feeling it necessarily to actually stay under the speed limit. He was about to consider going around the car quickly in the opposite lane when he spotted blond hair and a familiar ratty orange sweatshirt. No way...



Slowing down a bit, Sasuke forgot all about the asshole in front of him and watched as Naruto walked up to a car and leaned in.  



"God damn it..." he muttered before pulling off to the side a ways back from the car and got out. For a moment, he wondered what the hell he was doing. It was pure impulse that he was now walking toward the blonde and his mind was screaming at him, asking him to explain himself.



But he had no explanation as he grabbed the teen's hand and dragged the kid behind him, forcefully throwing Naruto against his car.  



"Get in..." was all he said, a dark look in his eyes.



“Hey, what the hell!” Naruto cried as he was suddenly grabbed and dragged behind someone. He tried to pull out of the grasp, but it was tight. Just when he was about to kick the guy or something, he caught site of the spiky, raven black hair. His stomach fluttered for a moment – until it was knocked out of him as he hit the car.



Grunting, the blond turned incredulous eyes on Sasuke. “What are you doing here? Why’d you grab me?! I was about to score some money!”



"Get in the god damn car..." Sasuke stayed strong, his eyes boring holes in Naruto's head, flickering for a moment to watch the car in front of them speed away.



Naruto watched as well, with a sinking feeling in his chest.



“Shit,” he muttered, turning back to glare at Sasuke. The look he was receiving was intimidating, to say the least. He shifted uncomfortable under the gaze before sighing. “Fine.” Opening the passenger door, he slid onto the seat and crossed his arms over his chest.



Sasuke went around to the other side and got in, locking the doors so the blonde wouldn't try anything stupid... like jumping out of a moving vehicle.  



It was silent for a couple blocks, Sasuke wondering what the hell he had just done. What was he supposed to do now? He got the kid from screwing someone for money, but now what?  



"So I'm guessing this is a normal thing you do?" he asked, his voice clipped, clearly not in the mood to be having a conversation but he forced himself to say something.



Naruto stared angrily out the window, watching the scenery flash by. It made him a little dizzy, but he didn’t care. He hadn’t moved from his position, fingers curling around his biceps, arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t even bother to put his seatbelt on.



“I do what I have to do,” he answered after a moment. “That would have given me enough money to have a roof over my head for a few days, thank you very much.”

"Stop being a little shit, it's only pissing me off even more." Sasuke's hands tightened on the steering wheel and he turned into the shopping center and parked in front of the grocery store. How ironic...



After turning off the engine, Sasuke sighed and dropped his hands to his lap. God damn it why was he doing this?



"Here..." he said gruffly, pulling out his wallet, taking out a couple hundreds. “That should keep you at a good hotel for about a week."



Naruto stared at the money that had been handed to him, his face blank. He just stared, with a million thoughts running through his mind.



“I can’t just take this,” he muttered quietly, holding out the money for Sasuke to take it back. “I would feel guilty for it, since I didn’t do anything to earn it… Unless…” He worried his bottom lip and turned his head towards Sasuke, eyeing him for a long moment. “Unless you let me earn it from you…”



Glaring, Sasuke shoved the money back into Naruto's hand. "Don't be stupid, I'm not about to let a kid blow me just to give him money. I'm not usually so nice, so just take the opportunity."



“I can’t,” Naruto shrugged. “That’s too much to just give me. I don’t deserve it. You were nice enough to buy me food yesterday; I’m not going to keep taking handouts from you without giving you something in return.” Unlocking the door, he opened it and stepped out. “Thanks, though. You really aren’t that bad a guy.” After shutting it, he turned in the direction they’d just come from and started walking.



Sasuke watched as the blonde made his way down the street and he could do nothing but glare after the idiot. Well that was fine, if he didn't want to accept help, then he wouldn't offer a third time. Sasuke didn't push people if they didn't want to listen to him or take his advice, it was their loss.



Putting the money away, Sasuke tried to push the homeless kid out of his mind as he made his way into the grocery store, his mood turned even worse.



Naruto sighed as he turned the corner and continued along the sidewalk. He’d half expected Sasuke to come after him. But of course that was stupid. The man didn’t care about him. The blonde’s stomach twisted as he found himself back in the same spot he’d been earlier. Only now, he didn’t feel the desire to find someone to take the place of the ‘client’ he’d lost. Sighing, he leaned up against the wall and slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he tried to figure out what to do with himself.

 

TBC