Won't Let You Go

Chapter Three Theme Song: Hate (I Really Don’t Like You) by Plain White T’s

Author’s Note: Holy delay of anti-doldrumism, Sogeking! I am SO sorry it has taken me this long to update! I have no worthy excuse for this other than my own lethargic posterior. Well…I have been going through this art phase and filling up my sketchbook as opposed to my notebook recently. And the fact that I had the hardest time with Sakura’s character (she’s going to be OOC, no matter what I try…as well as the rest of the cast). But that doesn’t really explain the rest of the months before that. If anyone feels the need to throw tomatoes at me as punishment, then I will humbly bend over and take it like a (wo)man.

And finally, for anyone who is not familiar with Japanese (or a One Piece fan) the word ‘heso’ means bellybutton. In my personal (and not needed) opinion, everyone should be a One Piece fan. And a Tanya Huff fan. But let’s not go there right now.


Chapter Three

It was morning.

Of this, Naruto was aware, but could really care less. Not when his head was pounding and his stomach felt like it was threatening to lead a revolt at the mere thought of ‘What’s for breakfast?’

If he was one to drink, Naruto would have assumed this was a hangover, but he never drank to such a point. No, it had to be his dream carrying over into reality.

A dream that involved Nutcrackers in a drum line with laser beams for eyes, taking down a giant roast turkey the size of Godzilla who was destroying all of Paris while attempting to do the chicken dance.

Naruto had been doing his part to save the world by trying to eat as much as the turkey as he could, despite it being extremely dry. This would explain why he felt like he had cotton balls in his mouth. And those drums were really annoying, which would explain the headache. He felt sore as well…The stupid turkey had kicked him after realizing it was being eaten.

Ugh, reality sucked. He didn’t feel this bad in the dream.

And so, to save himself from the mutinous course his body seemed so keen on taking, he allowed his eyes to remain shut as he snuggled deeper into a warmth that felt good enough to be called his Saving Grace.

In the distance he could hear voices, and luckily they were low and spoke in comforting tones that seemed to ward off the drums, so Naruto decided they could be Saving Graces as well while his slowly waking conscious tuned in to what they were saying.

“Do you suppose he’s Sakura-chan?”

“Kakashi, don’t even joke like that!”

“What? People with unusual names pop up all the time. Do I really need to remind you of Heso-kun?”

“Ugh. Please don’t. The very mentioning of that boy gives me ulcers…”

A light chuckle. “Yes, I suppose it would, considering what he put you through for Naruto’s sake…So! Do you perhaps have a better explanation of what we’re seeing?”

Yay, his senseis were here.

Vaguely, Naruto wondered what they were looking at. Heso-kun was in jail, the last he heard, so what was the point of bringing him up? His Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei always seemed to hold conversations and debates over some of the weirdest things…

“I’m sure Naruto has a perfectly logical explanation that he’ll provide once he wakes up.”

What was there to explain? The place was clean, he hadn’t brought home any stray animals…Heh, unless they were counting Sasuke as a stray an...ima...l…

Holy crap, his senseis were here!

Naruto’s eyes snapped open, only to immediately squeeze shut at how bright the room was.

Damn you, Sun, and your blinding…early morning…bright…abilities!

Groaning, the blond opened his eyes again – slowly this time – only to freeze in shock.

Partially blocking his view was a pale, slender arm that felt as if it were holding him.

Holding him against a warm, solid body, that very distinctly lacked the soft, pillowy mounds known as breasts.

Oh no.

Oh no. Oh no no nononononono! This is not happening! This is not happening! This is not…

Naruto cautiously looked up to be presented with the last face he wanted to see in this situation.

Oh God. This is happening.

Completely horrified, he shot up and scrambled to the other end of the couch; an action that caused Sasuke to scowl and crack one eye open to glare at the source of his rude awakening. Not everyone appreciated being ripped from their slumber by an elbow in the gut.

“Ah, they’re awake.”

Sasuke was fully alert in an instant at the voice, his body struggling to panic while the more rational part of his mind attempted to straighten his clothes and sit up at the same time, which resulted in him catapulting himself back and over the arm of the couch, only to land on the hardwood floor on his neck and elbow.

“Kakashi-sensei! Iruka-sensei!” he heard Naruto squeak. “Er…I’ll go make some tea!”

Sasuke blinked as hurried footsteps informed him of the blonde’s quick departure to the kitchen, leaving him alone to deal with the guests.

So these men were Naruto’s senseis? Extracting himself from the floor with as much dignity as he had left, the Uchiha took a moment to examine the two before him.

The darker male had hair long enough to be tied back in a ponytail and a scar that ran horizontally over the bridge of his nose. The other one with the silver hair had an eye patch (a freaking eye patch!) that partially hid a long, thin scar that ran down over the covered eye. Both were dressed casually enough, but that did little to curb Sasuke’s growing apprehension.

Good God. ‘Senseis?’ These guys looked more like they were yakuza! Or bodyguards! …Or assassins!!

“So…I take it you’re not Sakura-chan?” the one with the eye patch asked lightheartedly.

Or incompetent morons. “No.”

“Ah. Are you Naruto’s mistress, then?”

Sasuke frowned. Perhaps the one eye had poor vision? “I’m a man.”

“Sorry. His mastress?”

His left eye twitched. “I’m his business partner.”

“Oh, is that what they’re calling it these days?” The seriousness in which the statement was said was punctuated with a washcloth flying through the air and smacking the older man in the face.

“Perverted idiot,” Naruto grumbled as he re-entered the living room, pants buttoned and shirt closed for the most part. “Uhm…I don’t have any tea.”

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He could have told the moron that.

“So, what are you guys doing here? I thought I was picking you up from the airport at…” the blond trailed off as he looked at the clock. “…Oh. Oops.”

“Yes, well, luckily we took your punctuality into account and went ahead and ordered a cab after we tried calling you to see why you were late; only to get some barely intelligible, mumbled response before being hung up on,” the darker male said, attempting to smile through the tic mark that had appeared on his forehead.

Naruto blinked. Odd, he didn’t recall hearing the phone ringing, let alone answering it. Looking over, he spotted his cell lying on the coffee table close to where Sasuke had been sleeping. With a frown, Naruto noticed that the Uchiha was looking rather sheepish.

The blonde’s mouth fell open. “You hung up on my senseis?!?” he exclaimed, quickly jumping to some thoroughly scandalizing conclusions.

“The stupid thing wouldn’t stop ringing!” Sasuke defended. “You’ve got the world’s most annoying ring tone and you wouldn’t answer the damn phone, so I took matters into my own hands!”

“By hanging up on my SENSEIS?!?” The volume went up. “And I’ll have you know Ice Ice Baby makes the PERFECT ring tone!”

“Not when it plays the same damn chorus line over and over like a broken record. It’s irritating,” Sasuke argued.

“So you decided to show your irritation by hanging up on my senseis!” Naruto accused hotly.

“No! I showed my irritation by answering the phone to make that infernal noise stop! It’s hardly my fault I don’t function well before I’ve had my coffee,” Sasuke stated stubbornly, looking off to the side.

“Now, now, children,” the man with the eye patch gently interrupted. “All’s well that ends well. Iruka and I made it here in one piece, and that’s what really matters, right?”

Naruto and Sasuke petulantly grumbled in agreement.

A moment of (only slightly) awkward silence followed as Sasuke had to remind himself that he was, in fact, an adult now, and not the six year old that Naruto tended to bring out in him. Clearing his throat, he moved around the coffee table and offered his hand. “Uchiha Sasuke,” he said in way of introducing himself.

The darker male gladly accepted the greeting. “Ah, Sasuke, we’ve definitely heard a lot about you. I’m Umino Iruka, Naruto’s old teacher and foster father of sorts, and this is Hatake Kakashi, Naruto’s…well…” Iruka trailed off; trying to think of the closest labeling equivalent he could give his friend.

“I’m his old probation officer,” Kakashi said with a smile.

“WHAT! Don’t tell Sasuke that!” Naruto exploded indignantly. “He’ll get the wrong idea about me!” The blond turned to Sasuke, pointing an accusing finger at his other ‘sensei.’ “That man was not my probation officer.”

“Really? Then who was your probation officer, dobe?”

Naruto took a moment to sputter and turn red. “I never had one, teme!”

“And thank God for that!” Iruka stated proudly, ruffling Naruto’s hair in a father to son type gesture – something that didn’t quite work, considering the blond was several inches taller than his teacher. “Every time you forget to call me, I get so scared that something might have happened. But now that you have a woman to watch over you, I won’t have to worry so much.”

Naruto offered an oversized grin as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “Yeah…uhm…”

“Speaking of, when will we get to see Miss Sakura?” Iruka asked jovially. “I’m not leaving town until I meet her.”

Naruto averted his eyes, his smile disappearing as if it had never been there in the first place. Here it was, the moment of truth.

With shaky limbs and sweaty palms, he opened his mouth. “U-uhm…A-actually-”

“If I remember correctly, she’s open for lunch around one.”

Three heads turned to look at the young, pale businessman, all asking (in varying degrees of politeness) ‘How the hell would you know?’

Sasuke blinked and did some very quick thinking. “Oh, er, Naruto didn’t tell you?”

Didn’t tell them what? Didn’t tell them what?!?

“I’m Sakura’s…”

Her what? Brother? Step brother? Cousin?

No, the Uchiha lineage is too well known for made-up close relatives.

What about made-up distant relatives? No, that’s just lame. And obviously a lie.

Ex-lover? What kind of pathetic loser knows his ex-girlfriend’s lunch schedule?

Old friends?

“…best friend.”

Looks of understanding so complete they bordered dawning comprehension caused Sasuke to come to a horrible conclusion.

Congratulations, idiot, you just labeled yourself as the gay coworker.

“Oh,” Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. “So then it was through you that they met?”

“Why…yes! As a matter of fact, that’s exactly right,” Sasuke agreed, doing his best to make it not look like he was making it up as he went along.

“Really?” Iruka was now looking at the young Uchiha as if he were the greatest thing since sliced bread. “Then I must thank you for introducing Naruto to such a wonderful person!”

If Sasuke wasn’t so used to people bowing this low before him in thanks (and apology), he would have taken an uncomfortable step back.

“It is good to know that he has someone he cares about to look out for him,” Kakashi agreed, refraining from bowing in gratitude like his counterpart.

This statement seemed to break Naruto out of his attempt to drill a hole in his partner’s skull via shocked stare. “Hey! I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, you know,” he pouted, causing Sasuke to snort.

“So says the idiot who got himself piss drunk last night,” the paler man couldn’t help but mutter.

“As said by the ‘business partner’ who was sleeping under you, no less,” Kakashi goaded.

Sasuke shot an icy look towards the silver-haired man.

Apparently, underneath the teasing, laidback attitude was someone who didn’t like seeing his little Naruto being made fun of.

Maybe they really were yakuza and Naruto was the boss’ son, trying to estrange himself from his criminal roots. That certainly would explain the blonde’s desperation to make it on his own…

…Or maybe Sasuke had been hanging around Naruto too long and was reading too deeply into this and the guy just didn’t like the idea of a potentially gay man waking up under his old student. Now was NOT the time to be developing an over-active imagination.

Attempting to plaster a smile on his face, Sasuke put the man’s fears to rest. “Don’t worry. I don’t believe in pursuing relationships at work.”

Kakashi failed to look convinced.

“And he has a boyfriend!” Naruto put in helpfully, ignoring the way his partner’s head slowly turned towards him, a look of death frozen on his features. “Yeah, they’re always on the phone during business hours and going out on dates…His name is Kiba!”

Ha! Divine retribution, bitches! Uzumaki style!

Sasuke could almost see the victory dance going on in his coworker’s head. When this was over, the idiot was sooooo dead.

“So, where are you staying?” he asked, deciding it best to switch subjects before Naruto could dig them both into an even deeper hole.

“At the Konoha Inn,” Iruka answered. “If you boys can, we should definitely meet up for lunch.” He turned to leave with Kakashi following. “And bring Sakura! We can’t wait to meet her!”

“Wait, you guys are leaving already?” Naruto asked, moving forward as if to stop them. “But you just got here! I still need to make tea!”

“You don’t have any tea,” Sasuke reminded.

“Coffee, then!” Naruto shot back.

“No, our taxi is waiting out front for us. We only stopped by to make sure you were okay since you missed picking us up…” Iruka trailed off as he noticed Naruto wasn’t listening. Instead, it appeared as if the boy was locked in what could only be described as a glaring contest with Sasuke.

Kakashi leaned sideways. “Do you think they do this often?” he whispered to Iruka.

“Er…boys?”

Both heads snapped to attention, glares tucked away as if they hadn't been there on full blast a mere second ago; nothing but amicable looks in their wake.

Taking comfort in realizing they didn’t truly hate each other as much as they obviously enjoyed pretending, Iruka continued. “Once we’re settled in, we’ll look at some of the restaurants nearby and call you once we figure out a good place to eat. Make sure your cell phone’s charged, on, and with you so we can get a hold of you.”

“It’s always charged, on, and with me, Iruka-sensei. You don’t have to keep reminding me.”

“If he didn’t always remind you, would you even remember in the first place?” Kakashi asked as he slipped on his shoes.

The slight pause before the answer was more than enough for Sasuke to pounce on. “No, he wouldn’t. I had to buy him a car charger so he could charge the thing on our way to meetings and such.” All this was said with the nicest of smiles on his face.

Naruto, at this point, could do little more than smile back, despite the large vein now prominently throbbing on his forehead.

To their credit, Naruto and Sasuke managed to keep the friendly grins on their faces for all of two seconds after the goodbyes were said and the door clicked shut before rounding on one another.

“What the hell?!?” Naruto exploded, arms waving about dramatically in extreme anger. “It’s not bad enough I have to tell them I was lying, but now you want to rub it in my face by having Sakura-chan present? Teme! That’s lower than low! That’s like scum under my shoe, let’s kick him while he’s down and spit in his face low!”

“Excuse me, I-!”

“Well, let me tell you something, Mr. High and Mighty! I’ve met street thugs with more respect than you!”

“You what?”

“Yeah, that’s right! I-”

“No! Stop it! I don’t want to know!”

“Well, you’re going to find out anyways, asshole!”

“I was doing you a favor, dobe!”

“A favor! HA!”

“Yes, moron, a favor! You know, those things people do when they’re trying to be nice! And you choose to thank me by confirming your senseis’ suspicions and turn me into a homosexual! And not just any homosexual, but a KIBA homosexual!” Sasuke was completely offended, if not thoroughly grossed out. “I’m never saving your shit from hitting the fan ever again!”

Naruto hesitated, feeling as if he had missed an important bit of information. “…What?”

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke continued in a much calmer tone. “Look, if it will stop you from quitting and keep Shikamaru and all the other higher ups off my back and pinning your unexpected resignation as my fault, then I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to loan you my girlfriend for a few days.”

The blond was touched. Really, he was! But…

“Er…weeks…”

Sasuke paused. “What?”

“They’re, uh, they’re going to be here for two weeks,” Naruto offered a sheepish smile as the numerous tic marks from last night reappeared on Sasuke’s forehead.

“Fine,” the Uchiha gritted out. “A few weeks then.”

“…Really?” Naruto could hardly stop the hope from rising in his chest. “But – won’t Sakura be against this? I mean, when she has her say-”

“Don’t worry about Sakura. I’ll deal with her,” Sasuke cut in.

Naruto drew back as if insulted. “Oh sure, you’ll deal with her,” he grumped, crossing his arms as his entire stance took on a sarcastic manner.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re going to tell her everything and she’s going to come after me and put me in the hospital for the rest of my life because death would be too merciful!”

Sasuke couldn’t help but be mildly impressed with that line.

“Why can’t you just let me move to the Bahamas and tell everyone I’m on an early honeymoon or something?” Naruto pleaded.

“Because there’s about a million flaws in that plan, dobe.” Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “Look, you focus on keeping the story you’ve told me straight and I’ll talk to Sakura. I promise she won’t hurt you when this is over.”

Naruto continued to harbor doubts as Sasuke moved to put his shoes on. “Yeah, but, will she agree?”

“I might owe her a few dinners and random gifts, but I’m sure she will. Just remember to call me when you find out where lunch will happen.”

Sasuke was about to let himself out, but stopped as he noticed his partner standing there, his lack of confidence making him look even meeker than Hinata. “Hey, everything will turn out okay. You know that, right?” Sasuke offered, feeling a tug at his heartstring much like it usually did with their secretary. “It always does whenever you’re involved, dobe.”

The blond grinned weakly. “Yeah, I guess.”

Satisfied, Sasuke left the apartment and made his way towards the elevator, praying he was right in his reassurances. It shouldn’t be that hard to persuade Sakura to do this favor for him since he never asked her for much.

…Hopefully.

Doodle-eh-doo! Doodle-eh-doo! Doodle-eh-doo!

“You…want me to…what?”

Sasuke grimaced at his girlfriend’s tone. At least she hadn’t gone flying off the handle at the request. However, this mature and calm tone wasn't doing much for his nerves, either.

“You sound like I’ve just dealt you the death sentence.”

“You did. I really don’t think I can agree to this.”

The business cursed under his breath as a sleek yellow sports car cut him off. “Why not?”

Sakura huffed, believing the tone was directed at her. “Well, in case you haven’t noticed, most self-respecting women don’t appreciate being loaned out to other men by their boyfriends. And to Naruto of all people! I thought you were better than this, Sasuke! That’s why I’ve liked you since middle school!”

“I’m not loaning you out!” Sasuke argued. “I’m…” loaning you out. Damn. “Look, you know how much I respect you and your feelings and your heart. They’re all part of the reason I started dating you in the first place. And because you’re beautiful.” He winced, hoping that last part didn’t sound too much like an afterthought. “And you know I would never dream of asking you to do something like this, but Naruto has gotten himself into one hell of a rough spot and is trying to not only leave Yondaime but Konoha as well because of it.”

“Why? What happened? Did he borrow money from the wrong people? Is he in trouble with the law?” A gasp. “Did he get some poor girl pregnant?”

Sasuke wondered if he should be comforted by the fact that he and his girlfriend thought along the same lines or feel sorry for Naruto since others assumed the same scenarios about him. “No, he has these senseis who are in town and they look like some really shady characters. He told them he was engaged, so now they want to meet the lucky girl.” Sasuke was wise enough to have left out the bit of information on Naruto having already designating Sakura as said ‘lucky girl.’ After all, embellishing the truth a little never hurt anyone.

He paused and mentally snorted realizing that had probably been the dobe’s train of thought when he went and got himself into this whole mess in the first place. “I don’t think we want to know what will happen if they find out he’s lying…”

“So you’re going along with this scheme out of concern for Naruto’s safety?” Sakura questioned dubiously.

“Concern for his mortal safety, yes,” Sasuke corrected, hoping the imminent threat of death would be enough to hit the soft spot in his girlfriend’s heart with the man she considered the last standing barrier between them in their relationship.

How Naruto had earned such a title, he had no idea. Didn’t most girlfriends dislike their boyfriend’s jobs if it took time away from them and not the employees involved?

“You obviously aren’t that concerned for his mortal safety if you’re so casually asking me to do this. God, a part of me wants to kill the little cretin. Or better yet, put him in the hospital for life because death would be too good for him.”

Okay, Sakura thinking along the same lines as Naruto was a little creepy, if not downright disturbing.

“Come on, sweetie.” Yes, it was definitely time to lay it on thick. “If we lose Naruto, the company will suffer. Do this for me and I’ll definitely owe you one…or a dozen.”

The pink-haired woman’s resolve instantly crumbled at ‘sweetie.’ It was rare (if not a cold day in hell) when her boyfriend used pet names. Well, that and the fact that Sasuke’s company would be involved – something the young Uchiha took very seriously.

…And would probably mope around for months over if things truly did go down the drain. Not exactly a guilt trip Sakura was willing to take considering the Uchiha traits that would be involved in the consequences.

“Well…just what exactly are we talking about here?”

Sasuke sighed in relief as he stopped for a red light. “It’s not like I’m asking you to sign your life over to him or anything. Just hold his hand, send him gooey looks, give him a quick peck once in a while to make it seem like you’re in love with him; keep it all discreet, and in two weeks it’ll all be over and no one will have to know what happened.”

“You want me to kiss him?”

“Oh for the love of–” The same car cut him off a second time as the light turned green and forced him to slam on his brakes. “Look, if he quits, I’ll not only be blamed for it, but for the huge hit the company will take in the loss of accounts that will likely result as well. So far, we’ve been lucky that Naruto is such an idiot and hasn’t realized he could easily go solo, but if enough people complain-”

“Okay, okay, I get it. Geez. Naruto’s a popular guy. No need for you to get all jealous and panic over it. You’re still number one in my book,” Sakura interrupted, far too familiar with her boyfriend’s rant.

He never came to her with his problems, often choosing to clam up and brood instead. However, when the problem had anything to do with his blond partner, Sasuke could go on for hours, not really caring if anyone was listening or not.

“I am not jealous of-”

It was true. The pink haired woman once reluctantly left the room to take a phone call from her mother, only to return twenty minutes later to see Sasuke still going at it. That day had carried a revelation for Sakura. She learned that she didn’t have to hang on to her boyfriend’s every word, and it was always in her best interest to cut him off before he used up his minutes and ran up his phone bill…again.

“So when is this lunch date? The sooner it happens the sooner I can scrub the skin off my body and do it all over again.”

Sasuke’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “I don’t know – he hasn’t called me yet. It’s supposed to be around one; we’re just figuring out a location.”

His girlfriend merely “hmm"ed in response.

“Relax. I’ll take you someplace nice when this is all over,” Sasuke reassured, knowing this would take some heavy reconciliation in the end.

“Really?” The perk was instantly heard in the woman’s voice. “Like…on a vacation?”

“A vaca-?” Sasuke mentally winced. Actually, he had been thinking more along the lines of dinner at Akimichi and going to see one of Sasori’s infamous plays when they came to town. But then again, he was loaning out his girlfriend, something no respectable man should be doing in the first place. “You read my mind. A vacation. To…er…”

“Italy? Oh! Or maybe France? Oooh, can we tour Europe?”

Europe? Shit. His brother was in Europe. Europe was currently a place he wanted to avoid at all costs. “Uhm…”

“Oh my gosh! I’ve got to go, I’m late for class!” the change in Sakura’s tone indicated her sudden increase in her pace as she broke into a jog. “But send me a text after you hear from Naruto, if he hasn’t bailed town already.”

Sasuke's eyes widened at the very thought.

“-ove you!”

Not even hearing the ending message, he began to fume as his car gained speed.

That dobe better not have left town after all this trouble he was going through. No, if anything, Naruto was definitely reliable. Hell, the idiot tended to work better when in a pinch.

So what if this was some personal crisis that had driven the blond to drink and attempt to quit his job with absolutely no prior notice! He would have faith in his partner.

…Even if it made him the fool in the end.


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I want to take a quick minute to THANK YOU for all the well-rounded reviews I’ve been receiving so far! I love reading everyone’s thoughts on each chapter! It helps me not only try harder, but fix potential plot holes and the like. Plus it’s just plain fun to read long reviews. They make me feel super special awesome to the puberty power max!

But seriously, though. Good reviews really do help me out. Out of all the stories I’ve ever written, this has to be the one that I’ve been pouring the most effort into. And I can truthfully say that it’s because so many intelligent readers are taking the time to drop a line.

And to the lurkers, I’m grateful to you, too! I’m often more of a reader than a reviewer myself (yes, shame on me), and I understand it often takes one hell of a story to bring us out of simply reading into the world of offering our opinion (unless we’re feeling unusually generous). But if I didn’t have any readers in the first place, what would be the point of trying to share this story with the world?

So thank you everyone for reading and so awesomely reviewing! You guys take my excitement levels through the roof!
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