Irreplacable

12-ennaiY gave me an idea about the picture scene at the end...i hope you like the way i incorporated it. It was a great idea.

KiaraNxiar brought up this discrepancy in the story where i said the whole week had been bad for Sasuke in the first chapter and said Arashi had died the day before yesterday in the last chapter...Well there were some things in that week which weren't good for Sasuke thus making it hell even before Arashi died...so you'll have to wait and see. I'll explain it soon enough. :) Yeah so that was incase anyone else had a doubt. thank you for reviewing. Reviews (equal) inspiration so please review.

Chapter 3:

The chair fell with a thud as Sasuke almost leaped from it. He stared at Kakashi… “What did you just say?”

Kakashi repeated everything more slowly. “Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke must here forth, live together in any one of his houses. In case they fail to do so, all his companies will directly become the property of his hated rival Sannin Orochimaru. It was his last wish Sasuke…”

The dark haired man seemed to have stopped listening. He was lost in the memory of the last conversation he had, had with Arashi. No! Arashi, you idiot! A hand caught his shoulder and Sasuke found himself looking into Naruto’s blue eyes which held a faint tinge of concern through shock. He brushed the hand off fast and turned.

He wanted to leave them all. He grabbed his coat and ran out to the lake down the block. The running helped get rid of anger and sorrow he felt. He knelt at the edge of the lake and punched the ground hard. “Arashi, you idiot! It isn’t like that! You left without hearing what I had to say!” he wasn’t yelling, but wasn’t very quiet either. He’d never known how much Arashi had understood him until the moment he’d died.

Sasuke had been standing by Arashi in the ICU. They’d let him in as he was the man’s lover. He was going haywire with worry. The doctors said they didn’t even know if Arashi was going to wake up, they couldn’t tell if he was going to recover. A feeble cough, made him turn to see blue eyes…faded blue eyes looking at him.

“Sasuke…” Arashi’s voice was no more than a rasp. “I’m…dying…”

Sasuke opened his mouth to protest only to be stopped by a hand that was tiredly raised. “Let me say this Sasuke…you love Naruto…” the dark haired man’s eyes had widened. “But Sasuke, I knew it the moment we slept together on Naruto’s wedding night…I should have let you go when Naruto got divorced…but I loved you too much. Well now you can be with him…keep him happy Sasuke…tell him I love him…I love you too…I’m fading too fast…” Arashi’s fingers had briefly tightened around the stricken man’s fingers before they slackened completely.

The doctors came running in at the sound of Sasuke’s frantic yelling. They’d looked at him in sorrow. “Uchiha-san…I’m sorry…”

Sasuke brushed a hand against his eyes. He’d never thought Arashi would have actually taken measures to make sure he and Naruto were together. It hurt that he didn’t have the time to say everything he wanted to. He had no way out of this arrangement…any way of just staying away from Naruto and never letting those other feelings surface. His love for Arashi had taken precedence, slowly eating away at what he’d felt for Naruto and now he’d have to go through all that again.

Arashi had made him rich again…But Sasuke had no need for that money now…he’d always painted or done art so he could sell it and contribute when he and Arashi went out. He turned on to his back and just lay there, letting the tears seep out from the corners of his eyes…they were falling…he wasn’t crying. He couldn’t believe it was only a week ago that they had come here for a moonlit picnic with the neighbours Asuma and Kurenai. Lying there alone on the back showed Sasuke just how much he’d lost, he was alone. Naruto and he didn’t get along anymore; it would take ages to build up their friendship again…

“Sasuke?”

Dark eyes looked at Naruto as he took a seat by Sasuke. He never asked before he did something…Naruto hadn’t changed in that aspect. “What?”

“Dunno….”

Sasuke turned and raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know why you’re here?”

“Teme! Well I just thought I’d see if you were okay…I mean…of course you wouldn’t be, but you know it’s just a term…” Naruto looked out at the calm waters of the lake…it was nice this lake…with all the grass and just that kiddie fence to keep the children out.

“Hn…I don’t want to live with you…”

Naruto snorted. “You really think I want to live with you? I mean yeah we were friends once…” he stopped, not wanting to fight now. “But we have no choice. I’ll be damned if I let that snake Orochimaru get his hands on dad’s stuff!”

“I hate him. He looks at me funny…” it was funny that Orochimaru was brought up in the same family as Sannin Jiraiya, who Arashi loved working with. The Sannin siblings were children adopted into the wealthy Sannin household from different orphanages. While Jiraiya was fun, Orochimaru was completely loathsome. He hated his brother because he had wanted Tsunade, Jiraiya’s wife. He was also creepy.

“Glad we got that cleared. So where do you want to stay?”

“I don’t know…I like this lake. We could get another house somewhere close by….or just stay where I’m staying now.”

Naruto pondered over that for a while. “You…if we stay where you’re staying…” he bit his lip. “Will it hurt you?”

Sasuke felt a jab of pain and turned it into irritation. “Having another blond who looks just like my dead lover in the house I shared with him will be a walk in the park…of course it hurts!”

“It was a question and you bloody suggested it!”

Sasuke frowned and looked away. Then he turned to see Naruto’s hurt face. “Look…I’m sorry. This is just extremely hard okay? I know it’s hard for you too…but this isn’t a good time to talk. I’m going back in. I need to get some sleep.”

Naruto watched the man walk away and sighed. They were just going to squabble anyway! What was the point in staying together? What had his dad been thinking? He tore open the letter Arashi had written.

Dear Naruto,

My son, it’s been a long time since we saw each other. The fact that you are reading this means we won’t be seeing each other anymore. I know you were very angry at me for taking your best friend as my lover. I can understand how repugnant it might seem to you. But son, you refused to listen to the circumstances. There were certain circumstances under which this happened and I’d been hoping to sort this out before I left for good.

Kakashi will have told you of my wish for you and Sasuke to live together. He’s the most important thing in my life, so please care for him like he’s the most important thing in yours. I’m sorry all this had to happen Naru. Why it happened, is Sasuke’s story to tell…if he ever does. When he does Naru, think of it in his shoes…don’t judge him.

I had you and you had me all through our lives, but Sasuke didn’t have anyone. His family haven’t contact him since we made our relationship known. He’s had a worse time than you have, so please help him live. I can’t help but wonder if he’ll smile again, so make him smile, Naruto. You need to win back your friendship…don’t throw it away. Your leaving hurt us all, so I won’t talk of it more.

I love you, son. I wish it hadn’t ended without us making up, but I’ll always love you and I know you love me. Though what happened with Hinata was a mistake, don’t let it deter you…just reach for the stars, Naru. Be happy because that’s what life is all about and teach Sasuke that. Ja na

Love

Dad

Naruto blinked back tears. Folding the note he put it into his pocket. The moment he brought his treasure box here it would go into that. Tomorrow he would see if he and Sasuke could find a house close to this lake. Day after they’d see if they could make it work.

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Arashi had wanted to be cremated. A huge crowd turned up at the crematorium. People gave Naruto and Sasuke their condolences by the dozen. It was a whole three hours before they could get away. In the last three days, they’d scored the papers in search of a nice house. The lake wasn’t very big and they’d found a house on the other side of it. Kakashi who had looked through it said it would do perfectly.

The movers had all ready moved everything to it. All Naruto and Sasuke had to do was arrange things. They hadn’t even seen it before. Naruto looked at Sasuke who looked pale and tired.

“Come on, let’s go. Anything you’ve left behind?”

“No.” Sasuke’s head suddenly went up and his eyes shown with determination. “No I haven’t left anything behind.” Arashi…goodbye. I’ll take care of your assets, don’t worry about it. Ja na…

He got into the passenger seat and looked out at the smoke billowing out of the chimney high above the building one last time. Then he looked straight ahead. “Let’s go, Naruto.”

The blond glanced at him, before driving out of the parking lot. It took them another forty five minutes to reach the house. Naruto liked what he saw. It was a nice white house with four acres of land around it. Thankfully there were no walls around it juts a low fence. A path from the garden led straight to the lake. “What do you think?”

“Nice…but I’d like to see the inside.”

They walked in through the front door which was flanked by two pretty gardens on either side. The garden on the right (while walking towards the door) had a small iron and glass table with a beach umbrella, to have tea or dinner outside. There was a living room to the right of the door, with large window that stopped a foot above the floor. Their furniture had been arranged perfectly, huge leather couch and two arm chairs, wrought iron furniture, a beautiful red and gold fire dragon oriental rug, a few silk cushions thrown around. The plasma screen TV on a wall with wrought iron shelves to hold up the two speakers, in the middle of the rug was a rectangular wrought iron and glass coffee table, with a newspaper rack below it.

The carpeting was a sandy cream colour that went well with the look. A little way to the left across from the door a bit away from the living room was the dining room. Again I was a wrought ion and glass table with pretty wrought iron and black leather chairs. And to the far left of the door was the huge kitchen. The kitchen counter was a huge slab of black granite and cabinets lined one part of the wall. The cooking range was a nice one with the step stove (two on top and two on the bottom) on either side were shelves for the spoons and other utensils. There were also French windows leading out to the garden and a back door leading to the pool at the backyard. The living room also had a French window facing the pool.

They went upstairs. There was a long corridor and four rooms upstairs. The room at the end of the corridor was the games room, with the billiards and table tennis tables, as well as a few other games. The room before that was the guest bedroom. Sasuke had chosen the room second from the corridor and Naruto got the first, they were more or less opposite anyway.

“The gym is downstairs… and the pool is in the backyard.” Naruto stretched. “We could also have horses if you wanted or a pet maybe?”

Sasuke nodded. “So that about staff? The cook said she’ll be leaving. She’d told Arashi before, so I’m going to have to let her go. Kotetsu can act as secretary to both of us since we’ll anyway have one at the companies. All we need is maybe two maids, a gardener or maybe two and a day time housekeeper? We can take turns cooking our meals…we don’t really need a cook. If you don’t mind I’d like all the staff to leave by night.”

Naruto nodded. “No problem. Now what about getting some take out?”

“Pizza…”

Naruto nodded. He frowned when Sasuke just sat down and watched TV. Dusk was falling outside. Naruto ordered a double cheese pizza with some pepperoni…it was funny how he remembered Sasuke’s taste. Sasuke loved vegetables but not on his pizza. Then he sat down on the far end of the couch next to Sasuke, who’d turned on some art channel and was intently watching it. The air of gloom refused to disappear but hung there like a boring guest who no one could get rid of.

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Kakashi sighed as he sat with his friends. Iruka, Raidou, Anko, Gai, Arashi’s secretary Kotetsu, his boyfriend Izumo who also worked in the Uzumaki household, Asuma and Kurenai Arashi’s neighbours and friends. Arashi, Naruto and Sasuke had never treated the staff like staff outside of working hours so they were all a big group of friends. Though Arashi had been the oldest of the lot at forty three and Sasuke had been the youngest at twenty four.

“So how’s it going?” Kurenai asked. “It’s a weird decision for Arashi to make.”

“Well for the past four days they’ve been avoiding each other. Sasuke doesn’t eat…well he only eats because Naruto nags him about it night and day. They had a very huge fight yesterday during lunch. Sasuke said a few hurtful things so their back to avoiding each other.” Kotetsu sighed.

“Well and they have finally decided on getting someone to manage the house…it’s a guy…” Izumo grinned. “Well, that’s a relief since we’ve been spending hours shuttling between the two of them for orders but they keep sending us to the other.” His grin dropped. “I wonder what it would take for them to get back to being friends.”

Kakashi nodded. “There’s this whole secret behind having them live together…I think Arashi wanted to get them together…”

“Kakashi!” Anko screwed up her face. “Sasuke was Naruto’s father’s lover! Why would Arashi want his son to become his lover’s lover?? I mean it’s like falling for your step mother!”

“No…” Kotetsu answered even before Kakashi could. “It isn’t that simple. You see the whole reason Sasuke became Arashi’s lover was because he was in love with Naruto. I was there…I mean Sasuke loved Naruto for years. But the blond had no idea and he went off and got married. Arashi invited Sasuke to spend the night, but somehow they ended up sleeping together…then Naruto came back and refused to listen because he was so angry. Maybe Arashi knew and he sees his as a way to get them together and make it work…after all if it does happen we shouldn’t be judging them…”

“You mean to say Sasuke just used Arashi because he looked like Naruto?” Asuma asked with a frown and a cold tone of voice. “I wouldn’t have thought he’d stoop to such a level.”

“No…it started out like that, but then I fell in love with him…” came a cold voice. Everyone froze, before turning to look at the person standing behind them. It was Sasuke wearing a black jacket with what looked like crushed take out bags.

“Sasuke! We didn’t see you here…” Kurenai began a little brightly.

“I’m aware of that. I was passing by and I thought I’d say hello…but obviously it wasn’t needed.” He turned around his head held high. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t discuss this…it’s our business not yours.” He walked out, his bangs hiding his face. He’d been there since Kakashi came up with the theory and it hurt to see his ‘friends’ discussing this like Saturday night gossip.

Kakashi slammed his fist against the table. “Shit!”

Asuma swallowed. “He’s right…”

“Knowing Sasuke, we just made an enemy…I mean he won’t throw me out or anything, but I just made my job more awkward…” Kotetsu looked at the ground.

“Maybe this was good in a way…” Iruka started earning glares from everyone else. “No…I mean…he’ll make other friends now, ones he can hang with younger people his own age. I mean we’re all forty years and above…we love him, but he needs to hang with people his own age…”

“Some how I doubt he’ll talk to anyone now.”

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Sasuke entered the house fast and flung the bags of food onto the table. His friends…his own friends thought that way when they found out the truth. Naruto would hate him…and hate him from the core of his heart. He couldn’t take this anymore. Everyone thought he had used Arashi…in the beginning he had, but now…now when it hurt the most everyone just acted like things were okay! He ran up to his room, brushing past a puzzled Naruto in a hurry.

Shutting the door behind him he crumpled against it. Why did everything have to go wrong like this? Why couldn’t Arashi have just stayed that day instead of going to work? Even his friends didn’t wan him…the frown on Asuma's face had been horrible to see. Stoop to such a level… that’s what he’d said. But I did…I did stoop to that level…he moved to stand by the bed, moving around helped a bit right now.

Though hurt and self hatred were a part of he motions he faced now, anger was a large part to. They don’t know! They don’t know what happened…Kotetsu only saw a bit of it…he doesn’t know! How dare they sit and talk about it and judge me?

He punched the wall next to his bed hard. That made him feel better, so he just imagined he was hitting every one of them as he continued. He didn’t care that his hands was hurting and that the small table next to his bed was shaking, one more hard punch and the vase on the table along with a picture of him and Arashi fell with a resounding crash. Sasuke stopped and looked down. He dropped to his knees and began to pick up the frame.

It was a picture of him and Arashi on one of their morning afters, Arashi had snapped a pic as Sasuke had snuggled up to him looking up at the camera from against his chest. He cut his hand on a jagged piece of glass as he did so. His door burst open to reveal a pajama clad Naruto fork still in hand.

“Sasuke! Are you okay?”

Sasuke didn’t answer; he just put the picture back on the table and began to collect the other pieces of glass and ceramic. Naruto ran up to him, careful not step on any of the pieces.

“Sasuke…what happened? Teme, you’re hand is bleeding…” Naruto pulled the older man up and shoved hi onto the bed. He used a near by dustbin to dump the pieces Sasuke had collected. “Look we’ll bring up the dustpan and brush and get this cleaned up. Let me see your hand…”

His blue eyes widened though as he saw the bruised knuckles on each hand. “What the fuck, teme…have you been punching the walls or something? It would account for the thudding noise I heard. Wait here…”

He got some bandages and some soothing cream. He cleaned the cut and then spread the bruises with the cream before bandaging Sasuke. Then he looked at Sasuke who was refusing to look at him. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it; go back to your dinner.”

“Like hell I will…look dad told me to make sure you were okay…and I’m going to be doing exactly that.” Naruto cleaned up the mess and swabbed the floor for any other tiny pieces that may have been left behind. Sasuke had gone to the bathroom and emerged in pajamas too.

“You didn’t listen to Arashi before so why start now?”

Naruto looked up in disbelief…”What did you say?”

“I said, you didn’t listen to Arashi before so why start now?”

“Listen asshole, I am not going to explain everything I do, all right? And if you really want to keep dad’s property safe, you’d better start doing something about that shitty attitude of yours. You were also at fault…and now you get some sleep. When we wake up in the morning, I expect that we will be civil to each other and not bring up matters unless we’re ready to deal with them…” Naruto stood and walked out of the room.

He had gotten to the door when he heard what Sasuke had just said. “Thank you.” Naruto grinned suddenly feeling a little less angry. Maybe they could sort things out?

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A/N: Yeah I’ll stop here…internet’s not working today so I’ll just have to settle for putting this up tomorrow or tonight even. I’m having a bit of trouble with this story because though I have the plot complete in my head, I still need the scenes that link the plot twists and they are so hard to write. And to be honest I have no idea how long this story is going to be…like for DWL I had planned 8 chapters but it came to sixteen…so I guess I’ll have to see. On top of that I have this new Naruto story waiting to be written and might actually start on that…it’s funny and it’s got less angst so I’ll have to switch moods each time I write. But I hope you liked this chapter yes they are becoming slightly friendly and yeah I might make it go as slow as It’s going cos I can’t have them jump into a friendship….Ja ne

Taka

Itachi is handing out peanut butter or choco chip cookies so pick the one of your choice as you leave a review…thanks 