Irreplacable

VOTING TIME!! A/N: ok please select one of the following. First lemon: SasuNaru or NaruSasu? Please select on basis of their characters and I’ll go with it if it seems ok….though after this chappie I wonder if there will be any need or this question…

Chapter 6:

Sasuke frowned at the painting on the wall. The painting did not fit…he wondered why he’d thought a floral would fit in the first place. This was Gaara…a man like Gaara…with the house that gave off the air that Gaara’s house gave off, would not have a floral painting in the foyer. He was sure that Gaara wouldn’t be happy with the vase of lilies he’d painted either…he decided to change it to a picture of trees or something else…something that had nothing to do with lilies. Maybe a bird of paradise flower would suit?

“Sasuke…?”

Sasuke turned to see Gaara standing behind him. “Hey…I was just thinking…this doesn’t fit…”

“I know. I heard you talking to yourself…so what are you going to put there instead?” Gaara looked amused.

“Dunno. You like those flowers called ‘bird of paradise’? I think that would look good here…” Sasuke smiled back at him. “Don’t give me those mocking smiles, Gaara…I know I get carried away…”

Gaara only smiled even more. “Listen…how about you join me for lunch? I’m hungry and it’s one all ready…”

Sasuke frowned and looked at the time. “Ok. Only if you let me get back home soon. I have tons of work to do apart from your paintings and all.”

They left to a small Italian restaurant near by. Sasuke as usual ordered rice while Gaara ordered penne. The red head couldn’t help noticing how gorgeous the raven looked when he was cheerful and satisfied. Traces of sadness still lingered in the face, but all in all, Sasuke was pretty happy and it showed. Gaara gave himself credit for the improvement in a way, because it was he who had gotten Sasuke back into his art. He liked the fact that Sasuke came to him for advice sometimes and didn’t mind hanging out with him.

“So, how’s the company going?”

“Going good actually. There’s nothing much to do with the steel plant, that runs itself pretty much. It’s Uzuphone that I love working with…there’s so many things to come up with. I spend time working on new softwares and stuff…sometimes I like checking out the marketing division…” Sasuke sighed. “Arashi knew it could draw me in!”

Gaara looked at him for a long moment. “It’s good to know you’re happy. And with Naruto?”

Sasuke looked up and opened his mouth, but closed it again. Somehow it didn’t feel right discussing Naruto with Gaara. Or discussing Naruto with anyone…they’d never actually talked to other people about each other except for Arashi and Hinata. “Naruto’s fine.”

Gaara couldn’t help feeling a tad bit jealous. He took a bite of his food and concentrated on eating for a while, before making up his mind. “Sasuke…”

The raven looked up, chewing his rice carefully and raised an eyebrow at the other’s serious tone. “What?”

“Are you over Arashi?”

The question couldn’t have been more bluntly phrased. Sasuke looked a bit startled. “What? I…why are you asking me this?” he looked into the deep green eyes, which were watching him intently.

Gaara took a deep breath. “I would like to date you.” The red head had never done this before so he went with the direct approach. “I like you a lot…I think maybe I could fall in love with you as well…”

Gaara looked up to see Sasuke looking at him like a deer caught in head lights. The dark haired man composed himself fast enough, but not before Gaara had seen the bewilderment and fear in those eyes. Sasuke cleared his throat.

“Gaara…I don’t know…” Sasuke saw the defeated look in the other’s eyes and wondered how to phrase this. “Maybe…I’ll think about it…”

Gaara nodded. “I didn’t mean to spring it on you, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer…”

They stayed silent for a while. Gaara wanting to shake Sasuke and demand that they start dating; Sasuke wanting the ground to open up and swallow him. They were saved by Sasuke’s phone which began to ring.

“Hello? Sasuke…?”

Sasuke sighed. “Yeah Naruto, what?”

“We have to go to the bank today. I need some cash withdrawn from our joint account for the pool…and I need you to sanction it as well since it’s a large amount…” Naruto’s voice sounded upbeat like he was doing something fun.

For all Sasuke knew the dobe might have just released a new set of Icha Icha Paradise or something with that pervert he worked with. “I’m having lunch right now, but I’ll drop by as soon as it’s done.”

Gaara watched as Sasuke put the phone down. The raven silently finished the last bits of pasta and stood. “Listen Gaara, I promise I’ll think about it…I mean you’re very attractive but…I just need time…”

The redhead nodded, keeping his face expressionless. “I’ll see you day after then? Or will you take longer for the new painting?”

Sasuke shrugged. “Dunno. I’ll call you when I’m done.”

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Naruto usually didn’t like banks…but he enjoyed being in this particular one. It was the only bank he knew where the transactions were fast and the employees friendly without sticks up their asses or fake-ness pouring out of every pore. But he still wished Sasuke would hurry up. All the teme had to do was sign a document, while Naruto had to waste more time discussing an overseas account and his stocks with the manager. Think of the devil…

Sasuke sauntered in, looking to be deep in thought. He took a seat by Naruto and sighed. “So what do you need me or? I have to get back home, lots of things to do….”

“It’s no like I’m sitting here kicking my feet and twiddling my thumbs you know…I have work too. I just need you to sign this document for that joint account we’re making and then you can leave. I still have loads of stuff to do here. So let’s just wait for the manager to get here…” Naruto twiddled his thumbs. “So…how was your day…?”

“It went okay…not so bad really. I’m going to have to redo a painting but otherwise it’s fine. Come to think of it, the lilies will look good in our foyer…” Sasuke mused.

“No way!! No lilies anywhere…what are we? Girls?”

“It isn’t always girls that go with flowers, Uzumaki-san…” the manager sauntered in a sweet smile on her face. Naruto really liked this woman, she was intelligent, grounded and always had something nice to say. She also knew her stuff.

“Uh…no offence meant by that…I just don’t like flowers…” Naruto grinned at her.

“Yes well, all you have to do Uchiha-san is sign this form. Then you can leave…” Gina pushed the form towards him.

Sasuke read through it and then complied. Then he shot a small smile towards the two of them. “I have to get going now, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to excuse me.”

“Yeah yeah, go on. Hey if you don’t mind could you pick up a cheese burger for dinner? I really want one…i even dreamed about one!!” Naruto tried his puppy eyes.

Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. “That’s to be expected of you. I’ll get one, so get home quickly. I’m not making it better if it gets soggy!”

Naruto’s mouth turned down. “Ne, you’re the only one who makes it okay!! You have to do it, if I’m late.”

Sasuke just shrugged and smiled at Gina before walking out. Someone bumped into him hard on his way out. Staggering he saw a man with green hair clutch his arm.

The man glared at him. “Watch where you’re going you bastard!” with that childish statement, the man stalked off, leaving Sasuke feeling extremely pissed.

Sasuke heaved another sigh. The day was just turning out so bad. Anyway how much worse could it get? Gaara had all ready dropped a bombshell right? Yeah well. He drove to the nearest McDonald’s and found that almost every single person in the city had decided to go for fast food today; the bloody line was so long. Gah, the things he did for Naruto…he wished the idiot would just disappear one day…it would be so much more peaceful!

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Naruto looked at the stack of paper’s Gina had put before him. He wished he could just get it over and done with. He had too many businesses to run and he was still licking Uzumaki Corp. into shape. And he had various ventures in stocks and shares which seemed to be taking up all his time nowadays what with the instability in the stock market.

He listened carefully to whatever Gina had to say, all the while wishing he was by Sasuke at home, helping he raven with whatever work he had. He suddenly realised he was thinking too much about Sasuke again. It had always been that way since Sasuke had given him the nine-tailed fox painting. Naruto wished he hadn’t repressed these feelings in his early childhood, but what the hell.

“Uzumaki-san?” Gina waved him back to the stack of papers. “Please pay attention, what I’ve got to say is important!”

“Yeah, please go on…I’m sorry, I’m just distracted today…”

“You’re always distracted!” Gina said a little sternly. “What I don’t understand about you, Uzu---“

She got cut off as a gunshot reverberated through the building. The door burst open and a man entered, the steely nozzle of his gun pointed at them. “You two, get into the main hall now.”

Naruto caught Gina’s hand and yanked her up. He nodded and slowly escorted her to the main hall. There were three men with guns and all the people in the bank were down on the ground. Naruto made sure they could watch all his movements as he guided the manager to an empty spot and sat down.

The green haired one looked at Gina and growled. “Gimme the code to your safe…” in a cliché bad-man voice.

His was the point when Naruto should have been the hero and tried to bad mouth the man or looked for an exit, but his logic told him to stay quiet. He looked at Gina with a ‘give him the code….then we’ll think of something’ look.

Gina’s lips tightened. “And why would I do that?”

“You’d do it to keep your life…” he green haired man, who was clearly the leader, grinned. “Don’t ask me stupid questions just answer me. What is the code?”

“There is no code as such. It as to have my finger prints and scan my retina to let you in.” she caught Naruto’s eyes and then sighed. “Why don’t I just let you in? But I’d like Naruto by my side…”

“Yeah you can take your boyfriend with you…there isn’t much he can do against us though…” Green-y motioned for them to get up and lead the way. It wasn’t much of a walk actually since the vault was in the main hall.

Gina walked to the vault and opened the first set of protection with a code. When she got to the second set she hesitated…watching the attacker to her left out of the corner of her eye she lunged. Naruto who had been watching her lunged for one man too.

‘Oh god why do I get myself into these situations’

It was then that the gun went off….

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Sasuke walked into the house and sighed. He’d spent hours in that line. He decided he’d take some time off before he started on work. Getting himself a glass of water, he switched on the TV and went to the news channel. When Naruto wasn’t around he got to the watch the news in peace. It wasn’t that he liked the news or anything, but he did like knowing what was happening in the world.

As the news telecast came in he froze.

“There has been a hold-up at the Kiku Bank. Three men have held the whole bank hostage and are demanding hat the police get them a vehicle for their get-away. There have been no casualties yet…”

Sasuke almost dropped the glass, but held on. Was Naruto still in there? He picked up the phone to dial Naruto’s number frantically. He rang four times only to have it ring out. Sasuke fell onto the couch, his insides churning with worry. No…Naruto couldn’t be in any danger, could he? Sure he was a loud mouth, but the idiot knew when to keep shut, didn’t he?

But Sasuke knew that Naruto would do something silly. And silly was an understatement. Please be all right…Sasuke tried to concentrate on what was being said.

“Apparently the men are trying to get the money from the bank’s vault and are pressurizing the manager to open it…” Sasuke growled….what else did men trying to rob banks do?

“Wait…we’ve heard a gunshot…someone’s been killed…”

Sasuke’s heart stopped. Naruto…?

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A/N: I think I’ll stop here, I know it’s a short chapter but more will be out soon. I’ll try my best...

Taka