Hallelujah

A/N: i'm back. kinda. i'm busy. will graduate in little more than a month. must focus. in the meantime, i wrote this quickly sunday night and wanted to share.

Warnings: Blind!Sasuke, Roman emperor named dogs, singing!Naruto, Itachi, sex

enjoy!

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Hallelujah
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“Where the hell are we, jackass?” Sasuke growled, crossing his arms protectively over his chest and nearly jumping in his seat when some stumbling idiot behind him bumped it. He hunched in on himself slightly, glaring across the table in the general direction he thought his asshole brother was sitting. When the man chuckled lightly, he corrected his trajectory and shot his steely glare in the right direction.

“Someplace fun, foolish little brother. You need to get out more.”

“I get out enough,” Sasuke hissed, wincing when a woman somewhere near their table laughed insanely loud.

“Hardly,” his brother replied, his tone letting Sasuke know how unlikely he found that. He could just imagine the bastard’s hand waving his sentence away. Sasuke grit his teeth, wishing his bastard of a brother hadn’t hijacked his walking cane. Since he was out with Itachi, he’d also seen no reason to bring along Vespasian; if he had, he’d have been through the door in a heartbeat. Itachi and ‘fun’ did not bode well for the younger Uchiha, Sasuke just knew it.

“Itachi!” someone called from a distance. Sasuke didn’t bother turning in the direction of the voice. It wasn’t like he’d have been able to see them anyway. Soon he sensed a group of bodies gathering around the table before chairs were pulled out and said bodies began to noisily join them, knocking the table and making the glassware clink. Sasuke scowled slightly at his brother.

“What brings you out here on amateur night?” someone asked to Sasuke’s left. Sasuke’s eyebrow twitched.

“Amateur night?” he asked lowly, his icy voice directed at Itachi.

“As you can see, I’ve brought my brother out for dinner. And I thought he’d get a kick out of bashing the idiots who got up there tonight.” Sasuke could just hear the smirk in the bastard’s voice.

“Hey, we’re going up there tonight!” someone squawked indignantly to Sasuke’s right, followed by a round of laughter.

“So you’re the infamous little brother, eh?” a woman purred in his ear, and Sasuke had to restrain himself from shuddering and physically removing her from his side.

“Konan, please refrain from touching Sasuke. I don’t want to have to take you to the hospital tonight,” Itachi warned, a touch of steel underlining his mostly amused voice. The clinging presence moved back from his side, and Sasuke let out a small sigh of relief.

“When do you go up?” Itachi asked.

“Eh, some point in the middle of the night. Ne, did you already order?” There was a bit of hopefulness in the man’s voice as he asked, and Sasuke’s right brow rose in question, knowing Itachi would notice.

Itachi chuckled. “Yes, just because I figured you’d be late getting here.”

“Ha! Looks like Deidara doesn’t get dinner for free tonight, after all,” someone called out, and the table laughed again.

“Just watch, yo. Two minutes at the bar, and I can have any number of invites for dinner, and if I play my cards right, a possible invite for breakfast, too.” Deidara chuckled huskily, and Sasuke found himself scowling even more.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight!” a woman said through a microphone, and Sasuke almost winced. “Welcome to The Spot’s amateur night, where any number of talented – and not so talented – performers will face some of New York’s toughest critics: you! So let’s get this show started!”

Sasuke grit his teeth and hissed loudly to Itachi through the noise and applause, “You brought me to a glorified karaoke bar?”

“Gomen, otouto. I’m here to support my friends, but I did want to spend an evening with you, since you’re only in the US on business. If nothing else, you can let everyone who plays tonight know how awful you think they are.”

Which would mollify him only slightly, Sasuke thought as someone entered the stage and began to introduce his band. He did get a kick out of telling people they’d never make it in the music industry, especially when Uchiha Sasuke, CEO of Oto Records in Japan and its sister company in the US, was the music industry.

“You’re here on business? What do you do, Itachi’s little brother?”

Sasuke almost growled at the idiot. There were only a handful of times throughout the year that he even wanted to be reminded he and Itachi were brothers, let alone be called ‘Itachi’s little brother.’ He had a name, dammit!

And he really didn’t like advertising what he did for a living, because people would do anything for a bit of fame. And that Itachi’s friends were an aspiring band just added to his growing annoyance. The only one of Itachi’s friends that knew who Sasuke was happened to be the only one that had grown up with the man in Japan, and Sasuke didn’t think he was here tonight because he hadn’t heard the big man speak.

“Ask Kisame,” Itachi supplied. “Sasuke doesn’t like to talk about himself.”

“Why don’t we ask you?” someone new asked. Or at least, it was someone who hadn’t spoken before this.

“I don’t like to talk about him, either.”

Jackass, Sasuke thought to himself. But at least Itachi wasn’t trying to hook his friends up with a big shot in the music industry. Their father may like Itachi more, as the eldest son, but hell if Sasuke was going to do any favors for a bunch of the bastard’s moronic friends.

“Which is why you have yet to introduce us all, I guess,” the woman, Konan, spoke again.

“Sasuke has no need for your names; he won’t remember them the next time he visits New York.”

“Rude,” Deidara huffed. “Ne, Sasuke, would you like to meet us?”

“Actually, I’d like to go to the bathroom.” He looked in Itachi’s direction.

“Forty-five steps to your right, eighteen steps to the left, the door on the right.” Sasuke held his hand out, and Itachi placed his bundled cane in his palm. Pushing his chair out, Sasuke stood and expanded the cane, gently swinging it this way and that as he turned to the right and began walking. There was silence at the table behind him, but he ignored it like he always did.

He had an urge to just find the exit and take a taxi to the hotel, but Itachi would more than likely expect that and have someone on hand to bring him back. Growling to himself, Sasuke found the door to the right and made sure the sign said ‘men’ before pushing the door open and walking in.

It was much more sanitary to find the stall than the urinals, in Sasuke’s opinion, since this was the one place he absolutely had to use his hands, so he skimmed his cane along the ground until he hit the bottom of the handicap stall. He reached out with his left hand and found the stall door handle, pulling it open and entering. His cane hit the toilet, and he slipped his hand through the wrist strap at the top to take care of business.

Once finished, he stepped back to zip up his pants, slightly grateful when the toilet automatically flushed. He found his way to the door, opened it and found the sink to wash his hands. As he did so, Sasuke thought how remarkably easy this had been, despite the unfamiliar location, when compared to when he’d first lost his sight.

It had been seventeen years ago, when he’d been in high school and at that rebellious stage in life. He’d chopped his hair off and dyed it a midnight blue that had only barely been visible in his ink black strands; he’d forgone his glasses for contacts, even though they were impractical for a number of reasons; and he’d gotten himself a boyfriend, to the shock of his friends and family. A shock to himself, really, because, although it had started as a way to rebel against society and his father, he had grown to love that boy.

Until his sight had gone completely.

Then he’d pushed everyone away and sunk into a deep well of despair. He allowed his hair to grow, he got rid of the contacts (what good were they really gonna do?), and he dumped his boyfriend. That one had been the hardest. But no matter how much the other had said he didn’t care that Sasuke was blind or how earnestly the other offered to help him through it, Sasuke just couldn’t accept that anyone would willingly stay with someone who was blind. It was like purposely putting a chain around your neck that would eventually bring you down to the ground, or so he thought.

He knew better now. Itachi had practically beaten the depression out of him and gotten him some help. He learned how to use the cane, how to memorize distances by steps, how to read Braille, and he’d even been given a seeing-eye dog by his psychiatrist. She’d thought the company would be good for him, and he’d come to appreciate the dog’s skills. But when it had died of old age, Sasuke had handpicked its replacement, Vespasian, chosen by Sasuke as a puppy and trained to his specifications.

Through it all, there had been times that Sasuke thought he’d rather die than live without his sight, and it had been those times that he’d longed most for his long-gone boyfriend. Oh, he’d had relationships since, but none of them had ever lasted very long, mostly due to Sasuke’s inherit ability to dislike anyone. He’d find any little thing wrong he could and use it as fodder for spectacularly emotional breakups on the part of his lovers. That was when the cutting insults about having to baby a blind man would rear their ugly heads. Sasuke’s reactions to those weren’t always violent, but they were never good.

After that, Sasuke had stopped trying to build a relationship and kept to himself. A one-night stand here and there was the norm, but he found himself thinking back to those high school days with more frequency as the years went on, to the point where he, a thirty-four year old multimillionaire CEO, wished he could once again be a high school student with nothing more pressing to worry about than what time his parents got home so he could stop making out with his boyfriend.

But the past was the past, Sasuke reminded himself as he dried his hands. He couldn’t change it any more than he could predict the future, so it was best to worry about the now, which was him getting back to the table and sitting through a hellish night of wannabe rock stars. Itachi so owed him for this. There had better be alcohol waiting for him when he got back.

And indeed there was. The food was there, too, and apparently Itachi had actually already ordered for his friends. And despite the company and dubious entertainment, Sasuke found himself relaxing. Well, the alcohol helped.

A fair bit into the night, Itachi’s friends left the table to prepare for the stage. When they went on, Sasuke actually did pay attention. He may not do his brother any favors, but if his friends had some bit of talent, Sasuke wouldn’t mind making that into a profit for himself. Though, from what he was hearing, they had a long way to go.

“What do you think, Sasuke?” Itachi asked him from right next to him. Sasuke hadn’t even heard his brother move.

“They have a long way to go,” he repeated out loud, smirking when Itachi couldn’t hold back a snort. “Tell them to clean it up a bit and develop a distinct sound, one I haven’t heard in every other dime-a-dozen wannabe band, and maybe I’ll hear them again.”

“Hn.”

“Is that why you invited me out tonight? I know I’m here on business, but I do have other nights free before I leave.”

“No, they are not why I invited you.” Sasuke relaxed the slightest bit. “I did, however, ask you here to listen to another person.”

Sasuke slammed his hand down on the table, thankful he hadn’t hit anything in his haste. “Dammit, Itachi! You know I don’t like to be used like this!” he hissed.

“I’m not using you, otouto,” Itachi almost whispered. Sasuke nearly jumped when he felt a hand on his arm. “I don’t want any special treatment for this man. I’m not asking you to listen to him for him; I’m asking you to listen to him for you.”

“For me?” Sasuke scowled in confusion. Sighing, he turned his head slightly in Itachi’s direction. “What’s so great about this guy that you think I’d be interested?”

Itachi was silent a moment, removing his hand from Sasuke’s arm. “There’s just something about him, Sasuke, that you have to see to believe.”

Dammit, he could hear the smug smirk in Itachi’s voice. Though, Sasuke had learned early on that harmless humor at his expense at least assured him that people didn’t pity him.

“Alright. When does he go on?”

“He’s a really good act that only performs here every now and again, when he’s in New York. Sources tell me he is, and The Spot likes to save him for last when that happens.”

“So I have to sit here all damn night?”

“Yes,” Itachi replied smugly. Sasuke wanted to fucking punch him. “I promise, you won’t be disappointed.”

He better fucking hope Sasuke wasn’t disappointed. Itachi may be older, but Sasuke could still make his life a living hell for exposing him to this nightmare.

Itachi’s friends returned to the table and more wine was ordered. Though, Sasuke had to sit there and listen to the idiots rave about themselves and start to badmouth everyone that went on after them, so he ordered the harder stuff.

Sighing softly, Sasuke hit the button on his watch that would tell him the time. When it relayed to him that it was quarter to midnight, he thought he was going to murder Itachi in his sleep. If they ever got to go to bed. The band on stage finished up, and the female announcer thanked them before addressing the audience once again.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re coming to the end of amateur night! And our last act is no amateur! Finally back in New York after three years, The Spot is proud to announce-”

“No way!” Konan practically screamed in his ear as the audience began to applaud wildly, so he didn’t get to hear the name of this mystery man that Itachi had forced him here to listen to. That, and she had grabbed onto his arm in her obvious shock, or excitement, or something.

“Do you mind?” he asked icily.

“Sorry, I just can’t believe he’s here! Thank God a talent scout isn’t here tonight, or we’d be so screwed.”

Not really, but Sasuke was gentleman enough to keep that to himself. Itachi chuckled next to him, probably knowing Sasuke’s opinion on that front.

“Thank you very much for the applause,” a smooth voice said through the microphone. Sasuke felt he had heard it before, but it was a vague feeling that soon passed. “It’s great to be back in New York, and I-”

The speaker stopped, and Sasuke turned his head a bit more toward the stage, wondering why the man had stopped. The place was quiet as the audience waited for him to continue.

“Sorry, saw something shiny. Blond, easily distracted.” The audience laughed, and Sasuke was surprised to hear Itachi join them. Then the noise died down, and the strains of a guitar filled the silence, the dissonant chords almost eerie but still pleasant. Then the blond, which Sasuke assumed he was from the comment, began to sing.

“Well, I heard there was a secret chord that David played, and it pleased the Lord. But you don’t really care for music, do ya? Well, it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift, the baffled King composing Hallelujah. Hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelu~jah.”

Sasuke was almost stunned. The voice was beautiful, and the lyrics even followed the chord progression of the song – the fourth, the fifth, the fall, the lift; it was a very nice touch.

“Well, your faith was strong, but you needed proof. You saw her bathing on the roof. Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya. And she tied you to her kitchen chair, and she broke your throne and she cut your hair, and from your lips she drew the Hallelujah. Hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelu~jah.”

Sasuke actually had no words at this point. He just wanted to hear more. Never had that happened to him, in all his years in the business.

“Well, baby, I’ve been here before. I’ve seen this room and I’ve walked this floor. You know, I used to live alone before I knew ya. And I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch, and love is not a vict’ry march. It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah. Hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelu~jah.

“Well, there was a time when you let me know what’s really going on below, but now you never show that to me, do ya? And remember when I moved in you? And the holy dove was moving, too, and every breath we drew was Hallelujah? Hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelu~jah.”

There was a musical interlude, and Sasuke turned to ask Itachi a quiet question.

“Who is this?”

“Hm? I’m pretty sure they’ve already introduced him, Sasuke.”

Sasuke grit his teeth. “And because of your moronic girlfriend, I missed it.”

“Konan is not my girlfriend,” Itachi said, and Sasuke could hear the frown Itachi was probably not openly wearing. Their parents harassed him enough for not having a wife already, since he was pushing forty, so Itachi probably didn’t appreciate it any more coming from his younger brother.

“Only because you’re Kisame’s girlfriend,” he replied, smirking because he knew how much Itachi had been initially freaked out that his best friend had a man-crush on him.

“I. Am. Not. His. Girlfriend,” Itachi hissed quietly near his ear.

Oh, I’m so scared, Sasuke thought but didn’t get a chance to say it as the blond began to sing again. It was only then that Sasuke realized Itachi had smoothly avoided telling him the singer’s name.

“Maybe there’s a God above, but all I’ve ever learned from love was how to shoot somebody who out drew ya. And it’s not a cry that you hear at night. It’s not somebody who’s seen the light. It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah. Hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelu~jah.

“Hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelu~jah.

“Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelu~jah… Hallelujah.”

The last strains died in the hall, and then the audience erupted in applause, whistling and calling out for an encore. Sasuke’s heart was beating a little faster than normal, the song’s melody still drifting through his mind. He thought back to what Konan had said earlier, about talent scouts wanting this singer, and had to agree that it was a good thing indeed that no one was here tonight. Except him, and he wanted that blond on his label.

“Did you like the performance, Sasuke?” Itachi asked.

“Hn.” That was all he was going to give the sneaky bastard. Any more than that and it might have almost been like he was grateful to his brother for letting him in on this potential gold mine.

“You’re welcome.”

Bastard. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood, intent on finding the man and gauging his reaction to a potential contract with Oto Records.

“Where are you going, Sasuke?” one of Itachi’s friends asked.

He smirked and brushed his hands down his suit front. “I’m going to offer that man a recording contract.” He left them sputtering at the table, using his cane to make sure he didn’t hit anybody on his way to the stage. Once he reached it, he could hear movement and cleared his throat to get whoever’s attention.

“Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find the man who was just singing?”

There was a moment of silence before the person on stage cleared his throat. “That… that would be me.”

Sasuke didn’t miss a beat, despite his surprise at catching the man. “May I have a moment of your time?”

“Ah, yeah, one sec.” There was more noise and movement from the stage, a whispered conversation, and then he heard someone land right next to him, and he assumed the man had jumped down from the stage.

“How can I help you?” The voice was cheery, but Sasuke sensed a bit of hesitation in the undertone, like the cheerfulness was being forced. Then again, it had to be sometime past midnight, and the man was probably tired. Hell, Sasuke was tired. Keeping that in mind, Sasuke cut right to the chase.

“My name is Sasuke Uchiha, CEO of Oto Records. I enjoyed what you did tonight, and I wanted to speak to you about a contract.”

“You liked my song?”

“Obviously.” Was this man an idiot? Not that he didn’t work with idiots; half the people on his label were idiots. “What is your name? I’m afraid I didn’t catch it when you were announced.”

“Oh, um. Ah, yeah.”

“Sasuke,” Itachi interrupted, and Sasuke almost growled at him. Was he not allowed to ask that question or something?

“What?” he asked irritably.

“I’m sure he’s rather tired right now. Why don’t you give him your card, and you can talk another time?”

Sasuke scowled but couldn’t argue that this late at night was not an opportune time to cut a deal. Reaching into his jacket, Sasuke pulled out a business card from the inner pocket and held it out in front of him. He felt the other’s hand grab it, the fingers just barely grazing against his own. They were either very warm, or Sasuke’s were extremely cold, but it was a briefly pleasant sensation.

“I’ll be in New York for the next four days. You can visit me at my office in Manhattan at your convenience. It’s the second address on the card, Oto Records’ sister company. Give the receptionist your name and show her the card, and you’ll be shown to my office.”

“Oh my God!” someone shouted from the stage. “Are you being scouted?” There was another thud as Sasuke assumed someone else jumped down from the stage. “Liz sent me to see what was holding you up, but she can suck it if you’re being scouted!”

“Sakura!” the blond exclaimed in exasperation. Sasuke couldn’t blame him; if the blond didn’t have so much talent, he probably would have rescinded the offer in the face of such immature behavior.

“Your brother is scouting someone?” came another shouted question from behind Sasuke, and he rolled his eyes up to the ceiling to pray for patience. “Why didn’t you tell us Sasuke was a talent scout, yo?”

“He’s not a talent scout,” Itachi calmly replied, ignoring the disbelieving snorts that followed the statement. “Now I think it’s time to go home. It was a pleasure meeting you,” he directed at the singer. “Are you ready, Sasuke?”

“Think it over,” he said to the blond, turning to follow Itachi out of the restaurant. Itachi’s friends followed them, throwing questions at him about being a talent scout, but Sasuke just ignored them. Instead, he thought about the new singer he hoped to acquire, and the returning thought that he had heard that voice somewhere before.

~*~

Sasuke sat in his Tokyo office, reading over the potential contracts his scouts had suggested in his absence. When his phone rang, he paused his hand, keeping the right one in place so he didn’t have to backtrack through what he’d already read to find it and hitting the intercom with his left.

“Yes?”

“Sorry to bother you, Uchiha-san, but there is a man here to see you. He’s got your business card and says you met him in New York.”

Sasuke’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Send him in,” he replied flatly, trying to hide his surprise and slight pleasure. When the blond hadn’t shown up at his Manhattan office in the four days after they’d met, he assumed that was it. And now the man had shown up in Japan.

He ended the connection and stood as his door opened, his secretary’s voice floating in telling the man that Sasuke would see him now. Then the door closed, and it was silent for a moment until Vespasian’s loud bark erupted through the office. He heard paws running toward the door, his eyebrows rising into his hairline at the dog’s odd behavior.

“Whoa, down boy!” the man was saying, laughing as he tried to get the dog to stop barking.

“Vespasian, heel!” Sasuke said sharply, relieved when the dog returned to his side. He bowed slightly to his guest. “I apologize for his behavior. He’s never done that before.”

“It’s not a problem; I’m good with dogs.” There was silence a moment before Sasuke cleared his throat.

“I must admit I’m quite surprised that you’re here, in Japan. I had thought when you didn’t show up in New York that you weren’t interested in my offer,” he said.

“Ah, yeah, well, I actually live in Japan. So I figured, if the offer was legit, it would be best to speak to you about it here.”

Sasuke nodded and swept his hand out in front of his desk. “Please have a seat.” He heard the man cross the floor, so he sat back down in his chair. When he heard the man sit down in one of the leather chairs, he continued, “I take it you’re interested in my offer?”

“Actually, I wanted to tell you in person that I have to decline your offer.”

Sasuke had to keep from reacting to that in a violent manner. He would not lose this opportunity.

“May I ask why?”

“Well, I can see that you’re only able to process talent in one way, and I’m quite flattered that you enjoy my sound, but I’m not exactly young. I’ve got a career, and that singing thing is just something I do on the side.”

Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch. “Then why are you here?” He felt he was being very patient with someone who was wasting his time; his mother would be so proud.

“Well, you’ve certainly changed,” the man said, instead of answering Sasuke’s question. “In the past, you would have been glaring me to death and insisting on having your way.”

“Excuse me?” Sasuke asked, baffled. Did he know this man?

“When I saw you in New York, I nearly had a heart attack. To think, the man who pushed me out of his life and plagued my dreams for years was sitting in a crowded restaurant in New York the very night I had decided to pick up my guitar again.”

Every muscle in Sasuke’s body tensed as the blood drained from his face. He felt a miasma of despair and guilt, a combination of feelings that was never very far from his heart, rush to the fore, his hands beginning to tremble where they rested on the desk.

“I’m… I’m glad you’re doing well. I knew you could beat anything that life threw at you. When I heard years ago that you had ousted Orochimaru and taken over his company, I knew you would be okay. I finally realized that you didn’t need me after all.”

Sasuke felt his lips tremble as he opened them. “Don’t… don’t say that,” he whispered, scared that every barrier he’d built up since he was seventeen was about to come tumbling down around him.

“Of course you didn’t need me, probably threw my memory as far away from your mind as you could. When you approached the stage that night, I was so sure it was because you remembered me. How stupid was that, eh? Guess I’m still a dobe.”

“Naruto…” Dear God, Sasuke was going to cry. It was Naruto! “Naruto…” he repeated, unable to say anything else at the moment. To his shame, he could feel the tears begin to track down his face.

“I haven’t heard you say my name in seventeen years, but it still feels so natural.” There was a pause, and Sasuke just knew Naruto was staring at him with those intense blue eyes that he thought about almost everyday with a desperate clarity. He heard the squeak of leather indicating that Naruto was standing up. “It was good to see you again, Sasuke.” Then there were footsteps walking away from his desk.

Sasuke was rooted to his chair, unable to say anything until the click of the door closing behind Naruto shocked him into action. He shoved away from the desk and bolted towards the door.

“Naruto!” he shouted, crying out when he tripped over something he hadn’t known was in his office. He landed hard, his right hand out to stop his fall, the ground jarring the arm painfully. He moaned softly as Vespasian began to bark madly, trying to call for help. Sasuke grit his teeth against the pain and began to push himself up, ignoring the stunned gasp as his secretary rushed in and tried to help him up.

“Naruto!” he shouted again, stumbling towards his door with his secretary’s support. “Naruto!”

“Sir, he’s, he’s gone, sir!” his secretary said a bit frightfully. She probably noticed the tear tracks on his face and didn’t know what to do with herself.

Hearing that, Sasuke’s face fell, and he sunk to his knees, his arm sending a fresh wave of pain through him as it banged against his thigh. “Naruto,” he nearly sobbed out.

He hung his head and cried, not caring that his secretary was still there as he brokenly whispered, “I needed you… I need you…”

After a while his tears subsided, and he leaned heavily against his secretary. “Vespasian,” the woman called softly, and Sasuke heard the dog trot over to them and heel at Sasuke’s side. “Please rest against Vespasian for a moment, sir. I’ll get you a wet towel and call the doctor.”

“I’m fine,” he mumbled as he slung his injured arm around Vespasian, wincing with the movement.

“Yes, sir,” she said dryly. “But put an old woman’s heart at ease and see the doctor anyway.”

Sasuke almost smiled at her. “If you’re old, I’m an oni.”

“You can be at times, sir,” she replied easily. He felt it when she moved away, and he turned his face into Vespasian’s coat, trying to wipe away the traces of his tears. He hadn’t cried like that since… since he’d broken up with Naruto. How poetic. Sasuke grunted into the dog’s neck.

Something finally dawned on him as the shock of Naruto’s appearance began to wear away. Itachi had known. Itachi had fucking known that Naruto would be at that restaurant, had fucking told Sasuke that they were there specifically to hear him perform. He grit his teeth and growled, startling a whine out of Vespasian. He pushed away from the dog and stood shakily to his feet.

“Uchiha-san, please don’t move,” his secretary admonished as she returned, grabbing his left arm and helping him to his chair. He took the towel she offered and wiped his face, handing it back to her instead of tossing it on his desk since he had the presence of mind to remember the documents that were still scattered across the surface.

“I’ve a phone call to make. Please do not send the doctor in until I’m done.”

“Yes, sir,” she agreed hesitantly, quietly backing away and exiting the office. Sasuke waited for the door to click shut before he reached for his cellphone in his jacket pocket, which had been slung around the back of his chair some time around lunch.

“Call Itachi,” he said when the phone prompted, his anger growing with each unanswered ring on the other end.

“Sasuke,” Itachi finally answered.

“You fucking bastard,” Sasuke bit out, his voice harsh as he tried not to shout into the phone. “How could you do this to me?”

“Do what, little brother?” Itachi actually sounded curious, but it hardly calmed Sasuke’s ire.

“Did you think it was funny? Did you and Kisame get a big laugh out of it when you got home?” He was so furious with his brother! He wished he could strangle him through the connection.

“What the hell are you talking about, Sasuke?” Now Itachi sounded irritated, which fueled Sasuke’s rage until he was screaming into the phone.

“You sadistic son of a bitch, I’m talking about goddamned fucking Naruto!” He slammed his hand down on his desk, ignoring the sharp and agonizing pain that raced up his arm. Suddenly his rage left him, until he didn’t feel anything but the urge to break down and cry again. “I’m talking… about Naruto,” he whispered.

Itachi was silent before he let out a long breath. “Sasuke,” he said softly, letting Sasuke know in that one word that he knew what had happened.

“Just tell me why,” he demanded tiredly, already seeing his day cut short and him going home to drown in alcohol. Or sleep. Or the bathtub.

“I’m a good friend of the owner of The Spot, Sasuke. He told me Naruto was coming to New York and had agreed to perform that night. And I thought it would be good for the both of you to get some kind of closure. If not Naruto, you at least. I was there to see how much letting him go hurt you, Sasuke.”

Sasuke shut his eyes at that, willing those feelings of guilt and despair away. He had been a complete wreck when Naruto had walked away then, despite him having been the one to end it. His family had been shocked at how deeply he’d felt for the blond, and Itachi’s shoulder had been victim to Sasuke’s tears on that subject more than once.

“I knew he would never sign a recording contract, so I tried to keep you from finding out it was him. If he wanted to talk to you, he would come to you. If not, you’d never know it was him, and you could go on with the life you’d built for yourself.”

Sasuke laughed bitterly. “Bravo. Except, Naruto didn’t want a contract, and yet he still found his way to my office.”

Again Itachi was silent. “Then why did he come to your office?” he asked after a moment, curiosity once again flavoring his voice.

“I don’t know. It obviously wasn’t to catch up on old times.” Sasuke scowled, slightly confused about the blond’s purpose in visiting himself, other than to completely crush Sasuke’s heart, apparently.

“What did he say to you?”

“That I had changed, and that he was happy for me since I seem to have adapted to my condition quite nicely.”

“I highly doubt he said it like that,” Itachi joked. It almost made Sasuke smirk, until he remembered what else the blond had said.

“I don’t know what to do, Itachi,” Sasuke admitted quietly. “He sounded so normal, but he didn’t say anything about himself, didn’t offer to catch up with each other. I’m sure he’s still mad at me. Why did he come here?”

“I think Naruto was anything but angry when you broke up with him, Sasuke. It didn’t take a genius to see you were in pain.”

“He could have stayed,” Sasuke whispered.

“You didn’t want him.” Sasuke closed his eyes again at the blunt statement that both of them knew was a lie. Sasuke had wanted Naruto so badly, but had sent him on his way for his own good. Hell, he still wanted Naruto, every damn day of his life.

“I hate you,” he hissed into the phone.

“You hate yourself,” was Itachi’s smooth reply. Sasuke could hardly deny it, though. “Look, little brother, I’m sorry that this had been such a negative experience for you, but I stand by my actions. If Naruto wanted nothing to do with you after all these years, he would have ignored your offer and would have never entered your office to bring up the past. In my opinion, I think he can’t leave you alone after having seen you again.”

Sasuke glared at the flutter of hope that tightened his chest. But the thought that maybe Naruto had wanted to see him warmed his cheeks and made his heart beat just a tiny bit faster.

“Find him, Sasuke. Don’t let a blond dobe like him have the last word.” Itachi ended the call before Sasuke could say anything, and he slowly lowered his cellphone to the desk.

Find him, Itachi said. Sasuke snorted. Oh, it would be easy enough, but was Sasuke ready to face all the emotional turmoil that may result from speaking with the blond again about what had happened in high school? Could he ever admit to the blond that he’d never stopped loving the man and get anything but derision and anger in return?

Sasuke didn’t know about any of that, but he did know that Itachi was right. He certainly couldn’t let the dobe leave him reeling like that without having something to say about it. Uchiha Sasuke always had the last word.

~*~

The slight elevation of his arm let Sasuke know Vespasian was climbing stairs up to the front door. Using his cane to make sure he didn’t trip on them, Sasuke followed the dog up the stairs and stopped when the dog did. Vespasian had been trained to ring doorbells, so when he felt the dog rear up on his hind legs, he let him be, listening for the bells inside the house to make sure they worked. He heard them chime and pulled Vespasian back a bit, waiting for someone to answer the door.

It swung open a moment later, and a female voice asked, “Who is it?”

Sasuke was momentarily stunned. In all his imaginings about how this meeting would go, never once had he thought that maybe Naruto was in a relationship. If that were true, Sasuke didn’t know if he had the guts to go through with the reunion, or if he had the patience not to take his disappointment out on the woman. Well, Uchiha men had never been known for patience. That in mind, Sasuke bowed and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I must have the wrong house.” He turned to leave, pulling Vespasian along, when the woman stopped him.

“You’re Uchiha-san, right? The one we met in New York? Are you here to see Naruto?”

Sasuke stopped and turned his head over his shoulder. “Yes, I had wanted to speak with him.”

“Then you have the right house! Come on inside. Naruto should be home from work in a bit.”

Hesitating only briefly, Sasuke turned back completely and let Vespasian lead him into the house. The woman took his coat and indicated where he could find slippers before leading them to the living room.

“Please have a seat, Uchiha-san.”

“Sasuke will do,” he replied, hoping the woman would give him a name to use in return.

“Alright, Sasuke-san. Ah, where are my manners? My name is Haruno Sakura. Would you like something to drink?”

“Water will be fine, Haruno-san.”

“Sakura will do,” she mimicked, laughing as she left to fetch the water. Sasuke felt awkward sitting in Naruto’s living room waiting for him to come home while being entertained by his girlfriend. He had almost decided on leaving when Sakura returned.

“I’m glad you’re here, Sasuke-san. I can’t believe that idiot passed up a recording deal. But it makes me happy to know he’s good enough that you would come to get him,” she said as she sat down across from him.

“The music industry is a slippery slope, Sakura-san. I’m sure Naruto is only doing what’s best for you in keeping his current job.”

“Why would that be best for me?” she asked, blatant curiosity coloring her voice.

“To support you financially, he’d need a stable and predictable job, wouldn’t he?”

“Oh. Oh! You think Naruto and I are in a relationship?” She sounded incredulous. “I guess it would seem that way to you, but we’re nothing more than friends, Sasuke-san. Whatever Naruto does with his life has no bearing on me,” she said, amused.

Momentarily stunned, what she’d said finally sunk in, and Sasuke was extremely relieved and happy to hear her say that, not that he showed it outwardly. Naruto wasn’t beyond his reach, in this instance, at least. But Sasuke wasn’t one to get his hopes up when it came to being happy, even just satisfied. Just because the blond was unattached didn’t mean he was available for Sasuke.

“I didn’t mean to assume,” he said by way of apology.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sakura laughed. “You’re not the first, and you probably won’t be the last, not until Naruto finds someone to settle down with. Honestly, he’s thirty-four years old and hasn’t had a real relationship since high school. At least, that’s what he told me. But come on, a catch like that unattainable for almost twenty years? I’m inclined to believe he doesn’t want a relationship.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but think Sakura was a hardened gossip, but he could forgive her that for the information she was handing over.

“He’s always saying he doesn’t have time for love, or his job is too hectic. Whatever. He’s avoiding the issue, I know it.” Sakura seemed to pause in surprise before she continued. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to tell you all of that. I just get so caught up where Naruto’s concerned; I really don’t think he takes good care of himself, you know? Which is why I’m here in the first place. I have to make sure he eats right.”

“And what does Naruto do for a living?” Sasuke asked.

“Oh, um, he, uh, trains seeing-eye dogs.”

Sasuke’s breath left him at the admission, and a silence settled over them. Vespasian shifted next to his leg, and he unconsciously reached out to pet the dog as he tried to digest Sakura’s answer. Sakura inhaling rather quickly had his attention snapping back to her.

“Is that Vespasian? Oh my God, he’s so big, I didn’t even recognize him.” Vespasian barked at her, clearly in recognition since she was calling his name so familiarly, but he was too well trained to stray from Sasuke’s side, save that one time with Naruto.

“How do you know my dog?” Though, Sasuke was sure he already knew the answer.

“Oh! Naruto trained him! I remember when he brought Vespasian home, saying it was a special job that had to be done just right.” He heard her move and felt when the couch dipped down as she sat, reaching out to pet his dog. “He spent so much time and energy on Vespasian; it was clear Naruto was sad to see him go. How funny Vespasian ended up with you!”

No, so not funny. Naruto would have had to begin learning how to train seeing-eye dogs immediately after Sasuke went blind to have had the skill to train Vespasian as well as he did when Sasuke had picked the pup from the litter five years ago. And Naruto had to have known whom the dog was for because the Uchiha name had ensured the best trainer for Vespasian.

“Are you alright, Sasuke-san?” Sakura asked, her voice laced with concern. Sasuke realized he was breathing rather hard, but instead of trying to calm down, he felt the undeniable urge to run away. He shot to his feet, Vespasian instantly beside him as he turned to find the exit.

“Sasuke-san?” Sakura asked again, almost in a panic as she followed him to the door. They both came up short as it swung open, Sakura murmuring Naruto’s name as he stepped inside.

“Sasuke?” Naruto asked in surprise. Vespasian barked in eagerness at Naruto’s voice, but a quick command from the blond silenced him.

“You trained my dog,” Sasuke said, almost like an accusation, completely bereft of anything else to say.

No one said anything for a moment, and then Sasuke heard the sound of a jacket being slipped off and hung up.

“Sakura, I need to speak to Sasuke alone for a bit. Could you please come back over later?” The blond’s voice was soft and calm, a serious tone that Sasuke had never heard before. Not that he’d had the chance to hear Naruto speak in the last seventeen years.

“Ah, sure. Just, um, let me know when.” Sasuke heard her shuffle into her shoes and slip on her own jacket. “It was nice talking to you, Sasuke-san.”

Sasuke couldn’t manage a return, too nervous about what was going to happen now. He listened for the closing of the door, and the click was slightly ominous. He and Naruto were now alone, and after the scene he’d made in his office, one he wasn’t even sure the blond knew about, he was wary of how things would go this time.

“You weren’t hurt, were you?” Naruto asked softly, a hand brushing softly against his right arm.

So much for him not knowing.

“I’m fine,” he answered just as softly, hoping the heat he felt in his cheeks wasn’t visible to the blond. “I’m on painkillers, but it wasn’t that bad.”

“Good. I’m glad.” They stood in silence a moment more before Naruto sighed. “How about we move to the living room? I’m sure we’ll be more comfortable.”

Sasuke nodded and stepped aside for Naruto to move ahead, the blond whistling for Vespasian to follow and bring Sasuke along. Sasuke sat back down on the couch, tensing slightly when Naruto took the far side of the same couch. The silence was getting to him, even though Sasuke was the king of icy silences, so he blurted the first thing he could grasp in his mind.

“You trained my dog,” he said again, clamping his lips together in annoyance at himself after the words had slipped out.

“I did.”

He offered nothing else, so Sasuke prompted with, “Why?”

Naruto sighed. “I told you I’d do anything to help you through it, Sasuke. When you could still see, your mom told me the chances of you going blind were too high to ignore. She let me know the precautions she was taking, setting up insurance plans, looking into treatment facilities, anything that would make your life easier if the worst should happen. That included getting a seeing-eye dog.

“I told her about Kiba – you remember him? Anyway, I told her Kiba and his family raised dogs and that I’d look into whether they trained seeing-eye dogs. As luck would have it, Hana did, and Mikoto-san picked out a puppy for Hana to begin training. As your boyfriend, I wanted to do anything I could to help, so-”

“So you began to train Augustus,” Sasuke finished.

“I just helped Hana here and there. And then you dumped me. But I thought you’d get over it, you know? So I stuck with Hana and Augustus, waiting for the chance to get you back, and… Well, you know how it went. My plans never do turn out quite right where you’re involved, Uchiha.” Naruto chuckled, and Sasuke was surprised to hear quite a bit of humor in the sound.

“But even without you, training these dogs and helping other people get back to their lives called to me, and I stuck with it. I apprenticed under Hana and was certified some years later. And then five years ago, I was approached by a man I’d never thought to see again, and he asked me to train a new seeing-eye dog for his little brother, the little puppy Vespasian.”

Sasuke inhaled and hoped it hadn’t sounded as much like a gasp to Naruto as it had to him. He remembered Itachi saying he’d handed Vespasian over to one of the best trainers in Japan, and Sasuke had thought little of it until he’d been reunited with the dog and seen how wonderfully and expertly he’d been trained. He even remembered having wanted to meet the trainer, though Itachi had always steered the conversation clear of the subject.

“You’re his source, aren’t you?” Sasuke said, something finally dawning on him.

“What?”

“He told me his sources had said you’d be in New York that night. You’re his source; you told him you’d be in New York!” Sasuke nearly yelled.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Naruto sounded defensive. “We stayed in touch to talk about Vespasian’s training. I knew he lived in New York, and I visit there every now and again, so I thought we could meet up, have a drink or something.”

“But why wouldn’t he tell me? Why didn’t you tell me?” Sasuke stood and turned in Naruto’s direction.

“Because I didn’t think I even registered on your radar, Sasuke! You fucking kicked me out of your life!”

Sasuke didn’t want to hear that. He didn’t want the blame to be shifted to him, even though he knew once he calmed down he’d blame himself anyway. He spun on his heel, wanting to leave this place and never come back, but his movement was too quick for the startled Vespasian, and he tripped over the huge dog’s body.

Sasuke cried out and braced himself for a jarring impact against God knew what, but strong arms around his waist that crushed him to a large chest stopped his forward motion. He panted heavily, the arms around his waist the only things keeping him upright. He felt Naruto turn his head and press his face into his neck.

“God, Sasuke. You scared a few years off my life, there.” His lips brushed against the skin of Sasuke’s neck with every word, causing Sasuke to shiver. Naruto stayed like that as Sasuke got his breathing under control. When he could get his feet under his body and support himself, Naruto still didn’t move away.

“You can let go now, dobe.”

“I don’t want to,” Naruto replied evenly, his arms tightening around Sasuke, which had little to do with the way Sasuke’s breath suddenly left his lungs. “I didn’t want to before, and you forced me to. Now, I’m gonna get a say in what I do with you.”

“You can’t be serious,” Sasuke whispered. It couldn’t be that easy, that Naruto still wanted him as much as Sasuke craved the familiar touch of his first real lover.

“As a heart attack, Uchiha. Your face in your office the other day… you have no idea how much you give yourself away with those eyes of yours.”

“Only to you,” Sasuke admitted quietly.

“I guess,” he felt Naruto shrug. “But the way you started screaming out my name, I almost turned around and grabbed you in my arms then and there, never to let go.”

“Why not then? Why now?” Sasuke asked.

“Because you were here when I opened the door tonight. Granted, you were about to leave, your eyes once again filled with grief and panic, but you were here. You came for me, like I came for you that day in your office. I thought I had talked myself out of ever going down this road with you again, but when I found myself in Japan, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen.”

That bit of hope was back, pounding so hard as it fluttered about that Sasuke thought it would beat his heart against his ribcage. If this wasn’t just a dream, if Naruto really wanted him, it had to be Sasuke’s reward for the gods taking his sight. Not that the two were equal on any plane; Sasuke would gladly give up anything else asked of him if it brought Naruto back into his life.

“Sasuke,” Naruto breathed against his neck, and Sasuke replied by reaching his hands back and running his fingers through blond locks that were just as short and probably as unruly as they’d been in high school.

Sasuke craned his neck around and found Naruto’s lips with his own, moaning deep in his throat when the blond forced his tongue past Sasuke’s lips to plunge deep into his mouth. He hungrily sucked at the muscle, reveling in the remembered taste of ramen and mint gum.

Naruto turned him around and brought their bodies together, grinding their growing arousals against one another, causing Sasuke to moan again and plunge his fingers deeper into Naruto’s hair. They broke apart to pant into each other’s mouths, and Sasuke could feel saliva running down his chin from their passionate kisses.

Then Naruto was lowering him down onto the couch, his larger body following and enveloping Sasuke in warmth and pleasure. He brought Naruto’s lips back to his as they moved against each other, their pace getting faster and more frenetic with each thrust of hips. Sasuke threw his head back and gasped at a particularly wonderful thrust, inviting Naruto to move down to his pale neck with lips and teeth as the Uchiha tried to catch his breath.

Then Naruto sat up, leaving Sasuke a writhing mass of want and need without a suitable outlet. “Sasuke,” the blond said, out of breath and sounding very fucking sexy for it. “We shouldn’t do this if you’re not with me on this. I-”

“Shut up and fuck me, Uzumaki,” Sasuke growled, reaching up for anything he could grip to get Naruto’s lips back on his body.

“I’ll take that to mean you’re on board, Uchiha,” Naruto quipped, easily resisting Sasuke’s pull and reaching for Sasuke’s pants. They were quickly undone and shoved down his legs, pulled off in a rough movement that sent something crashing to the floor.

“Nice time to start wearing underwear, teme,” Naruto all but growled, pulling the offensive article off with as much haste as the pants, if not more so.

“It’s not like I’m being fucked on a regular basis anymore, dobe,” he replied, his smirk growing when his answer caused Naruto to growl again.

“You better not be.”

“What if I were?” Sasuke challenged, enjoying the banter he’d experienced with Naruto all those years ago. “Would you punish me?” he asked seductively.

“Yes. And I’ll punish you for teasing me, but later. Right now, I need you too much.”

Sasuke couldn’t have agreed more. He spread his legs when Naruto prompted, enjoying the feel of rough denim rubbing against his bare thighs. His cock was hard and leaking between his legs, just waiting for whatever Naruto would do to send Sasuke over the edge. When slick fingers he hadn’t been expecting just yet nudged at his asshole, he gasped in shock.

“Where the hell did you get lube?” Sasuke hissed, trying to relax against the cold, probing fingers.

“Hello? Single, horny male living alone… There’s lube fucking everywhere.”

Sasuke snorted. “That doesn’t surprise me.” Naruto’s fingers began to thrust into Sasuke’s relaxed channel, moving slightly this way and that until they bumped his prostate. Naruto’s middle finger began to rub on it, making Sasuke squirm until the feeling of pressure became one of pleasure, causing Sasuke’s hips to thrust down onto Naruto’s fingers.

Beneath the sound of his moans, Sasuke could hear Naruto mumbling words he couldn’t make out to a now familiar tune. He thoughts wandered back to that night in New York as his hips thrust down harder and harder, the words of Naruto’s song reverberating in his mind.

“Remember when I moved in you? And the holy dove was moving, too, and every breath we drew was Hallelujah? Hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelu~jah.”

Sasuke moaned loudly, remembering as prompted the many times they’d fucked in their teens and how Naruto filling him had indeed felt like some kind of spiritual experience, which he now knew to be a deep, abiding love. He felt his muscles tighten and his balls begin to draw up, and he cried out for Naruto to stop.

“Fuck, fuck me now, Naruto, now!” he almost screamed.

“Yes, sir!” Naruto said cheekily, withdrawing his fingers and almost instantly replacing them with his cock, the thick organ sliding home almost like it had never left and filling Sasuke until he thought he’d split apart. The blond began to thrust immediately, continuing the assault on Sasuke’s prostate until Sasuke thought he’d cry with the intense pleasure.

Naruto was still humming, one hand gripping Sasuke’s hips while the other was merely wrapped around Sasuke’s dick, not moving. Sasuke opened his eyes and shot a glare up at where he felt Naruto’s face was, almost demanding the dobe jerk him off properly when he felt lips on his cheek, back towards his ear, Naruto singing to him as he thrust to the rhythm, a slow sensual beat that tried to drive Sasuke crazy.

“I did my best, though it wasn’t much. I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch. I’ve told the truth; I didn’t come to fool ya. And even though it all went wrong, I’ll stand before the Lord of Song with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah.”

Naruto paused, panting against Sasuke’s neck as they continued to rock into each other. “Sing with me, Sasuke. Hallelujah,” he continued.

“Hallelujah,” Sasuke echoed, gasping as Naruto sped up and began to pump his fist on Sasuke’s cock.

“Hallelujah,” Naruto pounded into him, every thrust nailing his prostate until Sasuke swore he saw colors streak behind his eyelids. His hand jerked even faster, and Sasuke’s back bowed off the couch.

“Hal…le…luj-AHH!” Sasuke screamed, his cum shooting out of his dick in thick ribbons that he felt fall on his sweat-soaked stomach. Naruto thrust frantically a handful of times before crying out Sasuke’s name and shooting his load deep in Sasuke’s body.

As they came down from their high together, Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto’s broad and sweaty back, trying to cling without being clingy. It wouldn’t really do for Naruto to know just how much power he could wield over the Uchiha.

God, how he’d missed this.

“You know,” Naruto said into his neck, “We make beautiful music together, Sasuke.”

He would have hit the blond for the comment, he really would have, but Sasuke had to admit that he’d even missed the idiot’s moronic sense of humor.

“Now, what have we learned after seventeen years, Sasuke?” The question was asked jokingly, but Sasuke could hear the underlining seriousness to Naruto’s voice.

He sighed as he brought a hand up to run through Naruto’s hair. “That no matter what may happen, you really will always love me.”

“They always told me you were a genius.” Sasuke bopped him on the head. “And what else?”

Sasuke scowled up toward the ceiling. “That no matter what may happen, I will always love you.”

“Good boy! Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy? Should I give a good boy a treat?” Naruto moved, and Sasuke assumed he was staring down at him. He glared at the idiot.

“Naruto, don’t you dare fucking treat me like a dog,” he warned icily, death very prominent in his voice.

Naruto chuckled. “Aw, does that mean I can’t bend you over on all fours and fuck you into the mattress until you play dead?”

Sasuke didn’t know whether to be appalled or extremely turned on by what the blond proposed, but as Naruto pulled him up from the couch and led him deeper into the house, he was willing to go with the latter. For now.

Once he got the layout of the room, he’d see just how long it took him to make Naruto howl.


~owari~


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i hope you enjoyed it!