Two: The Family Heir
Sasuke glared when he drove up to his home after school. There was a sleek, black lamborgini parked in front of his house, which he knew belonged to the one person he hated above all others: Itachi. Sasuke looked up to the window on the second floor. Itachi had a key to Sasuke’s house, and usually went upstairs into the guest room to sleep before asking if he could stay for a while. As expected, the window was open. This was not going to be pleasant.
“Itachi,” Sasuke greeted, surprisingly seeing his older brother sitting in the living room and reading some papers.
“Otooto,” Itachi acknowledged. “You are well?”
“Fine. You?”
“Same as always.” the older Uchiha said. This wasn’t really an inquiry of their well being, to be honest. It was just a routine to follow out of forced politeness; they really could care less about the other one. “Sasuke, we need to talk.”
“What about?”
“Sit.” Itachi said, pointing his hand toward the seat across from himself. Sasuke went down into the parlor and sat, noticing that there was a small manila envelope with his name on it there. “I’ve just been able to get hold of our parents’ will.”
“A will?”
“Yes. They left both of us a copy and a letter inside.” Itachi said. “As you will soon see.”
Sasuke opened the package carefully and took out the papers it contained. The first page was simply an explanation of what he was about to read, as if he was too young to know. The following pages were documents describing how both Itachi and Sasuke would receive their inheritance and what each would get. It seemed Sasuke was going to get the summer house, half of the remaining fortune, and whatever stocks were in the market at the present time. Itachi would get the winter house, the other half of the fortune, the car which belonged to their father, and the bonds their mother had bought. However, there were two things that were not defined definitely in the will.
The main house and the family business.
Itachi had taken it upon himself to run the family business while Sasuke went to college and earned his degree. However, it seemed that he was not to inherit the business or the main house, for the will indicated that Sasuke was to become the Uchiha family heir.
“Do you see our problem?” Itachi asked, staring at Sasuke for some type of reaction.
“It says I am to be the heir–”
“Saa na,”
“. . . If I marry.” Sasuke finished. Itachi raised an eyebrow. That certainly wasn’t in his version of the will.
“May I?” he asked. Sasuke handed the letter over to his brother, trying his best to avoid physical contact. “So, you have to marry by the time you’re twenty-one.”
“That’s in three months.” Sasuke said. “How is that going to be pulled off?” Itachi looked Sasuke dead in the eyes.
“You have a girlfriend, no?”
“You’re not suggesting that I marry her, are you?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“I refuse.” Itachi slightly shrugged.
“It makes no difference to me. I will run the business until you graduate regardless of what the will states. I will have made my fortune, plus the half of our parents’ money, and I’ll be set for the rest of my life.” Sasuke knew that was a lie. Itachi wanted the business badly. Unlike Sasuke, Itachi was a business genius and had a pattern of logic that was beyond imagination. He could get anything he wanted with the stable Uchiha business and take highly calculated risks that would make the company grow until it could be incorporated.(1) Thus, the business would out last him and he would ensure that his children were set.
“You know I have no interest in the business. However, the main house is an entirely different issue.” Sasuke said, playing it in his favor. “It has substantial value, monetary and sentimental.”
“Do you want it?” Itachi asked. “I have little need for something with sentimental value.” Sasuke inwardly smirked. It was so like Itachi to discard emotion and feelings for a goal.
“I assume that you will need it every once in a while, no?” Sasuke said. “The Uchiha company is known for its holiday parties, which are always located at the Uchiha mansion.”
“I suppose I would need it for those occasions.” Itachi said. “Would you allow it?”
“If you allow me a small percentage of stocks.” Sasuke said. “You can have the company, but for this I want some part in it. I will take the house knowing that you are to use it for company purposes.”
“There are no stocks, Sasuke.” Itachi said.
“Not yet.” Sasuke said. “I know you’ll incorporate soon. I just need to let go of your reins.” Itachi smirked.
“I’ll invest for you 25% of the total stocks. They’ll be cheap compared to what they will be in a few years.”
“Fine by me.”
“However,” Itachi said. “We still haven’t gotten around your marital issue.”
“Simple: I don’t marry.”
“Do you think Kakashi would allow that?” Itachi asked. “He knows that Mother and Father wanted you to take over. He’ll force you to marry your girlfriend to hold to the will.” Sasuke cursed inwardly. Kakashi was a family friend who had taken the boys in when their parents had died. Itachi didn’t like Kakashi, and Kakashi didn’t like Itachi. Thus, when the older Uchiha turned eighteen he was gone. Sasuke had a few more years with the silver haired man before he too moved out and bought a house of his own. However, Kakashi still had a lot of influence over the boys and most of the company would side with Kakashi if ever an argument came up. They all knew the situation and would not butt against it.
“I’m seeing Sakura Friday evening. I’ll dump her then.”
“Don’t be so eager.” Itachi said. “Kakashi will be there too.”
“How do you know?”
“Sakura was told.” he stated.
“Fuck.” Sasuke said. “So that’s why she called.” Itachi nodded.
“You seem to not like her much.” the older boy said. “Do you have a replacement?”
“Not one that I’d live with for a week, let alone my lifetime.” Itachi then smirked.
“Who is your best friend?” Sasuke glared.
“Where is this going?”
“I’m assuming that it is a male.”
“I don’t like where this is going.”
“You and your best friend could put on a little act for a few months, no?”
“Kakashi’s gay. What would stop him from making me marry Neji?”
“Because the whole reason for making you marry is to ensure that there are little Uchiha brats running around.”
“Then who would get the house and business?”
“Kakashi can’t deny you your inheritance if your tastes run. . . similarly to his.”
“Neji won’t go with it.” Sasuke said. “He has a girlfriend right now, and even if he didn’t he wouldn’t risk his own family status for this.”
“Can you think of anyone else?” Itachi asked. “Perhaps someone who Kakashi wouldn’t force you to marry?”
Sasuke ran through everyone he could think of. Shikamaru was too indifferent, and was slightly homophobic. Kiba was bisexual and would do it, but there would be quite a bit of sexual contact which Sasuke didn’t want. Chouji was out of state for college, Shino would refuse outright, and Lee was. . . well, Lee. He would willingly help, but there was so much honesty in the boy that the plan would fail. The only person left he could think of was Hinata, but there was a problem in that as well. Hinata was the heir to the Hyuuga family, and there had been some bad blood between the Hyuugas and the Uchihas. The Hyuugas would never allow Hinata to marry an Uchiha as long as there were still elders who knew about the incident. It was a miracle that Sasuke and Neji were best friends, really.
That only left one other person. . .
Unfortunately, he fit the description perfectly.
“In a way. . . I do.” Sasuke said. “I’m not sure if he’ll help, though.”
“When will you see him?”
“Tonight.”
“Talk to him then. If you can’t convince him, I will.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Sasuke said, more because he didn’t want Itachi to know where he worked than anything else. Naruto was dim whited anyway. Sasuke was confident that he would be enough to convince the blonde to ‘date’ him for a few months. “Will you be staying for a while, then?”
“I will be staying until your twenty-first birthday, yes.” Itachi said. “I would like to see how everything is running here before I go back to New York.”
“I work graveyard shifts, thus I have Lolita make dinner late.”
“Lolita?” Itachi asked, a questioning eyebrow raising.
“She’s the housekeeper and cook.”
“She lives with you?”
“No. She comes when necessary.” the younger Uchiha stated. “Don’t molest her, please.” Itachi smiled.
“It’s not molestation if she agrees to it.” Sasuke sighed and stood.
“My room is off limits, as usual, and I would like you to keep to yourself upstairs.”
“Of course, Otooto.”
TBC...
**-**-**
Notes:
(1): If you don’t know what I’m talking about when I say ‘becoming incorporated’ you might want to read this. The Uchiha business was a family owned business with no outside partners (a sole proprietorship), and has remained so until this point in our story. Itachi wants to grow the business so that he will be able to incorporate the Uchiha business, which means that the Uchihas will no longer own the entirety of the business. The company will have stocks and anyone will have the opportunity to buy stock in the company. Thus, even if the president of the company (Itachi) dies, the company will still run because he does not own the company. The stockholders do, and they are able to replace a president and nearly any employee they wish. That’s incorporation in a nutshell.
Otooto: younger brother
Saa na: So it seems, or yes I know
A/N: Yay! Done with the second chapter. In case it wasn’t obvious, the first chapter was on Wednesday, and this chapter is on Thursday. Whenever it is that Sasuke goes on his date will be Friday. Good? Yay! ^___^ Well, I guess things are going well. . . now I’ve just got to get it all down on paper ^^;;;
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A/N: Back for more, huh? Well LEAVE A REVIEW!!!!!! I'm sad that only two people reviewed for the first chapter (out of almost 100 hits. grrr!).
I'm selling my soul to TONFA and its readers by writing a SasuNaru. You should reward this pitiful girl by leaving a review!!!!!! TT__TT
Other than that, enjoy the chapter!!! ^____^
- Yumi