"Please, I'll do anything. You want money? I have millions. I- I have a daughter, too. She's 16, eh? Right up your alley! You can have her too- just let me go!"
Gaara looks down at the man with a look of contempt, green eyes flashing with distaste. Humans, these days, seemed to have no shame. The idea of being bought off by money and an underage female disgusted him- not to mention the fact it was his daughter- despicable.
Shaking his head, Gaara reached into his pocket, pulling out a vial of sand. The change in the air is instant- it becomes tense, almost silent, save for the man's ragged breathing. Gently, almost artfully, he pops off the cap and begins to pore the grains of sand into the palm of his hand.
The man below him pales, blood rushing from his face. "No, please! No!"
But Gaara doesn't listen to his screams.
"Naruto, have you seen the news?" Ino asked, pouring a cup of coffee. A blonde head pops up from behind a cubicle.
"What news?"
"The Sand Seeker Strikes Again!" The woman mocked in a deep voice, before erupting in a fit of laughter. Setting down the coffee with a sigh, she placed a hand on her hip. "Seriously, though. You should check it out- after all, you've been begging for a new case."
And with that, Ino made her way for the door, leaving both Naruto and Sasuke to watch the gentle cadence and sway of her hips.
Without another word, Naruto whips out his phone.
"At approximately 4:27 this morning, an unidentified Caucasian male was found mauled and mutilated by local police in Downtown LA. The evidence- such as the mouth stuffed with sand, the lacerations deep in the wrists of the male, and the absence of eyes- has lead the police to believe this kill is connected to the fourteen other recent killings, in which the public have begun to call the Sand Seeker."
A file dropped on his desk, and Naruto looked up. Sasuke was glancing down at him, a frown pulling at his features.
It wasn't out of character- normally, it took several bottles of vodka to make the male even feign happiness. Sasuke was a very serious person with a quiet disposition, who buried himself in his work. It left little time for socializing, but over the years Naruto had acquired his companionship by annoying determination and general perkiness.
"Up and at 'em, sunshine," Sasuke said in his velvet voice. While Naruto wasn't attracted to men, he had to notice the man's voice was sultry, if not down-right delectable. Even he appreciated it- how could he not, when Ino practically came on the spot when being addressed by the man? It was hilarious.
And still, Sasuke hadn't even taken notice to her- even more hilarious.
"I'm up, I'm just- have you seen the news?" Naruto asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice. Sasuke's face darkened, his eyes glinting with a quiet rage. The change was so sudden, so quick, Naruto almost didn't catch it. "What's wrong?"
The raven-haired man paused, reaching up to adjust his tie in a nervous gesture. After a few moments, he uttered the words. "I... I wanted to take the case, but they rejected it. Said they didn't want me getting too involved- personal matters."
Sasuke said this quietly, without missing a beat. Naruto nodded in understanding.
Eight months before, Sasuke's daughter had gone missing. She was only seven, and hadn't shown up- they probably assumed it was the Sand Seeker. If so, and Sasuke got involved- well, Naruto knew Sasuke.
It would only end in two ways, and both ended with a dead body.
Clearing his throat, Naruto looked down at the manila folder on his desk.
"Do I want to read this?" He asked, but Sasuke was already walking off.
"See for yourself," he called over his shoulder, causing the blonde to sigh.
Inside the folder was everything the press had left out- photographs of the crime scene. Naruto gazed down at the pictures with grotesque curiosity, feeling his stomach turn.
Fifteen pictures total. Two female, a whopping 13 male, all over the age of 30. The latest one had the most variation from the previous killings, he'd noted.
He was stripped of all valuables, spread out against the ground. His mouth was parted open to reveal sand, stuffed to his teeth, with a trickle down his chest. In fact, the entire floor was covered in sand, dyed red from the blood.
And god, the blood. So much blood, it was almost impossible. The man's throat was slit to reveal a red smile, his wrists carved to the bone. His empty sockets peered into the sky, burning blackness. In the sand was a poem.
"Failing to fetch me at first, keep encouraged. Missing me one place then search another, I stop somewhere waiting for you."
And then lastly, below the inscribed poem, was an elaborate signature- The Sand Seeker.
"Cat's got style, gotta give him that," a voice said from behind him. Naruto spun around in his chair, only to find Shikamaru perched on the wall of his cubicle, swinging his legs. His black hair was pulled back into a bun, brown eyes sparked with interest.
"No, he doesn't. He's disgusting," Naruto said, but he couldn't keep the slight smile pulling at his lips. Honestly, it seemed a bit too surreal- almost something out of a movie. Granted, the crime scene was disastrous, and innocent people were killed, but- it wasn't anyone he loved. Nobody he cared about. It wasn't sweet old' lady down the street walking her little Tortoise, it wasn't his girlfriend, who'd been out in Washington for a job interview- it wasn't Shika or Sasuke. It wasn't his problem.
"And get down," Naruto snapped, glancing towards the office where their boss was located. "Sakura could see you."
Sakura- the pinked haired demon incarnate with a passion for getting things done. If you were caught off task, or, god forbid, browsing the internet looking for porn, memes, or video games- the CEO himself wouldn't be able to prevent her wrath.
Shikamaru hopped down from the wall and wrapped his arms around Naruto, hopping in the chair with him and straddling his thighs. "Aww, Naruto baby," he purred, nuzzling the male's neck. "Are you afraid of the big, bad witch?"
Naruto's face flashed with irritation- and a voice rang throughout the office.
"Shika, Naruto! Cut that out!" Sakura screamed, causing Shikamaru to convulse and fall on the floor in panic.
"Because I'm so terrified," Naruto said, rolling his eyes. He'd grown used to Shika's public displays of affection- the dude was the gayest one in the office. He took great fun in making others uncomfortable, using his sexuality to his advantage. It didn't really bother Naruto, but others, it did.
Shikamaru feigned confidence, but Naruto heard the waver in his voice. "Whatever. I'm gonna head to the bathroom, if you wanna join me~" he teased.
Naruto spun back to face his desk, returning to the file. He flipped through a few pages nonchalantly, not too interested. But then again, it would be good to get the hell out of the office.
"Eh, Sakura?" Naruto called, getting out from his seat and rounding the corner to her office. A pink-haired woman sat, hunched over a load of papers, eyes bloodshot. Her hair was tied back in a delicate braid, falling to her shoulders, exposing a pale forehead and glittering green eyes.
"What? Can't you see I'm busy?" She snapped, glaring up at him. Naruto used to be terrified of the woman, but now, not so much.
"Can I take the case?" He asked.
"What case?" Sakura replied, stacking the papers. Naruto blinked.
Sighing, the male came over and dropped to a crouch next to his boss. "Have you been here all night?"
It was a gentle question, but Sakura flinched. "Mind your fucking business. Yes, you can take the case, whatever it is. Now go- I'm swamped with paperwork that Choji should've had done by now, and I still have six reports to do because Shikamaru hasn't done his shit, and Lee is still on break, and if you don't get the fuck out of here I'm going to go crazy!"
She'd already been insane for a long time, but he wasn't going to remind her.
Naruto flinched when he was the crime scene- it was one thing to see it in a photo, a totally other thing to view it in person while eating a hot dog. The police tape was bright yellow against the drab and dreary scene, fluttering in the wind. Investigators were taking pictures, labeling body parts as evidence.
"Naruto Uzumaki, LAPD," he said assertively, flashing his silver badge. He was instantly granted access to the scene.
It was a sight. His black combat boots ground the sand under his feet, soaking up blood. "Any leads?"
"Not for you, there aren't. Temari, member of the FBI. You don't have access to this area- there is nothing here to see," A harsh, feminine voice said calmly. It was a tall woman, blonde hair pulled into four buns, dressed in a feminine suit. Her dark green eyes flash venomously.
Naruto cocked an eyebrow- her dark tone of voice signaled it was a personal matter, dripping with protectiveness. "There's plenty to see here, as you don't have the authority to prevent me from investigating the area. This isn't a foreign affair, and it happened on Los Angeles ground."
The woman was quickly flanked by a male, standing tall in ragged jeans and a black hoodie, with what appeared to be cat ears. Purple paint lined his face.
"Do you want to leave in handcuffs, or in a body bag? Both can be arranged," the man said softly. Naruto's blue eyes narrowed at the hint of a challenge, however, he shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
"That won't be necessary," a cool voice said from behind. A strong hand clamped on Naruto's shoulders, steering him around and leading him away. Naruto turned on the man angrily.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? I can handle myself!" Naruto snapped, blue eyes blazing. Sasuke's black hair framed his pale skin in high contrast, his lips pulled into a frown.
"I just fucking saw you about to be shot dead by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This isn't some some shitty TV show, like CSI Miami or Bones. You can't just march into shit like that and expect to come out unscathed!" Sasuke exclaimed, voice taking on a worried tone.
Naruto ripped his arm away from the man's steel grasp. "Jesus Christ, take a chill pill-"
"Illegal uses of narcotics like Xanax are illegal," Sasuke interrupted angrily. "And you should fucking know better."
Naruto grit his teeth, mere seconds away from exploding. What the hell had gotten into the man?
"I should fucking know better? You're the one freaking stalking and following me like some creep in the shadows!"
"Because you can't seem to take care of yourself! I knew something was up when you suddenly left, and..." He trailed off, trying to find the words. "I don't want to put up another missing persons poster."
Naruto blinked- that's what this was about. Sasuke was worried. Granted, he handled it weirdly- like shadowing Naruto in broad daylight type of weird- but that was Sasuke. He wasn't the most social butterfly, and had difficulty understanding foreign terms like boundaries.
The blonde's gaze softened.
"Stop looking at me like that, you fucking creep. I'm not easy, like Shikamaru, or horny, like Ino, or even fragile, like Sakura. I'm fucking superman."
Naruto snorted. "Do you fly around in little red undies?"
Sasuke's grimace was obvious. "No."
"Do you, like, fight the penguin dude? and the mystery man?"
Black eyes rolled. "That's Batman, you moron."
Huh. Naruto smiled- batman fit way better than Superman. He made a mental note of that for future reference, and continued along the sidewalk.
"Hey, Sasuke," he began, glancing up at the bright sun. "Care to help me with something?"
Sasuke focused his gaze on the blonde for the longest time. "Does it have to do with dead bodies?"
"Fifteen, to be exact."
Sasuke frowned. "I guess. Someone has to keep your sorry ass out of trouble."
At the sound of this, Naruto pumped his fist in the air. "Woo-hoo! Officer Naruto and Sasuke, on the road again to fight bad guys and lay down the law! Yee-Haw!"
The raven-haired man frowned, but it quickly changed to a smile. Naruto happily bumped his shoulder.
"Any idea where to start, Officer?"
Sasuke tilted his head, as if in thought. "If anyone had any idea who this sick fuck is, it'd be my brother."
"The one you haven't seen in six years?"
"Yep."
"The one we arrested and got thrown in prison, and then he said to never visit him, because then he'd get another life term in jail for murder?"
"That's the one."
"Itachi Uchiha, the one who was caught smuggling-"
"Yes! Christ, can you shut up?" Sasuke snapped, irritated.
Naruto thought for a moment, and then stopped dead. Sasuke looked back at him bewildered. "What?"
"My lisence is suspended, you own a bike... and the prison is a state away. You know what that means?"
Realization dawned on them both at the same time. Sasuke's shoulders' sagged.
"Shikamaru has to drive us," they groaned in unison.
That's a wrap for chapter one. Was it good? Terrible? Did ya like it? hate it?
R&R,
Love,
~DD