What's up people? Blue here! And I'm here to say that due to my lack of motivation but strange urge to write something new, I've finally given in to add yet another fic to my list of incompletes. Don't worry! My other fics are indeed my concern and I'm doing all I can to get the next chapter out to you guys! But for some reason my juices are headin' down the wrong river. I just hope you like what I've got down and what I may put up later on. Anyway! Definite Sasuke x Naruto in later chapters, I don't Naruto in any shape or form, but I'm dying for a Sasuke and/or Kakashi plushie!! Mini ninja cuteness!!
"Iii" speech
Iii thought
Chapter 1: The Raven and The Fox
He'd been hitchhiking for… he didn't know how long anymore. Sticking your thumb out for over a month makes telling time a little fuzzy. With a dark backpack filled with pre-cleaned clothes thanks to a dry cleaners in the last town, some food and clean water in an old plastic bottle courtesy of a restaurant and its water fountain along with a skate board strapped on to act as a makeshift shield against autumn winds, Sasuke Uchiha walked along the shoulder of a deserted New York State highway. Sneakers quiet on the black tar and concrete, the twenty-one year-old man walked like a pale ghost in the late evening sun. Something deep in his mind kept trying to tell him he'd been circling the whole damn state for almost a year. Mainly since he'd nearly gone to Rochester twice after managing to hitch a ride from Buffalo.
Not that he cared that much really. Compared to a few places he'd been lately, going to Rome (an actual city in New York State. I looked this up myself) so as to follow the Erie Canal to Albany along the Hudson didn't seem like a bad idea. If I go far enough southeast, I might reach New York City within the next two weeks. Yay. Go me.
He'd worked a few odd jobs time and again, getting as much as he could so he could go eat like any general tourist. Not that he was a tourist. Just some teen looking for a place to be for more than a week, actually feeling comfortable enough to stay, long enough to last at least two without leaving after just one month. Though he could've easily left the state, more less the country, Sasuke doubted he wanted to deal with different tax rates and Canadians trying to sell him something for twelve bucks when he could easily get it for at least six anywhere in the U.S. That and he didn't want to end up so far south to where he actually bumped into the Simpsons. Then he'd just be seeing shit. No one likes seeing oddly yellow, two-dimensional people for any reason. Ignoring the chill of the September winds and taking a small swig of water, Sasuke quietly walked on, hating the fact that he'd run out of double A batteries almost a week before.
Just when he thought his luck was truly going bad, the far off sounds of a car heading his way from behind him quickly reached his now sensitive ears. As he stopped and turned around to face the oncoming vehicle, hoping his thumb wasn't too sore by now, Sasuke couldn't help but smirk as said car began to slow down. As he waited for the yellow blinker to stop winking as the car came to a stop on the side of the road, the man's thoughts had become almost…ecstatic considering his normally cool composure. Maybe, just maybe…I'll get there a little sooner than I thought.
--Meanwhile, Over 200 Miles Away—
Busy streets filled with businessmen and women, just going about their way so they could get to work on time to sit in a boring-as-hell meeting for over an hour or just go home to see the pet they nearly forgot they had. Or to see the spouse they've been hoping to see again for whatever primal, instinctive reason they had. Love, maybe even lust, whichever it one it was, it made them feel human. It made them feel real. Alive and full of man's most prized components, bits and pieces fitted together to create an individual capable of emotion and free thought. A dream they hoped to whatever god or goddess they worshipped that it came true every time they met with said spouses.
Such regularity and almost boring routine was broken by the squeal of rubber on age old tar, the protest of car brakes and shocks as an obviously stolen car, busted window and all, came roaring around a street corner, zipping in and out of lanes as the desperado did his best to avoid crashing. All the while getting rid of the crazy-as-hell cop on his heels. Whom of which, was driving just as recklessly as he was. And the poor brunette in the passengers seat was trying to keep his cool.
"Shit! Fuck man! Are you tryin' to get us killed?!" he yelled right into his driver's ear, his almost clawed hands gripping the dashboard and the passenger door, even the ceiling, to avoid getting thrown in some wild and crazy angle.
Without even taking his eyes off the road, the driver managed to give the brunette a good swack on the shoulder. "No! I'm tryin' to do my job 'man'! Now quit whinin' and see if you can't take out a wheel."
"His or ours?" Was the inquiry, the brunette desperately trying not to laugh as if he'd gone completely nuts.
If he was joking or not, either way it didn't sit well with his partner who rightfully snapped in frustration. "His you wise ass!"
"Fine! Crazy drivin' fuck!" he grumbled as he shifted in his seat.
Rolling down his window and somehow managing to get his firearm in hand, Kiba Inuzuka did his best to take aim at one of the runaway car's wheels, all the while trying to make sure he didn't shoot someone on the sidewalk. Closing one eye and making the other follow the barrel for precision, the brunette tried to calculate his odds of actually hitting the damn thing.
"It's now or never Kiba!" the driver warned, hoping his partner was aiming well before their perp decided to take a turn.
"Workin' on it!" was all the man said as he ignored the wind in his face, holding the gun as steady as humanly possible.
"Hurry up!" the driver called from inside the car, nearly having to swerve almost violently to avoid hitting a small, practically decrepit wreck of a sedan that looked far too old to be on the road.
Without much more prompting, the brunette finally decided to pull the trigger, letting the .9 mm round fly headlong into the rubber exterior of a tire spinning at almost seventy miles per hour. Instant hole via cop gunshot from behind. A rather interesting way for a tire to meet its end rather than running over some glass on the edge of the road on a highway somewhere. In other words, that tire was shot, literally, into uselessness. Rubber pieces tore apart and scattered all over the place, the cop driving forced to swerve considerably to avoid said pieces from going up under his own tires, as well as his engine for that matter.
Just as soon as the right back tire was gone, the runaway car screeched on its now naked metal axis, causing it to swerve before crunching into the side of a Nissan Ultima (such a nice car. A real shame right?). Not even missing a beat, both the driver and passenger in the cop car clicked off their safety belts, whipped out their guns as their doors popped open and aimed right at the driver's door of the getaway vehicle. Kiba didn't hesitate to follow protocol.
"COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"
The driver followed suit, keeping a sharp eye on the window of the car. "COME OUT NOW! ON THE GROUND WITH YOUR HANDS OVER YOU'RE HEAD!"
This loud encouragement to obey law enforcement officers seemed to fall on deaf ears as the car jacker quickly scrambled to the other side of the car, opened the passenger's side door, nearly broke his nose on the concrete before standing up, firing a few not so well aimed shots at the cop car just before he made a run for it. Luckily the perp had extremely poor aim to where he only put a dent in the front hood, nearly hit one of the tires and made a small crack in the middle of the windshield. Obviously his smart genes were turned off, very much like the safety on his .45 magnum wasn't.
Cursing under his breathe and quickly putting the gun away for the moment, the driver tossed the keys at his partner as he slammed his door, expertly making chase. He was perfectly healthy mind you. Did plenty of sports in high school and had completed all his needed schoolwork in the police academy in less than two years. A true record in his mind, as well as that of the New York police department, obviously record enough to hire him right off the bat. So compared to all that, a minor chase was nothing compared to what this guy had accomplished. Unlike most alleged cops around the country, this particular officer enjoyed the occasional donut or strudel should the occasion allow it. But normally, eating healthy and exercising a bit before and after work had proven to be the downfall of many anxious ladies. He appreciated their rather enthusiastic attention, but he was a bit sheepish to tell them he was bi.
Seeing his prey was moving a little too far out of his sight, the cop quickly forced his legs to go faster as he weaved through the crowds, loudly calling out his authority so people would move out of the way sooner. Just when he thought the guy would disappear around a street corner, Kiba came to his rescue by suddenly appearing, not caring that the cop car bounced over the curb to block the man's path. He also got out in time to help his partner tackle and cuff him as he tried to wiggle his way out of their grip.
"You're under arrest for car theft, illegal possession and use of a firearm, attempted assault of a police officer, evasion and resisting arrest. You've the right to remain silent while anything and everything you say from hereon out will be held against you in a court of law. Do you understand what I'm telling you?" The cop panted as he and Kiba brought the man off the cold concrete in time to nearly get spit on. Something he nearly decided to punch the guys' teeth out for.
"You okay?" the brunette inquired, watching his rather tired partner lean against the passenger side of the car after stuffing their latest catch into the backseat.
The man nodded, looking a little sweaty but smiling. "Yeah… It's been a while since I've had to run like that. Thanks man."
Kiba just smiled back, patting the hood of their car. "Hey anytime. C'mon. We gotta go book this guy."
"What about the car?" his partner inquired, the almost foolish grin never leaving his face mostly due to the late afternoon sun being in his eyes, making him squint.
"Ours or the one he stole?" Kiba asked in a mockingly stupid voice, making his partner bristle anyway.
"The one he stole you dog brained idiot!" he snapped even as Kiba tried not to laugh his ass off at the man's reaction.
"I already called ahead. Another unit's got that covered."
His partner nodded, approving of this action, the grin returning to his sun kissed ten fold. "Alrighty. Let's go."
"You got it man. You wanna drive?" Kiba asked as they both took their respective seats in the front of the car.
The man just shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "No. You drive. I'm done for the day. Maybe next shift."
"Have it your way Uzumaki." The dog man said with a smirk, knowing full well that the blonde was pooped.
And thus ended a well served day in Naruto Uzumaki's shoes, almost twenty-one but already fully integrated with his fellow boys in blue in the big apple. Unlike his brunette partner, Naruto had hair practically the color of the sun, summer sky blue eyes and skin tan enough to suggest he'd been to Florida a time or two. As much as he liked surf and sun, Naruto wasn't much for traveling out of state that much. Only unless his boss actually ordered him to take a day off from catching car thieves and dealing with abusive drunks hell-bent on dishing their anger out on him. A rare but true occurrence, since he was a bit too dedicated to his job. No, Naruto Uzumaki had been born in New York and felt damned if he had to leave for some strange or mysterious but apparently stupid (in his way of thinking) reason that gave him reason enough to say no.
He liked it when he got time off between shifts, relaxing in front of his desk as he finished paperwork he knew he was supposed to finish an hour before. But something in the recesses of his mind made him feel that taking a day off or a week long vacation was like slacking off a bit too much. He had bills to pay god dammit! Ignoring such things for the moment, said blonde gave their new passenger a tired smile.
"You gave me quite a run out there man! I'm surprised you didn't join the Olympic track team or somethin'." He said in slight amusement, his breathing still coming in slight pants even though he was in a well-aired cop car.
In response, the man grumbled something angrily at him through the little cage separating the front from the back. Curious, Naruto's expression furrowed to a scowl at the man in question. "Sorry, what was that?"
"I said FUCK YOU MAN!" the man roared viciously at the blonde, his skinny face turning red from unexpressed rage. Naruto only blinked, his scowl growing deeper and almost sinister as he spoke.
"Sir, if I were you, I'd keep it down. Feel lucky I didn't have my friend here shoot you in the back for your little stunt. My suggestion would be to keep quiet." He said in a tone so low, it was a wonder the man heard him over all the loud traffic just beyond the thin layer of glass.
At the mere sight of the blonde's angered face, the man had paled considerably as he leaned back into the seat, almost sliding down to avoid the pair of smoldering blue eyes promising a gruesome death if he didn't keep his mouth shut. Kiba tried not to snicker as he calmly took a right turn at a corner, taking a more composed approach to driving their car back to the station. Looking up at the windshield, the brunette made a slight whistle at how far the crack went down the middle of the glass sheet.
"Damn. Kakashi's gonna have a fuckin' fit when he sees this!" he said almost under his breath as he returned his attention to the road ahead.
Naruto just shook his head, almost too tired to think, his adrenaline levels falling faster than he thought. "No he won't. At least… not until he sees the tape showing the idiot in the back trying to shoot at us with the intent of wounding or killing us."
The brunette nodded in agreement, taking in his partner's logic. "That's very true but he still won't be happy. I'm tellin' ya."
Getting frustrated now, Naruto just glared at the dog man. "But I'm telling you that it'll be okay. Okay?"
Kiba was nodding again, smirking as he spoke. "O-okay. If you say so man. Okey dokey."
Naruto's reaction was immediate. "Say that again and I'll punch your damn lights out."
"You wouldn't." the brunette said in an almost mockingly childish voice.
"Try me." He growled, annoyed that his friend's means of annoying him was working a bit too well for his liking.
"Okey dokey." Kiba said again, this time in a whisper to where Naruto almost didn't catch it. But it was enough for the blonde to scowl and punch the brunette in the shoulder as he started cracking up. Lucky for Kiba, they'd already reached the station when the blonde punched him, thankfully not too hard, but hard enough to bruise for a while.
Since he was closest, Kiba chose to be the one to get their now cooperative car thief out of the backseat before turning the man towards the front doors. Within less than a minute, the two cops had their latest catch sitting in a chair with his hands still cuffed behind his back as Naruto mundanely went through the required questions, filling each box out accordingly as Kiba headed for the break room so he could get them both some coffee before it either burnt or got cold. After a minute or two, the blonde had quite easily gotten another officer to escort to the holding cells in the back. With a sigh, Naruto took to rubbing his eyes again as he finished the worksheet before putting it in the 'out' box on his desk. Just in time for Kiba to return from the break room.
"Here ya go man." The dog man said with a smile, handing the blonde the thin cardboard cup.
Naruto nodded, taking the coffee from his partner in justice. "Thanks. Much obliged."
"Your welcome. You seen that one chick from the paramedic unit? What's her name… Hinata?" Kiba inquired over the edge of his own cup.
The blonde paused, the cup almost to his lips as his sky blue eyes clouded with thought as he stared off at nothing. "I think I've seen her around once or twice." the eyes quickly turned on the brunette, instantly suspicious of the man's intentions. "Why? You tryin' to hook me up again?"
Surprised, Kiba just blinked before scoffing. "What? No!"
But Naruto still doubted his friends' words. "'Cause if you are… what happened with Sakura should be proof that you need to stop tryin' to get me with somebody."
"Dude! I've been with ya long enough to know that, despite your bein' bi, that you've more taste towards dudes than chicks so will you chill? Sheesh. Just tryin' to make conversation here!" the brunette growled in frustration, finally taking a sip of his coffee, fully aware of Naruto's suspicious look.
"If you say so." The blonde grumbling finally letting his tongue be engulfed in the dark brew, savoring its flavor as if it were the elixir of life.
Sensing a challenge, Kiba pressed on. "I do say so! Fuck man you gotta get with somebody sometime in your life! Why not Hinata?"
"Because I know her cousin and he's a pissy bastard. Besides, she looks more your type anyway." Naruto said, smirking as he started skimming over another sheet of paperwork that he was supposed to finish nearly two hours before.
Kiba blinked again, astonished at the blonde's peculiar response. "Really? 'Cause that's what I was gonna ask you before you startin' bitchin' at me over my attempts to hook you up."
Naruto could only roll his eyes as he let out a tired sigh. "Yeah well, your attempts are meager, desperate and poor. That and I highly doubt there's anyone in the whole city of New York meant for me at this point. You might've scared 'em all off just so you'd get 'em to meet with me."
The brunette threw up his hands, hoping his words were getting through to his friend and partner. "Oh c'mon man! Give me some credit here! At least I'm trying! Unlike you!"
"That's because the only thing about my high school years that didn't suck was when I won a game or kicked ass at a track meet. Other than that I was treated like dirt, by both genders of the student body." Naruto said calmly, not looking up from the sheet in front of him before pulling up another one.
Kiba had fallen silent, having winced at the blonde's words. "Ouch. Sorry man."
"Not your fault. Things didn't lighten up until the academy." Was the calm reply from the man's desk, the sound of sheets being moved somehow overshadowing all the other noises of the large office room.
"Where I met you." The dog man said with a toothy grin.
Smiling, Naruto nodded, looking up from his work to look the other right in the eye. "Yup. I still think it's awesome how we died the mash potatoes in the cafeteria that nasty booger green. Remember?"
Kiba could only laugh, almost slapping his knee in amusement. "Hell yeah! Was that before or after we unscrewed all those desks just to see the new guys fall to the floor for kicks?"
Looking thoughtful, Naruto tapped his chin with the end of his pen. "I think it was after that, but then again… it could be after the time you tried to stick buckets of water over nearly every classroom door."
The brunette nodded sagely, obviously impressed with his performing the old trick. "Classic. What'd you use?"
"I went easy and used chalkboard erasers. Those things are seriously dusty after a while." Naruto could only say with a fox-like grin on his face.
"Tell me about it." Kiba said, chuckling from his own desk as he got down to his own late paperwork.
--Meanwhile, In Northwestern New York—
It'd been a long ride but it'd been worth the wait. Knowing he had enough cash to get him on a boat heading downstream towards the ocean along the Erie Canal, Sasuke smirked to himself in the early morning light of how lucky he'd been so far. He'd already managed to snag himself a ticket and only had to wait for the ferry to come to the port like all the other tourists excitedly awaiting to see themselves in history brought to life by modern means and age old ideas. The family that'd been nice enough to get him off the highway had been on vacation to see relatives in Cortland and were on their way back t Connecticut, enjoying the scenery when they'd spotted him.
Of course the wife of the family had protested but then man was courteous and ignored his spouse as he'd pulled the car over to see if the raven haired man was a local or not. To be frank, the conversation went like this:
"Hey there." The man said, smiling kindly as Sasuke stood firmly, stoic and unmoving as he let the stranger approach.
"… Hi." Was all he said after a moment.
Looking around as if a bit nervous, the man did his best to look him right in the eyes. "You from around here?"
Sasuke shook his head, expression unchanging as he spoke. "Nope. Headin' northeast though. You?"
"On a trip and we're headin' home too. Want to get in?" he said, the smile returning to its kind glory only to be ruined by the woman in the passenger's seat as she stuck her head out the window.
"Darren! Get back in the car!" she snapped, looking tired and obviously hungry by the way her eyes flashed.
Turning around to face her, the man gently scolded her. "It's okay Ellen! He doesn't look dangerous."
"He does to me now get back here!" she growled crossly as her head disappeared back into the car.
Turning back to face the raven, the man's smile had become apologetic in nature but still held the kindness of a good-hearted man. "Sorry about her. She's just testy from being in the car for so long. Do you need a ride?"
Sasuke only shrugged at the question. "Don't know. You got room in there?"
Darren smiled approvingly, as if amused by the inquiry. "I'm sure we do. Hope you don't mind the kids."
"As long as they don't try anything gross." He grumbled as he finally approached the back of the car as the man put the key in to open the trunk.
"From my perspective, that would be a miracle." Darren almost whispered to himself as he let the raven put his bag in with all the other luggage, making sure it wouldn't hinder the door when it closed.
"If you can't, I'll make sure they don't." the calm reply actually surprised Darren, making him blink as if he'd been slapped.
"That I'd like to see." He said, his voice showing his amazement at the raven's confidence in handling children.
"That you will." Sasuke didn't say much after that.
The family had been nice, the kids having actually refrained from throwing their toys at his head or trying to stick their newly picked boogers into his hair. Ellen, still fuming in the front passenger's seat, had to be the main person out of the whole car to actually stare at him as if he was something from a bad memory. Her scowls and constant bombardment of Darren's decision to let him into the car in the first place filled their end of the car like a dark cloud getting ready to rain down on them like nasty storm. Of course, Sasuke said nothing to the woman for the first two hours into the drive towards the next pit stop.
Sasuke's almost solemn promise about keeping the children in check proved to be a shock and a godsend to Darren and Ellen. Their eldest son of eleven, Michael, their second eldest at nine, Lori, and their third going on six, Nola, had each proven to be very cooperative with the raven-haired man. Michael, like his mother, had stared at him the most, almost gawking at how truly birdlike his hair was. Lori just seemed more interested in the book she had while Nola seemed fascinated with Sasuke's night black eyes. He was used to this since it was normal for girls, of any age, to be amazed or enchanted by his features, no matter how foreign they were. The son kept himself busy with his Nintendo handheld while Nola had a coloring book on a small attachable tray with at least ten basic colors within her reach.
Lucky for Sasuke, none of these colors were ink. Much to his relief, they were just crayons, but could still cause a mess if left in the sun too long. No one likes cleaning that up unless they have candles in mind. Upon reaching the pit stop, a small restaurant with a gas station not far off to the side, Darren chose a parking spot and looked back at them all with a smile.
"Okay guys! Dinner time!"
This was met by happy exclamations, Lori dog-earing her page while Michael took steps to save his game. Nola had accidentally tossed a crayon at Sasuke's head from where she sat in the middle seat, the small pencil thin coloring utensil flying back to hit the man in the forehead. He didn't even flinch, much less blink as he skillfully caught the thing in midair before it could even touch his pale skin. All had seen the move and could only stare in wonder as he calmly handed the crayon back to the little girl in silence.
She took it, her mouth open wide in her own childish way. Sasuke didn't say a word as he waited for everyone else to exit the car, noting that Ellen was still eyeing him suspiciously as she led her three children towards the small diner. Unlike them, Sasuke headed straight for the gas station. Darren, as if on cue, was instantly intrigued by this move.
"You're not going to join us?" he inquired, obviously confused by the raven-haired man's actions.
"…Need a few things. I'll meet you inside." Sasuke said as he calmly strolled over the pavement towards the glass door of the roadside mini mart.
Darren nodded in understanding. "Oh okay. Do you have enough for what you need?"
Pausing to think this question over, Sasuke nodded without turning around to face the other man. "Yeah. See you in a minute."
"O-okay." and he thankfully left it at that as he went to follow his family inside the diner, holding the door open so they could enter first.
Once inside, Sasuke instantly noticed how warm it was compared to the chilly air outside the glass walls. Instantly skimming over the aisles from where he stood, he was inwardly pleased to see they had plenty of double A batteries in stock. Picking up a shopping basket, the raven-haired man decided to grab a few other things first. A few packets of #2 pencils, a notebook or two for the hell of it and some health bars for whenever he got famished somewhere along the line of their trip to the Erie Canal. Before he went to the counter, he easily picked up three large packets of double A batteries, placing them in the basket and walking over to the register. The man standing there was reading a car magazine, most likely with a Playboy hidden behind it, almost instantly put it down to run the codes under the scanner. Sasuke listened to the piece of junk register beep and whiz as he found a twenty dollar bill in his wallet, being sure to keep the man from seeing what else he had in there. Just to be on the safe side.
The man put the items into a bag and accepted the twenty, looking a bit surprised at how clean and crisp it was but he said nothing. He simply punched a few keys, made the register open, and switched the twenty for several dollars in bills and change so he could hand them over to Sasuke. The raven nodded as the man did the whole 'have a nice day' routine before picking the magazine up once again and sticking his nose right back in it. Definitely porn, or something of that degree where the man was fairly eager to pick up where he left off.
Deeming this as normal, Sasuke headed out the door and stuffed his new purchases into the far back seat, where Darren had put him, before heading over the diner's own glass window of a door. Though coming into the place to find it peaceful, full of other customers with soft 50's music playing in the background was what Sasuke expected to find, what he found was something a little far from it. For Darren, in his normally kind nature to avoid violence like any good man would, was now almost knee deep in trouble. It was fairly obvious the large man now facing Darren in a rather flashy show of anger was indeed quite drunk, making Darren's ability to reason with him almost impossible compared to what Sasuke had experienced so far.
And as hard as Darren tried, the large, drunk as hell man proved to be deaf to his pleas to resolve the matter with words rather than fists.
"Now I don't know what I've done to offend you but if you'd please--." Darren was saying just as Sasuke walked through the door, one or two fellow customers looking away, saw him, and then looked back with fearful faces. It obviously wasn't the first time this man had been drunk, and most certainly not the first time to pick fights with innocent and unsuspecting travelers.
"I dun't need yur damm excusez! C'mon an' fight me like da man you are!" pure drunkenness slurred his already strange accent, proving not only by said accent, but by his clothes and large girth, he was a Texan. A Texan, drunk enough to cause unwanted problems for innocent people who were unfortunate enough to get in his way.
But Darren was determined to talk the man out of a brawl. Certainly something he didn't want his family of four to witness. "Sir, please. I don't know what you're talking about! Maybe if you just sat down for a minute then we--."
Sadly, his words fell on deaf ears. "Shtop tryin' ta weezil outta dis! Yur gonna fight me if itz the last thang I do!"
Letting his old skills kick into gear, Sasuke was between Darren and the Texan drunk within seconds, using a powerful side kick to send the man stumbling backwards to where he almost fell over. A bit surprised at this, the drunk blinked sluggishly, saw Sasuke, and charged almost like a bull.
"Get back." The raven ordered, catching Darren, Ellen and others by surprise.
"But--!" he started to say before Sasuke cut him off.
"Get back!" he yelled just as he leaped and spun, his leg coming around for a round house kick, getting the drunk right in the ear. This almost made him come crashing down on a booth table but he somehow managed to maintain his balance enough to only land on his ass. Going red in the face with obviously mounting rage, the Texan rose again from the floor with his hands straight out and ready to grab Sasuke's pale neck.
He never got the chance to do even that. Blocking the hands as if they were nothing more than flies in his face, Sasuke brought his right hand flying forward to get the Texan drunk square in the nose. The punch was powerful enough to send the man stumbling so far backwards, he bumped into the jukebox before slumping to the floor with his face nothing more than a bloody mess. Silence filled the room, both customers and waitresses staring in shock that a single man had downed a large southerner as if he were nothing but a leaf in the wind. Only then noticing the pain in both his foot and his hand, Sasuke turned towards the nearest waitress as he shook his right hand a little.
"Got any ice?"
--In New York—
Within an hour of returning to the office, Naruto and Kiba found themselves back on the streets with a replacement car while their own got a new windshield. Both had been right about their boss, Hatake Kakashi, being angry about what'd happened to their car. But his rage was swayed by the dash cam footage retrieved from the video system a good half hour beforehand. Looking bored by the look in his half moon eye, the other hidden by a wave of silver hair, Kakashi merely waved them out of his office as he mumbled something about having them take a different car until their old one came back from the shop.
After being out for almost forty minutes, the two had already dealt with at least seven to eight drunks stumbling home, a pissy hooker and a few bar brawls that nearly had Kiba coming close to a bigger mouth and Naruto to lose his left eye. Thankfully a few other units came to their rescue before the two men could get too bruised up, only walking away with a scratch or two. A strange way to end the night, but it was better than getting shot at. Having gone back to the station and changed back into civilian clothes, Kiba said his goodbyes as he headed for his jeep while Naruto weaved through the cars for his midnight blue Mustang model T (my dream car).
Mere minutes later, the blonde was cruising through dark city streets under the constant glare of street lights, late night traffic and a beautiful moon doing the car's dark and mysterious color glorious justice. With the radio down low and his window open as he let the cool wind act almost as calming incense, Naruto Uzumaki drove to his loft apartment in a leisurely fashion that always helped him forget of the long day behind him before having to deal with the long day to come. Closing said window and locking his car after parking where he'd been parking for two years, the blonde entered his apartment building to take a slow but expected elevator ride towards the top floor.
His apartment building, only ten stories high and at least three or four apartments for each floor, Naruto was lucky to have chosen the one that faced the Brooklyn bridge that stretched over the river like a mini Notre Dame of wire, stone, and lights. A truly wondrous sight if the weather had the right temperament at the right time of day. One of the many things Naruto couldn't help but feel thankful that his luck had finally turned away from the worst. Putting his jacket on the coat rack next to his door, his keys on the small table under it and slipping off his shoes, Naruto felt tempted to just fall onto his couch and stay there til morning. Of course, the last time I did that, I woke up with a sore back and my head threatening to hit the floor.
Ignoring his personal embarrassment and the memories that came with it, the blonde just headed for his island style kitchen to cook up something, anything, that would quench his hunger until breakfast. After thirty minutes of waiting, Naruto had finished digging into the lasagna that Sakura had forced on him the day before. Mainly because she knew the only thing he ever ate, ever, had been ramen and chose not to let such a habit continue despite it being one of the fastest meals to make. He remembered protesting, saying that he'd done just fine eating it so far since he never ate the same two flavors in the same week. That and he distinctly remembered telling the pink haired demon girl that he'd even mixed in cooked meats that he'd chopped into bite size pieces to add more flavor and filling to his ramen dishes. Of course, she didn't believe him with that one either.
So, he had no real choice but to accept what his friend gave him to munch on when not on duty or at home with some time to spare before bed. Thinking about it now, Naruto was actually glad he'd caved. Now I don't have to cook that often! He thought happily as he quickly took to cleaning up any kind of mess he might've made. Before getting into his hot shower, the blonde made sure to set out another set of clothes for the next day incase he woke up later than he should've. Tossing his dirty clothes into a laundry hamper, the blonde stepped tenderly into the hot spray of water.
Refreshed, clean and already feeling the day's weariness kicking in, Naruto barely managed to slip on a clean pair of boxers and sleep pants in his obvious state of pre-sleep sluggishness before slipping under his sheets and drifting away into unconsciousness with a foolish smile on his face.
--Meanwhile, In The Northwest, Some Hours Earlier—
Wincing at the slight sting of freezing cold ice cubes in a bucket meeting almost burning hot skin, Sasuke managed to keep his expression blank as he waited at one of the cleared tables for his food to arrive. His foot in one bucket while his hand was in another, the raven haired man could only think that the drunk he'd taken down might've have been made of stone rather than flesh and bone. And his limbs were paying the price. Not that he minded that much, but it still hurt like hell. The Texan drunk had been carted away by a state trooper called to the scene, leading the big behemoth as he sobbed through a bloody but obviously broken nose. Much to his relief, Darren's kids were in a different booth than him so they couldn't bombard him with questions.
As Ellen and Darren sat across from him in the booth, all three sitting in silence, Sasuke had taken to staring out the window, ignoring the couple staring at him with a curiosity he'd become accustomed to. Just when he thought they'd finally ask him their own questions, one of the waitresses came over with their plates. She gave the couple a slight smile of kindness, but gave Sasuke a half curious, half enchanted stare before forcing herself to walk away. Once the woman was gone and out of earshot, right before he could touch his food, Ellen spoke up first.
"Where did you learn to do that?" her voice was sharp and clear, meaning she meant business. Sasuke didn't even blink.
"School. College mainly." He said with a shrug, utilizing his left hand to make use of the fork rolled up in the napkin.
"You didn't have to do that you know." Darren said calmly, looking a bit unnerved that Sasuke had yet to react to what'd just happened to them.
"If I hadn't, you'd be in the hospital." The raven-haired man reasoned between bites, chewing and swallowing in a surprisingly calm pace. Something no one had really seen any drifter do.
"But you wouldn't have your hand and foot on ice." He shot back, almost anxious to get some kind of emotional response out of the raven.
No luck for Sasuke just shrugged. "Minor problem. I've had worse."
Ellen actually blinked at this, instantly curious. "Really? Like what?"
"You don't want to know." These words almost made the couple pale in horror before Sasuke quickly added. "Not that kind of bad but…somewhat worse than this."
This instantly brought relief to the couple. After that, they all ate in complete silence, business seeming to go on as usual before the drunk vs. traveler showdown had taken place. When Sasuke finished, he merely pushed his plate away and rested his head on his arm, shutting away the rest of the world with just his eyelids. It wasn't until what felt like mere minutes later than he felt a warm hand shaking him back to reality, making him peel his eyes open to find a concerned looking Darren staring down at him.
"What's happenin'?" he half mumbled, his mind and voice thick with an unexpected sleepiness.
Darren's expression furrowed with concern, hoping he could keep the raven's attention long enough to ask. "Are you okay? We're about to leave."
It took him a moment but the memory came rushing back nonetheless. "Oh. Right, right. Gimme a sec." He said, stretching his now aching limbs.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Darren inquired again, taking one of Sasuke's left arm so as to help him out of the booth.
Sasuke could only nod as he nearly stumbled when he came to stand on open tile flooring, noticing the clock on the wall had turned at least forty minutes forward. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Didn't think I'd doze off like that."
"Can you make to the car?" Ellen inquired from somewhere to his far right, where he knew the front door was located.
Sasuke just scoffed, managing to find her in his sleepy haze to growl in an obviously fatigued fashion. "Lady, I've been walking for over two weeks. Going another twenty or so feet won't kill me. Just tired."
If Ellen said anything in response, he didn't hear it as he let Darren walk him out the door and towards the awaiting car. The air was crisp and felt like a splash of cold water on Sasuke's pale skin before he edged his way into the cocoon of warmth that was the backseat. Finding a comfortable position on his side, using his extra pullover from his bag as a pillow, Sasuke fell asleep for the second time that evening.
He didn't wake up until the next afternoon when the family made another pit stop for lunch, the second one for that day according to them. Ellen proved to be more tolerant than the day before, since she'd been the one to wake him up. Sasuke distinctly remembered the strange glint in her eye when he finally peeled his open in question.
"Awake yet?" she asked softly as the raven rubbed his eyes with his left since his right had fallen asleep somehow. Mainly since he'd fallen asleep on top of it.
Stupid. I'm so fucking stupid. He thought to himself in frustration as he gave the woman a weary look. "Dunno. What time is it?"
For once, Ellen seemed sheepish through his still hazy vision. "Going on one in the afternoon. You were out for quite a while. We…I figured you'd be hungry now that we've stopped again."
"Again?" he asked, feeling a bit moronic to ask but it seemed like a pretty valid question to him.
The sheepish expression didn't change, but it did deepen. "You missed breakfast and we couldn't get you up. How's your hand and foot?"
Blinking at this inquiry, Sasuke decided to move said limbs. They both seemed to ache but were usable. "I'm fine. Still a little sore though."
"Can you walk? Or will it kill you?" she inquired, looking almost amused at her own jibe at his past words.
This time, he didn't blink, giving the woman a weak glare from where he lay on the seat. "Haha. Very funny."
Ellen could only laugh at his expression before she got up and pulled the lever so the seat in front would move to let him out. "C'mon then."
Feeling stiff as hell but better than most days, Sasuke forced himself to sit up and exit the car so he could eat for the first time in hours. Like every man should, he opened the door for Ellen, making sure she was clear before entering himself. Within seconds, he found himself seated next to Darren while Ellen and two of the three kids sat on the opposite side of the booth. And once again, he was greeted by the man's warm smile. The raven just gave him the ghost of a smirk in response. It wasn't long before a waitress came up asking. "Coffee?"
"Please." He said, hoping the roughness in his voice was gone. Thankfully, it was as the woman poured the dark brew into the mug set before him before walking away, leaving the group to their business.
The meal went peacefully, no large or disoriented drunks, and no nasty looks from Ellen or anyone else there. A calm, quiet hour of metal clinking or scraping against porcelain dishes with Ellen and Darren having to ensure their three little ones didn't leave a huge mess in their wake for when they left. Something that made Sasuke fell very out of place amongst them. But, like them, he said nothing.
This continued the rest of the way to the river, where Sasuke snagged a ticket for the ferry to the Hudson while the family turned in the rented SUV so as to prepare for a preplanned flight to Connecticut. According to Darren, this saved them money. Sasuke didn't doubt him. He had no real reason to doubt much of anything the man said at this point. So, standing there as a group at the docks, Darren and his family stood with the raven haired man as the crowd of excited tourists gathered almost like a flock of sheep at the ramp.
Darren looked reluctant but smiled kindly nonetheless. "This is goodbye I guess."
"That it is." Sasuke said calmly after a moment.
"Will we be seeing you again?" he inquired, the question in itself a bit childish but seemed to have some reasonable validity.
Sasuke only shook his head. "Doubt it. Be amazed if we did though. Bye."
Just as he was walking off, Ellen's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Wait!"
He stood still, almost like a statue, his back turned toward the family of five who'd been the some of the first to show some kind of compassion to him. "We never got your name."
Even though they couldn't see his face, he still blinked in shock. It'd been a while since he'd dropped his name off to people. Almost like forever. He'd been going around anonymously for so long, this little ritual of formality had become so foreign to him, that he'd nearly forgotten about it entirely. Without turning around, to even just glance at them in any way or form, Sasuke finally broke his personal tradition.
"My name… is Sasuke."
And without another word to them or anyone else, Sasuke Uchiha had vanished without a trace into the crowd of color and sound, his dark clothes and gear somehow becoming lost. Even with this minor change, little did he know that his life was going to change in at least three days time. A change that he'd never be able to reverse, no matter what he might try to do to make such a thing possible.
Finally finished! Longer than most first chapters but I wanted this one to be memorable. And proving to any and all just how bored I am right now but I'm over it. No matter. Life goes on right? Right! Thankfully there're no notes to speak of but if anyone has questions for me, go ahead and ask them in reviews or messages. Anonymous reviews are now being accepted since I've come to feel that most of you are just downright critics that are too self-righteous to tell me how much I suck. I'm okay with that. On with the preview!
Next chapter:
Chapter 2: The Cop & The Drifter: Two Paths Meet
Naruto and Kiba seem to have a good friendship goin' on. Will Sasuke's arrival destroy their seemingly never-ending streak of good luck? And why is our favorite Uchiha doing by traveling all over New York State? Will I tell you? You can damn well doubt it! Find out when I come back with the latest chapter for 'Drifting No More' in:
Chapter 2: The Cop & The Drifter: Two Paths Meet!!