Chapter One: In the Name of the Law

Author's Notes (Which are IMPORTANT): Read the first chapter before going off the deep end, stoning me, and telling me I'm the worst person in the fucking world, and not even giving this a shot. Try it. Give it a test spin. Take it around the block – the keys are shiny and brand new.
I went back to the dark tones… damn.

Also: For my dear friend (and muse's birthday), I figured I'd post this. It's going to be short, so don't get all pissy and bitchy. She is a fan of angst and this chapter calls for that. So, my dear Jen-Jen, Happy Birthday dear.

Warning/Disclaimer: Pleased be warned, SPOILER: fake character death. So, angst, if you can't stomach it, fuck off. Boys in love with each other – that too. I don't own anything mentioned in this fiction and I'm not making money.

Chapter One: In the Name of the Law

I couldn't believe this was happening.

It had to be a dream. It had to be a really – really – bad nightmare. But it was real. I was at the funeral home, sitting there, and I was staring at his coffin. He was pale before, but it was something he could carry with grace and sophistication. Now he looked like a doll, broken and – I choked – lifeless. His hair wasn't like it usually was, it was flat against his face and it took all my will power not to fix it to the way he liked it so he looked more like himself. I so desperately wanted him to look more like himself.

The place was packed, I somehow managed to be in the reserved row only for family, but last time I checked Uchiha and Uzumaki were nowhere in the same league.

I chanced a glace behind me while people still managed to file in so I didn't have to look at him, so I could still manage time to pretend like it wasn't real. I never knew Sasuke made such an impact, but I had a feeling it was simply his last name and not him. For some reason, I had a sudden urge to jump up and tell them all to get the hell out.

They wanted a chance to see one of the last Uchiha's leave. It wasn't to pay their respects, it was a chance to be a part of history.

"Naruto?" I turned at the sound of my name and found a cluster of our friends, dressed in clothes we usually wouldn't be caught dead in. Dress suits with jackets, matching ties all the way down to shoes that shined. The girls where in dress suits with little makeup so it wouldn't run, heels that were barely high, their hair barely done.

I pointed to the pews they were supposed to sit in, and with a silent nod they began their mission to squeeze all of them in together to be close. They wanted to make sure they could comfort each other, be there for each other. The guys wanted to make sure Ino and Sakura wouldn't get hysterical, and I could make out their eyes shifting nervously to the front where the coffin stood and to the back door.

A part of me wanted to go and sit with them, to be close to people who could hold my hand and carry me through this, but the other part of me knew better.

Sasuke always had an amazing independent strength and I wanted to at least pretend that I had some part of that while I sat here and listened to someone tell me my best friend was dead. To not shed a single tear, to hold my head high and carry on with my life like he always did.

I knew I would cry, I knew I wouldn't be able to look forward at the coffin knowing that was Sasuke I was looking at, and I wasn't sure how to carry on without him. Despite how I knew there were people in this room who loved and cared for both him and I, I felt utterly alone.

So I listened.

The words from the Pastor's mouth either struck too deep or didn't register at all. It felt like consciously, I was checking in and out at the worst times. I could hear Ino and Sakura crying behind me because they were in the only row of people who were actually showing emotion besides me.

I was pretty sure I went through a entire box an tissues by the time I got up, having to leave first, and shook the Pastor's hand. I told him he did a great job though I already couldn't remember what he said.

I walked into the back of the church and sighed, hearing the rest of the packed church begin to move around. I turned and waited for my group of friends, not expecting anyone else. I wiped at my face and patted at my pants and shuffled around nervously.

The rest was a blur.

A fog, a blank, or a blackout. However you look at it, its hard to remember anything but the casket going into the ground. Sasuke leaving. Driving to the graveyard with my friends, burying the casket, saying our final farewells; that was the only thing I remember. I remember walking back towards my car, and feeling as though someone had flipped on a light switch.

"Where is the thing?" Kiba was just as great with words as I am, "The Funeral Reception."

I shrugged and rolled my hand, "That small joint on 28th. Gramps rented it out."

Sakura sniffled, "We would have chipped in."

Ah, guilt. She's looking for any and everything to blame on herself right now because she needs it for some reason. So I waved her off, "No, he insisted after I volunteered you all."

I had a few chuckle out of that, but Shikamaru momentarily looked horrified. I waved Kiba over to my small car, "Help me, would you?"

He jogged over, trying not to look worried. But he never did well in drama-club in high school, "What's wrong?"

I sighed, "Where do you want me to start?"

"I'm-"

"Please," I whispered as quiet as I can muster, "Make the girls as comfortable and cheery as possible."

I felt unnaturally impatient with his half second pause, "What about you? I mean, I understand your concern, but you're my top priority."

For some reason, guilt ate at me when he said that. Like I neglected Kiba's friendship when it came to mine and Sasuke's or something, but that wasn't the case.

I sighed, "Worry about me tomorrow. Okay?"

He frowned, "I'll just worry about them a little more for you today."

I tried to smile, I really did, but by the weird look that crossed his face and the playful jab he sent me I knew it looked painful, "I have to drop some stuff off before I head to the restaurant."

He nodded, "Drive safe."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The estate was mine now, so it shouldn't matter where I was dropping the papers off at. I didn't want to exactly look at them either; them or the house for quite some time. So this was the place to put them for the time being. The driveway always seemed too long when I was excited to get inside and see Sasuke, hang out and have fun. Now it seemed too short so I can get inside and see where my best friend spent his last moments.

The door creaked open louder than I wanted, than I liked. It felt empty and hollow in my chest, in my ears and shallowly I registered it in my heart. My footsteps echoed loudly off the marble in the entry, and for a moment I felt like it was going to shatter my eardrums. There was no chatter to fill up the noise, no laughter to take away the dull pain, no smiles to cover the sadness.

I let my fingers trail on the banister like I did the first time I entered the Uchiha estate. It seemed so big then. So giant compared to my tiny home that housed my tiny family. Now I stood alone in a house that seemed too small with familiarity. I remember watching a small Uchiha Sasuke tour me through his home, showing me the first and only time, his awkward side. Only seven, he was there when he caught me before I fell all the way down the stairs. My fingers meet the wall in the hallway upstairs, and my memory guides me away once more, floating away pleasantly.

When we were ten, Sasuke was there when I got lost trying to find the bathroom the first time I spent the night. He came running for me after I was gone for more than ten minutes, thinking I fell all the way down the steps that time. My fingertips find the first inn table and I can feel a broken smile crack through. Sasuke was there when I broke the original. He was the reason. We were thirteen, and I was mad at the world when my Godfather got sick. He told me it wasn't the end and to get over it. Looking back, I know he was trying to say I had him.

He was there when I caught the stove on fire in my house, and helped me put it out. From then on he gave me cooking lessons every Tuesday and Thursday. We were fifteen. He was there when I got my license, and when I got in my first car crash. He was there for all of my birthday's, always being the first I saw and the first to say happy birthday. He was always there to give me the advice I needed to hear before I even asked for it. He was always there when I needed someone for something – anything. He was always there.

My fingers stopped on his door and the sob I was trying to hold in couldn't stay contained any longer when my eyes connected when the bright yellow tape telling me not to enter. I didn't even notice my knees giving out through my sobs till they hit the floor, and I fell forward into the door, and I crumbled.

He was always there.

I couldn't stand the thought of him not anymore. I couldn't stand the thought of being without Sasuke.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I got to the place with ease, and was surprised to find it still full of people. I was expecting people to gently slide out of sight, mind, and town, but people still came to celebrate Sasuke's life. I heard people talking about him and his accomplishments as I gently walked though the crowd. For the first time in my twenty-three years, I hadn't heard them compare him to Itachi.

They made him shine, made him stand tall, and they even put him on a pedestal, and I silently listened. Instead of trying to compete and sound better – I listened. I laughed at the jokes, smiled at the competitive nature, and hid blushes when I heard constant comments about him and I always being around each other; bickering, joking, competing in something.

I turned away from one just to see old man Sarutobi approach me from the crowd, just singling me out from everyone else. He gave me one of his kind smiles and his 'I-know-everything' looks and stuck out his hand and waited for me to take it.

"Asuma says you've been sniffing around." It was the first thing he said to me with a wink and chuckle, but I played dumb when I shook his hand.

"What are you talking about?"

He laughed a little harder, but not loud enough to be heard over the loud chatter of the crowd, "A detective knows all Naruto. A young man such as yourself should know that."

"A detective doesn't know all." The counter came instantly without my brain really thinking things through, "You didn't know who killed my parents. So who says you know what happened to Sasuke."

So, that was a bit of a dick thing to say honestly. The man in front of me put sixteen years on my parents' case despite it being officially labeled cold, and every time I wondered into his office on some cold boring day, he still managed to have it lying on his desk.

I knew he was working on Sasuke's twice as hard so I wouldn't have to go through the pain of not knowing twice in my life.

His smile dropped just slightly, and he patted my shoulder with more force than I thought he could manage for his age, "Come with me to somewhere more private."

I wasn't even in the mood to make a joke about a Priest and a kid when he swung his arm around me and started to lead me out of the cramped restaurant. It was a bit unsettling to notice all the eyes swiveling to him and I, but it wasn't something out of the ordinary. I was usually spotted with somebody from the precinct.

He led me outside where there was still a large amount of people spread in smaller groups talking in murmurs and turning to see us walk by, spiking in volume rudely when they would say, "It was that boy."

I felt his arm recede from around my shoulders and looked up to see a familiar head of gray hair and then a cloud of smoke and somehow felt as though every stress had left me in an instant.

"Kakashi, Asuma."

It was the oddest partnership the precinct had taken on I was willing to bet, but they had done a great deal of work together and accomplished a lot. Now that they did detective work they were unstoppable.

I stopped in between the three of them, my breath fogging in the cold winter air and coming out as thick as Asuma's cigarette smoke and smearing my vision of them, "What's going on?"

I noticed I kept trying to sound positive like usual, but it had sounded even more forced than when my folks died.

Kakashi leaned back against the car, "Just wanted a little chat. No harm in that, is there? I am your guardian."

A perverted, immature, and crazy guardian I might add. My parents lost their fucking minds when they deemed Kakashi my Godfather.

"I'm twenty-three now, you don't have to guard anything." I try to remind him.

He chuckles with a hint of a cackle which makes me shift more towards Gramps, "I still guard you Naruto."

"Anyway…" I begin, ready to just get back to my house and eat and sleep away this horrible day, "What is this about?"

"We have some questions." Asuma starts.

"No time to waste." Kakashi finishes.

Of course, detective work. They couldn't even wait till after the funeral reception to bug the hell out of me, no, they wanted to make sure I was scarred for life like proper people.

"Alright. Ask."

"Your last day with Sasuke," Asuma starts, and I suddenly felt the urge to vomit, "did he mention anything that seemed odd?"

Like puppies, butterflies and rainbows? Nope.

"It was like any other day." I had already told them this.

"Tell us again." Kakashi said instantly, reading my mind as usual, "One more time."

I shrugged, "Normal day. We both got up, I got up before him, and we hung around the house for awhile."

Kakashi moved out when I turned eighteen, and Sasuke moved in – typical.

"I eventually whined enough that we went out."

"Did he say anything about Itachi?" Asuma interrupted.

I paused longer than I knew was considered appropriate, "You mean his dead brother?"

"Yes." Asuma continued with a dead cigarette that I watched bob away from his lips.

"No. It's a touchy subject."

"Did Sasuke mention anything to you about being in danger?" Kakashi questioned.

I couldn't help it, and I stamped my foot in anger, "NO! Fuck, we've been over all these questions. It was a normal day! Normal. Why in the fuck do you keep asking me?"

"And he didn't say anything about going over to the Uchiha estate for any particular reason the next day?" Asuma asked casually.

I wanted scream or punch someone – or both – but I grit my teeth because it was at least a new question, "No. He usually goes out and doesn't tell me where he's going or why. It was a normal day. We went out window shopping and he bought me ice cream and I bought him Subway. We came home, watched a couple of movies and fell asleep on the couch."

"Together?" Kakashi asked, amused.

I nodded with a glare I simply hoped Sasuke would be proud of, "Yes."

"And the next morning he was gone?" Asuma asked gently.

I nodded, "I woke up lying on the couch around eleven, with a pillow and blanket. I called his phone and he didn't answer. Around three was when I started looking for him."
I finally remembered Gramps was still standing next to me when I heard him sigh, and I knew it took all my energy not to jump out of my skin.

I turned and looked at him while he dug his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope and handed it to me, "Only open it when you're on the road. Don't hesitate in your driving."

"Gramps? What's going on?" I held out the envelope but he nudged it toward my coat pocket with a warning look that actually had me worrying.

"When you get where you are going Naruto, do not leave. Everything will be explained when you get there."

Apparently I had no choice in this entire matter. The three of them were watching me the entire night, and when I went to leave, they reminded me to go to the destination in which was stated in the envelope. Personally, I was freaking the hell out. I didn't know exactly what was going on but a part of me had a feeling that I was in some type of danger like Sasuke had been.

The only problem was I didn't know what type of danger that was. He was such a secretive prick I never knew a damn thing that was going on in his life; be it good or bad.

So as soon as I hit the highway heading towards my house, I opened the envelope; driving with one hand and digging to retrieve the piece of paper. I held it up, shifting my eyes to get a look at the address and was immediately was confused.

I sighed and looked in my rear view mirror and noticed Kakashi's car, and took the off ramp.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It had been sixteen years since I had been to the property, and as I drove up the semi-familiar driveway I suddenly felt nostalgic. This was where I met Sasuke. Our summer house in the country. The Uchiha house wasn't too far away, and I met small little Uchiha Sasuke down by the river, the two of us kids ready to go fishing in the town's best spot. I was half tempted to jump out of the car and rush to the river to see if he was there, and felt a weight in my gut knowing he wouldn't be.

As I threw my car in park I knew there was some type of protection thing going on until they had some type of hint, control, or idea of what had happened in Sasuke's case. They did the same thing when my parents had died and I moved away with Kakashi for a little while.

I opened the door to the familiar house that painted my memories from my childhood. Spending my childhood summer's here before their death's where the greatest. I waited for the smell of fresh baked cookies, or hear my mom playfully bicker with my father about the fresh caught fish, or hear Sasuke call me some rude nickname…

"Dobe."

I paused inside the entryway and turned to see Sasuke standing there not smirking at me for once. He always smirked. Despite how great it felt to see him again, it felt like another bad dream. It felt like someone was teasing me, testing me, mocking me; I felt my stomach turning against me and I turned immediately to the front door that I left open and puked all over the front step.

I wanted so badly to straighten up and turn around, but the other side of me was frozen at the thought of turning around and would find that it was all apart of this horrible nightmare.
I felt a cool hand curl around my forehead while I emptied my barely full stomach, another cool hand holding my arm in support.

This couldn't be real. I was at the – I saw them – I watched him…

I spit harshly and spun around, blurred by what I suddenly realized were tears, and I started screaming, meaning to keep my voice level and calm, but my hysteria took control.

"I WAS AT YOUR FUNERAL!" I pushed him, and gasped when my hands collided with him. He was real. Sasuke was real; living, breathing, alive.

"I SAW THEM PUT YOU IN THE GROUND! I WATCHED THEM FUCKING BURY YOU!" I couldn't stand the pain that was ripping in my chest. I had been through a week of torment, hell and pain; and it was lie. I couldn't understand it all.

I grabbed at his arms for that familiar support when my legs went numb and I choked, my yelling turned into a whisper, "I watched the police carry out a … a … y-y-you…"

I was falling apart. Nothing made sense, it was all so wrong. So confusing. So terrifying.

I felt him push his cold lips against my warm forehead, and my knees buckled. He fell with me. I felt him put his hand against my face. He was so cold.
"I waited for you." He said quietly. I knew he was trying to hide something in his voice, "For six hours."

From the time we took the casket to the grounds to the time I got here, that was six hours and seventeen minutes, that's how long it all took. He was waiting the entire time.

"I asked them," He continued, and I felt him swipe at my bangs and peck at my forehead again. I didn't understand why he was kissing me, why he was being affectionate. I didn't understand so many things. "I asked them to help you too. I said I would do anything to help you too."

"Please explain this…" I wanted to rip my hands away from his arms, but I clung harder.

"To protect you, I had to die."

Author's Notes: If you really couldn't understand, he's not really dead. It should only last a few chapters, which I swear. If I do decide to extend it, it will be a fiction that will be updated rarely.