Chapter Two: Headquarters
In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of ev'ry glove that layed him down
Or cut him till he cried out in his anger and his shame:
"I am leaving, I am leaving," but the fighter still remains…
~The Boxer, Simon and Garfukel
"Well?" Tsunade questions, tapping her long red fingernails on the lacquered desk. There is a rhythm to her tapping, a steady tattoo like rain falling in sheets; her nails reflect on the polished wood, and every time she arches her fingers in a fall, the reflection of her hand ghosts alongside her in a synchronized cascade of impatience and disappointment.
"I've got the d-drugs—and the m-money," you mumble dropping both on the table top with dual thuds. "B-but I—"
"That asshole dealer attacked her!" Naruto breaks in. "He deserves what he got."
Tsunade raises a thin eyebrow. "Which was what, exactly?" she replies in honeyed tone, her fingers never stilling in their tapping.
"I-I k-killed him. F-forgive me," you whimper.
Tsunade lets out a long sigh. "It's all right. Next time, I'm sending Naruto out with you. Is that understood?"
Your cheeks burn with shame. "Yes m-ma'am." You wanted to prove yourself, you wanted to do solo missions—but you aren't capable of that, are you? You are disgusted with yourself.
"Hey, you did a good job," Naruto murmurs, rubbing your shoulders.
"It's my fault," Tsunade breaks in. "It's that old badger, Danzo. Trafficking cocaine was all his idea; Danzo and the elders forced this on me. It was one thing when it was just cannabis, but now—"
"I won't f-fail you again," you break in, wincing when you stumble over your words. You know the syndicate needs the money; you know it is because Uchiha Sasuke is rumored to be making his next move, and the Forest can't be caught off-guard and underfunded. Not again.
Tsunade gives you a kind smile. "You're a worthy member of the Forest; I'm glad you've joined our ranks. I'll contact you when another mission becomes available." It is a clear dismissal; you do your best not to hang your head as you hobble out of the room. The sounds of Tsunade drumming her fingernails on the tabletop fade as you close the doors to her office.
"Maybe you should stick to marijuana," Naruto offers once you are safely in the hallway. He is trying to be cheerful; it is not going to work. For a moment, you silently stare up at the doors to the Hokage's office, beautifully carved panels depicting aconite flowers in full bloom, surrounded by stylized whirls. The Hokage's office doors are similarly decorated in all of your bases: medicinal plants that also have high levels of poison, dancing on a field of Konoha emblems. It's appropriate, you think solemnly, for each member of the syndicate likewise has the power to heal or to kill, to mend or to destroy. You stare down at your hands; mostly, it seems like you don't have any power at all.
Finally, you shake your head and turn away from the doors to stalk down the long, white hallway. Naruto is wrong: you can't switch to hustling marajuana. Ever since cannabis became decriminalized in Boston, it has become easier to acquire the drug—but now they can no longer sell it at a premium, even in neighboring cities. If Uchiha Sasuke and his cronies are about to strike, the Forest needs all the money it can get.
And that means trafficking cocaine.
You don't realize it, but you're biting your fingernails. It had been at your father's prompting that you joined the Forest division of the syndicate; traditionally, the Hyuga family wielded the outward political power while the Forest worked underground. But since your tongue-tied tendencies preclude you from taking political office, you had been placed here, under Tsunade-sama's discretion.
It had been your idea in the first place to traffic the cocaine; you thought that you were oddly suited to it. As someone trained in medical jutsu, you can detoxify the effects of the drug after you sample the wares (the most recent mission excluded; there hadn't been time to activate the jutsu after your man went berserk). But most importantly, your lethal ninja abilities are hidden behind a chubby, youthful face and a school-girl uniform. Dealers thought they could take advantage of you at first, but you always ended up earning their trust—and their fear.
At least, that's how it went in the beginning. But as of late, you've been messing up more missions than not. You sigh softly and run a hand through your tangled hair; it seems that you are as ill-suited to the Forest as you are to working for the Hyuga clan.
"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Naruto urges, worry etched in his sea-blue eyes. You nod dumbly while he leads you through the web of apartments until you come to yours. The bare white walls and gleaming hardwood floors are as unwelcoming as ever. You take off your shoes, and the cold seeps up through your thin socks. Naruto leads you to the bathroom and turns you towards the mirror; dimly, you note that the score on your cheek from the dealer's knife is deeper than you thought, though the cut has long since crusted over.
You draw a pale finger over the wound. Your skin glows with blue-green light; the cut closes shut seamlessly with a hissing sound. Naruto draws his fingers up the side of your face and brushes your cheek. He knows why you insist on going on these missions alone; he knows you don't want to hear his optimistic bluster. So he silently helps you undress, your school uniform falling away like dirty, wilted petals. He's already drawn the bath for you, and you sink down into it with a soft sigh.
He looks like he's about to say something, or maybe he wants to touch you, but instead he wordlessly leaves the bathroom. His boot-heels click on the white tiles, and the door shuts behind him with a final sounding thud.
He knows you want to be alone.
And you love him, you do, but it's hard to show that when you feel so god-damned-awful about everything. You sink into the hot water, willing the events of today to just go away, go away—
But suddenly, there are loud shouts coming from the other room. Your heart starts racing as you leap out of the tub and throw a towel across your wet, naked body. "Naruto-kun!" you cry, violently throwing the bathroom door open—a great rush of steam swirls into the colder air of the living room. "Sakura-chan! What's wrong?" For Sakura is in your living room too, and she looks as pale as death.
"It's Sasuke," Naruto breathes. "He's back."
a/n I'm totally obsessed with writing this new fic. Hope you are enjoying reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
I'm experimenting with a new style, so it would be really great to get your feedback via a kind review. Thanks so much:) ~Wings