Hello! Sorry about the late update! Mock exams are killing me, I'm revising like hell and it's already starting this friday, going on for over a week ^^"
But anyway, thanks for the fav's, alerts and especially the inspiring, wonderful, appreciated REVIEWS!! Sankyu! Please review more! A simple comment will do! xD Just so I know you like or consider this! Makes me happy XP Updates will come faster as a result :D
ENJOY!
Case Closed
Chapter 2: A Hint
Knocking another arrow from the quiver onto the bow, he adjusted the weapon correctly to his position, keeping his right arm loosely around the hold of the bow, aiming, pulling the string and then letting go within mere seconds.
The arrow rushed through the air and made a curt whooshing noise, then hammered itself into the target.
Sasuke opened his eyes, reluctantly, and followed the feathered end, being satisfied with his shot.
He grasped for another one subconsciously, his eyes fixed on the target beforehand. He adjusted it to the bow.
His three fingers wrapped themselves around the string, he pulled anew, the tension rising in his arm.
Brriing!
The arrow swirled and hammered itself a few centimetres away from the bull's-eye, were the first few arrows rested.
"Shit!" The Uchiha cursed and looked down onto his buzzing phone.
Picking it up, he answered, laying down his bow safely near a stack of wood, "What?" He answered demandingly, annoyed that his silence and concentration had been disrupted.
"Whoa, stood up with the wrong foot or something?"
"Nara, what d'you want?"
"Is that always the way you answer your phone?"
"Yes. Don't waste my time."
"Alright, alright! Well, I've got something interesting to tell you."
"Won in lottery and decided to give me half of the profit?" Sasuke moved towards a tree stump and sat down, one hand hanging over his knee.
"What- why the hell would I do that?"
Sasuke grunted as a response, obviously impatient.
"Listen, you know those corp-"
"Don't start! I don't want to hear it, you know that quite well!" he frowned, knowing too well that his former colleague wouldn't be able to see it.
"Wait! You might really like this! Another corpse has appeared."
"Shikamaru, seriously, no-"
"But he's different."
"Different?"
"Ah, I gotcha! Well yeah, he doesn't seem to have been killed like the others, he's got obvious signs on his body."
"Signs?" The raven haired man stood up, grasping his quiver, slinging it over his shoulder, and then taking the bow with him back into the house.
"Yes, bruises and that stuff. You'd have to see it for yourself. Interested?"
There was a moment of building up curiosity and determination in Sasuke. But as fractions of his past erupted in his mind, displaying a scene he had long tried to lock away forever, his interest fell like a stone drifting into a well.
"No." And he pressed the red button before his friend could retort anything.
Her eyes scanned the shiny object in her hand up and down, following the rounded contour, which quickly changed to a thin strip of metal, with ragged edges, perfectly fitting into the keyhole of her apartment.
With a sigh, Sakura pocketed the object and set out for her trip to the meeting place she and Ino had decided upon.
Her hands dug themselves deeply inside the warm, fluffy pockets of her long brown coat. Her bubblegum coloured hair was loose and curled around her face.
Her minds swirled back to past events, and another heaving sigh escaped her lips. She remembered the phone call with her displeased father, his anger rising as Sakura told him she wasn't going to change her decision.
He can't control my every step… she told herself with a frown, and continued her pathway on the wet ground of Javea port.
"There you are!" She saw a big grin plastered on Ino's face, dressed in a momentarily very fashionable black coat, decorated with a belt, long, dark boots and a suiting handbag dangling from her right arm, "I've been waiting for ages!"
"Sorry, something came in between."
"Let me guess, daydreaming?" She tossed her blond hair over her shoulder, huffing, yet smiling.
"Right, about whom?" Sakura retorted her smile with one of her own, both entering the small café Ino had waited in front of.
"I'd have an idea." The warmth of the café buffeted both girls pleasantly, beckoning them to pull off their coats.
They took a seat as one of the waitresses came rushing by.
"You have wrong ideas." The girl lolled her eyes and placed her chin delicately on her left hand.
"Don't tell me you didn't just for a moment go off into fancy daydreams after seeing him!" Ino looked near to shocked as she took the coffee the woman had just bought her and tried a sip.
"The Uchiha boy?" Rather ignorantly, the pink haired woman picked up the steaming mug and downed the contents.
"Exactly! Pretty hot. It's a shame really."
"What is?" Her eyes gleamed at the scenery in front of her; rows of boats and ships of different sizes and forms.
The blond sat back, huffing, "Aren't you the least tad interested?"
"Why should I? I've no interest in men at the moment."
"Come on, Sakura, you can't ignore him!"
She made a thinking face, seemingly fake, then turned her attention back to Ino, "Did we meet up to talk about him or to catch up on each other?"
It was a good question, one to be considered, but not when it came to Ino, "Is that a yes or a no?"
"Okay, yes, he is indeed hot. Gosh what God did he steal those looks from!" Sakura sat back, biting her lower lip and smiling tauntingly.
"Finally! That's the Sakura I know!" Her best friend leaned forwards, and soon both were lost in an intense chatter, with wide eyes, smiles, and interested comments, not paying much attention to their surroundings.
"You are kidding me? Single? You're just trying to annoy me."
"It's the truth!" Ino assured, "He is."
"You never usually find good looking guys being single."
"True, the only good one's left are either taken-"
"-or gay." Sakura finished her off with a smirk.
"Hit the nail on the head."
"Well, I guess I just joined his club then." She took another last sip of the coffee.
"What you mean." Ino frowned harshly, then somehow, a wave of realisation hit her, "Wait, where is-"
"That's why I'm here." She came closer, "We split up."
Baby blue eyes were wide with shock, "What?! Your dad is gonna go ballistic when he finds-"
"He already did, and went ballistic. Had it right in my ear." She sighed with an unsatisfied look of remembrance.
"But why? Because it was an arranged marriage anyway? You said yourself Seth wasn't too bad."
"He wasn't, at least back then. I don't know. He…changed, he's so different from before, he scares me. I can't stand him anymore, he's too crazy."
"Maybe the money."
"Pfft, yeah, he quit his job, said he couldn't tell my why, nor what his new job was, I had to wait 'til he had some things sorted."
"Gosh, how can you turn down such a hottie?"
"I thought American men weren't your type? You're together with that Japanese artist anyway, if I remember right?"
Immediately a smile formed on Ino's face, which she cradled in between her two hands, eyes fixed on Sakura, "Yup! Six months baby!" She winked seductively.
"And, how long will this one last?" She smiled at her.
"Oy, this one is serious, trust me, I don't fancy leaving him, he's too sweet!" She went off staring into space, all the while smiling.
Sakura had to giggle at her friend's childish acting, "Anyway, tell me! What're the others up to?"
"Well, who do you wanna hear about?" Her eyes were back on Sakura.
"Gosh, everyone! Naruto's here, I heard!"
"True, he's the Uchiha's mate. Reason he came over here in first place; he followed his best friend."
"Best friend? Since when?"
"Since childhood, actually. Seriously, how could Naruto hide such a hot mate?!"
"What're Hinata and Tenten up to?"
"Oh, Hinata's working at a local kindergarten, it's quite sweet seeing her with all the little kiddos! She'd make a good mother. Tenten, on the other hand, is teacher at one of the institutes in Alicante."
"Alicante?"
"Yes, a city a good hour away from here. Quite big, the next city around to tell the truth."
"Sounds interesting. She still with her husband…I can't remember his name." Sakura laughed at the thought of her friend.
"Neji. Yep, still like love on the first day." Ino rolled her eyes playfully, "So tell me, what happened with Seth then?"
"Bruises at the side of the neck and face, wounds at the chest, lower right arm and left hand. Predictions say it was done by a knife." Shikamaru lowered the list and his dark eyes met charcoal one's.
After having gone to Sasuke's house, having a serious chat with his friend, following him around the town like a lost puppy, and finally convincing him of looking at the corpses, he tore the Uchiha all the way to the medical jurisprudence.
And there the two of them stood, thoughtful, considerate, "Show me them again." The Uchiha spoke in a low, emotionless voice.
Shikamaru went back into the cooling room, his friend close behind, pulling off the blankets after he found the right bodies, "What do you get out of this?"
"A fight. The knife…no, it seems prepared. Found in the river too?"
"This one was right in the stream. Apparently some fisher found it, higher up near Altea, however."
"Twelve corpses, both men and women, found near the mouth of the Rio Girona. Suddenly, further bodies appear, this time in the river. All seem unharmed. And then this one comes swimming by, in an inexplicable state. No specific time disorder noticed, any peculiar traits?"
"Not yet, we've found nothing. The guys are checking these bodies up and down already."
"Information, data, anything, has the police found something valuable? The smallest detail will do."
"Nothing. They say they can't find no bloody information, as if these people never ever existed!"
"Somebody obviously is putting a lot into not being found out. Seems this is some kind of business going on then. Must be more professional."
"Business?" Shikamaru rubbed his aching forehead.
"Yes. Killing business." Sasuke sighed as he realised what he was doing, "Shit, I shouldn't be here. Jingle's is waiting for his dinner at home anyway, he'd be wondering what I'm up to, not being back."
"I think he'd be interested pretty much himself in this!" Shikamaru's eyes flickered to ones of seriousness and concern, "C'mon, when will you decide to let go past events? I know it's not easy, I know it's harder said than done, but you must, Sasuke, you must! They need you!" His hand turned to the bodies once more.
Sasuke followed his hand's direction, his eyes lingering on the cold, snow white corpses, the blue lips, the messy hair…the blue bruises on arms, chest, neck…
Wait, what?!
He frowned, yet kept an unreadable look – one that hid every answer. He neared the body, lowered his head.
The neck…
A small, rounded blue bruise was formed at the neck, "Oy, Nara, any other bodies with that on them?"
His former colleague followed his gaze, obviously confused, "Erm, would have to check."
Sasuke threw the cover over the body, as the sight did seem to become too much for one day, "Alright, you add that to your list then."
"So you're in the case?"
There was a moment of silence that followed. Both men stared at each other, one intently, in eagerness for the right answer, the other…confused, unsure, as if arguing with himself, although that stayed hidden from the outer world.
"Shikamaru, this isn't my beer anymore."
"It is, it's beckoning you for crying out loud!"
"I'll see."
The detective stopped his next speech, "You're thinking about it?"
"I said I'll see, nothing more." The raven haired man entangled his locks and left the cooling room with a sigh, heading straight up the stairs to the entrance.
The night breeze bashed at his face, warmed it up despite the cold that hung in the air. The stars were magnificently bright that night and twinkled near the full moon, hidden behind scattered layers of dusty clouds.
Somewhere, an owl hooted, cars passed by, and disco music filled the air with a soft vibrancy.
"You seriously thinking about it?" The shadow of the Uchiha sped along the tarmac ground, the only sources of light coming from inside the building and the outside lamp, gleaming with the occasional moths passing by.
"I'll give you a ring." His cold voice echoed, and he left for the darkness.
Shikamaru stayed glued to the spot, following his colleague's every move, until he was swallowed up by the dark of the night. He smirked.
"Heard you're on a new case." A glossy grin crept across her lips, as she leaned forwards onto her right hand, giving him a fake, flirtatious look.
"You heard shit then."
Sasuke passed her by the table and walked straight for the coffee machine. He felt like a massive weight had been placed on both his shoulders, and he wouldn't be able to rid it any time soon.
"Stop being so reluctant. You know it's in your nature."
"Don't need you to tell me." The boiling contents poured down his throat.
"You're a pessimist, Sasuke." She sighed and shook her head.
"And you" He took another large gulp, "are an annoying bitch." He walked out of the small office-like room and grabbed his camera.
"Come on…let's get this over and done with…" His complete attention was averted onto the small machine in front of him, very forcefully, however, no matter how relaxed or rather careless he pretended to be.
"Hey Sonny."
Not her…
He turned his eyes to the crystal clear orbs of Sakura.
"What's it, sweetie."
"What're you stressed about?"
Sasuke's eyebrow arched at her words, yet his look remained the same as usual, "Why'd you care?"
"Don't know. If you're stressed you'd not do your work properly?" It was a suggestive reason, as if she was helping him out of some kind of situation.
And. The. Taunting. Smile. Stays!
She looked kissable to be honest, in his opinion. Right that moment she did, and he wished he could, so she'd just leave him be, baffled by such a move.
But that was against his personal moral, he guessed.
What shit – I have morals?!
He sighed slowly, shutting his eyes for a split second. Just as he opened them again, a hand touched his cheek.
As if loaded with electricity, he nearly jumped from the touch and his eyes went wider than usual.
"Should learn to let go, otherwise it'll eat you up." There was a playful smile now replacing the features across her face, as if she were mocking him.
What the fuck, can she read my thoughts?!
Her hand left the comfortable place on his cheek and her back now faced him, a glimmer of her wonderful eyes still being caught by him, as she disappeared inside the make-up room.
He could smell her. He wasn't mistaken, he could smell her! But it was no perfume sprayed across her body, no specific lotion, nothing, just, her!
Somehow like a garden full of roses, he concluded, mixed with cherries and apples, and there, in between, some unique fragrance that thrilled his very being every time he inhaled that scent.
And she was so catchy. His charcoal orbs always found rest on that pleasant sight, of a sweetly formed face, with shining, bright, large eyes, and curly locks of the most bizarre hair colour he could imagine.
But it suits perfectly. He had to admit to himself, her painted nails clicking on the wooden desk as she was thinking.
"We should cut that out, doesn't fit." She spoke out aloud, and her voice rattled down his ears and kissed his senses goodbye.
She looked up, waiting for his response, "Something wrong, Hawkeyes?"
"Hawkeyes?"
"Yes. You have the eyes of one." She smiled.
Evil smile…
"Is that a compliment or something?"
"A statement."
He leaned against his right hand, boredom creeping up at his back. Why was he, of all people, again stuck with this bitch? What made him deserve this torture?
Torture to one side, for he felt like roaming all over her perfect body.
She should really have come as model.
Torture on the other side because he couldn't stand her knowing, mocking, dominant attitude, that she loved to let out at him all the time.
"Are you listening to me, Sonny?" Her honeyed voice whispered soothingly, and he snapped out of his thoughts.
"Always am, babe."
She quirked an eyebrow, pouting her lips.
"Nothing to say, ey?" He smirked at her.
"I was wondering" She began, frowning, "what's on your mind?"
"How d'you know something's on my mind, anyway?" He frowned the same way she was at him.
"I don't know" she shrugged, her sweet smile returning, "have a feeling for it."
He felt like he could tell her, though doubt remained within him. What was it her business, anyway? He didn't even know her, so why would she want to be involved with his life?
Not even his fan girls did. They wanted to be part of it, but not involved with the contents, no, they wouldn't cope, at least so Sasuke thought.
So why this curiosity?
"What would it be to you?" He smirked at her; he couldn't help it.
"I don't know. I'm just…interested."
"Is that all?"
"Yeah, I'm stuck in this room, having to do some odd preparations, with you, and I'm sure we'll be in here for some time to come. Might as well make it pass faster by talking."
He needn't say anything for her to guess his thoughts.
"You're not the talking type."
"Bingo babe."
"Didn't we have that small discussion about babe before?"
"Nope. You didn't discuss."
She bit her lower lip, staring at him with playful eyes, "Alright Sonny, then spit it out."
"I still think it's none of your-"
"C'mon! We're in here for fucking nine hours already!"
She had a point.
"Right. I've…type of fallen back into my old job, and I don't like it one bit. End." His head turned down onto the piece of paper that he was meant to work on.
"Oh, Sherlock Holmes again, ey?" She smiled seductively.
"I guess you've heard my name around then."
"Correct, Sonny. Heard you were quite a man."
"That's the point, were, I'm not anymore, and don't really tend to go back."
"Care to share?"
"Not really."
"Then at least name me your problem. What's the case?"
"That's the thing. We've nineteen fucking corpses, all appeared either around or in Rio Girona, only one recent one has obvious signs of violation on his body, the rest are still in autopsy."
She made a sound as if hearing of a painful occasion, "Sounds like mass murder."
"Right."
"Right. Thought about organisations?"
"What?"
"I don't know. Mafia? You know, in Japanese is known as…Yakuza?" She made a thoughtful look, shrugging her petite shoulders.
"Yakuza…" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, "Doubt it. There aren't any one's around here, not big one's at least. Most organisations are too small to be as precise as this one seems to be." He sighed audibly and his fingers wandered towards his head. He felt a steady thumping.
"There's always an answer." There she returned to her famous, taunting smile.
"State the obvious…" He whispered, marking something on the sheet of paper.
"Hey Sonny, how about sleep?"
"With you?" It blurted out before he could control his tongue.
She arched an eyebrow and a smirk played with her lips. Now she liked that answer.
"Joke?" Sasuke quickly tried to talk himself out of it.
Control yourself, idiot!
She nodded, "I mean as in resting, recovering, ordering some thoughts? I think you need it more than me."
"What are you on about?" His head was half raised to look at her, still aimed at the sheet of paper, a hand holding it up.
"You go, I stay. I'll figure this out myself, don't need no hottie around. You just bring me off work anyway."
Hottie?
"Right-y-do. Don't expect me to feel guilty, 'cause I wont, I'll be up and off, no taking back the offer."
"Ey, that wasn't my intention." Her emerald orbs stayed focused on his, and he raised an eyebrow anew.
"For the first time in this hell of a world, I can call a woman an angel."
"There to guard you, Sonny." She joked, watching as he grabbed his coat and bag, packing the camera away.
He raised a hand as a sign of goodbye, "Thanks." He said, smirking.
"No problem. Be gone!" And she ushered him away with a swaying movement of her hand.
And gone he was.
The bag made a thumping sound as it landed on the leather couch. Sharp, flint like claws scratched the floor rapidly and quickly padded paws neared the destined person.
Sasuke slumped down on the sofa, unbuttoning his coat, "Hey Jingles."
The black Labrador panted, wagging his tail with sluggish movements and staring at his owner with desiring, beady eyes.
Sasuke's hand found rest on his dog's head, stroking him with a smirk, "C'mon then." He stood up, wandering towards the kitchen, picking up the shiny metal bowl that stood on the floor and filling it with the dog food from a sack he pulled out of the cupboard.
"Dinner time, buddy."
Jingles gulped down the dry food and crunched loudly.
Sasuke turned towards the small T.V. placed in his sweet kitchen, jabbing the button and pulling a chair from the bar-like set up table.
He was knackered, and actually desired sleep, but he knew he had to have a bite of something before he went to bed.
Whilst his mind scrambled for a solution, he gazed at the momentary channel – showing Spanish news.
The woman was just blabbering on about some old geezer. Sasuke could care less, actually care not at all, if it weren't for the mentioning of a specific subject.
"….-kuza in Los Angeles. The organisation has been roaming around for a while, uncaught by the police. It is a group, apparently consistent of mostly Japanese members, some illegally in the country."
"Yakuza…" The onyx eyed man scanned his brain for anything he knew about this organisation.
Yes, there had been something about such going on in Los Angeles, ever since he quit his job back then.
And it had remained a mystery.
"I don't know. Mafia? You know, in Japanese is known as…Yakuza?"
"Of course!" His eyes had widened, and he turned his attention to the ground; to his dog, who was giving him the same desiring look as before.
"Miss your old job, ey, Jingles?" He smirked.
Sasuke swung his legs around, over the table, jumping off the other side and jogging to his bag which lay peacefully on the sofa.
He grabbed the material, pulling it open with a swift movement, grasping for his mobile phone.
Like lightning his fingers dabbed the right buttons, "Oy, Shikamaru?"
"Sasuke, seen the time?" A yawn followed.
"Yakuza."
"What…?"
"Check that Yakuza gang in Los Angeles out. Quickly, send the message across."
"Wait. Are you, are you saying that…"
"Yes mate" A curt bark from the black lab's side, his tail wagging rapidly from left to right as he wiggled his bum and panted, "we're in."
Preview:
"Stop what?" She whispered, that taunting smile once more on her lips.
"Hypnotizing me, making me answer your questions, it's annoying."
"Deal with it." A smirk followed.
"You learn fast. Are you some spy?"
"Last time I checked, no." Her head now leaned onto her left hand, but the minor space between them stayed.
"You owe me, you do."
"True. What you want?"
Don't, no don't, don't even THINK about it, no-!
Alicante: speaks for itself in the story! Closest City around Javea and that really.
Altea: My friend lives there! :D It's a town much to the north of Javea - about an hour and a half?
So, Sakura giving Sasuke a hint? Sasuke has has some bad experience he doesn't like to be reminded of? xD Well then, wanna find out? Then READ ON :D But in order to read on, I need to update, but in order for me to update, you need to REVIEW PLEASE!! *begs* that'll give me inspiration, and that'll cause more chapters to come up! xD SO PLEASE REVIEW! Next chapter will contain more SasuSakuness xD BE PREPARED! May take some time for update though! MOCK EXAMS! D: *ish studying!*