It is 3 in the morning and I am writing this chapter. I am exhausted and a little disappointed. 2 reviews? Really? I thank those two who reviewed but ask politely for more. I am guessing that most of you just need more before you can form an opinion. So I hope this nearly 3,000 word chapter helps. I would love you forever if you told me what you thought. Please, thank you, and goodnight!
The music pounded heavily from the large brick building on the corner. The up tempo song would occasionally drift out into the street as the door opened and closed. Outside there was a line around the block filled with people waiting for their chance to get into the hottest nightclub in the city. They all stood behind a large and menacing bouncer who guarded the door like Cerberus.
The young couple strolled casually around the corner right past the impatient crowd and up to the scary man at the door. Ino let go of Sasuke's hand and approached the man. She whispered something in his ear and subtly slipped a folded up bill into his hand. The man smiled and opened the door for her. She grinned triumphantly and walked into the club with Sasuke following closely.
Inside the music was ear splittingly loud and the lights were blindingly bright. The dance floor was packed with people dancing closely, moving and shaking to the pounding beat. Around the edges just out of reach of the spotlights small intimate groups of patrons sat on long plush couches with exotic beverages in their hands. There was a thick haze in the place coming from the fog machines located in two of the corners on the dance floor.
Sasuke sat down at the bar and ordered himself a drink while Ino found an empty space out on the floor. He watched her from across the room as she moved in sync with the music. He regarded her in wonder as she mesmerized those around her. The way she mesmerized him from the day they met.
Nearby was a man, in expensive designer clothing, who was eyeing her intensely. When he approached her and asked her to dance she accepted and flashed him a dazzling smile. As they were dancing she glanced back at the bar and winked at Sasuke. He grinned, took one last sip of his drink and stood up. While the man was lost in Ino's eyes she managed to lift his wallet from his back pocket and held it out behind her back. Sasuke slid by the pair taking the wallet as he passed.
Once he was a good distance away he opened it and took the cash out, counted it and put it in his pocket. Then he walked back out and through the crowd to slip the wallet back into Ino's hand. She kept the man enchanted with her smile while she put it back in his pocket. After the song ended she excused herself and met up with Sasuke.
Far in the corner a small group of people sat talking quietly amongst themselves.
"Did you see that?" A brown haired man with odd tattoos on his cheeks asked. The others glanced up. The group watched as Ino and Sasuke continued their routine on the dance floor.
"Yeah, they're pretty good." Said the blonde woman, whose hair was tied into four ponytails.
"Who are they?" Asked the black haired, bug eyed man.
"Yeah, never seen them around." Added a second brown haired man who sat beside the woman.
"We should keep an eye on them. Just in case they cause trouble for us." Explained the creepy dark haired man with dark glasses on, despite the low lighting, and the fact that it was the middle of the night. Over at the bar the young couple was talking softly to each other. She laced her fingers with his and they headed towards the door.
"Tail them." The sixth member of the group, a red haired man with dark circles surrounding his eyes, said. The first man who spoke and the creepy man stood up to follow Ino and Sasuke at a safe distance.
Once they got back to the motel Sasuke sat down to count out the money while Ino changed in the bathroom. She emerged about ten minutes later wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of shorts.
"So how much did we get tonight?" She asked, plopping down behind him on the bed.
"About four hundred and fifty dollars." He replied.
"I was expecting more from the most exclusive club in the city. Especially since some of those pompous assholes tried to grab me." She said, angrily, then smiled merrily. He was silent for a moment. Then abruptly he stuffed the money into a large envelope and shoved it under the mattress. He walked over to the window and pushed aside the curtain, allowing the unnatural yellow glow of the streetlamps outside to illuminate part of the room. Ino watched him quietly from the bed. "Babe, what's wrong?"
"I hate this." He said angrily.
"Sasuke, I was joking. You know me, I have a strict policy when it comes to-"
"It's not just that. It's all of this." He said then he let the curtain drop, once again leaving the single lamp that stood in the corner as the only light source. She got up and walked over to him.
"Baby." She started, reaching out to him. He pulled away from her. "Sasuke, we're going to be ok. How much are we up to now? Like four thousand? We're nearly half way there." She reached out to him again and held his hand. "What did I say earlier?" He was staring at the floor miserably, so she reached out and lifted his face. "Look at me. What did I say?"
"What did I do to deserve someone like you?" He asked.
"I don't know, you must have pissed someone off." She said seriously. He smiled then shook her hand off his face.
"Ok, gooey moment over. Let's get some sleep." She stepped back and stared at him incredulously.
"You just wanna go to sleep now?"
"Yeah, it was a long day." He replied walking around her into the bathroom. She crossed her arms over her chest and watched him.
"Seriously?" She demanded. When he didn't respond she shrugged. "Well alright then, goodnight, sweetie." She called, then she curled up under the blanket and closed her eyes. Sasuke came flying out of the bathroom and scooped her up off the bed. She laughed loudly and wrapped her arms around him. "You almost had me for a minute there!"
"You know me." He replied kissing her neck gently. He sat down on the bed with Ino in his lap. She pushed away from him after a minute and glared at the lone lamp in the corner.
"You forgot to shut off the damn light." She said peevishly. He joined her in glaring at the light. "I got it." She went to get up but he pulled her back down and kissed her until she slipped out of his arms. She walked over to the lamp and clicked it off.
From where she was standing she could see through the little crack in the curtains. Outside she noticed a car parked on the far side of the parking lot. As she was studying it the headlights turned on and it drove away. She stared suspiciously out the window for a moment longer then pulled the curtain closed all the way and returned to Sasuke's waiting arms.
The following day the six undercover detectives stood outside preparing for the task at hand. Once again they were being led by Kakashi and his partner Anko.
"Ok, so we've covered this area with both uniformed officers as well as the four of you in street clothes. Sakura, Naruto you two take the south end of the street. Shikamaru, Choji, you guys are over on Eighteenth street. Anko and I will be at the north end of the street. Keep on the lookout for suspicious activities, and be careful. Good luck."
With that said they split up, each going to their assigned location and blending in with the crowd. Kakashi found an empty bench and sat down with his favorite book. His partner stood little ways off pretending to window shop. Sakura and Naruto were down on the other end of the street walking with a small crowd.
"What do you see?" Sasuke asked as Ino surveyed the scene. She took a moment to finish looking around then turned back to him.
"There are nine cops. At least five in uniform and four more in streets." She discreetly directed his attention to the right. "Blondie in the orange sweater and the pink haired chick in red down there." Next she glanced over his shoulder. "Window shopper at my 11 and the old guy on the bench across the street." He furtively checked it out and smiled.
"How did you get so god at spotting cops?" He asked quietly. She grinned impishly at him.
"That is for me to know and you to find out. Now I suggest we go somewhere else for today's adventure." She said.
"No, I can handle it." He replied confidently. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.
"It's not safe. Sasuke we can do it somewhere else." He shook his head.
"We will not be scared off. We're gonna show these guys that we are untouchable." He looked around again then smiled at her. "I have an idea. Same target, plan B." She took a breath and nodded.
"Let's do this." She said. "Be careful."
"You too." He leaned down and kissed her, then walked off.
"Do you see anything?" Sakura asked. Naruto, who was scrutinizing a street vendor, looked up at his partner.
"No. Everything seems quiet. I bet nothing is even gonna happen." He said with a yawn. Suddenly there was a loud crash and the two detectives jumped into action. They, along with Anko and Kakashi rushed to the scene.
"Ma'am, are you all right?" Kakashi asked. Anko was already on the move searching the area.
"I'm fine. The wretched man knocked me down and ran off. But he didn't get my purse." The woman explained as the people around helped her up
"Which way did he go?" Naruto asked. The woman waved in the general direction the thief had run off. Sakura stayed behind to talk to her while Naruto and Kakashi, who were joined by a couple of the uniformed officers, took off after the thief.
Moments later they spotted the same hooded man from the day before and the chase began.
Sasuke stood a few feet away from his target. It was a large woman with a large purse. He took one last glance around the area to see where the cops were then threw his hood up. He began running towards the woman and crashed into her. They both fell to the ground and he grabbed at her bag. She shouted some very unkind words and yanked her purse back. When he looked up the police were closing in, so he jumped to his feet and sprinted off.
He was running down the crowded sidewalk, pushing people out of his way. Every time he glanced behind him the cops were always just a few steps back. He put more energy into his legs and sped up, he could see his turn coming up and unzipped his hoodie.
Once he turned the corner he pulled the sweater shirt off and flipped it around. He was moving swiftly down the road when he heard a voice.
"Psst, come here." He looked around until he spotted the source of the voice standing on the stoop of one of the buildings on the side. Sasuke stood still for a moment staring at the man in the doorway. Behind him he could hear shouting and running footsteps. "Dude, get in here now. They're coming!" The man at the door shouted. Then he turned around and rushed back into the building. Sasuke could see the shadows of his pursuers rounding the corner so he followed the man.
Ino watched as her boyfriend jumped up off the ground and ran. She was worried about him, but she knew what had to be done. She rushed over to the front of the crowd that had gathered
"Ma'am, are you all right?" The silver haired officer asked. Once they rushed off after Sasuke Ino approached the woman, who was now speaking with the pink haired detective.
"Did you get a good look at the guy?" She was asking. The woman shook her head. "And he didn't take anything from you, correct?"
"I've double checked my bag, everything is there."
"All right. I'm going to check in with my partner. Can you come down to the station later to give your statement?"
"Yes, I'll do that tonight." The crowd did not immediately disperse, despite the efforts of the uniformed officers. Ino walked up to the woman.
"Oh my god! That was so scary!" She said in her best terrified voice. "I don't know what I would have done if it had happened to me. You are amazing!" She touched the woman's shoulder and smiled.
"Oh, well thank you dear. It'll take more than one little boy to pull one over on me!" Ino continued smiling brightly.
"Well I have to go, I'm meeting my boyfriend soon." She walked by, lightly brushing the woman's shoulder. The woman smiled for a moment then began walking away.
Ino walked down the street a bit then turned a corner and stopped. She smiled wickedly and took out the woman's wallet.
"She was right. It did take more than one little boy to trick her." She laughed. She took all of the money out and tossed it in a garbage can as she continued down the street.
"Not bad." She froze when two men appeared in front of her, blocking the path.
Sasuke found himself in a relatively large kitchen. Everything in the room looked old fashioned, except the refrigerator and oven. By the wall to his right there was an antique table with six matching chairs. Seated in one of those chairs was a blonde woman. The man who led him there was leaning against the door frame.
"What is going on here?" He asked, after a moment.
"You mean other than us saving your ass?"
"Kankuro! Shut up."
"Aw, c'mon Temari. I'm just having fun." Meanwhile Sasuke was watching with mild curiosity and annoyance. The two went on arguing for a few minutes.
"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" He shouted. The siblings looked over at him.
"Ok, sorry about that. We're being rude. I'm Temari, and this is my idiot brother Kankuro." She said.
"Hey." Kankuro said smoothly. Sasuke remained confused.
"Not that I'm ungrateful, but why did you help me?" He asked. The siblings exchanged a smile then looked back at the raven haired man.
"We want you to join our gang." Kankuro explained, receiving a frown from Sasuke.
"Well it isn't exactly a 'gang'." His sister corrected. "We're more of a group of skilled individuals with similar goals and interests."
"Thank you, but no thank you." Sasuke replied. "I have to go now, I'm meeting someone."
"The blonde? She's a hottie." Kankuro said, earning him a glare from the other man.
"Where is Ino?" He demanded.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ino said dismissively.
"So you didn't just steal that poor woman's money?" The brunette man asked. The other man was silent, his eyes hidden by dark glasses. "What do you think, Shino? Is she as innocent as she pretends to be?"
"She is a skilled thief." Shino said in his deep and creepy voice.
"I'm leaving now." She said taking a few small steps back.
"Don't you wanna know where your partner is?" She froze again and glared at the man.
"What did you do?" She demanded.
"Maybe something. Maybe nothing. The only way you'll find out is by coming with us."He said vaguely. "Or we could have a nice talk with those fine officers out there. I'm sure they'd be-"
"Kiba, enough." Shino interrupted. "Your partner is fine, we will bring you to him." She glanced at each of them warily then, sensing not deceit, nodded. The three of them walked down the alley and around the corner.
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