A/N: I'm editing this chap myself so please forgive any errors I miss. My poor Beta is so busy, I've sent her like 4 chapters to do and she has work. I couldn't bear to keep you guys waiting any longer, so here it is. When she actually does send me the edited chap I'll re-post this.
Thanks for the reviews :D Writing this kind of modern fic is strange and new for me. On the one hand it's liberating to talk about things in my world. On the other hand, there are more details to keep track of. Anyways, here you go. Onward!
Chapter 3
Itachi was not happy. Not at all. In fact, Itachi could not remember the last time he'd been so incensed.
The day started off with a report from his computer guys. They actually had a more technical name for what they did, but since Itachi was not computer literate he just called them computer guys and what they did computer stuff. Their report was printed and bound and left on his desk when he woke up. He'd read it eagerly.
Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Age: 17
Occupation: senior in high school.
There was a lot of other information about his childhood, his parents, where he lived. Itachi recognized the address as a pricey high-rise in the next town over. He had some property in that town himself, so he knew the apartments in that particular building went for several million. The parents were listed as wealthy merchants.
Itachi had nearly drooled on the report. So young. So rich. He had to claim him. Yet there still remained the unanswered question of why he'd been in the club last night at all. Whatever the reason, he'd been sure the kid wouldn't be back, not after the way he'd run out. Yet here he was and it was obvious the reason was his own brother.
That wouldn't do.
Worse, Itachi's guards had discovered the security men he'd sent to deal with that thug stuffed in a dumpster behind the club. The barrels of their guns had all been shoved up their asses and several bones had been broken. Money had needed to grease the palms of several patrons before Itachi found one that dimly remembered seeing the thug get into a car with a blond man who'd had on an expensive suit. No doubt the same blond his brother was so enthusiastically kissing on the screen. Which meant Naruto was not who he said he was, might even be a fed sent to spy on him. Probably was a fed.
So yeah. He wasn't happy.
Still, that didn't mean all was a complete loss. Itachi meant to have him and he would. Then he would destroy him as he'd destroyed so many others who'd tried to stop him.
Itachi watched what was happening on the screen with a calculated look in his dark eyes. He reached for his phone.
Naruto summoned the last of his senses before they were all completely gone and managed to roll so Sasuke was beneath him. He lifted his head from the searing kiss and drew breath as if he'd been drowning. He had to think. He wasn't supposed to be doing this.
Sasuke whined, ran his hand over Naruto's bare chest. Naruto caught the hand, noticing how his shirt was barely hanging on his arms. "No, wait…Sasuke, I can't."
"I said I'd help you," Sasuke said huskily. "And if you ask me, you don't need any help. You're a natural at this."
That got Naruto's attention like a glass of ice water thrown in his face. He got up quickly, backing away from Sasuke as he tried to button his shirt. He looked at Sasuke sitting up with horror in his blue eyes. "No, I'm not. I've never done this before and …I'm not sure I want to do it now."
"You said you came here to see me." Sasuke was now standing. Naruto was shocked to see that he was naked. When had that happened?
"I did," Naruto lied. He paused…maybe he hadn't expressly come here for Sasuke, but he was definitely the reason he was here now. That reminded him…he looked around as he asked, "Where's your brother?"
"I don't know. Somewhere. Look, if you're nervous about it we can go slowly. I just…I'm really attracted to you. And I can tell you're into me too."
Well, there it was. Naruto cursed inwardly. Fuck it. He'd go with the Sasuke angle and be damned to how real it was or how contrived. He'd never wanted to resort to using the meth anyway. He zipped his pants and tucked the hem of his shirt in as he wondered how much of the truth he should reveal. Some, but not all, he decided.
"Yeah. I am attracted to you, Sasuke. But I've never been attracted to a guy before. I'm straight. This…this is all pretty confusing."
Sasuke's brow cleared. A sunny smile lit his features as he slinked toward Naruto. Damn. I'll need sunglasses to look at that smile, Naruto thought. Sasuke's face was transformed from pouty indifference to devastating beauty. Naruto's heart gave a painful lurch. I think I'm in trouble.
"Well, now," Sasuke purred. He walked up to Naruto and leaned against him, cocking one leg behind him. "That's fascinating. To think that I could turn a straight man gay…that's a powerful thought."
Those lashes were way too long, Naruto thought. He swallowed, blinked, gathered his thoughts. "I'd like to take things slow, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind. I like it slow."
"It's just…I need time to adjust to this whole thing."
"One should always take a moment to adjust when it's their first time."
"Yeah. Right. So, you'll back off? You know, not jump me?"
Sasuke issued a sound that had Naruto's cock at attention in the space of a second. It sounded like a cross between a giggle and a hum of appreciation. Naruto realized it was the guy's laugh. "Sure, stud. I'll treat you gently." He nipped Naruto's lips playfully.
Naruto turned his head away. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-two." He continued nuzzling Naruto's jaw.
Seven years younger than I am, Naruto thought. He eased Sasuke away from him. It was disgusting how badly he wanted to devour Sasuke's pretty mouth. He forced himself to think. "I'd like to see you outside of this club."
Sasuke's eyes lit with pleasure. "A date? I accept."
Naruto started to protest, but remembered that he was supposed to be conning this guy into believing he was interested in him. Which he was. Christ. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that. How about tomorrow?"
"Wonderful. I don't wake up before 5 pm, though."
"Fine. Pick you up at 8?"
"I'll be waiting."
They stood staring at each other for awhile, smiles fading, both aware of how serious things were between them despite meeting only yesterday. It left Sasuke feeling buzzed and Naruto feeling as if he were trying to maintain his balance during a massive earthquake.
Eventually Naruto recalled that they'd successfully negotiated plans for a date. "Good," he said. He figured he'd made decent headway with the whole infiltration agenda. He could now leave and rendezvous with Kiba. He turned for the steel door.
"Are you leaving?" Sasuke asked. "You just got here. Since we're dating and all, why don't you stay awhile? We could go downstairs and watch the action…" He pulled on his shorts with a little wiggle of his hips as he spoke.
"No…I should go," Naruto hedged. He was very afraid that if he didn't get out of there soon he'd start kissing Sasuke again. The guy's presence called to every atom in his body and he just didn't know how to deal with it.
"You're never going to feel comfortable with your new sexuality if you don't take the time to explore it," Sasuke said as he leaned down for the retinal scan. "Part of exploring is hanging around gay people. By which I mean me, of course, but you can observe things down in the club, too. Come on, we can both have a drink."
It made sense. Naruto reluctantly agreed to kill another hour before he left for the night. Much to his embarrassment, Sasuke hung on to his arm as they descended the spiral staircase. Naturally, every eye in the club noticed. Naruto grit his teeth, aware that Sasuke was deliberately telling everyone that Naruto was off limits. By the time they'd reached the floor, everyone had turned back to what they were previously doing.
If anything the club was rowdier than when he'd come upstairs, the blond noted. He saw a wide variety of sexual acts taking place along walls, on the dance floor, on tables. The outfits he saw worn were so outlandish that he found himself staring. Feathers abounded, as did spandex. There was skin everywhere. He turned to Sasuke as he took a seat at the bar. "I don't remember it being like this last night. I feel overdressed."
Sasuke handed Naruto a drink from the bartender. "Friday night. Always gets a little crazy." He sipped delicately, batting his lashes at Naruto. "Tell me about yourself, Naruto. Do you live in town?"
Naruto went through his false life history. His parents were successful merchants. He was an only child, currently flunking all his math courses in school. His dad expected him to go into the family business once he graduated. He liked ramen and most extreme sports. Sometimes he was called Kit by close friends.
"Kit?" Sasuke asked.
"Yeah…you know, because of the weird facial hair. Had it since I was born." Naruto waved one hand absently at his face.
Sasuke frowned, staring at the odd whisker-like hairs on Naruto's cheeks. Then he understood. Kit. Kitsune. They did look like fox whiskers a bit. "I knew you were young, but I didn't know you were that young. High school, huh? You seem a lot older."
"Oh?" Naruto took a nervous sip of his drink. He rolled the liquid in his mouth. Bourbon.
"Yes. Maybe it's the way you dress. You don't dress like a teenager, even a wealthy teenager."
Naruto made a note to find out what the youth were wearing today and amend his wardrobe accordingly. For now, he came up with another lie. "My dad says one should look professional at all times."
Sasuke smiled. "I like the name Kit better than Naruto. Mind if I call you that sometimes?"
"Not at all."
It was Sasuke's turn to give his history. Naruto had certain blanks in his data on the Uchihas filled in. He'd thought both brothers were into the drug smuggling and other shit, but it was mainly Itachi. Sasuke hadn't even come on the scene until seven years ago. Their parents had died and Itachi was left looking after his brother. Sasuke acceded to his brother's wishes in most things, but refused to use drugs. "It messes with your looks," he said vainly. "I like my looks."
"I like your looks, too," Naruto said before he thought. Sasuke colored in pleasure, scrunched his shoulders as if delighted. Naruto was embarrassed but went on to seek clarification on a few points. "So your brother forces you to have sex with him?"
Sasuke stopped smiling, turned on his stool to look at the patrons of the club. "Nah, not really. Not anymore, anyway. When I first came to live with him, he had to…convince me, but after awhile you get used to it. Sometimes it was even good. Really good. Now it's just boring like most everything else."
"Convince you?" Naruto's voice had dropped to a lower register but Sasuke didn't seem to notice.
"He gets violent sometimes, especially if he's off his happy pills for any length of time. But like I said, that was all before."
Naruto was stunned to realize that Sasuke saw nothing wrong with his incestuous relationship. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around such a lifestyle.
"You're old enough to live alone. Why are you still with him?"
Sasuke shrugged as he watched two twinks sucking face. "It's a harsh world out there. My brother takes good care of me. I'm safe here."
I'll bet you are, Naruto thought with sudden, inexplicable fury. Itachi's done a good job making you believe he's the only protection you have. How many times has he threatened you, Sasuke? Did he say he'd kill you if you left? I don't doubt it. I don't doubt it at all. The tale Sasuke told was of a controlling older brother who was quite literally insane. Probably a result of the drugs he took. Meth was only the latest in a long string of substances. But Sasuke seemed to interpret his brother's actions as those done out of love.
Naruto finished his drink and stood up. "I have to go now, but I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Okay," Sasuke stood as well. Naruto marveled at how the simple act of getting off a bar stool could be made to look like an intricate dance move. Sasuke came up to him and ran a hand down his chest. "I'll be thinking of you," he whispered. He sucked Naruto's bottom lip leisurely for a moment. Then he released him and Naruto hurried to get out of there before his erection was noticed.
The beat up brown Honda he and Kiba used for this case was parked three blocks away. He walked briskly to it, feeling strange of a sudden. He felt as if his skin were tingling.
Once in the car, he drove with his usual speed to an underground garage a few miles away where he had his Maserati stashed. He wasn't using the MC12 tonight. He had the GranTurismo instead. He got in and sat for a few minutes. He wasn't feeling well. His head was swimming. Oh God, Naruto thought. The bourbon. Itachi must have had him drugged. Son of a bitch! Naruto leaned his head back and tried to think.
He'd of course noticed the unmarked sedan tailing him when he'd gotten in the Honda. He knew they had to be Itachi's men. He hadn't been worried. He'd planned to leave them in his dust with the Maserati. Now that was all changed. Depending on what he'd been drugged with, he could lose consciousness at any moment. He'd be unfit to drive. He might run himself off the road, at which point he'd be easy pickings for Itachi's men, if he even survived at all.
The garage was dark, perhaps one or two cars other than his own. The neighborhood was mostly commercial, so just about every thing was closed. All was quiet. There'd be no witnesses should things go south.
Headlights loomed in Naruto's rear view mirror. His pursuers, perhaps thinking the drugs had taken effect sooner than expected, were coming to investigate. Naruto had lingered too long. Disturbed to see how lightheaded he was, the blond reached under the passenger seat to where he'd stashed his Super-Shorty. He had to stop and lean his head on the dash as a debilitating wave of nausea had him gritting his teeth. He concentrated on his breathing, ignored the way black dots were appearing in his vision. He chambered a round, opened his door and put one foot on the concrete of the garage floor. He leaned on the door and took slow aim.
***
The sedan was moving slowly, cautiously. They had one corner to turn and then their headlights would fall directly on where Naruto sat fighting to remain conscious.
The car eased into view. Naruto steadied his hand, squinting against the glare of the lights as he fired. The sound and flash were titanic in the confined space of the garage. The windshield of the oncoming sedan exploded. Naruto caught sight of a brief spray of red before the sedan was suddenly screeching, zooming towards him as the driver's foot pressed on the accelerator in his death throes.
Naruto rolled into his car and closed the door as the sedan swerved, missing the Maserati by less than a foot. It barreled headlong into the wall with a thunderous crash. Naruto saw the back end jerk upward before thumping back down. He sighed in relief. They wouldn't be bothering him now and maybe he could-
The rear door on the sedan creaked open. A bruised and bloody hulk of a man fell out. Naruto thought he might be dead, but the man turned over and pointed a gun directly at Naruto's staring face. Naruto dove to the passenger side of his car and out that door as the driver's side window exploded. He rolled on the chilly pavement. When he came to rest on his hands and knees, he was distraught to discover himself temporarily blind.
Naruto's vision cleared slowly. Whatever had been in his drink was coursing through his system faster with his elevated heart rate. His limbs all felt shaky and rubbery and breathing was becoming difficult. It felt like he was trying to draw syrup into his lungs instead of air. He looked around for his weapon. He had two more rounds in the thing. His vision wanted to fade again, everything was gray and fuzzy.
He spotted the Super-Shorty on the floor about ten feet away just as the one who'd shot at him staggered around the back of his Maserati. He had his gun held stiffly in front of him and Naruto could see that it was a 50 caliber joint. What the fuck?!?! Fifty cal hardware for a simple tailing job?
"You're…you're coming with me," the man mumbled. He coughed up blood and Naruto could see he was injured. Blood covered the front of his white t-shirt, under his black dress jacket.
Naruto's only chance to survive at that point was to agree. He nodded, then choked as vomit and blood came spraying out of his nose. His arms lost the strength to hold him up and he collapsed in his own mess as the guy walked toward him. Naruto held onto his consciousness with the sheer brute force of his will. The guy bent with a stifled groan of pain and hooked his meaty fingers into Naruto's collar, intending to drag him to the Maserati. He heard the man stowing his weapon in a holster as Naruto's weight forced him to use both hands. He got Naruto slung over one broad shoulder.
Naruto's head was hanging upside down, a position that had him briefly blacking out again. By the time he regained consciousness, he was laid out in the backseat of his car, his legs folded to accommodate the cramped space. The guy was just starting to close the door. Naruto estimated that he'd been out for ten, maybe twenty-seconds. The man was speaking into his phone as he checked his side with a hand. The hand came away bloody.
"I got him, boss. He fucked us up bad. Ken and Renji are dead and I'm hit. Dunno if I can drive. Send back up-"
The door the man was closing crashed open as Naruto slammed his feet into it. The man staggered backward, the phone clattering with a muffled bloop of broken machinery to the pavement. When the man looked around, it was to find a tanned fist coming in for an introduction to his face. The introduction was made and the man noted fleetingly that the fist felt like granite before the bone fragments from his shattered nose went zinging into his brain. He dropped like a load of bricks beside his phone.
That was pretty much all Naruto had in him. He fell beside the guy and just managed to shield his face from smacking the hard floor with a forearm. "Uuuuuhhhhhhhgkkkhh" he moaned. An agony of burning fire erupted in Naruto's stomach region and he could feel himself close to losing consciousness again. Blood leaked steadily from his nose. He spotted the man's phone, in pieces, a few feet from his head. He was suddenly reminded of his own phone and what it represented.
Help. More specifically, Kiba.
The act of turning over onto his back took precious time and strength he didn't have but Naruto managed. He groped around his pockets with a hand that felt as if it weighed a ton. His nerveless fingers closed on his Blackberry. Thank God for speed dial.
"Yello," Kiba drawled. He was at central, in his cubicle, happily planting wheat on his newly expanded farm. Naruto said he'd meet him here when he was done and give him an update. Akamaru sat beside his chair, watching the avatar plant squares as Kiba clicked away.
"Kiba?"
Kiba sat forward. "Naruto? Jesus, you sound like-"
"I'm down, Kiba. Fucker Itachi…get to the garage I told you about-" Kiba winced as he heard Naruto throwing up. "Get over here, quick. I'm slipping and the bastard called for backup. They'll be here …in…"
That was all. Kiba heard the phone fall as if dropped from suddenly dead fingers. "Naruto! NARUTO!" Nothing. Naruto was gone, dead or passed out and more were coming to finish the job. Jesus, his best friend was down and he was a good twenty miles away.
Kiba shot out of his chair and down the stairs to the first floor. The elevator was notoriously slow and time was of the essence. Akamaru pounded at his heels, silent and alert to his master's grim anxiety.
"Kiba?" It was Shino. He was just coming in to work his night shift. He sidestepped as Kiba ran past on his way to his truck. Kiba didn't answer. Sensing trouble, Shino jogged after him.
He was in time to see Kiba loading a submachine gun. "Kiba, what's wrong? What case are you working-"
"I gotta go, Shino." Kiba hopped nimbly behind the wheel. Akamaru had already jumped in and was sitting in the passenger seat. After a brief hesitation, Shino climbed in as well, shoving Akamaru aside so that the big dog was forced to move to the backseat. His tail beat briefly against the side of Shino's head as he did. Kiba looked questioningly at Shino.
"I don't know what the situation is but it looks like you might need assistance," Shino said in his calm way. He pulled a Kel-tech 2000 from under his trench coat and unfolded it. Kiba didn't have time to argue and Shino was a steady man, a good ally to have when the shit was hitting the fan.
The green FJ Cruiser pulled away from the curb with a squeal of tires.
Naruto wasn't dead. He'd passed out again. When he came to this time, he wished he was dead, though. So much pain. He had to be dying. From where he lay he could see his Super-Shorty. In the distance he could hear tires screeching through a skid. He knew it had to be more of Itachi's men. Kiba couldn't have possibly gotten to him so fast. Calling on the determination that had always stood him in good stead, he began trying to make his way towards his weapon.
***
This new batch were from Itachi's personal guards. They were a good deal more wary and experienced. They parked the car outside the garage and made their way inside on foot, holding their automatic weapons at the ready. Their fingers were on the triggers and they intended to shoot anything that moved. They had their orders.
"There," one of them pointed with a slight lift of his chin. The other three looked where he was indicating. A blond man lay face down by a fancy silver Maserati. They advanced toward him in a crouch, fingers pressing the triggers on their weapons ever so slightly; they were taking no chances. They were almost on top of him when the blond suddenly rolled over and pointed his pistol grip shotgun right in their faces. His eyes were a merciless blue in the faint light. The men were too close to do anything but scatter and scatter they did.
Naruto had one brief thought, not enough ammo, damn, and then he was firing as they dove for cover.
Kiba drove like a demon, pushing the needle of his speedometer all the way to the right. Akamaru hunkered in the back seat and whined. Shino merely checked his gun; this amount of speed must surely mean big trouble indeed. He wanted to be ready.
They were still five blocks from the garage when they heard the gunfire. Kiba swore bitterly and coaxed another drop of speed from his truck. Shino adjusted the shades he wore day and night. They skidded to a halt in front of the garage in time to see three large men loading Naruto's limp body into a black Suburban. The men spotted Kiba and Shino, turned and opened fire on the Cruiser.
