Chapter 3
'Is he still asleep?' He'd wondered, observing from the hall that no light was coming into the corridor from under the door. It wasn't like Sasuke to take a nap anyway, so why was he taking such a long one? Naruto smirked, 'Maybe he's just meditating, but ready or not, here I come!'
He considered using a flicker of his chakra to warn the other ninja that he was coming to bug him, but then he chuckled low. 'It's so cute when he's pissed because he just woke up...'
The light coming into the room behind him illuminated the darkness just well enough that he could make out a large shape in the bed, but as he opened it more; he realized it was two shapes. Two figures locked in a passionate kiss, one was undoubtedly Sasuke. His smooth, catlike grace, his pale, chiseled body and that hairstyle would stand out anywhere. The figure under him, rubbing his hands all over Sasuke's chest and shoulders took him a bit longer to process. Wildly spiked blond hair and a pale body with an especially lithe build- Cloud? Passionate but tender, their kisses deepened smoothly- until the blond finally realized that he was there and Naruto's stunned silence turned into anger; he scowled at him.
Cloud looked away quickly, his eyes were ashamed and he tried to hide under Sasuke.
For a terrible moment, Naruto felt betrayed- by both of them- but he knew that Cloud wasn't the one to blame for something like this. Sasuke seduced him. But- why?
"S-Sas'ke?" At first, he barely managed a whisper, but it was enough to get Sasuke's attention. As he continued, he got louder. "Damn it. Can I talk to you for a minute, Bastard?"
"No. I don't have anything to say to you right now, Idiot." Sasuke's voice was calm and dismissive, but Naruto glared at him without budging.
"This isn't funny and it isn't like you at all, Sasuke. So what the hell is going on?"
"That should be obvious, Idiot. As usual, you're causing a scene, and worse, you're upsetting my boyfriend. Wasn't it your brilliant idea that I ought to be friendly for once?" Sasuke's scathing sarcasm was tough enough for Naruto to swallow under the best circumstances; but having his own words thrown back at him at a moment like this, only left him hurt and confused. 'And yet- why should I even care if he wants Cloud? I have Sakura!'
He stormed back down the stairs, and outside into the forest. They'd been kissing so passionately- it was like they were really lovers. He couldn't believe it; he'd never seen Sasuke like that before. He'd never imagined the bastard could be so gentle with anyone-
"Hey, there you- uh oh," Zack said, putting a hand on his shoulder, he turned him around. "What's wrong? You look like you just lost your best friend."
"Maybe I did…"
"What do you mean?"
Naruto was blushing as he turned around to face the older boy. Zack was cool and great company, but he was very protective of Cloud- how was he going to react to this? 'Should I tell him?'
"It's just…" Naruto sighed. "Sasuke- sometimes I wonder if I really know him at all when he's such a bastard…"
"So you're still fighting?"
"I guess. I didn't even get to talk to him- he's kind of busy with… his boyfriend…"
Zack chuckled.
"Trust me, it's not funny! He and Cloud just met you know! Don't you think that's kind of sudden?"
Zack was listening now- he'd stopped laughing, but he only looked serious for a moment before he grinned again. "That depends- how busy were they?"
"The last time I saw two people kissing like that, it was on one of those weird porno tapes that Kakashi-sensei left over at Iruka's place…" Naruto blushed and Zack laughed again.
"Come on, let's go back inside. Don't you kiss your girlfriend that way?"
"W-Well I haven't… I mean," Naruto sighed, feeling utterly lost as he stepped inside. The more he stumbled over his explanation, the more Zack chuckled. "We just… It's not funny, okay?"
Zack patted him on the back, but before he could say anything, a high pitched squeal of delight from somewhere upstairs drew the attention of almost everyone in the restaurant.
A second later, a flash of blue and pink bounded down the stairs, and into the tavern. As the blur passed their table, Zack and Naruto realized it was a cute girl who leaned over and whispered (loudly) to her friends. "Oh my gawd! You guys, I just saw the hottest thing ever! T-There were these two totally gorgeous guys and- they were kissing in the hall upstairs! It's them- Oh my gawd it's them! Look, here they come!"
'Sasuke…' Naruto scowled. He knew without even looking that it would be Sasuke- the bastard always had to be the center of attention. Sure enough, there was Sasuke coming down the stairs, he looked as cool and confident as ever. That calm only made Cloud look even more nervous, by contrast. Naruto might have felt sorry for the shy blond under any other circumstances, but he just couldn't stop remembering the way Cloud looked, melting into those kisses… Sasuke's kisses.
He snorted, shaking his head. 'What's wrong with me?'
He'd kissed that bastard once too- true, it was four years ago. But it wasn't fun and it wasn't a memory Naruto wanted to repeat, either! So why? Why did it matter that Sasuke kissed Cloud differently?
"The person who coined the phrase 'Dark as sin' must've talking about him." Zack grinned.
Naruto nodded, Sasuke was an attractive guy and everyone, male and female always noticed- damn bastard with his perfect Uchiha genetics.
He paused; actually, the two black haired guys looked remarkably alike. It was just that they had very different auras and personalities. Zack was warm, friendly and always smiling; by contrast Sasuke came off as graceful, refined and mysterious. Zack's eyes were a deep blue color so bright that they literally glowed- especially when he smiled, and the effect was beautiful- but startling. By contrast, Sasuke's eyes were impossibly dark and penetrating; his smirk gave him a mischievous, very deliberate air. "You should've seen his older brother…"
Cloud seemed content to hide behind Sasuke as the two of them approached the table. "You must be Zack, I'm Sasuke."
"Are you feeling better, Cloud? It's nice to meet you, Sasuke." Naruto was startled by how warmly Zack greeted the other raven. "You should join us. Naruto mentioned the two of you are here on a mission?"
"Hn." Sasuke slid into the circular booth and yanked Cloud in beside him. "Relax, Babe."
"Everyone is staring…"
"It's just because you are so cute when you blush, Cloudy." Sasuke purred. That, of course, only embarrassed Cloud more, so he shoved an elbow into Sasuke's ribs.
Naruto grinned along with Zack when Sasuke patted Cloud's back comfortingly. Then he realized he it made him a little bit… jealous to see Sasuke still being so careful of Cloud, 'That's not fair- he's never like that with me.'
"Something wrong, Naruto?" Sasuke purred.
Naruto turned to look at him and immediately wished that he hadn't. "No."
Naruto growled audibly, but Granny Sansho came over to their table, smiling as usual. "There you are, Sasuke-kun, I was afraid you were going to miss supper. Ah, and Cloud, wasn't it? You disappeared earlier, but was it good?"
Cloud blushed but he managed a nod. "Yes, thank you."
"Two of the specials then and a couple of sodas, please Granny. Are you hungry for anything else, Cloud?" Sasuke purred.
"N-No thanks. That's fine."
The old woman left their table after shooting a puzzled glance at Naruto. He looked away and glared at the table. It hurt to see Sasuke flirting with Cloud- and that scared him in a way he wasn't comfortable with. 'I-I'm with Sakura… I love her- I always have…'
"So," Sasuke looked at Naruto. "Any word from Kakashi-sensei?"
"Oh shit! That's what I went up there to tell you. He sent Pakkun because Amaya's upset. She and her brother are twins and she is in severe distress, because she can feel something is very wrong with Ryu. Kaka-sensei's staying in Konoha while they try to stabilize her chakra. I guess Granny Tsunade thinks if she can keep Amaya under a sleep jutsu, that it may help Ryu to relax and give us enough time to find him and bring him home if he can sense that she is safe and she's waiting for him."
"So we have some time to kill…"
Naruto nodded, wondering if Sasuke would spar with him later...
"There's a lot going on right now," Sasuke sighed. "After we eat, I'll go out on patrol. With the festival coming up and Kakashi staying in our village for now, we can't afford to relax. I'm surprised that bandits haven't already started converging on places like this."
Naruto nodded absently- caught away from their homes and familiar ground, travelers always made easy prey for thieves. But he didn't even want to think about the festival…
"Relax, idiot," Sasuke said softly. "We're going to find that kid."
Naruto nodded grimly. He was worried about both of the kids, actually. When they found them, would Konoha raise them like they had him- isolated and alone? Or was there some hope that they'd be allowed to spend time with him? He was sure he could teach them to understand their powers as well as the curse of being entrusted with a Bijuu. But before he could speak, Granny Sansho set two plates and sodas onto the table.
"There you are boys, two specials and sodas. Now, can I get anything else for you, Naruto? How about you, Zack?"
"I'm great, thanks!" Zack beamed, patting his stomach.
Naruto shook his head and smiled. "Just another soda for me, thanks."
"Okay, then the kitchen is officially closed for the night."
"Thanks for everything, ma'am." Zack said, leaning back into the booth cushions.
She smiled, "It's always a pleasure to cook for our friends from Konoha. Karashi! Get out here and start busing these empty tables. It's Ranmaru's turn to wash the dishes."
"Yes, Mother…" Came the disgruntled reply from the kitchen.
Naruto grinned at the old woman, when Karashi came out of the kitchen and began piling dishes into a large tub. "Good to see he's still working hard."
She giggled, but all eyes were drawn to the front door, because it slammed open with no warning.
A huge man with cold green eyes and a lot of red tattoos on his arms and chest strode inside. There were several people flanking him, and they all moved normally, but they still set Naruto's senses on edge.
"Looks like trouble's a little earlier than you thought, Bastard." Naruto said with a wry grin.
Sasuke smirked in silent reply, but continued eating. The new arrivals sat down at one of the tables across the room that Karashi had just finished clearing.
The old woman sighed tiredly. "Our rooms are all taken, but if they just want to eat, we should serve them."
Naruto nodded, but squeezed her hand gently. "Just be careful."
Nothing happened, as the creepy new arrivals were almost completely silent while they ate. But it was impossible to ignore them simply because of the hostile air about their table.
Naruto and the others stayed at their table too. Zack had a deck of cards and was happy trying to teach the three of them to play a game called poker. Naruto wasn't really concentrating on the game, but it still annoyed him that Sasuke had won two of the three hands. The bastard had to be cheating, but of course, he couldn't actually prove that…
The man with the red tattoos stood up abruptly, and went to the counter where Granny Sancho was counting money. "I have more men outside, how much will it cost to feed them?"
"Bring them inside and we'll see."
"Listen, old woman I don't have time for-"
"It's late and my boys are tired. So am I. If your friends are hungry, you'll just have to bring them inside."
He was glad that the old woman was stubborn. It was too dangerous to send Ranmaru or Karashi go outside when there were more of these creeps waiting out there. But he sensed an abnormally large amount of chakra in that man; he might be a lowly bandit now, but he had ninja training, Naruto was sure of it.
"Fine, we'll go." Naruto noticed that the leader had been studying them and he didn't say thank you and the group left.
"Man, that jerk was rude." Zack sighed. He ginned as the old woman locked up for the night. "I guess now we turn in for the night?"
Naruto nodded. He'd been keeping himself from looking at Cloud but Sasuke was already gone- no doubt tailing the brutes that had haggled with Granny. He couldn't help scowling at the other blond.
"Aww come on, I think it's kind of cute." Zack grinned. "Kind'a like destiny or something. You know, us finding our way through that magical arch and Cloud immediately falling for Sasuke like that?"
Cloud blushed even more as he scooted out of his seat. Sasuke had told him before he left to sleep in his room, but he still wasn't convinced that it was a good idea and no matter what, he didn't think he'd get any sleep at all.
"So, who is sleeping where, now?" Zack asked.
"I'd bunk with you-" Cloud said quickly. Then he blushed. "I guess…"
"Don't you want to be alone when your boyfriend comes back?" Zack teased.
"I agree," Naruto said. "Zack and I will share a room, and then you and Sasuke can have each other."
"I- Okay," Cloud followed the other two up the stairs and let himself into the room quietly. He yawned and stripped out of his uniform. He crawled into bed, and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Sasuke on the other hand, was having fun. He followed the brigands out of the restaurant and into the forest with all the grace of a leopard. It wasn't until they reached a series of caves along a riverbank that he was able to observe them closely though.
"Why the hell didn't we strike?" One of the weaklings demanded. A number of the others nodded their agreement.
"Come on, boss. We were right there! The old hag was counting out the money right in front of-" The man with the red tattoos smacked the bandit in the back of his head hard enough that he fell down and whimpered.
"That's just typical of you idiots. Didn't any of you notice there were two Leaf shinobi sitting at the other table? Right now we've got bigger fish to fry than taking the old woman's cash." The leader growled. "That guy with the orange mask was right on the money. He told us to be on the lookout for a man with dark spiky hair, a big sword and glowing blue eyes."
"Right, Akira. Leaf shinobi- damn them as if things needed to get worse... But, what do we do now that that guy is here?"
"I-" The leader started to speak, and then he hesitated. "This forest has eyes, I swear it. Kit, you take first watch. The rest of you, bed down, and we'll get to work in the morning."
Sasuke growled, slinking deeper into the thick boughs of a large tree. Meanwhile, the hireling that had done the most complaining grumbled some more.
He had two options from here. He could leave for a few hours and be back before sunrise with Naruto and the others, or he could sit here all night and just pray that something interesting happened in the mean time. Since he had a gorgeous blond to play with waiting for him back at the Inn, it wasn't really much of a decision. He turned back as the bandits set up their camp.
Cloud was asleep, but he looked exhausted. He looked like he'd worried the whole time Sasuke was gone. Instead of waking Cloud, he took a quick shower and then curled up with him and fell asleep too.
Midgar was most impressive at night with the Mako reactors spewing huge clouds of the Lifestream hundreds of feet in the air. The city was alive with lights and people hurrying through their lives. High above the plate in Shinra Tower, a company meeting was taking place.
Hojo shrugged off Scarlet's accusation that he was again getting more than his fair share of the budget with a cold laugh. "It seems to me that the department that gets the best results ought to be awarded the appropriate funding automatically."
"You cocky son of a-"
Heidegger snorted but put a hand on the blonde woman's arm. "Not now. This is about what we've learned about the little brat who was found in that Wutai village that had been destroyed."
President Shinra nodded. "Yes, Hojo. You've had several weeks for uninterrupted research. Let's hear what your esteemed department has learned about that boy's power."
Hojo straightened the glasses perched on his nose and nodded as he went back to pacing beside the table.
"As we know, the boy has an entity of immense power living inside his body. The entity is trapped but their life forces are joined- fused together permanently. As the child grows, so will his power. The entity is aware of everything around the boy- even when the child is sleeping."
"Hmm, have you found a way to communicate with it directly?"
Hojo grinned. "It is drawn to energy reminiscent of its own power. I have found that it responds violently whenever a powerful Magic or Summon Materia is used in close proximity to its host. Often it manifests a sort of shield of its own energy around the boy- whether he is awake or not. During these moments the entity has even tried to communicate verbally with a few of our… test subjects."
"Who are you using to conduct your experiments?"
"As per company policy, various enemies of the Shinra company, of course." Hojo shrugged. "The entity is concerned with finding freedom for itself and its young host. But it prefers to be called, the Shichibi."
Heidegger scoffed, tugging at his beard. "The seven tails? Seven tailed what, exactly?"
"Demon apparently," Hojo answered.
"You said it can manifest it's energy outside of the boy's body. How powerful is it?"
"Currently we have the boy immersed in a tank filled with water. Thus far it has maintained the shield for two weeks with no sign of the energy readings weakening. The creature is however showing signs of increasing aggression. When our technicians are nearby, the entity sends out an especially volatile surge of power, several of which have cracked the tank from the inside. So, while it won't be long before it breaks out of that containment unit, I believe we can safely say that the entity is a stable source of self perpetuating energy."
"Self perpetuating- wait- you mean that this thing is limitless?"
"Under the right conditions, yes. I believe so," Hojo nodded.
"That is ridiculous. Are you really saying that a possible replacement for Mako energy was found inside an infant?"
Hojo smirked. "While I do realize that not all of us take much interest in our children, Scarlett, they can and often do represent a valuable commodity to the company."
Scarlett looked like she was considering leaping over the table to throttle the arrogant bastard, but President Shinra glared at her. "Sit down. How soon will you be able to tap into the creature's power?"
Hojo shook his head. "It is something of a paradox. I believe that the creature would be much more powerful outside the boy. But the only reason that we are able to study it effectively is that it is trapped in the weak shell of such a small child. As it is, Shichibi is studying us… waiting for a chance to get out."
Scarlett frowned, "You're saying that it is aware of- us?"
"Yes. It considers us a threat. Shichibi would like nothing more than a chance to attack outright. But as long as its host remains under our control and vulnerable its protective instincts should keep it in check."
President Shinra nodded and looked at Heidegger. "See that the guards are doubled around the clock. No one without authorization from myself or Professor Hojo is to be allowed on the lab floors."
"Yes sir."
A knock at the door paused everyone at the large table. "Sir?"
"What is it, Tseng?"
Tseng opened the door and bowed politely. "We've received word from Reno and Rude that all three of the scientists doing follow up research on the village where the specimen Ryu was captured are dead. Additionally, two of our men were lost as they were tracking their killer a man who reportedly stole something from the researcher's temporary base, sir."
"What do you mean lost?"
"Zack reported that they had followed the thief into a Wutai shrine. But his transmission was lost and by the time that our men made it inside, the shrine was totally empty- except for a strange residual energy reading. Reno and Rude were also unable to determine a specific source for the energy, sir."
"Hmmm…." The president stroked his beard thoughtfully. "And, who are the missing men?"
"SOLDIER First Class, Zack Fair and an infantry man, named Cloud Strife, sir."
"Tseng, set up surveillance around that shrine but keep it quiet. If the local rebels have hidden that thief somewhere we will find him by any means necessary."
"Yes Sir," The Turk nodded. "And what about our missing men?"
"If they come back make sure that both of them are carefully debriefed and watched. I want to know where they've been. If they don't…"
Tseng nodded and left the room, leaving Shinra's Department heads to continue with their meeting.
He had known Zack for a long time and he doubted that this was a normal situation. Zack was too reckless and idealistic at times, but he was also fiercely loyal and always dependable. He was also a powerful fighter and the combination had proven consistently lethal for Shinra's enemies.
Tseng didn't know much about Cloud Strife, but he had read the kid's file and found nothing that suggested that he would suddenly go AWOL either.
He didn't know exactly what yet, but Tseng was certain that there were other factors at play here. And, he knew that the man in the one eyed orange mask knew much more than he'd been willing to say about all of it.
