Naruto sat still and tense. It was a struggle to keep his breath calm and steady. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. A feeling unlike any he'd encountered before took him by surprise. He couldn't find a word to describe it. The man before him was nothing like he'd expected. He was taller, paler and even more stoic than he'd ever imagined. And his eyes…they weren't blue. They were a pale, poisonous color of green. The most peculiar shade of green he'd ever witnessed, pale enough to lean towards pastel. It was terrifying how icy such soft toned eyes could be.

Naruto suddenly felt so very confused. He wasn't supposed to make conscious notions of his clients, and never had. This feeling was entirely new and he had no idea how to deal with it. For the first time in years, he came across a sensation he failed to smother. Left in a strange form of emotional purgatory, all he could do was make sure it wouldn't show.

Gaara fixed his cold stare on Naruto, who failed to tear his own away from the eyes watching him. His curious, yet cautious gaze watched the other man slowly walk over to the table and sit down across from him. Gaara patiently let the guards chain his handcuffs to the table, never breaking the eye contact. Oddly enough, Naruto didn't find the man's stare oppressive. Only…mesmerizing. This had to be the effect he'd been told about. Warned about. Gaara seemed to have a tangible aura around him, one that pushed away all else. It was as Sasuke had said — you couldn't buy charisma like that.

He was unlike anyone Naruto had ever encountered before. The man was like a sculpture, artistically cold. His lifeless face charmed with its unique look. It was a strange combination, the void look cast over features both charismatic and formidable. His looks balanced on the thin line between enchanting and menacing. Naruto could confidently claim he now understood why the man's presence alone was thought to be overpowering. Not only did he ooze invisible peril, but looked it. His height, paired with the broad frame and compelling eyes, turned him into an authority capable of ruling any given space. The age old warning to never judge a book by its cover lost its merit.

Naruto couldn't help but return the stare glued on him. He wondered if it was common for Gaara to lay such intense eyes on others. In an inexplicable way it felt flattering to be watched so closely. He gave no attention to those around them. Even when left alone, neither one really noticed the room emptied. It took Naruto a few seconds more to clear his head and rediscover the ability to speak. He struggled to keep his tone neutral, feared his professional parlance might suffer.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I understand you have offered me a job?"

The other man nodded slowly, yet to break off the intense eye contact. Naruto forced himself to keep calm. He made sure to match the cold gaze watching him.

"Well, I've gone through the file and I'll admit, I'm interested. But, there are questions I need to ask you."

He anticipated the other man to say something, anything, but did so in vain. Not wasting time, Naruto took out the case file, a notepad and a pen. Glancing at the first page, he went on to ask the obligatory questions.

"Have you been informed of all changes and progress concerning the case?"

The other man nodded. Naruto wrote down a word or two.

"Have you decided to oppose the filing of capital sentence?"

Gaara nodded anew. Naruto narrowed his eyes. The man's persistent silence irked him.

"When asked in court, how will you plead?"

Knowing the question would force the man to voice an answer, he waited patiently. The slightest, most minute shift of something curious flashed in the pale gaze.

"Not guilty."

It startled him, the deepness of the man's voice. Distinctive, like the low rumble of a V8 engine. It wasn't unpleasant, but had a dangerous tone to it.

"I see", were the simple words he spoke, as suddenly half of his vocabulary seemed to have perished. "You've been convicted already. Now's your chance to overturn the verdict, but, that means you better start talking."

The man smirked. It made Naruto uncomfortable.

"All you gotta know is in the file. Now it's up to you. You got the brains to figure it out?"

Three whole sentences, Naruto noted. All of which meant a million different things, depending on the timbre. He made a point of the man's dialect. Broken and specific to a lower social class. Uneducated, but not unintelligent. Born in poverty, raised by the streets. Just like him.

Realizing he'd made the mistake of pinpointing a trait he could relate to, when it was his job to be watching the situation unfold from an objective point of view, he silently cursed himself for lapsing. In the name of common sense, he set aside everything but the man's words themselves. Which, frankly, irked him with their refusal to cooperate. He wasn't dumb. He knew they'd been intended as a reason to feel annoyed. Clearly, the man had already figured out Naruto was lousy at turning down challenges.

"Do you want me to decline?"

Gaara surprised by leaning forward as much as his chains gave way. Against all expectations, his gaze could in fact grow even harder to refuse.

"You won't."

Naruto bit his tongue to refrain from expressing his growing irritation. At no point had he expected he'd like the man, as rarely were his clients in any way delightful people, but neither had he been prepared to feel this aggravated. He knew he wasn't supposed to, knew it was a bad sign all around, yet couldn't help but feel every bit as fascinated as he did frustrated. Clearly, he'd underestimated his interest towards the case. Turned over-confident by the years of not viewing his clients as more than chunks of money chained to interrogation tables, he'd forgotten the principle of every rule having an exception. He hated to admit, but it no longer was just the case he wanted to tear through and win. It was just as much, if not more, the exception sat across from him. The deadpan man and all his secrets.

"Fine", he grunted. "No reason to drag this out. I'll accept."

Gaara's eyes reflected something akin to satisfaction. Which only added to Naruto's already notable annoyance, but he did his best not to display it in plain sight. He stood up to take his leave.

"I need a few hours to make it official. The trial begins in two days." He paused to give the man a sneering look of the deliberate kind. "Start praying I'm smart enough to build a strong case with the nothing you gave me."

Not staying to wait for a reply he knew he'd find infuriating, he turned to take his leave. Without warning, Gaara stood up, his chains rattling against the table. Startled by the unanticipated sound, Naruto stopped and turned to face him. The man had that intense, imperative look in his eyes again.

"I know you will. That's why I chose you."

Naruto fell silent. Whatever it was about the man that threw him off every instance he bothered to speak was something morbid enough to make his skin crawl. Watching the man with counterfeit indifference, he wondered how he was supposed to respond to such a startling statement. In the end, he dodged it altogether.

"I'll see you in court", he muttered, turned and walked away.

When no longer on prison grounds, he drew in the first easy breath in an hour. He felt quite...unstable. How? How could he have let his professional dignity crumble?

Gaara's ability to gaze through his façade terrified him. No other client, not even the first ones he'd dreaded might manage it, had ever caused him such a wide range of mixed feelings. Nervousness, yes, and occasionally even mild fear, but never something he was unable to block out. Naruto didn't know how to deal with it. Was it the excitement of working on such an unusual case that made him act in irrational ways? Or maybe, Gaara's inhumane way of coming across as stone cold was the reason for his inexplicable feelings. It didn't really matter — he'd find a way to beat them dead. He had to. He couldn't let anything get in his way.

Hours later, Naruto wandered the town. It was getting dark. He'd made several calls in order to get things official and going. He was now Gaara's attorney and the preparations for the first hearing had been put into action. Well, apart from the fact that he had no idea what kind of a case to present. He had new evidence that favored Gaara, but as a standalone, wouldn't be enough.

Naruto took a glance around. It seemed he'd reached a part of town not considered as the very best. The people looked as rough as the hood itself and the act of prostitution was visible at every street corner. Naruto didn't mind. He'd set out to escape better people and blend into the surroundings that reminded him of his childhood. Swimming in dangerous waters felt more at home to him than the polished world of money and beautiful people, always had. He fit in just fine — even the years in legal business hadn't worn away the rough edges of his overall appearance.

Naruto's thoughts revolved around the case. And Gaara. Their meeting had been brief, but still enough to make Naruto feel attached to the case on a completely new level. The initial anxiety it'd created had turned into an adrenaline rush, and he knew he wouldn't be able to resist it even if it proved him to be an irresponsible idiot.

He'd finally had time to process the strange thoughts and feelings that'd surfaced. He'd succeeded in taking a step away and analyze them through a more objective lens. Still, it bothered him to have been such a nervous wreck to begin with. He also worried about the laughable 48 hours he had to come up with a compelling case. Gaara obviously held high hopes for him. Naruto wasn't sure he'd be able to live up to them. But, because he wasn't designed to quit, he had no intention of giving up.

Naruto stopped in front of a bar. He decided to make his way inside and straight to the counter. Indoors the place didn't come across as sleazy as the exterior had suggested. It was surprisingly neat and nearly empty customer-wise. He took a seat at the counter and ordered vodka on rocks. Since he still had to call Sakura, a little boost was in place. Taking a gulp from his drink, he dialed Sakura's number and let it ring. The wait for his call to get picked up wasn't long.

"Hey", his wife answered. She sounded tired.

"Hey. I'm sorry", Naruto apologized straight away. A sigh was heard on the other end of the line.

"Me too. How was your meeting?" she asked, deciding to avoid the subject of their fight. Naruto was satisfied with her decision.

"It was…interesting. I accepted", he told. The line went silent for a while.

"When does the trial start?"

"In two days."

She fell silent again, before speaking with skeptical caution.

"Are you coming home?"

She feared the answer. She knew the trial would be held in Fuchu, meaning it could take anywhere from days to weeks to months.

"Yeah. I'll come by tomorrow. We'll go to the doctor like I promised", Naruto said, traces of a faint smile in his voice.

He could hear Sakura let out a relieved breath. "Thank you. I love you."

"Love you too. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, Naruto hung up. He downed the rest of his drink. Frankly, he didn't feel like going home at all. Home had become a restless environment. He was afraid he'd be taking an expensive flight just to get into another fight with Sakura. But had he not complied, a fight would've taken place anyway. Determined to push his miserable marriage aside, he ordered another drink.

"Rough day?" the bartender, a man around his age, spoke. Naruto wasn't a fan of overused phrases, but played along.

"Yeah", he answered, forcing a tired smile.

"If it's any help, so was mine", the other one consoled, setting down his order. Naruto huffed.

"I'd like to say I don't enjoy other people's misery, but it kinda is", he chuckled.

The other man smiled. The smile seemed fake, to an extent, but he didn't really mind. He wouldn't have been able to pull off a more sincere one himself.

"Glad to be useful. It's been a quiet night, nice to have someone to chat to."

Naruto fought not to roll his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to chat, but supposed admitting it would've been rude. He'd long ago decided not to be a dick outside the office.

"I ain't any good company right now", Naruto said, smiling apologetically. The man studied him for a second, curious.

"Trouble in paradise?" was his guess.

"Ain't there always?"

The bartender shook his head sympathetically. "And let me guess, rough day at the office, too?"

Naruto looked up from his glass. "Sort of."

The other man smirked.

"Y'know, it don't really take a genius to ask the right questions. There's exactly three reasons why men drink with a frown on their face. Either the lady threw a fit, shit hit the fan on the job, or they killed a man, and I'm gon' guess two out of three for ya."

Naruto gulped down his drink in one sitting. "Bullseye. Keep 'em coming."

The bartender nodded and poured another one. For about 45 minutes, he didn't disturb Naruto, who again felt grateful for it. By the time he'd downed his fifth drink, the man spoke again.

"Ready to talk?"

Naruto glanced at him askance.

"Pour one more, and I might", he bargained.

The man smiled and poured one, as requested. Naruto watched him do so, taking note of the man's unusually pale complexion. Paired with the midnight black hair, it created a peculiar contrast. He didn't realize he was staring before the man turned around and placed a freshly filled glass on the counter. Naruto took a sip and sighed.

"I'm a lawyer. Don't that tell you enough?"

The bartender tilted his head. "Huh, interesting. Wasn't my first guess. Your kind usually don't come to this this part of town. So, a difficult case?"

Naruto pondered if it was wise to reveal anything at all. Likely not. Then again, perhaps the risk was lesser than that of self-medication. To avoid a complete mental breakdown, he decided to take his chances and seek for knockoff harmony.

"Yeah. Came here to meet a potential client, but…this case is a fuckin' mess." His voice grew audibly frustrated. "It's all over the fuckin' place, and then again nowhere. There's suspicions of this and that, but nothin' solid. Nothing's really investigated enough, either. Everybody's just filled up with secrets and shady shit."

The details of Gaara's case weren't widely known and it was a perk he was keen on keeping. The other man pondered a while in silence, looking curious.

"Sounds like trouble to me", he hummed in thought. "Shit can't be solved, eh? You think they've left somethin' outta the investigation?" the man asked knowingly. Naruto laid a skeptic look his way.

"Why?"

The other one dropped what he was doing and turned to look at him.

"Yakuza."

Naruto fell silent. How could the man have concluded anything from the obscure nothing he'd given?

"I told literally nothin' useful. How the hell did you make anythin' out of it?" he demanded to know.

"We all got a past, don't we?" the man said and glanced at the art on Naruto's body.

To most people the ink was nothing more than pretty pictures, but based on the look the man gave him, he knew better. Naruto hoped the man wouldn't dig any deeper.

"Why do you even care?" he grunted.

"I didn't, till you told me 'bout your case. Everythin' else, just part of the job", he admitted, once again flashing the strange smile he seemed fond of.

"Hn…yakuza", Naruto murmured to himself. The other man narrowed his eyes at him.

"Want my advice?"

Naruto couldn't hold back the suspicious glare. "I can't trust you."

The man's smile fell, his expression now pensive. For a while he watched Naruto with narrow eyes, before unexpectedly lifting the helm of his shirt.

"Whoa, what are you do—", Naruto wondered, but instantly fell silent.

Under the clothing, on the man's pale skin, were decorative tattoos. Colorful, traditional. It didn't take him long to recognize them as ink typically carried by yakuza members. It left him at a loss for words.

"Well, interested?" the man asked, fixing his attire. Though intrigued, Naruto's suspicions hadn't faded.

"Why would you show me this? Tell me this?" he asked, close to annoyed.

"I don't lead that life no more and I've did my time already. Six months county jail, petty shit. But I do have stories to tell. Plus, you're cute."

Naruto raised a brow. "I'm flattered, but play for the other team."

"Don't matter, still cute", the man argued, offering him another drink. He was happy to take it and eager to present another question.

"That still don't explain why you're tellin' me all this. You go 'round liftin' your shirt to strangers often?" Naruto questioned and took a sip from the drink. His companion chuckled.

"No. What I've been involved with ain't exactly a secret 'round here. And you might be on the straight and narrow now, but I know you ain't a saint", he said and reached out to pull down the collar of the blonde's shirt, revealing a meaningful tattoo.

Naruto yanked the man's hand away. His distress earned a smirk.

"That ain't just a pretty picture. That's a gang stamp."

Blue eyes narrowed. The man was just a tad too clever for his taste.

"Fine. I'm listening", he finally gave in. The other one flashed a satisfied smile.

"You ain't dumb, so you must know yakuza knows their way 'round law and order", he assumed, which Naruto agreed with. "Money and power are the currencies of the world, and they got both. Most lawsuits linked to 'em are dismissed right off the bat. Especially those that involve underground organizations."

Akatsuki, Naruto immediately thought.

"What you mean by underground?" he wanted to know.

"Well", the man sighed, leaning against the counter. "Some jobs yakuza clans can't or don't want to deal with. That's when underground freelance organizations get the money call."

Naruto's blue eyes lit up with sincere interest. "You say underground, but who lays the lowest?"

"Hitmen, usually."

Naruto frowned. Could Akatsuki be a group of hitmen? The witness had claimed he'd been sold to Akatsuki with the intention of training him to become a soldier. Could a soldier mean a hired killer?

"What 'bout human trafficking?" Naruto wanted to know.

"It's common. Some clans practice it as their main job. Mainly sellin' women and children", the other man told.

Blue eyes grew thoughtful. If Akatsuki was working for yakuza and specialized in hired killing, the witness' claims might've been true. If so, the claims had likely been dismissed to protect yakuza. In that case Akatsuki truly had the power to control an ongoing investigation, which meant that Gaara probably wasn't all that innocent. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered with him.

"Is there any reason yakuza wouldn't kill someone who's fucked with 'em?" Naruto questioned. The other man seemed surprised by his question.

"I guess…if takin' 'em out would be too big of a risk, they wouldn't", he assumed.

The man's assumption both pleased and worried Naruto. If his suspicions were just, Gaara could be linked to the victims through yakuza. But as long as yakuza wanted to protect their façade, the link wouldn't be found. To put it simply, both parties had encountered the same dead end. Yakuza seemed keen to keep their low profile, and Naruto would have to find a way to either prove Gaara innocent, or blow yakuza's cover without inevitably linking his client to them. It seemed that the one to solve the problem first would be the last one standing. With that thought, Naruto downed the rest of his drink and stood up. He glanced at the other man, a huff escaping his lips.

"How? How'd I find you in this massive city? There ain't many ex-mobsters walkin' around. Yakuza don't forgive", Naruto pointed out, beginning to feel the soft buzz of a glass too many.

"Could be fate, eh?" the other one suggested. Naruto snorted, but shrugged in the lack of an argument.

"Don't know, don't care. It was useful, so thanks", he said and extended his hand, offering a handshake. The man accepted the offered hand and nodded.

"No problem, cutie. If you ever have second thoughts 'bout which team to play for, come by", he said and winked.

Naruto chuckled and playfully planted a kiss on the hand still held by his.

"Sure", he promised and finally let the hand go.

With one last brief smile, he began to make his way towards the exit. Only a couple of steps into it, he halted. With a curious look on his face, he turned to face the other man once more.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask…what's your name?"

The man flashed a kind smile, no longer fake.

"I'm Sai."

"I owe you one, Sai."

Gaara had never been one to hold high expectations, regardless of circumstances. He'd learned that naive optimism more often than not led to disappointment. The less he expected, the fewer letdowns he'd experience. This logic did not originate from a fear of getting hurt, nor a fright of failure, but instead was based on the fact that all unnecessary feelings were a waste of time. Generally speaking, this philosophy of his worked perfectly fine. But today, even if it'd been only for a second, a humane distraction had woken inside him.

An emotion, he supposed.

He'd rid himself of those long ago, never having found practical use for them. So naturally he'd been taken aback by the tingle of excitement that'd rushed through his veins unannounced. It intrigued him, as he'd long forgotten what it was like to experience reactions as primitive. Surprisingly enough, he hadn't found the feeling unwanted, not even unpleasant, only the cause of it. Gaara's hopes of being granted freedom had materialized in the form of Uzumaki Naruto, and meeting the man in the flesh had affected him in unexpected ways. For the most part, he found the unfamiliar experience fascinating. Yet something bothered him.

It disturbed him how a complete stranger had been able to draw out elements of him that were supposed to be long gone. Even if it were for just the blink of an eye, something dead had come back to life inside him. He'd tried to forget about it, tried to explain it away, yet his thoughts always came back around to remember the very real feel of it. He couldn't stop wondering if it was but a one time thing, or something he should've worried would reoccur.

It seemed there was even more to Uzumaki than he'd initially thought. At times life still took him by surprise.

Well, finally Gaara is introduced. I am aware that the meeting between Naruto and Gaara is quite short, but no worries; it's intentional. Also, I don't know yet if Sai will be a character of any particular importance in this story, we'll see. Anyways, go ahead and review.