Moving along now. A long chapter, yes. Well, for me it is anyway. Some may find it a bit rushed, I dunno. They're long for a reason. So basically people seem to want the whole chapter, so I'm game for that. Another thing: the antagonists in all of these chapters have no real connection to their role played in the show. So even some low-life villain could have connections to the top…or whatever. Oh, you'll see.
Chapter 4
Case 1: The Café
Sakura was always seen as someone who was constantly doing something productive. It didn't matter what, just anything really. That, and she was used to working either alone or with someone. Now someone was doing everything for her, so she was doing something useless for once in her life. It was so useless in fact, that she could have easily been doing it in her own room, said drumming her fingers upon her partner's black coffee table. "You know…you can trust me a bit more. I am your partner after all."
"Shut up," Sasuke replied, grabbing the pen from behind his ear, and scribbling down a note beside the picture of their main man, Kamokatsu Aoi. He was hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, but the smirk that the cyan haired man gave off was sly and sickly.
She clicked her tongue once in frustration, and continued to sit back and watch him reread over the description that had been collected by two co-workers named Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. It wasn't as if the facts were going to change for staring at it again and again. She sighed, but did the same anyway, as a bored expression set upon her features. She'd expected Sasuke to be somewhat closed-off, but not letting her take part in the plan was a bit much. Perhaps he hadn't quite accepted the idea that the two were to be partners.
The man who was rumored to have a connection with the Akatsuki was Aoi. She was informed that the Akaksuki was the name they'd all given the group of assassins, since all captured persons mentioned that word. It seemed he was reportedly seen everyday at a small café on the edge of her hometown. She turned to the next sheet, which was another small description on the owner, Morino Idate. He looked rather young, with a nice shade of brown hair. He had nothing to do with Aoi, so it seemed, but passed on information without his knowledge. Sakura wasn't exactly sure how that worked, though.
"The words aren't going to change the sixth time you read it over, you know," she finally voiced her thoughts, irritation clearly heard in her voice.
"Thank you for your intellectual impute, Sakura," he responded, not liking the disruption so much. "If it makes you feel any better I've come up with a starter plan."
"Oh, do share, please!"
Their eyes met, them clearly not enjoying the company of the other. "Look, since it's your first time going out undercover and all, I'll do most of the work this time around. The first day, we'll observe the scene. The second half of the plan works after getting some new info."
Do most things himself? She held in a sarcastic laugh. It was more like he'd do everything. "So…let me get this straight. You dragged me all the way from my home so I could help…only to be not needed in the end. I see the logic in that. Totally," her reply was accompanied with an eye-roll.
If there was one thing she had yet to learn, it was that Sasuke had low patience at times. "I was trying to be helpful!"
"It didn't seem like it!" she was on the verge of yelling, as she got to her feet.
"Yeah? Well I'd like to see you try and do something perfectly your first time around, without help!"
"Is that a challenge I'm detecting?"
"And what if it is, Ms. Haruno?"
"Then I'll make you eat your words, Uchiha!" with that, she walked out of his room and into her own. Inside, she knocked her head lightly against the wall. That planning session hadn't gone too smoothly. Plus she had no idea how this worked. How was she going to work this one out? She threw the files onto her bed, and sunk to the floor. She'd just have to improvise. And if she screwed this up…no. She wouldn't mess it up. This was her only chance to prove to Sasuke that she meant business, and perhaps her only chance to gain his trust. She'd show him…somehow…
It was now Monday morning, so Sakura was used to jumping up at 8 in the morning. However, she remembered that this wasn't an ordinary Monday. Today was her first mission, as well as the day she'd prove to her partner Uchiha Sasuke that she was indeed a valuable person. She hastily threw a long white skirt from the closet and picked a black top.
After throwing it on quickly, she fixed her long pink hair in a loose bun. She picked up a pink fabric purse (which she also found in the closet along with a leather wallet) and walked into the common area. No one she knew was sitting there, just another boy around her age. He wore all green, and his hair was completely gelled down. He was currently drinking a coffee, pacing in a line while holding a paper in his hands.
She decided not to say anything, and wait for Sasuke. She didn't have to wait long, before he came out wearing black pants and a navy top. "So," he said, sitting opposite her, observing her sip hot chocolate, "enlighten me on how you'll pull this off."
"Simple," she replied coolly, "I'll do it myself. I was a pretty good actress at school, you know. It's how I got most of my other information."
"No, I trust you completely," he said monotone. Sakura could tell he wasn't serious. "So in that case I'll be around the corner in a special car, waiting to pick you up." He handed her a sliver necklace with a round pendant, intricate designs covering the front. "A microphone," he explained, "so I'll hear everything that's going on. When you're on missions without me, never take it off."
"Yes boss," but she fastened it around her neck anyway. "Oh, is it possible for this special car to be a taxi?"
He looked at her for a minute, wondering what she was thinking. "Sure."
"Good, now let's go grab some breakfast because I'm starving, and I can't work on an empty stomach."
Within minutes the two were down in the cafeteria, a fair amount of other workers there as well. Of course, no one she recognized, but everyone mentioned a "good morning" to Sasuke as they passed by. He replied with only a curt nod, and they took a table off to the side. The two ate in silence, he reading over the case one final time, she not really wanting to disturb him.
When they were finished a good fifteen minutes later, they stepped outside, noting the gloomy gray clouds that loomed overhead. "Hopefully it'll be nicer in the city," Sakura stated, as the two walked for a bit down the paved road, and into the subway station that she'd visited not too many days ago.
The ride was basically as silent as the rest of the morning had been, the only real noise was the screeching of metal wheels against metal rails. The sound was slowly eating away at Sakura's patience, as she tried to do something more, like plan how this was going to work. Her mouth had gotten ahead of her brain last night, so she was in quite the situation. What kind of guy was this Aoi person like? What about the manager? Maybe she could do something about him.
Having such a discreet job at school, she was good with improvising, as well as acting in general. Her last school had around 700 students, and she knew a fair amount of things about 699 of them (the last one being Sasuke). How else did she find out all those things? She just had a knack for things like that ever since she was very young, when she solved the mystery of her dad's missing keys. In fact she remembered him put it down on the piano, and vaguely remembered the cat knocking it over some time later. Like she told him, they were indeed under the piano.
In all her reminiscing of the past, she failed to notice that Sasuke was explaining something. "So, you're alright with that, I presume?"
"Uh…yeah, I got it."
He looked at her, raising his eyebrow ever so slightly. "Then you understand that you'll need to get…intimate with him, right?" He was slightly amused at the reaction she got, as she tried to hide her panic and fear as best she could. With a sigh, he repeated: "Please try to focus here. I knew you weren't listening. What I was saying was that when we get to the station, I need some time to fix up the wiring so that microphone in your necklace works properly. So would you please stand to cover me?"
Her face flushed, seeing how easily he got to her. "Right…got it this time."
As she spoke her final words, the car jerked forward and began to slow. She clenched her pink purse tightly, and followed him onto the platform, which brought back more memories of a few nights past. They traveled up the old elevator, and waited until the coast was clear before entering into the main station. It was now well past 10, so most people were already either at work or school. School where she was supposed to be, but now was a key in unlocking a mystery assassin group. School sounded really appealing at this point.
Out in the parking lot, Sasuke was already busy looking for something, as his head went back and forth scanning the area. He spotted what he was looking for. "Here," he motioned to a yellow car, the word 'Taxi' on a sign that stood over the roof. "This is the one."
Sakura looked at the other yellow taxis around. "How can you be sure? They all look the same."
"You're a detective of sorts, put some pieces together. You'll recognize this one because its right headlight is broken, see? None of the others are the same," he explained, walking over to the vehicle and opening the door manually, rather then waiting for the driver to come over. "I'll be one second, so stand in front of the window."
"Right," she nodded, and sparked up a conversation with the driver. Of course he was in on the whole thing, but Sasuke had warned Sakura of who she could trust; which was no one. Not even him, and he could never trust her.
Inside the taxi, the raven-haired teen pulled out a small box, and hooked it up to the car's front AC outlet. He turned the knob slowly, listening to the static, and then he began to hear his partner's voice. He switched it off, placed the box under the seat, and reopened the door. "Okay, let's go."
They were both sitting in the back seat of the car, neither of them saying a word, as the driver was doing all the talking. "…and you'd never imagine what kind of…"
While the man in the front seat was jabbering away, the Uchiha leaned over and whispered some words in her ear. "It'll be interesting to see how you pull this off. But worse comes to worse, I'll back you up. We won't loose this one."
She smiled back, though it was icy. "Don't worry. I'll do such a good job, even you'll be proud." He gave a rather skeptical look, but shrugged it off anyway. Thankfully it wasn't that much longer until they reached the edge of the town, and the clock where resided the café. Looking out the window, she noted the poorer part of town. There were a few people on the street, walking around with a cigarette in their mouths, and hands in their trench coat pockets. "I think I overdressed," she mused aloud, glancing at her new and flowing white skirt.
"It's fine. And if it isn't…well make something up," he said as the car pulled to a stop the block before the café. They gave each other one final glance, and Sakura stepped out of the fake taxi. She watched it turn in the next street and stop. It was perfectly hidden in the shadows. The few people that were on the street started to stare, sending shivers down her spine. She swallowed the lump in her throat as her green eyes looked up at the old sign.
The windows were rather dusty on the outside, distorting her vision to the inside. Now what was the plan? She was kind of glad Sasuke hadn't given her a way for her to hear him. Who knows what he'd say at this point? The front door was glass, and this way she could see clearer inside. It wasn't very crowded, just two tables occupied with single people. The bar at the front was empty.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say she had to muster nearly all her courage to open that door. A soft bell made her presence known, as the two people from the tables looked up, their eyes seeming to glare menacingly. They followed her trail up until the counter. This was even more nerve-racking then her first job interview.
"Okay, so far I don't see anyone familiar," she breathed to the pendant on her neck, being as discreet as possible.
She didn't even notice a man in his early twenties walk out from the kitchen area. "Excuse me, Miss, are you alright?" Sakura jumped, clearly startled at being addressed while she was mumbling to herself.
"Oh, yes, thank you." She recognized him as the owner, Idate. He looked identical to his picture in the portfolio. He was also still staring oddly at the unfamiliar female. "Sorry, I was just talking to myself. I do that when I'm frustrated. I was supposed to…um…meet my boyfriend here."
The brunet man raised both eyebrows. "Really? All the way out here? I haven't seen you before, Miss. There are only usuals that come around."
"Oh, well I moved here last week and my boyfriend asked me if I knew a place to meet. So I'd seen this place and I thought…why the hell not, right?" she began to laugh nervously, all eyes upon her. "Sorry," she apologized suddenly, "you must think I'm totally weird!"
"Oh, no, not at all Miss…um…"
"Sakura."
"Miss Sakura then. Welcome to my café then. My name is Morino Idate. Can I get you anything?" he asked courteously.
He seemed like a nice guy, was what she thought. His soft personality could easily be worked to her advantage. She inwardly smirked, a plan formulating in her mind. 'Watch this one, Sasuke," she thought, then turned her attention back to the owner, "Um, nothing right now thanks. I'll wait until he gets here." With a nod, he went to talk to one of the other customers.
Definitely the hardest part of her plot, was the waiting. She was edgy just from the lack of activity, but also to move her new character along. It was then when her mobile went off vibrating in her purse. "Excuse me," she asked Idate, who was fixing a cup of coffee from behind the counter, "where's the restroom?"
He pointed to the left, and she thanked him, and walked into the small washroom. Then she pressed the redial button on her pink cell. "What's up?" she asked Sasuke.
"What do you mean 'what's up'? What in the world are you doing?" he sounded awfully frustrated.
"I'm going along with my plan, of course. These things take time!"
"Well I really haven't got all day, so speed up your process." Then the connection was cut.
"Fine, fine," she said aloud, so he could hear her through the necklace. She walked back and took a seat at the bar. "Um…" she timidly got the brunet's attention, "I am getting kind of thirsty. Can I have…a latte?"
"Sure thing, Miss. Coming right up," he smiled slightly and turned his back to her. In the meantime, Sakura continued observing the place. Spark up a conversation…spark up…her eyes rested on a picture on the counter. There were two kids, a boy and a girl. Both must have been pre-teens. "Here you go. On the house."
"Thanks so much," she spoke gratefully, and sipped the hot liquid. It was time to put on her act. "Why is it that men always do this? You never can really trust one you know?" She glanced quickly upward from her hands, seeing that she indeed had gotten his attention. "But…I thought…I thought he could be it…" she tried her hardest to sound on the verge of tears.
Idate seemed to be in a slight state of panic. Things were floating along just as she expected. This man was way too nice for his own good. "Uh, there, there. Please don't cry. He's just an ass. There'll be others…" he placed a hand slowly on her shoulder.
She blinked so many times while she was hiding her face what it did indeed look like her eyes had glazed over. "Really? Thanks a lot…it means so much to me."
"Good, then you stop crying over him!" he instructed sternly.
She giggled, "Okay then." It was at that point, where she believed it was safe to spark up a friendly conversation with him. "Say…so how long have you been running this place?"
It must have been a good twenty minutes since they'd been chatting, and Sakura still hadn't heard anything remotely useful as to Aoi, or anything of the sort. "Who're they?" she asked as her next question, pointing to the picture she'd been looking at earlier.
"Them? They're my niece and nephew, Souma and Ryou. They're…oh man, I don't even remember anymore it's been so long. Maybe around twelve, thirteen now?"
"They must be really lucky, to have such a nice uncle like you," she smiled sweetly, still overdoing the flattery.
This must have been the third time he blushed in embarrassment. "Oh…no really I…" He stopped right in the middle of his speech, as the door opened to the café once more. A man with cyan hair walked in, jerking his head in Idate's direction.
Sakura looked on cautiously. So this was what Kamokatsu Aoi resembled in real-life. His presence alone made her shiver, and the fact knowing that he was involved in a possible assassination group made it all the worse. "Uh…why don't you see to him for a moment?" she suggested, while she formulated another plan.
He left and spoke to the man who sat at the opposite end of the bar. "Okay, I'm taking this off for a sec," she whispered into the pendant, which she unfastened from her neck. "It's him, so no complaints," she explained.
The café owner came back. "Sorry about that. So where were we?"
The pink haired teen pretended to think. "I forgot," her reply came out sheepish. Her emerald eyes kept glancing quickly towards Aoi, who seemed content, eating a bagel and taking sips of some coffee here and there. "Hey, um, do you think I could get a refill?" she asked pushing her mug towards him.
"Sure thing," he grinned and quickly turned around. Swiftly, she placed the chain into his back pocket, making sure the microphone part was still hanging out. She beamed inwardly. That had worked out slightly better then expected. "Here."
"Thanks," she smiled, putting some coins on the table, which he took. "Is he a regular too?" she asked, glancing this time fully at Aoi, "you guys seem to be awfully friendly."
Perhaps it was her imagination, but she could have sworn she saw his expression falter for a second. "Sort of," he replied shortly, "excuse me for a second." He walked over to where the man was silently beckoning for him. Crossing her fingers, she desperately hoped Sasuke would hear this.
The sound coming from the box was now faint, and the onyx-eyed male was ready to kill her. What part of 'don't take it off no matter what' was unclear to her? With an irritated sigh, he turned up the volume, which increased the static noise, but at least the voices were louder as well. "What can I get you now, Aoi?"
There was silence for a second. "I need to borrow the back room tomorrow. I'm meeting up with an employee. I trust I can use it again, right?"
"I guess. But last time it caused a whole mess, remember?"
"Don't worry, Idate. I have it all under control this time. He'll be here for sure at noon sharp."
Sakura watched as the creepy man placed a few coins on the table, and said a final thing to him before parting. She hadn't heard a word they'd talked about, but it must have been something serious, as the brunet's eyebrows kept it's place in a frown.
"Sorry again, Miss Sakura," he said solemnly.
"Please," she held up her hand, "don't add a 'Miss' to my name. It makes me sound old."
He laughed, "Okay then, Sakura." The only problem now was getting the chain back.
What she needed was a diversion. Well, the delusion technique usually worked. "Oh my God, Idate! Is that coffee boiling over?"
"What?" he asked in reply, his eyes widening in panic as he turned around. With a swift move, she swiped it back from his pocket. And he hadn't even noticed a thing.
"Oh. I'm so sorry for scaring you! It must have been my imagination. This whole day is making me crazy, you know, him not showing up and all…"
Slightly more relaxed, he replied, "I totally understand."
"I think I'll take my leave now, thanks. If he drops by and asks for me, tell him we're through."
"Uh…right…" he replied, "would you like me to call a taxi?"
"No thanks, I'll grab one from the street."
He tilted his head to the side. "But there's hardly any of them that come by."
Sakura blinked. Crap. "Uh…well there were a bunch when I came. Thanks for everything," she said quickly and exited the café right after. "Come pick me up," she whispered into the necklace, as she pretended to search the rather empty streets for a taxi. She knew very well that Idate was still watching. She waved down the marked car, and it stopped in front of her, and in clear view of the owner.
She hopped in, shielding Sasuke from the eyes of Idate, as she closed the door. The vehicle drove off instantly. Inside, Sakura gave off a proud smile. "Now, tell me who did a good job."
He simply rolled his eyes. "It was pretty good for your first time," he gave her that much. "So, now, planning for tomorrow…"
"What?" she gave an exasperated sigh, "you mean we aren't done?"
"We didn't finish our task," he informed his partner of the obvious. "The file says we need to capture Aoi. What we did today was figure out a way to get him. I'll take care of it tomorrow, though."
"Hey," she pointed a finger at his face, "I just proved myself today. I want to help you plan this too, Mister I-shall-do-everything-myself. Even after today you can't put a little faith in me?"
They both stared at each other for a long time, both not backing down. What a coincidence that two equally stubborn people got put together. "Fine," he said, brushing some strands of dark hair from his face. They reached the train station, and Sasuke spoke to the driver about some sort of payment. They made their way back to the hidden elevator and onto the private platform. This almost seemed routine for Sakura now. While on the train, he spoke up again. "So we know that he, as well as an underling will be there tomorrow at noon. So we need to catch them then. It's the best time. How are we going to do that? That's your job."
She remained thoughtful for a moment. What had she seen today that could be useful? An idea hit her full-force. "I got it! We're going to run the place tomorrow." Sasuke looked over to the opposite side of the train, where she seemed extremely pleased with herself. "We're going to disguise ourselves as his niece and nephew."
"Souma and Ryou?" he questioned, now thinking of the possibilities. "Yes…it could be done. We'll take out Idate tonight, and replace him tomorrow. Since our target and him seem rather close, it'd make sense if he knew and trusted anyone related to Idate." He resisted the urge to chuckle at the ridiculous expression that was set on Sakura's face.
"I'm so glad I'm finally helping, somewhat. It makes me feel a little more comfortable."
"Well start thinking of a way for this to work, and then you can go off into your little world," he said coldly, all whatever happiness there was now replaced with seriousness.
"Well…if they're going to look older…the girl kind of looked like me," she mused, "except with really dark, dark hair. And the boy…" she examined Sasuke again. "Maybe he'd look a bit like you when he was older. Except with straight hair. But they both have dark hair and eyes."
He nodded understandingly. "Then may I suggest visiting downstairs today," he said, watching her perplexed expression. Right, she hadn't been downstairs yet. "It's usually where people spend their days off. There are a bunch of services down there."
She seemed awfully fond of blinking today. "You mean to tell me you have a hair salon down there?"
"If you want to call it that. You don't expect yourself to look the same everywhere you go, do you?"
"I guess that's true…" the pink haired teen replied, looking back out the window. Something told her she'd be getting used to seeing the city fly by her. This was her way of life now. While it still upset her, and she assumed it would for some time, it was still…kind of fun in a way. She was doing what she liked; she was playing detective, plus acting. Though it was all a serious matter. That set her on the right track. This was no child's game. This was the harsh reality of what happened in her now not-so perfect world.
"So I hear you did a good job today," Tenten gave Sakura a pat on the back as they both sat on an unoccupied couch back in the residence. Sasuke, low and behold, had disappeared but asked her to meet up with him in a good hour.
"Really? Says who?" she wondered.
"Well says a few people. I think I heard it from Neji, though," the brunette contemplated, staring at the blank TV screen. "Either way, you got me and him a job tonight. It's been a little while since I've gone. Neji went with Asuma and Sasuke last time."
The last time, she assumed, was when they'd tried to capture Gato. "Uh…you're welcome?" they both laughed. "You know…I hear Neji this Neji that all the time. I've hardly seen him."
"Well I'm sure you'll be meeting him shortly. We work an awful lot with Sasuke. Anyway, shouldn't you be getting downstairs? I'll show you the way."
"Thanks," the pink haired teen said gratefully, as they went to the elevator. The other pressed the button labeled B, and down they went. "Oh…when you 'take care' of Idate tonight, make sure you go easy on him. He's really a nice guy."
Tenten laughed, "Oh alright." The double doors opened on the bottom floor, and they both stepped out. It was quite an odd sight for Sakura. The floor was rather empty, and was dimly lit, unlike the other levels. The floors were carpeted with a faded blue carpet. There were several doors on each side of the long hallway. "This way. It's at the end," she guided the other.
Sakura looked through some of the clear doors as they passed. She couldn't see much…but she did make out a swimming pool, and in another one it looked like…an office? She shrugged it off. They went into the last door on the left. "Welcome, Miss Haruno. We were expecting you," a lady with flaming red hair spoke from behind the counter. "Will you be having something done too, Miss Tenten?"
"No, I'm just going to watch and laugh at her," she replied with a bright smile.
"Hey! That's no…ah!" Sakura couldn't finish her sentence as the short receptionist pushed her further into the room. She saw Sasuke was already sitting in a chair, once again going over the files. "Oh my God, Sasuke. What…"
He looked up with onyx eyes. His hair was no longer stuck in its awkward chicken-resembling style, but now was straight down, reaching his shoulders. "When they went to gather the original info, they managed to get a hold of a copy," he shrugged, "it's not that hard for me to look like Ryou. You…"
"What should be done, Master Sasuke?" another woman seemed to magically appear, this one tall and stick-like, with dyed blond hair.
"This color," he pointed to his hair, "and just leave it straight."
"Hey wait! I can handle this myself—ow!" the woman forced her into a chain and before she knew what was happening, her hair was soaked. The brunette female seemed to be having a field day, hiding her laughs. "You be quiet!" she yelled, blushing in embarrassment. "This isn't funny!"
"On the contrary, this is quite entertaining," she smiled, when a beep was heard from her pocket. "Damn, I can't stay, but be sure that I'll see you when your treatment is done. Sir Hyuuga awaits."
The Uchiha nodded, not bothering to watch her leave, and hid his smirk behind the papers he held. "I can feel you smiling, Uchiha! You're dead too!"
After a good hour, Sakura stood by the mirror, placing in the dark tinted contact lenses. Sasuke walked up beside her. Sakura looked at her reflection, then his. "We look related," she laughed pushing back a wad of black hair. It'd been dyed semi-permanent, and she was told that it'd most likely be gone in a good week.
"Sort of," he had to agree. It felt weird for his hair not to be up. Then again, it was weird for her hair to be dark.
"So, Ryou, are you ready for work tomorrow?"
"What kind of question is that?" he asked hotly, "it should be, are you prepared not to screw up, Souma?"
Even for a relatively early riser such as Sakura, 5 in the morning was pushing it. At first when she looked in the mirror, she found it odd that her reflection was staring back at her with a beautiful raven color. She sleepily pulled a brush from the bathroom counter drawer, and slowly began to untangle the knots.
The café opened at nine that morning. That meant they needed at least a half-hour to get things organized, plus the hour or so train ride. She yawned, pulling out a pair of black dress pants and white button-down top. This was the coordinated clothing the two would wear. Idate hadn't been wearing something as elegantly-casual as this, but it was all part of the plan.
She fastened her dark hair with a pink ribbon, and looked in the mirror in satisfaction. Wait, she'd forgotten something. She once again went over to the mirror and pulled out a small container, in which sat two onyx colored lenses. She couldn't look like Sasu—err, Ryou's sister with green orbs.
Grabbing her pink fabric purse (she'd grown quite fond of it with her few days of owning it), she quietly exited her room as not to wake anyone. The Uchiha was already sitting at a table, face down. Apparently he was none too happy about the early hour either. "Did you sleep here?" she asked quietly, jolting him from his semi-slumber.
"Hn…" he really was in no state to process any unimportant information at this point, nevermind her attempt to lighten the mood. "Let's just go…" he rose to his feet sluggishly. She had to admit, it was rather amusing watching him in this state. She had visions of him curling up on the seat in the train, and immediately falling back asleep.
But this was Uchiha Sasuke she was talking about. As soon as the doors opened to the deserted lobby, his façade was set to its normal stone-cold stare. Sakura stifled a yawn, remembering something as they walked outside towards the platform entrance.
"I forgot to ask…how are we going to capture this guy anyway?"
Sasuke kept his vision straight ahead. "We aren't, this time. There should be backup that comes later. You're still too inexperienced to do something like that."
It was too early for an argument. Really, it was. She sighed tiredly, and lay down across three seats on her respected side of the train car. She mumbled what sounded like a "G'night" and shut her eyes. Surprisingly the male on the other side made no comment.
Even though she meant to rest her eyes for only a few minutes, when she opened them again, the car was motionless. At first she thought they hadn't left yet, but Sasuke seemed wide awake now. "I hope you're ready, after that long nap you took," he said flatly, making sure his hair was still straight. This style really annoyed him.
They found the taxi with the broken headlight once again, but this time there was a different driver. "Hey," she said, suddenly remembering something important, "you wouldn't happen to know the personality of these kids, would you?"
He looked at her through the corner of his real onyx eyes, then they moved back towards the window. "You should have thought of that before you came up with the plan. Learn to think things through, Sakura."
"You mean Souma. Get used to calling me that or you'll slip up."
"Don't tell me what to do!" he countered, clearly annoyed. She backed down, but still held a scowl.
It was 8 in the morning when they reached the café. No sign of anyone around. Sasuke pulled out a ring of keys, and after trying a couple, the back door opened without trouble. He noticed her questioning glance. "Idate's. The two of them got this off him last night."
She nodded, entering the dark kitchen. They lit the lights, and observed what there was to work with. Hopefully the few customers that arrived today wouldn't want anything fancy. "Okay," Sasuke spoke again, "firstly fix your right contact lens; you can see the green through it. Second, the few people that we're going to get, will be stationed in the back room, where Aoi is supposed to have his little 'get-together'. Thirdly…"
"I get it," she said with a sigh, snooping around the area. Hopefully the customers wouldn't want something fancy, was her thought, as she found a rough-copy of the menu. If it involved coffee, or any other beverage, she was covered. If it took greater effort then making scrambled eggs…well…
By the time she snapped back from her 'super sleuthing', her partner was already gone. She went over to the front of the place, where he was wiping down the counters. She watched him work for a moment. It was odd how different a person he could be. He was certainly a great actor. "You going to admire me all day, or help out a bit," his mocking voice cut in, making her frown.
It seemed like they were going over the plan for the umpteenth time. It was almost 9, as Sakura flipped the open sign on the door. "Just act it out, and we'll be fine," she reassured him, opening the blinds on the window to let in some light. Her eyes widened. "Customer at 3 o'clock," she rushed behind the counter joining him, "I saw him yesterday."
A minute later, the door opened with a soft chime, revealing a twig-like man, wearing faded jeans, and a loosely fitting top. "Welcome to our café!" both teens chanted the rehearsed lines. The man looked startled.
"Who're you kids?" he asked in a raspy voice, like he'd just come over a cold.
Sasuke spoke first. "I'm Morino Ryou, and this is my sister Souma. Idate is our uncle."
Sakura happily came from behind the counter (rehearsed, of course) and continued: "Uncle is sick today, and he refused to close down. We offered to help." She watched him closely take a seat, though slowly. "We'll try to serve you as best we can!"
"Uh…right, well just an expresso will do," he coughed once into his fist, as 'Ryou' nodded and turned to the machine behind him. "Isn't the getup albeit fancy?" he pointed to her clothes.
"Oh, well we weren't quite sure what to wear. Uncle just gave us the keys, and that was it!" she began to laugh nervously.
"Funny. I hear that you're really shy and emotional at home, and Ryou's the crazy outgoing one," the man tried to flatten some messy brown hair. They both froze. So…were they playing their character wrong? She was about to speak, but the customer continued oblivious, "Well, then again, that was a long time ago. He said you were still not even teens then. Time goes fast, doesn't it?"
Sakura's nervous laugh cut through the atmosphere before Sasuke had time to recover. "It sure does!" she went up to the man and lowered her voice, "I took some classes for my problem. My dad and Ryou say it's had a negative effect on me, 'cause now I won't shut up."
"Your coffee," the other placed it in front of him, giving the 'we-need-to-talk' glance to his partner. She nodded. "Excuse us for a second," he dragged them both behind the counter, and lowered the volume to a whisper. "What in the world are you doing?"
"I'm improvising! I can't go all weird in front of someone like that. Besides, people do act different in front of their families then other people," her reply was more of a hiss. The door opened, and yet another regular, so they assumed, walked in; he was equally surprised as the last. "Welcome to our café!"
They'd been at their charade for a good two hours, when the phone in Sasuke's pocket began to vibrate. That was the signal that 'they' were here. "I'll go," she said stopping him. You're better with making this stuff then I am anyway."
"Alright," he agreed, and turned to the area where five people sat dispersed. It was busier then usual, or so it seemed.
She slipped into the kitchen, and tapped lightly on the back door. The taps were returned. She opened the door, and standing there were three young men. A lot of the people working for this company seemed awfully young…well in the investigation department anyway. One, she recognized as Hyuuga Neji. The other two she'd seen briefly in the common room, but they'd never noticed her.
"Yo," the male on her left greeted with a type of smile, revealing slightly pointed incisors. "You must be Sasuke's new partner."
"It is an honor to meet such a brilliant mind!" the other whom she did not know the name of spoke with enthusiasm.
Neji was first to step inside, and looked around before speaking. "Good to meet you," he said briefly shaking her hand. "My name is Hyuuga Neji. These two are Inuzuka Kiba," which happened to be the first man, "and Rock Lee."
"How we now have such a caring and talented beauty in charge of us this time!" Rock Lee seemed to be on the verge of happy tears, and clasped both her hands in his. "Please take care of us!"
"Uh…yeah, sure," Sakura replied, some dark hair falling out of the hair tie she'd placed it in earlier.
"Oi, Lee, you're scaring her," Kiba commented, prying his hands off. "Anyway, we know what to do. I was one of the ones who did the original investigation," he gave a proud smile, "so we'll wait 'til both of you are ready."
"Right…" she replied dumbly, returning to Sasuke in the front. "Are all your employees young?" curiosity got the better of her and she asked him quickly.
"No, just this section," he replied equally curt, "give this to the lady in the back corner." A tray with a mug of hot chocolate and a muffin was thrust into her hands. She wordlessly placed it where it was designated, and received a small bill in return.
"I feel kind of bad, keeping money from this," she grinned sheepishly, fingering whatever money she'd collected already.
Sasuke, however, was no longer listening. His onyx eyes trailed the path of a being outside the shop; it was a being with greenish hair. Aoi. The door opened with that same low chime. "Welcome to our café," they both chanted again. That phrase was starting to greatly annoy Sasuke.
His expression resembled most of the others, perhaps even more so. "Where's Idate?" was his first question. They didn't get the 'who are you' that everyone else had asked. This man was straight to the point.
"Uncle is on sick leave today, Sir," Sakura said brightly, though her heart thumped loudly, "we're filling in for him until he gets better, so please, have a seat. Me and my brother Ryou will try and serve you as best as we can."
The cyan haired man looked indecisive for a moment, but sat down at the counter anyway. They had to gain this man's trust, or a little bit somehow. Sakura decided to let some acting skills flow. "What would you like, Sir? Anything in particular?"
"You sure are enthusiastic. Don't go pretending around, little girl. Your tip aint gonna get any larger," he commented instead of placing an order.
Perfect, she though smugly. It was time for the glossy-eyed act. "Y-you think I was pretending?" her body turned slightly toward Sasuke, but still faced Aoi. "Oh, I knew I wasn't cut out for this job! Uncle Idate will hate me now! I tried so hard too! Oh Ryou!"
To say he was startled when his partner ran up and hugged him tightly was an understatement. "Ryou! He'll hate me! He'll know that they said bad things about me…and…and…"
Right, acting. He was good at that. He placed a pale hand atop her what was once pink head, and responded in a voice that was quite soothing. "No, uncle would never hate you. He's not like that." Her shoulders were shaking. Okay, so she was a good actress, sort of. Instead of crying, she was half laughing into his shirt. Not that the older man sitting from behind the counter could tell, though. His expression was that of somewhat panic. "Why don't you go wash your face in the back for now, okay?"
"Okay," she made sure that their target heard her squeak of a response, before dashing through the doors to the kitchen. When Sakura was sure that she could no longer be heard, she let out a small chuckle. That performance should have been worth an Oscar.
Meanwhile back on the other side, Sasuke walked up to Aoi, leaning against the counter and lowering his voice. "Listen, I don't know how to say this…but maybe you should say sorry." The other looked like he was going to say something, but he continued regardless. "She's got these emotional problems, you see, and can't handle these types of situations very well."
"Err…right…" he nodded before speaking again. "Say, did your uncle mention anything about me, Kamokatsu Aoi?"
This was playing out better then most of his missions so far, he couldn't help but inwardly smirk. "Hmm. It sounds familiar. Oh! Right…something about letting you use the back room."
"Yes, that's it. I'd appreciate some privacy when we're there, though, squirt. If you do, you'll receive more then enough. You and your sister Souma."
As if on queue, Sakura came though the doors, her head down. "I'm really sorry, Mister. I really didn't mean it. Please don't say bad things about me to Uncle Idate."
"Don't worry, sweetheart, I won't," his crooked smile looked forced, but for Sakura's character, it was enough to brighten her face. "Now, I think I'll have a cup of green tea."
A few minutes later, it was as if the place had been recently been closed down. The only customers left was a short, scrawny man (who reminded her of a rat in a way) and Aoi. However, that was soon to change. The door chimed again. There stood a rather rich looking man, gazing disapprovingly at the place. He spotted whom he was looking for at the front.
Both 'Morino siblings' respected their privacy, and let them talk quietly at the front of the room. "Now what?" Sakura asked, eyeing them carefully.
"Those three have the back, so we need to take the front. Stay out of this one," Sasuke instructed calmly, though she could tell he was anxious too.
"We're going to be using the back now, kid," the cyan haired man called out to whichever of the two, and the wealthier one took off first through the double doors.
When they both were gone, Sasuke quickly moved towards the last man, knowing there might not be a lot of time. "Sorry sir. We're closing early, goodbye." He protested for a little bit, until he was thrown out. Sasuke locked the door behind him, and Sakura proceeded to close the blinds.
When she was done with the blinds, she ran back over to the doors, pressing her ear against the cold surface. It was rather hard to hear. They didn't seem to be making any noise. Until she could make out a faint shout. Then another voice yelled out a: "What the hell?"
"Sasuke, someone's coming!" she called to her partner, quickly backing away from the door and running beside him.
"Idiot! I thought I told you to—" the doors opened, and revealed a frantic-looking Kamokatsu Aoi. His eyes darted towards the door, where 'Ryou' stood glaring, and 'Souma' standing rather timidly by his side.
"You…" his voice was low and menacing. "You bastards. Move this instant." Neither budged, but Sakura did make sure she was closer to her partner. "I said move!" She felt Sasuke reach inside his deep pant pocket and he pulled out a fairly small handgun. No one moved for a minute, as the captive's eyes darted from back to the gun. "Now…you be good kids, and move out of the way so I can pass. We wouldn't want your Uncle saying I had trouble. Get it?"
The doors were opened once again, and out came a panting Kiba. "Alright, your turn!" he growled loudly, cracking his knuckles. "Sasuke, he's got no weapon. Get him."
That was all the natural raven-haired teen needed to know, and both males closed in from either side. Before Sakura knew it, the cyan haired man was on the floor, arms held tightly behind his back. Neji came to the front next, followed by Lee who was no carrying the other man, who was now unconscious.
"Okay…so that last bit was kind of scary…" she spoke under her breath, thankful that this mission was over. It had gone over completely smoothly.
Sasuke bent down, looking Aoi in the eye. "Listen carefully, Kamokatsu Aoi of the Akatsuki," at the mention of this, the captive's eyes widened, then narrowed, "if you ever get in contact with your leader ever again, which I highly doubt you will, but tell him that you got caught by Uchiha Sasuke."
"If you think you're getting anything out of us, you're wrong," he yelled, as he was hauled up onto his feet, and was dragged away towards the back. "We're low in the chain, and there are plenty more of us left. We've never even met our leader…"
Now only the two undercover teens were there, listening to Aoi scream out other nonsense. "Sasuke…" she rested a hand on his shoulder, which he brushed off instantly. He turned to face her, his façade as usual unreadable.
"You did well." He patted her on the head like a child, but she was still kind of happy to hear such a thing coming from an ice cube of a partner. Maybe things would work between them. "Let's go home."
She untied her messy raven colored hair. "Sure," then she thought of something, "hey, does this mean that you'll treat me like an equal now?"
He looked skeptical. She'd definitely done way better then expected for a first time, but Sasuke was never quite ready to accept many people, and after simply less then a week at that. "Perhaps. We'll see what happens next time."
Sakura smiled again. "Okay."
Additional AN: I kind of had fun imagining Sasuke with straight hair. And Sakura with dark hair. That's the fun of writing AU fics. Ryou and Souma…I think I just finished re-watching Tsubasa Chronicles again. Well that's what you get for sitting for 24 hours in a car.
Character development is a very large part in this story. Why did I say this? I don't know. Maybe it's a mental note to myself that I must work on that in chapters to come. In reviewer responses this time, I don't think I have time to get to everyone. You know, my finals are coming up in less then a month (omfg!) so chapter 5 might be a little late. Stupid exams…
Chapter 5 – Case 2: Blue Castle All-Girls High School"Ah," the silver haired man pulled out a brown folder tied with an elastic band. He removed it, and out slipped two smaller files. "Here they are. This one's yours, Sasuke, and this one is Sakura's." Both immediately began to leaf through the many papers. There were more then the last time.
The female's green orbs scanned the pages quickly, though they rested at the location. "Blue Castle? You can not be serious!" her tone was that of amazed. "That is the most prestigious all-girls' school this side of the planet!"
Sasuke, on the other hand, was fussing over another matter. "This mission lasts a month? I just went of one of those…"