The cycle begins again my friends! Which means that I've yet to stop writing for the entertainment of all who bother! As well as myself if I'm bored enough. 'Drifting No More' comes back in another thrilling chapter sure to please the masses to those who enjoy seeing some major action. Let's just hope Kakashi gets off with just a warning from our very aggravated blonde aka Naruto. Pray if you like but I kinda doubt he'll live long to see tomorrow. Or tonight for that matter. Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto in any shape or form, while this fic has been rated T for teen due to possible inappropriate content and Kiba's dirty mouth.
"Iii" speech
Iii thought
Chapter 6: Turning of The Tables: Past Revealed?!
Waking up could be considered a pretty normal thing. But waking up with a major headache and just and only just barely able to wonder what'd happened to cause such pain was something completely different. For Sasuke Uchiha, his situation was the latter. And it was getting steadily worse as he heard a familiar but muffled voice yelling from somewhere as yet two other vaguely familiar voices tried to hush the first before something probably bad happened. From what he could tell, the first voice wasn't big on listening right then.
"I don't know what the hell you were thinking Kakashi but you'd better have a damned good reason!!" even if it was muffled through unseen walls or doors, Sasuke knew right off who was coming close to yelling his lungs out.
He could only smirk as he heard Kakashi try to speak in his personal defense against the blonde's verbal bombardment. "I-I do! Trust me! But if you'll just--!"
"No way. Uh huh. First you call me on the phone to get my ass over here and now you tell that bullshit? I'm not gonna stand here and listen to this! You're gonna tell me what the fuck you were doin' over at my place to begin with!" Naruto's words confused him, but he had no choice but to listen as he stared at the back of his eyelids that, for some strange reason, felt like they were made of lead.
"Naruto please! Just let me explain--!" Kakashi stammered, his voice giving away just how truly scared he was of the blonde's wrath.
But obviously Naruto wasn't in the mood for excuses. "You've explained enough as it is! The only thing you gotta tell me now is what makes you think you can control who and who doesn't live with me!"
"Naruto--!" he heard Kiba say, before being cut off.
A sign that his roommate was really, really pissed as his voice came in a sinister growl that would make anyone shiver at its coldness. "Just stay outta this Kiba! Unless you got somethin' to add, just stay outta this!"
"Dammit Naruto! Will you just listen to me?" Kakashi demanded, having somehow found his voice again only to be cut down before his confidence had a chance to grow much more.
"Not if you want to spew some more of that bullshit nonsense at me." The blonde warned from beyond whatever barrier there was, sounding truly menacing even if his voice was muffled. "Other than that, we're done here."
The last word of his sentence came loud and clear as the sound of a door opening met Sasuke's ears, confirming his suspicions that the blonde had been in the hallway and from his labored breathe, he was trying to calm his nerves. From all the time he'd known the blonde, he'd never actually seen him angry before and just by what he'd managed to hear, he knew he never wanted to. Just from his tone, Sasuke knew that making Naruto angry was a pretty bad idea regardless of the intention. Feeling a little tired of lying in the dark with little to no idea where he was and why, Sasuke decided to try and sit up only for the pain in his head to intensify.
As he cursed under his breath, Naruto's booming voice came thundering into his ears before being given a chance to say anything at all. "Sasuke! You're awake! Thank god!"
"Not so loud dobe! God damn!" he grumbled, scrunching his eyes against the pain in his head, the volume of the blonde's voice, and just how oddly bright the room was.
Naruto blinked in confusion. "What? Oh sorry." When he spoke again, it was in a lighter and thankfully softer volume that eased the pain in his aching head but a little. But only a little, which lucky for Sasuke was enough. "Are you okay?"
The raven somehow managed to hold himself up with one hand while the other was used to rub his eyes before they peeled open a little to look at the blonde sitting in the visitors' chair with a tired expression. "Other than feeling like I've been hit with a jackhammer? No I'm fine. Get tossed by exploding cars today?"
Looking disgruntled, Naruto just scowled at the man. "Haha. Very funny. So much to where I almost forgot to laugh. But seriously, what the hell happened to you?"
"You tell me. My head's feelin' like a ton of rock." Sasuke winced at the reference, his eyes scrunching shut again but didn't use his hand to rub the lids hoping to ease the throbbing pain. "In an earthquake."
Naturally concerned, Naruto watched the raven-haired man as he spoke. "Well, all I can say is that you're in the hospital. Again. But they tell me all you need is an hour and then you can leave."
"How long have I been here?" Sasuke inquired, honestly curious since he'd lost track of time and wasn't in much condition to look for a clock. With his eyes closed no less.
Naruto almost stared at the ceiling, clearly in thought. "It's almost two in the afternoon so I gotta say… an hour and a half tops? Other than the all-nighter you pulled last time you were here, I'm guessing that's a bit of a record for you."
"Now who's the one making jokes?" Sasuke deadpanned, somehow managing to open an eye to glare at the blonde.
But somehow, Naruto's serious expression told him that the blonde wasn't in the mood for his sarcastic annoyance. "I was serious on the 'what happened' part."
"Where am I?" the raven inquired, unsure of why he felt disoriented despite Naruto's earlier words.
Instantly confused, the blonde didn't know what else to say but the truth as he gave the raven yet another look of concern. "The hospital… I thought you knew that. Are you sure you're okay?"
Through the sudden grogginess that filled his mind, Sasuke was barely able to shake his head at the question before letting himself fall back against the pillow. "No. I don't think I am."
"Want me to get a nurse?" he barely heard Naruto inquire from his left.
"Not really. I just want to lie here." Sasuke said in a soft tone Naruto didn't have much trouble hearing amidst the silence that filled the room.
"Ah. Okay, I can dig that."
Silence followed, Naruto trying not to watch as the raven-haired man on the bed tried to hide the pain surging through his head like pounds of the hammer on a nail. And it looked like the man's discomfort wouldn't stop for some time. When nearly three minutes of quiet had gone by, Naruto spoke up again. "Do you know who attacked you today?"
The raven still hadn't opened his eyes but had turned his head in the blonde's general direction, his face smooth and pale in the light. "…No."
"Yes you do. Only you won't tell me. Why is that?" Naruto inquired, his tone perfectly serious enough to make Sasuke force his eyes open.
"I…. I…" he began to say, only to fall silent, his midnight black orbs swirling with emotions Naruto had never seen before.
Blue eyes matching the sky in the middle of summer bore down on the raven-haired man, their fierceness nearly making the raven look away as the blonde practically growled at him in frustration. "You what? I can sit here all day and wait for you to stop saying 'I' every two seconds. Either tell me or I'll go find out for myself."
Sasuke could only sigh in defeat. "…Fine, I'll tell you. Just… just promise me you won't tell Kakashi."
Naruto just shook his head, as serious as before. "I can't make that kind of promise to you Sasuke. He's my boss, and he seems pretty fixated on chewing you out over somethin'. All I want is to hear it from you. Whatever it is, I'm willing to sit here until you tell me."
Forcing himself to sit up, his black eyes staring right into blue ones, Sasuke just had to ask the man in front of him. "How can you put up with me? I've been living in your house for practically a month and you've never questioned anything about me while I listened to you go on and on about yourself all day. Why now? Yeah… you helped me out and all but… I don't get it. Do you really think I'm as big on exposing myself to the world as you?"
The blonde just shrugged, a calm smirk flowing across his features. "I don't know. You haven't told me that yet. Mind telling me about it now?"
"How could someone so dimwitted be so confusing?" Sasuke deadpanned again, this time hitting a sensitive nerve.
"SAY WHAT? WHAT'D YOU CALL ME TEME?!?" Naruto roared angrily, the smirk and serious calm having dissolved completely to give way to unchecked rage.
It wasn't long before Sasuke was using both hands to try and ease the throbbing pain in his head, his eyes having scrunched shut again. "Dobe! Not so loud! Didn't I tell you before? Jesus!"
"Fuckin' teme! I'll wring your neck for that!" Naruto hissed angrily, his sapphire orbs flashing with barely contained rage and indignation.
Sasuke managed to scoff at him through his agony. "Oh come now. Not in a hospital you wouldn't."
Dammit! He got me with that one. The blonde cursed, hands gripping the arms of the visitors' chair as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Just you wait wise ass. I'll give you what for later. How about those odds huh teme?"
Finding the ability to lie back down, a knowing smirk on his face, Sasuke just whispered the following words. "We'll see about that dobe, we'll see."
The two let the silence stretch, Naruto having reined his anger as he watched the raven-haired man on the hospital bed slip back into unconsciousness.
--Meanwhile, Out In The Hallway—
After being told off by a pissed blonde coworker, Kakashi felt pretty bad for himself since sheepish and embarrassed probably didn't cut it. Never had he felt this way in a long time, and that was after everybody in his elementary school found out he'd been the one who nearly flooded the place due to using one too many firecrackers in one of the toilets. They sent him home for two weeks before having him serve nearly three months of after school and lunch detention. And thanks to a couple other kids stuck in there with him, never in his life had he to cover his head more than once to keep them from getting spitballs into his platinum blonde hair. A teacher nearly had to take scissors to it when one of them was wiseass enough to shoot gum and not spit saturated paper.
Ignoring the horror he felt when the almost elderly lady came at him with something they normally used on paper, Kakashi sat in the hallway of his local hospital with the vague wonderings of how much more his blonde counterpart would yell at him for invading his privacy and accusing his semi-new roommate of things he'd never known the man to have done. Maybe I should've just listened to Neji in the first place and just waited until that Sasuke guy actually came clean. I'm such an ass.
"KAKASHI!!" Normally the person who had such a voice was the wonder of his life, but now, he was the mad cat let out of the box. In short, here came Iruka Umino, kind and sweet to all who know and possibly secretly love him, polite and inoffensive at every cost there was to pay. But right now, his seething mood could make anyone wonder if the normally nice man was bipolar as he came down on the silver haired police chief like a falcon that just found something good to eat.
Having paled enough to consider deathly sick, said police chief was frozen in his chair as his brown haired lover glared at him with eyes so sharp, he was sure he was bleeding somewhere. In the hopes of getting away for once in his life, Kakashi tried to put on an innocent face even though his voice was close to cracking. "Uh.. Hey 'Ruka… um how are things back at the office?"
The use of his pet name didn't sway him one bit. "I oughtta ring your neck for trying to snoop around behind Naruto's back. And mine too! How could you?"
"Um… you see, I can explain--." Kakashi began before Iruka swiftly cut him off, making him wince.
"You can explain WHEN YOU STOP TRYING TO LIE!" the man roared, looking and sounding truly angry as Kakashi desperately tried to think of a way out of the rut he'd gotten himself into somehow.
I'm in deep shit now. "Now, now 'Ruka-chan… there's no need to get angry. I was just trying to make sure that the guy checked out okay."
"'Checked out okay' my ass!" he nearly roared through gritted teeth, his face turning another shade of red to almost look turnip purple. "And what the hell were you thinking anyway? You nearly got stuck in a hospital bed yourself!! What the fuck happened over there?!?"
It was rare to hear Iruka swear. Rarer still to hear him swear in a clearly infuriated voice that made him on edge of yelling his lungs out. Somehow, Kakashi felt really lucky that his lover hadn't moved on to the 'eerily calm but still pissed voice' just yet. Then he knew he'd have to watch himself for a while. Yet, he could easily tell he was far from being in the clear. And Kiba was unfortunate enough to come walking back with two cups of coffee in his hands to find Kakashi looking like death with Iruka red in the face and an expression so fierce, the brunette nearly turned around to walk the other way to avoid provoking the man further.
If not for the fact that a bored looking man dressed in a expensive suit and a trench coat that almost made him look like a military man if it weren't long enough to cover his knees. Brown hair in a spiky tail obviously to pointy for a hat, the man came walking up as if he had nothing better to do. As if his dull, toneless voice wasn't enough to explain just how utterly bored the man really was at that moment. "Hey. Which one of you's Chief Kakashi?"
Blinking in surprise, Kakashi gave the newcomer a curious look. "Uh… that would be me. Who're you exactly?"
Ignoring Kiba and the still fuming Iruka completely, the man spoke again in his 'I'm bored as fucking hell and it sucks like bad eggs' voice as he pulled out his wallet that contained a rather official badge within. "The name's Shikamaru Nara. I'm here on behalf of the FBI."
His single eye narrowing a bit, now completely serious, Kakashi went into full business mode as he got up to stand some distance away from the man. "The FBI? What do you guys want with me?"
Indicating the door with his head after putting the badge away, Shikamaru drawled on, his expression unchanged. "It concerns the man inside that room. A certain Sasuke Uchiha?"
He knows Sasuke? But how? And why the FBI? What the fuck did that guy do to get the feds all over his ass? "Sorry but last I checked, the dude's only allowed one visitor at a time." Kiba said in a voice he hoped sounded somewhat polite despite his normal half-surfer/half gangster lingo.
Taking a step forward past Kakashi, the man made moves towards the closed door beyond them. "Then I guess you won't mind if I--."
It was Iruka's turn to intervene this time. "Actually we do mind. You see, someone's already in there and I doubt they want to be disturbed right now."
There's already a visitor? What a drag. Seeing it as his cue to back off since it was three against one, the brunette's mood didn't change as he turned to walk the way he'd come. "Alright then. Mind tellin' me when Mr. Uchiha will be available?"
Kakashi just shrugged, holding his ground as best as he could. "No idea. But you can check with his doctor though."
"I think I'd rather just--." Shikamaru began, only for Kakashi to suddenly pop back into his view. He actually blinked at how truly serious what little he could see of the older man's face looked.
Tone firm and meaning business, Kakashi towered over the now slightly surprised brunette who had to take a step back to look up at him properly. "I don't think you understood me good sir. You, yes you, will have to check with Uchiha-san's doctor. In the meantime, I suggest you leave."
Ugh. What a complete drag. Now completely beaten, the brunette gave the taller man a sour look. "Fine. But we're not done here."
"Yes, yes we are." And with that, the man was gone while nearly a hundred questions popped into their minds in as to why a guy from one of the highest levels of law enforcement would come to see a guy hardly any of them had known for at least a month now.
--With Naruto—
Sasuke had been asleep for over twenty minutes, and the nearly two-year-old magazines weren't helping deal with his boredom. He really wanted to talk to the raven-haired man about his attacker and why he'd been attacked to begin with. Could what Kakashi said be true? Is he really what he says he is? Or is this just a bad dream? No, I know Sasuke well enough to know he wouldn't do things like that. … Would he? But, if that's true… then why is he so different now?
--Flashback—
Wednesday, the rarest of days for good weather to happen but that normally depended on the season in question. A light rain had come down earlier that morning, causing the concrete, the old red bricks, and the tar to look darker than it really was. Since it was autumn, it was also naturally cold as Naruto caught a glimpse of his guardian exiting his hard earned Saturn that he'd parked across the street. Smiling almost like a fool, the blonde didn't hesitate to open the window to call down the man.
"Iruka-sensei!" he yelled above the sound of passing cars and loud wind.
Perking up at his name, the older man paused and looked up only to smile with an amused laugh and a friendly wave. "Haha! Good morning Naruto!!"
"Came for a visit?" Naruto inquired, leaning on the windowsill a little as he gave the man a smile of his own.
Iruka just chuckled, nodding as he continued his walk for the apartment building door with the smile still on his face. "You know it!"
"I'll get the coffee started!" Naruto managed to call down before the older man vanished from below.
Shutting the window and humming a cheerful tune as he made his way towards the kitchen, a sleepy and confused Sasuke sat up on the couch as his midnight black eyes fell on the now happy blonde moving around some distance away.
"What's gotten into you?" he inquired, tone emotionless but curious as well as sleepy from his latest nap.
Almost jumping at the other man's voice, Naruto's happy expression instantly changed to a concerned one. "Sasuke? You shouldn't be up! Go back to sleep you!"
"Did somethin' happen?" the raven asked, completely ignoring the blonde's demand for him to sleep some more.
"No! But we have a guest so since you're awake, you can be polite for once in your life. You got me?" Naruto growled as he pulled out a coffee can from one of the kitchen cupboards.
"A guest?" still a little sleepy and confused, Sasuke looked around to the room and saw nothing but out of focus furniture. "I don't see anybody."
"I just saw him downstairs. He's on his way up." Naruto deadpanned as he continued his task of making coffee for the 'unknown' newcomer.
Even more confused, Sasuke sat up even more, trying to get his mind in gear as he fought to keep his words from being slurred. The last thing he wanted was to sound like a good for nothing drunk recovering from a nasty hangover. "He? Who's he?"
"You'll see when he gets here!" Naruto insisted, making Sasuke fall silent with a stoic shrug of his thin shoulders. Whoever it was, the guy was important enough to lift Naruto's spirits. Of all the time he'd known the blonde, never had he seen him so happy about another person. Except for Kiba. But Naruto's partner was the blonde's best friend from the police academy but not that kind of happy. This guy probably knew Naruto a lot longer than Kiba did.
At least ten minutes later, a knock on the door alerted them both of the new arrival as Naruto happily made his way to let their visitor in. Sasuke couldn't really hear what was said between the two since his brain was still a little sluggish from sleep and painkillers. Deciding that the conversation had nothing to do with him, he just lay back down and let sleep kick in again.
--A Few Minutes Later—
The blonde man's apartment hadn't changed that much since he'd last seen it with his own two eyes. Back then, it'd been a little dustier and disheveled. Now, it was freshly clean and organized like most homes should look. He could only stare with shocked eyes at the sight of the place.
"Naruto! It's… it's so clean! What happened?!" he demanded, giving the blonde a look of disbelief at his sudden need for clean.
"Uh… I got a roommate?" the blonde said, hesitant about the meaning of the older man's reaction.
"You what?" Iruka exclaimed, blinking in surprise. "Since when?"
Naruto shrugged. "Since he got shot at a mini mart when a bunch of guys tried to rob it and he didn't have a place to stay. That's when."
"A-and you didn't tell me?" the brunette almost shouted due to his amazement, close to being in shock of the blonde's actions.
"Well you didn't tell me you and Kakashi were dating so, yeah, consider this payback for withholding stuff from me." Naruto deadpanned, not looking guilty in the slightest.
Iruka just went a little pink from annoyance. "That's not fair at all!"
The blonde just smiled as he turned away from his guardian. "Life isn't fair so unless you want that coffee I suggest you drop the subject."
At the word 'coffee', Iruka instantly perked, his expression changing dramatically as he followed Naruto towards the kitchen. "Consider it dropped. Which flavor is it?"
"Master Blend. I know you really like that one." The blonde said absently as he searched the cupboards for two clean mugs.
Iruka was instantly suspicious. "Okay. What did you do now?"
"What? Nothing! I didn't do shit! What makes you think I did somethin'?" Naruto nearly stammered nervously, hoping his reaction wouldn't give him away.
No luck as the older brunette looked far from amused with the blonde. "You don't normally make Master Blend for me Naruto. You did something so spill it."
"I'm telling you I didn't do anything! I swear now will you let it be already?" the blonde snapped defensively. Keeping his cool under Iruka's gaze was always a hard thing for him to do, especially when he suspected something.
"Actually no." Iruka deadpanned, holding his ground like he always did in an argument such as this.
"And why is that?" Naruto growled, narrowing his eyes at the older man to show his growing annoyance at his persistence.
"Because I know you're lying to me." He deadpanned again.
Fuck. Inwardly cursing, Naruto finally caved in. "Fine, fine! I talked to Kakashi about you and him. Good enough for you?"
"What did you say exactly?" Iruka asked, still skeptical of the blonde and his unknown actions towards his new boyfriend.
"Um…." The blonde's hesitation was enough to warn Iruka.
"Naruto--!" he began before Naruto cut him off.
"I didn't do anything except give him a warning okay? Sheesh!"
Iruka just narrowed his eyes, wondering what kind of 'warning' Kakashi might've received from the twenty-one year old. "What kind of warning are we talking here?"
"The 'I'll kill you if you make any wrong moves' kind?" he said hesitantly, backing away from his guardian in case he came at him with deadly intent.
Iruka just yelled. "Naruto!"
The blonde winced at the volume but managed to keep himself together. "What?! I'm just trying to make sure the thing with Mizuki isn't repeated okay?! We didn't know that bastard was a sick fuck until it was almost too late!"
Wincing at his memories about his ex-boyfriend, Iruka could only rub the space between his eyes as he spoke. "I know, I know. But honestly Naruto! Don't you have any faith in him at all?"
"No."
Iruka went red in the face at this. "And why's that?"
"Because he's been my boss for at least two years and I know for a fact he's a real lazy and unreliable bastard." Naruto deadpanned, hoping the older man would believe him when he said this about his own coworker and boss.
Sadly, it had no effect. "Uh huh."
"I'm serious!" Naruto said almost desperately, his voice and face showing uncertainty for the older man. "I'm just looking out for you that's all. Like when you used to look out for me."
Iruka merely sighed as he sat down at one of the counter's stools. "Well unlike you, I know how to see past someone's mask and I know Kakashi is nothing like that animal Mizuki."
Expression softening, a kind smile on his face, Naruto gave Iruka a knowing glance and he worked with the dark brew. "I can't change your mind can I?"
"Nope." He said with a smile in turn, trying to keep from laughing.
Naruto sighed, the smile turning mischievous. "O-okay! 'Cause I've seen quite a few guys out there who just might be your type."
"N-Naruto!" Iruka exclaimed, a deep blush spreading across his scarred face.
The blonde couldn't keep from laughing at the older man's reaction. "Kidding, kidding! You want that coffee or not?"
"Only if you stop with that nonsense!" Iruka scolded, fighting down the blush and how Kakashi would react to Naruto's offer.
"Do you two really have to be so loud?" a voice inquired from behind him, making him nearly jump out of the stool in fright as he spun to see who it was.
"AAH!!" Iruka yelled, only making the raven now several inches from him quickly brought his pale hands up to protect his ears.
Naruto was the first to recover. "Sasuke! Don't do stuff like that!"
The blonde's loud voice only made the raven look more irritated. "Will you stop yelling? It's making my head hurt. Stupid dobe."
"Don't call me that! Fuckin' teme." Naruto grumbled as Sasuke claimed the stool next to Iruka's.
"Who's this guy?" he growled, making Iruka wince at his annoyed tone.
Naruto instantly bristled as he turned away from the cupboard. "'That guy' is our guest so be nice! I'd hate you if you scare him away after just getting here."
"Hn." I'm never goin' to get a decent nap today. He thought, as he looked the older man over with a critical eye.
Iruka saw no other choice but to try and introduce himself to the obviously grumpy raven-haired man now seated next to him. "Um… hello… I'm… I'm Iruka. Naruto's… guardian."
"…. Sasuke." He said with a nod. When silence followed, Iruka couldn't help but feel a little awkward.
Naruto just rolled his eyes. "And I'm Naruto! Nice to meet you all! You want coffee teme?"
"Once my head stops hurting from you two yelling at each other." Sasuke grumbled with a sigh, using both hands to try and rub sleep and pain away from his face.
Naruto had turned away and was searching for another coffee mug while Iruka was fully aware of Sasuke's annoyed reaction. "Yeah, sorry about that. We can get kinda rowdy sometimes."
"I noticed." The raven grumbled, Naruto continuing to ignore them.
A bit unsure on what to say next to the man, Iruka tried the first thing that came to mind to ask. "So… Sasuke! Are you getting any better?"
"If the dobe doesn't yell my head off."
Naruto instantly bristled again. "Hey! I'm right here!"
"So?" the raven inquired, looking exasperated.
The blonde just stood his ground. "So! Don't talk about me like that!"
"Hahaha. Okay you two! That's quite enough." Iruka said kindly, hoping to cool Naruto down.
It seemed to work as Naruto grudgingly gave the raven a mug before sipping from his own, leaving the three to sit in silence. Oddly enough, Sasuke broke it.
"You're almost like my brother." He said softly, his words almost unheard.
Iruka could only turn towards the raven, a look of surprise on his face as he tried to understand what'd just been said. "Huh? I'm sorry?"
"You have a brother?" Naruto asked, looking just as surprised.
"Had." Sasuke corrected, never once bringing his eyes up from looking down at the coffee mug in his hands.
"Oh. Sorry." The blonde said, falling silent again.
"I'm over it." He said just as softly as before, picking up the mug as he silently exited the room before vanishing down the hall.
Liar. Naruto thought as he watched the raven leave.
Iruka brought him out of his thought with the following words. "Don't let him get away Naruto."
"Huh?" he had to ask, completely clueless about what the older man meant.
The brunette just smiled from over his mug. "You care about him."
"Well… yeah. He kinda lives with me." Naruto deadpanned in his annoyance, still not understanding what Iruka was getting at.
"More than you care to admit." He said knowingly, still smiling.
Naruto just bristled. "Say what?! What do you mean?"
"You like him don't you?" Iruka inquired, his smile widening mischievously.
"Huh?!?" the blonde had to say, now completely confused about what his guardian was saying to him.
Iruka set the mug down and rolled his eyes at the blonde. "Oh c'mon Naruto! Even I can see that you like him! Why can't you?"
"I…" why can't I? Am I that transparent? He thought as he scratched the back of his head, his mind racing for the answer. "I don't know. I just… I don't know if he'll like me back."
"You could try asking him." Iruka said calmly, picking the mug up again to sip the dark, heavenly brew inside.
"No. No I can't do that. Then he'll think I'm weird and then…." Then he'll probably want nothing to do with me. He thought, something he dared not say out loud even to himself.
Iruka just sighed, the kind smile still on his lips. "Say what you want Naruto. But in the end… I think you'll thank me." He stood, leaving the empty mug on the counter as he gave the blonde a kind, warm expression. " Thanks for the coffee. See you at work?"
"Uh… yeah." Naruto said, still uncertain as the brunette headed for the door.
"Bye!" he said cheerfully before shutting the door behind himself, leaving the blonde in his own kitchen.
"…Later." Naruto said practically to himself before making moves to cleaning up what little activity had been performed before searching his own fridge for something to cook up later that night.
--End Flashback—
Staring at the man now, he knew that from what Kakashi had tried to tell him, the Sasuke he knew was very different from the one his boss tried to say existed. From what experience he had with the raven-haired man, he couldn't help but think that Kakashi was wrong in assuming such a thing. But… what if he's right and I'm just denying the truth for what it really is? Was he telling the truth?
Naruto sighed, purely exhausted by this point as he tried to push such thoughts aside for the moment. It'd been a long day for him and he didn't want it to get any longer than it already had, and that just wasn't healthy. Rising from the visitor's chair, Naruto quietly walked towards the door, gave the raven one last look of concern, then exited the room with only a small click from the small mechanisms within the door handle. He brought a hand up to hopefully wipe some fatigue away from his face as he vaguely spotted his three coworkers watching him in silence.
Of the three, Iruka spoke first. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah. He's just asleep right now. I think whatever that guy gave him is really taking its toll on him. From what I could tell, he seemed pretty out of it." The blonde said in a tired voice as he sat down in one of the chairs placed against one of the walls.
As if on cue, a certain half dead looking doctor walked up with a clipboard in one hand while another covered his mouth as he coughed a little. "Well I think I can tell you why."
"Do tell Hayate." Kakashi said pleasantly, all four of them giving the newcomer their full attention.
Hayate just smirked in amusement. "That I will. It seems that our supposed attacker has a certain degree of knowledge about medicine."
"The guy's a drug dealer?" Kiba asked, looking confused.
The sickly doctor just shook his head, actually looking uncertain. "Not really. I can't know for sure but it seems he knows what kinds of drugs to use on an unwilling individual."
Kakashi was instantly in cop mode. "Was he there to poison Sasuke?"
Again, Hayate shook his head, showing a little curiosity. "Actually no. Just to knock him out well enough to cart him off. Why… you can tell me when you ask him. He should be in the ICU right about now."
"Under heavy security I trust?" Iruka had to ask. Just knowing that the attacker was still in the building made him a little anxious, even if Kakashi, Kiba and Naruto were there to shoot the man back down.
For once, Hayate scowled as if in heart-felt anger towards the unnamed man. "I'll be damned if a freak like him gets loose in my hospital. If he can get his hands on something as powerful as Dramamine (1), then he could do whatever he wants with whatever else he can find."
"Thanks Hayate. And sorry for the trouble." Naruto had to say, smiling up at the man while fighting off a small fit of laughter towards his reaction to the mere mentioning of Sasuke's attacker.
Hayate just shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal. As long as that kid doesn't start to come in a little too often, I got no problem with it."
This time, Naruto did laugh. "We'll keep that in mind."
Following Hayate, Kakashi and Kiba headed towards the ICU with the full intent of questioning a rather suspicious white haired character. This left Naruto and Iruka to themselves outside Sasuke's hospital room like they'd done only once before even though they'd already heard the doctor's verdict. Since he didn't feel up to standing around in silence, Iruka broke the silence between them first.
"So what now?" he said, his voice soft mainly since it was a hospital.
Naruto just rubbed his face with his hands, giving the older man a slight shrug of his tired shoulders. "Oh I don't know. I just hope that Sasuke might go ahead and spit up the truth about what's really going on around here. But I'm kinda thinkin' of hangin' around here until he wakes up again ya know? Make sure he's okay."
Iruka merely smiled at the blonde's words before turning to leave. "Don't stay up too long okay? You still have to work tomorrow."
"I know." He said, smiling as he fought off a yawn that almost brought a tear to his sky blue eyes.
The brunette chuckled at this sight as he began to make his way down the pristine white corridors, waving at the younger cop as he did. "Good night Naruto."
"Night Iruka-sensei." He said, watching the man leave before leaning back in the chair a little before letting his eyes close as the day's pent up fatigue kicked in.
--Elsewhere In The City—
"It seems that our agent has failed." An aggravated voice snarled from the darkness of a warehouse, lit only by a few meager flashlights or barely functioning bulbs slowly swinging from the light breeze flowing throughout the old building.
Another man, almost invisible in the dark just grinned devilishly, his voice a sly and mischievous hiss. "He's never let that happen before. How peculiar."
"There's a first time for everything. He was careless and now he's paying for it. If they learn what's going on they'll--!" the first voice snapped angrily before the hissing man cut him off.
"They won't! He's the best in his field when it comes to working for 'criminal' men like us. He'll redeem himself." The second man jeered, sounding purely insulted by the other man's words.
The first man just looked suspicious despite the blinding darkness that surrounded them like a blanket. "And if he doesn't?"
"Then we'll do it for him." the second man hissed playfully, his eyes flashing in the dim light of the bulbs overhead, one or two of them still swinging.
"What of the Uchiha?" anyone could tell the first man was still suspicious of the second, a sign that they didn't exactly get along that well.
The second man just shrugged carelessly like it didn't really matter to him all that much, the sneaky smile on his face white and toothy, a pair of fangs gleaming from the darkness he stood in. "You let me worry about the little traitor. But let our agent deal with it. As of right now, we have bigger fish to fry."
Instantly intrigued, the first man gave off a curious air. "Oh? Like who?"
The second man's smile became a pissed off sneer. "The brother. He was spotted a few weeks ago. Sad how careless he's become."
"Ah I see. Two birds with one stone." The second man said with a small laugh.
The second man just shook his head, the sneer giving way to a smile again. "More like three. The Uchiha is staying with a very familiar person. The Uzumaki brat."
"He's still alive?! Impossible!" the first stammered, obviously surprised by this news.
Smiling a little wider, the second man looked almost demonic. "Apparently not since he's been at the local precinct for almost three years."
"My, my, how time flies." The first mumbled, trying to keep himself from laughing in his newfound happiness over the circumstances. "What do you plan on doing about him?"
The second man merely shrugged casually, his teeth still shining a bit too well in the dim light of the place. "Like I do with every brick wall in my way: I knock it down."
"You're going to kill him?" the first inquired, a little surprised at the other man's reaction to his previous question on the matter.
"Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on how I feel when I see him." the second said nonchalantly, still smiling wickedly as he gave the other an almost mocking but purely respective bow. "Good night and farewell my good friend in crime."
"Ha. Until another time." the first growled in amusement, also bowing before vanishing into the dark, leaving the second man behind him.
As soon as he was gone, the man in question became completely serious as he turned to another figure standing near the wall, his voice a low snarl. "How soon can you contact him?"
The figure, somehow calm and collected in the face of the man's anger, spoke in a almost toneless manner, bowing a little as he answered his superior's question. "I don't know sir but I can try to reach him. It's possible he's been incapacitated and is unable to perform his task."
His anger cooling a little, the man just rubbed his chin, gears in his head spinning as he thought over his options. "Hm. I see. Well, be sure to send a few of ours his way and try to complete the task from there on out. No more failures."
"Of course not sir." The man said, bowing even lower before raising his head to give the other man his own demon smile as he spoke in revered tones. We're always loyal to you. My lord, Orochimaru."
The snake man just smirked, one of his snake-like fangs visible in the dim lit room as his golden eyes flashed dangerously. "Just get going."
"Hai." He didn't need to be told twice as he quickly vanished, leaving his leader by himself and a few others meant to answer any other command.
As he left the old warehouse behind, Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh like a mad man before vanishing into the night like his fellow monsters, and a grin so wide one could swear that if it stretched anymore, it really would stick that way.
And one of our villains is revealed! One of you out there already guessed spot on when it came to ol' Snake Bastard but can they guess who the other guy is? But for now, that wraps up chapter 6 as we move things along. And we actually have notes today for those who're curious. I won't mind if you guys skip over it but it's there for those who really want to know what I'm talkin' about. So here it is:
1) Dramamine: this stuff, also known as a dimenhydrinate, is meant for those with motion sickness. In other words, an antihistamine designed to help those who don't really travel that often due to nausea and vomiting. Side affects can be dry mouth, headaches, dizziness along with drowsiness and stomach upsets. It was the only one I could find that could be taken either through injection or through the mouth. This bad boy can be found by its other trade name, Dommanate.
Well that all I've got for now other than to say what's to come in this chapter's preview but in the meantime, I just gotta thank those reading this for sticking with me and my story this far into its development. …. Yeah I really don't know what else to say other than thanks and enjoy what's to come!! I think I'll just get on with things before I start crying like the little baby I know I'm not so…. Yeah I'll just shut up now.
Next chapter:
Chapter 7: Demons Of The Past Come To Light
With Sasuke once again in the hospital and Naruto still in the dark, beings of the night begin to move towards achieving a long-awaiting reprisal for actions yet to be clarified. Where is Sasuke's brother anyway? Can Kakashi and friends help the raven in time to clear up suspicions and answer questions? And what exactly does the FBI want from Sasuke to begin with? Is there really more to Sasuke than meets the eye? Can Naruto put the pieces together to keep him from another pending attack? Find out when 'Drifting No More' returns in:
Chapter 7: Demons Of The Past Come To Light!!