Holy freaking crap this took me FOREVER to finish and find a spot to stop! I know that my usual update day is Monday for this story but thanks to a storm my internet was down for most of the day. It was a long wait, I know, but I'm pretty sure you guys will like this chapter. It's a long one, probably the longest yet but since you guys actually voted, there will be long chapters like this posted every two weeks. It's what the majority of you wanted so bear with me and keep in mind that I'm also trying to keep my sanity and social life intact. A friend of mine is coming back home for our birthdays this weekend and I'm beyond excited to see her again! I love writing this, but she doesn't know about the plot to this one yet so SSSSHHHH!
Anyway, the first part of the chapter may seem boring and uneventful, but it is relevant so please don't skip anything! I know at least one of you has reviewed confessing that you skipped around but please understand that I write these things out for reasons. Each detail is important because if you skip any of them, you may miss hints! Also if you're confused about anything feel free to leave me a review and I'll get back to you ASAP. For my guest reviewers...I CAN'T ANSWER YOU UNLESS YOU SIGN IN :'( I have no way of PMing you or finding out who you are. I am not Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds; I do NOT have the technology (if anyone gets that joke then the next chapter is dedicated to you!) so please sign in! I love hearing from all of you and I'm sorry that you have to wait so long for chapters now. BUT! I will be posting the third part of my 'Thunder' series VERY SOON.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot, Pepsi belongs to the Pepsi company, Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and other such persons who hold legal ownership of it and the concept for the chapter goes to 'Criminal Minds' for the inspiration. Now please, get a drink, some snacks and a comfy pillow because this is going to be LONG.
The other two Uchihas followed and guided them to the vehicle before they all climbed in, Sasuke and Naruto in the back with Mikoto driving and Itachi beside her. Mikoto waited for Kushina to pull up next to her and drive away before they followed. Twenty minutes later, thanking the gods above for the speedy pace the women of both families provided, they were stopping in the lot of a simple looking place that emitting a smell of grilled meats and seafood. Not caring to look at the name of the place, Sasuke opened the door and climbed out; waiting for Naruto to follow suit. Once the blonde was beside him and the rest of their party was together, Sasuke took Naruto's hand again and the other didn't fight it. Instead he smiled and walked beside him, but they could both feel the five sets of eyes staring at their connected hands and could practically feel the joy emanating off of them causing the two to look back behind them. Kushina and Mikoto fan girl squealed as quietly as they thought they could while Minato and Fugaku just smiled (in Fugaku's case smirk) and simultaneously shake their heads at their wives. Itachi was smirking as well and giving them a gentleman's clap; seeming like he had just witnessed the interlude of a Shakespearean play or a golf tournament. Naruto just dropped his shoulders in surrender and Sasuke scowled that they were having so much fun at his expense.
"Can we just go in? The smell is making me even hungrier than I already am," Sasuke grumbled. Naruto laughed and tugged his hand to pull Sasuke through the doors and up to the podium to be seated. The inside of the place was pretty, but dimly lit giving it a bar type feel while maintaining an air of professionalism. The place was pretty busy but it wasn't crowded or noisy like Naruto thought it might be, judging from the appearance of the outside of the building and it was a welcome change of pace from the stuffy police station. The hostess took them all to a large table in the middle of the room to right of them and let them all get situated before she handed everyone a menu and informing them that their waiter would be with them in a few moments to take their orders for drinks.
"How did you find this place?" Naruto asked no one in particular.
"I saw it while we were stopped at the red light just outside when we were on our way to come get you boys. It was just before you called your mom, Sasuke," Kushina replied. Naruto's suspicion must have been correct in that she forgot that she told him that he wasn't her kid because she was acting as though it didn't happen. Maybe she was just waiting for a better time to bring it up instead of creating a bad atmosphere at the table though. Naruto couldn't really be sure since his mother wasn't really the type to care about delicate situations like this one. If she wanted to spout off about something she deemed worthy of spouting off, then heaven help you to stop her because god knows Naruto or Minato couldn't.
"What made you pick this place? You couldn't have had the time to actually look at it all that long."
"Sasuke, we were sitting at that light for almost ten full minutes. We got a really good look." Minato cringed remembering the cruel wait to pass through the light as his wife and her best friend carried on about how Sasuke would probably like this or that Naruto might enjoy that. He loved his wife and child, and his best friend's wife and children but he could only take so much.
"I don't particularly care how we came across this place; I just care about when we're going to be ready to order."
"Itachi, mind your manners. We are in public and I expect you to behave like the young gentleman you are despite how ravenous you may be. I do hope that you'll at least use a knife and fork when your order arrives," Fugaku mildly scolded his eldest son.
"You never know Mr. Uchiha, he may just get finger foods so that he doesn't have to bother with eating utensils!" Naruto joked and Sasuke gave a light snicker at his older brother's expense in response. Itachi narrowed his eyes at Naruto's comment but the oldest Uchiha just scoffed and resumed looking at his menu. After spending a good many years with the man though, Naruto could tell he was amused by the joke.
"Hello, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting, my name is Hiro and I will be your waiter this evening. Let me start off by telling you that our special tonight is the porterhouse steak lightly seasoned and aged twenty-two days before grilled that includes two sides of mixed vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes. May I start you off with some drinks? We have Pepsi products, flavored iced teas, coffee or I could get you something from the bar."
The two families ordered their drinks, none of them being of the alcoholic nature since the situation from the day still wasn't resolved and inebriation wouldn't help the matter, and the young man walked away to fetch them. They all browsed through the menu until almost everybody had decided on something but, as usual with new restaurants, Naruto was having a hard time finding something he liked.
"Dobe, it's not that difficult. They have a four cheese penne here that you can add shrimp and chicken to, and I know you like that."
"I saw that but I don't know if I want that or the two stuffed chicken breasts with a honey mustard sauce."
"They both sound good so why don't I get one and you get the other so that we can split it?"
"Because that makes us seem like we're a couple! And it's too damn girly to split entrees!"
"We did it before, why not now?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I have somebody that could be watching my every movement as we speak who also just so happens to have you on his hit list!" Naruto rasped irritatingly at the raven. Sasuke sighed and massaged his temple to quell the headache that was coming.
"I told you its fine. Let him try, you know as well as the rest of us that if this guy is serious about not pissing you off he won't hurt me. You told me that in the last letter he sent that if you didn't want me hurt, he wouldn't hurt me."
"That's not what I said. I told you that if I picked him you would be safe and that if I picked you, he would kill you and take me anyway."
"That's why I told you I wanted to see the damn thing. I want to read it for myself."
"And I told you that I don't have it right now. The cops took all of them for evidence so I don't even know if I'll be getting them back."
"That doesn't mean I can't ask them to let me see it. If I'm going to be your boyfriend then I have to know all the circumstances I'm going to be dealing with until this creep is out of our way."
"Teme, we aren't dating yet. I told you I didn't know."
"You said you would choose me every time, so why aren't you choosing me now?"
"Because I don't want you to be killed."
"I won't be killed. You have to trust me, Naruto. I know how to defend myself too, in case you forgot the judo and karate belts I have."
"I know what you're capable of, but we don't know what he is capable of."
"That's why I said you have to trust me."
"How did we get on this topic?!"
"You didn't choose a dish and you didn't want to listen to me and split them when they came."
"Ugh, I'll just close my eyes and point to something then."
"Boys, boys please…just get the two dishes and be done with it. Our waiter is going to be back any minute and Itachi is about ready to punch someone if he doesn't get to put in his order soon," Kushina sighed, seemingly tired of the situation.
"Oh Kushina, let them reconnect. It's good for them to act this way rather than have them avoid eye contact and sit at opposite ends of the table while still wondering what the other is going to order. I'm pretty sure if it wasn't like this the whole night would be awkward and uncomfortable don't you agree?" Mikoto smiled and rested her chin in the palms of her hands while her elbows were placed on the table; not minding her own manners much to the chagrin of her husband. Though he supposed if his darling wife was happy then he shouldn't complain. He too had wanted the squabbling to continue for a little longer since it seemed to make Sasuke a little happier. Even if the 'fight' was his relationship status with Naruto.
"We all know that my son is going to give in to your son and that Sasuke is also going to be ordering dessert for the two of them. We all may as well get a table of our own and let them have their first date!" Kushina laughed back.
That was when Sasuke decided to drop the bomb shell, and he would have had the waiter not come with their beverages and to take their orders. Hiro went around the table jotting down each person's meal in his little notepad and asked if he could get them anything else while they waited. Minato and Fugaku both said 'no' and the man was once more on his way to the kitchen to place their orders. Maybe if Naruto's mother was serious, and after this conversation was over, he and Naruto could really get their own table.
"So Naruto is your son now?"
"Sasuke! What are you doing?!"
"Asking your mother a question."
"Do you have to bring that up here of all places?! She forgot it, you teme!"
"That doesn't sit right with me Naruto, and you damn well know it. So, Mrs. Namikaze-Uzumaki" Sasuke put more emphasis on her maiden name, "is Naruto your son now?"
"Sasuke…what are you talking about?" Kushina asked confused as to why her best friend's youngest child was questioning the parentage of her son.
"I believe Naruto told me something very…interesting…while we were alone earlier and it doesn't make me happy."
Sasuke's tone was icy, the rest of the Uchiha family was lost, Naruto held his head down to avoid looking at anyone else, Kushina was looking back and forth from Naruto to Sasuke and Minato sighed in resignation.
"Kushina…you said some things while you were 'red' again. I know you didn't mean them, and I'm sure Naruto does as well, but it looks like Sasuke wants some answers."
"Minato…what did I say exactly? Why is Sasuke asking me if Naruto is my son?"
"According to your son you claimed that he wasn't your child because he wasn't man enough to face is his problems," Sasuke nearly growled at the woman.
"Kushina!" Mikoto gasped.
The other two at the table also looked at the redhead with wide eyes and partly open mouths. They had both known that the woman could be brash and sometimes a little harsh, but most of the time when she lost her temper she stayed reasonable. Itachi hadn't known that she sometimes forgot what she said; he always assumed that it was selective memory or that she just didn't want to talk about it, but Fugaku was witness to this certain aspect of his best friend's wife many times. He believed it had something to do with her basic upbringing and it was a possible psychological defense against mental anguish, but to say something like that to her only child and then forget only to leave him with the hurt was something else.
"Sasuke, apologize to Kushina; you're being terribly rude and this is not the place or time for a discussion such as this," Fugaku warned.
"I won't back down from this issue, father. Naruto was hurt by it and as his boyfriend it's my job to make sure that he's free from that hurt."
"Sasuke, I'll say it again; this is not the place or the time. Drop the subject now."
"No Fu, it's alright. Let Sasuke talk; he needs to get this off his chest."
"Minato, what are you –?"
"Please Fu…Sasuke has more courage than I do to confront her, and I'm her husband. Please let's just get this out and over with."
"Minato, what are you saying? Did I really say that to our baby? Did I…? Did I hurt him like that?"
"Yes, you did. So answer me; is he your son now?"
"Sasuke, he's always been my son; he'll forever be my son! I don't care what he does or if he doesn't tell me things or if he wants to keep things to himself; he'll always be my baby…my little Naruto."
Kushina looked at her boy with tears in her eyes and couldn't refrain from maneuvering her way around the table to embrace him; something that Sasuke was both happy for but also very discontented with.
"I'm so sorry baby. I'm so sorry for what I said or what I did. I didn't mean any of it, I promise. I never want you to feel that I don't love you for not telling me something or trying to sort out your own feelings. I don't want you to think that you can't come to me with a problem or even if you just want to talk. I love you baby and I always will, and I will NEVER let you think that you're not my son again. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Forgive me honey, please. I don't know what I'd do if you didn't want me to be your mother."
"Mom…it's okay. I understand. I knew that you would probably forget saying it and I didn't want you to remember if you did. I would have been okay with it; I know what you really think of me."
"That's no excuse sweetheart; no parent should ever say that to their child. I'm sorry Naruto, not only for saying it but for forgetting I said it. I can't believe I did such a terrible thing," she continued crying. It wasn't hysterical, loud crying that captured everyone's attention like Sasuke was sort of afraid of happening. Unnecessary attention could alert the wrong kind of person and they could be kicked out, or worse Naruto's stalker could know something. Kushina's crying was simply tears rolling down her cheeks while she held Naruto to her side as though he was still small.
"Well I suppose this is the best result that could come of the situation. But Sasuke, when we get home I'm going to have a serious talk with you about your behavior. I don't care if it was for Naruto's benefit or whatever your reason was; this was not the place to do it."
"Fugaku, it's alright, really. Kushina and Naruto are okay now, so I really have to thank your son. He really is an amazing young man. I can see why Naruto's stalker feels threatened."
"Mr. Namikaze, with all due respect, the guy should feel threatened. He harassed your son and threatened to kill my little brother; he should have known that the full weight of both the Uchiha family and the Namikaze family would be on him. The man brought this on himself," Itachi said.
"Yes, you're right Itachi. Now Kushina, do you mind letting our pride and joy go so that he may breathe? I also think that Sasuke is going to try and rip your arms off if you don't let him go soon."
"Oh! Naruto I'm sorry! Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, take big deep breaths," she coached.
"Thanks…mom. I thought…I was a…goner."
Naruto panted for a few more seconds while Sasuke rubbed his back and tried to pull him closer to his side. Kushina got him his drink and Naruto took a few large sips before he calmed down and settled back into his seat. He had to admit that he felt better now that the bad air with his mother was cleared. Now if he could just get rid of the stalker then all would be well in the world and he could be with Sasuke!
"I'm fine now mom, you can go back to your seat beside dad."
"I think I'll settle here for a little while, at least until our food comes. You've had a very hard day sweetie and I want to make sure you're okay."
"Kushina let the boys sit in their own little world for a while. This is the first time in two months that I've seen Sasuke act so normal."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. Sasuke sighed next to him and laid his head in his hand that was on the table. Naruto gave him a puzzled look and missed the look of sheer joy on Itachi's face. Now was the time to burn some of the mileage he had accumulated on his little brother.
"Oh Naruto, I can't believe he didn't tell you how much he moped around looking at his phone waiting for you to call him. He ignored almost everyone else that visited him in favor of simply looking at old photos of the two of you together. It was truly a sad, sad sight to behold. But I guess if it was for you he thought it was alright to behave that way."
"I never looked at old photos and I didn't stare at my phone waiting for a call."
"Denial is so unflattering little brother, Naruto will love you more if you're honest with yourself."
"I didn't do that. End of story. Period."
"Sasuke. Did I make you do all of those things?"
"No. Because I didn't do them."
"Don't lie to me Sasuke-teme. You know I can just ask your mom."
"…I may have checked my phone for missed calls or texts every now and then during my classes…and I might have gotten our yearbooks out a couple times…but I never stared at anything just waiting around!" Sasuke huffed defiantly.
"Oh Naruto, we were all so miserable! It was so hard just watching him day-in day-out while he did nothing to help the situation. Your pink-haired friend came over twice asking him what she could do to help but all he did was ignore her and shut himself up in his room."
"I can believe that. Sasuke never really got along with Sakura since she's had that huge crush on him since elementary school."
"She's dating Sai now so she's more tolerable but it still creeps me out."
"It creeps you out because Sai looks so much like you that you think she's just using him as a 'dummy Sasuke' am I right?"
"That's part of it but she still tries things."
"You are aware that she was one of the ones that tried to get me together with you our senior year right?"
"So you've told me, but she hasn't proved that yet."
"Trust me, she's been rooting for us since Sai moved to our neighborhood."
"Boys, food's here."
Sasuke and Naruto blinked a couple of times when they realized that Minato had spoken the truth and their waiter was coming towards them with a very full tray. Kushina moved back to her spot beside her husband, leaving the two boys to sit in peace beside each other or at least as peaceful as they could get with the combined families. As he had previously suggested, Sasuke split his entrée in half with Naruto's and enjoyed seeing said blonde devour the food that they had chosen to partake in for the evening. Naruto blushed and grumbled as he looked around the rest of the room they were in to see if anybody was looking at them. The raven and his older brother noticed this so Itachi picked up his plate, annoyed that the meal he had waited so long for was briefly interrupted, and moved to the other side of the blonde. Naruto was at first confused but in his new seat nobody could really see him between the two ravens so he ultimately didn't complain. Naruto, now happy that he had his food and some sort of security, reached under the table and placed a hand on Sasuke's knee, making Sasuke raise his eyebrow and send him a rather smug smirk. Naruto only huffed and continued eating and sipping on his drink. Sasuke and Naruto were in their own little world while the adults ate and talked about the next course of action they should take against the stalker.
"So the boys already know what their options are as far as schooling goes, but what are the police doing about their safety? They surely don't have enough man-power to spare to follow a couple of young adults," Mikoto commented.
"I think that Mr. Sarutobi will fill us in when we return to the station after we're finished here," Fugaku answered his wife.
"I wish you had gotten some information out of them on the ride here, Mikoto. Right now they're in their own little wonderland and I highly doubt they can hear us!" Kushina giggled.
"They can hear you all just fine. They're just choosing to ignore you in favor of being with each other after such a long silence."
"Yes Itachi, but we still want to know how everything is going to happen with the police. We're all worried about them," Minato said.
"Mr. Namikaze, I'm sure that the authorities are going to do everything they can to help your son and my little brother. But for now all we can do is wait it out. They can't really instigate any course of pursuit of this man until something else comes up or they get forensics. This person has obviously done some homework if he knows about Naruto's personal life as well as Sasuke's. Sasuke and I tend to cover our tracks very well, thank you for teaching us father, and we make it very difficult to find information about us."
"As Uchiha children I expect no less from my sons. You two have been exposed to the lime-light more than a few times so you both understand how important it is to watch your steps."
"Fugaku, Naruto knows how to cover himself well too. Don't think we don't know that Itachi's friends have been trying to keep tabs on Naruto for the past two months. And if I recall, they all had more than a bit of trouble completing that task," Minato stated proudly. He was proud that his son knew how to take care of himself and at the same time the dark thought that the stalker was that much better than they had originally suspected crept into his mind. If Naruto could keep himself hidden from Itachi's group of friends for this long then just how was this stalker keeping track of him so well?
"Yes your son is also skilled in that category. He managed to escape the public's interest for nearly ten years before someone leaked that he was your son, Minato."
"We never found out who that was either. Not like it mattered at the time; we were going to reveal it on his birthday that year anyway," Kushina added.
"He's done well for himself without my name's influence. His grandparents were shocked though. They had thought that we would have wanted to groom him to be the next head of the company and push him to go into business like Sasuke. Jiraiya was certainly happy when we informed him differently though," Minato smiled as he remembered the man's reaction.
"The pervert wanted to hold a party for him since he wasn't going to, and I quote, 'be another dull suit that only expressed themselves in shades of gray.' I put a stop to that real quick, didn't I honey?"
"She threw him through a wall…and then Tsunade threw him back through the same wall after Kushina got done with him."
"Is that why you had to live with us for a month while your mansion was being repaired?"
"Yes Itachi, the wall that was destroyed was unfortunately a foundation wall. We were lucky the whole place didn't come down on us back then." Minato shuddered at the memory but then recalled how happy his son was that he got to live with his best friend for a whole month. The youngest Uchiha was also happy, not that he made it clear to the adults, that they were guests in his home. The month was filled with many park trips, video game nights, broken vases, 'bug-the-crap-out-of-Itachi' days, and nights sharing a bed. It was indeed a paradise for the then six and seven-year-olds.
"The boys certainly didn't mind that you stayed. After you all left Sasuke didn't want to eat with us for two days since he thought we kicked you out," Fugaku exasperated. It was a pain to get his youngest son to understand that his best friend wasn't leaving for good. It took a lot of tomato-themed dishes to coax him to dine with them again.
"Well that's all well and good but can we get back on topic? What do you think is going to happen next?" Itachi asked.
"We already concluded that the police will give us some more information when we get back tonight. There is really nothing we can speculate on until they tell us what our options are. Ultimately though Naruto is the one who will have to decide," Minato answered.
"I'm not talking about the police. What about the stalker? Now that the police are in the picture how do you think he'll react to this?"
"It's a good question but I think we all hope he'll back off."
"I don't think that's likely Kushina, as much as we all want that to happen. If he sent mutilated pictures of Sasuke then he's most likely to carry on with whatever delusion he has in his head. Things could stop for a while or they could get exponentially worse."
"I agree with Itachi. This man is clearly serious about whatever he has planned for Naruto."
"Minato, Kushina, we have something to tell you as well. Sasuke informed us of this before we left to go to the station earlier, but Naruto had a stalker in high school during their sophomore year. Did you have any idea about that?"
"We knew about the person, yes, but we didn't think much about it since they left the next year. Plus Sasuke told us that it was a girl that time. Naruto has had many admirers, male and female, in his life so when Sasuke told us someone was following him around we just assumed it was a fan girl. Nothing serious ever came out of it; heck I don't even think Naruto was aware of her."
"Have you seen the girl before?"
"Yes, she followed him home a couple of times before, but she never came within fifteen feet of Naruto."
"Do you remember what she looked like? I know that it may be irrelevant now but if this could help the officers it might give them a lead."
"Well…she had long brown hair and I don't really remember her eye color. She was pretty, had a pale complexion, not so curvy, and was average height. She didn't seem to wear tight clothes like most of the girls in their school did but she was up on the latest fashion trends. It looked like she came from a middle-class neighborhood since she didn't really fit in with the rest of the place but if it was a disguise she could have done a much better job. I don't remember all the times I had to blend into a crowd when I was in the core."
"Sasuke told us that she moved away with another boy before senior year started. They could have been a brother-sister pair but Sasuke said he didn't know," Itachi pondered.
"Either way, if it helps the police to catch this person and give Naruto some peace of mind, then it couldn't hurt to inform them." Fugaku smirked as he looked at the two boys now clearing their plates and stealing sips from each other's drinks. His Sasuke looked so content now; a drastic change from how he was in the car on the way to see Naruto earlier. If they were indeed dating now then he wished the two all the best the world could offer them. He would do everything in his power to keep the blonde safe, for not only his best friend, but for his son's happiness. Sasuke was an Uchiha, and an Uchiha got what they wanted. If Sasuke wanted this stalker to be locked up and have the key thrown away for making Naruto miserable, then Fugaku would unleash every demon from the seven pits of hell to make it happen. Then again, Fugaku knew his sons well and knew that Sasuke wouldn't be happy unless the man had suffered as he made Naruto suffer.
"Hey, mom, when the waiter comes around next, can we get dessert?"
"Dobe, haven't you had enough? You're going to make yourself sick."
"But the peanut butter chocolate lava cake looks really good."
"If you like ingesting diabetes it looks good, I guess."
"You're just pissed that they don't have any of your mint chocolate coffee brownie desserts. We haven't been here before – we don't know what they have!"
"I'm not pissed they don't have my favorite dessert, I'm saying we don't need to have dessert here. We can just go to that ice cream parlor beside your campus you've been telling me about later tonight."
"That actually sounds like a good idea, Sasuke. It'll be a nice treat before we drop Naruto off at his apartment and we head back home," Fugaku stated dabbing his mouth with his napkin as he finished his lamb chops.
"Drop him off?" Sasuke asked slowly.
"Yes son, he does need to head home tonight. We'll all take him when we're finished at the police station later."
"You mean we're leaving him alone?"
"Unless the police tell us something different, Minato and Kushina can stay with him tonight."
"But tomorrow is Sunday…we don't have work and I don't have school. Why can't I stay with him?"
"Sasuke, don't behave like a child now. We can't all stay with Naruto tonight, and not only that but it may put you both in more danger than necessary."
"I…yes father," Sasuke resigned.
Naruto looked at his best friend with sympathy and understanding. If the roles had been reversed then Naruto would have begged and pleaded to stay close to Sasuke in case anything happened to him. Given the situation though, Naruto had to agree with Sasuke's father. He didn't want Sasuke to be put at a higher risk of danger just because he wanted to spend the night with him. That stage could come later when the stalker wasn't an issue and the threat was over but for now it had to wait. Naruto would have voiced his concern about it but the waiter came with their check and Fugaku took care of it. Mikoto and Kushina excused themselves to go to the ladies room while Itachi, Minato and Fugaku finished off their drinks and waited for their wives to return. Sasuke was quiet and it concerned Naruto a good bit. Sasuke had been talking and actually smiling at him the whole meal and now it seemed that the happy atmosphere had been murdered. Naruto placed his hand on top of Sasuke's that had been placed on the table and Sasuke jolted up a little bit in surprise. He looked at his hand and focused on Naruto for a few seconds. Naruto beamed a large grin at him and Sasuke gave his own tiny smile back. Sasuke shifted his appendage so that their fingers locked and joined the rest of the family in the wait for the two mothers to return.
Soon the two families were back in their respective vehicles, this time Sasuke and Naruto in the backseat of the Jaguar with Kushina and Minato in the front and the rest of the Uchiha family in the Enclave. Thirty minutes later they had arrived back at the police station. When they walked back into the bullpen Naruto could hear an officer yelling and screaming about scratch marks and bites all over his arms. He also realized that they were walked towards the room he left his precious kitten in and the screams were getting louder. Opening the door, he saw the same officer that had questioned him before grabbing at his cat tightly while his poor baby was struggling to get loose. The man was squeezing Kyuubi around the middle of his nimble body hard enough to make the poor cat meow and hiss angrily. Naruto stood frozen as his baby finally noticed him in the room and cried out even more than he already was. The officer yelled as he acquired yet another set of scratch marks and shook the feline.
"You damn thing, if you didn't belong to my blonde I'd drown you!"
"What…are you doing to my kitten?!"
The officer turned to look at Naruto in shock and quickly tried to explain what he was caught doing. At the outburst another officer came to see what was going on. It had happened to be Anko and she looked beyond pissed. It seemed as though she heard the 'my blonde' comment and wasn't too happy about it. Naruto rushed to save his baby and Sasuke chose that moment to enter the room as well. He had gotten both of their phones back from the technical department and was going to return Naruto's to him but the scene at hand was much more intriguing. Sasuke looked at Naruto and studied his tense posture and noticed he was holding his kitten rather protectively and that he was also glaring at the officer crouching on the floor in front of said kitten's carrier. The officer looked about ready to soil himself and Anko gently pushed the two boys aside to apprehend the young man.
"Get out here, Yomi. I think we need to have a little 'chat' with Ibiki."
"You don't understand, Miss. Anko, I was in charge of looking after the cat while they were gone!"
"We gave that task to Genma, not you. So you can come with me and explain everything to Ibiki," she said gaining a sinister grin.
"I was just doing as was ordered of me! Naruto, you believe me don't you?"
"You just said you would drown my kitten! Get away from me!"
"Come on Yomi, before I take you straight to lock-up."
Anko took him away and lead him to one of the interrogation rooms before informing Ibiki of the situation. She then made her way to Sarutobi's office to inform him as well and that was when the Uchiha's and Namikaze's joined their respective sons.
"We were just informed about the options the two of you have regarding security. Naruto, which one do you want to do?"
"I'm going with the first option. I'm pretty sure if I was taken out of school now it would look like I was a drop-out. Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei will be keeping an eye on me too, so you guys don't have so much to worry about."
"Naruto, this would be a perfect chance to study abroad. I'm sure that there are good schools that focus on your field of study in America."
"Dad, I told you before that I didn't want to study abroad. All of my friends are here and at this point I think it's a little too late to enroll anywhere without waiting a few months."
"He's right Mr. Namikaze. He's safest here where we can all keep tabs on him. If he went abroad then nobody would have a way of knowing if he went missing or if he was doing anything he shouldn't be doing."
"Wow teme, I thought you were on my side. Way to kill my college experience before I had it."
"I'm not saying you shouldn't have it – I'm saying that you can't have it right now. You have at least four more years of school to get through before you can say college is over. There will be parties, booze, slutty girls, and men wearing togas all year; you can skip a few of them until this creep is brought in."
"That is if they haven't caught him already."
"What do you mean Naruto?" Mikoto questioned.
"The officer that detective Mitarashi took away a few minutes ago…I caught him trying to kill Kyuubi and he said that I was 'his Naruto'. It was the same cop that took us to the interrogation room earlier today."
"You mean the one that was supposed to go over your protection options with us but instead asked you things about the break-in?"
"Yeah mom…that one."
"Well if he's the stalker then the problem is solved. Still to err on the side of caution I think we should still ask for the protection detail to take effect. We have to be one-hundred percent sure before anyone can breathe easy."
Sasuke agreed with his mother but looking at Itachi he could tell that his brother was thinking about something very deeply. He was only ever that focused when it came to business deals and the suspicious meetings he had with his friends from high school. Usually when Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, Kakuzu, Nagato and Kisame all got together nothing ended well for whoever their target was. This time though Sasuke could tell Itachi had more drive behind his thinking. And he couldn't hold it against him. Naruto looked pensive, cornered, isolated and down-right scared right now. Sasuke assumed that Naruto had his doubts about the police officer's 'capture' as well but for the time-being there was nothing they could do. They would all have to wait and see if anything was able to be pulled from the security footage in Naruto's apartment building.
"Well, Mr. Sarutobi told us that we could all go home as soon as we were up to speed on everything they've done for the day. There will be two officers standing guard at your apartment tonight and their shift change will be at two o'clock in the morning."
"Um…Mr. Uchiha?"
"You know you can call me Fugaku Naruto, but yes?"
"Can Sasuke stay with me tonight along with my parents?"
"Naruto honey, I don't think that's a good idea. We discussed this at dinner."
"I would feel a lot better if he stayed with me tonight instead of going back home with you guys. Mom and dad can take him back to the Uchiha manor tomorrow when they leave if that's the problem!"
"I agree with Naruto," Itachi stated cryptically.
"Itachi, what are you talking about? You know that your little brother is in danger as well."
"Sasuke is a big boy who has a black belt in both judo and karate; he can defend himself if the need arises. I am also very aware that Naruto can protect himself as well but having the two of them together would not hurt anything right now."
"I agree with Itachi. I don't want Naruto left with just two policemen and his parents. I'm not saying that Mr. and Mrs. Namikaze aren't capable of protecting Naruto but I would feel better if I were with him too."
"Snow angel, please think carefully about this." Mikoto moved towards her younger son and placed a comforting hand on his right cheek. Her brows were furrowed in concern and she had a frown on her beautiful face. Sasuke let out a short sigh and smiled at his mother before placing a hand on top of hers to assure her he would be okay.
"I've thought enough about what I wanted for two months. Now that I have him mom, I can't let him go. I want to be with him to keep him safe."
"If you're sure about this I can't stop you. I can only threaten Minato and Kushina to take care of you while they're there."
"That won't be necessary Mikoto. You know we treat Sasuke as our own. Maybe in a few years we could be in-laws like we talked about in high school!" Kushina laughed. Mikoto chuckled with her as she remembered that the two had indeed dreamed of being family one day. Mikoto always knew she wanted a small family and when she finally accepted Fugaku she could see no one else being the father of her children. They both had turned out beautifully, so when she discovered that her best friend had given birth, it was only a mild disappointment that the baby had been a boy. Now though she was thinking that it wouldn't really matter since the two boys fell in love anyway.
"We had better be going now. Mikoto say goodbye while I get Sasuke's things from the car."
"Why don't we all just head out? It's already past eight and the sooner Naruto is in the safety of his apartment the better," Minato stated.
The two families walked back to the parking lot after they secured Naruto's cat in his carrier, transferred Sasuke's suitcase to the Jaguar, said their goodbyes and separated for the night. Minato, Kushina, Naruto and Sasuke headed back to Naruto's apartment while the Uchihas decided to find a hotel in the area in case anything happened the next day. When the Namikaze-Uzumaki family arrived to the apartment building they were let in by the afternoon shift guard and made their way to Naruto's unit. Sasuke took the space in and could say he was impressed with what Naruto had done. Naruto put the carrier down and let Kyuubi out to explore his surroundings once again and get reacquainted with his home.
"So I only have one guest room, who's claiming it?"
"Your parents can have it. I'll take the couch."
"Teme, you can sleep in my room. I have an extra futon so it's no big deal. The couch is nice to play games on, but sleeping on it is a pain."
"If someone tries to get in then they'll have to get past me first."
"Or there is the possibility that they could abduct or kill you first. Did you think of that? My bedroom is in the back of the apartment and I not only installed cameras, but a security system."
"That's all well and good, and I'm sure that Shikamaru did an outstanding job, but having an actual person watching the door is a better idea."
"Then why not let someone with real experience do it, Sasuke?" Kushina suggested.
"Mom?"
"Naruto you just let me take care of this for now. Mikoto wouldn't let me hear the end of it if something happened to Sasuke and I'm not about to let anybody near my baby. After what I said to you earlier today, this is the least I can do to make up for it," she said with a serious expression on her face and steel in her eyes. Naruto knew his mother wasn't going to back down so he sighed and agreed with her.
"Alright, but just be careful. Do you want to sleep out here with her dad or take the guest room?"
"I'll be out here with your mother. I'm also a black belt in judo, plus I have a black belt in tae kwon do, don't forget."
"I remember. I'll get the futon. Sasuke it looks like you're in the guest room."
"Aww, and you were so eager to let me sleep in your room five minutes ago. Does the offer still stand?"
"I think it's better to keep us separate because if anybody gets past mom and dad, we don't stand a snowball's chance in hell. It'll be harder to get to us if we're separated."
"No Naruto, Sasuke should stay with you. I know you're just trying to put on a brave face right now but I can see how scared you are to be back here. Once this is all over we'll find you a new apartment with even more security."
"More security or not mom, if the guy is good with computers and can hack a system there is no stopping him from getting in. But right now I don't give a damn about that – Sasuke my room is this way!" Naruto shouted as he quickly pulled Sasuke down the hall, surprising the raven. He had barely had time to grab his bag Naruto dragged him away so fast. After Naruto had gotten the futon out for his father and finished setting it all up for him, Sasuke and Naruto settled into the comfort of the queen sized bed to call it a night. Fully clothed and on opposite sides of the bed but the Uchiha wasn't about to complain. It was much better than sleeping in an empty guest room or the cold floor. They both fell asleep quickly but at some point, Naruto had drifted over to Sasuke's side seeking comfort. Sasuke awoke with a start thinking someone was attacking him, but when he pulled back the covers to see the pajama clad Naruto he relaxed. Sasuke settled back down and pulled the blonde into his arms and smiled. One year ago Sasuke could only dream that this could really happen to him but now it was real. Sasuke felt so relaxed but high with excitement at the same time. His excitement was short-lived however when he felt Naruto shudder in his sleep. His blonde seemed to be having a nightmare, but really who could blame him? Sasuke could only guess how many he actually had in the two months the stalker had been around for. Sasuke shushed him and stroked his hair while whispering reassuring things in his ear. Naruto calmed down and fell into a comfortable slumber once again before Sasuke too drifted off to dreams.
The next morning, the peace was shattered by a piercing scream and loud crash. Minato and Kushina, along with two officers carrying cups of fresh coffee burst into Naruto's bedroom to see Sasuke holding the blonde trying to calm him down, and Naruto desperately trying to crawl away from his bedside table. Four heads turned to look at said table to see an envelope unfolded and bright red letters on the paper. Minato bravely stepped towards in, being mindful of his sons fear and Sasuke's rage, and picked it up. He put it back down and slammed his fist into the table, splitting the wood and thus destroying the piece. The paper floated down to the floor and Naruto buried his head in Sasuke's shoulder, crying and curling up in a tight ball. The letter was now clear for the rest of them to see. Kushina gasped, and the police officers quickly called in the incident to the chief.
Good guess. Try again. I'll still be here.
Your haven.