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And, as always, keep an eye on the dates :D


Uchiha's Eleven

Written by Venerate


Chapter Eleven: Pickpockets


November 14, 2005

There was a blond male lying in the snow, his lips blue and his body shaking. He wasn't dressed for the winter weather – his jacket was since long forgotten somewhere else in the abandoned park. It was getting late, so late that the street lights had been lit to reflect against the thick, white snow. The sky was darker than ever before, but Naruto suspected that it was his mood that influenced his sight.

A bruise in the colour of grapes was forming on his scarred cheek, and a red cut ran along the underside of his chin. It was easily hidden, no one had to notice it, but it stung badly in the cold air. It was not, however, what was on his mind at the moment.

His eyes, blue as the summer sky, were focused solely on the other man before him. The man wasn't a stranger, no, it was Sabaku no Gaara. Naruto would have preferred a stranger to the furious red-head, but it was already too late for that. They would never be strangers again.

"You… Gaara, listen–"

Gaara didn't listen. There was a gun in his hands, and Naruto's throat was thick with fear. He tried to move again, but his limbs were frozen from the pile of snow under him. It was sneaking inside everywhere, running in cold drops down his spine. He had never been this cold, this scared, this annoyed and cold. Panic was slowly creeping up from behind.

He didn't know how to talk himself out of this mess.

"I have proof; I know what you've done to me."

"Gaara, babe, sweetie–"

"You're making a fool of yourself."

Gaara's voice was even colder than the snow, and his grip on the gun tightened. Naruto had never been confronted with a firearm before. In fact, the only one he had ever seen was Gaara's, and that was the one time they had woken up to the sound of burglars. Naruto didn't doubt that Gaara would use it. He could still remember how those jade eyes had widened before raising the weapon. He didn't want to see that again – he didn't want to meet the same faith as those poor thieves. He didn't want to die as a thief, in more ways than one.

"Please, Gaara, listen to me…"

"Listening to you has only caused me troubles. It is your time to listen."


May 7, 2010

TenTen narrowed her eyes, a strand of auburn hair falling into her vision as she leaned forward. In her right hand was a warm Glock, her knuckles turning white from the harsh grip. Her breath was ragged and she couldn't help but smile at the adrenaline running through her lithe body. They hadn't seen her, and a flicker of victory made her shiver pleasantly.

She was hiding behind a wall, watching a group of older teens passing as they headed out for a night of clubbing. The sounds of their high heels were making it hard for her to hear anything else – more precisely, footsteps from men's shoes.

The cold wall she was leaning against belonged to the new Akatsuki quarters. It was tall and wide, and she couldn't actually understand why it had to be so big. It made it harder for her to hide properly. The entrance was guarded during night-time, she knew. There were two of them, tall and broad, most likely all muscles and no brain, probably to scare rather than inflict actual harm.

TenTen gritted her teeth, refraining from cursing Neji's name. It had been the Hyuuga's job to find out when the guards arrived and left. Where she stood now in the dark, she couldn't help but find herself angry and annoyed. She had been informed that the guards would arrive in half an hour, not now.

Nevertheless, TenTen was going to continue through. She grabbed the Randall knife from one of her many pockets, putting away the black gun. There were no more than the two guards outside, she knew. Sai had been able to text message her when he entered the lobby. At least he knew how to do his job, she thought stingily. She was going to give Neji a piece of her mind once she got out of here.

There was no way that she, packed with weapons, would go unnoticed by the guards. She needed to pass them in order to follow Sai. She had been assigned by Uchiha to follow Sai as a bodyguard, and she wouldn't be able to protect Sai's alias Baikan Danzou if the guards reported her to the Akatsuki members.

With a grunt, she leaned forward and threw the knife with as much strength she could muster. When the guard let out a strange, shocked sound, she knew that she had gotten him. His ugly face twisted into something that showed only pain and disbelief, before he fell into a bloody pile to the ground. The other guard, however, was still unharmed, and thus deadly. She searched her pockets for a proper weapon, finding a bear knife.

Before the other guard could pick up his walkie-talkie and inform another guard inside, she threw it with expertise that took years to master. The guard, who had picked out a small handgun, fell on top of his co-worker with the knife between his eyes. Red, hot liquid ran over his nose and lips, dripping from his chin as he fell to the ground.

Grabbing her gun again, she jogged up to the entrance, which was alight with spotlights, her brown eyes looking everywhere in a panicked frenzy. The carpet that led to the automatic – now locked – doors was already red, but she knew that she would have to have it replaced. Otherwise, the blood would be noticed.

"Hey, you!"

TenTen spun around, eyes widening upon the sight of a man down the street. He was obviously not civil, probably another guard working under Orochimaru's name. She hurriedly searched her pockets for something more silent than a firearm.

"Don't move!"

She growled as she stuck her finger on a senbon. She quickly grasped it, her movements controlled and quick at the same time, while the reluctant guard came closer with his weapon raised. He yelled out something that she couldn't really grasp, instead focusing on throwing the thin needle right. Throwing a senbon took more concentration and skill than throwing a knife.

Once she had thrown it, the almost invisible needle soared through the air and right into the Adam's apple of the young man. A few wheezing breaths was the last she heard from him, before his gun fell to the ground and he followed.

Her breathing was still ragged, and she fiddled with her cellphone. She dialled the proper number, and put it to her ear, waiting impatiently for someone to pick up. The smell of urine came from one of the bodies behind her, but she bent down to pull out the senbon of the throat and sniffed on it. Copper, not as strong as the other smell, but it managed to calm her stomach down.

"Hello?"

She wiped the blood off on her t-shirt. "Send someone with a truck to the Akatsuki entrance."

"Would you like something to drink with that?"

"Very funny, Ino. We need to get a new carpet here as well."

"Okay, okay. Kiba and I'll be there in a moment."

"Thanks." She hung up, looking over the dead bodies surrounding her. It was an ungraceful heap, and it was pure dumb luck that no workaholic businessman were exiting or entering the building at the moment. Knowing that anyone could arrive at any moment, she started to massage her drumming temples.

A rough cough came from the man to her right, a half-hearted gasp as the male tried to breathe. A kick to the face was all he needed to leave this life behind.


May 10, 2010

Kisame wasn't all that bad, Naruto thought as he grabbed the man's strong arm. He was crude and rough, but not particularly mean. Right now, Kisame was grinning widely and taking pride in the attractive blond man by his side. Naruto suspected that it was a part as to why Kisame enjoyed having good-looking, young men by his side – to show off that he wasn't that terrible and disgusting as his looks implied.

"Say, Kisame-kun," Naruto spoke up when they entered the museum. "What are we doing here?"

It was an art museum of some kind, Naruto knew. He had been in it once with Sasuke, when the Uchiha had bought some new paintings for Minato's birthday. Otherwise, Naruto wasn't too fond of places like these; he preferred simple things, just like Kisame. Nothing too cultural, nothing too prestigious.

At the moment, the museum was rather empty, seeing as it was late evening. Had Naruto been more observant, he would have noticed that it had been closed for over three hours. As it was now, Naruto automatically thought that it was open because of the lit lamps.

The air was stale; much like at a hospital and the obscene paintings left an eerie feeling over the entire building. So far, Naruto had yet to hear a single sound, not even the slightest noise, and therefore, he almost jumped out of his skin when his partner spoke up gruffly,

"We're just meeting some of my co-workers. I forgot some documents that I have to pick up."

"Here?" Naruto tilted his head and looked up at Kisame, wondering what the other would answer to his question.

"He's awfully nosy, isn't he?"

Naruto flinched, looking over his shoulder towards the source of the third voice, his eyebrows knitting together upon the sight of a red-head and a blond man. He hadn't been able to predict their arrival, as there had been no footsteps.

The red-haired man looked young, with dull eyes and a permanent frown. Naruto knew this to be Akasuna no Sasori. The other was Deidara, family name still unknown. They were both rather short. Naruto thought that they couldn't be much older than he was, but Sasori continued to speak with such adult language.

"Why did you bring him, Hoshigaki?"

"Convenient," Kisame answered with a shrug. Naruto huffed at being addressed as if he was a mere accessory, but didn't say anything aloud. There would be time to get repayment for such comments later. "So, where are they?"

"In my office. Deidara, stay with the…with the thing." Sasori sent Naruto a look, making the Uzumaki gape at the indifference. A thing, his mind riled, a thing?

"Whatever," Deidara muttered. The two blond men watched as Kisame and Sasori walked over the stone floor to the staff corridor. Not until they were completely out of sight did the Akatsuki member speak, "So, you're the new toy, huh? Planning on staying for long?"

"I intend to," Naruto replied stubbornly. He continued, faking an air of stupidity around him with surprising ease, "Kisame-kun is so sweet! I like him very much."

"Pfft," was Deidara's reply. "Come with me, I'll show you my art."

Naruto followed with a grin, walking a step behind the other. He corrected the little bug inside of his shirt, causing white noise as it accidently rubbed against his caramel skin. As Deidara started bragging about the clay sculptures, Naruto replied accordingly with praise and compliments. He didn't actually find the sculptures ugly, but they were actually rather good for a criminal.

"Ne, Deidara," Naruto said. "What about this one, is it a cloud?"

"Uh, yeah." The long-haired man nodded slowly. "It's called Akatsuki."

Naruto felt Deidara's eyes on him, searching for a sign of recognition and understanding. When Naruto showed none, he continued:

"I made it for this business I'm working with."

"Oh? Really? Are you doing the same things as Kisame-kun?" Naruto smiled when Deidara narrowed his eyes. "I mean, Kisame-kun has told me things… He knows that he can trust me."

The clay sculpture was forgotten when they were accompanied by Sasori and Kisame once again. Naruto continued to smile when Kisame nodded for him to come along. Bidding his cheerful goodbyes to Sasori and Deidara, Naruto knew that he had left the blond man with things to ponder. It felt good, and he hoped that his co-workers would think that he had played his cards right.

"C'mon, shrimp, hurry up. Can't be late for the show!"

Naruto laughed at Kisame's eagerness, taking the big hand offered to him as he sent the Hoshigaki a look of admiration. "Of course not!" 'You big oaf, I'll kill you when this is over!'


"It's actually rather repulsive," Kiba commented as Naruto's cheery voice registered in the speakers. He was immediately hushed by Neji, who was typing every line with the skill of a stenograph. The Inuzuka glared, but continued, "Where's Uchiha, anyway? Chouji's gonna be back with the pizza anytime now."

"Please, Kiba, shut up," Shikamaru murmured. He put a cigarette between his lips, but it was pulled out of his mouth by pale fingers before he could start searching for his lighter. Chocolate brown eyes sent a glare towards Shino, promising immediate pain if he didn't explain his actions.

The Aburame returned to his work with the speakers. "You heard the boss – he doesn't want any smoke in the apartment."

"But Naruto smokes–"

"Shut up, Kiba."

The brown-haired man snorted and leaned back in the armchair, continuing to read the magazine. His stomach was growling low for food, and his impatience was growing by the second. Chouji had left fifteen minutes ago – surely it couldn't be too much to ask for to have him hurry up a little. The pizza parlour was just across the street, after all.

His dark eyes scanned the room, looking for something to distract himself with. Shino and Neji were busy, fiddling with the electronic equipment and taking notes of what was happening with Naruto and the blue brute. Shikamaru looked positively nicotine-deprived, his skin glum and purple bags under his eyes. He had been up all night with Neji and Hinata to make sure that TenTen and Sai were going according the plan.

Kiba snickered, thinking that Neji looked all too good for someone who had pulled an all-nighter. His amusement went unnoticed, and he guessed that he could move into the kitchen where the ladies were. It took a lot of mental strength to get out of the comfortable armchair, and he stumbled over a few cords and cables as he exited the room.

As he had predicted, Ino and Sakura were by the kitchen table. The strawberry blond female was painting her long fingernails pastel pink, and Ino was boredly playing with her hair. Hinata was standing by the counter, pouring herself and the girls glasses of wine. Kiba tilted his head to read the name of the wine, but found himself not understanding the Spanish words.

"So… what are you guys doing?"

He was bluntly ignored, until Hinata took it upon herself to gently answer, "No-nothing much, Kiba-kun. You're welcome to j-join us."

"Thanks. I'm really hungry. Does the asshole have any food in here?" Kiba walked up to the big fridge, admiring the stainless steel that was void of shopping lists, notes and photos. "Now," he whispered to himself as he opened the refrigerator, "what does the bastard and his moron feed on?"

"Human brains, I'd say," Ino grumbled as she pulled lightly in a long strand of platinum. "I've looked it over, but there's no girl food at all."

"They're guys, big surprise," Kiba commented lowly as his eyes scanned the shelves. There was an unopened package of milk, but otherwise, there wasn't much that tickled the Inuzuka's appetite. Two tomatoes and an opened bottle of beer, but no left-over food or half-eaten take-away meals. "Do these guys eat out every fucking night or what?"

"Told you so," Ino murmured. "I say we should get more of the cut – Sasuke's fucking loaded as it is."

"I second that," Sakura muttered, too busy painting her nails to give a whole-hearted reply.

"He's an asshole," Kiba piped in. He closed the fridge, sighing, "He'd rather die than give us a raise. I say you should ask Naruto – he seems to have balls enough to question Uchiha."

"Probably," Ino agreed. Snorting, she continued. "Sakura said they've been together since Shanghai. Can you believe that? He kept this Naruto-moron a secret for years to everyone. How skilled isn't that?"

"Yeah…" Sakura's voice came out softer than she intended, and she looked up to see if anyone had noticed. Ino sent her a sceptic look, while Kiba started to rummage through the cupboards. Her tone was still a little too calm when she continued, "I mean, he kept it a secret from me."

Neither Kiba nor Ino knew what to say to that. Sakura had been the only one to keep contact with Sasuke because she wanted it. They had known each other for ages. Of course, there was another question that felt more urgent than why Sasuke didn't tell Sakura.

Why did he keep his love for Naruto secret?


November 14, 2005

"Oh yeah, harder. L-like you – aahh – mean it."

Squeaking and creaking, the bed rocked forth and back. The wooden headboard slammed relentlessly against the wall. The smell of sweat and arousal bounced against the walls, echoing with the sounds of the two young men. The only light came from the street lights outside, leaving the naked bodies on the bed bathing in a golden beam.

"Mm, there, right the– ah, fuck! G-Gaara!"

Naruto threw his head back, his mind slowly recognising the fact that he and Gaara hadn't had such good sex ever before. Sweat ran down their bodies, causing a humid tint to the small bedroom. Writhing and moaning, the young blond failed to notice the satisfied anger on his boyfriend's face.


May 11, 2010

People moved hurriedly up and down the street, no one aware of the man watching them.

In a cold room without furniture, Lee sat by the window in silence. He was high, high up in the air, watching down on the ant-like humans without the protection of curtains. Drumming his fingers against the window sill, he glanced over his shoulder.

"Anything interesting going on?" TenTen asked as she entered the apartment. A bag was thrown over her shoulder, but she didn't look bothered by the weight. Instead, she took in her surroundings while Lee opened the laptop in his lap eagerly. Her hazelnut eyes didn't approve of the shabby room and she couldn't help but feel disgusted by the smell of urine that came from the bathroom.

"Not really," Lee answered when he handed his partner the computer. He looked tired, but there were no comments upon their appearances. Of course, the tone of his voice was warm and happy, even if he had been alone for an hour while TenTen had been out to meet Sai, seeing him to hear about the weapons Akatsuki used.

"Looks rather calm to me," TenTen murmured. She sat down next to her friend, glancing out through the window. Then, with a small smile, she continued, "Let's see what the pussies wants to fight us with."


To Be Continued