AN: Sorry for the slower update this time. Things got busy. It's a short chapter for now, but the next one will be longer and will be up sooner. :) Responses to reviews are at the end of the chapter!

Chapter 25: Risky Business

"Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair."

~William Cowper

A figure leaned against the stained, brick wall of the alleyway, staring unwaveringly at the myriad of half-torn posters plastered across the fire exit opposite. Heavy beats of electronic music pulsated from behind the heavy, wooden door. Sasuke could feel the bass beating in his chest even from out here. He tapped his foot in double-time to the beat and glanced at his watch.

He was late. Of course he was late. It was just like Mizuki to make him wait as some kind of ridiculous power play. That man's pettiness was second to none, especially when it came to the Uchiha. But tonight, he was pushing it.

He picked up the backpack next to his feet and slung it over his shoulder with a frustrated sigh.

Naruto had been missing for over a week. No sign of him anywhere. The police were useless.

He glared at the door in front of him. It was Akatsuki. He knew it. He didn't know why, but he knew. That conversation in the alley with Deidara, it hadn't happened for nothing. The conviction burned in his very bones, and when he found them he'd-

The door swung open.

"Sasuke, you're here."

Mizuki opened his arms wide in a parody of pleasant surprise upon seeing the younger Uchiha, a toothy smile stretched across his face. The man was in his usual expensive business suit, today a gray pinstripe number with a shiny green cravatte. He was backed by his sullen-faced henchmen from their previous meeting.

"And you're late." replied Sasuke, pushing himself away from the wall.

"Hey kid, you speak to Mr. Mizuki with respect, or I'll make you respect." said one of the grunts cracking his knuckles. Sasuke flicked his gaze at the man who circled around beside him, doing his best to tower over him. The man wore a black top with sleeves cut off at the shoulders to expose his prodigious muscles, and was actually obnoxious enough to be wearing sunglasses at night.

"It's fine, Kuro." said Mizuki, "Sasuke and I have a special arrangement."

He flashed the teen a shark-like grin. "Isn't that right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke sighed. "Whatever. Look, you said you have information on the location of the Akatsuki. Do you have it or not?"

"That depends." replied Mizuki "Do you have my money?"

Sasuke swung the pack off his shoulder and tossed it towards Mizuki who caught it with fumbling hands, before shooting the teen an irritated look. He checked the contents, taking out a large wad of bills.

"Half now, and half after I've confirmed your information is good." said Sasuke.

"Yes," replied Mizuki thoughtfully, "That is what we agreed."

He nodded at Kuro who moved with an alacrity that Sasuke had not expected from a man of his size. Within moments he had the teen restrained, his arm pulled painfully behind his back and a knife at his throat. Mizuki opened his jacket and withdrew a wooden-grip revolver.

"A double cross, Mizuki? Really?" said Sasuke. He raised his chin and swallowed as the knife pressed harder against his adam's apple. He kept his expression placid, but inwardly he was cursing himself for not expecting this. He had underestimated the man, a mistake Sasuke usually never made. His desperation had made him blind.

Mizuki shook his head in amusement.

"What? Did you think I was just going to take being ordered around by a brat Uchiha forever?" he said. "I'm Mizuki fucking Himura, bitch. I don't take orders from snot-nosed kids like you."

"We had a deal, Mizuki." said Sasuke through gritted teeth.

Mizuki stuck out his lower lip in a parody of a pout.

"Yes, we did, didn't we? Life can be so unfair. But did you really think I would risk crossing the Akatsuki for you? If they found out I'd be dead before I crossed the city lines. Besides," he said with a conspiratorial wink. "Akatsuki offered me a much sweeter deal – your ass in the morgue and a fat packet of compensation for me. Plus I get your money too."

He patted the rucksack with the barrel of his gun and grinned.

Clicking footsteps echoed off the brick walls of the alleyway and Deidara emerged from the darkness. Mizuki shot the man a smug look. "I have him, Deidara, just like you asked."

Deidara ignored him, a bored expression on his face as he looked Sasuke over. His mouth made a smacking noise as he sucked on a lollipop. On anyone else it would have looked ridiculous, but somehow he managed to appear intimidating with the candy in his mouth.

"Yeah, about that." He said in a flat tone. "The deal's off the table."

Mizuki lowered his revolver, turning to Deidara with a frown.

"Wait, what?"

Sasuke screwed his eyes shut automatically as Deidara whipped out his gun and shot towards him. Kuro's grip loosened as he collapsed behind, a bullethole decorating his now blood-covered forehead. Sasuke grabbed his ears. They rang from the noise, and for several moments the world was a deafening, confusing din of sound and vibration.

"What the hell are you doing?" cried Mizuki dashing forward. He froze though as Deidara turned the barrel of the gun on him. Mizuki held up his hands.

"H-hey now, wait a second. This doesn't make sense. I thought we were allies. Haven't I been loyal?"

"It's not personal, Mizuki, yeah?" said Deidara, pushing the lollipop to one side of his mouth and speaking around it. "It's jusht business. The Akatsuki doesn't like loose ends, and you've become a weak link."

Mizuki's protests were cut off as a second gunshot rang out, and the man gaped in surprise, staring down at the crimson blood that bloomed across his chest before he fell back onto the concrete in a crumpled heap.

Sasuke shook his head as the noise dissipated and began to move silently towards Kuro's body, the man's knife still clutched in his lifeless hands.

"I wouldn't recommend it, Sasuke, yeah?" said Deidara, turning to him as he raised the barrel of the gun to aim right between the teen's eyes.

Sasuke froze.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked. "What the hell do you need Naruto for?"

Deidara sighed.

"Always with the questions, you kids. All you need to know is Naruto is our property now, Uchiha, and we can't have people coming after him. You're gonna draw attention to us and we can't allow that, yeah?"

Deidara's face cracked into a sadistic grin. He pulled back the hammer with a click. "Have fun dying with the knowledge you couldn't save your little friend. Man, is he going to suffer."

The final gunshot resounded through the still night air.

Sasuke froze as numbness spread through him. He glanced down at himself and ran his hands over his chest. Nothing. He felt no pain. No darkness clouded his vision.

There was an odd gurgling sound and Sasuke looked up to see Deidara staring at him in shock, his mouth opening wide as the lollipop dropped to the ground and cracked into two pieces. The man choked and a thick wad of blood dribbled out of his lips, then down his chin before he collapsed forward onto the ground, lying still. A gaping, bloody wound adorned his upper back.

"S'not personal, asshole. S'just business." slurred Mizuke from the ground.

He dropped the smoking revolver in his hand and let his head fall back, closing his eyes for the last time.

Sasuke didn't move for a few moments. His blood pounded in his ears faster than the beat from the club music just beyond the wooden doors. He stood in the dark alleyway surrounded by three corpses and their rapidly-pooling blood.

There was a slam and the sound of laughing, drunken voices. The sounds jolted Sasuke back to reality. He dropped to his knees next to Deidara and rifled through his pockets. There was nothing save for a wad of bills.

Sasuke made an indistinct noise in his throat, searching again, faster, more desperately this time. There was nothing else. No phone. No notes. Nothing.

The voices were getting closer.

Sasuke could hear them more clearly now.

"Yeah, man, just gimme a sec. I need to piss."

A man stumbled around the corner, his head down as he concentrated on walking straight through his drunken haze.

Sasuke grabbed the rucksack of money and pulled up his dark hood before running off into the night in the opposite direction, away from the gloomy alleyway, away from the dead bodies, and away from his last remaining chance of finding Naruto.

AN: Thank you as always for your delicious, yummy reviews. I devour them like cookie monster overdoses on cookies. FF really needs a comment reply section. Anyway, I'll respond to a few here.

ShiningDreamer, You make a good point about Naruto being happy to see Sasuke! I like to think he was too caught up in everything turning out all right, but I may have to revise that in the future. Thank you!

Apple, damn, I was hoping you wouldn't notice I deleted it! I realized it was a bit too obvious after you pointed it out. Damn you and your amazing observational skills. ;P

Rei and naruhinakiralacus, to be fair, it was meant to try and fool or at least make you doubt, so I'm glad I fooled some people! ;) So sorry to betray you so cruelly!

face70, Perfect! I was hoping it would leave you in some doubt by being drawn out so long, so that's good to hear. Lol at "four eye's smug mug"! XD Kabuto really is a royal turd wagon.

Laine Squirrel, nicely predicted! I would've been disappointed too if the story fizzled out like that. Welcome back to the angst rollercoaster! I admit I was tempted to give you a cliffhanger just to leave that lingering doubt, and I was humming and hawing over it, but in the end I figured most people would guess the right answer, so it wasn't really a big reveal. Plus, even I have my limits for torturing you guys. ;)

Well, my lovelies, until next time!