p dir="ltr" align="left"The bell on the door of Taka Detective Agency jingles lightly before stopping abruptly as the door slams shut. Heels click on linoleum floors, growing louder as the woman grows closer. Down the hall, faint sounds of bickering carry through the silence, loud enough to carry through the broad doors. Sasuke doesn't mind though. He's spent so much of his life surrounded by loud people that any irritation he would've felt had been long reduced to a begrudging tolerance. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"It's raining outside, small drops of rain splatter against the window. The blinds are half drawn and it's dark outside. The office is compact and small. There are bookcases lining the walls, a couch at the back of the room, a plant dying from dehydration. The overhead light in his office flickers. The bulb is dying. A flash of lighting paints the room a blinding white, then the shadows seep back in. Sasuke squints and turns on his desk lamp. He neatly fills out a line of paperwork. Thunder booms./p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The door to his office creaks open. The woman enters. She's short. That's the first thing he notices. Even with her red kitten heels she's only about as tall as a preteen boy before his pubescent growth spurt has kicked in. She's dressed conservatively. She wears gold rings on each manicured hand. Around her neck is a stole, made of some unfortunate animal which could be a fox or a mink or a cat, he isn't sure. Her honey blonde hair is short, not quite shoulder length. She averts her gaze as she fans herself. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Detective Uchiha, I presume?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""The same. Have a seat." he gestures out in front of his desk, where two chairs sit to her right. Lightning flashes again. The rain comes down with fervent intensity. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"She sits, crossing her legs. He pushes aside the paperwork, setting it into a neat pile to deal with later./p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "My, it's quite hot in here, isn't it?" the woman says. She takes a handkerchief from the small purse she's carrying and dabs her face with it. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""The air conditioning broke a week ago." Sasuke replies. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Ah. At least the rain shall cool us off a bit," The woman fans herself faster. Her forehead glistens with sweat. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"He only grunts in reply. A hearty pulse of thunder shakes the room./p
p dir="ltr" align="left"A pregnant pause passes and she blurts out, "I have a suspicion that my husband is cheating on me. I know he wouldn't. I just know he wouldn't, but in the back of my mind there's always that nagging little voice whispering to me, 'em what if he is' /em?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Sasuke nods sympathetically; she isn't the first client of his, by a long shot, to suspect their spouse of adultery. He takes a notepad out, carefully jotting down what she says. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""My husband is a councilman on the city board of Leaf City. He could get any woman he wanted, if he felt like it." A bitter smile crosses her rouged lips./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""How are you so sure he's an adulterer?" /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"More thunder, louder thunder, thunder that very nearly conceals the sound of the light tremor in the voice of the woman. "He...He's been spending all of his time at work lately… which is fine I suppose. He's a busy man, what with the seasonal spending bill and all those city budget adjustment deadlines coming up. It's been a bit stressful… but usually he always makes sure to come right home and see me and our snuggums...It was never like this when our daughter lived at home."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Sasuke raises an eyebrow, and the stole raises its head and meows. The councilman's wife presses her cheek to the cat's, stroking it absentmindedly./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Normally he and I share everything with each other, but these past few months, he just..." she sniffles, "hasn't wanted anything to do with me. He's been working weird hours, late at night, even over weekends and holidays. He won't tell me what's been happening, but I know something's been happening. He just seems so stressed. When he does decide to speak with me he's cold, pensive. He just refuses to so much as look at me when we go to bed!" Her voice quivers and she begins to cry. Lightning crackles outside. "I'll pay any sum no matter how exorbitant-I just want my husband back!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Thunder rumbles and the room trembles with the force. Sasuke's pencil stops. "You mentioned that your husband is a city councilman in Leaf City. That's quite some distance to travel just to hire a private detective."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Had I not heard about this agency and its...unique specializations... from a friend, I wouldn't be here." She dabs at her eyes with a red or magenta silk handkerchief, he can't tell in the dim lighting. The wind whips against the windows, howling furiously. "No other agency does as thorough a job or is as gray in their morality or legality to complete the jobs you are rumored to do."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""I take it you want us to do a surveillance job?" Sasuke prods. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Yes. I want you to follow my husband after work and make sure he isn't with some other woman. If you are able to, I'd like you to bug his work phone and access his past call history. Do anything that could give me something for court." The councilman's wife bites the nail on her thumb. "Anything you have jurisdiction over, of course."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Of course." He finishes his notes, moves to grab a contract from the file cabinet in his desk on his left. It's jammed shut. Sasuke yanks it open with a forceful tug. He grabs a neatly stapled packet of paper from a manilla folder. The woman reaches into her handbag and pulls out her checkbook./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""What's your rate? For what I'm asking, it ought to be pretty expensive."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"He slides a stapled paper contract across his desk. She takes it, skims it, quirks an eyebrow. "I expected as much."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""If you decide to hire us, just know we take an advance fee. The rest you'll pay after the job is done."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The tempest continues to roar outside the office windows. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Fine." The woman says. She takes a pen from her handbag and thumbs through it blindly signing in every blank space without reading the fine print. She hands him the contract back. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Are you sure you don't want to read this?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "I'll be fine with whatever it says. I'll do whatever it takes. I expect you to as well, Detective." Lightning flashes again and the overhead light dies unexpectedly. She tears a check out and sets it on the desk. Sasuke slides it over and inspects it. He raises an eyebrow./p
p dir="ltr" align="left"A clap of thunder shakes the room slightly./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""I'll be in touch, Mrs. Haruno."/p
h3 dir="ltr" align="left"-/h3
p dir="ltr" align="left""Wait, is that really how much we're getting?" asks Suigetsu, sitting backwards and tilting his chair forward. He holds the check out high over the back of the chair, holding it up in the light at a multitude of different angles. He scrutinizes the print closely, like he's afraid it will grow wings and fly away./p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Karin rips it out of his grip. "Let me see." Her eyebrows shoot into her hairline. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Suigetsu lunges for the check, "Give that back! I wasn't done looking at it!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""It's not a fake, Suigetsu," she snaps, holding it above his head, "It's em real /em money that we're em actually /em getting paid!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Let me see!" Jugo says, reaching across the table. Suigetsu snatches it from her and shows it to him./p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Jugo blinks and his eyes change to dollar signs. "This is great! We can actually afford to fix the air conditioning now! And patch the leak!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Sasuke eyes the violet plastic bucket tastefully placed next to Jugo's chair. As if on cue, a droplet of water falls into it with a soft drip. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The break room is a small room, tightly compacted, plainly decorated. It has walls the color of cream going bad, scuffed gray linoleum floor that used to be white. There's no door, only a small notch and hinge marks where one used to be. It has an antique cherry wood table and plastic chairs, a microwave, an ill-running refrigerator, and countertops that are scuffed. A monochrome blue painting of an old man and a duck, that had been left from the building's previous tenant, hangs on the wall. In the corner on the floor is another bowl. Rainwater drips steadily into it. The entire agency is itself small. They lease this building which consists of a few offices, this room for lunch, and a bathroom. To be frank, Sasuke thinks it's an overpriced, expensive-to-maintain dump. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""This is only an advance. Granted we do a job she finds satisfactory, we get the rest of it."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Suigetsu whoops and Karin and Jugo look ready to weep tears of joy. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Finally, a real case! This is what PI work is all about, man, not chasing cats or that boring insurance fraud crap!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""We still have to take those cases," Sasuke reminds him, "Otherwise we won't be able to keep the lights on."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Suigetsu scoffs, but is quickly smiling again. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "A real case, haven't had one of those in a while," Jugo mutters. "What's the gist of it?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "A Leaf City councilman's wife suspects him of adultery and she wants evidence of her husband's innocence or guilt. It was standard divorce fare."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "And she's clearly willing to pay big bucks for it too." murmurs Karin, dazedly staring at the check that's been placed back on the table./p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Sasuke nods. He leans against the kitchen countertop which is lightly dusted with crumbs. He feels uneasiness settle at the bottom of his stomach, thick like slime. Under normal circumstances, he would have never accepted this case, because it would mean going back to Leaf City and because of who their client is. However, cases of this caliber are few in number and hard to come by, so he supposes he's grateful for the spot of luck. A detective needs to eat to live, and Sasuke refuses to let himself starve to death before he gets to Itachi. The Taka agency hasn't been open for very long, and although it seems it's garnered a bit of a reputation, Sasuke thinks it'll be a while before they get a case this big again. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" As for his travel issue, he trusts Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo enough, especially after having poached them from his previous workplace, to let them deal with it without him. As their boss and the one with his name on the lease, he'd be writing the paperwork anyway. Besides, Leaf City is useless to him. There were no leads to finding Itachi's whereabouts there anywhere and that is an excuse as good as any not to be working this particular case himself. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "I'll be putting my faith in you three to make sure this case goes smoothly. Currently we only have the Tora case besides this one, so whoever isn't going to Leaf City gets to work that one with me."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Suigetsu's finger is on his nose before Sasuke can even finish his sentence. "Not it."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Karin and Jugo are within milliseconds of each other, too fast for a normal human eye to see. "I won!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "I think we tied, actually." Jugo shrugs apologetically. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" They look at Sasuke expectantly./p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Do a tie-breaker. Play rock-paper-scissors."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" They take their fingers off of their noses. They form their hands into fists, preparing to battle. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Rock… Paper… Scissors...Shoot!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Under his breath, Jugo curses. Karin lets out a whoop, then after a pause of reflection, a curse. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Sorry Jugo, guess you got stuck on cat duty!" Karin's rock lightly presses Jugo's scissors. He pulls his hand away and sighs. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Looking for Tora isn't so bad," says Suigetsu, putting a hand on Jugo's shoulder, "When we get back, I'll tell you all about all the cool stuff Karin and I got to do. Like spying on some pervy old bureaucrat!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Jugo shrugs it off. Sasuke can't help but be amused at Suigetsu's ever present optimism, though he knows he'll soon be complaining. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Leave as soon as possible to get this done quickly. This should be an open and shut case. Don't stay longer than you have to, I want you back at the agency as soon as you've finished."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" A drop falls from the ceiling into the bucket with a loud drip. Sasuke moves his hand from the counter. It's covered in soggy crumbs. Disgusted, he sprays the counter down with a lurid green cleaner. "And please, could you guys just clean up after yourselves?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Wasn't my fault."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "For God's sake, Suigetsu, this is how we get ants."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"-/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Leaf City is bright, colorful. Its streets bustle with noisy pedestrians. Salesmen hover around their stores and stalls like vultures. The sidewalks are crowded with those enjoying the rare late June day without humidity. the noise of the hollers of raised or lowed prices and the smell of freshly cooked food flood the air. They're nearing the center of the village. The buildings in this area are old, and full of character. Many have bits of paint peeling or the steps have been worn from use over the years, but are largely well kept and well loved. The further from the mayor's office in the central administrative district, the newer and the more sanitized and corporate the buildings are. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" It's the middle of the day. Karin and Suigetsu are sitting in the car staking out the apartment complex of their mark, one Councilman Kizashi Haruno. It's positively decrepit. The building is old, Karin notes, and it is horribly maintained. It's just close enough to the city's historical district but just far enough from the outskirts of town. Light brown paint curls off of the side of the building in large ribbons. Neon graffiti is sprayed across every surface of the sides of the apartment. From where they're parked, Karin can see an open air staircase that snakes its way to each floor, then up to the next story of the building again. It's five stories tall, with only one exit out to the parking lot. It's a fire hazard, a veritable nightmare. Karin thinks of the morning traffic and shudders. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Are you sure that is the place listed on his forms? It's kind of a dump." Suigetsu asks. He holds a pair of binoculars and leans forward, squinting and squirming as he watches the entrance to the parking lot."Yeah, positive," she says. "I've got the address right here."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"She holds his file in her lap. Public tax returns are all that is in the folder for now. They've just started collecting information today, since it hasn't been long since they even checked into their hotel. They haven't formally sat down to create a plan. They rarely do, especially when cases are left to their discretion like this. The plan just happens, it begins to breathe, springs up, and runs away from them, and they've got no chance to think before it's halfway to the hills when they're barely out of their seats trying to catch up to it. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Suigetsu wanted the first thing they'd do to be to launch right into surveillance, so that was precisely what happened. Never mind the publicly available records that they would be able to pick up on him. The intelligent choice would be to gather those first, then try to follow him. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Stupid Suigetsu. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Hey, Karin," Suigetsu shakes her. His hold on the binoculars wavers. "I see him! I see him! He's coming back!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Karin jolts. She searches for a notepad, and finds one in the glove box. "What time is it?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Like 2:30, I think?" /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Isn't that kinda weird?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""What? What's weird?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Why's he coming home in the middle of the afternoon? Shouldn't he be, I don't know, at a council meeting or meeting with constituents?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Not sure," says Suigetsu. "Maybe he's brought his mistress home."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Karin slouches against the seat. "Wouldn't that be something."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"A few hours pass. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"During surveillance, there aren't supposed to be any distractions. No radio, no books, no nothing. Distractions mean missing your mark. Missing key movements, missing key associates that could be crucial intel in the future to any case that you're trying to build. Karin always makes an exception for music. Though it may fall under the umbrella of "distraction", it's something that's benign enough to keep a bored detective sane during long hours trapped in the car with a pest of a partner and aware enough of her surroundings. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"They've been sitting there for nearly the entire day. In fact, the sun has set and twilight descends in strokes of mauve and faded light orange and lavender upon the city. Currently, Suigetsu belts out the lyrics to a pop ballad. The binoculars rest on the car's dashboard. The mood is infectious. Karin hums along with him. The song reaches the chorus. The tremor of the singer's voice fills the body car and bounces through the air straight into their minds and hearts. Karin and Suigetsu join her. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Out of the corner of her eye, Karin notices the councilman run out of the apartment building, making a beeline straight towards his car. She shakes Suigetsu. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""What?" he sings. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Councilman on the move!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Oh shit!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The councilman's car, a cherry red Ferrari, does a donut and peels out of the bottle necked parking lot. Suigetsu revs the engine. They begin rocky pursuit, jolted by a patchwork of grooved pavement and smooth, freshly poured black asphalt. Councilman Haruno pounds the brakes. the Ferrari jerkily comes back down to the speed limit. Suigetsu and Karin's rental car, a pale blue Subaru nearly a decade old, is in the same lane as the Ferrari though a few cars behind it. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""His headlights aren't on." Karin notices. She writes down the time on their surveillance notepad. 8:47pm. "Think that means anything?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""We'll have to see." Suigetsu replies. The car changes lanes with the Ferrari. The Ferrari speeds breezily past a lane closed due to construction and the Subaru narrowly follows it./p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Karin moves to turn the radio off./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Don't!" /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The song on the radio has changed. It's more upbeat, has a faster tempo. Suigetsu grins wickedly. "It's like we're in a movie, with our own soundtrack and everything."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Karin sighs sharply but hides an amused smirk. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The Ferrari makes a sharp right turn, the car behind it slams on the horn. Their Subaru follows. The Ferrari makes another couple turns in succession, then it pulls into the parking lot of a combination bath house and inn. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Suigetsu lets out a low whistle./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Mr. Haruno, I was rooting for you!" Karin exclaims. She marks the location down on the notepad./p
p dir="ltr" align="left"It's raining outside, small drops of rain splatter against the window. The blinds are half drawn and it's dark outside. The office is compact and small. There are bookcases lining the walls, a couch at the back of the room, a plant dying from dehydration. The overhead light in his office flickers. The bulb is dying. A flash of lighting paints the room a blinding white, then the shadows seep back in. Sasuke squints and turns on his desk lamp. He neatly fills out a line of paperwork. Thunder booms./p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The door to his office creaks open. The woman enters. She's short. That's the first thing he notices. Even with her red kitten heels she's only about as tall as a preteen boy before his pubescent growth spurt has kicked in. She's dressed conservatively. She wears gold rings on each manicured hand. Around her neck is a stole, made of some unfortunate animal which could be a fox or a mink or a cat, he isn't sure. Her honey blonde hair is short, not quite shoulder length. She averts her gaze as she fans herself. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Detective Uchiha, I presume?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""The same. Have a seat." he gestures out in front of his desk, where two chairs sit to her right. Lightning flashes again. The rain comes down with fervent intensity. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"She sits, crossing her legs. He pushes aside the paperwork, setting it into a neat pile to deal with later./p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "My, it's quite hot in here, isn't it?" the woman says. She takes a handkerchief from the small purse she's carrying and dabs her face with it. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""The air conditioning broke a week ago." Sasuke replies. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Ah. At least the rain shall cool us off a bit," The woman fans herself faster. Her forehead glistens with sweat. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"He only grunts in reply. A hearty pulse of thunder shakes the room./p
p dir="ltr" align="left"A pregnant pause passes and she blurts out, "I have a suspicion that my husband is cheating on me. I know he wouldn't. I just know he wouldn't, but in the back of my mind there's always that nagging little voice whispering to me, 'em what if he is' /em?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Sasuke nods sympathetically; she isn't the first client of his, by a long shot, to suspect their spouse of adultery. He takes a notepad out, carefully jotting down what she says. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""My husband is a councilman on the city board of Leaf City. He could get any woman he wanted, if he felt like it." A bitter smile crosses her rouged lips./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""How are you so sure he's an adulterer?" /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"More thunder, louder thunder, thunder that very nearly conceals the sound of the light tremor in the voice of the woman. "He...He's been spending all of his time at work lately… which is fine I suppose. He's a busy man, what with the seasonal spending bill and all those city budget adjustment deadlines coming up. It's been a bit stressful… but usually he always makes sure to come right home and see me and our snuggums...It was never like this when our daughter lived at home."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Sasuke raises an eyebrow, and the stole raises its head and meows. The councilman's wife presses her cheek to the cat's, stroking it absentmindedly./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Normally he and I share everything with each other, but these past few months, he just..." she sniffles, "hasn't wanted anything to do with me. He's been working weird hours, late at night, even over weekends and holidays. He won't tell me what's been happening, but I know something's been happening. He just seems so stressed. When he does decide to speak with me he's cold, pensive. He just refuses to so much as look at me when we go to bed!" Her voice quivers and she begins to cry. Lightning crackles outside. "I'll pay any sum no matter how exorbitant-I just want my husband back!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Thunder rumbles and the room trembles with the force. Sasuke's pencil stops. "You mentioned that your husband is a city councilman in Leaf City. That's quite some distance to travel just to hire a private detective."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Had I not heard about this agency and its...unique specializations... from a friend, I wouldn't be here." She dabs at her eyes with a red or magenta silk handkerchief, he can't tell in the dim lighting. The wind whips against the windows, howling furiously. "No other agency does as thorough a job or is as gray in their morality or legality to complete the jobs you are rumored to do."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""I take it you want us to do a surveillance job?" Sasuke prods. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Yes. I want you to follow my husband after work and make sure he isn't with some other woman. If you are able to, I'd like you to bug his work phone and access his past call history. Do anything that could give me something for court." The councilman's wife bites the nail on her thumb. "Anything you have jurisdiction over, of course."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Of course." He finishes his notes, moves to grab a contract from the file cabinet in his desk on his left. It's jammed shut. Sasuke yanks it open with a forceful tug. He grabs a neatly stapled packet of paper from a manilla folder. The woman reaches into her handbag and pulls out her checkbook./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""What's your rate? For what I'm asking, it ought to be pretty expensive."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"He slides a stapled paper contract across his desk. She takes it, skims it, quirks an eyebrow. "I expected as much."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""If you decide to hire us, just know we take an advance fee. The rest you'll pay after the job is done."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The tempest continues to roar outside the office windows. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Fine." The woman says. She takes a pen from her handbag and thumbs through it blindly signing in every blank space without reading the fine print. She hands him the contract back. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Are you sure you don't want to read this?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "I'll be fine with whatever it says. I'll do whatever it takes. I expect you to as well, Detective." Lightning flashes again and the overhead light dies unexpectedly. She tears a check out and sets it on the desk. Sasuke slides it over and inspects it. He raises an eyebrow./p
p dir="ltr" align="left"A clap of thunder shakes the room slightly./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""I'll be in touch, Mrs. Haruno."/p
h3 dir="ltr" align="left"-/h3
p dir="ltr" align="left""Wait, is that really how much we're getting?" asks Suigetsu, sitting backwards and tilting his chair forward. He holds the check out high over the back of the chair, holding it up in the light at a multitude of different angles. He scrutinizes the print closely, like he's afraid it will grow wings and fly away./p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Karin rips it out of his grip. "Let me see." Her eyebrows shoot into her hairline. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Suigetsu lunges for the check, "Give that back! I wasn't done looking at it!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""It's not a fake, Suigetsu," she snaps, holding it above his head, "It's em real /em money that we're em actually /em getting paid!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Let me see!" Jugo says, reaching across the table. Suigetsu snatches it from her and shows it to him./p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Jugo blinks and his eyes change to dollar signs. "This is great! We can actually afford to fix the air conditioning now! And patch the leak!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Sasuke eyes the violet plastic bucket tastefully placed next to Jugo's chair. As if on cue, a droplet of water falls into it with a soft drip. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The break room is a small room, tightly compacted, plainly decorated. It has walls the color of cream going bad, scuffed gray linoleum floor that used to be white. There's no door, only a small notch and hinge marks where one used to be. It has an antique cherry wood table and plastic chairs, a microwave, an ill-running refrigerator, and countertops that are scuffed. A monochrome blue painting of an old man and a duck, that had been left from the building's previous tenant, hangs on the wall. In the corner on the floor is another bowl. Rainwater drips steadily into it. The entire agency is itself small. They lease this building which consists of a few offices, this room for lunch, and a bathroom. To be frank, Sasuke thinks it's an overpriced, expensive-to-maintain dump. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""This is only an advance. Granted we do a job she finds satisfactory, we get the rest of it."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Suigetsu whoops and Karin and Jugo look ready to weep tears of joy. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Finally, a real case! This is what PI work is all about, man, not chasing cats or that boring insurance fraud crap!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""We still have to take those cases," Sasuke reminds him, "Otherwise we won't be able to keep the lights on."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Suigetsu scoffs, but is quickly smiling again. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "A real case, haven't had one of those in a while," Jugo mutters. "What's the gist of it?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "A Leaf City councilman's wife suspects him of adultery and she wants evidence of her husband's innocence or guilt. It was standard divorce fare."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "And she's clearly willing to pay big bucks for it too." murmurs Karin, dazedly staring at the check that's been placed back on the table./p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Sasuke nods. He leans against the kitchen countertop which is lightly dusted with crumbs. He feels uneasiness settle at the bottom of his stomach, thick like slime. Under normal circumstances, he would have never accepted this case, because it would mean going back to Leaf City and because of who their client is. However, cases of this caliber are few in number and hard to come by, so he supposes he's grateful for the spot of luck. A detective needs to eat to live, and Sasuke refuses to let himself starve to death before he gets to Itachi. The Taka agency hasn't been open for very long, and although it seems it's garnered a bit of a reputation, Sasuke thinks it'll be a while before they get a case this big again. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" As for his travel issue, he trusts Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo enough, especially after having poached them from his previous workplace, to let them deal with it without him. As their boss and the one with his name on the lease, he'd be writing the paperwork anyway. Besides, Leaf City is useless to him. There were no leads to finding Itachi's whereabouts there anywhere and that is an excuse as good as any not to be working this particular case himself. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "I'll be putting my faith in you three to make sure this case goes smoothly. Currently we only have the Tora case besides this one, so whoever isn't going to Leaf City gets to work that one with me."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Suigetsu's finger is on his nose before Sasuke can even finish his sentence. "Not it."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Karin and Jugo are within milliseconds of each other, too fast for a normal human eye to see. "I won!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "I think we tied, actually." Jugo shrugs apologetically. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" They look at Sasuke expectantly./p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Do a tie-breaker. Play rock-paper-scissors."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" They take their fingers off of their noses. They form their hands into fists, preparing to battle. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Rock… Paper… Scissors...Shoot!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Under his breath, Jugo curses. Karin lets out a whoop, then after a pause of reflection, a curse. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Sorry Jugo, guess you got stuck on cat duty!" Karin's rock lightly presses Jugo's scissors. He pulls his hand away and sighs. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Looking for Tora isn't so bad," says Suigetsu, putting a hand on Jugo's shoulder, "When we get back, I'll tell you all about all the cool stuff Karin and I got to do. Like spying on some pervy old bureaucrat!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Jugo shrugs it off. Sasuke can't help but be amused at Suigetsu's ever present optimism, though he knows he'll soon be complaining. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Leave as soon as possible to get this done quickly. This should be an open and shut case. Don't stay longer than you have to, I want you back at the agency as soon as you've finished."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" A drop falls from the ceiling into the bucket with a loud drip. Sasuke moves his hand from the counter. It's covered in soggy crumbs. Disgusted, he sprays the counter down with a lurid green cleaner. "And please, could you guys just clean up after yourselves?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Wasn't my fault."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "For God's sake, Suigetsu, this is how we get ants."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"-/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" Leaf City is bright, colorful. Its streets bustle with noisy pedestrians. Salesmen hover around their stores and stalls like vultures. The sidewalks are crowded with those enjoying the rare late June day without humidity. the noise of the hollers of raised or lowed prices and the smell of freshly cooked food flood the air. They're nearing the center of the village. The buildings in this area are old, and full of character. Many have bits of paint peeling or the steps have been worn from use over the years, but are largely well kept and well loved. The further from the mayor's office in the central administrative district, the newer and the more sanitized and corporate the buildings are. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" It's the middle of the day. Karin and Suigetsu are sitting in the car staking out the apartment complex of their mark, one Councilman Kizashi Haruno. It's positively decrepit. The building is old, Karin notes, and it is horribly maintained. It's just close enough to the city's historical district but just far enough from the outskirts of town. Light brown paint curls off of the side of the building in large ribbons. Neon graffiti is sprayed across every surface of the sides of the apartment. From where they're parked, Karin can see an open air staircase that snakes its way to each floor, then up to the next story of the building again. It's five stories tall, with only one exit out to the parking lot. It's a fire hazard, a veritable nightmare. Karin thinks of the morning traffic and shudders. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" "Are you sure that is the place listed on his forms? It's kind of a dump." Suigetsu asks. He holds a pair of binoculars and leans forward, squinting and squirming as he watches the entrance to the parking lot."Yeah, positive," she says. "I've got the address right here."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"She holds his file in her lap. Public tax returns are all that is in the folder for now. They've just started collecting information today, since it hasn't been long since they even checked into their hotel. They haven't formally sat down to create a plan. They rarely do, especially when cases are left to their discretion like this. The plan just happens, it begins to breathe, springs up, and runs away from them, and they've got no chance to think before it's halfway to the hills when they're barely out of their seats trying to catch up to it. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Suigetsu wanted the first thing they'd do to be to launch right into surveillance, so that was precisely what happened. Never mind the publicly available records that they would be able to pick up on him. The intelligent choice would be to gather those first, then try to follow him. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Stupid Suigetsu. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Hey, Karin," Suigetsu shakes her. His hold on the binoculars wavers. "I see him! I see him! He's coming back!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Karin jolts. She searches for a notepad, and finds one in the glove box. "What time is it?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Like 2:30, I think?" /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Isn't that kinda weird?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""What? What's weird?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Why's he coming home in the middle of the afternoon? Shouldn't he be, I don't know, at a council meeting or meeting with constituents?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Not sure," says Suigetsu. "Maybe he's brought his mistress home."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Karin slouches against the seat. "Wouldn't that be something."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left" /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"A few hours pass. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left" /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"During surveillance, there aren't supposed to be any distractions. No radio, no books, no nothing. Distractions mean missing your mark. Missing key movements, missing key associates that could be crucial intel in the future to any case that you're trying to build. Karin always makes an exception for music. Though it may fall under the umbrella of "distraction", it's something that's benign enough to keep a bored detective sane during long hours trapped in the car with a pest of a partner and aware enough of her surroundings. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"They've been sitting there for nearly the entire day. In fact, the sun has set and twilight descends in strokes of mauve and faded light orange and lavender upon the city. Currently, Suigetsu belts out the lyrics to a pop ballad. The binoculars rest on the car's dashboard. The mood is infectious. Karin hums along with him. The song reaches the chorus. The tremor of the singer's voice fills the body car and bounces through the air straight into their minds and hearts. Karin and Suigetsu join her. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Out of the corner of her eye, Karin notices the councilman run out of the apartment building, making a beeline straight towards his car. She shakes Suigetsu. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""What?" he sings. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Councilman on the move!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Oh shit!"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The councilman's car, a cherry red Ferrari, does a donut and peels out of the bottle necked parking lot. Suigetsu revs the engine. They begin rocky pursuit, jolted by a patchwork of grooved pavement and smooth, freshly poured black asphalt. Councilman Haruno pounds the brakes. the Ferrari jerkily comes back down to the speed limit. Suigetsu and Karin's rental car, a pale blue Subaru nearly a decade old, is in the same lane as the Ferrari though a few cars behind it. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left""His headlights aren't on." Karin notices. She writes down the time on their surveillance notepad. 8:47pm. "Think that means anything?"/p
p dir="ltr" align="left""We'll have to see." Suigetsu replies. The car changes lanes with the Ferrari. The Ferrari speeds breezily past a lane closed due to construction and the Subaru narrowly follows it./p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Karin moves to turn the radio off./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Don't!" /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The song on the radio has changed. It's more upbeat, has a faster tempo. Suigetsu grins wickedly. "It's like we're in a movie, with our own soundtrack and everything."/p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Karin sighs sharply but hides an amused smirk. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"The Ferrari makes a sharp right turn, the car behind it slams on the horn. Their Subaru follows. The Ferrari makes another couple turns in succession, then it pulls into the parking lot of a combination bath house and inn. /p
p dir="ltr" align="left"Suigetsu lets out a low whistle./p
p dir="ltr" align="left""Mr. Haruno, I was rooting for you!" Karin exclaims. She marks the location down on the notepad./p