A/N: Hi! It's been a while, hasn't it? I got this chapter ready for you! I hope you like it. In this, we get set up for some things, which will come quite nicely later on. I have no warnings for you, except one.

Warning:

FL--foul language

Legal Stuffiness: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor, and he owns my soul.

Machi Yoko Naruto
Chapter 9: Mist
 "Tell me you're joking!" Sakura said, eyeing the purple kimono on the stand, then Kankarou in turn. He was wearing a dark suit that fit him well, and had just informed her that they were going to do a field test of her abilities. On the island of Hokkaido, in Hakodate, she had been basically taking a crash-course in being a geisha. For the last few days, she'd been poked, prodded, had information shoved into her mind at a very fast pace, and then had to do practical exams on each skill, including playing musical instruments, which she was already good at. The final bit of idiocy, Kankarou said, would be their field test this evening. "I have to wear that? It's…it's purple!"

The silk of the kimono was not just purple, but royal purple, almost blue. It would look strange against her hair, which she now knew fifteen different ways to style. Not to mention how badly it would clash with her dark green eyes…

"Sakura, once I place you in a house, you'll have to wear what they tell you to. So please, just do this for me?" His voice sounded weary. Admittedly, she had given him much grief over the past week, so she nodded, indulging him. "Now, please get moving. We'll be leaving as soon as you're ready." She started to ask him wear they were going, but he was already gone.

Grumbling quietly to herself, Sakura put on the under-kimono, kimono, and adjusted the length of it, making sure there were no wrinkles, then put on the obi board (1) and obi. After fifteen minutes of trying, she finally had the obi tied into a drum, and she put on the obiage (2) and obijime (3), tying it tightly to keep everything secure. All in all, she did present a very distinct image of classic beauty, but purple was her least favorite color. She had always preferred pinks and light greens. But as Kankarou said, this was practice for the real thing, so she was going to have to get used to it. After she had done with her clothes, she arranged her hair into a complex style that called for the use of twelve ornamented pins and a set of lacquered chopsticks. Finally, she put on her makeup. She did not wear the traditional white paint-like makeup that one usually associates with the geisha. When she was finished, she looked much more natural than all of that.

When she emerged from her 'primping' as she liked to refer to it, Kankarou was grinning ear to ear. "See? I told you that you'd be perfect!" He practically gloated all the way to the car. She remained as quiet as possible, until they got into the car, when she voiced her concerns about falling flat on her face, but he laughed at her. Then, she asked where they were going. "Ah. I have an old friend who is here on holiday. We'll be having dinner with him and his cousin. He'll be the man you're to stay with. If he likes you." Kankarou gave her a knowing smile, "And I'm sure he will."

"Okay. What's his name?"

Kankarou smiled, "Rock Lee." Sakura could vaguely remember hearing that name somewhere before, but couldn't recall where. It was probably something she read. In all of her research, she did not remember coming across his name in relation to the Yakuza. "He's an interesting guy. You'll like him." She sensed that there was something that he wasn't telling her, but she could handle it, whatever it was.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up at the Setting Star, a beautiful restaurant that seemed to be designed to resemble the traditional-style mansions of Japan. Kankarou helped her out of the car, and she took his arm, grateful for the support, since she felt like she was going to shake herself to pieces. Kankarou gave their names to the young woman at the door, and she ushered them to the back of the place, where there were private rooms. The woman stopped before a sliding door that was painted a medium green, and when she opened it, Sakura saw that it was not a room at all, but a kind of veranda that overlooked the gardens. At the very center of the wooden floor, there was a low table on a dark green rug, and at the table sat a man and a woman.

The man had black hair that was cut nearly into a bowl shape, and mesmerizingly thick eyebrows. The woman, Sakura saw, had brown hair, fixed into two buns, a Chinese style. The man rose from his seat, his green kimono falling perfectly into place as he did so, and moved to greet them. "Kankarou-san! It's been so very long since I have seen you!" he embraced the black-clad man, and then turned to Sakura. "And who is this…" He stopped speaking, and then seemed to stop breathing when he looked at her face. When he was finally able to speak again, he continued his previous sentence, "…vision of beauty that you have with you?"

It took everything Sakura had to keep the tiny blush on her face from turning into a burning flush of embarrassment. Excessive in his compliments, the man almost forgot to introduce himself. Then, he seemed to remember. Bowing formally, he said, "Hajimemashite. My name is Rock Lee. May I please know your name?"

She smiled softly, and said in a low voice, "Sakura is my name, sir."

"Ah, Sakura-san! Please, come, both of you, and meet my cousin, Tenten. She is shy, so please forgive her if she does not speak much." He led them to the table, and Tenten greeted them, looking Sakura over shrewdly. Sakura saw her eyes flicker over to Kankarou and noticed an almost imperceptible nod of her head. She was most likely one of his informants. Apparently, Sakura had just passed inspection. Now, she just had to perform as she was expected to, and fool this man enough so that he took her home with him.

Over the next three hours, Sakura talked with Rock Lee, flirted (much to her disgust with herself) and even laughed at his jokes. Tenten occasionally made a comment, or spoke to Kankarou, but for the most part, the two of them communicated only with glances and a few secretive signs. Lee was quite inebriated by this point, and he was, at the moment, professing his undying devotion to Sakura. In spite of the alcohol, he was very eloquent, and she found herself blushing profusely and trying not to stammer.

"Lee-san, you are too kind. I'm sure you don't really mean that." He had just said that her hair was like raven-feathered angel wings, and her eyes were like emeralds, and that she was the treasure of his youthful heart. Well, it had been something like that, but more articulate.

"Oh, but I do. You are truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." Lee turned to Kankarou. "My friend, your escort is exquisite. You wouldn't be willing to let her stay with me for a while, would you?" His fervent eyes drifted back over to Sakura's face, and she looked away, blushing. Though, Sakura had to admit to herself that she was unsure if she really appreciated his compliments or if she was embarrassed for him. Honestly, how did someone wear their emotions so openly?

"I'll leave that up to Sakura. What do you think, little blossom?" She hated it when he called her that. Rather than letting her anger show, she glanced coyly over at Lee, whose eyes were fixed on her, and tried to seem as flattered as possible.

"I don't want to be a bother to you, Lee-san. If it's too much trouble—"

"Sakura-san, please! It would be my pleasure to have you stay with me. If you do, I swear to you by my youthful spirit that you will be very comfortable, and you will never lack for entertainment. Please?" He was leaning on both elbows across the table now, his chin resting on the heels of both hands. There was an expression that bordered on puppy-love plastered over his features, and she really found herself unable to resist it. Nodding, she gave her consent to him, and he nearly jumped for joy. It was a good thing that he did not, or he would have tripped on his kimono and fallen onto her. "Arigato, Sakura-san. And to you to, Kankarou-san. I would not think that you would part with such an angel for any amount of time."

"Oh, but if it is only for a little while, I'm sure that I will be fine. But you must promise to take especially good care of her. She's very special." There was a smile on Kankarou's face that she did not like, and it took all she had not to stick out her tongue at him. Instead, she simply smiled at Lee, who had now very hesitantly reached out and touched her hand. It was sweet, really, but he was utterly awkward, and she was wondering how she was ever going to deal with him. As she was wondering about these things, she heard the kabuki-addict saying that Lee could take her home with him tonight. This gave her a jolt of fear. Was she really ready for this?

Lee seemed overjoyed, and Sakura gracefully took his cup from him and replaced it on the table before smiling sweetly at him and saying, "Please, Lee-san, too much sake will make it difficult for me to enjoy your company." It was the nicest way she could think of to get him to stop drinking without slapping him. Tenten raised an eyebrow at her, and Sakura (for only a moment) developed a slight twitch under her eye. If there was one thing she could not stand, it was a drunk. And if she was going to be spending any time at all with him, she was not going to let Lee get drunk. The last thing she wanted was to have to beat the crap out of him. Sober, he was actually a pretty nice guy.

Hinata sniffled. Kurenai was leaning over her, holding the thermometer. "This is what comes from your long walks. It's cold out, Hinata-sama. Please, you must stay in bed today." When she tried to protest, the woman firmly pushed her back down into the blankets. "You have a fever of one hundred and two degrees. I would be going against my orders from Itachi-sama to let you get up. Now, please, stay where you are, and I'll send someone with soup in a few minutes." Reluctantly, Hinata gave in to the woman's babying.

"Okay. But I don't want anyone poking or prodding me. Just give me something for my fever that won't hurt the baby, and tell them to leave me alone." She didn't want to see anyone. Later, she would apologize for snapping at Kurenai, but at the moment, she just didn't care that she was letting her fever do the talking. She stared dazedly out of the window for some time, she couldn't be sure how long, when she heard the door open.

A soft shuffling sound told her that her soup had arrived. Oh, joy. Probably chicken-noodle. Eew. She turned to tell the servant to put it by the bedside, but her words died in her throat. Instead, she said in a shocked voice, "Neji! What are you doing here?"

He set her soup (tomato, her favorite) down on the table, and sat on the edge of her bed. "I talked to Kurenai. She has agreed that she won't tell Itachi that I'm here, on the condition that I don't over-excite you." He smiled a little at that, and Hinata wondered what Kurenai knew. Did she know how badly Hinata wanted to be with him? How she wished that she shared her bed with Neji, and not Itachi? That thought had her blushing as she tried to sit up a little more.

"Keep still, Hinata-sama. I don't want Kurenai kicking my butt." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Now, eat your soup." She complied, and watched him watching her. She loved the feeling of his eyes on her; it was a comfortable weight. Once she had finished the soup, she set the spoon into the bowl with a soft clinking noise, and handed it back to Neji. "Now, I have something else for you." He reached onto the tray, and lifted the lid on a plate she had not before noticed. Hinata's eyes widened.

"I'm not supposed to eat that." Her eyes latched onto the confection that sat on the small plate, then to Neji's half-hidden smile, which was ripe with mischief. The dessert that sat on the plate was nothing but chocolate masquerading as a piece of cheesecake. The body of it was dark brown, and there were bittersweet chocolate shavings on the top of it, and the whole thing looked as if someone had doused it with hot fudge. Her mouth was watering. Hinata absolutely adored chocolate. Neji's smile was no longer hidden as he picked up a fork. Separating a piece from the rest of the dessert, he raised it to her lips. "I am really not supposed to eat tha—" As soon as she had the 'a' in 'that' out, the chocolate delicacy was inside her mouth, and it tasted wonderful.

"One time won't hurt you. And the baby will thank you later for giving her such wonderful taste in dessert." Hinata wanted to ask him why he was so certain that the baby would turn out to be a girl, but another piece of cheesecake slid past her lips, and a smile settled itself over her features, her eyes closing. She was making small delighted sounds as the sweetness of it melted in her mouth, and soon leaned forward to meet the fork halfway. To say that it was a tasty dessert would be the understatement of the century.

"Mm." Her eyes opened, and she saw that Neji was watching her with wonder on his face. She had never been fed her dessert before, especially not in such an intimate way, so the same sentiment was present on her own face. "Neji," she said after finishing the latest bite of the dessert, "I can't eat any more." She was lying, but she knew he wouldn't make her eat any more of it, which was why she lied. He put the plate of half-eaten cheesecake back on the tray, and so then slid himself up toward the pillows. When he had positioned himself just right, he pulled her close to him, planting a kiss on her temple.

"Sleep now, Hinata-sama."

The rain was an unwelcome change. Too warm yet for anything resembling snow, Naha (4) was one very wet place. Itachi looked out of the window, and nearly sighed. For the moment, there was nothing falling from the sky. His companion loved this weather for some reason. He himself hated the mist that clung to Okinawa's center of urban living. Not that they were looking out on the city. "You know, I don't know why we're even bothering with this place." He was really only thinking out loud, but the taller man who stood next to him looking out at the mist-covered garden grunted in disapproval.

"We want it all, Itachi-san. This place may not have much to offer now, but later, it may be profitable. And," Kisame's voice turned rather soft and almost gentle, "I could get used to the weather here." Glancing at his companion from the corner of his eye, Itachi grimaced. How could anyone enjoy feeling clammy all day? Well, there were other things that Kisame enjoyed which Itachi found distasteful, but he wasn't about to go into those, even in his mind.

If one were to categorize the two men standing at the glass, it would be done in two ways. Uchiha Itachi, for instance, was what the world generally now calls a sociopath. He knows the difference between right and wrong. Oh, surely, he knew that it was wrong to murder his parents, and those three darling girls whom he had called sisters…of course it had been wrong. Illegal, immoral, evil, even. But, as any true sociopath, he just couldn't find it in himself to care in the least that he had killed five of his closest relatives, and attempted to kill the last one.

Hoshigaki Kisame, on the other hand, was what is properly known as a psychopath. There was most definitely something wrong with his mind. He found it completely acceptable to murder people in cold blood for looking at him the wrong way. This was not because he did not care. This was simply because to him, life and death were simply both natural states of being. It was no different to be living than it was to be dead. Because of this, he found that him being the reason for a person's transition into the next world was coincidental. They were all headed there eventually, so why not…now? In Kisame's case, it would be safe to say that his knowledge of the words 'right' and 'wrong' was limited at best, and probably closer to nonexistent.

At the moment in question, Itachi was thinking of another of Kisame's habits which the decidedly sickly-looking man found to be completely normal. His…dietary preferences were rather disturbing. More than once, Kisame had the need to hire new maids, because of his compulsion to eat kidney and liver-filled dumplings. The very thought sickened him, but he wasn't going to go letting the man know, because then he would be viewed as weak. Weak people were Kisame's open buffet, and he was always hungry. Literally.

To make himself think of something more pleasant, the Uchiha turned his mind toward Hokkaido, where his wife was waiting for him. Three more months. Only three more months, and his child would be born. He did not relish the thought of being a father, but the thought of having something that physically tied him to that absolute vision of perfection that was Hinata was an idea he could get used to. And then, when the time was right, he could bring to the attention of the Uchiha clan's retired elders the fact that he had a child, an heir. This was something that his brother could not brag of. Especially since the young man's preferences tended toward something tall, blonde, and most definitely male.

The thought of Sasuke turning out to be homosexual did not surprise him. The fact that the little shit was still living pissed him off. That the elders had a price of the head of the rightful clan heir was appalling. All of that would be remedied in three months.

In three months, everything would be perfect.

Temari's eyes narrowed at her brother. "What were you thinking?" He had left them without a word, and now came back and claimed that he might have solved all of their problems, without wasting any of their resources. Honestly, she didn't know the girl he had used, but he was endangering their newly formed alliance with the Uchiha by putting the clan head's cousin in jeopardy like he did. "Kankarou, sometimes, I think you've lost your mind. What if she gets killed? After this whole mess with the Akatsuki, Uchiha will come after us. I thought you were supposed to be the spy-master? You're the one who we count on for information, and intelligent advice. I suppose I'll have to change your job description to 'village idiot'?"

Waving a dismissive hand as he played with yet another of his masks—this one with purple paint—he raised it to his face. She could see his eyes through the holes. The white face had purple lines in various places, namely around the closed mouth, which said, "You worry too much. Sakura-san will be fine. She is, to say the least, capable. In fact, it wouldn't be a bad idea to look into having her work with us on future projects." He never ceased to amaze her. Or, his stupidity did not. Sighing in resignation, she nodded. There was, at the very least, nothing she could do about it at the moment.

"No, Ino, you don't understand." He grasped his cup of sake, staring into it. "I gave him up. I rolled on him. He's my best friend, and I just…betrayed him." There was a sharp slapping sound as his hand connected with his face again. Nara Shikamaru was decidedly inebriated, which was probably not a good thing. "My father, being the loving—and completely clueless—parent that he is, went to Sasuke about the whole blood-feud business. The debt has been dissolved, but…"

Ino rolled her eyes and then pursed her lips. Then, she smiled and patted his head. "He'll forgive you, Shikamaru-san. You're his best friend, ne? If it had been me, I would have rolled. Sasuke-sama can be very scary. Not like you've got more honor than self-preservation." Shikamaru knew, deep down, that he was being placated. But that was deep down. Right then, he was gloriously pissed out of his mind, and he was re-living the night when he'd met the notorious Uchiha Sasuke.

The bar was dimly lit, with booths along the back walls, where men in flashy suits sat smoking cigars, telling jokes to each other over the thumping music. Shikamaru sat in one of those booths, but he was not wearing a flashy suit, nor was he smoking a stogie or joking with anyone. In fact, he was sitting alone, very sober, staring at the table-top, as he did every Friday night.

At his regular table, he still looked at the pieces spread over his small go board. They were the same as they had been the week before. And the week before that. He found himself at an impasse. It was the sort of thing that made him antisocial, this. Shikamaru's patience with his own inability was growing thin. He had been playing himself over and over again, trying to think of a way around this one part of the game. It was utter and total stalemate. But there had to be a way to win. How was he to do it? The small black and white stones mocked him, sitting there, serenely staring up at him.

"Tough game?" A cool voice said near his ear, which surprised him enough to jolt him out of his strategizing session. Looking up from the board, he found himself face to face with a very pale man just his age. Dark eyes…pale skin…straighter than straight black hair…Uchiha.

Shikamaru's low and perpetually annoyed voice came in clipped syllables. "Uchiha-san…" The man was hovering. If there was one thing that he hated, it was for people to be in that halfway position, where they didn't look like they wanted to walk away, yet were too polite to simply sit without being asked. Though, it was not quite that way with Uchiha Sasuke. The young oyabun simply looked pointedly at him until he motioned to the seat opposite him. "Please, sit, Uchiha-san."

The man lowered himself gracefully into the black lacquered chair that Shikamaru gestured at, and signaled the waitress. Sake was delivered to the table in a matter of no more than thirty seconds, during which there was an awkward silence between the two dark-haired men. Shikamaru glanced down at the board in front of him, then began clearing the pieces from it. As he did, he said, "What is it I can do for you, oyabun?" His tone was respectful, and he did not meet the man's eyes. He had never personally come into contact with this man before, but he had to say that something about him was a bit frightening.

It was like looking at Naruto when he was angry. He was still one of the prettiest things you'd ever see, but it was a terrible beauty, one that could make you want to run and hide, for fear of what he might do. Usually, in Naruto's case, it ended with nothing more than a fist-fight—which Shikamaru was more often than not too lazy to even participate in—and then everything went back to normal. Just as the last black ceramic piece was dropped in the little velvet bag he kept them in, the Uchiha spoke again, garnering his full attention.

"Nara-san, I wonder if you might be able to help me." Shikamaru's thin eyebrows rose. Sasuke continued, "I need to ask you about Uzumaki Naruto..."

And that was the beginning of it. It was the very reason why he was now drowning himself in alcohol, and why Ino was having to pry the cup out of his hands. "Shikamaru!" He blinked rapidly at her, seeing no fewer than three sets of dark blue eyes. Her hand connected with his cheek, a slap ringing through the quiet bar. No one paid them any heed. They all knew better. "Get your shit together, you lush!" With that, she stood him up, and threw his arm over her shoulder, intent on getting him home. He soon found himself in a taxi, leaning heavily on Ino.

"How'd I get in here?" He asked, and received a terse reply.

"You, sir, are drunk. I am taking you home." Her bossy tone was getting on his nerves, and he frowned. Looking her in the eyes, his head swayed a bit from side to side, and he was suddenly dizzy. Then, he lay his head back down on her shoulder.

"I'm an asshole," he said dejectedly.

"Shut your mouth, Shikamaru. If one more word of self-pity comes out of that gaping hole, I'll tie you up and gag you." She sounded serious. In fact, she sounded as if her voice was going to get choked up at any moment. "You are not an asshole. You are a good friend, but you can't just go dying. If you did, you know I'd have to find a way to bring you back from the dead so I could kick your ass." The taxi came to a stop, and she opened the door. "You need me to stay with you tonight?"

He thought about that for a long moment. Did he really want to be alone right now? That question was answered for him when he felt Ino's arm around his waist, supporting him, and leading him up the steps to his apartment. "Thanks, Ino." All he got in reply was a grunt as they nearly fell back into the street.

A/N: I decided to do what one of my reviewers said. Footnotes!

1). obi board--a stiff piece of plastic or wood that give shape to the obi, or belt on a kimono

2). obiage--this is a decorative scarf-like cloth that goes over the obi, and is tied with a cord.

3). obijime--a cord, usually brightly colored, which is tied around the combination of obi and obiage.

4). Naha--I probably mentioned this before, but Naha is the largest town on the island of Okinawa.

Yeah, I know. You saw nothing of Naruto or Sasuke. But aren't Hinata and Neji cute? And Lee just cracks me up.