1Disclaimer - don't own!
Violent Wasteland
Neji wrapped his hands around a hot cup of coffee, staring out of his booth window at the people passing by. Condensation fogged up the glass a little, and he smiled, as the sight evoked a sudden and childish reaction in him. Delicately, he traced a finger across the cool glass, painting a stick figure of bitch Tsunade yelling at him.
Drawing in a gun shooting at her head as well, Neji could still feel no better about the situation he'd been put in.
Or better yet, the situation she'd put him in.
His Captain had known, she had known, that anything involving the Suna Syndicate would have his undoubted attention, and he despised the woman for using it against him.
Going undercover might mean months, possibly years, just building up enough trust for him to even begin fishing for more secrets. But, his 'fishing' could very well provide the undeniable evidence needed to arrest Kakashi Hatake, or at the very least, some of his top men.
And...
Neji couldn't help the painful constricting of his chest at his next thought.
He might even find the man responsible for his father's...death.
Stop.
Rubbing at the bridge of his nose, Neji made a concerted effort to move away from such blathering fancies. If fate was kind, someday he might find that...fucking murderer...but he wouldn't put too much stock into something as flimsy as hope.
Shino would, of course, make his own reply to Tsunade's offer depending on Neji's the next day, and Neji felt immensely grateful for that. With the way his mood was going down the crapper, he didn't think he could battle Shino for the assignment without drawing blood.
It was a strange compatibility, their partnership, where Shino usually pushed, and Neji usually pulled.
Flicking his finger across the remnants of preserve from his plate of blueberry pie, Neji felt an inexplicable loneliness seep into his bones.
Shino was one of his only friends now; even his family barely spoke to him.
The pale eyed man slowly licked off the sweet filling, a small, bitter smile lifting his lips at the taste.
An empty parking lot, the center of Suna District, three hours later
"Gaara, what the fuck are we doing here?"
The irate blonde puffed hard at his cigarette, making a desperate attempt to appear as tough as the man he had spoken to. Unfortunately, while Gaara had looked exactly like a 'seductive killer' smoking his cigarette, Naruto somehow ended up looking like a malnourished kid sucking on a pocky stick.
Fuck. He had the worst luck.
Saying nothing in response, Gaara leaned back against the side of his corvette.
"OI! You givin' me the silent treatment now? Man, what the hell is your problem!"
"...Shut up. If Kiba isn't here in five minutes, we leave. Hatake has given us a new target, so we have some prep to do."
Naruto growled lightly, crossing his arms in annoyance.
"New target, huh? Pah, just as long as we don't have to deal wi-"
"YO! Sorry, 'm late! The 'Y' broke down somewhere near sixty-ninth and third, so I had to jet it over here on foot!"
Grinning even though he'd been cutoff, Naruto wrapped an arm around Kiba's neck in a choke hold and proceeded to noogie him until he cried 'Uncle.'
Gaara rolled his eyes at the disgusting display of affection.
"Get in the fucking car you losers. We have to go visit the Uchiha."
Kiba frowned a little, sliding a quick glance at his friend to see how he took this statement. It wasn't news that Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha had ended their relationship with a viscous falling out, but what was news however, was the fact that Naruto hadn't gotten over the bastard. Not by a long shot.
The mad dog of the Suna district winced at how pale Naruto had become.
"B-but, um, Gaara, can't I just wait...outside?"
Gaara almost wanted to say okay to the sad request, but managed to restrain himself. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, annoyed at all the soap opera bullshit.
"I'm sorry Uzumaki. You know Uchiha will do things for you he'd never do for us. Even though he works for Hatake too, the boy marches to his own drum. Just as we do."
Naruto let the cigarette drop from his mouth onto the cement, where he slowly stomped it out. Somehow, the circles under his eyes had become more pronounced, and his formally bronzed complexion took on a grayish tint. He looked sick.
Heart sick.
"Yeah. Let's go."
Residence of Sasuke Uchiha, 124th and Oakview Place, Suna District, Konoha City
Naruto felt like his stomach was being attacked by a thousand psychopathic butterflies, and his mouth tasted of dirt and cotton. He couldn't breathe. His legs felt like lead, but wiggled like jelly.
That man's hoity-toity loft in the nicer part of Konoha, held so many memories the blonde was sure he'd embarrass himself by throwing up all over the doorstep or bawling his eyes out. He did not want to do either.
He wanted to appear as cool and collected as Gaara.
As fucking icy as Sasuke had been when he said he didn't love-
"Hey, Naruto. We're here. You wanna ring the buzzer?"
The blonde blinked, and quickly nodded his head yes in response.
Well, here goes nothing.
Stepping up to the auto lock door, Naruto punched the buzzer to 4E. He would never forget that apartment number as long as he lived.
The crackling of static was all he heard for a moment, before a man's voice, Sasuke's voice, issued through the receiver.
"Who the fuck is it, and what the hell do you want?"
Naruto almost laughed, fuck he almost cried, at the sound of his former lover's tone. He'd almost forgotten how much he adored that voice...And how much it hurt him.
Breathing deeply for a moment, he fumbled for a cigarette, his lighter, anything to fortify himself against the approaching confrontation.
"...Dammit, whoever's fucking out there better answer or I'll-"
Releasing a lung full of smoke, Naruto cut the Uchiha off before he got on a roll. "Hey, Sasuke. It's me."
Silence was his answer. But it wasn't like that was a big surprise. Silence had always been his answer, no matter what the situation...even at the end.
"...I'll buzz you in."
Naruto nodded, though the other man couldn't see him. He knew that tone too. It was the tone saved for guests. Polite strangers.
People below Sasuke's station, who annoyed him with their continued existence.
The blonde didn't think it was possible for his heart to break again, but it kept doing just that. Folding, and folding, and folding into itself until there was nothing left.
He smiled despondently as he pulled open the door and moved inside.
Naruto began the slow climb up the stairs, hardly hearing the stomps of his friend Kiba, and the measured foot steps of his Boss. He pushed open the door to 4E - he knew it would be open, as some things never change - and followed the rotten eggs smell of sulfur toward the left side of the loft.
He choked on the acrid fumes of his cigarette when he finally caught sight of him.
Sasuke was standing in front of a large pile of dynamite, jeans slung low on hips, no shirt, the butt of a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He ran long, elegant fingers through his hair, dark eyes burning everything up in sight with their inset anger.
He reached down to swipe up a red stick - affording Naruto a pleasantly painful view of his ass - and pinched off a quarter of the fuse.
"I didn't expect to see you again, Dobe."
Upon muttering these words, Sasuke then turned around and locked eyes with a pair of deep sea hues. The Uchiha wouldn't admit he'd missed those lovely eyes like crazy for the past six weeks...four days...thirteen hours...twenty minutes...and forty-seven seconds.
No, he wouldn't admit it, because admiting it would mean he was wrong. And Sasuke Uchiha was never wrong.
So, he just smirked his impossibly sexy smirk.
...And Naruto merely smiled his sad smile in return.
Why does it hurt?
Flicking a match to cover the emotion in his eyes, Sasuke lit the dynamite, practically choking on his laughter, his pain, when he saw Gaara and Kiba's faces. He then shifted his black stare towards Naruto. The blonde hadn't even twitched an eyebrow.
His little Dobe would never fear him, no matter what threats he levied.
Chucking the stick across the room, straight over the threesome's heads, he muttered bitterly. "Fire in the hole."
A ridiculously huge explosion rattled the building, and sent a tremor half way down the block.
Sasuke Uchiha, demolitions expert. He liked to blow things up, almost as much as he liked to blow cute little blondes.
To bad he'd again lost his current, and favorite, cute little blonde.
Eyes watering, and hands trying to wave away the black smoke, Naruto stumbled forward, straight into Sasuke's waiting arms.
The pungent fumes quickly dispersed through the ventilation system, leaving the air as clean as before. A couple angry, half hearted yells could be heard on the street outside, though most in the neighborhood knew to either get used to the Uchiha's insanity, or move.
"Comfortable, Dobe?"
Naruto snapped his eyes open, taking in the pale stomach his face seemed to be buried in. He quickly loosened the death-like grip his fingers had on Sasuke's denim.
Red tinted his cheeks, but it wasn't embarrassment.
He felt a hand squeeze his ass.
Okay, maybe it was a little embarrassment.
"OI!"
Yelling, Naruto popped up and back wards, making sure to put at least five feet of distance between the two of them.
Sasuke slowly raised his hands in mock defense. "I was only checking to see if you were all right."
"MY ASS IS FINE, THANK YOU!"
Sasuke grinned lasciviously. "Yes, yes it is."
Finding the tenseness in the room annoying, Gaara moved forward, getting in the way of Sasuke's view of the blonde. The red head then rubbed angrily at a spot of soot on his brand new silk tie.
Fucking Uchiha. He always had to buy new clothes whenever he came over here.
"We have business, Mr. Uchiha. I'm sure Hatake has spoken with you."
Frowning, Sasuke began to edge towards the side, trying to catch sight of his ex-boyfriend again.
"Yeah, Kakashi-pervert contacted me."
Kiba and Naruto looked uncomfortable at the familiar insult dealt towards their boss, while Gaara merely blinked, and waited for more to be said.
Growling in frustration, Sasuke stopped trying to see around Gaara, as the man would just move to block him.
He sighed. "Look, you're mission requires a sharp shooter. You've worked with them before, go find yourself one, and leave me alone."
Gaara rolled his eyes and motioned for Naruto to come out from behind him.
The blonde slouched, a mulish expression on his face as he spoke to his ex.
"Fuck you, bastard. I know you can set us up with a shooter in five seconds flat. So whip out that magic Rolodex of yours and find us one. Now."
Sasuke appeared inscrutable for a moment. In truth, he was just trying to restrain himself from pouncing, as his little blonde was just too hot when he was trying to be mean.
But Sasuke couldn't help himself. "I'll whip out my magic Rolodex, don't you worry about that, Dobe."
Naruto snorted at the innuendo, hooding his eyes so he could study the other man without reprisal.
...His hair had gotten longer. He looked tired too. The blonde wouldn't admit how painful it felt seeing his former lover unwell, but that didn't stop him from moving forward and kicking him in the shin. He'd always acted on impulse, which was probably the reason they'd become involved in the first place.
"You look like shit. You never sleep enough, douche bag."
Sasuke didn't even lift an eyebrow. "It's lonely here at night, so there's no need to."
Naruto flinched as if he'd been slapped, and put the much needed space between them again.
Kiba growled darkly from his perch in the corner. "Just get on with it, Uchiha."
"Shut the fuck up, Inuzuka."
"You wanna take me on bitch!"
"Any time, anywhere, you retarded mutt."
Kiba surged forward, menace lighting his animal eyes.
"Enough!"
The two potential opponents glared at Gaara, as the man deftly unbuttoned his cuff links.
"If you wish to continue, I will take out my gun and not hesitate to shoot you both in the head. Now, Uchiha, if you will please do as Uzumaki requested."
Sasuke slid his gaze so it rested on the bright mop of Naruto's hair; the shorter man staring out a wall window at the people who scurried below.
He felt something icy seize his chest, but chose not to examine the feeling to closely. "...Give me two minutes."
It took less time than that for Sasuke to come up with a name for them. She could get them a sharp shooter in about twenty-four hours. Though the Uchiha hated working third person, at the moment it couldn't be helped. It was short notice after all.
"She is known only as Ten Ten. The address is on that paper, along with a contact number."
Naruto crunched the paper in his fist, as he glared up at Sasuke.
Why did the bastard make him want to hug and kiss him one moment, and then lash out like a wounded animal the next?
The blonde knew the reason, and it killed him inside.
"Bye then, Sasuke."
The door shut hard in his face. He fished around for another cigarette - a surprising fact was that he never smoked until he met Sasuke - and stared mournfully at the half bent one in his hand.
"I need some ramen."
Kiba patted his shoulder and promised to treat the younger man to a big meal of it.
Note - AWWWWW! it's so sadddd. Kay, hope you guys won't yell, but I changed the character narrowing in my settings to Sasuke and Naruto, just so I could get a couple more reviews. It's still my favorite coupling, Neji/Gaara, but now Sasu/naru will have a strong place in there too. They're both going to be major players in this story. Woo...looks like I've got some hard work in front of me then! Better get started!