Disclaimer: Apparently, my wanting Kiba is getting old, so you'll have to settle for boring disclaimers. I don't own them.

A/N: Sorry it took so long. I'm trying, honest!

Neji Hyuuga sat alone at a table in a bar, twirling the stir stick in his drink around in a circle. He watched the dark liquid—it was some kind of cocktail he had decided to try—and debated whether or not to finish it and order another. He didn't want to get drunk just yet, since he was still alone. He had incredibly low tolerance.

"Neji!" The Hyuuga lurched forward in his seat so violently he almost smashed his face into his glass. Naruto had practically tackled him from behind, and the blond was still holding him around the waist.

"You haven't seen me for twelve hours, and you're this excited?" Neji smirked as the blond let him go and walked around the table, plopping down in one of the empty seats.

"Twelve hours is a long time." He pouted. "I'm used to waking up and having the pleasure of annoying you right when my day starts."

Neji rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop a smile from forming on his lips. Everyone at the station had missed Naruto. It was weird without the hyperactive blond running around all over the place, making weird jokes and singing songs at the top of his lungs when they didn't have any fires to tend to.

"The guys down at Twelve miss you."

"Yeah, I miss them, too. But guess who I found at Station Seven?" Naruto grinned. Neji hated that grin. It promised trouble.

"Who?"

"Hyuuga." Neji turned and his eyes fixed on a tall redheaded man with dark-rimmed eyes. He recognized him immediately.

"Sabaku. It's been a while."

"It has." the redhead agreed as he took his seat in one of the two remaining chairs. "I've seen Uzumaki around a few times, but never you."

"Well, you and Naruto have always been on better terms."

"Better terms?" Naruto laughed as he swung one arm around Gaara's neck. "Me'n ol' Raccoon-Eyes have been best buddies since, what, birth?"

"Kindergarten, actually." Gaara's lips almost turned up into a smile. Neji remembered Naruto being the only person on the planet able to do that. It seemed he hadn't lost his touch.

"Looks like I'm late." Neji turned to see a man he didn't know headed in their direction. He took a seat in the last remaining chair before bumping fists with Naruto and nodding to Gaara.

"Neji, this is Kiba. Kiba, this is Neji. He's an old friend from school, and we used to work together in Station Twelve."

"Hey." Kiba held his hand out, Neji shaking it. "Nice to meet you."

"Same."

"You should be jealous, Neji. I liked Kiba five minutes after I met him." Naruto grinned.

"Bastard." Neji teased, pretending to glare at Kiba. The brunette laughed, shaking his head.

Neji liked spending time with Naruto. It made him feel more relaxed and less like he had a stick up his ass. That feeling always went away when he talked to his uncle. Every time he did, he got the same question: "Why won't you quit this idiotic job and join my company? You're to be my heir, I cannot delay your appointment any longer." Neji hated it. He didn't want a fucking desk job. He wanted to be a firefighter—make a difference. Save people. It made him feel like he had a purpose.

A waitress came over and asked the three other men what they'd like to drink. They ordered and received their drinks two minutes later, the four chatting amongst themselves for a bit. And then,

"Naruto!"

"Oh, shit." the blond groaned, burying his hands in his hair. "Why here?"

"I think he overheard you talking to Gaara and I." Kiba chuckled.

Genma bounced towards Naruto and practically plopped down on the blond's lap, who stared at him in disgust.

"What the fuck?.!" Naruto pushed him off. "Get off me! What the hell is wrong with you?.!"

"Where's your sitter?" Kiba asked as he laughed at Naruto's predicament. Kiba had been lucky enough not to be Genma's type. Naruto, on the other hand, was too hot for anyone to resist.

"Genma!" Raidou hollered, as if Kiba's question had summoned him. The scarred man yanked Genma back to his feet, pushing him away from the table. "Go find another table, you perverted fuck!"

"But Raidou—"

"No buts! Go!"

"Does this mean I'm not getting laid tonight?"

"Go!" Genma jumped at the anger in Raidou's voice and scurried away to find a seat. Taking a deep breath, Raidou turned back to the group, giving Naruto an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. And about this afternoon in the shower. They should've warned you." Raidou glared at Kiba, as if it were all his fault.

"Oh, don't worry about it. They did warn me, I just didn't listen." Naruto laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Still, I'm really sorry. I'll keep a closer eye on him. I have to say, though, I can understand his attraction."

"Careful, Namiashi." Gaara said, narrowing his eyes.

"Don't worry, Gaara. He's all yours."

"Gaara ain't gay." Kiba grinned. "I should know. He's been crushing on my sister for a while now."

"Who'd want that butch of a chick?" Genma hollered from another table. Kiba was on his feet seconds later, Gaara grabbing his arm to hold him back.

"What'd you say, pervert?.!"

"Genma!" Raidou exclaimed. "Fuck! I can't take you anywhere!" He turned back to Kiba. "Sorry, I'll go shut him up."

"Cut off his fucking balls, man!" Kiba growled as he sat back down. The scarred man turned and went to join his boyfriend at the other table, hitting him across the back of the head.

Neji had watched the whole interaction in silence, noting that Naruto had seemed disgusted with Genma at first, but was now smirking.

"He doesn't know you're gay, does he?"

"No." Naruto snorted. "It's funnier to fuck with him."

"Should I not stop him next time he jumps you?" Gaara inquired.

"No, no. Stop him. It'll piss him off more." Naruto grinned ferally.

Kiba stared at Naruto, his mouth open in shock. The other three noticed, staring at him with cocked eyebrows. The brunette pointed at the blond before speaking.

"You're—gay?"

"Well, bi, really." Naruto smirked as he leaned back in his chair, throwing one arm over the back of Gaara's. "I'm open to experimentation. But, yeah, I've been with a few guys."

"Broke my heart." Neji said, his eyebrow twitching.

"Oh, you and I never went at it." Naruto insisted. "One kiss cause you were curious what it was like to kiss a guy. Besides, aren't you engaged to Tenten, anyway?"

"Wait a second." Kiba leaned forward, pointing at Neji. "Tenten Tamura?"

"Yes." Neji said with a frown.

"Shit!" Naruto laughed. "That's right! Her last name's Tamura! Isn't she one of the paramedics for Medic Eight?"

"Yeah. That's why I was shocked." Kiba grinned. "I didn't know you were her fiancé."

"That would be me." Neji smirked. "And Tenten will be upset you forgot her last name." Naruto winced.

"Well, there were a lot of names. It's not like I had enough time to stop and consider everyone. Besides, I was too busy staring at the paramedic who was talking. I was sure he was going to drop dead."

Kiba laughed. "Yeah, Hayate's a sick bastard. I don't think he's ever been healthy in his life."

"Yet, he's a medic." Naruto said with a smirk before turning back to Neji. "Besides, it's not like I saw her. If I had, I would've recognized her immediately." He then hit Neji in the arm. "And it wouldn't have killed you to tell me she worked at Station Seven, you prick."

"I knew you'd feel more inclined to go to Station Seven knowing Tenten was there. There's no chance in hell I'll get you back now, since Gaara is there." The Hyuuga motioned Gaara, the redhead smirking. Kiba choked on his drink, so startled by the action.

Naruto glanced at his watch and winced. "I have to be up early tomorrow to meet Tsunade and Jiraiya for something. Orochimaru's requested bail again." Naruto stood up, dropping money on the table for his drink.

"That's their brother, right?" Neji asked. "The crazy one who killed all those people at work cause he claimed they were demons?"

"That would be him." Naruto sighed. "He pleaded insanity, but criminalists proved he had a pre-thought out plan, which cancels out his insanity plea."

"Good luck." Gaara said as the blond waved good bye to them and headed out of the bar.

As the other three returned to their conversation, none of them noticed a dark figure in the corner watch the blond leave. He took a sip of his drink before putting it down and dropping money on the table, grabbing his jacket to follow the blond home.

Naruto let out a snort and rolled over, slamming his hand down on his alarm clock. He frowned and peeled his eyes open as he brought his hand back to stare at it. He stared at his hand for a good ten seconds before sitting up and looking at his alarm clock in confusion.

He frowned and tried to remember what had happened last night. He'd come home completely sober, taken a shower, and then gone to bed. So why the hell is there what I can only assume is vomit on my alarm clock? he thought, confused.

He threw his covers off himself with his clean hand and turned his body, placing his feet on the floor. His eyes widened slightly before he looked down at his carpet, his feet standing in a huge puddle of water. What the fuck?.! Is there a leak in the pipes?

He stood and padded towards his bathroom door, grabbing the handle with his clean hand to open the door. He frowned and pulled the handle up to his face, the bronze doorknob having come completely off the door. Okay, this is just weird. What the fuck is going on? Am I dreaming?

With a sigh, Naruto wiped his dirty hand on his boxers before turning and walking towards his bedroom door. He tried that knob and nodded, satisfied, as it opened. The second it did, a bucket full of eggs fell on his head.

Naruto stood in his doorway for close to a minute, staring at the wall in front of him with a vengeance, as if the bucket of eggs were somehow its fault. I am going to find out who did this, Naruto thought angrily, and hang him with his own intestines.

He stormed angrily down the corridor, ignoring the fact that he walked right through a small pool of shaving cream. He headed right for the stairs and screamed, ripping at his egg-soaked hair as he noticed string crisscrossing his stairs in a chaotic pattern. He didn't think he had anything sharp upstairs, so he would have to fight his way downstairs.

The blond grumbled and cursed angrily the whole time he fought his way through the string, crying out sharply when his hand or foot would get caught somewhere. It took him close to ten minutes to go down one flight of stairs, and by the time he hit the first level, he was absolutely livid. He couldn't remember being this mad since Gaara had ditched him to take the blame for a huge prank they'd pulled in grade eleven.

"I hope you're not still in my house, you asshole." Naruto hollered as he walked towards the kitchen. "Cause you're fucking dead meat if I find you!"

He stormed towards his kitchen, but just as he was about to walk into the room, he smacked into something and fell backwards on his ass. Hard. Looking up angrily, he stared, stunned, at the large piece of glass that was placed at his kitchen door. It was exactly one centimeter bigger than the door, leaning against it almost invisibly. Whoever had done it obviously went all out.

Naruto refrained from smashing his fist into the glass only because he knew it would take him forever to clean it up. Instead, he just grabbed the ends and pushed it aside. Honestly, he was surprised he hadn't broken it with the force he'd walked into it with.

Once the glass was safely out of his way, he walked towards the drawers to get scissors, grabbing the handle of the first one. He tugged, but it didn't open. It stayed shut. Frowning, he tugged again, the drawer giving way only slightly. That was when he noticed the drawer had been nailed shut. He threw out a stream of curses as he jumped up and down, stomping his feet angrily. He knew he looked like a four-year-old throwing a tantrum, but he was pissed!

Just as Naruto was about to grab the handle and force the drawer open, his eyes caught sight of a note on the wall right in front of the drawer. Squinting in the early morning light—why wasn't it brighter? It was seven!—he read the note, and saw red.

'Don't pull too hard on the drawer, moron. It's full of knives, remember? If you yank it out, they could go flying. Wouldn't want to scar that perfect body of yours. Love, Death.'

"Oh, the fucker's dead." Naruto whispered, his voice dripping with hatred. "He's going to wish he never met me!"

With that, Naruto yanked open the drawer, ducking slightly to avoid being hit by any flying knives. He was somewhat confused when nothing flew out and looked into the drawer. Inside was a plastic sheet covering the utensils in the drawer, another note lying on top.

'I knew you were an idiot and would yank this open. I figured I'd save my own ass from murder because you're a moron.'

"You're the moron for messing with me, Uchiha-bastard!" Naruto growled angrily as he ripped the plastic sheet off and grabbed his scissors.

Honestly, he didn't really understand why he and Sasuke had immediately hated each other. He supposed it was because he was jealous of Sasuke, but that didn't explain why Sasuke hated him. And to this extreme! I should charge him for breaking and entering, Naruto thought as he made his way back to his stairs to cut all the string.

As he worked, he tried to think of ways to open his bathroom door. It wasn't the end of the world if he didn't get it open, since there were two other bathrooms in the house, but still. He had all of his stuff in his bathroom.

He got through all the string and walked back upstairs, forgetting why he'd gone downstairs in the first place. He cursed as he reached the top, remembering it was to get tools in order to get his bathroom door open. He turned around and went back downstairs, grumbling all the while. He walked across the first floor until he reached the basement door. He grabbed the handle, yanked—and ended up with another doorknob in his hand.

Naruto was about to go nuclear when he caught sight of the time. It was five-forty-two in the morning. Sasuke had set his alarm two hours in advance. Bastard was at least nice enough to know I had an important day, he thought with a growl as he stared at the door in front of him. He sighed, shaking his head, knowing he'd have no choice but the break the door down. He really couldn't afford to get his door fixed again, so it was going to suck, but it was all he could think of.

Just as he moved back and was about to ram his shoulder into the door, his phone rang. He paused with a frown, walking towards the closest one—which happened to be in the living room—and answered. He had no idea who could be calling him this early.

"Hello?"

"Don't break down your door, moron. Pull the hinges out." The phone went dead.

The fucker is watching me! Naruto thought angrily as he almost hurled his phone against the wall. The knowledge that he was quickly running out of money made him stop just in time, placing the phone down. At least he saved my door, Naruto thought angrily as he stormed to the kitchen to grab a knife. He went back to his basement door and pulled the hinges out before opening the door the opposite way. Once it was open, he just turned and went upstairs to do the same to his bathroom door. He didn't need the tools right now, anyway, and he'd rather just get ready and go somewhere safe until he had time to come home and clean everything. He winced as he realized it wouldn't be until close to midnight.

After going to court with Jiraiya and Tsunade, he was going to have to head over to his second job—he worked in a Wal-Mart on the side, since he needed the extra money to pay his bills. His house wouldn't be clean for a while, and this caused a sigh to emit from between his lips. Oh, the Uchiha was going to pay.

Sasuke smirked as he watched the blond moving around his house, getting redder and redder in the face every time he passed a window. The raven smirked, grabbing a chip from the bag beside him and popping it into his mouth.

He was perched on the roof of the house across the street from Naruto's. He knew the homeowners because he used to baby-sit their kids, and he couldn't help but feel fate had planned this. It was like everything was going Sasuke's way.

The Uchiha was an insomniac and hardly ever slept, so he found enough time to get everything set up in Naruto's house before settling himself on the roof across the street—having received permission to do so—and watching the show. He always called Naruto when the blond was going to do something stupid, but sometimes, he couldn't see him. That was why he'd put the plastic sheet in the knife-drawer, because he couldn't see him and he knew the blond idiot would yank it open. It was just the kind of stupid thing he would do.

"Looks like he's about ready to go." Sasuke mused to himself as he pulled out his cell phone. He hit the speed-dial for one and put it to his ear, listening to it ring. It took a while before someone mumbled hello on the other end.

"Naruto needs a ride." the Uchiha stated bluntly.

"What?" Kiba asked sleepily. "Man, what time is it?" There was shuffling, which suggested Kiba was trying to find his alarm clock. "Fuck, Uchiha, it's six-thirty in the damn morning."

"Did you hear me? Naruto needs a ride." Sasuke repeated.

"What? How do you know? Where are you?"

"Across the street from his house." Sasuke replied easily.

"You didn't!" Kiba exclaimed, suddenly sounding wide awake. Sasuke grinned, but only because he knew no one could see him. "Fuck, Uchiha! It's my fucking day off, man."

"I'll make it up to you." Sasuke reassured.

"Yeah, you fucking better, man." Kiba grumbled before he hung up. Sasuke smirked as he closed his phone with one hand, watching Naruto enter his garage through one of his windows.

He had to admit, maybe taking the engine out of his car had been a little extreme, but hey, whatever would piss him off worked. He wanted the blond to transfer back to Station Twelve so he never had to see him again. Him and his perfect skin, and his perfect hair, and his perfect fucking everything! Fuck, even Raidou had been casting glances at him in the shower, and Raidou was the pickiest person Sasuke had ever met! Other than Genma, the only person who'd ever caught his interest was Sasuke, but now, it looked like he was being replaced by some blond straight guy!

He never would've gone anywhere with Raidou, but it made a man feel good to know that a picky guy would think he was worth his time. As for Genma, well, the guy was a pervert, but he'd never tried what he'd done to Naruto yesterday before. Just the thought of it made Sasuke growl.

His growl turned into a grin as Naruto emerged from the garage just as Kiba pulled in front of his house. Naruto looked purple in the face, almost as if he were going to explode. Sasuke's grin widened as he pulled his phone out and called Kiba again.

"What do you want?" the other man demanded, turning around to look right up at Sasuke, the raven giving him a small, teasing wave.

"Keep your phone on in your pocket, will you? I want to hear what he says." Sasuke smirked.

"Whatever, man." Kiba pushed his phone back into his pocket, but Sasuke could hear the sound of fabric brushing against the microphone as Kiba walked to the front door. He watched Kiba as theman knocked, hearing the sound in his ear a few seconds later. He hated the delay time.

The door opened and Sasuke smirked as he bent down slightly to avoid being seen.

"What are you doing here?" the blond's annoying voice demanded.

"I got a call from Sasuke saying you'd need a ride. I figured I'd lend you my car for the day, but you'll have to drop me off at home."

"Thanks, Kiba." Naruto mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"So," a smirk was evident in Kiba's voice, "Sasuke, one. Naruto, zero."

"Fuck you!" Naruto hollered angrily. Sasuke laughed quietly to himself.

Kiba leaned to the side slightly to look into Naruto's house. "Yikes. Sasuke one-thousand, by the looks of it."

"I'll get him back for this shit!" Naruto yelled angrily. "You hear that, Uchiha?.!" he screamed out his door. "You're dead!"

I'm so scared, the raven thought with a smirk, bending down a little more. He didn't want Naruto to yell at the people whose house he was perched on because they'd let Sasuke watch the show on their roof. It would be unfair to them.

Sasuke waited until Naruto and Kiba were gone before closing his phone, gathering his things and shoving them back into his backpack. He carefully made his way down the side of the house before jumping to the ground, dusting his hands off and walking towards his motorcycle. He got on it, revved it up, and disappeared down the street. He felt bad that his bike was so loud when it was only seven in the morning, but he figured the people could deal with it. Most of them would be getting up for work and school, anyway.

He made his way back to one of his houses—he had four—and parked his motorcycle on the driveway. He got off it, pushing the kick-stand down before flipping the keys in his hand and heading for his front door. As he reached it, he shoved the key in the lock, turning it and pushing down on the doorknob to open the door, but he paused.

The door was slightly hot, and when he looked down, he could see smoke billowing out from beneath his door before being sucked back in. Backdraft (1).

"Shit." Sasuke whispered. He'd already pushed down on the door handle, and even if he let it back up slowly, the small shift would probably still allow oxygen into his house.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke let go of the doorknob and bolted from the door, running for all he was worth. He barely made it halfway down his driveway before the house exploded, sending him flying through the air and onto the street.

Kakashi opened the bathroom door and smirked as he rubbed water out of his hair with his towel, walking into his room before bending down over the bed, grinning at the other occupant. Iruka Umino lay on one side, fast asleep. He'd obviously fallen asleep waiting for Kakashi to get out of the shower.

"Wake up." Kakashi nudged Iruka's chin with his nose, kissing the hollow of his throat. "Wake up, Umino."

"Mm." Iruka mumbled. "Stop it." He pushed against Kakashi halfheartedly before turning onto his side, his back to Kakashi. The Captain wouldn't be blown off so easily, and they both knew it.

Kakashi climbed onto the bed, throwing the towel on the floor as he did so, and pressed himself up against Iruka's back, pulling the other man towards him. It was awkward since Iruka was under the covers and Kakashi wasn't, but he managed to hold onto him and nuzzle his neck.

"Why do you call me Captain Hatake all the time?" he asked his lover. "It's weird acting so formal with you. Does it turn you on, or something?" Kakashi grinned.

"You know I don't want my subordinates to know we're together." Iruka murmured, knowing he wasn't going to be allowed to continue sleeping. "It's all right in the firehouse because most of you are gay, but I don't know how Shikamaru would take it."

"The boy's got a good head on his shoulders." Kakashi whispered, content with lying like he was with Iruka in his arms. "He's been working for you since he graduated from the Arson Academy. That was, what, three years ago? I'm sure your sexual preferences won't mean anything to him."

"Mm. Still." Iruka shifted to get more comfortable in Kakashi's arms before settling down for sleep again.

"You're not just going to go to sleep and leave me all hot and bothered, now, are you?" Kakashi asked, a hint of a pout in his voice.

Iruka couldn't help but smile, his eyes still closed. He knew that no matter what, Kakashi was going to get his way, but that didn't mean he'd make it easy for him. He steadied out his breathing, feigning sleep.

"Iruka." Kakashi whined before blowing in the Arson Investigator's ear. "Play with me."

Iruka's comeback was interrupted by the phone ringing, Kakashi cursing and pulling away from Iruka. "Who calls at seven in the fucking morning on a firefighter's day off?" he grumbled as he grabbed the phone and put the receiver to his ear. "Hello?"

Someone spoke on the other end as Iruka turned to look at Kakashi, trying to gauge who it was by his lover's facial expressions. He was shocked when he saw Kakashi's eyes widen and his face contorted with horror.

"When?"

Iruka sat up, concerned. "Who is it? What's wrong?" Kakashi ignored him.

"Where is here?"

The gray-haired Captain of Engine Seven threw open the double doors to the hospital, walking hurriedly towards the front desk.

"Where is he?"

"This way, Captain Hatake." a petite nurse with pink hair—her name was Sakura—said briskly as she turned and led the way for Kakashi.

He followed her with hurried steps, making his way to one of the rooms. Sakura motioned a door and he walked into the room without a second thought, not even saying thank you, although he knew he should have.

"Will you back off?.! I'm fine! Ow!"

"Hold still, you bastard!"

"Sasuke." The Uchiha and a black-haired paramedic turned to the door, finally noticing their Captain had arrived.

"Captain." Tenten Tamura stood up, pointing one delicately manicured finger at Sasuke. "Will you tell him he's not fine and he needs to stop moving around while I'm trying to patch him up!"

"Stop being a brat, Uchiha." Kakashi instructed.

"Bite me, Hatake." Sasuke grumbled, looking away from his Captain. He didn't move again so Tenten returned to patching him up.

"What happened?" Kakashi inquired, leaning back against the wall.

"Backdraft."

"Itachi?"

"Who else?" Sasuke growled.

Kakashi's eyes wandered across his foster brother's frame, examining each one of his wounds. He didn't seem too badly off, considering his house had just exploded. He had a few scratches on his hands, probably from trying to break his fall when he landed. The left side of his face was scratched up, too. He had a few lacerations on his arms, neck and back. The back of his shirt was scorched, and the ends of his hair were singed. Kakashi didn't want to know how close he'd been when the house exploded. He was lucky he wasn't injured more than that.

"Which house were you at?" Kakashi asked as Tenten continued to treat his wounds. He had a particularly nasty gash on his right arm that she was currently debating whether or not needed stitches.

"The one on Maple." Sasuke winced as Tenten poked his wound.

"What district is that in?" Kakashi inquired, frowning.

"Eleven, I think. Ow!" The Uchiha wrenched his arm away from Tenten. "Jesus, woman!"

"God, you never change!" Tenten snapped as she got to her feet. "Forget it, I'm getting Ebisu."

"Don't get that weirdo, get Hayate!" Sasuke ordered.

Tenten turned to him with a vicious sneer. "He's not here today. Will Aoba do, your highness?"

"Yes." Sasuke hissed. Tenten gave him a look before turning and storming out of the hospital room, intent on finding Aoba so she wouldn't have to deal with the Uchiha. If I run into Ebisu first, he's getting him! Tenten decided with a smirk.

Back in the room, Kakashi was sighing while rubbing his face. "Just cause some girls crush on you is no reason to be an asshole to all of them." he said with a poignant look. "Tenten is engaged, anyway."

"I don't care." Sasuke muttered. "I'd rather be treated by a guy."

"Yo, Death." They both turned to the door as a man with spikey brown hair and sunglasses perched on his head entered. "I heard ya got yer house blown ta bits."

"Yes, I sure did." Sasuke grumbled. "Wanna come over here and fix me up?"

"Still dun like it when Ten does it?" Aoba asked as he settled himself in front of Sasuke and got to work. "Ya know, Death, s'bout time ya realized she ain't godda thing for ya."

"That's not the point." Sasuke grumbled, wincing as Aoba cleaned up one of his wounds.

"Where you staying tonight?" Kakashi inquired.

"Probably at the house on Montcrest." Sasuke replied. "Itachi shouldn't know about that one, yet."

Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. He knew Sasuke was rich because of his parents. Heck, he still owned his father's company on the side of being a firefighter, but left someone else in charge. The man was practically rolling in money. So instead of trying to stop his houses from being destroyed by his older brother, he just bought a lot of houses and moved around when one got blown up. This wasn't the first time it had happened. Sasuke never kept anything valuable in his houses. Everything important to him was at Kakashi's or Kiba's.

"Aight, Uchiha. Y'all are done." Aoba stood up.

"Thanks, Aoba." Kakashi nodded to him.

"Wha'ever, Hatake. I'll see y'all back at work tommora." Aoba waved to them as he left.

Kakashi turned back to Sasuke, watching him. The raven just stared down at his bandaged hands. "You going to be able to work, or do you want time off?"

"I'll work." Sasuke replied.

"Yeah, where were you all night, anyway?" Kakashi asked, crossing his arms. "I tried calling you at all your places, and even tried your cell phone."

"I was at Naruto's." Kakashi's face hardened.

"Sasuke, you didn't."

"I want him to leave."

"We need him!"

"Why?.!" Sasuke hollered. "There's plenty of us!"

"Our Station is lacking! We have the least amount of people than any other Station!" Kakashi hollered. Sasuke flinched and looked back down at his bandages, a scowl on his face. Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"He bugs me."

"Why?"

"I don't know, he just does." Sasuke snapped. "Something about him just—bugs me."

"You'll get over it." Kakashi said, patting Sasuke lightly on the shoulder. "He seems like a good guy. He and Kiba get along well, so you'll probably end up putting up with him."

"I don't want to." Sasuke snapped, slapping Kakashi's hand away and getting to his feet.

"Why not?" Kakashi asked with a frown.

"I just don't!" Sasuke hollered before stomping out of the hospital room, Kakashi staring after him confused.

A dark figure walked easily through the rooms of a large warehouse, looking around to ensure everything was set up perfectly. He inhaled deeply on his cigarette before pulling it away from between his lips, blowing the smoke out as he looked around.

His boots crunched on broken glass as he walked, knowing the place was empty, and it wouldn't hurt anyone. That wasn't his goal. He was more interested in hurting the people who would come to put the fire out. They were the only people he wished to hurt.

He checked his watch and let out a small sigh. It was still too early. He'd have to wait at least another five minutes. So, he turned and began to check everything again, walking slowly through the large area and stopping beside buckets of gasoline. He checked his watch again and nodded when he noticed the time.

Walking briskly, he went to the lower level, near the back, and picked up a remote. He punched in a bunch of numbers before placing the timer back down and setting it up. It started counting down backwards.

He took another drag of his cigarette as he stood, looking around. He walked up to a wall and ran his hand over what he'd burned into it, smirking slightly around his cigarette as he did so. It was carved in and then burned, making it hard for it to disappear.

Honestly, he didn't know why he warned them—let them know it was him. By all accounts, it was stupid if he really wanted them all dead. Then again, this wasn't necessarily how he wanted the little bastard to go. Oh, no. He had better plans for his dear little brother. He just had to wait until he could put them into effect.

Glancing at his watch, he smirked. Station Seven had just had its shift change. His brother was now on duty. Perfect.

He turned and walked towards the door as he inhaled. He held the smoke in his lungs briefly as he turned and flicked the cigarette into the warehouse. It caught on some gasoline and the house went up in flames as Itachi Uchiha walked calmly away, his hands in his pockets, exhaling the smoke in his lungs.

"Have fun, little brother."

(1) A backdraft is essentially when there's a fire with hardly any or no oxygen suddenly receiving oxygen. The fire itself will be gone because there's no oxygen, but there's super-heated gases still present, which will expand. Once oxygen is re-introduced, it'll cause the super-heated gases to light all at the same time, which will cause an explosion. So here, if Sasuke opens his door, there'll be a whoosh of air rushing by his face into the house before the gases ignite and blow up the house.