A man removed his gloves, examining the corpse on the examination table. The man was on the shorter end with wild red hair with chocolate brown eyes. He was handsome in a young sense. No matter how you looked at him, he appeared to be in his late teens, but his attractiveness was hidden under his sloppy appearance. His clothes were a tad too big for his frame, his lab coat was stained with splotches of blood.
The man on the examination table was a Japanese man with atypical features with his blond hair. He was well-muscled as well, toned with lean muscle. The body was littered in scars, some caused by knife wounds, other by what looked like to be claw marks. The most prominent injury that was clearly visible was a large hole in the center of the chest, but that wasn't what killed him.
"It took longer than I expected, but as you can see, I found him, as promised," the examiner said. His voice was low and had only a hint of an accent.
"Thank you, Sasori-sama. My master will be very pleased with your hard work." The young man who had spoken bowed. The young man couldn't be older than twenty. He was average with a type of face that wouldn't stand out in a crowd. He wasn't unpleasant to look at or handsome. Just average. The only thing that you could tell about him was that he was Asian. Sasori could not even tell if he was Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. The young man spoke all three languages flawlessly even knowing several dialects in each language. Sometimes he wore glasses. Sometimes he came in dressed as a host. Other times, he wore a school uniform. His appearance was constantly changing. All that was certain was that he worked for one person. "I am surprised you were able to find his body."
"There are few that I cannot find." Now that the body had been confirmed, Sasori zipped up the body bag.
"Speaking of finding people. I met his son. He's quite difficult to approach."
"Oh?" he said with rising interest. "Did you get his records?"
"Of course," the young man handed the folder over with both hands which Sasori accepted. "I also included the file of my master's plans for this body."
"Good work, Kabuto. I expect an updated report on where your master's new base is as well as the rest of the files."
"Yes, Sasori-sama. I am working on that as we speak." Kabuto produced a thick envelope from the inside of his suit. "Your money."
Sasori took the envelope, tossing the envelope onto the tray where the autopsy tools were laid out without checking inside.
"Sasori-sama, if I may, is it possible to receive two corpses for myself?"
Sasori, who had a perpetual scowl etched onto his face, glared at the young man. "You know the rules. One body to each immortal who has a permission token at a time. If you want a new body, I need evidence of its destruction and another permit from the council. It's bad enough I'm being robbed as it is."
"Robbed?" Kabuto asked. "Immortal bodies?"
"No, human," Sasori said, quietly seething with anger. "Walking into my morgue and touching my corpses." Sasori was just like his corpses. He didn't seem to emote well on the outside, always cold, whether filled with anger or happiness, and preferring the company of the dead to the living. Sasori disposed of the gloves he had removed in a medical waste bin.
"I see you are busy Sasori-sama. Excuse my intrusion." Kabuto picked up the body, tossing it over his shoulder when Sasori called out barely raising his voice.
"Don't let that master of yours kill you, Kabuto. You are only human."
Kabuto turned towards him. watching Sasori pull out another body from the refrigerator. As he unzipped the bag, light slipped into Sasori's curious eyes, his face softening as he contained a small smile. Sasori was already gone in his own world. "Yes, Sasori-sama."
"Alright, listen to me carefully because I'm only going to say this once. Don't speak, don't act stupid, don't touch anything, or it's my ass on the line which in turn will become your ass. Got it?"
"Or I could leave and save us both the trouble," Naruto rolled his eyes.
Uchiha glared and repeated himself again, "Did you get it, idiot," he said very slowly.
"Were you always such a bastard?"
"Were you always such a moron?"
Naruto clenched his jaw. Arguing with a supernatural, and probably ancient, being was not a good idea. While he understood that theoretically, he could not help but push back anyway. "Great comeback. And here I thought you had a better vocabulary than a five-year-old."
"If I used more difficult words, you wouldn't understand, so what's the point?" Uchiha retorted without missing a beat, leaving Naruto fuming.
"You weren't such a jerk in class," he grumbled.
"And I didn't know that you whined so much," Uchiha smirked at him which only made Naruto fume more. "Let's go inside already."
The building was a warehouse, two floors and very few windows, near the edge of the business district. The building was new with no other distinguishing features to set it apart. It only had a small sign on the side written in English letters, Twilight.
"Hey, isn't tha-"
"Coincidence. We're still working on the name change," Uchiha interrupted before Naruto could even get the question out.
That got a chuckle out of Naruto at Uchiha's obvious embarrassment over the name. In a slightly better mood after being dragged along, they both entered the building.
The inside was pure white, both walls and floors. There was a skylight, casting some light from above, but most of the light inside was from the giant floodlights in the corner facing a white backdrop that had only a black chair in the center.
"What exactly is your job?"
Uchiha only shot him a smug smirk in response.
"Sasu-kun! There you are!" There was a blur, followed by a wind. By the time Naruto blinked, there was a woman. She only came up to Uchiha's shoulder even with four-inch stiletto heels. Her skin was dark and her hair was in dreadlocks pulled back into a ponytail with a thick cloth band. She was thin and lean like a model, but the image was ruined by the way she was hanging on Uchiha's arm. "You are late. Soon, Deidara will be here. I have a cool outfit for you today." She had a very thick accent and her Japanese was very formal and stilted.
"You leaned Japanese?" Uchiha asked.
"Only for you," she batted her eyelashes at him. "Come. I have to get you dress."
"Of course, Lianna," said in that gentleman like way Uchiha had used in class. He even gave her a small smile. "Uzumaki, remember what I said."
"'Remember what I said,'" Naruto mocked in a high voice, sticking out his tongue at Uchiha like a child. The guy was such a jerk. Why did he even bring him there?
With nothing else to do, it did give Naruto a chance to look around. With the lights and cameras, Naruto was guessing it was some sort of fashion shoot. The thought made Naruto laugh. Figures the bastard would be a model. It explained so much about his personality. Putting that aside, there were a lot of foreigners running about. Even if the island was quite diverse for an island belonging to Japan, most of the foreigners were students or related to the school somehow, and they didn't look like tourists. There were only two Asian looking workers. One who stood by the door, brawny and in a tacky suit reminding Naruto of a yakuza member. The other was a chef, arranging food on a very small circular table in the corner.
Left alone, Naruto looked for a corner to hide himself in. He didn't like the feeling of being out of place, and as he stood there, being in everyone's way as they yelled at each other in a mixture of foreign languages around him, the feeling of isolation began to surround him. What was he doing here? Uchiha wasn't here to stop him from leaving.
He found himself by the buffet table, the only part of the large area that wasn't crowded. The buffet was a typical buffet, that was covered with foods popular with foreigners. Sushi was the main item. Expensive sushi too. Something Naruto could never afford on his small allowance. There was also gyoza, dango, onigiri, and small finger sandwiches. Naruto took a plate and piled on the sushi. If it turned out he had to pay, he'd blame it on Uchiha.
He was working on clearing his plate when the front doors slammed open, instantly quieting the room. It was a woman who entered. At least that's what Naruto originally thought. On closer inspection, it was not a woman, but a man. He was extremely tall. Taller than Naruto with long blonde hair. His eyeliner was thick, working well with the fashionable designer clothes he wore, making him look like a model.
Without care, he dropped a bag into someone's hands not even looking to see who it was. He almost looked angelic...until he opened his mouth. "Why isn't everything ready! My model should have been ready ages ago," he yelled in Japanese. It wasn't the words itself that shocked Naruto, it was nearly flawless, but the speech she used was very rude.
"He's getting ready as we speak, Mister Deidara," someone said. Naruto couldn't quite pick out who had spoken as there were many attendants attending the man. The man clearly bristled, clicking his tongue with annoyance. Then their eyes met.
Naruto found himself flustered, trying to look away, but it was too late. The man started heading his direction.
Naruto fumbled with his plate, looking for a place to put it down or throw away, but there was no place to put it. He was unable to come to a solution by the time he had stopped in front of him, forcing Naruto to just hold it.
He just stared at him intently, not saying a word. Then he started circling him like a shark, muttering to himself. "Strong, lean, well proportioned," he murmured.
"Can I help you?" Naruto asked after clearing his throat.
The man stopped abruptly then grabbed his shoulders, yanking him forward to make him look him in the eyes.
"What's your name, kid?" he demanded.
His rudeness snapped Naruto out of his trance, and he pulled out of his grip which was stronger than he had expected. "It's rude to demand my name without offering yours first."
He looked taken back then he laughed. "Right, Japanese customs. My name is Deidara. I'm the main photographer of Twilight."
"Photographer? Not model?"
"I can see how you can make that mistake." Deidara roughly grabbed his jaw with one hand and pulled him close once more. His grip was painful, and Naruto thought his jaw might break. "However, if you confuse me for a model again, I'll kill you, got that?"
Naruto nodded to the best of his abilities. It was enough to satisfy the man, and he released him. "Great." He took a deep breath then his eyes widened to comic proportions. "You're human."
"Yeah, what else would I be? A vampire?" He meant to go for joking, and since vampires had been on his mind all day, it was the first thing that popped into his head.
Deidara had a mischievous smile aimed right at him. His sky-blue eyes glinted the same way Uchiha's did, with hunger and power.
"You did. You thought I was..." Naruto trailed off.
"You must be Sasuke's pet, though he didn't seem to tell you much." Deidara looked him over again, but this time with hunger in his eyes as if Naruto was a slab of Kobe beef. "This modeling agency is made up of vampires. Everyone here walks on the darker side of life. The food here is just for show in case some humans come through. So, you see, it's a hell of a surprise."
Naruto took a step back, but there wasn't any place he could run. Now that Deidara had mentioned it, he could see the hidden looks of the staff watching him in the corner of their eyes with the same hungry look.
"Don't worry. No one will touch you. Not in this town anyway. More importantly," Deidara was once again in his personal space with a hungry smile. "Why won't you become a model for me? I normally don't take pictures of humans, but you're nearly perfect. I can't let you just walk by me."
"Me?" his voice broke.
"Deidara, leave him alone. You know your mate won't be happy if you get too involved with humans."
Deidara took a step back from Naruto, crossing his arms in annoyance. Uchiha had reemerged and he was completely different than before he was dragged away. Rather than being perfectly groomed with an image of a clean-cut elite, he was dressed like a rock star. He wore tight leather pants that were too low on his hips with a studded belt and a tight leather black, sleeveless shirt that showed off a defined 6-pack underneath. He wore matching leather, fingerless gloves, and extensions that lengthened his hair to his shoulders. The chain he wore were silver, giving a bit of accent to the essentially all-black outfit.
Naruto found himself staring. Deidara was handsome, but Uchiha was...gorgeous? Appalled by his own thinking, Naruto looked away. He could feel his cheeks burning hot.
Deidara didn't appear to share his sentiment though. "Wrong! Lianne! What the fuck did you do to him! I said I wanted a delinquent. Does this look like a delinquent to you!"
Lianne, who had been standing behind Uchiha popped out with a slightly terrified expression. "Um...no?"
"Useless," he grumbled. Naruto was considering looking for an escape when he was grabbed by the collar and yanked in front of Deidara. "Take a look at him. This is what a delinquent is supposed to look like. Rough, but tasteful. This kid looks like he could beat you into the pavement then proceed to walk the runway."
Enough was enough. Being manhandled all day was really grating on his nerves. "I have a name, you know!" He swatted Deidara's hand away, forcing him to let go. "It's Uzumaki, Naruto."
"And the attitude is absolutely perfect," Deidara praised. "Take notes, Sasuke. Naruto's attitude is just what I'm looking for."
All the attention was making Naruto uncomfortable, and he could feel everyone nearby was watching the exchange. The gaze that held the most weight was Uchiha's. His gaze was just as intense as always. "I'm sure it won't be too hard to mimic a moron."
"You can go screw yourself, bastard," Naruto growled.
Uchiha turned, following Lianne back to the changing area as he said, "I have people to do that for me." He tossed a smug smirk over his shoulder and added, "Do you?"
Flustered and completely at a loss what to say, all he could think to say was, "Who told?!" but that would only confirm what Uchiha had said.
Deidara watched Naruto with a mildly surprised look on his face.
"What?" he asked impatiently. Seriously, he was starting to feel like a sideshow with all the staring, and Deidara was looking at him with curiosity.
"How long have you known Sasuke?"
"Um, a couple hours I guess."
"I see," his eyes were laughing at some joke Naruto wasn't aware of, but Naruto wasn't about to ask. The air seemed tense around the attendants surrounding Deidara, like they were servants walking on eggshells around their master. The only one who acted normal was Uchiha. Naruto's knowledge on vampires was limited, but there was something about Deidara that just seemed old. It was different than the aura Uchiha emitted. Uchiha had an aura that was suppressing, which made one feel the weight of his power the same way one would flex their muscles to show off their strength. Uchiha demanded respect just from the way he looked at people. He was like a knight, brandishing his sword to make people understand he was not one to be messed with.
Deidara seemed beyond that. His aura was subtler, like a wind's whisper. It was the little things. The way he stood with authority. The way he addressed people. The way she looked at them. He was more like a monarch who didn't have to show of his power because everyone knew he had it. Just how old was he?
"Alright! I expect everything to be ready in five minutes. Any longer and I'll give you to my husband as his new toy."
Naruto thought they were moving fast before, but the speed nearly doubled, some becoming a blur to his eyes.
"When you become one of us, look me up, kid. I'll make you one of my models in a heartbeat." With a wink, he departed with another assistant rushing to accompany him.
The shoot wasn't too bad. It took about three hours, and it went by rather quickly. Since Naruto was one of the only three humans in the building, he was the only one really eating the food at the small buffet. The chef was pleasantly surprised someone was actually eating his food. The chef was timid and soft-spoken, and obviously unaware who he was working for, confused as to why they never touched his food. The chef had been a bit wary of him due to his appearance but brightened up the moment he realized Naruto was actually Japanese and could speak his native tongue.
After talking for a while, Naruto found out he was just an apprentice chef and that he was a student at his school as well from class 3-B which explained why he never saw the chef before. The chef however had heard of him and was shocked when Naruto finally introduced himself. Just like the others, he shrank away once he heard the name, finding an excuse to leave. Ignoring the pain, he continued smiling brightly at the chef, telling him to take care.
He should have lied about his name. Once he knew that the chef had been a native of the island, he should have just made something up.
"Do you normally look so depressed when no one's looking?"
Naruto had not even realized his smile had dropped when the chef had left. He thought he had done a better job hiding his feelings. "What? You going to mock me or something?"
"Everyone has problems they don't want to share."
Naruto looked up. Uchiha had changed back into his uniform, so the shoot must have ended while he was still lost in his thoughts. Still, Uchiha's words put him at ease. "Thanks."
"I'll take you home."
"It's the least you can do for kidnapping me, bastard."
"If I recall, you got into my car on your own free will."
They were already into a rhythm of banter. It was a seamless transition, lifting him from his despair into annoyance, but it was also kind of fun. Gaara was the silent type, and he never argued with Kiba. Hyuuga argued with him, but they were intentionally trying to hurt each other. Knowing what Uchiha was, he would forget for just a moment and focus just on their banter. "Like you would have really given me a choice."
Uchiha smirked at him not bothering to deny it when Tobi came running up with a cell phone in his hand. "Um, young master, you have a phone call."
"Tell them I'll call them back tomorrow. I'm not in the mood."
Uchiha had his back towards Tobi, so he hadn't seen the way the butler trembled or how fearful his eyes were. "Sir...It's Itachi-sama."
"Ita...chi-san?" Naruto repeated slowly, not recognizing the name. "Who's Itachi-san?"
He turned to Uchiha expecting an answer. He had been forthcoming with all his questions so far, so he didn't think it was too much of a stretch to ask, but the question got lost in his throat. Uchiha looked murderous. "Hand it over." His voice froze the blood in Naruto's veins, and he wasn't the one it was aimed at.
Tobi gave him the phone, immediately backing away. Naruto went to Tobi's side, taking the butler's retreat as a sign he should too.
"What?" Uchiha asked in a sharp tone. He didn't raise his voice, but it had the same impact as if he had.
There was silence for a good five seconds. The tension that built in that short time made it feel much longer. Uchiha's face didn't react to whatever was being said on the other side. The sound of creaking was the only warning before the phone was crushed in his hand with little effort all, snapping in half.
"Hey, are you alright? Who's Itachi-san?" He had only meant to help, to repay Uchiha for bringing him out of his negative thoughts earlier.
Instead, he received a glare. "Keep your nose out of my business."
Naruto tried to glare back; it's effectiveness nowhere near Uchiha's level. "I was just trying to help, bastard. No need to bite my head off for it."
"Tobi, get him out of here. I won't be responsible if I end up killing him."
The flat-out dismissal made Naruto feel he had been cast aside the moment Uchiha was done with him, and surprisingly, it hurt more than it should of. For a moment, he thought perhaps Uchiha wasn't that bad.
"Come on, Naruto-kun. I'll drive you home." Tobi pulled at his arm, urging him to follow.
"You know what, I don't care. I hope you and your undead soul burn in the afterlife."
There was a stir from Naruto's undead comment, and Naruto barely noticed as he stormed out. Perhaps if he was focusing, Uchiha might have been offended by the comment. His kind tended to become short-tempered with the word undead was used. The comment was nothing compared to the haunting message that was left to him over the phone. The soft, dead voice that had spoken still echoed in his head. He had thought he had been paranoid at the hospital, that the raven was just a coincidence, but it had belonged to him after all. Itachi.
The message:
Welcome home, Sasuke.
Naruto remained furious the entire ride home. He understood that it was stupid. They weren't friends. They weren't even acquaintances. To hold a grudge against something so petty was a waste of energy and time. He never was one to always adhere to logic though, so he let it stew for the hour, staring out at the passing scenery.
They returned to the main town, just after sunset. There wasn't much housing in the town. Many of the native families who lived on the island had estates. Very few families actually lived in town. Out of everyone in school, only he and Kiba didn't live in the extravagant dorms or go home to a mansion. Everyone who did live in town made an honest and decent living. There was little to no crime and tourists never left the area on the other side of the island.
The town's only bar sat on the corner of the wharf, a popular place for weary fishermen and shop owners after a long day. It was still early so there wouldn't be many people there yet. "Hey, Tobi-san, could you let me out here."
The limo rolled to a stop just outside the bar. "Are you sure, Naruto-kun?" Tobi looked out the side window with skepticism. "The streets are a bit dark around here and all I see worth noting is a bar."
"I'll be fine, this is my hometown after all." Naruto was already getting out. "Thanks for everything, Tobi-san."
"Please, Tobi is fine. I am sorry for my master's behavior."
"It's not your fault. See you around, Tobi." He sent the driver off with a smile to ease Tobi's worry. He was a good man. Too good to be working for such a jerk.
He kept waving until the car was out of sight, and his smile fell being replaced with melancholy. Just a couple of drinks. The bar owner was nice enough to give him drinks at a discounted price despite his age. As long as he stopped by to clean up his bar in the morning for free, the owner didn't care. It wasn't out of pity, the owner just liked the free labor. Being in such a small time wasn't profitable even if he had no competition.
Naruto was looking forward to a few drinks. Jiraiya was gone on a trip promoting his new book. Kiba was in the hospital, and since it was Friday, Gaara would be unavailable, and Krista would kill him for ditching today. His birthday would come to an end in a few hours. If he had to thank Uchiha for one thing, it was for distracting him for most of the day. Now he could just drown out the rest of it with alcohol.
Some grabbed onto his arm, stopping him in his tracks. Naruto sighed, groaning on the inside at his luck. Why today of all days?
"Hey buddy, my friends and I saw you get out of that nice car just a moment ago. We were wondering if you would share some of that cash with the less fortunate." The smell of alcohol-laced the man's breath, causing Naruto to turn his head. There were three men altogether who had stopped him. Naruto had never seen any of them before, and, by the way they were dressed, they were probably big city delinquents. It was a first, seeing them here. Their leader looked to be in his mid-thirties, unshaven with thick sideburns that were way out of style. He was the one who had grabbed him. They probably thought people from a small town wouldn't put up much of a fight.
"Sorry, but it wasn't my car. Try asking someone else." Naruto tried to take the high road and walk away, but the boss of the three delinquents didn't get that, tightening his grip on Naruto's arm.
"We aren't stupid, kid. We ain't asking; we're telling. Hand over the cash." The two men pulled out knives, and the one holding Naruto pulled out a gun.
A gun? It was the first time Naruto had ever laid eyes on one, but where did such low-lives get them from. Were they yakuza?
"Look, he's trembling," the man laughed, holding the gun to Naruto's head. "If you know what's good for yah, hand over the cash, and we'll let you go home without a scratch."
It started as a chuckle that grew in volume, blossoming into a laugh. The delinquents looked at each other with uncertainty, wondering if they had just held up someone mentally unstable. "What's your name?" Naruto asked through his fit of laughter.
"Kuro. What's it to ya?
"You caught me in an awfully bad mood today, Kuro-san. Don't take this personally; just talk it up to bad luck for running into me today." Naruto jabbed the man in the solar plexus with his elbow while simultaneously grabbing the gun at his head and twisting it out of the man's hold until it dropped into his free hand. Both of Kuro's friends charged, knives drawn. Kuro dodged the first one and pulled Kuro into the path of the second henchman, making the second man hesitate else risk stabbing his leader. Pulling the trigger, he shot at the second henchman's foot, the shot connecting. The second henchman screamed in pain, dropping to the ground to nurse his wounded foot.
Naruto rounded on his left foot, kicking the stomach of the first henchman with his right, then jumping to kick with his left, when the first henchman curled in. The second kick made contact with the man's face, sending the man to the ground.
Naruto's assault didn't end there. Sidestepping the punch aimed at his head from behind, courtesy of Kuro-san, Naruto grabbed the arm and threw Kuro over his shoulder onto the ground. Kuro flew into an alley, rolling into a stack of trash bags and recyclables. "Since you guys had a gun, I expected more than that," Naruto sighed with disappointment. "Really, I was hoping for a challenge."
"Who the hell are you?" Kuro asked, rolling onto his stomach.
"Name's Uzumaki, Naruto. You should take your friend to the clinic." Naruto waved the revolver still in his hand. "I'll get rid of this thing for you."
That was supposed to be the end. He wasn't cruel enough to pick on someone while they were down. He would get rid of the gun before the police found out about it and move on. He wasn't supposed to give them a second thought.
"I've heard of that name. You're that monster kid, right? The one who killed his father?"
Naruto's feet were glued into place.
"We've only been here for a couple days, but the first thing we heard was not to mess with you. I'll be honest; I thought you'd be scarier."
Naruto's hand tightened around the gun.
"I heard you killed your old man. In fact, I heard your old man was quite a murderer too. Like father, like son, right? You monst-" Kuro's air was cut off by a hand wrapped around his throat. With Naruto's strength, Kuro was pulled out of the trash and onto his feet. Kuro clawed at the hand, digging into Naruto's flesh, eyes wide with fear because Naruto no longer looked human.
His pupils, no longer blue, had turned golden. His nails had grown in length and sharpness, resembling claws more than human nails, and he showed off his sharp canines with his sadistic grin that darkened his features. "If you admire him so much, why don't you say hi to him in hell." His voice was not his own. It was deeper, smoother, with a hint of dark laughter lacing his tone.
"P-p-please, for..give..me," Kuro could only choke out a plea, and Naruto found pleasure at that. So weak. Humans were so weak. With a smooth motion, Naruto slammed his head into the cement wall of the building so hard the cement wall gave as well as Kuro's skull. Indeed, humans were as fragile as rice paper. Naruto dropped the body, a puddle of blood quickly forming around the head.
The threat was gone, yet the features remained. This feeling. It was familiar. Every time he lost his temper, every time he was angry or drowning in sorrow, this feeling would take over as if someone else was holding the reigns. He took a deep breath and the smell of iron filled his nostrils. His mouth twitched in anticipation. He waited so long for this. For fresh blood. He got onto his knees and bent over, ready to take his first drink. His lips were less than two centimeters away when he realized what he was doing.
Scared, he jerked away, falling onto his butt and scurried away until he slammed himself against the opposite wall, the inhuman features receding. What had he done? Kuro wasn't moving, and there was too much blood. He couldn't have. He didn't mean to. His stomach knotted and churned, and his breath was heavy and forced. What did he do?
You killed him, kit.
Naruto shook his head. His body felt numb. No, I-I-I didn't do this. It was you. I'm not a killer.
Yes, you are because I am in you. Admit it. You wanted revenge for the comment about your father.
No. Kuro's eyes were still staring at him, unblinking, filled with fear. It wasn't me. He was dead. Kuro would never be able to go home or see his family. I d-didn't...he forced me to...
He had killed him.
No...No...
"No!" Naruto jumped to his feet and ran from the ally, running as fast as his legs could carry him, leaving the body behind.