The room was dark. The curtains were drawn, covering the windows with the heavy material, ensuring no light escaped them.

That wasn't to say that the room was completely devoid of light. There was a single candle on a side table, offering enough light to assist in reading if one was willing to strain their eyes. While one might think the room would be stuffy and dreary, that was not the case. The furniture was of antique European style, decorated tastefully so that it added a regal sense, if a little outdated, without being gaudy.

The low light wasn't a problem for the man who entered, navigating the room as if it was as bright as day. He stopped in front of the couch, taking a knee, and waited to be addressed.

"You are late, Kuro-san. Did you have any difficulties?" The man who had spoken was the only other occupant in the room. He sat on the sofa, holding a worn, hardback book in one hand while he leaned against his fist with the other.

His hair was short, dark brown that curled on the ends. His eyes were a dark brown. His face was young, that of a man in his early or mid-twenties.

Kuro took great pains to avoid looking into that face. He had only heard rumors, but if the rumors were right, he couldn't bother to look at the face in greater detail.

"I'm sorry, Boss. I had problems escaping the morgue. There was always two or more people in the room. I couldn't risk someone seeing me."

"I don't expect excuses, Kuro-san. You made me wait." Kuro heard the soft clank of a cup being placed on the side table but didn't dare to look up.

The man's voice was soft and melodious. It was lulling. He never raised his voice or yelled, spoke with enough authority that one would feel compelled to listen to him, but not overly aggressive. However, as pleasant as it was to listen to, it sent a shiver of fear under Kuro's skin. The voice was utterly emotionless. Kuro could never understand what his boss was thinking or wanting. He could never predict what his boss might do.

"You have my utmost apologies, Boss. It will never happen again. I swear."

Kuro kept his eyes trained just below his boss's chin, attempting to read his body language. The boss seemed relaxed, nothing about him seemed displeased.

"Did you complete the mission I assigned to you?"

"Yes, Boss."

"And?"

Kuro bowed his head more, turning his gaze to the floor. "It's as you suspected. Uzumaki-sama is one of them."

"I see," was all he said.

It was a useless response to Kuro, again unable to pick out anything of what his boss was possibly thinking.

Kuro was hired by his boss's partner. He was paid a fair compensation for the work assigned to him. As long as it didn't involve killing, Kuro would take any job. He didn't mind being a lackey. It gave some flavor to his otherwise boring existence. He had only met his new boss three times, but the strain of being in this man's presence really wasn't worth the trouble of continuing to be under his employment. He was planning to quit, especially after knowing about that kid Uzumaki. He didn't want trouble.

His boss stood; Kuro didn't dare move until he was given permission to do so.

"I have received your request. You have wished this to be your last job correct?"

"Yes, Boss. I had wanted to return to Korea to check on my family. Maybe take over the store for a decade or two." It wasn't quite a lie. He did have family in South Korea, and there was a store there, but it wasn't the reason for leaving. He didn't want the man to think he was going to betray him.

"It will be unfortunate to lose your employment. You were quite promising." A calloused hand touched Kuro's chin, forcing him to look up and meet the boss's eyes. Kuro had only a second, maybe two. It was the last thing Kuro saw before his head was torn from his body as easily as tearing paper.

A small squirt of blood splattered onto the boss's clean uniform. The body fell over and the head rolled. Thick. coagulated blood, dripped from the wound, but the carpet largely remained clean in contrary to the violence that had just taken place.

"If you had quit before your latest mission, you would have been spared. I hope you can forgive me, but his secret must remain for a while longer. I cannot afford liabilities."

Frowning just slightly at the mess on his uniform, he called out, barely raising his voice. "Have someone deliver his corpse to Sasori-san. I will be returning to work, today."

A creature appeared out of the shadows. It had a childlike appearance but wore a simple, dark blue yukata, his sleeves tied back with a long, thin white cloth, and a white work apron. His hair was just long enough to tie back into a high ponytail, but no longer. His eyes glowed in the low-lit room, both a different color, one blue and one brown, with a vertical slits.

"Yes, my lord," he responded in a bright and charming voice of a child. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"No." His shirt ruined with blood, the boss removed his tie and shirt. "There should be a shipment of a fresh human carcasses. You may have first pick."

The child's features took cat-like qualities as he grinned. "Thank you, my lord! Do any of them smell like fish?" The child ran up to him, extending a clean shirt for his master to take.

"That is none of my concern." The man took the shirt, dropping the soiled one.

The child leaned forward to catch it before it touched the floor, folding it over his arm. Quickly, he returned to his ram straight posture before bowing. "Of course, my lord. Please return home safely."

Dressed, the man took headed to the front door, picking up a police hat in the process.

Naruto stood outside the gate to his home, staring at it with uncertainty. He didn't know whether he should enter or run away. Doubts still clouded his mind on what was the right thing. He was covered in dirt and smelled something awful. Maybe he should at least wash up in the ocean and make himself more presentable. He tugged lightly on his hair, feeling the grime that had accumulated in the span of three days. Could he even comb down his hair with his fingers?

He was having second thoughts on returning. He took a shaky step back, intimidated by the thought of explaining why he ran away. Would they even care?

Jiraiya might be secretly happy that he was gone. He could go to all the hostess clubs he visited in his youth and travel as much as he wanted without worry about some brat he had to feed. Tsunade wouldn't have to stress about the trouble he was getting into anymore and maybe she could gather the courage to actually start a relationship with Jiraiya. And people would stop talking badly about them for taking care of an orphan like him too. Wouldn't they be happier without him?

His nerves crumpled into dust.

A step within his retreat, Tsunade's voice carried over the distance. "Naruto! Naruto!"

Frozen in his steps, he thought of what he should do, but in the end, he gave the woman a shaky smile. "Hey, Baa-chan."

Tsunade ran to him arms outstretched. He thought she was going to hug him until her relieved expression morphed into that of an angry demon. When she was within reached, she slapped him across the face.

Naruto blinked, words fleeting his thoughts. All he could do was turn his head back slowly and stare at her inanely.

There were dark bags under her eyes, and in the corner tears that she was trying to hold back that would spill over any second. "You idiot! Do you have any idea how worried we were?! We thought something might have happened to you!"

The stinging of his cheek, the scolding, Jiraiya leaning against the door frame watching, Naruto's eyes began to water.

But he did not cry.

What right did he have to cry in front of them. They had endured more than he had. They had lost his parents, their dear friends and kohai, while being saddled with him.

Instead, he gave her a warm, gentle smile. "I'm sorry, Baa-chan. I just… I needed to think and…"

Tsunade cut him off with a hug. Her tears wetting his already stained shirt. "I'm just glad your home safe," she whispered.

He stood dumbfounded. It was the most affection she had ever shown him. Naruto was used to her slapping him─ even punching him if he really screwed up─ which he deserved given some of the trouble he found himself in. He must have really scared her this time, he thought distantly.

With some hesitation, he finally returned her hug. "I'm sorry, Baa-chan," he repeated. "It won't happen again."

"Naruto," the rough voice of his guardian called out to him from the entrance. "Why don't you both come inside. You'll get a cold in those close."

Tsunade pulled away gently, wiping the last of her tears. "Yeah. I'll run you a bath too. You smell putrid."

"That's just Jiraiya-jiichan's cooking."

Naruto's small joke earned him a small laugh from Tsunade, but she didn't let go of his arm. She wanted to make sure that this time, he made it all the way inside.

On a roof of a neighboring house, a pair of onyx eyes watched the scene across the street as the small, broken family tried to comfort one another. Most would consider it touching, but for Sasuke, it was difficult to watch. The important thing was Naruto had decided to return on his own without being forced to.

"You know, stalking is illegal."

Sasuke only shifted his eyes to catch a glimpse of Gaara sitting beside him though a moment ago he had been alone. "What do you want?"

"To see if you kept your end of the deal." Gaara watched Naruto and his guardians go inside. "What happened?"

"I should be asking you. I found specks of ghoul's blood mixed in old human blood in town during my search."

Gaara frowned. "It's not possible."

"That was my impression. Perhaps your territory isn't as secured as you thought."

"No security is perfect. Even ghouls can pass for human to an untrained eye." Gaara stared at the Uzumaki household. "What did he do to Uzumaki?"

"From what I saw, it's what Uzumaki did. He thought he killed him," Sasuke stood, surveying the area. "I'm not fond of games. Is there a reason why I received death threats from your beloved leader over that kid?"

"If you dislike it, leave," Gaara stood as well. Gaara walked to the edge, ready to jump off when Sasuke added one last jab.

"I saw the Hyuuga boy by the way," Sasuke used a polite tone that he knew would grate on Gaara's nerves. The statement had the desired effect, making Gaara stop. "He was making a stake."

Gaara lingered on the edge of the roof. His body trembling. Whether from rage, sadness, or fear, Sasuke didn't really care. It wasn't any of his business what trouble Gaara had found himself in.

Gaara didn't offer a response, jumping off the roof to the next then the next, ignoring Sasuke's existence.

Now that he had taken care of the nagging in his ear, he could go back to his thoughts.

What was a ghoul doing on the island? Surely a ghoul would recognize Uzumaki as a fledgling, meaning the ghoul would know that Uzumaki was under another's protection for the time being. It had taken a month of bargaining and a book of rules he had to follow just to set foot on the island. Deidara had his ways when it came to getting what he wanted, but even his hand was limited here. He only came as a favor for him under the pretense of business, and he didn't stay once the sun went down. For a ghoul to make the hassle to come here of all places to search out a fledgling?

He wanted to believe it was Itachi's doing, but the timing did not quite fit. He had only involved himself with Uzumaki for less than a day before the incident occurred. It was not enough time to randomly decide to pick a ghoul to go after Uzumaki. Even if that was the case, Uzumaki wouldn't be able to beat a ghoul so easily. Meaning the ghoul would have had to throw the fight or Uzumaki was stronger than he should have been.

Neither scenario made sense.

The door of the house he was intruding on opened. Akamaru came outside, walking out far enough to growl softly at him. Sasuke looked back with veiled annoyance.

"What is it, boy? Something on the roof?" Inuzuka walked out yawning and scratching his stomach in nothing but a pair of shorts. Sleepily, the young man looked up at the roof only to find no one there.

"Kabuto, are the preparations complete?" a man spoke with a sickly sweet voice. His black hair was drenched in what Kabuto could only describe as slime as it was thick and translucent with a greenish tint, and his skin was a pale white as if it had never seen the sun.

The man was sitting up in a capsule, the door had opened automatically, signaling the end of today's stabilization treatment. The man stood, sloshing the slime-like substance onto the floor. Nude, he stepped out of the capsule, pulling out the tube in his arm. "Kabuto?"

"Almost ready, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto replied respectfully, ignoring the nudeness of his employer.

The body that Sasori had given him laid on a metallic table. Wires and tubes covered nearly every inch of the corpse.

Inserting one last tube into the corpses forearm, Kabuto took a step back to admire his handiwork. "He is prepared, Orochimaru-sama."

"Wonderful! Let me see him," Orochimaru pushed Kabuto out of the way with just a single finger, but that shove was enough to nearly make Kabuto trip. His eyes lit up and a snake-like smile stretched on his face, too wide to be considered normal.

"Ah, yes, he is in much better condition than I expected. The wait may have been worth it." With boney fingers, he ran his hand over the corpse as one would with a new toy. "Put him in."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto kneeled, pushing a button on the capsule below. The table jerked before beginning its descent into the capsule.

Orochimaru just stood watching with a gleeful glint in his eye.

Kabuto had already moved on, grabbing a lab coat and holding it up for his master to slip into to.

Orochimaru didn't notice right away, not moving until the capsule's clear doors closed and liquid began to fill it. Eventually, the man took notice of Kabuto's presence once more and put on the coat, but didn't bother to close the front, instead padding his way over to his desk.

"How is Sasori-sensei doing, Kabuto?"

The way Orochimaru asked was flippant, as if he could care less about the German doctor, but like Sasori, Kabuto's master had a fixation on very particular things. Sasori was not one of them.

"He asked me to give him the details of your location as well as your plans for the corpse," Kabuto replied faithfully. "He also mentioned to me that some of his corpses have gone missing."

"Did he now?" That seemed to grab his employer's interest if only briefly. "So, he thinks you're still working for him, does he? How cute." Sitting on the edge of his desk, he picked up the report Kabuto had carefully compiled for him. "But he does suspect that we're the ones taking the corpses."

"It is likely," Kabuto looked at the other four capsules that had corpses enclosed in them. "He just lacks proof. I have stolen other corpses to hide the truth, but Sasori-sama is a genius. If he has not found the connection, he will soon."

"Yes, yes." Orochimaru brushed aside the comment. "More importantly, did you find, Gaara-chan?"

Kabuto bowed his head. "Yes."

"To think he would settle in Japan of all places. And the other?"

"Not found yet," Kabuto lied smoothly. "I am still looking."

Kabuto's response brought a frown to Orochimaru's face. "How unfortunate. He's the one I was looking forward to finding the most. I have the father; I should have the son too." With an exaggerated sigh, he leaned over to toss the papers into a shredder. "Still, your work is impressive as always, Kabuto. I may begin to trust you yet."

Kabuto bowed as Orochimaru walked past him.

"I have a meeting today, but I expect information on Gaara-chan by the time I return." Orochimaru looked down at Kabuto. He still had that playful smile, but it was a smile of a snake. "Don't disappoint me."

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto stayed bowing until the doors behind Orochimaru closed.

Once it was certain he was alone, Kabuto put on a pair of glasses.

Changes to his appearance was like a game of chess. Right now, his name was Kabuto. At the host club in Shibuya, Rin. The teaching assistant in Fukuoka, Shinryuu. Each persona had a different style, a different way of speaking, and a different story. And with his common face, people will automatically dismiss him as someone else through presentation alone. They couldn't possibly be the same person after all.

His acting was perfection and his ability to separate each life, so they never intersect, was due to his acting and memory. On the rare occasion someone he knew from one life entered another, he could act as if they had never met and never make the mistake of mixing conversations.

He did not know his real name or his real story. Perhaps that would worry some people; not him.

Kabuto shrugged off his lab coat, draping it over the chair. Humming softly, he rolled up his sleeve.

He wasn't presumptuous enough to think he could play both of his employers forever, and truthfully, he didn't want to believe he could.

Kabuto picked up a needle he had prepared earlier, sitting innocently on the autopsy table. With an expert hand, he inserted the tip into his vein on the first try, emptying the contents.

As long as he could pick their brains for a while longer, he did not mind the consequences. He was already a ghost to most people. There one moment, gone the next.

Removing the needle, he watched in quiet fascination as the small wound closed almost immediately.

An alarm on his phone blared its annoying jingle, reminding him of the time. Still humming, he picked up a school blazer, careful not to wrinkle it.

For now, it was time to assume another identity.

Asuma let out a long, irritated sigh. Today had gone just horribly. The talk with Jiraiya had gone worse than he had hoped. While he did believe Naruto may have been involved, he was hoping Jiraiya would have talked to him long enough to figure out something together. While the blame fell on him for the poor delivery, it was still a failure.

Then his wife calls telling him she thinks she's going into labor only to find out, after he had pretty much run out of the office to go to the hospital, barely issuing orders before leaving, it was just cramps.

Of course, she decided not to call him and tell him it was really nothing until after he was already at the hospital, panicking about whether she was okay or not.

By the time he arrived, she had already been sent home ages ago.

Sometimes he loved her. Sometimes he hated her. Today, it was lingering on the later.

"It takes a woman to drive a man crazy," he muttered to himself, leaning back in his office chair.

He took a long drag from his cigarette, letting the nicotine relax his tight muscles. He knew he should quit before the baby was due, but it was just not something he was able to ween himself off of.

While the day had been trying, it was his co-worker's parting words that really nagged him this late into the night.

At the time, it had seemed like a normal exchange, but as the hours passed, the more he kept thinking about it.

"That will be all for today, Usokawa-san. Thank you for your hard work," Asuma withheld a groan when his desk was still covered in paperwork and thinking of the overtime he would have to do.

"Do you want the reports of the autopsy, sir?" the young man held out a manila envelope for Asuma to take.

Asuma took it, lamenting over the additional work. "Thank you. Your work is as impeccable as always."

"Try not to work too hard, Captain. It would be a shame if something were to happen to you."

"Well if something did, the station would be in capable hands," Asuma offered him a tired smile. "You should get going. The last bus will leave soon."

"Don't worry about me. It's not like I have anyone waiting for me at home. If I miss it, I'll just stay at one of the inns."

There was a sadness in the young man's voice that Asuma sympathized with. "You're still young. I'm sure you'll find a nice wife that you can come home too eventually. I know a few women, if you're interested."

"That's very considerate, but I don't think I'll be dating anytime soon. Right now is a bit inconvenient…"

Sensing he had said something he shouldn't, Asuma quickly backtracked. "I didn't mean to pry."

"No need to apologize. I just rather be looking after my little brother right now. He's all I got left, you know?" Usokawa gave him such a genuine smile, that he almost looked like a child.

Asuma smiled back. "He's lucky to have such a caring brother like you. I almost wish you were younger. I'd marry you off to my unborn daughter if I could."

Usokawa chuckled. "I don't think your daughter would be too happy with you if you tried. For now, my brother is enough for me."

"I'm sensing a bit of a brother complex from you," Asuma joked.

"Maybe just a little." With the last of his papers packed in his bag, Usokawa prepared to leave for the night.

"You should go out for a drink with the boys once in a while. Bonding in the department is good," Asuma called out.

"Sorry, Captain." Usokawa smiled as he always did, but there was something in that smile that seemed like he was laughing at some inside joke. "I don't drink."

Usokawa left, and Asuma chuckled, thinking, "That's so like Usokawa-san."

It was the last thought that he had when talking to Usokawa that troubled him. Something about it seemed off. "That's so like Usokawa-san."

He had known Usokawa for years so of course he would know Usokawa's tendencies by now.

Asuma frowned.

No. That wasn't right. Usokawa was pretty young. He could have only been on the force for three, maybe four years at best. Usokawa looked barely over 20. He couldn't have possibly known him as long as he felt.

The more he thought about it the worse his memory of Usokawa became. How did he meet Usokawa exactly?

The lack of recall made Asuma uneasy. Usokawa had always been helpful and kind, and yet here he was doubting him because he couldn't remember any specific details. It was like he just knew him one day.

Chalking it up to being tired, the police captain cleared his desk, putting documents he would need to look over for the murder case in his briefcase. He'd do some work after a couple of hours of sleep and before he came in in the morning. It was unusual to have such a high-profile case on the island, so it was a bit nice to be busy with real work for once. It was just unfortunate that someone had to lose their life for it to happen.

Saying goodnight to the few officers on night duty, Asuma left the station as he did any other night.

He didn't live far from his home. A good, 15-20 minute walk. He had a car, but for the sake of the environment and to save on costs, he chose to walk majority of the time.

It was well into the night, around 2 or 3 in the morning. The town was shut down, so there was no activity, not even a stray drunk, and yet, it seemed like he was being followed. There was nothing to back up the feeling. He didn't even hear the sound of footsteps behind him, but he walked a little bit faster.

… And faster

…..And faster.

And faster.

He was just short of a run when he saw a man standing underneath a street lamp, causing him to come to a stop. His breathing was raged from the mix of anxiety and face pace he had set.

Laughing to himself, he tried to shake off his nerves that were making his hands shake. There was nothing to be afraid of. What would it look like if the police chief was running down the street like a maniac? He had an image to keep.

Walking at a more natural pace, he approached the man under the lamp, but as he got closer, he realized it was someone he had never met before.

He was definitely a foreigner, around his age perhaps, with light brown hair that was beginning to turn gray at the temples. He was Caucasian and a bit taller than him.

Asuma became nervous for a different reason. While he was okay with foreigners who lived on the island, the ones that didn't put him at a loss. His English was shaky at best and trying to communicate was often tedious and unrewarding.

"Are you lost?" Asuma asked in his best English. His accent was thick, and his L sounded more like an R.

The man looked at him with curiosity though, for some reason, he also looked very annoyed. "Is your name, Asuma Sarutobi?"

Asuma barely caught his name, but all he really could think of was, why would this foreigner be asking for him? "I am Sarutobi, Asuma."

"Fucking bastard. I should have known he would lie. After coming all the way here to this backwater island. This isn't even worth my time." The man muttered under his breath.

Asuma didn't understand most of what he had said, but he was beginning to get the feeling like he shouldn't be talking to him. "I need to go. Have good night."

Asuma took a step past only for his wrist to be grabbed. Asuma resisted the instinct to throw the man over his shoulder, turning his head to yell at the foreigner to let go.

He wished he had followed his instinct.

Instead of a man, he saw something he could not describe. Something with form? Something without? A mist yet a solid. All he really knew was that it was dark. Not black. Black was a color. This thing didn't have a color. It was a thing that sucked everything into it like a black hole where not even light escaped. His touch was as cold as ice, sapping Asuma's warmth like a leech.

"Well, even men will do." The creature said, and it was then that Asuma snapped out of his horrified trance to try to pull away, too terrified to even scream. "A demon's got to eat."

Asuma panicked, pulling his wrist away only to be dragged closer. He had nothing to defend himself with, having signed his gun into the police locker at the end of his shift. The light above them, and several down the street, exploded, showering Asuma with glass and plastic, causing him to close his eyes to protect himself.

When he opened them again, the creature had produced what looked like a scythe in his hand. Its metal was as dark as the creature was, but the moonlight bounced off the blade, highlighting its sharp edge.

This thing had to be the literal incarnate of death was all Asuma's mind could think. What else could it be other than death itself? He couldn't even feel the hand that it had touched as if the life had been leached out.

"No, please!" Asuma finally found his voice, but he was still being dragged into an alley despite his struggling.

Throwing so much weight into his last-ditch attempt to escape, he fell back onto the ground. Relief and hope flooded through him, thinking he was freed, but he realized too late that the creature had let go on purpose to instead grab his leg and drag him along. Asuma kicked and clawed at the concrete, his nails, ripping off as they caught on the asphalt and the skin wearing down his fingertips to the bone. In the process, he screamed, hoping, praying that someone would help him, but he may as well have been lying dead for as easily as he was dragged along.

At the back of the alley, he was pulled on his feet and pressed against the creature in a second, his back to its front. If the creature hadn't held him, he would have fallen, his legs shaking so badly they were on the brink of collapsing.

Something like a hand covered his mouth, drowning his screams. The cold blade of the scythe bit lightly into Asuma's skin, drawing a thin line of blood from his neck.

"Do me a favor," the creature's voice whispered into his ear in perfect Japanese. Tears were rolling down Asuma's face in fear, and the smell of ammonia filled the air. "And don't breathe."

Darkness enveloped the pair, like a sheet encasing them, while a circle of darkness formed below them. The darkness twisted, and then it dispersed like smoke.

Revealing nothing but an empty alley in its wake.

Naruto walked into the classroom the next morning. Despite coming home tired, and severely dehydrated, he insisted on going to school regardless of Tsunade's and Jiraiya's objections.

When he walked in, the classroom became still, all eyes turning to him. The heat of their stare made him want to duck his head.

With a nervous smile, he waved to his classmate and proceed to walk to his seat as normally as he could.

By the time he sat down, chatter had resumed. He let out a breath he didn't know what he was holding, letting his head hit his desk.

"There are better ways to hurt yourself."

Gaara's voice drifted into Naruto's tired brain, prompting Naruto to lift his head enough to look at his friend. To anyone else, Gaara probably looked like he couldn't care less, but just the fact he was looking at him and not out the window was telling Naruto how worried he was.

Forcing another smile, he tried to brush off Gaara's concern. "I'm fine, Gaara. Just tired."

"You sure that's it?" Kiba had turned his chair around to face Naruto. His usually carefree face was full of concern, and guilt ate at Naruto's conscience. "Where were you?"

"Just skipping. I found this cool place up in the mountains and got a bit lost," Naruto laughed.

"Naruto, man." Kiba lowered his voice. "You can talk to me. I know about Uchiha. If he did anything…"

The shock about Kiba knowing, hit Naruto in the gut, making Naruto's smile waver. "Really, nothing's going on," he insisted. "I'm just fine."

Kiba opened his mouth to say something else, but Gaara intervened. "Go buy me strawberry milk," he ordered in a bored tone.

Kiba looked at Gaara with fear then averted his eyes. "Yeah, sure." Kiba left just as the final bell tolled.

"Since when has Kiba been your errand boy?" Naruto asked, shocked by his friend's behavior. Gaara could be violent, but he never went out of his way to torture or boss people around. Naruto knew Gaara treated him differently from others, but Kiba had somewhat special treatment as well. Until now that was.

Gaara didn't answer instead looking back out his window, leaving Naruto with mixed feelings. He was relieved Kiba's line of questioning stopped but concerned that Kiba seemed afraid of Gaara.

"Uzumaki-san?"

The soft voice of Naruto's girlfriend, almost made Naruto groan. He had forgotten his date. "Sakura-chan," he went for his best placating voice he could manage. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to stand you up."

"No, no. It's okay, but are you alright? We heard that you were sick."

Is that what Jiraiya and Tsunade had told everyone? "Um, yeah. I wasn't feeling all that great."

"Don't push yourself too hard. If you still feel bad, you should rest in the infirmary."

"Thanks for worrying, but I'm okay."

"Oh…okay." She lingered, shifting from foot to foot. "I made lunch. If you want, we could eat it together."

"Thanks, Sakura-chan, but today is a bit inconvenient…"

"Of course. You probably want to rest during lunch. I'll send you a message later?"

"Sounds great."

His reply and smile managed to get rid of her, leaving Naruto with growing stress as more and more situations seemed to pop up due to his absence.

"Fake, bitch."

The mumbled comment made Naruto wide-eyed. Gaara rarely cursed, so it was very out of character. "I know she's not exactly in love with me, but I think that's taking it a bit far."

Gaara turned his head just slightly only to immediately go back to looking outside. "Sorry," he whispered quietly. "Where's Uchiha?"

Naruto shrugged, looking down at his desk. He didn't want to think about it.

Hatake walked in. Everyone stood to give the morning greeting─ minus Gaara.

For once, Naruto wanted a quiet day at school; he wasn't that lucky. "Uzumaki-kun, please report to the chairman's office. She wants to see you immediately."

He did groan aloud this time. He had thought Tsunade had left on business. Gathering what little energy he had, he dragged himself out of the chair and left.

The trip down the hall was long and daunting. Fatigue from the night before was catching up to him. His mind felt as heavy as his body. He wasn't really thinking, moving on autopilot as he had the past couple days. He would take his punishment from Tsunade and perhaps then he could finally have a quiet day.

He knocked and entered without waiting for a response as he normally did, but it wasn't Tsunade who awaited him in her office but a police officer.

His blood stilled, turning to ice. Did they find out what he did already? Of course, they did. He hadn't hidden the body and the gun had been there too. It would have been found in no time.

The officer turned, giving him a warm smile, only making Naruto raise his suspicions. No cop smiled at him like that except Sarutobi ji-chan.

"You must be Uzumaki-san. Please have a seat."

Cautiously, Naruto closed the door, searching the room for Tsunade, but she wasn't there. It was just the cop, standing in front of one of the sofas in the sitting area.

"It's rude not to give your name first," Naruto replied, not moving from the door.

Normally, his behavior would be off-putting to those older than him. The cop, however, didn't seem perturbed, still smiling warmly at him. "You're right. How rude of me. Please call me Officer Usokawa."

Naruto looked him straight in the eye, intending to find out what game he was playing, but instead of finding doubts, Naruto found a form of relief. It didn't seem like this cop was trying to get him in trouble.

Obediently, Naruto took the seat offered to him. "Am I in trouble?"

"Not at all, Uzumaki-san. I just wanted to ask a few questions. Nothing serious."

Naruto leaned back in the chair, trying to act like his usual delinquent self. Instead, it looked forced and awkward as he asked, "Usually it's Sarutobi ji-san who comes by."

"I'm filling in for his duties today." Usokawa sat down across from him.

"I see," was Naruto's replied dully. "If you don't mind, Usokawa-san, I have class. If you could just hurry this up."

"I just want to follow up on your disappearance. Could you tell me why you ran away?" Usokawa's voice was calming and he seemed genuinely worried. It gave Naruto a sense of ease he couldn't place.

"It wasn't intentional," he muttered.

"Would you like to talk about it? This is the first time you've done something like this."

Naruto met Usokawa's eyes. Truthfully, he felt compelled to answer. He wanted to, needed to talk to someone about what he was feeling, but how could he? No one would believe him. Still, he wanted to say something. He wanted to say something, but he also wanted to rip out his throat with his teeth.

The passing thought made Naruto sick to his stomach. What did he just think? He wanted to rip out his throat?

Sure enough, the urge inside him was increasing, like an itch dying to be scratch.

Naruto ripped his eyes away, guilt eating away at him as well as panic.

"Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto looked up on instinct, meeting Usokawa's eyes again. "I …. I needed time to think," he answered truthfully.

"About what if I may ask?"

Naruto leaned forward, looking at the designs sewn into the rug. "Life. I'm not exactly a model student and finding a career on the island after high school doesn't look promising either. I was just trying to figure out what I want to do without causing anyone else any more trouble."

"Being a third-year student is difficult," Usokawa agreed. "Everyone is probably pushing you to study for your exams and nothing else. It can be very stressful. A lot of suicides happen because of them."

Naruto scoffed, not hiding his abhorrence. "I'm not taking exams. I'm not going to waste my time studying for something I'm just going to fail. Even if I somehow pass them, my school ranking and reputation will ruin it."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

What was he planning to do? He didn't really return with any plans. He just didn't want people worried about him.

"Uzumaki-san, if I may be so bold, I think what you did may not have been the best way to go about it, but it is understandable. It's nothing to be ashamed about."

The answer took Naruto by surprise, and he found himself arguing against himself. "But, I caused trouble. I made people worry."

"Sometimes, we must hurt the ones we love so that we can grow. The important thing is, make sure you learn from it, so you don't do it again. Understand?"

"Yeah," Naruto found himself nodding like a young child who had been properly scolded. It was a new feeling. It was like having a big brother. "Thanks."

"I'm glad I could help," Usokawa stood. "It seems you still have a lot to think about Uzumaki-san, but I think I can wipe this incident off your record."

"You'd do that for me?" he said disbelievingly.

"You're smart, Uzumaki-san. I think you just need the opportunity to show it." Usokawa gave him a smile, giving him a small bow. "Thank you for your time, Uzumaki-san. I hope things work out for you."

Naruto was still dumbfounded at what had happened, so Usokawa left first, putting his cap back on. He was pleasant smiles all the way to the parking lot and to the police cruiser, giving the polite morning greeting to everyone he passed.

He didn't drop the smile until he was in his car, the engine started. His face became passive, a blank slate. He was coming down the mountain when he pulled out his phone, pushing the speed dial.

"This better be good. I don't do mornings," came a disgruntled voice in English.

"Did you take care of it, Hidan?"

"Ah, it's you," the sleepy voice was suddenly wide awake and very annoyed. "Yeah, I took care of him. I just dumped the body. You lied. I thought he was going to be a woman." There was some rustling and some moaning on the other end. "Have to admit, it was a nice change. Normally my victims die so quickly, but he brought out the darker side of me," the voice was positively gleeful. "I haven't tortured someone in so long."

"Are you still in town?" ignoring the sound of Jack's new bed partner coming over the speaker.

"Nah, I went back to the mainland. Like hell, I'd stay there longer than I had to."

"I am heading back as well," Usokawa's voice dropped into an old English accent. "The address I have mentioned previously will be the rendezvous. You may pick up your payment there." Usokawa hung up, dropping the phone into the passenger seat.

Naruto didn't go back to class as he should have. Leaning on the roof railing, he looked out over the town at the bottom of the mountain. The meeting with Usokawa had been insightful. Now that it was sinking in that he was changing. He should think of what to do─ in a way that didn't worry anyone else.

"I should have known you would be up here."

Uchiha's sudden appearance didn't surprise him. He was beginning to get used to his sudden appearances. He sighed heavily. "You know, Sakura-chan asked me out up here."

He felt Uchiha move beside him.

"Gaara and I became friends up here too. He would ditch class all the time when he started school here. I'd follow him up here. He'd sit there ignoring me while I talked. At some point, those talks moved to the classroom than outside of school. He was the only one who didn't run away from me," he smiled sadly.

"What is your relationship with him?"

"Gaara?" Naruto asked surprised. His surprise slowly melted into a grin. "Why? Jealous?"

Instead of a comeback, Uchiha just stared at him intensely. The attention made Naruto's face flush, and he had to look away. "Can you stop staring already? It's creepy. It was just a joke. We're just friends."

"So are you coming up here to reminisce or is there a reason?"

"You're such an asshole," he mumbled, sighing to himself. "You could give me some sympathy you know."

"Sympathy?" he said with a small taunt in his voice. "What's that?"

Despite himself, a smirk twitched on his lips. Naruto shoved Uchiha lightly with his shoulder. "Jerk."

Uchiha pushed off the railing. "Well let me take a guess as to why you're standing here reminiscing. Your situation is finally sinking in, and you're worried about killing your friends one day."

Hearing it out loud was like confirmation. His life would never be the same. He would never grow old. Never die. Never be able to stay in one place ever again. His body sagged, and his head touched the cold metal of the railing, letting it soothe his heated skin and growing headache. "Something like that."

"I can't say that I understand. When I turned, I wanted to, but I won't say that I won't take responsibility for messing up your life on a whim."

Naruto felt something touch his behind. Naruto whirled around to see Uchiha with one of his cigarettes to his lips and using his lighter. "What the hell?!"

"I'm asking you to come live with me."

Naruto blinked. "Eh?"

Uchiha scoffed. "Not like that. I'm offering you a place to change. A place to learn how to control your new powers and strengths. I'm offering," he stressed, "a place where you can learn to control your blood lust."

He was offering a place to hide. Naruto looked down unsure of what to say. "You'd…you'd do that?"

"Don't get sentimental. I'm just doing my duty."

A smile crossed his face that lit up his face, showing his relief. "Thanks. Maybe you're not so bad after all."

It was Uchiha's turn to stare.

Naruto found his face heating up again. "Wh-what?!"

Uchiha shrugged, turning to head back inside. "I didn't say it was free."

Naruto gaped at him until he ran after him, punching his shoulder. "What happened to taking responsibility?!"

Uchiha ignored him as Naruto chased after him. The vampire had a smug smirk that irked Naruto to no end, but Naruto found himself hiding a smile. Uchiha may have been a jerk, but this was the second time he tried to cheer him up. Perhaps, Uchiha was an okay guy after all.

Usokawa entered through the doorway, the candles already lit. He had barely taken off his jacket when his servant was there to take it from him. He extended his arm. A beautiful black raven squawked, flew through the open window to perch on his arm. Usokawa's back straightened into perfect posture, his steps became inhumanely graceful.

With his free hand, he pulled off the wig, dropping, the short dark brown and curly hair to the floor. Long, dark black hair fell loose, touching his shoulders. He proceeded to take out his colored contacts, dropping them as well.

The child-like servant picked up after him, but he paid it no mind.

"You sure took your sweet time," a sickly-sweet voice floated to Usokawa's ears. If he was anyone else, it would make his skin crawl. "You do know that electricity was created over a hundred years ago, right."

"While that may be true, I prefer the ambiance of candles." The warm and kind voice of Usokawa's had reverted to a cold, smooth, inflectionless tone. "I was also not expecting company."

"I arrived a day earlier than expected," Orochimaru walked up to him, looking him up and down. "And since I was here, I thought I'd stop by." A pale hand reached out, pulling a strand of Usokawa's dark hair and curling it around his finger.

"If you don't remove your hand from my person, Orochimaru-san, you will find it missing from the elbow down," was the calm reply.

"I can't help that beautiful things attract me, Itachi-kun," he chuckled.

Itachi grabbed his wrist, tightening his grip to painful proportions. "The entire left arm will also suffice."

"I understand. No touching," Orochimaru said with almost a sulk. Once freed, he did remove his hand. "You really should look into getting a sense of humor, Itachi-kun."

A derivative snort came from the doorway. "The day he gets a sense of humor, hell would have frozen over."

"Kisame. Refrain." Itachi walked past Orochimaru─ who practically jumped out of his way to avoid touching him─ to the tall, blue-tinted skin man standing in the doorway. "We will discuss our arrangements in my office if that's acceptable to you, Orochimaru-san?"

No matter how Itachi phrased it, it was obviously not an option.

"You don't even need to ask," Orochimaru smiled seductively though Itachi couldn't see. "I'd follow you anywhere." He looked at the man and child servant, who was still standing silently with his head bowed, rather smugly.

Itachi ignored the comment walking further into the house. "Then let us begin our deal."