If there was one thing Orochimaru did not like, it was the mindless, uneducated masses. Humanity, in his opinion, had become complacent, relying on the select few to advance their research and technology while reaping the benefits for themselves. Closed-minded, the masses often mocked or rejected anything that did not fit into their perfect world until it benefitted them in some way. Claiming to want change, they were often stagnant in their ways, not truly wanting to progress into something more. Into something exceptional. They could not see the true potential science had, nor did they want to see it succeed. They decided what to research and what to progress by the money they gave to the science they wanted, leaving visionaries like him to have to go to unsavory places in order to procure funding and resources.
And then, there were the rules and regulations that limited science. No early human testing, no cloning, no deliberately harming a human to see their effects. Of course, any scientist willing to overstep these rules were seen as mad. Scientists like him. Honestly, if the Nazis had won, he could have joined their efforts in science. They were true scientists, willing to do anything in the name of science.
There were also humans even lower than the regulators and the common folk. The ones that intentionally weakened their bodies and try to rot their minds with drugs and sex. Those with no ambition or real future. The lowest form of humanity.
As he walked into a run-down club, music blaring, lights flashing, he could not hide his disgust for the ugly creatures that populated the building. One could not turn their head without seeing women propositioning men, druggies shooting up, or alcohol being poured. This trip had better be worth the trouble.
Making his way to the back, there was a booth separated from the rest of the club by drawn curtains. With a moment's hesitation, he walked in.
He shouldn't have been surprised by what he saw. On the sofa was Hidan with a woman on his lap riding him. He didn't touch her, his arms resting on the back of the sofa. He let her do all the work, her arms wrapped around his neck, moving her hips to the fast beat of the music. Her pants and moans were covered up by the loud music. Orochimaru was thankful for small miracles. The last thing he wanted was to commit to memory this woman's pathetic mewling.
Hidan looked up from his woman, smiling at the discomfort and annoyance on Orochimaru's face. He had always been a sadistic one, drowning himself in other's fear and discomfort. "Orochimaru, what took you so fucking long? I got bored waiting."
"Clearly," Orochimaru answered without veiling his disgust. "I didn't come all the way here to watch you enjoy the local color." His English was stilted and rough, but Hidan refused to speak another language, preferring to cause others to go out of their way for him.
"Too bad. You wanted to ask something, right? Speak up or leave me the fuck alone. Tonight's feeding night."
Orochimaru's lips twisted in displeasure. "Itachi Uchiha hired you to kill a cop recently, correct? An Asuma Sarutobi?"
Hidan whispered something in the woman's ear, and she slowed her pace considerably, shivering in his lap. Then he returned to the conversation at hand. "You know, you're the second person who asked me about that."
That was a bit of a surprise. Orochimaru had been averting his eyes slightly since entering, but he looked at Hidan head-on at this news. "Who else inquired about it?"
"I don't know his name. All I know is that he's an old and powerful mother fucker. Even I would think twice about taking him on."
"A member from the council?"
"Stronger."
That information was very intriguing. Someone stronger than the council? Was there such a being out there? Granted he was only human, he did not know every creature that existed in the darkness unseen by human society, but oh how he wanted to. The thought alone made him tremble in excitement, and he wanted to ask.
"You know, I love women." Hidan brought a hand and pulled the woman back enough, so he could lovingly stroke her face. "They are soft, frail," his hand trailed down to her neck. "And so easily frightened." His hand began to squeeze.
"These days, the difference between men and women is slimming, but women still hold that fear of being followed in the dark. It's intoxicating. You just want to see more and more."
The woman clawed at his hands, struggling to breathe, and not a single mark was made. She was beginning to foam at the mouth.
"But prostitutes are my favorite. I can't tell you why. Maybe because they're steeped in sin. I especially like the ones who enjoy it. The bitches in heat who can't get enough. They're so happy to fuck me not knowing they're about to die."
He snapped her neck, then shoved her off his lap.
Orochimaru took a step back to avoid being touched by the fresh corpse. "Then why kill a man?"
Hidan, amused, made a come here motion with his index finger. He wasn't motioning to Orochimaru however. Something small, the size of a pea, materialized from the center of the woman's chest. At the motion, it flew over to Hidan, hovering over his finger.
"Itachi is a lying bastard. That's why, but it wasn't a complete waste. It's been a long time since I've corrupted a soul as pure as that one. Go figure, an actual cop who wanted to help people."
Opening his mouth, he popped the small ball into his mouth then licked his lips. "Itadakimasu."
Orochimaru left after that. He didn't think he would get any more useful information from Hidan. Itachi was trying to limit his movements. He knew Itachi would turn on him, but he didn't expect it in such a way. It would be harder to move around, but that's what Kabuto was for. He didn't leave his lab often anyway.
This mysterious inquirer on the other hand, if Orochimaru could befriend him, perhaps that could be the key to taking down the cocky vampire.
The computer monitor crashed into the door to Naruto's room, leaving a dent in the wood. Next went the chair, knocked over and skidding across the floor.
Naruto was destroying everything that was within his reach. The anger at himself kept bubbling to the surface. He couldn't stop it, no matter how hard he tried. It was like something else was steering his body and his actions, his red eyes were looking for something else to take his anger out on. They turned to the intruder who had opened the door, entering his territory.
"Moron," Uchiha's voice was barely above a whisper. Though calm on the outside, he was taken back when Naruto growled at him as if he had lost his ability to speak. A fang peaked out from under his upper lip, and his eyes seemed to belong more to an animal than a man. "Obviously, you're upset, but throwing things and breaking my property will not help solve your problem."
"What do you know!" Naruto's voice had taken on a deeper timber as if another voice was trying to override his. "It's always like this! Everyone I care about always dies! My parents! Asuma!" An aura, clear like vapor, but heavy like a blanket, distorting the view of the area behind it, was wrapping itself around Naruto, growing darker and setting Uchiha's senses on alert.
"Uzumaki." But his voice could not reach him. Another voice was occupying Naruto's attention.
That's right, kit. Get angrier.
Shut up! SHUT UP! This doesn't involve you! Stay out of my head!
Of course, it does. If you're upset, I'm upset. You should be mad that someone did that to Asuma. You should want revenge. If you give me control now, I can find the killer for you.
Naruto's hair was starting to streak orange as his anger grew, his bloodlust for the person who murdered Asuma was becoming uncontrollable.
"Uzumaki, you need to calm do─" Sasuke was knocked down to the ground, Uzumaki on top of him. Sasuke barely caught Uzumaki's hands that were aimed at his neck. His nails grown sharp, like claws, and if it was the same as before, those nails could easily slice his neck open.
Uzumaki's consciousness was no longer there, it was like his body was being driven by an animal, trying to use its newfound claws to slice open his prey.
Sasuke held onto his wrists firmly, trying to push them away, but to his disbelief, Naruto was overpowering him. His training kept him from panicking, but he had almost failed to suppress it. Looking around them, there was nothing to be used as a weapon. Uzumaki had thrown the few items in the room and there was nothing nearby. Sasuke was losing, Uzumaki's claws getting to his neck for comfort.
Well there was more than one way to satisfy a beast.
Sasuke pulled Uzumaki forward, making Uzumaki miss his head by redirecting his hands to either side of his head. With the movement, Uzumaki fell forward as well, meeting Sasuke's lips.
Uzumaki bit Sasuke's lip, his fangs drawing blood, but the vampire moved his lips as if it was just foreplay.
A growl escaped Naruto as if in warning, but instead of attacking, or more unpleasant, biting off Sasuke's lip, Uzumaki licked the thick blood from his lips. An interesting choice since Sasuke's blood should not be enticing to any creature.
It was a good opportunity to slip his tongue into Uzumaki's mouth.
His angry and violent aura began to slowly fade as Naruto kissed back with fervor, his nails, digging into the wood beside Sasuke's head, his anger turning into lust.
He hadn't expected Uzumaki to respond, but Sasuke wasn't going to complain. He was getting into it himself, urging Uzumaki's tongue to play with his as he pulled Uzumaki closer to further deepen the kiss.
With Uzumaki distracted, Sasuke was able to flip them over, so that he was on top, but he did not break the kiss. He should have, but something about Uzumaki's taste kept him going. He had that strong, distinct flavor, just like his blood. He wanted more of it, needed more of it.
Then, Uzumaki absolutely froze.
With Uzumaki no longer responding, Sasuke broke the kiss to take in Uzumaki's expression. Uzumaki's features had returned to normal minus his bright red face.
Before he could even ask, Uzumaki shoved him off and scrambled backward.
Trying to pinpoint Uzumaki's expression with one emotion was hard. His face was red with embarrassment and possibly lingering lust. His eyes had tears in the corners as if he didn't know whether to cry or not, conflicted with the anger and sadness from before. He was covering his mouth with his hand as if he couldn't believe what he had just done, and lastly, there was clearly a bulge in his pants. He wasn't sure what emotion he wanted to deal with right now.
He shouldn't take advantage of him in this confused state, Sasuke decided, though it was hard to admit with his own hard-on pressing against his pants. "Are you back to your senses?"
Sasuke gave him an out, making it seem the kiss was just to startled Naruto back to his senses, easing a few of Uzumaki's emotions, and letting the others take dominance. Sadness and guilt resurfaced, and Uzumaki seemed determined to suppress them.
"I'm going outside," he said, standing. "Don't hold yourself back."
Uzumaki, Sasuke was quickly realizing, had developed bad coping mechanisms. He didn't cry. He forced himself not to. Because he didn't want to trouble anyone with his tears. He was constantly trying to suppress. Uzumaki was very similar to himself, but so very, very different. Uzumaki at his base was innocent, wanting to be of use to others and make them happy. Sasuke was nowhere near that pure. He was stained black from his core out.
Hearing the soft crying from behind the door, Sasuke felt relieved. Uzumaki had decided not to hold in his grief.
"Ah, Uchiha-sama. I thought you went to work?" Tobi quickly walked down the hall. "Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing," he replied, walking past him. He had planned to go, but Uzumaki had ditched him when he had been called to the principal's office after school. When he went to get him from his room later on, the fledgling had been trashing the room. How was he supposed to go to work under these circumstances?
"Um, Uchiha-san, I know this is not my place, but I want to remind you of the reason why we are here in the first place. This is the closest we have ever gotten to Itachi-san. For the first time, he has contacted you. However, you have done little to search for him since coming he─" Tobi was backhanded across the face with so much force, he flew into the wall, breaking the drywall, but not going through it.
"Mind your tongue," Sasuke said with a coldness that could match his brother's. "Never insinuate that I am not taking my search seriously again. There will be no forgiveness for another transgression."
Tobi bowed his head to the floor. "Forgive my rudeness, Uchiha-sama. This servant had forgotten his place."
Without giving a sign of whether or not he forgave Tobi, he walked away, leaving his servant bowing on the floor until he was out of sight.
Jiraiya entered a dark room with a single large round table and a candle that stood in the center flickering. The shadows of 20 people who sat around the table danced on the walls. The unstable lighting made the faces difficult to see.
To an outsider, the ambiance would seem like a cult, but that wasn't the reason for the low light. The true reason was because of spies. With the low light, it would be difficult to make out the faces around the table. At least that was the original reason. With night vision now available, even the darkness would provide no real challenge from cameras. Perhaps at the next meeting, he should propose normal lights.
Jiraiya found his assigned seat, it being the only empty seat left.
"Now that everyone is present, we shall begin the meeting by order of the Godaime…Tsunade." There was hesitation when saying the name as well as very poorly hidden discontent.
With Tsunade being ¾ American, the older generation, who remembered the war from their childhoods or inherited their hatred from their parents, could not help but hate her as well. They considered her grandfather a traitor for marrying an American military nurse, and fuel only added to the fire when Tsunade's parents raised the first 16 years of her life in America. They didn't see her as one of them.
None of the prejudice ever held her back. She held her head high and spoke proudly, not letting their opinions weigh her down. A trait Jiraiya admired very much about her.
"Thank you all for coming today. I asked you here due to the recent events that have been happening on the island. As we have feared, security has been broken. A ghoul managed to get on the island and leave without detection. The only reason we are aware is due to the blood found at the scene, and Uchiha's cooperation."
"Uchiha," an old man sneered. "We didn't have this problem until we allowed him on the island. We should never have allowed it."
"As much as I agree with you," Tsunade said, "I will not be the first to break the contract. This was the Uchiha's land first. It was only through his permission that our ancestors were allowed to take this island for themselves."
"A decision your great grandfather made, might I add."
"The truth is," another voice spoke up. It was quite younger than the old man who had spoken. "That it is our blood has become weak. Too many of the branch families who have lost their abilities have forgotten. They may as well be normal citizens, and it is our fault for not reminding them."
"That aside," an old woman spoke up. "How much can we hold Uchiha to his word. He has already killed two of our youths."
"They had entered his home. Contractually speaking, he had the right to feed on them," Tsunade answered.
"And if he had dragged them into his home first?" the woman challenged. "You are too trusting of that bloodsucker. I hear that he is involving himself with Uzumaki, Naruto. Do you not find that strange? That the moment he enters your school, his target is that boy?"
"If he is bitten, then we need to kill him." the young man's voice from before said. There was no remorse, just cold hard fact.
Jiraiya closed his eyes already knowing the truth.
"If the need arises," he continued. "You will take responsibility and do what needs to be done, won't you Tsunade-sama?"
The spark that Tsunade had flickered at the statement. How could it not? She had helped raise Naruto as much as Jiraiya had. They weren't good at it, nor were they perfect, but they loved him.
She answered with sturdy conviction as she looked across the table to the man who had spoken. "If he is bitten, I will have him killed. My personal feelings on the matter have nothing to do with my decisions nor should they ever interfere."
She looked around the table. "For now, tighten security. Unless they are cleared by me, no one is allowed on the island. Deidara-san and his mate will be on the island tomorrow to meet with Uchiha and later myself. If any of them do anything suspicious, kill them. War or not."
"Yes, ma'am," they all responded, some more passionate than others.
"Dismissed."
One by one, each member stood to leave. Jiraiya stayed seated, listening to each one go until just he and Tsunade were left.
Tsunade moved down several chairs, taking a seat beside him. "I'm sorry about Asuma-kun," she whispered.
"The last thing I had said to him was that he couldn't call me by my name, that he was no longer my friend." Jiraiya slumped over the table, folding his hands. "I think that is what I regret most. To think that the person he thought Naruto had killed was a ghoul working for that monster."
"Did he ever say anything about why he was at the crime scene?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "Gaara-kun had said it was likely self-defense. Naruto's probably too scared to come forward about it. You know how he is, but if that ghoul did come here to tell Orochimaru where he is…"
"Trouble always seems to attract to him." Her fingers ran through his hair. The places her fingers touched tingled, sapping away his worry and tension the longer the contact remained. "We won't let him fall into his hands again."
"And Uchiha? You didn't tell them that it's most likely too late."
Her fingers stilled.
"We aren't 100 percent certain," she said quietly.
"He left to live with him, Tsunade. I found his bloodied shirt the day after he went to the mansion on his collar. What more proof is there?" Jiraiya closed his eyes. Each word grew sharper and sharper, knowing full well that it was too late for him. Time was running out.
"I meant what I said. If it comes down to it, we will kill him before the change is complete."
Jiraiya met her eyes. The kind guardian who he had been the past 12 years was nowhere to be seen. Just a hardened soldier. "If it's true, let me be the one to take revenge on the vampire who changed him."
Tsunade went quiet. His request was selfish and potentially dangerous. He would be breaking a treaty. With a matching bloodlust in her eyes, she gave her reply, "I give you permission."
If someone claimed that Naruto was trying to avoid Uchiha, they would be completely right. Naruto would never admit it though.
It was early in the morning. The sun wasn't even properly up. Therefore, there was little for Naruto to do around the mansion since he destroyed his computer. He walked downstairs just in time to see Tobi getting ready to leave.
"Hey, Tobi-san, where're you going?"
The butler paused then slowly turned to Naruto, smiling way too brightly for someone up in the morning. "Food shopping. You still eat food, right? We can't have you starving to death before you turn."
"Right," Naruto's gaze shifted down. "Can I come?"
"Oh no, I could never allow Uchiha-sama's lover to do something so mundane," it was a gentle refusal, but his words had Naruto snapping his head up, blushing.
"What?" his voice squeaked. "I'm not─ Why would you─ I'm a guy!" His defense wasn't a very good one, but it was what came out of his rattled brain. His answer seemed to confuse Tobi as well.
"Is that a problem? Uchiha-sama is a homosexual after all… could it be Japan isn't as open as I thought?" he murmured.
"It's not that it's a problem. I mean it's okay that he's gay. I'm cool with that. It's just that um…" he didn't know what to say.
Due to the island's isolation, a lot of the people were conservative. The younger generation was more open, but he never met anyone who was gay or would blatantly talk about their sexuality, especially with so many people on the island coming from rich and rather strict households. The foreigners were slightly more open but had lived in Japan long enough that their children and grandchildren had adopted a lot of the Japanese customs.
Add in the difficulty of the school's curriculum, a lot of the students didn't pay attention to their love life, focusing on studying and aiming for the coveted A in their mock exams at cram school, saying that they'll worry about falling in love afterward.
Sai was probably the exception to the rule but talking about getting laid and actually acting on it was two different things. Yeah, he talked about sleeping with his girlfriend, but he didn't plan to just get right to it. He wanted to take it slow. She deserved that much, right? Granted he didn't spend much time with her….
Was he thinking about this too much?
He felt his face heat up further remembering the kiss he was trying to forget. He had thought it was just to snap him out of it, but maybe for Uchiha, it had been more. Further reason to avoid him in his opinion.
"I apologize, I had assumed he had brought you here as to be his lover. He doesn't normally bring home anyone else."
So Naruto wasn't the first.
"I see," he said dryly. "Do you think you can send me to school then? I don't have much money, but I'll pay you."
"There is no need for that, Uzumaki-sama. I am here to serve you."
He had woken up thinking about Asuma and his weird behavior. He still blamed himself for Asuma's death. It was because of the person he killed that Asuma had been investigating in the first place. Then to lose control as he had. Was his condition getting worse? He didn't have much of a reputation left, but if it got out he was schizophrenic, would even Gaara and Kiba stay? Those thoughts plagued him all morning until Tobi brought up the result of his loss of control. Now, he was stuck in a town car thinking about Uchiha, and he desperately wanted his brain to just stop working.
Luckily the ride was only 20 minutes.
The sun had finally risen. It was going to be another warm day, which was nice. He figured he could sneak into Tsunade's office and get an hour of shut eye before she came barging in. He'd leave at the last minute to avoid Uchiha until class.
Walking down the path to the entrance, Kiba was leaning against a tree, a ball in his hand. Masayoshi was lying down beside him under the shade.
"Hey, Kiba!" He called out.
Kiba looked up, smiling at Naruto and waving half-heartedly back. "Hey, it's been a while."
"Yeah, sorry about that. Between Gaara and Uchiha, I've been busy."
"Right…" Kiba deflated, tossing the ball into the air and catching it. "You've been hanging out with them a lot."
"Sorry. Uchiha's been asking me to show him around, and Gaara's having trouble with something, and…"
"Hey man, it's okay. I know."
Blood drained from Naruto's face. "Know what?" he tried to play it off on the off chance that maybe it wasn't what Naruto was thinking.
"Dude, you are horrible at lying. I know you were bitten, and I know you're turning into a vampire. I overheard everything."
So, it was what Naruto was fearing. His mouth went dry. What could he say?
He felt Kiba's arm go around his neck, who then put him into a headlock, trapping Naruto and messing up his hair. "What's with that face?" he laughed. "You're going to make me feel bad."
He let go, causing Naruto to stumble forward a bit. "So, you're a vampire. Just think of all the cool powers you'll have. It'll be fun."
"Yeah, I guess…"
Kiba was smiling at him like nothing had changed, still that easy-going moron Naruto had come to know over the years. It occurred to Naruto that maybe Kiba was faking it, or the situation had not really sunk into Kiba's mind as reality and the consequences that could come with it. Kiba could change his mind about him. Leave him.
But Kiba was there now. One of the few remaining strands of his old life that was still with him that might stay after the change was complete. Naruto smiled shyly, rubbing the back of his head unsure of what to say.
Kiba tossed him the baseball he had been holding to Naruto, who caught it with an expert hand. "There's still some time before people arrive. Want to terrorize the rich kids in the dorms?"
Naruto's shy smile turned into one of mischief. "I know where Baa-chan keeps the keys."
"I know where they store the paint," Kiba matched his smile.
Akamaru huffed, swishing his tail and repositioning his head. Naruto glared at the scoff at them. No matter what Kiba said, that dog wasn't normal. "Shut up." Naruto tossed the baseball at the dog.
The ball would have missed if Akamaru didn't suddenly sit up and swat the ball back at Naruto with his overly large paw. Naruto caught the ball just before it hit his face.
"Come on!" He gestured widely at the dog who huffed several times as if he was laughing. "That thing isn't normal! What type of dog does that?!"
"He must have learned some tricks from his previous owner," Kiba shrugged it off as he always did when it came to Akamaru. Obviously, Kiba was used to Akamaru's weird behavior by now, but was it natural to never question it? "Isn't it cooler than just catching it?"
Too tired to even argue the point, Naruto shook his head, clearing it from his mind. "Let's get the keys first. You never know when Baa-chan will get here."
"Sure thing, but…. Can we go to the girl's dorms this time?"
Naruto laughed, punching his arm. "Sure, perv. I'll even let you peep on Hinata-chan."
Kiba's face flushed darkly. "I never said that I liked Hyuuga-chan."
"I never said you did."
Embarrassed, Kiba tried to change the subject. Kiba would never peep, but he always tried to find ways to run into her. As a good friend, Naruto obliged his friend's slightly stalkerish ways, while trying to encourage him to confess already. The first step was to get Kiba to admit his feelings aloud.
Naruto and Kiba quickly calculated their plan on the way to the office. As childish as it was, their pranks were harmless, and it would be good for him. A sense of normalcy was just what he needed.
"Naruto! Kiba! Get your ass over here!" Tsunade's loud yelling in English was enough to know Naruto had really pissed her off but not enough to berate him in Japanese in front of everyone. Currently, both he and his partner in crime were running for their lives down the halls, outmaneuvering the students trying to get to their morning classes.
"I told you we should have done the male dorms!" Kiba yelled, jumping over the banister on the stairs, Naruto quickly following.
"Liar! You were the one who suggested it!" Naruto yelled back.
"Well how I was I supposed to know the shared bath was there? Who reverses floor plans? And who takes a bath this late in the morning?"
"Apparently TenTen does, and you shouldn't have dropped the paint in the first place!"
"You said, the roof was safe!"
The students got out of their way. This was a normal occurrence whenever Kiba and Naruto got into trouble, ad more often than not, they did escape being caught─ in the morning anyway. During lunch, they were as good as dead.
They ran until morning lessons were about to start, stopping to catch their breath outside their classroom. Tsunade would never bust them during lessons, wanting Naruto to be in class instead of being lectured about his behavior during them.
"Getting into trouble already, Uzumaki-san?"
Uchiha's voice had Naruto tensing. He had completely forgotten that Uchiha would be in class, and his unwanted troubles, accompanied by his mixed feelings, came flooding back to him.
He knew he couldn't run, but he wasn't quite ready to face him yet either. So he spoke without looking directly at him. Uchiha wouldn't call him out while Uchiha still acted with his perfect student façade. "Just a little prank that went wrong. Nothing too bad."
"Except that Tenten from class 3-A saw us through a skylight while in the bath," Kiba muttered. "We are so getting arrested."
"Don't be so negative, Kiba. It was an accident."
"What would your girlfriend say though? Her reputation would be ruined if it got out that her boyfriend is a pervert," Uchiha said sympathetically.
Naruto's eyes widened to comic proportions. "Oh no. I'll… be right back." Naruto darted down the hall at full speed, heading towards class 3-A.
"I better go with him. He's probably going to try to talk to Tenten and try to convince her it was an accident," Kiba sighed heavily.
"Well we can't have him getting into more trouble, can we?" Sasuke smiled. To an untrained eye, it looked more than sincere.
Kiba nodded, walking off to make sure his friend didn't find any more trouble, unintentional or not.
Sasuke didn't follow. He headed the opposite direction, taking advantage of Uzumaki's distraction. Just a few doors down from the nurse's office was the faculty room. He entered.
Several teachers looked up, some who recognized him from his job even grew excited. Those were the teachers who didn't teach Class 3-E. His eyes scanned over the desks, but he didn't see the person he was looking for. He only caught a glimpse of one of his teachers. He would have to do.
Walking up to his desk, he smiled brightly, making one woman swoon, and said, "Umino-sensei, may I speak to you?"
"Well if it isn't Sasuke and Naruto," Deidara tossed his camera carelessly to the side as someone nearly fell to catch it. "Take ten everyone!" He called. She was dressed more casually, his hair in a ponytail and donned a dress suit, but the brand was still top class. Compared to the first time he had seen him, Deidara seemed to be in a much better mood. "Have you finally come to work for me, Naruto?"
"Not exactly," was what Naruto wanted to say, but Uchiha beat him to it with a smug smile.
"Yes. As payment for letting him live with me. I thought maybe you could try him out today."
Deidara's smile made a shiver go up Naruto's spine. It was like Uchiha had told him he could have his way with Naruto with no consequences.
"Just so everyone knows," Naruto said with all seriousness, "this is not consensual."
Deidara laughed. "Oh, you say no, but all I hear is yes." Humming, his evil smile turned insanely bright, possibly making Naruto fear more than before. "I have the perfect idea. There's been an idea I've been wanting to do, but I just hadn't been able to find the perfect contrast for Sasuke, until now that is."
"Do I want to know?" Naruto asked dryly.
"Probably not." He snapped his fingers. "Bring me the following items!" he yelled then named off a large list of items ranging from clothes to background to lighting.
Naruto watched, feeling a stress headache already forming. "He may be the scariest person I ever met."
"But one of the best photographers in the world," Uchiha answered, looking around.
"Something wrong?" Naruto asked, looking around as well.
"… I just thought I felt someone unpleasant nearb─"
The door slammed open, gaining the attention of its occupants. The light atmosphere that had once filled the building immediately turned oppressive. No one moved or dared to breath.
"I guess I wasn't imagining it," Uchiha muttered. Even he seemed a bit on edge at the entrance of what seemed to be a disheveled doctor.
"Who is he?"
"Sasori. He is the head of the immortal morgue," Uchiha kept his voice down as the doctor passed them. "He rarely leaves the morgue. When he does, it's never good news."
"But don't immortals live forever?"
Uchiha gave him a look that made Naruto think he had asked a stupid question. "I told you there are ways to kill us, didn't I? But he doesn't just take in immortal corpses. He also takes human corpses that may expose the existence of our world."
Naruto didn't understand how human corpses could expose vampires. It seemed unlikely they took every human that was bitten and killed by a vampire. Maybe he meant humans in the middle of their transformation.
In the middle of his musings, Sasori had walked across the room to a waiting Deidara. Without warning, he pulled Deidara into a heated kiss.
"He is also Deidara's lover," Uchiha answered to a stunned Naruto, turning and leaving. Uchiha didn't seem shocked and more of just bored, unlike Naruto. He knew Westerners were open with PDA, but seeing it was something else. Just when he finally had forgotten about his own kiss too.
The two lovers parted, and Sasori leaned forward to whisper something into his ear. It was then that Naruto noticed that Deidara was slightly taller than, making them a strange sight. Deidara nodded, looking serious and replied in what Naruto believed to be French.
Deidara gestured to a back room which Sasori nodded to. As the doctor turned, something caught his eye. He changed his destination, leaving his mate who seemed unperturbed by his sudden dismissal of him to head towards Naruto.
Naruto looked around and indeed, no one else was around him.
Unlike Deidara, Sasori had no presence. He was like a ghost. Even his eyes seemed to lack any hint of feeling.
He stopped in front of Naruto, and like Deidara, he was examined from head to foot with his eyes. "Are you related to Namikaze, Minato?" he asked.
The name of his deceased father brought up Naruto's walls, his expression closing off in an instant. "Why do you want to know?"
Whispers around them drifted to Naruto's ears. Those around them had broken into conversation, making Naruto warier. Had they heard the rumors too?
"I see." His eyes flickered behind Naruto. "Interesting. I will see you around." He left as quickly as he came, returning to his mate's side, sending him a glare as Deodara gave him an innocent shrug in response.
Naruto turned to look at Uchiha, knowing that he had returned when Sasori had been distracted before. "Is everyone you know crazy?"
"…Perhaps."
Uchiha seemed off; he was staring at the door Deidara and Sasori had left through.
Lianne came running up to them, ranting about getting them ready for the shoot. It was difficult to decipher her words. Her Japanese was quite horrendous whenever she went beyond a simple sentence. She pulled and pushed Naruto into the dressing room, and Uchiha followed at a more sedated pace, wondering why a man who never left his lab or concerned himself with others knew about Naruto.