Naruto bit his lip until it bled. This was not good. Not good at all.

His hands were still in the air, starting to feel numb from lack of blood circulating through them. They have been up for over 5 minutes now. He was fairly certain the upper officers of the military were trying to figure out how to proceed. To them, there were two high school boys, one who apparently defeated a woman who had caused extensive damage to the city with supernatural powers while the other barged their way through a perimeter to attend him.

Naruto shifted Uchiha's weight slightly, trying not to make any sudden moves. There were already seen as a threat, and he had caught rumors about Americans having itchy trigger fingers on the news. To say he was freaking out on the inside was an understatement. He was terrified. How was he going to get Uchiha out of here?

Uchiha groaned softly into Naruto's ear at the shift, making Naruto's face flush until he remembered that the vampire on his back was severely injured. "Just hang on, we'll get out of this soon," he whispered, his eyes searching for a way to get out. He may have some abilities now, but it was nowhere near vampire speed or strength. He couldn't dodge bullets or leap a building in a single bound. He smiled at the bad comparison. He was definitely losing it.

"I smell blood," Uchiha whispered.

Naruto stood a bit straighter, using his tongue to clean up the blood that had dribbled down his chin, but Uchiha didn't stop there.

"I hear it," his voice dropped lower, huskier that sent chills down Naruto's spine. "There's a lot of it." The pain that had been in his voice was replaced with an animalistic hunger, and more startling was when Naruto realized he was beginning to want to be on the receiving end of that hunger. He closed his eyes trying to block out that disturbing thought. They had to get out of here or else Uchiha would kill them. He didn't think the Americans would enjoy finding out how many cartridges of bullets it would take to down a vampire, especially one as hungry as the one on his back.

"Try to suppress it, bastard. This meat is a bit too tough."

Naruto didn't hear anything for a long while from Uchiha, and Naruto assumed he had been too focused on his prey to care. He was relieved when he heard that soft and familiar chuckle. "That was a horrible joke."

"That's what I'm here for, bad comedy relief."

Uchiha had gone quiet again, but Naruto knew this time it was because he was trying to restrain himself by blocking out everything around him.

Another few minutes passed by agonizingly slow. Naruto was beginning to think about making a run for it when an officer emerged from behind the line of gunmen. Naruto watched the man carefully, ready to run if necessary if they tried something. The man kept his face neutral as he approached, his dark brown hair flying in all directions in the wind.

He was Japanese, and his police badge was showing clearly on his belt. He had a revolver on his waist, but he made no move for it. Naruto resisted retreating as he approached, eying the guns still trained on him. He stopped in front of Naruto. "Seems like you're in a bit of a mess, kid."

Naruto was still wary. His tone was light, almost friendly, and that put Naruto on edge. Police officers were never that friendly without a reason. He was afraid, but that didn't stop his instinct to talk back against authority. "What of it?"

"Well, the way I see it, you have three options," he said. You can come with me and answer some questions while your friend there gets some medical attention, you can choose not to cooperate and be taken to prison until we figure out what's going on ourselves, or you can try to run. Do know that if you try, there are orders to open fire."

Naruto went back to biting his lip. He didn't seem to have much choice. If he let Uchiha leave with them, it would be bad. Either Uchiha would kill them or they would find out he wasn't human. If he ran, Uchiha wouldn't die, but he would, and Uchiha would still be in their hands.

His whole body shook with fear and indecision. He didn't want to go to jail. He didn't want to die, but he also didn't want to unleash a hungry monster knowingly onto them either.

"Cooperate," Uchiha muttered so softly, only Naruto could hear. "I'll be fine."

Uchiha's instructions gave relief to Naruto, taking the strain of making a bad decision away from him as well as the guilt for what seemed to him a selfish decision.

"I'll cooperate with you," Naruto said slowly. "But you have to trust me on a few things."

The main raised his eyebrows, obviously not expecting him to try to bargain.

"The bastard on my back needs to be tied down before being loaded into an ambulance. Tightly. Also… don't treat him. Just leave him tied up with something strong or in a cell and keep your distance if you can. Even if he doesn't seem to be breathing for a really long time.

The man was shocked at the request. Naruto would have been too if he didn't know the reason behind it. The man did keep it restrained rather well.

"Do you want your friend to die?"

Naruto shook his head. "He won't die. He's too stubborn to. However, you all will if you don't do as I say."

His words sounded like a threat. Naruto knew that, so he tried to seem as sincere as possible, trying to get across that it was for their safety. If he said anymore, it would just complicate things.

The man considered him, not saying anything for a long time. "We'll see what we can do but refusing medical treatment to prisoners or suspects may be impossible."

"I know. Thank you for taking me seriously." Naruto bowed his head to the best of his abilities. At least, they had a warning. It was all he could do.

"I am Officer Yamato, Tenzo."

"Uzumaki, Naruto."

"Alright Uzumaki-san, give me a moment to make arrangements." Yamato stepped away to discuss the arrangements, and Naruto didn't dare to move. He didn't think the Americans were going to sit by after being deployed. Surely, they would want questions answered too. How much power did they have over Japan? Would he be forced to be interrogated by them too? What if the FBI got involved? Or was that the CIA? He heard they still did torture.

"Stop thinking," Uchiha whispered into his shoulder. "If your heart beats any faster…" he trailed off, but Naruto understood what he was getting at. If the hunger for blood was anything close to what Naruto had experienced─ which it probably was a hundred times worse─ Naruto was looking to be quite delicious. Naruto had mixed feelings about that.

Turning off his brain was no easy task, despite what people said about his intelligence, but Naruto tried, focusing instead on the woman Uchiha had fought. He wondered who she was. If Uchiha had known her. It came off that way, how he immediately involved himself after seeing her. Had she been a vampire too?

Officer Yamato returned, followed by a stretcher and several armed soldiers. Naruto was powerless as they took Uchiha from him and placed him on the stretcher. He wasn't breathing, his skin was below normal human temperature, and he had no pulse.

"He's dead," the paramedic had said, preparing to cover him with a sheet.

"He's not!" Naruto replied automatically. The paramedic looked sympathetic, and Naruto wondered if he should correct them. It might buy Uchiha some time to escape if they thought he was dead or they might start dissecting him or worse, Uchiha unable to contain himself any longer. "Sorry… I just…"

"I'm sorry about your friend," Officer Yamato offered his condolences.

Maybe they assumed he was in a daze as he watched Uchiha get carted away, but truth was, he was battling with his conscience. "Tie him up… just to be safe."

Without looking, Naruto could feel the observing eyes of the officer behind him. Yamato may have acted friendly, but there was an underlying danger in his eyes. This man wasn't someone to cross, and that nature reminded Naruto of Jiraiya.

"Would you follow me, Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto nodded, determined not to say anything until he could contact Jiraiya or his godmother. He was a minor, but he didn't expect them to treat him as such with this accident.

Yamato led him to a car, opening the passenger side door for him, surprising Naruto. He didn't want to question it, so he got in without a word. Watching the ambulance with Uchiha inside pulling out.

"You should relax. Too much stress at your age isn't good for the body."

"Would you be able to relax in my position?" Naruto's voice was steady and calm. In a strange way, his fear had dwindled the moment he saw that Uchiha was taken away successfully. Now it was just him in a car like Asuma's getting arrested again.

"True. It's not like you made things easy on yourself. You should at least take out the contacts."

Naruto snorted. Yamato was just like every other person in Japan. "I don't wear contacts, and before you say anything, my hair isn't dyed either."

"Is that right?" Yamato sounded interested. "It must be difficult for you."

"You mean when people like you assume I'm a troublemaker based on my appearance?" Naruto drawled his words, like the way a delinquent would. "Then I suppose so."

Naruto knew what Yamato was doing. He was trying to figure Naruto out, looking for reasons as to why Naruto might have gotten involved and possibly put together a psychological profile. He didn't plan to really tell him anything. The police had 23 days to hold him without an indictment. They would use that time to try to make him talk. Hopefully, someone will come for him before then.

But will someone come?

"Sorry. That was rude of me. I promise that if you cooperate, we'll send you home in a few hours."

Naruto didn't answer, watching the scenery go by as they went into the city.

The trip wasn't long. It was a small city after all. They pulled into the station, and Yamato put the car in park. Yamato got out as well as Naruto. "You must be hungry. Let me treat you to some food." Yamato was walking off toward the department, his back turned to Naruto.

It was a trick, right? It had to be. With Naruto's improved abilities, he could run away and have a decent chance of escaping. He was an obvious suspect in the events that just transpired, so why wasn't Officer Yamato treating him like one. If he ran, he would look guilty and be in more trouble, but his life was already over being a vampire. At some point, he would have had to disappear anyway, but what about his friends and family? If he ran, it would cause them much more trouble in the future.

His inner dilemma lasted only seconds, ending with Naruto following Yamato into the station.

It was dark.

And there was pain. Lots of pain.

Where was he? Why couldn't he move?

He was frightened. Terrified. Had he been taken again? He had to escape. He couldn't go through that. Not again.

"I think he's waking up," he heard a voice say from somewhere nearby. It sounded familiar.

"He should be. He e took in almost 3 liters of blood since they picked him up." That voice was familiar too.

"If you are done speaking, why don't you attend to him at once." He knew that voice.

Gaara's green eyes slowly opened, temporarily blinded by the florescent lights overhead. His eyes adjusting, he took sight of the white walls and the eerie sound of the heart monitor that was quickening its pace every second as it reflected Gaara's panic. He felt fear clutch his heart, squeezing it until he couldn't breathe, and he was gasping for air. His body wouldn't respond to his commands, and the panic dulled his mind of rational thinking.

"Whoa, Gaara, breath. You're safe, now." Gaara's eyes shifted to the side. Tsunade, Haruno, and his brother were hovering over his bed. While Tsunade's face had concern etched into her features, his brother and Haruno were more of a mix of disinterest and annoyance. The panic that had gripped him left his body, and he forced himself to calm and maintain control over his body and mind. This wasn't Orochimaru's lab. He was safe.

"What happened?" His voice was garbled, sounding something between a dying cat and a garbage disposal. When he spoke, his throat became engulfed in pain, flaring up like fire. It represented how weak he was at that moment. He loathed it.

"When you didn't show up to fight Yukina-hime, I sent others to find you and possibly offer you backup if necessary. You were barely alive. Orochimaru must not have known about the full extent of your abilities now. We had a chopper transport you back to the island," Tsunade filled in for him. Her face turned into that of an angry mother and, as expected, an angry lecture followed.

"What do you think you were doing taking on Orochimaru alone! You know better than anyone how outmatched you are with him. You should have let us handle it."

"Do not yell at my brother, Ms. Tsunade." Gaara's brother spoke up, still in that detached business-like voice. "He would not have been in such a situation to begin with if you didn't use him as you pleased."

"Don't pretend to care about him," Tsunade sneered back.

"Typical American. Playing the hero in front of others when in reality it's only about image and political gains."

Tsunade ground her teeth. "I gave up my citizenship to be a Japanese citizen. I do not speak for the Americans. You're lucky I even allowed you to enter the country."

"How kind of you to let a Middle Eastern into your borders. Going to blame this incident on Middle Easterners as well?"

Tsunade was on the verge of snapping. The vain in her forehead was throbbing and her fist was clenched.

Gaara tuned their arguing out, staring at the ceiling. If he concentrated enough, he could feel his broken bones rapidly healing themselves and his wounds closing, but he still needed time for it to heal properly. Facing Misao had done more than tire him physically. Dare he say, he was still afraid. Like the child he once was.

"Tsunade-sama," Haruno interrupted before a fight could break out. "Uchiha is up as well. Should we interrogate him now that Gaara has stabilized?"

Haruno was dressed as a nurse, her hair perfectly placed in a bun to keep stray hair from distracting her from her work. Gaara had always hated her, especially after she started dating Uzumaki.

"You're right Sakura-kun. Could you bring him here?" Tsunade of course was dressed as a doctor. It would be a strange sight to anyone who didn't know about the real Tsunade at the school. Gaara had seen her like this more than he would have cared for. He could only strain his eyes to make out the English writing on his medical charts in her hands. She did it on purpose because she knew that Gaara disliked the language and chosen Korean as his language requirement. Very few at the school chose a language other than English, but Gaara hated the language. Orochimaru had used it a lot.

"Uchiha is here?" Gaara asked after a few tries.

"We couldn't let the public have him. In addition, he stopped Yukina-hime. For now, he's being treated as a temporary guest," Tsunade was bitter about the situation, and she failed to hide her disgust at the idea from her voice.

"If you will excuse me," Sakura bowed to Tsunade before leaving to get Uchiha.

"I will be leaving as well." Gaara's brother said, typing away on his phone's keyboard. "I have a business to manage." Pocketing his phone, he put in one last jab. "Try not to get him killed this time."

"Your brother is so charming," Tsunade said sarcastically once his brother had left.

"Orochimaru…." Gaara trailed off knowing the truth, but as he feared, she replied.

"He got away. We planned to hold the vampire council responsible but…. Well, it would be better to wait until Uchiha arrives. He should hear this too."

The sun was just going down outside the window. He had been knocked out for a few hours.

"Should I bring in Neji-kun? He knows right?"

"…No."

The woman sighed wearily at his behavior. Moments later Uchiha arrived.

He was a mess. He had borrowed clothes that were too big for his frame, his hair was clumped together with dried blood─ probably his own─ his skin was discolored in various places, patches of angry red standing again pale skin, and his eyes were slightly unfocused, signs of poisoning. Of course, the shinobi would not allow Uchiha to walk around at full power, but poisoning was a bit too far. Gaara barely repressed the shiver of remembering the pain even a low dose caused, but Uchiha's face was neutral so it must have been a low dosage. Overall, there was no sign he had dozens of broken and shattered bones with deep lacerations and holes all over his body hours before.

Uchiha took a seat in the corner of the room, plopping down the chair without a single shred of grace. He was either in a lot of pain or very irritated. It was difficult to tell which. One thing that was clear was that he was hungry.

Uchiha leaned back in the chair closing his eyes.

"Now that both of you are here, I suppose I can tell you the aftermath of the incident." Tsunade may have said she was going to address both of them, but she kept her eyes solely on Gaara.

"The four incidents have been taken care of. Their remains were collected and properly disposed of this time. Thankfully, it seems they were resurrected with only a small portion of their abilities and only part of their consciousness. Any more, and it would have been a massacre."

Tsunade's face turned grim and her years began to show on her face for a moment. "The attacks were very public, and the damage extensive. Even worse it was on TV and caught on cell phone cameras and video. I really curse the day those things were invented."

"Is it not your job to be able to contain incidents like this?" Uchiha asked. His way of speaking was outdated, and despite his young face, it suited him. His tone was of a CEO displeased with his subordinate.

Tsunade was bristling with anger. She kept her back to him, trying to ignore him as she continued. "Since the Americans were involved. It's not that simple. I cannot control what they recorded and send to their leaders nor can I stop them from posting on the internet either. And I can't pass it off as a terrorist incident or equipment malfunction with such large-scale destruction, and the media is being persistent."

Picking up a remote from the side table, she turned on the TV. "You really should have reconsidered your chosen career, Uchiha. It didn't take long for them to figure out who you were."

On the screen, one of the magazine covers Uchiha had posed for was on the screen as the news anchor talked about it. The TV was muted, but there was no confusion as to what was being said as the footage from his fight was played right after. The cameraman Uchiha saved was good at his job, managing several clear shots of his face during the fight.

"The only good thing is that you were recorded dead, but if someone sees you, you'll be reported to the police." Tsunade finally turned to Uchiha, a cold look in her eyes. "There's one other thing you should know, assuming you don't know already."

"And pray tell, what might that be?" Uchiha wore his own disdain on his sleeve, returning the hostility in kind.

"We have one of the council members in our custody a while back to question about Orochimaru's movements. When we went to give him back, we found out something interesting."

Uchiha raised an eyebrow condescendingly. "Should I do you the favor of guessing, or will you divulge the information?"

"We found the entire council dead. Slaughtered in the inner chamber. Minus Sasori of course."

Gaara, who had been listening in idly had been inwardly shocked by the news. Uchiha's face betrayed nothing as he replied. "That is… unfortunate."

"I thought you were close to them. You're telling me you did not know?"

"I was close to them, yes. However, immortals are content with visiting each other once every couple of decades. After all, time moves differently for us than for humans." His voice was still steady. The only change Gaara could pick up was his remarks did not seem at the ready as it was earlier.

"Then let me ask you this. Who is strong enough to kill that many powerful vampires in one place."

Uchiha's eyes turned sharper, whether it was the poison wearing off or through his anger, he replied like an adult losing patience with an ill-tempered child, barely containing his urge to lash out. "The council is not comprised of the most powerful of vampires, but of the most influential and knowledgeable. They are by no means weak. They would be among some of the strongest; however, the oldest, the truly powerful ones, do not engage in politics. They prefer to watch everything from the shadows and mind their own business. It is possible, one of them could kill them if he or she so chose. I cannot say for certain. Very few have ever made contact with them."

"For now, Sasori has taken control of the council. As much as it pains me to say this, we need them."

Indeed. As much as hunters hated the vampire council, they were the ones that controlled the vampire population and enforced the rules about exposure, breeding, and feeding habits. It kept the vampires hidden from society and prevented serious conflicts with the hunters in the area.

The clans of the council members will become enraged once they hear the news, and would no doubt blame the hunters for their demise. The treaty had always been shaky, and with those who enforced it gone, there was nothing stopping them from causing another war.

"Where is Uzumaki-san?" Uchiha asked.

Tsunade sneered, turning her back to him. She could no longer look at him without wanting to attack him. "In custody. We're working on his release; however, they are being stubborn. It's taking a few more calls than we would have hoped."

"I have a few calls to make of my own. If you will excuse me." Uchiha had been rude the entire conversation, so it was unexpected to see him bowing his head to Tsunade in his departure. Maybe it was hardwired into his person from a past life. There were times when Uchiha was modern, when he was out of place, when he was overly pleasant, when he was cold as ice. Uchiha held many masks. Which once was real?

The only thing genuine was his protection of Uzumaki. Gaara could not figure out why. He had resources too and his history was full of blood, manipulation, and death. What was it about Uzumaki that he took an interest in? He was still unaware of Uzumaki's past, wasn't he?

"You should sleep, Gaara-kun. Your body still needs to heal."

Now, that she mentioned it, sleep was pulling at him persistently. "You promised you'd always protect Uzumaki," he whispered. "Do you still plan to?"

Tsunade busied herself with straightening the medical instruments. Her answer.

He closed his eyes. Perhaps, he should leave Uzumaki in Uchiha's hands after all.

Naruto sat in the interrogation room, staring out into the distance. They must have asked him a hundred questions. Maybe two, but he didn't say anything. The whole procedure was weird. Yamato had been kind enough to order him katsudon to eat.

Naruto didn't touch it. Sure, he was hungry, but he was tired of the same bland flavor. He had lost a little weight as a result, but not as much as he would have if Uchiha hadn't eaten with him.

Besides, what could he say? Sure, he could tell the truth, but they'd either think he was lying or crazy. Even if he did tell them what he did know, it still wouldn't help much with the investigation. He knew nothing about the woman Uchiha fought.

Yamato was extremely patient the past 5 or 6 hours. Never once trying to force him. The few time the officer left, Naruto could hear faint yelling behind the one-way mirror of another man, most likely a superior, and when he returned, he continued to follow at his own pace. Surely, this couldn't go on forever.

"Uzumaki-san, our time together will be over soon," Officer Yamato said, leaning back in his chair, closing the manilla envelope in front of him. "After me, there will be some people who will take you to a maximum-security location. They are worried you are a serious threat."

Naruto's lips twitched into a smirk as a reflex. Hadn't people been treating him like that his whole life? Like a serious threat?

"Do you remember our deal? That you would cooperate?"

For Uchiha's sake. Had enough time passed where he could get away?

"I am cooperating." It was the first words Naruto had uttered since walking into the station.

"Staying silent is not cooperating, Uzumaki-san. We need your help understanding what happened today."

"And I'm doing you a favor," Naruto said. He was leaned back in his seat with his arms cross, almost the entire interrogation. It was a posture that usually screamed that Naruto could care less for what the other had to say. He had hoped it would have deterred Yamato or at the very least make him lose his cool. "I'm staying silent. If I talk, you wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Are you okay with your name and friend's name being slandered? How can I help you if you won't talk?"

A bitter chuckle left Naruto, dry and humorless. "Help? Since when do you people want to help?" Naruto leaned forward. "Tell me, when you first looked at me, you thought I was another no-good delinquent, didn't you?"

Yamato leaned forward as well, clearly not impressed. "Or you remind me of myself."

That took Naruto by surprise.

Stoking his chin absentmindedly, Yamato continued. "I know what it's like to be labeled. I was raised by a single mother. I was often teased by it, and people called my mother a whore because I didn't know who my father was. I worked part-time jobs to help my mother, so my grades were always low, and my teachers never expected anything from me. Sounds familiar?"

Naruto broke eye contact first, focusing on the small empty corner of the room.

"Don't follow what society wants you to be or what they make you out to be. I'm living proof of that. I'm asking you, Uzumaki-san. Please cooperate with me. Tell me what you know."

Naruto stared at that corner for a long time. One would think it held all the answers. Finally, he said, "Do you believe in vampires?"

"What?" The response was instinctual, caught off guard by the comment. Of course, he would be. Why had he said anything at all?

"That's all you're getting out of me."

A knock on the glass. The frown on Yamato's lips lessened, and Naruto was left to guess what he was thinking. "I'll be back. Please eat while I'm gone."

Yamato left the room feeling frustrated. The kid was unexpectedly tight-lipped. Given the situation, he thought the kid would sing within the hour. When he had approached the kid on the battlefield, he looked just like that, a kid. He was terrified, puffing out his chest and talking tough because that's all he could do. Why did he get stuck with the difficult jobs?

Outside the interrogation room was his partner, a woman by the name of Mitarashi, Anko. Like him, she was a bit of an outcast. She favored short skirts and low-cut shirts that showed off her cleavage. It prevented her from ever getting a promotion despite an excellent track record. She was one of the best detectives and excelled in finding information about the underworld. No matter how many complaints and threats she received from their superiors, she continued to dress that way.

"Troublesome kid isn't he," she drawled. Mitarashi was sitting on the desk, legs crossed, flipping through the folder in her lap. "Pushing him as a terrorist will be a cinch if he doesn't speak up."

"Is that what the higher-ups are up to." Dropping his own folder on the table, he looked through the window at Naruto who was sitting with his head in his hands.

"They have no one else to really blame and the country is in a panic. Guilty or not, he's the perfect candidate."

"Right." Tearing his eyes away from the image of his younger self, he straightened his back and addressed his partner with all seriousness. "Did you dig up anything?"

"Barely. Turns out he's Namikaze Minato's kid." At Yamato's confused face, she rolled her eyes. "The guy who was suspected to be a serial killer almost 12 years ago, but disappeared before police could take him in. It's still talked about in the department."

"I vaguely remember that case," Yamato muttered. He could remember it being everywhere on the news and the angry officials who missed him by a hair. He had been on the run for years. "I had just started the force back then."

"Right. Turns out he had a kid. Not only is the kid not on the family registry, he's not even officially listed in the system at all. I was beginning to doubt he was really a citizen." She waved the folder for him to grab. "I just guessed on a hunch to check Namikaze Minato's hometown thinking maybe they were related. Have no idea who the mother is though."

"I see," taking the folder, he thumbed through the papers she had managed to put together. It also included a short medical report. The teen had been checked over briefly to ensure he hadn't sustained any injuries from the battlefield. His clothes had been covered in blood though it was quickly discovered to belong to Uzumaki's friend.

His medical report may have been short, but it was odd. His heart rate was slow. Slower than a normal resting heart rate. It wasn't normal.

"Also, the ambulance that was transporting the main suspect of the case, the one you thought was dead, the ambulance never made it to the hospital, so the body is missing."

Yamato didn't react immediately. The relaxed tone of his partner did not translate the importance of what she was telling him. When it finally clicked, he turned on her with wide disbelieving eyes. "What?! Why haven't I been informed?"

"Because it looks like it's being covered up. The higher-ups are telling everyone to just drop it and focus on finding out details about the woman who attacked."

"The hell is going on," he muttered under his breath.

Do you believe vampires are real?

Uzumaki's lingering words repeated in his head. The teen had the look of someone deadly serious when he had asked the question. He hadn't been playing around, but Yamato had no intention of taking it literally, rather he thought of it as a hint. A clue of some sort.

Thinking back on it, Uzumaki had not acted like his friend had died. Upon hearing that the main suspect, Uchiha, Sasuke was dead, Uzumaki had not acted surprised or stunned. Grief was a powerful thing, and Uzumaki being in denial about a death close to him was a normal reaction, but he showed no other signs. No stubbornness or insistence that he was alive. He quietly accepted and told them to tie the corpse down just in case.

"He wasn't dead… Uchiha, Sasuke isn't dead."

"Well, you take the fun out of everything. I wanted to suggest the idea first." With a small pout, she jutted her bottom lip.

"That aside, what about the other evidence on the scene?"

"Bodies are still being collected. Officially, our people are handling where the attack in Beppu began, but off the record, it's a secondary group. The moment I started to ask around, the higher-ups told me to focus on our suspect."

So his superiors were covering up things and trying to pin it on a boy with an almost nonexistent background. He'd be a perfect scapegoat since he was caught on the scene. No one would question it, and it would nicely tie up the case once they made up a motive and goal.

Being subjugated to such thinking when he was a child, Yamato wasn't inclined to encourage it.

"Understood. Keep gathering as much information as you can. I'll try to buy more ti─"

The door to the viewing room opened, interrupting Yamato mid-sentence and drawing Mitarashi and Yamato's attention.

Naruto was left alone with his thoughts. The struggle to not bounce his leg or show any of his building anxiety was gradually becoming more and more difficult. Hope that maybe he would be stuck here, alone, was sinking in. Why had he even stood up for Uchiha? If he hadn't shown up, Uchiha would just have been declared dead. He wouldn't be in this mess. He just made the situation worse.

Did Uchiha get the blood he needed? Did the ambulance workers make it through?

These thoughts did nothing to help calm him. His hands clenched, turning his hands white.

Maybe he should have just stayed put in the mansion.

He sighed, releasing all his pent-up frustration and anguish. He had to think positive. There was a slight chance they would let him go. He was still a minor. That fact was on his side. Maybe some time in a juvenile correction facility until he was 20. Things could still work out.

When the door to the room opened, he lifted his head high, intending to make a show of his new-found strength, that he wouldn't break so easily. His courage dwindled into shock, then disbelief, and finally fear.

It was Officer Usokawa who had entered, but he recognized those eyes. How had he not put two and two together before. The face was the same. It should have been obvious, and yet when he thought back to their previous meeting, he could not remember much other than his murderous intent towards the officer.

"Hello, Uzumaki-san. I did not expect for us to meet again so soon."

Usokawa's polite and gentle smile that had once put Naruto at ease, had him sitting on the edge of his chair ready to run, but the eyes seemed to draw him in and that feeling, compelling Naruto to obey, crept up on him from behind.

Naruto quickly looked away, turning his gaze to the floor. It felt like submission. It was a grimy and dirty feeling he wanted to scrub away. "Itachi," he growled.

"It is an honor that you remembered me," Itachi bowed his head as if this was a normal conversation. "But please forgive me for I must cut the greeting short. If you would, please follow me."

Naruto snorted, folding his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm staying right here."

Itachi didn't miss a beat, not put off at all by Naruto's rebellion. "Do you know of what ghouls eat, Uzumaki-san?" At Naruto's silence, Itachi continued. "They are a type of apparition that feasts on the flesh of the dead. My associate, the one with the sword that I am sure you remember, is such a creature, and he hasn't eaten in quite some time, and he is quite perturbed that you had cracked his weapon. I'm sure that the detective and his colleague on the other side of that glass would rather stay alive then become his dinner."

Naruto sneered. "Do you always have to threaten me?"

"It is not my pleasure to do so. If you would cooperate the first time, it would be unneeded." Itachi held open the door. "Of course, if you prefer, I can also drag you out by force."

It was alarming how easily Naruto could imagine Itachi following through with his threat. Uchiha dragged him around all the time, and Naruto had always been powerless to prevent him from doing so. Itachi would most likely not be as gentle and kind.

Naruto stood with his chin up, intending to convey that he still had his pride and dignity. Itachi knew the truth however because Naruto was not blind to his situation. Itachi had Naruto under his thumb.

Officer Yamato and a woman Naruto had never seen before were staring off into space in the next room. They were seated at a table, conversing with each other pleasantly about the current case. The urge to call out to them was strong. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, thumping against his sternum in an erratic movement.

Kisame however was sitting on the table between them, waiting. A blindfold in his hand. Hope sunk in his chest, knowing that whatever he did, scream, fight, cry, none of it would be heard. Whatever they did, Naruto would be at their mercy, and his legs shook at the thought of what might happen to him.

Kisame slid off the table with a devilish grin, circling him like a shark before putting the blindfold on him. Naruto was sure he could smell his fear.

He was led by both of them through the station. It was oddly quiet, and they had taken him a different way than where he had entered. Soon enough he could smell fresh air, and the sounds of traffic in the distance. They guided him into a car, helping him into the back seat, making sure he didn't hit his head. A second later, he felt Itachi sit beside him then someone else entered the driver's seat, presumably Kisae.

The drive was long, and Naruto had no idea how much time had passed. There were lots of turns. For all Naruto knew they could have been driving in a circle, throwing off his sense of direction or they could be many towns over. The loss of direction further unbalanced Naruto. His strong façade falling slowly as his chances of being saved dwindled. Every jar of the car made him unnatural stiff, and the silence almost made him think he was going crazy. He didn't like the dark, and slowly his breathing grew short of hyperventilating. His panic attack was barely kept at bay by his stubbornness of not letting Itachi see him so weak.

When the car turned off, it was a mixture of happiness and anxiety. He was picked up into slender and feminine arms, and they were off to who knew where. There was no sound and Naruto had thought he had gone deaf.

He was literally dropped onto a sofa and his blindfold removed so quickly it left him disoriented from the pitch black to light.

Itachi had discarded his disguise, sitting across from him in an armchair, dropping the pleasant demeanor as well. He was drinking, what smelled to Naruto, black tea from an ornate cup with his legs crossed. He had changed clothes as well, wearing a late 1800's European gentleman suit. Even with Asian features, he looked every image of a European of that time. It was a startling contrast to his very Japanese mannerisms that he had shown until now.

"We have much to discuss, Uzumaki-san, but as we now have time, it would be rude of me to not act as a proper host. For now, all that I ask is that you do not leave this basement or subbasement. Everything that you will require, nourishment, sleeping quarters, and lavatory will be on this floor. The subbasement will be left for a later discussion. Until then, please take advantage of my hospitality."

Just as Naruto opened his mouth to speak, the woman had come up behind him, stabbing him with a syringe, emptying its contents. "The hell?!"

"Pipe down, brat," the Kisame glared with a sneer on his lips. He'd be terrifying if Naruto had never met Itachi. "I hate kids, and I hate teenagers more. Glad I never was one."

"Riiigght," he drawled, wondering if he might have a screw loose or two.

Picking him up off the ground by his shirt collar, he carried him like a puppy by the scruff, ignoring the sounds of his shirt stretching from his weight.

"Put me down!" he yelled. "I will not be manhandled like this."

He didn't budge to his command, dropping him off in a chair to a kitchen table. As Naruto tried to regain his bearings, the man shoved a large bowl of what looked to be freshly cooked ramen in front of him. "So annoying. Eat it already."

The aroma stirred his stomach, growling loudly, but his appetite to eat was still missing. In the corner of his eye, he could see the man staring at him with hawk-like eyes, waiting for him to eat. It could be drugged, but they would have killed him already if they wanted him dead, and then there was the injection they gave him earlier too.

"Itadakimasu," he whispered, preparing himself in case it was the last time he ever uttered that phrase. He picked up his chopsticks, picking up a healthy helping of noodles with a slice of pork, and ate it.

The subtle flavor of pork miso ramen assaulted his taste buds. The tender meat, the perfectly cooked noodles, the broth. He could taste it. Tears prickled the corner of his eyes as his appetite hit him full force. He picked up the bowl, shoveling food into his mouth as much as he could, disregarding any caution his mind warned him against.

Within minutes, the bowl of food was finished, and Naruto was left regretting that he had eaten it so quickly. How was it possible that he could taste again? It had already been over 2 weeks since his last meal that he ate willingly. Was taste going to fade away again? Would his love for food turn into disgust and misery?

The man took the bowl from him, placing it in the sink before wandering off. He was left alone. It gave Naruto time to observe his surroundings.

The furniture matched the master that owned it. Very old fashioned and Victorian. It didn't really match Naruto's sense of aesthetics. It also wasn't what Naruto was interested in. Since having his blindfold removed, he hadn't seen a window or door that could possibly lead to the outside.

Two rooms however didn't qualify as searching. Moving slowly, so that nothing would take him by surprise, he ventured out to check the rest of the house. It was a very closed-off floor plan. A hallway that lead to different parts of the house, each room having four walls and a door or two, and for a basement, it was extremely large. He had found three bedrooms, a bathroom in addition to the kitchen as well as stairs leading farther down. Going farther down wouldn't help, so he left the subbasement for later and headed back to the study where he arrived.

The man wasn't anywhere to be found, but Itachi was still in the study, looking over the ceiling to floor bookshelf covering the wall. Itachi carried a candle in one hand while his other hand caressed the spine of the books before pulling one off the shelf.

From behind, and even from the side, he looked remarkably similar to Uchiha.

Uchiha….

"I may look like him, Uzumaki-san." Itachi turned enough so that Naruto could see his face clearly, destroying any similarity they may have had. "But please remember that we are not the same."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Naruto remembered to keep his eyes down. "There's no way I would confuse you two. Your level of fucked up way surpasses his."

"If you were not staring at me with longing that could not possibly be for me, I might be inclined to believe you."

Irritated, Naruto chanced looking up and meeting his eyes. "What do you want from me?"

Itachi cracked open his book, scanning the contents quickly. "What do I want indeed," he murmured. Closing the book with a snap, he met Naruto's eyes. "My brother has chosen an interesting toy this time. I do hope I do not break you before you see him again."

A chill ran up Naruto's spine.

"For now, please rest." You will need it."