'Drive Me Crazy' as a mini-series in this collection. Enjoy!

Drive Me Crazy
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Detour

Detective Neji Hūyga was deep in concentration as he waded through a particularly dense file. He ignored the phone on his desk until it blipped three times, which meant either someone was calling his direct line – a number almost no one had – or it was a superior officer. Thus, he answered without consulting the readout.

"Detective Hyūga."

"I had a bet with myself on how you would answer your phone. Turns out I was right - calm, cool, professional, with just that hint of suppressed irritation."

Neji's eyebrows skated north a fraction of an inch – a veritable declaration of astonishment in his idiom.

"Tenten?"

"Very good, Detective."

"And to what do I owe the pleasure?," he sat back from his file. "Need to get out of a speeding ticket?"

"No," he could picture her impish grin, "but I might know someone who does."

"I'm afraid that isn't exactly my department," he ventured. "You might have some luck with the staff on the fourth floor."

"That's a shame. According to my estimate he was going at least eighty-five in a forty-five, but that's just because I was going ninety trying to catch him. You remember – just before we took that little detour onto Park to head him off at Flint that had you nearly wrenching the 'oh shit' handle off of the roof of my car?"

Neji sat up straighter – a predator catching scent of his prey.

"You know who the driver was? How?"

"You want to see?"

Neji looked up to find Tenten standing at the corner of his desk.

"Sorry," she tucked away her phone with an only partially apologetic smile, "I'm not great at waiting."

"As proven by your choice of detours," he returned his phone to the cradle. "But in that, at least you were not mistaken."

"So?" she raised her eyebrows at him. "You up for a ride?"

"A ride?" he frowned. "Where?"

Her grin was sharp.

"To see a friend."

Neji had no idea how he ended up back in her car – he was quite certain he had told her he was too busy to leave, but there he was, in the front seat. To be fair, she was driving well within the legal bounds of propriety, but there was an energy - something vibrating and barely contained about Tenten that made the world spin faster, and his heart dance under his skin.

She was winding in the hills above Konoha proper now, and she turned into a narrow, private road that he would never have noticed had she not slowed the car to turn. It wound for ages before giving way to something paved.

"So how does this Kankurō figure into all of this?"

Tenten kept her eyes on the winding driveway as she spoke.

"We used to work together. He's a bit of a tech nut, and when I mentioned taking this job, and was considering installing a video camera for safety and insurance, he insisted on taking over the installation. The short version of the story is that he came up with a few new things he wanted to test, so we worked out a deal. I rent my car and the equipment from him; therefore he owns the rights to any footage. I have the right to access it for any claims."

"Sounds unnecessarily convoluted," he frowned.

"I think you are going to appreciate the convolution when he explains it," her grin was knowing. "There's his place."

Neji turned his attention back to the front of the car, where they crested the last hill, and caught their first full view of the very large, very secluded home.

"Impressive," Neji said, closing his door as Tenten rounded the car to join him.

"Yeah – he's done alright for himself," she allowed, going up the stairs quickly, and, instead of ringing the door bell, waving at the upper left corner. There was a buzzing sound, and she pushed open the door, waving for Neji to follow.

Neji was going to tell her he couldn't just go wandering around people's homes, but she was already half-way down a hall way. Mentally adding this to the list of "things I will have to explain later," Neji followed.

"He'll be in his workshop," she said over her shoulder. "Well, she paused at the door, as if to think. "One of his workshops."

She pushed open a door, and Neji's eyes went wide.

The wall of monitors was impressive enough, but the variety of images flashing on all of them was dizzying. The only other person in the room sat at the desk with his back to them. He was dressed all in black – black jeans, black hoodie with hood over his head – and was still except for alternating between bouncing his right knee, and tapping the toe of his black and white Converse on the floor in a complicated rhythm.

He held up a hand without turning around, and then went back to typing furiously. Neji slid a skeptical look to Tenten, who just shrugged and directed his attention back to her friend.

"Aaaaaaand, that's done." He punctuated his sentence with a final tap on the keyboard. He spun in his chair to face his guests. "Yo."

"Yo, yourself," Tenten gave a small chuckle. "Detective Neji Hyūga, meet Kankurō Sabaku – special effects guru, and technology wunderkind."

"Detective," Kankurō stood and held out a hand. "How'd you like joyriding with Ten?"

"It was quite the experience," he said evenly. "What have we here?" he motioned to the set-up.

"Working on a few projects," he shrugged. "Konoha has a solid Indie film scene, so I get a good bunch of work around here."

"He gets a good bit from big studios, too," Tenten smiled proudly. "And you should see the animatronics this guy can build – they are unreal."

"And why does a special effects guru have a camera in a Lyft driver's car? Planning on filming a high-speed chase?"

"Actually, that isn't totally far from the truth," he grinned.

"Kankurō," she warned.

"My family owns a security company – that's actually how I got into working with video and effects; by deciding what video had or hadn't been tampered with. Tenten is a good sport about testing some of the equipment and software I develop, and the footage is good reference for me when rendering cars and landscapes. That chase was amazing, by the way," he beamed. "Loads of reference in that one."

"Glad that worked out for you," she deadpanned. "And the driver?"

"Oh, yeah, right," Kankurō went back to his seat and scrambled his wireless mouse. "So Detective – did Tenten explain about the car and camera?"

"I imagine that if any insurance agent ever rode with her, they'd demand she be monitored at all times."

"You don't even know the half if it," Kankurō snorted. "Here's the jist. My family's security company owns the car and the equipment. We have been testing facial recognition software in our systems, and we want to be able to link all of our systems. For instance, if a high-end client has our systems in his office, car, and home, we want to be able to monitor anything our cameras pick up in all of those areas. It just so happens that the place that was burglarized was next door to one of our clients – we sent them a brochure, by the way, so thanks for the business. What that means for you, is I have camera footage of him getting to the crime scene," Kankurō punched a button, and several images popped up on one monitor, "Leaving the crime scene, getting into the car, and during the chase." Each location was punctuated with the push of a button and more images. Kankurō swiveled in his chair to face Neji. "Unfortunately, we didn't have cameras where he got away, so that's it from that night."

Neji stared at the images, rapidly cataloging the man's identifying features and committing him to memory. "As remarkable as this all is, I'm not sure we can use any of it," he frowned. "I'll have to call down to my supervisor and find out how much of this can be formally submitted as evidence, which is the only way we can cross-check it in our systems."

"Luckily, I saved the best news for last," Kankurō grinned. "See, this guy robbed the place next to one of our very, very important clients. When that client heard that his neighbor had been robbed, he called us pretty much in a panic. That means, as far as we are concerned, we've got a formal complaint listing our little friend here as potential threat to one of our existing clients…"

"Which gives you the legal right to investigate," Tenten grinned.

"Bingo," Kankurō winked at her. "And since we have those legal grounds, searching our own databases for his image requires no warrants, and no waiting period."

Neji nodded slowly. "And have you had any luck finding him?"

Kankurō grinned, and punched one button on his keyboard, flooding the remaining monitors with images. "Looks like he's been in a few of the other places that use our software, as well as a casino, a hotel, and even a few restaurants. Our little friend has been busy."

Neji studied each image in turn. "And you sure that this is all the same person?"

"Absolutely certain," he nodded with finality. "Our facial recognition software is second to none. Looks like he's done some of the burglaring, but he is dropping money off at a few of the casinos in town. Basically, he is only a little fish, but he is swimming in some pretty deep ponds."

"Alright," Neji leaned in, peering at one picture in particular. "We can work with this."

Kankurō's phone rang, and he held a hand up to Neji and Tenten.

"Yeah."

He listened for a moment before nodding. "Hold on a sec."

With a few taps on his keyboard, he brought up a video call between a man with flaming red hair, and no one other than the Governor.

"As you see, Governor," the man with the red hair spoke calmly, "My brother is already in touch with the police."

"I do see, Gaara," The Governor studied the three people through the camera. "And is that the driver that worked with us last year?"

"Yes sir," Tenten gave a small wave. "Nice to see you again."

"Well, that will please Madam Shijimi greatly," he said with no little relief. "She was quite impressed with your work, young lady. She has been in a terrible state since that robbery the other day – and is convinced that we will be the next victim if the perpetrator is not caught."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Kankurō said easily. "There is no way that thief could've gotten into your home the way he got into your neighbors."

"Yes, I know," he sighed pressing a hand to his temple. "I have said as much – repeatedly. Detective..Hyūga was it?"

"Yes, sir."

"I would take it as a great and personal favor if this matter was resolved as quickly as possible. I have a call in to the police commissioner; he is to make any resource available to you. Gaara, do we have our liaison in place?"

"I was going to suggest Ms. Tenten serve as the liaison between our company and the police," Gaara said calmly. "She is still in good standing as being eligible for governmental contracts."

"That will do nicely," The Governor interrupted. "I am familiar with her qualifications, and arrange for the paperwork to be sent over immediately, that is, of course, if Ms. Tenten is amenable to such an arrangement?"

The Governor let the question hang in the air between them all – as graciously phrased as what was essentially an order could be.

"I would be delighted, sir," she answered.

A shrill voice could be heard in the background, calling for Tora (who they all knew to be the most rotten cat in the entirety of Konoha), which meant Madam Shijimi was nearby.

"Yes, Well," the Governor hurried to wrap up the call. "That is excellent. Detective Hyūga, Ms. Tenten will officially be the representative to my office as well as to Subaku Security. I look forward to hearing more about your progress." His screen flicked off, and Kankurō waited a full five seconds before laughing.

"Nice," he held out his fist to Tenten. "Good to be working with you again."

"Agreed," Gaara's smile was small, but kind. "And don't worry, Detective Hyūga. We were made aware of your ongoing investigation, and will not impede your efforts. In fact, as soon as clearance comes through from the Commissioner, I am hoping that we can clear all of these matters up at once."

"Here you go, Detective," Kankurō handed Neji a large manila envelope with printed images and a thumbdrive. "That ought to be enough to get you started. Ten, your stuff is on the secured site – login's the same as usual."

"Not sure we should get ahead of ourselves," Neji ventured cautiously. "The Governor can be… capricious in his whims. Until I am formally released by my department, my hands are tied."

"Oh…," Kankurō leaned back in his chair. "So you're going to be the straight-laced law abiding cop to Tenten's dare-devil, nosy civilian. A bit cliché, perhaps, but I think it could work for you two."

Tenten rolled her eyes while Neji's phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Pardon me," he murmured, mildly surprised when he realized who was calling.

"Sir?"

"Detective Hūyga," Kakashi's voice came over the line. "It sounds like you are having a busy morning."

"So it would seem, Sir."

"The Governor already talked to the Commissioner. Sabaku Security is known to us, and you are formally released to work with them and their liaison. I had a little chat with Gai – she checks out, and has passed the necessary background checks."

"And the ongoing investigation?"

"I have reason to believe this will support that investigation, and urge you to cooperate – particularly with your new partner."

A small creased etched itself between Neji's eyebrows at the word 'partner', but his tone remained unchanged as he replied. "Yes, Sir."

The conversation ended, and Neji turned to find Kankurō watching him with open interest.

"That was the boss giving clearance?"

"It was," he said neutrally. "It appears that we shall all be working together."

"So?" Kankurō clapped his hands together cheerily. "What's it going to be? A polite 'thank you' followed by 'I'll be in touch?' A monologue about how you work better alone? A stern warning not to interfere made pretty by your indefatigable good manners?"

Neji quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Watching too much TV, are we?"

"Movies," Tenten corrected with a crooked smile. "And he's seen them all."

"So?" Kankurō leaned forward in anticipation.

"So," Neji managed not to sigh. "I think we should start by pooling our resources and figuring out what we know. Once we are all on the same page, we can devise a plan of attack."

Tenten shrugged. "Why wait? We've got the information - I say we figure out who this guy is and just go take him down."

Neji's frown deepened. "That isn't how we do things."

"Yeah, I know," Tenten grinned. "I said that solely for Kankurō's movie cliché gratification. It just so happens I agree with you entirely. You've worked this case a while; I'm betting you have extensive files, both physical and electronic, yes?"

"I do."

"How long would it take to pull all of that together for a debriefing of sorts? We can do it here or at the station."

"Snacks are better here," Kankurō chimed in. "So is the software, should we need to run someone through our system."

"I can have it ready for tomorrow," Neji allowed.

"Time?"

"First thing in the morning."

"Kank?"

"I can't pull my stuff together before noon."

"You mean you can't be bothered to have a conversation before then."

"Pretty much."

"So?" Tenten looked between them. "Noon? Tomorrow? Here?"

Both men agreed, Kankurō with a shrug, Neji with a nod, and a vague sense of having just been " Handled."

"Then we'll be back tomorrow," she turned to Kankurō. "You'll tell Gaara?"

"On it," he stood and stretched. "I'll walk you guys out."

They followed Kankurō to the front door.

"One more thing," he offered. "You two are going to be working one-on-one; you should try and get to know each other a little more. That will probably save some explanations later."

Neji considered him. "Another movie cliché? Detective and civilian with troubled past brought together by a case? Are you hoping for days laced with latent sexual tension/. Perhaps even a case of unrequited love?"

"Actually, I was thinking it would just make our lives easier, but, if that other stuff works, That'd be fine."

Tenten laughed and Neji gave an amused smirk.

"I think we'll stick with the standard intro," Tenten pulled her keys out of her pocket.

"Suit yourselves," Kankurō fished out his wallet and handed over a credit card to Tenten. "For lunch," he instructed. "Gaara will activate yours tomorrow."

"Fair," she nodded, pocketing the card. "Thanks, Kankurō!"

Neji waited until they were in the car and winding back to civilization to ask: "So what is the standard introduction?"

"Basically like dinner the other night but more directed, and on Gaara's dime. You should know more about the people you are working with so you can better plug them in to this investigation. Believe it or not, we're a pretty good set of resources."

"So, it would seem," he drawled. "I certainly didn't expect dispensation at the gubernatorial level."

"Well," her smile twitched up impishly, "you've clearly never had to deal with an upset Madam Shijimi."

"And you have?"

"Ohhhhh, yeah," she laughed. "Tell you about over lunch?"

Neji should've declined, but found himself agreeing, "I look forward to it."

Are we liking this one? Thanks for reading! - GL