Chapter 29: Tempus Fugit pt1
Pairings: Naru/Sasu...duh.
Rating: M- NC-17
Disclaimer: I do not own the sheer genius of "Naruto", Shippuden or other. The honours go to Masashi Kishimoto and his genius (but complete stupid a**) brain that created this masterpiece.
Summary: Remember that summer camp you went to; that quaint place out in the woods, by a lake, sitting around a campfire telling ghost stories and eating s'mores? Well this summer school sure as hell isn't that. Three months, Sasuke, teenage delinquents, illegal alcohol, prescription drugs, annoying shrinks, escape plans, a shitzu from hell, and new relationships; welcome to camp.
A/N: THANK YOU FOR EVERY REVIEW! TWO PART CHAPTER; second coming VERY soon.
(*)(*)(*)
***previously***
Fanning dust out of his eyes Pein, Nagato, turned to them and smiled slightly. His accented voice greeted them. "Nice to finally meet you... Chidori."
"Uchiha..." he trailed off for a second silently handing out a protein bar to the man, "My name is Uchiha Sasuke."
Blue eyes glimmered turning to the blond standing beside the raven, "And you must be Naruto."
"Yes," the blond replied, sticking a hand out to the shorter man. "And we are getting you out of here."
(*)(*)(*)
"Trust me." Sasuke said tiredly, combing his hand through his hair, "It's kind of experimental but...it'll...it'll work."
Blue eyes bore into his; "How do you know it will?"
Fuuuucccckkkk.
"I've tested it." he said shortly trying to not meet Naruto's searching eyes and quickly moved on, "Your 'death' is vital."
"You've obviously have had some more plans..." Nagato inferred eyebrow at his hairline, "... I'm curious...what were they?"
"Just one...the Dim Mak technique." Sasuke said tightly, "It is...was an emergency tactic. At first that was the preferable one but then I found out that the berries cause the same effect and I switched. I don't want to run the risk of permanently putting you in a coma."
"Playing dead," Nagato said drolly, "is standard CIA policy...I'm not completely unfamiliar with that...my question now is... how are you going to contact the police?"
"Yeah S'uke..." Naruto interjected, "How are we going to do that?"
"I'm working on that." He retorted trying to ignore the conjunction of his name and Nagato's mind reading smirk.
"You know..." Nagato offered idly, "...there is a way to convert a simple walkie-talkie into an emergency pseudo cell phone. Some minor modifications and it can emit a certain pulse code internationally accepted as an emergency help call."
"I know that trick, they call it the 'SM&E' code call right...wait..." Naruto said.
"The what now?" Sasuke asked curiosity peaked.
"Some idiot called it the 'shoemaker and the elves' code and it stuck," Nagato clarified, "conclusive proof that idiocy is the standard which we live by. It is an option though."
'Good plan but too obvious," Sasuke thought, '... needs a more secretive, subtle way...preferably outside, one that cannot be traced.'
The blonde's eyes lit up with a fiendish gleam. "Gimme a second, okay." And left.
Sasuke leaned back on the wall, eyes slipping closed but intensively aware of the spy's eyes on him. "What?" he asked.
"You.." Nagato replied, "...you and your blond there."
'My blond?" he thought acerbically, but then said out loud; "What about it?" he asked tightly.
"Your reactions to his presence." Nagato said sounding very amused, "In the two hours we've been down here you haven't strayed more than three feet away from him."
"It's a basement corridor," Sasuke recounted, "There is no more space."
"You didn't let me finish." the agent interjected, "When you shift, he does, when he moves, you do, when he proposes an physical defence hypothesis you finish it; when you come up with an intellectual offense plan he refines it...and the moment he left you went very tense."
"What are you implying?" Sasuke asked carefully, one eye open.
"...I'm saying ..." Nagato trailed off, crossed his arms and shook his head, "...you know what...you're brilliant, you'll figure it out eventually."
Uncomfortable Sasuke shifted, "Why don't we figure out Orochimaru."
The man sobered, "There's nothing to figure out really; he's going to do everything in his power to silence you after he's been notified that you have me. The man is a pit snake but the thing is, he takes orders from a higher power and that makes him slightly vulnerable... The Mafia is like a den of pythons," Nagato explained, "they devour each other. Orochimaru is under the leadership of this area's head snake, if he fails to complete his orders he will be terminated; just like he does his own lieutenants."
Sasuke stared for a moment. "Splendid, but I was thinking more of 'how does he not terminate us'."
"Us?"
Shit. He forgot. What was it with him and all these mental slips?
"I got found out..." Sasuke mumbled disgruntled, "...seems like some people in here are smarter than I anticipated."
"And your blond is one of them." Nagato surmised.
"Can you not say that?" Sasuke snapped, "He isn't my anything."
"My apologies... go on... how many?" Nagato pressed.
After a tense moment sizing up the newly freed man Sasuke admitted, "Nine people in total; a N.A.S.A satellite hacker named Nara Shikamaru, a weapons dealer and expert Higushi TenTen, a former ROOT assassin Gato Kin, another hacker and martial arts genius Hyuuga Neji, a politicians son, framed murderer and tactical genius named Sabaku Gaara, some free entertainment in the form of Inuzuka Kiba, Uzumaki Naruto the complete army brat, Ryuu Mizu your C.I.A colleague, and myself; Uchiha Sasuke, convicted pyromaniac."
The man whistled; "That's quite a crack team you've got there."
"Crack is absolutely right." he concluded. "In exchange for breaking you out they're...we're... all asking for amnesty; clean slate right across the board."
"Already done." Nagato answered solidly without a trace of hesitation.
A small thud of footsteps announced the return of the blond. "There are numerous telephone towers dotted around the camp's perimeter... I'm guessing they connect to the local grid...bouncing a signal off one of them should be easy."
Loaded looks were traded between them for a minute until Sasuke broke it; "Well, Op Exodus is officially in effect."
(*)(*)(*)
***previously***
***** The President's Suite, The White Lotus Hotel****
Madara sifted through the box of paraphernalia on Sasuke he had collected over the years. Something undefined had drawn the older Uchiha to Sasuke; he distantly admired and identified with the fortified metal in the young raven's makeup; even though it was clearly cracking at the edges. And if there was anything Madara knew, it was about slowly losing your mind.
The seventy-odd year old knew that the previous 'gifts' he had given the raven were being interpreted as offensive but he hadn't thought of any kind of offering that would make him seem less threatening...until now.
"Sasuke...nephew..." he said placing the object in the box, "I mean you no harm...In fact; I just want to help you...when I'm done you will know the real Uchiha's"
(*)(*)(*)
"Uchiha." A uniformed aid said walking up to him with a small box in his hands, "You've been getting an inordinate amount of mail... fiancée at home?"
"Something like that; yes." Sasuke answered taking the box from him with deep trepidation. What would he find next, a mummified body part?
He stared at the box wishing he had x-ray vision. The man was turning away when Sasuke snapped out of it. Facing the messenger he asked, "Did you see or know who delivered this?"
"Ummm.." the man trailed off, "...yeah...kinda... some man, cloaked up like he was having a cold... I think the front camera got shot of his car or something..."
Sasuke went unbelievably still, "There... is... a... front... camera?"
"Yes," the man answered checking his wristwatch, "...comprehensive surveillance, you know." And left.
Silence.
"Well," Shino nudged him, "Are you going open it or what?"
Unfolding the box's flaps he, with deathly trepidation, looked inside and went still. He was preparing for anything. Literally.
A second later every crippling tension in his body fled like dry leaves in the wind.
How the hell could this person know of this...it was private family folklore...wasn't it? Sasuke himself hadn't found about this till he was ten while digging into some ancient records in the family's vault. It was supposed to be a secret.
Wasn't it?
Settled in the bottom of the box was a dried and preserved black rose, de-thorned stem bound with a sterling white ribbon. The one major instance Sasuke knew of when this was used was when a property feud bordering murderous had sprung up between some distant relatives. The record clearly stated that this act, giving a black rose bound with a white ribbon, was the Uchiha's universal symbol for proposing peace.
He had to admit it; it was glaring him in the face.
"Excuse me." Sasuke said gathering up the box and headed straight for Kakashi's office. He was about to turn the door's handle when he saw the white card hanging from the doorknob that practically shouted, 'session in progress'.
Fucking typical.
Frustrated Sasuke placed the box on some random surface and took to pacing the room from end to end; black eyes shooting irritated glares at the mantle clock with every slowly passing minute. He severely stomped down on every twisted thought running through his overactive mind and diverted his attention by reciting the multiplication tables at lightning speed. He had reached fifteen times eleven when the hour hand inched the last digit to the huge twelve at the top.
Finally the door opened, releasing Chouji. Without a word Sasuke grabbed the box and blazed into the empty room. The silver haired man looked up in surprise just as the raven slammed the box on the desk.
"What the hell Sa-"
"You were right." Sasuke cut in, "...It's family."
The shrink took a second to process the words combined with the aggressive action; inferred that Sasuke had gotten another gift and silently opened the box.
"...A rose?"
"A black rose." Sasuke corrected pacing the room. "One of my ancestors had devised a way to breed black roses. Every record I've read about our history says that traditionally, they're the Uchiha's internal symbol of proposing peace...amends...unity... togetherness." He paused and spun around, "The aid who gave me the box said a man himself delivered it...cloaked up, and that the front camera may have gotten a picture of him."
Kakashi calmly placed his pen on the table and got up. "Come with me."
They walked to an office Sasuke hadn't seen before; it was small room, like a janitor's closet but jammed with flat screen monitors, each showing a closed caption recording of portions of the camp. Sasuke quickly skimmed the feeds and mentally cursed, there was a camera trained on Admin's entrance.
Fuck. Another obstacle.
"Are those digital cameras?" Sasuke asked trying to sound merely curious.
"They are." Kakashi said typing some commands into the mainframe, "State of the art."
Half of his brain was furiously re-calculating the meticulous timeline for the breakout and the other half observing the camera feed. It was steady meaning the camera didn't rotate. The only things that could briefly cause a loophole in the camera feed were either of two: a feed delay or a virus to disrupt the camera's internal programming... or just something physical to temporarily fuck up the footage.
The first was too complicated and that left one option. They needed a laser; like the optic sight redeye from a stealth weapon.
"Ah..." Hatake sighed, clicking a button. "Here it is."
Sasuke watched keenly as an unremarkable black Mercedes drove up to the front quad and parked directly below the camera's angle.
Seconds passed... a minute.
'He wants this to be recorded.' He realized. 'He wants us to know that he isn't afraid to show himself.'
Kakashi's steady finger was on the pause button; primed and ready to freeze frame a picture.
The door opened inch by inch. A dark boot emerged, followed by a svelte body cloaked up with a poncho-like top and a high hood over his head. In the man's arms, for it was surely a man, held the same box that was currently sitting, innocuously, in Kakashi's office.
Then the man raised his head and looked directly into the camera.
Kakashi pressed the button. Sasuke grabbed at something from stabilization. The man's features, even clearly older, were the split striking image of Itachi: slanted dark eyes, smooth angular face, patrician nose, high cheekbones and the trademark Uchiha smirk.
He was blatantly screaming into the camera a blistering 'Hello'.
"Son...of...a...bitch." Sasuke swore tightly. "...Madara."
(*)(*)(*)
"He's..." Kakashi mentioned while safely ensconced in his office chair and staring at the printout of the man's picture "... unusually well preserved."
"Yes," Sasuke agreed, "preserved...for what...to torment me?"
"Why would he torment you Sasuke?" Kakashi asked getting up, spinning the pacing raved around to face him.
The minute Sasuke looked into his eyes Kakashi went white with incomprehensible fear of what he was seeing: the young raven eyes were brimming with sorrow. The kind of sorrow level that was imprinted on a person's soul.
"Sasuke?"
It disappeared in a nanosecond; the hard wall slamming between them like cages of iron. "It was all some kind of twisted plan, wasn't it..." Sasuke said grimly "...right...the fire, my parents, everything! Is he the reason why I have to rethink everything I do, the reason I have to watch my back every day, why I don't trust anymore, the reason I can't be normal?"
"Sasuke, listen to me." Kakashi assured, "Yes, I agree, there might be a link to him and your parent's deaths; maybe he wanted someone to know the same pain he felt witnessing his own family being murdered, and that is understandable... but Sasuke... the others are all you."
The Uchiha was silent so he carried on. "Sasuke you developed the paranoia because, after the betrayal with Neji, you felt that no one could be trusted," '...not even yourself' Kakashi mentally added. "...Somehow along the way you developed this theory that everything had some underlying sinister plot and that led to the urge to constantly seek out the bare underbelly of things because you'd prefer the horrible truth than a hypocritical lie; and Sasuke; there is absolutely nothing wrong with that."
"You don't trust easily because one some level, it scares you; you don't get involved in other people's business because you know you will get attached and you are not the type to leave anything unfinished and Sasuke ... you are an Uchiha; it means 'abnormal'..."
Sasuke glared while a hint of a smile crossed Kakashi's face, "...it also means 'unique' ... I don't think you would exchange that for being ordinary...would you?"
A satirical smile crossed Sasuke's face, "The 'half-full glass', right?"
The shrink sighed in relief that one more barrier to the Uchiha's psyche had just been passed, "Yes..." he trailed off for a second assessing Sasuke's demeanour. "...so about Madara.."
(*)(*)(*)
To a casual viewer Sasuke looked like he was immersed in reading his sociology assignment. Although a minor part of his brain was absently recording the information about the colonisation of the Maldives, the majority of his thoughts, as usual, were focused on something else.
The raven was getting a migraine; every plan he was trying to calibrate for getting Orochimaru physically caught had major flaws. Yes connecting the local militia was an option but there was no time to intercept a random passing ionic communications flare, send the call and hope it would get received.
Too many external variables. Every train of thought had slammed into a mental roadblock of massive proportions causing him to circle back to the exiting problem: how to get the police notified without getting caught?
He casually flipped a page.
Casting through his mind memories resurfaced about when he was a child; how he and Itachi were made to sit and to piece together of decipher codes; clues...cyphers.
That's it.
Grabbing a sheet of paper Sasuke, while mentally conjuring an image of a cell phone's dialling pad, fervently hoped Itachi remembered the 'games'.
Thinking for a moment he then wrote:
"I am fine. Tell your boss that you need some time off; you're working too hard. And please take the time out to Care for the Howling Insects.
(#) 2255 6463 663 633 836.3687 (.5)
66 6267 5263."
08/31
Sasuke leaned back and twilled his pen; hoping with everything in him that Itachi could figure it out.
(*)(*)(*)
"Itachi," Sasuke sighed quietly sitting across from his brother "This is surprise...what are you doing here?"
Red eyes searched curious black ones; after a moment Itachi smiled, "You have just five more days here, right..."
'Yes... five more days till judgement day..." Sasuke thought grimly, "... five days to sink or swim."
"...and I was thinking about what you might want to do after getting out of here." Itachi finished, "...so I came up with some suggestions. I've contacted a dean at my old university; she has offered to accept you, provisionally of course, in any program you wan-"
"No." Sasuke cut in evenly.
Itachi looked confused, "...what?"
"'No' as in 'not going to happen'." Sasuke explained patiently, "No offense but I've come to realize that the bland academic lifestyle...the study-then-work, nine-to-five life, monthly mortgage-an-two-point-four kids... isn't one for me. I'd get bored and you know how I get when I'm bored."
Fair point; a bored Sasuke was a destructive Sasuke.
"...two point fou-" Itachi reiterated blankly while he took some sober seconds to digest the information then snapped out of it. "Sasuke, please see reason... this is your future I'm talking about...there is no guarantee that the military will accept you with your record."
"And there is where you're wrong." The younger raven replied, "I've already made it to the shortlist...there is an extremely high chance that I'm going to be drafted."
"That's the problem," Itachi said, fingers tapping on the desk agitatedly, "it's a chance, Sasuke... think about it..."
Sasuke didn't budge.
Seeing as he was going nowhere Itachi scrambled for something else, "How about some alternatives, you could-"
"No brother." Sasuke said stonily. His face softened a minute later, "I know you just want the best for me... we've always prized academic excellence...but I can't follow the path that you are on...father's path. I can't sit behind a desk and be hap-"
Sasuke went tense in that very moment. He was so hypersensitive that he could literally feel Naruto's electric energy encasing the room; sending almost indecipherable tingles over his skin.
"Sasuke?" Itachi inquired.
His pale eyelids fluttered to half-mast and even if his dark eyes were still trained on his older sibling, instead of replying to Itachi's question he spoke knowing his voice would carry, "Can I help you, baka?"
The army brat came to a rest beside him; blue eyes flittering up to the other silent raven, "Yeah...ummm I'm sorry to interrupt...I'll come back."
Rolling his eyes and snorting Sasuke spun to firmly grab a warm tan hand, "What is it, dobe?"
"Ummm... have you seen the diagram I gave you...the one with the instructions for the M16 assembly...the one Anko s going to torture us with?"
Shocked red eyes latched on the point of contact between Sasuke and the newcomer; Itachi subtly pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Sasuke; voluntarily touching someone (for more than five seconds); without breaking a bone.
Black brows furrowed; "...Didn't you lend that to Inuzuka?"
Blue eyes widened for a moment as a flicker of realization swept over his scarred face. "That son of a bitch..." callused hand pulled from the pale one to settle and slightly squeeze a black clad shoulder, "Thank you."
Sasuke nodded and watched silently as the blond left, absently admiring the smooth flex of the blonde's behind under the camouflage pants.
"You were saying?" Sasuke then asked turning face a slightly distanced Itachi.
"...You..." the older man trailed off flabbergasted. Sasuke could practically see the dots connecting behind Itachi's eyes. "...You've... changed...and he-"
"Do not even try and go there." He warned the older sibling black eyes piercing while slumping on the chair. "He's just my bunk mate."
Itachi nodded, not fooled for a second. "As I was saying; the university is -"
"Itachi," Sasuke interrupted while reaching into his hoodie's pocket and extracting the tightly folded letter. He grabbed his brother's hand and looking him straight in the eyes he said. "About university... I promise you I'll think about it..."He then folded his brother's slim fingers into a fist, unfathomable eyes pressing deep sincerity into the older ones. "...Trust me... Bushi no Tamashi."
(*)(*)(*)
For the record, Sasuke was getting some strong homicidal urges with all the levels of staring he getting directed at his person.
Days ago he could have ignored the looks, the sneers, the not-so-subtle whispers or the outright blatant comments. In fact three days ago, in a pique of sarcastic amusement Sasuke had wondered if there was a sign or target on his forehead that screamed "Faggot," and if not, he would put it there just to see the reactions.
It had been amusing to see people tense when he walked into a room or the reactions when he talked too closely with someone, but now it was getting old and out of fucking hand. It seemed like everyone was looking to see him sprout bubble-pink hair and fairy wings or something.
Everything was compressed into a dense ball of tension in his chest; Sasuke was wound tighter then a titanium coil; the daily physical strain of cali, the academic workload, the knife-edged situation with Madara, (trying to figure out if the man was good or evil); the monumental task of breaking Nagato out; anticipating the wide-ranging of offensive moves Orochimaru may take and protecting an innocent Itachi was making Sasuke more on edge than ever.
Everyone had been skirting around him like twitching rabbits.
"Well Uchiha..." some snide punk commented walked by him surrounded by two stupidly grinning others, "... seen the dark side of a moon, lately?"
Bad- freaking- move.
Sasuke snapped and lunged forward to them, he was shocked when a hand fisted into his shirt, dragged him back to a warm chest. An arm wrapped around his waist as warm breath flowed over his ear. "Need some help again?"
Sasuke grunted in the affirmative, hotly glaring at the three idiots who had just barely survived a painful death.
Naruto looked up and grinned, "So you have a problem with gays, do you...that's very surprising... Kaihei... I seem to recall that you have brother, was it...hmmm yeah...your older brother who is a beautiful drag queen and finalist in RuPaul's Drag Race...right," Kaihei went stiff and pale, "...and you Akio...you have that half-naked poster of John Cena over your bed... you should probably know that my friend Kiba, his room is right next to yours and he's told me some scintillating stories of hearing the one word you scream when you jack off..." Naruto said pinning the last one with ice-chip look, "... and Chion... would you like to explain to all of us here why you sister still calls you Baby-B?"
"...N...not really." Chion spluttered.
Naruto shrugged, "So it isn't the fact that at thirteen you played with her Barbie dolls and she caught you kissing surfer Ken?"
Snickers erupted.
The first, blood splotching his face apparently gathered up some courage and sneered, "So what...you're fucking the fag, aren't you?"
A canine grin met the accusation, "I take that to mean you'd like a demonstration..."
Wait...what?
Pale neck twisted and thin lips opened to ask the blond up to what the hell was he up to, when peach lips met his. An earthquake could have plunged Japan into the sea and Sasuke wouldn't have been any the wiser.
The room had gone still.
Deathly still.
A veritable graveyard.
The kiss wasn't that deep or passionate but it had damn well achieved the purpose. Pulling back Sasuke stared at the blond in wonder for an inestimable while before slowly turning around to face the others.
Two had gone decidedly green; one though was blushing like someone had lit a fire under him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kin and TenTen grinning their faces off and high fiving, and Moegi looking mortified. Ino looked torn between disgusted and aroused and...fucking shit...Gaara, who after meeting his eyes for a second promptly turned and left.
Fuck.
Pushing Naruto off him he with a clipped stride took after the Sabaku, mind going over some frantic damage control tactics.
He found Gaara on the front quad, hands shoved into his pockets and staring blankly out to the silent landscape.
Shit... he could not deal with this right now. Stopping a full two feet away from the redhead he smartly waited until the Sabaku acknowledged his presence.
"You think I didn't see it...didn't you." Gaara stated his monotone even.
Sasuke grimaced, "Gaara... it wasn't like that."
Green eyes met his, Sasuke wanted to stab himself in the gut seeing the thinly veiled pain in the emerald orbs. Shit, another person he had ripped to pieces.
"What was it like then, Sasuke..." Gaara challenged boldly then snorted mockingly at himself, "...do you not know that everyone in here sees it...you two are like puzzle pieces… you fit ... better than you and I did." The last words came out slightly strangled.
"Gaara..." Sasuke was at a loss for words.
A deep breath and jade eyes softened; "We are too alike Sasuke...you should've realized this by now...you can't be looking for something to complete you when are constantly searching for a carbon copy of yourself."
Alabaster lids closed for a second. "...you're right."
"I promise you...I'm not angry..." Gaara said quietly but plainly hurt.
Even though he knew he was sounding like a broken record Sasuke tried again, "Gaara..."
"Go," the Sabaku said turning back to the landscape. "Please..."
(*)(*)(*)
Sasuke stared at the white ceiling as time slowly slipped by. Two souls he had destroyed... two. Two people he had really come to care about. His clenched fist met the battered pillow again in angered despair.
What the hell was wrong with him? Was he destined to keep destroying people? The words he had said to Naruto on the basketball court flitted through his mind again, 'I'm toxic.'
He closed his eyes.
(*)(*)(*)
The sound of shuffling feet alerted him to the blond entering the room and sitting at the edge of his bed, a fold of cream paper in his hands and a completely astonished and spaced-out look on his face.
Sasuke couldn't help it; "You've just inhaled some helium balloons, haven't you?"
Blue eyed looked up and met black. Sasuke getting progressively concerned. Getting up and moving to sit beside the older teen he asked; "What's wrong?"
Naruto flipped the sheet of paper around to his eyes. Sasuke took in the bold seal and headline blaring 'Hyuuga and Hyuuga' and went static.
"Dobe..." he asked carefully, "... what is that?"
The blond whispered in a hallowed and disbelieving tone, "It's from Hinata...she's getting her lawyers to review my case."
(*)(*)(*)
I'm sorry Gaara, I love you but I have to do it. Please forgive me –cries-
Naruto getting some outside help (a.k.a Kyuubi, you are going to suffer.)
WARNING: I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT YOU PEOPLE ARE SMART AND SOME WILL FIGURE OUT THE CODE; JUST DO NOT PUT IT IN A REVIEW. EITHER JUST MENTION YOU FIGURED IT OUT OR PM ME.
AND ONE MORE THING;
REVIEW DAMNIT!
B.P.