Chapter 31: Hourglass
Pairings : Naru/Sasu
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, according to my research, Disney does. No seriously, DISNEY...as in Walt Disney...Zack and Cody Disney...Kim Possible Disney, That's So Raven Disney... WTF?
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: Please understand...this is not a Romeo and Juliet story and I refuse to make it one.
A/N: Kind of long ass chapter for you. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
(*)(*)(*)
"We need to talk."
This was the very situation Sasuke was dreading. He slowly met Naruto's cobalt eyes and didn't break his gaze.
"About?"
Blue eyes met his, "You know what I'm talking about...did you mean it...when you said it...that you...loved me?"
Sasuke swallowed and opened his mouth, "Naruto...I-"
(*)(*)(*)
Ba-thump...
Ba-thump...
Ba-thump...
Sasuke felt like he was in rigor mortis. Every muscle in his body had seized up to the point that even his lungs were malfunctioning. He couldn't breathe, blood had drained from his veins to the point he shivered.
Naruto's eyes bore into his mind like a probe. "Answer me S'uke."
That one word, said so softly, made the tension disappear in a second. Sasuke leaned forward and rested his head in the crook of the blonde's shoulder.
"..yes."
The raven gasped silently when his body was lifted up and carried over to Naruto's bed. The bronzed man then sat up against the headboard with the Uchiha still corralled in his arms. Sasuke was quiet, eyes still closed while just breathing in the clean scent of the blonde's skin.
"..that was hard for you...wasn't it?"
Sasuke sighed softly, the air from his lips sitting across the tan neck. "...yes it was...I've only told two people those words and with one of them I regretted it."
Naruto shifted Sasuke again as a rough hand reaching up to massage his scalp. "Let me guess one of them was the Hyuuga, right."
"Uh huh... and my brother..." Sasuke swallowed; "Neji was..."
"You don't have to tell me."
Sasuke reached up, grabbed a handful of blond hair and stared. "What about you?"
Blue eyes shifted to the left for less than a nanosecond and Sasuke felt something slice through his gut like a double-edged katana.
"...you don't...do you?" he whispered, scooting backwards. "I'm...I'm not-"
Sharp orbs cut into his as a tan hand shot out and grabbed an arm, reeling Sasuke in like a hooked fish to sit firmly on Naruto's lap.
"Are you even listening to yourself, teme?" he growled sapphire eyes like ice-chips.
Sasuke relaxed minutely, "Then what is it?"
A sardonic smile crossed Naruto's face, "You've said it twice..."
Sasuke nodded, Naruto continued; "...I've never said it...not even once." He sighed, "...the thing is...I don't know what those words will do to me if I do say them...it's not that those words scare me, it's what comes after it that does...but believe me, there is no one I've been this...drawn to in my life...even..." he clearly swallowed, "...Aaliyah didn't come half as close to you...I care for you S'uke...even though you piss me off, insult me, nearly broke my ribs and are clearly unstable."
Sasuke was silent through the whole diatribe. Blue eyes, brimming with sincerity, met his, "...and even though I can't say it right now...just believe me...it's there."
A breath escaped the tense Uchiha perched on corded thighs. After a minute he smirked, "Pity...I was expecting roses to magically appear after that scintillating speech."
A mischievous side look was directed at Sasuke then. "Do you want diamonds too, honey?"
A twitch; Naruto barely managed to dodge the punch aimed at his face and fell on the bed laughing.
(*)(*)(*)
***Calisthenics 6:00 am; two days before 31'st***
You'd have thought that with less that forty –eight hours left in the program they would be some easing up of the schedule. Wrong. Dead wrong.
Sasuke stared at the expanse of water like I had risen up and slapped him in the face. The mist rising off the lake was making his eyes watery. It was morning Cali and while lining up for the now thirty mile run they were informed that they would be undergoing nautical activities like how to managing a small boat, effective rowing techniques and swimming.
Sasuke hadn't slept a minute last night; instead he had spent the whole eight hours analysing the impromptu confession he had blurted out to Naruto. The only conclusion he had come up with, and he had tried to squash it, but failed, was that, yes, he did love the blond.
In the darkness, after Naruto had fallen asleep, Sasuke had sighed and allowed his hands to cradle his feverish head.
Naruto Uzumaki, his roommate, identical in so many ways but completely opposite in others, the man who had saved his life, the friend who had stood up for him when the majority didn't. The one who trained with him, overlooked his faults, who trusted him, who defended him; the single human being who had allowed Sasuke to...feel something...again. The person who Sasuke would do anything to assure his freedom.
Sasuke had shifted and took in the beam of moonlight dancing over tan skin, smiled slightly and whispered to the sleeping form. "Baka...I do love you...and for that I will risk everything to save you."
(*)(*)(*)
****Lunch time; Mess Hall.****
"Uchiha."
It was Gai. Sasuke looked up from the last essay he was writing required for the final assessment with a confused look on his face. Why was Gai approaching him?
"Yes?"
"You have a phone call." The green-clad man said grinning, "I believe the caller said he was your parole officer."
Casually he excused himself from the group and walked with Gai to his office. As soon as they entered Gai handed him the phone and before he left he also gave him a simple instruction to notify secretary when he was done.
Sasuke nodded and placed the device to his ear. "Let me make myself clear, my parole office isn't to contact me till I actually leave here so who exactly is this?"
A dark chuckle resounded from the other end of the connection. "Suspicious, blunt and ill-mannered...the trifecta of an Uchiha."
Then it hit so hard Sasuke stumbled. Gaining his equilibrium back he swallowed and asked as clear as possible. "Madara."
"Right in one sonny boy... and its Lord Madara to you."
Sasuke thought for a second, balancing the headpiece between his shoulder and ear. "You do know they might be tracing this call, right?"
A derisive snort, "Whelp, I've been playing this game for over sixty years. This call is being bounced randomly everywhere from Australia to Russia every three seconds; it is untraceable."
Relaxing Sasuke then asked a grin playing over his face, "May I then inquire as to the nature of your call, Lord Madara?"
"I like you brat, I always have, even though your father, my grand-nephew was a complete fucking idiot who had to be disciplined. You though, you have the original Uchiha steel and sense I've been hoping for decades to resurge in the stupid family..."
Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed; wait...was that a compliment or an insult?
"...and so because I like you I'm going to do you one favour..." his normal voice hardened to flint, "...when you're done with Orochimaru, leave him to me."
The call ended abruptly.
Sasuke stood there for long seconds, his mind spinning with all the possible scenarios and implications of what had just happened.
Clearly Madara knew the amber eyed bastard but how in the seven hells did this man know about him and Orochimaru? And what did he mean by 'leave him to me'? His tone indicated that he had some power a great measure of authority over the mob boss. Did he have contacts or spies in Orochimaru's organization? How did he know anything about t-"
A thought so fantastic swept through his mind like a torrid hurricane, decimating every other thought. No... That wasn't even possible.
Swiftly he mentally tracked the timeline: Madara was a small child when he disappeared and like any scared child he had to find something to rebound on. Knowing the Uchiha mind-set Sasuke instinctively knew that Madara would have never gone to an orphanage.
If he didn't go the above-ground route he had to go the underground one. It was well known that the yakuza adopted orphan children into the organization to be runners and spies...assuming he had been inducted into the organization that gave him decades to rise though the yakuza ranks.
The only reason Madara could know of Orochimaru, was...
Sasuke sat down, eyes wide and shivers racing through his body; Madara...Lord Madara was one of the three leaders of the Triads.
(*)(*)(*)
***The Manoji Group of Structural Design and Internal Architecture."
The meeting had gone off without a snag. Itachi patiently waited as the board and the shareholders of the Anderson project left with pleased smiles on their faces and chatting softly to themselves.
"Uchiha." The voice of the one person left in the room said. Itachi turned to face the grey-haired and portly president of the company; a man named Manoji Hama.
"Yes, Sir?" Itachi asked, a slight feeling of apprehension twisting in his gut. "How may I help you?"
The man smiled, his watery blue eyes crinkling at the side. "You did a wonderful job today Uchiha...that account was handled perfectly."
Itachi smiled slightly while rolling up the blueprints. "Arigato, Manoji-san."
Getting up from the head of the table Hama straightened his dark suit jacket with a swift tug. "Take a week off and relax Uchiha, paid leave and a bonus, you certainly deserve it."
Red eyes opened slightly before returning to normal, "That is very generous of you Sir."
"Keep up the excellent work and you might see yourself as head of the planning department." He said before leaving.
A few minutes later Itachi sank down into the nearest chair. Pulling out the leather thong that held his hip length hair together he allowed the inky wave to spill over his shoulders. Next he pulled out the note that Sasuke gave him. He had figured out the majority of the message but the 'Howling Insects' part still stymied him. Yes it did form the rest of his name but...how could insects... howl?
It had to be important; Sasuke wouldn't have included something illogical if it didn't mean something. Rolling his neck to relieve the accumulated tension he murmured,
"Howling insects...howling insects...howlin-" Then his mind abruptly skipped back to about five years ago when they had taken a trip to the family's vault and Sasuke had gotten bit by a swarm of vicious Centurion wasps that had made themselves a hive behind the loose wall plaster.
The sound that they made while being disturbed, was-
Itachi shot out of his chair. They made a small howling noise when disturbed. Howling Insects. A random image surfaced in his mind of grumpy Sasuke glaring up from a hospital bed after being admitted for detoxing treatment after gotten bitten by a fair number of the critters.
There was something in the family vault he was supposed to find and honestly it tied in with the parting words Sasuke had said to him. Soul of the Samurai.
Picking up his keys Itachi grabbed his briefcase and with a swift notification to the secretary he left, tuning the Lexus around to make the forty-five minute drive to the vault.
Shifting into gear Itachi murmured, "What is it you want me to find, brother?"
(*)(*)(*)
***Break Time, noon***
"Sakura," Sasuke said slowly staring her in the eye, "I need you to break a rule for me."
The green eyed girl looked up slightly apprehensive from the form she was filling out, sighed and replied just as softly. "Depends...what is it?"
"I need you to allow me and a friend of mine in the library after curfew; specifically the computer lab."
She went still. "Sasuke...you know I can't do that." She hissed glancing furtively over her shoulder, "...if we get caught I could lose my job and you will get another order mark...e-even shipped off to prison."
He nodded, "Sakura... I promise you...no one will get caught."
Her eyes softened slowly, "...are you sure."
"Positive." He assured. 'And even if someone did get caught it isn't going to be you.' He tacked on mentally.
She sighed, "Be at the back entrance at ten forty-five. The librarian leaves at ten thirty..." she trailed off. "...just...just make sure it's worth it."
The only thing Sasuke could do was nod and think, 'It's more than worth it.'
(*)(*)(*)
****The Uchiha Vault; Historical Centre, Kohonagakure****
The vault was located in the centre of the government's space allocation for the historical keepsakes of the most prominent families in the sector; it housed the physical heritage of the Hyuuga, the Namikazes, the Nara, the Senjuu and the Uchiha clans.
Parking, Itachi got out of the vehicle and apprehensively made his way to the Uchiha quarter. Reaching the doorway he paused and glanced up at the arching Torrii gate his father had demanded to be placed there.
Itachi sighed, placed his hand on the arch and whispered a small prayer-like acknowledgement to his parents. Swiping his key-card and pressing in the pass code he entered a wide space; each sector still meticulous and untouched since the last time they had been there.
One corner had relics of the wars; corroded swords, dull samurai armour and faded banners splashed with the Uchiha name and symbol. The others had chipped vases, silver embedded dragon statues, gold and jade jewellery, a pile of hand spun gold threaded carpets and other precious gifts scavenged from the ruins of the palace the family had served for.
Itachi swept pass them and with a keen eye and a meticulous approach started to search the vault from the entrance making his way to the end. He searched high and low, under shelves, shifted some statues and even placed his ear to the floor while knocking to see if there was a hollow under it.
Nothing. Sitting back on his heel Itachi rolled his shoulders and his mind, for a moment, shifted to his brother. Sasuke.
Sasuke before he had become what he was now. The little, sensitive boy that used to follow him everywhere like a besotted puppy dragging his toy lion behind him, the tiny wide-eyed child who would run to his room when he had a bad dream instead of his parents; the sweet kid destroyed by their fathers' genius induced madness.
Itachi levered himself up to his feet. The whole clan of the Uchiha were genii. His great grandfather was a military one; his grandfather was an economic one having tripled the family's fortune in less than five years, his father was an academic one of unparalleled genius; some said even surpassing Freud and Maslow.
Make no mistake; Itachi himself was also one, the creative type though; having graduated high school at thirteen with a record of accomplishments a mile long, and university at eighteen, top of his class after being awarded the Dean's award and the University's prestigious Jade Dragon award...but Sasuke...Sasuke was born to outdo them all.
The kid was...special; he soaked up information like a sponge; manipulated it in ways most people would have never imagined and used it to his advantage. There were times when Itachi worried that Sasuke would become a criminal of the highest unfathomable order; but for some reason which Itachi honestly had no solid explanation, Sasuke seemed to have a hook in his jaw, reeling him back from self-destruction and disaster.
One more time he circled the room and stopped at the place where the centurion wasps had made their nest. The wall paper was lifting off the woodwork showing a hint of a metal glint behind it. Stepping forward Itachi reached up and tore the brittle paper off and meeting his eyes was embedded safe, about a foot long with a pass key in the lower left corner.
Clearly it was the work of his father.
Scrubbing a hand through his hair Itachi grabbed a chair and set out to figure one more piece of the puzzle.
(*)(*)(*)
***Camp Grounds...10:40p.m.***
It was nearing ten-forty p.m.
The camp was a quiet as a graveyard. Sasuke lightly touched Naruto's hand. The blond woke up in an instant.
"I'm going."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Naruto asked tensely.
Sasuke refrained from rolling his eyes. "Yes dobe, we both can't afford for you to get caught. I'll be safe; I promise...it's just in and out."
Even through the gloom of the room Sasuke could see the furrow of worry on his roommate's face. "You know it's Ibiki's rotation tonight, right." Naruto asked, voice completely saturated with worry. "If you get caught; he will trump up some charge to get you thrown out."
Fair point. "I won't," he assured again "leave it at that."
He turned to leave but was grabbed and shifted around; a calloused hand reached into his hair and drew the raven's pale face down for a slow, methodical kiss. The kiss was so full of care that for a doubtful second Sasuke was tempted to scrap the plans, shove the other on the bed and fulfil the tension that had been building between them for what seemed like eternity.
But no...that would come later so he pulled back.
"Be safe."
Slipping out the room Sasuke made his way to Shikamaru's and knocked quietly. After a second the door opened and the Nara slipped out.
"How we gonna do this, Uchiha?" the hacker whispered.
"I'll worry about that." He answered jerking his head towards the library. "Just follow me."
As silently as possible they crept toward the library's back door where a stiff and tense Sakura was hopping from one foot to the other.
"We're here." Sasuke said softly behind her.
She jumped but had the presence of mind to slap a hand over her mouth. She was obviously hyperventilating. Reaching up Sasuke gently removed her hand from her face and massaged it. "We're ready."
She nodded and reaching up around her neck she removed a chained key. Sasuke casually took the key from her and inserted it into the door, making sure to press his thumb down hard onto the metal.
"You have ten minutes," she whispered tensely after he replaced the string around her neck; tucking it under her sweater, "...after that I can't guarantee anything...the door automatically locks from the inside; so the only thing you have to do after you're done is to close it."
Sasuke nodded a silent thank you and waved Shikamaru inside and slipped in after the Nara. The computer room's door was slightly open and they slipped in. Shikamaru immediately found a console, booted it up and while waiting for the machine to get optimized Shikamaru held out his hand for the recorder. Grasping the small device; the Nara deftly but carefully pulled the thing apart to reveal the micro SD card embedded in the middle.
Carefully extracting the memory card he slipped the card into to the tiny port and waited for the programming info to be read and assimilated into the console's hard-drive. The recording popped up. Accessing an internet copying site, Shikamaru uploaded the recording and asked;
"How many?"
"Ten," Sasuke replied; "...and give them all time capsule lock; I don't want it to be opened till three days."
Shikamaru quickly programmed the lock code, hit copy and then casually asked, "Do you have the addresses you want me to send them to?"
The raven grinned while handing over a slip of paper to the Nara. Shikamaru took one look at the addresses and whistled, "Damn Uchiha...The Minister of Defence...the Director of Public Prosecution for Iwagakure and the Head Judge of the I.C.J..."
"Yes." He answered tersely glancing over his shoulder. "Make it quick."
The hacker's fingers flew over the keyboard and ten loading bars popped up on the screen. Sasuke stood stiff as the bars climbed, ten percent...twenty-five...thirty-three...
Tension was building in his gut, a sign that something was going to go wrong. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, his eyes pressing into the console's monitor.
Sixty-five...eighty-four...ninety-seven...
One hundred percent. Finally. Sasuke checked his watch, five minutes eleven.
"Let's go." he grated through grit teeth.
"Ten seconds Uchiha." Shika replied softly, "I have to erase the footprints."
Shifting from foot to foot the raven watched silently as the history was deleted, destroyed and the computer powered down. "Ready."
They turned around and slipped through the same way they entered Sasuke making sure to close the door behind him.
Shikamaru eyed him with a mix of sceptical approval and as they reached the dorms he turned around to face the Uchiha and asked, "Does anybody know the real you?"
Sasuke paused for a minute and then finally answered, "No... And I'd prefer it to keep it that way."
Each step towards his dorm room the feeling in his gut got stronger. The dorm room was as dark as he left it but he knew something was wrong. There was no way around though. Wrapping a hand around the knob he pushed the door open, flicked on the light, skimmed over a silent Naruto and stared a grinning Ibiki in the face.
(*)(*)(*)
****The Uchiha Vault; Historical Centre, Kohonagakure****
Itachi was getting another headache.
Every combination he had tried didn't work and honestly he was getting frustrated. If his father was the one who had set the code the man, damn sure, wouldn't have chosen something easily detectible; like birthdays or anniversary days; but he had tried them anyway.
Fugaku was traditional to his bone marrow so logically it had to be a major milestone in the family's history...something like when the clan was inducted into the emperor's services, or the date that his grandfather was given the medal of honour and fidelity to the country or the date when the government had issued the formal reparations to the clan.
First one...nothing.
Second...still nothing.
The third; Itachi carefully spun the dial, '17', '0' and '5'. The box popped open.
Breathing deeply Itachi opened the box and his eyes met a stack of...letters? What the hell was going on here? Why would his father save a stack of letters? With trepidation Itachi took up the first one, opened it, scanned it and felt faint.
He grabbed at anything close to stabilize him.
Each letter was a death threat. Words and sentences like 'watch your back', 'you and your family will pay for your ancestor's sins', 'you will not escape', and 'your time is coming soon.'
Each letter was dated the day of the genocide Setsuna had performed. Thirty-odd years of threats; no wonder his father got so paranoid. Itachi scanned down to the symbol inscribed at the bottom and gasped silently; each and every one read 'Madara'.
****Sparta Dorm Room***
"Well, well... well." Ibiki said levering his huge body off the chair and leaned down to the Uchiha's blank face. "I've finally caught you; you fuck-up."
Sasuke said nothing; through the corner of his eyes Sasuke could clearly see Naruto's pale and tense face and hand clenching on his thigh.
"Tell me Uchiha...where have you been this fine night?"
"On the quad," he lied smoothly, "I just needed some fresh air."
A shark grin crossed Morino's face as he spun Sasuke around and snapped a pair of metal handcuffs on his crossed wrist, "Air huh...well I hoped you enjoyed it because the most time you're going to get fresh air in prison is fifteen minutes."
Naruto shot off the bed, "That's not fair; he can't be sent to prison, he only has one order mark."
Ibiki laughed, "Outside after curfew is another order mark, being in a restricted area, one more and if that doesn't stick I promise you, I'll think of something."
He shoved Sasuke in the back; "Let's go Uchiha...there is a comfy cell waiting for you."
"Sasuke."
The Uchiha tossed his head towards Naruto and offered a small, caustic smile, "Don't worry about me, dobe...this will all be over before you think."
(*)(*)(*)
***The Library, 8:00 a.m. twenty-two hours before 31'st.***
"We have a problem." Naruto said voice steady and still while looking each one in their eyes; his cobalt orbs met the steady green ones of Gaara, the hazel ones of Shikamaru, Kin and Kiba; skipped over the balanced greys of Neji and the browns of Ten-Ten's.
He slapped down and piece of paper on the desk. "Fearless leader is about to be transferred to prison...we have nineteen hours to get him out."
(*)(*)(*)
Many of you might be wondering about the appalling lack of sex in this story. Here's the thing; I've thought about it and I've decided that their first time will not be in a prison camp; it just seems sordid and unromantic to me; but be assured guys there will be some...patience people.
Prodigy.