Author's Note: What I like about this chapter? Sasuke isn't all over the place and being a spazz, he's finally closer to being in character. Winters gets introduced and burned which I thought was awesome. What I didn't like? It's hard not to make Sasuke come off as sounding like the evil queen from Disney's Snow White.
Chapter 18: The Composer
Starbucks (Sasuke's point of view)
Every man in his own time conducts a symphony. Whether it's throwing Elsie and Sakura out of the Statue of Liberty, letting my shadow clone's mutant instincts get the better of him at a greasy hamburger restaurant or I hadn't planned for Jira to do the song and dance number but whatever works will work. Just about every single "Sasuke" the H.E.A.T team and ninjas have almost captured thus far has been so far a shadow clone, a bunshin, and I had to get creative. I've been gone since the MRI debacle. Chaos is not a symphony, this plan still stabs pain into the gaping hole I have called a heart just thinking of this the one time I let myself loose.
Drinking a sugared cup of bad caffeine at a local mass market coffee house is the closest I was ever going to get to "letting myself loose." The area in a nutshell had only the booths, tables, and customer bar for the customers on one side of the cash register. The kitchen, drink stand and entire worker's area on the other side of the cash register. I'd kept a very tight lid on my cravings.
The sugar from my bitter drink, momentarily silencing the gluclose craving and the chocolate, thick as crude oil, stuck in my throat as bad as the memory of Itachi from my younger days. The Itachi I knew who'd split an Omusubi with me at a Japanese Café. The brother who'd always tell me maybe later and I obeyed without question. Looking across the table to the booth with the child just grabbing the cell phone from the teen, if things were different could I have maybe been more demanding instead?
'No, no,' thought I, ' I refuse to be the naïve little prick I was nine years ago.'
Naruto was the person who gave me his undivided attention even if it was to show me up just because he was trying to impress a girl. Speaking of girls, Sakura's brashness was new. I don't know what to think about the new guys, Yamato and Sai (no actually Sai is annoying). Shikamaru is just a face in the crowd. Clarity can be a pain in the neck and Murray is a simpleton. He and the coffee addict deserve each other, business partners or otherwise.
The H.E.A.T team has no layers within them. Randy was the first one to take out, that was easy. Dr. Craven is a pansy and Shikamaru is lazy, their radar system just tracks the basics and Randy's cell phone I stole has all the hacking codes on a portable zip drive. I just plugged them in and I can see how . . . Oh dear god.
"What have I done?" I whispered.
Every kage bunshin has the same mindset as their original owner. I don't like my teams. They don't like them either. Would you really hug a bunch of dipsticks who locked you in a room, forced their hospitality on you, and expected you to suddenly "see the light" after enduring months claustrophobically sandwiched between a pack of morons to New York from Alaska?
I don't like hugs either! I was honest when I told Team 7 I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularlylike anything. Sentimentality, being in the spotlight, being defrauded, there is no end to what I hate about me. I couldn't reminisce much further when the bell rang at the customer door. I turned the phone off, putting everything into the pocket. Cargo pants with deep pockets. A black tee shirt beneath a blue button down shirt which has the collar popped. A traditional part of me still had the Uchiha dog tag wrapped around my neck, and luckily it's not very big, Clarity embroiders pretty small stuff(1).
The stranger sauntered up to the bar chair beside me requesting if the seat was taken. I grunted in comment, not paying close attention to the man beside me. His fingernails glistened from their manicure. Sleeve of his coat lost a button or two as he slapped down a wad of dollar bills, ordered his drink, and proceeded to swirl it around in his Styrofoam cup. What was he a C.E.O or a wine tester?
"I'll have whatever he is having," the stranger asked boldy patting me on the back. In the coffee maker's reflective surface shown a tawny eyed man, white hair, white goatee. Aside from the cheekbones he might almost have qualified for handsome. "I . . . hope you don't mind . . . Uchiha?"
Handsomeness never cut the slimy feeling down my spine. I'm trying to get some peace, not a spoilt brat.
"Who sent you? Who is your boss? And what heads do I have to smash in for you to leave me alone!" I growled, I'm better looking than he is but if he knows my name, he'll probably be dragging me back to Orochimaru. Orochimaru's henchmen are always allowed to leave. His science experiments, let's say euthanizong is the humane way to go.
"Whoa, whoa Uchiha my good fellow I'm sure you've heard of me," He soothed wiping the dust off my shoulder. "You remember Nick Tatopolis. He and I are good friends."
Didn't sound so different from when Orochimaru's sound 4 first came to get me. Beat like a rag doll, laying there under peals of laughter. The curse seal freezing up motor control. I would have been dead had I not noticed how well they curbed their curses. It was the fishing lure Orochimaru dangled in my face. Aside from the speeches of rewards, riches, and power.
"Now, now you can relax I don't work for your serpentine mentor. I hear you have had a slight power problem recently, ten years of your life devouted to a single goal and suddenly all control isn't yours anymore," Winters explained wistfully, "Just look at yourself, muscle, power, everything a soldier wants to be. Yet to be reduced to a common lab rat, a mere animal. No one seems to be treating you the same way they did anymore have they."
Sakura hitting me. Naruto worrying over me. The merciless teasing I've gotten from that dumb dotard Sai. Shikamaru's lack of defending anyone and Yamato's nonchalance. It was like he was reading my mind. I hated it with them.
"They don't do anything nice for you do they?" Winters spoke encouragingly.
(Flashback)
Back at the lab, day before the MRI disaster. Sakura was unusually quiet when we got in the car to the Nick's lab on Stanton island. First night they pulled in there I jumped ship. I swam, I ran, they dragged me back all but kicking and screaming to the lab. Yamato's wooden cuffs splintering my wrists.
"Wait," Nick stated, "Sasuke can you wait out here."
"Out here?" Elsie scoffed. "Oh sure more phnuemonia to go around after a great swim."
I swum down the smelliest part of the pier. Godzilla didn't mind. In fact he didn't seem to care.
"Sasuke, Clarity, what was it like down in Orochimaru's labs." Nick asked.
"Creepy, candle lit, had mutated humanoid body parts floating, oh gross wait those were humans he had floating in those giant test tubes. I'd only been down there once and believe me Nickels you would have a really hard time finding a bathroom down there! Nice oxy-acetylene torch though." Clarity exclaimed.
"Orochimaru was kicked out of our village for experimenting on infants," Sakura proclaimed, "It was awful. Thousands of those poor people we'd come across but they never survived the transformations."
"Orochimaru's one hobby is collecting jutsus. He'll do anything for power." Sai explained.
To which Shikamaru finished, "All of us have fought his handywork. We barely came out alive."
A stab of guilt in that hole of mine called a heart. I had done the worse damage out of all of the Sound ninja. Yamato was unusally quiet.
"Tatopolis-san if I can interject. Orochimaru is an S-class criminal. If we tell you anymore information you'll have to sign up for a deul citizenship pass and be sworn to sign a contract of secrecy." Yamato implored, "Which will be the same for all the individuals. Godzilla included."
Nick punched the wall and bit back a curse.
"Hey, hey," Naruto piped up, "I met one girl who had been through that but she turned out okay. Even Granny Tsunade fixed her. Sasuke I promised I'd bring you home, not to that snake."
A vote of confidence . . . figures . . .
"If you're willing to help Monique," Nick told me, and handed me the shirt off his back. I took the plaid overshirt gratefully, "You can stay out here."
Hmmm, stay out of the lab? Even if it's with the crazy French fry? Monique had me working on repairing the pier I broke. She didn't question me or my motives for which I was grateful. A missing nin trusts no one yet Team 7 still didn't disown me yet. Yamato was cautious, I can respect caution. Sai, half the words coming out of his mouth mean well even if he's annoying and the HEAT team were kind to me without asking for anything. A gift with no strings attached. It felt . . . what word could I find for nice?
(Flashback end)
Winters had slurped his drink to the dregs. I paid for my coffee without his help and left. Winters turned around. He tugged my hand.
"Where do you think you're going?" Cameron Winters growled, almost a pompous version of Orochimaru right there. The face that haunted my nightmares.
"I'm going home," I stated, "I just needed time to think and although you're a dirtbag much like another dirtbag you and I both know about. The HEAT team gave me a better deal. Sorry but thanks."
"What for," Winters crooned, "We're all buddies here you know that."
"For our little talk," said I taking pleasure in watching him seeth, "If you were Nick's closest friend I would've heard about you before now and since you know more about me than I do of you. It's safe to say you're stalking Nick and the only thing a death merchant would want with a humanitarian is Godzilla or me."
Winters had too much intel on me to be a coincidence. His line of everything a soldier wants to be pointed more towards super soldier serum; that was the attached string of his deal that he let slip. He didn't know about Shogi and Jira, for the moment which was good. I fell for the same trick twice. I was not going to fall for the ploy a third-time.
OMAKE(Sasuke's POV)
Monique opened her mouth to protest. The twins cuddled up behind their "parents". Jira's narrow black snout cocked to shine a golden eye Clarity's way. Shogi let a questioning chuff rumble from his throat.
"Kaa-san is Sasuke Oji-san going to be okay?" Jira whined.
Nick's jaw dropped. His face pulling off the accusing puffer fish look.
"Did she just call you?" Randy started.
"Mother?!" Elsie finished.
"Um don't ask," Clarity exclaimed, "It's a long, story."
Clarity frowned, Mendal made a noise somewhere between a zebra and seizing for air.
"Oh come on, so we imprinted a little," Clarity chuckled nervously. "I'd like to see you outsmart a baby lizard."
"Okay, ahem Shogi. Jira. Godzilla." Nick called, the lizards came, "Follow me."
The lizards trotted after Nick like three begging dogs. Godzilla's massive skull swathing a path through the small group of people. He placed a fish on each waiting nose and on the count of three.
WHOMPF
Two lizards tossed the fish and caught it. Godzilla sat back on his haunches to lick the top of his nose. The barrel of fish didn't stand a chance from his whiplash tail. High in the air it flied and down he bit.
"Godzilla was supposed to do the same trick the twins did," Nick shrugged, "Not to brag but my team and I are experts in Mutationology."
Clarity rolled her eyes. The ninjas were staring at Godzilla's scaly form disappearing beneath the water. As for Naruto, he stood there cheering like an idiot.
"Thank you Tup-popper-bop-her business . . ." Jira pointed out, pointing at Nick, "I mean Grandpa Ta-topper-popper-oolllll I mean old man!"
"Doctor Tatopolis," Nick stated his name, "Call me Dr. Nico Tatopolis."
"But you look so old! And your name is sooooo BIG!" Jira wailed. Though technically she was only a few months old. How could she guess how old anyone is? "Ah screw it! I'll call you Nicky-jiji instead."
Shogi buried his head into Naruto's jacket letting loose an embarrassed whine. I kept my chuckles to myself despite Jira's idiocy. The joys of little pitchers having big ears.
Nick gave Team 7 a lecture about animal humanization. Clarity argued back he has a three hundred foot tall stepson 's not one to lecture on Humanization.
"Wouldn't it be hilarious if those three actually were related French Fry," Elsie joked.
"No," Monique deadpanned, short and clipped.
. . . Big hairy deal . . .
Entertaining Footnotes
(1)Naruto Road to Ninja: I took to drawing up many different versions of Kaiju Sasuke, seeing what his New York look would look like. One question realistically, how cheap would the clothes be to replace since he's pretty much half flame entity? I got to watching the movie featuring the crazy alter egos and thought "Hey, I could see that working for a New York look. Sasuke just wouldn't wear all that jewelry for practicality's sake" At least in my mind. It lends to a kind of twistedness that Playboy Sasuke's look gets to be worn by a complete and total grump. This chapter is the first chapter I've seen him play closer to canon and broodiness aside that rocks!
