Disclaimer: Sargie is mine! My character...And my uke! So you can't have her, but since I don't really own any of the Naruto characters, you can just buy them for me and give them to me as a birthday present. I would love you forever... Trust me! Oh, oh... I want Sasuke first… And of course, he's gotta come attached to a Naruto :cough: Anyway!

Warning: It's yaoi-ful! Lots of sexy Naruto men who I have twisted into my very own gay army! So ladies and gentlemen, who are squeamish at the thought of hot man-sex, please leave. You have been warned.

Plushie StickyNote: To everyone else! Hello! I bet you we're expecting such a quick update, huh? I usually take a month. Jeez I'm slow, but hey. I finished this in less then a week! Yay me. Okie, kinda the breakdown. You guys wanted Sasu/Naru interaction, which I TOTALLY understand, but it cut into my original plan. Oh wells! It was good though. I really wanna thank everyone who took the time to let me know that 'cause it worked out very well for the meeting in this chapter.

Note from FastForward: This update would've been MUCH faster had it not been all my fault. Feel free to maim me, I am sorry T.T (Ruby Plushie: Don't listen to her guys. If it wasn't for her I'd still be proof reading to make sure I got everything...Or I would have left it...No. I'm not mean enough to let you all deal with me bad grammar. XD)

!Please Enjoy!

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Second Meeting

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"Sai is enjoying this a little too much, if you ask me." Stepping into one of the precinct's many conference rooms, Kakashi pulled up a seat, the chair letting out a 'poof' of protest. Arms crossed, he bit his lip under his mask, refusing to look up and instead glaring holes into the table top in front of him. It was by some miracle of fate that they had been given the extra time to investigate. So far, Sai had all the evidence that he needed to convict Naruto. If Kakashi was honest with himself, he didn't think they'd find anything to clear the blonde; a fact that made his heart ache painfully.

"What's going on?" a voice asked, jarring Kakashi. Uncrossing his arms he rubbed his temples gently, finally acknowledging the two other men in the room with him. It hurt to look at them. They where his loved ones and at the moment, he could do nothing to stop the inevitable hurt that they would be facing.

"Well, Sai is looking to arrest Naruto right now, but with Jiraiya calling the final shot, he's making the brat wait until the last possible moment." Sighing, Kakashi brought his eyes to meet a chocolate-colored pair, willing himself to breathe around the constriction of such a heartbroken expression.

"I see." Iruka ducked his head, losing himself in some rather depressing thoughts. Only after a few seconds was he pulled back out by a loud yell from his god-son.

"Bah. That prick!" Naruto stood up and started to pace. He was in some deep trouble. Not only did they have his prints—God only knew how-- but what was worse was that he had a record history with Zaku. It was no secret that they had some trouble in the past. Naruto had caught the little punk, who had been following orders from Akatsuki, in a fight with one of his close friends. Not one to watch his friends get hurt, Naruto had jumped in without hesitating and beaten the crap out of the boy.

But even with the animosity between the two, Naruto would have never wished on him such a horrible death. It made his heart clench to know that under his name someone had been killed. When he found the bastards who did this-

"Oi. You think maybe Sai's being a bigger prick than usual because of that date you turned him down for?" Kakashi's friendly jab halted Naruto mid-thought, changing gears to those that revolved around the young prosecutor.

"Yeah, probably. Guys like that really need to get laid more often." Naruto joked, barking out an uneasy laugh.

Sai was a sensitive topic for him. At one time, Naruto thought maybe he would have been able to start a relationship with the raven, but after a couple weeks, Naruto had wisely concluded that it wouldn't work. Sai was too driven by his god-complex, his obsession with ridding the world of all 'evils' to see that Naruto needed affection and someone who devoted a lot of his time to him. Sai needed to realize that the world could never be perfect and that without the bad, there was no good.

It was for the best. Naruto thought. He and Sai didn't really connect that much socially--or emotionally-- anyway. Sure the attraction had been there, but their conversations had never lasted that long, only adding to the many list of reasons for why Naruto had turned Sai down. The blonde had suspected that Sai was mostly interested in him because of his looks, anyway.

Naruto wasn't vain by any means, but was only all too painfully aware that his bright blonde hair, blue eyes and tanned skin were highly attractive features. He supposed his hours at the gym had contributed to the amount of admirers he had, as well. Oh well. Can't change the past.

Speaking of relationships, Naruto's thoughts seemed to steer themselves back towards his mysterious black-eyed victim. It was totally impossible to forget him. Whenever his mind was spared a moment of peace, it was the dark-haired man that it obsessed about. He was looking forward to meeting him again and maybe hanging-out with him sometime. That is, if he ever did meet him again.

With a sigh he sat back down, finished with his nervous, thought-induced pacing.

"Whatever the reason, we shouldn't be here joking about it." Iruka chastised them and turned to ask his boyfriend, "When did you say Itachi and Sasuke would get here, Kakashi?"

Checking his watch, Kakashi said, "They should be here in about the next ten minutes."

Iruka nodded and glanced over at his god-son, who was now laying on the table, head buried in his arms. The long suffering sigh didn't escape his radar, either. Something else was bothering Naruto. "What's wrong?" he asked.

The blonde lifted his head, one hand coming up to support his head with a closed fist. "I feel like shit. I'm always making you guys pick up after me. Now I've dragged Itachi into it, too." Naruto answered truthfully. There was hardly any verbal way for Naruto to describe the kind of dread mixed with fear that had gripped him from the moment he'd learned of Zaku's murder. What was worse was that he didn't even have an idea of why this was all happening to him. What had he done?!

Naruto shouldn't really have been surprised, though. He might not know the reasons, but he did know that he had a lot of enemies. He'd have to get down and talk to his buddies, soon. He knew that he should have a back-up plan just incase this got ugly.

Too late, his mind supplied traitorously.

Remembering something, Naruto inquired, "Hey, who's Itachi bringing with him? Is someone else going to be representing me?" The only reason he even cared was because for as long as he could remember, Itachi had always handled his cases, not trusting that anyone could defend Naruto's freedom as well as he could. It had touched Naruto how personally Itachi took the responsibly of being his lawyer. There was hardly anyone Naruto respected more.

"Yes. His younger brother, Sasuke, will be defending you this time." Iruka answered. "You have nothing to worry about, though. Sasuke is a very capable attorney."

"Oh, that's right! Itachi has a brother. Jeez, I totally forgot." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, smiling broadly. "He's become a lawyer too, huh? That's cool. Kinda weird that I haven't met him yet."

"Count your blessings, Naruto." Kakashi told the blonde. "Ever since he came back from college a few months ago, he's been nothing but a pain in my ass."

"Kakashi! That's no way to speak about Sasuke. He's a great lawyer, and you know that." Iruka scolded, sending the grinning man a disappointed look.

"Aw. C'mon, Ruka, you know Sasuke's just a moody little-"

"Finish that sentence, Hatake, and I'll make you wish your mother hadn't gotten pregnant." A dark voice interrupted from the door, making all three occupants in the room jump, turning to gaze at the owner of said voice.

"Well, well. Speak of the devil."

9:00 am

Sasuke was tired. No, tired didn't even begin to cover it. It had been a long day the day before, an even longer night, and now, he had to go in and meet his new client with Itachi. Time was running out, and by the end of the day, the kid was going to be arrested. Kakashi had told them that there was no evidence to clear him, and by the sounds of it, they weren't going to find any in the next few hours. It seemed odd that the DA was waiting so long, but Sasuke wasn't going to complain about a cooperative district attorney's office.

It would be good to meet his client now, anyway, but that didn't mean he had to like being woken up. Being an insomniac wasn't pleasant, so when he finaly did manage to get to sleep, he was absolutely murderous when someone disturbed him.

Grumbling under his breath, Sasuke left the comfy sanctuary of his bed and got ready. Taking a quick shower, he was downstairs making himself a calming pot of tea in fourteen minutes, waiting for his brother to join him so they could leave.

He was anxious. Nervous, even, if of course his pride would let him call it that, but it wouldn't, so anxious would have to do. His first murder trial. This was what he's been studying seven years for. Not the lame busy work his brother had dropped on him in the last few months. This was his chance!

Tea ready, he seated himself at the kitchen counter and started reading the paper. Not because he was interested in the world's problems, only merely looking for any word on the murder. Scanning it quickly and finding nothing, Sasuke threw it back on the table. He hated reading that thing. Made him feel old.

Luckily for him he didn't have to sit there long, his brother coming down the stairs with his briefcase in hand a few minutes later. Something just wasn't right this morning. Itachi seemed almost lost in his own thoughts. He hadn't even showered Sasuke with his usual morning greetings, coming down the stairs with an all too serious look etched across his features.

Watching his brother prepare himself a cup of tea, Sasuke noted with some amusement that Itachi was putting in almost double his regular dose of sugar. He must be 'anxious' too. Or so Sasuke thought. You could tell a lot about the older man just by how much sugar and what type of sugar product he was consuming. The strong, bitter taste of tea mixed with so much sugar alerted Sasuke to his brother's somber mood. He needed the energy, but the tea, which was a huge contrast to Itachi's usual morning breakfast, was for concentration.

Getting sick of the frown that had seemed to take over his brother's face, Sasuke stood up and snatched the tea cup from Itachi's hands, going about making some coffee instead. He completely missed the half smile his brother had given him for the kind gesture.

"Good morning, Sasuke. How was your sleep?" Itachi asked, his mood returning to its normal pleasantry as he sat down and waited for Sasuke to finish.

"Not long enough." Sasuke replied, earning himself a good-natured laugh. He smiled and leaned against the counter, coffee already boiling behind him.

"That's too bad, little brother. Last night was your last chance to get a good night's sleep. Trials of this size take up a lot of bedtime," replied the taller of the two, aware that the news wouldn't bother his brother in the slightest.

"When do I ever get a 'good night's sleep', aniki?" A 'beep' from the coffee machine made Sasuke turn, pulling the pot free and taking out the milk from the refrigerator as he went about mixing the deadly sweet, overly caffeinated drink for the older Uchiha. After years of having to make Itachi's breakfast, Sasuke knew the perfect amount of sugar and milk he needed to add.

"Good point." Itachi shrugged, taking the offered coffee when it was finally presented to him in his favorite thermos.

"C'mon, aniki. The faster we get to the station, the faster we can leave." Sasuke said, grabbing his keys, briefcase, and making his way to the door, holding it open for his brother.

"That's odd, Sasuke. You seemed so eager to get there yesterday." The older man teased walking out of the house--more like mansion-- ignoring the pointed glare his brother was sending him.

"Shut up!" Holding down a blush and stomping towards his car, Sasuke practically ripped the door open and threw his things into the back seat. Trying to stay calm he almost forgot to wait until the elder raven was in the car before driving off. He didn't like feeling uncertain about anything, and Itachi was prodding at a very sensitive nerve.

"Relax, otoutou. I'm just curious as to what you're so excited about." Itachi voice helped to soothe some of Sasuke's earlier anxiousness, but didn't help to quell his embarrassment. He really, really didn't want to talk to his brother about why he was enthusiastic about going back to the precinct.

"It's nothing, I swear. Just leave it alone. Please?" It wasn't that Sasuke didn't trust his brother with the knowledge--well he didn't, but he just felt so pathetic being so obsessed with someone he didn't even know. He didn't understand it himself, but he really wanted to meet the blonde man again.

No. Just stop! Sasuke shouted at himself. I need to focus!

"Okay, little brother, but just remember- I will find out who he is." Itachi smirked and Sasuke, too freaked out about how perceptive his brother was, almost severed them into the sidewalk.

Straightening the car quickly, Sasuke asked, "How the hell did you know-" and looking into his brother's eyes, Sasuke bit his tongue, suddenly realizing how beautifully he had fallen into his brother's well-laid trap. God dammit. The manipulative-

"Aha! I was right!" Shouted the triumphant Uchiha, grinning proudly. "C'mon, tell me about him. You know you can tell me!" Itachi started to poke the younger boy in the shoulder, looking for the juicy snippet of personal information he would later share with Kakashi.

Sasuke had to wonder if his brother was bipolar. One minute he was intimidating even the most powerful of men, and the next, he was a giggling pile of gossip. It worried the younger Uchiha, but not as mush as it annoyed him. He was not going to tell Itachi anything. Not when he knew that Kakashi was going to learn about it, and then would gang up on teasing him, making his life even more unbearable. It was no wonder those two got along so well. They acted exactly the same!

"Stop!" Sasuke hissed after a while, irate with the incessant poking. Undaunted, Itachi just kept repeating "Tell me" and "I'm your brother, you can trust me." Sasuke simply gave up and ignored him, concentrating on getting to the station as fast as he could and getting this nightmare over with.

After a pain-stakingly long car ride, they came skidding to a stop across the street from the 27th precinct. Sasuke jumped out of the car and rushed away from his brother, who was hell bent on annoying him until he caved and poured him his personal life.

"Itachi, just leave it alone!" He walked hurriedly through the halls, coming up a few moments later to the conference room with a still persistent Itachi behind him. His life was so unfair.

Not bothering to knock, Sasuke opened the door and was suddenly on alert when he heard his name. "Aw. C'mon, Ruka, you know Sasuke's just a moody little-" It only took a moment to realize that the person who said his name wasn't talking to him, but about him.

And he knew exactly who it was just by that grating voice.

"Finish that sentence, Hatake, and I'll make you wish your mother hadn't gotten pregnant." he growled, walking into the room. Kakashi had some nerve.

"Well, well. Speak of the devil." replied the police captain, turning to acknowledge the disgruntled raven standing at the door.

Lack of sleep, Itachi's bipolar personality, the drive here, and then walking in on Kakashi bad-mouthing him had tripled Sasuke's already soaring anger. "Shove it, you jackass!" Nope. Sasuke was not in a good mood right now.

"Sasuke! That's no way to speak to Kakashi" Itachi scolded him, then turned to apologize to the grinning man." I'm sorry about that, Kakashi; Sasuke must have left his manners in the car."

"It's alright, Itachi, I know all the sexual frustration must really be getting to him." It was Kakashi's usual explanation to why Sasuke was so rude towards him, skillfully leaving out the part that he was a pompous jerk who had nothing better to do then make Sasuke's life miserable.

Grumbling, Sasuke blocked out the pointless rambling of his brother and the police captain, taking his first look around the room. Oh. Iruka was there, and someone else... Wait...

"It's you!" Almost dropping his briefcase, Sasuke's eyes became unnaturally wide, his mouth agape as he stared into a pair of equally wide blue ones. Sasuke was speechless. It was him. It was really him! He hadn't believed he'd see the other man again, but there he was. There was no doubt. The tanned skin, blonde hair, scarred, childishly full cheeks, and that incredible body. Holy-

Naruto was fairing no better. It's him. Oh my god... What was he going to do? Maybe he should apologize again for tripping over him? Naruto was hit with the impulse of thinking he was a girl. He was just so pretty. Especially with his eyes looking so wide and captivated like that. That face was so- angelic.

A million thoughts rushed in the minds of both young men.

Realizing how awkward the situation was becoming, both Sasuke and Naruto ducked their heads, blushing and gaining the attention of their respective guardians.

"Oh? You two have met before?" Itachi inquired, Kakashi raising an eyebrow curiously behind him. Iruka stayed silent, seeing no reason why he had to say anything.

Naruto spoke up first, beating Sasuke to it. "Y-yeah. I ran over her-" He paused, him and Sasuke blushing darker at his mistake. "I mean, I ran over him yesterday by accident." And turning to said man, the blonde graced him with a nervous smile before adding. "Again, sorry about that. You didn't get hurt did you?"

Sasuke almost melted at the smile, feeling his heart flutter uncomfortably, but caught himself, nodding stiffly instead. "It's alright. I'm perfectly fine." he answered in an even voice, hoping Itachi didn't notice anything. He didn't think he could survive this if his brother was able to put two and two together.

Braving a glance at his brother, Sasuke instantly wished he hadn't, catching the knowing glint in his eye with a curse. Dammit. Itachi knew. And he was going to tell.

"Oh my. This certainly explains why you were so eager to get back here, ne Sasuke?" Itachi stated slowly, as if it was an undeniable fact. Which, in reality- it was.

"Itachi! S-shut up!" Sasuke could feel the crimson staining his cheeks and was instantly cursing his pale complexion.

Curiosity sparked to new heights, Kakashi stepped closer, looking to grab the older Uchiha's attention.

"Itachi." he called, grinning when the raven turned. "Care to explain what you mean by that?"

Oh no. Kakashi was playing along. Sasuke was so screwed.

"Well you see, Sasuke came to lunch with me yesterday, and while we were talking about the case, Sasuke seemed a little disappointed in the fact that the file didn't have a picture of Uzumaki-kun. He was so cute pouting like that. He really wanted that picture." Itachi supplied, but only half the story, holding out until Kakashi asked him to continue. Which he did. In his own clever way.

"That's odd. He usually wouldn't care about such a trivial thing as a clients' appearance." The silver-haired man replied helpfully

"Exactly what I thought! So naturally, I came to think that he was more interested in seeing someone else. I was right, of course. He told me in the car on the way out here." Grinning deviously, Itachi finished his story with a glance towards Naruto and his brother. Their faces were priceless. They could only stand there, mouths hanging open in shock. Naruto from the confession, and Sasuke from pure embarrassment!

What the hell were they doing?! Sasuke's stomach started bubbling with dread, unable to even give the other man an apologetic look. This was horrible. This was not the way he had planned on meeting the blonde again--if he had ever been able to, that is. He regretted it, now. The other man probably didn't want a single thing to do with him or his psychotic brother, now.

Sasuke glared at both of the giggling men, but unaffected, they continued their conversation as if no one else was in the room.

"I was wondering who it was that was able to catch Sasuke's eye. You know he hasn't gone out in-"

"That's it!" Sasuke shouted, his patience lost and his anger boiling beyond anything he'd ever felt in his life. "Tell me where my client is right now. I'm not standing here one more second with you two idiots."

Itachi and Kakashi stopped in the middle of a particularly detailed explanation of what Sasuke seemed to be in dire need of and graced him with a twin pair of knowing smirks that made Sasuke wish he had a rock to crawl under, no matter how undignified it was. Only his pride kept him from running as far away from the room as he could.

Itachi's voice was sugary sweet as he asked, "Otoutou-chan, could you please tell me what Uzumaki-kun's file said he looked like?"

Why the hell was that important right now?! Severely confused, but in too much of a hurry to get out of there, Sasuke recited from memory "It said he was five-eleven, one hundred eighty-two pounds, blonde hair and blue-" Halting mid-sentence, Sasuke turned horrified eyes to the blonde man seated next to Iruka, who was sporting an uneasy smile with a blush running across scarred cheeks. "Hi." was the nervous greeting. Kakashi and Itachi dissolved into a fit of endless laughter, Iruka glaring at them for being so immature, and Sasuke staring at Naruto with the most shocked expression ever seen.

It was all too surreal.

Which only served to prove that God did indeed have a very twisted sense of humor. (1)

Being back at the crime scene was more like a nightmare Kiba was looking to forget. The smells, the colors, the lighting. Everything was just one bad memory. Rolling the door aside, Kiba held it ajar, letting his partner in under his arm and pulling his huge German Sheppard, Akamaru, in with him.

"It's so cold in here." Sarge wrapped her arms around herself in a mock effort to retain body heat as she walked in. It felt to her like stepping into a freezer. The cold nipped at her harshly with a fierceness that she didn't think she deserved. A lot like the room was possessed with a spirit whose soul had turned into a block of ice, too weighed down by problems left unsolved to move on. It made her shiver again, scooting closer to Kiba unconsciously.

Smiling for no other reason than being with his girlfriend, Kiba led her down to what was left of the forensics equipment. Two tables were arranged parallel to each other, a computer set up on the far left, and scattered materials littering the table tops.

"Jeez. I don't know what they expect us to find back here. I'm pretty sure forensics found everything worth finding." Kiba complained, drumming his fingers on the table as he watched Sarge walk around, acting as if she was searching for something important.

"I would agree with you babe, but let's just get it over with and hit the streets again. Hopefully this time, we'll find someone who isn't lying." Sarge answered, kneeling down and checking under a dangerous stack of unstable crates.

Shaking his head, Kiba walked over and pulled her back. "Hun, Akamaru can do that. Let's let the mutt do his job." Grinning, he nodded to his dog, who—being the extremely intelligent animal that he was—took a long sniff of the air and started off to follow orders. Soon, he was making his way across the room, nose pressed to the floor, smelling out anything that could be considered important.

Pouting, Sarge leaned back against a large box. "Well, while Aka is doing his thing, what are we supposed to do?" She couldn't begin to explain how useless she felt. The episode with the mom had completely drained her, plus the sudden news about Naruto was just another blow to her heart. And now... After all was said and done, she still couldn't do anything to help.

With a smirk that made the tattoos on his cheeks twitch slightly, Kiba replied. "Oh. I can think of a few things that we left unfinished." Coming to stand in front the discouraged female investigator, Kiba wound an arm around her waist and gently tugged her from her leaning position against the crates and up against his chest.

Her boyfriend towering over her and watching her with predatory eyes, Sarge could only mutter a barely audible 'Oh' before suddenly being pulled into one of the most intense kisses ever shared in the history of kisses. Sarge was surprised and slightly irritated that Kiba would start anything here, but too grateful at the comfort she was receiving to complain.

Kiba was a horn ball, yes, but this random moment of sexual involvement, at a crime sense no less, served another purpose, too. Sarge needed the distraction. This case, the things that were going to happen from here on in, were going to be the toughest set of challenges she'd ever faced, and she would need support. She was just too fragile to leave unattended. And Kiba, being the caring, understanding and overly protective boyfriend that he was, was going to sacrifice his heart, body and soul to make sure that she knew she wasn't alone in this...Especially his body.

Grinning, Sarge brought her arms up around Kiba's neck, forming a playful reprimand around the kiss. "Kiba, Aka is looking at us kinda funny." She giggled, peaking an eye at the German Sheppard over Kiba's shoulder, who was indeed sending them a very amused look.

Resisting the urge to growl, Kiba turned his head, glaring at his long time friend sitting a ways away, looking completely innocent with his head tilted cutely to the side. He glared at the dog, sending a clear message through his eyes. Traitor!

Only getting a bark in response, Kiba sighed. "What do you need, Akamaru? And it better be important."

Not being able to answer verbally, the oddly colored German Sheppard stood up and started walking towards the back of the warehouse, letting them know that they should be following.

Sharing a look, the couple untangled themselves, put on some gloves, and made their way towards Akamaru, watching with interest as he started to paw restlessly at a small box tucked neatly behind a pile of larger ones.

"What'cha find, boy?" Kiba asked, tip-toeing over to the box. Pulling it out from the pile, he opened the flaps and he stared down at a bunch of yarn, sending his dog a curious and slightly agitated look. "You interrupted us for this?"

Kiba was half tempted to give Akamaru a bop on the nose if it wasn't already buried in the box, nudging yarn out of the way and onto the floor. "What the hell? You wanted to play with yarn? Gah. You're getting old-" Pausing, Kiba watched suspiciously as the dog pushed something compact and metallic from the box with his nose.

"What do you have there, buddy?" Sarge asked over her boyfriend's shoulder as Kiba held out a hand.

It was an understatement to say that they were surprised when an embroidered switch blade fell out of the box and out onto the floor. It looked oddly familiar.

Picking the knife up and pulling the blade out, Kiba and Sarge noted with a slight wince that this must have been the murder weapon. It was coated in a thin layer of blood.

"Wait, Kiba! Flip it over!" Sarge's voice rose an octave, pointing at the knife.

Obeying, Kiba gazed down at the most horrifying thing he'd ever seen.

Painted artfully on the handle was a stunning fire-colored fox, eyes glinting red in the light and nine tails posed mid-sway behind it, but that wasn't the horrifying part. What had made the detectives' blood run cold was the golden letters that lined the side, spelling out 'Kyuubi'.

"It's- it's N-naruto's knife." Sarge closed her eyes against the sight while Kiba went back to the table and bagged it. This was the last thing they needed to find. Whoever had done this knew how to make it look like it really had been Naruto.

It was planned so well. Of course, forensics wasn't going to find it, because it would be tedious to look through every box for the murder weapon when it would most likely have been disposed of if the murderer had been smarter. The knife was left behind so that it would further incriminate Naruto, but hidden away like someone was leaving it there and was planning on returning to get it. The prosecution could easily say that the blonde was in a hurry to leave, and since he was still downtown, didn't want to be caught with the knife.

They had to go and tell Kakashi immediately.

"Sarge. We need to get back. We'll let someone else deal with the rest." This was turning out to be the worst few days of his life. Grabbing his things, Kiba ushered his girlfriend out, followed obediently by Akamaru. Once they were all in the car, Kiba sped out into the street towards the precinct.

"Kiba. I'm so scared." Sarge's voice wavered, her eyes shimmering with barely suppressed tears.

Snaking an arm around her shoulders, he held her close, soothing her with words that he himself couldn't believe. "Calm down. It'll all be okay. We know Naruto didn't do this, so it'll be a piece of cake to find the guys who did."

Everything he was saying sounded so fake... She just wouldn't let him get away with it. "Don't lie to me, Kiba."

"Sorry." he replied, tightening his hold.

"S'kay. Just don't do it again." she mumbled back, burying her face gently against the crook of his neck. She didn't want to think about anything. Not about Naruto, the murder, not anything about New York altogether. All she wanted was to be there with her boyfriend and forget she even had a name. Reality could go to hell!

Sarge stayed like that for several minutes, selfishly holding on to the dream of a world with only her and Kiba while snuggled deep against his side, listening to the gentle rumbling of the car and the 'swish' of the city passing by.

It was a heartbreaker when the car finally stopped, the parking lurch jarring Sarge alert. She stepped out of the car quickly and followed her already departing boyfriend with a sigh. Looking down at his moving hand, she watched Naruto's knife swing back and forth in the plastic evidence bag, instantly feeling sick again.

They walked together into the station, hanging their coats at the front door of their office, Kiba turning to ask a colleague. "Hey man. You know where the chief is?"

"He's over in conference room eight with Iruka and Naruto," the young officer replied with a smile.

"Thanks."

Getting a 'No problem' in response, and Kiba started walking towards the conference room, leaving Sarge in the office to calm down. His limbs felt heavy. He wasn't looking forward to telling Kakashi, but having to tell Naruto and Iruka along with him was worse. C'mon, Kiba. Suck it up.

Taking a deep, but not too calming breath, Kiba walked into the room, very aware when he was suddenly trapped by one too many stares. He was surprised when he looked around, not expecting Itachi and Sasuke to be there, too. Naruto and Iruka were seated on one side of the large table in the middle of the room, and on the other sat the Uchiha brothers along with his boss. There were files, folders, and papers spread across the expanse of the table, giving off a very business-like mood.

"Oh. Hi Kiba." Iruka greeted, motioning for him to enter. "Come in. We were just looking over some of Naruto's old files."

"Hey..." His voice cracked, eyes lowered. Everyone was looking at him, sending their own short greetings.

Noticing the strange behavior, everyone shared an awkward glance, Iruka asking worriedly, "Kiba? Are you okay?"

"No. Not really." Kiba answered truthfully. He fidgeted nervously in front of the door, wishing that everyone would just look away. He could hardly make eye contact

"What's wrong?" Kakashi quipped, sitting up straight in his chair, now.

Pulling the bagged knife from his pocket, Kiba tossed it over Sasuke's head and into the middle of the table. "This."

Curiously, every man seated around the table leaned in, trying to get a good look at what was inside the bag. Kakashi was the first to reach out, picking up the offending object and throwing it back moments later as if his hand had been burned. "That can't be-!"

"What? What?!" Iruka snatched up the bag and looked it over, his reaction similar to Kakashi's, but in his horror, the knife fell instead onto the ground. "It can't be..." He looked so shocked.

Naruto jumped to the floor and picked the bag up next, holding it out at arms-length, as if it was diseased. "It can't be what?" he asked, looking hard at the knife through the plastic. "Is this murder weapon?" He looked at his dog-loving friend, waiting for his suspicions to be confirmed.

Kiba nodded, still not looking anyone in the eye. "Yeah. Most likely. The blade is covered in blood."

"Okay. So what's the big deal? If this is the thing that killed Zaku, it probably has the finger prints of the person who did it too, right?" the blonde asked innocently.

Nobody answered. Naruto hadn't bothered to turn the knife over yet, so he still hadn't seen the painting of the fox or the word 'Kyuubi' written across the side. Kakashi, Iruka and Itachi didn't respond, recognizing the 'murder weapon' while Sasuke wisely stayed quiet. He wasn't looking to get in the middle of whatever was going on, though he had a good idea what it was. He hoped he was wrong.

"What's going on, guys?" Naruto pouted cutely at the lack of answer, and had the circumstances been different, everyone would have laughed at how adorable he looked making that face.

Sadly though, since no one else could stomach of up the courage to tell the blonde to turn the bag over, Kakashi did it himself, taking it away from Naruto and holding it right in front of his face so that now, the design that made the knife so beautiful could be seen clearly by blue eyes.

The outraged yell from Naruto almost drowned out the sound of the Mission Impossible theme song coming from Kakashi's cell. Luckily for him, the phone was also set to vibrate, so placing the bag back onto the table, with a shaking hand, he pulled his cell phone out, answering it in a somber tone. "Hello?" He turned away from the scene at the table where Naruto had launched into a desperate rant, screaming questions at Kiba while being watched by sad eyes all around.

"Hey there, Kakashi. How's the kid?" a rough voice asked from the other end.

"Not so good, Jiraiya."

"Why? What happened?"

"No, Sai! We're going to wait, so I don't want to hear another word about it!" Jiraiya Sannin, chief district attorney, shouted at his most promising employee.

For the last day and a half he'd been having the same argument with Sai about arresting Naruto, and Jiraiya was becoming frustrated. Not mad at Sai because he was wrong, but because- he was right. Naruto should have been arrested by now. God only knew how many they'd arrested, and for much less than fingerprints. It was just...

Everyone knew Naruto hadn't done it. It was a fact. Anyone who knew the blonde would say the same thing. But facts like that didn't hold up in a courtroom.

Jiraiya wracked his brains. How?! How could Naruto's prints be there if he hadn't done it? If he said he'd never stepped foot in that warehouse? It just didn't make sense.

"Jiraiya-sama, I know that you have some... personal ties with Uzumaki-kun, but it should not impair your ability to handle this case." Sai's words cut in to him like a rusty knife, making the aging attorney grow bitter.

"Don't lecture me about being 'emotionally involved' in a case, you brat. I know very well that you and Naruto had a falling-out, and this is just your twisted little way of getting back at him."Jiraiya snapped. Sai may have been a law genius, but that didn't mean Jiraiya had to like him. Sai was one of those men that knew exactly what buttons to press that would send you over the edge. He was a good lawyer, and had an unwavering sense of justice that Jiraiya admired, no doubt, but in all seriousness—the guy was a jerk. He was only sweet when he wanted something from someone, which was seldom. He was very self-sufficient. The man didn't even hire a secretary, claiming that he could do his own 'busy-work'.

Sai's eyes glared down at his boss, looking hurt that his intentions had been called into question. "That's unfair, Jiraiya-sama. Someone is dead, and the only person it points to is Uzumaki-kun. I hate it as much as you do, but the law is the law!"

Oh, but what a great actor Sai could be. Of course he just wanted to get back at the blonde. He'd put in weeks trying to gain the blonde's affection, being his friend and practically becoming the man's slave. And for what? Only to have Naruto refuse his invitation for a date? It had not made Sai happy.

The latest toys as a kid? The highest scores on tests? Acceptance into Harvard? Graduating first in his class? A job at the DA's office? A large salary? Sai always got what he wanted. There had never been anything denied to him before, and he had wanted Naruto. There was hardly a reason to ask why. Naruto was every woman and gay man's dream. Body well-built body, not too skinny, but with the right amount of muscles. Beautiful, sun-kissed skin, natural, bright blonde hair, and a pair of sapphire-cut eyes that you could lose yourself in. That by itself was worthy of worship, but that wasn't all the man had to offer. He was cute and innocent, so fun and energetic that you'd enjoy yourself with any conversation that you might have had with him. Sai had known that, but saw no need in taking advantage of it. He wanted Naruto because he had a pretty face, and was probably the best lay he'd ever had. Nothing more.

It was too bad that Naruto had been able to see behind Sai's little act. Now, the blonde was going to pay... dearly. I'll teach you to refuse me, Naruto Uzumaki.

Jiraiya had stayed silent for several minutes, ashamed for being so unfair to the kid, but still too bitter to apologize.

Mental recap over with, Sai set himself back to acting mode and gazed down at his boss with an expression of remorse. It was so well carved on his face it was sickening. "I'm sorry, Jiraiya-sama, I know you're in turmoil over this, and I was being a little rash. Why don't you call Hatake-sama and see if anything new has come up?" he soothed in his 'sweet' voice, used for when he was looking to get something important accomplished.

There were only a few more hours left. If Jiraiya called right now, and Kakashi's team still hadn't found anything, Sai could most likely pick a little more at Jiraiya's moral fibers, reminding him that a young boy was dead. A young boy whose mother was looking for justice.

"Alright, alright." Sighing, the white-haired man reached for the phone that sat on the far side of his desk and dialed the number of his long-time friend. It took four rings until the answer finally came.

"Hello?" Kakashi's voice sounded- off. Jiraya didn't like it.

Cautiously, he asked, "Hey there, Kakashi. How's the kid?"

"Not so good, Jiraiya." That was not what he'd been hoping to hear! Dammit, Kakashi. Don't you ever have any good news for me?

"Why? What happened?" Jiraiya was reluctant to ask, scared of the answer. He watched Sai from the corner of his eye, not sure if he'd imagined that smile. He wasn't old enough to be hallucinating yet... Right?

Listening to Kakashi re-tell him about Naruto's knife, Jiraiya wasn't aware of the blood now running down his arm from how hard had been clenching his fist. If one was to pry the hand open, one would be able to see the indents from where his nails had bitten harshly into his skin. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. It wasn't right.

And what was worse- Sai had gotten exactly what he wanted.

(1)- Yes... Yes I do. :P

Plushie StickyNote: I hope you guys liked it. I worked hard on making it funny in the beginning, and toning it down towards the end, because the next chapter is pretty much a whole lotta bad for poor Naru-chan. At least finally you'll get a taste of the whole lawyer business. And! Another important character comes into play. I'm thinking even the next chapter is going to be pretty funny, too, if things go as planned, but I would really enjoy some feedback. Ya know... Please review! Ja

Quote: "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." by Mark Twain. He's one of my favorite authors ever! He is a really wise man.

©2006 Ruby Plushie