Wuzzup, here with a new chapter. Now listen, even though there are SasuSaku implications here, they are not a couple, this is NaruSaku mainly with other pairs. This is just basically me trying to be a good author and thickening the characters relationships with one another. You may see some ups and downs along the way but ya just have to go with the flow.
Good Morning?
I stand atop the building, the rain pouring down over me. I see hundreds of people looking up where I am and see the desperation, the hurt…the fear in their eyes. I then look at the girl who is literally dangling from my hand. I clench around her wrist so as to not lose my grip in the wetness of the rain coming down.
The only thing I ever noticed with this girl is her golden brown eyes looking into mine not with fear, but with pity.
Why on earth does she pity me? I deserve none as far as I'm concerned.
I try to move the possibly nineteen year old over to the ledge, but something stops me. I try harder but my body wasn't following my orders. Then I hear the people shouting something; it's inaudible at first, but soon you could hear it through the thunder racking the city.
"Save us, save us!?" they shouted.
I looked down at them with disgust and disdain. Who are they to ask such a thing from me?
And then it happened so quickly, suddenly. The weight of the girl suddenly left my hands and soon I saw her body tumbling to the ground. She didn't scream though, all she did was look back up to me with those eyes.
Even after she hit the pavement the people still screamed "Save us!!"
I simply looked down at them and in a whisper inaudible to all but me I said"No"
Naruto woke with a start in his bed, his pillow case and bed sheets covered in sweat. Naruto couldn't believe this dream he had; it's been going on for the past few weeks.
He got up from the bed and sat on the edge with his face in his hands contemplating what he just saw. Normally one would forget their dreams the minute they woke up. This is in part due to the state you are when asleep is different than the one when you're awake. Dreams are simply a multitude of emotions bombarding the senses, and when they do they produce pictures. Naruto never was one for stuff like interpreting dreams, but this one was not only constant but scary.
The fact that he denied all those people from saving was not as bad as letting that poor girl fall to her death. Who was she, he didn't even know. Was she significant in anything or was it his mind trying to tell him something about himself?
Naruto knew that his significant "other" was becoming a hassle to control, but the thing is what else could he do about it? He knew that there was no room for weakness in a person in his position. The only way for all the thugs and vigilantes in this city to understand is to hurt them and hurt them bad. To him there was only right and wrong, black and white; no grey areas.
The thing is that this is how the world is, and how it will always be. To Naruto, those who cannot adapt will be left all alone and it is up to him to save them.
That is the thing that scares him the most. That denying all the people in his dream from saving was not only cruel, but simply evil.
Naruto glanced at the clock to see what time it was.
"Five o'clock." He muttered
He got up from the bed and headed into the hallway of his seriously run-down, haphazard house. It wasn't comfortable but that wasn't what Naruto wanted. He wanted a place that symbolized his life and the way he pictures society; that hardship and harsh living was eminent everywhere and all the time.
He was never one for the high-life because he never allowed himself to be dragged into the people's Cinderella syndrome. That's basically what it was. You sold yourself out for a night and once the clock strikes midnight and you head home, everything you lied about at the party, get-together, meeting, or wherever, falls apart.
It is only in your own home where you are honest about yourself whether it's intentional or not. The one place where you can express yourself any way you want. That's why Naruto chose this house in a lousy part in a disgusting city.
He headed into his bathroom and walked over to his shower, wanting to wash away all the sweat from the dream he envisioned.
As he turned on the water Naruto felt a mild headache creeping up on him. For some reason he figured this was going to be a boring day.
Frank awoke to the sound of his alarm clock and grumbled at the incessant buzzing. Without even opening his eyes he tried to palm the sleep button on the clock but his attempts were very poor. The first try he completely missed the nightstand, the next he hit the radio but wasn't even close to the button, and the last saw him knock off his glass of water. The ensuing shatter woke him immediately much to his reluctance.
Frank opened his eyes and instead of pushing the sleep button he just pulled out the electrical chord instead. The buzzing stopped and Frank was left alone again with stiff silence that was only broken by the noise outside.
Trying to fight off the sleep that was coming back over him Frank had gotten up from bed, with his bones cracking and popping, and went to the window to look at his street. He glanced down to see that Mr. Chiba had already set up his fruit stand for the ensuing day, and that Mrs. Tanaka was out watering her Japanese peace lilies. Frank smiled at the scene as it seemed so peaceful and simply so easy.
The sun was arching over the tops of the houses but it still did not lighten up the sky yet as it probably was around quarter to seven. Despite his guess Frank wanted to be sure about the time so if it was early enough he could snag a few more minutes of sleep.
As he came to his clock/radio he plugged the darn thing back in and saw that the red numbers flashed 6:30. It was too late to go to sleep but then again too early to do anything.
"Whatever" Frank said as he stretched.
He walked to his closet as he figured he might as well get dressed for the day. He pulled out his white buttoned shirt and flipped it on with no problem. Then the beige pants came on along with his socks. Finally Frank grabbed his black tie and put it without any trouble at all, because this is basically a ritual he does in the morning. He's been doing for the past five years and it still hasn't had a hitch yet.
Now as some would look at Frank and see his beige pants, overcoat, and hat they would not have ever thought he was cop here. With all the proud and proper uniforms that the TDP (Tokyo Police Department) is supposed to wear Frank sticks out like a sore thumb. Here in Japan he looks more like some gangster from the forties than he does a cop.
Frank never had a special reason to wear the ensemble he put together, but the thing is that now it's like he can't do anything without it. The damn coat and hat have become more of a symbol to him than the damn badge he carries. To him it was like the badge just showed what he did for a living, but the hat, pants, and all the rest showed what kind of person he is. He was old-fashioned, was one to play by the rules but figured you could bend them every once in a while, and that he was a protector.
Well, maybe that last part isn't exactly what you would see when you look at him, but that is what Frank hoped people would notice. You didn't have to be a superhero to be a "hero", for that concept wholly depends upon the person. Anyone of us has the ability to be a hero it's just what we do that dictates whether we are a "hero" or a villain, because as every one of us has the ability to be a hero we can also be a vigilante as well.
To Frank though, there can always be a little grey area between the two that can be distinguishable. It's not exactly a "hero" parse, but it's not truly a villain either. It is something completely different but not so much so as to make it unreadable. For Frank to be in this area is to be completely and utterly "human" at its very best; to be flawed but not imperfect either. Here is where one can transcend the definition of a "hero" in today's society and become a true symbol that is more relatable and intimate with the people than the caped-crusaders.
As Frank looked himself over he figured he would leave the coat and the hat for when he left the house, but for now he was fine the way he was. He pulled back the screen door to his room and stepped into the hallway. Frank walked down it and got to the staircase, but not before looking back toward his niece Jenny's room. He wondered if she was still asleep, but the noise of moving plates and the smell of food cooking gave him his answer.
Frank walked down the stairs and came into the kitchen to see his now seventeen year-old niece cooking him nice old-fashioned eggs and bacon in the pan. The kitchen was pretty small with a round table in the middle; a counter goes from the back wall leading to the door to the left of the table. A fridge was position where the counter ended to make room for the monster that Frank calls a fridge. Really it was just like any other Japanese kitchen with a little Westernization.
"Morning kiddo" Frank stated as Jenny turned to see her uncle sitting at the table.
"Mornin' Uncle Frank, how d'you sleep last night?" She said as she placed the eggs on Frank's plate.
"All right, I hope I didn't wake you when I came in?"
"No you didn't." Jenny flashed Frank a chipper smile that just made him smile as well.
Jenny was a beautiful girl and looked very mature for her age. She had medium length brown hair and entrancing golden-brown eyes and already in her school uniform. Frank couldn't ever imagine how she got so much more womanly over the years, it was crazy. She was such a cute kid, but it made Frank wonder if she ever thought about her parents back home. Of course she probably did, but ever since the divorce it probably is just depressing looking back on them.
Now it wasn't that her parents didn't love her or anything, it was just they didn't love each other. Over the years Frank could see that his sister and brother-in-law looked less like a married couple and more like cordial acquaintances. There was no yelling involved or amorous behavior; they just didn't see each other in the same light anymore. When he asked his sister Marie what happened she just replied "We're friends and that's all it is to it".
Even though Jenny's mom and dad still looked out for her and each other sometimes, Jenny still felt the depression that comes whenever children see their parents divorce. She felt as though it was her fault that they left each other, or that maybe it was the way they acted so nice to each other even after the divorce angered her. She couldn't find a reason as to why they left each other if they acted so nice all the time. Maybe if they screamed or argued it would have been better as the way they handled it confused her and made her more upset.
She was the one that vouched that she lives with her Uncle Frank. Of course her parents were more than a little upset with this, and his sister Marie was literally heartbroken when she heard that. All in all though here Jenny was in Japan with her uncle and seemingly having a blast at what Frank thought. The move from the States irked her a bit in the beginning, but Jenny hung in there and with her new friends here in Japan, she still talks with her pals in the U.S. also.
"The wonders of the computer." Frank thought as he munched on his toast.
However, something caught his attention that made him stop completely from eating as glanced over at Jenny's behind. No he wasn't checking out his niece, but he definitely was checking out a certain piece of clothing that didn't sit well with Frank.
Losing his appetite Frank got up to clean his plate. As he got closer to Jenny he was in fact right in his thoughts before. The article of clothing was exactly what he thought it was and it grossed him out. He placed the plate down in the sink and said "Now what do we have here?"
"What's that uncle?" Jenny said, but as soon as she did Frank grabbed the top part of her thong pulled it up let go.
"Ow what was that for?" Jenny exclaimed as she turned around in shock.
"Simple, when did thongs become part of school dress code?" Frank asked grabbing his coffee from the table.
"Uncle, come on this is nothing."
"Nothing! Tell that to all the boys who are gonna be pitchin' a tent whenever they look at you." Jenny crossed her arms when her uncle said that. It just sounded so corny and nasty at the same time.
"I'm not doing this to attract boys if that's what you're thinking."
"Really then why are you doing this?" Frank feigned to put his hand behind his ear to listen at what his niece had to say about this incident.
Jenny was a bit flustered when her uncle asked her this and didn't quickly respond. Frank arched his eyebrow and gave her a questioning look.
"Okay, okay" Jenny said finally relenting.
"I don't want to get panty lines okay that's it." When Frank heard this he pretended to throw up.
Jenny just glared at him and responded "Oh grow up."
"Oh I need to grow up miss "I don't want panty lines". Come on gimme a break." Frank smiled at her as if he knew there was a motive behind Jenny's choice in under garments.
"I'm seventeen years old don't you think I deserve a little leeway?"
"You want some leeway okay, and then let's see..." Jenny still had her arms crossed listening reluctantly at what her uncle had to say.
"You will not where a thong until your fifty-two."
"No, wait what?"
"Thirty four"
"No"
Frank was looking at her and saw a smug look on her face.
"Oh no she aint bargaining with this." Frank thought to himself.
"Twenty-eight and a half"
"Noo!" Jenny shook her head as he said this
"Twenty-one and that's reasonable."
"Nooooo!!"
"You're not getting away with this one Jenny."
"To hell I'm not." Jenny said keeping up with her uncle every step of the way
"Twenty"
"Eighteen" Jenny stated.
All of a sudden a car was heard beeping outside. Jenny looked outside the window and smiled as she saw Kenshi drive up in his silver Honda. She smiled a little and Frank saw this.
"Aw hell nah, twenty!"
"Nineteen"
"Twenty and is the guy outside the person you're trying to impress."
"No "father" that's only Kenshi you met him before."
"Yeah and I still don't like him. Twenty!"
"Nineteen and you're gonna make us both late."
"He can wait and besides it's only around quarter a seven."
"No it's seven thirty and I wasn't talking about me and him I was talking about you and me. You can't keep unplugging the clock and plugging it back in it messes the time up."
"I know that and my offer still stands at twenty." Frank was the one that shrugged his arms and looked at his niece.
Jenny didn't know what to do. By the way this was going it could last all morning if they had the chance, but Jenny knew better. Her uncle was persistent just as much as she was; maybe that's where she got it from.
"Okay fine I won't wear them until I'm twenty."
"There we go."
"But I get to wear it for today okay." As Jenny said that she went over and picked up her backpack and a waffle from the toaster.
"Bye Uncle Frank I love you even though you're childish and all." With that she gave a peck on the cheek and walked out the door toward Kenshi's car.
"Yeah well those eggs were burnt you know that." Frank said after her when she left the kitchen.
Jenny went over to the car and got in quickly. She gave Kenshi a smile and she said "Morning".
"Morning" He whispered back and leaned over to give her a kiss.
She leaned over as well they both met in the middle. The kiss was quick but was the kind that was between two teenagers that are in puppy-love. As they pulled away Jenny gave Kenshi a seductive look and pulled up her thong to show him.
"You like?" she asked
"Very" he said and leaned in for another kiss.
As they kissed again they were interrupted by "that guy" as Kenshi calls him.
"Ohhh so you're gonna be late for school huh?" Both teenagers broke away and Jenny scowled at her uncle standing in the front doorway of their house.
"Well you know that deal we had? Let's make it sixty-five how's that sound?!" Frank said.
"Damn when are you gonna get girl friend uncle jeez?"
"When you start wearing pantyhose, now go!" Kenshi needed nothing else to drive off so that is what he did.
"He still protective over you huh?"
"You saw didn't you?" Jenny said as she glanced back at Kenshi.
"But you know he means well, right? It's not like he wants you to not have fun." Kenshi replied.
"I just don't get why he has to be like that, he's twenty-seven for god-sakes. You'd think he'd be a little more understanding?" Jenny said in return and she turned on the radio.
"Your uncle's a nice person even though he's "that guy" that watches over you. He's just doing his part." Kenshi looked at Jenny to giver her an understanding look.
"How did you get so understanding?" Jenny replied as he went over to give him another kiss.
Kenshi obliged happily. He slowed the car down and this time he didn't mind sending his tongue out to hers. Jenny opened her mouth and let her tongue engage as well. It was getting quite steamy until Jenny's cell rang. They both stopped and Jenny looked down defeated and got her phone for her bag.
"Hello?"
"Stop kissing, I know you guys are, it's disgusting, just please go to school." The voice of her uncle came.
"Oh my God you're such a creep." Jenny closed her phone shut and slammed it back into her bag.
Kenshi just laughed a little and continued to drive off and head into the main street.
Frank put back his own cell phone and continued to walk back inside, but as he did he started thinking about what the hell happened this morning.
"Remember when she used to wear footy pajamas to bed and watch wrestling with you Frank, because I sure as hell am finding a hard time to? Frank thought as he walked back into the kitchen, up the stairs, through the hallway, and into his room.
As he walked back to his closet he pulled out his beige overcoat and hat and donned them. He looked at the mirror and looked hard at himself.
"Good morning Frank? You got some stuff to do today my friend, are you ready?" He said as he looked himself over
As Frank did this for some reason he felt like this day was going to be quite interesting.
The sun invaded a dark room which had its blinds closed. It was meant to keep the sun's gaze from peeping in and ruining a good sleep. However, the sun was no fool in that it delved it shine through the cracks in the blinds and went on through. Ino awoke to a solitary ray shining on her bleach blonde hair and gave her misty blue eye a nice sheen to it.
As Ino rose from the bed she was not one for modesty as she let the bed sheet flow over her naked form. She was too tired to be care for something such as that and besides, it wasn't as if anyone was in the room with her at the moment. She looked down next to her and instead of a sleeping playboy she saw nothing but ruffled sheets.
"Hmph, doesn't even have the decency of saying good morning huh?" Ino huffed as she got up from the bed.
As she scanned the room for her clothes she couldn't help but look around at the different pictures and objects Sasuke had in his room. She started walking around her eyes went over to the edge of the bed where she found her panties. Ino picked them up and slid them on, but it wasn't as if it did anything to conceal.
After a few moments of squandering the room she came across her bra and the rest of her clothes. As Ino was dressing up her eyes went to a poster of The Who that Sasuke hung on the right side of the bed; her eyes also caught a guitar in the corner and a bunch of amps as well.
"Well who knew that Liger was a musician, I should've asked for a song last night?" Ino said to herself examining the guitar.
However, another thing caught Ino's eye and this prompted her to go over to Sasuke dresser drawer and look at the pictures placed atop it. Most were of Sasuke with a few of the prominent people the world had to offer, including one where he sat with the Dalai Lama when he came to Japan. Perusing through the photos though, she stopped when she saw one not like the rest. It was placed at the back of the dresser and was covered in dust.
Picking it up and examining it further Ino saw that a little boy that looked exactly like Sasuke was sitting on the lap of some woman that almost looked like him. The lady in the picture was quite beautiful and had the same piercing eyes as Sasuke did. Ino then evaluated that this woman had to be Sasuke's mother.
Looking down in sadness she recalled the day when she heard that the wife of the CEO of Uchiha Corps had died due to the hepatitis the doctors said she had gotten. After that everything seemed to go downhill for the Uchiha family with the falling out of Itachi, former heir to the company. Ino couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness toward the boy that turned into the man he was now. Sasuke even though having everything missed a component in his life that made him so blasé towards life.
Suddenly a knock on the door broke Ino reverie and she turned her head in surprise. From the other side of the door she heard a woman's voice call to her.
"Excuse me Miss Yamanaka, are you still here?" said the voice.
"Oh yes, I'll be out in a minute hold on." Ino replied back.
She placed the picture down and proceeded to place her dress back on. In a way it kind of irked her that this girl, whoever she was, was badgering her like this. For god-sakes give her at least some time to get presentable and whatever, but no, this woman wanted her out of here quick. Why? Is she afraid that Sasuke was falling for her and this girl was jealous? Yes of course, that had to be the reason. (Ino gets very cranky in the morning)
As Ino flung open the door she was met with a pair of emerald green eyes.
"Hello Ms. Yamanaka, I'm Sakura Haruno and Mr. Uchiha would like for me to tell you he's sorry for his absence this morning, but he has some important work to get done." Sakura stated in the most polite manner.
Ino eyed the girl up and down and saw that she basically had the same proportions as her, except her breasts were a little bit smaller. Sakura caught this and raised her eyebrow in a "why are you checking me out" kind of stare. Ino just leaned up against the doorway and stretched, making sure to emphasize her breasts being larger and said, "Well I'm surprised he was able to get up so early, I mean, it wasn't as if we got any sleep."
Ino sneered at the comment she made and wanted to see the reaction the other girl would have at this.
"Well I'm sure he had more important things to do this morning." Sakura said trying to maintain her rising annoyance.
"Yeah then what are you, his servant? Does he make you cook and clean?" Ino remarked back at the girl.
"That and occasionally taking out the trash." Ino just glared at Sakura, thinking what nerve this girl had.
"Oh it's on now!" Ino thought seeing that the girl had some fight in her.
"Well just know that your employer is quite the man to be had in bed if you hadn't had the pleasure in-"
"No I haven't had the pleasure or the urge to pursue that, now if you'll excuse me I'd like to keep my breakfast down." Sakura said trying to brush off this highly conceited girl.
"Oh that is a shame, maybe you should do something about that forehead of yours it's quite "noticeable" if you ask me."
"I didn't ask you" and with that Sakura held up Ino's shoes to her face.
"Now if you don't mind Ms. Yamanaka I have more important business to take care of this morning than cross playful banter with you. Mr. Uchiha has already arranged for you to be taken home with his limo which is waiting out front." Ino was quite surprised she didn't get the reaction she thought she would from the girl; apparently she was different in a way.
"Very well then, I have work to do as well. Now, if you don't mind I would like to know where the door is." Ino asked as she unceremoniously snatched her shoes from the other girl's grip.
"Down the hall to the right you can't miss it."
"Thank you" Just about when Ino was making her way down the hall she turned back to Sakura and said "Oh and by the way, don't you think you're a little old to be having pink highlights? Sayonara forehead."
"Pink highlights? What is she…Oh NO!!" Sakura thought as she rushed over to a mirror situated right next to her.
Much to her chagrin that pig was right in pointing out that her hair had indeed pink blotches all over it.
"Stupid hair dye is wearing off again; they said it lasts a month. Damn liars and their freaking advertising!" Sakura thought over as she examined her hair.
This brought a pride-filled smirk to Ino face seeing as she struck a nerve with her last comment. Apparently this Sakura woman was a little self-conscious about that pink coloring of hers. Oh well, it's not like Ino had to worry about her hair as it was perfect because she made it that way.
"A little sad one would have to resort to such ways to garner attention." Ino mused about her newfound opponent's hair tricks.
As Ino was making her way to the door she turned back to look inside the Uchiha manor. It was very much modernized and expensive looking from what she could see, but it wasn't as if she saw any of it last night. With one last glance she opened the door to the house and left.
"Good evening Miss, where would your destination be this morning?" asked the limo driver immediately after she stepped outside.
"Oh, uhh, home thank you, on 27 Yatsuo."
"Of course" said the driver as he opened the limo door for her.
Ino entered the limo with shoes in hand and let herself relax in the cool dark of the limousine. She rested her head against the back seat and closed her eyes for a bit, but she was interrupted due to a beep that startled her. Wondering where the beep came from she waited again and wondered what it could be, until she heard it again. This time she realized it was coming from the small jacket she wore at the Rising Sun Awards last night. The beep came again and this time Ino had a thought at what it could be.
Ino grabbed the jacket and rummaged through the pockets to get at her cell phone. During her looking she felt the limo start to move and figured that it was making its way back into the city. Ino then grabbed her cellular and wondered who it could be that had called her. She found it was her mom and that she called not once but a few times at that. Upon looking at the time of the calls she saw it came from late last night.
"Wonder what the problem is?" Ino inwardly asked herself dialing her mom's number and waiting for her to pick up.
It was a few rings later that Ino heard the familiar and comforting voice of her mother again.
"Hello?" asked her mother.
"Hey mom it's me, is everything all right?"
"Oh Ino, me and your father saw you last night on the television; did a great job as usual honey." Her mother said back to Ino.
"Yeah thanks mom but you called three times last night, is everything okay?" Ino asked again a little perturbed her mom didn't give her an answer.
"What? Oh right, can you believe that some idiot crashed his car into the flower shop last night." This sent pangs of surprise through Ino as she felt a sense of déjà vu.
"WHAT? Are you kidding me; both you and dad are all right, yeah?"
"Oh yes dear we're fine. Your father was so angry when he got the call from the police though. Such a damn shame but really what can you do about it. I told him not to set up the shop in that place/" Her mother's sort of relaxed attitude surprised her and decided it would be better if she talked to her parents face to face.
"Listen mom I'm coming over in a little bit okay." Ino told her mother.
"No Ino you've got to go to work today. Trust me, everything is fine here, I just called you because I got a little excited."
"No mom I'm coming over and that's final." Ino shut her phone and and rubbed her temples.
Despite her mother's reassurance, Ino wanted to go and see her parents just to go over the situation. This certainly would put a damper on business if the damage was bad enough. Wait a minute, of course it was bad enough, and everything that went wrong in the Underground was bad enough. Ino just shook her head and knocked on the window that separated the driver from the passenger.
"Yes miss" replied the driver while setting the window down.
"Excuse me but, would you mind instead taking me to Kamimeguro 2 chome?"
"Very well then ma'am we should be arriving there shortly then."
"Thank you" the window then closed back up again which left Ino staring at her from the reflection of the window.
At this Ino turned away not really wanting to look at herself from last night's affair. She blushed at having to remember what she did, what he did and it made her more immature than ever. The thing is that even though Ino was a woman in every which way physically, she still didn't get the reassurance mentally in her actions. She wanted to feel that sense of control in her life that she sees in her mother. It's to have the ability to say "I'm a woman" without having to giggle at the thought. In reality it seemed Ino was a little more like an over-grown brat than anything.
The greatest thing that keeps her up at night is the wonder if she will ever understand herself more than her parents do; will she ever grow more mentally. These thoughts plagued her mind for quite sometime, but they didn't deter her from her actions. Even though Ino thought one thing she acted in another way.
She thought that being a super-hero would be the thing that would help her get some perspective; however it just made things more complicated for her. All the things she saw as Nirvana made the world a lot darker than what she originally thought it was. In a way that helped her mature in that she finally shed the ignorance that everyone seems to have of their surroundings. Facing the darkness helped her a lot in understanding the darker recesses of the human mind, and her mind-reading of her victims gave her knowledge into how sick some people can be.
And here comes another lapse of her immaturity. The fact that she sees the dark and knows how dangerous it could be only makes it more appealing to her. Where a sane person would recognize danger and step away, her curiosity forces her to go forward. But she was a super-hero right (sorry super-heroine) and she was supposed to fight against normal fears and step out of social norms. If the fact that being brave is what makes her immature, then you could say all super-heroes are immature in a way.
Some do it for fame, others for glory, and sometimes others do it just because they want to. All of these things aren't necessarily bad, but is that how a hero should be?
Ino shook her head in confusion and continued to space out from the world. Then a little smirk graced her lips and she said; "Good morning Ino, how're you feeling?"
She looked down at her cell phone which read 8:30.
"Confused" she said in replying to her question.
"Always confused."
Sakura headed downstairs into Sasuke's work studio bringing him some breakfast. She couldn't believe that her stupid hair dye gave out after a week. It only meant putting out more money for hair dye, and that wasn't exactly something that she felt like doing every month.
See the problem with some women is to stave off the effects of stress or age by dying their graying hair to the color they wish; for Sakura, it meant for the preservation of her very identity. The thing is with this certain woman is that she is Tokyo's mesmerizing Sakura Skye, and her pink hair is only one of her many attributes that she needs to hide. Her strength is one of them, which is ridiculously overpowered while looking at some other supers, and also her bright emerald eyes which garnered more unwanted attention than anything.
To be a part of something you never wanted to be is certainly a way for you to get angry. When it rains it pours with Sakura, and when it pours it takes all the hair dye from her hair.
"It's just going to be one of those days isn't it?" Sakura muttered incredulously under her breath.
Upon getting down the stairs Sakura found herself barred in by various worker tables either covered with blueprints or miscellaneous gadgets. In the far corner Sakura then found the reason for her trek down in the "dungeon" as she calls it.
Sasuke was away tinkering with his suit as usual; various sparks flying from the blow torch where he was welding a few crack in the body suit. And after this of course, he was going to polish the armor and buff it up so as to take the welding scar off the Iron Liger mech-suit.
"Did you take care of our little guest Miss Haruno?" Sasuke asked without even looking up from where he was working.
"Don't worry I took care of your little slut." Sakura slammed down the tray of food as she said this which brought Sasuke's attention.
"My, it seems you've had a pleasant morning. What happened didn't sleep well last night?"
"No as a matter of fact I didn't!" Sasuke looked at Sakura after her outburst and gave her a once over.
"You look good today Sakura, but ya got a little something in your hair, it's um.."
"I know what it is dammit!" Sakura blushed this time despite her best efforts.
The thing with Sasuke was is that even though he was an arrogant ass, he still had the ability to make her blush. Another thing with the playboy is that he was the only other person to know her secret. Of course it really doesn't take a whole lot to put two and two together; "Sakura"-"Sakura Skye".
Even though Sakura had a great many allies as Sakura Skye she made sure that her real-life identity was kept far away from the crime-fighter within her. She had other plans with her life anyway she figured, that once the city was tamed she would get on with the "real" life she so craved for.
"Is that food for me, thank you? I didn't have enough time to make my own breakfast this morning." Sasuke said nonchalantly as he continued working on the Iron Liger suit, now polishing the helmet which was designed in the appearance of a predatory cat.
"You never have time to make your own breakfast, and you have no consideration for me for that matter either!!" Sakura shouted again at Sasuke.
"Wait, what?" was all Sasuke could get out before Sakura went on a rant of disrespecting her or something.
"How the hell do you have the audacity to just leave me and Orochimaru at the damn hotel like that you bastard? Hell, if it wasn't for your father I doubt we would ever have gotten home." Sakura was fuming at this point, but Sasuke found it quite cute nonetheless,
"Heh, she always looks cute when she gets angry." Sasuke thought while gazing at the woman in front of him.
"You know Sakura I doubt that you wouldn't have gotten a ride. The way you were looking last night I bet any eighty year-old billionaire would have picked you up." Sasuke said with a smug smile.
"You're a jackass you know that." Sakura stated as she was about to walk off.
When Sasuke saw this he found it in himself that maybe he should go easy on Sakura today. He got up from his seat and caught Sakura's arm.
"Hey, Sakura wait, please." Sasuke turned her around to face him.
Sakura just stared at him with those Jane-doe eyes and expected Sasuke to say something, but at first he didn't.
As soon as she was about to force her grip off him he beat her to the punch.
"You know why you're losing the color in your hair so fast?" Sakura just kept staring defiantly at Sasuke.
He grabbed both her shoulders and rubbed them comfortingly.
"It's because you worry too much. Maybe you need some time off from the hospital, just focus on-"
"Focus on what, being a super-hero? As if that's not stressful enough Sasuke." Sakura walked away from Sasuke and started to make her way back to the stairs.
Sasuke just stood there, but he didn't want Sakura to leave with a bad taste in her mouth.
"Sakura!?" Sasuke called out at the lady who just made it to the steps.
"Listen, if you feel like it tonight, how about we had out for a bite or something?" With this Sakura opened her eyes in amazement because not once had she ever remembered Sasuke asking her out. This was, in every sense of the word, interesting.
"I don't know Sasuke the hospital will have me on call and really I don't' want the reporters getting the wrong impression. You've always said-"
"To hell what I've said all right. We're going out whether you want to or not."
"But what about the city? You heard the reports this morning about the Underground cop chase and the burnt down garage. Things like this need our attention."
"This city can handle itself with only two heroes taking a break Sakura, so come on, what do you say?" Sasuke asked with his eye-brows arched waiting for an answer.
Despite Sakura's best efforts she finally shrugged her shoulders and said, "Okay Sasuke, just this once then." As Sakura finished this she disappeared up the stairs leaving Sasuke all alone again with his tools and his gadgets.
Sasuke walked over back to his Iron Liger mech-suit, and then back at the newspaper that he had been reading before getting to work. The main title on the front page was "A Need for Speed in the Underground" which went on to detail the story of a high-speed chase between some American cop and a teenage gang-member. Really uninteresting stuff.
The only thing that interested him was the garage that was blown to smithereens a few blocks down the scene of the accident, but that also wasn't really anything to worry about.
If there was one thing that Sasuke knew about his job it's that crime comes in different states of alarm; this was certainly nothing out of the ordinary in the Underground. Besides, a few people willing to talk to the Tokyo Journal said they possibly saw Kunoichi and some guy on a bike. The guy was most likely Dire Wolf, and if he and Kunoichi were both there on the scene then he and Sakura should have nothing to worry about.
Sasuke looked back at the Iron Liger suit again.
"Hn, I think I deserve a day off. What do you think?" Sasuke asked his suit as if it were going to respond back.
"I'll take your silence as a yes." Sasuke dropped the rag he was holding on the table and walked over to his breakfast.
If there was one other good thing he could say about Sakura it was she was a most excellent cook. Taking a bite out of his toast and scooping up some rice Sasuke felt that today should be one of rest and relaxation for him.
The Alchemist Bar almost always saw its fair share of usual thugs and vigilantes entering its confines. It was also because of there coming that brought such a good influx of fighters for Mizuki's chapter. The fact of the matter was that whether the Yakuza heads and petty time gang leaders acknowledged them or not, the fight club members were gaining power. Mizuki had them enact rituals to prove their worth and loyalty to the club because he wasn't forming a gang, but a family, a brotherhood. With the teachings passed down to them by their proprietor in America, Mizuki was creating a fully-functional army right under the noses of the TPD and crime lords themselves. It would only be a matter of time before Project Anarchy would take hold; all he had to do now was to lay low for a while. But for now, he would have to put up with the bickering the Yakuza heads all were doing in the backroom.
"What the hell are we supposed to do now that cops are patrolling the Underground!?" yelled Boss Hanzo across the table.
"There is no reason to worry." Replied Boss Kunimura.
All the clan heads looked at him with perplexity, but he just sat there with a calm face.
"What happened last night was a fluke. The gaijin in charge just jumped the gun, and we can expect that he won't do this again." Boss Kunimura added to his statement, but of course that was meant with a resounding uproar.
"Have you any idea as to how this cop came to Japan at all Boss Kunimura?" asked a Boss Chiba who was standing up.
"He got sent over here because he single-handedly took down the Italian mob down in New York. He can most certainly do that to us over here!" Said Chiba excitedly.
The entire meeting in reality was just a bunch of men complaining that their deals and agendas are falling apart. If it wasn't the supers flying around, it now had to be some gung-ho American cop that feels that the Underground boundary is no precept for him. They need a way to deal with this, and there was only one man in the room that had the ability to smooth everything out.
Deidara sat in the corner that was bathed in shadows. He was unnoticed by all but Mizuki who had given him access to the meeting. Even though Deidara was just a part of the Underground as any of the other bosses, he was an unwanted commodity due to his "nature".
"You all honestly think that this cop is of any concern, what about Kunoichi and Dire Wolf, they were there last night as well. If we are to be cautious of anyone now they're the ones we have to keep an eye on." said Kunimura silencing the others at the table.
Kunimura has a point in that. The cop could easily be told not to come back into the Underground but the supers won't. If there was anything to worry about it would have to be the regulars who come patrolling down there: Kunoichi, Dire Wolf, Shadow Devil to name a few. Also, if the predicament got more attention then they would surely get visits from the rest of the hero faithful.
"We can't afford to have our plans noticed by anyone of the supers flying around this city. If we are going to act then act now while we still are safe in she shadows." Retorted Boss Hanzo, but he was met with an indifferent snort from the back of the room.
"Safe? You all think your safe, hm?" Approaching from the shadows, everyone present finally saw who the speaker was that gave such a disrespectful remark.
"Now I wanna know something, alright? Did your balls suddenly fall off or something or am I sitting with a bunch a pansies, huh." Deidara said as he walked out of the shadows.
At this Boss Shingen stood up abruptly and yelled "And what makes you think you're welcome here?"
"Take it easy there Shingen I don't wanna get your panties in a bunch, yeah." Deidara replied sitting himself down at the other head of the table.
As all the bosses looked at the maniac sitting right across from them they all wondered who welcomed him in there. At this Mizuki had already left and was preparing his bar for the night ahead.
The bosses were looking at the despicable grungy look of their guest, none took into account of what they were talking about before. It almost seemed Deidara had taken all the attention to himself.
Deidara was decked in a torn olive-green jacket that looked as if he got it from a army supply store, and his dark velvet striped amber shirt was dirtied with stains and God knows what else.
Deidara simply looked around questioningly and wondered if the bosses were going to say anything else, but seeing as how they weren't he decided to speak.
"Now listen alright. It appears to me that you all have a little problem concerning your "plans", hm. Well it just so happens that my employer's interests are also a little hindered at what he believes to be an inopportune problem."
"Oh yeah, so where do you come in?" asked an inconspicuous gang member from the back.
"Well that's simple. I am here to fix our little problem, yeah."
This was met with a few muttered laughs as everyone felt that as crazy as Deidara was, he was no match for the entire hero force of Japan, and even the world if things get to out of hand. Also, not only that, but they have the TPD on their asses which makes things all the more difficult.
"How are we supposed to ensure all we have put our livelihoods into your fickle hands? You who couldn't put away with Iron Liger a couple of weeks ago. I would feel much better if we knew your employer and see if he has our best interests at heart." Came Boss Hanzo from the other side of the table.
Deidara was fiddling his fingers and was quite perturbed when he was met with such disrespect.
"Listen! I could give a shit about what your interests are, and even less about all of you, alright. Now the way I see it a good artist doesn't sell himself out for free, so if any of you think you can handle this on your own, be my guest, hm." With that Deidara stood up and prepared himself to walk out the door.
The bosses all looked around at each other and thought quickly if it was worth expending the manpower to deal with this problem. In all reality, no boss here was in any way a friend to each other, but they consolidated out of necessity. Truthfully if hiring this maniac to deal with a whole city was going to take eyes away from the Yakuza and Underground, then it truly seemed worth it. Not only that, but if the crazy gets himself killed then it wouldn't be a bad thing at all either. It was a win/win situation.
"Wait" exclaimed Boss Kunimura.
"What exactly is your plan then?" Kunimura asked curiously.
"Deidara turned suddenly with a smile on his face; his long bang covering the psychotic glint in his eye.
"That's simple, yeah." Deidara said as he walked back towards the table.
"This city is a canvas, and on it I'm going to create a work of art none has ever witnessed. By the end of the day people will all realize that Deidara is a mainstay, and that the New Dawn approaches, hm."
"Wait, you're going to do this tonight? Don't you think that's a little hasty?" asked Boss Shingen.
"My employer's plans have been moved up, and it will encompass the whole city." Deidara then again moved towards the door, but was interrupted yet again.
"What will you do if get any cops or heroes on your tail?" Boss Hanzo inquired
"Simple" Deidara said turning once more "I'm going to kill everyone."
The nonchalance he said this chilled all the Yakuza clan heads. If tonight was the surmised plan's inception then it would certainly light the whole city on fire, literally by Deidara's notion.
All the while Mizuki listened in on the conversation beyond the door, and as soon as Deidara walked out he turned to Mizuki and said, "It starts tonight, you now what to do."
Mizuki nodded and saw Deidara walk away. Even though the plan was supposed to happen this soon, he would have no problem to get the boys riled up. In Mizuki's head all he was thinking about was that Project Anarchy would be getting a head start tonight.