The courtship of Naruto Uzumaki
XXIV. Retrieving Mr. Iseki
"Hinata, why didn't you tell me about Kiba?" That had been the burning question in Naruto's mind as he'd washed, changed, and high-tailed it over to Hinata's house. But he hadn't asked it right away. He'd allowed minutes of hurried walking to pass by until his need for an answer had been too overpowering to hold back the question.
She bent her head to avoid his eyes.
She'd been afraid of this. There was no way Naruto would have allowed his natural curiosity to leave unanswered questions to fester. He was a need to know kind of guy, but she didn't know how to answer him. There were so many reasons she hadn't told him. One reason Naruto wouldn't like. One reason that might make him angry. One reason he wouldn't understand. One reason she wasn't quite sure of in her own mind. What could she tell him that would lead to the least unpleasantness?
Naruto considered himself an understanding guy. Even though he hadn't always understood Hinata's shyness, he now appreciated it. He understood that she was a girl with deep, sensitive feelings, and had rarely been asked to explain herself or her actions. He understood that she was still getting used to him. He'd give her time to think about his question—as much time as his patience would allow because he did want that answer.
When the silence grew too long, he reordered and asked his question again. "All that stupid stuff Kiba was saying about you—about me—about you and me—why couldn't you tell me about it? Didn't you think I'd want to know? Didn't you think I needed to know?"
Her head seemed to bend lower. He tried to catch a glimpse of her face, but her hair obscured his view, and it was still very dark. He couldn't get close enough as they walked quickly along the road to see more than her outline. Although, her mouth moved without much sound as she tried to form a response, he couldn't see it, but he thought he'd caught a faint Naruto from her direction. He patiently awaited her reply, but still she didn't answer him. He tried another approach without giving her as much time to think. "I don't like it when you don't tell me things," he told her gruffly. "I don't like it at all."
Her heartbeat quickened. Oh no! She'd made him angry. This was one of those situations where the consequences were unpleasant no matter what she said or didn't say. How could she make this all right?
"Naruto," she began her voice sounding faint and broken. She cleared her throat, and began again. "Naruto, if—if I feel you will be more hurt or—or disturbed knowing something than not knowing something—I—I would rather not tell you even though you may wish me to." She glanced sideways at him to see how he was taking this explanation. It didn't look good. Even in the dark she could tell he was frowning.
"But you were hurt, too!" He chopped his arm in the air to make his point. "I need to know that kind of stuff!"
"I wasn't hurt so much." She shrugged her shoulders. It didn't seem so hurtful now.
He breathed out heavily in frustration. Why didn't she see that this was important to him? "Hinata, I don't care how much or how little—any hurt is too much. I want to share it with you—comfort you—care for you—terminate the source of your pain."
She shook her head. "It didn't matter. It really didn't." She wouldn't mind the comfort and care part. It was the terminate the source part that had her worried. She had to protect both Naruto and Kiba from the consequences of their sweet, but foolish male over-protectiveness. She didn't want to have to choose one over the other in a fight. She cared too much about both of them to see them at odds over her.
"It matters to me!" he ground out.
"Kiba didn't really mean any of it. He thought he was protecting me. He didn't mean to cause me pain," she pleaded her friend's case.
"Okay, forget Kiba. He apologized. The point is that you didn't tell me about it. What if it had been somebody else saying that kind of stuff to you? Would you have told me then?"
She tried to think of someone saying mean things that she'd want to tell Naruto about, but she couldn't. Knowing his reaction, she wouldn't risk Naruto hurting himself physically or emotionally just to defend her from some hurtful words. She shook her head again. "I don't think so."
"Do you intend to keep things like that from me all the time?" he demanded.
"If it seems for the best," she answered truthfully.
"Hinata—" he began then stopped. He never considered that she could be so stubborn. She'd always been such an agreeable girl in the past. She'd certainly surprised him this time. What was he going to do with her? There wasn't much he could do if she insisted on her stubborn course. He began to laugh ruefully. "We're not going to agree about this—are we?"
"I think—maybe not," she agreed giving him a sideways glance. He was smiling now. His white teeth gleamed in the darkness. He couldn't be too angry if he was smiling. She returned his smile in relief. If he was smiling surely very thing would be alright?
"Well, I don't want to be angry with you about this." He couldn't be angry with her for something other people said, however—.
"Nor do I want you to be," she responded quickly as he paused.
"You do know that this could be a problem for us in the future," he said pensively, and scratched the back of his head. Thinking about it, he was surprised to find that he felt rather glad that Hinata wasn't going to just agree with him about everything all the time. That she had a little spice to her made her all the more enticing. If this was the worst he could expect in their relationship then he was still a very lucky guy.
"I know," she said sadly and softly. Their first disagreement. Was this the end?
He took her hand. "Just so we understand each other. You want to protect me while Iwant to know when someone's hurt or upset you so that I can protect you. That is our conflict. But it doesn't have to destroy our relationship."
She looked at him wonderingly as he squeezed her hand. "No?" she asked hopefully.
"Nope. We'll just both have to work towards a compromise."
"Compromise?"
"That's right. Sometimes you'll tell me when stuff upsets you, and sometimes I won't be angry when you don't. How does that sound?" he asked cheerfully. He could live with that as long as she learned to start confiding at least some of her troubles to him.
She smiled shyly at him. "I'll try. Naruto, sometimes you can be very wise."
He grinned at her. "I know. I even surprise myself."
They walked silently for a few moments before he asked the second question that had caused him more than a little amount of worry since they left he ninja complex earlier.
"Hinata? You didn't really believe any of that stuff Kiba said, did you?"
"No!" she said emphatically.
"Not even a little bit?"
She shook her head vehemently. "I believe in you, Naruto. I believe that you'd never deliberately hurt me. If I'd had any doubts, they only lasted for a second. When you're with me I have absolutely no doubts at all," she told him with more confidence then she'd ever displayed in her life. He still didn't seem to understand that she loved him. She was too shy to tell him before she knew that he felt the same, but she longed to show him the true extent of her feelings. She hoped that day would come soon.
"Hinata," he breathed softly, stopped and drew her close. There was no time to demonstrate his full appreciation of her faith in him, so he only took a few seconds to hold her against his heart, and press his lips to the top of her head.
He released her all too soon with a sigh. "I guess we'd better get back to our mission. The Fifth won't be too happy with us if we take too long."
"Yes, of course," she said a little flustered, and straightened up from her complete envelopment in his embrace. She'd almost forgotten their present mission. Naruto did seem to have that effect on her—but she wouldn't have it any other way.
It was only minutes later that they stood before the Iseki Acting Troupe's manager's door.
Naruto gave Hinata a look.
She nodded.
He raised his hand, and knocked briskly on the door.
"Mr. Iseki! Mr. Iseki! We're the ninja who spoke to you yesterday. It's important that we speak to you again," he said loudly between knocks. "Wake up, Mr. Iseki!"
He sounded incredibly loud in the stillness of the very early morning. He didn't want to wake up the whole neighborhood. He knocked a little softer, and called to the manager in a lower voice with his next barrage on the door.
In the middle of his third round of knocks, the door opened to the manager still fumbling into a robe to cover his pajamas. His hair was tousled, his pajamas rumbled, and he stared out at them with bleary sleep deprived eyes. "What—what is it? What time is it? Why are you here in the middle of the night?" he asked in confusion.
"Actually, it's almost morning. Sorry about this, but there's been another attack. We haven't been able to identify the victim. I think he might be a member of your acting troupe," Naruto explained brusquely. There was no sugar-coating it. At this time of morning only the truth would have the power to arouse and hurry the man.
"What? Oh no! Which one? Is he badly hurt?"
"I don't have a name for you. I only saw him once during your performance so I can't be certain. If you'll come with us, you'll be able to verify whether I'm right or wrong."
"But if you tell me who it is, I can check his room for you. All of the actors other than myself, my brother and sister-in-law are staying in the house next door."
"You can guarantee that everyone else will be in their rooms?"
He hesitated. "Well, actually no. I don't keep tabs on my troupe's whereabouts after practice or performance hours. It is possible that someone could be out. You're right. Waking them up for a bed check wouldn't be a good idea. I should come with you to view your newest victim. That will make it certain whether he is a member of my troupe." He rubbed his head as he considered this.
"That was my thinking," Naruto agreed.
"If you will wait outside while I change. I'll be as quick as possible. I would ask you to wait inside, but the front room is my bedroom and workroom. I would not want the young lady discomfited with I change."
"Of course. We'll wait right out here," Naruto agreed after a glance at Hinata. The suggestion was reasonable. There was probably no reason for him to be suspicious. If the manager tried to run away, he'd be easily caught. Ninja were too well-trained to be outrun by the average person. However, he was quick to voice his concerns to Hinata as soon as the door closed on them.
"What do you think, Hinata? He's not trying to get away out the back is he?"
"It would be foolish for him to attempt to do so," she said verifying his thoughts.
Naruto leaned against the wall beside the front door. "I looked him over when he came to the door. He didn't look like someone who'd been attacking people and giant dogs this evening."
"He would have had several hours to clean up while we waited at the hospital. But I agree that he did genuinely look like we'd wakened him. Do you suppose such a cold-blooded killer could have calmly gone to sleep after his evil deed? I would think that he'd be too wired to go right to sleep."
"I never thought about it before, but you're probably right. I never wanted to get into the mind of a killer to wonder what he's thinking after he's killed. I think it would be gruesome and disturbing." He grimaced.
"But if we understood how someone like this thinks, it might be easier to catch him before he could do too much damage."
"I suppose so. We've had to deal with a lot of evil guys over the years. Power, greed, or just plain pleasure in killing were the usual motivations. Those were all reasons I never understood, but they weren't that easy to hide. Now that we might be dealing with vampires, I guess we'll have to add a new reason—killing for food." He shook his head. He'd only ever killed out of necessity. He'd much rather bring his foe in alive than dead. He'd often been considered too soft, but he'd rather spare a life—even the meanest—than take one.
"I don't think I could ever understand killing for any of those reasons either," Hinata agreed. "And I don't even want to consider a vampire's reasons. I find that more gruesome and disturbing than any other reason," she added with a shudder.
"I could have had some sympathy for whatever reasons were behind these attacks before he'd killed. Now I don't think any reason would be justified."
Before they could continue their discussion, the door opened, and Leiko Iseki stepped out. "I woke my brother to tell him where I was going. Please lead the way."
They started out towards the hospital near the ninja complex. Hinata led the way while Naruto took up a position at the rear of the group. They could have proceeded more casually—the danger for the night was probably at an end, but they were professionals. This was the way they would proceed under the usual official conditions whether escorting a prisoner or a witness. He knew the Hokage would appreciate their professionalism, and was certain to remark if she observed otherwise.
After a few moments, Iseki said, "I didn't just waken my brother to inform him of my absence. I was worried that he could be the one you thought you'd recognized. He often likes to unwind at the neighborhood bar after a performance. I've warned him to be careful, but he's quite a bit younger than I am. He doesn't take well to being treated like a kid."
"He was at home, though, right?"
"Yes. He and Chiyoko were both asleep. I admit I was greatly relieved." He fell silent for a few minutes. "Which member of my troupe do you believe is the victim?" he asked at the end of those minutes.
"Look, Mr. Iseki, I don't want to prejudice your identification beforehand," Naruto said uneasily.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he—ah—he—" Naruto wasn't sure how to word the problem.
Hinata came to his rescue. "Mr. Iseki, tonight's victim may be difficult to identify. It will be better if you have no preconceived ideas."
"Why? Why will he be more difficult than the others?"
"I think we'd better have the Hokage explain that to you. She's a medical ninja. She can explain the medical aspects better than we can. She's waiting at the hospital for us now."
"Oh, of course, if you think that's best," he agreed in a confused voice.
They continued the rest of the journey silently. Once they were inside the hospital, Naruto led the way downstairs to the morgue. There was a waiting area outside the door to the morgue. He gestured to the bench. "Sit down. I'll go look for the Hokage."
He went into the morgue first. She wasn't there. As he went back out into the hallway, he heard the tap of the Hokage's heels as she came towards them from further down the hall. She made Naruto feel tired. He'd been awake just as long as she had, but she looked alert and rested—and almost as young as he was while he felt tired, jaded, and old.
Before he could open his mouth, the Hokage took in and over the situation.
"Mr. Iseki? I'm the Hokage," she formally introduced herself.
He stood up, and bowed to her.
"I'm sorry for the necessity to bring you here at such an early hour, but we need to have this new victim identified as soon as possible so his family won't suffer uncertainty any longer than necessary. Naruto thought he might belong to your acting troupe, so I deemed it reasonable to give you the first opportunity to view him. Has the situation been explained to you?"
"That much has been explained. I was told you would tell me anything else I needed to know."
She gave Naruto and Hinata a nod of approval, before turning her attention back to the acting troupe manager. "Have you heard about the previous attacks? Do you know the nature of the injuries?"
He hesitated. "There have been many rumors. Considerable blood loss has been mentioned time and again."
"Exsanguination is the medical term. This time the exsanguination has been complete."
"What do you mean?"
"You must prepare yourself, Mr. Iseki. This man has been completely drained of blood. He's the first victim who has been killed in this manner."
Iseki paled visibly. "Dead? He's dead?"
"I'm afraid so."
His hand shook, as he took a kerchief from his pocket, and wiped his forehead. "I—I see."
"He won't be easily recognizable. Absence of blood flattens the tissue, accentuates the wrinkles, and completely changes the color of the skin. You will have to study him carefully to know for certain if he is a member of your troupe. Do you understand, Mr. Iseki?"
"Yes, yes, I understand. I'm just not—this isn't something I'm accustomed to. I—may I have some tea or something before—before I examine the man."
"Of course. Hinata, would you—"
"Yes, certainly," she said swiftly. She was glad to have something active to do. This was so difficult to watch. The average person wasn't as familiar with death or dead bodies as ninja were. They were never prepared for the unpleasantness of death.
They stood silently awaiting Hinata's return. Naruto didn't know what to say that wouldn't have the Hokage frowning at him. Humor was one way he dealt with awkward situations, but she never appreciated inappropriate levity. He'd matured enough to sometimes know when to keep his mouth shut.
Mr. Iseki continued to wipe his face with shaky hands. He was almost as pale as the dead man—but not quite. He appeared to be naturally pale anyway so it was surprising that he could look even paler.
Tsunade could think of nothing more to say to make this task more palatable. For herself, she hoped that he could identify the dead man. That would make her job easier. If this wasn't a member of the Iseki Acting Troupe, she would be facing this scenario at least once more but probably many more times before the end of the day. As time passed, the body would begin to decompose, and identification would become more and more unpleasant for the victim's family. That was an option she'd just as soon avoid.
Hinata returned as quickly as possible which wasn't as quickly as everyone would have liked. Due to a lack of personnel working in the odd hours of the morning, she had had to brew the tea herself. Luckily, she was a little familiar with the hospital kitchen from her visit only hours before for Kiba's tea.
Iseki drank the tea slowly at first, but once it was cooled, he drank it in one long gulp. He handed the cup to Hinata, thanked her, squared his shoulders, and said, "I'm ready."
Tsunade led the way into the morgue.
There was only one body laid out on a table in the room. Iseki's eyes widened in horror as he approached the table. He began his traverse across the room slowly, but quickened his pace after a few steps as if realizing that the quicker he did this the quicker he could be done with the onerous task.
He looked down into that flat, wrinkled face unseeingly at first. As his scan moved from one feature to another again and again, his eyes seemed to widen even more. His face suddenly scrunched up in pain, and he turned away with a cry of despair on one recognizable word.
"Moreo!" he cried.