Mamoru was a simple man. Plain, even. He didn't have outstanding looks or qualities. He was what you'd call a side-character helping the main protagonist. So, when Uchiha-san left him in charge, he was more than shocked. It probably wasn't anything special, and it was an emergency, but he felt very proud he was chosen. He tightened his ponytail, brushing a few strands of brown hair that fell from it behind his ear. His mother always told him to cut his hair but he liked it the way it is. Slipping his fingers through the strands helped him relax. He lived close to the prison, so he decided to hurry up and go there early. Uchiha-san was always there before anyone else and he didn't want to seem tardy. Light brown eyes glanced towards the guard booth, flashing a polite smile to the groggy guard inside. Smith was a good guy, albeit a little on the rough side. He walked through the gateand over to the entrance, unlocking the door with the key he was given.
It was weird to be the only one in the whole building. He wasn't fond of getting up early but he tried to be on time. Usually, he always barely made it, so seeing the empty place made him strangely excited. No matter how old a person gets, the urge to do something when you knew nobody would find out was always there. The child in him never died anyway, it was just always locked in a tight box, so he could focus on being polite and working diligently. Most people would probably frown at this, because you have to "be yourself" but the thing was, he wasn't not being himself. This was just another part of the person Mamoru. So, after a quick look around just to be sure nobody was actually here, he walked over to the door next to the elevator.
The stairs were rarely used these days, the elevator being more convenient. He walked all the way to the top floor, and then promptly sat on the railing and slid down until he was back on the first floor. The stairs continued but he didn't want to go to the prison cells floors. Grinning, he climbed back up to the proper floor and opened the door. He was serious about taking care of the prison while Uchiha-san was away, so he shook his head and walked towards the man's office. It was weird to sit in his commander's chair, so he decided to distract himself by beginning work. There were a lot of documents that needed to be checked on the black haired man's desk. After around twenty minutes of writing, he was startled when he heard a knock, and a familiar face popped through the open door.
"Kenji! Why are you here so early?" The man grinned and opened the door wider. A tray with two coffees and sandwiches was balanced on his hand. He smiled and gestured for Kenji to come inside. Once the man was seated, he passed him a cup and a sandwich.
"I wanted to give you something, since I guessed you'd be pretty nervous about this. And also because I was hungry and didn't want to eat alone."
"You could have shared with Smith." Kenji looked like somebody had stuffed a lemon in his mouth.
"He probably would have eaten my share too." They both laughed at that. He met Kenji when he started to work here. The man was older than him but didn't care for formalities and spoke to everyone as if they were best friends, somehow not sounding rude. He had black hair with a few grey strands already peeking out currently slicked back on his head. He was married and had a daughter. He always carried a picture of her and showed it to anyone who hadn't seen it.
He took a bite of the sandwich and gathered a few folders to place on some of his colleagues' desks. He got up, took a few steps, and fell to the ground. The folders scattered on the floor but he barely registered them. His vision was blurry and he felt his stomach churn. Suddenly, he heard a sob. And then another one. Uncontrollable crying filled the room. He managed to tilt his head towards the desk. His vision was too fuzzy to make out any details but he could tell Kenji was hunched over the desk. Ah, so he was the one crying. Why was he crying? And why did he feel so fucking sick? He was suddenly turned around, so he was lying on his back. A few tears that weren't his rolled down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. He threatened my family, Mamoru. He was going to kill them if I didn't...if I...fuck, I'm so sorry!" The older man's breathing became erratic and he couldn't understand anything else.
'Ah, so that's it. I got poisoned, huh. Am I going to die?' The thought didn't really make dread settle in his gut or tears spill from his eyes. He just felt calm, empty. It was probably the thing he was poisoned with. His mind was sluggish, as if barely managing to organize a thought. He kind of pitied Kenji. He didn't have a lover or anything but he knew he would have done the same to protect them. The man that was hunched over him still had so much to face. Kenji had suddenly shifted, dropping into a position one would make for a higher up. He was too disoriented to register any of that, or the footsteps coming closer to him. Something cool rested on his forehead. He died before the shot from the gun even registered in his mind.
A harsh bang on his cell bars woke the blonde man up. Before he could sort out his thoughts, hands grabbed him roughly and cuffs were put around his wrists. He shot a look at Sakura and was fully awake when he saw the tense expression on her face. The man that led him out of his cell was dangerous. And it was too early for him to be called for the next clue. His stomach twisted, anxiety gripping his whole body. The man was way too armed to be a normal officer and he knew almost all of them. This was not a familiar face. The only person who could be here this early was-
Sasuke. The blonde felt all the color drain from his face. Only Sasuke could be here this early. He tried to shake the dark thoughts that started plaguing his mind. His hope of Sasuke being okay was crushed when they passed by the interrogation room he was always put in. The room he entered next was identical to the usual one, except the men that occupied it seemed anything but police officers. Also, he still hadn't seen any sign of Sasuke. He was desperately hoping the raven was just late and wasn't lying in a pool of his own blood somewhere. His thoughts were cut to a halt when an old man sat in the chair in front of him.
"Uzumaki Naruto, correct?" The blonde nodded, even though the question was rhetorical. "I'm going to offer you a deal. Tell me where Uchiha Itachi is, and I will get you out of this place."
"I refuse. I've already made a deal with Sasuke." The man didn't seem surprised at the rejection. It seemed like he had expected it.
"Stubborn. But now we are going to have to do this the hard way." Before he could ask what the man meant, the blonde screamed in pain.
Kenji jumped at the screaming and after a while he decided he didn't want to (couldn't) listen to it anymore, and took the elevator to the first floor. Face pale, he rushed to the bathroom and dumped his stomach's contents in the toilet. Standing up on shaky legs, he flicked his gaze towards the mirror above the sink. He looked and felt dead. Images of Mamoru's hazy gaze and then of the bullet through his forehead made him dry heave over the toilet for a few minutes. He washed his hands and closed his eyes, forcing the tears away and preparing himself to go out. He thought of his wife and daughter, of laughter and a warm home. He knew he couldn't go back and face them after this. But they were going to be safe, even if he had to spill more blood. He pushed himself away from the sink and walked out.
When he exited the bathroom, Danzō and his other men were coming out of the elevator. He crouched, muttering a "Sir."
"We got the information we needed. Good job, Kenji." The man nodded, feeling sick. Danzō turned towards one of his other men, waiting for him to report.
"The officer has been disposed of, sir."
"Good. We threw Uzumaki back in his cell. It took way too much time to make him talk, the other officers are going to arrive soon. He should bleed to death. Is that poor excuse of a guard still sedated?" The man nodded, and Danzō started walking towards the exit.
"Excellent. We shall proceed to the location we got and capture Uchiha Itachi." A chorus of "Yes, sir." followed the old man's exclamation, and they left the prison. Kenji took one last look at the building he had spent so much time in and closed the door.
A/N: Oh boy, is this gonna go deep. So, hey there guys! I'm sorry this took so long but I went on a vacation to my grandparents' village. I didn't have enought Internet to post anything and decided I'd post everything when I came back. So, big surprise for you! The fic is officially finished. I kinda don't want to put an AN at the end, I feel like I'd ruin the moment, so I'm writing everything here. I have only two things to say. First, I finished beta reading and fixing the whole fic but it's just grammar mistakes, so you don't need to go back or anything, just decided I'd mention it. Second, I want to thank you all for the support you gave me for this fic. I seriously didn't expect it. Thank you. It's my first fic, the first chapters kinda make me cringe, but I love it. Thank you again and R&R~ I want to hear your opinions!