MLC

Author: Ladelle

Rating: M

Comments: So I'm trying to finish Dead Weight before the end of next month to have more time to devote here, but it seems like my balancing act isn't really that great. :sad face:

Thank you so much for all of your reviews--the next chapter of MiLiCo will be out in one week. 'How do I know', you ask? Because it's already written.

Love to you all!

Chapter 5:

Naruto had expected them to go much further to reach the second arena for interrogations, but was pleasantly surprised when it was only a mere ten minutes away. The house they were visiting was in a wealthier district, although Naruto only knew that because Neji said so. In his eyes, rich or poor, the scenery always seemed the same.

"So, can I ask you a question?" Naruto ventured, still feeling a bit like a third wheel. From beside him Neji glanced back and forth down the skyline road, ensuring that he was able to safely make a left turn. "What's that?"

"Are these interrogations just to find other travelers?" he asked, and he ran his fingers along the smooth contour of his seatbelt as he spoke. Neji nodded half-heartedly.

"Yes and no. During the time the Gamabunta wasn't in government hands, we can only assume that more travelers exist here. It wouldn't be a problem if the Akatsuki weren't involved… but since they are, things are a little more complicated."

Naruto scratched his head and sat back in his seat as Neji pulled down for a landing, the hover gear frothing against the dark pavement below. The vehicle made a magnificent humming noise as it found its way to the ground, and when Neji pulled the key-card from the starter, Naruto glanced over to him.

"What's the 'Akatsuki'?"

There was a moment of silence where Naruto knew Neji was debating on telling him. Either that or he wasn't quite sure how to word an explanation, and after a minute he shook his head.

"If Itachi would have succeeded in getting you out of the country the first time around, you would have most likely ended up with them. They're like a group of assassins who collect travelers… and that's really all that we know."

"And Itachi was one of them?" Naruto raised an eyebrow and got out of the car. Neji followed from the other side and when they began striding towards the doorway leading out of the parking garage, Neji just nodded.

"I wish I knew more myself. But really, any traveler who ends up in their hands may as well have never existed."

Naruto felt a little nervous at that statement. If his memory served right, hadn't Itachi just wanted him to make a time machine? Even if that had been the case… the older Uchiha never promised him anything regarding when and if he completed it.

"So what are we doing here?" Naruto asked, and Neji, surprisingly, handed Naruto a revolver. They weren't around any people, but Naruto still glanced around nervously as he took it. "Why would I—"

"Rich people need a reason to listen," Neji explained, and he pulled back Naruto's jacket and tugged on one of the loops of his denims, meant for a belt. Naruto's jeans had always been loose and baggy, and he slapped Neji's hands away.

"Hey, watch the merchandise," he said hesitantly, and Neji smiled and shook his head.

"Put it in your waistband; you've got plenty of room."

Naruto glanced back down to where Neji had tugged at him, suddenly making the connection as to why the officer had nearly de-pantsed him in public. He glanced at the gun and shoved in, attempting to make it as snug against his hip as possible.

"I really don't feel comfortable walking around with a gun," he pouted a little, and Neji held the door of a rather tall and impending apartment building for him.

"You'll have to get used to it if you're going to be my partner," and what that meant, Naruto had no idea. Maybe Neji drew in danger. Judging from interrogation number one, it was highly likely.

They both drifted through the building, nodding politely to the receptionist in the lobby, Naruto pulling his hat lower over his hair. He felt the metal of the gun against his upper leg, riding higher as his walking movements loosened it.

He frowned and dug his hand into his sweater pocket, doing his best to hold the weapon in place through the fabric. He felt like a little kid trying to sneak something in past his parents, all while doing a horrible job. Look natural, his mind insisted, but the comment only made him sigh.

"Alright, here's the story," Neji said as they turned into an elevator. When the doors closed, he began. "The lady we are visiting—her name is Shizune—the department believes that she has housed a traveler, and an important one."

Naruto nodded and the elevator bell dinged with each floor it ascended past.

"Shizune was on her deathbed at Denver Central," Neji explained, referring to a hospital, "but as you will see, is perfectly cured. No medicine that she needed exists here," he finished.

Naruto nodded and followed Neji out of the elevator, hoping that he wouldn't have to lead the questioning. Neji pulled an arrival switch outside of a lean looking opaque door, and moments later, a woman came to answer.

"I don't take solicitors," she said firmly, and Naruto suddenly remembered how long it had been since he had seen a woman. A few days made an awkward difference, and he took in her sharp features and narrowed eyes, all examining, completely aware.

"We're under Morino," Neji said and he flashed a digital identification card in front of her. She eyed it skeptically before turning to Naruto, as if expecting him to do the same. He looked surprised.

"I'm in training," he explained quickly, and she raised an eyebrow. After glancing back to Neji she opened her door to allow them in, obviously in no rush to argue. The police seemed to have a lot of power, Naruto noticed.

The two officers drifted in and sat down on a long and cushiony couch after she offered it to them, Naruto straining as the gun bit into his leg.

"Are you alright?" the woman asked, brushing strands of dark hair behind her ears. Naruto laughed a little too loudly. "Heh, yeah, I'm fine."

Neji gave him a sidelong glance of curiosity to which he shrugged at, not really wanting to explain at the moment. Neji was about to ask when the woman, Shizune, placed a tray with tea on the book table in front of them and sat adjacent.

"What can I owe this pleasure to?" she said, and Naruto heard the bite of sarcasm in her voice. Neji politely poured himself some tea and plopped a sugar cube into the concoction, and Naruto felt a more serious air overwhelm the room.

"My name is Neji Hyuuga and I've been assigned a case that may or may not require your involvement," he explained, taking a quick sip of tea in between. "It's up to you how involved you'll need to become."

Naruto would have loved a cup of tea, but leaning forward with the growing pain on his thigh restricted him. He instead glanced back and forth between the two, trying to make out the entire situation.

"I wonder what I could be of use for," she wondered and Naruto sensed it again—that same undertone of sarcasm. Neji didn't seem bothered, but Naruto had always been one to cut to the chase.

"You were recently in the hospital—"

"Look, if you were helped by a traveler then you should just say so," Naruto interrupted, ignoring the staggered expression of his partner from beside him. The woman looked surprised too before she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes.

"My, aren't you hiring the polite ones," she said, and Naruto frowned.

"You know why we're here. You've known all along—and acting smug about it just makes me impatient. You may think your doing this person a favor by hiding them, but being a traveler is dangerous," he said, and was cut off by Neji from beside him.

"Naruto," he sounded angry, and when Naruto looked over to him, he saw the emotion in his eyes too. The glance was quick before Neji turned back to Shizune, looking apologetic.

"Even though he was very forward about it, what he says about the danger is true," he tried to quell the anxiety that had lifted, and surprisingly enough, Shizune looked completely uninterested in him. Her eyes lingered on Naruto, still examining and expectant.

"Not everything is black and white," she said, her voice still firm. "When you owe someone something, you owe them something."

Naruto felt his expression cool a little as their eyes stayed in contact, taking each other in.

He understood.

In the past, when he had arrived in the future, if he had been caught by the police he wouldn't have said a word to anyone about who had helped him. Because he owed them that. People who never knew him had risked their lives for him, and that was more than what someone else had presumptuously labeled the 'better good'.

"You're right," Naruto said, and it was suddenly apparent that the conversation had become something solely between him and Shizune, "but even so, you should think about it. Really think about it."

Neji took this opportunity to hand her a card, and she seemed surprised to take it.

"I can promise you that if we don't hear anything that we'll be back," he stated coolly, "but if you're still in contact with this person, give them my card. The department is out to protect travelers, no matter what rumors you may have heard."

Shizune frowned, looking a little less affronted before Naruto suddenly stood, the pressure on his leg becoming unbearable. It seemed like the end of the discussion anyway, and Neji followed in suit, the woman jumping up to get the door for them. Neji nodded in thanks as he exited and Naruto paused, glancing over to Shizune.

"If you don't trust the cops," he said casually, and brought his hand to his cap, "then trust a traveler." He popped it up to reveal his hair, smiling lightly as her eyes became vividly aware. He shoved it back on quickly, making sure Neji hadn't seen the action, and bustled ahead. "Who knows," he whispered, "I might even know him," he winked and took off down the hall, Neji waiting at the end, his expression somewhat irritated.

When they walked outside, Neji let out a low groan. "You can't talk to people like that," he stated, "or they'll get angry. They don't like polite officers, since our reputation has been a little marred."

Naruto frowned because he hadn't really thought about all of that. "I think people like it less when you drag things out," he said. "She knew why we were there."

"Yes, but the more you let people talk, the more information you can get," Neji clarified, and Naruto suddenly understood. Shizune may have inadvertently given away information about the person's whereabouts or history—at least something to go off of. He sighed.

"This may be me assuming things, but shouldn't you of all people understand what she's feeling?"

Neji gave an impetuous glare. "How is that?"

"You protected me for a long time, didn't you?" Naruto asked, and Neji looked downcast.

"My job was to follow you and figure out your intentions… if Morino had ordered me to turn you in, I would have."

Naruto shook his head. "I think you're lying."

Neji glanced over to him after unlocking the doors and they both climbed into the car. After they were seated, Naruto grinned. "But it doesn't matter. I'm here now and that's all that really matters."

Naruto watched as Neji started the car, and for the strangest reason, their ride back to the station was completely silent.

"I think we should save the third for another day," Neji said as they walked up to the main office, and Naruto nodded from behind, wondering if Neji was upset with him. He couldn't think of anything he had said that was offensive, but maybe the way he had handled the conversation with Shizune was enough to irk the Hyuuga.

"I have to have the reports in by tonight," Naruto said, remembering his little docket of orders. He frowned, "What should I write about the first interrogation?"

Neji held the door open for him and turned, handing him a manila folder. "This has all of the basic information on the two people we saw today. I didn't learn much from the first, but she was housing the man who you ran into. Other than his admission that he knew where Itachi was, no other information was collected."

Naruto mentally noted that, but had hoped in a small part of his mind that Neji would walk him through what exactly a report consisted of. Now it just seemed like Neji was anxious to go do something else. Before he turned, Naruto grabbed his arm.

"Are you angry at me?" he asked, and Neji stared for a minute before shaking his head.

"No," he said finally, "I'm sorry. Don't worry about it; I'll be around for lunch tomorrow after your training, alright?"

Naruto lifted an eyebrow skeptically and Neji smiled before disappearing into the building, leaving the blond somewhat frustrated. He clutched the folder in his hands and wandered outside, enjoying the small play of heat from the sky above. He walked down the increasingly familiar sidewalk leading to his building, patting his pocket to make sure he still had his remaining tea mixtures in it.

As he approached the front doors he spotted Kotetsu outside, leaning against one of the brick landings shelving the staircase. As he approached, the senior officer raised an eyebrow.

"Looks like you've had an easy day," he smirked, and Naruto shrugged.

"That or I'm really good at my job," he offered, and Kotetsu laughed out loud. He turned to follow Naruto inside, shadowing him with his hands in his pockets, crouched over like he himself had had a very uneventful day.

"Is Neji treating you alright?" Kotetsu asked, and Naruto continued up the staircase leading to the upper levels. He laughed.

"Yeah, although I'm left to figure out reports all on my own," he gave a pouty face and shook the manila folder before rounding a corner on the upper level.

"Mm, fun," the wild-haired man said, and he let out a sigh. "Listen, tonight we're all going to San Marcos—it's a tap-house nearby, to celebrate having a new member," he said, and Naruto turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"A tap-house?"

"Eh," Kotetsu looked baffled momentarily, "A bar? To welcome you, and all that," he finished and Naruto nodded.

"Alright, what time? And where?" Truth be told he wasn't in the mood to party about anything, but if it meant getting closer with his team, it sounded increasingly more exciting.

"I'll send Haku to come get you," he said and he waved his hand in the air whimsically.

"Great."

"Okay, off to work, you," he finished, and he shuffled away, looking more pleased than beforehand.

Naruto secretly wondered if the event was really to celebrate him being an addition or if it was just an excuse to drink. Remembering past experiences with Neji, officers didn't seem to drink much.

He swiped his card and entered his apartment, immediately roaming to his bedroom with the file in his hand. He just wanted to finish his work and get it turned in on time, even though he wasn't sure what exactly he needed to do. He plopped down into his computer chair and admired the desktop, noting that it was the first time he had used it.

He couldn't help the urge but to browse its features, still amazed at how far technology had come. He touched the internet icon with his finger and the browser overwhelmed the screen, a search engine occupying its majority. Out of curiosity (and a desperation he wasn't willing to admit to) he typed in Sasuke Uchiha, wondering what would come up.

And he found himself leaning back into his chair as pictures appeared, along with articles that were new and old—and links to websites that told his biography and such. Naruto knew at once that the decision to search Sasuke's name was a bad idea.

The photographs made him feel incomplete. They filled the gaps of things Naruto hadn't even known he had forgotten over the two years he had been absent. He didn't remember Sasuke's eyes being that low, or that dark. He remembered them narrowed and knowledgeable, with dark amber hues that told stories on their own.

He remembered that while Sasuke looked pale and focused, his touch was surprisingly heated and his words often passionate—things he wondered if anyone else knew. And as he ran his finger across the largest photo that appeared he felt his heart race and his head hurt.

Sure, he had waited two years… so three more months was nothing in comparison. But as he read the articles, things on Uchiha Industries and its success, he wondered if it had already been too long.

"Ack, I'm like some love-struck idiot," Naruto said, and he exited the internet as soon as he said it, pulling up a word program in order to complete his reports. He just needed a distraction, he tried to convince himself.

He began typing the first page, labeling it with his name, position, and date. He paused shortly after though, recounting the incidents of the day.

Sasuke had been right next to him. Right there! And not only that, he had been searching for information—information the clerk hadn't seemed pleased to give. And then there was the phone call the clerk had made when he had first arrived…

Naruto had no idea what any of it meant, of course. But intuition had a unique way of letting you know if situations were fishy or not, and this one definitely had Naruto worried. If Sasuke was going to places like Montebello for information… it only seemed to amount to two things.

One, he was searching for a traveler. Naruto's heart sped up at this, but then he remembered that Sasuke was happily dating some rich night club centerfold, and the assumption was squished in his head. That only left two, which only hinted that he was getting involved with people he shouldn't… for unknown reasons.

It made Naruto's palms sweaty. Especially knowing about the Akatsuki and their reach for travelers. If what Neji said was true and they wanted anyone they could find, it made sense that their first stop would be people that could take them to where travelers were hiding.

And that's why it was good that Sasuke didn't know about Naruto's most recent arrival. It made sense, suddenly. If Sasuke knew and someone else found out… there was a chance the Akatsuki would target him in order to find out as much information as they could.

But if he was getting involved with travelers on his own…

Naruto shook his head and read Neji's brief scribbles about his encounter with the family that had been hiding the silver-haired man in Montebello, frowning as it said practically nothing. The only note that caught him was a side marking that said: Kabuto?

Naruto frowned. Was that a name? He pulled back up the internet and typed it in, hoping to get decent results. Before the server had a chance to load a knock on his door surprised him and he jumped up, breathing hard. He paced out to the living area and answered it, surprised to see Haku smiling up at him.

"Will you be ready in an hour?" he asked, and Naruto glanced down at his icon, wondering how much time had passed. Too much, his mind said.

"Yeah, one hour," he made definite, and Haku pointed a finger at him. "I'll be back."

Naruto laughed a little as he drifted away and returned to his desk, exiting the internet before he had a chance to remember what he was doing. If he wanted to finish the reports on time he would have to focus and use every minute he had.

San Marcos was a surprisingly classy bar, if compared to others that Naruto had known. It wasn't a restaurant like the other bars he remembered from the future, it was just a normal, all-you-can-drink edifice with a loud crowd and lots of empty seats.

The inner-parts of the building were lined with bricks and cherry wood, and the floor was a pretty mosaic tile that made the tap-house's name, San Marcos, feel more appropriate. When he walked in with Haku, Kotetsu slapped his back from behind and laughed out loud, already halfway drunk.

"He's 'ere!" he announced triumphantly, and Naruto noticed that a huge section of the seating of the bar was restricted to the police party he had arrived to. Genma, who was seated at the end with a simple bottle of beer, gave Kotetsu an irritated glance.

"You'd think that muscle mass would give you more leeway for alcohol," he said in a low voice, and from behind him, Raidou snorted.

"Muscle is all the 'leeway' he'll get," he said, and Kotetsu frowned after taking another couple gulps from a large brown bottle in his hand.

"Who's getting leeway?" he stumbled over towards the bar and sat down, and from beside Naruto, Haku laughed.

"Order what you want," he said, and he motioned Naruto towards the counter. Naruto felt strangely out of place, but he decided to do his best.

"Amaretto Sour," he said, and the bartender looked surprised.

"Haven't heard that one in a while," he commented, and Izumo, who was seated to his left, raised an eyebrow. "It sounds good, what's in it?"

Naruto turned to him and grinned. "Amaretto liquor and a sour mix—it's kind of girly but it tastes like heaven," he said, and from down the line Kotetsu laughed.

"Kind of girly'?" he asked.

Naruto accepted his drink from the bartender and laughed. "Where I come from, the masculine drinks are hard liquor," he explained, and Genma nodded with some sort of interest.

"There are a lot of women in your time, right?" he asked, and Haku's eyes widened.

"Really?"

After taking a sip of his drink and letting out a contented sigh, Naruto nodded. "Yeah, there are."

Kotetsu and Izumo looked extremely intrigued and from the end of the table, Raidou frowned. "Well, you're not going to find women here." And if his comment was meant to be discouraging, it failed.

"I'm not looking for women," Naruto said quickly, and this made all the excited chatter at the table fizzle down, until Kotetsu let out a hoot.

"Is that the case, now?" he laughed and slapped Raidou on the back, earning a disgruntled glare from the taller and more threatening man. Genma smirked.

"You're not looking for 'men' either. Let me guess, you're looking for a man…" he said softly, and Naruto narrowed his eyes, grinning in return.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not one to kiss and tell," he said, and Izumo looked curious.

"You've only been here a few days—how have you managed to meet someone already?" he asked, and Haku slid into the seat beside him, looking curious as well. Naruto glanced over to Genma, wondering if it was alright for him to say anything. Genma seemed to be a little caught off guard as well, unsure of what would be too much information. From behind him, Raidou snorted.

"He's a traveler. He doesn't have to meet someone. They find him," and even though Raidou was extremely cold and overbearing, Naruto couldn't help but think that he had intentionally answered in his place.

Kotetsu ruffled Naruto's hair after lifting another bottle of something from the table and chuckled. "Must be nice," he said, and Haku smiled.

"I don't even know what I'd do if I was in a different time period," he said. "You're braver than me."

Naruto laughed a little, grateful to the change in subjects. "Believe me, it wasn't intentional."

Naruto finished up his drink and motioned for another, the bartender wandering over to refill. Kotetsu was pacing round and Genma was laughing at something Raidou had commented on, and from beside Naruto, Izumo quirked a question.

"So, you do know about the Akatsuki, right?" even though his tone was welcoming, Naruto could feel the seriousness of the question. It seemed the draw the attention to him again and he rested his elbows on the bar table, drinking a sip down slowly.

"Yeah," he answered, and Izumo nodded.

From next to him, Haku let out a low sigh. "Something fishy is going on," he said softly, and Raidou narrowed his eyes.

"Watch what you say in public," he warned and Haku smiled genuinely.

"I know. It just think that… well, you know," he finished and everyone nodded. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Is this something I should know about?" he ventured, still looking casual.

"Ever since a year ago this traveler thing has gotten out of hand," he explained, much to Raidou's disapproving glare. "So it's interesting that you've been given a job here, and things like that."

Oh, Naruto thought. Well, he could explain that. But he didn't because he wasn't sure what needed to not be known.

"I'm sorry boys, but my shift is almost up," the bartender finished drying out a long glass and set it on the counter, eyeing the clock behind him. Kotetsu waved him off and Haku asked a question.

"Who do we give our tab to?"

The bartender removed his apron and set it on the counter closest to him, laughing jovially. "My night-shift. I know how much you all love me, but a guy's gotta get some sleep," he joked, and Genma smiled.

"Get some rest," he said, and the man pulled himself out of the turnstile leading to the back, grinning.

"Don't drink too much more," he advised and everyone nodded, Kotetsu adding a drunken, "Yeah, yeah," to the mix.

Naruto smiled. "So you guys come here a lot?"

"On occasion. Usually not on a night before training though," Haku answered, and from beside him, Kotetsu sighed.

"I wonder who the night-shift is," he asked no one in particular, and Izumo frowned.

"You only want it to be him 'cause you've got a crush on the kid," he jested and Kotetsu smiled triumphantly.

"What's the guy's name…"

"Nara," Raidou said flatly, as if trying to end the quizzical battle. "Shikamaru Nara."

Naruto nearly dropped his glass.

Naruto trying to be invisible is like a vampire trying to check himself out in the mirror. Poor guy. Hahaha.

Naruto Ship. Movie Spoilers-ish

So I finally saw the Ship movie and feel really guilty saying that I didn't like it. Naruto's just...so COOL in Ship...that seeing him all super-bubbly don't-wanna-work-with-the-team made me tear up. I was kind of expecting more of Naruto's character to be fate defying...as opposed to the priestess saving him. But that's because I've been daydreaming stuff about the previews since they came out so long ago...and well, you guys know how my mind works. (in mysterious ways)

Oh man, and did anyone else catch the Herbal Essence moment when he popped out of the lake? That had me laughing pretty hard. Oh man.

Naruto Ship Spoilers-ish

Okay, someone help me out here! It may be that it's been a REALLY long time since I've read the manga back to ShikaInoCho & Asuma's battle with the Akatsuki...but I seem to remember things differently. One, these mysterious people on the cliff at the end of 56...were they in the manga or are they fillers?? Me thinks they're fillers. And didn't Naruto learn to cut the waterfall right after the leaf...and then he was whisked away to help in the ShikaInoCho mission? I suppose I could just reread.

:deep sigh:

More Fics:

ALSO! Okay, so I made an account on AFF for all of those who requested I post my um...smutty stuff in a more public place. I don't know how to make hyperlinks, but I put the web address on my profile page for those who are interested.

Thank you for your patience with my updating. It will get better, I promise.