Misery Loves Company
Author: Ladelle
Rating: M
Comments: I'm baaaaaaaack...! We can officially note that when I get writer's block it lasts for two months and it usually caused by one or a combination of: stress, doing stuff every weekend, reading manga other than Naruto (:gasp:), frightening colds, college, and upcoming elections. That being said the phase has passed and here I am with a long awaited update (not just for you but me too).
Thank you for all of your reviews and patience and I hope it was worth the wait!
Recap: Neji finally admitted his feelings to Naruto and told him some important things about Sasuke's relationship with Suigetsu. 1. Sasuke depends on Suigetsu's financial support and 2. because of that, the chances of Sasuke leaving him are slim to none. This puts Naruto in an awkward position because he wants Sasuke, but he knows that Uchiha Industries is everything to him.
During their little verbal tiff Morino sounds over Neji's Icon, demanding for them to get down to Hebi asap. When they arrive they discover it's a hostage situation and Naruto is the first to jump forward and agree to enter. Neji is reluctant, but after their fight, submits to letting Naruto do as he wants. Naruto goes inside, where Morino, Sasuke, and Suigetsu are being held captive under Orochimaru and Deidara and also a new character, Kabuto. It is a ploy to get the police away from the station so that Kisame can be freed.
Though Orochimaru claims that Naruto is an officer, Deidara defends him and states that he is a double agent; someone really working to join the Akatsuki. Naruto is amazed that Kisame and Deidara hadn't figured him out yet, but he plays along, knowing it will by him more time and opportunity. Suigetsu snaps though and grabs his gun, firing at Deidara and sending the room into chaos. Morino gets his gun and they gain the upperhand, and it is revealed through Morino that Naruto is and will always be a good guy.
Deidara manages to snag a gun of his own and grabs Naruto, demanding him to drive them to the station to Kisame. When Naruto is reluctant to agree, Deidara ushers Sasuke along, using him as leverage. They leave, and Morino is distraught, especially because of Orochimaru's subtle words:
The Akatsuki doesn't like being fooled with, and Naruto's life now seems more endanger than before.
:phew:
Chapter 15:
Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know how to drive."
The statement caused Deidara to forcefully push Naruto against the vehicle, making him gasp at the impact. "I'm not lying," Naruto ground out against the Plexiglas. "I honestly can't drive this."
A gun pressed against his spine and Naruto bit his lip. This situation wasn't good. Deidara had led them to a back parking lot, one Naruto didn't even know of. He figured that even if Morino managed to get a call out to Neji to rescue them that it would be too late. And now it wasn't just his life on the line, it was Sasuke's too.
"I'll drive." Sasuke's voice cut through the uncomfortable silence that had settled and Naruto grunted when Deidara yanked him backwards, just in time for the gull wing doors to whip open. He wanted to turn and see Sasuke's expression, but Deidara's hand sunk into his hair and clenched, shoving him forward and into the backseat.
"Do anything stupid, Uchiha, and I won't hesitate to make you regret it." Deidara slid in beside Naruto, aggressively cornering him against the opposite side of the car, the side panel digging into his waist. Sasuke ended up seating himself in the front, looking almost impassive as Deidara jammed the muzzle of the firearm into Naruto's thigh. Naruto tensed and Sasuke said, "Where am I going."
The anger and reluctance in his voice was nothing compared to how calm he sounded, and it made Naruto cringe a little, knowing that the situation in some ways was his fault. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Sasuke, but even so, having a pistol digging into his leg wasn't making him feel any more in control of the situation.
"Morino's precinct. And it would be in your best interests to hurry." Deidara's head was darting around, searching for Morino or any other officers that may have found them. He was anxious, Naruto could tell. But nervous criminals made for the worst. Nerves were born from fear, and fear made people do drastic things.
Naruto gulped as the gun unconsciously slid higher, closer to his groin. It wasn't intentional; it was because Sasuke had finally sent the vehicle up and the movement had been a bit wavering. Naruto tried to read Sasuke, but it was no use. He could only see the back of Sasuke's head, and the pale skin of his neck that disappeared into the collar of a sophisticated white shirt.
"You know, you're pretty good," Deidara said, and it took a moment for Naruto to realize that the older man was talking to him. "You really had me fooled. Kisame too."
Naruto let his eyes meet the other man's a narrow. "I was doing my job."
For some reason this comment was funny, because Deidara chuckled and then thinned his lips. "I'm sure the Akatsuki will find an even better job for you, assuming Kisame lets you live," he laughed, and Naruto felt his insides coil. Sasuke took a sharp left that resulted in a few astro cars wailing their horns, and the sudden movement didn't help Naruto's already uneasy stomach.
"He doesn't forgive easily though," Deidara continued, and Naruto bit back a response against his better judgment.
"How can you even work for them? You're a traveler too, aren't you?" Naruto studied Deidara's cobalt eyes, trying to read the logic behind his actions. The other man grinned and stared at Naruto as though he were a petulant child.
"Don't go assuming you and I are anything alike Blondie," he said coldly. "I don't come from a time of peace and butterflies, like you. I don't have an honest bone left in my body."
Naruto hissed as Deidara twisted the round, feeling a bit panicked. Was Deidara really going to shoot him? He needed to keep his cool. Deidara was searching for reactions, and luckily enough, he was almost as good at looking as straight-faced as Sasuke in tricky situations.
"You're driving too slow," Deidara threatened, and Naruto jerked his attention to Sasuke who lowered his head. Naruto remembered that movement, as slight as it was. Sasuke was livid.
"I don't want to drive any faster without you two putting your seatbelts on," Sasuke stated, and Naruto almost let his eyebrow raise. It was an odd comment for him to make, and Deidara choked out a laugh.
"You planning on crashing?"
Naruto looked out of the window as buildings zipped by, so fast that he felt his stomach turn and nausea make him let out a hitched cough. He could feel Deidara staring at him and Sasuke's voice sounded again from the front.
"He'll faint on you," Sasuke said, and Naruto turned his head up, frowning, his pride outweighing his motion sickness.
"What? Since when have I 'fainted'?" He furrowed his eyebrows and he could hear Sasuke snort. Deidara glanced back and forth between them, amused.
"Put the belt on, Uzumaki," Sasuke's voice was almost condescending. "I don't want you throwing up all over the man who has a gun pointed at you."
Naruto was about to bite back some comment about how Sasuke obviously had some issues with his memories, because he had never thrown up because of his motion sickness. Deidara was moving against him though, the pressure of the gun relieved at the man searched for the extension of the safety belt.
"If you throw up on me, I'll shoot you now matter how mad Kisame will get," he looked positively adamant about getting Naruto into a seatbelt, and it left the twenty-four year old feeling a bit ridiculous. He hadn't thrown up in years, and he felt almost degraded that Sasuke would even say something like that. It was embarrassing. He was a man—and a police officer!
"Are you buckled yet?" Sasuke's voice had lost its patronizing tone, but Naruto failed to notice. He clicked the buckle into place and straightened it across his chest, ignoring the way Deidara was glancing at him from a few inches away, fear of being a receptacle obvious in his eyes.
"Yes." Naruto's answer was cold.
"Good." Sasuke said, and Naruto barely had time to blink when Sasuke jerked the car sideways, flooring the accelerator as he rammed it into a blur of gray which Naruto half-identified as the wall of a building.
Stars danced in front of his vision and he saw bulbs of red flash before his eyes, his chest screaming as the seatbelt held him locked into place, but hardly left him unaffected by the speed and strength of the impact. Bile rose in his throat and by reflex he swallowed it back down, and he felt the glass from the front window rush past him before he even heard it shatter.
The impact only lasted a moment, and then there was silence. The silence lasted only a second, and then the vehicle was groaning, the sounds of an engine sparking reminding Naruto vaguely of a lighter that refused to work. He opened his eyes and his head fell forward, his breath catching in his throat as he held back another round of stomach acid that threatened to come up.
Sasuke.
"Fuck," the words left Naruto's mouth before he could even think to say them, and suddenly the vehicle was free-falling, grinding against the gray mass in front of it as shrieking noises threatened to make Naruto go deaf and sparks sprit from the hood like Fourth of July fireworks. His stomach seemed to rise to his throat and he clenched his eyes closed, his hands gripping the seat below him so hard that he swore they went through the fabric, tugging at the cotton coating inside.
His head pounded. The fall felt like forever. He couldn't think.
They hit something—a power line? Maybe a light pole. Naruto didn't know. The his world turned upside down as the car flipped in midair, and the belt seemed to readjust, tightening against his stomach and rising against his neck to lock him into position, preparing for another impact.
The next drop wasn't as long, and it wasn't as hard. Whatever the car had hit had broken the fall, and Naruto heard the plexiglass collide with the ground below. Then everything stopped; the movement and every sound, except for Naruto's breathing which was erratic and panicked. He hadn't even realized that tears had streaked his cheeks, and he sat, completely restrained by the safety belts, waiting to open his eyes and wake up from a nightmare.
"Naruto." It was Sasuke's voice, but Naruto couldn't open his eyes. He was smart. He was going through shock and he had to calm down. He had to breath deep. He had to focus.
"Naruto, I can't get you out without your help," it was Sasuke's voice again and this time, Naruto managed to part his lips, finally beginning to feel again, and feel angry.
"—fucking bastard…w-whenever you plan on pulling that s-shit you h-have to –t-tell…me…" He felt a tugging sensation at the lower part of his seatbelt and a cool finger came over his lips. "Don't talk. The belt is pretty tight around your throat."
There was a shuffling and Naruto tried to open his eyes, finally feeling his nerves settle. He hadn't even noticed the tension around his throat until Sasuke had said that, and now he felt like someone was trying to strangle him. He coughed and glanced down, only to realize that the car had landed completely upside down. Sasuke was below of him, working hastily to release the tight leather holding him in place.
"My head," Naruto warned, mostly because he could feel his blood rushing to it. No wonder it was pounding. Sasuke jerked the portion of belt around his neck forward and the lower buckle unclasped, and Naruto felt himself get dumped unceremoniously into Sasuke's lap. Cool hands caught him before his head met any peril, and Naruto stumbled to straighten himself, cradling his head in his hands.
"That was stupid," Naruto bit out. "Ridiculously stupid. We could have died—you could have died. You were sitting up front for God's—"
Lips came over his and Naruto's eyes snapped open as he was pushed back against the hanging seating, Sasuke's hands forming a cage around him. The kiss was brief and impassive, but it did its job. Naruto was quiet, at least for a moment.
"That was… stupid too." His voice wasn't very confident, and he could finally see Sasuke in front of him, glaring.
"Would you quit insulting me?"
Naruto glanced around the car they were seemingly trapped inside and raised an eyebrow. "What, you want an award?" he said sarcastically, and he wiped away a bit of blood that was dripping down his neck. The seatbelt had cut him a bit, though it didn't feel too deep. He let out a sigh of relief, considering it was his neck that had suffered the injury.
"Where's Dei—"
"He wasn't wearing a seatbelt, like us," Sasuke cut him off, and Naruto swallowed. Obviously Sasuke had witnessed his fate.
The overhead light, which was now below them, flickered on and off like a strobe light. Now that the cold rush of adrenaline had trickled out of Naruto's system he could feel the muggy warmth of the summer day creeping inside, collecting and working to smother them both. He pushed forward a bit and Sasuke fell forward against him, letting out a hiss of pain.
"What?" Naruto asked, and he found Sasuke's shoulders with his hands. When Sasuke jolted at the touch, Naruto realized that Sasuke's shirt sleeve was wet. His eyes widened and he pushed Sasuke back, more towards the flickering light so he could see.
"Sasu—Oh my God. When did you get—who shot you?"
Sasuke's upper arm was definitely injured, and the white cotton which had once been pristine business attire was now soaked in blood. The business man snorted. "It's just a graze. Deidara pulled the trigger out of shock, I think."
Naruto threw his vision around the car, pausing when he saw a long cord that had somehow been severed from its purpose beneath the seating. "Here, let me tie it—"
"It's a graze, Naruto," Sasuke said coolly, and Naruto frowned. "What's the matter with you? You—You crash us into some building, get yourself shot—and now you're bleeding—"
"I couldn't do it."
"—and I can't even try to stop it? We could have died Sasuke, even if it was quick thinking—"
"I couldn't lose you to them again."
"—so much that you'd—" Naruto paused. "What?"
Sasuke was quiet. With his right hand wrapped around his upper arm, his face was stern. "The Akatsuki. My brother. Any of them. They can't have you."
Naruto could see that Sasuke was paler than normal, an obvious result of the blood he had lost—and was still loosing. His dark eyes were unusually glazed over, and Naruto held a soothing hand against his back, while glancing around, searching for a way out. Sasuke needed a doctor, and he needed one fast.
"You don't believe me," Sasuke said against him and Naruto pulled them both to the side of the car, where the door had gotten crunched down enough to break the window, leaving enough space for one person to crawl through. Naruto frowned as he debated on how to get them through, especially because he could feel Sasuke getting more exhausted as he was slumped against Naruto's chest.
"I believe you, Sasuke," Naruto said, a bit halfheartedly. It was one thing for Sasuke to speak to him openly, it was another when he was only a few breaths from losing consciousness with a gunshot wound spouting possessiveness. "You're going to have to get out first."
Naruto twisted around and Sasuke nodded, obviously deciding that getting out of the car was more important then re-enforcing his statement. Naruto held his uninjured shoulder, pausing him before he got onto his back in order to slide out. "Wait a minute," Naruto said, and he straightened up as much as he could, working quickly to unbutton the thick jacket of his police uniform.
He yanked the bottom out from his pants and shrugged his off, leaning over Sasuke to lay it onto the broken pieces of glass and slivered metal than blanketed the escape route's base. When Sasuke gave him a skeptical look, Naruto frowned.
"You're bleeding enough as it is. Now go, I want to get out of here," he almost demanded, and Sasuke rolled his eyes briefly before laying himself down on the jacket. Bracing his heels onto the ceiling of the car he pushed, and Naruto watched as he managed to wiggle himself out, and even helped to push his legs through when Sasuke had to drop his knees due to the height of the passage.
Naruto heard Sasuke push himself to a sitting position and knelt down, searching through the crack for his jacket. When he found it he pulled it back through and laid it flat, settling onto his elbows and pushing himself through. He kicked a bit and squinted when sunlight assaulted his vision, but he was freed from his plexiglass prison soon enough.
"Sirens," Sasuke said, and moments after Naruto heard them. They were soft and distant. Naruto frowned. How long had they been trapped there? It sure had taken them long enough.
Naruto felt Sasuke slouch forward against him and it surprised him. The bleeding on Sasuke's arm hadn't stopped and Naruto put an arm around Sasuke's shoulder and shook. "Hey, hey! Don't fall asleep!"
Sasuke groaned against him but Naruto continued to rock him back and forth, trying to keep him awake until a medical unit arrived. Sasuke finally bit out an agitated comment. "I'm not going to fall asleep, you idiot!"
Naruto stopped his ministrations as Sasuke continued. "Just… Just let me stay like this until they get here."
Naruto felt his heart rate speed up a little and a familiar warmth spread through him, but one that was coupled with mixed emotions. "Alright," he said softly, and he traced comforting circles on Sasuke's back with his fingers, wondering just how loud the sirens had to be before they were there.
Not that he necessarily wanted that moment to end, but Sasuke definitely needed to get to a hospital. Sasuke's breathing slowed against his chest and Naruto let his head fall lower, his cheek coming to rest against Sasuke's hair. He closed his eyes momentarily, before the sirens were almost blaring as they neared. Surprisingly enough it was an ambulance that descended onto the street they were on first, and Naruto squinted his eyes until the sound muted.
As soon as the vehicle was planted on the pavement a paramedic leapt out, followed by two more from the rear. More sirens filled the air as cop cars sped around the corner, some barely pulling procedure to land properly before jolting to rather unstable landings.
"What happened—"
Naruto whirled his attention up towards the EMT and shook Sasuke a bit, hoping he had held true to his promise and stayed awake. "He was shot; he's lost a lot of blood," Naruto said, and he let the man kneel down and take Sasuke from him. The other two medics were already prepared with a stretcher, and before Naruto could blink and eye they were securing him to it.
A shroud of blue suddenly surrounded Naruto and a siren was still on, loud and echoing in the small street. A medic was leaning down in front of him, a hand running along the laceration on his neck, and Naruto's eyes uneasily searched the crowd. A majority of the officers he didn't recognize. He was beginning to feel claustrophobic.
"Are you alright?
"Where's the Akatsuki member—"
"Is Uchiha dead?"
The questions raged like a jumble of broken records, and even the practiced hand preparing to gauze his throat was beginning to feel too intrusive. Naruto's breathing was beginning to rush when suddenly the hand was yanked away and a booming voice silenced the others.
"Get away from my officer." Naruto had never been so grateful to hear Morino's voice. He glanced up, lips parted and eyes wide, and before he even knew what was happening Genma was in front of him, drawing his attention downward. "Your neck. Where else are you hurt?"
Naruto glanced down at himself. He hadn't even thought about it really. He lost his train of thought and glanced back up to Morino who was warding away the other cops, dispersing them to go and investigate the vehicle rather than harass Naruto.
"Naruto."
Genma's voice was laden with concern as much as it was direct. Naruto jerked his head back down and made eye contact before glancing back down to himself again. "I'm—I'm fine. It's Sasuke that's—"
"Sasuke's on his way to the hospital, he'll be fine," Genma assured and he rubbed some ointment on Naruto's neck. Genma's free hand pressed against Naruto's chest, and Naruto hissed when a sudden pain shot up his spine.
"You were wearing a belt?" Genma asked, and he pressed the spot again, drawing another pained groan. "Yeah, now stop pressing it," Naruto managed, and Genma shook his head.
"A cracked rib. Tons of cuts, too." He noted, and when Naruto looked down at his arms, he saw tiny little impressions that hinted the doctor was right. "But I mean…" Genma diverted his vision to the vehicle, and for the first time, Naruto got a good look at it.
It was demolished.
The front end was nonexistent. In fact, it didn't even resemble a car. It was like a crushed piece of waste metal with shattered headlights, landing wheels jutting out of the top like rubber mountains. Naruto knew what Genma wanted to say. The fact either of them had survived that was a miracle in itself.
"I—where are Neji and the others?" Naruto thought suddenly, and spoke his mind aloud. Genma started wrapping gauze around his throat and his expression didn't lose its concentration.
"They went to the station to make sure Kisame was still there," he said shortly and Naruto nodded before asking, "Well, is he?"
Genma didn't look at him. "We're not sure. You were our priority."
Naruto let out a long breath and prayed that Kisame was still under lock and key. After a minute, he pushed Genma's hands away and attempted to stand, wobbly for some unknown reason.
"You shouldn't be—"
"I need to get to the hospital," Naruto said. He was really worried about Sasuke. Genma grabbed his arms. "Naruto, you can't—"
"Why not?" Naruto asked, a little offhandedly. "Why can't I? Were you in that car? Did you see how hurt he was?" He was shaking again, and Genma's expression settled a bit.
"He'll be alright. He was awake, and I heard them say it was only a graze… it's going to be alright, Naruto." Genma temporarily ceased any type of medical treatment to look Naruto in the eyes to affirm what he had said. It worked, because Naruto felt a little less hysterical.
"I feel really tired," Naruto said, another instance where his thoughts were forming on his lips. Genma nodded and looked around, the scene still a blur with officers and medics racing every which way. He was yelling something about water, but Naruto couldn't hear it. The shock and anxiety he had forced away for Sasuke's sake were returning, and before he could convince himself otherwise, he slumped forward into unconsciousness.
"I can't believe you're going to sit back and let this happen."
It was Neji's voice, and he wasn't happy. Naruto twisted onto his side, only to feel a sharp pain on his stomach and return to resting on his back. His eyes were closed and everything felt sterile. He was cool, despite the warm blanket around his waist.
"It's in Danzo's hands now. There's nothing I can do. The Akatsuki… this whole situation. It was bad Hyuuga, really bad."
Naruto blinked open an eye. He heard a clock ticking from a nightstand next to him, and everything smelled sterile. Was he in a hospital?
He rolled his head to the side, in the direction of the voices, and made an effort to open his other eye. He was groggy and his throat felt like sandpaper, but he could make out Morino and Neji standing only a few feet from him.
"Danzo was waiting for something like this to happen and you know it." Neji was growing irate.
"Water…" Naruto said, and he felt a little ridiculous. But at the moment he didn't feel like moving. Neji turned to him with wide eyes and was beside him in an instant, holding a glass to his lips and letting that cool liquid dribble down his throat. He coughed a little, and Neji pulled away.
"How are you feeling?"
Naruto cringed. "Like I was hit by a truck." He didn't remember feeling this bad before he passed out. Funny, because now he felt like he was paralyzed.
"You got pretty banged up," Morino said. "I'm amazed you stayed conscious long enough for us to get there." He was behind Neji, arms folded across his chest.
"What about Sasuke?" Naruto asked. It was more from reflex, because when he said it, memories flooded his mind. Neji frowned above him and made no effort to hide the expression.
"He's fine. Suigetsu is taking care of him."
Naruto felt Neji's words punch him in the gut. He didn't ask anything else about Sasuke, even though he wanted to. Morino didn't seem to notice the tension as he sat at the end of Naruto's bed. "Danzo is here. He wants to speak with you alone."
Naruto glanced down at Morino, looking skeptical. "What?"
"I know," Morino consoled. "And I mean, I don't know. I have no idea what he's come here to say. The officers that arrived first were his though… when you crashed, you were on his territory."
Naruto rolled his eyes. Great. A knock sounded from the door and Naruto turned his head to the side, feeling a swell of panic overwhelm him when it was Danzo who walked in. Morino stood as well as Neji, and the latter was the one who chose to speak.
"He needs more rest. You should come back when he's not on morphine," the brunet said, and Danzo didn't blink an eye.
"I'm a busy man. If he's awake, he's fair game," he said, and when Neji opened his mouth to speak, Morino cut over him. "Come on," he said, and Neji fumed silently. Naruto didn't want to be left alone with Danzo, but he recognized form Morino that obviously his hands were tied.
"I'll be fine," he murmured, and Neji glanced back at him, surprised. It was only another moment before Morino and Neji disappeared from the room, and Danzo paced around, stopping at his hospital room window to fiddle with the bamboo blinds draping it.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to stay out of trouble," Danzo said, and Naruto kept quiet. He had no idea what Danzo would want with him, and if it was only a lecture, he would bite his lips and sit through it.
"And you definitely made sure to go over the top with this little display," he said. He ran his old and bony fingers over the lacquer of the windowsill, scrutinizing the residue on his fingers before rubbing his fingers together to loose whatever he had gathered.
He turned afterwards and gave a long and calculating look to Naruto. "I know that either you or that Uchiha was driving," he sounded accusing, and Naruto frowned. Just what was he getting at?
"And much to my disappointment, my best double agent was killed because whoever was driving made sure he wouldn't make it out alive," Danzo's eyes flashed wickedly. "You'd be amazed what modern forensics can analyze, Naruto. Only you and him had seatbelts on, and considering you're a traveler…I'm doubting that you can even fly an astro vehicle…"
Naruto coughed, not sure why Danzo sounded so smug. "Deidara was working for the Akatsuki. He wasn't working for you." Was Danzo really stupid enough to believe that Deidara had been on his side?
"And what proof do you have of that?"
Naruto glared. "You're kidding, right? He held a gun to me and used Sasuke as a hostage in front of Morino and Suigetsu."
Danzo smirked. "Something a double agent would need to do."
Naruto let his words sink in. It took a moment, but when he realized what Danzo was saying, he felt his mouth go dry. "You knew he was working for Akatsuki."
Danzo chuckled. "Just what are you implying, Uzumaki?"
And Naruto couldn't say it. It was too much. The question wasn't whose side was Deidara on. It was which side Danzo was on.
"The problem now is that my messenger is gone, and I hate to say it, but it's looking an awful lot like whoever was driving intended to kill him," Danzo's words were like poison and Naruto clenched his fists. "And you know how bad cop killers look. I wonder how that would look added to Sasuke's record? Considering he was the one driving…"
"Don't' even dream about pulling that bullshit—"
"Naruto," Danzo's voice interrupted his. "I wasn't lying when I said I was a busy man. I have places to be, and people to see. I certainly don't have any desire to waste any more time than I have to here with you." His eyes were so cold that it made the room feel like ice as well. Naruto felt his tongue grow heavy and he didn't speak.
"I'll leave you with this, Naruto." Danzo came up beside Naruto's bed, looking perfectly abysmal with an awful smile plastered on his face.
"If you choose to be Deidara's replacement, I'll wave poor Uchiha of the charges—cover it up, if I may—"
"But Deidara was holding us hostage—"
"Or," Danzo interrupted, looking agitated, "Sasuke's looking at a huge mark on his record, perhaps even jail time. And lord knows that wouldn't look good for his business. Oh, and you," Danzo sighed, "you can kiss your citizenship goodbye."
Naruto was shocked. That, and outraged. He was practically fuming.
"You want me to sell myself to the Akatsuki?"
Danzo smiled and ran a hand through his hair. Naruto shook his head and his hand flew up to catch the older man's wrist. Black eyes flared when Naruto's grip was tight.
"It was never me that had the intention to keep you away from them," he said firmly. "That was Morino. Let me go."
Naruto reluctantly released him after his head started to pound along with his heart. Everything was corrupt. Nothing would fall into place. He was always three steps behind—and now, if he accepted Danzo's blackmail, he would never be able to catch up.
Danzo was by the door when he spoke his last words. "And I shouldn't need to tell you, but this conversation never happened," he stated. "Mention it to anyone and I promise I'll make you regret it."
The door opened, Danzo left, and Naruto rolled onto his uninjured side. Tears burned in his eyes and he heard Neji re-enter. He could tell because he knew his footsteps, and also because Neji cleared his throat.
"What did he want?" Neji asked, and Naruto shook his head.
In his mind, he answered.
Everything.
a/n: Wahoo!! Okay I'll start on the next chapter tonight. As for now, I've got to get to work.
Thank you for reading and reviewing! I really do hope it was worth the wait...oh, and yes this will have a happy ending. Good things will happen soon, I promise.
lol