A/N: *strikes a pose* "To the streets!"

"Okay, before we even get on the street: basic checks," said Sasuke briskly stopping in the hallway after checking up and down. "Watch? Weapons? Wallet? Identification? Earpiece? Phone?"

Naruto nodded along, "Do I really have to wear this thing?" he asked, fumbling with the earpiece; it was really rather uncomfortable.

"No, baka," replied Sasuke as he snatched it out of Naruto's ear none too gently. "You don't put it in until we get separated, it's not even active!"

"Oh... Also I don't have a phone."

"You don't have ID either."

"I... don't?"

"No, I took them out of your wallet. This is your new ID and debit card, the PIN number is your real birthday."

He handed Naruto several cards including a drivers licence with completely fake details. Naruto looked at it, shocked. The picture was the same he had on his old ID but everything else wasn't him.

"It's your new identity, learn it well. We'll get you a passport too, just in case."

"How?"

"Shikamaru's dad takes care of our identities, as well as those of hunters across several other cities, he's an important guy."

Naruto read his ID again. "Tachibana Nikkou?" Sasuke made a small affirmative noise and Naruto looked up at him. "Did you choose it?"

Sasuke nodded awkwardly and Naruto beamed at him. For a moment he looked like he was considering something before he leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss on Sasuke's cheek which immediately heated up.

"Thank you," said Naruto quietly after giving the tense man a quick hug.

"No problem," said Sasuke.

In truth he was quite relieved Naruto liked it. When Shikamaru had asked him what his partner's cover name was going to be he had panicked and, not wanting to appear unprepared, had quickly conjured 'Nikkou' from his memories of Naruto. He had later worried that something like 'sunlight' wasn't really an appropriate name for a hunter, or a boy, it wasn't even a real name for that matter. But then again, neither was 'Naruto'. Well as long as Naruto didn't mind it was okay. Besides, Sasuke's own cover name was just as embarrassing thanks to Itachi. His brother's excuse had been that people were more likely to believe he hadn't chosen the name himself if it was a bit humiliating.

Digging in his coat pocket he pulled out a mobile phone, checked it wasn't his and handed it over. "There should be a chip in that earpiece, take it out and slot it into the phone." Naruto did as he was told to activate the ear piece. "Now it'll just work like a hands free. If we get separated we can just open a call channel."

Naruto laughed, "Awesome, secret agent stuff."

Sasuke shot him a stern look. "This isn't a game, and we're not agents. We're not even hunting tonight," he said as they took the stairs.

"What? Come on Sasuke, I'll be good!" Naruto promised, running after him.

"It's not about being good; this is your first night on the streets, so I'll basically be giving you the guided tour. I noticed Shikamaru only provided you with a motorcycle licence so I'm assuming you can't drive a car?"

"Nah, Jiraiya always said motorbikes were better so he never taught me anything else."

"Well my brother would have agreed with him, so I'm all for motorbikes myself. They're faster, more manoeuvrable, better for a quick getaway and I don't know if you've ever tried to swing a sword out of a car window but I wouldn't recommend it. I am learning to drive a car but as yet do not have a licence so we'll take our tour on bikes." He took a sharp turn out of the building and started briskly down the street. "It would appear the demons who took over the coven did not realise that there was a garage across the road with most of our vehicles in so we paid an innocent civilian to move them to his warehouse. He and his security staff think it's a temporary base for a rental company."

They stopped at a bus stop for a few minutes. "Any questions?" said Sasuke, checking the timetable.

"What's the name on your licence?"

Sasuke straightened, giving him an appraising look. "Chidori Getsuei, my brother chose it." He could tell Naruto was in two minds about asking the name's origin because it concerned his brother so he decided to volunteer the information. "He always said my lightening sounded like a thousand birds chirruping."

Naruto looked surprised and immediately tried to cover up. "It does?" he asked as though trying to imagine it.

"When I gather a lot of really concentrated magick in one hand." Sasuke quickly cut off further questions when an old lady joined them. "No talking on public transport; it's not safe," he muttered to Naruto as the bus arrived.

They sat near the door, Sasuke tense and listening. He didn't trust public transport though he knew some fighters from outside the coven used the bus routes and subways as a hunting ground; stalking suspicious people from the vehicles. He was always wary therefore of interfering with another hunter's prey. Those who were not bound by the rules of the coven were sometimes less than friendly.

The pair left the bus at the beginning of the warehouse district near the docks. Here many storage companies made their living off of the ships that came to Konoha. The warehouse the coven were using already had a collection of speedboats near the doors. Naruto waited in the shadow of 'My Grey Lady' whilst Sasuke sought out the warden.

"We've come to borrow a few motorbikes kept here in the Senju name," Sasuke's voice was saying.

"Rental all paid for? ...I'll need proof for that."

Naruto stiffened, he knew that voice. Panicking slightly he searched for a way out. He couldn't very well leave Sasuke here but it wouldn't do to be seen. Before he could get more than two steps towards the door, Sasuke had leaned around the corner of the boat.

"Come on," he said, waving him over.

Naruto shook his head rapidly, wide eyes trying to convey his wish to escape. But it was too late, the warehouse warden looked over Sasuke's shoulder, surprise registering on his boyish features.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?"

"Hi Konohamaru," said Naruto with an attempt at surprise.

Sasuke was looking between the two with a blank expression and Naruto silently prayed his partner was better at lying that he was. Of all the warehouses in this expansive district, it had to be this one.

Konohamaru frowned, "I thought you were working tonight?"

"He is," said Sasuke flatly. Naruto held his breath in anticipation. "He's my bodyguard."

"Your bodyguard?" asked Konohamaru.

"Yes," Sasuke's confident tone would almost have had Naruto believing him. "It's a drag but my mother worries about father's business deals so I bear with it, for her piece of mind," drawled Sasuke in a voice reminicent of a spoiled child from a rich family.

For a moment Naruto feared Konohamaru wouldn't buy it. He was a smart guy and Naruto didn't think he'd have been able to scramble a story like that together so quickly. But Konohamaru nodded slowly, looking at Naruto for confirmation.

Naruto smiled at him, "Cool huh?"

His friend grinned in return, "Very cool."

After that close call Konohamaru left them and the hunters headed for the back of the warehouse where the coven's cars were kept. The first motorbike Naruto spotted was the big black one he had seen just before leaving for Evergreen Forest. He hurried over immediatly and ran his fingers along the silver lines of its sleek paintwork.

"Hands off, that one's mine," said Sasuke coming up behind him.

"Aw no way, who says?"

"I say."

"I thought they all belonged to the coven?"

"Not that one, or that black convertable over there. They belong to the Uchiha family, namely: me. I sold off most of the clans vehicles but..." he hesitated for a second, "Itachi had good taste."

Naruto smiled, "He certainly did."

He walked over to the black sports car next to Sasuke's gorgeous bike. If he could drive; he would want to drive this, he thought, enviously eyeing the deep red leather interior. Then again the blue motorbike Sasuke pointed him to was pretty sweet as well. Okay, so it wasn't the heavenly ride Sasuke's looked to be, but it was still damn cool. Also it looked fast, very fast.

"Now would be a good time to use that earpiece," said Sasuke as he changed his coat for bike leathers from the lockers. "This way we'll be able to talk as we drive."

Sasuke threw Naruto the keys of his new vehicle and they pulled their helmets on. The motorbike engines roared into life as they left the static silence of the warehouse for the chill winds of the street. Naruto was very glad of the shelter his stiff bike leathers provided as he followed Sasuke's tail light. They drove first through the warehouse district to the docks.

"Not one of the most popular hunting grounds for parasites, but recently there has been a bit more activity. You'd have to ask Kiba for more information but it looks to be demons. Kiba and his partner Shino live down here and both specialize in tracking and surrveillance so they're our eyes and ears in this area," Sasuke's voice was slightly muffled through the earpiece but he was still easy to understand.

Naruto nodded along before realising Sasuke couldn't see him. He remembered Hinata calling Kiba during the journey to the Hyuuga residence so that he could respond to a disturbance in that area.

"What's Shino's specialty?" Naruto asked.

"Ah he's got a bit of a way with animals, especially insects. Bit of a creepy guy really. But you can see how he would be good at watching over such a large area. He's got spys everywhere. Still, no one is able to rival Kiba when it comes to tracking. Thanks to his unique abilities he is often paired with Neji when we need to find a particular enemy."

"How does that work out?" asked Naruto, a hint of laughter in his voice.

"For the most part, they are civil."

Naruto smiled at Sasuke's ability to bypass such a humorous opportunity, he was willing to bet that an atmosphere of thinly disguised hatred surrounded any assignment where Kiba and Neji were forced to work together.

As they drove their way across most of the city Sasuke was diligent in pointing out every place of particular importance from Kakashi's apartment opposite the police station where his boyfriend was chief to the headquarters of the Majo Buke. Naruto thought they could almost have gotten away with parking up outside the pub; the swinging sign had a picture of a Harley Davidson motorbike and the large beer garden turned car park in front of the place was full of motorbikes and their leathered up drivers. However Naruto didn't feel like chancing it; even if most of the eyes that watched them pass were apprieciative, he didn't think they would really fit in with the burly men. For a start neither of them had beards or tattoos. At least he didn't think Sasuke had a tattoo... somehow he didn't seem like the type.

"Are you listening?"

Naruto suddenly realised that they had left the Majo Buke far behind and Sasuke had been talking to him for a while now.

"Repeat it?" he asked hopefully.

Sasuke gave a tortured sigh and launched back into an explaination of how most hunters weren't overly friendly towards others. "Mainly because the danger that they might not be who they say they are."

"But surely it would be obvious if they had glowing red eyes?"

"If Karin can give herself fangs and shiny silver eyes I'm willing to bet there's a demon out there who can look perfectly normal. Besides it's not uncommon for demon's to use civilians for their dirty deeds. I mean we use them as watchers and such, though I'd add that we are rather more honorable in our uses. Demons are not so moral and so normal people have found themselves caught up in unresolved debts and blackmail scandals."

"Why would Karin give herself fangs?"

There was a short pause that could have been interpreted as Sasuke concentrating on his driving. "Who knows," he said with the verbal equivilent of a nochalant shrug.

"You know," replied Naruto immediatly.

"So?"

"You're not supposed to know are you?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Is she up to something bad? Nothing illegal is it? Or perhaps immoral?"

"No. It's a mission."

"Oh, what?"

"None of your business," Sasuke replied tersely.

"But I'm your partner! It's not like I'd rat you out."

Naruto's earpiece was silent for a long time. Then, "I was actually supposed to meet Suigetsu tonight. Obviously I can't talk to Karin while she's in character, it's too dangerous, but Suigetsu hinted that soemthing might be going down, you know what a terrible gossip he is. Ironically the only time I can speak safely with either of them is when they're on duty."

Naruto followed Sasuke closely as they drove into the red light district and parked up in an alleyway that stunk of rubbish and urine. Sasuke dismounted and pulled off his helmet.

"He should be around here somewhere..." He pulled out his phone and disconnected from Naruto in order to call Suigetsu. Their conversation was a brief exchange before he turned back to Naruto. "I'm going to meet him, this shouldn't take too long. Reopen our call channel and stay here."

"Lovely," said Naruto, looking around at the dingy alleyway.

"You wanted to come."

With that Sasuke left and Naruto stood alone in the cold. It was a little past midnight so there were still quite a few people hurrying down the icy streets. Snow seemed to have decided to give this year a miss and Konoha had instead been treated to spates of rain and sleet, not to mention bitingly cold winds. Standing here now it was hard to imagine that tomorrow was Christmas Eve; the red light district was not exactly bursting with Christmas cheer, though he had seen lights throughout most of the city. Naruto had never really celebrated Christmas with Jiraiya, the old man usually gave him a signed copy of one of his perverted books and let him order whatever he wanted from their collection of take out menus. He had always taken that to be Jiraiya's general cheap nature but now he thought about it maybe it was just because Jiraiya, like most hunters, didn't really celebrate Christmas. After all, the man had always made a bit more effort on his birthdays.

As Naruto pondered this possiblity a shout from nearby caused him to jump. He looked over his shoulder into the depths of the alley just in time to see a distressed man come running around the corner. The red haired man, dressed flamboyantly in an indigo velvet suit came streaking towards him. But barely a second later had fallen flat on his face as the tongue of a leather whip wrapped itself firmly around his ankle. Naruto looked up from the man groaning in agony at his feet to see a petite woman running towards him in thigh high stiletto boots and a very short kimono. She wasted no time kneeling on his back as the man tried to stand and Naruto watched in shock as she pulled a hypodermic needle from her volumous sleeve and stabbed him in the side of the neck with it. As he went limp she turned her silvery eyes upwards and grinned, flashing pointy teeth.

"Hello Naruto, fancy meeting you here."

Naruto stammered in surprise for a moment until the woman's haughty features began to soften somewhat, her eyes lost their silvery glow and her hair changed from black to a distinctive pink.

"Karin," Naruto sighed in relief. "I'm waiting for Sasuke while he talks to Suigetsu."

"Ah yes," she lifted the mans eyelids briefly before standing. "He did say he couldn't make it because of everything that's been going on but I guess he found a way around it."

"Yeah," Naruto hesitated for a moment, "Erm... is he dead?" he nodded at the prone man.

"Nah, he's needed for questioning," Karin gave the man a disgusted look that clearly displayed her disappointment as she coiled the length of her blacksnake whip. "Shame really, I would have delighted in killing him. Four months of putting up with his perverted bullshit and when he finally susses out I'm milking him, he had the cheek to try and run for it. Pathetic really. Would you mind moving him up? Just prop him up against the wall, it looks a little less incriminating."

While Naruto dragged the man into a sitting position Karin called her partner to bring the car around. When Suigetsu pulled up by the entrance to the alley Sasuke was with him. He got out of the car and looked the man over with distaste.

"Is that the vampire?"

"Yeah, weedy thing isn't he. Suigetsu shove him in the car will you."

"Yes, your highness."

Naruto quickly helped Suigetsu lift the man into the boot and cuff his hands together while Karin and Sasuke began a quiet conversation. Naruto immediatly strained his hunter hearing to listen in.

"Find out anything interesting?" Sasuke was asking in a monotone.

"He'll probably be more willing to talk once Ibiki puts him through the works." Naruto glanced over in time to see her smile cryptically. "Yes, I know what you're after Sasuke-kun. And all I can say is: we're closing in.

"So you were chosen for that task?"

"Naturally."

With that she brushed past Sasuke and got into the car. Naruto watched Suigetsu drive away.

"What task?"

Naruto expected to be scolded again about his eavesdropping habits but apparently Sasuke had assumed he was listening in.

"Karin is one of the hunters currently gathering information on Madara."

"Madara? So she can help us?"

"No," Sasuke frowned, "Everyone involved has been given strict orders to keep me out of the loop."

"What about me? If I could-"

"No one would fall for that, they know you are too are to close to me.

"So what can we do?"

Sasuke looked troubled for a moment. "I'll think of something."

Naruto nodded, he trusted that if anyone could find a way of bending the rules, Sasuke could. He had always known that the Uchiha was uptight and had assumed this also meant he was adverse to breaking the rules. However more recently he had been forced to recognise that his partner had a devious side. Unlike Naruto, who would have thrown caution to the wind if his interests conflicted with the rules, Sasuke preferred a more tactical approach. However, one thing was certain: Sasuke would have his own way.

A/N: Can someone tell me if the bodyguard cover story is at all plausible?

Ta

-Yasu