4. Two can keep a secret...
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
-Pink Floyd – Wish you were here
March 30, 14.34
Kisame had been true to his word – on the morning of the ball, a gown arrived, accompanied by a pair of matching shoes and a set of jewellery that she had laid out on the bed. It was all topped off with a comically simplistic white card from Kisame, promising that a car was to pick her up in the evening.
It all looked ridiculously expensive for Naoko's taste and she was left wondering how to politely return the items after this ball was over and done with.
And she couldn't put it behind her fast enough.
Tsunade had been uncharacteristically tranquil about the ordeal, merely cautioning her to be careful and watch her tongue that evening and no harm would come from that diplomat's whims.
She and Kakashi were both discharged with an entire fistful of medication to aid their recovery and a pat on the back and wishes of good luck. Since arriving home Naoko had done little besides sleeping and researching, going through all of her materials concerning the Akatsuki, drawing upon Intel's databases to aid her case.
And Intel was of little to no use. She kept getting error messages, barred out from anything she considered relevant.
After a fifth message of that sort she groaned in defeat and shut the laptop and pushed it as far away as possible, afraid that she might vent her frustration on the sad piece of plastic.
Unlike Kakashi, she was reasonable enough to heed Tsunade's advice and move around as little as possible, considering that the night was going to be a strain. She received a curt message from him the day after they were discharged with him announcing his plans to resume training the rookies.
Naoko's mood had dropped significantly after that message. Kakashi hated responsibility and rarely bothered to inform her of his training plans for the three, yet this time he had covered the outline of his plans for next week. Not to mention that he had a legitimate excuse to not teach, no need to come up with ridiculous lies.
She'd have to patch up their relationship…somehow. Knowing that she could only manage a leisurely stroll without her lungs hurting she didn't bother trying to corner Kakashi. He'd simply use his large strides as an advantage and…walk away from her.
What a thrilling pursuit that might be - Kakashi walking ahead with Naoko swaggering behind, gripping her chest.
The woman shook such silly images from her head and went over the plan once more.
For now they had agreed to admit that it was an unknown foreign force they had encountered on Earth. That's all Naoko was to reveal to Kisame, and nothing else. Polite banter and an innocent exchange of personal stories would be considered courteous.
Frankly all she had to do was to smile and look pretty next to Kisame, and refrain from getting drunk. How hard could that be?
Her eyes flickered to the dress – long sleeved, the bodice made entirely out of delicate black lace with an uncomfortably low neckline. She had never worn anything so fancy…
Heck, she lived in a one room apartment with only the bare necessities covered. The fanciest thing Naoko possessed was an overpriced perfume her mother had given her when she graduated the military academy.
She was still young and had time to work her way higher in the ranks.
This thought caused her to halt.
Just how much time did she really have? The mission on Earth could've ended with her death…
Wait…
She shrieked in terror when the phone rang, as if on cue. In her obsessiveness to work she had forgotten to do something important…forgot to call someone important.
The twenty year old woman inhaled a quivering breath before picking up her phone, bracing herself for the verbal onslaught. Actually, she would've gladly taken the first shuttle back to earth at this very moment.
"Shimotsuki Naoko!" bellowed the voice in the receiver, causing her to shrink away deeper into the sofa.
Naoko managed a polite cough, "Good day, mother…"
"What is this I hear? That you were caught in an explosion and on Earth no less? And you were out cold for FIVE DAYS? Any reason why I had to receive this information from an automated military e-mail service instead of you? No e-mail, no call, not even a bloody text message?!"
She bit her lip, shutting her eyes tightly, "Well…in my defence it was hard to inform you while unconscious in a decontamination chamber."
The other end of the line went silent and Naoko smacked her face against the table, realising the gravity of her little slip. Just how was she going to face Kisame when she made such careless mistakes around her mother?
"You contacted radiation?! And you didn't think to call me? Is it lethal? Is that why you didn't call me?"
Naoko hurriedly try to fix the situation before her mother got any strange ideas, "No! No-no, mother, it's alright. I mean the Hokage reconstructed part of my lungs and the decontamination dealt with the radiation. No strenuous work for two weeks and a fistful of pills to keep me at bay. I'm going to be just fine! Everything is okay."
"The Hokage? Tsunade-sama herself saw to your treatment?"
"Yes! And she will be keeping an eye on me for the next couple of weeks. Do not worry mom, I'm fine. I'm sorry I didn't call you I just…"
She heard her mother smile on the other end, "You just got caught up in work…You and your father really are similar."
"Yeah…It was inconsiderate of me…I didn't know the military sent status updates to the families…"
Naoko grinned when she heard her mother snort with disdain, "Petty, measly, sterile dossiers of sufficiently lacking information. I plan to write a complaint."
"I am scared for the people working at the PR section," she said with a cheeky grin. Her mother could probably stare down Tsunade-sama if necessary.
"It's all over the news, you know that right? Quite the scandal…I knew that you had gone to earth, but I thought it was maybe a different team or…And when you didn't call either I just assumed that you were okay. They've been talking about it non-stop for days on the telly, but no footage was released…Nor any information."
Well, she had read some of the news, but hadn't seen any. A television set was something that she couldn't afford with her salary. Well, if she bothered to save up then maybe, but Naoko didn't have much time to sit around idly and watch telly.
The request was there, hovering in the air. Naoko sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Sorry mom, but I can't disclose any relevant information…The Hokage will be releasing a statement soon enough. Probably tomorrow, that'll give the anchors something to pry on."
Her mother went stiff on the other end, but her tone remained airy, "Of course, I understand. Just…next time when something like this happens at least send me a text if you don't have the time to call. Just let me know that you're alive and alright."
Naoko sighed, "Will do, don't worry. Something like this won't happen again any time soon."
"You better hope so or I'm flying all to the capitol to give you a good whipping."
A twenty year old, still under the mercy of her mother's wrath. At least she lived alone?
"Everything good over there?"
Her mother sighed on the other end of the line, "Well if a certain someone would come visit every now and then…"
Naoko grinned, "Well…Tsunade said that I should rest for two weeks. I think I can manage to slip on a plain and give you a visit."
"And you think travel isn't strenuous? Are you sure it would be wise?"
"Don't worry, I'll take it easy," she promised. Well, technically tonight wasn't considered to be of the easy sort, but there was no need to aggravate her mother any further.
Her mother went silent on the other end of the line, probably pondering over something, before finally speaking.
"I've taken up enough of your time. It was nice to hear from you, no thanks to you."
Naoko chortled, "Good bye, mother."
The call was hung up abruptly and Naoko was left staring at the bright screen of her phone, pondering if she should call Kakashi.
She decided against it and threw the phone back on the table. He'll be dealt with tomorrow.
Hoshigaki Kisame was in his office, leisurely leaning back in the comfortable chair and taking in the scenic city of Konohagakure. They had tried long and hard to replicate what they had had back on Earth, but Kisame preferred the more modern city designs of Kirigakure.
Nevertheless, he had to admit that the view was spectacular and he had secured the best seat in the house.
An assertive knock forced him to avert his eyes and direct his attention elsewhere, drawing up his mask of politeness.
"Do come in," he called out, knowing very well who was behind that door.
It opened to reveal an attractive male with short blonde hair and startling green eyes. The stranger closed the door behind him attentively, casting a quick glance around the room to eliminate the chance of surprise.
Kisame couldn't help the grin that crept on his face, "Well you have certainly chosen an ostentatious look today, Uchiha."
The man made his way across the office, completely passive, "Please refrain from calling me such in a public place, Kisame," he noted dryly. It went ignored by Kisame, of course. This was his territory, his home field and nothing moved without him knowing about it. Chances of them being overheard were close to none.
Itachi took the seat across from the blue skinned diplomat, strangely unperturbed by the diplomat's looks. For the sake of keeping the peace, Kisame raised two hands apologetically, "Fair enough, I didn't call you all the way out here just to jeopardise your…cover." He finished with a joking undertone.
Itachi made no move to respond, preferring to allow Kisame steer the conversation. The diplomat wasted no time to get straight to the point.
"What happened on Earth was careless, and entirely your fault. This is the first time you've seriously slipped up; the team's timing was completely off and cost us the bomb."
The disguised man accepted the critique stoically, making no effort to defend himself. Itachi had discovered long ago that it is easier to make amends through actions, instead of asking for forgiveness. Empty words won't satisfy the Akatsuki.
Despite the topic of discussion, or in the current moment – monologue, Kisame's pleasant tone never wavered, "Well, at least the entire team is dead. No loose ends to babble, but there were two Konoha team heads there, Hatake being one of them."
"Alive?" Itachi asked to confirm his suspicions.
"Indeed, the other one as well. In fact I'm taking her to my ball tonight; see if I can pry anything relevant from her."
Itachi's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "You think that they know for certain? That they know anything?"
He had specifically ordered the team not to wear anything identifiable, and if possible avoid speaking entirely. The latter was supposedly and unnecessary order, considering the fact that they were supposed to arrive there before Konoha's platoon.
"I don't think anything, I plan to find out. Besides, little Miss Shimotsuki has the vibes of a possible exploitable asset."
Kisame was pleased to see a ghost of surprise flash over Itachi's features. If the young man was nonchalant before, then now Kisame was certain that name would get the Uchiha invested. A poisonous grin revealed his pointed teeth, "Yes I thought this name might interest you. Jostled my memory when I first received news."
"Is the young, poor and prone to seize power?" asked Itachi with pretended indifference while in fact the gears were rattling in his head loud enough for the rest of the world to hear. Or so he imagined.
The diplomat chuckled, "You're really not even the least bit interested if there's a connection between one and the other?"
His question provoked only sullen silence from the other end. Quite the contrary, Itachi was very interested. Granted, Kisame probably had the knowledge at the tips of his fingertips, but wouldn't share unless Itachi asked for it personally. Allowing the diplomat that joy was unnecessary, Itachi had the resources to discover it on his own.
Kisame shook his head, displeased with the lack of response. It was like a secret pastime of his – drawing genuine reactions from Itachi. The latter had masked his every emotion and intention for as long as they had been assigned to work together.
"To answer your original question – She is not power hungry, but very…civil. The girl will do anything to keep the peace - that makes her quite easy to manipulate if necessary."
Itachi's eyebrow rose, surprise evident in his eyes, another win for Kisame, "You plan to drag her into politics?"
The bulky man shrugged, "Who knows? I haven't quite made up my mind yet." He played down the idea, though Kisame had been devising means to make use of this resource.
"Mind adding me to the guest list?" requested Itachi after toying with the idea for a few seconds. If this was the same Shimotsuki then he had to establish a connection with her.
It took Kisame only a few leisurely clicks on his computer, "Done and done, I used your usual alias. Any particular reason why you're choosing to attend?" the diplomat dragged out his question bemusedly, feigning his ignorance.
There was no worry in Kisame's voice nor suspicion. Itachi had mastered deception long time ago, when he first joined. Changing his face and personality came naturally to the man, considering that the other choice was imprisonment and execution, but slowing down his beating heart at will took a lot more practice.
God was Kisame happy that he hadn't made such a public spectacle of his joining. Actually, Itachi had been the only one that did. To what purpose – Kisame still didn't know the answer.
"I'm curious to see if there's any resemblance," replied Itachi sternly, his voice as unyielding as the façade he portrayed.
Kisame smirked, "Well, enjoy the food until I'm done with her. I heard there will be some dango served as well."
Naoko was twirling around the mirror, clearly uncomfortable. The bodice clung tightly to her body, the black skirt cascading around her legs. The neckline went almost down to her stomach and to balance it out Kisame had sent her an ostentatiously chunky gold necklace with diamonds adorning the gold plates.
This was definitely not something she was comfortable with…
She had tied her hair up into a bun and even donned some makeup, but felt it clearly fell short of the standard the dress was setting.
It drew a sigh from the woman who slumped hopelessly in front of the mirror, waiting for the impending doom. At least she could walk in heels…she had to learn when she was about to graduate the academy.
At precisely seven she heard her phone ring.
"Is this Shimotsuki Naoko speaking?" asked the unknown voice.
"Yes, this is she."
"Please come downstairs. A car is waiting for you."
She inhaled a calming breath, "Thank you, I'll be there in a minute."
This was just going to be an even consisting of several toasts and a feast and some fireworks in the end. Nothing to worry about…except for the genetic mutant of a diplomat who was more than happy to exploit any weakness she displayed.
Naoko grabbed her keys, a gun and her phone before leaving the safety of her apartment.
She took the stairs and was relieved to find a glossy black vehicle parked right in front of the entrance. It looked so out of place in this neighbourhood, but the chauffeur waiting for her didn't seem to mind.
He opened the door wordlessly, and to Naoko's surprise she discovered that she was alone in the car.
Well…driving there alone would be better than letting the diplomat of Kirigakure catch sight of her living conditions.
She put on the seatbelt when the car began moving, aware that there was an unopened bottle of champagne and truffles left for her. The woman was too nervous to have either, leaving them sitting untouched.
Despite having plenty of time during the day she found herself restless. Naoko hadn't called Kakashi, hadn't called anyone else either. Instead she resorted to futile attempts to sleep and trying to learn how to do her makeup properly.
Naoko was certain that the chauffeur would pick up Kisame, but she was driven to the Kirigakure embassy instead.
The tall building, steel grey and frightening, was bustling with life tonight. Kirigakure's symbolic flag was displayed on every available surface and many of the visitors had chosen to don blue or silver garments, some even going as far to dye their hair blue.
Naoko took a shuddering breath in before exiting the car with a poised look. She walked steadily towards the exit, well aware that she stuck out like a sore thumb. While the other visitors were positively jubilant, she struggled to maintain an air of neutrality in this festive atmosphere.
The woman melted into the crowd sluggishly moving towards the entrance, happening to be the only one without a companion.
Despite being only right outside the embassy, champagne was pouring and bottles of it were being passed around by guests who toasted to Kirigakure and its success.
Naoko observed these exchanges passively, trying to locate Kisame to no avail. After what seemed to last a century the line had reached her. Luckily, her lungs were currently feeling great. Sitting and standing around didn't require much effort from her part.
Without even hearing her name the receptionist gave her a dazzling smile, "Miss Shimotsuki, we've been expecting you! Hoshigaki-sama was growing worried."
She gave a short laugh, "I assure you, there was no cause to worry. I was a little taken aback by the embassy's transformation." She retorted with matching politeness.
The nameless receptionist, dressed from head to toe in blue, gestured for Naoko to head inside and she thankfully accepted. The high heels that Kisame had made her wear started to hurt her feet, but she steeled her nerves and braced on.
The normally sterile and clean embassy walls had been decorated with flowing blue fabrics and machines had been brought in to generate a thick layer of mist to cover the floor, it shifted with the air currents, enveloping Naoko's skirts.
She followed the sound of chatter and music towards the main atrium of the embassy and was forced to hold back an involuntary gasp when she entered the room. All furniture had been removed from the room and replaced by four curved tables, set to form the Kirigakure kingdom's symbol, that were covered with various dishes of caviar, fish and octopus that looked incredibly inviting.
It was all limited to seafood and rice, except for a lone tray of dango that caught her sight, out of place and clearly serving some purpose here.
It seemed that the entire embassy was flooded with a thick layer of mist that lingered on the floor. Naoko looked up to the ceiling, illuminated by blue lights that gave the entire room the feel of being under water.
She took notice that the pillars supporting this structure were covered with pompous glitter and the wall of windows that was usually covered with a wall of curtains was left bare for tonight, no doubt to enjoy the fireworks, but for now they revealed Eden's lavender moon peering down at them, shining faint purple light to balance out the blue.
Amidst the crowd she caught sight of dancers and waiters, but what caught her attention was a black haired man in traditional garb.
At first glance it seemed as if he was merely blowing bubbles from a podium, but when Naoko strained her eyes a bit she could make out the intrinsic and delicate figures.
Just how this man created them was a mystery, but he continued with stoicism common to Kirigakure's natives. Only tonight did they seem to shake of that stereotypical trait, dancing to the endless flow of live music from the orchestra and drowning one bottle of champagne after another.
Naoko held back a shudder when she sensed the diplomat's presence. She allowed her eyes dart over to him, clad in black with his hair slicked back to enhance the man's sharp features and guarded eyes.
Truthfully, Hoshigaki scared her. Not because of his appearance, she could stomach that, but his deceptive amicableness frightened her much more. He had the bearings of one who could coax any information with no brute force.
"He's called Utakata, just so you know. Lives off events such as this."
"Quite an impressive feat," admitted Naoko, knowing that a team most likely assembled this in mere hours and they'd have just as little time to clean up after the party.
Kisame smirked, "It's decent…I requested to flood the floor, make it more authentic."
"How about releasing some wildlife as well? Might as well go all the way." She suggested playfully, drawing a harsh laugh from Kisame.
"I'll keep it in mind for next year."
He slid is eyes over her, obviously pleased with himself, "I see you didn't lie about your measurements in your record. You look positively decent, Shimotsuki…."
She didn't let the nearly back-handed compliment lure her into a false sense of security, "Indeed, it is a pleasant change to wearing a uniform."
"Please," chortled Kisame, "then relax your shoulders. No need to feel tense here."
He grabbed two glasses of champagne from a tray and gave one to Naoko who accepted it politely.
"To Kirigakure, and hopefully to a future of positive relations," toasted Kisame, his narrow eyes peering into Naoko's as they clanked their glasses together, sipping the beverage.
"To Kirigakure," she echoed his words, aware that Kisame's eyes hadn't left her since he appeared by her side.
"My hunch to invite you here was correct indeed; it is much more pleasant to converse now that we're no separated by a wall."
Naoko offered a courteous bow, lowering her gaze respectfully, "And it is a privilege to be here, you've shown a lot of effort to get me here."
And for a reason. So why don't you spit it out?
His grin widened, "The company of a beautiful lady and insight I could never receive from anyone else."
So, he had finally cut the pleasantries somewhat and got down to business. The chattering and music masked their conversation and as long as both of them kept on the polite mask, no bystander could tell that something was amiss.
Naoko looked like an angel, her head slightly tilted to the side, "What could I possibly provide that the Hokage has no doubt already told you?"
"The Hokage tells me nothing," said Kisame tersely, "And it seems Konoha wishes to keep any and all information concerning the matter to themselves."
Her brow furrowed in doubt, "You think that Konoha is deliberately withholding information?"
If this was indeed the case, then she had to use any method possible to dispel those doubts. Naoko couldn't allow the diplomat to add more intensity to the delicate balance between Konoha and Kirigakure.
Kisame on the other hand knew that he had hit gold. This was his way to coax information from the girl – play with her desire to play peacekeeper.
"Please excuse me for a little while, but as the host I have to go mingle a little…quite a troublesome task when you think about it. I'll be eager to continue our…discussion later. Enjoy the party, miss Shimotsuki," he said, abruptly ending their conversation and walking away.
It took a few seconds for Naoko to comprehend what had just happened before she slapped on the polite smile and walk to the opposite direction from Kisame.
She kept her eyes on him at all times, occasionally losing him in the crowd. The man was a social chameleon, banter coming to him as naturally as breathing. He could adapt with any group in the room with relative ease, sharing cheerful drinks with the young socialites of Kirigakure or paying respects with old veterans, nothing was out of his spectrum of expertise.
Naoko slowly walked to the dinner tables, determined to find something to eat since it wasn't out of the question that Kisame might try to get her purposefully drunk.
Her thoughts sombrely trailed to Kakashi as she piled on the honeyed seaweed and octopus on her plate. He'd know exactly what to do and how to handle the situation.
Dango, the only item in the array that was somewhat native to Konoha and it had been left nearly untouched. Only three sticks were missing. She added one to her plate before heading off to the window to get away from the crowd.
She stood there, surrounded by the mist and standing under the watchful moon.
Straight out of a legend… thought Naoko with a small smile on her lips.
Naoko ate in tranquil silence, contemplating her next moves. It wouldn't be wrong to simply reveal to Kisame that Konoha had no idea what had taken place on Earth, yet her mind couldn't stop nagging her about the Akatsuki.
Perhaps Kisame could trade some information with her…Anything about recent moves from the Akatsuki in exchange for…nothing but wind.
In truth her knowledge about the situation wasn't worth a penny. Naoko held back a sigh, too strict for such displays of laziness.
Her train of thought was interrupted by a man she hadn't noticed before. It was hard to pinpoint the colour of his eyes or hair under the blue light, leaving her with only assumptions.
Naoko inclined her head politely, "Good evening." She said when it was clear that the man had no intentions of moving on.
He was quite handsome, as tall as she was in heels, with a white suit that was unmarred by any creases or stains. Naoko suspected that the man was one of the young Kirigakure entrepreneurs with more money than humanly comprehensible. By Eden's standards of course.
The man nodded in her direction, a full glass of champagne loosely between his fingers.
Silence dragged on before he spoke. "May I ask your name?"
Was this some sort of…awkward attempt to flirt? Naoko tried to fathom the idea, but declared it ludicrous.
"Shimotsuki Naoko."
"November…quite close, but I'd say you're not from Kirigakure," the man noted pointedly.
Naoko laughed, "It's that obvious, isn't it? I am in fact from Konohagakure."
He nodded quietly, "You have good control over your face. Do not react to what I'm about to tell you next."
The woman's smile didn't falter, but her hand almost twitched to her pistol that was safely tucked into her bag. Exactly why hadn't anyone done a weapon's search at the entrance was a mystery to her. She could simply pull out the gun and send a bullet through Kisame's head.
…Okay maybe Kisame wasn't the easiest target, but she had a point.
The man cast another look at her and cracked a small smile, "Good, keep that smile in place. You were on Earth, if I'm correct."
Naoko held back a groan, was this man a reporter? He didn't look like one…
"Yes…I'm impressed of your knowledge." She noted tersely, her tone reflecting none of the warmth that was on her face.
The man plucked the dango stick from her plate, eating it in one go. "Information is my currency. As a courtesy, this first tip is free of charge."
It took her more effort than she wanted to admit to keep the worry from seeping into her eyes and body language. Naoko took a breath and tried to relax her shoulders a little.
"I am listening."
"If you value your life then don't mention the Akatsuki tonight. Kisame will try to draw out your personal opinion, stick to whatever story you decided upon earlier."
This revelation was nearly enough for Naoko to drop her plate in surprise. Her eyes flickered to the man's face, but she didn't recognise him as anyone famous, nor was he on Konoha's wanted list. An information broker, but which one? There had to be hundreds of them.
Causing a scene then and there would be unwise, so Naoko feigned to be taking a sip from the champagne glass, "How do you know what my personal opinion might be?"
The man crossed his arms over his chest, "Your articles about the Akatsuki are readily available online. They do have an affinity for bombs…Someone with your background might easily connect the two - or at the very least suspect."
"It sounds like you are protecting them," she noted dryly with a beaming smile.
He halted before chuckling, "Quite the contrary, I'm protecting you instead. You're no good to me dead, who'd continue your investigation? Don't frown, Shimotsuki," he added absentmindedly and Naoko hastily wiped the scowl from her face.
"I should just arrest you both and take you in for interrogation." She muttered dangerously. Thank god that she had brought her gun…actually all it did was provide her with some sense of security, considering the fact that Kakashi wasn't there.
"Risking another political scandal based on no evidence but my words would be…unwise."
There was no disappointment in his voice, but a rational warning and Naoko had to admit that he was right. The broker had given her a warning, not hard solid data that she could rely on.
"Fair enough. No mention of the Akatsuki tonight. Thank you for the warning."
The man's lips twitched into a smirk, "Enjoy the party…"
He stalked away into the crowd, disappearing as suddenly as he had arrived.
Naoko left the plate and champagne to a nearby table and dived into the crowd, in search for Kisame, still shaken by the stranger's words. Protecting her…who was the broker protecting her from? Kisame or the Akatsuki? Could the...it seemed preposterous to even think this, but could the two be connected somehow?
She couldn't stop thinking about the possibility as the night processed on. Even Kisame's heartfelt speech of cooperation and prosperity didn't ease her worries. She observed it with dry silence, aware that he wasn't really…saying anything.
Also, the identity of this information broker. There were too many variables and not much that she could do without a solid connection to the internet and a limitless database.
For now, Naoko had to admit that she was at Kisame's mercy for the duration of the night. And just maybe it would be possible to get out of this early.
She clapped along with the others when he was finished with the speech. She had dumped her glass earlier so had nothing to toast with.
Instead, Naoko waited for him to get off the podium to find him and get this over with, properly this time.
It didn't take long to find him, massive as he is, mingling with a group of men who represented everything Konoha children were afraid of. Stern, strong and tough – they cracked no smiles and the men's faces remained completely impassive.
When Kisame noticed her standing there, he excused himself promptly and walked over to her.
"Enjoying the party I hope?"
"Absolutely, a nice alternative to the business-like atmosphere of the military."
Kisame's ears didn't miss the jab, "You're tired of military life?"
She shook her head jerkily, "Oh no-no, not tired, just thankful for the change of scenery."
The diplomat grinned, feeling right at home in his territory, "You're young, if you ever want to switch careers then give me a call."
"I'll make sure to remember this very…generous offer."
"I mean it, Shimotsuki," something about the way he pronounced her name sent shivers down her spine, "I believe you'd be a natural."
She lowered her eyes, afraid that Kisame might catch the uneasiness in her eyes. The broker's warning had scared her more than she dared to admit and made her wary of the mutated diplomat once again, renewing her fear.
"Thank you."
Kisame led her away from the crowd and back to the open window, no doubt waiting for the fireworks to start. This would be the perfect place and men were already fumbling around in the gardens in front of them.
"What happened on Earth?" asked Kisame, his eyes attentively turned to the moon.
Naoko shrugged, "We were sent to investigate the bomb. Instead an unidentified ground team landed and displayed every intention to either blow it up or take it with them."
Kisame rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Both options would've been…problematic."
"Indeed," she agreed with him, "which is why we tried to take them out. Sadly, we weren't quick enough and they managed to detonate it."
"Identity of the team?"
Naoko's heart fluttered like a butterfly, "Nothing, I saw no flags or other identifying symbolism."
The dress seemed suddenly constricting and uncomfortable, especially under Kisame's scrutinising eyes.
"And what do you believe?" he asked, eyes casually flickering to catch her reaction.
Naoko frowned, "I'm keeping away from prejudices. It could've been quite literally anyone."
Kisame chuckled, "That's the official response, and if I wanted that I would've called Tsunade."
Oh he was prying for something very specific indeed. Naoko was still unsure who to place her trust in – the broker or Kisame.
Revealing her doubts to him could give her access to information Konoha didn't have but…
The broker, he dealt with information. Possibly illegal and dangerous, but a neutral party nonetheless. He wanted her to continue her investigation – did that mean that the broker was actively working against the Akatsuki?
She smiled innocently, looking right into his eyes through her eyelashes, "I'm betting on one of the five kingdoms."
Kisame's lips moved, but his response was drowned out by the banging and whines the fireworks made and suddenly the sky was covered in thousands of little sparks, as if applauding to Naoko for a successful lie.
Finally, Itachi enters the picture! I know that it is barely a cameo, but everything in due time. He has plenty of impact on this story and the future so brace yourselves!
I wanted to get this chapter out before the holidays because I'll most likely be visiting relatives and that sort of stuff so I can't promise that I'll spend much of my spare time writing. Then again curling up with a cup of tea and my laptop would be quite nice with some warm homemade woollen socks to top it off.
Merry Christmas my dear readers and another thanks for Akari and Davina who've been loyally reviewing this story during its short existence. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter!
Lilyholics