Uzumaki ~ Detective Chronicles
Chapter Three: Case One - The Innocent Killer
Uzumaki-Hyuga Detective Agency, Early Morning
Hyuga Hinata was exhausted. The dark indigo haired girl had spent the previous night tossing and turning, worrying over Naruto. After she had returned to the Agency following her encounter with the senbon-using civilians, Naruto had called to say that she should head home, that he was being dropped off at his own apartment.
Hinata had struggled to hear his words over the communicator as the constant roar of wind howling through the communicator made even his loud voice nearly indiscernible. He must have been driven home in an open air vehicle. I hope he's alright... He visited Takami Sayu of all people! Who knows what she could have done to him... Especially if their previous relationship ended badly...
Hinata was seated at her desk. Being unable to sleep, Hinata had decided to just drive over to the Agency and wait for Naruto. She had arrived nearly two hours earlier than their usual arrival time and she knew Naruto would not show up until 8:30am. When Naruto had invited her to become his partner, his first order of business had been to go over a few rules. specifically the first rule of the Uzumaki-Hyuga Detective Agency: Work starts at 8:30am every weekday and 9:00am on weekends. Not a minute earlier, not a minute later.
To Naruto, a good night's sleep was very important. And no amount of coercing would get him out of bed earlier than 8am. Hinata knew that from personal experience. She sighed. She leaned forward on to her desk and lay her head on top of her hands. Life is very boring without Naruto, when you spend nearly all of your time with him she thought. She felt her tired eyes begin to close. The darkness her closed eyelids brought felt relaxing, relieving almost. I must have been more tired than I thought. Maybe just a few minutes...
Uzumaki Naruto's Apartment, Early Morning
Naruto pulled the door of his small apartment shut and locked it. He pocketed his keys, shifted his waist pouch to a more comfortable position and readjusted his goggles. He smiled. It felt great to wear his goggles again after so long because it was something familiar, a memento from his days as a kid.
His smiled slipped as he remembered the not so great days from his youth, but he pushed the memories back to the dark recesses of his mind. Those days were more or less over and there was no point in dwelling on the past. He nodded firmly, to reassure himself. His life had drastically improved since those days, and while it wasn't perfect, it was more than good enough for him.
He turned and made his way down the stairs that led to the street. As he stepped outside and reveled in the warmth of the brightly shining sun and the feel of the cool autumn breeze on what was to be yet another beautiful day in Konoha City, the peace and quiet was disrupted by the loud rumble of an engine.
He frowned and glanced around, searching for the person who was disrupting such a nice morning. "Saeko!"
The young woman was waiting outside the entrance to his apartment, seated on the motorcycle she had brought him home on the night before. She dismounted smoothly, swinging her leg up and over the bike in a graceful motion few women could pull off. She moved towards the blonde detective and smiled politely as she bowed.
"Good morning, Naruto-san."
Naruto smiled and shook his head. "I keep telling you, no need to be so formal! Naruto is fine."
Saeko smiled back, her purple eyes shimmering in the morning sun. "My apologies, Naruto-sa- Naruto."
Naruto motioned to the sleek black motorcycle, on which Saeko's four deadly weapons were strapped to. "So, what are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet at the Agency?"
Saeko nodded. "Yes, that was the plan. However, your home was on the way from Takami-sama's mansion to the Detective Agency, so I thought I would stop by to give you a lift. We are teammates now, are we not? I thought it would be a good start to our temporary partnership if I did something nice for you."
Naruto grinned. "You know something? I think I'm really starting to like you. But I'm not the only one you have to impress."
"Ah, yes, your partner and assistant, Hyuga Hinata. Daughter of Hyuga Hiashi, her mother passed away when Lady Hinata was eight, elder sister to Hyuga Hanabi. Like most members of the main branch and some members of the side branch, she possesses the family Kekkei Genkai the Byakugan. Currently living outside of the Hyuga estate by order of the Hokage due domestic violence issues."
Naruto stared at her in awe. "Wow! Do you even need to meet her? You know pretty much all you need to know about her!"
Saeko smiled and motioned him over to the vehicle. "Of course. I must meet her in person. There is only so much one can gather from the files."
"Sayu keeps files on us?"
"Indeed, she has extensive files on people of interest. Namely those who could pose a potential threat to her operations." Saeko leapt onto the motorbike, kicking the up kickstand and turning the key in the ignition. The bike rumbled to life and she beckoned Naruto over urgently. "Come Naruto, or we shall be late for our meeting with Officer Haruno."
"Right!"
He slid onto the seat behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Saeko twisted the right hand grip and the engine roared as they smoothly sped away from Naruto's apartment.
"So, does she have a file on me?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Oh yes, quite a large one in fact." Saeko replied.
"And what was in it? What did it say about me?"
Saeko glanced back at him and smiled, her eyes glinting like amethysts in the bright sunlight. "I did not read it. You are a very interesting person Uzumaki Naruto, and so I wanted meet you face to face. I want to learn about you through a more personal face-to-face experience."
Naruto grinned, his eyes shining with the promise of something new and exciting as she turned back around and gunned the throttle, speeding them towards the center of the city. Saeko's long red scarf whipped erratically around behind them in the bikes' slipstream as they weaved through the early morning traffic.
Uzumaki-Hyuga Detective Agency, Early Morning
Naruto held the door open for Saeko as she pocketed her key, sliding it into a zippered pocket in her dark blue skirt. "Milady," said Naruto, bowing his head and motioning toward the open portal. Saeko chuckled, ruffling his hair as she swept by. She brushed against his body on her way past him and he caught a whiff of her perfume; a subtle mix of lavender and sweet strawberries.
As the pair approached the front desk, the sound of soft breathing stopped Naruto from calling out to Hinata. The Byakugan users' head was pillowed on her arms, her dark indigo hair spilling onto the wooden surface of her desk. Naruto grinned as a blush spread across her cheeks as she slept. "She's so cute when she sleeps!" Saeko remained silent.
"Saeko?" As Naruto turned to face her, he was shocked to find Saeko staring at Hinata with an expression akin to fear. She was rigid, her eyes locked on the face of the slumbering girl in front of her, yet her eyes were slightly gazed over, like she was trapped in an unpleasant memory. As the young woman began to shake, Naruto quickly placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned closer to her, trying to get her attention.
"Hey, hey Saeko? Are you OK? Saeko, talk to me!" The young woman snapped out of her daze, breathing rapidly and anxiously tugging on the red scarf around her neck. The blonde detective was worried. How did seeing Hinata cause Saeko to freeze up like that? Saeko clutched at her scarf while taking deep calming breaths, her eyes tightly closed.
A few moments later and she was calm once again. She opened her eyes and they sought the worried blue eyes of her companion. She smiled weakly. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Naruto."
Naruto eyes were wide. "Saeko, what happened? One minute you were fine and the next, you were freaking out at the sight of Hinata. I..." he was cut off as Saeko placed a slender finger on his lips, silencing his outburst.
"I am fine Naruto. Thank you for your concern. I just... Remembered something." Her face had settled into a smile that did not reach her eyes, and her tone was anything but warm. Her voice was devoid of emotion, bringing one thought to Naruto's mind. She's picked up a few tricks from her master.
"Uh sure. Listen, if you ever need to talk..." Saeko nodded, a more natural smile gracing her features. Still uneasy due to the recent developments, he jumped when one of his communicators rang. He dug frantically through his pockets, pulling out the three devices he had on him. The last one he pulled out was vibrating, it's screen flashing as a simple ringtone emitted from the tiny speaker.
Saeko reached out and scooped the remaining two communicators from his hands, freeing him up to answer the call. He smiled at her gratefully as he pressed the red button on the front of the device and held it to his ear. Unfortunately, all of his two way communicators looked the same, and while he was sure that it wasn't Hinata calling him, there was a fifty-fifty chance that it would be either Sakura or Sayu. He hoped it was the former. He did not need to hear about Sayu's various 'businesses' on such a lovely morning. Hearing about the what horrible enterprises his former best friend was running once was enough.
"Hello?"
"Naruto, it's Sakura. There's been another murder."
"What? Is it one of Sayu's people?"
"Yes. I'll send you the directions via text message."
"Text message?"
A sigh was heard through the speaker. "Naruto, I thought I'd explained this all to you. Are you really this stupid? How do you solve murders if you can't even use your communicator properly?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "You're so mean Sakura-chan! Its not my fault, I'm new to this! Some of us aren't officers of the law you know. Humble detectives like us don't get special training on how to use these things!"
"Yeah yeah, keep making excuses baka. I'll see you at the crime scene." Without a word of farewell, she hung up. Naruto stared at the device until the screen lit up and vibrated, indicating that a message had come through. He stared helplessly at the scroll icon on the bottom right corner of the screen until Saeko came to his aid. She walked up behind him and placed her hand over his, resting her head on his shoulder as she started to navigate to the messages. With a few gentle presses, the scroll unfurled itself and grew to fill the screen, revealing the message.
"Hmm, that's not too far from here." mused Naruto.
"You better wake your partner Naruto. I shall drive ahead to the crime scene." she said as she handed the other two communicators back to the blonde.
"Sure..." said Naruto nonplussed as he watched her speedily exit the room after a nervous glance at the still sleeping Hinata. A few moments later, the muffled roar of her motorbike started up and faded away.
Naruto put his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Hinata-chan? It's time to go." He noticed that the faint blush on her face seemed to intensify, and utterly confused, he began to gently shake her. "Come on Hinata-chan, I need you now!" He quickly grew alarmed as her whole face went bright red and a small amount of blood spurted from her nose. He started to shake her more vigorously until she finally stirred.
Hinata's eyes opened slowly, and as they focused on Naruto, she leapt up from the table in shock. Blood dripped from her nose onto her light purple jacket, staining the material a dark red.
"N-N-Naruto-k-kun! How... When..." she stuttered, feeling flustered and embarrassed.
"No time for that Hinata-chan! Your nose is bleeding and we've got another murder on our hands!"
At these words, Hinata calmed down somewhat, and grabbing a couple of tissues, led Naruto by the hand outside to her car. As Naruto realized where she was leading him to, he shivered as a feeling of dread settled over his heart.
"Let's go Naruto-kun. Do you have an address?" She quickly wiped her nose and dabbed at the spots of blood on her jacket as they made their way to the small hatchback.
Naruto glanced from the communicator in his hand to Hinata with a helpless look. Immediately understanding, she sighed. "Oh Naruto-kun..." she said as she gently plucked the proffered device from Naruto's hand and navigated to the messages.
Red Light Zone, Midmorning
"Why do we always end up in the red light zone?" muttered Officer Haruno. She glanced impatiently at her watch while Shikamaru snickered from his position on her squad car's bonnet, stretched out on his back and gazing at the clouds.
"Huh. Maybe the killer has a kinky side."
"Shikamaru..." Sakura was cut off as a small silver hatchback came hurtling round the corner of the all too familiar strip club they were currently parked outside of.
The small car screeched to a halt, sliding into a perfect parallel park next to Sakura's squad car. Inside, Naruto was clutching at the dashboard and handles of the car, a look of pure terror on his face. Nothing was more scary than Hinata's breakneck driving pace. Behind the wheel, the timid, mild mannered girl turned into a fiery speed demon. Naruto had faced some truly horrible criminals in his time as a detective, but Hinata's daredevil driving put them all to shame.
Almost.
Next to the deathly pale blonde sat Hinata, who was calming down after the rush that her driving gave her. The manic grin slipped off her face as she glanced over at Naruto. "I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun..."
Naruto slowly released his death grip on the small cars' dash, and returned her gaze with a weak grin. "No-no problem Hinata-chan. N-nice to see you show some confidence eh?" he quickly opened the door and leapt out equally fast. "L-let's go! We don't want to keep Sakura-chan waiting now do we?" He wobbled away on shaky legs, desperate to get away from that silver death trap. He really should make the time to learn how to drive. Then again, there was a reason why he didn't.
Sakura beckoned him over impatiently. Behind him, the soft patter of footsteps and the chirp of the car alarm as it was locked told him that Hinata was right behind him. The detective double timed it over to Sakura, a rarely seen serious expression upon his face.
She pointed out the body of a young woman, sprawled across the small flight of stairs leading to the entrance of the run down strip club. Shards of broken glass, mostly likely from neon tubing were sprinkled around and under the body. The entrance was taped off and the body had a chalk line around it, marking its position. A full cigarette with a burnt tip lay next to the woman's outstretched hand, a senbon needle in the wrist, while her other was placed squarely on top of her miniskirt encased waist, between her wide spread legs.
The woman almost looked as if she had passed out, if not for the two senbon in her neck and heart, each one staining her long sleeved white shirt with a copious amount of blood. Naruto ducked under the yellow tape and pulled out his orange notebook.
"Alright, tell me what happened." he said as he knelt next to the body for a closer examination. Sakura nodded and began.
"The victims' name is Nakajima Yumi. She was the owner of the strip club. We received the call from one of her employees around 5:45am. Our medical examiner places the time of death around-"
"5:00am." Hinata interjected as she deactivated her Byakugan and handed Naruto a small page of notes on the body to add to his notebook.
"...Correct. Nakajima was killed in the same manner as the other, one senbon to disarm, two to kill. However, the victim did not have any weapons save for a lit cigarette, which in all honesty is a weapon that harms the user more than anything. I believe that the killer hit the victims wrist with a senbon as a safety measure, just in case she did have a concealed weapon."
"Seems reasonable," murmured Naruto, deep in thought. What about the broken glass? Where did that come from?"
"That glass was already there. Across the street was where victim number six, Hideto Ryuuji, was found. The man used a chakra pulse during his confrontation with the killer, and that made the neon tubes from the sign above the entrance explode. Obviously, the current victim didn't think it was worth cleaning up or replacing."
True to her word, the sign had not been repaired. As Naruto angled his head to look at the sign, one of the broken tubes sparked.
"Alright. So the cigarette is definitely Nakajima's?"
"DNA testing has not been performed, but we found a lighter amongst her personal effects. That and its proximity to the body are more than enough evidence. Satisfied?"
"Not completely but it is very convincing circumstantial evidence."
Sakura held a hand to her brow and smiled with mild exasperation. "As meticulous to a fault as always." she said as she removed her blue hat and ran her fingers through her pink hair.
Naruto smiled and stood up, replacing his notebook in his waist pouch. "As long as I have my reputation as the best detective in Konoha City, I have to be!" Hinata smiled at him proudly.
Sakura assumed a mock disinterested expression. "Sure sure. Now, what are your observations? This guy is clearly one smart bastard to evade the police for so long."
"Girl." said Naruto.
"What?"
"The killer is a female."
"I've had my suspicions about that too," Naruto, Hinata and Sakura looked over to the squad car, where Shikamaru was sliding off of the bonnet. He sauntered over to the group with his hands clasped behind his head.
"Finally going to start doing your job Shikamaru?" Sakura said snidely.
Shikamaru ignored her pointedly and addressed Naruto. "But I'd like to know what led you to that conclusion."
"There were a few small hints but really the two major indicators were the method of murder and the position of the body."
Naruto had Sakura and Hinata's undivided attention now. "Explain." Ordered Sakura.
Naruto stood to attention and saluted. "Yes Ma'am! The method of killing, the use of senbon, is often used for assassinations. No noise and very little mess if used correctly. Most, but not all female killers tend to use techniques that cause very little mess or involve very little direct contact. Poisons, senbon, traps involving kunai and the like. Therefore, our killer's technique gives us about a 59 percent chance that the killer is female."
"Naruto, that's not a very convincing statistic." Said Sakura with a deadpan expression.
"I'm not finished. Yes, the possibility of the killer being female rather than male cannot be properly judged from the percentage value, however that is where the position of the body comes in." Naruto motioned to the body behind the tape. He noted with interest that sometime during their initial examination of the body, the closed window on the ground floor of the strip club to the right of the entrance had opened slightly.
"Do you notice anything unusual about the body? Something fishy in the way the victim has sprawled across the steps?"
Hinata, Sakura and Shikamaru duly observed the corpse, looking for whatever it was that was 'fishy'.
"N-Naruto-kun, I'm afraid I don't see anything out of the ordinary." murmured Hinata almost inaudibly.
"I'm gonna have to agree with Hinata on this one Naruto," added Shikamaru. "I don't see whatever it is you see. You want to drop the theatrics and enlighten us?"
Naruto noticed the pulsing vein on Sakura's temple and decided to get a move with the big reveal before he found himself across the street cratered in a wall.
"Uh, see how her right hand, the one near the cigarette, is carelessly flung to the side, consistent with a fall? Now look at her other hand. If you had just been fatally injured by some senbon wielding serial killer, would preserving your decency be the only thing going through your mind?"
The other three gathered around the body shared a blank look between them but did not interrupt. When it pertained to a case, Naruto did not say or do anything without a reason.
"Did you notice the cut on top of her wrist? If you look closely you can see that it was bleeding," He pointed to the edge of one of the concrete steps just below the deceased's left shoulder. "And over here, there is a smear of blood on the edge, presumably from the fall. When she fell, she must have hit her hand against the edge, causing the cut."
"Alright, so you've determined the cause of a minor injury. What does that have to do with decency? Oh!" said Sakura, as a look of realization spread across her face.
"Ah, you've seen it! If the hand landed on the step, how did it end up on her lap? Directly over her rather short skirt? The answer is obvious. The killer obviously felt that their victim deserved some respect, even in death, and took the time to adjust the hand so that it would stop her skirt from sliding up and revealing her... Underwear..." Naruto blushed and scratched the back of his head before continuing.
"Not many killers, much less males than females, stop to manipulate their victims' body after the deed is done. With this type of murder, the common thing to do is do the deed, pick up the money or whatever they were after and then make themselves scarce. This then tells us that the killer is an inexperienced female, who's new to the game, and felt some sort of sisterhood or womanly bond with their victim, which made her feel that she had to preserve her victims' dignity!"
Sakura looked doubtful. " So you're saying we are looking for a newbie female killer with a screwed up sense of respect and honour? Don't get me wrong, it makes sense, but still..."
"Haven't you learnt by now that I'm always right?" he said, a mischievous grin on his lips. Sakura bopped him on the top of his head.
"Baka! Shikamaru and I are going to head back to the precinct to document this murder. Do you two mind dropping by around 7:30 this evening to go over some details as well as discuss any new findings you may have?" Naruto rubbed the top of his head, which was feeling very sore but nodded.
"Sure thing! See you soon!" he said with a grin as the pair walked away. Hinata waved good bye shyly and Shikamaru waved back with a grin that was interrupted by a yawn as Sakura reversed the squad car back into the street and sped off towards the city center.
As she drove away, Sakura pondered Naruto's last few words. A few years ago, he would have said 'Its a date!' rather than 'See you soon'. It seemed like Naruto had grown up, in some ways, and moved on. Sakura felt... Something... at the thought that Naruto might not be interested in her anymore. It wasn't a happy feeling, nor was it sad. She didn't know what it was. Was he really over her? And how did that make her feel?
Naruto shifted his gaze from the receding vehicle towards the open window of the strip club. "Saeko? Are you still there?"
Psycho? Thought Hinata.
She jumped as a window on the ground floor of the strip club slid open and a woman peered out from the dark interior of the establishment. A very attractive woman, she noted. Just how many women did her Naruto-kun know? She hoped this strange woman with four deadly looking blades wasn't from another one of his previous relationships like with Takami Sayu. Did Naruto-kun like dangerous women? And if so, what chance did she have of winning him over? She was, in Naruto's own words, cute! Just cute!
"Hinata-chan? Hey, are you paying attention?" Naruto was waving his hand in front of her glazed white eyes. Hinata quickly snapped to attention, shaking her head to clear her mind. There was time to ponder over her worries later.
"S-Sorry, Naruto-kun."
"Anyway, this here is..."
"Saeko. Takami Sayu-sama's personal bodyguard. I was assigned by her to your team in order to keep her updated on the progress you make on the case. Nice to meet you Lady Hinata."
Saeko hopped onto the windowsill and leapt out the window, landing silently in a crouch before standing and bowing. Her weapons clinked ominously and her smile as she straightened seemed forced to the estranged Hyuga heir.
She returned the bow with a quiet "N-Nice to meet you too."
"Ah! I forgot to fill you in on what happened last night!" Naruto slapped his forehead, amazed at his own absentmindedness.
He quickly filled her in on what happened at Takami Sayu's mansion. He failed to mention his abrupt meeting with Saeko, the young woman in question noted, spotting the faint blush on his face as he glossed over the details and moved straight into the meeting.
Hinata on the other hand felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart. Naruto and Sayu had been friends when they were in the orphanage? It didn't explain why he had been so evasive on the topic earlier, but at least she knew now that she still had a chance! The cute girl was not out for the count just yet!
As Naruto explained how Takami had returned his goggles, Hinata was surprised that she had not seen them in the first place. Despite having the Byakugan, the all seeing eye, I still manage to miss the small details she thought as a sweat drop rolled down the side of her head.
As Naruto wrapped up his recount of the previous nights events, he turned to Saeko. "So why didn't you come out when Sakura-chan was here?"
"I was instructed by Takami-sama not to have any interactions with the police, lest they think I am trying to sabotage the investigation on Milady's behalf. The police tend to draw strange conclusions when Takami-sama is involved. Therefore it is probably wise not to mention to Officer Haruno that I am a temporary member of you team, at least until the investigation is over."
"I see. That's reasonable I suppose. But Sakura-chan would be cool about you working with us wouldn't she...?" he trailed off as Hinata shook her head. "Yeah, you're right I suppose." He redirected his attention to Saeko. "So, what did you find out?"
"The same things you did. I did overhear your deductions on the killers' gender and I must admit, it makes sense," she smiled, her purple eyes free from the strain that Hinata's presence seemed to cause. "You're reputation is well deserved."
Naruto locked his arms behind his and grinned. Hinata felt that it was time to move on. This strange young woman was making her nervous, what with her twin katana blades on her back, two wakizashi strapped to her waist and the very dangerous flirty looks she was throwing at her Naruto-kun.
"N-Naruto-kun, I think it's time we move on. We're blocking the paramedics." Naruto looked around and spotted the ambulance that had parked near Hinata's car. Two medical personnel were quickly unloading a stretcher from the back of the van and unfolding the white cloth used to cover the body.
"You're right, we've got all the information we can from this crime scene anyway and..." Naruto was interrupted at that point by a loud rumble from his stomach. He scratched his head sheepishly as Hinata giggled. Saeko looked at him with concern. Naruto laughed. "I guess skipping breakfast this morning was a bad move! It's about lunchtime anyway isn't it? Hinata-chan, you want grab a bowl of ramen with me?"
Hinata looked regretful as she informed him that she couldn't. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun but I-I have to catch up on some paperwork."
Naruto pouted childishly. "Please Hinata-chan? Surely it can wait?" Hinata looked ready to give in, not that she'd refuse any free time with Naruto when Saeko piped up.
"If you do not mind, I would not mind accompanying you. It would be a chance for us to get to know each other better."
"Sure! Sounds great. Well then, I guess this is goodbye Hinata-chan! I'll be back at the Agency in the afternoon alright?"
For Hinata, her worst fears had been realized. Naruto-kun was going to be alone with that temptress all afternoon. She had no chance now!
"S-Sure Naruto-kun, I-I'll see you l-later." she walked slowly to her car, shuffling slowly with her face turned toward the ground - the picture of dejection.
Naruto was left watching another of his close friends drive away. He turned back to Saeko. "Shall we go then?"
"Yes. Follow me, I parked around the back." As they made their way around the side of the strip club, Naruto spoke up.
"Do you mind eating at a little place called Ichiraku Ramen? Most of my female friends don't like to as they say it's unhealthy and makes them fa..." he trailed off with a nervous look at Saeko. To mention a woman's weight was like tempting an angry bear by stepping into its cave and laughing at it. His wariness went unnoticed by Saeko as she turned around and smiled.
"I love that place! The people there are so nice, and I can never get enough of their ramen!"
Naruto's grin stretched to impossible proportions. Yes, he definitely liked this woman.
Ichiraku Ramen, Noon
Saeko switched off the engine and the pair leapt off the sleek motorbike. Even though we were in an open vehicle, I felt a lot safer with Saeko and her driving skills compared to Hinata. Better not mention it to Hinata though thought Naruto, sweat dropping simultaneously.
Naruto ducked under the small curtain, and being the gentlemen that he is, held it up for Saeko to walk through. Once again his hair was ruffled by a smiling Saeko and once again, he caught a whiff of that lovely perfume. The partners in cri... Justice took their seats and waited for Teuchi and Ayame.
A loud clattering echoed from behind the curtain partitioning the storeroom from the kitchen. Ayame quickly hurried out from behind the curtain, and spotting her two best customers, put on her biggest smile. "Naruto-kun! And Saeko-san! It's been way too long, where have you been?"
Saeko returned her smile with a polite one of her own. "Takami-sama has been keeping me busy, Ayame-san, so I haven't been able to come visit as often as I would like."
Ayame assumed a mock serious expression. "Should I have a chat with this Takami character about why she's keeping one of my best customers away?" Saeko laughed, the thought of anyone going up against Takami Sayu for something as simple as ramen... Admittedly the best ramen she had ever tasted but still...
Ayame turned to Naruto and leaned over the counter to give him a quick hug. "So Naruto-kun," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Did you bring the ring this time?" Naruto blushed in response.
"Ayame-chan! Quit teasing me!"
Back when Naruto was young and needed to escape the cruelty of his fellow orphans at the orphanage and later to escape the feeling of loneliness he felt while living alone in his apartment, he had spent a lot of his time at the ramen stand and quickly developed a huge crush on the kind Ayame, going so far as to propose multiple times. Even now he still had a small crush on the ramen waitress, and she took every opportunity to tease him about it good naturedly.
"For shame Naruto-kun! How do you expect to propose if you don't have a ring?" Naruto's face was starting to resemble his white-eyed partners face during one of his own pranks on her. He started fidgeting self consciously.
"Ayame-chan..."
"Aww, you're too cute when you're flustered Naruto-kun!" the brunette said, gently pinching his bright red cheek for added effect. "So, the usual?" Naruto nodded with a small grin, still very much embarrassed.
Saeko had watched the whole exchange and was very amused. "I think you two would make a great couple Naruto-kun!"
"Not you too Saeko!"
Ichiraku Ramen, Afternoon
Naruto put down his fifth bowl and sighed in contentment. Beside him, Saeko was just about finished with her fourth and final bowl of ramen. He had been pleasantly surprised at how well she could keep up with his eating pace. A feat that not even Choji had accomplished.
Ayame sighed tiredly and walked around the counter to sit down next to Naruto. She turned her back towards him and looked over her shoulder at him with pleading eyes. "Naruto, could you massage me? Pretty please? Working the stoves by myself all day puts a lot of pressure on me since dad went out of town to a chefs convention."
"Sure. Lean back a bit and I'll get started."
Naruto started to massage her shoulders, using chakra in his fingers to slowly ease out the knots in her back. A relieved moan sounded from the ramen waitress as his fingers worked their magic. "Oh Naruto-kun, that feels so good! I'll never know how you got so good at this, but thank Kami for it!"
Naruto grinned and was about to reply when he noticed something on her neck. As his hands made small circular movements on her shoulder blades, the collar of her shirt slid down, revealing a small design at the base of her neck. A small black triangle with points on the bottom edge, the middle spike longer than the two on the sides, were surrounded by two lines that started from the top point of the triangle and encircled, ending in two arrows that pointed upwards into the two gaps between the bottom three spikes. The center of the triangle had a small spiral left uninked in the middle, the white mark contrasting sharply with the black ink.
"Ayame-chan, I didn't know you had a tattoo."
"A tattoo? No I don..." her head slumped forward slightly before she responded in a monotone. "Yes, I got it recently," her voice slowly return to normal with each word. "Do you like it, Naruto-kun?"
Strange he thought. "Uh, its nice, I suppose."
The conversation was interrupted as a chilly wind blew through the ramen stand, sending Ayame's cleaning cloth flying. Saeko got up to catch it before it flew out onto the street, but to her and Naruto's surprise, the cloth was suddenly pinned to the wall with two senbon that bit deeply into the wood of the stands' entrance. Two rather oddly coloured senbon that glowed faintly for a few moments with the familiar blue hue of chakra before it faded away.
Naruto glanced at Saeko but she shook her head. He glanced over at Ayame, who face held a satisfied look. "Look Naruto! My self defense classes are paying off!"
"That was you? Wow! That was some first class senbon... Action..." he trailed off thoughtfully before shaking his head and standing up.
"Well its time for us to go. I have to pick up Hinata and meet with Sakura this evening."
Ayame seemed to stiffen at the mention of the officer's name before her face resumed its normal easy smile. "Sure, sure. Don't let little old me keep you from your duty Detective Uzumaki!"
Naruto moved forward and embraced her. "See you later Ayame-chan. Stay safe."
"Always. Bye Naruto-kun." she replied, hugging him tightly before releasing him, grabbing the senbon and cleaning cloth and returning to her spot behind the counter. Naruto waved as he ducked out, watching closely as she stifled a yawn and waved back with a tired smile. He noticed for the first time that she had dark circles under her eyes, and a worried look filled his own sapphire eyes as he slid onto the bike behind Saeko and wrapped his arms around her waist, engrossed in his thoughts.
As they slowly pulled away from the ramen stand and towards the Agency, Saeko's own train of thought was following Naruto's, though she was a little distracted by the warm pair of arms hugging her to an even warmer body. Saeko had never been held like this, intentionally or unintentionally, by anyone and she had to admit, as a small smile formed on her lips, it felt nice.