Clink.

The beer pitcher set down onto the table and amber liquid frothed over the side and slapped onto the table.

Clink.

Behind Shikamaru some guy in a baseball cap sent a ball across the pool table into a side pocket. Jugo, half his face hidden in the bar's shadows, the other pink from the neon sign above him, stared at the pool table longingly. He looked at Shikamaru and said, "I can't believe this dump only has one pool table."

"He'll stop soon," Deidara said. "I'm sure the first three hours were just a fluke."

"He's not even good," Jugo snapped. "And who the hell plays pool by themselves anyways?"

"At least the place has good beer," Sasori said, glancing at Shikamaru. "Good beer, yes? Anyone? Good beer?"

"I guess," Deidara said, looking back at the women attending the bar behind him. "Why can't attractive girls ever come into dives like this?"

"Because attractive girls rarely go into dives,"Jugo said.

"See, I mention the beer," Sasori said, "because I would like to get a reaction from our Mr. Shikamaru here, who has spent the last hour or so sulking."

"Sulking?" Deidara said. "That's brooding. He's being broody."

Shikamaru glanced up at them, leaned back. "Are you guys going to be the ones to call the boss then?"

Jugo shrugged. "We figured you'd do it. You guys have good, erm, rapport."

"We were terrible. We are terrible."

Sasori shrugged. "You think too much."

"We were awful."

"How so?"

"We got our asses kicked?"

"Maybe you did."

"That Sasuke kid almost beat you to death, Sasori."

"You kidding me? Ever heard of feigning? I was feigning all that crap."

"Well next time feign somewhere else. No room for feigning in this outfit."

"It isn't your outfit."

"No I guess not. I prefer outfits where the members don't get the shit kicked out of them."

"Hey, I told you-!"

"I figure," Jugo said, "any setback's just going to make us stronger in the end. Next time, I'll strangle that Naruto kid harder, it'll be cool, don't worry about it."

Shikamaru's pager beeped. "Ah, that's her," he said. "I'll try and make you guys look good."

"Hey, fuck you," Deidara said. "It was really dark and that high school kid came out of nowhere."

Shikamaru got up from the table, made him way past the pool table, where the guy in the baseball cap shot another side pocket, and went to the stairs in the back, down towards the grimy washrooms below. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket, tapped in some numbers, stepped into the men's room, stepped across the slimy tiles and looked into the smeared mirror.

"Shikamaru," the deep female voice purred. "You called when I asked."

"Never said I wasn't obedient when the task called for it. What's up?"

"Status report?"

A pause. Shikamaru regarded himself in the mirror, saw the bruises and the slowly healing cut on the side of his head. "I was going to blame my teammates, but I can't do that. We were attacked and we did not handle ourselves well. I didn't handle myself well. I guess I failed you."

"So no Naruto yet?"

"No Naruto yet. I'll take the responsibility for that."

"You were attacked, you say?"

"Can't account for it. This town's got some interesting nuts in it."

"Well, Shikamaru, honey, I forgive you for it."

"Well, that's lovely to hear."

"But you will get him, won't you? This isn't an I-give-up report, is it?"

"Never."

"That's why I like having you call me instead of the others."

"Jugo likes to give up?"

"No, but he takes the phone calls in the direction of his murdering people."

"You should try having a normal conversation with him."

"Give me a status report in two days."

"Two days."

"Luck, honey."

"Thanks."

As he hung up the door opened and someone came in, moved to the sink next to him and said, "Hi."

It was a woman, young. Her hair was bushy, unruly, and spiking out like she had attempted to keep it down but failing. Her eyes were intense. She was wearing black. "You're Shikamaru, right?"

The heck was all this? "Yeah."

"You're after Naruto, right?"

"Where'd you hear that?"

"Your friends upstairs were talking about it when I came in. And around the highschool where I go to."

"I hate them," he said. "I hate them so much."

"I want in."

"What?"

"I want to join up. I want to help kidnap Naruto."

"This has to be one of the most surreal conversations I've had all day. And when you meet the guys upstairs you'll understand just what I mean by that."

"My name's Temari. I know how to fight. Can I join?"

"Yeah, of course you can."

"What?"

"Of course. Atkatsuki's always looking for new blood. I'd be thrilled for you to join."

"Oh. Well. I expected more resistance, I guess."

"Have you met the guys upstairs? We hire anyone. Come on, I'll buy you a drink."

"I'm underage."

"So are we. That's why people invented forgery. May I first ask why you want to join us?"

Temari paused. She rubbed her arm.

Shikamaru shrugged. "You don't have to tell me."

"Just-- Naruto didn't kill my brother."

"Ah-?"

"He's brave and friendly and wonderful and he didn't deserve what my brother did to him. And now Sasuke has him. I know what Sasuke is like. I think he killed my brother." She looked up at Shikamaru. "Sasuke took my brother away; I want to take Naruto away from him."

"Right," Shikamaru said. "So the reason is you're crazy. You'll fit in well here."

ooo

The rain had stopped and the world had settled down to dark clouds and strong winds. Naruto sat on the playground's swings, watching Sakura and Sai trade lipstick over near the slide, watching Sasuke sit in the wind, staring ahead. They were going to the beach today, despite the wind and the darkness of the day.

"We need to get out," Naruto had said. "Like, really get out and do something."

They were waiting for Iruka to swing by with the car. Sasuke had seemed agitated ever since the beach idea was proposed, but when asked, he said he was perfectly fine with it.

Sasuke. Naruto watch him, watched the way his hair fluttered around his face in the wind, the perfect profile in that handsome face. What was he thinking? The problem with the intensity, as attractive as it was, was that it was always a mask to Naruto. Sasuke kept his emotions close.

Sakura was gung-ho about the beach, packing sunscreen, packing towels, packing a bathing suit.

"It's autumn!" Ino shouted at her from her seat on the slide. "You're going to freeze!"

"You're all just jealous," Sakura said. "You're just jealous that I'm going to be able to swim and you're not."

A flock of birds soared down over the playground to a miniature lake created by the rain. They touched down, flapping the water lightly with their wings, settled down. Naruto watched them, then spread out his arms and said, "Whoosh."

He turned back towards Sasuke. "Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up.

"Are you really all right?"

A smile. "Yeah. Of course."

A car swung by the playground and Sai stood up. "It's beach time, folks!"

ooo

The beach.

The waves rolled, sweeping along in perfect dark blue-gray, swinging up under the dark sky. The wind made it hard for Iruka to read, constantly having to flip pages back where he sat on the towel.

Autumn, he thought. The death throes of the world, where it turned about into beauty and glorious violence, the bombast in the sky, the glittering leaves. Things would settle down into cold winter soon, but for the moment he enjoyed the constant motion of the dying season.

Naruto and Sasuke sat together, watching the waves, looking like two split forces of nature, bright Naruto, dark Sasuke. A poetic kind of relationship, that. They watched Sakura made her third attempt to go into the icy waters.

"She's crazy," Ino said, taking photographs of the rocks and vegetation encroaching upon the beach.

This was the only beach for some ways, about two hours out from the town. The coast followed along rocky cliffs, pebbly sand, and gray angry waters. Nestled farther up the road was a tiny fishing community called McAggus, consisting of maybe three hundred people. The beach rarely had tourists, especially during this time, which made it perfect of them to wander up it, fool around, have some fun.

A wave the size of a small house buried Sakura underneath its rolls, and she appeared, blue, chattering, looking determined.

"She's going to get hypothermia," Sai said, writing in his notebook.

"You're going to freeze to death!" Sasuke shouted.

Naruto looked at him, touched his hand. "Listen--"

"Mhm?" Sasuke said.

"Are you all right?"

A pause. "What do you mean?"

"You've been-- I don't know. Upset or worried or something."

"Have I-?"

"You've been worried."

"I suppose so."

They walked along the beach together, and up along the rocks that extended below the cliffs and into the water, as if trying to reclaim land for the dry. Waves crashed up, spraying up overhead.

"I guess I have been worried," Sasuke said, leaning down and picking up a rock.

"About me?"

"About you." He threw the rock. It skipped three times and disappeared into a breaker.

"You shouldn't be. I told you not to be."

"I've been trying not to."

Back at his home, he had let the jar of water out by the light of a full moon. The next day he had sprinkled the water along his windows, along his door. When he went to Naruto's home, he had taken some water along with him and sprinkled it onto their front door. "I've just been having bad dreams."

"I don't like seeing you concerned like this."

"Well, maybe I'll make an effort not to be."

The next wave crashed upwards, high enough to rain water down onto them. The water was freezing. They stumbled back towards the cliff face, laughing, shaking off water. Sasuke caught Naruto's hand. Laughing, they leaned against the rock, looking out at the water. They kissed.

Kisses. Naruto pressed against him, pushing him back against the rock face. Warmth, and they were both soaked. Naruto touched Sasuke's wet hair, kissed him again.

"Oh god," Sasuke breathed.

The wolf howl came from above, from the top of the cliff. Sasuke broke from the kiss, looking up sharply. Another breaker crashed high above their heads, and beyond it the clouds were starting to get darker, more violent, boiling. "We should go," he said.

"What?" Naruto said. "And leave all this romance behind?"

"Naruto--"

Hands entwined in hands. Sasuke's fingers dug into Naruto's palm, came outwards, and coiled around Naruto's own fingers. A dance. Sasuke broke off the kiss, looked into Naruto's blue-blue eyes, much bluer than the water beyond.

The wolf cry came again, closer. This time, Sasuke got up to his feet, trying to ignore that Naruto was sitting below him, wet and gorgeous. He came out along the rocks, Naruto asking him what was wrong.

A wolf, standing at the edge of the rock face, staring at him. It was a moment of recognition, the way the wolf and Sasuke looked at each other, recognizing kindred spirits. No, the wolf wasn't the threat. So why did he feel so concerned-?

"Sasuke-!" Naruto shouted, getting to his feet.

Sasuke turned and the thing came straight up out of the water, knocking him back with a hiss, scales glimmering. Sasuke rolled to the side, watching in horror as the giant snake crashed down onto the rocks towards Naruto. The impact pitched him up and out, and water caught him, tumbling him down into the deep.

Above, as the water took him, the chill claiming him, he saw Naruto dive down at him.

No, he thought; swim away. Save yourself.

But Naruto was swimming towards him, determination in his eyes, ignoring the beast that swept into the murkiness behind him. Naruto reached out his hand, mouthed Sasuke's name. Sasuke reached for him, caught his hand.

And then the snake swung back and tore Naruto from his sight. Sasuke screamed Naruto's name, scrambling upwards, but the serpent was too fast, disappearing into the darkness.

Sasuke broke the surface of the water, struggling for the rocks, screaming in anger. He could hear the others approaching him. They grabbed him and pulled him ashore, wrapping him in a towel. "He took him," he said. "Oh god he took him."

"Who took him? Who took who?" Iruka said. "Where's Naruto?"

"Orochimaru," Sasuke said. "Orochimaru took Naruto."

He almost dove back out into the water, but the others managed to pull him back. Naruto-! he thought; oh god, Naruto--

ooo

Naruto.

Rose petals soared through the air, coming to float on the surface of slick puddles. Naruto realized he was floating on his back, staring up at a sky that had a sunset blazoned across its clouds. He turned, crawled onto grassy ground, came up to see two rows of rose bushes leading towards a large castle. White statues curved out of the rose bushes, a naked man looking to the sky, a naked woman contorted, her mouth open, a snake crawling up her leg, a statue of a griffon, suspended in mid-flight, as if it was frozen just it had burst through the rose bushes to the next. Rose petals and cottonseed filled the air.

Behind him there was a large ivy-covered gate and beyond that a dark forest, coming up, almost touching the gate. There was no one around. Silence seemed to be the choice soundtrack of the place. "Is there anyone there!" he shouted.

Creaking. He turned and saw the castle doors open.

"Hello? Who's there?"

Up the stone steps he went. There was a statue of a young boy, doubled over, clutching a wound in his side. Near the doors there was a statue of a woman on all fours, slowly changing into a beast.

And then there was the hallway through the doors, dark, curtains billowing from windows farther in. Naruto stepped forwards through the threshold and the doors closed gently behind him. "Hello?" he said.

Twin statues of cobras adorned the door at the end of the hall. As he approached them the door opened. He heard a piano playing somewhere.

What sort of person lived in a place like this? Naruto wondered how anyone could get around, with twisting stairways leading up into shadows, fluted elaborate engravings covering the walls, paintings of strange nightmares on the ceiling.

He passed two gigantic pillars, came into a large hall. Light streamed in through two windows, wind blowing two curtains out, twisting and dancing around one another. as Naruto entered the windows shut up, blocking the light, and a fire burst up in a massive fireplace at the end. The flames illuminated a long banquet table. There were clothes hanging over one of the chairs. "Hello!"

How did he get here again? He tried to remember -- he remembered a snake, some sort of serpent--

There were black roses hanging off the chairs and Naruto approached the dark clothing, the fire flickering off its fabric.

"Those are for you," a voice said.

Naruto turned.

There was a figure at the end of the hall, tall and gaunt. Pale. "The clothing," the figure said. "It's for you."

"Where am I?" Naruto said.

"There are cakes-- and grapes -- and more delicious food. Please, have a seat."

"Where am I?"

Ignoring the question, the figure approached the fireplace, becoming a silhouette against the massive flames. Naruto turned, warily watching him, and brushed against the clothing.

He cried out. The clothing was sticking to him like webbing. It coiled up, latched onto his throat, feeling cool to the touch, cutting off his air. He tried to cry out, tried to say something, but instead he stumbled back, choking, as the black fabric flickered up and grabbed his face, obscuring his vision. Snakes -- snakes were crawling across his skin, across every bit of his body -- he couldn't breathe--

And then he pitched forward against the chair, suddenly able to breathe. He was wearing black gloves that came up to his elbows. He was shirtless. He was wearing black leather pants that went to his knees. Catching himself in the reflection of the table, he sucked in his breathe. He resembled a sex slave.

"Sit," the figure said. "And -- talk with me."

"I'll stand."

"If you like. Do you know who I am?"

"You're Orochimaru."

"Good! We can get the introductions out of the way then."

"What do you want with me?"

Orochimaru was suddenly beside him, smiling, gaunt and narrow, snake-eyes. A long smile like a gash in his face. "Everything, Naruto. I want everything."

Naruto fell back, shocked. He crawled back across the floor staring. Orochimaru turned and laughed, walking back to the table.

"You're dead," Naruto said.

"Aren't we all," Orochimaru said, popping a grape into his mouth.