The rain slammed against the pavement in front of them, larger drips from the gutters, windowsills and shop-fronts sputtering down to their left. Naruto ducked into the next doorway, pulling a keyring from his pocket and trying to locate the appropriate one as fast as possible: the rain was soaking through the over-large hoodie Sasuke had let him borrow, the thin material not exactly waterproof. Eventually he staggered inside, Sasuke following slightly more gracefully.

"Jesus, we were only out for five minutes." Naruto gasped, pushing his hood down. "I mean Deidara already knows where I live, did we have to get out the taxi early?"

"I told you, better safe than sorry." Sasuke turned down the collar of his coat, running a hand through his rain-drenched hair before gesturing for Naruto to continue in.

It had, in a way, been the type of morning Naruto had become accustomed to with Sasuke: wake up late in the day, then potter about the flat until Sasuke had decided he'd had enough beauty sleep. Except this time they were in a penthouse suite of a half-constructed apartment building. Naruto wasn't quite used to the luxury, but was determined to enjoy it to the fullest. After his shower in a full wet-room – with more settings than he had fingers – he decided to try and relax. So he settled himself on the couch with a steaming mug of coffee and a plate of toast, watching the grey skyline and the rain hammer against the giant windows. Even on such a horrible day, the view was spectacular.

When Sasuke finally woke he suggested that they go by Naruto's flat to grab some clothes and toiletries, and the sooner the better. So within half an hour they were suited and booted, on their way to Naruto's.

Naruto pushed open his front door and carefully stepped over a few letters before squatting to pick them up and throw them on the dining table. Trying to find a rucksack, he left Sasuke standing awkwardly in his living room as he collected an assortment of clothes, then his toothbrush and deodorant. He was about to zip up the bag when he caught sight of the Xbox by the television.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto said as he walked over and grabbed the machine. "How about we take this back to yours? I could get that rematch."

Sasuke seemed slightly distracted, looking up into one of the ceiling's corners. "Sure."

With some clever rearrangement, the Xbox and several games were squeezed into the bag. Naruto made to leave, before remembering about the letters on his table. He quickly skimmed through them: bill, spam, spam…

But the last letter was blank. It was a satiny black, the quality of paper leagues above the others, and suspiciously heavy. He turned it over, curiosity getting the better of him as he slid it open. Inside was a simple card, white, the bare black font saying 'Thank you.' His fingers pulled the card open, but before he could read anything Sasuke's voice interrupted him.

"Naruto, stop!"

In a second, Sasuke was by his side, his eyes alive and intense. "Did you open it?"

"Uh," Naruto started, turning slightly so Sasuke could see the card, lying open in his hands. "Yeah?" Glancing back at the open card, short, elegant script lay across it.

'Naruto,

Thank you ever so much for your attendance last night. You will not be forgotten.

Regards,

Deidara'

Sasuke sighed deeply, hand coming up to his chin. "Well at least it didn't blow up."

"Blow up?" Naruto dropped the card on table as though stung. "What the fuck, dude?"

It wasn't often Naruto saw Sasuke look embarrassed. "I've… I've seen things like that before. Just forget it."

Naruto exhaled, long and slow, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. "Okay… okay." Suddenly he couldn't stand the sight of the letter: he grabbed it and forcefully shoved it, crumpled, in the bin.

The two stood awkwardly for a second, Naruto staring down at the bin. "Let's go," he said eventually, swinging the rucksack over his shoulders. Sasuke nodded silently and followed him out the door.

As they emerged into the hard rain, Sasuke leant into the doorway and cupped his hands around a cigarette, the warm glow of a lighter briefly illuminating his face.

Naruto flipped his hood up again, hands shoved deep into the pockets. "So what now?"

"Well…" Sasuke started, absent-mindedly taking a draw as he checked his phone. "We need to get some food in. Any good shops nearby?"

"Is that really a good idea?" Naruto asked, checking up and down the street; he was feeling thoroughly spooked after the letter incident. "Shouldn't we just get back to yours?"

"We're okay." After a short pause he looked over at Naruto again. "Really, we're okay. I'm sorry about… earlier. Overreacted."

"We're okay," Naruto echoed, trying to believe it. "Okay, em… there's a small shop close by."

"That'll do. Lead the way."

(╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

Sasuke flipped over the clear plastic packaging on the steak, inspecting it with his expert eye. After maybe twenty seconds or so he deemed it acceptable, and placed it into the trolley.

"Steak tonight then?" Naruto asked, practically drooling.

"Oh yeah. I'm thinking peppercorn sauce, chips?"

"Dude. Yes."

They worked their way methodically through the shop, Sasuke picking up various ingredients; most of it was meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, spices, the very raw components of a meal. Naruto, having tasted his cooking, could tell he was very skilled in the kitchen. He even picked up potatoes instead of pre-cut chips, saying he'd do it all by hand.

Naruto, meanwhile, was on junk food duty: several bags of crisps, amongst other things, were thrown with reckless abandon into the trolley. Naruto followed as Sasuke made his way through the shop methodically. There was no back-and-forth, but a slow, systematic storming of each isle.

"Is there anything you like cooking?" Sasuke asked as he absent-mindedly opened a carton of eggs, checking them for cracks.

"Em…" Naruto paused for a second as he thought about it. "I dunno. I tried making proper ramen a few times, turned out okay."

Sasuke gently placed the eggs in the trolley. "Can you remember what you need?"

"Aw no man, it's crap compared to what you do in the kitchen." Naruto bashfully waved the idea aside. "Seriously, I'm happy to pay for takeout."

"Number one, you're not paying for anything. No arguing." A glance over his shoulder at Naruto punctuated his point. "And I can help if you like. So what do you need?"

Once they'd each picked up their respective ingredients, the two made their way to the checkout, Sasuke only pausing the peruse wine. Carefully selecting a red – and that was all Naruto could say with confidence – they started piling their things on the short conveyor belt. Sasuke arranged their shopping into neat stacks, and for the most part Naruto tried not to throw everything into a big pile like he usually did.

There was only one customer ahead of them, an older gentleman. Naruto hadn't been paying much attention to him, until he suddenly raised his voice. "What do you mean? Just put it through!"

The cashier, a girl with startling blue hair, held a crinkled scrap of paper between her first two fingers. "This coupon expired in 2009."

"So?"

The girl seemed like she was going to say something, but thought better of it. She tried explaining again, slowly. "If a coupon's expired, you can't use it."

The man pursed his lips, but nevertheless dug an old leather wallet out of his pocket and threw down a note. The cashier made a point of sighing before she picked it up and rang it through.

"This is terrible customer service." The man piped up again once he had his change. "I won't ever be coming here again."

And with that he scooped up his bags and resolutely marched out the shop. The girl stared after him for a second, then shook her head. "Why do they always think that's a threat?"

"Seems like more of a blessing if you ask me." Sasuke said, smiling slightly.

The cashier then seemed to remember they were there, quickly picking up the closest thing on the belt. "I'd be so lucky. He'll be back tomorrow. Would you like bags?"

"Please. Two should do it." Naruto nodded.

Sasuke picked up the small talk as they packed, seeming for all the world like he was easy-going and friendly. But the brief glances Naruto got of his friend told him it didn't quite reach his eyes. This, he realised, was an act perfected over many years.

Sasuke pulled out his wallet to pay, but Naruto interrupted. "Listen, Sasuke, I really don't mind paying half."

"Don't be stupid. Drop it or I swear I'll buy you a footstool to match that damn sofa."

The girl smile slightly. "He's a good date."

"We're not…" Naruto began before sighing. He continued in a dry monotone. "Yes. He's my sugar daddy."

"I'll fucking buy a stool. Don't tempt me." Sasuke threatened as he handed over the money, pocketing the change.

Naruto grabbed the bag he packed, but he'd somewhat over-estimated how much he could fit into it: several smaller items fell out the top as the force from the handle squeezed the bag. He swore as most of them clattered onto the checkout, Sasuke expertly catching the one that made a further bid for freedom.

"I think we need another bag," Sasuke said, pulling the change out his pocket again, but he was interrupted by the girl passing one over.

"Just take it. I probably wouldn't blink if you burned this place to the ground."

Naruto got quite a laugh from that as he transferred some items from the over encumbered bag to the new one, and the two finally set on their way.

"I've done some questionable jobs, but I think working retail would kill me." Sasuke commented as they emerged into weak daylight; the weather was improving a little, the heavy rain of the morning turning into a wet mist.

Naruto hummed in agreement. "Yeah, Kiba works at one of the bigger shops. Some of his stories are nuts." He paused a second, quickly glancing at Sasuke, who was scrolling through his phone. "It's best straight from the horse's mouth. Preferably over a drink."

Sasuke grunted non-committedly, raising the phone halfway to his ear before stopping. "Fine with heading back now?" At Naruto's nod, he pressed the phone to his ear.

After a short conversation, Sasuke scowled and lowered the phone. "There's been an accident across town, some asshole crashed into a tram. Taxi's gonna be at least half an hour."

"I usually get the bus, this is business as usual." Naruto looked down the street to a courtyard, flanked on all sides by pubs, restaurants and tiny shops. "We could get a seat down there, chill out for a bit? It'll be fine if the weather holds."

Sasuke shrugged, and they set off down the road. Soon enough they had wiped away the worst of the water on a nearby bench and sat down, bags of shopping neatly at their side.

Naruto sighed contentedly and threw his arms over the back of the bench: he couldn't remember the last time he had just sat down in the city centre with nothing to do. As the sunlight began to filter through the clouds, the depressing mist seemed to lift slightly, and more people emerged from behind locked doors.

Naruto leaned forward and looked at Sasuke. "Wanna do something to pass the time?"

"What do you suggest, 'I Spy?'"

He chose to ignore that particular barb. "Ever people-watched before?" He continued at Sasuke's raised eyebrow. "Jiraiya and I do it sometimes, he says it's a good writer's exercise he picked up on. You just take someone, and…"

Naruto scanned the growing crowd, noticing a woman leaving a hotel to his right. She was hauling a big wheeled suitcase, trailing it behind her through deep puddles. "That woman, the one leaving the Apex. Long green jacket, you see her? Where's she going in such a hurry?"

"Probably getting a train," Sasuke answered, somewhat unenthusiastically. "We are near the station after all."

"But why?" Naruto was starting to get into it now, trying to channel Jiraiya's creativity. "It's the middle of the week, not likely a holiday."

"Work?"

He tried not to let the one-word answer deter him. "That was my next thought, but look at that case, it's massive. If you were travelling for work, maybe a few days a city over, wouldn't you pack light? And then there's her clothes: that's a nice coat, and she probably has shoes to match. But she's just firing through those puddles like she doesn't give a fuck."

"So she's late and abuses her Gucci's. Is there a point to this?" Sasuke sighed, eyes nonetheless tracking the woman as she walked by their bench.

"The point," Naruto started slowly, trying not to get too exasperated. "Is to make up a story for her. Who is she? Where's she going in such a hurry with that case?"

"I thought I already answered that?"

"Yeah, in the most boring way possible." Naruto paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "Here's what I think: she's a thief. There's something valuable in the bag, and she's got to high-tail it away from the city. She'll blend into the crowd, get on a train and never be seen again."

"That's…" Sasuke paused a second, looking first at the woman then Naruto, before laughing slightly, shaking his head. "That's certainly creative."

Naruto wasn't sure if Sasuke was mocking him or not, but grinned regardless. "It's pretty good, right?"

"Okay," Sasuke nodded. "Plausible. Few holes though." After an encouraging look from Naruto, he continued. "So you've stolen something. Cool. Depending on how valuable it is, you'll have a different level of attention. But if you have to leave the city, why stay overnight? And using the train is completely impractical. Your best option is to drive. Completely autonomous. So either she's stupid, or there's a different explanation."

"I can see that, yeah." Naruto snared: he knew he'd got him. "So what do you think?"

Sasuke settled into the bench, throwing one leg over the other, eyes leaving the woman as she disappeared around a corner. "Here's my bid: she's cheating on her partner. She tells him she's going on a long trip: a week, maybe longer. But she never leaves the city. She goes to the hotel, they fuck all over the place." Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out the packet of cigarettes, before reconsidering and putting them back. "She leaves this morning, making like she's coming back from the train station. But she's hurrying, because she doesn't want anyone to see her: this is still her home after all. And judging by the way the suitcase bounced over the curb, it was mostly empty: I bet she spent every second of that week naked."

Naruto was floored for a second. "Damn, dude. You're good." He quickly searched for another person, settling on a younger man waiting on the corner. "What about him? The guy over there checking his phone."

There was a brief silence as they both appraised the man: he had long hair, held back out of his face with a saggy beanie, a thin leather jacket zipped tight against the biting wind. He was frequently checking his phone, seeming anxious about something.

Naruto went first. "Okay, I've got one: he's waiting for his drug dealer." He wasn't sure why he came to that conclusion: maybe he was associating the man's alternative look with a bend towards breaking the rules.

Maybe I'm just thinking about yesterday. I could go for that again.

Sasuke's mouth twisted slightly as he thought about it. "I don't think so. Location's pretty bad for a drop-off: police are here a lot, big open sightlines, very public. If you're gonna get in the city there's much better places."

"I suppose you'd know better than me."

Sasuke snorted. "I never pedalled bags of weed. I'm the guy that delivers a fucking brick of cocaine. Besides, look at that kid: he's probably one of those straight edge pricks." His eyes moved elsewhere. "Did you notice him over there? The homeless man."

Naruto hadn't, not consciously; when the rain slowed he'd come out from under cover, setting up his cardboard sign. It read 'Homeless and hungry, please help.' And he looked it: he was gaunt, threadbare clothes hanging off him. He appeared to be nodding off slightly, absent-mindedly scratching at his arm, the long sleeves leaving just the fingertips exposed.

"Now that's a junkie." Sasuke said, nodding in his direction.

That was one of the last things Naruto expected his friend to say. "Woah dude, just because he's homeless doesn't mean he's... like that."

"You're right: the fact that he's a heroin addict makes him a junkie." Sasuke nodded towards the man again. "He's shivering, can't stop scratching. It was raining all day, right? He's bone dry."

"He could have been in a shelter. Not all homeless people sleep on the street." Naruto fired back, not finding Sasuke's argument reasonable. In truth, he was quite offended on the man's behalf, and could feel himself getting more agitated. "And if you live on the street you're bound to catch something. I'm not buying it dude."

"Look at his arms, Naruto." Sasuke said gently. "He's holding those sleeves up like the world depends on it. It's track marks. Repeated injection sites."

As soon as he said this, Naruto realised with blinding clarity that he'd seen the same thing before: it was how he'd held his sleeve when first adjusting to life with his own scars.

And with that, Naruto knew that Sasuke was right. For a second, it utterly crushed him. He'd wanted that unknown man to defy odds and expectations. He'd desperately wanted Sasuke to be wrong.

Naruto sighed, arms dropping to his lap. For the longest time, neither of them said anything. Sasuke decided he wanted that cigarette after all, and lit up in silence.

After a few heavy drags, he looked at Naruto again. "I'm sorry, Naruto."

Naruto didn't know what to say for the longest time. "This is how you see the world, isn't it?"

"Hmm?" Sasuke asked, mid-draw.

"Everything's just… laid out for you like that. Everyone an open book." Naruto considered it for a second. "I can't say I'd want that."

"If I didn't have these eyes, I'd have nothing." Sasuke replied, steel in his voice. "The price is seeing too much sometimes."

There was a heavy silence.

"Am I like that to you?" Naruto eventually asked quietly, eyes still fixed on the homeless man. "An open book?"

Naruto didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't the reaction he got.

"No." Sasuke said simply, leaning forward and dropping the spent cigarette, grinding it out with his heel. "You're different."

Before he could follow that up with any sort of coherent question, Sasuke stood up in one smooth motion. "Taxi's here."

They packed their shopping into the black cab, and Naruto had one foot in the door when he suddenly turned back. "Two seconds."

Leaving a confused Sasuke in the taxi, he jogged across the road towards the homeless man. Hastily pulling a fiver out of his pocket, he gave it to the man, pressing it into his hand instead of the empty coffee cup sat in front of him.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Naruto tried to smile, but it felt forced.

The man gave a weak nod, his eyes unfocused. "Thank you, sir."

Sasuke said nothing as he got back into the taxi. Naruto's eyes were far off as they pulled away, soon to be slowed again by traffic.

Sasuke broke the silence. "You're a good man, Naruto."

The compliment meant a lot to Naruto, but rang slightly hollow. He didn't feel it.

(╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

As soon as they got in, Sasuke started prepping for the meal ahead. Naruto realised then that his friend hadn't eaten at all that day, and must have been running on fumes.

Damn it, I need to be more on the ball here…

Naruto offered his help after putting away the rest of the shopping, expecting Sasuke to wave him off. To his surprise, Sasuke squatted down to grab a chopping board from a drawer, placing it on the island.

"You could help me with the chips: peel or cut?"

"I don't trust myself to cut," Naruto smiled slightly as he hefted the bag of potatoes over to the bin, accepting a peeler from Sasuke. "But I can peel with the best of them."

Between the two of them, it wasn't very long at all until the chips were in the oven. After that it was a waiting game; Naruto put the television on, just for some background noise, and the two talked about nothing in particular for the next forty-five minutes. As the sauce was cooking, Naruto keeping a watchful eye on it, Sasuke switched the T.V off and walked over to the far wall. Opening a hitherto unseen cabinet built into the wall, he picked up an old-fashioned iPod attached to an expensive-looking hi-fi.

"Fancy," Naruto commented, absent-mindedly stirring the sauce with a long wooden spoon.

"Not the one I would have chosen, but it'll do." Sasuke replied, flicking through his music on the chunky grey device. "Came with the place."

Again, this struck Naruto as slightly puzzling: surely the Sasuke he knew would have instantly replaced anything he didn't deem to be absolute best.

The couches too. That's what bugged me so much before.

Naruto tried to remember exactly what Sasuke had said, as a soft duet of classical Spanish guitar floated from the speakers. He said he'd bought a couch recently, hadn't he? Surely that would have replaced the leather ones.

Sasuke interrupted that train of thought as he opened the steak, which had been resting on the counter. "Can you season these for me?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, sure." Naruto traded the saucepan for the meat, liberally applying salt and pepper.

"Make sure you rub it in with your hands." Sasuke instructed without turning around.

Naruto cleared his throat sarcastically, Sasuke turning to see that he was already doing it. "I may not know much about cooking, but you don't hang out with Chouji for years without learning how to cook a decent steak."

Sasuke heated some oil in a pan next to the sauce, and soon the steaks were sizzling away happily. It didn't take long before Sasuke leaned over and checked one of them, apparently satisfied.

"Yours should be about done, Naruto." He said as he squatted down to get plates out of the cupboard and slid them across to Naruto. "Let it rest a few minutes, then put it back on for a second or two when mine's ready."

"Yes chef!" Naruto laughed, following his orders to the letter.

"Do you like wine, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, uncorking the bottle he'd bought.

"Em…" Naruto thought for a second as he levered the steak onto the offered plate. "Only rosé, really."

"Sorry, I should have asked at the shop." Sasuke apologised as he filled a wine glass with the dark red liquid, twisting the bottle as he finished.

"Tell you what," Naruto called over his shoulder, feeling adventurous. "Give me a taste. It's been a while since I tried red, could be like the whisky."

Taking the glass, Naruto was very aware of Sasuke's keen eye on him. It was different to what he remembered: fruity, but deep and complex. "I think I'll have some of that."

"Seems like your taste is maturing."

"That'd be the only thing."

"Don't sell yourself short Naruto." Sasuke replied as he placed the glasses and cutlery at the table. "We've both done some growing up in the past few years."

Naruto didn't feel like it, especially compared to Sasuke, in this flat.

That came at a cost though.

The thought sobered Naruto as he put his steak back on the sizzling pan, Sasuke joining him at the hob to stir the sauce. He had been enjoying himself so much that he'd forgotten he was here because his life might be in danger.

Is this really worth it?

He backed off as Sasuke expertly plated up: steak first, chips out the oven, then the sauce drizzled over the top. Sasuke took the seat in front of the window, his back to the view, and Naruto opposite. He tried to put that last thought out of sight, locked away in a mental compartment as he concentrated on the food. And it was amazing: Sasuke had worked his magic yet again, the steak perfect.

When he said as much, Sasuke smiled out the corner of his mouth. "You did as much of the cooking as I did. You deserve some credit too."

Sasuke was very good at putting on a show for the world, but Naruto found it easy to tell when his friend was being insincere. And that little half-smile was anything but. Naruto instantly felt guilty about his earlier thoughts: opposite him was a man that was trying his best to dig himself out of the hole he was in. He'd made mistakes – big ones – but he was trying to change.

He needs help, not judgement.

"What's on your mind, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, looking slightly concerned.

Naruto jumped very slightly as he broke from his reverie, realising he had just been staring at Sasuke for half a minute. "Oh no, I'm fine. Just daydreaming."

Sasuke didn't look like he bought it, but didn't question any further. As was the norm, Naruto was done well before Sasuke, making an effort to place his cutlery in a neat line on his plate. He nursed the glass of wine until Sasuke finished, enjoying the view of the rainy city.

"I have some work to do," Sasuke said as he collected Naruto's plate, taking them over to the sink. "But feel free to watch TV, set up your Xbox, anything you like. I want you to feel at home here."

Naruto thanked him, and he appreciated the gesture, but he didn't think he'd ever truly feel comfortable at Sasuke's flat. There was something about the apartment, a kind of clinical detachment that felt like he was in a museum, surrounded by things he was terrified he'd break.

As Sasuke pulled a laptop from a drawer on the island, Naruto very carefully set up his Xbox, hooking it up to the giant television. The curved screen took a second to get used to but soon he was in the zone, shooting baddies left and right. Sasuke had settled on the couch to his left, laptop balanced on his knees and a notepad on his thigh.

Glancing over in the occasional lull between battles, Naruto tried to surreptitiously make out the neat writing. There were lots of numbers, but a word or two jumped out at him: fatalities, investigation… Naruto considered asking his friend what he was working on, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Seeing the words make Naruto think about the sort of game he was playing: suddenly the violence seemed distasteful. He put on a more light-hearted platformer, but it didn't stop the underlying discomfort.

I don't think I'll ever get used to this.

Sasuke stood up to make a call, the flip-phone pressed to his ear. "Karin… yeah, are you ready? Get a pen."

He started listing the numbers as he walked into the hall, each one followed by several names. "How soon can you have them?" A pause. "Not good enough. I need them Saturday latest. Call in favours if you have to, it's important."

Naruto frowned at the screen. Sasuke sounded serious.

"Thank you. And Karin? I have every faith in your abilities."

"Everything okay?" Naruto asked, trying to sound offhand.

"I can't get any further until Karin gets me the files I need." He sighed as he planted himself on the couch again, an unusually visible sign of frustration for him. "It's not ideal."

"Does she get you information then?" Naruto asked tentatively, his curiosity outweighing his trepidation.

"Sometimes," Sasuke paused before elaborating. "Karin has some useful contacts. I'd go myself, but..."

"But…?" Naruto prompted.

Sasuke took a moment to answer, looking out the window. "I'm not leaving you here yourself."

Naruto didn't know how he was supposed to react. "You really think it's that bad?"

"Realistically? No. But I have to consider every possibility." Sasuke sighed again, scratching the back of his head. "I'm just glad you agreed to stay here. I'd have been worrying about you every other minute."

Naruto only had a second to be touched by the sentiment before his phone alarm went off, making him jump. Fishing it out of his pocket, he read the message attached to it: "kickboxing."

"Shit, I totally forgot about this." Naruto looked over at Sasuke. "I don't suppose I could convince you to come to kickboxing with me?"

Sasuke just shook his head.

"Guess I'm gonna have to call Jiraiya and cancel."

"Are you sure, Naruto?"

"Well you'd just worry about me, right?" Naruto scrolled through his contacts before selecting Jiraiya, bringing the phone up to his ear. If he was being honest, he also felt safer with Sasuke. But he didn't want his friend to think he was afraid. "Besides," he added as the phone as the phone rang. "I'm not getting Jiraiya mixed up in all this."

"Naruto!" Jiraiya practically shouted as he picked up the phone. "I was just about to call you."

"Really?" Naruto asked, surprised.

"Yeah, did you need something?"

Naruto was curious. "You first."

"I'm needed on the West Coast, some emergency meeting. I'll be closing the office for a week, and I can't make training tonight. Sorry it's such short notice."

"No, it's fine," Naruto smiled, giving Sasuke a thumbs up. "I'm actually calling for the same thing: last minute offer to stay at a friend's house, haven't seen them for a while."

It's not untrue.

"It's nice when everything falls into place like that, isn't it?" Jiraiya chuckled. Naruto could imagine him lounging back in his office's chair, feet on the table. "Don't worry about money, treat this as a holiday. You've been working really hard recently, you deserve a bit of a break. From the job, anyway; don't even think about slacking off on the training though. I'll know."

"Okay, okay." Naruto laughed. "I'll keep on the balance work."

"You'd better. See you in a week."

"Well," Naruto grinned as he hung up. "That makes everything a lot easier. Jiraiya's out of town for the week, so he's shutting the office."

Sasuke blinked, seeming surprised. "Does he do that often?"

"Not really, no: usually me or the other assistant stay to answer calls if Jiraiya's away." Now that Naruto actually thought about it, it did seem odd. "I'm not complaining though: I'm getting holiday pay, and you don't have to let me out your sight."

"Hmm," Sasuke acknowledged, shutting the laptop over.

"Anyway, he told me not to skip training just cause he's away: where'd be the best place to do that here?"

"Bedroom. Lots of empty space for exactly that."

"Awesome. Think I packed a pair of shorts here somewhere…" Naruto muttered as he searched through his rucksack. He swung his head around to look at Sasuke. "Wanna join me?"

"Sure," Sasuke surprised him by nodding; he wasn't actually expecting him to say yes. "I've usually done mine by now. Falls by the wayside a bit when you're over."

The boys wandered through to the bedroom, changing in there. As Naruto pulled up his shorts, he caught a glimpse of Sasuke sliding out of his loose-fitting shirt and stepping into a pair of sweatpants.

"Right," Sasuke turned round, still topless, stretching an arm over his chest. "What do you want to start with?"

"Do you just not do t-shirts?" Naruto asked, laughing slightly.

"Not when I'm training."

Sasuke looked like something out of a Men's Health magazine for goths, all wiry muscle. The scars, however, ruined the illusion somewhat: the thick line on his chest was still vivid and purple; the graze on his side that Naruto had bandaged up was mostly healed, but discoloured and raw compared to the pale skin around it; various cuts and nicks covered his arms, some more recent than others. Naruto wondered once more what Sasuke had really gotten himself into.

"A picture would last longer." Sasuke smirked as he walked to the centre of the large open space.

"No, I was just-"

"Daydreaming?" He shook his head, an almost shy smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "Sorry, I'm only teasing." But that was soon replaced with complete seriousness, his usual lack of expression. "Lead me through your usual routine with Jiraiya."

Naruto had gone through this warmup so many times he could perform it without even thinking. Sasuke followed impeccably, mimicking the sets as though he had been practicing alongside Naruto all this time. The blond was panting slightly by the time they were done, but his partner wasn't even winded.

"That's a good warmup," Sasuke nodded, the only admission of how hard he'd worked the thin sheen of sweat across his chest. "What next?"

"We usually do some sparring, pad work, that sort of thing." Naruto took a deep breath, grabbing one of the glasses of water Sasuke had thought to bring through. "But recently we've been working on balance and stillness."

"Huh," Sasuke paused, hand on his hip. "Can't say I was expecting that. Let's get started."

"Don't underestimate it," Naruto warned as he got into the first position. "It might sound easy, but it's like yoga on crack."

Sasuke smiled one of those rare, full smiles of his. "Bring it on."

But Naruto didn't get the sanctimonious revenge he had hoped for: Sasuke kept up with him every step of the way. There were a few points where Naruto stumbled, but Sasuke, for the most part, kept his balance. Naruto sighed as he began the cool-down, a bit put off.

He's never even tried this before and he's already better than me.

As they finished up, Sasuke turned and bowed to Naruto. It made Naruto blush, brain jamming for a second before he figured he should probably bow back. "Thanks, Naruto. You put me through my paces there."

Naruto beamed happily as he returned the bow. "You're welcome."

"Next time we try my workout." Sasuke chuckled, a glint in his eye. "You want the shower first?"

Naruto took a second before answering, chugging the last of his water. "Yeah, please. Pretty sure I've lost half my body weight in sweat."

"Charming."

Naruto stripped off in the bathroom, tossing his clothes into the laundry basket in the corner as per Sasuke's request, taking a moment to just admire the room as the shower heated up.

The large white tiles that covered the walls opened up the wet-room, although it needn't have bothered: it was as large as the rest of the flat. Naruto reckoned he'd be able to get his whole lounge in and still have room to spare. The floor was an onyx tile throughout, slightly slanted towards the shower and drain in the rightmost corner. Behind the shower, where the two walls met, the black seemed to creep up from the floor like a kind of pixilated vine, eventually fading into the white. He caught a quick glimpse of himself in the large mirror set on the wall behind him, set above a jet black double sink unit. Soon, however, he was obscured as the mirror fogged up, the room filling with steam, and Naruto decided not to waste any more time or water.

Naruto figured it was late enough to justify getting into his pyjamas, padding through to the living room on bare feet. Sasuke had another glass of wine in his hand as he looked out over the city, lights coming alive as the sun began to set.

"I see you've made yourself comfy." Sasuke commented as he looked over his shoulder at Naruto's arrival.

"Shower's all yours."

Naruto realised he hadn't checked his phone in a while, something that always seemed to happen around Sasuke. He loaded up his Facebook as Sasuke ambled out the room, but a message quickly popped up: 'You've used 90% of your data for this cycle.'

Naruto swore under his breath: he'd got home the other day and watched half a video on YouTube before realising he hadn't switched his Wi-Fi on. He'd get a refill in – he checked the date – two weeks.

Damn it, now I have to ration this shit.

He checked around the living room for a router, not immediately seeing one. Nothing in the bedroom or hallway either.

Come on, even Sasuke must have Wi-Fi. He isn't that bad.

Back in the living room his eyes passed over the stereo, nestled in its little in-built cupboard in the wall. Looking closer, he could see other slight hairline cracks in the wall.

The router must be in one of those.

Pressing into the first faint square as he had seen Sasuke do, he smiled as it popped out and slid above the cubby-hole. This one only held a long black box, about the length of his forearm. That wasn't it.

Passing over the stereo in the next cupboard, Naruto opened the last. It had shelves built in, on which rested a few lonely legal texts. One thing that caught his eye was a stylish leather-bound book, the cover new and supple. It was resting face down on the shelf, apart from the others, a simple silver fountain pen lying on top of it.

Curious, Naruto reached down to pick it up before a sharp voice interrupted him.

"What are you doing, Naruto?"

Naruto jumped; he hadn't heard Sasuke come in. "Hey Sasuke, I was just, y'know, looking for the Wi-Fi." He said rather weakly.

Sasuke's hair still dripped slightly from the shower, wearing nothing but a towel cinched at the waist. Wordlessly, he walked over to the coffee table, opened his notebook at a random page and scrawled down a number. "That's your password. I'm going to change."

As Sasuke left the room, Naruto ran a hand down his face in frustration.

Great, now he's gonna think you were looking through his stuff.

"I'm sorry if it looked like I was snooping," Naruto stuttered slightly as Sasuke came back through in a clean pair of sweatpants and a thin, black robe over his bare chest.

"It's fine," Sasuke replied in clipped tones. His expression seemed to soften slightly as he sat down. "Just… just don't look through my things please."

Naruto felt himself turn red, embarrassed at his lack of foresight. "I'm sorry man, I guess I just didn't think."

This seemed to amuse Sasuke slightly. "That's got you into a lot of trouble over the years."

Naruto laughed awkwardly, but he was glad that Sasuke didn't seem too upset. "Yeah, definitely. Shoot first, ask questions later."

"It also serves you rather well," Sasuke compromised, bobbing his head slightly as Naruto joined him on the sofa. "It is possible to overthink things."

"I don't think I'm ever in danger of that." Naruto leaned forward and grabbed the Xbox controller from the coffee table. "Fancy a game or two?"

Sasuke didn't seem too enthusiastic to start off, but they lost several hours over a few different games. Sasuke picked everything up very quickly, proving himself adept at not only shooting but problem solving too. They finished up with a last round of Halo; Naruto held his own a bit better this time, but still lost.

Sasuke carefully placed the controller on the sofa next to him, stifling a yawn behind his hand. "I think I'm done for today."

Naruto nodded, suddenly realising how tired he was. "It's been a hard day of doing nothing in particular."

"It's nice going for an early night and knowing I might actually sleep." Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at Naruto as they wandered through to the living room. "I appreciate it."

"Not like I'm really doing much, is it?" Naruto laughed slightly.

"All the same: thanks."

(╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

'Can we talk? It's important.'

Naruto ran a hand through his sweaty hair, sighing as he read the sender's name. Sai.

He'd sent several messages like this since the two of them had started talking more regularly, each one prompting a phone call. Naruto had thought he'd been exaggerating back at his flat when he claimed to not feel things; now that Sai had opened up to him a bit, he was starting to think he was slightly out of his depth.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked from the kitchen, topless once more after a training session.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Naruto replied, distracted as he composed a response message. "I think I'll just need to make a call later. Friend needs a hand. Or a friend of a friend, I should say."

"Wait, you don't even like this guy?" Sasuke paused to take a quick sip of water. "Why are you even bothering?"

"It's… complicated, I guess." Naruto put the phone down on the coffee table, wondering how to word it. "It's Ino's boyfriend. Guy's a bit of an asshole, but there are reasons why. He's been a bit fucked up, you know? Least I can do is try to help him out a bit."

A bit like you, really.

Sasuke grunted. "A bit like me, really."

Naruto blushed: it was like Sasuke could read his mind at times. "You're not an asshole."

"But I am fucked up." Before Naruto could even think of what to say to that, Sasuke waved it off. "Do what you gotta do, man. Mind if I have the first shower?"

"Go for it."

As Sasuke padded away Naruto's phone buzzed once more, the vibration resonating through the coffee table. Leaning back into the couch, he checked the new message from Sai.

'I'd rather we met. Can you come through?'

Naruto groaned, dropping his phone next to him and taking a second to think. This was the last thing he needed.

'I'll get back to you' was the best reply he could give for now. He'd have to talk to Sasuke about this, and he knew what the other man would say.

For a second he was tempted to just tell Sai he couldn't make it. He wouldn't have to go through the argument he knew was coming, and he wouldn't have to act like some sort of agony aunt to a man he barely knew. But it would gnaw at him if he didn't try.

Sasuke wasn't long in the shower, dressed comfortably as he sat down next to Naruto. "So are you gonna call this guy?"

Naruto paused a beat or two, trying to think of the best way to say it. "Actually he's wanting to see me in person."

Sasuke leaned forward on the couch, eyes sharp. "And?"

"And… well, I think I need to." Naruto winced at Sasuke's expression. "It seems important."

Sasuke didn't say anything for a long time. "Naruto, have you forgotten why you're here?"

Naruto sighed: over the last two days, he frequently had. It was the most relaxed he'd been in a while, pottering around the house while Sasuke worked. He'd even downloaded a movie for them to watch the other night, a stupid action flick. Naruto had to teach Sasuke how to torrent – apparently one of the criminal undertakings his friend hadn't tried – and it was amusing to be the one imparting knowledge for a change. He'd even caught Sasuke grudgingly smiling a few times throughout the film, no matter how ridiculous he found it all.

It would have been perfect if Naruto wasn't possibly the target of a homicidal maniac. And even if he wasn't, the man sitting next to him certainly was.

"I haven't, no." Naruto replied measuredly, trying not to feel chastised. "But you said it yourself: you don't think Deidara's after me."

"I've been wrong before."

"Look, it's only gonna be a couple of hours. I'll be back before you know it."

Sasuke's voice was iron. "I don't like this, Naruto."

It was exactly what Naruto had expected. "I know, I know. But I don't really have a choice."

"Of course you have a choice." Sasuke replied quickly, his tone unusually aggressive. "You don't have to do shit. It's just one fucked up kid, one that you don't even like. You can't martyr yourself for every asshole with a sob story."

"You don't understand, Sasuke." Naruto was starting to get frustrated, anger rising in response.

"What don't I understand? That you're too nice for your own good? There's a chance you're gonna get hurt. That's enough for me."

"It's not like that." Naruto stood up, walking towards the window. "If there's a chance I can help someone, I should take it. Even if it's inconvenient."

Sasuke also rose, following him over. "Inconvenient is helping your elderly neighbour with her shopping, not putting your life in danger."

"It's his life too." Naruto threw his arms up, anger getting the better of him. "This isn't like a high-school breakup or some shit: they've messed him up so bad he can't feel things properly. If he says it's important, it's important."

"Boo-fucking-hoo." Sasuke practically snarled. "I get it, you love to play the hero. The whole world will collapse if you aren't there to hold it up, right?"

The words stung, embedding themselves deep in his mind. "Last time I didn't, I lost my best friend," he said quietly, trying not to show his hurt. "I'm not letting anyone go through anything like that."

This gave Sasuke pause. The two of them were silent for a while, Naruto choosing to look out the window instead of at his friend.

"I left, Naruto." Sasuke eventually said, anger seeming to evaporate. He just sounded tired. "There wasn't anything you could do to change that."

Naruto didn't reply. Sasuke sighed, Naruto catching his reflection on the glass as he stalked over to his jacket and pulled out his cigarettes. Lighting up, he sat back down and pulled an ashtray over. "I can't stop you going. 'Do what you gotta do,' right?" He laughed humourlessly, flicking the ash off his cigarette.

"I'll text you when I'm on my way back." Naruto turned from the window, going to grab him coat and shoes.

Sasuke nodded as he took another draw. "Be careful you don't cut yourself open too deep. There won't be anything left before long."

It was almost exactly what Hinata had said to him. He didn't know why that bothered him so much.

(╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

Naruto got off the bus, consulting his phone for directions to Sai's flat. His argument with Sasuke played on a loop in his head, heart beating fast as he looked around for… he wasn't sure. Anything suspicious. He didn't think he'd feel safe until he was at Sai's.

Fortunately, it wasn't very far from the bus stop. He ascended the stairs after Sai buzzed him in, the modern-looking atrium very impressive. This close to the city centre, anything like that must have cost quite a bit.

Before he knocked on Sai's door, he tried to put Sasuke out of his mind. The last time they had talked, Sai had said he was starting to remember things from his childhood; things that, until recently, he had no recollection of. As he chapped the glossy white door, apprehension settled in. He didn't know what he would find on the other side.

Sai opened the door a hair, Naruto just seeing one dark eye and a sliver of his face before a chain was removed and he was welcomed in. He was dressed plainly, a simple t-shirt and dark trousers, and invited Naruto to sit down.

The flat was similar to Sasuke's, but on a much lower budget: the same type of modern, spartan furnishings and open spaces. The biggest difference was the paintings everywhere, some adorning the walls, others half-finished and piled in corners. On the easel by the window was one such unfinished piece, an oil painting of a boy. The only piece missing was his face, a gaping white wound in the canvas. Naruto didn't know why, but it made him uneasy.

Sai settled down in an angular armchair opposite him, seeming a bit more relaxed than usual. "Thank you for coming, Naruto."

"Any time," Naruto tried to smile, but found it rather difficult. "How're you doing? You seem a bit more… I dunno, chill?"

"That will probably be our good friend vodka." Sai pointed over to a previously-unnoticed bottle next to the easel. "It's been useful."

Naruto nodded apprehensively; now he wasn't so sure about his previous advice.

Don't want him ending up like Sasuke.

"Just make sure you're careful," Naruto said carefully after a second or two. "You don't wanna become hooked on anything."

"Oh I'm not, don't worry: I still don't see the appeal of drinking for pleasure. But it seems to help me remember things." Sai linked his hands together in his lap, locking eyes with the man opposite him. "I had a brother, Naruto."

"I'd… I'd forgotten." He continued, breaking eye contact once more. "Even now, it seems like a dream. Something that happened to another person. Do you remember the place I told you about? The place they took me?"

Naruto nodded: from what Sai could remember, it had seemed like some sort of military academy.

"He was there with me. I don't think he was really my brother, but I certainly thought of him as one. He liked my paintings. He was a lot like you, actually. Loud, and…" Sai stopped, perhaps thinking better of what he was about to say. He seemed to be getting better at that. "I was a person to him. It was more than what they saw us as. I get the horrible feeling we were some kind of experiment."

"An experiment?" Naruto echoed, leaning forward.

"Yes. It's like I told you: we were trained to have no emotion. Who we used to be was… repressed. I didn't remember my childhood, nothing but the training. When Ino and I first, um, started… she was the first person that had showed me kindness in a long time. I started to remember things. And then when I met you, it brought more to the surface. How much you reminded me of Shin."

Naruto had no clue what to say. An anger built up inside him, a boiling, rising mass.

Who would do that to a kid? What kind of sick motherfucker would do that?

He took a deep breath: getting angry now wouldn't help Sai. "That's horrible, Sai. But maybe getting back in touch with your brother would help. There must be a way we can track him down, maybe-"

"He's dead, Naruto." Sai said quietly.

"Oh god, I… I'm so sorry." Naruto felt his heart break for the person in front of him. He felt absolutely powerless: there was nothing he could do that would make that right.

Sai simply nodded, his face blank and unreadable. "Thank you."

A long, awkward pause grew between the two. Naruto wanted to say something, anything, but didn't know what. He glanced at the canvas again, the pieces falling into place. "Is that him? Shin?"

"Yes." Sai got up, and walked over to the painting, studying it like it was his first time seeing it.

"It's beautiful. It's gonna look amazing when it's finished."

"I don't know if it ever will be finished." Sai looked round, his eyes haunting. "I can't remember his face."

The uncomfortable silence stretched out between them, thick and heavy. Naruto was thankful when Sai walked away from the painting, breaking the silence. "I hear you had a brother, once."

Maybe the silence was better.

"Once." Naruto started cautiously. "But he left. A long time ago."

Sai hummed in agreement, nodding. "And left you in quite a state. It's an oft-talked about topic amongst your friends." He shrugged when Naruto looked at him quizzically. "They worry about you. Quite frankly I see why."

"It was years ago," Naruto muttered, looking away. "I'm fine."

"What I found puzzling," Sai started, pausing as he settled into the chair again. "Is your… attitude towards him. I wanted to ask you myself, because I don't understand it."

"Don't understand what?" Naruto asked, leaning forward in his seat, his eyes finding Sai's once more.

"What do you still see in Sasuke Uchiha?"

Naruto took a second before answering, for the first time in a long time thinking about the question.

What do I still see in Sasuke Uchiha?

"Sasuke is…" Naruto paused, 'correcting' himself. "Was… the most special person I've ever met. He'd lost his parents when he was young. People like you and me, we think we understand, but we don't have a fucking clue. We'll never remember our family. We can't miss what we haven't had.

"Sasuke's parents were murdered. Can you imagine what that's like for a kid?" Naruto continued, picking up speed. "The last few years we had with him, he was getting worse. He said once it was like this hole inside him. And there was nothing you could fill it with, except anger. For a while, that was the only thing keeping him going.

"And through all that, Sasuke managed to be one of the kindest people I've ever known."

Sai was silent for a second as he processed this. "What he did to you doesn't sound like the actions of a kind man."

"I don't expect you to understand," Naruto sighed, frustration getting the better of him. "It's fucked up. Everything about it is fucked up. But that doesn't change the way I feel about him."

Sai nodded, but Naruto suspected it had gone over his head. "It sounds like Sasuke was lucky to have you. For the short while he did."

Then again, maybe not.

(╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

The pit in Naruto's stomach seemed to have made itself quite at home these days. It was a visceral, gut-clenching reaction, a physical manifestation of his agitation. But this wasn't the worry he was used to.

This was a deep, burning anger.

Hearing about Sai's childhood, the way he'd been used, seemed to ignite something inside Naruto; he could feel it in his blood, scorching his veins. He tried to slow his breathing, calm himself, feet pounding the pavement as he made his way back to Sasuke's. He knew his friend would still be mad, and he honestly couldn't blame him.

I'd have felt the same if it was the other way around. Guess that makes me a hypocrite too.

This part of town was deserted at this time: between getting to Sai's and back the sky had grown dark, light rain stuttering hazily against the pavement. Naruto was glad of it. He was still on high alert, watching the shadows. He hurried his stride slightly as he walked through the partially constructed lawn outside Sasuke's building, feeling exposed in the open space.

But he reached the entrance just fine, fishing out the key that Sasuke had given him. As he turned to close the glass door, he saw a black car slow down to a crawl as it passed. Naruto froze, heart accelerating hard, but it soon picked up speed, disappearing around the corner. Naruto sighed, letting go of the door handle; he hadn't realised how hard he'd been clutching it, knuckles white and shaking.

His heart was still pounding in his chest as he kicked his shoes off, safely inside Sasuke's flat. He paused a second, breathing deep, hand on the wall for support.

It's okay. You're safe.

Sasuke was in the hallway only seconds later, once again in only an open robe and sweatpants. "Hey. You okay?"

Naruto nodded, closing his eyes for a second. "Thought I saw something. Doesn't matter. It's fine."

Sasuke, too, nodded. "Okay. Good. I'm glad you're back."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, me too."

After a moment of painful silence, Sasuke slowly turned and headed back to the kitchen. Naruto followed, gratefully taking an offered glass of whisky. Sasuke topped up his own glass, Naruto noticing substantially less Auchentoshan left in the bottle. From the look of it, Sasuke had been drinking the moment Naruto left.

That twist in his stomach was back. But this time it was guilt.

I did that to him.

"Look, Sasuke…" Naruto started, staring resolutely into his glass. "I'm sorry. I know how worried you must have been."

Sasuke nodded, pausing to scratch his jaw. "You'd do it again though."

"I… it's difficult."

"That's what I thought."

Sasuke walked over to the window with his drink, and for a while neither of them said anything. Naruto couldn't stop thinking about Sai. He sighed, taking a big mouthful of whisky, savouring the way it burned his throat.

Naruto was the one to break the silence. "Hey, Sasuke, have you ever heard of…" He trailed off, not sure how to phrase it. "Experiments… on kids? Like behaviour modification?"

Sasuke turned from the window, a hard edge to his eyes. "Experiments?"

Naruto pulled a chair from the dining table and carefully sat down. "We're talking repressed memories, uh, lack of emotion, that sort of thing. I just figured, with your work…"

Sasuke tapped the glass in his hand for a second before he answered. "There's rumours. Unsubstantiated, of course." He shot Naruto a sharp look. "Is this the sort of shit you're tangling with now?"

"Well…" Naruto sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Yeah. I guess."

"Jesus, Naruto." Sasuke drained his glass, placing it on the table, harder than he usually might have. "If that's true, we're talking big players. Government collusion, maybe. Sort of thing you leave well enough alone."

"Of course you'd say that." Naruto muttered, frustrated. "I thought you, of all people, you could understand that. If you had a chance to undo some of the damage, wouldn't you take it?"

Sasuke appeared to be just as riled. "Here's what I understand: both you and your not-friend are too stupid to realise that the only person that can help him is himself. You don't undo that type of damage. You cope with it."

"The way you're coping?"

Sasuke said nothing, but his jaw worked around clenched teeth.

"So you're telling me that you'd see a man bleeding in the street and walk right by?" Naruto pressed. "Not your problem, right? That's not the Sasuke I know."

The man grabbed his glass, taking it over to the kitchen counter for a refill. "Maybe I'm not the Sasuke you knew."

"Bullshit!" Naruto yelled, standing as he finally lost his cool. "The only reason we're having this conversation is because you care too goddamn much."

"About you. Everyone else can get fucked. I don't owe them shit."

Naruto didn't know what to say to that. And before he could formulate even a halfway coherent response, they were interrupted by a loud slam.

Like a door being kicked open.

Sasuke leapt into action immediately. He pushed a frozen Naruto into the kitchen, out of sight from the hall.

Oh fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck-

Sasuke's bare feet made no noise as he moved in front of Naruto, putting one hand behind him, fingers spread.

Wait.

Crouching down, Sasuke crept to the end of the kitchen, pressing himself flat against the wall next to the room's wide entrance. Naruto got the message, squatting behind the island, heart deafening him, every nerve electrified.

The intruder's footsteps clicked through the flat, slow and deliberate. After a second, a familiar voice rang out. "Yo, Sasuke! Only me."

Wait, is that-

Sasuke sighed, body uncoiling as he pulled away from the wall. He glanced at Naruto, nodding. "It's okay."

Naruto stood up, cautiously following as Sasuke rounded the corner. Standing in the hallway, arms spread, was a man with white hair, grinning. "Hey buddy, just thought I'd drop in, say hi. You know, now that Twink's home safe and sound."

"Suigetsu." Sasuke had steel in his voice, razor-sharp. He strode up to the other man until they were practically nose to nose. "Why are you here?"

Suigetsu didn't seem to be particularly phased by this. "Well boss, I've been having some on-the-job concerns recently. I mean, when the orders are total horse shit you kinda have to worry about the man giving them."

Boss?

"Concern noted. Get back to work." Sasuke turned to walk away.

"That's not good enough."

Suigetsu had started to step forward, but before his foot landed Sasuke was in front of him, a fistful of fuchsia shirt in his hand. "And you take off your shoes before you take another goddamn step in my house. Are we clear?"

The momentary shock on Suigetsu's face was soon replaced by another wide grin. "Crystal."

As Suigetsu unlaced his boots, two more figures appeared in the threshold, a man and a woman. Naruto recognised Jūgo, but he'd never seen the woman before. She had startlingly red hair, the area by her left temple shaved. She pushed a set of glasses back up her nose as she stumbled through the door, a messenger bag weighing her down.

That must be the woman Sasuke was talking about, Karin.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke," Karin gasped. "We tried to stop him, but he…"

"Go on," Suigetsu crowed, bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet.

"He put the fucking child locks on the car and took off! Goddamn piece of shit!" She yelled, face bright red.

Jūgo said nothing, hovering in the doorway.

Sasuke breathed deep, staring levelly at Suigetsu. "Inside. All of you."

The trio took their shoes off, filing past them and into the lounge. Naruto went to follow, but Sasuke stopped him with a gentle hand on his chest. "Naruto, I-"

"I'm not sitting this out." Naruto cut him off, looking his friend dead in the eyes. "Not anymore."

Sasuke looked at him for a second before nodding. "Okay."

Suigetsu had made himself at home on one sofa arms spread over the back, one leg across the other. Karen and Jūgo sat somewhat more awkwardly on the other. Naruto pointedly grabbed a chair from the dining table, dragging it across the room. Anything but sitting next to Suigetsu. The man in question raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

Sasuke remained standing, hands in the pockets of his dark robe. "What's this about?"

"What it's about," Suigetsu paused as he leaned forward. "Is you losing your goddamn mind."

"Oh really?" Sasuke hadn't raised his voice, but it was piercing. "What would you be doing differently?"

Suigetsu raised his arms, slapping them down on his knees. "Oh, jeez, I dunno- how about not assigning all your resources on one fucking kid? You said it yourself: we're the only ones you can trust right now. So having all three of us tail this asshole is a move that could get you killed."

"Hang on, this creep was following me?" Naruto glared at Sasuke, but his eyes were fixed on Suigetsu.

"Aww, that's uncalled for. Jūgo's not creepy."

"Get fucked-"

Sasuke interrupted them by kicking the coffee table in front of him, books flying off as it slammed into Suigetsu's shins. Hands still in his pockets, the robe swishing behind him, he stepped up on the coffee table in one graceful lightning-fast instant, his bare foot at Suigetsu's throat. His voice was a low growl. "I'm gonna say this once. Naruto makes us vulnerable. That makes him the only thing that matters. And the only thing you should be worried about. Understand?"

Suigetsu stared him down for a second before holding up palms. "Sure."

Sasuke kept the pressure on for a moment longer before taking his foot away. Stepping off the coffee table, he went to get himself another whiskey. No one spoke. The sheer brutality, the intensity floored Naruto. It was a terrifying shift from the man he knew, the opposite of what he'd just told Sai.

Naruto broke the silence. "You left yourself totally open… to protect me?"

Sasuke didn't meet his eye, but nodded.

"He's right." Naruto stood up to get his own drink: he knew was going to need more than a few before the night was over. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"It's like I said-"

"Yeah, I 'make you vulnerable.' That doesn't matter if you're dead." Naruto took a deep sip. "Stop making stupid decisions because you're worried about me."

"See, Blondie gets it!" Suigetsu smiled from the couch, pushing the table back into place.

Sasuke silenced him with a look. "I don't care, Naruto. This is how we're doing things."

Naruto could see he wasn't going to change his mind. "Guess I'll just have to stay here for the time being."

Sasuke didn't answer. A terse silence stretched out before them. Naruto didn't know what to think: he understood why Sasuke did what he did, but the thought of Deidara getting to his friend was too much.

And that's exactly what's going through Sasuke's head too.

Karin jumped, as if she remembered something. "Sasuke, I- I have those files you needed."

Sasuke nodded, gesturing for her to come. She jumped up and pulled a thick wad of files from the bag, handing them over. Sasuke flipped the first one open and started reading.

Suigetsu cleared his throat. "You gonna share with the rest of the class?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto for a second, before throwing the open file onto the coffee table. The first page of a detailed report started on the left page; the right held a photo. At first Naruto strained to make out what it was. Then he realised it was rubble.

He was looking at the site of a bombing.

Debris littered the picture, and when he looked a little closer, blood. Lots of blood. The next file slapped onto the table: same thing. And the next. And the next. If Naruto hadn't already been sitting down, he would have needed to.

"You get the idea." Sasuke said mildly, placing the rest of the files down.

"Jesus." Naruto couldn't think of anything else to say. Jūgo nodded grimly.

"There are fifteen bombings over seven countries: fifteen that we know about. High profile targets, disguised as acts of terrorism. Some asshole in a cave claims responsibility, the world keeps turning. Upside is, he's vain about it: uses a distinct explosive to 'sign' his work. If I'm lucky" – he leaned over and tapped the files – "the police reports shed some light on that."

"It would help if we knew exactly what we were dealing with," Jūgo agreed. "But that's only gonna tell us the size of the crater we'll be scraping you out of."

"So we look at the delivery system." Sasuke picked a book up from the floor, something to do with wireless electronics. "We know he uses remote detonators, not timers. I'll need to do a bit of research, but I have an idea."

"And until then?" Karin asked, nervously.

"Business as usual. Take shifts, watch the flat. I'll let you know." Sasuke put the book down on top of the files, picking his whisky back up, eyeing Suigetsu. "Anything else?"

Silence.

They got up to leave, but Suigetsu stopped before he passed Sasuke reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a handgun. Naruto jumped slightly at the sight of it, Suigetsu rolling his eyes. But he soon became unusually serious.

He held it grip-first out to Sasuke. "I know you don't like guns, but I want you to take this."

Sasuke looked it over for a second. "Won't you be needing it?"

"You know I have like three more at home."

Sasuke still didn't take it. "I'll be fine without."

Suigetsu was insistent, pushing it towards him. "Like fuck you will. I'm not letting your stupid morals get you killed." He groaned when Sasuke didn't reply. "You don't even have to use it, just take it. Please."

Sasuke relented, carefully taking the gun. His finger ran straight up the barrel, nowhere near the trigger. He weighed it up, checking down the sights and throwing the slide back to look at the chamber. "Thanks."

"Oh, and Suigetsu?" Sasuke asked, making the other man look over his shoulder. "You ever pull this shit again and you'll be begging for another month on the table with Orochimaru. I'll see to that personally."

Suigetsu didn't have a witty retort for that.

As the door clicked closed, Sasuke sighed, some of the tension seeming to leave him. "I'm sorry about that."

As angry as Naruto had been earlier, it had burnt out. He didn't agree with his friend – and having Suigetsu follow him still made him feel violated – but it was an impossible situation. There were no wins for Sasuke. "I understand. I don't have to like it, but… I don't know what I'd do. If it were me."

Sasuke's relief was palpable. "Thank you, Naruto. I know I can always count on you. Just… try not to judge me by what I had to do back there."

"I can't imagine that guy's easy to keep in line. I still don't know why the fuck he's even here."

"You might not like him, but Suigetsu…" Sasuke sighed, like he was trying to find the right words. "I trust him. The other stuff, he just plays it up. Better for the world to think you're an asshole than to think you weak."

Naruto grunted non-committedly in response. He didn't think he quite believed it.