AN: Here's the next chapter, oh sweet ones. :D A little longer and a little plottier. Thank you as always so much for your reviews! I haven't had a chance to reply to any yet, but I will get cracking on that today! :)

Red Storm

Chapter 14: Foolish Actions

"You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don't trust enough."

~Frank Crane

"So," said Sasuke, hanging back as Naruto walked up his front door steps. Naruto stopped, realizing this was the first time Sasuke had been at his house. They always hung out in public places or at Sasuke's because no parents were there. He looked up at the white house. It was like one of those commercials for middle-class suburbia. A short concrete path stretched up to a white, box-shaped building topped by a red tiled roof. The two square white-framed windows on the bottom floor and the two on the second showed the likelihood of the same imaginatively-designed box-shaped rooms inside. Naruto wasn't going to complain though. It might not be an Uchiha mansion, but it was better. It was home.

"So," said Naruto finally, repeating Sasuke's statement. He stood awkwardly in the doorway unsure of what to say.

The dark-haired teen flipped the car keys in his hand a few times. Clink. Clink. Clink.

"I guess…I'll see you on Monday." Sasuke said at last, and began to walk down the path. Naruto took a couple of steps after him.

"Wait."

Sasuke turned.

"I, uh," began Naruto, fidgeting with his shirt sleeve. "I just wanted to say…thank you."

Sasuke said nothing, so Naruto continued,

"I've been a real dick to you lately, and you've helped me out a lot, so yeah…sorry and thanks."

Sasuke shrugged. "No problem."

Neither of them spoke for a few seconds and when they did it was at exactly the same time.

"Naruto, I-"

"Can we-?"

Sasuke flipped the keys. Clink. Clink. "You first."

Naruto cleared his throat. "I was gonna say…I mean, if you're ok with it, can we just pretend none of these past few weeks ever happened and go back to the way things were?"

The keys went still in Sasuke's hand, but his expression remained passive.

"Sure," he said. "No problem."

Naruto frowned. "Are you sure it doesn't bother you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "It's fine."

He turned and walked towards his black Toyota parked at the side of the street.

"See you Monday then." called Naruto after him.

Sasuke waved and got into his car. A moment later, it pulled away and he was gone.

Naruto sighed and walked into the house.

The sound of footsteps thundered towards him as he closed the front door, and Iruka appeared in the kitchen doorway wringing a damp red-and-white checkered tea towel in his hands.

"H-hey, Iruka." said Naruto in what he hoped was a cheerful voice.

Iruka's lips thinned.

"Don't 'hey' me." said Iruka. "I've been calling your cell. Dinner was an hour ago. You didn't think it was worth letting me know you were going to be late?"

"Ah, sorry, Iruka." said Naruto edging his way towards the white wooden staircase. "I was at the hospital."

Iruka's expression turned from anger to concern. "Are you ok?"

He eyed the red patch on Naruto's cheek.

"I'm fine." said Naruto quickly. He gave a show of moving his arm and winced. "It's just my shoulder. I injured it during soccer training today. But it's ok. The doctor patched me up."

"Let me see." said Iruka coming over to him. He carefully pulled at Naruto's sleeve, revealing the white support bandage the doctor had applied. Not much could be seen apart from the general redness of swollen skin creeping out from under the bandage.

Iruka pulled his hands away. "That looks painful."

Naruto shot him a rueful grin. "Yeah, my own clumsy fault. Go figure. I wasn't paying attention. The ball hit me in the face," he pointed at the red patch on his cheek, "And I fell over, putting all my weight onto my shoulder. But the doctor says it should heal in a few weeks."

Iruka nodded sympathetically. "Well, next time at least call to let me know where you are, ok?"

"Yeah, I will. Sorry."

He turned to go up the stairs.

"Can I get you anything?" said Iruka, "I can heat up your dinner if you like."

Naruto grinned inwardly. It was like living with a foster mother rather than a foster father at times. "Yes, please. Is it ok if I eat in my room though? I just wanna rest."

Iruka threw the tea towel over his shoulder. "Sure."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks." He began making his way up the stairs.

"Naruto," called Iruka after him in a quiet voice. "Are you sure you're ok?"

It was a loaded question, and Naruto paused at the head of the stairs. "I'm fine." he said without turning round.

Gratefully, he made it to his room and leaned back against his door, heaving a sigh of relief. He had passed under the Iruka radar safely thus far. Guilt weighed heavily in his gut. He didn't like lying to Iruka, but after all that had happened last year, lying had become a kind of second nature - a habit he found hard to break.

Naruto threw his bag and Sasuke's black jacket onto the light wooden computer desk in the corner behind the door. Sinking onto his bed, he lay back and stared at the white ceiling. The sun was setting, shining its last warm rays through the window to dance on the white plaster of the walls. In the time he'd been here, he'd never gotten around to painting the room, leaving it with Iruka's original white. It was times like these he wished he had a bit of orange splashed around to warm the place up.

He sighed and winced. His stomach still spasmed in pain with every movement and his shoulder felt like it was purposely trying to detach itself, but he was too tired to care.

Never had Naruto been more grateful that Sasuke had managed to pass his driving test first time, despite how much the bastard had initially gloated at the achievement. He'd gotten Naruto some clothes from his house, and driven him straight to the doctors who had reassured them both that it was just a sprain. No permanent damage and it would heal in a few weeks. Meanwhile, he was to take it easy. Naruto hadn't mentioned the other injuries. He was no stranger to pain at this point and he knew enough to know they weren't serious, just damn sore.

Naruto pulled the white sheets of his bed half over his body in an odd sort of cocoon and closed his eyes. Images of Kenta's sneering face flashed into his mind. He pushed the memories away. He didn't want to think about that.

He'd never been afraid of Kenta, but now when he thought of him a bubble of fear welled up in his gut. Naruto turned painfully onto his side to face the window. The last rays had disappeared behind the horizon transforming the white room to a dull gray. He clenched the pillow tightly in his fingers. There was no way he'd be afraid of that jackass. If Naruto saw him again, he was going to kick his ass to kingdom come. At least, when he was feeling better he would.

For now, Naruto was just glad it was the weekend. He could take tomorrow off work and just rest. As soon as he was better, Kenta and his little groupies better watch out.

Naruto bit his lip. He could make up with Sasuke properly too. He had a lot of making up to do with that guy considering what a first-class asshole he'd been recently. Once Monday came, things could go back to normal. They could be regular friends again. Naruto turned his head and looked at the dark shadow of the jacket hanging from his chair. He could still feel the sensation of Sasuke rubbing his numb, cold back in the shower. His cheeks flushed pink in the dark, and he closed his eyes tightly.

"Don't think about it like that." he whispered to himself, but he couldn't stop the flash of doubt from creeping into his mind.

Did he really want it to go back to normal?

"So, you'll have it ready for me?" said Sasuke into his sleek, black phone.

He made a small noise of frustration at the voice on the other end. "Yes, of course I'm good for it. Is that a question you really need to ask? I'll be there shortly."

Sasuke pressed the red button on his touch screen, cutting off any possible answer. Not like he needed to hear it anyway. He hadn't been home for long before preparing to go back out again. A quick ready-made microwave meal was all he had eaten, much as he was loathe to put such filth in his body. A mere glance at his homework had told him he wouldn't be doing it tonight. No, there were other things to take care of. Sasuke donned his black hoodie and shoved his cellphone in his pocket. Tonight he would pay Mizuki another visit.

The bar was quieter this time around. Instead of the late night crowds, a smattering of tables were filled with low-talking regulars nursing their beer bottles. Sasuke had a feeling they rarely left those tables. Their eyes followed him suspiciously as he walked across the bar towards the tables in the back corner. His converse shoes still stuck to the sticky alcohol-ridden floor, and the establishment in general looked more dilapidated without the drunken bodies filling it. Its hollow style was laid bare, and the tables, chairs and bar looked lonely in the empty, black room. A ridiculous glittering disco ball hanging in the middle of the dance floor did nothing to lend the establishment any class. Pop music played from the sound system, but it was subdued to a quiet, background lull.

"Sasuke, what a delight to see you." said Mizuki sarcastically as the teen approached his table. He was sitting there with two other men. 'Grunts' was the word that came to mind. They were heavy-faced and had the look of men who knew their way around a fight.

Sasuke ignored them. "Do you have it?"

Mizuki smiled and smoothed down his suit. It was a light silver today to match his hair, coupled with a loose black shirt.

"That depends. Do you have my money?"

Sasuke dug out his brown leather wallet from his pocket and pulled out several 50 dollar bills. He handed them to Mizuki who counted them with relish before nodding to the man next to him. The 'grunt' quickly pulled out an envelope and put it on the table, eyeing Sasuke with a decided dislike. The feeling was mutual.

"I must admit, Sasuke, your call today surprised me." said Mizuki. "I didn't expect to ever do business with you. And you're buying a rather sizeable amount. What exactly are you getting yourself into?"

Sasuke picked up the packet and shoved it in his hoody pocket. "It's none of your concern."

Mizuki relaxed back in the booth with a smirk. "That charming Uchiha manner really does run in the family, doesn't it?"

Sasuke shot him a glare, but said nothing, turning away and heading out of the bar. That slimy drug dealer really had a knack for getting on his nerves.

Said slimy drug dealer pulled out his phone as Sasuke walked away.

"Yes, we made the transaction. He's leaving now."

He grinned a cheshire cat smile as he ended the call. That Uchiha brat wouldn't be his problem for much longer. He picked up his empty glass.

"More beer over here!" he shouted to the barkeep. He flashed his overly whitened teeth at his companions. "Soon enough, gentlemen, we'll be living the good life, much better than this dingy hole."

The now irritated-looking bartender placed 3 pints on the table.

Oops. Guess he'd overhead.

Mizuki shrugged. No matter. He'd probably be running this place soon enough. He picked up his glass.

"Men," he said, "Here's to a bright future."

Three glasses clinked together, their eyes following the dark-haired teen as he left the bar.

Faint noises of rushing traffic a few streets over met Sasuke's ears as he exited the building and turned down the lamp-lit street. The warm air of summer drifted over him, calming his irritation and the troubling memories of the day's events. He didn't think twice as he turned down a quiet side street, but his body tensed and he kept watch from his peripheral, noting the two figures lurking in a dark alley nearby.

"Sasuke Uchiha, yeah?" came a voice from the shadows.

Sasuke froze and turned to face the figure, but the streetlight shone just beyond the mouth of the alleyway, creating a dark shadow over the man. It didn't help that his face seemed to be covered by a long curtain of hair.

"Who wants to know?" asked Sasuke.

The man looked up and grinned, revealing two pale eyes. It was impossible to make out the color in the low light. He took a bite of what appeared to be string, but it broke off in his mouth.

The stranger stepped out of the shadows followed by another slightly shorter figure. The speaker flipped his hair which shone a light blonde, and his features were finally lit up by the streetlamp. Blessed with a delicate bone structure, pointed nose and full lips, this person was quite stunning. Surely, Sasuke had been mistaken in thinking they were the deep-voiced speaker. Most definitely, she must be a woman.

"I'm Deidara." said the 'woman' in a decidedly many voice. "And this is my associate, Sasori."

He nodded towards the shorter figure who sported a short crop of spiked red hair and eyes that managed to look empty and dull even as the lamplight danced in them. Deidara grinned.

"I believe you've been looking for us, yeah?"

"You're Akatsuki?" asked Sasuke in disbelief. He wasn't sure what to think of these two odd figures. His gaze flitted around the empty street. For the Akatsuki to reveal themselves like this, there had to be good reason, and what reason could they possibly have to approach him?

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same question, yeah?" replied Deidara. "You've been poking your nose in business you shouldn't. That gets you noticed, little Uchiha."

Sasuke shifted his feet, ready to run if necessary.

"Relax." said Deidara, "We're not here to bump you off if that's what you're thinking. You wanted to know about your brother, yeah?"

Sasuke stiffened. All thoughts of fleeing vanished from his mind and he stared at Deidara intensely. "Where is he?"

"All in good time, little Uchiha. First, there's some stuff I want to know."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Like what?"

Deidara took a few steps towards the side of the alley and leaned against the brick building rising high on one side. He chewed thoughtfully on the gum bootlace. "Like…you and that Uzumaki kid's involvement with Orochimaru. You guys were there during the whole shebang, yeah?"

Sasuke nodded curtly.

Deidara grinned. "I want to know about it."

"It was all in the papers." said Sasuke, his eyes narrowing. "You can find out everything you need to know there. Why ask me?"

Deidara shrugged. "You know how incomplete and biased these media monkeys can be. We want to hear it from you, yeah?"

Sasuke glanced at Deidara's silent companion. He might as well have been a statue since he simply stared dead ahead and didn't move an inch.

"Why?" he said, turning his gaze back to Deidara.

"Deidara grinned. "In our line of work, it pays to know everything you can about your enemies. Orochimaru was our 'competition' shall we say, and we want to know what he was working on, you get me? No skin off your back, yeah?"

Sasuke's gaze flitted between the two men. "You know about as much as I do I'm guessing. He was developing some kind of highly-addictive drug."

"We know that, of course." replied Deidara, "but you must be familiar with drugs after what happened with your brother, yeah? What I wanna know is what it looked like. Did you see it?"

Sasuke shot him an accusatory look. "Funnily enough, it looked eerily similar to something the Akatsuki might develop."

Deidara spread out his hands. "Well, of course, that sneaky snake bastard had a habit of stealing our formulas and adapting them, but what did the drug look like? Was it an injection? A pill?"

Sasuke's mind was working overtime trying to figure out the game play here. "Tell me what I want to know and I'll tell you what you want to know."

"No, no, no." Deidara shook his head with a smile, "It doesn't work that way, little Uchiha. If you don't tell us here, we just find out another way."

Sasori took a threatening step towards the raven-haired teen.

"You don't want that way." said Deidara. He glanced at his painted fingernails and picked something out from under it. "Besides, we're being generous in offering you information. Usually, we just take what we want."

He looked up. "Now, what did the drug look like?"

Sasuke clenched his teeth. These idiots didn't scare him, but this blond-haired she-man had a point. They could get the information somehow, so why not find out about Itachi while he could. Sasuke thought back to the fateful day he'd confronted Naruto. The day they had spilled out of his bag and all over the floor, each ugly little pill laughing in his face.

"They were pills." he said, "Small, round – about the size of a dime and red."

The two men exchanged a dark glance before Deidara returned to his original nonchalance.

"Red, huh? And those were the pills your little friend took, yeah?"

Sasuke raised a brow. "Why does that matter?"

Deidara shrugged. "Curiosity, I guess." He smirked, the lamp light creating harsh shadows on his features. "Just like your curiosity to know where your brother is right now."

Sasuke clenched his fists, the hunger to know boiling in his gut.

"So, they're the ones he took?" prompted Deidara.

Sasuke gave a brief nod, and the blond man grinned, pushing himself away from the wall.

"Well, thanks for the information."

Sasuke frowned. "That's all you wanted to know?"

The man didn't reply and began to walk down the alleyway, but Sasuke ran after him and grabbed his arm.

"You promised me information on my brother." he said in a low growl.

The next moment he was yanked away and shoved against the wall. Stars burst in his head as it collided with the bricks, and he found himself being pinned with an arm over his throat – the empty eyes of the spiky-haired man staring emotionlessly at him. Deidara brushed a few strands of blond hair from his forehead.

"It's all good, Sasori." he said. "A deal's a deal, yeah?"

Sasori relaxed his grip slightly, but didn't let go. Sasuke remained stock still.

"It's a matter of principle to keep your personal shit to yourself in our organization, and Akatsuki aren't stupid enough to stay in one place, so I can't tell you where he lives." said Deidara. He tapped a finger on his delicate chin thoughtfully. "But his partner did tell me once about a place he often visits, and that's the West Konoha Cemetery."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Rings a bell, yeah?" said Deidara with a grin. "Hang out there long enough and you might meet him."

Deidara turned to leave once again.

"Wait," said Sasuke. He pushed Sasori off him and shot him a glare before turning to Deidara. "Why are you giving me this information so easily? Itachi is one of yours."

Deidara popped the last of the gum lace into his mouth. "The Akatsuki ain't no brotherhood, kid. It's every man for himself, so it's no skin off my back if you kill him." He snorted. "Good luck with that though."

"Enough yabbering." cut in a rough voice, "Do you want to give him your life story too?"

The statue speaks, thought Sasuke in mild surprise.

"Tsk, you should enjoy yourself once in a while, Sasori." said Deidara.

"I'll enjoy myself once the task is done." came the terse reply.

Deidara flipped his long blond hair. "I guess that's the difference between you and me. I have style and finesse when I do things."

"Stop vomiting words, and let's go." Sasori pushed past him. "You waste too much time messing around when it's the results that are important.

Deidara growled, following after him. "You don't know what you're talking about, yeah? Style is the most important. If you don't do it with style then the results are meaningless."

"You really don't know anything do you? You're so immature." was Sasori's reply.

"Oh yeah? Well, you're just a prematurely middle-aged old fart disguised in a young guy's body."

They left Sasuke behind, completely forgotten as they argued, and the teen blinked, listening as the bickering voices faded into the night. Well, the Akatsuki certainly had not been what he was expecting. He squared his shoulders. It didn't matter. He finally had a lead on Itachi. Sasuke smiled grimly to himself. Looks like he would be spending the rest of his weekend at West Konoha Cemetery.

Standing guard at his parents' graves.

"We got the information you wanted, boss."

Deidara was smart enough not to chew on his favorite snack as the man seated at the desk stared him down. Why was Sasori just hanging back like he had nothing to do with this assignment?

"The drug?" said the man in a low voice.

"From the Uchiha kid's description it sounds like an adaptation of our good old red moon variety, yeah." replied Deidara.

"And the boy?"

Deidara swallowed. "Yeah, he confirmed that kid was taking them."

The man nodded. "Then we need no further investigation. He sat back in his chair, so that only his pale eyes were visible in the darkness. "It's time to bring the Uzumaki child in."