Naruto gaped at the pale man in disbelief. But if he was sent to kill me, why would he save me? Nervous, he edged away from him, despite the fact that he had just made a deal that would protect him.
"You were sent to kill me? But why? What the hell did I do?"
Sasuke's face hardened. "That's what I want to know. To have the attention of the Akatsuki is an impressive feat."
Naruto plopped down heavily on the bed. He bent down and held his head in his hands and groaned. "Who?"
Pursing his lips in annoyance, Sasuke glared at the blond. He debated whether Naruto was truly this idiotic or if he was simply a decent actor. "There has to be a reason the Akatsuki would be after you. They never go after anyone or anything they deem worthless."
"Who the fuck is Akatsuki!?" Naruto jerked his head out of his hands and stood up, glaring at the lean man. He felt his anger cool to a simmer as his hot gaze was met with a dark icy one. Reminding himself that the man was not going to hurt him, he held the stare. "I'm being hunted! I have a right to know who is trying to kill me, and you obviously know more than I do! Tell me!"
Sasuke didn't respond, staring impassively at Naruto. Clearly not winning the contest, Naruto broke the look and turned away. He sat back down on the bed. "What the fuck is going on?" He moaned out.
"You want answers? Fine. But we're doing this my way. You follow my rules; no arguing and no disobeying. You must do everything I tell you to, no questions asked. I say something, you better fucking do it."
Naruto glanced up the moment Sasuke spoke. "Yea, sure. Fine whatever-" He began.
"And I mean everything." Sasuke's tone went icy cold, sending warning shivers down the blond's spine.
"Okay! Whatever, just tell me what I need to know!"
"Rule one. As stated before, follow my instructions without arguing or objecting. Rule two. Talk only when I directly speak to you. This includes singing and humming and any other noise you might think of making. Rule three. If you see someone who looks like me, you tell me right away."
Naruto internally rolled his eyes as the man laid down the rules. Jeez, this guy has a major pole up his ass. Upon hearing the last part, Naruto's curiosity peeked. Turning his wide blue eyes on the lean man, he cocked his head.
"Wait, what do you mean, some-"
Sasuke cut in sharply. "What was rule two?"
Naruto gritted his teeth. "You were speaking to me, so I assumed that I could an-"
"What was rule two?" The arctic tone stopped Naruto from arguing.
"I'm not to speak unless spoken to. God." Naruto answered in a subdued tone.
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "Good. Now, we're going somewhere."
"Is it another shitty hotel?"
Sasuke wasn't a man of patience, and Naruto was robbing him of ever last vestige. He stared.
Naruto sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sorry."
"We're going somewhere to get you informed on the Akatsuki."
"Wait, why can't you tell me?"
"…Because it's not my job to be your teacher."
Sasuke strode over to the door and opened it, checking for suspicious activity. Satisfied, he motioned Naruto outside and locked the room behind him.
"Go wait for me at the car."
Naruto felt a strip of fear pass over him at the thought of being left alone. "Wait, where are you going?"
Sasuke held up the hotel keys and rattled them. "Where the hell do you think? I have to go return these."
Heading towards the motel lobby, the man nimbly stepped around the potholes in the tar and entered the building. Naruto trudged off towards the car. He spied his reflection in the mirror. With an expression of disgust and horror, he noticed that the front of his shirt was littered with blood stains. The dark maroon stains appeared to be part of the design of his jacket. His face was thankfully mostly bare of the red liquid. It was dotted along his forehead and was a bit crusted in his hair.
His stomach churning unpleasantly, he gagged and looked away quickly. Why hadn't he showered? Oh right, he woke up to a stranger threatening him with a gun and had forgotten to clean up. Trying not to dwell on the fact that he was peppered with the blood of dead men, he forced his eyes to look at the lean stranger talking to the old lobby man through the glass wall with posters. They tried to kill me. I'm alive and they're not. They're the bad guys, so they deserved what was coming to them…
Sasuke kept his talking to a minimum as he returned the keys and signed out. As the pudgy man stepped to a door beside the desk, Sasuke faintly heard a familiar name. Turning around, he saw that the TV mounted in the lobby corner was showing the morning news. The familiar anchorwoman was on and was standing at what appeared to be a crime scene. She had on a navy blue suit and had her brown hair in a tight bob.
"Thank you Michael. I'm standing here today where four men were found murdered in the apartment behind me. Three appeared to have been shot and the fourth had his throat cut. The apartment resident, Naruto Uzumaki, has currently gone missing and is a suspected as the murderer. Although the motive is not clear, one person was found alive. Kiba Inuzuka was suspect's best friend and swears that Uzumaki is innocent. Kiba stated that he had been intoxicated and had passed out during the attack; he remembers nothing of what might have happened and is currently being held in the city jail undergoing investigation and interrogation. Now, we see here that…"
Sasuke's eyes stuck to the TV screen, he casually leaned against a wall and appeared to be watching the news as he waited. Fuck. This just got more complicated. The friend was out cold by the time I appeared, so it's unlikely that he saw or remembers me. This means sunshine will be wanted by the cops. If he gets in their hands, the Akatsuki will have no problem dispensing of him. His eyes narrowed as he watched the rest of the broadcast.
The picture of Naruto's bloody apartment switched to a clip of Kiba being hauled into a police station. He was stumbling around and was coated with blood. It clumped his brown hair into maroon bundles and stained his face. Two police officers had his upper arms in tight grips and were pulling him through the glass double doors. Tripping over his own feet and almost falling down, Kiba tried to jerk out of the grip and properly stand, but the officers were relentless. The doors swung shut and cut off any more view. Three officers in navy outfits came down to disperse the crowd that had converged at the entrance. They pushed civilians away and shoved a hand into the camera lens, blocking any view. The news woman came back on and added a few more facts before cutting to a commercial.
"…Hn."
xXx
The sounds of papers being shuffled and ringing phones permeated the air. The heavy, warm smell of black coffee and sweet doughnuts drifted into Kiba's nose as he was dragged into an interrogation room by his arms. The room had mirrors on both sides of the thick walls. The back wall had a black cushioned texture and had small cameras mounted in the corners. A silver rectangular table sat in the middle of the room. Two steel chairs sat opposite each other; one had restraints on the arm rests and chains on the legs.
The side of the table with the chained chair had handcuffs chained directly to the surface; small scratches were grooved into the table near the cuffs. A porcelain white coffee mug sat on the table. Wispy trails of steam drifted up and slowly dispersed in the air above the rim. The unfriendly gray room had white speckled tiled floor and a dark gray ceiling. A lone halogen lamp hung down from the ceiling and focused the disk of light on the table.
Kiba was shoved crudely into the cold chair by the officers. They clamped their hands on his shoulders and pushed him down hard. Disoriented by their shoving and blinded by the bright light, Kiba winced and blinked rapidly. The officers left the room and shut the door behind the roughly. Groaning, Kiba rubbed his face and shook his head. Naruto, what the fuck happened? What the hell is going on? Did you kill those guys? Why? How? I swear if you did this, I'm gonna kill you. Fucking hell, my head hurts. Shivering, he realized that the room was actually really cold. The stinging freezing temperature of the chair seeped through his pants and made his legs and ass cheeks go numb quickly.
The metal doors creaked open as a tall man in a dark business suit came in. Kiba ignored the urge to look up into the man's face and kept his gaze on the table. The man walked over to the table and sat down opposite of him; he placed a wide manila folder down. Naruto's name was printed on the side tab. The man placed his hands on the table and wove his fingers together. Out of his peripherals, Kiba saw that the stranger was wearing an expensive Rolex watch with a wide face. The hand underneath the watch was a peach color. The nails were neatly cut and flawless.
"Tell us what happened?"
Kiba felt his temper rise. He had been questioned by everyone and every time it was the same fucking question. He had answered the same stupid question countless times and was tired of having repeated it. Oh sure, asking him fifty fucking more times might make him miraculously remember! Genius! Still averting his face, he answered brusquely and in a clipped tone.
"Like I told all your little buddies who probably told you the same thing, I don't know."
"Mr. Inuzuka, please understand. Mr. Uzumaki is in a grave predicament. He faces charges of first degree murder and life in prison. All evidence points to him as the murderer. Yet somehow, he doesn't kill the only person that was with him that is able to incriminate him."
"That's because it wasn't him!"
"So what you're saying is that you know who did it?"
"What? No! I'm saying that I know Naruto and I know he isn't capable of doing something like this! He didn't do anything!"
"On the contrary. Mr. Uzumaki has a small history of being… dangerous." The man lightly tapped the folder. "We have here records that indicate that Mr. Uzumaki isn't the clean and innocent man you portray him to be. The files were hidden and almost impossible to find. On the computer he's clean, but on paper, he has a trail."
"What the hell are you talking about? Naruto is the nicest guy I know, he wouldn't-"
"But did you know him before he came to this city?" Kiba fell silent. "I thought not. You see, during his school years, his parents were always drifting from place to place. In that time that he traveled with his parents, Naruto would have to start school in every state that he lived in. In those years, Naruto was quite the opposite of what you say he is. Fights would happen almost daily and he would be the one starting them." The investigator watched Kiba closely as he lied carefully. Most of Naruto's history was the complete opposite, but it was a trap to see if Kiba would lie to protect him or actually knew the blond as well as he said he did.
"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me. Really? You're taking how he was as a kid to incriminate him now? Fuckin' A, man. I was a bully. You don't see me going around killing people."
"Every person is different and acts in different ways. I am merely demonstrating that he could have-"
"He didn't do it! I have no idea how those men got there or what happened!"
"Just calm down, we just want to-"
"No, don't tell met to calm down! You fucking assholes are trying to blame this on my best friend who may or may not be dead and you fucking retards don't give two shits about him! You don't even have evidence that he did!" Kiba angrily exclaimed.
Suddenly, the door shot open. It slammed into the wall and bounced back. A deep booming voice rang out from a tall thick figure that oozed in, dominating the room.
"Genma, I'll take over now. Leave him to me."
Kiba's head shot up. His eyes widened as he took in the face that was looking back at him. The brown face had two scars ripping across it. The man strangely wore a police cap and appeared to be bald. The long scars trailed up and disappeared into the cap. His small beady eyes stared at Kiba intently and dissected him with the harsh look.
Genma looked up at the man and lifted an eyebrow.
"Ibiki? You sure?"
"I'll take care of it."
Genma shrugged and pushed his chair back. The metal legs screeched against the floor as he pushed. Standing up, he downed the last of his coffee and popped a toothpick into his mouth. Chewing on the stick, he walked to Ibiki and tilted his head to the side slightly. His eyes met Ibiki's, glanced back at Kiba, and met the burly man's gaze again.
"He's not talking." He spoke quietly. I even lied about Uzumaki's past to see if he would say something, but it seems he doesn't really know."
Ibiki gave a cruel smile and looked at the teen chained to the chair. Shaking his head inconspicuously, he gave a small nod.
"I'll get him talking."
Genma left the room and shut the door tightly behind him. Ibiki took the seat Genma had vacated and sat down roughly. Sifting through the papers left on the table he ignored Kiba and loudly crinkled the papers. Kiba sat in tense silence, just waiting for the same questions he had answered a million times. Minutes flew by and the man said nothing. Unnerved that the menacing man was asking zilch and was strangely being quiet, Kiba felt on edge. The heavy quietness of the room blanketed them to the point of smothering. As the seconds rolled by, the papers seamed to produce a louder noise. The tinkering of his chained limbs became deafening in the absolute silence. Sweat rolling down his forehead, Kiba's breathing slowly started to rise in pattern.
Unable to bear the silence, Kiba tried to get the man to talk.
"Hey man, how much longer am I going to be here for?"
Silence. The man continued to flip through the papers nonchalantly. The atmosphere thickened with tension. The halogen lamp hanging from the ceiling cast an odd shadow across the man's ragged face, highlighting his scars and hard features. His eyes were hidden in the darkness, hiding his expression. Kiba had the distinct feeling that he was still being watched. Feeling the hairs on his neck crawl, he turned to the windows on the walls and glared at them.
"Look! I already told the last guy and I'm about to tell this guy: I don't know what happened, but I know Naruto didn't do it!"
The man calmly set down the papers and pinned Kiba with his dark piercing glare that suddenly shifted from the shadows. The man reached out and brought a cup to his face. He sipped a bit of the coffee before setting the cup down with a clanking noise.
"Uzumaki Naruto is responsible for the deaths of four people. He fled the crime scene and is now a wanted suspect." Ibiki simply stated the facts that he had heard. He was trying to rile the kid up to get him to confess and reveal the location of Uzumaki. It was a waiting game, one that he was confident he would win.
"Jesus Christ man, Naruto didn't do it! I know the guy; we're like brothers! Anyway, how could he? We were both drinking our asses off."
"Then explain how those men died and where Uzumaki is. He did it, it's just a matter of time before you tell us where he is or he turns himself in."
Kiba angrily slammed his hands on the table top. The chains scraped on the metal, eliciting a sharp screeching noise.
"Fuck you, man. Naruto is innocent, why can't you see that?"
"You never answered my question. Why did he do it? Was there money involved? A drug deal gone bad?"
Kiba gaped at the man in disbelief. "You're joking. Now you think he is a junkie? Fuck you."
Kiba leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He muttered under his breath and cursed everything. What the fuck happened? God my head hurts... I don't care what they say, I'm not telling them anything. Sooner or later they'll clearly find out that he's innocent... right?
xXx
Alarmed after the commercial, Sasuke's mind whirred at a million miles per second, shooting off possible ideas and ways to fix their situation. One in particular stuck in his mind and would not leave. It was imperative that blondie stayed out sight. Things would get unnecessarily complicated if he were to be found by the police.
The man returned from the back and handed Sasuke some papers and his receipt. While Sasuke signed the small scrap of paper, he noticed out of his peripherals that the man was now watching the TV. He tensed as he expected the man to recognize the blond that was with him yesterday. With bated breath, Sasuke handed back the slip of paper. The man shook his head and snorted as the female anchor explained the details of the murders and possible motives. He took the paper and shoved it into a dusty drawer, crumpling it slightly.
"Some people are just that crazy. Next thing you know, he'll be killin' someone 'round here. You and your friend take care now."
Sasuke nodded courteously and exited. Jamming his hands in his pockets, he felt the cold sharp ridge of his car keys and took them out. Pressing the unlock button, he watched as the blond opened the passenger door and got inside. Upon reaching the vehicle, Sasuke thrust open his door and slid inside. He shoved the key into the ignition and started the car with a loud purr. His lips pressed together in a tight line, the raven clicked his seatbelt on and drove smoothly out of the lot. Thankful that his windows were tinted, he stopped at a red light. His fingers were barely drumming the steering wheel as he waited.
Naruto looked over at his partner and tilted his head. The lean man looked exactly the same as always. Poker face with no emotions, laid back demeanor, and dark inquiring eyes. But there was something a bit off about him now. He seemed almost angry. It was very subtle, but not unnoticeable. Knowing he was breaking one of the stupid rules imposed on him, he took a chance to ask what had happened.
"Are you mad?" Naruto inquired softly.
Sasuke was jolted out of his thoughts by the blond. Surprised, he looked over at him. "Not particularly. Why?"
Amazed that the man answered, Naruto tried to keep the ball rolling. "You seem really tensed up and pissed. Did something happen?" Naruto wondered if the prostitute had returned and had told the man the same things she did to him the other day. Would that bother him that much?
Sasuke turned back to the road and drove when the light changed to green. Fiddling with air conditioning buttons, he scoffed lightly. He's bound to find out sooner or laterthat he's wanted for murder. Might as well tell him now than have him cause a scene in the future.
"Your face is plastered all over the morning news."
Naruto cocked his head in confusion. "Wait, why? Did they find the men… Kiba! Oh Christ, what happened?!" Panicking, the blond began to subconsciously get out of the car. I left him there all alone with those dead guys. Oh shit, what if something happened to him? Does he remember anything?
"Calm down!" Sasuke snapped impatiently. He turned left sharply and drove out to the highway. "You're currently wanted as the murderer of the dead Akatsuki henchmen in your flat. The bodies were found early this morning and your friend is perfectly fine. He's just being charged with being an accomplice to a homicide and obstruction of justice."
Shocked, Naruto gawked at the lean man. "What!? But he didn't do anything! Why is he getting in trouble!?"
"He was there. It's as simple as that. Unfortunately, now the entire state knows what you look like and on top of that, you've got a price."
Naruto slid back heavily into his seat. Laughing uneasily at the absurdity of the situation, he gazed out of the window and up towards the blue sky. Clouds drifted carelessly across the vast expanse, providing some shade from the warm sun.
"So now what? If the whole state is on the lookout for me, I doubt I'll be free for long. Sooner or later someone will recognize me and turn me in... Oh God, what if the bad guys try to kill Kiba!?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Your friend is in the police's custody. He's perfectly safe." He lied. It actually mattered very little if he was in custody. If the Akatsuki wanted something, they'd get it no matter what.
"So then what do we do? What's the plan after I learn about the Akatsuki? I mean, I doubt it'll help in figuring out what they have with me. You know about them, and still you don't know. What's our game plan?"
Silence met his questions. Glancing over at his companion, he realized the reason for the silence. The lean man had a rigid jaw line and was no longer occasionally turning to look at him. Naruto had overstepped the delicate boundaries of the man's tolerance and he was no longer answering.
Settling down for an uncomfortable car ride, Naruto mentally sighed and decided he would waste time by sleeping. He burrowed into the seat and rested his head on the window, drifting off quickly.
Sasuke peeked over at the now quiet blond. He realized that the smaller man was sleeping. Fine by him. He preferred sweet silence as opposed to his loquacious companion. Now that the smaller man was silent, he could comfortably plan for the future. He never liked doing things without first reviewing the pros and cons, so this little reprieve from the spontaneity was relieving.
XxX
Sasuke drove on.
The quiet of the car was broken only by Naruto's steady breathing and the harmonic whimsy of concerto number twenty-one in C major. Sasuke breathed deeply and glimpsed at the radio clock. 2:28. He had been driving for a couple of hours now without stop. It would be another couple before he was back at Kakashi's, meaning they should get a bite of food soon.
Finding a Wendy's on the signs, he quickly got off on the exit and headed towards it. Entering the parking lot, he drove the car over to the drive through line. Slipping his wallet out of his pocket, he took out a couple of twenties. Leaning over, he nudged the blond.
"Hey. Wake up."
The blond man sniffed and burrowed away from Sasuke. Letting out a light snore, he slid further from Sasuke. Annoyed, Sasuke reached over and shoved the blond man hard.
Naruto was jolted awake as his head bumped the window. Groaning, he rubbed his wounded head and looked over at the man who caused it. "Ow. Jeez, what?"
Sasuke nodded over at the drive through line that was in front of them impatiently. It was almost their turn at the machine. "Order whatever."
Naruto blinked groggily and looked around. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he yawned and nodded lightly. "'Kay, whatever-your-name-is."
Once they had ordered and paid, Sasuke took a ramp back onto the highway and continued on his way to Hatake Firm. Naruto happily munched on meal, all the while complaining that he wanted ramen. Sasuke continued to try to ignore the blond, but found it increasingly difficult. Sunshine had a voice that would simply not let you ignore it. It was aggravating the quiet raven.
Digging deep into his Uchiha genes, Sasuke brought out one of his best "I-will-kill-you-if-you-don't-shut-the-fuck-up" faces and slapped it on. Seconds later, the smaller man began to quiet down and pout. Maintaining this face is going to hurt after a while, but it's worth the quiescence. After a while, he dropped it, facial muscles sore. That as a new record for him.
Entering familiar territory, Sasuke accelerated and made his way into the city, passing several slow moving cars. He glanced at Naruto through the corner of his eyes, noting his sulking behavior. How childish. Sasuke resisted to urge to roll his eyes, focusing instead on the streets.
"Sasuke."
"What?" asked the blond crossly. He looked over at the lean stranger and lifted an eyebrow.
Sasuke's hands tightened on the steering wheel.
"My name is Sasuke."