Just Dance
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. In this chapter, you find out what was in the letter. Naruto is naturally is going to flip. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh and we get to see Itachi in this chapter. ^^
Chapter Notation: Any lyrics in this fan fiction I made up myself. Which is why they probably all suck XD. But I tried.
Chapter Two
"Suki, this guy is a creep. You need to call the police right now." Naruto says as he finishes reading the brief note and notices the pictures.
They were famous. Naruto was well aware that sometimes being famous came with a price. Some fans were psychotic. Every once in awhile, you'd get one that turned out to be a stalker. Stalkers could be very dangerous, especially for female celebrities.
Suki didn't know what to do. Naruto had seen the letter and the pictures. But thankfully, he didn't seem to realize who they were from yet. So maybe she could pawn this off to being some random whack job. If the blonde knew that it was from Orochimaru, a Sannin, all Hell would break loose.
"You're right. I'll go to the police after we finish up here." She lies.
"This guy has pictures of you in the shower! I don't think it can wait. I'll go with you to the police, if you want." He offers.
"Naruto, that's sweet. Really, but I can handle filing a report. You're famous. You know how this goes. There are always going to be fans who have a few screws loose. Most are more bark than bite." The brunette tries to assure him.
The blonde looks at the lead singer of Chidori in utter disbelief. Yeah, of course he knew that. You didn't get to Rasengan's level of fame without attracting a few nut jobs. But this stalker had actually been close enough to Suki that he had managed to snap pictures of her in the shower, without her knowing. What if instead of a camera, he had brought a gun?
Well Naruto assumed it was a he. It could also be a woman. But he strongly suspected that her stalker was a man.
"Suki, he's been to your house. Next time he might shoot something besides a camera at you." Naruto warns her.
"Wait, I thought you said that he stopped." Suigetsu interjects and Suki glowers at her band mate.
"He's done this before?" Jirayia asks, having overheard what Naruto said about the photos and frankly he was more than a little disturbed.
Jirayia was the first person to admit that he was a pervert. Still it was one thing to try to look at women in public bathhouses. It was another to sneak into their private home, take pictures without their knowledge, and terrify the woman by sending her proof of your "adventure." That was…sick. He didn't care for that at all.
"Suki, you don't have to tell them anything. But you really should go to the police." Karin pleads.
"She's got a stalker?" Sakura asks and Jugo nods.
Gaara shakes his head. He knew they were trying to help her. But they were cornering her and he could easily imagine Suki as an animal with her back against the wall. She was going to lash out and soon, if they didn't back off.
The red head had dealt with his own stalker in the past. It had not been a pleasant time in his life. He could sympathize with the singer.
"Everyone, stop it. I'm certain that she realizes she should go to the police." Gaara states firmly.
Suki shoots Gaara a grateful look. She bites her lower lip. Great. Just great. Now Rasengan all knew about Orochimaru. Well they didn't know it was him, but they knew she had a stalker. And judging by the look on Naruto's face, he wasn't going to let this go.
"Thanks. I'll go to the police station now. Karin, you mind if I crash at your place?" Suki asks.
"No, I don't. It'd probably be safer than going back to yours." The red haired woman agrees.
Jirayia shook his head. This stalker knew Suki well enough to know where she lived. They would surely know who her band mates were and probably figure that'd be the first place the brunette would go.
"Too obvious. Whoever sent that, probably knows where Karin lives as well. I wouldn't recommend it." The white haired Sannin states.
"Well you could stay with me, if you wanted." Sakura offers.
"I don't know if two women staying together with this type of pervert on the loose is a good idea." Kakashi suggests delicately.
"She can stay with me." Naruto says.
Cute. Naruto actually thought that he could protect her. Adorable really. He was so damn naïve, it almost made Suki laugh.
She had no doubt the blonde could hold his own in fistfight. But this wasn't a physical battle. No, Orochimaru much preferred to fuck with people's minds. And if he did decide physical force was necessary, he'd send more than one of his lackeys and they would all be armed. Naruto wouldn't stand a chance.
"That's very gallant of you to offer, Naruto. But I'm not sure if Suki finds the thought of sharing a house with a man she barely knows, appealing…given the current situation." Kakashi points out.
"Naruto is practically a Boy Scout. Kid is completely innocent. Besides, he's a black belt in Karate." Jirayia says.
"Well if Jirayia trusts him, then I trust him. Take that for what it's worth to you, Suki." Her agent says.
Suki looks at Naruto. She wanted to tell him that this was a bad idea. That she didn't need him to protect her. But she saw the determination in those blue eyes. If she didn't let him think that he was protecting her, he was going to do something stupid.
He might find out it was Orochimaru who sent that letter. And he would likely get himself killed. The Uchiha woman couldn't let that happen. He didn't deserve that. A compromise was needed.
"Naruto, it's sweet that you want to be Superman and everything. But I'm not Lois Lane. I'll just stay with my brother. He just moved here a couple days ago after living in Japan for years. I doubt even the person who wrote this letter knows he's here." Suki offers.
"You have a brother?" Naruto asks.
"Yeah, I know. I was shocked when I heard about Itachi to. I mean it shows her parents actually screwed twice. If you think Suki has a stick shoved up her ass, wait until you meet her father." Suigetsu comments cheerfully and Suki whacks him.
"Yes. Sorry, It's not that I don't trust Kakashi and Jirayia's references, but I really don't want to get you dragged into this. It's my problem, not yours." She says.
"Well the important thing is that you stay safe. Doesn't really matter with who. And for the record?" Naruto replies.
She raises an eyebrow. Suki got the impression that the blonde was going to say something stupid. He had that face that Suigetsu did before he made a dumb comment and was feeling rather pleased with himself for coming up with it.
"Yeah?" The brunette reluctantly asks.
"I don't think of you as a Lois Lane. You are definitely more of a Catwoman type. Plus you'd look great in leather." Naruto answers.
"So much for that Boy Scout thing. Pervert." She mutters.
Naruto tries not to laugh. But a sulking Suki was a very funny Suki it seems. Somehow he manages to keep a straight face.
"Well that settles that. Suki, perhaps you should give Itachi a call and let him know you want to stay with him for awhile." Kakashi suggests and she nods, taking out her cell phone.
She bites her lower lip. Itachi was not going to be happy to hear that Orochimaru was back at it again. It had been a least a year since he had her followed, that she knew of. She honestly thought that it was over by now.
"Itachi. He's back. Can I stay with you for awhile?" She asks simply.
"If you didn't ask, I'd find out and drag you here. Foolish little sister, you already knew the answer to that question." She hears her brother say.
"Thanks. I'll see you in a few minutes." Suki replies and hangs up.
"Well I think that's enough for today." Jirayia offers.
Suki raises an eyebrow. They hadn't looked at the song, let along practiced singing/playing it. Hell, they didn't even try any of the actual dance moves. "That's enough for today?" Bull. Everyone knew the real reason why practice was ending early.
"We weren't really planning to go over the song today, more of a Meet and Greet than anything." Kakashi offers.
Suki rolls her eyes. Still she wasn't going to argue. She waves to her band mates and the members of Rasengan before heading out of the studio to her car.
Naruto follows her after a minute or so of hesitation. He knew that she was going to see her brother. But he really didn't want to leave her alone that long. He knew that every once in a blue moon, there was always that fan who became truly delusional and dangerous.
"You picked the wrong girl to sneak up on." Suki mutters, grabbing his arm and throwing him to the ground, pinning him.
Suki had felt someone coming up behind her. The brunette didn't know who. But given that she had just gotten a letter from Orochimaru, she was primed to automatically assume, attacker. She blinks when she saw it was Naruto.
"I was right about the Catwoman thing. Geez. I almost pity the creep that is stalking you." Naruto says, looking up at her.
"For future reference, don't sneak up on me like that. What do you want?" She asks, not getting off of him.
"I wanted to go with you to make sure you got there okay." The blonde answers her question.
She shakes her head in amusement. Alright, maybe the perverted agent had a point about the whole Boy Scout thing after all. The brunette decides to humor him.
It was only a five or ten minute drive. She was almost positive Orochimaru didn't know Itachi was back in the States or where he lived. It SHOULD be safe.
"Alright." The dark haired woman says and gets off Naruto, getting into her car.
They buckle up and the red convertible soon takes off. Itachi had always laughed at her "American Car," but you couldn't argue with the classics in her mind. She turns on the radio.
"Hey, pretty girl. Come on and dance with me, let me rock your world." An 80's dance song blared out of the radio.
Suki shakes her head in amusement and reaches to change the station. Naruto stops her. She looks at him like, Really?
"Oh come on, it's got a good beat." Naruto says.
"You are such a…pop singer." She says and shakes her head as they drive off.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asks.
"More focused on the beat than the lyrics. Let me rock your world, really?" She asks in amusement.
"Not every song has to be profound. Some are just for fun. I mean I get that you have the whole Gothic Goddess thing going on, but it's alright to have songs that are just about having a good time." He says.
"I'm not Gothic." She protests.
"Some of your songs are pretty dark and sad. Their beautiful, don't get me wrong. But yeah. You need to learn to have fun once in awhile. You are amazing on dance tracks." He adds rather quickly, clearly this was intended to be an olive branch to cut off a potential fight.
"And it's okay to explore a wider range of human emotion than just happiness. Real life isn't a fairytale. Music should reflect the full spectrum of the human experience." She says.
"That's…deep." Naruto comments.
Suki nods. She was pleased that in her mind, she had "won" that debate. She smiles when she saw Naruto bobbing his head to the cheesy, though catchy song. It was easy to forget for a moment, why she was going to see her brother.
"Then we can get into my car. I know a place, it isn't very far. I wanna see you dance all over the bar." The song continued.
"We're here. Do you have a ride back to your place? I could call you a cab if you want." Suki offers.
"Nah. The bus station isn't that far from here. I'll just catch a lift that way. Besides, if the driver recognizes me and sees I'm with you…" He trails off.
"The tabloids will have a field day. I can see it now. Lead singers make beautiful music together, in more ways than one." She says and rolls her eyes.
"Hey, that one isn't actually bad." Naruto says.
"Well maybe after I retire from singing, I can be a headline writer." She says with a smile.
"Maybe. So I guess that's your brother?" Naruot asks, noticing someone coming out of the house.
"Yes, that's Itachi." She confirms and walks over to her brother, the siblings embrace in a rather regal hug.
Naruto didn't know hugs could be regal. But he would find out later, that Uchihas did everything in a regal fashion. It was just in their DNA or something.
"You sure you are alright?" Itachi asks.
"I'm fine. It was just a letter. Oh Itachi, this is Naruto. He's a singer in Rasengan. We are going to be doing a performance with his group for the Award Shows. Naruto, this is my brother, Itachi." She introduces him.
"Pleasure." Itachi says simply.
"Same here." Naruto agrees.
"Naruto, the bus will be arriving in about 20 minutes, if you want to catch it, you should hurry." Suki says.
"Yeah. I got it. Thanks. Stay safe, okay?" He says and hands her a slip of paper.
"What's this?" Suki asks and looks at it.
"My number. If you need anything, just call me. I don't care what time it is. We are band mates now, sorta. Us musicians have to stick together." He says with a smile, before darting off.
Itachi opens the door for Suki. She heads inside. Itachi always did have excellent taste when it came to houses. This one was a beautiful Victorian Mansion. For all his teasing about her car, it looked like he was also trying to fit in.
"And just how closely are the two of you sticking together?" He asks slyly.
"Itachi!" Suki says and feels her face heating up at the obvious innuendo.
Itachi chuckles. Teasing his foolish little sister was one of the greatest joys in his life. Besides, he knew that she must like him. Suki was extremely territorial of her car and he could count the number of people she had allowed in it, on only one hand.
"Do I need to have a discussion with him?" He continues, delighting in how flustered Suki was becoming.
"He was just being nice. Suigetsu brought my mail to me and he saw my expression when I read the letter and saw the photos. He knows I have a stalker and wanted to make sure I made it here safely." She explains.
"And they say chivalry is dead. What was in the letter this time?" He asks.
"A love note of sorts and pictures of me in the shower. He knows where I live." She mutters and remembers how this all started, years ago.
Suki had only been thirteen at the time. Her school was having a talent school. Because she attended Konoha Academy, arguably the "Harvard of Middle Schools," that was actually kind of a big deal. The youngest Uchiha had decided to enter the contest.
She didn't really care about winning. Mostly she was entering to get her father's attention. Somehow, Itachi had managed to persuade the rather busy CEO to take off work early and see the show.
"And now Suki Uchiha will be performing a song she wrote called Wildfire." The announcer had said and she'd taken the stage.
She'd never sung in front of anyone before. Suki hadn't anticipated the rush that performing for a crowd could provide. It was a high unlike any other she had experienced in her young life.
"Wow, that's some voice." The announcer called out at the end of the song and Suki bows, before darting back stage to join the other contestants.
Suki had won first place later that night. She was heading with her family back to their car. The brunette smiles, when she gets praise from her father, mother, and Itachi. Fugaku kept it rather simple.
"You did well." He said.
"Thank you, father." Suki replied, positively beaming with happiness.
"Excuse me, do you have a moment?" She heard someone call out to her and her family.
"Orochimaru?" Fugaku had asked in disbelief.
"Yes, that's right. I see my reputation proceeds me. Your daughter has a beautiful voice. I hope you don't think me to forward, but I would like to invite her to join my Summer Camp for musically gifted. For those that do well in the program, by the time they graduate high school, they receive full scholarship to attend Sound University." He stated.
"The Sound University is world renowned for it's musical programs." Itachi reminded his father.
"That's very kind of you to offer. Though I believe you are getting ahead of yourself. She won a contest for children. Music is a suitable hobby, but I don't know if I would recommend it as a career choice." Fugaku said.
"My love, let her go to the camp. It will be a wonderful experience for her. Maybe something will come of it, maybe it will only be an exciting summer. But it is a wonderful opportunity. Besides, it will encourage her to gain some independence." Mikoto argued on Suki's behalf.
"Oh alright." Fugaku agreed.
"Thank you, father!" Suki said happily and hugs him, Fugaku awkwardly pat patted her head.
"I'm very happy for you, Suki. I'm sure you will make lots of friends at the camp." Itachi told her.
"Thank you, big brother." She said with a smile.
Suki had had the time of her life at the camp. It was fascinating to learn about all the different kinds of music. Most of the kids there were like her, more advanced than their peers.
The brunette had quickly discovered that even amongst children who were musically gifted, apparently she stood out. Orochimaru had taken a real interest in her. She had barely been a teenager at the time and she was just happy to have all the attention.
A famous musician thought she was GOOD. It made her feel special. She had been far too innocent at the time to realize that Orochimaru was dangerous and very, very twisted.
"When I get my hands on that snake, he is going to suffer for this." Itachi promises her.
"Itachi, you know you can't do it. As much as I would love to see that son of a bitch dead, he's too high profile. Everyone knows that when I left his group, it wasn't an easy split. They'd suspect me." She mutters.
"I know. Damn him. Well you can stay with me until we figure something out and it's nice that you have a golden retriever for a guard dog." He muses.
"Guard dog, what are you talking about?" Suki asks in confusion.
"The blonde." Itachi says.
"Ohhh. Yeah, now that you mention it. He does sorta act like a golden retriever. Very friendly and protective." She concedes with a shrug.
"I've never really known you to be into blondes before." Her elder brother notes with amusement.
"Hair color really isn't that important to me and nothing is going on." She protests.
"Foolish little sister, do you think that I'm stupid? You let him in your car." Itachi counters.
"So?" She asks.
"You barely let anyone into your precious little car. For you that's a rather significant gesture." He continues.
"I really think you are reading too much into this." The brunette replies.
Itachi gives her a look that said, We both know that I'm right. There's really no point in arguing with me. Suki just shakes her head.
Naruto sigh as he gets on the bus. He wished he could do more. But he could definitely understand Suki not wanting to stay with someone she just met. Still he couldn't help but worry about her. She had a first class creep stalking her. One that apparently knew where she lived.
Well what had he learned today? Suki was a perfectionist and a bit of a "techie" when it came to the recording studio. She smelled really nice. The brunette didn't seem to have an issue with being held by him, so that was good. But she was also fiercely independent and well versed enough in pop culture to get a few superhero references. Oh and she could apparently handle herself in a fight. All of that was good. But of course there was a catch, a damn stalker.
"I wonder if she'll call." He mutters as he walks into his house and turns on his computer.
Probably not. She was with her brother. Suki was safe now. He needed to stop worrying. She had knocked him on his ass without any trouble. The girl probably had taken some sort of defense classes. It wasn't like she was completely helpless and Itachi seemed to be in pretty good shape as well.
He decides to Google her. Maybe something would come up and give him a clue about who her stalker was. What he found was somewhat surprising.
"She started young." Naruto mutters when he saw that her career had apparently been launched by some Middle School talent show.
The internet search showed she had attended Sound University. So it was likely Jirayia wasn't the only Sannin she knew. Orochimaru at some point had started a university that specialized in musical education and had named it Sound University. It was a clever play on words, Naruto had to admit.
"Looks like Chidori wasn't her first band." He says, noting that she had once belonged to a group called Serpent's Teeth.
Apparently this was Orochimaru's group. He was the band manager. Suki had been in it for a couple years, as the other members of Chidori. But Serpent's Teeth was truly massive, having originally had 10 members. So now it was down to six. (Not including Orochimaru, who no longer performed.)
The breakup had apparently been vicious. They had gone to court and everything about it. Naruto decided he was definitely going to talk to Jirayia about this and dials his number.
"Hey, Pervy Sage…would you mind stopping by for a few minutes. There's something that I think you should see. Maybe you would know more about it than I do." He says.
"Sure, kid. I'll be there in about 20 minutes." He says and hangs up.
Not long after that, the music legend arrived at Naruto's house. Jirayia could see something was up. Naruto was staring at his computer screen rather intently.
"You said that you and Tsunade left The Sannin because Orochimaru changed during the end. I saw this about Suki. It looks like he used to be her band manager. But she and the rest of Chidori left and it was a pretty brutal split. Do you think he'd hold a grudge?" The blonde asks.
"Kid, Orochimaru is…different than most people. He's got a bit of a God Complex going on. He likes taking in young musical talent and shaping them. So yeah, the fact that Suki left him would irritate him. But even if that was the case, that wouldn't explain why the rest of Chidori isn't getting similar letters. I don't think Orochimaru is the stalker." Jirayia says.
"I don't know. I mean look at him. He looks so creepy." The blonde protests.
"Naruto, you know it's wrong to judge based on looks alone." His Godfather chides him gently.
"I'm not talking about his looks exactly. Just the expression on his face. It's so slimy. I don't like it." The blue eyed singer insists.
"I think you are just a little too eager to slay the dragon for the pretty princess. You are reading too much into this. And based on what Kakashi has told me about Suki, if you insist on trying to be her Knight in Shining Armor, that will only piss her off. She's very independent." The Sannin warns him.
Naruto sighs. Maybe Jirayia was right. He did like Suki. But he would have been worried about anyone in a situation like this. No one should have to live their life with this looming over them.
The way Suigetsu had been talking, the blonde was almost certain that this wasn't the first time it had happened either. This stalker had done it before. And Naruto was almost certain that he was the reason why Suki had gone all Crouching Tigress on the blonde for "sneaking up behind her."
"Do you think she'll file the police report or was she just saying that to make us all feel better?" Naruto asks suddenly.
"I think she was saying it to make us all feel better. It's a common reaction for victims of this type of harassment not to want to go to the authorities. Some fear retaliation. Others just don't think the police will actually do anything. And some people just embarrassed about it." He offers.
"Yeah. I guess I can see why she might not want to file the report. Do you think I should ask her about it?" The blonde inquires.
"No. That'd just make her feel more anxious, maybe even embarrassed or angry. Just be there for her and make sure she's safe, if you can. Other than that, right now it might do her some good just to focus on what makes her happy, music." The Sannin suggests.
"So in other words…just dance?" The blue eyed singer asks.
"Exactly. Now you are getting it, kid." Jirayia says with a smile.