Target

Ch. 10- Baby come back

A/N: This chapter marks the sort of second arc of Target, where (eventually) mysteries are solved and truths are told. I've been aching to write this arc, haha. Like I said, no "damsel in distress" Naruto here. Grab the Doctor and read on!

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo.

iTi Beta'd by: Jhalamae iTi

OoO

Naruto began to recognize the buildings as Sasuke drove back into another urban setting. It was his home city! A sense of relief and comfort hit him as he watched the familiar structures roll by. At least he knew where he was. He didn't have to completely rely on Sasuke and his vague descriptions of where they were going.

The raven kept driving, taking Naruto into the area of the city where it tapered off in the rich district, where the houses were big and private. Each house had wide lawns and long driveways to ensure privacy. Confused, Naruto looked around, wondering where Sasuke was taking them. Was it to do another hit? Was Sasuke going to kill one of the rich people in these houses?

The car came to a stop in front of a huge house with large gates around it. It was clear the owner did not like company. Much to Naruto's surprise, the gates swung open, allowing them passage.

"Wait, where are we going? Why are we here?" Naruto turned to the raven, worried. Usually, people with that kind of money had serious security and systems and guards.

Sasuke sighed. "This is where I live. This is my house."

Naruto stared at him blankly. "Why are we going to your house?" He questioned, turning back to the home to take it in. A sudden spike of curiosity hit him, forcing him to wonder what the inside looked like. He would finally get a glimpse of what Sasuke was truly like. Naruto's attitude dimmed as he wondered if Sasuke had any pictures of his family. And of Itachi, his brother…

"Thanks to that little stint of an ambush, I've been officially taken off the roster for jobs by Kakashi." Sasuke deadpanned, parking the car outside the garage and removing the keys from the ignition. "As of now, my only job is to protect you until the Akatsuki make their move and I can take them out. Until then, the safest place for you to stay is here."

Jerking the door open, Sasuke stepped out, inhaling the last bit of his cigarette. Flicking the cigarette butt on the brick driveway and smothering it with the toe of his shoe, he slammed the door shut and headed towards the front door.

Naruto followed quickly, his curious nature peaked by the prospect of glimpsing into the raven's private life. Once the heavy mahogany door was pushed open, Naruto eagerly took in all that he could see.

His excitement died down as he gazed at his surroundings.

Sasuke's large house was barely furnished, with the bare minimum of furniture adorning the room. He was inundated by a feeling of cold and loneliness. The living room had only two sofas with a flat screen TV mounted on the wall. The walls were bare of any pictures and even decorative paintings. His kitchen looked barely touched, crying to be used properly. The entire home exuded a dark and desolate aura.

Naruto grimaced, impressed by the magnitude of the house but feeling suffocated by the atmosphere. Sasuke walked on, seemingly indifferent to the vibes his home was giving off. Oddly, Naruto could understand how Sasuke would live, considering his past. With how little he managed to learn, what he did know was no laughing matter. Something told him that Sasuke was hurting, bad. It reflected in how he acted and what he said. In one moment, the taller man would be hateful and cruel, the next, he'd been almost kind. Naruto abruptly felt the insane urge to talk to Sasuke, to try to get the man to open up and bleed his wounds out. Shaking his head, Naruto squashed his inner turmoil. Even if he did approach Sasuke, the man would probably threaten to kill him, or completely ignore him. That was just his nature, just like his own was to be empathetic.

Following the raven after he disabled the alarm, Naruto gaped at the two huge staircases that lead upstairs. They were on opposite sides of the room, spiraling slightly, with a black handrail marking the path. From what he could see from his vantage point, the upstairs was equally as empty as what he had seen of the first floor.

He ascended quickly, jogging up the stairs behind Sasuke. Their synchronized footsteps echoed, sounding eerily liked they were being followed. The duo reached the floor and Naruto could tell that his assumption was correct; this floor looked deserted.

"I never have guests, but you'll be staying in the guest room. The room's rough." Sasuke spoke tiredly, the fatigue getting to him. Being poisoned and almost killed was an exhausting job. His wound throbbed, aching annoyingly as he moved around. Resisting the urge to yawn, he pointed to a room a few doors away from his own as they walked down the right wing. "It's that one."

Without another word, he disappeared into his room, shutting the door behind him loudly.

Staring at the newly closed door for a few seconds, Naruto turned to his room and quietly, feeling completely out of place and an unwanted guest. He was met with a Spartan like room; a bed occupied one corner of the room, with the sheets and bedding folded up neatly on the edge. The mattress looked new and like the rest of the things, untouched. The sunlight blasting through the window did nothing to alleviate the heavy aura.

To his immediate right was a tall dresser with intricate swirls carved into the wood. It matched the wood of the headboard on the bed. The closet to the left was empty, with a few coat hangers here and there. Looking at the sad room, Naruto sighed heavily. He trudged over to the bed and began unfolding the sheets, noticing how stiff they were with disuse. Does anyone ever visit? Naruto wondered, thinking about Iruka and Kakashi. Weren't they at least worried?

If this was how Sasuke lived, all alone and with a job like the one he has, it was no wonder the raven was so messed up. In addition to getting his entire family massacred, he had almost no human interaction.

Feeling pity, Naruto let himself fall onto the bed, bouncing slightly as the springs squeaked. Spreading his arms out, Naruto closed his eyes, letting his body relax. He was feeling better than did yesterday, for once enjoying the quietness surrounding him. After last night's nightmare episode, he had gained a new perspective on Sasuke. Intellectually he knew that the man was a killer, but the soft side to him wanted to see everything underneath. Have someone to confide in. Naruto snorted. As if Sasuke would accept friendship.

Naruto rolled to his side, getting curious. He had only seen a small portion of the house. Who's to say the rest wasn't as bleak? Sasuke's in his room….and I have to use the bathroom…

Knowing it was probably a bad idea, Naruto rolled off the bed and toed off his shoes. Walking around his room for a bit, he tested the fortitude of the hardwood floor and how his socks muffled his steps. Feeling confident that this time he wouldn't get caught, Naruto strode over to his door and ever so slowly opened it, wary of squeaky hinges. Soundlessly, he slipped out in to the hallway.

Eyes glued to Sasuke's door, Naruto shut his own door carefully behind him. Naruto crept down the hall, sliding in his socks occasionally on the polished floor to avoid making footsteps. He made his way to the other wing of the house, his heart pounding with excitement. It seemed wrong that he should wander around the house without Sasuke's permission, but that wasn't going to stop him. Besides, he was just…looking for the bathroom.

Armed with his foolproof plan, he entered the left wing hallway, not surprised to see it as bare as its counterpart. It was nearly identical in its lack of furniture and common homey touches. Every door down the hallway was closed except for one. Curiosity overtook him instantly. He didn't say anyone else lived here. No butler, no maid, not even a pet. Naruto slinked over to it and peeked in.

The entire room was shrouded in darkness. The lack of light indicated that the room had no windows. Humming, Naruto slipped inside. He groped the wall, searching for a light switch. His fingers soon encountered the plastic stub and flipped it up.

Immediately, the room was flooded with light, causing Naruto to wince and close his eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to adjust. Squinting, he gazed around. In a corner of the room on top of a desk there was an expensive looking computer with a sleek black printer sitting next to it. It let out an occasional beep, calling out for more ink. There were a couple of papers falling out of the printer tray, forgotten. The floor was littered with black Sharpies, scraps of paper, push pins, and empty energy drink cans. It was a disarray of items, a complete opposite to the rest of the house. Intrigued by the mess uncharacteristic of what he knew of Sasuke, Naruto glanced up from the floor, looking around the room. As he did, his mouth fell open in shock.

Splayed along the walls were torn newspaper clippings and pictures of gruesome scenes, all stacked on top of each other, layering the wall page by page. Along the wall in front of him, there was a huge detailed map with different colored pushpins dotting the surface. Red markings covered the map with circles, dots, and x's. Locations were circled and numbered, running into each other in a cluster fuck. The lamps jutting out from the wall brought sections of the map in focus as disks of light fell onto the surface.

Aghast, Naruto stepped closer toward the map, trying to take in what he was seeing. Next to each push pin, there was a post-it note with a name on it. A piece of red yarn that stretched from the pin connected it to a picture a few feet away, on the borders of the map. It was a picture of a young girl, smiling up at the camera. A black string tied to the pin holding the photo up connected it to another picture on another section of the wall. Now, the girl wasn't smiling anymore. It was a crime scene picture of her death. She was lying dead in an apartment, with blood caked around her eyes. The name at the bottom of the photo matched the post-it note.

Horrified, Naruto went back to the map, following another thin red string. This time, the victim was a boy, around 15-16 years old. The results were the same. Blood around the eyes, dead. Naruto's gaze fell onto the date written on the bottom, under the boy's name.

2009. This was years ago…. Naruto went back to the picture of the girl, searching for the date. It was also in 2009. Disgusted but morbidly curious, Naruto followed yet another random string on the map to yet another photo. This one was a woman in her late 30's. The date was 2013.

A serial killer? Naruto thought, suddenly fearful of the raven. Sure he knew Sasuke was a murderer, legitimate and employed, but did he kill people outside of his job? He noted that in this picture, the woman didn't have blood smeared around her eyes. Her face appeared serene. If not for the obvious black string attached to it, he'd think she was simply sleeping.

Licking his suddenly dry lips, Naruto stepped away from the map and to the wall to his right. A long bookcase lined the wall, coming up to his hip. On top of it were heavy evidence boxes with the lids on the floor and strewn about. Papers and what appeared to be reports lay scattered, piling up on each other as the bookcase stretched out. Each box had a long number scribbled on it in sharpie, along with small card indicating the alphabetical order. The boxes themselves had scuff marks and appeared old and used, as if someone constantly went through them.

Closing in on the boxes, Naruto ignored his conscious which forbade him from digging further into Sasuke's business. He scooted one of the lids to the side and lifted up of the stacks of paper, flipping through it. It was a report from a Medical Examiner, complete with a small profile picture and ID of the victim. It was another woman. Nauseous, Naruto pushed it to the side, picking up another which he put down quickly.

"If each one is a report….how many people have died?" He whispered, counting the boxes. 8. There were 8 completely full, gray evidence boxes lining the bookshelf, all filled with medical documents.

Was he looking at a sick shrine to Sasuke's deeds? Was the raven truly sane?

Stepping away from the boxes, Naruto tried to think of this rationally. "Maybe Sasuke works as a detective in his spare time." He rationalized ludicrously. "Think about it, this looks like the things police people do….or maybe, this is Iruka's work space, and he just keeps it here….and not in an office…" Failing at fully convincing himself, he turned to the wall with the newspaper clippings, hoping to find something that would make sense of what he was seeing.

Nearing it, he picked a short article and read the title.

MASSACRE AT MANSION; SASUKE UCHIHA LEFT ALIVE

With a trembling hand, Naruto picked up another article, not bothering to read the details below.

RICH UCHIHA COUPLE FOUND MURDERED IN HOUSE; MISSING SONS-TERRORIST ATTACK?

His hand dropped one of the articles and picked up another.

ITACHI UCHIHA DECLARED MISSING; DEAD OR ALIVE?

Another.

YOUNGEST UCHIHA INSTITUTIONALIZED FOR TRAUMA-ARE THE PARENTS TO BLAME?

Another.

AKATSUKI RUMORED TO HAVE HAND IN UCHIHA HOMICIDE-WHO ARE THEY?

AKATSUKI STRIKES AGAIN; MURDER IN APARTMENT

As he read the titles, Naruto truly understood that Sasuke's family was gone. In some articles, there were pictures of young Sasuke, smiling up at a camera with his brother next to him. In others, he was with his parents or just by himself. As the dates on the articles grew closer to the present, the look on Sasuke's face darkened, morphing into the face Naruto recognized, until the articles were no longer about him at all.

VICTIM FOUND IN PARK; SERIAL KILLER ON THE LOOSE

WOMAN, 23, FOUND EYELESS IN HER HOME, DEAD

MAN, 29, FOUND WITH NO EYES IN A MALL PARKING LOT, HOMOCIDE

Disturbed and sickened with shock, Naruto made the connection. The Akatsuki, the same fucking monsters that were after him, had murdered all those people. The eye removal explained the bloody eyes in the photos. Iruka had told him they were fucking nuts; It made sense. Sasuke wanted revenge on the Akatsuki for murdering his parents and brother, so he was tracking them down.

Naruto was inundated with a feeling of sympathy and empathy. The amalgamation of papers and articles were testament to Sasuke's obsession with revenge. But a small part of his mind disagreed, arguing that Sasuke's actions, though warranted in some way, were not the way to handle things. Morally speaking, it was best to leave the punishment up to the police, like Iruka. The blond then frowned, remembering that the brunette was almost in the same boat as everyone else; the Akatsuki were untouchable, untraceable, and uncatchable. But it spoke volumes of Sasuke's determination and perseverance. Who wouldn't be fucked up after messing with the Akatsuki?

He stepped back, his foot kicking another box that was tucked away, nearly hidden under a small table in the room that held the strings and push pins Sasuke used. Bending down, he grabbed the box and pulled it out curiously. Instead of the evidence box he expected, it was an ordinary cardboard one. Opening the flaps up, Naruto reached in.

His hand closing on something, he tugged it out. It was a framed picture of the Uchihas. This one held a few more black haired members, but the blond could only recognize Sasuke's immediate family. A small, baby Sasuke stared up at the camera curiously, sucking on his thumb. Beside him, trying to remove the thumb, was young Itachi.

Setting it down carefully, Naruto once again reached into the box, this time removing a child's drawing. Squinting, he could make out to figures, both with black hair. The taller of the two was holding the smaller one's hand, whose other hand was clutching a small dinosaur toy. Naruto turned the drawing over, finding scribbles on the back. He could vaguely make out Sasuke's name, along with Itachi. Naruto looked up from the drawing, back to the wall with the articles about murders. He loved his brother. Is that what fueled his hatred? Besides the murder of his parents, the fact that the Akatsuki took away his older brother affected Sasuke enough to join the likes of Kakashi… Once more, he turned to the box and peered inside.

Lying at the bottom of the box was the stuffed dinosaur plush. It was green with spikes going down it's back and onto it's odd round tail that were a darker green. It was frayed and worn, with patches where the fur had rubbed off.

Naruto's heart gave a lurch as he could picture a small Sasuke clutching the dinosaur tightly as he played with his older brother. He truly realized how much Sasuke was depending on his own unexpected connection with the Akatsuki. So far, both Kakashi, Iruka, and even Sasuke's friends had expressed regret at the raven's insistence at tracking down the Akatsuki. Not that it was healthy, but Sasuke had no one that was actually helping him out either. Gently, he replaced the memories, tucking the box back where it came from.

"Although there isn't much I can do, the least I can do is try to help." He spoke determinately. He had already killed a man; what's the worse he'd need to do? By helping Sasuke, he'd in turn get answers. And eventually maybe some peace. Win-Win. A symbiotic relationship.

Standing back up, Naruto ventured to a previously unexplored area of the newspaper section. Skimming the articles curiously, he soon was lost. "Wait, what does a bombing in a subway have to do with woman accosted in a store?" Unlike the previous articles which centered on homicides and other murderous acts, theses were seemingly unrelated and even insignificant. Does the Akatsuki have something to do with theses, or is Sasuke grasping at straws? A few more clippings covered a few missing person's cases and even gas station robbery. Although the papers appeared completely unconnected, Naruto could tell they had been placed with deliberation.

Not understanding why the kidnapping of a boy in a rural town and the finding of a woman's body in a river were connected, Naruto sighed, feeling his earlier ambition to help the raven diminish. The other sections made sense, and were readable. These were just random.

Turning back to the part of the wall with the large map, Naruto noticed a section he hadn't previously examined. Walking over to it, he was shocked to see how much content there was. On every single sheet of paper he spied, the name 'Akatsuki' stood out, along with an incident of murder, or suspected murder. Highlighted in the articles were dates and locations, along with causes of death and as much detail about the actual murder that a newspaper would allow. He noticed that only a few of the articles even had pictures of the group, and even then, the photos were in terrible quality and barely recognizable. The pictures Iruka had shown him were thousands of times better, with the faces actually appearing human.

The longer he looked through the articles, the more he felt sick. It was one thing to be told that he was being hunted by a murderous psychos, but it was entirely another thing to be shown what they were capable off. Strangely, this hit him harder on an intellectual level than seeing men get gunned down in his face, or Sasuke killing the couple.

The creak of a door halted his thoughts. Whirling around with a sudden panic, Naruto came face to face with Sasuke. Freezing up, Naruto's mouth opened and closed soundlessly as he tried to talk. Cold black eyes stared back from a icy mask, unreadable. He had never seen Sasuke with that face…

"Get out."

Finding his voice, Naruto nearly bit himself as he flinched from the artic tone. "I-I was looking for the bathroom! I didn't mean to pry, the door was open and I thought, and then I saw all the -" He backed up as Sasuke stepped forward.

"Get. Out."

The same, indecipherable tone. Naruto couldn't tell if the raven was mad or insulted, and it scared him. Thinking back to what he saw, he now realized that he had just monumentally invaded the man's privacy yet again, this time knowing things about him that Sasuke probably hadn't planned to tell him. He probably thought Naruto was intrusive and nosy, or a downright burden.

He knew more about the raven than Sasuke did of him. If their roles were reversed, he'd been furious. Sasuke had every right to be mad at him. Staring at the ground and giving the taller man a small nod, Naruto hurried out of the room and towards his own, knowing Sasuke needed his space. Hindsight was twenty-twenty.

Behind him, he heard the door click as a lock slid in place.

xXx

Absorbing all that he had just learned, Naruto found himself once again in a room with nothing to do. Was this a new cycle for his life? With a humorless chuckle, he sat on the edge of his bed, his leg having a severe case of restless leg syndrome.

He screwed up again. It's not like Sasuke ever liked him or tried to like him in the first place but he seemed to be doing whatever he could to give him some wrinkles. He knew it wasn't his right to impose himself on the raven's life but they were both in the same boat, right? What was so wrong with trying to get a better idea of what he's up against? Who could blame him for trying to get some answers?

No, he wasn't that ignorant. He had deliberately invaded his privacy, it doesn't matter why. It doesn't matter that Sasuke would never tell him willingly, that just meant those things should have stayed unknown. He knew also that just because he finally, at least partially, understood the why, that didn't mean that Sasuke was going to accept his help. He was arrogant, bullheaded, and he had gotten this far by himself. If he really wanted help, he would have made Naruto understand, not leave him forced to sneak around to find things out for himself.

A heavy wave washed over him. Even though he wanted to help, how much could he really do? The only thing I've ever done is get in his way, and that's magically going to stop because I feel sorry for him? He sighed. Was he forced to constantly be a dummy, a pawn, leaving Sasuke to play the game, hoping he doesn't get knocked off the board? His phone was clutched tightly in his hand, with his thumb running over the power button like a nervous tick. It had been a while since he had called Kiba….

Twitchy, Naruto loosened his grip on the device, tossing it between his hands quickly as he stared at the door. Sasuke was once again locked away in his room. He figured the man was probably resting from the drugs and was fatigued from everything that had happened. Naruto gave his phone another look, pressing the button and staring at the time the screen showed.

It had been nearly an hour since Sasuke found him in the room and they hadn't talked since. Afterwards, the raven had simply gone back to his bedroom, leaving Naruto alone to his thoughts. Fidgeting with the volume buttons on the phone, Naruto sighed again. He was confused with his own reactions. On one hand, he wanted to help Sasuke, to let the man get his revenge, but on the other, he disliked being a part of any of this. He hadn't asked for this and as much as he hated it, he needed to adjust. It wasn't fair to Sasuke that he be so ignorant to what was really going on, or the raven's own motivations.

Warring with himself over his split decisions, he was further bothered by the urge to just….run away. Maybe Sasuke was the one attracting the Akatsuki. Coincidentally, he hadn't had any problem in his life until the Akatsuki showed up, with Sasuke right on their tale. Who's to say that he wasn't the bait? It frustrated him to know that they had so little information to draw from, that they were basically pawns in what might be the Akatsuki's playground.

If he ran and stayed underground, who's to say this wouldn't just blow over, that his life could return to normal? Feeling antsy, Naruto's thumb once again ran over the power button on his cell. He needed a break, just a small respite to bounce back from all the fucked up shit he was surrounded by. He paused, his finger freezing over the button as he contemplated something.

Taking a chance he knew he shouldn't do if he valued his life, Naruto opened his phone, scrolled through his contacts and pressed on a familiar name. It wasn't too hard, as the phone only had 3 numbers in it. Impatiently, he moved to a corner in the room further from the door, thinking that Sasuke couldn't hear him with the added distance.

Kiba answered after 3 rings. "Hello?"

"Kiba!"

"Naruto! Fuck, why didn't you call sooner, asshole? You cut me off when that guy came by. What happened?"

Naruto nearly bit his tongue as he stopped himself from spilling the beans to the brunette. "You wouldn't fucking believe it. So much shit has happened, that I can't…." Naruto paused. How safe were they talking? Was it possible that the Akatsuki could be the type to bug phones?

"Hey Kiba, you're alone right?" He asked cautiously. The blond could heard the confusion in Kiba's voice when he responded.

"Yea, why?"

"No, I mean really alone." Naruto emphasized, looking around to make sure he himself was solo. No one is around, no one can hear the phone…" The shorter man trailed off, peeking out the window in his room, half expecting to see strangers lurking about, listening to the call.

"Dude, there's nobody fucking around. Why?"

"Kiba you wanna meet up?" Naruto asked, suddenly feeling the urge to get away from Sasuke and the confines of his house with his Akatsuki shrine. He knew Sasuke would be absolutely livid when he….if he found out… Naruto grinned.

"Yo, you serious? You can? What about the guys trying to kill you?" Kiba asked, his tone indicating his worry.

"They don't know where I am, and I'm safe right now."

"Is Sasuke coming?" The curious tint to his words caused Naruto's grin to falter.

"Ah, no, he isn't. It's just me and you. You game?"

"You bet your gay ass I am! When and where?" Kiba cried out, excited to see his best friend again.

"I'm actually in town right now. Where do you wanna meet up?"

Kiba paused for a moment. "How about the construction site across from the shopping center? The workers there all when on strike a few days ago due to some unsafe conditions, and something about things blowing up. It's empty right now."

"Yea!" Naruto almost shouted, at the last minute containing his yell to a loud whisper. "Right now?" His grip on the phone tightened, the need to leave rising.

"Fuck yea. I'm free."

"Alright, me too. Bring some beer, we're gonna need it." Naruto's grin returned full blast as he was completely disregarding Sasuke's warnings about being in the public or leaving the raven's side.

"Ay dickweed, don't be late." Naruto could tell by the drop in playfulness and excitement that Kiba was a little worried about their escapade. "Won't your killer bodyguard be pissed?"

"Eh, we'll be fine. Besides, he's sleeping."

"Well alright, if you say so."

"Oh shit, on second thought, don't bring your phone. Just go, and I'll find you." Naruto reiterated. "They might buy phones, so no electronics."

"Fuck, then how am I sup-"

Naruto cut the brunette off. "See ya!"

Pressing the end call button, Naruto silenced the phone and dropped it on his bed. "I'll just go, talk to Kiba for a while, and come straight back, before Sasuke even knows I left. It won't talk long, and I'll be coming back." He murmured aloud, more for his own reassurance than anything. He just needed this break, just this once.

xXx

Sasuke stretched his upper torso as his muscles tensed up from sitting so long in his desk chair. Rubbing the back of his neck, he yawned, coming out of it as he heard a telltale creak of a door opening. He had lived in this house long enough to know the slightest noises it made. Silently placing the cap back on a bottle of extra-strength pain killers, he fluidly got to his feet, waiting for another sound.

As soon the front door opened, a small panel on his wall beeped, informing him of the door's status. Frowning, Sasuke peered out the window, raising an eyebrow as he watched Naruto try to sneak out of the house, moving quickly towards the gate. Sighing, Sasuke pressed his lips together tightly. The blond had already invaded his most private room carelessly and was now attempting to leave. No, escape, even after Sasuke had threatened him.

With a disturbingly blank look on his face, Sasuke walked over to the panel and pressed in the six digit code on the keypad to turn off the powerful electrical currents running through the gate that served as a type of security. Reaching into a nearby drawer on his desk, he pulled out a handgun. Ejecting the clip, he reinserted it with a sharp snap after checking to see that it was a full magazine. Slipping on a shoulder holster, he tugged on a sweater to conceal it and slid the gun into its pocket.

He moved slowly, giving Naruto a chance to get as far away as he could. Hunting, after all, was the most dangerous game. And Naruto was no Rainsford.

Grabbing his house keys, he slipped them into his pocket as he walked out, not even bothering to put a disguise on in case Naruto saw him. Most people never saw their death coming; Naruto was no exception.

xXx

Reaching the black gate, Naruto began to scale it, the cool metal feeling odd against his sweaty palms. He stuck his feet into the spaces between the bars and ornamental figures as he climbed, pulling himself up. He dropped over the other side quickly and hid behind a nearby tree, glancing back to make sure Sasuke hadn't seen him. Peeking through the leaves and branches as what he could assume was Sasuke's window, he saw no movement from the blinds. Once he deemed it safe enough to move, he jogged away swiftly, tugging down the cap he remembered to bring. He was back in his home town, where he knew most people would have already seen his face from the news reports.

Now if he remembered correctly, the site wasn't too far from where he was currently at. It surprised him that Sasuke lived in decent proximity to himself. How strange. He could have passed Sasuke on the street, or even cooked him up something in the kitchens at Ichiraku's and never have known what kind of person the raven was. It seemed too surreal.

Making sure to keep his face towards the ground to hide his profile, Naruto walked briskly down Sasuke's neighborhood, almost jogging. He was completely unaware of the figure following him slowly, unwaveringly.

xXx

Sasuke trailed the blond for a while, tempted to just cut him off and get it done with, but curiosity kept him going. What was Uzumaki's plan? Where was he going?

He was surprised when he saw Naruto leave the suburb are and enter the more rural section of the city. He headed towards the less populated area. It was the location of some new business, still undergoing construction. Kakashi had talked to the people who now owned the land, helping them get permits and shit. All insignificant.

His frown deepening, he watched Naruto sneak into the site, past all the yellow tape, restriction fences, and hard hat warnings. The blond snuck into the cement and metal skeleton of the first few floors, disappearing into the darkness of the buildings. Alarm bells went off in Sasuke's head as he quickened his pace, not understanding why he was feeling suddenly tense. His hand reaching into his sweater, he rested his palm on the butt of the gun, ready to yank it out and shoot.

Changing paths, he turned and veered to the right, going along the other side of the site. He didn't like to go in blind. It was best to stay outside the zone and watch for anything before going in to deal with Naruto.

xXx

"Kiba?" Naruto whisper shouted, searching for his brunette friend. "Kiiiiiba!" He rounded the corner of a room that was in the middle of the floor, walking outside it's perimeter squinting in the darkness.

"Boo!" Kiba shouted, popping out of nowhere. Startled, Naruto cried out nearly fell over as he tripped on a wayward brick.

"Fuck you!" He shouted angrily, regaining his balance and shoving the brunette roughly. "Fucking asshole!"

Laughing his ass off, Kiba chortled, clutching his stomach. "Ah, did I scare you?""

"Go to hell." Naruto muttered, feeling his face turn hot in embarrassment. His anger quickly melted into relief as he relaxed.

"You deserve it." Kiba said panting, trying to catch his breath. He leaned over, his laughter dying down to snickers.

Naruto snorted and sat down, the light from a distant square hole in the outer wall allowing light to shine in and illuminate the area a bit. His foot scraped the floor as he sat, pushing up a little mound of dirt. He let his head fall back gently, resting against the cement wall behind him. It felt nice to be with someone he knew and could act predictable. Kiba's presence reminded him that not everything had gone to shit. He still had his best friend.

Once he could breathe regularly, Kiba sank down next to him, leaning back into the wall. They both were silent, not knowing what to say.

"Now that you're here, explain everything clearly." Kiba spoke aloud, resting his hands on his knees after dusting his legs off. "What's this key thing the psychos want?"

Naruto sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. "No idea. Sasuke and his boss told me that my inheritance wasn't something they were after." He reached up and clutched his necklace, running a thumb over the cool metal surface of the medallion. The lines of the fox demon etched into it tickled his thumb. "And so far, we're no closer to finding out what they want then the last time I called you."

Kiba was silent. He had done a bit of research after Naruto called and had read up on the Akatsuki. It shocked him that those types of people were after his best friend and would possibly kill him. "So what are you going to do? I mean, you can't keep hiding behind Sasuke as these guys try to hunt you down. You haven't told me how you plan on paying this guy, but I'm pretty sure your using you inheritance money, which I know for a fact that you haven't received it yet. What are you planning to do when this all goes to shit?"

Naruto groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Dude, I have no idea. Everything is just so fucked up and I can't even do anything about it. I mean, I'm not even sure what to think anymore. Running away seems like a good idea, but seriously, where would I go? Would I just keep hiding for the rest of my life? And then I feel that I keep messing up, but I don't know how to fix it. Sasuke's no help. The guy might as well be a brick wall. He doesn't tell me anything, and when…" Naruto trailed off, sighing heavily. "I sound like a whiny girl, but Christ if I'm not just tired of all this." He turned to Kiba. "What would you do if you were me."

Kiba hummed and sat back, looking out into the distance. "No idea." He concluded. "Probably the same thing as you."

"So helpful." Naruto answered sarcastically with an edge in his tone.

Kiba shrugged off the comment easily. "What can I say? I don't know what's going on, or what you're going through. I can only speculate. I can't even pretend to understand. But what I do know is that you're still alive and kicking. At least you're lucky enough to have a wing to hide under."

Feeling bad about giving Kiba attitude, Naruto punched the brunette in the shoulder as an apology. "Sorry man, I've just been stressed."

Kiba was silent for a moment. "You think this'll all blow over soon? I mean, they can't just keep coming after you." He glanced over at this friend, noting how haggard Naruto was looking. The stress was getting to him.

"I've been thinking about it." Naruto said softly. "Whether I should either give up and let them do what they want, or I don't know, go into witness protection." He chuckled humorlessly. "I can't go back home, since that would probably be the first place they'd check. I'm already fired, so I'm jobless. I have no family left since Jiraiya disappeared years ago and I'm pretty sure the lease on my flat is about to expire. And even if I tried to go to the police for help, I'm kind of wanted for murder among other things. I do have money to my name, so I have that going for me." He smiled self-depreciatingly. "Which is Sasuke's if I live through this."

"Hey, don't think like that." Kiba scowled. "Everything'll work out, you'll see. Once their interest in you dies down, you can go back to living normally. If you need a place to crash, you can stay at my place. Just on days Hinata manages to come over, you have to leave." He added jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood.

At the mention of Kiba's longtime girlfriend, Naruto smiled. "How's she been?" He asked, thankful for the change in topic.

Kiba smiled softly, tracing a finger through the dust near his leg. He drew aimlessly, creating odd shapes and lines. "Her family still doesn't like me, but we're getting there. She wants to move in with me, but her parents threatened to cut her off from their will and shit, so I told her to wait for a better time, one where we have enough saved up to move far away and live our lives. You're still the best man, so I expect you to live until then. After that, die in a ditch." He snickered.

Naruto laughed, smiling genuinely. His smile died slowly as he realized that dragging Kiba into his issues had probably affected her too. "Does she know…?" He waved his arms around, indicating around him.

Kiba got the point. "She knows something is up, but I told her not to worry. She's seen the news, but she's on your side. Hinata knows you wouldn't kill anyone, ever."

An image of the man he's shot flashed in his mind and Naruto faltered. "Y-yea." He repressed the memory, not wanting to ruin his reunion with Kiba.

"How've things been for you though?" Naruto questioned, suddenly aware that he had no idea what his friend had been up to the past few days.

"Well, working at Ichiraku's isn't fun anymore since you've left. They hired someone new, a guy named Choji. He's a pretty chill guy, he just eats a lot of what he's supposed to be cooking. Tsunade threatened to fire him for it if he didn't stop." Kiba grinned. "But he introduced me to his girlfriend, a girl named Ino. She's hot, and she's smart. She's like a scientist or something." Kiba flicked a pebble over at the blond. "She's also got a friend that she works with, a girl named Sakura." He wagged his eyebrows. "But she's also taken by some guy named Sai who's hella creepy. They come over at night nearly every day just to hang out. They've met Hinata and really like her."

Naruto felt a pang of jealously as Kiba described his new friends. It seemed so wrong that someone could go on with life as if nothing, while his was wrecked beyond repair. He also felt the sharp sting of loneliness that always hit when he couldn't hang out with Kiba, who was basically his only friend. His existence was a sad one. Regardless, he smiled. "They sound awesome."

Kiba sensed the sadness in his friend and felt bad for showcasing how normal his life was compared to Naruto's. "Hey, once this is over, you can meet them! You'll just explain that everything was a screw up and that it's normal now. Maybe Tsunade will give you your job back if you explain everything that happened. Play the sympathy card, ya know?" Kiba said cheerfully, excited for a future that was never going to happen.

"Maybe." Naruto answered halfheartedly.

He didn't even care anymore; he just wanted his life back to normal. He missed the monotonous rhythm his life had, the predictability and security it offered. He never had to worry about being murdered, about stepping on Sasuke's toes or pissing him off to the point he'd kill him. The only good thing to come out of this was that he was traveling much more that he had before, seeing sights he hadn't previously been exposed to. Maybe once this was over, he'd go traveling, enjoying the fact that he was still alive. Maybe he'd be broke, but life wasn't about the money. It was about living life to the fullest extent.

"Well isn't this a fancy tea party?"

Startled at the foreign voice booming out Naruto and Kiba leapt to their feet, gazing around wildly as they tried to find the source of the noise.

"The fuck?" Kiba cried out, staring into the darkness, squinting as he looked.

Bit by bit, a figure came into to focus a few feet from in front of them. Long blond hair gleamed out of the darkness, spilling over thin shoulders as a man strutted into view. Blue piercing eyes stared at them, accompanied with a sinister smile. He was wearing a dark jacket with shining zippers and dark blue jeans. His boots kicked up a cloud of dirt as he came to a stop directly in front of the two.

Something flicked in Naruto's mind as he stared into the man's face. Something familiar…did he know this guys?

"Dude, private conversation, so get-"

"You idiots are so fucking predictable." Was the only response as the man darted forward and slammed his knee into Kiba's stomach. Letting out a strangled cry, Kiba pitched forward as the stranger stepped back. Naruto reacted instantaneously, moving to retaliate. Before he could land a hit, the man was pulling out an automatic and putting it to his forehead.

The cool metal nipped his skin as it pressed into his forehead. Naruto froze, shocked.

"Now, where were we?

A/N: IMPORTANT NOTICE!: In the event that something happens to my account/story due to some fuck-twat of a homophobic shitstick, I'd like you all to know that I've created an AO3 account under the same name, and can be found on Y!gall as Alexindaroom. I might make an LJ account, I dunno. Luv ya~ MTB