Scene 5:

Place: Itachi's Apartment

Time: 9:00 PM

Date: Wednesday, 5th Oct

Itachi had been at home for the fourth night in a row. After winning his pro bono case against the abhorrent landlord, he decided that it would be the last one for a while, as another case had now garnered his attention. True to his nature, despite leaving the office earlier, Itachi was still working. However, the case he was working on wasn't given to him by his firm. In fact, it was somewhat personal, and his office wasn't the right place to investigate it, even though the resources there would have helped him tremendously. He had his own resources, though. You don't work as a lawyer for as long as he had and make junior partner without making a few connections here and there, specifically at the police department.

Itachi had already met with his informant regarding Hidan Yakuza, the owner of the Siren's Call and several other clubs in Konoha. However, strip clubs were not the only type of business that Yakuza was involved in. According to the informant, Yakuza was also under suspicion for running underground drugs and weapons organizations. This was a serious matter, as such illegal activities could lead to harm for innocent civilians and contribute to the overall destabilization of the community. He was everything Itachi detested, and he was determined to bring this guy down.

Yet, justice wasn't Itachi's only motivating factor…

Noi was somehow entangled with this criminal. He was beginning to suspect that Hidan Yakuza was the answer behind every question that has been plaguing him about her. The locks, the gun and pepper spray, and not to mention the rent she shouldn't be able to afford, especially when she was giving out her tips in wads to Izumo. 'You don't need the cash when you got me' that was what he had overheard that supposed criminal say. His instincts were telling him that she was in danger, and the fact that she hasn't been home since the night he visited that establishment was raising alarm bells for him. He would know because he had been checking on her for the last few days.

The first time he had ascended to her apartment was to speak to her about her boyfriend under the pretext of apologising for showing up at her workplace, but Noi wasn't home.

Why do I keep recalling this?

His mind had wandered to that night at the Siren's Call. That dimly lit room that had done next to nothing to subdue her brightness. Her every touch, every caress, had felt like an electric shock to his system, sending waves of pleasure throughout his body. He had been powerless to resist her, unable to look away from her entrancing beauty. Her gaze had ensnared him further into her tantalising carnal expressions. The image of her lips hovering near his own was the thought that lingered longest.

Itachi's mind was in turmoil. He shouldn't be thinking of her this way. Noi was not someone he could be in love with, yet she was constantly on his mind. No, it's not love. Of course not, she's just very attractive and he only has inclinations towards her irresistible femininity.

"Damn it! just stop!" his fists came slamming down onto his workstation before his fingers threaded into his hair and pressed onto his skull as if he could crush those thoughts away.

It worked for a moment, but then there it goes again. Fleeting glimpses of her chest, her glimmering eyes, and luscious lips flicker in his mind.

Where was she? Why hadn't she been home since that night? Did that bastard do something to her? He walked over to the fridge to grab a drink with these thoughts running through his mind. He was obsessing. He shouldn't worry over the stripper who lived two floors above him. Yet, he wondered if anyone else was worrying about her too. He knew very little about her; did she have a family? Friends? What if he was the only one actually worrying about her? This Hidan was obviously a dangerous man, and what little he knows about Noi, even she shouldn't be with that guy… well she shouldn't be with him either. He couldn't be with someone like her. But what was she anyway? He absolutely did not know the answer to that question. However, what he did know is that there's a chance that no one was looking out for her, and so long as that possibility had existed, he was going to do what he could to get her out of the situation she was in.

Scene 6:

Place: Lobby & Noi's apartment

Time: 7:00 PM

Date: Friday, 13th Oct

Itachi had been wrestling with a thought for a few days. His interest in Noi has become an obsession that pushed him to consider methods he never would have in his lifetime. Dressed in his jogging attire, Itachi stepped out of the elevator and towards the lobby. "Mr. Uchiha" Izumo flashed his welcoming smile which quickly morphed into a confused expression, "Going for a run much earlier than usual." He observed, "I guess even Mr. Uchiha can break from his usual routine" he chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I need to clear my head from this tricky case I'm working on." Itachi casually fibbed as he placed his headphone into his ears and headed towards the exit.

He looked back to find Izumo had returned to what he was doing, and so he rounded the corner to reach the back alley of his building. He stared at the ladder leading up to the fire escape, as if to reconsider what he was about to do, but Itachi was steadfast in his choice. He was going to break into Noi's apartment to find answers to the multitude of questions on his mind.

It wasn't difficult to break in, although Noi seemed to be very cautious about someone entering her apartment by having several locks on the door, she neglected to take additional precautions to the windows, perhaps thinking the inner latch was sufficient to keep an intruder out. Itachi noticed this when he helped her move her boxes inside.

He pulled out a wire from his pocket and bent it into an arch shape then slid it under the small space he created beneath the pane by using the old art of wiggling. When the latch popped open easily, Itachi lifted it open and slid inside quietly, closing the window once more.

He was in Noi's apartment, and instead of feeling ashamed of himself, Itachi was somewhat thrilled by the unlawfulness of it. 'So, this is what committing a crime feels like' he mused. It was clear that whatever influence Noi had on him, it certainly wasn't a good one, but perhaps just this once he would let the ends justify the means.

The first thing Itachi did was look through the rubbish in her bins, which wasn't fruitful to his search because they had all been emptied out. He wondered if she had dropped in at a time he wasn't around, or if she was just that meticulous about leaving any evidence behind. It just added more to the extensive list of questions he had about her. He continued to wander about her apartment and halted by her bookshelf. He glared bewildered at the genres stocked on the shelves. Noi's interests had piqued Itachi's further, as he looked at books about crime, mystery novels, and ethics and law. The similarities of her bookshelf and his own had taken him aback. Just who was she, and what exactly did this mean? What interest would a stripper in a relationship with a club owner and alleged drug lord, have with such knowledge? Was she aware that her boyfriend was suspected of organized crime? Was she in on it? is she a culprit as well?

So many more questions flooded Itachi's mind. His quest to find answers wasn't going as he had expected. He looked around for a computer or laptop to see if perhaps he could get some sort of answers or else his dabbling in criminal activity himself would go for naught. That was when he noticed a shogi board with a game in play. Itachi glanced over the board, and determined whoever was moving the black pieces, was a brilliant strategist and the one playing with the white pieces was being herded into a subtle but formidable trap.

"Meow" Itachi looked down to find a shabby orange cat rubbing against his leg. "So, you like cats." He deduced as he picked the furry feline up to stroke its back and noticed the name tag dangling from the collar around its neck. "Rooka." He read aloud. "Meow" the cat responded as if to confirm its name. "Hello Rooka" he greeted as he rubbed his index finger beneath Rooka's chin, prompting her to rub her head against Itachi's chest. She took an immediate liking to him, but suddenly jumped out of Itachi's arms and ran towards the front door of the apartment. That was when Itachi heard the first click of one the locks signalling that someone was coming in.

'Noi'

He had been excited for a moment before he recalled that he was currently breaking and entering. Itachi looked around frantically for a place to hide and settled with hiding beneath the bed. He regulated his breathing to calm himself then focused his hearing senses onto the front door. Another click was heard before Rooka began meowing again. "Aw baby did you miss Mommy" she cooed as she entered into the foyer.

'Noi!'

Itachi was surprised at how relieved he felt to have heard her voice. She sounded like she was fine, but the eagerness to confirm this with his own eyes was consuming him. It took a lot of strength to rein in his desire to emerge from beneath the bed and check that she was well.

"Did Uncle Izumo feed you well my Roro." She cooed again. She must be very attached to her cat. "Let's see what stupid move Unci made this time."

Noi walked over to the shogi board and giggled when she saw what move he had made, "Seems he still can't recognize when a trap is being laid out for him" she moved one of the black pieces forward with confidence. "It's too late now" she declared in a self-assured manner. Itachi realized she was the brilliant strategist, and if he concluded correctly which move it was, she had just made, then Izumo definitely has no way out anymore. It was game over. Noi was brilliant!

"Rooka!" Noi suddenly called out, and the next moment a fuzzy orange cat came running under the bed to stroke her body onto Itachi. 'Go! Get out of here!' he mentally urged her, but to no avail. If only cats could read minds. However, cats couldn't read minds, but he could hear footsteps approaching closer and Noi calling out for her Rooka. His heart began to race as he contemplated how he would explain himself out of this situation if he was found, and of course nothing had come to mind. What could he possibly say that wouldn't make him look like the creepy pervert snooping around his stripper neighbour's apartment. Not to mention he already had a track record for showing up unwantedly at her place of work.

There just wasn't a way he could spin this tale to come out unscathed.

He could see Noi's legs approaching the bed calling for her cat, "Rooka".

'Please don't answer. Please!' he begged. "Meow"

'Damn it!'

Noi stopped by the bed near Itachi's head, "Playing hide and seek, are we?" she teased.

He was screwed…

Author's note:

Scene 6 is split into two parts and will continue at Scene 7.

I like a modern Itachi. Without that Shinobi training, getting him into awkward situations becomes easy :D

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!