Being a Yazkuza's Bride

Chapter 11: Panic



Sasuke stared at the wall clock with a frown; it was 12:35, 5 minutes past the designated time. Naruto was late.



The Uchiha gritted his teeth together, his fingers drumming irritatingly against the hard wood table. Teeth gritted together to suppress the growl that threatened to break out. Black eyes glared at the door in front of him, as if blaming the poor inanimate object for causing his frustration. Because if that door didn't creak open soon to reveal a blonde piece of hot ass, he would shoot it.



Where the hell was the dobe?



Finally after a few more minutes he had enough. Abruptly he stood up, causing the chair behind him to almost fall down, and strode out of the office in search for the blonde.



The club as always was bustling; occasionally a passing waiter would give him a low bow in greeting. He generally ignored them, only greeting back the rare customers that he thought were worth his time. He circled the whole club, and his irritation grew when he couldn't find a single strand of that sunshine blonde hair. Even Deidara was missing, meaning that was most likely somewhere with his brother.



This was really starting to annoy him; he went over to the bar where Haku was working. The effeminate man looked up when he heard the approaching footsteps and smiled at him.



"Is there something I can help you with, boss?" he asked.



"Where is Naruto?"



"Naruto? The last time I saw him he was at table 3."



"I just passed by there, he isn't there," he replied with a frown.



"Then I'm sorry sir, but I don't know where he could be."



Sasuke scowled and was about to walk away from the bar when he almost bumped into an ever-smiling Sai.



"Looking for Naruto, boss?" he asked with a grin.



"Hn…"



"I remember him leading a very attractive man out back," he said, and his grin grew wider.



Out back? As in the alleyway behind the club? What the hell would Naruto be doing there, much less with another man? He growled and stomped past Sai and towards the Kitchen.



Haku gave Sai a glare, he knew that Sai didn't do it (completely) on purpose; he was just generally very bad at social interaction. Sai simply didn't know when to lie, and thought it was best to be honest. Which often led him into trouble. Haku grumbled under his breath and followed the boss. He hoped that Naruto wouldn't get into any difficulty.



The employees quickly stepped out of the way when they noticed the young Uchiha approaching with the murderous look in his eyes. He grabbed the handle of the backdoor and threw it open; Haku flinched when he heard the loud thundering 'clang' as its momentum caused it to smack against the brick wall. Not that Sasuke cared about any damages; he stepped out into the night air and looked around the dim alleyway, but it was empty. Not even Shino was here. Vaguely he remembered something about the other man being ill, still shouldn't there have been someone out here to stand in?



But never mind that, what was more important to him right now was the location of Naruto. Because as soon as he found the blonde fox, he was going to tie him down and fuck him 'til he can't-wait… what was that smell?



Sasuke scrunched up his nose when he scented something familiar, it smelled a lot like gun powder. He squinted around the dark alleyway, but the lights of the city didn't reach here well, so there was little he could make out. All he could see were the high looming shadows of the buildings that surrounded the club.



"Haku, get some flashlights," he ordered, not looking back to see if the other man had gone, because he knew what he wanted would be done.



Soon Haku returned with a few flashlights, Sasuke took one off him and turned it on. It was clean, just as he expected. Since his employees entered the building through here it had to be clean. Still didn't explain why it smelled like someone had set a bunch of fireworks in this narrow area. No one had come to him complaining about noise. Then again the whole of the club was heavily insulated, letting no sound penetrate in or out.



Sasuke was about to give up and go back inside the club when Haku tapped him on the shoulder.



"Boss, look over there," he said, indicating with his flashlight to a small dark puddle.



He was about to shout at Haku for wasting his time looking at some mud, but stopped when he saw the slight reddish tinge to it when he ran his own flashlight over it. That wasn't mud. Not to mention that it hadn't rained in the past few days, so the ground should be bone dry.



Slowly he walked towards it, ignoring the fearful lump of trepidation clogging up his throat, and crouched down in front of it. Sasuke reached into his pocket and took out a pristine white handkerchief, scrunched it up, and dipped the end into the puddle. Slowly he raised the ruined cloth up into the light, and his eyes grew wide when he saw the red staining the cloth. It could have been anything, a random spill, corn syrup, paint… but the definite coppery smell coming off it told him otherwise.



It was blood.



"Haku, who was the man that was with Naruto?"



"Er… I didn't get his name, only that he came to see Naruto, although he did look a lot like a Hyuuga."



The raven frowned. A Hyuuga? That couldn't have been right. None of the Hyuuga's owned a pass into his club, Haku must have made a mistake. Meaning that he was at a dead end.



"Haku, get a few men together and search the surrounding area, if somebody was shot here they couldn't have gotten far," Sasuke snarled and threw the handkerchief to the ground before storming back into his club. He would have to inspect the security tapes and see if Naruto would show up there. Quickly he meandered his way through the club and rushed up the stairs towards the empty surveillance room.



Sasuke sat down in front of the computer; all the video from the cameras were transferred here, where it would be stored into different time-coded folders before being transferred to disk. Sasuke picked the one labelled 'camera 6', which he knew focused around table 3 and its surrounding area, and started running through it. He would stop the video whenever a new customer sat down at that table, before glancing at the time code and dismissing it to be the wrong person. Slowly, after winding through 12 hours of tape, he stopped.



Naruto was there, talking to a man with long black hair, his face only slightly turned away from the camera. But Sasuke knew who he was; those eyes would be recognizable to anyone. Haku hadn't been wrong, it was a Hyuuga. Hyuuga Neji to be precise. He had met him at a gathering once or twice, yet supposedly he had gone missing a few years back, maybe even dead. Obviously not.



It brought another problem, as to how Hyuuga got into his club; no one in that family owned an invitation.



"Sasuke?" came Kakashi's voice from behind him.



"Kakashi, go to the front desk and check the register for any unusual names that stand out."



"Hai," he replied and left, leaving Sasuke to keep staring at the monitor.



It took a while for Kakashi to get through the list of names, but there was one that stood out the most. His mismatched eyes frowned as he looked down at it, now this customer never entered the club. His name was on the register but only because of his connection to the family, and Fugaku insisted that their family acquaintances should be put on the guest list.



Quickly he went back upstairs to Sasuke and gave him the information. Or rather Sasuke snatched the papers off him.



"Haruno?" Sasuke questioned, looking down at the highlighted name. Why would that man visit his club? Not to mention that he didn't look anything like the man that had been talking to Naruto. Then it dawned on him; he scrunched the paper into a fist.



"Sakura!" he growled under his breath.



He stood up from the computer chair with an eerie calm and reached for inside the desk drawer for his Berreta M9 and holster before pushing past Kakashi and out the surveillance room. The older man followed right behind silently. He could already guess what Sasuke was planning, and he made no move to stop him. After all, he was just as angry as Sasuke was. So he hurried forward and brought the car out, parking it in front of the club.



Sasuke didn't say anything as he stepped inside; his face was filled with fury and determination. He was digging his hand into the leathery upholstery, knuckles turned white under the pressure. Perfect white teeth gritted together, dark eyes were focused on the window, but he wasn't really looking outside. They were hard, filled with so many unseen emotions, the most recognizable being anger.



Sasuke straightened up his shirt and tie when he noticed a familiar set of iron gates looming ahead of him. Kakashi put his window down and pressed the button for the intercom; it crackled, and a monotone voice came out.



"Yes?"



"Uchiha Sasuke, here to see Haruno Sakura."



"Uchiha-san! O-Of course, right away sir!" came the overeager reply.



The intercom crackled again, and then there was a 'click' before the gates in front gently swung open. Kakashi slowly drove in; they didn't admire the grand mansion-like building in front of them. The older man stepped out and opened the door for Sasuke; it was time for them to act. Being too obvious with their intentions would only cause panic. This had to be handled like business, if it sounded like he showed too much care towards Naruto it could mean blackmail material against him.



However he didn't think he could hold his composure for long, it was already at its breaking point. Only the thought of Naruto would break his perfected demeanour, causing his emotions to bubble and boil just beneath the surface. Threatening spill at the slightest provocation. The raven looked up the set of stairs, and saw the middle-aged butler awaiting him. He nodded towards Sasuke and gestured towards the open door; the raven went through them and was instantly greeted by Sakura.



She smiled at him, her pink hair fluffed up in a ridiculous hairstyle, a pink dress wrapped tightly around her thin frame, manicured hands wrung tightly together.



She was nervous.



"Sasuke-kun, I'm surprised to see you," she said.



"Hn… we need to talk," he replied coldly.



"Of course… Botan, tea," she ordered the butler, before returning back to smile at him.



"Follow me," she said, and led him to the sitting area.



Sakura sat down, and gestured him to sit opposite her, but Sasuke declined. He didn't come here for idle chatter.



"So what can I do for you, Sasuke-kun? You never usually come to visit me."



"Where is he?"



The smile dropped. "I'm sorry?"



Sasuke shifted his suit jacket a bit to the side, to show off his hip and the gun that was resting in his hip-holster. He almost smirked when he saw how her green eyes widened in shock, but he didn't. He remained expressionless, which only made her more nervous.



"Don't play dumb Sakura, tell me where he is right now, or your Daddy will be spending a fortune cleaning up this room."



"I really don't know what you mean," she insisted.



"I know you hired Hyuuga to kill him, so where is he?"



This got her silent once again. Sasuke watched how she bit her bottom lip nervously. Green eyes looking around the room in vain, she couldn't think of anything that could help her. Sasuke was angry, furious in fact. This wasn't how it was meant to turn out. Yes, Sasuke was meant to be devastated, and she was meant to be there to support him through the difficult time. They were meant to fall in love… they were meant to… meant to…



"Sakura!" Sasuke shouted, snapping her out of her thoughts. His glare was now even more intensified towards her. "I don't have all day, now tell me where I can find him," he said with a tone of finality.



And Sakura gave in.



OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO



You ever had one of those dreams where you feel like you are literally floating, or maybe that you are lying on the grass, enjoying the fresh summer air? The ones that feel so real, that it doesn't seem like a dream anymore? That's the kind of dream he was having right now, except he was dreaming that he was on a boat. He could smell the fresh sea air, and hear the soft satin caress of the waves hitting against the hull. There was even this gentle rocking motion, back and forth, as if he actually was on a ship floating on the sea. But it was only a dream…



"Ngh…" Naruto groaned, and tried to rub his eyes, only to find that his arms didn't seem to be following his command. All of his limbs felt so heavy.



He tried shifting his arms, and a knife-like pain ran down his right shoulder; slowly he turned to look at his right arm only to notice that he was shirtless. That thought was quickly pushed away when he saw the angry purple bruise marring his tanned skin. Naruto scowled when he saw it. That would explain why his arm hurt so much. Did he get into a paintball match or something like that?-wait… he was shot.



Neji had shot him!



Neji… had shot him… out of all the guys who had asked him for dates, the first one he had given into, the first one he had accepted (not including Sasuke). The most normal one turned out to be a crazy…



But why wasn't he dead? He had felt the pain, and then he had blacked out. Yet there was no bullet wound, no blood, just a very ugly looking bruise. Didn't he get shot then? No, Neji did have a gun in his hand, and he knew what a real gun looked like, after what happened to Iruka he would never forget what one looked like.



But what was this then…? Some elaborate joke?



Naruto sat up on the bed, ignoring the stinging pain in his shoulder. Bewildered blue eyes glanced around the room, his thoughts becoming more and more muddled and fearful when he realized he didn't even know where he was. This definitely wasn't his place, much less one of the rooms at the club. It was too plain. The club rooms had expensive-looking paintings on the wall, flowers, fresh white linen… it was just generally clean. This one had a musty look to it; dirty walls, old sheets, and the floor looked like it needed a good vacuuming.



So if he wasn't at the club, his place, or any of his friends places… where was he?



Slowly he scooted out of the bed, his feet unsteady on the carpeted floor. To him it seemed like everything was moving around, maybe he had hit his head as well?



Naruto went shakily up to the small porthole-like window and looked out. He flinched away when the light hit his eyes, staying in the dark so long was making it hard for his eyes to adjust. Slowly he turned to squint out of the window, and gasped at what he saw.



The sea!



A wide expanse of aquamarine blue water, as far the eye could see… it seemed never-ending, with the sun just peaking up over the horizon to indicate the start of the day. That would explain why the room felt like everything was moving. He was on a fucking boat!



With a shuddered breath Naruto staggered away from the window, his throat started to constrict with fear, causing his breathing to become shallower and more painful. He was on a boat; he wasn't in Tokyo anymore, not in Japan, away from his family and friends, away from… Sasuke…



Oh god, did anyone realize he was missing yet?



'Click-creak'



He spun around abruptly when he heard the sound of a door being opened, blue eyes staring in terror at the man standing by the door. He was tall with silver hair tied into a ponytail, and a pair of round spectacles perched on his nose. He wore a pair of baggy trousers, a plain navy blue shirt and a black vest. There was a smirk on his round face, dark eyes glinting eerily behind those glasses.



"Good to see you awake," the man said, leaning against the wall, the smirk still heavily in place.



"Who… who are you?" Naruto asked. Hating how weak and raspy his voice sounded.



"My name is of no concern," he replied. "Wear this," he said and threw something at the blonde.



Naruto caught it; he looked down at the piece of cloth and realized that it was a simple shirt. He looked up at the other man again, but he had already gone, and he had left the door open. Not knowing what else to do Naruto put the shirt on and slowly made his way to the door. He peeked out and saw an empty hallway; reluctantly he stepped out, reaching his hand towards the wall to keep his footing steady.



"This way," he turned and saw the silver-haired man behind him.



Dumbly he nodded to himself and followed the other man. He really didn't know why he was following this guy, his gut instincts told him to stay away. At the same time he wanted to know what was going on, had Neji actually kidnapped him or something crazy like that? Then again the fact that he was on a random ship in the middle of the ocean did nothing to reassure him. Naruto limped towards the silver-haired man, his injured shoulder feeling painfully heavy. The man didn't speak to him at all as they made their way through the well-lit halls, which only managed to disconcert him even more.



The blonde followed him through a set of elegant oak doors; the double doors creaked open to reveal a large room, with a familiar man standing on the other side. Naruto gasped when he recognized him; he took a step back, trying to will his body to run away. To do anything at all than just stand there, but he couldn't, he was frozen to the spot. Blue eyes wide, mouth shaped like an 'o', and his tanned skin going a few shades paler.



"It's good to see you again, little fox," came a cold voice.



"Orochimaru…" he whispered.



He watched as the pale man stood up from his seat, put the glass of wine he held down on the table, and sauntered towards him. He wore a business suit, similar to the one he wore at the Club, making it seem like the man had just come out of a meeting. Snake-like eyes glinted predatorily as he roamed his body up and down. Naruto shuddered when he licked his thin lips.



God, what had he gotten himself into now?



"Now, now, don't run away, let me get a good look at you." He reached out to cup his face, but Naruto dodged away from his long fingers.



"Still so feisty," he hissed out. And as quick as a snake he grabbed Naruto by his injured shoulder and yanked him forward so that he collided into Orochimaru's broad chest. His other hand quickly reached to fist his blonde hair so that it forced his head to the side and exposed his neck, and then pressed his nose against his neck to take a deep breath.



"Just like I thought, you smell exquisite."



It was like a flashback to what had happened at the club, but unlike last time there was no Sasuke to save him. He was on his own.



"Let go of me!" Naruto shouted and pushed himself away from Orochimaru. But someone grabbed him from behind, forcing his arms behind his back to restrain him.



"Careful there Kabuto, wouldn't want to damage our newest merchandise," Orochimaru hissed, and went back to his seat.



Naruto felt a nudge at his side, and the next thing he knew he was being directed towards the table and then forced to sit down on a spare chair beside the older man. Orochimaru himself simply went back to sipping his wine, and not really paying him any attention. But Naruto didn't take his eyes off the other. He understood that he was in deep shit here… now how to get out of it?