Services Rendered

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co. and therefore I do not make money from toying with them like they are my own personal and rather naughty action figures.

Summary: Later, Sasuke would realize just how much Naruto had done for him. This epiphany came, of course, after he'd betrayed the detective and destroyed his trust. Now, earning back that trust just might kill them both. NaruSasu Giftfic for Ivvymoon.

Author’s Note: Thank you for the awesome reviews. Onto part two…


Services Rendered

Sasuke left his firm and drove with no destination in mind only to find himself here. He wasn’t overly surprised, though, and looked up at the building tracing the words Konoha Police Department with his eyes.

Until a year ago, he came to this building every Monday and Wednesday for lunch with his brother. He never hesitated before going in, hell, he was welcome here. Now, well, he hadn’t been back but once since his brother’s death and that had been four months ago when Kakashi notified him that he had to put Itachi’s murder investigation on the back burner. There just wasn’t enough man power and crimes hadn’t stopped. Kakashi finished with something that sounded like an apology and ‘he’s not forgotten’. Sasuke nodded, and left, his coffee untouched.

A week later, when Naruto appeared at his office, his question had been “Can you ever forgive me?” and he left without an answer or asking for a date. Sasuke was grateful because, in that moment, with Naruto’s eyes bright and pleading and his head hung, he couldn’t have guaranteed he would have say no… to either question.

Now he was back to convince a man who he’d fucked, literally and figuratively, and pushed out of his life, that someone was trying to kill him. He had to admit that Itachi would have found the entire situation endlessly amusing.

With a final sigh, he pulled his keys from the ignition and headed inside. Nothing had changed. The main office was packed with as many economically minded desks and file cabinets as physically possible. The air still smelled of coffee and ink and the harsh lighting still caused a tick to develop in Sasuke’s left eye.

He’d only just stepped into the large room when he was spotted.

“Uchiha?”

Sasuke glanced to his left to see Kiba leaning against a desk, a file open in his hands that he closed slowly as he looked at him. Shino sat at the desk and turned to look at Sasuke. “Can we help you?”

“I am looking for Nar… Detective Uzumaki.” Sasuke knew it wasn’t just his imagination that the whole room came to a standstill with the attention of all the room’s occupants on him.

“Naruto isn’t here,” Shino said with little inflection, “I believe he is in booking.”

“But,” Kiba quickly interrupted, “you can wait for him in his office.”

Sasuke raised a cynical brow looking behind the grinning detective at a desk with more orange than necessary and a finger smudged nameplate that read, ‘Det. N. Uzumaki’.

“Hn.”

“Yeah, follow me.” Kiba tossed the file on the desk haphazardly and Shino caught it without looking away from his computer screen.

Sasuke followed Kiba through the maze of desks, well aware that all eyes were still on him, to a door on the side of the room. Kiba turned with exaggerated flourish at the door, blocking the sign with his body before pulling the door open.

“If you would be so kind as to wait inside.”

Sasuke entered slowly and found himself in the station’s bathroom/locker room. White tiled floors lead to a row of dark blue lockers. To the left he saw an alcove that lead to the showers and to his right a similar space adorned in urinals. Well, this was nice.

He turned back around only to watch the door shut in his face. A growl started low in his chest and he reached forward to yank the door open and make someone fucking cry when he heard Kiba’s voice.

“Jesus, Naruto…”

Sasuke froze, fingers on the door handle, and then he heard a shuffle of feet.

“It was a messy takedown.” Even through the door Sasuke could tell two things, Naruto was tired and he was rubbing the back of his neck with that idiot smile of his. His assumption was proven correct when he heard several chuckles.

“What are you all doing?” Naruto asked and it sounded like he was right outside the door.

“You have a visitor,” Shino said.

“We had him wait in your office,” Kiba offered amusement clear in his voice. Sasuke growled again. Silence followed where Sasuke imagined Naruto looking at his desk and then colleagues for answers. Kiba chuckled.

“Oh, very fucking funny!” Naruto snapped. “If it’s the DA again, I’m going to kick…”

Sasuke moved his fingers as the door was yanked open. Naruto’s face was red with frustration but as soon as he made eye contact with his guest and realization hit, his face paled and his words died. Naruto stared and, to Sasuke’s surprise, he saw concern flash in his eyes.

“Are you o-” Naruto began but then shook his head, breaking eye contact.

“Detective,” Sasuke said flatly in greeting and watched Naruto’s fingers grip the door fiercely.

“Counselor.”

Sasuke nearly winced at the cool condemnation in the detective’s voice as Naruto stepped into the room, the door sliding shut behind him. He was wearing lose blue jeans that hung low on his hips with a worn denim button-down shirt left open to his white undershirt. His badge hung on a chain around his neck, shiny under the florescent lighting. He looked good, damn good, in fact, except for the thin layer of some unknown substance smeared over a majority of his body. Sasuke suspected it was some restaurant’s ‘secret sauce’.

The orangish-white gunk clung to Naruto’s hair, flattening one side while making the other side even wilder than usual and stiff. Sasuke must have smirked because Naruto’s glare intensified and his fingers curled into fists.

“Just tell me whose file you want, I’ll go get it, and we can skip all the bullshit.”

Sasuke liked to think that he kept the flush from his cheeks as he felt anger and embarrassment build inside him but the spark in cold blue eyes told him differently. With the echo of their last conversation ringing in his ears, Sasuke forced himself to look directly at Naruto, his own face expressionless. The war between running away, or staying and beating the stoic look from the detective’s face would have to wait for another day.

Taking a breath, and shoving his hands in his pockets because he wasn’t sure they could be trusted, Sasuke addressed Naruto in a smooth, calm voice. “Someone is trying to kill you.”

There, he’d said it. And Naruto… well, he might be laughing. The corners of his mouth tipped and straightened and tipped once more. Sasuke’s calm cracked slightly and he glared. “Is that amusing in some way?”

A shimmering of the humor that used to swirl so freely appeared in Naruto’s eyes and he shook his head while turning his back to Sasuke. “Noooooo, Counselor, death threats are never funny,” he drawled sarcastically and pulled his blue button up off his shoulders, tossing it onto a wooden bench. His white t-shirt clung to his chest, smeared with dirt and special sauce and something red down his left side.

“Fuck, Naruto, what happened…” Sasuke said stepping closer but stopped when Naruto’s body tensed, coiling so tightly that Sasuke saw the muscles on his back jump under his shirt. Through clenched teeth Sasuke spat, “You’re bleeding.”

Naruto twisted to see what Sasuke was talking about, raising one arm in the air. The fact that he stepped back didn’t go unnoticed, and neither did the pained flinch or the hiss that escaped his mouth. Naruto fingered the gash through his t-shirt. “Well, after chasing some drug pushing asshole for three blocks and into an industrial sized garbage bin, it turned out that he was carrying a knife and…” Naruto looked up and met Sasuke’s eyes. “… bent on killing me. It happens. More than you’d think, honestly.”

Naruto shrugged, the movement sluggish, before pulling his t-shirt off slowly, mutters of ‘shit’ and ‘damn’ filling the quiet locker room. Finished, he sent a fake smile at Sasuke. “So, thanks for the warning.” His voice lowered into an exaggerated, condescending whisper. “I’ll be extra special careful out there.”

Sasuke hadn’t even reconciled the thought with the action before he found himself slamming Naruto up against a nearby locker. Naruto must have been caught just as unaware because after a pained grunt, he looked at Sasuke, his eyes wide before he bucked to fight Sasuke off. Sasuke bent his right knee, shoving it into Naruto’s thigh while leaning the rest of his body weight against the detective’s heaving chest.

“What the hell?” Naruto growled when Sasuke pinned the detective’s wrists against the sides of his head. He pressed further into Naruto’s body until he could feel the outline of Naruto’s badge and the rise and fall of his harsh breathing against his chest. Sasuke had no illusions that Naruto couldn’t take him down in a heartbeat if he tried, so he’d have to make his point while he was able.

“I just told you that someone is trying to kill you and you’re acting like it’s some kind of joke,” Sasuke hissed. His fingers tightened around Naruto’s wrists. “This isn’t about… fuck, Naruto. Don’t get yourself killed because of…” He wasn’t able to finish but Naruto must have understood because he stopped even his futile attempt at fighting him off.

“You’re right. How unprofessional of me.” When Sasuke looked up, Naruto’s face was impassive, his breathing steadier against Sasuke’s chest, and his eyes cool. “Where did you get this information?” Naruto asked flatly and Sasuke knew Naruto wasn’t seeing him. He was just another informant now. Sasuke released Naruto’s wrists and stepped away. Naruto slowly brought his arms down to his sides but didn’t move away from the locker.

“I overheard it.”

“Where?”

Sasuke didn’t answer. He couldn’t disclose that information. He was a lawyer in his own law firm. There were confidentiality clauses in place for a reason.

Naruto blinked and shrugged. “Fine. Did you see who said it?”

Sasuke shook his head and cautiously said, “No, it sounded like two or three separate people.”

“I see.” Naruto pushed off the lockers, stepping closer to Sasuke, his eyes narrowed and calculating. “Can you tell me what these unknown conspirators said in this undisclosed location?”

Sasuke’s mouth pulled into a thin line but he didn’t step back. “They talked about how it would be three officers in two years.” Naruto’s eyes met his and Sasuke saw a flash of interest. “They said the third was the worst. That he was everywhere and fucking annoying. And then, as if I didn’t already fucking know, they said your name.”

Naruto ran both hands through his hair, briskly rubbing and tugging at the spikes, only to curse softly when he encountered the mess still clinging to his hair. “I need to know where, Sa… Counselor, where did you hear this?”

Sasuke simply raised his eyebrow, meeting Naruto’s intense gaze with a harsh glare of his own.

Naruto chuckled humorlessly and Sasuke felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “Let me get this straight. You might have overheard several men, who all but admitted to killing your brother and his partner before him…” Sasuke winced this time, not ready to think about that, but Naruto didn’t stop. “…plotting to kill another police officer, specifically me, and you can’t tell me anything that might even remotely help besides that someone is trying to kill me? You can’t give me anything else?”

Sasuke thought of Danzo. Did he enter the room after Sasuke left? Could he have known something? But at the same time, Sasuke knew he could have just as well gone back to his office. The men behind the door, hearing Sasuke and Danzo talking, could have realized the door was opened and shut it. Sasuke shook his head. “No.”

Without another word, Naruto turned around and punched the lockers behind him. “Get out.”

“Naruto,” Sasuke said making no move to leave and instead watched Naruto as his stood with his fingers splayed on the locker, breathing in and out as though he were counting each breath. “I thought you should know.”

Tan fingers curled into fists but didn’t move away from the metal and Naruto didn’t turn to look at him as he spoke. “My job is very dangerous. Anything can happen.” Sasuke watched Naruto’s back stiffen like he was steeling himself for something big. “Something that you know from personal experience.” Naruto finally turned around and leaned back against the locker. His right hand crossed his chest and held the knife wound. His eyes were shut and pinched, like in pain, but as Naruto continued, Sasuke couldn’t be sure that it was from his injury. “And you haven’t told me anything that I didn’t already know.”

Sasuke exhaled slowly and mentally grasp for something else to say, to make Naruto open his eyes, to make Naruto look at him. The moment was stolen from him when the door to the locker room opened and a uniformed officer entered.

“Hey, boss,” a young burnet said loudly and then halted when he saw Sasuke. His brown eyes looked back and forth between Sasuke and Naruto. He cleared his throat nervously. “Ah, they said you had a visitor in your office, but I laughed. Thought they were pulling my leg… again. I can, um, come back.”

Sasuke nodded but Naruto moved toward the young man. “No, Mr. Uchiha was just leaving.”

The officer grinned smugly, boasting his success at gaining Naruto’s attention, and Sasuke made out the K. Sarutobi on his name badge. “Right. I just had that case file you asked for… again.”

Naruto’s head jerked around and he glanced quickly over at Sasuke, blue eyes darting between Sasuke and the file. Sasuke’s eyes narrowed while he tried to read the name on the file but the detective moved quickly, all but yanking the file from Sarutobi’s hand. “Thanks, Konohamaru.”

Sasuke stepped forward but a hand against his chest stopped him. “I thought the boss said you were leaving.” Sasuke glared down at the grinning officer and looked up to see Naruto close his locker, the file presumably inside.

“Naruto,” Sasuke said warningly but the blond just shrugged.

Konohamaru wrapped strong fingers around his upper arm and pulled him toward the door. “I’ll just see you out, then.”

Sasuke let Konohamaru pull him to the door before yanking his arm free. He turned around to see Naruto watching him carefully, a wrinkle between his eyes. It was a look Sasuke hadn’t seen in a long time. It was the look Naruto wore, one of interest, concern, something… more, before he’d fucked everything up.

“You need to see a doctor,” he said softly and heard Konohamaru gasp, looking around him. Naruto nodded slowly. Sasuke looked down, straightening his jacket before looking up and holding Naruto’s gaze. “For what it’s worth…”

“Good-bye, Sasuke.”

Naruto turned toward the showers, Sasuke blinked, and Konohamaru pulled him out the door.

xxx

A week later found Sasuke sitting low in the seat of his black Aston Martin watching Naruto’s condo. The detective lived on the top floor of a three story building in a quiet neighborhood nestled in the shadows of the skyscrapers of downtown. Modern in design, the wall facing into the street was an expanse of large windows that probably had a stunning view of the rising sun.

From his position, Sasuke could see Naruto’s living room decorated in a montage of earth tones, orange unfortunately prominent, and black, sleek electronics. Currently the wooden blinds were open but Naruto had disappeared down a hallway thirty minutes ago to what Sasuke knew from personal experience lead to his bedroom. Sitting up a little straighter, and stretching his legs to the best of his ability, Sasuke took a drink of his cold coffee and scanned the open street for anything untoward.

After telling Naruto what he’d overheard, Sasuke knew that Naruto believed him but wouldn’t do anything with the information. When he was feeling generous, Sasuke could understand Naruto’s point of view. Had a client come to him with such a weak case he would have had security remove the loser from his office.

As far as Sasuke could tell, no extra personal were assigned to Naruto because the idiot probably hadn’t mentioned anything and, if he had, everyone assumed Naruto could take care of himself. Sasuke chuckled darkly to himself. Yeah… just like Itachi took such good fucking care of himself.

Regardless of everyone else’s assumptions, or all the times he told himself to let it go, something ate at Sasuke. He woke up at night fumbling for his light or felt a shiver ghost up his spine whenever he thought about that conference room. He knew what he heard that day wasn’t just talking and if he were truthful, he knew Danzo hadn’t gone back to his own office.

Armed with these thoughts and his annoying need to… be concerned… about Naruto, Sasuke had called into his secretary, telling her he was working from home while he, for all intents and purposes, engaged in the age old art form of stalking. Although if anyone asked, he’d swear under oath that he was just stopping in for coffee, at Naruto’s favorite shop, or heading to the gym, directly across from the police station, or going for a nice drive, that included the dead end street Naruto lived on or…

The ringing of his cell derailed his excuses… um… valid reasoning and he brought the phone to his ear without taking his eyes off the street where a suspicious man lingered.

“Sasuke Uchiha,” he snapped into the phone.

“So, yeah, I’ve been doing some research, you know, brushing up on the law, and it turns out that stalking is illegal.”

When the cheery voice registered, Sasuke ripped his eyes from the man and his potentially dangerous Pomeranian and up to the condo windows where Naruto stood, cell phone to his ear. Sasuke mouth might have fallen open because he heard Naruto chuckle in his ear and saw him wave cheekily at him.

“I seeeeee you.”

Sasuke glared but Naruto’s wide grin meant he either couldn’t see it or didn’t care. Naruto turned away reaching for something Sasuke couldn’t see before straightening, coffee cup in hand. He lifted the bright orange cup in a toast in Sasuke’s direction and took a drink. “I am wondering though,” Naruto began but paused to lick something off his bottom lip. Sasuke bit his tongue and shifted in his seat. “Assuming this is about the people out to get me, what are you going to do when you find them?”

Sasuke took a moment to take a drink. Not because he was thirsty and more because he didn’t have an answer and he’d asked himself that question numerous times the last week.

When he looked back up, Naruto was still standing in the window but the coffee cup was gone and it looked like he was adjusting his stripped blue tie in his reflection.

“See something you like, counselor?”

Sasuke shook his head slowly taking in Naruto’s long legs in coal gray pants that matched his jacket. Under it he wore a storm blue shirt and tie. He looked… Sasuke’s mouth turned down, disgusted with himself but, dammit, the blond always looked delicious. “You look like an idiot dressed in your father’s clothes.”

He was sure Naruto didn’t intend for him to hear the sharp intake of breath at his words, but he probably didn’t anticipate something in Sasuke’s chest to twist painfully in shame either.

“Look, if you didn’t come to talk about what you overheard in your building, could you leave? The neighbors are complaining about the lingering, creepy, anal faced man and although we all agree that having that sweet ass car outside raises our property value, we’d like you to go.”

“I never said I heard it in…” Sasuke said but Naruto spoke over him.

“I know you, counselor. Since Itachi…” He coughed. “Since I have known you, you don’t go anywhere but work and home. You even have your groceries and dry cleaning delivered. The undisclosed location wasn’t much of a mystery, really.”

Sasuke swallowed down his anger at being spoken to like a toddler and said calmly, “You are not taking this seriously…”

“Yes, bastard, I AM!” Naruto started pacing in the front of the window. “I was transferred here to help your brother with Kisame’s murder investigation. Only to have him die before I even met him. It doesn’t take a genius to connect the goddamn dots!”

“Naruto,” Sasuke said slowly and caught himself rubbing the back of his neck, mirroring Naruto’s movements.

“And I’m just stumbling behind in their footprints.” Naruto’s words were mumbled, barely audible through the phone line and Sasuke didn’t think he was supposed to hear. With a forced chuckle Naruto stopped pacing and stood centered in the window, grin stretched across his face. “As engaging as this has been, I have a meeting with the DA.” Naruto expanded the statement by waving a hand over his suit. He looked at his watch. “Shit! Right now, actually, so…”

Still reeling from Naruto’s words on the inside, Sasuke forced a smirk. “Are you going with a coffee stain down your front?”

Naruto’s mouth dropped open comically. “What?! I do not!” He bent his head slightly and the window exploded, surrounding him in sparkling glass and ringing gunshots.

“NARUTO!”

Sasuke pushed open his door, cursing and fighting with the seatbelt while never taking his eyes from the second floor window. He couldn’t see Naruto… he couldn’t see anything.

When he finally freed himself, he ran across the street, tripping and scrambling, with no thought in mind but finding Naruto. His ears rang with the sounds of gunshots but he didn’t know if someone was still shooting or if it was the original shot echoing in his mind.

He covered his head with his arms and something bit into his upper arm. Ignoring the stab of pain, Sasuke threw himself at the door of Naruto’s building. He paused in the lobby long enough to locate the stairs and yell at a shocked tenant to call 911.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Sasuke burst out of the third floor stairway just as Naruto rushed out of his apartment, gun drawn.

Facing the barrel of Naruto’s gun and hard, steel blue eyes, Sasuke raised his hands, feet planted, while the door shut quietly behind him. His eyes raked over Naruto, desperate to make sure that he was okay. His first glance showed no gun holes and his heart started beating again. The detective’s face was covered with tiny cuts from the shattered glass and he noticed that Naruto held his left hand, the one not holding a gun point blank in Sasuke’s face, close to his chest. He didn’t see any blood so gathered Naruto had hurt it somehow in the fall.

“Naruto, it’s just me,” Sasuke said steadily and took a slow step forward.

Naruto’s eyes narrowed and Sasuke absently registered the sounds of sirens far in the distance. The gunshots had stopped. The gun slowly lowered and Sasuke watched Naruto make his own assessment of Sasuke’s health, eyes raking over his body before resting on his arm.

“Sasuke,” Naruto said and, in the next second, he was there, pushing Sasuke back into the door hard enough for the back of his head to hit. Before he could collect his irritation at the treatment into a coherent thought, trembling hands cupped his face and Naruto kissed him. The kiss was hard and Naruto’s lips and tongue were demanding, seeking assurances that Sasuke found himself more than willing to give. “Jesus, Sasuke,” Naruto whispered, “You’re hurt. Fuck, fuck, fuck…” Each word was followed by a kiss to his jaw, the corner of his mouth, his neck, his collarbone. “Be okay…”

Sasuke shook his head at the last and wrapped his arms around Naruto, pulling him close. He dipped his head and found Naruto’s mouth, nipping on his lower lip and pouring himself into a kiss that Sasuke didn’t know how he’d ever lived without. He pulled Naruto in closer, molding their bodies together. Naruto was okay. He was okay. Everything would be fine now… even if it was just for now. Naruto’s leg slid between his own, rubbing against him, and pushing him harder into the door. Heat flooded his body.

“It’s fine, I’m fine. Something ricocheted off the pavement when I was running in,” Sasuke explained, his voice low, while his hands moved over Naruto’s back and one wrapped into his hair.

It took Sasuke a second to realize that the delicious sound Naruto was making wasn’t a moan and instead an angry growl. Pulling away he looked into Naruto’s face. Red colored his cheekbones and Sasuke felt he should get partial credit for that but the cold chill of Naruto’s eyes stopped him from saying anything.

“You ran into the building,” Naruto said softly but there was no warmth behind the words. He stepped away from Sasuke and ran his fingers through his hair, hissing when he cut his finger on a sliver of glass hiding between the strands. Sasuke watched him take several breaths, fingers clenching and unclenching. “You ran into MY building,” he said once more, glaring, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes, failing to see that the hell Naruto’s problem was.

“Yes,” he agreed slowly, condescendingly, but Naruto wasn’t listening because now he was yelling.

“You ran into my fucking building while someone was SHOOTING at it?!”

Sasuke was about to yell right back. Hell, yes, he did, because Naruto was in the building, fucking Naruto, hurt and alone in a building, because someone was shooting at HIM, but wasn’t given the chance.

Naruto stepped forward and wrapped his good hand around Sasuke’s shoulder with enough pressure to leave bruises. He yanked him around, shoving Sasuke forward until his chest and face hit the door with a loud and painful thud.

Sasuke tasted blood in his mouth and spat. “What the hell!” he yelled and started to struggle, only to stop when he felt cold metal handcuffs against his wrists. With a click, his arms were cuffed behind his back and Naruto’s fingers were on his shoulder again, herding him back through the door he had just run through and down the stairway.

With renewed indignation and anger, Sasuke tried to pull away.

“I wouldn’t if I were you, counselor.”

“You can’t do this, Naruto! What ARE you doing? You can’t arrest me,” Sasuke argued when Naruto pushed open a door off the stairway and lead him into an underground garage.

Sasuke growled low when Naruto put a ‘gentle’ hand on his head and forced him to bend, shoving him in the backseat of Naruto’s cruiser. The door slammed, locking him inside and he watched Naruto walk around the car. The lighting was dim and erratic, but it did nothing to cover up the anger radiating from Naruto’s body and glinting in his eyes.

They exited the garage and were two blocks from the station before Sasuke felt he could talk without screaming. “I don’t know what this is about, but I do know you cannot arrest me. I know my rights. I’m a fucking lawyer!” So much for calm and cool.

Naruto came to a sudden stop causing Sasuke to slide forward on his seat and unable to use his hands, had only his face to break his impact with the black metal screen separating them. “God DAMMIT!” he yelled and pushed himself back, glaring venomously at the back of Naruto’s head.

Naruto turned around and looked at Sasuke with nothing short of hell’s raging fire in his eyes. “I know! It’s all I see when I look at you.”

Naruto turned around and eased them back into traffic. Sasuke didn’t speak up again.

xxx

By the time Sasuke and Naruto reached the station not another word had been spoken but Sasuke had reached a silent epiphany. Due to this, he didn’t resist when Naruto yanked open the car door and pulled him out. One look at Naruto eyes and pressed lips told Sasuke that he was still livid, but regardless of how angry Naruto was, Sasuke knew he hadn’t done anything wrong. For the time being, he would just sit back and wait until the blond figured that out.

And this brought Sasuke to the part of his epiphany that made him forget how humiliated he felt, how much the side of his face fucking hurt, and brought a smirk to his lips. As long as Naruto was having his tantrum, Sasuke would be by his side and the fact that they were in the police station was even better. This way, Naruto was safe and sound and no one could call Sasuke a stalker. It was a win-win situation.

Naruto pushed open the door and for the second time in a week, Sasuke watched the room come to a standstill.

“Naruto! Man, are you alright?” Kiba said while standing up from behind his desk. “Fuck, man, look at you. Konohamaru was first at the scene but he radioed in to say you weren’t there. Neighbors reported they heard gunshots and saw a dark haired man…”

Naruto pulled Sasuke forward and unlocked one of his cuffs before relocking it around a steel bar, seemingly meant for that exact purpose, attached to the wall.

“Uchiha? Did he do it? You son of a…”

Naruto jerked his head. “No, but I want him booked and thrown in a cell.” Naruto’s voice was low and authoritative and Sasuke looked around to see that not only had everyone stopped talking, but now they just stared. Some with looks of shock at the detective and many others with looks of loathing at him.

“What are you waiting for?” Naruto snapped angrily when no one moved.

Shino cleared his throat and although he didn’t raise him voice at all, his words nearly echoed in the room. “What are we charging him with?”

Sasuke rubbed his arm, working the circulation back into his fingers and looked at Naruto with as much interest as every officer in the room. Naruto’s eyes met his and Sasuke’s breath caught in his throat. Sasuke had seen Naruto’s eye bright like sapphires, full of anger, humor, and lust. But he’d only seen this stormy blue twice… once when he found Sasuke in his study and once when he kneeled in front of him and told him Itachi was dead.

It was a look that no matter how he tried to push it away made Sasuke feel important, let him know that somehow, between accepting coffee from a rookie detective, dancing around an explosive attraction, and failing epically at stalking, Naruto cared… for him. He mattered to Naruto and that made him feel small. He didn’t deserve to matter. Naruto deserved someone who could return that precious look and Sasuke knew it would never be him.

Sasuke ducked his head and Naruto shook his, breaking eye contact, before continuing his tirade.

“He’s a menace! He’s a bloody stalker! My neighbors are split between thinking he’s a spy or the perfect husband for their daughters. And the Pomeranian downstairs wets himself whenever he sees him!”

Sasuke ignored the round of disbelieving snorts, mostly because he was internalizing his own.

Kiba stepped forward, scratching his chin, eyes shifting uncertainly to everything but the six foot blond in the middle of the room. “Right, but…”

Naruto snapped his head in his friend’s direction before walking directly into his personal space. “He is a danger to himself and everyone around him!” he yelled.

Sasuke’s attention shifted to the corner of the room, where the captain’s office was located. Inside he saw Kakashi stand slowly, as though he finally noticed the tension and inactivity in the main office. He walked to the door and leaned against the frame, tapping an orange book against his thigh.

“He ran into my building! He’ll get himself…” Naruto was pacing now, rubbing the back of his neck.

“That’s enough,” Kakashi said flatly waving the book half heartedly in Naruto’s direction. “Historically, no matter how much we wish it weren’t true, law enforcement can’t arrest a person for their innate and monumental stupidity.” His eyes locked on Sasuke. “Mores the pity.”

Naruto turned on Kakashi, his face flushed and his hands fisted at his side. “He’ll just keep following me,” Naruto said but his voice was lowered. Sasuke doubted it was out of respect because of the way Kakashi’s eyebrow arched. It was like the two were having a private discussion, unaware of the eager ears around them. “You know…” Naruto hissed and then seemed to remember where he was. “Dammit, he’ll get himself killed!” Naruto spat.

Kakashi stared at the seething man, sharp gray eyes clashing angrily with flashing blue, and shrugged him off. Sasuke could see the action was forced, not nearly as careless as the silver-haired man tried to make it appear.

“Naruto, go get your face and hands looked at, and for god’s sake, call Umino. Shino, get Uchiha’s statement and take him home.”

Naruto’s face paled as he watched his captain, betrayal evident in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Naruto said coolly, “Or better yet, Shino, take the good counselor to the psychiatric ward at Konoha General.” Naruto turned his back and began walking between a row of desks and out of the room only to stop just outside the door. “Because only someone fucking insane runs into a building people are shooting at!” By the end, Naruto was screaming and he punctuated the sentence by kicking a metal trashcan against the wall and slamming out of the room.

The jarring, metallic echoing faded out into an uncomfortable and shocked silence only broken when Kakashi pushed himself off the frame of his door. “People act crazy when someone they care about is in danger,” he said and turned to look at Sasuke.

Shino had just released his other cuff and Sasuke rubbed at his wrist, glaring at the silver haired man. “Look, I am not crazy, someone is…”

“Shut up, Uchiha,” Kiba said grabbing him by his shoulder and moving him toward the door after Shino. Sasuke yanked his head around when Kakashi chuckled but anything he might have said was halted but the painfully exaggerated smile on the captain’s face.

“I wasn’t talking about your behavior, Sasuke,” Kakashi explained and Sasuke stopped struggling, processing the words, as he was pushed out of the station.

xxxx

Shino drove him home. When they arrived at his apartment, Sasuke realized that he’d left his keys, in his car, at Naruto’s apartment. Sue him. He’d been preoccupied at the time. And then arrested. Shit happens.

Pulling a spare key from his wallet, he let himself into his apartment. He didn’t bother to turn the lights on until he reached the kitchen. Moving across the floor, he pulled open a cabinet and took out aspirin and the first aid kit. Downing four of the white pills and a glass of water, he moved to the table, dropping the white and red box on the surface. He reached down to pull the hem of his shirt up when he heard a shuffle behind him and twisted around.

“Mr. Uchiha, did I catch you at a bad time?”

Sasuke growled low in his throat. Danzo stood in front of him, eyes dark and piercing, face devoid of any emotion. Typical Danzo behavior… save the gun he held in his hand, pointed at Sasuke, and flashing in the light of the kitchen.

Sasuke didn’t answer but he knew Danzo didn’t expect him to. Danzo motioned with the gun toward one of his kitchen chairs and Sasuke sat slowly, never taking his eyes off his boss.

Danzo released a put upon sigh, rotating his neck and shoulders, but the gun never wavered. “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. I knew Uzumaki cared about you, but I thought for sure that his feelings weren’t returned. I really thought I’d kill him too and, just like last time, you’d mourn and never know you worked for the person responsible for it.”

“Itachi,” Sasuke growled before he could stop himself and Danzo gave a careless nod.

“Yes, he was close. Fuck, he was on us. Thank god Uchihas think they can take on everything by themselves.” An annoyed sound came from the standing man. “Drug trafficking is wrong and yet, so amazingly lucrative, it’s impossible to say no. Itachi found out, but, low and behold, his little brother was working for the very law firm millions of dollars were being laundered through. He wanted to protect you, find out how deep it went, and to make sure you wouldn’t be hurt in the fallout before he brought it all to Hatake.” Danzo moved his head from side to side like he was pondering a question. Face and voice devoid of emotion, Danzo looked right into Sasuke’s eyes and said, “What do you think, Uchiha, were you hurt in the fallout?”

Overwhelming anger filled his body, making him see red. Sasuke made to stand but Danzo shook the gun and Sasuke settled, cursing. “You fucking…”

Danzo interrupted. “So, Kisame and Itachi were gone. With the dynamic duo of self-righteousness out of the picture, it should have been smooth sailing.” Danzo’s eyes narrowed and Sasuke would admit that the look of hatred that came to his eyes was rattling. “And then they brought in Uzumaki. That little monster is tenacious! He knew that Itachi was killed over something he was investigating and like a hound with a scent, he pursued every file on his desk.” A tightening of his jaw was the only indication of Danzo’s irritation. “I’m not sure if you know this, but in the past year, the only cases that your brother left behind that your heroic detective hasn’t solved are Itachi’s murder and how drugs keep finding their way onto the streets of Konoha.”

Sasuke didn’t know that, but suddenly, like a picture in the back of his mind, he remembered the file Konohamaru had given Naruto in the locker room but now the name was clear. It had read ‘Uchiha, Itachi’.

Looking up at Danzo, Sasuke jerked his head at the gun. “You’re a murdering, drug smuggling, money laundering asshole. I get that. I don’t get why you are here telling me.”

Danzo chuckled and reached into his breast pocket with his free hand. “Like I said, I didn’t want it to come to this. You’re a good lawyer. Today I sent a man to kill Uzumaki, which he failed at. Apparently, Uzumaki ducked his head just as my man pulled the trigger. He wasn’t able to get another shot but he did bring me this.” Danzo tossed something onto the table and Sasuke stopped it with the pad of his fingers. “I didn’t know for sure if you had overheard anything the other day in the office. But, this picture explains everything, don’t you think?”

Sasuke pulled the photo closer, unaware that his fingers were trembling, and looked down. What he saw squeezed at his heart until he thought he might die from the feeling. It was a picture of himself from this afternoon, right after Naruto’s window had exploded. The door of his car was thrown open and he was obviously struggling to get out of his seatbelt, but it was the look on his face that made it feel as if something was crushing his chest, making him work for every breath. Somehow the camera had captured his expression perfectly, his eyes frantically looking up into Naruto’s window. It was the look… the look Naruto had given him this afternoon, the one that told him that Naruto wanted him, cared for him, in spite of everything, the one that he didn’t think he’d ever be able to return.

He swallowed and it felt painful. His fingers curled around the picture and he glared up at Danzo.

“Ah, young love,” Danzo said mockingly.

It felt like his whole body was vibrating and Sasuke’s fingers itched to hurt the smirking man above him. He’d taken Itachi and it had only been the difference of a few inches that had saved Naruto’s life. He turned in the chair until he faced Danzo, his black eyes narrowed. “I hate repeating myself,” he said through clenched teeth, anger making his voice low and dangerous. “What do you want with me?”

“You Uchihas are all the same. You think you are in control.” Danzo sneered but Sasuke watched him tip the gun up, holding it with more focus. “But your weaknesses are so clear.” Danzo’s uncovered eye fell on Sasuke’s hand, holding the picture in a death grip. “However, to answer your question, tonight is about wrapping things up. Even before my little show and tell, you just being at Uzumaki’s apartment proves you knew too much. And whether Uzumaki has made the connection or not, I just really, really want to kill him.”

Sasuke recalled Naruto and Kakashi arguing in the station. You know… Naruto had said and now Sasuke could fill in the blank. Naruto did know, and so did Kakashi.

“I left a message that you needed him and I’m sure he’ll come running.”

Sasuke shook his head slowly, panic stealing his breath even as a seed of hope bloomed in his chest. “You’re wrong, he won’t come.” And Sasuke had never been so happy about Naruto’s irrational anger than in this moment.

Danzo just smiled. It wasn’t pleasant. “Now, now, I think you underestimate yourself, Uchiha.” Sasuke growled and Danzo continued, “Isn’t that right, Detective?”

Sasuke yanked his head around so fast he had to blink away the stars but sure enough, Naruto appeared from around the living room corner, his gun trained on Danzo. Without making eye contact, the blond man said, “Are you okay?”

Sasuke nodded and then realizing Naruto wouldn’t be able to see said, “Yes.”

“Good. Put down your gun, Danzo,” Naruto commanded and moved another step into the kitchen but Danzo chuckled dryly.

“No. One more step and I’ll kill him.”

Naruto stopped moving but didn’t lower his gun. Sasuke looked between the two men. Naruto stood perhaps five feet to his left and Danzo the same distance in front of him.

“Put down your gun. There’s no other way out of this, because, you see, I did call for backup.”

Without any warning, Danzo turned on his heel and fired in Naruto’s direction. Naruto hit the floor on his knees to avoid the shot. Sasuke yelled and watched Naruto push himself up, aiming at Danzo, but then he was lunging toward him, his face deathly pale and his eyes wide. Sasuke followed the direction of Naruto’s fear filled gaze and looked up to see Danzo had turned the gun on him. Two shots echoed in the small kitchen and Sasuke closed his eyes, bracing himself for a pain that never came.

He opened his eyes when Danzo cursed and he saw the man awkwardly holding his shoulder, the gun still in his hand. Sasuke’s eyes frantically scanned the room for Naruto until they landed on Naruto’s body, huddled out at his feet. He was curled inward, his hands on his stomach and blood pooled at an alarming rate around him.

Sasuke pushed himself from his chair, falling to his knees next to Naruto. Another curse sounded above him, forcing his attention from the red puddle, and he saw Naruto’s gun resting inches from his body. Without thought, Sasuke grabbed the gun and yanked it up, firing before he’d even focused on the standing man. He didn’t stop shooting until Danzo fell to the floor, lifeless, and the gun clicked uselessly in his trembling hands.

Gasping for air, Sasuke dropped his gun and pulled Naruto toward him. He leaned his ear over the blond’s mouth and nearly sobbed when he heard the faintest whizzing. He looked down at Naruto’s stomach and pushed Naruto’s weak hands away, pressing down on the wound. “Oh god, oh fuck, oh god,” he muttered and heard the blaring of sirens and feet trampling up the stairs.

“Sa… Sasuke.”

Sasuke jerked his eyes upwards and got caught in wide blue eyes dulled by pain. “Naruto,” he said and bit his tongue when Naruto’s body jerked under him and a low, excruciating moan ripped from Naruto’s lips.

“D-Danzo?” Naruto panted and Sasuke wished he could wipe the trickle of blood that dripped from the corner of Naruto’s mouth but couldn’t risk moving his hands.

“He’s dead. I shot him,” Sasuke looked up at the still body of his boss, “A lot.”

Naruto chuckled, the sound coming out wet and sick, and a weak, bloodstained hand struggled to reach out and touch Sasuke’s arm, only to fall short. “Good,” he whispered and his eyes fluttered shut as his head listed to the side.

“Naruto! No, dammit! Naruto!” Sasuke yelled. Just then the door of his apartment burst open and Sasuke screamed for help.

xxxx

To Be Continued…