Colors

Oh my, I've been gone for quite a while. Well, I just moved back into my house. Am glad that it got rebuilt. Many things have been happening to hinder me from writing but I'm back to it and am glad to present you with this new chapter. I apologize deeply for the horrid delay and am sure most of you have forgotten about what this story is about. But nevertheless, I will endeavor to finish it and hope that it will bring you some entertainment. Thanks to those who have been so supportive of my writing and urged me to continue doing so no matter how slim my dreams of becoming a writer are.

Thank you :)

And now, presenting, chapter 21.

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Deidara finally arrived on the thirtieth floor of Uchiha Headquarters. He took a left turn and opened the door to one of the premise’s smaller meeting rooms. In there a familiar colleague awaited his arrival. He stepped in, closed and locked the door behind him in swift clean moves.

“I got your message and wanted to clarify it. Since when did he put you on the trail?” Deidara asked as he sheltered his hands in his pockets.

“Ever since that Hyuuga purchase,” Zetsu shifted his position to lean against the room’s large windows. Lighting a cigarette, he opened one of the smaller panels to ventilate the room.

“So, how much did you feed Uchiha Senior….exactly?”

Zetsu took a long puff amidst the silent pause. He blew out a couple of smoke rings as he looked for an appropriate answer. “Enough to tick him off, though I twisted the story to keep you out of deep shit.”

The man turned to face his peer with an angry glare, “Fuck, Deidara what the hell were you thinking then? If Itachi found out about that night at the race… more than hell would break loose.” He ended the sentence in a lowered tone, fearing potential eavesdroppers lurking around the busy corridor outside.

Meanwhile, Deidara flicked out a packet of his own Malboro sticks, “Got a light?” Despite the unwated news, Deidara was taking the situation almost too well, much to his comrade’s surprise. The only indication of his concern was the way he drew in hard on his first puff.

“Look, you know what I owe the kid and I don’t need you doing me favors.” The blond replied, earning him a distasteful smirk from his co-worker.

“Puh-lease, we got into this shit with the Uchiha together so don’t go declining the help like you’re too good for the generosity, which in this case, you need.”

“So what does Itachi intend to do to the blond?”

“No further instructions from him but you’d probably have to ready yourself to do the necessary.”

Deidara couldn’t help feeling the sting in that remark. He knew exactly what ‘the necessary’ meant and he wasn’t ready to handle the possibility of another assassination for the sake of Itachi’s evil whims, which ultimately lead to Sasuke’s added misery. He bottled the thought for later evaluation.

“By the way, your latest piece was stunning so I bought it.” Zetsu smiled, the sudden switch of expression causing Deidara to shudder. He could never get used to the duality of this man but it was Zetsu’s ability to switch personalities at will which made his stealth a valuable asset for Itachi’s darker biddings.

“Err… thanks. But geez, Itachi pays you way too well. How much did you fucking spend? 1 mill? 2 mill?”

“2.5 million.” Zetsu gave a small laugh.

Deidara shook his head and took another puff, blowing it out impatiently, “You paid too much.”

Having reverted back to his darker self, Zetsu retorted, unamused, “You do realize you’re an idiot for telling me that?”

“Oh sorry, you’re right. I should be thanking you for the extra income.”

“And I should remind you that soon you wouldn’t need the extra income if you keep helping the kid and the blond. So fucking quit it and let Itachi have his way.”

Deidara finished his cigarette and snuffed it out on a rusty, overused metal ashtray that lay on the conference table. “Zetsu, whilst you’re so good at doing favors, do me a couple more will you?”

“Sure, if it doesn’t involve dangling my neck on a thin line.”

“One, stay out of this as much as you can and try not to take anymore weird orders from Itachi.”

“Yeah right like that’s possible. He pays too well.”

“I said ‘try’.”

“Fine, what next.”

“This.” Deidara handed him a large brown envelope, sealed tightly with glue and tape.

“What the fuck is this?” Zetsu eyed the mysterious package cautiously.

“Open it only if necessary.”

Deidara waited for the unspoken meaning to register in Zetsu’s mind. Having been satisfied with a solemn nod from his colleague, he unlocked the doors and headed out to continue his supervisory role. But just before he left, he turned around to face Zetsu once more and gave him a curt, ‘Thank you’.

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“1-2-8” Naruto read the numbers aloud as he checked the text message he had received from Itachi earlier.

“Yup, this is the place.” He muttered to himself and hoped that his instincts were right in telling him what he was about to discover; the true identity of Jane Doe and potentially, the key to unlocking Sasuke from his prison. Adjusting his back pack, he climbed the steps to the apartment building’s front door. There he observed the faded buttons and rusty metal plaques to look for the one labeled ‘1-2-8 D’. He stared at the button, afraid of what would happen after he buzzed it. Perhaps Itachi had set him up. Perhaps he was about to be murdered and was walking into a death trap without even knowing it. He swallowed at the thought and then closed his eyes in search of his will. Remembering Sasuke’s bruised body from the race he hit it in full determination.

“Hello?” a static version of Sasuke’s voice answered.

“It’s Naruto.”

“Oh, come up.”

Naruto flung the door open and headed up the stairs. The apartment block wasn’t located in a posh area and the corridors reflected its status in an unkempt and dirty display. Naruto wondered why the artist had chosen to locate herself here but then he realized perhaps the dreary atmosphere was what drove Jane to create what she did, a slew of paintings with a tendency to swallow its observers into the dark. Arriving at the apartment’s door, he knocked and waited. Naruto could hear the faint murmurs of two individuals arguing and a slight shuffle of feet. Then, he swallowed as the creak of angry footsteps neared and finally, a hard click before the door swung open abruptly to reveal Uchiha Itachi.

“Good day Mr. Uzumaki, I hope the place wasn’t too hard to locate. Well, come in.” Itachi was polite but the aura about him was far from gentle. Looking at him was like staring at a devil in disguise - a radient figure clad in a loose white-long sleeved shirt and slim-fit blue jeans bearing a calm smile to complete the false image.

Naruto’s insides twisted but he kept his cool, flashed a confident smile and replied, “Good day Itachi. Now where’s my model?”

Itachi’s eyebrow’s twitched a little but his smile didn’t falter, “He’s just changing. He’ll be out in a bit.”

Naruto stepped in and observed his surroundings. There were no paintings around and even if there were any, they had been covered with white cloths to conceal them much to his disappointment. Perhaps a chance to investigate would reveal itself later during break time. But meanwhile, he had to focus his mind on the job and keep things professional otherwise he could risk blowing their cover. He walked towards a clear spot in the living room, where the furniture had been shifted to make room for an easel, several paints, boards, brushes and pallets for his use. He sighed, relieved at the thought that he was really there just to paint and not be butchered. He set his back pack down and took out a sketch book along with some pencils, tools he would use for notation and marking in case he needed them.

“Want anything to drink?”

“No thank you.” He answered not wanting to risk the chances of getting poisoned

Having completed the necessary setup, he eyed the room further to locate a suitable spot for his subject. Just then, Naruto heard a pair of extra footsteps enter the room and he turned to face their direction. Sasuke was wearing a dark blue Yukata – a house-robe left open around his chest. Naruto’s eyes met Sasuke’s but he was greeted with a blank look. Avoiding potential gawking, he turned around and proceeded to ask Itachi what he was looking to capture in the portrait.

Itachi walked over to where Sasuke had positioned himself, a few feet in front of the easel. “Hmmm… let’s see. It would be pretty boring for him to be standing upright and stiff, plus he has such beautiful skin.” The older brother trailed a pale hand along the exposed white flesh. Naruto could feel the anger building from base of his spine but he forced himself to ignore it and instead looked for a better position. Then his eye caught the window sill and the sunlight filtering through. He imagined Sasuke leaning into the warmth and how the contrast between the sun’s soft rays and Sasuke’s midnight hair would look simply alluring.

“How about siting over there beneath some natural lighting? I’ll get a stool for you to lean on so that you won’t be as uncomfortable. It’ll take a while so it might be best for you to be in a more relaxed position.”

“Why don't you let me worry about that while you help Sasuke pose by the window sill?” Itachi gave the blond a mocking wink and left to fetch the necessary.

Naruto imagined rubbing off that demon’s smile with sandpaper but he regained his senses and approached Sasuke whilst clearing his throat of the curse words caught within. With Itachi out of the room he let his guard down in the form of an intrusive stare mesmerized by Sasuke’s features. Saddened by the situation, he could barely submerge the overwhelming need to hold him and it showed as his blue eyes began to glisten.

“Where would you like me to go?” Sasuke interrupted, his cold tone successfully snapping Naruto back to reality.

“Erm, over here.” He guided the young Uchiha towards the window sill. With great care and attention, he positioned Sasuke’s shoulders, his arms, his hands and then tilted his face to look out the window, in a manner he felt would give more depth to the finished portrait. But each touch was like a curse as he felt every skin-to-skin contact create little flames upon his fingertips. He let out a heavy breath to relieve his bottled frustration. There were so many things he wanted to say to Sasuke, to plead, to beg him to be by his side but they were in the devil’s domain. A minor mistake would prove costly and he knew he couldn’t afford it now. Itachi returned with a high-chair and Naruto made Sasuke lean into it to support his weight. Then he marked the main points of Sasuke’s pose so that he could take up the same position again after breaks.

“Comfortable?”

A nod was all he got in reply and Naruto returned to his easel where he would start the heart wrenching chore of painting the beauty before him.

“Wait, something seems amiss.” Itachi spoke from his corner.

“You’re not happy with the pose?”

“Hmm, not entirely, well. You’re the artist so if you think it’s fine then it should be but I just feel this lacks a little something.”

“I may not always have the best eyes. Tell me, what are you looking for?”

“Aha! I got it. Sasuke, do us all a favor and strip that Yukata off.”

Naruto’s eyes widened as he saw Sasuke shift to obey Itachi’s orders without any hesitation. It was then that he understood what the devil had planned. He was torturing the blond, killing him little-by-little as he stood mere feet away from something that was just within reach and yet he could never have. Itachi removed Sasuke’s robe over his shoulders and from his arms while brushing his hands over the younger Uchiha’s pale sculpted biceps. Naruto felt humiliated as he watched his love being stripped bare by a nemesis he could not defeat. A sense of powerlessness engulfed him as he knew that all he could do was look on, unable to stop Itachi and not even able to display a hint of his seething anger.

Letting only his disgust escape Naruto spoke, “Firstly, I don’t advocate nudity. Secondly, I don’t normally paint nudes and may kinda suck at it.”

“Oh, don’t fret. I’m sure you’ve done this plenty of times if you’ve been to art school. So this should be no different. Besides, I hear your uncle has a natural talent in these provocative pieces.” Naruto knew better than to rebut.

Thus a short silence ensued before Itachi continued, “Oh well, if you’re that uncomfortable then all we have to do is shift his hand this way. There, now you won’t have to keep yourself from staring at his dick.”

“Excuse me but I wasn’t and will not stare.” Naruto stated with a hint of defiance. After all, he was sure he hadn’t looked too long.

“In any case you’re the paying customer and if neither you nor he has any objections then I’ll just paint.” The blond added, looking at Sasuke and then at Itachi who chuckled at the remark, obviously delighted by Naruto’s bitterness.

“Well then, you should start. Don’t want to take too long now do we, otherwise poor Sasuke will freeze.”

Naruto scarfed down any further objection and started by sticking up a thumb to locate the focal point.

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“Hinata, you think you could get our dear friend Inspector Suzuki to dig up the files again?” Neji sipped on his tea whilst waiting for a reply. He was having lunch with Hinata to discuss Naruto’s dilemma and to search for a solution. Afterall, even if he wasn’t able to have the blond, ensuring his happiness was something that was within his reach. The only doubt he had was whether or not his cousin, who held primary control of the Hyuuga estate, would help after the pain and break up she had recently suffered.

“Naruto really is involved with Sasuke isn’t he?” Hinata paused to look at Neji. She knew of her cousin’s love for Naruto. But she never questioned it and to a certain extent, felt guilty for having gone out with the blond even though she knew. She recognized the pain in his eyes, the pain of loving someone who did not reciprocate and she lowered her gaze as she remembered her own afflictions.

“I’m afraid so.” Neji answered softly.

Hinata massaged her chin in thought. “It’ll be tough but I suppose we have to try. It’s not as simple as influencing the Chief Inspector to side with us.”

“I know, but it can’t be helped. I’m sure the evidence exists no matter how small. The question is where to look.”

“You’re right. I’ll try. In any case, you received a visit from a strange person today. He left a letter.”

“Oh, is that so.”

“Here it is. He said it was urgent.” Hinata handed a plain brown envelope to her cousin.

Neji looked at package. There were no seals or markings to identify the sender. He ripped the top-side opened, observed a small tape and drew out a single sheet of paper.

“Dear Hyuuga Neji,

My name is Deidara, the man you met the other day at the race course, one of Sasuke’s assistants. I would like to request that you attend an appointment with me to meet the city’s Chief of Police. I have a plan to reveal Uchiha Itachi’s crimes but I would need yours and Naruto’s help. Once we’re done with the appointment and the plan set in motion, I may not be able to see through to its completion. Thus I would also need you to locate a trusted friend of mine. I will provide his details when we meet at the Tokyo Police Headquarters this Thursday, before noon. We must act quickly as both Naruto’s and Sasuke’s lives are in danger. As a token of my trust I have provided you with a tape recording that will explain what happened to the Uchiha household prior to the death of Sasuke’s parents. As you can see, it is evidence that will have no merit in a pro-Uchiha police force and I am sure you’ll understand why I would need the assistance of the Hyuuga clan.

There is no need to respond to this letter and I look forward to Thursday.

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Deidara.”

Neji replaced the letter into the brown envelope and then took a pause to ponder on what he just read.

“Well, what was it about?” Hinata asked anxiously.

“It seems we may have a lead. Hinata, I know this may be quite a bit but would it be possible for us to gather 100 million yen in cash?”

Hinata’s eyes widened but then, she smiled and nodded silently, “I will try my best.”

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TBC