Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or it's characters and I make no money.
Chapter Four
May 17th
Perplexed...yes, you could say that was the word that aptly described Kakashi’s current state of mind. And it wasn’t the case that was causing such perplexity. His eyes followed the normally boisterous Kiba shift around the station in silence. It had been almost a week now of Kiba’s strange behavior leaving Kakashi to wonder if he was getting enough sleep? It was the third time today that he noticed the brown-haired dog lover yawn.
That in turn had him considering if training Akamaru for Konoha’s elite K-9 unit was finally getting the better of him? It was common knowledge by all that Inuzuka wanted out of Vice as soon as possible, that was why Tsunade had pushed to have him temporarily re-assigned to her squad until they could place him permanently. So Kiba wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize this chance, would he?
Kakashi frowned behind his turtleneck as Kiba pulled out his cell phone; evidently sending a text. Strictly speaking, he shouldn’t be using his phone during work, but Kakashi was always lax about that rule. Even Tsunade had said it was fine as long as it didn’t contain information about an ongoing case and didn’t jeopardize an investigation. So what was he up to and what was he hiding?
Cramped muscles popped and protested, a groan escaping from tired lips as Kakashi stood up from his desk and stretched. Now seemed like a good time to discuss a few topics with his Chief.
“Tsunade…” He asked as he pushed her door open.
“Kakashi, come in and shut the door please.” Tsunade replied, bending over a file on her desk and penning her name at the bottom.
Kakashi took a deep breath and started with the most important topic. “Sasuke…”
“I have that covered so there is no reason for you to worry about it.” She closed the file on her desk and looked up at her Lieutenant, sitting back in her chair.
“May I ask what’s about to happen?”
“Do you trust me Kakashi?”
“Implicitly.” He said with conviction and without hesitation; just like Tsunade liked.
“Then trust me when I say this: the best thing for Sasuke right now is to lose his job.” Kakashi cocked an eyebrow in question, not really expecting an answer. She added. “He would be unhindered; to say the least.”
“But he wouldn’t be allowed any access to the investigation. We would have to stop supplying them with any and all information pertaining to the case.”
She shook her head, her thumb coming to rest on her lower lip. “I’m aware of that, Lieutenant. This is the best possible option though.”
“I’m afraid I’m not seeing what you’re seeing.”
“Then trust me.”
Kakashi nodded his agreement before ploughing on, asking slowly. “Tsunade, have you noticed the way Kiba has been acting recently?”
She frowned in thought, trying to recall seeing Kiba lately. “Not that I’ve seen. How has he been acting?”
“He’s acting like a guilty person; sneaking around and constantly on his cell texting someone. Not to mention he’s been yawning all day.”
“Are you serious?” Tsunade laughed. “He probably just has a new girlfriend, Kakashi. That’s hardly anything to cause suspicion. I wouldn’t put much thought into his behavior.”
“I’m not convinced, but if you’re sure that’s all it is, then I’ll drop it for now.” He replied; unconvinced.
“I think you need a vacation.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Kakashi whispered as he turned and looked out on the detectives gathered there. Temari and Sai were on their way in as Shikamaru and Choji were on their way out. He spied Kiba over by the coffee pot, bent over his cell phone again. His eye twitched in annoyance.
“Excuse me, Tsunade.” He muttered as he ran to intercept the shaggy haired detective. Everyone knew he wasn’t allowed coffee, yet he was the only one that stopped him!
~REVENGE~
I growled with just a bit of annoyance as my phone went off. I dropped the article of clothing that I was attempting to fold and reached out for my cell. I flipped it open and accepted the text; my eyes scanning the short script as I called out for the blonde in the kitchen.
“Dobe, we have a new text from Kiba.”
“Did he find anything?” Naruto shot me a hopeful smile as he dried his hands with a towel and slid onto the couch next to me.
“Nothing yet, but he isn’t giving up on trying. He just wanted to let us know that he got through about two months’ worth and is going back again today after he trains with Akamaru.”
“Text him ‘thank you for not giving up and that I’ll owe him one’.” I frowned at the thought that Naruto should owe anyone anything for any reason…unless that person was I! I would have to make another arrangement with Kiba. There was no way he was going to hold anything over my blonde!
“He says that it better be big and include something for his mutt Akamaru.”
“Anything he wants within reason.” The blonde laughed as he stood up and re-entered the kitchen to finish washing the dishes. I glared at his retreating form before eying the basket of laundry that sat there mocking me. “If you give me five minutes, teme, I’ll be done with the dishes and then I can help you. I know you don’t like to fold clothes or wash dishes or cook.” Naruto laughed.
“Correction, dobe; I can’t cook. Other than that you’re right on.” Naruto continued to laugh from the kitchen as he drained the water from the sink and stepped back into the living room. He took up his custom spot next to me and reached out to the basket between my legs. He threw a shirt at me as he grabbed a pair of jeans and started folding. By the time we reached the end of the basket Naruto had a larger pile of clothes than I did. What could I say; he was faster at folding than I was.
“How about you take those clothes and put them away while I finish putting away the dishes?”
I nodded and plopped the folded clothes into the hamper as I dragged it down the hall and into the bedroom. I stopped suddenly, staring at the person reflecting back at me from the mirror, as I placed the clothes in the drawers. I knew it was me, but something had changed…I barely recognized myself anymore and it had only been a short time. Is this what hiding did to you…
…or was it Naruto?
“Hey, teme, are you almost done?” Naruto yelled.
I turned to look in the direction of the kitchen with a smile on my face. I bent down and pushed the drawer shut with a snap. I caught another glimpse of the smiling person in the mirror. I may not have known who that person was yet, but I already knew that I liked him more.
~REVENGE~
May 20th
The shadow moved silently through the gathered people outside, weaving around the crowds with practiced ease. There was one reason only for such a gathering; they were there for Miss Fû Taki. Today was the day for the release of her new wardrobe line and hundreds of fans had lined up for the chance to get in and see her walk the runway. He frowned in disgust at the thronging males hyped up on testosterone and the whimpering females who would no doubt be throwing up after the grotesque display of their idol; all for that perfect body image. These people were weak, but they were not his concern. Only their idol held any interest in him; the only one he was after at the moment.
He narrowed his eyes and slunk back into the shadows as a silver-haired man whispered hurriedly into Fû’s ear. She shook her head with a frown evident on her face and slowly stepped away to greet her milling fans with enthusiasm. The silver-haired lieutenant shook his head sadly as he watched the girl being bombarded by the crowd. The shadow sneered in delight. Things were still going his way; this was almost too easy. What a foolish girl to refuse the measly protection the police offered; not that it would do her any good anyway. With a sneer he walked away from the horrid display before him and entered the waiting black Lexus. He had to prepare for that special day. He had every detail planned out; he only needed the supplies to pull it off. Too bad his handiwork would go up in flames, but then this poison was undetectable when exposed to high heat.
~REVENGE~
May 23rd
Breakfast! What could I say about it, but that I hated it! It was completely at fault here, so why shouldn’t I blame it? It’s not like I could blame Naruto, he had no control over any of this, and I certainly wasn’t the one at fault here. So that left breakfast…
We were sitting, quite peacefully I might add, in the same corner table we always occupied. I had enjoyed my complimentary breakfast until a horde of woman decided to barge in and purposely ruin my morning. They surrounded us in minutes and blocked any route of escape. Thankfully, Naruto was oblivious to the swooning girls. I wasn’t even sure that he realized this was becoming a steadily increasing problem. I hated it…
Clearly the women had no problem with my gay status and had taken supporting ‘us’ to an extreme. This was just what I needed on top of everything else; a gay fan club! Why couldn’t they leave us alone? Now, I fully understood Narutos words about anonymity. Right at this minute I didn’t want to be me; blessed with a keen mind and devilish good looks and more money than I could ever spend in two life-times! I would trade that all in for some tropical paradise with the dobe at my side, sipping some fruity drink with those ridiculous umbrellas.
“Wow, teme, breakfast sure is loud sometimes.” I could only grimace at his oblivious comment.
“If you hurry we can get away from the noise.”
“The noise doesn’t bother me; why, is it bothering you?” He tilted his head to the side, picking at a biscuit in his hands. I watched as he plucked a small morsel and popped in his mouth, chewing slightly before swallowing.
“I don’t mind the noise so much as I mind the people. They just don’t know how to mind their own business.” I added in a whisper.
“Is something bothering you?” Naruto asked with a glare.
“You could say that dobe.”
“Then say something instead of sulking like some tragically misunderstood teenager. I am not a mind-reader!”
Great now I had the dobe pissed at me and that did nothing to lighten my mood. This was all breakfast’s fault! “Can we go soon?” I spat.
“You are welcome to leave at any time, but don’t expect me to follow until I am good and ready!” He snapped out.
“Did you forget why we’re here?
I can’t leave you by yourself.” I ground out in a whisper.
“You may not believe this, but I know how to take care of myself.”
“That’s not the point; my orders are to protect you. Chief Tsunade would skin me alive if I left you here alone with a maniac trying to kill us. Now, will you hurry up and finish so we can go back to our room?”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
“N.O. It’s plain and simple, teme. I want to enjoy my meal, not be rushed because you’re uncomfortable with the female occupants of the room.”
Ok, I guess he did notice the increasing hordes of women, but still. I hated it when women acted like that around me! “I’m not uncomfortable with them, dobe, I don’t trust them. They are cunning when necessary; I already told you that. Plus, they are interfering with my job description, which is to keep you safe. If you don’t realize already, I take my job very seriously. So I will not let them interfere with my boyfriends’ safety.”
“I’m your boyfriend?” I felt my face heat up as a blush dusted the dobe’s cheeks. Did I just say that out loud?
“Well, if you’re ready for that step.” I mumbled. Naruto smiled as he nodded in agreement.
“I can take that step.” I smiled at him as he continued to blush. He looked so endearing and innocent to me; until he frowned. “What do you mean it’s your job to protect ‘me’? I thought we were sharing that job?”
“Are you serious?” I groaned and leaned back in my chair.
“Absolutely!”
“Naruto, don’t take this the wrong way, but there is no way that you can perform the same job as I can. Being a police officer is not in your disposition. So leave the protecting to me, ok?” I couldn’t stop the sinking feeling as Naruto continued to frown at me. “Ok, answer me this. Can you shoot a gun?”
“I have perfect aim.” He replied with all seriousness. “Do you think I could live with Granny Tsunade for ten years and not learn how to shoot a gun? It was her idea of a fun outing to take me to the shooting range.” I stared at the blonde before continuing on.
“Ok, I’ll give you that, but can you really shoot a person?”
“If it came down to it.” He whispered with a shaky breath.
“Shoot to kill?” I finally earned the silence I had sought from the dobe.
“You’re to gentle a soul ever to kill anyone; even threatened with your life.
“I can still protect you.” He whispered.
“I can’t do my job if I’m worrying about you worrying about me.”
“That makes no sense, teme.” He laughed.
“I guess so, but let me do my job. All you have to do is listen to me.”
“I will try.” I grinned in success. “You can stop grinning at any time; I’m ready to go.”
I continued to grin all the way up to our room when I pushed the dobe against the door and claimed his lips for my own. I had clearly won this round, but if every argument was such an uphill battle, then I had my work cut out for me.
~REVENGE~
May 23rd
The shadow let in a shaking breath as he tried to calm his racing heart. It would not do to unravel at the very last second and blow his chance; he’d waited too long for this. He stood outside a luxurious home displaying the wealth the owner clearly commanded. Too bad she wouldn’t be enjoying it for much longer. A noise in the driveway drew the shadows attention from the surrounding landscape. He was hidden effectively in the over-growing shrubbery of the woods that surrounded the expensive home.
The small cherry red mustang pulled up the winding driveway; approximately two miles from the main road to ensure utmost privacy, and pulled into the four car garage. The shadow took that moment to jam the garage door as it tried to lower and shut him out.
The women that just exited the car stared at the jammed door in shock as she pressed the button on her key ring again with no avail. She fumed as she ran her hands through her aqua dyed hair and cursed. She slammed her car door shut and walked over to the door that housed the control panel for the garage door. None of the breakers seemed to have tripped so it wasn’t an electrical problem.
She stepped away from the box and turned on her heels her eyes widening with shock as the shadow confronted her. She tried to scream, but was hit across the face before she could utter a sound.
Stumbling backwards, she tried to regain her footing only to feel a stinging pain in her neck, sending a fiery rush of burning liquid chasing through her veins.
She let out a choked sob as she collapsed to the garage floor in agony.
“You were such a foolish girl. You earned every bit of this torture.” The shadow spat as he bent down and chuckled over her. “I’ll admit to you that I intended to use this method on another. You should have taken the lieutenant up on his offer; it would have saved you such a painful death.”
“Why?” Fû gasped out.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He chuckled sinisterly as he watched the Fashion Model consume her last breath. He stood up and walked to the garage door allowing it to close behind him. He made his way to the main house and splashed the siding and front door with gasoline. He stopped in his work when the can was empty and lit a match. He tossed it onto the flammable pool of liquid and grinned maniacally as it lit up like the bonfires on Founding Day.* He stepped back and walked over to the garage where he crouched down at the corner. He lit another match and placed it at the corner waiting for it to catch the exposed insulation and light up again. Satisfied that both buildings were sufficiently ablaze he stepped back to admire his handy work. He burst out laughing waiting to hear the sirens of the fire trucks.
It was half an hour later when the fire trucks finally rushed up the long driveway. The house no longer resembled a house and the garage had just exploded as the fire finally reached the gas tank of the cherry red mustang. By this time the shadow had departed and was safely ensconced in his room plotting his next attack. Haku Yuki; he would need to get eyes inside the home where the boy was being hidden and from there execute his plan of attack. The boy wouldn’t know what hit him.
~REVENGE~
Curses went unheard as Tenten made her way to a fire in progress in the Terra District. It wasn’t the fire that brought her there, but the body discovered in the garage. She advanced slowly along the winding, two-mile driveway with only the glow from the smoldering house to light the way. She pulled up just as the fire fighters began packing up their equipment. They were letting the house burn as it was too far gone, but had secured the perimeter around the garage after the discovery of a body.
Tenten wrinkled her nose in disgust as she stepped into the charred remains of what had once been a four car garage. She saw what was left of the victim sprawled on the concrete floor.
The local lieutenant of the Terra Precinct met her immediately; Genma Shiranui. “Do we have the victims’ name?” She gagged out as the smell overwhelmed her nostrils.
“Anything identifiable perished in the blaze, but we believe this is the remains of the owner of the house. We’ll know more when we talk with the neighbors and of course after the autopsy.” Genma stated.
“Do we have a speculation for cause of death?”
“It’s just preliminary findings. The Medical Examiner believes smoke inhalation is the culprit, but we’ll know more at autopsy.”
Tenten furrowed her brow as she started to talk to herself looking closing at her surroundings and then at the body. “
Smoke inhalation in her garage? Yes, that sounds reasonable. Do we know what sparked the blaze?”
“Accelerant was found not far from here just a ways from the house. We marked it off for bagging for when the CSI’s arrive. It’s looking like an arson job to me.” Tenten nodded in agreement. It certainly did look like arson from here.
“What was the accelerant used?”
“Gasoline, the firefighters didn’t have any trouble in recognizing it as the cause of the blaze. It’s weird though; the can was just sitting there, placed neatly on the ground. It seems like they wanted us to know what they used or they just didn’t care enough to hide their tracks. There was another oddity too; there was no accelerant anywhere in the garage. They’re either being cocky and taunting us or they’re extremely confident that they won’t be caught.”
“
Or it’s a mixture of both. So the fire had to have started after the victim arrived home or they would have noticed the burning house on the drive up. But why did they stall in the garage? Why wouldn’t they get out when they noticed the smoke? It makes no sense. Could this have been some form of suicide? But why would they use such a horrible method? Hmm.”
“Anything is possible, but I agree that it’s a horrible way to die. Maybe they were repenting for something and fire was the only thing that made sense to their delusional mind?” Genma conceded. He was a bit put out by the singular monologue of the metropolitan detective.
“Right, can you send us the autopsy report as soon as it becomes available? I can’t proceed much further without knowing the cause of death or the victims’ identity.”
“We’ll be sure to send it when we receive it. Did you want to accompany me to the neighbors? ”
Tenten nodded and before long she was standing on the front landing of the closest neighbor who lived three miles away. They knocked on the door waiting for the occupant to answer. A pale, dark-haired man answered the giant oak door.
“Can I help you?” Came an oily reply that sent shivers down Tenten’s spine.
“I’m Lieutenant Genma Shiranui of the Terra Precinct and this is Detective Tenten of the Metro police; we have a few questions about your neighbor just up the road.” He pointed to the right indicating the still smoldering house.
“Ah, that would be Miss Taki’s house. Has something happened?” He asked, giving the two officers the impression that he could care less about Miss Taki.
“There was a house fire and we were unable to identify the property owner. Unfortunately it was a total loss, destroyed everything in its path. Did Miss Taki have frequent visitors by chance?”
“Sorry, lieutenant, she lived too far away from me to know of her daily comings-and-goings. The only thing that I know about her is that she is a local model with the Konoha Catwalk**; anything more than that is but a mystery to me.” He chuckled sorrowfully sending more shivers through Tenten.
“A model? Now that you mention it I do recall a magazine article about her up and coming career. She was one to keep an eye on; clearly she had the talent.”
“That would be Miss Taki for you.” The man chuckled again.
“You’ve been most helpful to us, Mr.?”
“Councilman Orochimaru Oro-Sannin.”
“Thank you again for your time Councilman Oro-Sannin; if you can think of anything more that could help us please don’t hesitate to call.”
“Not a problem.”
“So the house belongs to a Miss Taki; I’ll try to make contact with her.” Genma murmured as they descended the numerous steps to the waiting car.
“That’s assuming she wasn’t the victim in the garage. Can you drop me back off at my car?”
“That’s no problem. I’ll be on scene for a while longer; anything that we find I’ll be sure to send your way.”
“Thank you.” Tenten smiled as she slid out of the lieutenants’ car and into her own. She rubbed at her forehead before making her way back down the winding driveway and onto the highway. It was nearing midnight and she was anxious to get back to the station. She growled as she gripped the steering wheel trying to erase the memory of the smell inside the garage. Disturbing, to say the least and totally unnecessary. This should have been Sasuke’s call to take, but the infuriating man still hadn’t returned to work. Where could he have been for the last six days? It was so unlike the dark, stoic, and aloof man. He was a stickler for punctuality; so what was keeping him away?
Those thoughts occupied Tenten all the way in to the station. She released a heavy yawn as she sat down at her desk to begin the paperwork on the fire. It was quiet in the room as her partner walked over from the bathroom and sat down.
“How was your youthful jaunt this evening, Tenten?” Lee bubbled out in an obnoxious tone of voice.
“Can you keep it down, Lee?!” Tenten snapped, groaning from an oncoming headache. “And for your information; it wasn’t a youthful jaunt. I was investigating a murder.”
“That is so sad.” Lee mourned as he seemed to deflate into himself.
“Yes, Lee, it’s so sad. Now will you please let me finish this file before I hop in the shower? I would like to get rid of the stench as soon as possible.”
“Lemon works wonders for removing any traces of a variety of odors.” Tsunade offered from the doorway of her office.
“I don’t have any lemons…” Tenten sighed, slumping in her chair. “I guess I’ll have to go buy some now.”
“There’s no need for that. I have some in my office; I use them often in my tea.”
“Thank you, Chief.” Tenten smiled gratefully as she finished filing the new paperwork and set out for the showers. She would try anything to rid herself of the smell that continued to invade her senses. Turning the water to hotter than normal she stepped into the shower and bent over double; spilling what little contents that were left in her stomach to the bottom of the shower. She sighed as she slid down the tiled wall and closed her eyes; thinking of anything but those of which she witnessed earlier.
AN: Really short chapter this time, but it served its purpose. I wanted to clarify what Sasuke saw in the mirror: he saw himself smiling. Normally he wouldn't do that or that often; so it surprised him. I also wanted to point out, even though this is my third fic on AFF, that this is the very first fic I wrote. I'm editing it, but I really want to stay true to what I already wrote.
*Founding Day is fictitious and something I invented for the purpose of this story. It is to signify the Founding of Konoha and is celebrated with bonfires and fireworks. (A lot like Independence Day in America.)
** Konoha Catwalk is a building and magazine that employs models.
