Yosougai (Unexpected)

A/N: We are our own Betas and worst critics. There is no disrespected intended toward the Yakuza.

This is the promised sequel to Hottan (The Beginning)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

[“Heads up. The little princes have arrived.”]



Asuma hung up the phone. “Look alive everyone. It’s here.” The other rough looking men lounging around the room sat or stood straighter tweaking their clothes into something more presentable.



The door opened and a man paced into the room like a feral cat. The pale eyes took everything in at a glance. Behind him was his ever present shadow. The man’s lazy smirk and boneless stance was irritating at best.



Neji stopped in front of Asuma. “Anything I need to know?” It was a formality and Asuma knew that. There was nothing that Asuma would know that Neji didn’t.



“The Uchiha’s are encroaching on the west side again. Both the brats were partying at a club we ‘oversee’ last night.” Neji just nodded, he already knew all that.



Asuma held his temper in check; but it boiled inside. ‘Why the hell did this uptown brat get sent down here? We don’t need him watching us and I have better things to do than babysit him and his prep-school pet!’ “The revenues are up in all quarters. It’s been quiet.”



“Thank you Asuma-san. I’ll be in my office should you need me.” Neji turned his back on them all. Shikamaru followed languidly.



“Man, do they hate you,” he remarked after the door closed.



Neji smiled crookedly. “They resent having the trust fund brats in their hair.”



“Why did your uncle send you here anyway? This wasn’t what your dad wanted for you.”



“Hiashi-sama is making a point. He sent me to school just like my father had wanted, but he still kept me in the family ‘business’.”



“Which Hizashi-sama didn’t want.”



“And that is the point.” Neji removed the suit jacket, loosened his tie, and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt. “No one, not even family, tells Hiashi what to do and he interprets every contract as it suits him. He is Hiashi Hyuuga and this,” Neji spread his hands for emphasis; “is his world.”



Shikamaru rolled his eyes and followed Neji’s example, getting more comfortable before plopping down on the large couch. Suits were damned uncomfortable and troublesome.



A few hours later there was a solid knock on the door. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Neji. “Please open the door Shika.” The lazy youth stood up and did as asked.



“Forgive me Neji-sama, but there may be a bit of trouble…” Asuma looked agitated.



Neji leaned forward placing his forearms on the desk. “Please come in Asuma-san and tell me everything.”



Shikamaru shut the door behind the man and leaned against it. Neji waited as Asuma approached his desk and bowed reluctantly. “Uchiha, Sasuke is in this very neighborhood as we speak. He and his men are breaking down doors of stores, apartments… They’re looking for someone. One of our informants heard him say they were going to kill the person when they found him.”



Neji’s eyes hardened into hard opals as he listened. Asuma got a small sense of the fear he felt when in the same room with the boy’s uncle. “Perhaps we should greet our guests.” His voice hit the older man like little drops of cold stinging rain. Neji buttoned his shirt back up, straightened his tie, and grabbed his coat before exiting the room. It would never do to let outside people see him less than immaculate.



“It would be good to know who or what he’s looking for and why,” Shikamaru remarked casually while closely following Neji.



Asuma stiffened before saying; “We have people working on that as we speak.”



“Thorough as always,” Shika commented.



“Thank you Asuma-san. My uncle’s faith in you is borne out, just as expected. Shall we go for a walk? I think a pleasant stroll of the neighborhood would be perfect before lunch.” Asuma bit his cheek. If anything happened to Neji on his watch, he was a dead man. If anything happened to the brat’s pet, he could count on Neji or the other boy’s father taking him apart one piece at a time. Any way he looked at it he was screwed. It was really turning out to be a bad day.



One of the informants had found what they needed. “Sasuke’s lover claims that she was assaulted by a guy at a club in the neutral zone when Sasuke and his brother were over at Genma’s place last night. Apparently, the guy is hiding somewhere around here and Sasuke intends to kill him.”



“We can’t let that happen, now can we?” Neji smiled at a shop woman who in turn dropped the flowers she’d been carrying. He stopped and helped her retrieve them like a true gentleman. The older woman couldn’t stop blushing as the small group of men walked away.



Shikamaru didn’t even try to suppress the chuckle. “Maybe you should just smile at Sasuke and he’ll forget why he’s here.”



“I could do that, but I’m afraid he would take it to heart.”



Asuma was on edge. They were all idiots. Joking around and walking around as if they didn’t have a care in the world. They could at least show a little more concern out of respect for him.



In less than a minute a man came running towards them yelling for Asuma. “They’re gonna kill him!”



Neji of course headed straight for the center of the disturbance. Two sleazy looking men were holding a third between them while the younger of the Uchiha sons punched him in the face. Neji didn’t get a good look at the captive, but he saw the man’s leg quite clearly when his foot connected with the Sasuke’s jaw. The force of the blow sent the raven reeling. The other two men were taken by surprise and their victim wrenched himself out of their grasp and started running through the crowd.



Asuma intercepted him. In his condition the blond haired youth was no match for Asuma’s brute strength. Asuma looked to Neji for orders.



“Fucking bastard!” Sasuke had a gun in his hand and it was pointed at the blond. Asuma’s eyes narrowed in anger.



“Tell me again Neji-sama...” Shikamaru’s voice slid into the cracks in the air. “Why do we keep this one around? He really is troublesome.” Asuma’s neck bristled. He thought the boy had meant him.



Neji approached them and stroked the mop of blond hair. “He can be bothersome, but he is never dull.” Neji turned to Sasuke as if he had just noticed him. “Uchiha Sasuke, what a surprise. To what do we owe the honor of your presence in our peaceful little neighborhood?”



The crowd watched the two men. None of them had really seen either of them so close before, but the mood was decidedly in Neji’s favor and not just because this was Hyuuga territory. Neji carried himself like a gentleman of taste and refinement and Sasuke had behaved like a lowbrow thug. The weapon was still raised. Neji stepped directly into the line of fire as if the thing didn’t exist.



“He attacked my woman last night,” Sasuke hissed.



Shikamaru laughed heartily. “Really? And you saw this?”



“Of course not. He’d already been dead if I had!”



“I’m afraid your information is in error,” Neji spoke calmly, without a hint of animosity.



“This young man was drinking at my home last night. Shikamaru can, of course, confirm that, since he was with us as well.”



Shikamaru was no gentleman. He openly sneered at the idiot still holding the gun. “I’m thinking the witch lied to you. Women love making men run around and act foolish on their account. Troublesome creatures.”



“How did she know him then?” Sasuke had the sense to lower the weapon and try to control his voice.



Neji looked quizzically at the man standing in front of Asuma.



“I work at the club she goes to.” Naruto wasn’t saying anymore. He hated that pink haired skank, but not enough to tell such a dangerous man that his ‘woman’ had tried to seduce him and then gotten pissed when he turned her down. The guy with the ponytail, Shikamaru, was right; women were trouble.



It was the first time Neji had gotten a good look at the other man’s face. Bright blue eyes glared at him suspiciously from a tanned handsome face. The bruises were going to be fabulous very soon and one eye might swell shut as well.



“I am thinking that we should each attend to our own people Uchiha.” Neji turned to smile pleasantly at the youngest heir of the Hyuuga family’s only rivals. “If next you wish to speak with someone in my employ or on this side of the river, please contact me and I will assist you in locating that individual. I will even offer a quiet place for your conversation.”



Sasuke was boiling. ‘How the hell does he stay so calm! Arrogant bastard! You aren’t untouchable you know?!’ “I’ll keep that in mind.” The raven shoved his gun back into the holster under his designer jacket and stomped away with his cronies in tow.



Neji watched him go. “Shika. Take him to my house, feed him, and clean him up. Asuma-san, please go with them.”



“Neji. You’re not walking back alone,” Shikamaru growled low in his throat. It was the first intelligent thing Asuma had ever heard the other brat say.



Neji smiled at the crowd. “I am not alone, am I neighbors?”



Several young men popped out of the throng. “We’ll walk with you Neji-sama. No one will touch you!”



Another voice, old and feminine. “Just let those Uchiha temes try anything on our Hyuuga-sama!!” The crowd cheered and began to sweep a smiling Neji back toward the building that they had seemed to have forgotten to fear.



Asuma watched in sheer panic and awe. Shikamaru took the blond by the arm. “You heard him. Let’s go.”



Naruto thought he could get away if it had only been one of them, but he wasn’t confident that he could escape both of them. “Why?” He asked, resisting the pull just enough to stay put.



Asuma recovered enough to place one large hand on either side of the boy’s shoulders. “Because Neji-sama said to.”



The blond hesitantly went with the two men.



--



“What is a bartender in the neutral zone doing working for Neji Hyuuga?” Itachi asked his idiot baby brother.



“How should I know!”



“Think about it Sasuke. I told you what we learned about that kid. Why was Sakura so pissed off? Maybe he doesn’t work for the Hyuuga's, maybe he ‘works’ for Neji,” Sasuke didn’t get it. Itachi wanted to growl. “You know the rumors about Hiashi’s nephew and the Nara boy… think Sasuke, think very hard.”



“Oh!” Sasuke cried. His eyes were round with surprise. He started to laugh. ‘He saved the little blond for ‘that’ reason.’



Itachi smirked at Neji’s obvious mistake. His face fell a bit when he looked at his idiot brother. He was starting to wonder if there was any hope at all for Sasuke. He could have ruined everything by behaving as he had. ‘Not my problem. Sasuke is Madara’s favorite. I’ll just let that evil old man handle it,’ “I have some work to do Sasuke. Why don’t you go check out the club we just took over inside the neutral zone?”



-------



“You got a name kid?” Naruto looked at the big guy. Naruto knew his name. He just couldn’t see any reason to tell this Asuma his own. “Look. I can keep calling you Baka in my head or I can have a name, really doesn’t matter to me.”



“Minato,” Naruto lied, using his dad’s name. He’d always thought it was cooler than his anyway.



“Minato?” The smaller man smirked. “Doesn’t suit you.” It was like he knew Naruto had lied. The blond scowled at them both but didn’t say anything else.



He was in a large penthouse apartment in a very upscale neighborhood. His companions led him to a large open living room with expensive furniture and oriental art on the walls. He sat on the large black sofa and waited for something else to go wrong. There was a large fish tank that took up on entire wall. When he looked closer, he could tell that the thing was actually separated into segments. In the middle were four compartments, inside each was a large Betta. Naruto vaguely remembered that they were called ‘Japanese Fighting Fish’.



Asuma left him alone with the one called Shikamaru, when the intercom beeped. Shikamaru was watching him with a lazy expression. “So, Minato, you got a last name?” He felt like he was bating.



“Hatake.” Lying was easy when you had good reasons. Naruto didn’t want these people getting anywhere near his friends. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have used that perverts name after all. He does know Iruka… shit, too late now.’



Shikamaru hid his surprise. ‘Hatake… No way….’



Asuma returned with a large tray of food. Shikamaru looked at him questioningly. “We were told to feed him.”



Naruto looked at the food as if it were poison. Shika rolled his eyes and moved over next to the blond and began eating. Asuma gathered up a small plate and went back to stand by the door, ever the guard. After a few minutes Shika nudged the blond. “Eat. I don’t need the Ice Prince up my…” Asuma choked on his food and stared at Shika in shock. “Oh just eat, both of you.”



The blond actually smiled. It wasn’t long and he was devouring the food with gusto. After Asuma took the food away, Shika slipped out to make a phone call. Naruto was tired. He’d been on the run from the Uchiha since he’d gotten off work and heard they were looking for him. A full stomach and the soft sofa were slowly pulling him down until he was lying on his side softly snoring.



Shika came back into the room to see the blond smiling sweetly at some dream or other. “You drugged him? How?”



“The drink.” He never even thought of it. “This kid is really gullible.” Shika just shrugged. He’d have the information he needed soon enough. He didn’t need the guy to be awake while they waited. This was actually much more peaceful.



Neji arrived late that evening. His uncle had required a personal report on the incident. Dealing with Hiashi was always exhausting. All Neji really wanted to do was take a hot shower and sleep. Asuma opened the door for him. “We may have a problem.”



Neji didn’t want anymore problems. He’d done the right thing by preventing the murder of a young man in their territory by the rival clan, even Hiashi agreed. They didn’t need the police getting all riled up over something that wasn’t even their doing. Still, there were loose ends. The biggest one was in his living room blinking up at him sleepily.



“I am sorry, but I need to speak with you. Can you wake up for a bit?”



“Hmm…” The blond rubbed his deep blue eyes like a small child would. “Ow!” The black eye was just as spectacular as Neji had imagined, but it wasn’t excessively swollen. “Shit. I’m up now.”



“Good. Would you like some tea or perhaps coffee?”



Naruto looked around. They were alone in the semi-darkness. The only light was coming from the fish tank. The dark blue beta was squaring off against the shimmering white one across the glass divider. They both had streaks of black accenting their feather like fins. He couldn’t help but think of what had happened earlier. Neji was like the beautiful opaque fish facing off against the dark blue of the Uchiha.



“Why did you help me?”



Neji set the tray down in front of them and took a sip of his tea. “I couldn’t let him do that there.”



“There?” Naruto reached for the other cup, the dark rich coffee smelled wonderful. “You mean in your part of town?”



Neji gave him a hard look before answering. He was not the white knight so many people saw him as. “Exactly.”



The blond just nodded at the affirmation. “What did you want to talk about?”



“First; you told Asuma your name was Minato Hatake. We know that this is not true. So I am asking you myself. What is your name?”



Naruto glared. “If you already know so much why should I tell you? Can’t you find out on your own, with all your money and power and crap?”



Neji took a deep breath. His nerves were thinner than normal. “I would like to hear it from you and I would like to know that you told me the truth.”



Naruto looked away. ‘Why do I feel bad? He already said if it hadn’t of been on his turf, he never would have bothered to save me. He did save me and he is going to find out who I am. What do I really have to lose by telling him?’ “My name is Uzumaki, Naruto.”



“Why did you use the name Hatake?”



Well that wasn’t exactly how he’d expected this to play out. “I know a guy with that last name.”



“What is his first name Naruto?” Neji asked as he sat back a little more comfortably, at least he was making some progress.



“Pervert,” Naruto spouted off while grinning. Neji almost spewed tea out his nose. Shikamaru walked in unannounced at that exact moment.



“Well he is, but I hadn’t thought you two would have progressed that far this fast.”



Neji set his cup down carefully. “He didn’t mean me Baka!”



Shikamaru smirked. “Oh, sorry.”



Naruto looked at them both as if they’d grown horns and developed purple spots.



“So, who’s the ‘pervert’?” Shika asked amiably as he took a seat near Neji. Neji shot him a vile look. His smile only deepened.



“Kakashi, that’s his name, but Pervert suits him better.”



Shikamaru started chuckling and couldn’t stop for a bit. Neji watched his friend, because he wasn’t sure he could look at Naruto without laughing as well. His composure was salvaged when the intercom beeped and he stepped out of the room to answer it.



There was the sound of raised voices in the other room. Shikamaru stood up. There was a hard look on his face. Naruto was very surprised to see that this man was someone to be feared as well. Shikamaru was standing between the blond and the door. It took everything he had not to go to Neji’s side. He had to trust that whoever it was Neji could handle them. The security guards and the other devices and safeguards should have stopped any trouble makers and Shika was already making a list of things to check and improve upon after this was over.



Neji opened the door a few minutes after the shouting stopped. The relief on Shikamaru’s face made him smile. “We have company.”



“Really? Who?”



Neji smiled at Naruto with a slight twinkle in his eyes. “A pervert and a friend.”