Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Deception - COMPLETE	By : kizukatana Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 11939 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and make no money on anything I write

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
-xXx-
"I'm going to kill him very slowly when I find him," Gaara said, his voice completely calm and factual as he stared at the wounds on Naruto's back.
The words hung heavily in the small room.
"Gaara," Naruto said softly, starting to turn, but Gaara's hand touched his shoulder, preventing the motion.
"Gaara," Naruto said again. "He's mine. It has to be me."
Gaara's fingers dropped to brush lightly over the skin just above the cuts in Naruto's back. His eyes were focused on the wounded flesh, and where it connected with his trembling fingertips. Naruto's eyes widened slightly at the uncharacteristic contact. Other than through the red-head's fingertips, their bodies did not touch, but the intensity of the emotion that flowed between them was almost tangible. Gaara knew how close he had come to losing Naruto. He was numb with the knowledge that he hadn't been there to protect the one person he cared for from the maniac who was hunting him. He didn't understand how Naruto was still alive, given that he clearly had not been in a state to defend himself. And while Gaara was grateful that Naruto had survived, he was deeply unsettled because he didn't know the reason.
All he knew for sure was that this wasn't over.
Sasuke took a step towards Naruto, unsure who this man was to his lover. His gaze was fixed on where Gaara's fingertips connected with Naruto's bare flesh. "Naruto," Sasuke said, drawing Naruto's attention away from the man still touching his back.
"Sasuke. This is Gaara. He's my..." Naruto struggled to find a word that could convey in any sense just what Gaara was to him.
"Family," Gaara finished for him.
Sasuke frowned. "Naruto never said he had a brother."
Gaara smirked very slightly, finally allowing his fingers to drop from Naruto's skin, but not moving himself away from the blond. He wouldn't fail to protect his friend a second time. "There's a lot we don't talk about with strangers."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"And who are you to him?" Gaara asked, his eyes unblinking on Sasuke's.
"He's my employer," Naruto began, sensing the tension between the two and wanting to diffuse it as soon as possible. "Orochimaru hired me to-"
Gaara leveled a cool stare at Naruto. "I know exactly what Orochimaru hired you to do, Naruto, and I'm betting so does everyone else in this room. So let's avoid the dance." Gaara turned his unflinching gaze back to Sasuke. "What are you to him?"
"He's my lover," Sasuke calmly stated, more than happy to assert that fact to the man who was still standing within touching distance of Naruto. Sasuke felt the urge to physically insert himself between the two, but restrained himself. He didn't notice the slight smile that appeared on Shikamaru's face at his statement, nor the glace he exchanged with Itachi.
"You were able to bring him out of his episode," Gaara stated flatly.
"Yes," Sasuke replied, wondering if Naruto's friend felt envy that he was no longer the only one who could reach Naruto when he was like this, or whether Gaara was just glad that someone else had been able to help.
Gaara seemed to evaluate him for several tense moments. Finally he gave a small nod. "That's good. No one else has ever been able to help him."
"Except you," Sasuke said flatly, trying to control the surge of jealousy that flooded him at that statement. Naruto had had a life before Sasuke, and Sasuke needed to accept that. The only problem was that the connection between Gaara and Naruto didn't look like history. It looked to be very much still present.
Gaara just shrugged. "As I said. We're family. But now he also has you."
Naruto released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding at Gaara's statement. Gaara approved of Sasuke, in as much as Gaara approved of anyone. But before Naruto could spend time thinking about why he was so happy about that fact, Gaara was speaking again.
"You need to file a police report about the attack."
Shocked, Naruto just stared at his friend as though he had grown another head. Fighting was just a part of their lives. It wasn't something you went to the cops about. Most police felt like if criminals killed each other off, it just saved them the cost of a trial as long as no civilians got caught in the cross-fire. But even if they did want to help Naruto, there wouldn't be anything they could do about it. Especially in this case. Cops had to play by the rules. Tobi never did.
"Gaara - you know who did this. Police from like ten different countries have been chasing him for over a decade on multiple counts of murder, some of which were high profile, innocent people. I seriously doubt that the fact that he knifed some two-bit criminal like me is going to make any difference to them."
Gaara just looked at him steadily. "You need to talk to the police."
There was a subtle stress on the word 'police' that Naruto picked up finally. Kakashi wants me to go see him.
"Whatever," Naruto said, looking down. Sasuke frowned. Something about Naruto's sudden capitulation seemed off.
Shikamaru looked at his watch. "Shit. I was supposed to be back at the station fifteen minutes ago."
Itachi nodded, releasing the man from further obligation to stay. "Thanks for coming. If you need me to send anything over saying it was an emergency situation, I'm happy to."
Shikamaru sighed. "Nah. I'll let you know if I catch any grief, but it's no big deal," he had the sense that the more they were able to keep this incident off the records, the better. He turned to look at Gaara and Naruto, then handed them each a card. "You should come see me."
Naruto took the card to be polite, but Gaara just stared at it. "Thanks, Dr. -" Naruto looked at the card. "Dr. Nara. But you know, Gaara and I don't exactly work at places with health insurance. I'm pretty sure we can't afford your fees, so..."
Shikamaru placed the card directly into Gaara's hand, his other hand touching Gaara's forearm as he did so. Gaara flinched slightly, and Shikamaru's gaze sharpened as he immediately withdrew his hand. "Sorry," Shikamaru said softly, cautiously.
Something flickered in Gaara's eyes... surprise that his reaction had been both noted and properly interpreted.
"You wouldn't need to pay me," Shikamaru said casually. "You're friends of Itachi's. That makes us friends by proxy. I don't charge my friends for talking."
Gaara looked at him consideringly, then placed the card in his pocket. Naruto simply shrugged.
Satisfied that he had done all he could, Shikamaru left.
"I'll take you down to the station when you're done here," Sasuke said.
"No," Gaara and Itachi said simultaneously.
Gaara turned to look at Itachi, wondering why he had also expressed disapproval of the idea. Itachi met Gaara's gaze, then turned to Sasuke
"Sasuke, remember all your commitments," Itachi reminded him. Sasuke couldn't be seen to be overly involved with Naruto, especially in front of the police. Naruto was an employee as far as the police knew. It needed to remain that way until the investigation was closed.
"There is a deranged serial killer stalking Naruto. I'm not just going to let him wander around by himsel-"
"He's not," Gaara interrupted. "I'll be with him."
"Don't make me out to be some helpless child," Naruto said, sounding annoyed. "I don't need a body guard."
"Against anyone else you'd be right," Gaara said. "But this man is the one exception, Naruto. You can't control where your mind goes when you confront him. If you remain in the present, I have no doubt that you could take him out. But..." Gaara let the rest of the statement remain unsaid.
"Fine," Naruto said. "You can hold my fucking hand to the police station."
Gaara narrowed his eyes, but Naruto didn't feel guilty. If Gaara was going to throw Naruto's mental issues in his face, Naruto could remind Gaara that he wasn't without a few of his own.
"Are you up to talking with the police about Orochimaru before you go?" Itachi asked. "If not, I can have them meet you at the station."
"I'm fine," Naruto stated, just as the door to the men's room opened again.
A pink-haired woman walked in carrying a doctor's bag.
. . . . . . . . . .
Naruto blinked at her. "Um... you do know this is the men's room, right?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "And here I thought only girls were supposed to hang out in the bathroom together. It's not like anyone's using it for its intended purposes at the moment. And even if you were, none of you have anything I haven't seen before.
Gaara raised a hairless eyebrow. "Oh, really?"
Sakura flushed, but wasn't about to be intimidated. "Yes, REALLY. Working in an ER pretty much means bodily fluids and functions are no longer a mystery to me. Look, Itachi called me and said Naruto was bleeding all over the bathroom floor from some unknown wounds. I'm not just going to wait in the lobby for you guys to come out just to protect my 'innocence' about what the inside of a men's room looks like."
Naruto laughed, and Sakura looked at him, not able to hide her obvious relief that he seemed to be ok. She walked over to where Naruto stood by the sink next to Gaara. "It's a good thing you were able to get here so quickly."
Gaara reluctantly vacated his position next to Naruto to allow Sakura access, giving Sasuke another speculative glance. "Actually, he had brought Naruto out before I got here," Gaara said, tilting his head toward Sasuke.
Sakura's hand froze as she was reaching into her bag for the disinfectant. "What?" Her gaze fell on the marks on Naruto's back and she let out a small cry, immediately kicking herself for the unprofessional noise. She recognized the pattern of the incisions. "Naruto..." she said, real worry apparent in her voice. The wounds themselves were not life threatening. It was the person who delivered them that shook her. She had never asked Naruto where the scars on his stomach had come from, but she had known they were old, and not accidental. There were times when Naruto's hand would brush against the scars on his stomach, as though expecting to see them still bleeding.
Whatever they were, she knew that the depth of the wounds ran much deeper than the flesh. They were why Naruto was broken. And evidently the person who had done this had come back to finish the job. Anguish and fury coursed through Sakura, and she clenched her jaw against it. She drew a slow breath to steady herself. Right now she needed to focus on Naruto's wounds, not how they came to be. "So... Sasuke was able to talk you back, huh?" She put as much sisterly teasing as she could manage into her tone.
Naruto shrugged, uncomfortable that this was becoming such a major topic of conversation. It was exposing a level of trust for Sasuke that Naruto hadn't even really processed internally yet.
"Look, there was this shrink, Nara, here as well. And Itachi let me throw him against a wall. It was sort of a group effort. Who knows, maybe I'm finally starting to be able to control it more on my own, or something."
Gaara snorted skeptically. Naruto would have stomped on his foot but Sakura was already pouring disinfectant onto a gauze pad and swabbing at the wound.
"Jesus fuck, Sakura! Can you warn a guy before you do that stuff?" Naruto tried to close his mind off to the smell.
"Suck it up and stop being a baby," Sakura said, her words harsh but her eyes soft with understanding as she worked as quickly as possible then re-capped the bottle to minimize the spread of the smell. "The wounds are deep, but not very long. I'm going to try to see if we can get away with using suture tape instead of stitches. But if it continues to bleed for more than two days, you need to call me and I'll have to stitch you up. That means no more throwing people into walls for the next couple of days."
Itachi snickered and Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief. He still felt totally off-balance after having come face-to-face with the man who had filled his nightmares since he was a child. He was a little worried that the pain of having the stitches would set him off again. He gripped the basin of the sink to stop the sudden shaking of his hands, leaning forward a bit.
Sakura noticed a piece of paper sticking up from Naruto's back pocket. She pulled it out, thinking only that it was likely ruined with blood but still might be salvageable.
She handed it to Naruto, who looked at it and frowned. "It was in your back pocket. You bled all over it, so I hope it wasn't important."
Naruto recalled the brush he had felt against his back pocket, and slowly took the paper and opened it.

Little fox.
You've grown up into such an interesting specimen. And so skilled. I enjoyed your display against the Russians. Your red-headed friend was quite good, too. It was hard picking which of you I wanted, but since you were the one to deprive me of my last partner, it only makes sense that you should take his place. Which is convenient, since you already bear my mark.
Your latest kill is my favorite. You used a sword... very creative. I wish I could have seen it. Did you feel the spray as you slit his throat? So much better than with a gun, don't you think?
You are almost ready.

Naruto was unable to drag his eyes from the paper. But at least he understood. He knew there had to be a reason why he wasn't dead on the floor of the subway station.
Tobi wasn't planning on killing Naruto. He was planning on recruiting him.
"In what world... would he think I would do anything other than drive my knife through his jugular?" Naruto's voice was dead calm. This was a perfect opportunity. It meant that he would have a chance to take his enemy out, because his enemy would hesitate where Naruto would not.
Gaara pulled the note from Naruto's hand, reading it quickly before handing it over to Sasuke. Sasuke hid his surprise that Gaara would have voluntarily done so.
Gaara gave a low laugh. "You might want to refrain from planning homicide inside in the fucking courthouse in front of someone from the DA's office, Naruto."
Naruto blushed and looked over at Itachi somewhat sheepishly. "I was... just joking?"
Itachi rolled his eyes. At this point, he was already guilty of criminal facilitation when it came to Orochimaru's death. But he'd rather not be involved in other deaths if he could help it. "Of course," Itachi said sarcastically. "But we already have another death to deal with. Our appointment with the officer leading the investigation into Orochimaru's death is in less than twenty minutes. I doubt they will want to hold that conversation here. Is Naruto patched up enough for the interview, Dr. Haruno?"
Sakura nodded as she checked the suture tapes she had applied. "I can't do anything about the blood and holes in his shirt, but his skin should hold for now. If there had been spinal damage, he would already have had some numbness or tingling in his legs. But you have to watch for infection, Naruto. I don't know how close to the spinal cord the blade got. If it punctured the sheath, you might still run into serious problems."
Naruto nodded, pulling on his bloodied shirt, having nothing else to wear. He shot a glance at Gaara. "Wait for me in the coffee shop across the street."
Gaara nodded, and headed out immediately, clearly not wanting to spend any more time than absolutely necessary in a building full of cops, lawyers, and metal detectors.
"Naruto," Sakura began, glancing nervously at the two Uchiha brothers who were waiting for Naruto. "You shouldn't do any strenuous activity for at least two weeks with these injuries. Things like travel."
Naruto sighed. He was hoping Sakura wouldn't have remembered their last conversation. "I'll do my best to behave myself."
Sakura just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like that's ever going to happen. Just..." her voice softened. "... just watch out. I don't want to get called in to ID your body. Or his," she said, moving her head slightly toward the door that Gaara had just exited.
Naruto gave a half smile. "I'll do my best," he repeated. There was really nothing more he could say.
Sakura leaned in and brushed a kiss across his cheek. She had an almost overwhelming feeling that she wasn't going to see either of them again, and she felt her throat close up. She was tired of death. But she knew there was nothing she could do right now to fix any of this. Nodding tightly to Sasuke and Itachi, Sakura headed out, ignoring the stares of people in the lobby at the sight of the attractive young woman exiting the men's room.
. . . . . .
"Sasuke, you need to leave as well. You can't be seen with Naruto right now. We don't want anything to draw attention to your relationship until things are stabilized," Itachi said.
Sasuke raked his fingers through his hair in an uncharacteristic show of frustration. "I hate this," he said, his voice seething. "I hate worrying about fucking appearances when something like this is happening. Naruto was just attacked by an international serial killer, who evidently is trying to recruit him. And I'm supposed to just go back to my office and work on my fucking campaign plan? This is bullshit."
"It's necessary bullshit, and you know it. Don't be a child. If you blow this now, it will only make things worse for Naruto," Itachi said, his voice harsh. Seeing the bleak look on Sasuke's face, he relented slightly. "I'll give you two a few minutes alone. But then you need to leave and Naruto needs to come up to my office."
Sasuke said nothing as Itachi left, finally leaving them alone in the men's room.
"Naruto..." Sasuke said, grabbing Naruto's wrist lightly and pulling him close, resting his forehead against the blond's. "... are you sure you're ok?"
Naruto relaxed into Sasuke's touch, letting the heat of his lover's hands soak into his skin. He tilted his head back, bringing their lips together in a light brush. "Sasuke..." Naruto breathed out as Sasuke's mouth remained closed. "Kiss me."
Sasuke opened his mouth and pressed back lightly, not wanting to put any stress on Naruto's injuries.
"I'm not made of fucking glass, Sasuke. Don't kiss me like a girl," Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the back of his neck and crushed their mouths together in almost desperation.
He hadn't expected the attack today. But it could only end one way. Any time he spent near Sasuke was like painting a bull's eye on his lover. Naruto was still in shock from everything that had happened. Would today be his last day with Sasuke? Had the time already come?
He wasn't ready to let go. He just couldn't.
Naruto backed Sasuke into one of the stalls, their roles reversed from the first time they kissed in a public bathroom what seemed like forever ago, with Naruto now the aggressor.
"Naruto... your back..." Sasuke started, but was cut off as Naruto palmed his rapidly growing erection through his pants.
"Sasuke," Naruto said, untucking Sasuke's shirt from his pants and slipping his hands under the soft fabric. He hated that he sounded like he was begging but was not able to stop himself. "Please," he breathed, sliding his palms over the taut muscles of Sasuke's abdomen, feeling the heat of his lover's body spike in response.
Sasuke kissed back hungrily.
"Oh, god, yes," Naruto breathed the words, grinding his aching erection against Sasuke's, wishing more than anything that they were alone back in Sasuke's penthouse right then.
But they weren't, and there were police waiting to talk to Naruto probably already on their way up to Itachi's office. Naruto drew in a shuddering breath at the thought that this could be it. This could be the last time he saw Sasuke. He knew that he should step back and walk up to Itachi's office right then. Instead, he slipped to his knees, his fingers clumsy in their haste to open the fastenings of Sasuke's pants.
"Naruto, let's wait until, ngh fuck," Sasuke threw his head back as Naruto swirled his tongue around Sasuke's granite-hard erection twice then downed him deep into his throat.
Naruto breathed in the scent of his lover, feeling the vibrations of Sasuke's groan travel through his lover's cock and down Naruto's tongue. He soaked everything in, memorizing the taste, scent, texture and sounds of Sasuke. He felt his eyes burn and his throat close, but forced the emotions down. He had known this would come. Now it was time to pay the price of his indulgences.
But he would have one last memory to take with him.
Naruto began to bob his head, swallowing when Sasuke was deep in his throat and allowing him to thrust freely into his mouth. Naruto felt his own climax rapidly approaching and he quickly unzipped his own trousers and pulled his cock out, pumping it in time with his other hand around Sasuke's dick.
"Naruto," Sasuke gave a hoarse cry as he came, and Naruto continued to suck until every last tremor was finished before he allowed himself to come hard on the floor of the courthouse bathroom.
Sasuke was leaning against the wall as though he legs were not stable enough to hold him while Naruto still knelt, panting, on the hard tile floor at his feet.
"Was that your way of celebrating still being alive?" Sasuke finally managed, his usual smirk appearing on his achingly perfect face.
Naruto didn't answer. He slowly pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the tug of the cuts on his back at the motion He carefully tucked Sasuke's shirt in, then slowly zipped up his pants, brushing small kisses along Sasuke's jawline and throat with each action.
The gentleness of Naruto's touch as he righted Sasuke's clothing somehow set off a feeling of unease with Sasuke, as did the fact that the blond wouldn't meet his eyes as Naruto finally saw to righting his own clothing.
"Naruto?"
Naruto shook his head. "Don't. Sasuke I..." Naruto swallowed hard. "I need to go to Itachi's office now. They're probably waiting."
Sasuke gripped Naruto's chin and forced him to meet his gaze. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Sasuke. I have to go."
Their gazes locked for a pregnant moment before Sasuke released Naruto's chin, his anxiety building as he read the sadness and almost dread in Naruto's blue eyes. "Come back as soon as you've filed your report at the station. We'll figure something out. Shisui is waiting for me outside. I'll let him know what's happened. He might have some ideas."
Naruto didn't nod. "Sasuke, I want you to know..." Naruto drew a deep breath. "I want you to know that this wasn't just a job to me. With us. It isn't just..."
Naruto stopped. There was no point in continuing. All it would do was increase how hard this was going to be. "I have to go. Stay by Shisui. Don't leave his sight."
Sasuke frowned, but Naruto didn't give him time to say anything. He pulled Sasuke in for one last, hard kiss, then walked purposefully out.
-xXx-
The officer had just arrived at Itachi's office when Naruto walked in. If Itachi noticed Naruto's flushed and slightly rumpled appearance, he made no mention of the fact.
"Mr. Uzumaki, Mr. Uchiha," the officer began. "Thank you both for taking the time to talk with me today. We only have a few remaining questions before we will be able to officially close the case."
Naruto and Itachi nodded in acknowledgement, waiting for the man to continue.
"Mr. Uzumaki, you stated that Orochimaru had directed you to take on Sasuke Uchiha's security when he received a threatening letter containing certain photographs of him in various locations, is that correct?"
"Yes," Naruto said, wondering where this was going.
"Do you recognize these photographs?" The officer asked, handing Naruto a packet of photos that he had carried with him.
Naruto flipped through them. "Yes, these are the same photographs. Did you get these from the police here?"
"No. An officer found copies of these photographs on Mr. Sanin's computer when we searched his home yesterday."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. Sasuke had not given Orochimaru copies of the photographs. "Well..." Naruto began. "I know that Orochimaru was very concerned about the threat. He had asked the police to keep him informed. It is possible they gave him copies of the photographs as well."
The officer smirked at what he percieved as Naruto's naïveté. "We also found them on the memory card of a high end camera that was recovered in his apartment. We are verifying that this was the camera that the photos were taken from, but it appears likely."
Naruto just stared. This man was trying to say... that Orochimaru was Sasuke's stalker?
"We also found these papers in a locked drawer of his desk," the officer was continuing, handing Naruto a set of sketches and some photographs of an explosive device. Naruto recognized it almost immediately as Hanzo's work based on Dei's description. Itachi cleared his throat, and Naruto startled, then handed the pages to him so he could see what the hell it was that had Naruto looking so shocked.
"That isn't possible. This has to be some sort of plant. Orochimaru was almost... weirdly protective of Sasuke... Mr. Uchiha, I mean. He wouldn't... this has to be him just following the investigation," Naruto said, not wanting to expose the truly insane obsession that Orochimaru had had for Sasuke, but also wanting to make it clear that they were looking in the wrong direction.
"We also recovered some messages sent between him and an unknown person regarding concerns that you had figured out who had set the bomb, and that he needed to eliminate you."
Naruto's eyes widened. Orochimaru might have been bat shit crazy when it came to Sasuke, but he was not an idiot. He would never have sent an e-mail like that. Not under any circumstances. Naruto shot a glance at Itachi, whose face was inscrutable.
"Evidently he was mistaken in his estimation of your ability to uncover his activities," the officer said smugly, clearly enjoying his mental image of Naruto as a dumb security guard who had remained clueless of his employer's ruse. "He hired you to appear to be helping, when in actuality he was the main threat. It isn't that uncommon of a ploy. You'd be surprised how many killers actually dial 911 to pretend to have 'found the body'."
Naruto made a slight choking sound, but the officer wrote it up to the boy's embarrassment at having been played by his recently deceased employer.
Itachi stirred. "I take it that - in light of this recent evidence clearing up the motive issue - you will not be filing charges against Mr. Uzumaki in this matter?"
The officer nodded. "Yes, it is clearly a case of self-defense. The attack on Mr. Uzumaki's life was premeditated and intent has been established. Fortunately, your quick reflexes prevented the man from being able to carry out his plans."
Naruto nodded, not sure if he should keep insisting that the idea of Orochimaru being the stalker and bomber was a bunch of shit. He looked to Itachi... and kept his mouth closed.
Itachi was standing, thanking the officer for making the trip out to personally deliver the information, and then the officer was gone.
Naruto turned to look at Itachi. "You know that this is crazy, right? There is no way that Orochimaru is the guy who took those photos or set that bomb. And the message was clearly planted. Even if we didn't know the real reason Orochimaru was in my room that night, the guy was not a complete idiot. He would never have put something like that in writing. Someone is trying to use his death to cover their tracks."
Itachi was thoughtful. "I think you are probably right. But the police consider this matter closed. And it is currently convenient for us to allow them to do so, since it means your situation is resolved."
"But they'll stop the surveillance on Sasuke if they think the bomber is dead."
"Well, there is still the matter of the 'unknown person' he messaged. I could probably convince the police here that Orochimaru had a partner, who may not have given up upon the man's death. After all, it wasn't clear in the note if Orochimaru was doing this person's bidding or vice versa. And of course, Shisui will be here to help. He's worth more protection than whatever the police can offer, as I'm sure you've assessed on your own."
It took Naruto a moment to realize that Itachi was assuring him that there would be others to take over Sasuke's security. From him. "How did you know?" Naruto asked.
"Because I saw your face when Sasuke arrived. You were afraid. For him. Right now you have a target on your back, and anyone who is closely associated with you is in danger. I know what I'd do in that situation. And you know, too."
Naruto nodded slowly, feeling almost shy at the thought that Itachi thought they were the same on some level. "He's going to be really mad at me," Naruto said with a sigh.
Itachi chuckled. "That's an understatement. And he probably won't be happy with me, either."
Naruto gave a weak grin. "Well. Just tell Shisui that the threat is not over. And tell Sasuke..." Naruto paused, not sure what to say. "Just tell him I didn't want it to be like this. I knew it could never work over the long haul, but I had hoped..." Naruto trailed off.
Itachi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Don't give up so easily. When this is over, you two can talk and see what you both want at that point."
Naruto laughed hollowly. "What he's going to want will be to hand me my ass."
Itachi smiled. "Probably. But after that, he'll probably want something else."
"Ok. Well, I guess... I guess I should go," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head a bit awkwardly. "Thanks, Itachi. I... it was really good meeting you and everything. For a lawyer, you're actually not a bad guy."
Itachi actually laughed, the first time Naruto had ever heard the sound. "Yeah, for a killer, you're not so bad either."
With that, Naruto walked out Itachi's office. Itachi wondered if that was that last time he would see the blond. He quickly called Sasuke to let him know what the officer had said, but left out the final conversation he'd had with Naruto.
He sat back to focus on his work. And waited for the call from Sasuke that he knew would come at some point that evening.
-xXx-
Sasuke never let his impatience show. He had sat through the most pointless, idiotic and sickening political debates without batting an eyelash. But if he didn't hear word from Naruto soon, he was going to explode. It was already almost eight o'clock at night.
He and Shisui had ordered dinner as they waited to hear from Naruto. Itachi had called to inform them of what the police had discovered at Orochimaru's home.
Shisui and Suigetsu had been at Orochimaru's earlier and knew for a fact that the so-called 'evidence' had not been there at that time, so there was little doubt that it was fake. It was a valuable clue, however, because the evidence must have been planted before the fact of Orochimaru's death had been released to the media. For the first 7 hours after the incident, the news had only said that 'a death' had occurred, but they hadn't said who or how, but the house had been searched three hours after his death.
So it was someone with inside information, though they already knew that due to the nature of the bomb. Sasuke's fingers drummed a rapid beat on his desktop as he forced himself to look at the notes that Karin had faxed over regarding his upcoming schedule and how to handle any potential questions about the Orochimaru incident. He would be meeting with her tomorrow to fill her in on more details about the true nature of events. Karin was one person that Sasuke knew he could utterly rely on to guard his secrets. But she wouldn't know what she needed to guard against if he didn't keep her informed. Though since Suigetsu had already largely figured most of it out, he doubted any of what he had to tell her would come as much of a shock.
Sasuke's eyes flicked in annoyance to his watch again. Why wasn't the idiot back yet? How long could it possibly take to file a simple assault charge?
His mind was avoiding thinking about the last time he had been with Naruto. He knew that there was an underlying reason to Naruto's voracity that Sasuke was denying. The possibility that Naruto had no intentions of coming back to him tonight.
Sasuke had Suigetsu monitoring the police communications and their internal systems. It was a risky move, but Sasuke's patience had run out over an hour ago. It worried him that there was no record at all of any complaint being filed resembling Naruto's assault in the subway station. No record of his even having entered the precinct.
The phone on Sasuke's desk rang, and he jerked slightly at the sound. "What," he said tersely into the phone, recognizing the number as Juugo calling from security downstairs.
"There is an NYPD officer here to see you. I checked his credentials. Is it ok to send him up?"
Sasuke's blood froze. There were several very bad reasons that an officer would be coming to his home at this time of night. He couldn't think of a single good one.
"Of course," Sasuke said, his voice smooth and calm.
He looked over his shoulder to see Shisui raising an eyebrow, questioningly. "It's the police. I want you to wait in your room. Leave the door open a crack so you can see and hear, but don't make your presence known. If they arrest me, call Itachi."
Shisui nodded and disappeared silently into his room, taking his glass and plate from the kitchen so there would be no hint that anyone other than Sasuke was home that evening.
The elevator bell chimed, announcing the visitor. Sasuke recognized the man. "Captain Hatake. To what do I owe the pleasure this evening?"
Kakashi smirked, able to read the well-concealed anxiety behind the man's tone, and knowing at least some of the reason for it. Kakashi let his gaze quickly scan the apartment, settling briefly on a partially closed door to what was most likely a bedroom. "Actually, I am here on a somewhat personal matter. A recent employee of yours asked me to inform you that he has been placed into protective custody, due to recent events that he assured me you are already aware of. This is quite frankly a violation of protocol, but the boy seemed quite distressed that he wasn't able to let you know directly, and he didn't want you to be concerned for his safety."
Sasuke didn't move or react at all as he studied the man in front of him. He's lying.
"Do you make a habit of violating protocol, Captain Hatake? It seems like not a very wise choice in your profession," Sasuke said, feeling no compunction about letting his skepticism show.
Somehow this only amused the police officer more. "Yes, well - not all of us are as flawless as you, Councilman Uchiha. However, now that my message has been delivered, I must return to those protocols that you seem so worried about."
Kakashi turned to go, but Sasuke's voice stopped him. "And when will he be able to contact me directly to verify the story that you just told me?"
"You seem awfully concerned about the safety of a temporary employee that has worked for you for less than a month. Given the circumstances, I would have thought you would have been glad to be rid of him."
Sasuke clenched his teeth together harshly. "Get out."
Kakashi shrugged and pressed the button for the elevator. When the doors had closed behind him, Shisui stepped out.
"He knew I was here."
Sasuke nodded. "And he was lying about Naruto."
Sasuke flipped open his phone. There was a small chance that Naruto had been placed in protective custody. "Suigetsu. I want you to check the protective custody status of -"
"I've been checking. No one has entered the program in the past 24 hours. Not even an enquiry."
Sasuke snapped the phone closed. Naruto had vanished into thin air. And Sasuke had no idea if he had left willingly, or if something had happened to him.
He turned and put his fist through the drywall of his office wall.
-xXx-
to be continued...
- 15
- 16
- 17
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Deception - COMPLETE