Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Plato of Your Kind	By : Ljiljana Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1296 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: NARUTO does not belong to me; I make no money writing this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Part Four

That on Which Reliance is Based

The theater had a sign that the building was closed for renovation, scheduled to reopen in the following spring. It indeed needed renovation. It was an old building that perhaps had been white once, but now most of the hoary paint was falling off the outer walls, leaving behind dirty gray holes. The main doors were barricaded, so Naruto walked around, keeping his fingers tightly coiled in Sasuke�s wet sleeve and half-dragging him along. They found a back entrance marked with red paint there � it was the only confirmation Naruto needed that they were at the right place.

He banged on the door and waited. Only in the last couple of minutes, with the goal so close, he started feeling coldness in its full force. Adrenalin, which must have been what was keeping him warm, was wearing off.

After what must have been a full three minutes of occasional but desperate knocking, the door shrieked and opened.

�Naruto?� Called a questioning voice from the darkness of the hallway inside.

Naruto had no idea who it was or how they knew his name, but he confirmed automatically, �Yeah.�

As he felt Sasuke move to stand closer to him, it occurred to Naruto that it could be some sort of trap. It was too late to do anything but step back a bit, but the figure on the door moved to answer something Naruto couldn�t quite catch to someone in the background.

�Yeah, alright.� The person said, after the exchange was done. �Come on, Iruka will be here in a moment.�

Regardless to the relief he felt, Naruto reinforced his grip on Sasuke�s arm and walked in first. The hallway was very dim, and when the door creaked and thumped behind them, there was nothing but darkness. Naruto�s only connection to the world was Sasuke�s freezing cold hand, so he squeezed it a little and took a deep breath.

�Don�t you have lights in here?�

�Not in this hallway, it stretches down to the street. Someone could see the light.� Their guide answered. It was weird talking to someone who was completely hidden by darkness. �Just keep to the left wall to the first door. There�s light in there.�

Steps passed by him as Naruto found the wall on his left. He tugged Sasuke forward. �You okay there?�

�Fine.� Sasuke said, but it sounded like he had to force the word out. �Are you sure about this?�

With a short laugh, Naruto admitted, �Not at all.� There was no use in lying. He trusted Iruka, but Iruka wasn�t the one to open the door, and he was well aware what sort of people the place was likely to be overcrowded with.

Sasuke yanked his sleeve out of his grip. Naruto started to turn with panic rising in his stomach � what was he doing, where was he going? � but a second later Sasuke grabbed the hem of his shirt and found the belt underneath it. He pushed Naruto to continue walking. Through a faraway window, a light flicked and disappeared. Naruto tried to relax somewhat � where would Sasuke go on his own at that point anyway? He must have gotten tired with Naruto dragging him around by the ham of his sleeve, but he apparently wasn�t willing to lose physical contact with the only person he knew in that darkness. Naruto was grateful; it was a little bit warmer with him closer by.

He walked as steadily as possible. The first sign that the door they were looking for was near was when the footsteps leading them stopped. Naruto had just the time to find a doorframe when there was a squeak and weak light illuminated the face of the stranger in the hall with them. He was a middle aged man with grayish hair sticking unruly upward and gauze band-aided over his right eye.

Naruto followed him into the light and warmth of the inner room. It was another hallway. The three other doors that were leading out of it were all wide open. Naruto tried to glance inside, though the blur of his eye adjusting to the light kept him from seeing much. All he could see was that the room on the right was rearranged to be the kitchen and that the room straight forward was full of people.

�That looks nasty.�

Naruto didn�t have to look back to see that the man who lead them inside had noticed and was speaking about Sasuke�s wound, but he did. There was more blood than the last time he looked so he gritted his teeth. Though Sasuke didn�t say exactly what happened, the wound was too clean and straight to be caused by anything but a bullet. It was just a graze, nothing vital was damaged, but the amount of blood Sasuke was losing was worrying.

From the kitchen, a familiar figure emerged, and Naruto felt his knees weakening in relief.

�I�ve been watching television since midnight, what happened to you?� But even though Iruka�s tone was brusque and demanding, he gathered Naruto into a hug, not paying attention as his clothes dampened. �They first said you were a hostage, but now they are saying that you might be an accomplice�.�

�Let�s just say that I finally understand, from experience, Jiraiya�s first rule of business.� Naruto, with some effort, pushed away and turned to Sasuke, who was keeping really close to him. He gestured at Sasuke�s bloody shirt. �I have to take care of that.�

Iruka glanced at Sasuke and widened his eyes in recognition. He didn�t say anything. Jiraiya�s first rule of business was, work with criminals if you have to, but never for them. And Sasuke was all over the news, as Itachi�s little brother. It didn�t take a genius to figure out that Naruto was working for them.

�There is a line of showers behind the changing rooms,� Iruka said, his eyes flickering to the man who had led Naruto and Sasuke inside. �Take them there. I�ll heat up some water.�

He rushed back into the kitchen. Naruto was grateful he wasn�t asking any questions yet, though they were sure to come. He couldn�t care at the moment. The long sleepless night and everything that happened was catching up with him. He followed the guy who was practically their assigned guide by now out though a door, then through another one and another� The lights were on everywhere, artificially yellow and blazing, and they were starting to bother Naruto. He didn�t need to see piles of garbage, old broken chairs, ripped off tiles and wet smudges on the walls right now, but they were obvious even if neatly out of their way.

Sasuke was still close behind him. This place must have been horrible for him. He didn�t know anyone, the way Naruto knew Iruka. He had never been in a place like this one before. Naruto as good as told him that all the people he was about to meet were dangerous. He was hurt, cold and wet. Naruto wouldn�t be surprised if Sasuke thought it was all his fault or at least that it was his fault they were in such an undesirable position.

In the shower room, the man had switched a small heater on before leaving them alone. Naruto pushed the heavy, long bench for changing closer to the stalls, until it was blocking some of the doors and leaning against the wall between. Next, he dragged the heater as close as the cable allowed him. Sasuke lowered himself down carefully. He was eerily pale. In the unnatural light, Naruto couldn�t be sure exactly how much of that lack of color was from the blood loss and how much was just an illusion.

But Sasuke closing his eyes with a small grunt and then sinking farther was certainly not an illusion. He was exhausted and floating on the edge of consciousness.

�Hey,� Naruto called softly. He could�ve as well yelled, for the way Sasuke straightened himself. �You need to take the shirt off. Can you?�

�Yes.� Sasuke removed the wet, torn shirt with some effort. His chest was dirty; some of the blood reached all the way up to his neck. Naruto wanted to check his bandage, but he probably wouldn�t dare, just in case Iruka got held up. It was likely still bleeding.

To distract himself, Naruto stood up and checked the faucets. None of them worked, which was probably why Iruka had said that he would get some water to heat up. They had no running water in the theater, much less warm running water.

When Iruka came in, he had a first aid kit in his hands. He handed it over to Naruto, with a bottle of uncontaminated bottled water. �Clean the wound so I can see what we can do about it.�

Naruto was pouring a thin stream of clean water over Sasuke�s wound, as slowly as possible. He was using a small cloth Iruka gave him to gently scrub the most persistent dirt. Sasuke looked half asleep, like Naruto messing around the wound was calming him down instead of causing pain. Bloodied water seeped down on the damaged white tiles and slid toward the drain.

Iruka looked over at the wound over Naruto�s shoulder.

�A couple of stitches, I think. It�s not so bad.� Sasuke opened his eyes to glare at him. �It will heal faster, and it�s hardly my first time. The equipment is sterile, I promise.�

That seemed to be what was bothering Sasuke the most, because on the last words, he nodded his acceptance. Iruka turned to Naruto. �Help him wash that well, Ao will bring water in a minute.�

�I can wash myself.�

Iruka ignored Sasuke�s input altogether. �He�s lost a lot of blood and that swim you two took wasn�t helpful. I�ll bring back some clothes for both of you.�

Should Naruto say that he was diving in the channel because he thought they were probably somehow tracked down? But if he was right, they got rid of it. If he wasn�t right� Than how the fuck had those people found them? It was five-something, the sky had just barely begun to turn gray outside. It should�ve been too early for random people to see and report them. But then, one insomniac would be enough.

Iruka left again.

Uncertain, Naruto glanced up at Sasuke. �We should probably get rid of those pants.�

Without opening his eyes, Sasuke said, �I�m too tired to kick you.�

�Aren�t I lucky?� Naruto murmured and reached to open Sasuke�s pants.

Sasuke slapped his hand away like it was an annoying fly. �That meant that you should keep your hands off me.�

If it wasn�t Naruto fault, the entire mess they were in, he�d feel bad about those words. Really bad; it would have been much worse than the pang of irritation and hurt that clinked in his chest.

�You don�t have the luxury.� He muttered, keeping most of the sting out of his voice. �I�m all you�ve got right now.�

He kept his eyes steadily on Sasuke�s face, he wasn�t about to avoid seeing the impact his words made. It wasn�t about being harsh. Naruto knew damn well that after the way they started the previous night, he didn�t have a good chance at establishing a professional relationship based on trust � with emphasis on professional.

But Sasuke�s pants were drenched. Blood oozed completely through them and some would remain even if they attempted to wash out the thick fabric. Besides, it was a little bit childish to act coy under the circumstances.

When Naruto reached again, Sasuke gave in and helped. The jeans were off in no time. Naruto didn�t dare to suggest that the underwear should go off as well. He was having problems looking properly at Sasuke as it was. It wasn�t arousal, Naruto wasn�t sick to get off on the situation but then, it wasn�t as if Sasuke was dying. It seemed easier to avoid temptation just in case.

�Do you think Itachi is alive?� Sasuke asked after a moment.

It was a hard question. Naruto had no idea. �Why would they be so set to get to you if he wasn�t?�

�Revenge?�

Revenge for what? Who were those people? Where were they getting information that was spot on? How had they managed to make the connection to Naruto so soon? How had they managed to follow them, or track them, all the way to the channel?

The scary amount of questions he had no answer to made Naruto dizzy. �They killed all the people Itachi hired to protect you. People that were not on duty even. If that was revenge on your brother, then��

Then what? It was insane? Well, whatever it was, it certainly made no sense.

�No.� Naruto continued when Sasuke didn�t answer. �I think�. He has something on these people. He has something they want, or something they are afraid of. Something so big, they would do anything to get to him.�

That still wasn�t explaining why they would kill some people that were not even on duty, but it was just a theory. .

�He had something on them.� Sasuke amended. He sounded sleepy; likely the small heater that was turned on high and pointed directly at him wasn�t helping with keeping him alert. �And now he�s dead and they think I might have it.�

Naruto�s very first thought was to ask, do you have it? But he had no right to ask that. He took the responsibility for Sasuke�s life on himself blindly. He was doing the best he could, so he should take the possibility under consideration when making decisions from then on, but he had no right to ask.

It didn�t matter either way. Sasuke was now his to protect, even though�

�That scares me.� He didn�t mean to say it, but it was the truth. If someone powerful was after Sasuke because they thought he had something discriminating on them� Then they were fucked.

�Last time I heard from him was on my birthday. In July.�

�Oh.� Naruto answered to that, unsure of what to think. Was that offered as potentially valuable information, or it was just babbling caused by the blood loss? He considered it carefully anyway. If all this was consequence of Itachi trying to get back at people who had attempted to assassinate him behind his club, then Sasuke probably had nothing to do with it. It happened only several weeks ago, months after July. Perhaps Itachi found a way to give him something without Sasuke knowing about it, like sent it to him by mail, that is.

The opening of the door snapped Naruto out of circling around the possibilities with a serious lack of information. Three people brought in two large containers of warm water. Naruto picked up a basin and the rag he used to wash Sasuke�s wound earlier. It was dirty, but at least it was clearly washed before he used it the first time. The sponge on the shelf in the nearest shower stall didn�t look clean at all.

Sasuke sprang back to life when he realized that the time for the shower had come. Naruto took off his shirt, stayed as close as possible, despite being glared at and helped with some places Sasuke couldn�t reach no matter how hard he�d tried. Near the end of it, as if he was watching through a peephole and knew exactly when the time was right, Iruka came back. He had towels � they looked scruffy but clean - and some clothes.

Sasuke used a towel to dry off on his own, but he was holding himself upward against the doorframe every once in awhile. Iruka seemed amused with that unnecessary display of bravado. Naruto had to lock his knees so he wouldn�t reach out to help him keep the balance as Sasuke was trying to use the towel to wipe the remaining water off his legs. He suspected the effort would have just got him snapped at. He stayed close by, though and followed Sasuke�s every movement with probably quite a bit more enthusiasm than strictly necessary.

�The wound is bleeding again.� Iruka assessed after a quick look. He didn�t have to bother; fresh blood was startlingly obvious on Sasuke�s pale skin. �We have to take care of it as soon as possible. I will give you a local anesthetic, and we�ll start as soon as the area gets numb. Do you have any allergies? Weak heart? Any medical condition at all?�

After Sasuke shook his head, Iruka gestured for him to sit on the bench again. He was wearing only the towel Iruka had given him, which Naruto noticed despite being busy looking at the needle Iruka was taking out of protective plastic.

Sasuke barely glanced at it as Iruka filled the syringe with something out of a small bottle, but he took the bottle to check the description as soon as Iruka finished with it. He seemed to be satisfied with the information because he set it down next to him on the bench, before straddling it so Iruka would have a better access.

Naruto managed to keep watching until he saw Iruka carefully place all the equipment on the little white suitcase on the floor behind him. The last time he had stitches was a long time ago� but Naruto could clearly remember that getting anesthetic was the most painful part of it, as you�d get too numb to feel anything through the stitching itself. Ignoring Sasuke�s sharp glance when he moved, Naruto sat down on the bench behind him.

�You should wash before the water cools down.� Sasuke told him over his shoulder through gritted teeth, nodding at Naruto�s wet and dirty clothes. �It�s disgusting.�

It wasn�t pretty, but most of the dirt washed away when he was helping Sasuke. Not that he cared; there was more than enough water for Sasuke to wash again, if needed.. �Give me your hands.�

�No.� Sasuke said instantly. He was already holding onto the edge of the bench. �I won�t move.�

�Do as he says.� Iruka instructed. Sasuke didn�t like it, not judging by the venomous look he gave them both, but he let Naruto take his hands.

Without any further delay, Iruka cleared the blood that freshly oozed out of the wound. He injected a little bit of the anesthetic into four or five places around the gash. When the needle broke his skin the first time and slid deep into the wound, Sasuke finally twisted his hands and squeezed Naruto�s fingers harshly. Naruto wanted to hold him against his chest when Iruka decided on the angle for the second injection, but he didn�t dare to do anything but slide a bit closer to Sasuke on the bench.

Sasuke didn�t let out a single sound through all four or five injections of anesthetic, though Naruto was pretty sure that some of his fingers were broken. It took more than ten seconds from when Iruka was done until Sasuke�s fingers loosened around Naruto�s. He wasn�t complaining about it, though.

While waiting for the anesthetic to hit full force, Naruto quickly washed. The clothes Iruka had brought were too big on him, but he put them on gratefully. They smelled clean, like detergent. That was all that mattered at the moment.

Even though the anesthetic was local, Iruka seemed to have been generous with it. Sasuke was groggy � the local wouldn�t infect his brain, but the lack of pain must have been welcome and lulling. He was barely present, looking around the room through half closed eyes, as Iruka worked the stitches. Naruto took his place on the bench and was a little surprised when Sasuke leaned heavily back into him. It worked out well, because that way Naruto was able to keep him from moving if necessary � or falling off - and help Iruka. He ended up straightening Sasuke back up to the bench a couple of times, but no other help was required of him.

When Iruka was done, Naruto took over. He bandaged Sasuke again, this time with proper sterile bandages. For all intents and purposes, Sasuke was out for the count. Between the anesthetic and the blood loss, it was only to be expected. No one said a thing as Naruto carefully picked up both their guns.

There was no way to tell what time it was as Naruto half dragged Sasuke through windowless hallways. He hoped for a room that would show him the sky outside, but instead they were pointed to the old auditorium. Rows of seats were moved to make barriers between mattresses that were spread all over the place. Everything looked filled, which was a little bit odd. Naruto had been in the shelter several times, mostly to pick up someone to do a job for Jiraiya. There were always a few people, but this was the first time there was a crowd this big. He needed to ask what was going on.

�There. It�s a medium sized one, but it�s all that we�ve got left.�

Naruto looked at it. �Medium size� mattress was just big enough for two. It was on the least desirable position in the entire hall, right in the middle of the room. A woman was sleeping on one side and a man drinking water and looking at them on the other, but the line of old seats was still making a barrier between their mattresses. The way it was tucked in between the rows of seats, it resembled a nest. All the emergency made alcoves did.

�Sasuke?� Naruto said quietly, so only Sasuke could hear him. �Time to get some rest, come on.�

Sasuke let go of him and lay carefully on the old mat. His eyes closed instantly.

�Thanks.� Naruto said to the man that led them there. It was the same guy who let them inside, one Iruka had addressed as Ao. He got a nod in response before he was left there to wonder if he should risk it and try to get some rest, too. He was tired and slightly cold with his still damp hair, but he was afraid. He could turn recklessly in his sleep and hurt Sasuke further. But as soon as Naruto closed his eyes for a second, trying to make the decision, he knew it was useless. He was too tired, he felt drained and the sinking sensation that flooded him wasn�t a pleasant experience. He�d better catch some sleep while he could.

Naruto knelt down. He carefully positioned himself on the far edge of the hard mattress � which was really only far enough to not actually touch Sasuke � after finding a place for their guns. He could hear Sasuke breathing and smell the harsh shampoo Iruka had provided clearly. The warmth oozing from him was welcome, but Naruto resisted dragging himself closer. Closing his eyes, he hoped with the little energy he had left that he wouldn�t thrash in his sleep for once.

*#*#*

When Naruto woke up, Sasuke was still in the same position he had fallen asleep in that morning. His breathing was even, but his face was pale. If he was in too much pain, he wouldn�t be able to sleep well, so at least that was good.

Naruto first checked his weapon where he had left it under the pillow. It was still there, so he returned it to its place on his belt.

Carefully, Naruto pulled Sasuke�s thick woolen shirt just enough to see if he was bleeding, just in case. The outside layer of the bandage was still perfectly white. He sighed with relief, glancing up at Sasuke�s pale face again. His lips were dry, his hair was too dark and the wave of guilt overwhelmed Naruto. Maybe Sasuke wasn�t the nicest person in the world, but Naruto wronged him. He wasn�t up to the job. He was doing it poorly.

And worse than all that, he couldn�t do anything but push forward, because there was no one else left. He wished he hadn�t said it quite so blatantly when he was trying to talk Sasuke into undressing for the bath, but it was still the truth..

�What are you staring at?� Sasuke murmured sleepily, startling him.

Naruto explained, feeling ashamed as if he was caught peeking into the changing room. �I�m just making sure you�re okay.�

�I�m not.� Sasuke informed him, �Are we moving someplace?�

�No, I need to talk to Iruka. Do you mind if I leave you here for several minutes? You could sleep some more.�

Sasuke gave no answer; he just made a vague hand motion that meant that Naruto should go � the sooner, the better. It was that or dragging him out of the bed, so Naruto stood up. There was no way of telling what time of day it was, he had lost all sense of it. The large auditorium seemed to be mostly empty. The dark red curtains, heavy and rich, were still hanging on both sides of the stage. Aside from the carved wood at the sides of the platform and around the balconies that were filled with junk, those curtains were the only remaining part that was left there to testify about some happier times.

From one of the �nests� near the emergency exit door there was quiet music playing. The slow Spanish song sounded more longing than sad, even though Naruto could not understand a word of it. The voice of the singer was low and everything but smooth; the rasps and unevenness of it gave the song an unreal, dreamy feeling. While walking by the old radio that was playing it, all Naruto wanted was to turn back and get under the covers next to Sasuke. He couldn�t follow that urge, but it became easier to ignore it once the door closed and cut off the quiet timbre.

All the rooms were either full of junk like the balconies or so clean, that the floors were sparkling. Naruto followed his nose and it unmistakably led him to the kitchen. The room smelled of vegetables and chicken, there was a huge casserole on the stove, full of something that looked even more delicious than the smell was promising it would be.

�Morning.� Naruto called after Iruka and another guy had pushed the huge, heavy dish into the oven. He didn�t want to startle them.

�It�s after three in the afternoon.� Iruka said.

There was no scorn in his voice and in contained information Naruto wanted, so he grinned. �Doesn�t matter.�

After Iruka gave them a wordless look, several people left the room, leaving him and Naruto alone.

�Please take a seat, Naruto.� Iruka said. His tone was still mild, but Naruto had the impression that the lecture was coming. He sat at the old wooden table, determined to wait it out until the tide ebbed. �You will always be welcome with us, you know that. We will always do whatever we can to help you. You practically grew up among us, and I can clearly remember helping you with your homework in grade school. You know all that, right?�

Naruto knew it. Again, but for different reasons, he felt guilty. It seemed so easy, now when he was sitting across from Iruka, to just open his mouth and ask for help. Why on Earth was it a problem for him to pick up the phone?

�Yeah.� He answered in a small voice.

�Now that you know that this is not about me wanting to throw you out,� Iruka continued, without a trace of mildness left. �What the hell are you thinking? You know better than this, I expect more of you than this. He�s a criminal��

�He�s not.� Naruto cut in. He had to clear that up.

�Naruto.� It was a warning, nothing else.

�No, really, Itachi said��

�And you believed him?� Iruka all but spat. Naruto had to wonder if there was a feud there somewhere.

�No � yeah� And even if I shouldn�t have, I have been working for him � as some sort of surveillance protection security for Sasuke � for some time now. I know he wasn�t lying.�

�Still.� Iruka said, though he sounded softer. �You are working for a criminal. Where is he now, anyway? If his brother is all over the news, why isn�t he his side? What kind of security can one person can provide anyway?�

�There were four of us.� Naruto confessed. �They are all dead � the girl who was on the same shift with me was probably blown up with the van and when I called the guys� they were dead. Itachi might be dead, too � he probably is. And Sasuke � he�s going to school for snakes. I can�t just let him die.�

Under the sad look Iruka was giving him, Naruto realized that that wasn�t sounding too lucid. What did the snakes have to do with anything, huh? It was probably the thinking about Karin that got him so upset.

�I see.� Iruka said. Naruto wished he could see, as well. �What happened out there? Why did he kill that cop?�

Relieved he getting to hear another opinion, Naruto told him everything. He was too afraid he�d leave out something important if he skipped through how he�d let Sasuke pick him up in the bar, but he hated the pitying, concerned expression on Iruka�s face. So okay, he was emotionally involved with the case. That just meant that he needed help more desperately.

When he was done, Iruka stated. �You need Kakashi.�

�Yeah, but I can�t find him on my own.� Naruto answered. He needed Kakashi like hungry people needed bread � and thinking about bread, he realized he was very hungry. The meal in the oven smelled better by the minute. �Do you know where he is?�

�Not at the moment. He should be at �Fireland� sooner or later, though, he has a half-regular job there.�

�Fireland� was one of the dancing clubs downtown. While guarding Konohamaru, Naruto had spent a lot of time at that place � or more specifically, at the top floor of the building that hosted small parties for the richest clients. For the richest, gay clients that preferred to stay closeted in the eye of the public. It was an expensive secret and Naruto guarded it for free, out of honor. His life would have been much easier if he went to the gossip papers and gave out the names with some extra spice, but doing such a thing was not something he�d seriously consider.

�Will he be working tonight?�

�I don�t know, but I can check.� Iruka promised. �This should be done by now, are you hungry?�

Naruto suspected he had an unhealthy look in his eyes at the mention of the food, for Iruka shook his head in the �what I am going to do with you� way. After Naruto had helped him take out a surprisingly heavy and very hot dish, Iruka filled up two plates and left them on the table.

�Help me take this into the dining room.� Iruka instructed, gesturing to the casserole. �Then come back, eat and take some to your friend. Then give him these.�

He provided two bottles of medication out of a pocket and Naruto took them. He had no idea what the first was for, but the second bottle contained pain killers.

The �dining room� was what once used to be an old dressing room. There were many more tables than people in it, but even so, there was at least thirty seats taken.

�Why are you so full?� Naruto remembered to ask when they put the casserole at the pre-determined place for it.

�It�s the clean-up.� Iruka answered, already distracted with choosing someone to help him. Naruto had no idea what �clean-up� he was talking about, but it was already too late to ask more questions, so he returned to the kitchen to eat. Whatever the combination of vegetables and chicken was, it was delicious.

He found a tray, put the other plate, bread and a little bottle of water on it and took it through now fairly familiar hallways to the auditorium. Sasuke was actually awake; he was sitting up at the edge of the mattress, propped against one of the seats in the row that was like a barricade between him and a woman in the next mattress.

�Iruka will find Kakashi.� Naruto said, kneeling down to put the tray next to Sasuke. �If anyone can find out what�s going on and where your brother is, it�s Kakashi. Then we�ll see what to do next. Are you hungry?�

�You�re trying to find Itachi?� Sasuke asked. He sounded surprised.

�Of course I�m trying to find Itachi! He�s my employer, I need to � kick him once or twice. And then ask him what the hell is going on.�

�Have you tried his home?� Sasuke asked.

First, �If you�re referring to the apartment his bodyguard took me to by driving me in circles for an hour - I can�t find that and second � it would be crawling with cops. Besides, I�ve been kind of busy, if you haven�t noticed.�

�He has a house somewhere in the country.� Sasuke said, leaning carefully over the tray. He was obviously hungry, so Naruto let him take a couple of bites before prompting.

�Where?�

�I don�t know exactly.� Sasuke said. Naruto smiled; he sounded much more �with it� even after eating so little. �But I do know that it�s not in his name, that�s the whole point. A safe refuge.�

�Well, I hope he�s there.� Naruto sighed. He took the bottles out of his pocket and gave them to Sasuke. No questions followed as Sasuke glanced at the description. He must�ve known what they were for far better than Naruto.

He ate slowly, occasionally stopping in the middle of the movement as a grimace of pain flashed over his face. The first time, Naruto reached out, but Sasuke snapped at him. He was sitting there for awhile in an awkward silence � something he was sure Sasuke was causing on purpose as some sort of some sick pleasure � trying to keep him from offering help. The stillness and silence made him even more uncomfortable, so Naruto rose to his feet.

�I�m going to see if Iruka needs some help.�

The only acknowledgment he got was a short glance before Sasuke started opening a bottle, so Naruto turned and strode across the auditorium, quite content with the lack of Spanish guitars to see him out.

Fortunately, Iruka did need help with quite a few things. Naruto moved some heavy gear and washed socks to the best of his abilities. Every so often, he had to go back to see Sasuke, so jobs like watching over the back door from a window above wasn�t well suited for him.

�How are you doing?� He had asked the first time he walked back into the auditorium.

�Fine.� Sasuke had answered. �There is a piece of ceiling that could fall on my head any moment, though.�

Naruto glanced up. Sasuke was right, there was a piece of ceiling that looked like it could fall off � but if that happened, it would fall at least three rows to the left. Sasuke was bored and cranky.

�So, everything is alright?� Naruto cheerfully continued. �I�m glad to hear you are, you know, fed and with a roof over your head and not being shot at � you can stop thanking me now. Really.�

Sasuke hadn�t answered anything. Naruto kept the rest of his check-ups visual only; there was no use in them fighting. He was quite happy when he found that Sasuke had, at some point, made friends with his neighbors and seemed deep into conversation with them. Anything to keep him distracted was welcome.

Iruka stopped Naruto around seven, in the middle of the washroom he was helping clean.

�Kakashi will be at �Fireland� tonight. You should probably go in late, around eleven � he is most likely to be in his place when the crowd is tightest. He�s working the top floor, so you should probably go though security.�

Of course he was working the top floor. Kakashi was true elite, the best of the best. He was expensive and efficient, not a bodyguard just anyone could afford. No sane person would waste him on a bunch of drunken nobodies. And besides, Kakashi was such a pervert it was like he was born to work security of the top floor at �Fireland�.

It might be hard to get to him. Naruto had a way in, but in case that failed, Iruka�s advice was solid. He could always get security�s attention and ask for Kakashi.

Eager to share the good news, he went to tell Sasuke immediately.

�I�m going to find Kakashi tonight, I know where to look.� He said, determined not to let Sasuke�s mood � if it was still sour - spoil the momentary happiness as he lowered himself to sit at the edge of the mattress.

But Sasuke simply cocked his head. �You are not going anywhere without me.�

�It won�t take more than an hour��

Quickly despite the wound, Sasuke leaned forward until his face was all Naruto could see. �You are not leaving me here. I won�t wait here, wondering if you are going to come back and if someone will barge in to arrest me, while you go around the city after your face has been showed repeatedly on television.�

It was more than lack of other things to do. Sasuke was worried, Naruto realized feeling warm. It will be late and dark, �Fireland� will be crowded. And Kakashi will be there.

It�s not as if Naruto had a guarantee Iruka�s place would be safe for much longer, anyway. From what he managed to glance at on television, they were still the main news. Someone at the Shelter might tip them off. It would make problems for Iruka on more levels than one.

Besides, Naruto really disliked the thought of leaving Sasuke behind.

He nodded his agreement and Sasuke relaxed a little.

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Plato of Your Kind