Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Machi Yoko Naruto ❯ Skin ( Chapter 2 )

Sasuke hung up the phone, and went upstairs to check on Naruto. To his surprise, the man was sitting up. He must be made of steel…“Lay down, you idiot.” He said as he pushed him back onto the futon then removed his jacket and tie. After unbuttoning the top three buttons of his shirt and rolling up his sleeves, he sat down next to Naruto. “Let me see your head.” Sasuke grabbed the sides of his face and tilted it to the right, so that he could get a better view of the gash on Naruto's scalp. “Hn. I don't think you'll need stitches, but it needs to get cleaned. Where else are you hurt?” The other man moved his limbs experimentally, then twisted his back, but winced almost immediately at that. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He immediately untied the obi on Naruto's kimono, then unfastened the tie for the under-kimono. Taking hold of Naruto's arm, he turned him onto his stomach. “This might hurt a little,” he said as he felt the fabric of the kimono was damp with blood. He stripped the material away, leaving Naruto naked above the waist.

 

His eyes widened at what he saw. Or, they widened at what they did not see. Unlike Sasuke's own back, his skin was free of any designs painted in ink. There was a large gash down the left side of his back, though, and it was still oozing blood. “Stay there. Do you have any bandages?”

 

“In the bathroom, to the left. There's a cupboard, and it has first aid stuff in it.” Naruto's voice was tense, and Sasuke could tell he was in pain. He needed to stop the bleeding, and clean the wounds before Tsunade got there. She would beat him senseless, no matter who he was, if he didn't do everything he could for one of his own people. Almost frantically, Sasuke rummaged through Naruto's cabinets, finding a washcloth, a small bowl, and some antiseptic, as well as cotton balls. He filled the bowl with cool water, and brought the lot of it out to where Naruto still lay on the futon. He pulled Naruto's kimono off of him as gently as he could, and threw it aside. Then, he covered the man up to his waist with one of the blankets from the futon and set to work. The wounds were clean in a matter of moments, though he had to leave the cloth on the enormous cut on Naruto's back, to keep soaking up the blood. The antiseptic made the blonde wince, and mutter “Teme…” several times under his breath.

 

When he lifted the cloth from the deep wound on Naruto's back, he found that it was still bleeding. “Naruto, I'm going to have to apply pressure to your back. I just wanted you to know, so you don't freak out.” Sasuke knelt on Naruto's left side, and rinsed the cloth in the bowl, then put it back onto the cut that was more than a foot long. Biting his lip, he placed both hands on the cloth, then started to lean gently on it, slowly increasing pressure until he was using a good bit of his body-weight. A slight shift of the prone man's arms showed him that Naruto was gripping the cloth of the futon, and that he was in a lot of pain, though he did not make a sound. Sasuke looked at his face, which was now covered in sweat from the exertion of not crying out. “I know it hurts. Just…try to relax.”

 

A strangled laugh came from Naruto. “Easy for you to say. You don't have an enormous slash up your back.”

 

“Keep your mouth shut, dobe.” He felt the muscles in Naruto's back tense as he said that. He obviously did not like that term. Sasuke began to think. Everything that Shikamaru had told him about Naruto was true, as well as the corroborating stories that Ino and Sakura had given him, but there were other sides to him, as well. As good as the girls were, they had neither of them been able to gain access to Naruto's home. He was apparently a very private person. Ino had even attempted to seduce him, to no avail. Sasuke nearly shivered at that thought. Ino was a very scary person, and he didn't want to think about her having sex with anyone, let alone someone he shared a room with. His grip slipped momentarily, and one hand went sliding up to the middle of Naruto's back, and he thought he might have opened the wound more.

 

Naruto tensed visibly, and let out a sharp cry. Then, he said, “Sasuke! If you can't find a way to keep pressure on it, then just put a fucking pressure bandage on it and get it the fuck over with. That fucking hurt, teme!” Balking at the blonde's use of profanity, he shook his head, refusing to dignify that outburst with any sort of verbal response. Instead, he shifted his position. The only stable position he could find was one that would not open the wound more. He straddled Naruto's backside, and applied firm downward pressure to the wound. The muscles in his back relaxed to a certain degree, and Sasuke nearly sighed in relief. “Arigato, Sasuke. That's much better.” After twenty minutes of this, Sasuke's shoulders began to tire. He shifted again, this time using his body to put pressure on the spot. He simply could not hold his position, so he lay on the wound. “Sasuke? What are you doing?” There was a slight hitch in Naruto's voice as he spoke, showing his discomfort.

 

“My arms are tired. I'm still applying pressure. It doesn't hurt more, does it?” Sasuke rested his face on Naruto's left shoulder, looking to the right, and thought he could see a frown on the blonde man's face.

 

“No. It's fine. I was just wondering.” Sasuke found that Naruto's breathing had begun to even out after a while, and he momentarily wondered if he was asleep. He had his left hand on the floor, and his right rested on a broad, lightly tanned shoulder, devoid of any decoration. The skin of Naruto's back fascinated him. Sasuke had his first tattoo when he was nine, the first of many. But Naruto was clean. He had no stains on him, and Sasuke found that to be amazing. How could someone so close to the violent and dirty life that the yakuza led be so un-blemished? There were times when Sasuke felt like no matter how hard he scrubbed, he could never get rid of the taint that clung to him, because of the life he led. Naruto's purity of body seemed to be mirrored in his spirit, from what Sasuke could tell. Whatever emotion Naruto felt, it was pure, and intense. That was the feeling he got from him.

 

His mind wandering as it was, he did not notice the thumb on his right hand absently stroking the smooth skin of Naruto's shoulder. In the back of his mind, he commented on the firmness of the muscle, the softness of the skin that covered it, and the way it moved with each breath that Naruto took. However, these thoughts were not truly conscious ones, as Sasuke soon allowed the breathing of the man beneath him lull him, and he was nearly asleep when he heard a door open, and a feminine voice.

 

“Sasuke-san? Are you here?” That would be Tsunade. Her family had served the Uchiha for centuries, until she became a doctor, breaking that official service. She still made herself available for house calls to the Uchiha compound, however.

 

He called down to her. “Hai. Up here, Tsunade-san.”

 

Her footsteps echoed through the open building. When she entered Naruto's bedroom, she raised an eyebrow at Sasuke. “I don't think I know this technique, Sasuke-san. Care to explain it?” Sasuke rolled his eyes and wearily pushed himself off of Naruto's body.

 

“I had been applying pressure to a large wound on his back. Unlike you, I don't have limitless strength and stamina. My arms got tired. So I used the next best thing.” He said this so matter-of-factly, as if she should have known all along that he was doing it for that reason, but he narrowed his eyes in suspicion at her for a moment before he let his usual indifferent expression slide over his features. Yes, the position was awkward. He realized that. Of course, it could be construed in a bad way. And since this was Tsunade, she did think of it in a bad way, and there wasn't much of anything he could do about it. Refuting it would do no good, since the woman made up her mind about situations very quickly.

 

“Oh, Sasuke-san flatters me. Now that you're done molesting him, I'll take it from here. Go downstairs and wait.” He did as she asked, and found himself wandering around the greenhouse after a few minutes.

 

--

 

“Naruto-san, is it?” The blonde woman asked, and he looked up at her. He nodded. “I see Sasuke-san has taken good care of you. What happened?” Naruto told her about the shooting, and how they tried to finish the job by making sure that the car ended up exploding. “You must be very good at your job, Naruto-san. Sasuke-san doesn't have so much as a scratch on him.”

 

“My first day.” He said this in a bland tone. If they had not been on their way to his apartment, would they still have been attacked? There was a considerable amount of guilt washing over him now. He didn't like the job he was given. Naruto despised hurting people. If it were up to him, he never would have learned martial arts. But, as it was, he was exceptional at them. Fate seemed to laugh at him every day. How else would you explain the fact that he was the best at what he hated most?

 

From the time he was four years old, he was training at something. At first, he had thought that it was a game, until his first time training with real weapons at the age of seven. It had been a wakizashi, and he was sparring with his father, who was armed with a shinai. He had sheared the shinai neatly in half, and come within a hair's breadth of slitting his father's throat when he stopped, and realized that it was not a practice sword he was handling. This was a thing that could kill people. Every time he held a sword, for practice or otherwise, he saw his father's face as he stopped his movement, then dropped the blade to the floor and backed away from where it lay.

 

His eyes had been wide, and his mouth had been slightly open. It was an expression of total disbelief. How could a seven-year-old boy get inside his guard? That was the last time Naruto ever sparred with his father. From then on, he had various sensei, each teaching him different things, every one more advanced than the next, and they worked him hard. Eventually, he surpassed them all. Naruto was not modest by any means, but he was not one to brag unnecessarily. The fact that he had actually mastered all of the weapons in his dojo was one that few knew, and he was not going to reveal his full capability, even if Sasuke practically owned him.

 

“I hope your second day is quieter, Naruto-san.” Tsunade said in a low tone as she used a substance very like super-glue to seal up his wounds. He smiled weakly before making his reply.

 

“So do I,” he said, closing his eyes. He could breathe easier now that Sasuke was not on his back, and he took full advantage of it. Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke. He thought over the man with whom he would spend nearly all of his waking hours. He was abrupt, almost abrasive, but Naruto could deal with that. The man monopolized his time, though he couldn't say he had much else to do, so that didn't really bother him that much. What he had a hard time dealing with was the way Sasuke looked at him. It was difficult for him to have Sasuke staring at him, watching him. Wasn't he the bodyguard? He was the one who was supposed to do the watching. Why did he keep staring at him? It was like he was trying to see his brain working or something. It didn't make him uncomfortable, per se, but he just had to wonder what the man was thinking when he looked at him with those penetrating charcoal-colored eyes.

 

When the woman was finished with patching him up, she rolled him onto his right side, and put pillows under his head to prop it up. “I'm going to be going now, Naruto-san. You take care of yourself, and of Sasuke-san, too. He's my favorite patient.” Naruto nodded, and watched her descend the stairs. She seemed nice enough. Moments later, he heard footsteps coming back up the staircase. Sasuke appeared at the head of the stairs, an almost concerned look on his face.

 

“Daijoubu desu ka, Naruto?”

“Daijoubu.” Naruto relaxed into the softness of the pillows and the futon. “I'm tired, Sasuke. Can I take a nap before we leave?” Sasuke nodded, and moved to the futon and sat next to his head, looking over Tsunade's handiwork. He then leaned over Naruto to look at his back, and seemed pleased.

 

“I don't think you'll have much in the way of scars from today, Naruto.” His voice was weary, and when he started to get up, Naruto grabbed at his arm. “What?” Naruto thought that his voice sounded a bit sharp at that, but he put it off to general annoyance.

 

“If you're tired, lay down. Bed's big enough for both of us.” Naruto could have been imagining things, but he thought he saw a slight blush come over Sasuke's face as his sleepy voice came out. He blinked, and it was gone. Well, I did smack my head pretty good on that door, and then there was the wall… Suffice it to say that Naruto was thinking that he might have a little bit of a scramble where his brain was concerned. After a moment of simply staring down at him, Sasuke pulled a pillow toward him and lay down. Naruto simply let go of him to allow him to lay as he liked, and then closed his eyes. It took only five minutes for him to be asleep.

 

--

 

Sasuke was tired, but he could not sleep. He was thinking about what had happened so far. It was only eleven thirty in the morning, and already, he had been shot at, bashed, and had his ass saved multiple times by a man he had only met the day before. All in all, these events made him want to trust Naruto implicitly, or kill him in his sleep. On the one hand, he was interesting and did his job well, but on the other, he had a tendency to be obstinate. Perhaps it was for this reason that he found his guard relaxing when he was around. Was that why he wanted him around at all times? He realized that he had meant that literally. Sasuke did not want Naruto to be away from him. Trust was not something he gave easily, and when he did, it was always a very special case. He could count on one hand the number of people he trusted. Those people included: Tsunade, Sakura, Ino, Kakashi, and now, Naruto. Every one was an exception to the strict rules and barriers that he had set up around his life.

 

Sakura and Ino were half-sisters. They were Sasuke's cousins from his mother's side of the family. They had been orphaned when their father murdered Sakura's mother, Ino's stepmother, and then killed himself. Sakura had, at the tender age of six, been the one to find him. It had taken seven years of therapy to get her to speak, but when she did, she could repeat exactly conversations that she had witnessed years prior. Ino was the stronger of the two, and was always protecting Sakura. At nineteen, Sakura was shy, reserved, and pretty. Ino was twenty, and had a brash manner, as well as a penchant for persuasion.

 

Kakashi…now there was an interesting story. He had been a police officer. By a bizarre twist of fate involving a shipload of Chinese immigrants, a ton of C-4 explosives, and twenty members of the Ho-Fung Triad, he wound up in the debt of the Uchiha family. A strange but fiercely loyal man, Kakashi was now what could possibly be considered by some a perfect example of the classic yakuza model. He wore strange clothes, and carried more weapons than Sasuke could count easily. Yes, he was kabuki-mono.

 

And now, there was Naruto. He really couldn't explain why he trusted him. It certainly wasn't his background, or his father's past behavior. His father had been a foolhardy, annoying, absolutely abrasive individual. There was a reason that he was in debt to the Uchiha, but Sasuke didn't want to think about it. He never thought about anything that involved his brother, unless he wanted to kill something. And then, that happened only rarely. His eyelids drifted shut, and he found himself falling asleep before he could stop it.

 

--

 

The moon shone in through the large windows on the far wall, and he sat up. Every inch of his body hurt. Looking around, he took in his surroundings. Everything was as it had been before, with the exception of a lump next to him on the futon. Naruto looked down at the lump. It had dark hair, and skin that seemed to shine in the moonlight. Sasuke. Naruto didn't like him. He really didn't like him. He didn't like the man's cocky attitude, or the way he looked at him, or even the way he parted his hair. That was settled. He didn't like the man. Naruto was stuck protecting a man he disliked. That didn't make his job any easier.

 

His job…grumbling, he got up from the bed, and padded to the bathroom, thinking about his job. He knew that not all bodyguards had the same kind of familiar relationship to their employers. His father's bodyguards were tools, literally, and figuratively. Not only were they there to be used, they were assholes, as well. He grumbled as he removed his underwear and stepped into the shower. Thinking of how Sasuke had taken care of him, he realized that his thoughts were less than fair. After a moment of internal honesty, he admitted to himself that if things kept on the way they were, he might actually like Sasuke enough to consider him a friend. That was completely against protocol, but protocol had gone out of the window the night before when Sasuke defined the parameters of their working relationship.

 

Naruto wasn't going to scrub himself with the way he felt. He just wanted to stand under the spray. It flowed over him, weighing down his hair so that the long golden spikes were plastered wetly over his head, but mostly in his face. When he felt that he was clean enough, he turned off the water and reached out of the shower door for the towel on the door. He dried himself while being extremely careful of his fresh wounds, and then wrapped the fluffy towel around his waist. Having done this, Naruto walked out into the bedroom, and then into his closet. He opened the door and peered inside, attempting to find the stack of pajama pants he usually had. Sasuke was still asleep, and the nap the Naruto had requested turned into a seventeen-hour sleep marathon.

 

--

 

When morning came, Naruto woke up first. He was still sore as hell from being banged up, slashed, bruised, and basically shaken like a rag doll. His eyes opened, and immediately tried to close again. But, he supposed he should get up and dress himself. The clothes that he had worn the day before were ruined, and though he knew he would have to wear kimono and hakama for a very long time unless Sasuke said otherwise, he didn't have to be happy about it. He went to the closet and pulled out a pair of extra-baggy burnt orange cargo shorts, a white short-sleeved t-shirt with the kanji for `mountain' on it in black, and a pair of flip-flops. Now that was comfort. He didn't feel stifled. Maybe it would be different if he were wearing the hakama, but the kimono just made him feel like he was smothering.

 

From the closet door, he called, “Sasuke! Wake up!” The dark-haired young man groaned and rolled over, burrowing deeper into the blankets. Naruto kicked off the flip-flops, and walked over to the futon. After kneeling next to Sasuke's head, he poked the other man in the forehead, and saw his eyes open. The next thing he knew, he was face down on the floor, Sasuke's knee pressed between his shoulder blades, and the arm attached to the finger he used to poke him with twisted behind his back.

 

“I get up on my own, usuratonkachi. Got it?” When Naruto did not answer immediately, he flipped him over onto his back and sat on his chest. Naruto glared up at him, annoyance creeping into his thoughts. Cocking his head to one side, he said, “Don't look at me like that. I think we need to make some ground rules. There are certain ways that I do not like to be touched. What you just did is one of them.” His head tilted to the other side, shifting his weight slightly on his chest. “Other things you should know: never mention my brother around me, don't leave my presence, and no ramen.” Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked up at Sasuke. Was he joking about the ramen? He had to be. Right? There was a slight upward turn to the corners of his mouth, but that could just be him having a moment of amusement at Naruto's expense.

 

Even if he wasn't joking, Naruto knew he would only eat what Sasuke allowed him to. How low could one man sink? He had thought he was as low as he could be when he was pressed into service. It appeared that he had been wrong. So, he said, “Hai, Sasuke. I got those rules. I want to ask you something. You don't seem like you need a bodyguard. If you can do that to me, then you don't need protecting. Why do you need me?”

 

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “I don't feel like discussing it right now. Do you mind if I borrow some of your clothes?” He shook his head, an watched as Sasuke went to his closet and pulled out a pair of white shorts, a black long-sleeved t-shirt, and another pair of flip-flops. When Sasuke had pulled his shirt off, Naruto blinked. From the top of his shoulders to the base of his spine, there was not one patch of skin that did not have a fanciful design in ink over its surface. The most dominant image stretched from his left shoulder down the center of his back to where his pants began. It was a green serpentine dragon, whose body was wrapped around a stylized fan in red and white. This was the symbol of the Uchiha clan. The word “uchiha,” after all, is only another way of saying “uchiwa,” which means “fan.” Flowers, waves, and scrollwork surrounded the dragon, all in blacks and reds. It made the dragon seem as if it were going to slither off of Sasuke's back. The way his muscles moved under his skin only served to enhance the effect.

 

Only when the dark cotton of the t-shirt slid into place over the tattoo did Naruto take his eyes from Sasuke. How long had it taken to have something like that done? Did he get it done all at once? He remembered seeing his father's tattoo numerous times, but it was nothing like what he had just witnessed. Whatever the circumstances, something like that had to hurt. A lot. Closing his eyes, he sighed and rolled over onto his stomach, pulling one of the pillows to lay his head on it. Sasuke took a surprisingly short amount of time to dress himself. He had pegged him for one of those guys who liked to check themselves in the mirror just as much as girls do, but apparently, he had been mistaken.

 

When he felt something nudging his stomach, he shied away from it, groaning. He had just gotten comfortable. “Oi, dobe, get up. I'm not carrying you again.” That made Naruto's eyes open. Again? Sasuke had been the one to carry him here? That prospect had simply never occurred to him. Maybe one of the reasons he had not realized Sasuke might be able to handle himself was the thin and delicate frame that the man had. It seemed as if he would break in half if Naruto touched him. He put that thought out of his mind, since it was obviously false. He blinked up at Sasuke owlishly. That almost-smile found its way onto Sasuke's lips, and his fingers closed on Naruto's wrist in an iron grip, and he found himself being pulled to his feet.

 

“Okay, okay! I'm getting up!” He wrenched away from him, rubbing his wrist, and thinking that he was sore enough, thank you very much. The last thing Naruto wanted was to have yet another bruise. Suddenly, Naruto realized that he was starving. They had fallen asleep some time around noon the day before, and had not eaten at all. He ran down the stairs to the kitchen to make something to eat, and heard Sasuke following him.

 

That low and musical voice drifted over from the foot of the stairs. “No ramen, Naruto.”

 

Shooting a hateful glare at his employer, he removed his hand from the cabinet it was in, and moved to the next one. There, he had spices and herbs. Taking a few of these out, he placed them on the counter and pulled a skillet from the lower cabinet. A trip to the large refrigerator brought out ham and eggs, as well as the remaining fourth of a Bermuda onion. He could feel Sasuke's eyes on him again, watching him. After he had browned the ham and cooked the onions enough, he poured the mixture of six eggs and the herbs he had taken out into the pan on top of the already cooked meat and onions. Delicious smells pervaded the kitchen, and Naruto's stomach began to growl. An instant later, Sasuke's stomach joined in, forming a strange kind of chorus. It did not surprise him that the other man was hungry, since he had fasted for as long as Naruto had. Lowering the flame under the still-cooking eggs, he went to the cupboard nearest the refrigerator and took out a loaf of bread, then some cheese from the refrigerator.

 

As he sliced the bread and cheese, he could feel Sasuke inching closer to the food. A stealthy hand stole around Naruto's right side, but was quickly slapped away. “No. Wait just a few more minutes.” He did not need to turn around to see Sasuke's annoyed expression. There was an almost growling noise coming from the man behind him now, and Naruto rolled his eyes and glanced at him. “Go…sit down in the library. I'll bring the food out. Don't look at me like that, Sasuke. You'll be fed and watered. It will just take a few minutes. Food doesn't cook itself, you know.” He sounded like his mother. Wrinkling his nose, he returned to slicing the cheese into thin square pieces.

 

In less than five minutes, he had finished cooking, and put the pan into the dishwasher. He took the food and put it all on a tray, along with plates, and two pitchers (one with milk, the other full of orange juice), a small kettle filled with green tea, and chopsticks, napkins, and cups. Having done this, Naruto brought it into the library. Sasuke was leafing through a large leather-bound volume in the middle of the table. “Please don't do that, Sasuke. It's very old. The oils from your hands are harmful to the pages. I only touch that book while wearing gloves.” The other man drew his hands away from the book as if he had been burned, and Naruto placed the tray on the table, and relieved it of its burdens. Sasuke, of course, immediately helped himself to half of the eggs, three pieces of bread, and a handful of cheese.

 

Seating himself, Naruto watched the man from the corner of his eye. It was amusing how he was eating far too fast to actually taste anything. Shaking his head, he poured himself a cup of the tea, then filled his own plate. Sasuke had slowed down his eating, and now looked over at Naruto. “Ne, Naruto, do you cook often? This is good.” Naruto merely nodded, smiling around the edge of his teacup as he drank. Sasuke wasn't used to complimenting people, he could tell.

 

“I don't eat just ramen. It just tends to be easier, since it's simple to prepare, and disgustingly cheap and flexible. If you can boil water, you can have ramen.” His smile broadened to an absolute grin as he lowered his cup, and it seemed to surprise Sasuke. Surprising him even more, Naruto teased, “Why? Do I need to cook for you, as well as watch your back?” Sasuke's face turned a pale shade of magenta at the suggestion, and he settled his attention back onto his food. Naruto chuckled as he ate his eggs.

 

He thought he heard a muffled “Dobe…” as Sasuke began to drink a glass of orange juice. Naruto smiled again. Maybe working for Sasuke wouldn't be such a bad thing if they could be friendly like this? When they were finished eating, Naruto ran the dishwasher, and then went to look outside.

 

“Sasuke, there's a weird-looking guy in a Buick sitting out front.” He said when he closed the door again. “He's wearing an eye-patch, has really messy gray hair, and looks like he's wearing a tailored circus tent.” Sasuke smiled faintly.

 

“That would be Kakashi-san. Is he awake?”

 

“Hai. And he's reading smut.” That made Sasuke laugh. After turning back to Sasuke, whose shoulders shook with silent chuckles, he said, “Nani? It was smut. And he was giggling.”

 

--

 

“It's time for us to go, then. Collect what you need, Naruto.” Sasuke watched as the shorter man ran up the stairs, and moments later came down carrying a hard case that surely held his family swords, and one small duffel bag. When they walked out of the door, Naruto locked it with a spare key he'd found, and pocketed the key. Sasuke would send someone by once a week to take care of Naruto's plants and clean the place. He didn't want the man to think that he didn't care. Sasuke slid into the back seat first again, and Naruto put his duffel into the trunk, then got in after him, holding tightly to the case that contained the three blades. His fingers were on the latch that held the case closed, and Sasuke knew he was anxious. “Have you found anything on who attacked us, Kakashi?” The car started to move, and Sasuke settled against the soft leather of the seat, waiting for Kakashi's answer.

 

“Hai, Sasuke-sama. There is a strong possibility that it's the Akatsuki Federation.” A small muscle under Sasuke's eye twitched as he heard the name, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto give a small start. Four years earlier, Sasuke's older brother, and heir to the clan, had murdered both of their parents, and all three of their sisters. The only reason that he had not killed Sasuke was that Kakashi and Ibiki had beaten Itachi back for enough to allow Sakura and Ino to get him out of the house. After this, he joined a group called the Akatsuki Federation, which was attempting to bring all of the yakuza under its authority. It had succeeded on the island of Hokkaido, but as of yet, this was the only place that their influence was as strong as they would like. “Kakashi, what have I told you about mentioning that organization around me?”

 

The reply was rather bland. “You must realize, Sasuke-sama, that your brother and his cohorts could be behind the attack, and that ignoring it would be foolhardy. If I must repeat, and I know that I must, you told me that I am only to mention Itachi around you if it becomes glaringly necessary.” The wiry man turned his head slightly to look back at his employer. “I would say that an assassination attempt is glaringly obvious, wouldn't you?” Sasuke relented, unable to refute Kakashi's logic.

 

A sudden thought occurred to him. “Give me your phone, Kakashi.” The compact cellular phone was thrown into the back seat, and Sasuke caught it, then opened it to the keypad and dialed a number that he had not used in some time. “Ohayo, Hiashi-san. I was wondering if I may speak with Hinata.” After a long pause, he heard a soft, feminine voice.

 

“Ohayo, Sasuke-san. How can I help you?”

 

He smiled. His second cousin, Hinata, along with her father Hiashi, and their ward, Neji, lived on Hokkaido. He had always liked Hinata. She was quiet, shy, and very kind. “Ohayo, Hinata-chan. I thought I might ask a favor of you.”

 

Her voice became slightly strained. “Ano…What would that be?”

 

Sasuke hated using her, but he needed information. “Can you tell me if he is on the island, Hinata?” His tone was serious, as it should be. He waited.

 

Her voice was no more than a whisper as she said, “You know I can't tell you that, Sasuke.” There was a note of fear in her voice, and he thought he would have to think of that when he was watching his brother's face twisting in pain.

 

“I know you're trying to be loyal, Hinata-chan, but he isn't worthy of you. Just say yes or no.” There was a faint whining noise coming through the phone now, as if she were trying to decide what to do.

 

“No.” Her reply was less than a whisper, and he was surprised that he heard it at all. She hung up the phone without bothering to bid him farewell. Sasuke didn't blame her. His brother was…persuasive, especially with women. If he found out that Hinata had been put through the kind of punishment he thought she might have, he would find a way for his brother to die more than once. Itachi was no longer his family. He was a ghost that needed exorcising. A ghost that was still trying to rip the remains of his family apart.

 

“Arigato, Hinata-chan,” he said quietly as he closed the phone and tossed it back at Kakashi with a light smirk. “Naruto, how are you feeling?”

 

“Like shit, Sasuke-sama.”

 

Laughing, Sasuke nodded. “Sounds about right. We'll rest for the next few days. Then, we'll need to deal with my brother.” A choking noise came from the front seat.

 

“Sasuke-sama, with all respect, that would mean all-out war with the Akatsuki.”

 

Before Sasuke could speak, Naruto said, “Look, ojisan, this is blood feud. If it starts a war, then we'll just have to finish it.” Sasuke stared at the young man sitting next to him. There it was. That completely unpredictable nature. He wondered what it was that made Naruto say such things. Did he feel a compulsion to endanger himself? And Sasuke was sure that he was endangering himself, because Kakashi's good eye was glaring back at him.

 

“You looking for pain, kid?”

 

Naruto chuckled. “Not from you, old man. I might hurt you too badly.”

 

Kakashi's usually jovial voice dropped to a low growl. “Name the time and the place, kid, and I'll be there, if only to show you how to respect your betters.” Again, Naruto laughed. Sasuke did not understand. Surely Naruto had some idea of how dangerous the man he was taunting was. He wasn't that dense, was he? Was he?

 

“That's enough, both of you. Kakashi, watch the road. Naruto, shut your mouth.” He gave Naruto a meaningful look, telling him to nix his annoying behavior, or he would be in serious trouble. To his surprise, the blonde began to pout. If Sasuke had been in the mood for this sort of thing, he would have found it cute. As he was most definitely not in the mood, he thought it looked childish and annoying. But Naruto's changeable behavior won out once again, as he looked over at Sasuke, and his face split into a brilliant smile. Sasuke nearly shook his head in exasperation. He couldn't tell what Naruto was thinking. Ever. What he could tell was that it would be very difficult to stay angry with him.

 

Japanese terms used:

 

Kimono

Dobe

Teme

Hakama

Arigato

Kabuki-mono

Ohayo