Chapter Four
Part One
The day dawned sunny and bright. A perfect day for Sakura’s funeral, Sasuke thought, hands in his pockets as his attention drifted. The priest, holding the bible in front of him, droned on and on but he wasn’t listening. The people around him - all from the police department and various places that Sakura knew them from - made him feel suffocated and he longed to escape, to just talk a walk and be alone with his thoughts.
“Sasuke.” He glanced up; Captain Kakashi, his face full of sadness and sympathy, stood awkwardly next to him. “Hey,” he said.
Sasuke only nodded briefly and returned his gaze to the coffin, bright with a huge, colorful bouquet. Kakashi continued to speak, his normally loud, boisterous voice quiet with sorrow.
“She was one of my best detectives,” he said quietly. “You and her... - you were great together, Sasuke. It’s a loss to the whole police community.” He paused, then forced himself to continue. “We’re gonna break this case wide open. For Sakura’s sake.”
Sasuke, his face lowered, lifted his upper lip in a silent snarl. The bastard who did this is going to pay, he vowed, shutting Kakashi and everyone else out. The bastard who shot Sakura is going to die. He was aware of Kakashi repeating his name and frowned. “Excuse me, Captain,” he said, and walked away. Kakashi watched him go with a small sigh.
Sasuke wandered alone in the graves as the people gathered around Sakura’s grave began to disperse. He glanced at the crowd and began to resume walking - and stopped short. That guy - Naruto... why was he here? He was half behind a thick oak tree, watching the funeral detachedly, a slightly sad expression on his face. Sasuke walked up behind him - snuck really, careful of the crackling leaves and footsteps. He stopped a few feet away and was silent, watching Naruto. Finally, he said, “Hey.”
Naruto jumped, spun, and stared at Sasuke, then recognized him. “Oh!” he said. “Oh. Hi.” He glanced over his shoulder; people were beginning to leave.
“What are you doing here?” Sasuke asked, taking a step forward. Naruto shrugged uncomfortably.
“Well, I just heard about her funeral...” he replied softly. “I’m sorry.”
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him. Something in the back of his mind buzzed - something wasn’t right about this guy, he was certain of it. He decided to test the waters. “You don’t know anything about this, do you?” he said softly, dangerously.
Naruto jumped again. “What?! No! Why - why would I?”
Something about his attitude... - Sasuke thought. He doesn’t look capable of committing murder, but there’s something he’s not telling. Abruptly, he said, “Would you like to go out again?” He had to find out -
Naruto hesitated. “I guess,” he said finally.
“Good.” Sasuke turned and began to walk away, calling over his shoulder, “I’ll call you.”
“Wait -” Naruto began, but Sasuke had crossed the graves, he had joined the crowd and he finished to himself, “Don’t you need my number...?”
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Chapter notes: Sorry it's so short... I'll put another one up because of it. ^^ I'm thinking about writing a sequel to Machination. If I get more than fifteen reviews (from different people who all liked it) then I'll do it. ^^ So get crackin', ppl! ^^ Enjoy!