Chapter Eight Part Three
“Gooooooood morning, Kakashi.”
Suspiciously, the silver-haired boss raised his head at the euphoric detective who gave him a friendly slap on the back, sending papers jolting from his hands and fluttering on the floor.
“My, aren’t you in a good mood,” he observed dryly as he bent to pick up the escaped documents.
“Hell yes.” Sasuke grinned. “I think we’re going to catch the bastard.”
“Who, the killer?” Kakashi said blankly. Sasuke sighed elaborately, so put-on it earned a barking laugh from his rather stressed boss. “What makes you say that?”
“I talked to Naruto,” Sasuke said, adopting an evasive tone that informed Kakashi he was probably hiding more. “He gave me a little tip where we can find his brother.” With a flourished movement, he produced the criminal record of Gaara Uzumaki and waved it in front of the annoyed-looking captain, growing tired of his detective’s antics and plain happy mood. He hadn’t gotten too much sleep the night before. “The institution he was at as a child,” Sasuke said, laying the papers down. “He’s probably there. Naruto’s ninety-nine percent certain of it.”
“Did you two have a good time yesterday?” Kakashi teased good-naturedly. “You took him out to lunch, didn’t you?”
Sasuke shrugged, then nodded. “Yup.” He wasn’t going to tell him about the arrangement they’d agreed on. Not yet.
“What did you two talk about?” Kakashi continued in a rather smug voice, one that made Sasuke frown with puzzlement and annoyance. Now who’s happy, he thought. He recalled briefly the fact that, maybe at one point in time, his boss had been somewhat of a pervert; of course his age was catching up to him, he really couldn’t be serious, could he? To want to know about him and Naruto... undecided, he was silent. Kakashi did not give in. “I heard a rumor,” he said with a wink, capturing Sasuke’s attention and anticipation, as well as demands to know what, exactly, rumor.
“What the hell?” Sasuke demanded. “What rumor? Kakashi!”
His boss merely shook his head, smiling his same smile, infuriorating his detective more. “Go check out that lead you’ve got,” he said instead; “Would you like someone to go with you?”
Momentarily Sasuke paused, and was consumed by memories of Sakura, her smile, her bright mind that so belied her young appearance. Swallowing pain and sorrow, he numbly shook his head. “No thanks, Kakashi.”
He left silently, a far cry from the euphoric man of only minutes ago. Watching his back retreat, Kakashi sighed, wondering if it was really smart to let Sasuke do this alone. But he’s not alone, he hastened to assure himself; he’s got Uzumaki Naruto, right?
Thus reassured, the captain returned to his paper-adorned desk and stared mournfully at the mounds of paperwork he had to do, and resigned himself to a boring day.
Sasuke glanced at the clock in his black car; the digital numbers read past eleven o’clock. He unfolded a map, his eyes immediately picking out the route he’d drawn earlier that morning, and mentally estimated how long it would take. Hn. An hour to get there, perhaps one to two hours of searching, an hour back. He should be back around three or four in the afternoon. Unknowingly, a smile spread across the pale features of the raven-haired man, thinking of the blonde locks and azure eyes that had so captured his heart. Humming a little, he shifted into gear and left the parking structure. He would stop by the apartment briefly, leave Naruto a message telling him where he was going. No; he decided, as an afterthought. It may worry him, but he should be back by the time Naruto got off work, right?
Torn, he remained undecided until he reached the apartment and thought, What the hell. Why not? He scrawled out a note on a sticky pad, slapped it by the phone with his cell number, and grabbed a similar piece of paper, stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet, holding both Naruto’s own cell phone number and his number at work. He left, began to lock after him, then stopped, remembering he hadn’t given Naruto a key yet. Shrugging, he put his key in his pocket and left the door unlocked. It could wait for a little while, couldn’t it?
Taking the stairs two-by-two he began to whistle as he got into his car, inserting the key into the ignition and, at the same time, flipping open his phone. He glanced skeptically at the cracked screen and scuffed look; it had not passed unharmed in his little scuffle with Gaara. He would get a new one, he reasoned, as soon as he got his next paycheck. He dialed Naruto’s cell number as he skillfully manuevered into the street with one hand and hit the call button. Moments later, a cheery ring filled the car and startled, he glanced behind him. No one there. The ringing persisted and confused, he stopped the car. He heard Naruto’s chirpy voice telling him to leave a message and, not paying attention, he snapped the phone shut. The car was silent aside from the revving engine. He redialed the number. Once again the ring resonated throughout the car. He placed it in park and twisted his body out of the driver’s seat, sitting himself on one of the back seats and then looking underneith the seats. A flashing blue light caught his attention under the passenger seat. Naruto’s phone. He fished it out, reading the two missed calls indication and he scowled, puzzled. Had Naruto left his phone in his car and if so, when? He didn’t recall any opportune moment for Naruto to have dropped his phone or forgotten it... Shrugging, he opened the back door, still holding both phones, and got up front, placing Naruto’s phone on the dashboard. He contemplated going back to the apartment and dropping it off, but, he figured, screw it. He wouldn’t be gone too long. He began to drive again as he called the school. This time a woman’s voice, high and a little breathless, answered.
“Tokonito Elementary, how may I help you?”
“Uzumaki Naruto, please,” he said briefly, flicking on his blinker after a glance at the opened map, propped against the passenger’s side, told him to turn. The woman told him to wait a moment, and the ever-annoying, crappy hold music that actually creeped him out a little - though he never told anyone - carried sharply through the tiny speakers. Rather repulsed, he held the phone away from his ear until he heard a voice. With anticipation he returned the phone to his ear and said in a barely surpressed tone of happiness: “Naruto?”
A pause. Then, “I’m sorry, Uzumaki Sensei is unavailable to come to the phone at this time.” Disappointment surged through him. It’s fine, he reassured himself, Naruto’s just busy.
“Would you like to leave a message?”
“Yes,” he answered. “Please tell him I’m going to North Tokyo for a little while to visit a... relative of his and I’ll be back by the afternoon.”
Yet another pause, and he heard a scribbling of a pen. “Thank you,” said the woman. “I’ll let him know.”
“Thanks.” He flipped the phone shut and tossed it disinterestedly onto the dashboard, where it clattered next to Naruto’s. Finding the sudden silence repressing and unnerving, he cranked up the volume to the radio and sang along softly to the rock music that blared through. He wondered if Naruto liked rock music and resolved to ask him that when he got home that day.
That day... again reminded of the task that lay ahead, he wondered if Gaara was really going to be there and, if so, what was he going to do? The second that thought passed through his mind he laughed incredelously. Jesus Christ. Here he was, a detective, wondering what he was going to do if he found the murderer, and had evidence to prove it to. He was going to put the bastard in jail, he told himself firmly, and for a very long time too.
And not just for what he did to those girls... an image of Naruto’s chest, dotted with scars and bite marks, made his blood burn and his knuckles to whiten on the steering wheel. Everything that poor man had been through... he didn’t deserve what life - no, Gaara - handed to him. It just wasn’t fair, for one man to go through all of that without anyone to lean on, without ever summoning up the courage to stand up to his brother alone. Until now. Now, he told the image of the smiling face in his mind, now I’m here for you. I’ll never leave you, Naruto, not ever. Especially when that monster is loose.
Never.
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Chapter notes: *Sighs dramatically* Two chapters left.... I'D BETTER GET MY DAMN 50 REVIEWS, PPL!!!! *Glares at you all*. I have decided I'm going to be an evil author and NOT POST THE LAST CHAPTER till I get them. ^^ *Smiles cutely* So, get crackin'. I NEED THEM!!!!!
I have just tarnished my reputation, haven't I....?
Oh well. Live with it. I need my reviews... I need them...
Anyway, onto the story and thank you for reviewing all of my loyal fans!!! ^^ Enjoy, SBP