Chapter Three Part Two
“Hello?” Naruto’s voice was high-pitched, shaky, and he cleared his throat. “Hello?”
Silence. Relieved, Naruto’s finger moved to hang it up - and then he heard heavy breathing. Trembling, he repeated, “Hello? Is anyone there?”
“Naruto?” Relief flooded through him as he recognized the voice.
“Mr. Iruka?” he said, his voice revealing how scared he’d been, and he cleared his throat again. “Mr. Iruka, is that you?”
“Sorry, Naruto,” the older teacher said, and hacked. “I was walking and got out of breath. Anyway, I just wanted to remind you about the conferences on Saturday.”
“Oh, yes,” Naruto said. “Yes, I know. Thank you, Mr. Iruka!”
“Goodbye, Naruto,” the teacher replied, and then, “Take care of yourself, hear?”
“Yes, sir,” Naruto replied. Iruka hung up and Naruto let the phone fall into his lap, taking several deep breaths. Don’t be ridiculous, he scolded himself. Gaara doesn’t even own a cell
phone, so what are you so frightened of?
But even as he told himself that, a tiny voice said, he doesn’t own a phone that you know of. Naruto hung up the phone, then grabbed it and put it in a drawer, closing it shut, as though resisting the temptation of calling the police. He forced himself to relax, telling himself that all of this excitement was going to be the death of him one day, that -
He was interrupted by a pounding of the door. He jumped, then got up and peered through the peephole, calling, “Who’s there?”
Two people, a male and a female, were waiting. They looked a little older than him, and the male had long black hair falling into his slightly annoyed black eyes. The woman had pretty red hair, and she was the one who spoke. “We are detectives from the police department,” she called. “Open up. We’d like to ask you some questions.”
Naruto backed away from the peephole, his heart racing. Detectives? his mind shouted. Coming for Gaara? Desperately he looked around. There was no escape; he was three stories high and if he jumped, it would be the end of him. And Gaara... he had to open the door. They were pounding on it again.
“We’d just like to ask some questions,” the woman called again. “That’s all. Please open up.”
Questions? “About what,” he called cautiously. There was a pregnant pause.
“An investigation,” came the brief, uninformative reply. Then, the male’s voice: “Are you gonna open up, or what?”
“Yeah. Yeah, hold on.” He quickly shot back the deadbolt that was in place, taking several deep breaths as he did so, then opened the door. “Come in, I guess,” he said reluctantly. He didn’t know when Gaara was going to be home and if he returned while these policemen were here....
The woman entered first, casting a brief look around the humble little apartment, and held her badge ready for Naruto to see. “I’m Detective Sakura, and this is Detective Sasuke,” she greeted, standing aside for her partner - still with that insolent look - to walk in beside her. “We’re sorry to barge on you like this, but if we could just ask you a few simple questions we’ll be on our way.”
“Oh. Okay.” There was nothing he wanted more than for them to be on their way. “Please come in.” He hoped that his nervousness wasn’t as apparent as he felt it was. He led the way into the tiny living room and invited them to sit down. Only the woman did. “So, ah--” he forced himself to put his hands in his pockets, he was wringing them too much - “How can I help you?”
The woman - Detective Sakura - opened her mouth but before she could speak her partner interrupted her. “What took you so long to answer the door?” he asked directly, rather rudely, and made a point of looking around. “Are you hiding anything? Doing anything illegal? Any drugs?”
“No!” It came out too quick, too forcefully, and Naruto wet his lips. “Of course not,” he snapped, adopting an insulted tone. “I could have you thrown out-”
“No, it’s all right.” The woman sent the man a reproachful look and smiled, embarrassed, at Naruto. “I’m sorry. My partner’s been on-edge as of late. He apologizes.” Her partner grunted, if of assent or disagreement Naruto didn’t know, but at least he was silent. “Have you ever been to a little store about fifteen or so miles from here, a little store called the Treasure Box?” Detective Sakura asked in a clipped business tone.
Naruto hesitated. “Can I ask why?”
“We have evidence that you bought a shirt from that store that may have a connection to a possible homicide case.”
In a flash he thought of Gaara, of his ripped black shirt. “I don’t know,” he said cautiously. “I can’t remember. I might have.”
“Do you need help remembering?” Sasuke held out several bills. Disgusted and rather shame-facedly, Sakura snatched the bills out of his hand and stuffed them in her pocket with a startled, indignant tone: “Sasuke!”
Naruto blinked. These two detectives were almost humorous, in a way. But he was far too nervous and scared to be in the mood for laughing. The woman - Sakura - turned back to him.
“If you could please answer the question,” she said as politely as she could.
Naruto quickly calculated in his head. Gaara could’ve gone to the store, bought it, and used his name. If he said he bought it, they might go away. But what if they asked to see it? He remembered he’d put it in the wash, with his and Gaara’s other clothes, but it was ripped. Maybe that was a significant fact. But what if he lied, if he said he’d never gone there? They said they had proof - the correct word was ‘evidence’ but he pretty much figured that it meant the same thing - they had proof he’d bought the shirt. If it was by eyewitness account only, the eyewitness could’ve said that a redheaded man bought it, thus he’d be lying and they would know it - but if it was proof, like a receipt, or an inventory, then it’d be proof that someone using his name bought it but it didn’t necessarily mean him -
Sasuke cleared his throat. Naruto blinked rapidly, his eyes coming into focus, and realized they’d been waiting for his answer. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and, without making eye contact, said, “Uh, yeah, I might’ve bought it. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I did. I did.”
“What day?” Sakura asked, consulting her notes.
Naruto felt as though his heart had stopped beating. He worked his mouth, then managed, “I don’t remember. With...” he paused. “Within the last two weeks, maybe?”
“Where is it?” Sasuke asked. Again, Naruto was shocked and he fought for an answer.
“I don’t know,” he answered, at last. “I haven’t seen it. I think.... I think it may have uh, it may’ve been stolen or something.” He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and repeated, “Or something.”
The detectives were silent, the woman writing this down and the man casting his inquisitive, ever scornful glance about the room. Sakura paused, then asked, “Where were you last Tuesday, between the hours of midnight and four in the morning?”
“Here,” Naruto answered - truthfully, for once.
“Anyone who can second that?” Sasuke said.
Naruto thought of his brother but was silent. He shook his head. “No.” Sakura wrote this down, then flipped her pad of paper close and tucked it into her pocket. “Well,” she said, “Thank you very much for your time. We’ll be going now.”
“Okay.” Almost eagerly Naruto opened the door and closed it after them, dead bolting the door shut and checking twice to see if he’d bolted it shut and, thus reassured, slowly made his way to the couch - where he’d sat being interrogated - and slowly sat down. “That was close,” he whispered aloud. He was thankful Gaara hadn’t come home - but, his mind argued, his brother didn’t have anything to do with those murders. He couldn’t have. Gaara was - well, Gaara had his faults, as everyone did, but Gaara was incapable of murder and Naruto told himself that, firmly. But he sure had a hard time believing it.
He got up, got out a pan, thinking he’d make dinner and put Gaara’s portion into the fridge until he came home. What Gaara had said that night - nothing, he already ate - surfaced in his mind but he brushed it away. He liked taking care of Gaara, doing the little things like food and laundry, even if his brother didn’t seem to notice.
A light knock sounded on the door and he almost dropped the pan. Setting it down carefully, he went to the door and peeked through the peephole. He bit off a curse. The detective - the male one, Sasuke - was back. He unlocked the door and opened it an inch. “Can I help you?” he said in a tone of voice that he hoped conveyed his annoyance.
“Yeah.” Sasuke awkwardly shoved his hands in his pockets, not meeting Naruto’s eyes, a nearly completely different picture than the nosy, imposing detective Naruto had seen. The two stood in silence, then Sasuke finally said, “Look. I wanted to apologize - for the way I acted, you know, back there. I was a bit rude.”
Naruto nodded. “Yeah.” The detective looked a little taken aback that he’d agreed so readily, then shrugged.
“I just wanted to apologize,” he repeated. “I was really rude. Can I make it up to you?”
Naruto didn’t answer, unsure of what the detective meant, cocking an eyebrow slightly in puzzlement. Sasuke sighed, then elaborated.
“Would you like to go out for an American coffee, or something?” he asked, then quickly, “Or tea, if you’d prefer.”
Naruto hesitated, glancing behind him. Gaara could come home. But then if he refused, would the cop get nosy again? He didn’t want to take that chance but then, he’d be taking the chance that he could slip up and say something stupid. Again, he looked over his shoulder, at the dark and depressing apartment, and decided what the hell. “I guess,” he said reluctantly.
“Good.” Sasuke smiled slightly. Naruto grabbed his keys and shut the door behind him. “Where do you want to go?” Sasuke asked, standing back. Naruto thought.
“Anywhere, it doesn’t matter,” he answered. He just wanted it done and over with.
They walked - that part Naruto enjoyed - to a nearby cafe, taking a small booth and ordering two coffees. Naruto stirred a cube of sugar into his and Sasuke took it black. Sasuke glanced interestedly at the young blonde man as he absentmindedly stirred his coffee.
To start conversation, he asked, “What do you do for a living?”
Naruto glanced up. “I teach sixth grade.”
“Oh.” A slightly uncomfortable silence reigned, and Sasuke strove to break it. “You already know what I do,” he said, almost guiltily, and Naruto nodded with a small smile. Sasuke took
a sip of his coffee and gazed with interest at the other man. “You’re a teacher, huh?” he said at last.
“Yeah.” Naruto offered him the slightest of smiles. “Not a very exciting job, though. You know -- like yours.”
Sasuke shrugged. “Yeah, well, it’s filled with as much paperwork, boringness, and disappointment as it is excitement.”
“I suppose,” Naruto replied softly, again stirring his coffee, then taking a tentative sip and wincing. “It’s hot,” he said, and Sasuke chuckled.
“Yeah.” He thought about what to talk about - anything - this silence was eating away at him and he wanted it to end. He wanted to see the timid man before him laughing and talking naturally, because something about him reminded the detective of a scared, lost puppy. “Do you live alone?” he asked, hoping it didn’t sound too much like what he was trying to find out: are you single?
Naruto glanced up and looked at a loss to answer. “No,” he answered. Sasuke was surprised; when he’d looked in the apartment earlier, there was no obvious signs of two people living there: he’d seen one bed, one toothbrush, one of everything that would normally be two if he was living with someone. Sasuke discreetly stole a look at his hand. Well, he wasn’t married.
“But he comes and goes,” Naruto added, and that solved a lot.
“Not a permanent resident?” Sasuke inquired, and when Naruto nodded, thought: a lover perhaps, that leaves frequently due to fights? The teacher was looking a bit uncomfortable, so he decided not to delve into personal affairs.
“Why did you do this?” Naruto asked suddenly, startling the detective. “I mean, why did you...” He trailed off.
“Bring you here?” Sasuke finished for him, and Naruto nodded. “Because,” he said, “I think I insulted you and I wanted to apologize, is all.” When Naruto was silent he said back and viewed him. There’s something he’s not telling me, he decided, about the case. About the shirt he said he bought. He was - and is - acting far too... his eyes narrowed. Like he’s hiding something. His cop mind was keen - too keen - and when something didn’t add up -
Naruto was becoming acutely aware of the silence they’d lapsed into and the look the detective was giving him - like he was trying to peer into his soul or something - made him feel jittery and nervous. Abruptly, he blurted, “Are you two married?”
Sasuke blinked. “Huh?” Then, realizing what he’d said: “Who, Sakura and I?” When Naruto nodded he began to laugh, so loudly and suddenly it startled people several booths away; he wiped tears from his eyes and chuckled, “I’m really sorry. It’s just... that concept...” he shook his head and let out a last laugh. “No, we’re not. We’re just partners. She and I...” he sought for a word to describe it, “...different.”
“Different how?” Naruto asked curiously.
“Uh...” Sasuke wasn’t sure if he should beat around the bush or be forward. “I’m uh, not her type. I...” he clasped his hands together and shrugged. Somehow Naruto got the message.
“You’re gay?” he said bluntly. Sasuke blinked; he certainly hadn’t expected the conversation to take this turn.
“Yeah,” he said at last. “I am.” He carefully watched Naruto as he said this; but the younger man exhibited nothing, no reaction, and Sasuke figured he must be fine with it - either that, or gay himself. He took a sip of his still-full coffee, now gone cold, and frowned into his cup. “It’s cold,” he said.
“So’s mine.” Naruto hadn’t touched his coffee at all.
Sasuke scowled ever so slightly. Actually, he’d been intending to find out more about the behavior of this man, of why he’d acted so curiously when questioned, but he didn’t think it
would be a very good idea now, because Naruto looked so - well, so terrified. He’d only began to relax after the subject had gotten on light, irrelevant things. Deciding to be blunt, he said, “We should probably get going, but I’d like to see you again.”
Naruto, off-guard, stared at the detective. Finally he shrugged slightly. “Sure,” he answered. “Okay.”
Sasuke called for the check, hiding his smile.
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Chapter notes: Come on, people... review! I put sweat and tears into this story... (*Cries wildly and cuts myself* lol, j/k) Anyways, please review to make spending 24/7 for a month slaving over this computer worthwhile! I love you all SBP And if you review enough... I'll give you some lemons in Chapter Three, Part Four... *snickers evilly*