Hey everyone. I'd like to apologize for my lack of updating on anything for the past month, and I'll tell you why- the laptop that had all my files and all my future chapters for my stories on it died out completely, along with everything I had on it. I have to take some time to rebuild what was lost, so in the meantime, I'm starting from scratch on this story, which I hope at least some people will enjoy.

Before anyone acknowledges it, I'd like to point out what will be notable changes in the fic from others-

-Naruto's going to have some maturity. Fanfictions portray too much of Naruto's dim side and not enough of his tactic one. Plus, his occupation in this fic will call for intelligence. He'll still have his Naruto moments, but he's not going to be an empty-headed ramen lover.

-OCs won't have Japanese names. I'm sorry, but I just don't know any Japanese names.

-Like in all my other stories, the plot WILL kick up. If you have read a number of my stories, you'll know that my plotlines don't develop right away. This is only because what's said before is going to be significant in the climax.

Summary: Four male detectives and four female cops, different in almost every aspect of their expertise. Once the two sides are forced to team up to get to the bottom of the town's latest unsolved murder, they soon become similar in more ways than they think…whether they like it or not.

Pairings: NejiTen, ShikaIno, SasuSaku, NaruHina

Enjoy, guys.

Chapter 1:

The Lonely Detectives

Shikamaru took a drag of his cigarette as he leaned back against the brick wall outside the workplace. He sighed as he took it out of his mouth, breathing out a puff of smoke.

"What a depressing job…" He said to himself as his eyes closed slowly. It made him wonder why he was doing the job he was.

Not that Shikamaru didn't enjoy the thrill of investigations and challenge, but detective work came with a lot more than adventure. It came with traumatic visuals, unfortunate truths and loneliness.

The loneliness is what got to him the most.

"Come on, it's not that bad," a voice answered back uninvited but casually next to Shikamaru. Shikamaru wasn't startled by the sudden company. He simply took another drag of his cigarette and greeted his friend and co-worker.

"Afternoon, Naruto," he said, turning slightly to face the blond, dynamic uniformed Uzamaki. "And yes, actually it is."

Naruto leaned on the wall next to Shikamaru, contemplating pointing out the obvious. Due to lack of other responses, he chose to do so.

"You could quit," he suggested. Shikamaru took his cigarette out of his mouth.

"You know I can't do that," he replied, giving Naruto a look that explained why. Naruto just sighed and looked up to the sky.

"Yeah," he said. "I know."

After a short pause, Naruto chose to speak again.

"You know," he said, deciding to light up the dismal mood. "If you don't put that out soon, you're bound to get snagged by Jiraya again for 'smoking on the job'." He gestured towards Shikamaru's cigarette. "The man's ancient, but he could smell smoke from a mile away."

Shikamaru took no heed to this warning. "What does he care," he said. "He has subscribed every issue of Playboy for the next few years of his life. As if he hasn't sinned enough in his life."

"True," Naruto agreed. "But he seemed to be pretty pissed at you that last time."

Shikamaru gave a scoff. "So the man likes to hear himself talk. What's he going to do, fire me?"

Naruto couldn't argue there. Everyone knew that himself, Shikamaru, Neji and Sasuke were of the higher rankings of detectives, and Jiraya would be more interested in cutting off his own arm than cutting them loose. However, Shikamaru's drug addiction still irked all of them.

"So, want to tell me what's miffing you so much about work all of a sudden?"

Shikamaru shrugged. After all, he'd rather share whatever problems he had with Naruto than his other two stoic co-workers.

"I don't know," he bit his lip. "Just, I can't help but notice every day that us four happen to be the only ones on the force with empty ring fingers."

Naruto's face dropped at the mention of this.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But you know why we can't."

"Yeah," muttered Shikamaru, obviously annoyed with the underlying reason standing between him and his wish. "Which is what's miffing me about work all of a sudden."

"Oh," Naruto said quietly. "I see."

Shikamaru nodded apologetically, having notably dropped Naruto's otherwise happy mood. But he was right. The loneliness was starting to eat away at their personalities…and when they loose touch with their personalities, they both feared what would become of themselves.

It was then that a door swung open from beside them, but no one came out. Even so, they both knew who it was.

"Uzamaki! Nara! Breaks over…we've got some important news from the department!" They then heard a great intake of air. "That better not be smoke I smell," the familiar voice of Jiraya warned, though he knew very well what Shikamaru was doing.

Shikamaru sighed and dropped the cigarette. "There goes my pick-me-up," he muttered, squashing the butt under his foot. If it were only the boss's head…

"Guess we ought to be heading in now?" Naruto hitched his head toward the entrance into the workplace.

"Unfortunately," nodded Shikamaru.

"Sometime today boys!"

"Alright, we're coming, keep your pants on, old man…"

On the other side of the building

"Uchiha."

"What?"

"Want to know a little fact about the universe?"

"Hm."

"The coffee machine is always going to be there. You don't need to guard it and disable others from accessing it."

Sasuke looking around to realize he had been standing right in front of the coffee machine, having dozed off. While doing this, unbeknownst to him, he had effectively pissed of Neji Hyuuga, who had an apparent coffee craving right then.

"Sorry," he said lightly, stepping out of the way for his co-worker. "You know you could have just told me sooner," he added in irritation.

"So I could have." Neji nodded, taking a cup out of the pile by the machine, along with a bag of coffee grounds. However, he did not finish his sentence, having implied the fact that he found the stupefied look on Sasuke's face amusing.

Sasuke looked at the fierceness in how Neji poured and mixed his coffee.

"Drink straight out of the machine, why don't you," Sasuke rolled his eyes at Neji.

"With the hours we're working lately, I might as well have coffee flowing through my veins," Neji breathed, taking a sip out of his coffee and recoiling a second after. "Damn it!" he cursed, slamming the cup down, causing a bit to spill on his shirt.

"Hot, is it?" Sasuke asked with a smirk, taking a sip of his own fair-temperature coffee.

"You're funny, Uchiha," Neji remarked sarcastically, seizing a napkin from the counter to wipe his shirt.

"Aw, did little Neji have an accident?"

Neji and Sasuke looked up in front of them to see Jon Linz. Or in other words, the two guys arch nemesis. In the office, that is. Since the Neji and Sasuke got promoted to the top rank, the most coveted positions, Linz had an unfathomable beef with them and never ceased to mock and tear them down whenever the chance came around. So of course, he leapt at the moment where Neji Hyuuga had dribbled coffee down his shirt.

"So it would seem," muttered Neji in response to his rivals mock.

"Oopsie. Well, no worries, once you get home, you can have your woman put it through the wash. Or lick it off herself, maybe? That's a personal favorite of mine." Linz gave them a sharp and evil look now. "Oh yeah," he said. "You don't have a woman."

Neji glared at him and crumpled the napkin in his hand. "So you think I need a woman to keep my shirts clean, is that it?"

"Among other things," Linz said smugly. "Such as wear the ponytail of the house so you don't have to? Or perhaps, give you a nice break from your work every now and then…" Linz made a suggestive pelvic thrust.

"And you call yourself a professional," Sasuke sighed, shaking his head.

"Hey," Linz said to Sasuke, tweaking an eyebrow. "I wouldn't be talking either, Uchiha. It's not like you've got anyone to fill the other side of your bed either."

"I don't need anyone to fill the other side of my bed to do to my job," Sasuke told him, taking a sip of his coffee. "Which is all that matters to me. However, if your ability to do work does come from a nightly dose of enthusiasm from a female, that's your business."

Linz glowered at the two. "You are so full of-"

"Uchiha! Hyuuga!"

The three men turned to see Iruka, who was of a rank below them, next to them with a stern look on his face.

"Yes, Iruka?"

"The boss needs to see you right now. Some new breaking coverage going on downtown."

The two men looked at each other and nodded. They put their coffees in the trash and began to walk with Iruka hurriedly to Jiraya's office.

However, they had not gotten out of earshot of Linz's last reminder.

"Think about what I said ladies," he mocked. "You keep telling yourselves you're fine right now. Tell yourselves that again when you die alone."

The two just kept on walking, pretending that Linz's words did not lightly strike their nerves for a reason they didn't know.

This chapter is mainly to establish the guys positions and occupations. The girls will come next. The third chapter is where things will hit a new turn. I hope you guys liked it, R and R if you can!