A/N: Hello again, my wonderful friends...the time is now 04:01:20 hours. I am the insomniac, once again. Here, we have a great step for me. I have, as previously stated, been having a problem. It is difficult for me to write men, and even more so for me to do Yaoi. I mean, it isn't like I'm a freaky fangirl or anything (no offense to those of you who are...), but I wanted to try it out. I think it keeps things pretty tense in a story, and hell, I just wanted to see if I could. I have also said that I wouldn't be able to do much...but I guess I got bored with schoolwork. I guess I should make with the explanations?
Ahem. I'm assuming that if you've come this far, you've read the summary, so I'll just go with a couple of warnings for the chapter.
V--car crash, drive by shooting, blood, gore
FL--Naruto's language gets a little coarse
C--Japanese terminology used, mostly should be in italics. Definitions provided at the end of the chapter.
Legal Stuffiness: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor, and he owns my soul.
Machi Yoko Naruto
Chapter 1: A Losing Hand
"Twenty. I lose again." Huffing as he tossed down his cards, Naruto looked across the table at the dark-haired youth sitting on even darker cushions. "Remind me why I play hana-fuda with you, Shikamaru. You cheat. I know you do. Come on and tell me. You mark the cards, don't you?" The other young man rolled his eyes and shifted on his cushion without replying. He simply picked up the cards, shuffled them, and put them back into the shiny black lacquered box that sat in the middle of the low table. "Why am I here again? What are we waiting for?"
They had been waiting for nearly three hours, and had played seven whole games of hana-fuda, five of which Naruto had lost. As previously stated, he was sure that his friend cheated. Shikamaru's disinterested look melted at his question. Looking into Naruto's eyes, he seemed to be searching for something. Finally, he answered him. "An associate of mine wants to meet with you." Naruto's eyes widened.
"You don't mean…" When Shikamaru's expression did not change, Naruto stood to leave. "I told you before, I'm not in the business. I thought you were my friend, Shikamaru." His brows drew down, as did the corners of his mouth, and he turned and walked quickly to the door, picking up his shoes and sliding the screen aside. He had to get out of here before Shikamaru's 'associate' showed up. It wasn't like he wanted to meet with him, whoever he was. Just thinking about it gave him the creeps. But as he stepped out of the door, he was once again reminded how hard it is to escape one's past. Or, in his case, the past of his father.
"Oof!" He had run directly into a solid wall of muscle, much taller than himself, and when he looked up, he saw a forbidding, blocky face, scarred and very brown from the sun. Blinking up at this human wall, he backed away a few paces, and bowed slightly. "Sumimasen. I did not mean to bump into you."
"Move aside, Ibiki." A low and musical voice came from behind the towering man, and the gurentai moved aside with surprising speed and grace. The speaker was revealed, showing Naruto a young man just a little taller than himself and right around his twenty years, wearing a dark suit that matched his hair and eyes, but contrasted greatly with the porcelain-like color of his skin. There was a smirk playing over his lips, and he shook his long bangs out of his eyes to look at Naruto. Raising one eyebrow, he said loudly, "Nara Shikamaru, get out here."
In an instant, Naruto's lazy friend was in the hallway, kneeling in front of the pale young man, and saying in a tone of utter deference, "My apologies, Uchiha-sama. I tried to keep him as long as I could. He's just—" his tone became weary as he continued, "--troublesome. Are you certain that you want him?" Naruto stared at his friend. He had never seen Shikamaru like this. This was a man who bowed to no one, let alone knelt. Who the hell was this…oh, shit. Not that Uchiha? Think, Naruto, think. You have got to get away from them. And you need to do it now! But try as he might, he could think of absolutely nothing.
The Uchiha stepped around Shikamaru's abased form, and stood directly in front of Naruto, his eyes sizing him up for every inch of his worth. Not one to back down from anyone, Naruto gazed defiantly at the man. "Hn. He'll do. May we go inside, Nara-san?" Shikamaru rose with alacrity, and moved into the room, while the Uchiha followed, and Naruto was prodded along by what he thought might have been either the hilt of a sword, or the barrel of a semi-automatic pistol. He wasn't going to turn around to check, since the towering man, Ibiki, was it? Since Ibiki seemed in a foul mood. "Ibiki, you may wait outside."
The screen slid shut behind him, and Naruto had to make himself not fidget as he stood staring at the scene before him. The dark mahogany table, which was low to the floor, still held the box of cards, but instead of Shikamaru sitting on the cushions where the head-of-household sat, this new man sat there, with the lazy young man sitting rather stiffly in seiza position behind him and to his left. The light of the room, which was brighter than that of the hallway, revealed to him just how pale the Uchiha was. He seemed to glow. Those dark eyes, which Naruto had thought were black, now were only a very dark gray. He seemed to be waiting for something.
After a long moment, Shikamaru sat up straighter, and said in a calm tone, "Oyabun, this is Uzumaki Naruto, heir to the Uzumaki clan. Naruto, this is Uchiha Sasuke, oyabun of the Honshu Yakuza. Sit." Naruto took a deep breath. He was not in the habit of obeying others, and the commanding tone in his friend's voice made his hackles rise. As calmly as he could, he seated himself directly across the table from the black-haired young man, who was keenly watching his every move. It wasn't as if he weren't used to this sort of treatment. He just hadn't dealt with it in more than a year, since his father died. Sasuke made a small gesture to Shikamaru, and he rose, moving to a cupboard in the corner to retrieve two cups and a bottle of sake.
There was a fire of frustration growing within Naruto now. He was so unused to seeing anyone treat his best friend with so little respect that he had a very acute desire to hit the pale man seated across from him. That, he decided, was a very bad idea, and he employed some of the self-control that his father had instilled in him. Shikamaru was now pouring sake for the oyabun, and for Naruto as well. Naruto looked down at the cup in front of him, not even moving to touch it. The Uchiha, on the other hand, raised the small white ceramic cup to his lips, and inhaled the scent of the liquor before sipping at it with a light smirk.
"Uzumaki Naruto," The young oyabun began, "Your father left something in my family's possession. Nara-san, if you please." Once again, his friend rose, and moved to the cupboard. This time, he brought a small package directly to Naruto. It was wrapped fancily, in silk. He did not need to unwrap it to know what it contained. Its miniscule size told him everything he needed to know.
"Sumimasen, Uchiha-sama, but my father's debts died with him. I am not held by his fate." Naruto kept his voice level, calm, and polite, even though he wanted to jump the five feet of mahogany in front of him and pound the man's smug face into the tatami mat. His words seemed to amuse the oyabun, and he shifted his weight from one side to the other, looking for all the world like a small child who was excited at the prospect of eating his favorite ice cream. Yes. That was what he looked like. The excitement in his eyes told of a predatory delight that he must often need to satisfy. If Naruto was good at one thing, he was good at reading people. But this man was a complete mystery.
He knew about him, of course. It was difficult not to. What he did not know was why the bastard looked at him like he was going to kill him at any moment just for the fun of it, or that he was going to do something even worse to him. The amused look never left his eyes as he said, "I am afraid that you are rather mistaken, Uzumaki-san. Your father also left with us formal permission, should anything happen to him before he could discharge his debt, that you were to take his place. I am simply prosecuting my right to that service. You will come with me, and there will be no questions, and no arguments. Is that understood, Uzumaki-san?"
Naruto practically vibrated in his anger toward this completely unfeeling, self-absorbed, smug…teme. Oh, that was the precise word to describe him. He seemed not to care that Naruto may not want to serve him. The fact that he had more servants and underlings than any other individual on the island of Honshu did not enter into it. This was the kind of man that could never have enough of anything. He eyed Naruto with a raised brow, as if daring him to refuse. The blonde clutched the edge of the table tightly, wishing that he could break it over the head of this sneering man. Steeling himself and exerting his full arsenal of self-control, he said, "Hai, Uchiha-sama. I understand." He lowered his eyes, but then said, "Shikamaru?"
"Hai, Naruto-kun?"
"Blood feud." He did not need to see his friend to know that he had just winced. Raising his gaze, his blue eyes were icy. "I will never forgive you for this." His friend bowed his head, top-knot pointing directly toward the ceiling.
"Hai. I understand." The voice that came from Shikamaru was defeated. It seemed that blood feud was not necessary, but Naruto would not back down, now that he had called the ancient rite into play. "Name the place, and I will be there." Still in that defeated tone, he said these words, and Naruto knew he was telling the truth. He would not run, and he would not hide. Like the mostly honorable man that he was, Shikamaru would be there on that day when their blood feud was concluded, and he would suffer for his betrayal.
"Not yet, Shikamaru. One day, when you least expect it."
The Uchiha cleared his throat. Naruto looked across the table at him, and saw that he had an expression of exasperation across his delicate features. "If you please, Uzumaki-san. I must be going. You will come with me now." Naruto stood, lowering his eyes, and moved to the door. Opening it, he stood aside.
"Hai, oyabun. I will follow you." Saying this as politely as he could through clenched teeth, he bowed low, eyes on the floor.
"Stand up straight, dobe. I will not tolerate obsequiousness." Naruto did as instructed, and watched the man exit before him. Casting one last glance at Shikamaru's slumped form, he left the room, not bothering to close the screen. Following in silence, he thought about what had just happened. The situation he now found himself in was not pleasant. He not only had to follow, but when they got to the car, he was made to sit next to the man, since Ibiki took up the whole of the front seat by himself. The ride was long, about three-quarters of an hour, and Naruto could feel himself being watched. Had he not felt eyes on him, he would have fallen asleep, as he always did on long car-rides.
As it was, he did start to doze during the last five minutes of the trip, during which he knew they were on the grounds of the Uchiha compound, even though he was only half-conscious. The car came to a silent stop, and Ibiki squeezed himself out of the car to open the door for his employer. Naruto got out, nearly stumbling over his own feet. "Go and put the car away Ibiki, then go to get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow." The dark-haired man said, and Ibiki nodded, then shoved himself back into the car to do as he was told. "Come with me, Naruto-san." The informality and familiarity which the main said his name did not escape Naruto's notice, and he filed the information away for future use.
They entered the main doors of the house, and Naruto looked around for a moment. It was a large house, almost a castle. Keeping any sort of wonder out of his expression, he examined his surroundings carefully, memorizing the contents of the room. The dark man started walking again, and Naruto followed silently. It was very quiet, as if no one but the two of them were there at all. He shrugged the thought aside before following behind the other man up a set of stairs and down a long corridor. There was a door a the very end, and he followed through this one as well. This room was much more traditional than the rest of the house.
Where the hallway was marble and carpet, this room had tatami mats covering the floor, and several screens were placed in corners and along the walls to hide various things. The large room was divided into sections. One seemed to be dedicated to a study, while another was a meeting area, and the rest, and by far the vast majority, seemed to be a sleeping area. He stood near the door, waiting for instructions. The dark-haired man glanced over his shoulder at Naruto. "Take off your shoes, dobe."
Again, he shook with rage. He hated being called names. Doing as he was told, he placed his shoes next to the door and waited. The Uchiha moved into the meeting area, then sat at a small table. Naruto sat after being instructed to do so, and he looked over at the man across from him. He didn't like him, that much was sure. Then, the object of his aggravation spoke. "You will call me Sasuke-sama, when we are in public, or if we are around any other servants. When we are alone, you may call me Sasuke." Naruto blinked. What the hell was this man doing? He was breaking protocol, which was the basis of all interactions between yakuza. Nodding slowly, he allowed himself to relax a tiny bit. "Shikamaru has told me that you are a master of several forms of martial arts, including weapons. Is this true?"
"Hai, Sasuke. I have studied aikido, jujutsu, kung fu and shotokan. The weapons I am proficient with include the bo, sai, kusarigama, spear, and kali, but I have mastered the katana, kodaichi, and wakizashi." Sasuke seemed pleased. Naruto did not understand why he wanted to know about his experience with traditional weapons, since he had a man like Ibiki around. Then again, the Uchiha family was notorious for its reliance upon…older methods of doing things.
So pleased was he that a smile spread over his lips. Not a smirk, but a smile. It was not pleasant, by any means, but it was genuine. "Good, Naruto. You will stay with me at all times, then. You will be provided with the best weapons, and will be my personal bodyguard." Naruto goggled at the man. Was he serious? He had just met him, and he trusted him that much? Sasuke seemed to sense his question. "I can't have a gurentai like Ibiki watching my back for too long, Naruto. He's a ruffian. There are times when there isn't any way to know what he'll do next. I need someone who is more reliable, and whom I can trust." Leaning closer to him, Sasuke said, "I can trust you, can't I?"
Naruto nodded, keeping silent. He didn't trust his voice at the moment. He still did not like the situation. The clock on the wall began to chime, and Naruto glanced at it. It was now midnight. "We have quite a day ahead of us tomorrow, Naruto. I suggest we go to sleep." Sasuke stood, and moved to the sleeping area, where Naruto now noticed two futons laid neatly out. He was a little puzzled. Was he really supposed to be around him all of the time? Would he be allowed to go out? Or was he a prisoner?
"Sumimasen, Sasuke. I was wondering when I would be allowed to go back to my apartment, to collect my things." The dark haired man turned back to him, a curious expression on his face.
"Ibiki will go there and gather your belongings, Naruto, he will—"
"That is unacceptable. He will not touch my father's sword." Naruto's voice was firm, and commanding, and Sasuke was taken completely aback by it. His eyes had gone wide, and his mouth hung open a little. Apparently, he wasn't used to having his orders contradicted.
"Naruto, that's enough. Ibiki will—"
"No, he will not. He can touch anything but my father's sword. No one is allowed to touch it but me, and anyone that does will not live to un-sheath it." Again, Sasuke was surprised. Naruto was, by nature, a gentle soul, but it took only disrespect to his family, or the handling of his family's most precious relic to make him absolutely murderous. For a long moment, they only stared at one another, eyes the color of charcoal burning into those that rivaled the sea. Neither blinked. It was, in a way, a battle of wills. Naruto was not in the least bit unsettled by the other man's gaze, and he would admit that while he might be testing his boundaries a bit, he would not, under any circumstances, allow any other human being to touch his father's blade. No. It was his, now. He was the heir, and since his father had been killed, he was the head of the clan. Now, he was merely a servant. It more than rankled him to think of it, but he would discharge his father's debt.
Finally, Sasuke looked away. "Fine. First thing in the morning, we will go to your apartment. You will take only those things that you absolutely need." That, Naruto decided, would be the sword, and a handful of other things. "Clothing has already been prepared for you, and is in the far right-hand closet. You will be well provided for, Naruto. Do you have any other concerns?"
"No."
"Good. Now get dressed for bed." Sasuke was smirking again, and Naruto nearly rolled his eyes, but stopped himself just in time. He went to the designated closet, and opened it. At the sight of what lay within, he raised an eyebrow. Every scrap of clothing in the oversized walk-in closet was in dark, subdued grays, blues, and browns, and every bit of it was in the traditional style. Kimono, hakama, tabi, everything. He sighed. It seemed that he was doomed to a life of formality, when he was anything but.
Pulling a dark gray yukata from a hanger, he hung it on a hook that was attached to the back of the door, then removed his clothes, tossing them into the basket on the far wall of the closet. Once he had belted the thin cotton robe around himself, he sighed gently again and turned back to the futon, closing the door to the closet. A thought occurred to him, and he moved to the door, locking it, then checked that the windows were in the same state. He could feel Sasuke's eyes on him, watching him with a penetrating gaze. When everything was checked, he turned back to Sasuke. "Everything is locked, Sasuke."
"Hai. Oyasumi-nasai, Naruto." The man lowered himself gracefully to the futon, and covered himself with the blanket, then said, "Lights. Off." Instantly, darkness flooded the room, broken only by square pools of light left by the windows, scattered about the floor. Naruto lay down on his own futon, apprehensive about his new life. He hated the thought of being a servant. He liked the idea of serving Sasuke even less. The reputation of the Uchiha family was brutal. The eldest of the ruling family, Itachi, had murdered their father, mother, and sisters, then disappeared. Sasuke, everyone knew, had sworn revenge, but he had to find the man, first. As Naruto closed his eyes, he saw his father's eyes before him, and he could not sleep.
"This is ridiculous. What is the problem now?" Sasuke leaned against the wall outside the bathroom, as Naruto squawked indignantly. He peeked around the doorframe, and was rather amused when he saw Naruto being dressed. All of the clothing that Sasuke had personally chosen for the blonde was traditional, right down to his undergarments, and it was this that his bodyguard was not wanting to let the maid touch.
"I can do that myself, thank you!" He was swatting at her hands, and the girl was giggling madly and blushing. The maid, a boy-crazy girl of fifteen, was trying to adjust the cloth that covered Naruto's genitalia. With an almighty effort, Naruto grabbed both of the girl's hands and said, "Get out of here. Right now. If I needed help in dressing myself, I would ask for it." Shocked and hurt, the girl ran from the room. Sasuke chuckled as Naruto huffed exasperatedly and ripped the under-kimono from its hanger, then carefully threaded his arms into the sleeves and tied it shut. He would be a lot of fun to have around, simply because he got angry so easily.
Walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth, he said, "Aren't you done yet, dobe?"
"Don't call me that, Sasuke!" Naruto snapped, causing Sasuke to smirk as Naruto belted a black silk kimono around himself. The resulting image was rather impressive, Sasuke had to admit. The seamstresses had done their jobs well, for the garments fit the blonde man perfectly, allowing for freedom of movement while still displaying his leanly muscular physique to its utmost benefit. Of course, the pouting expression on Naruto's face ruined the dignity of the picture. Sasuke decided then and there that he would have to work on that. He couldn't have his closest servant acting like a child all of the time. It simply wasn't the way that his family did things.
As he brushed his teeth, he glanced over at Naruto, who was at the other sink, splashing his face with water and then drying it and brushing his own teeth. The best thing about him was that he would provide Sasuke with some free entertainment, he decided. It was, in fact, rather amusing to watch him get all huffy. Once he had rinsed his mouth, Sasuke went out into the bedroom and settled down to wait for Naruto to be finished dressing and grooming himself. He had expected a pretty-boy like Naruto to take forever, but was surprised to find that not two minutes after he had seated himself, Naruto was out of the bathroom and fully dressed. Minus shoes, that is. The sandals provided for him were still in the closet, and he moved to get them.
He seemed very different from what Sasuke had expected. Naruto's father, he had met, and he had thought that the man was obnoxious to the point of idiocy. Naruto resembled him greatly, though Sasuke wondered where those eyes had come from, since his father and mother both had brown eyes. He had inherited his father's practiced grace, though Naruto seemed more fluid in his movements, more willowy.
Sasuke had done research into Naruto's background, family, and behavior, and found that he was the perfect choice for a bodyguard. He'd had his two best spies working together for once, gathering all of the information they could on him, and it had paid off. All in all, he knew that Naruto was an honorable man, mostly gentle and unassuming, and fiercely loyal once you gained his respect. He also never went back on his word, which was why Sasuke had relented in their argument earlier. Ibiki may be only a gurentai, but he did not want the man dead. He was very useful when intimidation was necessary.
Naruto brought out his shoes and placed them near the door. He turned to Sasuke, waiting, a look of anxiety in his eyes. Sasuke nearly sighed. "All right. Let's go to your apartment. Then, breakfast." His first spy, a girl just younger than himself, had taken note of Naruto's behavioral habits, diet, and other personal information, and while most of it was pleasing, the one thing that bothered him was the fact that the man ate ramen, almost exclusively. Sakura had expressed a sense of wonder at the fact that Naruto was still alive. Of course, Sasuke would be the one to choose where they ate, so it would not be a problem. Naruto would eat the things that Sasuke knew were healthy for him. He needed him in top performing shape. So, he said with an air of finality, "No ramen."
Naruto's jaw dropped. As Sasuke reached past him to unlock the door, he used one finger to push the blonde's jaw closed. Sasuke slipped his shoes on and walked out into the hallway, followed shortly by Naruto. Servants passed them as they walked to the main foyer of the house, and Sasuke listened to the clicking of his dress shoes on the marble floors contrast against the soft organic rasp of the straw sandals Naruto wore. It was a sound that lulled him, though he did not let his guard down entirely. He had only to gain the respect of the man striding behind him, and he would have someone who would be a faithful servant for the rest of his life.
Unfortunately, Sasuke knew from the work of his other spy, Ino, that Naruto's respect was not easily gained. It was a trait of the Uzumaki clan to be notoriously stubborn, and he was already finding out that the present heir was no exception. As they came to the front door of the house, Sasuke stood motionless, and Naruto moved ahead of him. He knew every protocol in the world of the yakuza, since his father had belonged to it, and Sasuke smiled as Naruto opened the door and peered suspiciously out of it before stepping aside and letting Sasuke through to approach the car that Ibiki sat in, waiting for them. Sasuke slid into the back seat of the car, the fabric of his dark suit sliding over the leather in a mere whisper. Naruto soon followed, and shut the door.
The ride to Naruto's apartment was silent, during which the blonde looked out of the window, and Sasuke looked at him. Lounging in his seat, Sasuke leaned against the locked door of the car, covertly watching Naruto from behind his stubborn bangs. "Sasuke-sama?" Blinking, the young crime boss snapped out of his observation of the other man.
"Hai, Naruto-san?"
"With all respect, Sasuke-sama, would you please not stare at me? It makes me paranoid." Naruto had turned his body to face him now, and watched Sasuke with a kind of frustrated anger in his eyes. Amusement, as well as a little frustration of his own passed through Sasuke's mind. He was about to say something when Ibiki brought the car to a sudden stop, and Naruto's eyes widened, staring past Sasuke's face. Suddenly, Sasuke found himself being hauled downward by the lapels of his suit as Naruto shoved him to the floor on his back and flopped on top of him. The windows imploded as bullets began to riddle the car. Aside from the metallic noise of lead piercing the doors of the car, and glass shattering, there was the unmistakable wet sound of bullets entering a human body, and Sasuke nearly choked.
He squirmed under Naruto's grip as the young man tried to keep him on the floor. "Ibiki! Ibiki, get down! If you can hear me, get down!" His voice was muffled by Naruto's chest, since his bodyguard had covered him and sheltered his head with his arms, pressing his face to the front of his kimono. The man above him gently let go of his head after the gunfire ceased, and looked around, and out of the windows.
"Oh, shit! Hold on, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. Getting down once again, Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's head protectively, and braced himself with his legs. Then, there was a sudden, violent and repeated jarring of the vehicle, as it was struck by a car, then another and another. Soon, the impacts were enough to rattle Sasuke's brain, and was he mistaken, or did he smell gasoline? With the last impact, Naruto gave a grunt as his head hit the passenger side door, and then Sasuke heard tires squealing on the pavement as the other cars obviously sped away. He began to feel heat coming at him from the front of the car, and then he felt Naruto lifting his head again. His bodyguard shifted slightly, and looked down at him. "Daijoubu desu ka, Sasuke?"
"Hai, daijoubu. Ibiki?" The tightness around Naruto's eyes said that the man was dead, and Sasuke stifled a strangled cry. Suddenly, the heat coming from the front of the car grew more intense. He smelled smoke, and gasoline once again. "Naruto, get off of me and get the door open. The car is on fire."
The blonde smirked down at him for a mere instant, then said, "No need." Deftly, Naruto merely braced his hands, one on each side of Sasuke's head on the floorboard of the car, and kicked the passenger door once, causing the battered and torn metal to give way. How strong was he? Naruto then heaved himself off of Sasuke and out of the car, then yanked his new employer out onto the sidewalk and began to run, dragging Sasuke along behind him. When he stumbled, Naruto yelled, "Oi, teme! Move your ass! The car's about to blow—" before he could say "up," the car did exactly as Naruto had predicted it would, throwing the both of them nearly six meters through the air, with the blast wave. Sasuke was surprised once again when, in mid air, he was yanked to Naruto's chest in a protective manner, and held there even as Naruto's back connected with the brick wall of a pastry shop.
They landed in a heap on the ground, Naruto on the bottom, and Sasuke blinked down at the now unconscious young man. For someone who appeared not to like the situation he was in, he surely did his job well, and faithfully. Sasuke looked around fretfully. He needed to get help. Swallowing audibly, he glanced down at Naruto. It would be utterly dishonorable if he were to allow this man to die, now that he had saved his life three times in five minutes.
After a moment, he found a street-sign. They were only two blocks from Naruto's apartment. If he could carry the blonde for two blocks, then he could at least get to a phone and call for help. How he himself had gotten away without even a scratch was beyond him, and he wondered about it as he hauled Naruto up from the ground, noticing that the young man was bleeding not only from several minor scrapes on his face and neck, but also from a rather bad gash on the side of his head. He slung Naruto over his shoulder and proceeded the two blocks to their destination.
Now, having arrived at Naruto's building, he blinked. He called this an apartment? It could hardly be described as that. It was an old fire station, which had been converted into living quarters, a dojo, a library, and in the back, a greenhouse. While the walls were still raw brick, it was well furnished, and Sasuke stared in wonder at the dojo, where so many weapons hung, and then again at the library, which held as many books as his own did. Naruto did not seem like the type to read much.
He did not think he would be able to carry Naruto up the spiral staircase, so he got into the freight elevator, and when it stopped on the second floor, he exited and looked around him in surprise. There were only a few things to be seen here. One was a large futon that looked able to hold six people, and a small shrine to Naruto's mother and father, which looked to be well used. Finally, there was a separate area set aside with a low, flat table of walnut, polished to a high sheen, and positioned directly in the center of this was a stand that held a katana, a kodaichi, and a wakizashi. They were all in sheaths stained a dark blue, inlayed with flame maple in a geometric pattern near the top of the sheath, and lacquered. Those would be Naruto's family swords.
Sasuke tore his eyes away from them to lay Naruto as gently as possible down on his own futon, then he went to find the telephone. It was in the kitchen, and he picked it up, dialing the number for his home. "Hello? Sakura? Yes, it's me. Send someone to Uzumaki Naruto's apartment immediately, and inform Tsunade that there has been an accident, and she should meet us here as well. Get Kakashi to make arrangements for Ibiki's funeral. He's dead." At this, he had to choke back a sob. Ibiki was a rough man, but he had served Sasuke's family for a long time, and he was like an uncle to him. The girl on the other end of the line said that she would do as she was told, and then he heard her burst into tears before she hung up the phone.
Japanese terms used:
Kimono: a robe-like garment worn by both men and women in Japan
Tabi: socks that are divided between the big toe and the rest
Hakama: pants worn by men in Japan for the practice of Kendo, or swordplay
Katana: a Japanese full-length sword, standard length, approximately 1.4 meters
Kodaichi: a sword slightly shorter than the katana, with a longer hilt.
Bo: a bladeless staff weapon
Kasurigama: a sickle-like weapon on a chain
Kali: a short stick-like weaponWakizashi: a short sword, often paired with a katana as a spare
Hana-fuda: a Japanese card game, in which a hand equaling 20 is losing.
Daijoubu desu ka?: Are you okay?
Hai: yes
Seiza: a position often sat in by those who practice martial arts. The legs are folded under the body, knees spread apart, with feet on either side of the hips.
Oyabun: boss. Here, a crime boss.
Gurentai: a hoodlum, a goon, or a ruffian
Oyasumi-nasai: Good nightTeme: connotation is usually "bastard".
Dobe: connotation is usually "idiot" or "moron".
Aikido: a Japanese style of martial arts utilizing an attacker's momentum to take them down. Jujutsu: here, the definition used is relevant to Daito-ryu (a Japanese marital art), which is basicially "a way to stop violence, not to create it".
Kung fu: a Chinese style of martial arts, properly referred to in China as "Gung fu", and practiced by Shaolin monks, and noted film star, Bruce Lee
Shotokan: A Japanese martial art, usually the one thought of when one refers to "Karate".
A/N: I really need all of the feedback I can get on this, since this has been a pet project of mine for the last six months. Please, review. Any feedback is appreciated, but keep in mind that flames should be limited to constructive topics, not the pairings found in the story (though none are apparent at this point).