As Sasuke walked up the stairs, the warm colors of the sunset filled the sky, and the clouds overhead cast a cylindrical shadow across the eastern part of the land. The wind had picked up and had a bit of a bite to it. Not far from the building, there was a hill that sloped and then flattened out, spreading itself before the wall. It was a graveyard for dilapidated, abandoned buildings, and there were objects here Sasuke had never laid eyes on before. It occurred to him, from the instant he'd set his eyes on Nezumi, that this was a person who held all the information he required to return to his own time. However, getting that information may take more than just a simple financial transaction, and while he preferred not to use force, he would do so if he deemed it necessary.

Even though his footsteps were inaudible and his presence masked, he heard the other teen call to him.

"I s'pose it's gonna be impossible to expect any privacy for a while," said Nezumi. "Thought the only stalkers I'd ever have would be the brutes from the theater."

Sasuke glanced up and spotted Nezumi perched on a concrete slab jutting out from the side of a building that only had two standing walls remaining. His eyes - an almost metallic silver - gleaned in the oncoming darkness, sharp and deadly. It wasn't that he felt threatened by this person, but Sasuke did sense something else about him. A sort of likeness to himself that resulted in a growing sense of begrudging respect.

"I thought I'd learn more if we were able to speak in private," Sasuke remarked calmly, keeping his voice low.

Nezumi's laughter was heavy with amusement. "I wish I could say you get used to livin' with a nosy guy like that, but I dunno if I'll ever understand what goes through that brain of his sometimes."

"At least the companion of whom you speak has a brain."

Smirking, Nezumi got to his feet and dusted off his pants. With a graceful jump, he landed on the ground, right in front of Sasuke. He cocked his head to the side and stuffed his hands inside his jacket pockets. "It's true even Sion has his useful traits."

The barest flash of humor appeared in Sasuke's gaze. "I'm sure he does."

Nezumi eyed him a moment, calculatingly. "I'll answer any of your questions," he said quietly, "If in return, you'll answer mine."

Sasuke studied him, a glare from the sun distorting his image briefly. "Very well. Tell me what lies beyond that wall."

They both turned to look at it, the way it rose above the barren land like a giant grey tidal wave.

"Oh that?" Nezumi drawled sarcastically. "You noticed?"

"It's a defense wall," observed Sasuke. "To keep people of the West Block from entering."

"I hope you're not expecting a history lesson. You'd be better off asking Sion about that. Beyond that wall lies a city intent on sucking the rest of us dry. A parasite city."

"I have a feeling you're not very partial to it."

Nezumi spared him a glare, voice almost a growl. "I'd say that'd be the understatement of the century. Speaking of. Are you familiar with Einstein?"

There was a subtle inclination of Sasuke's chin. "No."

"I figured. Well, let me just say, that everything about yourself and Naruto tell me you're not from around here. And by 'not from around here' I mean you don't even smell of this world."

"Is there a question in there or are you just in the habit of voicing your hypotheses aloud?"

For a breath, Nezumi smiled genuinely at him. "You're sharp, I'll admit that much. Although, for me, that response is as equivocal to an affirmative answer as I'm gonna get. Listen," he said seriously, "I'm not interested in prying too much into your business as I hate it when people do the same to me, but we don't need any more trouble than we've already got. And with that guy around, there's plenty."

Sasuke crossed his arms to his chest. "You seem very protective of Sion."

Nezumi turned sharply away. "That airhead? I don't care what he does or what happens to him, but I won't have anyone get in my way either."

"I have no interest in causing you or Sion any sort of harm so long as you're not obstructing my path to returning home. Those caves you spoke of, the ones that lie under the Correctional Facility, what's the easiest point of entrance?"

"Huh?" Nezumi narrowed his eyes. "Are you brain-dead? There's no easypoint of entrance. Once you go in, you don't come back out."

"I have no intention of coming back out, so all I need worry about is getting in, but those weapons. I'm unfamiliar with them."

"Heh. No guns where you come from, eh? How romantic. Well if you do get shot, there's no pain like it. Not to mention they put anti-coagulants on the bullets, so you'll end up bleedin' to death."

"You're saying we'd have to sneak in somehow in order to avoid any sort of long-range attack from their security?"

"Sneak in or get invited in, yeah," answered Nezumi, drawing his gaze toward the dying sunset.

"You mean, get ourselves captured?"

"Sure, if you're not shot dead in the process of being captured."

"There's no reason for you to be concerned about whether we survive or not - "

"Tch." Nezumi started to laugh. He doubled over and slapped his thigh. "Me? Concerned? About you and that blond kid? Hardly." He straightened suddenly, all traces of humor disappearing from his face and those piercing grey eyes. "I don't know you. It's not my concern whether you get back home or don't, who you are or why you and the other guy have such a twisted relationship that you're punchin' holes through his chest. What I do know, though, is that if you're takin' responsibility for that guy, you better see it through to the end."

"What makes you think I have any interest in taking responsibility for Naruto?"

Nezumi zipped his coat all the way. "Call it intuition. If you really hated the guy, you wouldn't be tryin' so hard to get the both of you back to where you belong."

"That's your assumption, but the only thing I need from him is a power that lies inside of his body, one that I can't return home without. That's all."

In the distance, they both heard the sound of Sion's voice, calling to Nezumi, telling them that dinner was ready.

"If you say so," Nezumi commented under his breath as he took out a small knife and twirled it in his hand.

Without saying much to one another, Sasuke took one last look at the wall before they started walking back to the old library, where a meager but satisfactory meal of soup and bread awaited them.

The next morning, Sasuke was up early, and, without making a sound, he'd left the room and gone outside to scout the surrounding area. He'd tracked the perimeter of the wall, and, obviously, if he wanted to, he'd be able to scale it in a flash. According to what he'd been told by Nezumi and the - rather thorough - job Sion had done of giving them No. 6's history, there was no reason for them to have to breach the wall. The tension going on between No. 6 and the people of the West Block had little to do with them, yet somewhere in the back of his mind, Sasuke understood the similarities between his own feelings toward Konoha and the resentment of those cast outside of No. 6's borders. Before the sun had even risen, he'd gone so far as to scout the grounds within 500 meters of the Correctional Facility, but the compound appeared heavily armed. He erred on the side of caution. There would have to be another means of getting inside, so until he was able to gain more information on a way to do so, he and Naruto would have to sit tight for the time being.

On his way back, he happened to pass through the main market area of West Block. As he walked past one of the stalls, there were two large men carrying away the lifeless body of an old man who must've died during the night. Afterward, the stall owner was outside, sweeping the dirt off the entrance as if the sight of a dead body was nothing.

Sasuke kept his expression blank as he entered the store and purchased some meat, cheese, and bread. Nezumi had, so far, refused any sort of payment he'd tried to offer. It's not as if they'd done much to help Sion yesterday. After all, the boy had still been stolen from, leaving them all with an even smaller portion food that had to be split amongst four instead of two.

West Block was not so much unlike other villages Sasuke had seen during his travels. The town center was constantly bustling with merchants selling their wares. Mostly he found that, so long as he kept to himself, no one bothered him or even seemed to notice his presence. He didn't think too much on it, but he did consider that, for those who were not ninjas and lived in this sort of town, it would be extremely difficult to survive, which made his admiration for Nezumi grow somewhat. Yet, it seemed only logical to him that in order to live, one must learn to survive. He supposed that was part of the chasm that existed between Nezumi and Sion, who had grown up in what sounded to be - rather pampered surroundings.

It wasn't really his business. He could guess at their relationship, but he also didn't care, and he was hopeful - but not extremely so - that Naruto might keep his nose out of their business and stick to focusing on what they needed to do in order to get back to the time they belonged. He still had a mission to carry out, and once they were back, things between he and Naruto would return to the way they were. The chakra leyline, he knew, had been sealed. They'd walked by its source before the explosion, and he'd noted that the chakra within the seal had felt unmistakably familiar. It was only an assumption, but if he had to guess, it wasn't just the impact of the Rasengan that had broken the seal itself, but perhaps it had been Naruto's chakra that had been able to break it in the first place.

Once Sasuke had made a few more purchases and wrapped everything up into a cloth, he started the somewhat long trek back to the storage rooms. When he came to the top of the stairs, he was greeted by Sion who held out a mug of something warm.

"It's coffee," he said. "I would've made hot chocolate, but there wasn't any left."

Sasuke blinked and, after adjusting his parcel to place it under his arm, took hold of the offered mug. The morning had been crisp. Even a layer of frost had covered the grass, so the warmth felt good against his hands. "Thank you."

Sion nodded, and they stood together, watching the beginning of the sunrise.

After some time, Sion spoke. "I'm amazed you were able to go out without waking any of us. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I never realized just how strong people could be until I moved here. You must've done a considerable amount of training where you come from."

"I get by," Sasuke said modestly. It was one thing to ignore people in general, but there was something harmless about Sion. He was merely being nice, but it made Sasuke uncomfortable to talk about himself or to be asked too many questions. He'd already noticed Sion was an incredibly inquisitive type. At least when it came to Naruto, Sasuke could just shut him up by giving him a beating.

"Were you able to learn anything new by going out? Anything about the Correctional Facility?"

"Only that it's well guarded, and it would be careless to charge in without comprehending what sort of weapons they use or without having knowledge of the building's schematics."

Sion worried at his lip, which made Sasuke wonder if there was something he knew but didn't want to share. He decided not to press it for now.

"Is Naruto awake yet?" he asked, taking another large sip of his coffee. It was hot and bitter, but it did perk him up a bit.

"Not when I left, no. He was still sprawled out on the floor. Nezumi's in bed, too. He's not much of an early riser."

Sasuke cleared his throat. "I brought a few things from town we might have for breakfast. We don't intend to use up all your resources. I understand that it must be fairly difficult out here. I hope you'll accept it in exchange for your hospitality."

Sion looked at him as if shocked, his odd-colored eyes going wide and, surely enough, a large smile bloomed on his face.

"Thank you, Sasuke. You shouldn't have worried yourself, but it's greatly appreciated. I'm afraid Nezumi does the majority of the paid work around here, and, lately, I'm not so sure he's been going to the theater as much as he used to."

Sasuke nodded, and Sion was about to say something else when they heard a loud shout and an explosion of noise coming from the storage rooms. The both of them were running down the stairs in an instant - Sasuke quicker. He opened the door, Sion catching up and peeking his head in from beside him.

"Nezumi!" Sion yelled. "What are you - ?"

"You runt!" Nezumi was growling. He was standing on the bed, his hair loose about him, and wielding a knife in one hand while glaring up at the ceiling, where Naruto was standing upside down - his feet glued to the ceiling by his chakra. Nezumi tried to swipe at him, but Naruto moved away, cowering in a far corner. Nezumi threw the knife at him, but Naruto caught it in his hand and waved it at him.

"It's not my fault!" Naruto retorted defensively. "I forgot where I was, and it was friggin' cold 'cause the embers in the stove had burnt down. I just went to wherever it was warmer!"

"What made you think I wouldn't cut your head off for trying to get into bed with me?"

"I said I was sorry, you jerk! What's the big deal? You were sharing it with Sion, and he left, so I just thought - "

Sion cleared his throat, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, including the trio of mice that had perched on top of the piano, watching the events with perked ears and twitching whiskers.

Naruto was pouting. He had his arms crossed against his chest, and he was spinning the knife around his fingers without probably even realizing it. Nezumi stepped gracefully down from the bed, reached for a rubber band, and began tying his hair up.

"Just where have you two been?" he asked casually as he crouched in front of the stove and fed some paper into the grate.

"Yeah, where were you two?" Naruto asked and dropped smoothly from the ceiling onto the floor. He handed Nezumi the knife, and the grey-eyed boy took it in a swift grab that made Naruto frown even harder.

"Were you worried?" Sasuke asked, keeping his features neutral, but obviously directing the question at Naruto.

"Hmph. Only about Sion. I know you can take care of yourself, bastard," quipped Naruto, and then sparing a look at Sion, said, "Er, not that you couldn't, but I've seen this guy take on some pretty bad people, so... yeah."

Sion smiled. "It's okay. I understand. It must be nice," he looked up at Sasuke as he was at a sleight height advantage, "To have someone who considers you to be strong enough to take care of yourself."

"Hn."

"Oh. Someone's being rather passive-aggressive this morning," remarked Nezumi as he got to his feet.

"I have no idea what you mean," said Sion, and to his credit, Sasuke did think he seemed rather oblivious, if not confused.

But at that point, Naruto's stomach issued a large growl.

The blond ninja gave an embarrassed laugh. "Heh. I don't suppose there are any nearby ramen stands?"

"Ramen?" Sion asked. "What's that?"

Naruto let out a groan, turned around, and started beating his head against the wall. "Sasuke. Please tell me you figured out a way how to get back and soon."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you put a little more effort into figuring out how to get back and not rely so much on me."

Naruto turned around and faced him. "Huh? 'Cause you're obviously the smart one. Duh."

Sion chuckled quietly, and even Nezumi smirked as he leaned against the bookshelf.

"At least the guy knows his place, eh?" said Nezumi.

Sasuke only shook his head, trying to ignore what Naruto'd said since the unsolicited flattery confused him somewhat.

He held out the parcel filled with food. "I hope this will do for breakfast."

"So taking you two in wasn't a completely terrible idea, after all," said Nezumi, stretching out his arms as Sasuke unwrapped the parcel and revealed all the varieties of food he'd bought at the market.

"I'd say that's more than enough for breakfast," said Nezumi, eyeing everything with two raised eyebrows. "That'll last for a week."

Sasuke shrugged. "It's the least we can do."

After a while, Sion and Nezumi got on with dividing the food amongst the four of them, with Nezumi and Naruto falling into another verbal confrontation over sleeping arrangements.

"I only wish I could've seen it," Sion admitted suddenly.

"Seen what?" Nezumi snapped while glaring at Naruto who was busy chomping noisily on his piece of bread.

"Naruto trying to get in bed with you. I think he wouldn't have if he knew just how awful your sleeping habits are."

"Yeah!" argued Naruto. "You should be so lucky as to share a bed with me. I'm like a damn furnace all the time."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Nezumi and, picking up the butter knife, twirled it in his fingers before slamming it down into the table right where Naruto's hand had been.

"Asshole!" Naruto growled.

"Savage," said Nezumi.

"Says the guy who tries to stab me with a butter knife." Naruto smirked.

Tired of the noise, Sasuke picked up a grape from his plate and lobbed it at Naruto, where it hit him right between the eyes.

"You, too, Sasuke?" Naruto pouted, looking positively offended.

"Ah," Nezumi exclaimed suddenly, waving his arm in the air with a graceful gesture. "Sion?"

"Yes, yes," Sion nodded, placing both hands in his lap. "Act 3, Scene 1."

Suddenly, Nezumi swept up Naruto's hand and pressed his lips to his knuckles. "I kiss thy hand, but not in flattery, Caesar."

Naruto's eyes swelled to the size of dinner plates. "Uuuuh..."

Nezumi lifted his head, eyelashes fluttering, full lips pursed. A heated blush dusted Naruto's cheeks as Nezumi leaned in closer. "Fates, we will know your pleasures. That we shall die, we know: 'tis but the time and drawing days out that men stand upon."

The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched as Nezumi released Naruto's hand and leaned back on both arms, sighing.

"What the hell was that about?" Naruto croaked. Briefly, his eyes flicked to Sasuke, and then over to Sion, who merely shook his head.

"It's from Julius Caesar."

"What's that?" asked Naruto. "S'weird name."

Nezumi groaned. "Does no one read the classics anymore? Oh ye of idle brains."

"You're assuming he has any to begin with," Sasuke coolly observed, his posture somewhat stiff.

"Feh. You're just jealous 'cause a guy who's as pretty as a girl just kissed my hand."

"I think I'm flattered?" said Nezumi as he slipped the brown mouse some more crumbs.

Sasuke glanced at Sion, but, for some reason, he didn't seem all that amused.

"I'll clear the table," Sion said softly, and, again, Nezumi and Naruto fell into some sort of argument about personal space, so Sasuke offered to help. As they went to another room to wash the dishes, Sion mentioned that he had some work to do today.

"I wash dogs," he explained. "For our friend that owns the hotel I was telling you about?"

Sasuke grunted an acknowledgment.

"I was thinking of asking Naruto if he'd like to help. I bet Inukashi would be happy to have help if it meant more dogs could get washed."

"I think it would be a good idea to put that idiot to use. Feel free to take him if you think he won't get in your way."

Sion smiled gently. "I like Naruto a lot. I think it would be fun to work together."

Sasuke thought, but had no interest in speaking aloud, that Sion didn't seem so pleased when Nezumi was holding and kissing Naruto's hand, but he kept it to himself. He wasn't one to judge anyone else about their relationships with others. Even if it had somewhat unnerved him as well, although he couldn't say why.

"You're welcome to come, too, if you want," Sion offered.

"There's someone Nezumi is going to introduce me to today."

"Oh, is that so?" asked Sion.

"A man named Rikiga, I believe."

"Rikiga-san?" Sion dropped one of the plates, but Sasuke caught it before it hit the floor and broke into pieces. "Oh! Sorry about that. I guess I'm just surprised that... Nezumi's so willing to help you two out. I don't... know what to say."

"It's probably because I plan to leave him with everything I have before we return to where we belong."

Sion nodded slowly. "Money is quite a motivating factor around here."

"Sion?" Sasuke helped put the dishes away in the cabinet.

"Hm?" the white-haired boy murmured.

Sasuke had been on the verge of saying something else, but instead he simply said, "Make sure Naruto doesn't get in your way. When we were younger... whenever he showed up, things only tended to get worse. Even with a simple task like washing dogs."

Sion chuckled. "I don't feel like I have to worry about Naruto. I consider myself a good judge of people, and... well. I'm looking forward to spending the day with him."

Sasuke didn't reply; his only response was the slightest raise of an eyebrow.