Keep it that way.

by Nejinee

--

The rain was coming down hard. Sasuke wasn't impressed. He had hoped for clear skies and less thunder. In the shade of a tree, he watched the cart and horses pass by, keeping an eye out. Now would be the perfect time for attack. If he'd been the enemy, prowling for the emperor, he would have chosen then to strike. Through the rain, he peered into the trees. Nothing.

Sighing, he ducked and ran on behind the emperor's entourage. The man didn't have to have so many hangers-on did he? Sasuke made a note to ask the man later.

Being in the Village of Rain wasn't the most wonderful choice of hiding places. With Sasuke acting as bodyguard on behalf of the Nation of Thunder, he could only dream of finally getting back to sunny Konoha. The dampness annoyed him. The wetness of the ground irked him. It ruined his hair too.

Coming down the dirt road leading through the village, Sasuke had to stay alert. The emperor was in high demand lately. He was the only diplomat willing to step outside his realm and try to offset the angry comments that had bombarded his nation over the past year. Rumours of discord, treachery and assassinations were flying around. Sasuke had been called in and as recommended by the Hokage, was to shadow the emperor through the nation, make his meetings safe and get the man home safely.

It was pretty simple, really. No one had tried as yet to attack the travelling group, so Sasuke didn't foresee any upcoming tragedy. He just wanted to go home. He'd been on missions for who knows how many months. Though he prided himself on being one of Konoha's finest ANBU, he knew he needed rest. Everyone did. Even an Uchiha.

The streets of the village were surprisingly busy. Women ran past, arms laden with grocery goods and held their cloaks over their heads in the downpour. Sasuke just stood guard as the Emperor's group came to a halt outside a red-lit tavern.

Ah, Sasuke sighed internally. They were in the central red light disctrict. How ... unsurprising. He stood quietly, eyes following the old man as his attendant helped him out of the wagon. The rain had drenched Sasuke to the core. He'd given up trying to stay dry. He flicked his hair out of his eyes. It was getting long from weeks on the road. Maybe the tavern had a barber on call? Hm, he'd look into it.

The emperor was an old man, but not a frail one. He may have had a walking stick, but he stood straight, eyes bright and sharp. He didn't carry himself like the monarch he was. He was intelligent and respectful, something that surprised Sasuke upon meeting him. Sasuke didn't quite understand how the old gentleman could act as such a threat to so many shinobi clans.

Sasuke looked up at a signal. The emperor beckoned. Walking swiftly, Sasuke came to stand beside him. The old man was being shielded by his attendant's umbrella.

"Come, my boy," the soft, dry voice said, hand waving. "We must relax, even if just this once."

Sasuke nodded sharply. He wasn't about to leave the old man unattended just yet.

The two of them entered the tavern. The landlady stepped forward in a flurry, eager for guests.

"Rooms and board for my men," the emperor said. Sasuke wondered at how the old geezer was able to stay so calm when he knew one of the Leaf's strongest ninja had to be called out for his protection. He must be oblivious.

The woman's smile grew wide and Sasuke grimaced as the layers of pasty make up shifted across her skin. Ugh, how old could she be? he wondered. Women like her made his stomach churn. And at an establishment such as this ... Sasuke sighed.

"But of course!" she cried eagerly, flitting behind her desk and flopping open her book. With long red nails, she scanned the pages. "Aha, we have the entire second floor free tonight. You may only have to bear the company of, say, one group, but they are quite ... amenable."

Sasuke stepped forward. "No, we won't have others-"

"Hush hush, my boy," the emperor said, staying Sasuke. "We shall have no trouble entertaining ourselves with your other guests." He smiled creakily at the woman. "socializing is good, after all." He pointedly eyed Sasuke, who ignored the comment. Who did this old man think he was? Sasuke's uncle?

She looked between the men. One old fart and another young man. Sasuke saw her eyes roam over his frame. She smiled. "Certainly."

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Women.

The old man chuckled and followed the woman down the corridor. He left a message with her to allocate rooms to his entourage. Otherwise, he added, he and his comrades would retire to the entertainment room.

Sasuke followed silently. The tavern wasn't too rowdy, it seemed. Sure, it was littered with old men and scantily clad women, but it could have been worse. Sasuke had seen worse. They passed by a loud, boisterous party before ascending a narrow flight of stairs. Sasuke patiently stayed behind the man as he wheezed over every step. Poor old fart. He tried too hard sometimes.

When the landlady brought them to an open room, Sasuke cased the joint. A large space littered with low tables and cushions. So far, only five other men with their 'entertainers' were seated at a couple tables. The rest of the room was waiting for clients. Sasuke searched out for any dangerous objects. Weapons .. he'd have to wait before seeing. People rarely carried hunting knives around like jewellery.

As the emperor's men teemed in, most tired and chafing for alcohol, Sasuke scanned the people.

Hm, not threats just yet, though by the way those other men were tossing back the sake, there probably would be trouble soon.

A couple girls entered. Sasuke could only call them girls because they acted as such. They all smiled easily, cooing sentiments to the newcomers. Each had a distinguishing feature, obviously a must to separate them from one another. Clients were dolts after all. Sasuke could easily imagine the landlady eyeing each one as she bought them. Because these were not simple beauties. They were bought and paid for in full, mostly from fathers or brothers, sometimes right off the streets, a business transaction.

He watched them filter in, some carrying tea, others snacks and tidbits. The food smelled good. Sasuke's stomach growled. He would wait.

As the emperor sat down, sighing greatly, his aides followed suit. They all seemed to be gentle fellows, not quite up to spending a full night with any of the women, but man enough to enjoy their flirting and teases. Sasuke hoped fervently that he wouldn't be privy to any scandalous liaisons. Even if it was in the job description.

When the emperor beckoned, Sasuke followed and seated himself against the wall. There was no harm in relaxing just yet. A couple of the girls looked him over. He was, after all, the youngest man there. The girls shared looks and smiled. One grabbed up her teapot and sidled over.

"Tea, sir?" she asked daintily. Her kimono was flattering at least. Pale pink with blue lilies. Not too aggravating to the eye. Sasuke grunted. She poured out some tea, which he sipped genially. Waiting ... waiting ... nothing. He nodded. the emperor and his companions sighed in relief. No poison.

Sasuke doubted there was to be any harm in staying here. No one knew who the old man was. He was as nondescript as they came.

As the women came closer and started settling in, Sasuke watched. The poor old buggers. They couldn't handle the ladies. When the women started singing, fans afloat, the whole room paid attention. Sasuke was distracted by the movements of colour. The women could sing at least. In that moment as he sipped his tea and the shamisen hummed, other people slid the paper door open. Another man entered, his kimono dark, his back straight. Next to him, came his lady for the evening. Sasuke blinked.

The man was severe and decrepit, his every movement giving away his displeasure at being there. He walked across the room, ignoring the emperor's group and settled himself amongst the other men nearby. A couple cheered and welcomed him back. The guffaws were loud and obnoxious. Sasuke frowned. He flipped his gaze back to his own group. The aides were settling down with sake now, easily relaxing into the ladies' music and voices. Some of the girls giggled and leaned close, always tantalizing with slips of fabric and showings of skin. Sasuke sighed and sipped his tea. His eyes drifted at a sound. Peering over his cup, his attention was caught by the girl who'd entered with the grumpy old guy.

She was laughing loudly, her face split into a grin. Her long, light brown hair hung in two ponytails down her back. The kimono she wore was blue and white with orange swans along the seams. It stood out amongst the other pale ones. Sasuke paused, taking her in. She was quite a sight.

She was leaning into the man, her feet tucked under her. By the way she cooed and touched his shoulder, he could easily see her as one of the whores. That was all she could have been. With exotic looks like hers, how could she not have been snapped up? It was rare to find a japanese girl with such tawny hair and tan skin. Sasuke grunted and set his cup down. Another girl came into his view, offering sake. He took a cupful and nodded. She smiled, hoping he'd answer, but he said nothing. She stood and moved over to another man who obliged her by ogling.

Sasuke closed his eyes, wishing the women would let him be. They were so annoying. He slipped his hand into his sleeve and relaxed. His ears listened. Laughter, crude jokes and shrieks from the girls. To be expected in such a place.

When he reopened his eyes, she was right in his line of sight. The exotic one had shifted places and was kneeled on the grumpy old guy's other side. She was glugging back something, the men around cheering. Her kimono was high around her legs, showing off her firm thighs and smooth skin. No wonder the men were cheering. when she had thrown back all the alcohol, she grinned madly and laughed. Her high voice reached Sasuke's ears.

"See? Not so bad am I?" she giggled and covered her mouth. Sasuke didn't realize he was staring until she looked up. He was startled by her gaze. Blue eyes. She had wide, clear blue eyes. A part of Sasuke couldn't believe it. It was just so .. rare. She blinked and made a face. Sasuke shook himself, not realizing they'd made eye contact. If he hadn't been a bit shaken, he might have realized her eyes weren't looking at him too fondly. She turned away, focusing back on the old man.

Sasuke ate when the emperor ate, if only to test for poisons and drugs. So far: none. This was boring.

The tawny girl was laughing again, causing the men with her to redden. Her language wasn't the classiest Sasuke had ever heard. He even quirked a brow at the crude punchline she delivered. The girls near Sasuke grimaced.

"Please pardon her, sir," a girl leaned in, locking eyes with Sasuke, "she's always like that, but there's nothing we or the mistress can do about it." She sighed, "The girl cannot be tamed."

Sasuke frowned. Why was she telling him this? He couldn't care less what a selfish idiot girl thought of herself. Tamed, honestly.

Sasuke stood when the emperor did. The old man needed a bathroom break. Good, it gave the ANBU a chance to stretch his legs. Sasuke followed the old man out and waited patiently outside the bathroom door. A couple girls skittered past, blinking up at him. Sasuke just ignored them. Once again, he wondered what about him fascinated them so.

When the old man reappeared, all smiles again, Sasuke followed. They stopped suddenly when the sliding door was ripped open. The dark man stood there, wavering on his feet. Sasuke stepped aside to let him pass. The tawny girl was with him. She glared at Sasuke, her eyes slits. The dark-haired shinobi watched her go. Her long, tan legs were on full show tonight, as she'd hiked up her kimono in the humidity.

Hmm, Sasuke thought to himself. Better keep an eye on her.

When, after twenty minutes, the old man had reappeared with the girl, Sasuke couldn't help wondering what had taken them so long. A couple of the girls nearby were hissing to one another. Sasuke tuned in.

"So irresponsible!" one whispered, "She mustn't get herself in trouble again!"

"Why stop her?" the other hissed back, "She's not worth the trouble, is she?"

So the exotic minx was a pain in the behind was she? Sasuke snorted. He wasn't surprised. When his eyes caught hers across the room again, he couldn't help smiling at the furious glare she shot him. What a strange creature.

--

"Chiro, Chiro," the old fart burped disgustingly in her ear, "come closer, my pet. Tell me more."

The tall girl grimaced internally, wishing she could just shove the old coot's head in between the floor cracks. She swung her head from side to side, making her long hair fly around her.

"Aw, Orone-sama," she cooed playfully, pushing against his wide chest, "don't play so much! I can't keep telling you the same stories over and over! It'll get boring."

"Ah," the old man leered, leaning in close. The girl had to hold her breath at his stench "But you acted so favourably towards me earlier. Tell me you don't have any stories to get in the way..."

Chiro almost rolled her eyes. Almost. This was getting ridiculous. Could these lecherous old geezers not just pass out already? Would she have to endure their gloating and leering all night? Ugh, it would be so much easier if she could just snap their necks. One, two, crack, done. She hid this inner rage behind her winning smile.

"Orone-sama," she whispered, scratching his chin with her long finger. I hope you die in a tub of your own drool and vomit. "We can't do that in front of all these people. Be serious." She giggled and sat back, snatching up another cup of sake. Boy, would she be needing the alcohol tonight.

When her hand slammed the cup down on the table, the men around jumped. She snickered. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she could feel someone staring. Damnit, she thought annoyed. That guy was staring at her again. His eyes were too dark for comfort. She didn't like it: the way he kept watching her. Chiro hoped he wasn't paying too close attention. If she was caught, she'd have to kill him. And such a pretty face too. Arrogant prick. She saw the way he sneered at the other girls. Come on, cut them some slack, man. They weren't here out of choice you know. Chiro saw a couple girls looking at her pointedly. She smiled and waved. They just rolled their eyes. So what? she thought irritably, I'm seducing these dimwits. Isn't that what I'm here for?

Again, he was staring. Chiro looked up and caught his gaze. She made it clear she didn't appreciate it. He just lowered his head to sip at his drink. His dark hair fell across his cheek and Chiro had to snort. Handsome or no, she didn't care. He would merely be in the way, even if he was drunk or rich. By the looks of it, he was neither.

--

The night dragged on for Sasuke. Even he was feeling drowsy. The emperor was swaying from side to side as one of his companions explained their next endeavour. Sasuke found all of this to be mind-blowingly boring. He promised himself that once he was back in Konoha he would tell Tsunade that all bodyguard missions were to be given to Neji or Hinata. This was just beyond painful for Sasuke. He couldn't even train. All the secrecy got in the way.

Even the annoying exotic girl had left, her drunken charge drooling over her shoulder. Sasuke could only assume where they'd disappeared to.

By the time the emperor was dozing on his feet, Sasuke had decided he'd had enough. He helped the old man down the corridor and into the correct room. After stumbling into an already occupied (and steamy-sounding) room, Sasuke had sworn colourfully that he'd never come to such an establishment again.

Ugh, his eyes and ears would never heal.

When he was certain the old man was asleep, Sasuke began the onerous task of setting up seals. Protective and defensive, just in case. His hands flicked through all the appropriate signs. He checked the windows, secured the door and when the final tag was taped to the doorframe, he sighed, every bone in his body aching for sleep.

He knew he had a room next door, but he needed some air. Walking silently out of the brothel, he listened to the pattering rain. He followed a slight pathway along the side of the building. It was covered here and he could see greenery ahead in the darkness. So as not to disturb any of the first-floor occupants, he swiftly moved across the wet lawn out back. The surprise of a stream and burgeoning garden made him pause. With the great boughs of a Sakura tree hung over the stream, Sasuke was able to stop and take a breath. It was peaceful out here. The wet landscape was luscious and green, something he could easily appreciate, even in his tired state of mind.

Under the shade and cover of said tree, he rested. With eyes closed, he could concentrate. He flexed his fingers and hands, stretching every mucle along his arms. It felt good to unwind. He'd had so little time to think of training. Even now, he knew he'd have to wait. He didn't even have anyone to spar with. There were times when he missed working in teams. ANBU missions were draining.

A sound halted his thought processes. Voices nearby. Slipping into the shadows, Sasuke flipped his hands into successive seals.

When he felt sure he'd blended into the surrounding foliage, he waited. Two voices.

One was hushed, anxious. The other, flippant.

"We can't keep waiting like this!" the harsh one said. "We're running out of time, Naruto!"

"Oh please," the other voice hissed, "We have no choice. Either we leave now and fail, or we carry on as normal."

"But someone will-"

"No one's noticed a thing!" came the harsh whisper. "Stop freaking yourself out!"

Sasuke saw them appear. Somehow, inexplicably two men had walked out from a wall of vines. Sasuke hadn't even seen the plants move apart. The men were simply sounds one moment, and fully formed people the next.

Through the darkness, Sasuke could barely make them out. Both wore dark colours. When he concentrated enough, the sharingan took over. Now he could see. It was not as though the lights had been turned on, more like the darkness had been divided into differing shades of grey. Sasuke could easily see them now. The two men seemed fairly young.

The one facing Sasuke was of a medium build, his hair a wild brown mess. It looked like he hadn't bathed in a while. Some sort of marks marred his cheeks, but Sasuke couldn't be too sure what they were. The man had an anxious look on his face. He kept looking about. Sasuke smirked. Yeah, you're being watched, buddy.

Just Sasuke's luck there'd be something fishy going on in the one place they decide to crash this evening.

"Listen," the dark-haired man was saying, "I know we've been here way longer than necessary. I know you don't want to give up. I'm just saying, we probably missed the chance. Waiting forever won't help. Especially if the guy's moved on already. He could be miles away."

"Don't be stupid!" the other man said, his back to Sasuke. In the eye of the sharingan, Sasuke could only make out the disarray of hair. It seemed fairly pale in comparison. "We got word last month that they'd passed through Lightning. Don't you think now's probably the best time to stay in Thunder? Huh?"

The other man scratched his head. "I dunno, Naruto." he paused, frowning. "Dude, what's that on your neck?"

"What's what?" the other hissed, his hand slapping at his neck. He came away with nothing.

The dark-haired one pointed, "You have, like, marks on your neck. Don't tell me .."

"Ugh!" the other growled, "Fucking pigs. Clients, okay? Fucking clients."

Clients? Sasuke's mind clicked over that one. Did the brothel have male whores? Surely they served the gay clientele as well ... but Sasuke hadn't seen any...

The other hesitated, "Yeah, you see? Another reason we gotta get out. If you keep going through-"

"Kiba, just shut it. We have to wait. Give me a couple more weeks, okay? I'll sniff the fucker out and once we're done, we can leave!"

The dark-haired one sighed and dropped his arms, "Fine. Fine. Whatever, man. 'S not like you're listening anyway."

"Besides," the other man said in a hushed voice, "Think about it, once he gets here. If he's bringing..." Sasuke lost the last part of the sentence. The two men were talking too low now. Frowning, he wondered if he should intercept whatever this was. As he thought about it, the rain started to fall again. Before long, the whole garden was drenched and the two men were lost in the noise. Sasuke waited anyway. He shifted, hoping to get closer. His seal held.

"What was that?" one of the men said. Both crouched. Fighting stances. This made Sasuke halt. These were no ordinary townsfolk. The three waited.

"Okay, I'm going," the dark one hissed before smacking the other on the shoulder. He leapt away, disappearing in moments. Sasuke watched the remaining person.

Slowly, the man turned, eyes ranging across wet land. The small garden wasn't easy to hide in, so Sasuke hoped his illusion would hold under such scrutiny. As he turned, Sasuke held his breath. He couldn't be caught now...

A lightning bolt broke across the sky, lighting everything all at once, a crack of thunder rumbling in its wake. Sasuke winced, immediately withdrawing his sharingan. It stung. His dilated pupils couldn't take too much. In that one moment the man was there, shocked as well, his entire frame lit up under the night sky, and in the next moment, he was gone.

Sasuke grunted and rubbed at his eyes, letting the illusion fold. He couldn't have been sure of it, but in that fleeting glance he'd caught sight of not only a young man, but the most handsome young man Sasuke had ever set his sights on.

--

To be continued...