憎しみ

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Buddha

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Top 10 Iconic Naruto Moments (As voted by my followers)

"truthfully, man," knox is slipping back into the tennis shoes he'd haphazardly kicked off when he'd gotten home much earlier in the night, "i just want to get out of the apartment."

he's not going to say that he specifically wants to get sasuke out of there as fast as possible, not when there's hope for an alliance. instead, knox takes a quick perimeter of the apartment to make sure everything is locked (a ritual that helps less the more he does it) before reaching down to pet the orange of his two cats. the cat chirps happily, and nuzzles his face into knox's hand. then, keys in hand, knox leads the way.

the sign outside boasts that this is oldest puerto rican cafe in st. petersburg. inside it still looks like something out of the 1950s, and knox leads them back to a booth in the emptiest corner of the matchbox building. the restaurant does indeed offer privacy, in the sense that the few patrons present don't care what two strangers are talking about. they're playing cards, or reading the paper, or rushing to get to work on time. within minutes of sitting, a waitress pours two mugs of fresh coffee and drops two menus before ambling away.

"i agree with you," he'd been thinking, on the short walk over, of what sasuke had said about making enemies, "we don't know each other, and my first impression... is what it is. i don't plan on showin' my whole hand to you anytime soon but, judging by the display earlier, i doubt that means much. regardless of my decision, you could be a threat to me, right? i'd rather keep my threats accounted for, if i can."

knox says this matter of fact. his enemies knew almost as much as he did, frustrating as it is to contend with. it's been allies, mostly, in small ways throughout the last few years that have kept him alive. despite his upbringing, knox is quickly learning that the odds of survival are much worse if he tries to do this alone. his estimation of the man before him, as it stands now, is that he is likely the most skilled bounty hunter who's tried yet. he could have killed knox without blinking, but he didn't. next time - knox hopes desperately there isn't a next time - he wouldn't be so easily caught off guard.

his attention is pulled away from endless conversion rates and math to the cafe knox led them to. sasuke took stock of the surroundings like he always did, counting the heads in the room-- they don't even look up when the door chimes in their entrance, and he can't be more grateful for that. the table, he thinks, is mildly sticky, but just enough that he's doubting the sensation when his fingers dance along its surface. he lifted his hand then placed it down again, testing its touch, before he dropped his hand down at his side instead.

sat opposite from knox, he can see him in a different light now. while sasuke had spent some time tailing him before, he was never this close ; he didn't take in his stubble, the darkness in his eyes and the darkness around it from countless sleepless nights. when knox started talking again, he listened wordlessly, and at his final question, he smirked.

" i had to be sure of what you were. " he said, as if he'd known to the core what kind of person knox was. in some ways, maybe he did, or maybe he was too confident about a character trait he believed he had. sasuke is quiet for a beat, nodding in thanks when the waitress came over and set down their menus, saying she'll let them peruse for a few minutes before she comes back. before she goes, she offers drinks -- sasuke is quick to say coffee for them both, just to get her moving along faster.

" i've been dealing with this kind of thing since i was little," he said once the coffee is poured, once the waitress is out of ear shot. " it's the same thing no matter where i go, eventually you learn to figure out who's the problem and who's the solution, who's caught in the crossfire and who's unaware that it's happening at all. where i come from, kody is... how do you say... asameshimae. he would not last long in the place i come from. if he's smart, he won't retaliate against me because he knows he's already lost."

If he's smart. Kody is not a smart man, Sasuke knew this, but he doesn't say anything about how he thinks there will be retaliation-- it'll go nowhere worthwhile for him.