[Log] Day 1: Rang bell, cat fucked off... [Sai & Sasuke] [Closed]
Who: The Wondertwins Sai & Sasuke
What: Sai and Sasuke and Seeekrit Missions! Shhhh!
When: Thursday afternoon (08.07.2058)
Notes: The start of a beauuuutiful relationship. And by "beautiful" we mean "hostile" and "possibly abusive."
"Regarding the case of one Mr. Hunter S. Moulton [presumed pseudonym, age unknown] hereafter listed as Target LV.NEV.CS15.2 [Target Codename "Wynn"] suspected of the following incursions upon the Facility between the dates of 22 July and 3 August..."
Colorless, black eyes skimmed the mission summary quickly, picking out and committing to memory the salient points with an ease brought about by rigorous training. Find the target, follow the target, remove the target, with remarkably few concrete details in between. The baffling part was that the little shit had been crafty enough to eke out certain details about Root's little program here, but was sloppy enough to allow them to trace him back to a hotel room on the Strip. An inconsistency warranting caution on the part of those going after him, but by no means a break they were about to take for granted.
Sai flicked a glance at the stern-faced supervisor behind the oversized desk, nodding in assent. He understood, of course, and would comply, of course, and nevermind the unusual circumstances that called for making partners with someone not of his own team. There were reasons for these things, and Sai would be the last person to question plainly-spoken orders.
His eyes slid over to the young man seated in the chair next to his, passing the document for the other's perusal. He'd heard plenty of rumors, some confirmed, some not, and while he preferred to withhold judgment for the time being, he found himself blandly hoping that this partnership with "Taipan" would involve fewer irrational outbursts than those with some of their mutual acquaintances.
Sasuke had learned early on [not from that facility but even before that, from a man who still stood imposing in his mind] that orders given were meant to be obeyed. Though, there was something in his eyes, a flicker of something dark and deadly, when he took the folder that was passed to him. Because there was a very big difference between that man who now sat six-feet under and this commander who thought [believed even] that everyone was under his command.
He wasn't. Rather, at this point, Sasuke was just going along with things in the hope he'd get the power and information he needed to finally confront his brother. [And hope, he had learned, was a right damnable thing, an entity not to be trusted entirely. . .which was why he was keeping his options open. . .though, he wasn't about to let anyone in on that little fact just yet.] It explained why there was relatively little protest from him as he scanned the documents, information processing quickly, leaping from page to mind and ingraining itself there in the darkest shadows of thought. Easy retrieval meant a quicker end, and given the way things were looking. . .a quick end was actually desired.
A slender eyebrow rose when the man behind the desk stopped talking. It's not like he knew a lot about the kid next to him, and most of what he did know stemmed from Naruto's rants on the boy. Ok. . .so that wasn't exactly a reliable source of information, but. . .well, truth sat somewhere in just about every lie spun, right? And Naruto wasn't much of a liar. Just. . .delusional in the way only idiocy can make someone.
What Sasuke did know was that this kid was not someone he should be teaming up with. Sai was. . .well, not worth the time or the effort. And he was apparently some sort of rapist or sexual predator. . .or pervert extraordinaire. [Though, after seeing the guy, Sasuke was having his doubts - hard, steadfast doubts - about his potential as a rapist. . .roaming fingers maybe, but. . .there was just no way this guy could forcefully top anything. Especially when he just sat there taking orders like. . .well, it wasn't even like he enjoyed taking orders, but rather that he took them because they were given, and there simply weren't any other viable options. Which just made him want to defy these orders to show Sai otherwise.]
"Tch. . ." Head canted to the side in a manner that could have easily been called dismissive. Sasuke glanced at "Rorschach", the contempt obvious. This was. . completely beneath him.
The small sound of annoyance caught Sai's further attention. Was this possibly a sign of a disobedient streak? Whatever the case, the way the almost imperceptibly subtle movements of the young man's face changed his whole aspect was impressive, and Sai inspected him blankly, idly wondering if someday he might be capable of such expression. Quickly, though, it dawned on him that he'd been staring just a hair too long, in the way he'd been repeatedly told made people uncomfortable. Uchiha wasn't reacting outwardly in the way Sai had come to expect, but he didn't look thrilled, either, and Sai tried to recover with a smile that didn't come close to reaching his eyes. Avoiding unnecessary friction would be beneficial to the mission.
The supervisor had just finished directing them both not to share details of the case with anyone not directly involved. Sai's interest was peaked, ever so slightly, when he realized he'd now have a good chance to practice this whole "making excuses" thing that he was currently so terrible at. Maybe that could be... fun? Uchiha could probably tell him. Though from the look on his face, he clearly wasn't having fun at the moment.
The two of them were dismissed, and Sai stood, scooping up another information card from the desk - a restaurant reservation that the target had made for the following evening. Sasuke and Sai were expected to be there, at a nearby table, then follow Wynn discreetly after he left for a meeting that was suspected to be with his employer. They were to scope out potential vantage points at the parking garage where the meeting was supposed to take place tomorrow morning. A laughably easy job for them to start with.
Sai favored the director with a mechanical salute, then stepped quietly out into the hallway, pausing to wait for Sasuke.
Information to be kept between only the necessary parties.
Sasuke gave a harsh huff, the sound thoroughly built from the scoffing variety. Before the words for dismissal had left the commander's mouth, he was already rising to his feet and straighten out his uniform. As if the appearance of neatness was far more important to him than the respect required by rank. When it came to rank though, Sasuke just stood by to allow Sai to leave before giving the older man, who was staring h, rd at him now, a look that said quite frankly, he was only in this because he felt like playing the game.
Not a trace of proper salute anywhere. Instead, he simply just tucked his right hand into a pocket and turned to make his way out of the room.
Respect was not something Uchiha Sasuke dealt to just anyone [not anymore at least]. A few insignias, stripes here or there, meant nothing as far as he was concerned. And the fact that he had been paired up with this kid wasn't exactly material begging for consideration either. Actually, when he finally did step out into the hallway, there was only a brief lift of his head, arrogance settling back into its rightful place, and a lift of an eyebrow.
Though. . .something was telling him that this kid wouldn't read the line about what the hell did you want in that gesture. He paused, cast a glance down the hallway with the air of a man completely uninterested in everything around him. Almost as if Sai didn't exist at all. Which well. .. would have been damn fine with him. Because honestly. . .just who the hell did this guy think he was?
Pervert, maybe. But there was something regarding his friendliness towards a certain blond that grated on him in all the wrong ways [which Sasuke really couldn't sort out because he couldn't stand Naruto half the time they were together. . .and the other half they were either too exhausted to make much out of anything or busy introducing their particular talents to one another's face].
"Did you want something?"
Sai blinked slowly at his new and temporary partner, taking in the line of his shoulders, the tilt to his eyebrows, and the hard turn of his mouth. There was something of Naruto's piss and vinegar in that stance, but also a cold sort of confidence that Sai was more used to seeing in people subjected to mind altering effects in his own training program.
Out of sheer curiosity, he took a small step forward. It was surprisingly easy to mimic the look of arrogant condescension that Uchiha was affecting; they were almost of a height, so neither could really look down on the other, but Sai's expression gave a good approximation of the thoughts going through his mind, the rumors he had heard: Uchiha Sasuke was unhinged, foul-tempered, and really not all that impressive. The only misstep that might have detracted from the look on his face was the hint of a smile that twisted the corners of his lips, so completely unconnected with the rest of his features that it was almost as though he'd forgotten it was there.
"I just wanted to say... I'm pleased to meet you," he said, lifting a hand, possibly with the intention of shaking Sasuke's. "I'm looking forward to working together." The proferred hand was entirely at odds with the strange mix of signals his face and posture may have been giving, and the utter lack of warmth and inflection in his voice added an even more bizarre aspect to the situation.
There was just something about this guy that made Sasuke want to tear out his throat. Maybe it was the poorly-concealed indifference. Or perhaps it was the mechanical way Sai tried to go about pulling human emotions from whatever core it was he had. Yet, when he looked at what stood before him, Sasuke had a damn hard time trying to see it as anything worth his talents. To be paired up with some dead-in-the-eyes automaton. . . .
Since when did he give a flying fuck about feeling though? [Hadn't he spent a good deal of his time trying to squash them all?]
Well, he did care. A lot actually. Since it was hate and anger that drove him towards his own goals. Was the only scrap his brother had kicked his way really. Sai, on the other hand, seemed to register nothing aside from that fact that he knew he was supposed to feel something. . and show those feelings. And it only served to raise Sasuke's disgust to admirable levels.
The step that was taken towards him was met with one of his own towards Sai and the stiffening of his back. Similar height. Not so similar builds [though Sasuke himself wasn't exactly the powerhouse Naruto could be, but. . .deadly was deadly no matter the form, and his was really nothing to scoff at. . .not that Sai was particularly scrawny either. . .]. There was a brief flash of red in his eyes, like blood that swirled down a sink of obsidian. Gone as soon as it seemed to spring to life.
Definitely not worth the effort. But a reminder never hurt.
"Tch. . .don't fuck with me," Sasuke hissed into the other boy's ear. Hot in the way that promised total annihilation though the tone was effortlessly cool. "You sure as hell aren't fooling me with that act."
The hand held out was ignored. Instead, a smirk to tease the corner of Sasuke's mouth, arrogant and shamelessly so, as he pulled back. Because this little meeting was certainly over as far as he was concerned.
If Sai had had any real conception of personal space, he might have been affronted by Sasuke's attempts to invade his. As it was, however, the sudden proximity and the puff of hot breath tickling his ear raised his brow and parted his lips, just barely, barely enough to show that some small part of him could be affected by the actions of others. He shut off that train of thought before his body could act accordingly, more a result of training and oft-reinforced habit than that of any real desire on his part. He was readily willing to admit to himself that Uchiha was not hard on the eyes - not with that spark of temper flashing and flaring like that - but Sai doubted he was soliciting that sort of a partnership, at least not right now.
Sai held his expression, vaguely superior with a hint of real interest, for another moment as Sasuke stepped away, then allowed himself to slip back into his more usual look of cold and unimpressed inspection. In close-ranged, hand to hand combat, Sasuke would likely be the clear winner - despite the greatest efforts of Project Watermark, Sai couldn't take a punch quite as well as Danzo would have liked. But the anger in this one, the clear and bold-faced hate that colored his whole aspect was something that Sai had been warned about repeatedly. Something that would tip the scales in Sai's own favor. A clear head and an intrinsic knack for avoiding a blow was all the advantage he needed.
He could destroy this one, if so ordered.
Sai tilted his head, eyes losing a bit of that searching quality, and relaxed his shoulders. "Good," he replied evenly. "I was hoping you weren't that stupid." That really would be unfortunate. And, come to think of it, was likely the reason they'd been paired up. But then, perhaps that was giving the higher-ups too much credit. They could always be grouping the attractive ones up for the company swimsuit calendar...
This was. . .completely unlike any of the others he had encountered in his time at Leaf. Even here. More product, really, than super-solider. Or maybe those were one in the same now. But for whatever it was worth, there was something that whispered of assembly-line coming from Sai that really irritated the hell out of him.
And maybe that was Naruto rubbing off on him, because somewhere Sasuke was certain that carbon-copy was not something to be applied to life. He had been one of Itachi. Hadn't even fallen into the precise mold his brother had told him to follow. He was thoroughly himself, flaws as he understood that nature to be [and Sasuke was well aware of all the things wrong with the way he chose to interact with his world. . .it was just, his way made it easier in the end, and the end most certainly would come]. It was why he didn't flinch at all before this kid.
Didn't really need to considering the slight shift in his stance, as if his words had relieved Sai of the need to uphold human appearances.
"Tch. . ."
Eyes lost the heat of anger as they searched the hallway once more. Nothing, as every sense told him, within the vicinity. Just the two of them and the man they had left behind in the office. Just cold and sterile. Kind of like this one. Sasuke cocked his head to the left, surveyed Sai once again. This time giving a more deliberate sweep of his eyes. Only this time, there was only a cool blackness there. Nothing of hatred. Nothing that murmured of threats and disgust. Just the thick darkness that concealed everything. It was only the small quirk of his lips that gave any hint of arrogance, and perhaps the slight lift to his chin, the set of his shoulder, relaxed but ready for anything.
"Let's hope you don't prove as useless as I think you are."
Sai gifted him this time with a falsely cheery smile that was more mocking than anything else. Nothing to convey anything other than acknowledgment and lack of concern with Sasuke's low view of him. The dark look in Sasuke's eyes was almost reassuring. It seemed there would be no demands that he explain his lack of opinion on anything, or insist he know and feel things that just weren't there. The mission would therefore be just that much easier.
It would be them, the target, and no complications.
Clearly.
Calmly, Sai made his exit down the hall, leaning in to brush Sasuke's shoulder lightly as he moved past. "Likewise~" he cooed, too quietly to hear if he hadn't been murmuring directly in his ear. His retreat was quick, but unhurried, and he waved over his shoulder.
"See you in the morning!"
What: Sai and Sasuke and Seeekrit Missions! Shhhh!
When: Thursday afternoon (08.07.2058)
Notes: The start of a beauuuutiful relationship. And by "beautiful" we mean "hostile" and "possibly abusive."
"Regarding the case of one Mr. Hunter S. Moulton [presumed pseudonym, age unknown] hereafter listed as Target LV.NEV.CS15.2 [Target Codename "Wynn"] suspected of the following incursions upon the Facility between the dates of 22 July and 3 August..."
Colorless, black eyes skimmed the mission summary quickly, picking out and committing to memory the salient points with an ease brought about by rigorous training. Find the target, follow the target, remove the target, with remarkably few concrete details in between. The baffling part was that the little shit had been crafty enough to eke out certain details about Root's little program here, but was sloppy enough to allow them to trace him back to a hotel room on the Strip. An inconsistency warranting caution on the part of those going after him, but by no means a break they were about to take for granted.
Sai flicked a glance at the stern-faced supervisor behind the oversized desk, nodding in assent. He understood, of course, and would comply, of course, and nevermind the unusual circumstances that called for making partners with someone not of his own team. There were reasons for these things, and Sai would be the last person to question plainly-spoken orders.
His eyes slid over to the young man seated in the chair next to his, passing the document for the other's perusal. He'd heard plenty of rumors, some confirmed, some not, and while he preferred to withhold judgment for the time being, he found himself blandly hoping that this partnership with "Taipan" would involve fewer irrational outbursts than those with some of their mutual acquaintances.
Sasuke had learned early on [not from that facility but even before that, from a man who still stood imposing in his mind] that orders given were meant to be obeyed. Though, there was something in his eyes, a flicker of something dark and deadly, when he took the folder that was passed to him. Because there was a very big difference between that man who now sat six-feet under and this commander who thought [believed even] that everyone was under his command.
He wasn't. Rather, at this point, Sasuke was just going along with things in the hope he'd get the power and information he needed to finally confront his brother. [And hope, he had learned, was a right damnable thing, an entity not to be trusted entirely. . .which was why he was keeping his options open. . .though, he wasn't about to let anyone in on that little fact just yet.] It explained why there was relatively little protest from him as he scanned the documents, information processing quickly, leaping from page to mind and ingraining itself there in the darkest shadows of thought. Easy retrieval meant a quicker end, and given the way things were looking. . .a quick end was actually desired.
A slender eyebrow rose when the man behind the desk stopped talking. It's not like he knew a lot about the kid next to him, and most of what he did know stemmed from Naruto's rants on the boy. Ok. . .so that wasn't exactly a reliable source of information, but. . .well, truth sat somewhere in just about every lie spun, right? And Naruto wasn't much of a liar. Just. . .delusional in the way only idiocy can make someone.
What Sasuke did know was that this kid was not someone he should be teaming up with. Sai was. . .well, not worth the time or the effort. And he was apparently some sort of rapist or sexual predator. . .or pervert extraordinaire. [Though, after seeing the guy, Sasuke was having his doubts - hard, steadfast doubts - about his potential as a rapist. . .roaming fingers maybe, but. . .there was just no way this guy could forcefully top anything. Especially when he just sat there taking orders like. . .well, it wasn't even like he enjoyed taking orders, but rather that he took them because they were given, and there simply weren't any other viable options. Which just made him want to defy these orders to show Sai otherwise.]
"Tch. . ." Head canted to the side in a manner that could have easily been called dismissive. Sasuke glanced at "Rorschach", the contempt obvious. This was. . completely beneath him.
The small sound of annoyance caught Sai's further attention. Was this possibly a sign of a disobedient streak? Whatever the case, the way the almost imperceptibly subtle movements of the young man's face changed his whole aspect was impressive, and Sai inspected him blankly, idly wondering if someday he might be capable of such expression. Quickly, though, it dawned on him that he'd been staring just a hair too long, in the way he'd been repeatedly told made people uncomfortable. Uchiha wasn't reacting outwardly in the way Sai had come to expect, but he didn't look thrilled, either, and Sai tried to recover with a smile that didn't come close to reaching his eyes. Avoiding unnecessary friction would be beneficial to the mission.
The supervisor had just finished directing them both not to share details of the case with anyone not directly involved. Sai's interest was peaked, ever so slightly, when he realized he'd now have a good chance to practice this whole "making excuses" thing that he was currently so terrible at. Maybe that could be... fun? Uchiha could probably tell him. Though from the look on his face, he clearly wasn't having fun at the moment.
The two of them were dismissed, and Sai stood, scooping up another information card from the desk - a restaurant reservation that the target had made for the following evening. Sasuke and Sai were expected to be there, at a nearby table, then follow Wynn discreetly after he left for a meeting that was suspected to be with his employer. They were to scope out potential vantage points at the parking garage where the meeting was supposed to take place tomorrow morning. A laughably easy job for them to start with.
Sai favored the director with a mechanical salute, then stepped quietly out into the hallway, pausing to wait for Sasuke.
Information to be kept between only the necessary parties.
Sasuke gave a harsh huff, the sound thoroughly built from the scoffing variety. Before the words for dismissal had left the commander's mouth, he was already rising to his feet and straighten out his uniform. As if the appearance of neatness was far more important to him than the respect required by rank. When it came to rank though, Sasuke just stood by to allow Sai to leave before giving the older man, who was staring h, rd at him now, a look that said quite frankly, he was only in this because he felt like playing the game.
Not a trace of proper salute anywhere. Instead, he simply just tucked his right hand into a pocket and turned to make his way out of the room.
Respect was not something Uchiha Sasuke dealt to just anyone [not anymore at least]. A few insignias, stripes here or there, meant nothing as far as he was concerned. And the fact that he had been paired up with this kid wasn't exactly material begging for consideration either. Actually, when he finally did step out into the hallway, there was only a brief lift of his head, arrogance settling back into its rightful place, and a lift of an eyebrow.
Though. . .something was telling him that this kid wouldn't read the line about what the hell did you want in that gesture. He paused, cast a glance down the hallway with the air of a man completely uninterested in everything around him. Almost as if Sai didn't exist at all. Which well. .. would have been damn fine with him. Because honestly. . .just who the hell did this guy think he was?
Pervert, maybe. But there was something regarding his friendliness towards a certain blond that grated on him in all the wrong ways [which Sasuke really couldn't sort out because he couldn't stand Naruto half the time they were together. . .and the other half they were either too exhausted to make much out of anything or busy introducing their particular talents to one another's face].
"Did you want something?"
Sai blinked slowly at his new and temporary partner, taking in the line of his shoulders, the tilt to his eyebrows, and the hard turn of his mouth. There was something of Naruto's piss and vinegar in that stance, but also a cold sort of confidence that Sai was more used to seeing in people subjected to mind altering effects in his own training program.
Out of sheer curiosity, he took a small step forward. It was surprisingly easy to mimic the look of arrogant condescension that Uchiha was affecting; they were almost of a height, so neither could really look down on the other, but Sai's expression gave a good approximation of the thoughts going through his mind, the rumors he had heard: Uchiha Sasuke was unhinged, foul-tempered, and really not all that impressive. The only misstep that might have detracted from the look on his face was the hint of a smile that twisted the corners of his lips, so completely unconnected with the rest of his features that it was almost as though he'd forgotten it was there.
"I just wanted to say... I'm pleased to meet you," he said, lifting a hand, possibly with the intention of shaking Sasuke's. "I'm looking forward to working together." The proferred hand was entirely at odds with the strange mix of signals his face and posture may have been giving, and the utter lack of warmth and inflection in his voice added an even more bizarre aspect to the situation.
There was just something about this guy that made Sasuke want to tear out his throat. Maybe it was the poorly-concealed indifference. Or perhaps it was the mechanical way Sai tried to go about pulling human emotions from whatever core it was he had. Yet, when he looked at what stood before him, Sasuke had a damn hard time trying to see it as anything worth his talents. To be paired up with some dead-in-the-eyes automaton. . . .
Since when did he give a flying fuck about feeling though? [Hadn't he spent a good deal of his time trying to squash them all?]
Well, he did care. A lot actually. Since it was hate and anger that drove him towards his own goals. Was the only scrap his brother had kicked his way really. Sai, on the other hand, seemed to register nothing aside from that fact that he knew he was supposed to feel something. . and show those feelings. And it only served to raise Sasuke's disgust to admirable levels.
The step that was taken towards him was met with one of his own towards Sai and the stiffening of his back. Similar height. Not so similar builds [though Sasuke himself wasn't exactly the powerhouse Naruto could be, but. . .deadly was deadly no matter the form, and his was really nothing to scoff at. . .not that Sai was particularly scrawny either. . .]. There was a brief flash of red in his eyes, like blood that swirled down a sink of obsidian. Gone as soon as it seemed to spring to life.
Definitely not worth the effort. But a reminder never hurt.
"Tch. . .don't fuck with me," Sasuke hissed into the other boy's ear. Hot in the way that promised total annihilation though the tone was effortlessly cool. "You sure as hell aren't fooling me with that act."
The hand held out was ignored. Instead, a smirk to tease the corner of Sasuke's mouth, arrogant and shamelessly so, as he pulled back. Because this little meeting was certainly over as far as he was concerned.
If Sai had had any real conception of personal space, he might have been affronted by Sasuke's attempts to invade his. As it was, however, the sudden proximity and the puff of hot breath tickling his ear raised his brow and parted his lips, just barely, barely enough to show that some small part of him could be affected by the actions of others. He shut off that train of thought before his body could act accordingly, more a result of training and oft-reinforced habit than that of any real desire on his part. He was readily willing to admit to himself that Uchiha was not hard on the eyes - not with that spark of temper flashing and flaring like that - but Sai doubted he was soliciting that sort of a partnership, at least not right now.
Sai held his expression, vaguely superior with a hint of real interest, for another moment as Sasuke stepped away, then allowed himself to slip back into his more usual look of cold and unimpressed inspection. In close-ranged, hand to hand combat, Sasuke would likely be the clear winner - despite the greatest efforts of Project Watermark, Sai couldn't take a punch quite as well as Danzo would have liked. But the anger in this one, the clear and bold-faced hate that colored his whole aspect was something that Sai had been warned about repeatedly. Something that would tip the scales in Sai's own favor. A clear head and an intrinsic knack for avoiding a blow was all the advantage he needed.
He could destroy this one, if so ordered.
Sai tilted his head, eyes losing a bit of that searching quality, and relaxed his shoulders. "Good," he replied evenly. "I was hoping you weren't that stupid." That really would be unfortunate. And, come to think of it, was likely the reason they'd been paired up. But then, perhaps that was giving the higher-ups too much credit. They could always be grouping the attractive ones up for the company swimsuit calendar...
This was. . .completely unlike any of the others he had encountered in his time at Leaf. Even here. More product, really, than super-solider. Or maybe those were one in the same now. But for whatever it was worth, there was something that whispered of assembly-line coming from Sai that really irritated the hell out of him.
And maybe that was Naruto rubbing off on him, because somewhere Sasuke was certain that carbon-copy was not something to be applied to life. He had been one of Itachi. Hadn't even fallen into the precise mold his brother had told him to follow. He was thoroughly himself, flaws as he understood that nature to be [and Sasuke was well aware of all the things wrong with the way he chose to interact with his world. . .it was just, his way made it easier in the end, and the end most certainly would come]. It was why he didn't flinch at all before this kid.
Didn't really need to considering the slight shift in his stance, as if his words had relieved Sai of the need to uphold human appearances.
"Tch. . ."
Eyes lost the heat of anger as they searched the hallway once more. Nothing, as every sense told him, within the vicinity. Just the two of them and the man they had left behind in the office. Just cold and sterile. Kind of like this one. Sasuke cocked his head to the left, surveyed Sai once again. This time giving a more deliberate sweep of his eyes. Only this time, there was only a cool blackness there. Nothing of hatred. Nothing that murmured of threats and disgust. Just the thick darkness that concealed everything. It was only the small quirk of his lips that gave any hint of arrogance, and perhaps the slight lift to his chin, the set of his shoulder, relaxed but ready for anything.
"Let's hope you don't prove as useless as I think you are."
Sai gifted him this time with a falsely cheery smile that was more mocking than anything else. Nothing to convey anything other than acknowledgment and lack of concern with Sasuke's low view of him. The dark look in Sasuke's eyes was almost reassuring. It seemed there would be no demands that he explain his lack of opinion on anything, or insist he know and feel things that just weren't there. The mission would therefore be just that much easier.
It would be them, the target, and no complications.
Clearly.
Calmly, Sai made his exit down the hall, leaning in to brush Sasuke's shoulder lightly as he moved past. "Likewise~" he cooed, too quietly to hear if he hadn't been murmuring directly in his ear. His retreat was quick, but unhurried, and he waved over his shoulder.
"See you in the morning!"