Okay, so, I still have the last chapters of Double Reflection that need editing and posting, but I fancied doing something a little different. This isn't going to have many chapters. I just wanted to get my creative juices flowing without worrying too much about plot or editing. In fact, I wasn't going to post this, but I thought maybe someone would enjoy it, so what the hell? I have a rough idea where it's going, but this is more to get me back into writing. So I don't pretend that it's going to be amazing, but it would be nice to know if at least one person enjoys it, I suppose, it would make it feel worthwhile.

Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter, they are greatly appreciated. It is always lovely to know that there are people sat out there enjoying my work and being entertained.

And just in case anyone would be interested: This fic is named after a Placebo song - Begin the End. (It's worth a listen.)

[WARNING] A large portion of this chapter is a torture scene. I have not made it overly graphic, but I feel a mention is justified. [WARNING]

I Don't Enjoy to Watch you Crumble

A month passes before Kakashi visits.

My leg hangs out the window, dangling above the fire-escape's thin metal. Steam floats from the ground below, and a light breeze plays with my hair. It sways and dances across my cheek, before I tuck it behind my ears. The stars are small in the city. I peer through the bars of the fire-escape and suck the white stick between my fingers. Naruto hates me smoking, but he isn't here now.

The silver-haired man enters the one room bedsit, and places a large suitcase on the floor beside the bed. "How're you keeping?" he asks, and I take another drag. The cloud leaves my lungs and the night's air grabs and steals it away.

"How is he?" No contact for four weeks. We agreed to let the dust settle; let people begin to forget, before initiating the infiltration mission.

Kakashi, Konoha Corps' second in command. He'd been following Hiruzen's actions over the years, and I trust my old teacher, so when he came asking for my help, I'd agreed.

"He's doing…" Kakashi's words hang in the bedsit's darkness. His dress shirt ruffles against his body as he sits upon the old, worn mattress. "...well, considering."

"Where is he now?"

"He's been given sabbatical leave. We didn't think he was in any condition to work. He didn't argue, just cleared his things and left." Kakashi looks at his hands. There is no light in the room, but the street lamps give a suitable glow. "He's definitely doing better."

My chest aches. Mostly because of the pain I'm causing, but a part of me, that tiny selfish piece that I never got rid of, hates the fact Naruto may be able to carry on without me. I wonder for a moment how quickly he would move on, before flicking the cigarette into the night.

"He moved in with Gaara after being released from the psyche-ward," Kakashi continues.

"What?"

He nods and I step from the window. "That day, Gaara found him. He was on Konoha Corps' Tower's roof. He was going to jump."

The air throbs, and that selfish thought disappears. My mouth waters, and saliva slides my throat. "Gaara convinced him not to?"

"Gaara dragged him from the edge. I don't think there'd be any convincing him at that point. We found them, and I thought it for the best to have him sectioned, just until we knew he wasn't going to harm himself." Thank God for Gaara, even now, after all these years, I could still rely on him. "But, like I said, he's doing much better now. So please don't let that distract you." He flicks open a lock on the suitcase and the zip's screech fills the atmosphere. He pulls out paperwork, photos and a laptop, before placing all these items atop a desk in the corner.

When he points to a man's mugshot, I recognise him. Silver hair hangs behind his ears and that same placid look lingers on his face as usual. "I presume you are familiar with Hidan."

I nod, remembering our first encounter. Naruto and I had been sent to represent Konoha. Yugakure, apparently, wanted to form a peace treaty between the two organisations. But that hadn't exactly been their plan. We were lucky to get out alive. My fingers tighten into fists; I hear the bones creak.

"And Sasori." Of course, I'll never forget a face that looks so similar to Gaara's. "Head of Suna." He was young, but not one to be taken lightly. "From what I can gather, Hiruzen is feeding them information. It was too much of a coincidence, their attacks, their knowledge over our foundation. I don't know what he's getting from it, but he is betraying us. This is why I needed your help, Sasuke. If we can't even trust the Head of Konoha Corps, I don't think there is anyone we could let into our infiltration plan. That is why you had to disappear."

I nod, fingers moving across the paperwork and pictures. I switch on the desk-lamp to aid my vision.

"I knew you wouldn't disappoint me. You and Naruto are the best team we have. But you couldn't both disappear, and I didn't think he would accept the plan to fake his death, which is why it had to be you."

"Thanks..." As if I couldn't feel any worse. But he's right. Naruto wouldn't have done this to me. But I'd like to think he would; I have to, otherwise I couldn't contain the guilt. He was always saving my life. I was always his priority, but I prioritized the organisation, and that thought alone makes me feel like a lowlife.

"I need you to collect evidence. As much as you feel necessary, I trust your judgement. We need enough to take him down, if it came from me, there would be suspicion that I was just after his position." The laptop comes to life, and he presses a couple keys to reveal Konoha Corps' mainframe.

This technically should be my first time seeing inside the files. A tiny smile graces my lips, though, as I remember academy days. Gaara poking around the organisation's secrets. "I presume you're also familiar with this system?" His one good eye holds amusement, and the smile falls from my lips.

His fingers move across the keyboard, and Konoha's emblem disappears. Thousand of files I'd never seen move across the screen. He chuckles. "As if a couple of academy students could hack into Konoha's official mainframe. That one was just a red-herring. It was designed to test your skills." I wonder for a moment if Gaara knows this. He probably does by now. "We need the evidence to be concrete, and we need enough to take him down with one hit. We get one chance at this. If he catches wind, or we fail, we will both disappear for good. Do you understand?"

I nod.

"There's a blocker on this laptop. It's one of Gaara's designs, so it should be stable enough to keep Hiruzen Sarutobi away from your trace. Use whatever you need, and don't rush this. Remember, Sasuke, concrete."

He leaves and I turn my attention to the laptop's screen. One of Gaara's designs, huh? We'd both known he wouldn't enter the field. In fact, as soon as we graduated, he'd been offered a job in Konoha Towers, working on their main computer systems. I always imagined him in his element; designing software. And every now and again, he was mine and Naruto's eyes and ears from the ground.

I flick through a few files, read information, and store it away for later, before stumbling across Konoha Tower's security system. Dates and times are stored within the CCTV section, and for a moment, I dangle the cursor over the date I unofficially died. But I move on, unable to view it. My heart aches to see Naruto, but I can't witness the torture. I can't sit back and watch as realisation of my death sinks into his eyes.

I'd sat and watched him be tortured once before. It was my fault then, and it would be my fault now. I sigh, letting the self-loathing set in, before banishing the thought and moving on.

THREE YEARS EARLIER

We didn't leave the academy again.

Gaara returned, signalling the end of Christmas break. He was always the first back, and it didn't take long for the hallways and corridors to spring back to life. I hadn't seen much of Naruto that last week. If I was in the library, he wouldn't find me. When I practiced shooting, he didn't appear in the cubicle beside mine. I tried not to pay much attention to the lack of company. I was used to spending the holidays alone. But I was curious as to why he had dropped off the face of the Earth. All of a sudden, his lost-puppy-like antics stopped.

Gaara skidded across the floor, head crashing into the wall as his grey academy uniform lifted to reveal pale and very small abdominal muscles. He used the surface to raise himself, before buckling back to the ground.

"That's enough," Mr. Gai called. He crossed the gymnasium to grab and pull Gaara to his feet, the young boy winced, but managed to hold his weight steady. "Yes, yes, okay." He let go and the redhead limped back into line.

Kiba smirked, revealing his abnormally sharp canines.

As much as I hated to admit it, the brunet had incredible hand-to-hand combat skills. He'd been a black belt in Karate and Judo before entering the academy. I caught teal eyes, and his head nodded to let me know he was alright. Kiba wasn't a bad sort, in fact, outside Hand-to-Hand Combat, the two occasionally spoke. But in class you did your best. You didn't hold back because your partner was half your weight and held the combat ability of a headless chicken…

Okay, that was a little harsh, maybe just a wingless chicken.

"Next." Gai checked his clipboard. "Naruto, you've never fought Kiba, have you?" It wasn't really a question, and Naruto didn't have to answer. He was already being ushered from the line.

This wasn't my usual combat class. I'd be in weapon's training during this period, but Mr. Kakashi had been promoted to second in command, meaning he'd left the academy for Konoha Corps' Tower.

Naruto moved to the centre floor. One leg swept at an angle and his arms hung loosely beside his tall frame. I already thought he'd be a talented fighter. You didn't get that build from sitting at computers, like Gaara did most the time. No. His muscles flexed in the uniform as he moved. I hadn't realised how intensely I'd been staring at his body, rather than his movements, so I jolted back to reality when a body flew in my direction. Not Kiba's.

Naruto rolled across the sprung floor, body bouncing ever so slightly as he came to a halt. He got to his knees and rubbed at his nose, blue eyes focused onto mine. He grinned and removed the blood from above his lip. But that smile fell as Kiba's claws dug into his shoulders.

Maybe… he wasn't that great at combat.

Later that day, I'd gone to relieve myself, but found Naruto inching closer to his reflection in the toilet's mirror. He slipped a rag under the cold tap, before placing it over the black eye he'd gained from fighting Kiba. No wonder Gaara never stood a chance if even Naruto struggled to defend himself. He winced, dropping the wet material back into the sink and groaned as he touched the cut on his lip.

I leaned against the cold porcelain after washing my hands and peered at the blond. "You look like shit."

"Thanks," he mumbled back.

"No wonder you got yourself thrown down a well if that's how you fight."

He fanned a hand in my direction. "That's not exactly how that happened... My dad threw me."

"What?"

"It's a long story."

Everything about his life seemed to be a 'long story'. In fact, I didn't know much about the blond at all. I knew he trained in the field, and I knew he obviously hadn't suffered in ways we had. But apart for that, I had no clue. I thought of the lake, still feeling stupid about giving so much personal information, but I reasoned that he'd thrown me off guard, again. After five years cooped up in this place, I supposed I wasn't exactly acting myself.

The week apart from him cleared my mind, I wouldn't be indulging him with stories of my past again. I preferred not to know too much about people. It was easier to disconnect that way. You never knew when you'd have to do something you'd regret. It was hard enough with Gaara, and I didn't want to have that type of guilt etched onto my soul again.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"You're frowning."

"I'm not."

He placed the wet rag against his lip. "Why do you always do that? Pretend you're okay when you're clearly not."

"I'm not the one with a smashed up face."

He laughed then, and turned his attention back to his reflection. "Well, I can't argue with that."

I wasn't sure why I wanted to ask. Usually I'd leave it alone. I was never ruled by my curiosity and I was completely sure that I didn't care, anyway. But… after that night in front of the lake, he'd just disappeared. Even with Gaara back, he wasn't his usual self. Sometimes I'd wonder if he would follow me from class, or show up somewhere uninvited, but he didn't.

It would be different if I knew why, but I had no idea what had changed. In fact, after telling him bits about my past, I thought he would become more clingy. A tiny part of me… sort of wanted that.

"Where did you..." I rolled the words over in my mind, but I couldn't think how to put it tactfully. His eyes moved within the reflection to look at me. "Never mind." I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me.

"Where did I go during the holidays?" He grinned then, but winced when the cut on his lip split. "Why, did you miss me?"

"Hardly." I scoffed.

"I was studying."

"Yeah, right." I didn't see him at the library after that first week, and I doubted he was the type to sit and study by himself.

"No, I really was." He sighed and mopped at the trickle of blood dribbling from the newly opened cut. "After our conversation that night, I wanted to know what that kind of training involved. I knew if I saw you I'd ask, and I didn't want you to relive it. I guess, I just wanted to know what I had to look forward to."

"Did you manage to find anything?"

His fingers dabbed at the blood. Lips, chapped, broken. And a weight fell into my chest as I banished images of past training. But I knew I was being selfish, it wasn't me who would have to face it. Not yet, anyway. I'd already executed and passed one half of my test. I still had to prove that I could hold my tongue under forceful interrogation. The exercise during Intel Extraction didn't count. That wasn't a test, I could fail without repercussions, and I'd known that when Naruto had raised the gun to my head that last time. It was more my pride I was failing.

I couldn't stand watching him dabbing so forcefully at the broken skin, so I grabbed the rag and rested it gently against his lip. "You need to hold it still," I said when he looked a little confused. I almost dropped the cloth when his breath ghosted over my fingers.

"Bits and pieces," he said. "I can understand they want you to know what you're getting into, and they're probably right, your first experience shouldn't be when you're actually on a mission." His tanned hand rested against mine. "But, I'm sure that didn't make it any easier." He removed my fingers from his face, but didn't let my hand go. "Dad always said, he'd rather I die than get captured. He had a contract to take out a corrupted government official, that's why we were in Russia. When they closed in, he threw me down that well. If I died, I wouldn't suffer. If I lived, he knew I'd find a way to escape."

"What happened?" I hadn't meant for the words to come out so quietly, but they did. I'm sure the sound didn't even reach the tiled walls.

"Well, I didn't die, as you can tell. But I never saw him again."

I didn't know why I didn't pull my hand away. I just left it, hanging in the air with his. It was stupid really, looking back to that moment. How I hadn't quite grasped the concept of what I felt toward the blond boy who stood so intensely in front of me. I'd never considered those types of feelings, so when they came into play, I didn't quite know what they were. I just knew they made me feel unwell. Sometimes flushed when he moved too close, sometimes dizzy when I caught his scent. And at some point, I found myself wondering if he felt the same.

His skin cleared pretty quickly. Less than a week and his face held nothing but his natural tan. I considered if perhaps he had great genetics. And after that, I found myself around him more often. Sometimes, even I sought him out. I didn't ask any more about his family. I left the subject alone. He'd never asked about mine, so I gave him the same courtesy.

The weeks rolled by, and I speculated whether it was getting warmer outside. The younger generations no longer wrapped up so tightly when they headed for the exit, and it made me think back to that lake. How comforting it must be to sit around in the sun. Sometimes, I found myself wondering if that's where they went at weekends when they left the building. At the time, it had felt like just mine and Naruto's spot. But the place was probably occupied quite frequently.

At one point, as it became close to Easter, I let myself consider that maybe, just maybe, we would not get one last 'Special Class'. I let myself hope, and I think Naruto may have hoped the same. But one evening, while heading back to my dorm room, I found Gaara loitering in the hallway. His teal eyes didn't find my face at first, he just held his gaze steady at the wall, but I knew he'd been waiting for me. Why else would he be standing in this wing? His room wasn't close enough to warrant his intrusion in the area.

He didn't speak, just held out a letter. If it was possible for your blood to turn to ice, that would've happened. My whole body froze, feeling as if I were back outside in the cold air. The back of the envelope held his name, but it hadn't been opened yet. There was no need. We knew what it was.

I found my own on my bedroom floor. My name, written neatly in cursive. I wondered if wedding invitations held the same beautiful writing, perhaps to any other boy our age this could be mistaken for an invitation to a party.

I slid my nail into the top and ripped it. It was an invitation, but not one you'd ever want to receive. My head swam as I read the words, and the piece of paper scrunched between my fingers. All classes were cancelled next week, and we were to report to Block A. In our first year, we'd nick-named it The Chamber. It occupied the lowest level of the building, and there was only ever one reason to be there.

I didn't see Naruto that weekend. I was torn in two halves, wanting to see him and not. A part of me wanted to try say something encouraging, but another part, my more logical side, knew there was nothing I could say. And so, when Monday arrived, and I made my way through the corridor, I hoped not to see his face. I didn't even notice when Gaara appeared at my side, but as I turned a corner, there he stood. Younger generations gawked and whispered. But this time, it wasn't because two first generation students walked together. It was because word had floated around the academy. This week we wouldn't be occupying the higher tech classrooms. This week, we'd be in The Chamber.

The room was as I remembered. Dark crimson splattered the walls. You could tell the blood had been scrubbed, but there was no getting rid of the stains. Mixed between the different shades, I knew my own still hung on the walls. A permanent reminder. I placed myself at a desk and Gaara slipped into the seat beside. Danzo stood at the front, watching the classroom fill. Behind the man, the metal walls mingled into bricks. Chains hung from the ceiling, and a rusted drain embedded itself into the floor. Weapons and contraptions sat on shelves, and the only light source came from the front. Bright lamps rested in the metal, pointing at the separated brick hole.

Naruto dropped into the seat on the other side of me, but he didn't speak. He didn't say a word as he took everything in. He appeared like every other teenage boy in the room. Unrested, unsettled. And I wished I could read his mind. Perhaps then, I'd know what to say.

A heavy thud echoed off the walls as the metal door closed with the last student, and Danzo surveyed each of us. Did he receive sick pleasure by witnessing fear in our eyes? We'd been taught to hide all emotion if we wielded it. But we were still teenagers, and even if we thought no effect enveloped our features, I bet it did. It may have been minuscule, but I'm sure he could see the anxiety. How could he not?

He read from a sheet - the same words he always read. "Everything that takes place within this room is for educational purposes only. There will be no permanent damage inflicted onto the body." I always noted how they left out emotional. "All activity will cease if any signs of death occur. Konoha Corporation is not held responsible for any accidents, untimely deaths or mental damage." He lifted a bag, and backs stiffened. A pencil snapped somewhere within the room. "And since we have no punishments to execute, I shall pick a name at random."

At random?

I would've put money on Danzo choosing Naruto.

Hell. Naruto would've put money on Danzo choosing Naruto.

He circled a hand within the material and plucked a name. "Uchiha."

What? My fingers gripped at the table. Not again. Maybe they knew. Maybe they knew I'd left the building. But he'd said no punishments. So why me? I didn't move at first. I wasn't quite sure how long I'd remained still, but it was long enough for Danzo to call my name again.

"I volunteer." Naruto's hand raised, and my head shot in his direction.

I didn't want him to suffer, either. I grabbed his arm when he stood. "Don't be stupid," I hissed, standing myself. "Sit down."

"You volunteer?" No one ever volunteered for this.

"I haven't experienced this training before, sir, so I volunteer to take Sasuke's place."

"What's your name, boy?" Danzo asked, picking up a clipboard, he flicked through a few sheets that hung to the thin wood until Naruto gave him an answer. "Ah, yes, I didn't think I recognised you. We have no disclaimer for you, so I can't use you as a subject."

"I could sign one?"

"Don't be ridiculous. We need your parents to sign one, but it doesn't look like they have."

Naruto wiggled his arm from my grasp, and I found myself lowering back to my chair. "My parents are dead."

"Then we need your next of kin; whoever enrolled you. No means no. Sasuke, front and centre."

"I don't have a next of kin. I enrolled myself."

Danzo's eyebrows lifted, and everyone stared. He had enrolled himself? But why? And most of all, why was he now arguing his case to be a subject? A part of me wondered if he'd do the same if anyone else's name had been pulled. I hoped he would've, because the thought of him taking my place just because it was me, made me want to slap him for being so stupid. I knew I should've argued back. I should've stopped him. But perhaps I was weak. I was much weaker than I'd always made out. I'd never wanted to admit it, but when it came to the blond boy, I was becoming weaker and weaker as time passed.

Danzo let out a tutting noise that filled the air, but Naruto remained on his feet. Credit where credit was due, he was either a better man than me, or a complete idiot. I'd let him come to his own conclusion. "Very well." He thrust paper in his direction, and Naruto signed. He didn't even read the thing, just picked up a pen and autographed it.

"It's okay." His voice was quiet. His words reached no farther than myself and Gaara. "I'm a lot tougher than I look."

I said nothing. I could only shake my head in disbelief as he followed Danzo. He faced the class, and I couldn't read his expression as his eyes remained locked onto mine. Guilt punched its way into my gut, getting stronger with every second that gaze held me. That should've been me standing there. I hated myself for it, but even through all the guilt, I was still glad it wasn't.

"This week, we are going to learn the different ways to break someone without killing them. We have done this many times before, but since this is our last lesson on the subject before graduation, it will be slightly different." He gestured to Naruto, and those blue orbs left my direction to turn to the older man. "We usually only let this last the day, but in the real world, it is unlikely that anyone will give up Intel within only a few hours, and so, there will be no Intel." He spoke only to Naruto now. "We usually give a student fake information, and by the end of the class, they are able to give it to me to indicate the end. However, as I said, it is unlikely that anyone would fold so easily." Danzo gestured toward the bricked area and he placed a hand on Naruto's back to guide him forward.

His voice was louder now so the rest of us could hear. "There is no Intel, so the training will not end until the week is up. I will be showing you different ways to break a resolve. Remember, you do not actually want your prisoner dead. You want him broken." His wrinkled fingers reached to grab the metal cuffs, and I could do nothing but watch as he asked for Naruto's hands. They locked into place, leaving the blond boy standing with his arms raised.

Danzo tugged at a pulley on the wall, and Naruto's body lifted. The tip of his shoes scuffed against bricks as he attempted to stay on his toes. His face fell placid, that usual tan flushed white underneath the bright lights, and his eyes found mine one last time before a bag covered his head.

It took two days for the first student to vomit.

And as the stench filled the air, it only took five more minutes for the next to release their stomach contents against the metal floor. Gaara doubled over in his chair, wiping his mouth as he heaved again, but I didn't think there was anything left to escape. He coughed. I was wrong. He gagged, opening his mouth again as bile splattered against his leg. "Don't even fucking think about asking if I'm okay," he gagged out through gasps of air. He'd seen my face, but the horror embedded into my eyes wasn't for him.

Naruto's feet no longer touched the floor, and with his chin against his chest, I didn't even know if he was conscious any more.

"If you take a look at his shoulders, you will see that the weight hanging against them has dislocated the arm. So be careful, that is always a risk. Do not levitate the prisoner by his hands if you need him to use his arms later." He continued, ignoring the earlier vomiting students. "You also have the option to hang them upside down, but they will lose consciousness quicker. You also run the risk of death from popped blood vessels in the brain."

Naruto's chin rubbed against his collarbone. He woke. His chest and abs held large, black bruises where Danzo had shown us where we could and couldn't hit so hard, and what materials made the least and most damage. Danzo ripped the bag from Naruto's head, and the boys eyes snapped shut against the brightness. One blue eye peeked open ever so slightly, and it blinked against the harsh lights. Dark circles hung under his eyes, and sweat pooled from his skin. He grunted when his body hit the bricks. He didn't attempt to sit, just laid against the cold floor, cuffed hands against his chest.

"As you can observe," Danzo moved from the wall where he'd just untied the pulley. "By this point, the captive will be physically weakened. But remember the rule of three. Three weeks without food. Three days without water. Three minutes without air. At the very most."

The teacher curled one hand around the bruised bicep and the other at the tip of the dislocated shoulder. The crack made my mouth water, but it was Naruto's scream that almost made me puke.

My teeth grit together. My hands shook against the table. But there was nothing I could do. He had volunteered. He'd taken my place. And all I could do was sit and watch, and what? Take notes as Naruto suffered. Only a couple more months, and we'd be out this place. I promised, no I swore on my parents' graves, that I would make this up to him.

It took four days for the first begs to leave Naruto's mouth.

His arms hung behind his back as he kneeled against the floor. Now in just his boxers, the blood from his knees ran across the cracks in the bricks. I could see in detail every gash, every bruise. I'd hated myself for being so weak, so helpless. So that third day, when I'd entered the classroom, I'd sat myself at the front. I meant it as some form of respect. I'd sit, and I'd watch everything that the blond endured. It was the least I could do. And on that forth day, when his mouth moved for the first time to form a word instead of screams, I thought no less of him. Nothing, at that point, could make me feel anything but respect.

"Please," he whispered, voice breaking as if he'd swallowed sandpaper. "Please... no more."

"By this stage-" By this stage I wanted to shove a knife through the man's chest. "-the captive will begin to break. Sometimes it is a little quicker, other times it takes longer. But the body can only take so much before the mind begins to waver." The blindfold that had been around his face all day was removed, but Naruto didn't raise his head. It wasn't until Danzo grabbed blond hair and lifted him in a kneeling position that I saw those blue eyes. A small trail of saliva hung against his chin and his body dipped and rose as he breathed through his mouth. "Usually it would be quicker than this. Because, although these are all techniques you will use in the future, this is still a classroom environment. He knows he isn't going to die. He knows when this is over he can go back to his normal life, and so, his resolve will naturally last longer than if he were in a real life situation. This is just to show you the real responses of the human body under stress."

The older man grabbed the glass of water that sat in front of Sai and brought it to the blond. He held it up and Naruto drank. The gulps echoed around the room and he choked, before gasping for air. "That should be enough now." He placed the empty glass on my desk, red lip marks trailed across the rim. He smacked the already bruised cheek. Two black eyes tightened together. "Do you understand?"

Naruto didn't reply.

"Do you want this to be over?"

He nodded.

"I can't hear you, boy. Tell me what you want, we could carry on."

Naruto's eyes blink then and his head nodded vigorously. I wondered where he'd gained the strength. I sighed in relief. Finishing a day early. Perhaps even Danzo knew this was going too far. Almost no skin held his natural tan. It didn't even hold the white that the bright lights were inflicting. Black, blue, purple. They were the only colours now coasting across his flesh.

"Speak. I need to know how much you want this to be over."

"Please," he breathed. "Please, please."

The cuffs fell from his wrists as Danzo released him, and his arms moved to the front of his body. Fingers stretching as he fell to his bum so he could sit properly for the first time in four days. "Thank you," he whispered through white, chapped lips. His eyes glistened with tears. I could only imagine they were of relief. I'd take him straight to the infirmary. I itched to stand and grab him, but being dismissed weren't the next words out Danzo's mouth.

"This is a critical stage," he said instead. "Their resolve is near broken. Please take note of this, it is very important. You now need to do or say whatever you can to create relief. It is easier to remain quiet if their stress levels never change. Give them a break, treat them like a human being, make them believe it is almost over." He looked down at Naruto, and even my resolve almost broke when I realised what the man was saying. I think it took Naruto a little longer to understand, but I knew when he did.

The liquid fell from his eyes and he sobbed. I'd never seen someone so… Gaara and I had struggled to cope with a couple hours, but Naruto, he'd suffered for almost four full days without a moments respite. I couldn't envisage what I'd be like at this point. A quivering mess, no doubt.

"It is up to you how long you let this relief last. But for classroom purposes, since we only have one day left, I am showing you what only a quick moment of relief can create. Please stand."

Naruto's head shook, he sobbed, and begged and sobbed some more. I didn't want to watch. With every fibre of my being, I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. I wouldn't let a second of his suffering go unnoticed. I'd hold on to this and remember. Remember what he'd done for me. There was no shame in his actions. He was a sixteen-year-old boy. Compared to our parents and teachers, we were still kids. At that moment, I questioned if they'd done the right thing by starting this program. No curriculum could ready a child for this type of torture. Naruto's father had been right. Any of us would be better off dead than captured. From what I'd learned, you wind up dead, anyway.

I wanted to beg with him. I wanted to get on my knees and beg Danzo to stop this, but I didn't, and he wouldn't, anyway. With only one day left, what more could be shown? Was there anything more he could do? He'd already beaten, half drowned, starved, dehydrated, humiliated and broken the boy. His skin was almost black, his legs were raw from dried urine, his hair stuck to his face. Really, what more was there? Did we really have to see what one more day would do to him?

"Stand up," Danzo repeated, and slowly, Naruto attempted to raise himself to his feet. But he failed, falling forward and landing in a heap in front of my desk. He got to his knees, looked up, probably noticing me for the first time in days now he was no longer under that bright light. But a grin didn't emerge as it had the day Kiba knocked him to the floor. He just blinked, and so did I. Because, really, there was nothing I could do or say.

"Come on." Danzo slipped a hand underneath the blond's arm and helped him to his feet. But he knew Naruto wouldn't have been strong enough to hold his own body weight, so he pulled an unoccupied chair from a desk and placed it in the middle of the bricked floor. He dumped the boy down and covered his wrists behind his back with the now red cuffs. Naruto's head fell, and I watched drops of water hitting the raw skin on his knees.

"If you are taken prisoner, and they have gotten to the stage where they are being kind to you, then you better pray you're found very soon." Danzo raised his voice to cloak the sobs escaping the blond's mouth. "It is at this point, things will get harder. If they have not already, you can expect forms of body modification. Limbs cut or ripped off." Naruto's body shook harder against the chains. "Rape, and types of humiliation you can not even fathom. But, of course, all forms of interrogation are different." He placed his hand against Naruto's greasy hair. The boy didn't flinch when those fingers made contact. "Since this is for educational purposes, I am only showing the basic forms of torture that you will encounter. In the real world, anything that comes to mind can and will happen."

"Tomorrow, since it will be our last day, I will show you the effects on the body once extreme pain has been inflicted." His hand moved, wiggling the head underneath his digits. "Did you hear that, that's what we'll be doing tomorrow. Understand?"

Naruto's head shook at its own accord now. His muscles tightened and relaxed, stretching out the cuts, bruises and grazes. "Please," he whispered again, through gasps of air. His body still attempted to cry, but I doubted he had any hydration left to allow the waste of moisture.

"Please what?" Was Danzo enjoying this? That thought made me want to puke, but his face held no amusement. It was as placid as always. Perhaps to him, this really was just for educational purposes. Maybe, he had premeditated every action coming from the blond, knowing exactly what to do and say to get the reaction he wanted. How many times had he done this before… how much harsher could he be? Perhaps to him, this was child's play.

"No more," Naruto whispered. "I can't..." His voice held nothing of its usual tone. If I hadn't been looking at him, I wouldn't have even said I recognised it. "I'll… I'll do anything."

Danzo ignored the boy's whispers, and instead, walked to a wall that held shelves covered in tools. He plucked a tazor and a pair of pliers from different areas. "Don't eat heavy breakfasts in the morning. I don't want any more puke on this floor, the place smells bad enough." He lifted the tazor and Naruto's eyes widened as he flinched back in the chair. "This," he said to the class. "Holds enough watts to paralyse your subject, but not kill. When attempting to use electricity, you must know how much you are inflicting onto the body. Too much will kill."

The object sparked, and he touched it to Naruto's skin. His body tensed, every muscle going into spasm as he jolted. His head bobbed back, jaw gritting together as drowned gags left his throat. It stopped momentarily as Danzo heightened the intensity. Naruto screamed this time. His voice bounced around the walls, and the smell of burning flesh crept under my nose. His hair stood, his legs and arms twisted and the screams turned to moans as the tazor was retracted. His head fell. Chin hitting against his chest as a yellow puddle crept across the chair, down his legs and between the cracks in the bricks.

Danzo slapped his cheek. "Wake up."

Naruto groaned, head falling to the side.

His fingers curled into Naruto's hair, pulling it to lift his head and the boy's eyes widened again as a pair of pliers entered his mouth.

"Teeth extraction is another form of interrogation that you find common, that and nail extraction."

Naruto's muffled screams reminded me of Gaara. I couldn't see the redhead's face, but I knew the terror that would currently be held within his teal eyes. The academy had replaced the teeth, but I doubted the pain would ever be forgotten.

The pliers removed from his mouth, and I released a breath. No teeth came with it. The scream died, transforming into a mild crackles.

"I'm assuming you don't want this to happen?"

Naruto's head shook. It looked as if he were struggling to breathe, but at closer inspection, it seemed too much air invaded his lungs. His chest shot up and down in little bursts.

"Okay." He lifted the rusting, metal pliers back to Naruto's face. I watched the tool touch his skin, sweep his chin, and tap against his shoulder. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and if you answer truthfully, I will dismiss you, do you understand?"

Naruto's eyes raised to the older man's face. Did he believe him? I doubted it. But what choice did he have? Any hope of ending the class was worth a chance.

"I know when someone is lying to me, boy. And if I even get a slight suspicion that you are, then we shall continue this tomorrow." He tapped the pliers against the bruised shoulder again, letting Naruto contemplate what he would have to endure. "Do you understand?"

"I'll tell you anything, just please..."

"Very well."

Naruto squinted when Danzo twisted the light hanging from the wall. It hit the boy's face directly, lighting up every wrinkle, every bruise, every cut embedded into his flesh. The black skin underneath his eyes sagged, and he struggled to keep them open. They found their way to my direction. I doubted he could see me, sitting behind the light, but he sought me out anyway.

"What do you fear most in this world? I want to hear something you've never told anyone. I want it to be real."

Naruto's head fell, chest still rising and falling with each breath. "I…"

"Or would you rather stay?"

"To be alone. I… I don't want to be alone." No embarrassment flooded his words. He'd said it so matter-of-factly, as if he didn't care what he'd said and who heard.

Danzo stepped forward, obviously believing the words leaving Naruto's mouth, because he continued. "I am just curious now. Why did you enrol into this program yourself?"

He peeked up now, but he didn't turn to face his interrogator. He looked in my direction again. "Same... reason." He breathed.

"Because you didn't want to be alone?" He grabbed the boy's chin and twisted his head, creating a wince from the broken face. "No. Don't look at him. Look at me. Why do you keep looking at him, do you have some sort of infatuation with Uchiha? And that question is not rhetorical."

"No… I… I know him."

"Of course you know him."

"No… I mean… I meant, I knew him before. Before the academy. We were… I knew his parents."

This time my breath caught in my throat. He what? How the hell did he know me? I didn't realise my eyes had widened until they shrank to their usual state.

"Is that why you took his place?" This wasn't interrogation anymore, I believed the older man was genuinely curious, and knew he'd get the real answer.

"No..."

"Are you lying to me now?"

Naruto head attempted to shake, but the blemishes on his chin turned white as the man squeezed. "No, no, I don't know." His teeth momentarily grit together, and his pupils dotted around the man's face like little pin-pricks on a plate. "I just, I couldn't. I couldn't watch this happen to, to..."

"To him?"

"...Please… can I go now?"

Danzo clicked his tongue and released the face he was dragging in his direction. "Yes, I suppose that's far enough. And as you can see, if you implement these forms of stress on the body and psyche, there will eventually be a moment when you can get whatever information you want." He collected his papers. "They will do whatever you ask. Sometimes..." He headed for the metal door, a quivering look of disgust hanging in his eyes, and I wondered if that was held for himself. "...they don't even realising their doing it. You're all dismissed. Including him. Someone take him to the infirmary."

I was going to include the next part within this chapter, but it felt like the right place to leave it.

I appreciate any reviews,

Ugawa

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