Shikamaru looked wearily at the building, it loomed over him. The numerous windows stapled against the brick structure didn't intimidate him. It was the people inside that did. The life he had left inside.
"Are you sure about this Shika?" Choji's unsure voice interrupted Shikamaru's thoughts. Was he sure? 'I should have never brought Choji with me,' Shikamaru cursed his rashness. He didn't want to pull his little brother into a world that he had vowed to never bring anyone into again. A strand of strawberry blonde hair flashed in his mind, a memory he had repressed for so long. "I'm sorry," Choji whispered.
The memory of her smile, a bright mischievous thing, stabbed at Shikamaru's heart. "No, Choji. It wasn't your fault," he reassured the younger boy. He had become a cop because of Choji and he had stayed because of her. Temari, the blonde that had stole his heart and died with it in her hands.
Shikamaru could remember the grief that had consumed him. No matter how much logic he used, no matter how much reasoning there was he couldn't let it go. He knew that she would die at a young age, her family' restrictions too much. He knew that she would die in his arms, their love too strong. But he never knew that it was going to hurt, the lost too much.
He couldn't stay in Konoha; he couldn't bear to see the lifestyle that had killed everyone that he had loved except for Choji, his little surviving brother. His parents, dead because of Orochimaru. His teacher, fallen under the spell of the ANBU's promise to continue supplying his addictions. And Temari, killed by Orochimaru. Slowly Shikamaru took a step forward. 'If we succeed this time then Orochimaru will finally be behind bars.'
"Well, well if it isn't Shikamaru. Mr. I'm-too-good-for-ANBU has finally come crawling back. You up for a game of Go?" Asuma greeted Shikamaru. Did he mention that his teacher also liked playing Go?
---
Gaara frowned, his muscles twitching with annoyance. "Name," he repeated. The blonde was in high demand, the Akatsuki and ANBU wanted him. Both gangs he could prosper from, but he was interested.
The blonde was nothing ordinary. Blonde, blue-eyed and loud, he acted like any other of his peers. He didn't possess any extraordinary talents, but Gaara had seen the mask. The blonde meant something to someone and Orochimaru wanted to break that. The lecherous man did not bother Gaara.
It was better to have an ally than to have none at all. Gaara focused on the small town his parents had found. He had been ignored as a child, almost isolated but he had vowed to protect everyone in it. Ironically he had been out casted because of his association with gangs, yet it was the gangs named after the town that had kept it safe. Orochimaru had offered him the blonde, and Gaara held no objection. Suna was known for regulating trade between the gangs, along with providing their own set of stock. A virgin male by the looks of it, so stubborn and untrained, wove ideas inside Gaara's head.
Profit and other sinful thoughts spun around his head. Gaara could hear his conscience, his other side, telling him to take the boy. He shook his head, he needed him. Suna could further their growing alliance with the Akatsuki if he sold the blonde to them. Yet ANBU was pretty persistent and war could be called upon Suna if he didn't sell it to them.
"Name," Gaara said losing patience within his deep thoughts. He was young, younger than Gaara. Gaara was only twenty and ruling over Suna with a tight grip held by his ruthless actions. The blonde in front of him could only be about seventeen at the most, if not sixteen. For a moment Gaara actually felt remorse for what would happen to him. After this stage, he would become like any other slave put into the system.
He would be put under the watch of a trainer from one of the gangs and then assigned to one of the higher ranked officers to use as a toy. But maybe he's special; Gaara watched the blonde's eyes look rebelliously at him. ANBU and the Akatsuki wanted him for a reason. Snake wanted him broken for another.
It was almost time to move out. Konoha was hours away, and they had stock to pack away. "Bring him to the cages," Gaara told the guard as he got up. "Wait," the blonde finally spoke. His voice was determined. "Where are you taking me?"
"Name," was Gaara's answer. "K-Que," the blonde stuttered. Gaara noted his hesitance. 'You don't have to put him in the cages,' a voice in the back of his mind whispered. 'You can have the pretty little blonde all to yourself.' As Gaara left he could hear the blonde yell from behind him. God he needed someone to kill.
---
"It's been a long time," Asuma said as he placed another black stone down on the wooden board. Shikamaru nodded, he knew he could beat Asuma easily except he needed to convince Asuma he was back for good. He wasn't but to get into ANBU again Asuma was the man to talk to.
It still surprised him that Asuma hadn't dropped dead from the piling amount of addictions he seemed to be building. Smoking was a new one Shikamaru commented silently. "Too long," a cloud of smoke flowed from Asuma's mouth. Choji sat watching the two. "Who's he?"
"Choji," Shikamaru made a move and glanced over at Choji. The nineteen year old studied the board, trying to understand the objective of the game. Shikamaru smiled, Choji's childish face scrunched up in a sour expression. He was reminded of days before everything had started to happen. 'Everything' started when he started to make the wrong decisions. 'Everything' had started when he had fallen hard for a blonde named Temari. 'Everything' had started when he joined ANBU.
"Why are you back?" Asuma questioned. Shikamaru heard a bitter edge to his tone. An ANBU man always was on guard for an Akatsuki member was always ready to slit a throat. "The force turned on us," Shikamaru lied, "they don't want us to convict Orochimaru. The snake is supposed to get away with everything."
Asuma nodded, he knew of Shikamaru's hatred. "And you're back to try to get revenge? Isn't that what you left for Shikamaru?" Shikamaru was silent, he was thinking. He had left the ANBU for two reasons. He knew that in order to raise Choji he couldn't stay in Konoha. The second reason was of his own selfishness. Shikamaru knew that revenge wouldn't accomplish anything. His mind told him of all the cons that came with it. But he longed for it and so he left. He left for the force; a place where he hoped would bring justice to Orochimaru.
Shikamaru nodded. Choji was silent, not able to guess his brother's next move. Choji knew his brother had been in ANBU. He also knew that Shikamaru left when his parents died and he was turned over to him. Choji had a basic idea of what ANBU did, of who they are, and what they planned to do. He knew that along with the Akatsuki, they were the biggest gang of Fire Country. They had been at a kind of war with the Akatsuki for a century. The two killed, stole and lied to each other, to the police, to even their own families. Their members ranged from thirteen to thirty.
The majority of the police force in Oto and Konoha were gang members. This guaranteed that gang activity wouldn't be prosecuted. Anyone opposing them 'disappeared' as they would say. It was simple. Konoha and Oto were ruled by the Akatsuki and ANBU.
"Neji's still a pet," Asuma said suddenly. Shikamaru froze, the name echoing in his mind. "Still?" Shikamaru said with a smirk. He could remember the days after Temari's death when he couldn't convince himself to get up in the morning. ANBU had sent him a gift to cope with: a scowling brunette who had just finished training and wanted out of the system. He was angry at everything and everyone until he met Shikamaru. Neji saw how the broken the man was, how lost he was. Neji had helped him a recover and then Shikamaru had left. A chill ran through Shikamaru's blood as he wondered how Neji was.
"I swear Iruka's screwing with him," Asuma said grinning, "He knows Neji want to be promoted." It had been seven years, ample enough time for a slave to become an official member. Seven years and Neji was still a slave? Shikamaru gave a smile at the thought. "So I guess you're staying?" Asuma asked one last time.
Shikamaru nodded.
---
The metal cage was suffocating him. Around Naruto were all the slaves to be shipped to the market. It was almost too quiet, too many people not speaking. Some were scared, some were passed out. Naruto was one of the scared ones.
They were inside a van, the humidity increasing to an almost unbearable temperature. He wasn't able to see anything, it was too dark. The cell was small, the bars thick and the metal warm. He could hear the doors being opened. Light burst through the rows of cages. There were snickers from the men that were surveying though the rows. "A-1450," one said to another. Naruto could hear someone beside him scream as they were removed.
'What's happening?' Naruto was scared, almost as scared as he had been when he saw Ino die. There was no one with him anymore though. They continued to call out numbers and letters, more shouts and cries were heard. A flash of uncertainty went through Naruto's mind. What if this was Sasuke's fault? Silence reappeared after the door was closed and darkness ensued.
For almost an hour Naruto was deep in thought. He didn't want to believe it. He loved Sasuke. Actually, was he really in love with Sasuke? What if it was only a deep infatuation? Was it only lust? Was the bond a lie? Questions attacked his mind. Naruto felt crippled, the doubt holding him down. "D-8097," numbers he would never forget. A face appeared at the door of his cage and he cowered back. Thick arms grabbed at him while he tried to fight the fingers that held him.
They dragged him to a stage. Stage lights directed their attention at his body. His clothes were ripped from him, and Naruto felt the cold air hit everything. He stood naked in front of a crowd, their eyes focusing on his every detail. Heavy chains connected across his arms and feet. He was too scared to speak. "Bidding starts twenty thousand."
The crowd was divided into two groups, one wearing black and red cloaks while the others showed tattoos of a spiral. It appeared to be a silent auction. "Sixty thousand." The bidding continued. It went on for forever to Naruto. He stood there with nothing. He had no family he could count on because they had forgotten him. He had no one to love because his lover had left him. He had nothing; he didn't even have the innocent sound of his name. He was guilty of a crime he didn't commit and the only fragment of hope was the necklace that wound around his throat. The blue pendant rested against this chest.
"Sold!" The words shook him, cutting something inside him. Guards pushed him off stage. There was a blow to his head and the world turned what seemed to be impossible darker.
---
"No," Shikamaru said with a finality that was ignored. Asuma shook his head, knowing that this was the only way to ensure Shikamaru's loyalty. "We all have to start from somewhere." Resentment shone in Shikamaru's sepia irises, "He's my brother."
"And Neji was your lover" Asuma replied with mirth. He was enjoying torturing Shikamaru like this. He knew his pupil hadn't come back for the reasons he had confirmed. There was more and Shikamaru was hiding it. That was fine with Asuma though, but he had to guarantee that Shikamaru would remain loyal. Putting his little brother onto the slaves' floor, where he would be trained for a month, made certain that Shikamaru would not betray ANBU without risking his brother's life.
"Do you want in or not?" Asuma asked again. Shikamaru took a deep breath. "Yes."
---
A light leather collar was tied to his neck, not uncomfortable but disturbing. Naruto clenched and unclenched his fists. He was chained back in another cage. It was louder, everyone around him speaking. The door opened with a loud clank. The entire room went silent.
"Neji, the new arrival. Retrieve him," it was the voice of a commander. Someone who was in charge and could hold no lower position. A voice that Naruto faintly recognized. Neji approached his cage. Long black hair covered the cage's entrance for a second. Naruto felt himself limply fall into Neji's arms. The skin was pale like Sasuke's and the hair was almost as dark. He had the same scowling expression as Sasuke's, the same eyes yearning for freedom.
Naruto felt himself shed a tear. He looked up at the commanding voice. The identical blonde hair that was spiked up while his own were frazzled and flatten. The tan skin was golden like his own if it wasn't so grim filled. There was a different expression though, or just a different shine in the eyes.
"Dad?" Time seemed to freeze for Naruto. His father and mother had died in a fire. His parents had died in a fire. His parents—that was the same story he was always told. It was the story his aunts told him, the police told him. Every year he would visit their graves. Yet, how could it be that Minato Namikaze was standing in front of him?
"Jesus, put some clothes on him," Minato's face was pale. Naruto…Naruto wasn't supposed to be here. "How did you get here my son," Minato whispered as Neji confusedly rushed Naruto to the showers. Minato could remember the night, how the flames licked the skies greedily. The night was filled with stars and the moon was heavy and bright. The Akatsuki had kidnapped Kushina who was pregnant with Naruto.
A day after she had been missing, she went into labor. He was born too early. And the Akatsuki cruelly gave him offered him a deal. He was to allow them the land west of Konoha, now the east side of Oto. But Minato had only been allowed to retrieve one of them. They never told him that his wife had died. He had chose Naruto over Kushina.
The very next night, Minato sent his only son to his sister. He told her that in return of taking care of the boy, he would continue sending child support payments. He had continued paying the money for the past sixteen years. Minato could see the defeated look in his son's eyes. What had happened?
Neji returned, the wet locks curling against his face. He bowed, pulling on the leash that connected to Naruto's collar. Neji never looked him in the eyes; the boy had been with him for so many years. He was a sort of replacement son in a sense, but nothing could beat the real thing. The blonde locks curled against his tanned face. They were so similar yet Minato had no idea what had happened in Naruto's life for the last sixteen years.
"You're dead," Naruto said. Neji yanked at the collar, bringing Naruto to his knees. "Remove it," Minato ordered stumbling slightly. Neji nimbly undid the collar. "Neji, look up." The brunette studied his master and then new slave. He gasped. "Sir," Neji started. Minato brought up a hand to silence him.
"From now on he is of equal rank as me. He is my son and he shall be treated like so. You shall be as of now no longer a slave but his guide. He is never to be injured, never to feel pain, or be troubled during his stay here in Konoha. If he is, you will pay Neji."
Neji nodded stunned. He had been with Minato for the last five years and never had he heard of Minato having a son. There had been a wife that had been killed in a fire but no talk of a son. "We have a lot to talk about Naruto," Minato said, "But I have to leave now."
Naruto watched as Minato left. The door closed with a thud, and he fainted.
---
"You said I was finished," Sasuke yelled. His words echoed against the stone walls. Orochimaru stood before him. "Well you're not."