Disclaimer: My brain hurts too much to even pretend to be witty |D Kishimoto Masashi owns them all, even Kiba, no matter how hard I try and steal him. Also, Ice Station is (c) Matthew Reilly and is still the most amazing book known to man.
September 21st, 08:45
Tsunade was furious. No, she was more than furious, she was whatever would be classed above furious. She was so angry, she'd almost fallen down the stairs she'd been stomping so hard.
It had taken her almost half an hour to calm Kiba down, and even then, all that had done was make him go from a sobbing mess to a sightless zombie. He'd sat down on Naruto's bed, and had stared at the floor. And that was how Tsunade had left him, Shizune having come up to relieve her so that the older woman could go tear a strip out of her employer.
Slamming into the office, she could hear Naruto's voice briefly before Minato paused the video, the man looking as though he'd aged twenty years in one hour.
"How could you do that?" she demanded, bracing herself on his desk and leaning forward. "Do you even understand what you've done? Wasn't it bad enough that you and I felt this pain, you had to go and tell a child?!"
"Kiba can handle it," Minato insisted in a low voice.
"You call vomiting and breaking down 'handling it,' Minato?" she screamed, slamming one fist down on the desk. "Do you even know how much Naruto means to him?!"
"What was I supposed to do?" Minato insisted, looking up at her with haunted blue eyes. "He would have caused problems. People would have come. It was tell him or risk him drawing attention."
"We could have told him Naruto was gone!" Tsunade insisted. "That you sent him away to a doctor! You could have lied!"
"You think I don't know how this feels?!" Minato shouted, leaping to his feet and slamming both hands onto the desk. "You think I don't know what he's thinking?!"
"So that's it?" Tsunade asked, staring at Minato, horrified. "You just told him because you want someone to suffer as much as you are?" She let out a dark laugh. "Wasn't I enough? Or is Kiba just going to be a temporary replacement for you?"
"You're out of line," Minato insisted.
"No," Tsunade snapped, glaring at him. "You were out of line by telling him. What were you thinking?" she shook her head and covered her face with both hands, letting out a slow breath. "Did you just think that Kiba was going to shrug it off and continue on as if nothing had happened?"
"Of course not," Minato whispered. "I knew it would hurt him, I knew he would react badly—"
"Then why did you tell him?" Tsunade demanded.
"Because I needed someone to believe that I actually gave a shit about my son!" Minato yelled at her before collapsing in his chair and covering his face with both hands. "I needed him to have proof that I cared when he gets back, and you're not good enough." He looked up at her. "You always defend me, Tsunade. You always make excuses. He won't believe you. But he'll believe Kiba."
"You put him through this because you want to use him?" she whispered, shaking her head and moving back towards the door. "I don't even know what to say to you right now."
"Where are you going?" he asked, standing.
"To go comfort someone who clearly needs it more than you do," she spat back before slamming his office door.
She couldn't believe what he'd just said to her. She couldn't believe that Kiba was now going to be no better than she was just because Minato had needed proof that he cared. Resisting the urge to go back to the office and beat the crap out of the other man, Tsunade stormed back up the stairs and into Naruto's room, finding Kiba hadn't moved.
Letting out a small sigh, she moved over to him and sat down next to him on the bed, Shizune leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Tsunade reached up and buried her hands in dark locks, pulling Kiba's head over so it was resting on her shoulder. He stayed like that once her hand moved to rub at his back.
"He'll be all right," she whispered, resting her cheek on his head. "You know Naruto, he's a tough kid. He'll get through this and when he's back, he'll milk our pity for all it's worth," she said, forcing out a chuckle.
"It's my fault," Kiba whispered.
"Kiba," she insisted, laughing for real this time. "How could this possibly be your fault?"
"Because, he said he wished something important to his dad ceased to exist... and I told him to be careful what he wished for. I basically jinxed what he said."
"That... is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard," Tsunade insisted, letting out a small laugh. "Kiba, this is not your fault. This is nobody's fault. This is all related to greed. You couldn't have stopped it, you couldn't have predicted it... Just make sure you stay together so that when he comes back, you can beat him up."
"Beat him up?" Kiba turned his head to look up at Tsunade, confused.
"Yes. Beat him up. For scaring us like this. I can't punch him, so you'll have to do it for me." She smiled down at the brunet, and he forced a smile back.
Letting out another sigh, she kissed the top of his head and stood, pulling him to his feet. "Come on. Let's get you something to eat, then I should send you home."
"Tsunade," Kiba spoke, his voice quiet.
She turned to look at him since she'd been heading for the door.
"I'm not... I mean, I shouldn't tell anyone about this, right? This is a secret, right?"
"Yes, it is," she replied. "We're trying to make this quick and painless." She moved back to Kiba and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry, Kiba. He'll be back to us in no time, good as new."
September 21st, 09:00
"The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round, 'round and 'round, 'round and 'round, the wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round, all through the town," Naruto sang, bobbing his head slightly from side to side. He didn't know the words to the next verse, so when he reached the end, he started singing the same one again. He'd been at it for almost an hour, now, and he knew he was going to drive himself insane soon if nobody came down to provide him with some level of entertainment.
"What are you, a kid now?"
"Thank God!" Naruto exclaimed, looking in the general direction of the stairs, since he could no longer see again, thanks to the plaster mask. "I swear, one more cycle of that song and I was going to ask Ayuu to shoot me!"
"Don't tempt him like that," Essyu insisted with a sigh, a sound drifting towards Naruto suggesting he'd set a plate down on his usual chair. "Bathroom?"
"Nah, I'm good for now." He held his hands out. "Food, though, I could go for."
A snort met his ears and he heard the plate scrape against the wood before it was pressed in his hands. "It's scrambled eggs and toast."
"Score, thanks." He grinned brightly at the other and picked up his utensil, feeling for the eggs and then shovelling them into his mouth.
He frowned slightly when he pulled the spoon from between his lips, chewing. "Did you give me a spoon? For eggs?"
"Considering what happened the last time I gave you a fork, can you blame me?" Essyu asked dryly.
Now that he thought about it, Naruto realized all of his meals had come equipped with spoons since the escape attempt. He supposed that based on the nature of the food, he'd never really noticed, because all the meals were possible to eat with a spoon. Eggs, not so much.
"I guess not." Naruto just shrugged and continued to eat. It didn't bother him. Realistically, he understood. He just hadn't really thought about it. And considering how easygoing Essyu had been yesterday, it was weird that he'd let Naruto take a shower, unshackled and unmasked, and not worry, but holy shit! Look out with those forks!
He chuckled to himself, ignoring the inquisitive grunt he received from the other. Picking up his toast, he bit into it and chewed happily, enjoying the food and the company, regardless of the fact that Essyu was ridiculously quiet.
"Is Ayuu home?" the blond inquired, returning to spooning eggs into his mouth.
He received no reply.
"What I mean is, I was wondering if you would be willing to read some more of Ice Station to me today. I know you won't if Ayuu's home so I was just curious." He shrugged. "But in retrospect, I know why you didn't answer."
"He's home," Essyu affirmed. "He's gotten permission from his boss to work from home. He told them I had mono."
"That's cool of his boss," Naruto said, nodding. "Sucks though. I won't ever get to talk to you now, and you'll come down to me singing more kid songs." He snorted.
Essyu was quiet the rest of his meal, which kind of made him a little lonely, but he tried not to let it get him down. When he handed his plate back, as well as the glass of milk he hadn't known he'd had until he'd almost knocked it over, he felt Essyu take it, and then something was placed into his hand.
Frowning, he pressed down on the edges and then grinned when he heard a crackle. "Walkie-talkie?"
"I can read to you from my room," Essyu murmured quietly. "Ayuu doesn't need to know."
"Thanks." Naruto clutched it to himself. "Seriously, you're a lifesaver."
He heard the other head for the stairs and cocked his head slightly.
"Hey, Essyu?"
"What?"
"Are you good looking?"
Silence met his ears.
"What I mean is like... I don't know, you're really nice, and I'm just curious about whether or not you're good looking. Most assholes are attractive, which is why I picture Ayuu as like... this tall, handsome, god-like being thing. Then, the other end of the scale, is the nice guys who look like ass. You're so nice I'm trying not to picture you looking like my butt." He grinned.
That comment earned him a snort. "I'm... all right, I suppose."
"Oh, you're hot," Naruto said with a grin. "You're fuckin' smokin! You're just trying not to make me think you're vain."
Another snort. "Fine, I'm very attractive. I can't be vain if it's true. I've been coveted my entire life."
"Oh, coveted. Fancy." Naruto grinned, then it faltered. "Actually, I'm not even sure I know what that means."
Essyu actually chuckled at that. "I'll read you the dictionary some time."
"Oh God, please don't!" Naruto insisted, hearing the other continuing up the stairs. "Let me retain my stupidity!"
"You can't be stupid if you're third in your class, Naruto," the other called down the stairs before the door shut.
The blond frowned. "Huh... How did he know that?"
Though ironically, third in his class or not, Naruto still wasn't sure he knew what coveted meant.
September 21st, 15:07
"Wait..." Naruto's voice said slowly across the staticky piece of shit Sasuke had bought at Wal-Mart. "So he was evil all along? I mean, he was gonna kill the Scarecrow even after Scarecrow tried to save him?!"
"Haven't you been listening, that was his job, moron," Sasuke said with a smirk, shifting slightly so he was more comfortable lying on his stomach on his bed, his favourite book open in front of him. "I kinda like to think he wishes it hadn't come to that. I think he admired Scarecrow a lot."
"Obviously not enough if the only way for Scarecrow to save himself was to shove a drill into the asshole's head."
"That's my favourite part," Sasuke admitted with a smirk. "It's so gutsy on Matthew Reilly's part. He just goes for it, and describes it all."
Silence from Naruto's end for a few seconds. And then, "Should I be worried? I'm not gonna wake up with you standing over me with a hand-drill, am I?"
Sasuke snorted, rolling his eyes and reaching out for the cigarette burning away in the ashtray on his nightstand. "No, retard, I'm not gonna drill you," he insisted, bringing the cigarette to his lips and inhaling.
Naruto snickered. "You should've said 'screw you,' instead. Double entendre, much funnier."
Sasuke listened to the blond snicker to himself for a few seconds before he released the button. Letting the smoke slowly out of his lungs, he waited to see if Naruto would say anything else, but he didn't.
Licking his lips, he grit his teeth and hit the talk button. "It was me."
He let his finger off it instantly, as if trying to convince himself he hadn't admitted it. He had, and he'd wanted to, but it was easier to pretend he hadn't.
"It was you what?"
Inhaling from his cigarette again, he pressed down on the button, exhaling slowly. "Yesterday. It wasn't Ayuu, it was me. I never went to the store, I made it all up. Ayuu left for work and I went downstairs."
Silence again. He inhaled on his cigarette, pulling as much smoke into his lungs as he could before exhaling again, waiting. And waiting. Naruto didn't say anything. He hadn't expected him to. He imagined the other must've felt similarly to how he had when the blond had tried to escape. Betrayed, angry, confused. That was good, though. He kind of needed Naruto to hate him.
Seriously? What kind of moron fell for the guy chained up in his basement? That was totally fucked up!
Licking his lips and letting out a slow breath, he hit the talk button again. "You were wrong. I'm not the ugly nice kid."
Silence for a few seconds, and then, "You're nicer."
Sasuke snorted. "Yeah, but I'm not Canada."
"Canada?" Naruto asked, confused, while Sasuke took the time to inhale one last time on his cigarette before putting it out. "What the fuck does Canada have to do with anything?"
"You know, people always talk about the world and its people, and I've always been told everyone's nice to Canada because no one wants to punch the retarded fat kid."
A bark of laughter. "Dude, are you calling Canada a retarded fat kid?" More laughter. "That's messed up."
Sasuke smirked and rolled onto his back on the futon, letting out his own short laugh. "Well, they are kinda weird. I don't get their fascination with watching fully clothed men slide back and forth on an ice rink with a stick, chasing a tiny little black thing that's not even a ball."
"What, now you're gonna diss hockey?" Naruto demanded before laughing harder. "You're all kinds of messed up. And Canada's not the retarded fat kid. Canada's the loner no one pays attention to. Get it right."
"Oh, right. My bad." Sasuke snorted.
"Did you actually just say 'my bad'? I think I'm rubbing off on you." A grin was evident in Naruto's voice.
I'd like it better if you actually were, the raven thought, but at least he'd had the foresight to say it in his head.
Another silence then, Sasuke not sure what to say, since Naruto had essentially just moved away from the topic. He ended up not being done with it though because the walkie-talkie crackled briefly and he spoke again.
"Why?"
"Why what?" he grunted out, scratching at his stomach.
"Why did you do that yesterday?"
"I wanted to," he admitted. What was he going to do, lie? "You're hot."
He didn't know what he'd expected to hear, but he certainly hadn't anticipated hearing the walkie-talkie get thrown angrily across the basement. Frowning, he sat up, looking at his bedroom door in confusion.
The basement door opened and he cursed, knowing Itachi had gone to investigate the noise. Scrambling to his feet and letting the walkie-talkie fall onto the futon, he raced into the kitchen and skid slightly on the tile before rounding the bend to hurry down the basement steps.
Itachi was practically on top of Naruto, pushing him against the wall and digging the barrel of his gun into the bottom of his chin.
"Don't make me ask you again," Itachi said, his voice low and dangerous.
"It was me," Sasuke insisted. "The noise was me."
"I'm not stupid, Essyu," he insisted, turning to glare at him. "And I'm not deaf. I know you two have been talking. I want to know what the noise was."
Naruto's teeth were grit and Sasuke noticed that Itachi was actually kneeling on the blond's hands so that he couldn't use them to push him off.
"It was the walkie-talkie," Naruto grit out, letting out a grunt when the barrel forced his chin higher.
"What?"
"I tossed the walkie-talkie across the basement."
"Why?"
"Because your brother pissed me off."
Sasuke's head snapped back and he took an unconscious step backwards, Itachi's head slowly turning to look at him, dark eyes burning into his own. How did Naruto know that? How could the blond have possibly known that?!
"We'll finish this later," he hissed at Naruto, then he was on his feet, striding over to Sasuke.
The raven took another step back but Itachi grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him towards the stairs, hauling him up them forcibly and then throwing him violently into the kitchen table once they'd reached the landing, slamming the basement door shut.
"You told him we were brothers?"
"I didn't tell him anything!" Sasuke snapped back, trying not to betray how scared he was. He knew Itachi far better than Naruto did. He was a little worried for himself right now.
"You're talking to him too much, then, if he can deduce things like that on his own," Itachi said, placing the gun down on the counter.
Sasuke's eyes shifted to the other's waist when his brother's hands moved towards his belt buckle.
No, please, not now, his brain begged. Not now, I've avoided it for years, not again...
"He's third in his class, he's smart, what did you expect?" Sasuke insisted, taking another unconscious step back. "He sees how we act when we're together, it's not like it's hard to deduce," he snapped.
The belt was being pulled through the loops.
"And he saw our eyes for a while, we have the same eyes, it's not that hard to figure out!"
"Turn around."
Sasuke clenched his jaw. "I didn't say anything."
"Turn. Around."
The younger Uchiha let a puff of air escape his lips before he glared hatefully at his brother and tugged at the collar of his shirt, wrenching it off and hurling it angrily across the room. He then kicked a chair out of his way, spun around, and braced himself against the wall, arms extended, hands flat against the drywall.
Gritting his teeth painfully, he heard Itachi move forward.
"Count them."
Pain exploded across his back and he let out a sharp exhale. "One," he forced out.
Another slap of leather, and he forced himself to inhale. "Two."
The last time he'd gotten belted, he'd earned himself seventy-five. He was kind of hoping Itachi would have restarted his meter so he only got the fifteen, considering it had been so long since he'd last been belted.
No dice. He passed out at eighty.
At least his pride was intact, though, because not once did he let a sound escape his lips unless it was a number.
September 21st, 17:50
Naruto was really starting to wish he hadn't thrown the walkie-talkie away because he was beginning to really need to go to the bathroom, and with Ayuu home, he really didn't think yelling up the stairs was a good idea.
He hadn't meant to get that angry about what Essyu had said, but it only furthered his worry about how humanity was superficial. They liked Naruto because he was rich. They liked Naruto because he was hot.
Why couldn't just one fucking person like Naruto because he was Naruto?
Kiba didn't count, he would never love him that way, and even if he did, Naruto would never want to jeopardize their friendship.
But he wanted someone. He did. Man, woman, rich, poor, hot, ugly, he didn't care. Just one fucking person who wanted him for him.
Letting out a sigh, he rested his forehead on his knees, trying to listen to the two upstairs. He didn't know what had happened but he knew it hadn't been good. He still wasn't entirely sure what had set them both off.
He'd gone back over his words multiple times, and could not figure out why him saying "your partner pissed me off" would set them both off like that. Ayuu had been pissed, and Essyu had sounded almost scared.
Naruto didn't like knowing he'd done something to make Ayuu pissed off at his brother.
The blond's head shot up.
"Fuck!"
He hadn't said partner, he'd said brother!
Shit! I didn't mean to say that!
Naruto would bet his balls that Ayuu thought Essyu had told him that. Shit, not good. That meant he was going to be stuck with Ayuu because God knew the fucker wouldn't trust his brother to keep his mouth shut.
"Great. Good fucking job," he groused to himself.
He heard the door open and his head shot up. Silence followed, which he could only assume meant Ayuu was coming down the stairs. He jumped when he felt a hand close around his wrist and yelped when he was wrenched forward.
"You're going to the bathroom."
Had Naruto not actually needed to go, he would have had a comeback for that.
Ayuu undid his cuffs, but only the ones on his wrists. He kept the ankle ones in place and shoved Naruto towards the bathroom. The blond ended up slamming into a wall because Ayuu hadn't bothered to redirect him.
Knowing his glare would be lost on the other, he just growled, found the door to the bathroom after running his fingers along the wall, and slammed into it. He half-expected Ayuu to tell him not to close the door, but he didn't. Naruto just did his business as quickly as possible because he didn't trust Ayuu like he did Essyu.
Once he was done and his hands were washed, he opened the door and made his way blindly back in the general direction of the futon. When he was close, he assumed, Ayuu grabbed his arm again and threw him back onto the mattress, which definitely wasn't thick enough for the action not to hurt.
Wincing when the cuffs were snapped back into place, the left one pinching skin, a tuppaware container was thrust into his hand. He waited for the utensil, wondering if he would even get one, and was handed it just as roughly.
"Eat. There's water at your feet."
Naruto took a bite of the mystery food—Essyu always told him what it was—and winced slightly. It was tuna pasta. He was willing to bet Ayuu had found the only can in the house just for him. Still, at least tuna he could tolerate, so he ate without complaint, trying to make sure he was decently nourished before speaking. Considering the type of person Ayuu was, he was certain once he spoke, the food would be gone.
Once he was decently satisfied, he gulped some water and licked his lips. "Where's Essyu?"
"Nursing his wounds."
Naruto wasn't sure how to take that. He honestly hadn't even expected a reply, and really wasn't sure how literal that statement was supposed to be.
"What did you do to him?"
His answer was the food being wrenched from his hands. Well, at least he could predict the guy.
"Essyu didn't tell me, you know," he called after Ayuu, knowing he was retreating for the stairs. "You did. With how you treat him."
Silence followed, and he assumed Ayuu had gone back upstairs, until he felt the gun under his chin again. He grunted, splaying his hands on the wall behind him and lifting his weight slightly, the force of the gun making it hard to swallow.
"Do not patronize me."
"I'm telling you the truth," Naruto spat. "If you wanna be mad at someone, be mad at yourself. Essyu never said or implied anything. The way you talk to him and treat him is what made me figure it out. And your reaction today only confirmed it. You could've been smarter and not reacted."
He could feel the barrel shaking against the underside of his chin and knew it was taking everything the other had not to shoot him. For a second, he got legitimately worried, but then Ayuu pulled away and stomped up the stairs, door slamming angrily behind him.
Naruto felt the other wasn't as calm as he sometimes pretended to be. And whatever he'd done to Essyu, he hoped it was easily fixable. He really didn't wanna get stuck with Ayuu for the rest of his stay.
September 22nd, 02:43
When consciousness began to return, Sasuke wished it would've done so as per usual, with the gradual nudges towards wakefulness. Not the punch to the face he got when the agony in his back made itself known and forced his entire body to tense. Which was really a bad idea since it only managed to make it hurt even more.
Gritting his teeth, he tried not to be a pussy considering Naruto had acted all right after his belting, but then he had to remind himself the blond had only gotten fifteen, and he'd gotten ninety.
Despite his having passed out at eighty, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that his brother had finished up, even while he lay bleeding and unconscious on the floor. It was something Itachi was sick enough to do.
Forcing himself to roll onto his side, letting out sharp breaths and trying to ignore the pain, he somehow managed to get himself to his feet, teeth grit and hands fisting the sides of his jeans. At least Itachi had been nice enough to get him into bed, even if he hadn't bothered to remove his pants.
Walking slowly towards the bathroom, the raven pushed open the door and turned on the light. Wincing, he moved in front of the mirror and turned around, then craned his neck as much as he could without the pain being unbearable and glanced at his back.
"Shit," he whispered. Skin had broken in numerous places, and his back was just one huge mess of red. The hem of his jeans was stained with blood and he looked away, breathing hard and trying to diminish the pain.
Grabbing some advil, he downed four of them and then moved slowly into the kitchen. He didn't know why he felt compelled to give a shit about Naruto, considering it was his fault this had happened, but he felt like Itachi was just trying to make sure they weren't friends—well, as friendly as they could be in this situation—and if there was one thing Sasuke didn't take, it was Itachi trying to dictate his life.
Itachi didn't want them to be friends? Sasuke would do all in his power to ensure they were.
Opening the basement door, he let out a slow breath and then stepped down. The shift in his back made agony seer up his spine, and he stood unmovingly at the top of the stairs for a long while before finally forcing himself down another step. The process had taken a lot longer than he felt it should have, but he didn't even remember what it had been like for him the last time, at seventy-five lashes. He remembered it had hurt, but this felt even worse.
He supposed it always did feel worse, considering he got more each time he did something wrong.
Once he finally reached the bottom, he stood there for a few seconds, inhaling and exhaling loudly in an attempt to stop himself from screaming in agony. Then, he reached over and turned on one of the lights in the basement, knowing Naruto was probably asleep, and let his eyes scan the end of the room. He found what he was looking for and made his way slowly towards it.
Bending down to pick up the walkie-talkie had been challenging, but he'd somehow managed it. He inspected it for damages, and hit the talk button to ensure it still worked, then turned and headed towards Naruto. He set it down beside his head, figuring he'd let him sleep for now, and started to stand so he could go back upstairs, though he knew he'd never get back to sleep.
"Essyu?"
He turned back to Naruto when the other's groggy voice met his ears, the blond sitting up with a groan.
"Essyu? Is that you?"
"Yeah," he said, his own voice sounding hoarse, despite his not having screamed earlier. He figured it was from trying not to scream. "Sorry I woke you."
"What happened?" Naruto demanded, reaching out blindly with one hand and touching Sasuke's arm.
The raven just stared at the fingers, wondering what Naruto thought he could possibly be doing. Why was he even touching him?
"Why do you care?"
"I care because it's my fault," Naruto insisted, a snap entering his tone. "I didn't mean for you to get in trouble, but I know something bad happened."
"Same thing that happened to you. I'm used to it."
"Oh," was the blond's reply. He hesitated. "Um, if you want... I mean, if Ayuu didn't help you out, if you wanna bring some stuff down and put on a mask, and take mine off, I can clean it up for you." He half-smiled. "You did it for me, and your back's not the easiest place to reach."
Sasuke was about to say no thanks to that, because how weird would that be? Having his captor clean off his injuries? That was fucking weird.
But then he thought about how he knew Itachi wouldn't do it, and then got worried that one of them would get infected, because one of them had the last time since he hadn't been able to reach it, and then he'd been sent to the hospital and all these unnecessary complications arose and...
"Okay," he muttered, but he really wasn't happy about it.
"I'll be here," Naruto joked lightly, sitting up more and crossing his legs so he was seated more comfortably on the futon.
Sasuke snorted and turned to head back for the stairs, walking slowly. When he reached the bottom, the thought of climbing them and then coming back down was almost enough for him to change his mind. But he needed his back cleaned and he was going to have to go back to normal the following day anyway, regardless of how he felt, so might as well get used to it now.
Gritting his teeth, he took the first step, and gripped the railing tightly when pain shot down his spine. He took a second to let the feeling diminish a bit, then took the next one, continuing the arduous task of climbing up the stairs.
"Hey, Essyu?"
"What?" he snapped, much more harshly than he'd intended.
"Correct me if I'm wrong but... you didn't get hit fifteen times, did you?"
Sasuke considered not answering, but then felt it would probably be best if he did. It would prove to Naruto that Itachi wasn't kidding when he said he'd up the number each time. If Naruto knew his brother would do this to him, he'd probably feel more inclined to always listen from now on.
"Ninety," Sasuke whispered.
"Ninety?!" the blond exploded before slamming both hands over his mouth, as if not having meant to be so loud.
Sasuke just grit his teeth and hoped Itachi hadn't heard, moving up one more step.
"You're joking, right? There's no way! Your back... and I mean like... shit, his arm!"
"He stopped at thirty-four and seventy-three," Sasuke muttered. "Because his arm did start to hurt. I passed out at eighty, but I know he gave me the full ninety."
"Jesus," Naruto breathed. "Fuck. I mean, I figured it was bad with how slow you're being with getting up the stairs, but fucking ninety? Christ, Essyu, I'm so sorry."
Sasuke didn't say anything to that, mostly because he wasn't sure what would be appropriate to say, so he just continued on his way up the stairs.
September 22nd, 03:12
Naruto hadn't really known what to expect once Essyu finally made his way back downstairs. He was trying to psych himself up for the other's back because while he'd seen some sick shit in movies, this wasn't a movie, and he knew that what had happened had been his fault. Because of his slip-up.
Ayuu thought that Essyu had told him about them being brothers, and had punished him, and it was all Naruto's fault. Essyu hadn't said shit, but he knew he could tell Ayuu that as much as he wanted, the motherfucker would never believe him.
When the plaster mask was removed, Naruto rubbed at his eyes, removing the sleep from the corners before looking up at Essyu. The other handed him a first aid kit, and then spent close to five minutes trying to sit down on the edge of the futon. Naruto could hear him inhaling and exhaling sharply, but he didn't say anything.
Considering he'd been acting that way for fifteen hits, he was kind of amazed that Essyu could fucking move at all!
His back was a complete mess, and Naruto was afraid to even do anything. He couldn't see the wounds that well beneath the coating of blood, and just the smell of it was making him feel a little bit sick. Not that he was squeamish or anything, but there's a big difference between slicing off your thumb and seeing someone's back covered in blood.
"This is, um..." He licked his lips, eyes moving to the back of Essyu's head, looking at the ski-mask he was wearing. "This is really gonna hurt."
"I know," was the other's reply. "There's a wet cloth in the kit for you, too. Might wanna use that first."
Naruto turned to open it, feeling his own wounds twinge slightly, as if the sight of Essyu's reminded him of his own injuries, but he completely ignored them. He couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of pain Essyu must be in. He pulled the cloth out and wished he'd had the foresight to ask for a bowl of water or something to dunk it in, but he wasn't going to make the other stand up after it had taken him so long to sit down, so he just did the best he could, trying to clear away as much blood as possible without touching his skin too much. It was a hard task.
Once he felt it was as blood-free as it was going to get, he started to grab a cotton ball, then just stared at the rubbing alcohol, turning to look at Essyu's back. "Um... okay this is gonna be hard and I just... I can't help you like this." He winced. "I think you need to shower, at least. There's still too much blood."
He knew the last thing Essyu wanted to do was stand up, but somehow, he grunted an affirmative and climbed to his feet, the action taking close to two minutes. He'd gotten up much faster than he'd sat down.
The blond saw the other's head turn towards the stairs, then to his bathroom, then the stairs again before turning to look at Naruto. The captive merely held up his hands, waving them slightly, indicating he was wearing shackles. If Essyu went to shower in his bathroom, it wasn't like Naruto was going to sneak in on him. Or even race up the stairs.
"Give me the kit," Essyu ordered, holding out his hand.
Naruto reached for it and handed it up to him, the other moving slowly across the room and setting it down on the chair he usually occupied. Then he reached down and unbuttoned his jeans.
The blond figured he'd look away once the boxers started coming off only Essyu wasn't wearing any, so once the jeans fell from his hips, Naruto got quite an eyeful and tried to look anywhere but at Essyu, wishing for the first time since arriving that he had the mask on.
"Are you uncomfortable?"
"No," Naruto insisted. "It's just not polite to stare at another dude's junk." It was true, especially since he didn't really discriminate. He found both the male and female form attractive, and he really didn't want to sit there and stare at Essyu's dick.
The other moved across the basement and disappeared into the bathroom, the door shutting quietly behind him. Naruto stared at the jeans lying on the floor while listening to the water turn on.
"Take a cold one," he called in afterthought, since hot water would most likely just make the still-open wounds bleed more.
He didn't know if Essyu had heard him, but he just leaned back against the wall, ignoring the slight twinge from his own back. After seeing the other's, he didn't think he'd ever complain about pain again. He definitely didn't want to piss Ayuu off to that degree.
Though he'd admit, he was somewhat shocked Essyu had actually taken him up on the offer, but he supposed if Ayuu wasn't gonna do it, he needed someone. And while Essyu taking away the kit as if worried Naruto would use something in it to escape kind of upset him a little, he understood at the same time. And really, at this point, he just hoped the other was okay.
"He's got a nice body though," he mused aloud to himself, shrugging. "I mean, he's not bad."
Even though all he'd seen was the other's body, he was sure that girls lined up around the corner for him. Or... maybe boys?
That was when he remembered why he'd thrown away the walkie-talkie—which he'd noticed was back when Essyu had returned with the kit and removed his mask. Essyu had tried to kiss him, because he thought he was hot. Did that mean Essyu was gay, or was he just like Naruto? Didn't discriminate?
"Well, great, now I feel like an ass," he muttered to himself, since he'd just been thinking about how hot Essyu's body was. Which made him a hypocrite for suddenly wanting the other to kiss him again. Because he'd gotten mad at Essyu for calling him hot.
Letting out a sigh and slamming his head back against the wall, his eyes shifted to the bathroom door when the water shut off. A few minutes passed, and then Essyu emerged wearing his ski-mask again, and a towel around his waist. He went to get the kit, handing it to Naruto, and sat down in front of the blond much quicker this time. When Naruto reached out to touch his skin, he realized it was because it was ice cold, so his wounds were probably numb enough that they hurt a bit less.
"Better?"
"Yeah, much." Naruto pulled out a cotton ball and poured the disinfectant on it. "This is gonna hurt."
"I know," the other said again.
Naruto rolled his eyes. He was just trying to warn him, but if that was how he was gonna be, then fine.
He started to gently dab at the wounds, hearing the other inhale sharply on occasion. After a while, it stopped, and Essyu just clenched his fists while Naruto worked. It was a slow process, but the blond just wanted to make sure he'd thoroughly cleaned everything so nothing would get infected. Then he grabbed some gauze and paused, trying to establish how to do this.
"Should I just use an entire roll and just wrap you up completely?" he asked with a frown.
Essyu was silent for a second before grunting out a, "Sure," and slowly stood.
Naruto did as well, placing the end right under the other's armpit, and then reaching around him once he'd brought a strip across his back, grabbing the gauze and wrapping it around his front before continuing around the back. Over and over he did this, covering the other's back with the gauze until the roll ran out halfway through his cycle back up towards his neck. He used medical tape to keep it in place and sat back down on the futon, offering Essyu a smile.
"Good as new."
A snort left the other's throat and he moved to gather everything up, moving slowly still, but not as much as before. Naruto felt it was him probably trying to regain some of his dignity, though he'd never lost any in the captive's eyes.
"Thanks. Sorry I woke you. You can go back to sleep."
"I'm good," Naruto insisted, pulling one of his legs to tuck it up underneath the other so he was sitting cross-legged again. "And I'm seriously sorry about what Ayuu did. That was uncalled for."
"He thought I told you."
"He told me more than you did," Naruto insisted with a snort. "The way he acts doesn't help, but the fact that he reacted to it was the biggest giveaway. But," he shrugged, "whatever. What's done is done. Though I'll understand if you don't wanna talk anymore."
"Ayuu can bite me," Essyu insisted, wincing while taking a seat in his usual chair, but not leaning back. He instead leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. "I like talking to you."
Naruto beamed at him. "I like talking to you, too! You're really cool."
"For a kidnapper."
"Nah," the blond insisted, waving one hand. "You're cool period."
Another snort. And then, "Why did you toss the walkie-talkie away?"
"Huh?" Naruto blinked.
"Earlier. When we were talking, you threw it away because you got pissed off. Why?"
Naruto puffed out his cheeks at the question, not wanting to answer it, but he sighed explosively, like it was a huge inconvenience to talk about it, and rubbed the back of his head. "I just get pissed off when people say they like me because I'm hot, rich, or both." He huffed slightly, crossing his arms. "I tell Kiba that all the time."
"You think I only want you because you're hot?"
The blond cocked an eyebrow. "Well, I never said you wanted me, but if I had, you're actually the one who said you tried to kiss me because I'm hot."
Another snort. "Touche. Well, wanting you aside, we'll ignore that fact for the moment," Essyu began.
Fact? Naruto thought with a frown. Wait, does he actually want me then? A somewhat unsettling and yet intriguing thought.
"But it's not just because you're hot." Essyu was obviously smirking behind his mask. "Though that does help. I'll admit, most of my attraction is based on your looks, but your personality's not half bad, either. When your mouth's shut, anyway."
Naruto flipped him off, but couldn't help the grin spreading across his face. "You're an asshole."
"That's okay. At least I'm not a dumbass."
The blond laughed, finding he once again felt that, had they met under different circumstances, he and Essyu probably would've been really good friends.
