Chapter 6
Total darkness, heavy like a thick blanket.
At first, Sasuke couldn't feel anything; not the sting from the impact, nor the aching in his ribs from Naruto's kick. Then, suddenly, the cold started to seep into him through his clothes and skin, chilling him right to the bone and it was as if someone had flicked on a switch. His dull eyes blinked slowly open, but still his world was black, and the panic finally set in.
Sasuke jerked awkwardly into action, as if abruptly wakened from a deep sleep. His pulse pounded in his ears as he started to kick, to swim, to do anything to get to the surface. But the Uchiha knew, with a sinking heart, that he would never reach it.
He was blind.
And he couldn't tell which way was up. This fact alone made his arms move even faster, his legs to pump even harder as desperation threatened to take a hold of him. And with each stroke, with each painful kick, with each time he blinked his eyes back open only to see nothing, he was reminded that no matter how hard he swam, for all he knew, he could be getting farther and farther away from the surface.
But Sasuke gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep moving, even if it was pointless, even if he could be going to wrong way. Because he would be damned if he gave up without a fight. He had survived this far, hadn't he? He had lived through everything that life had thrown at him and he was still standing. He wouldn't give up.
He couldn't
Sasuke's blank eyes narrowed as sudden pain gripped his chest. He knew the ache had nothing to do with his bruised ribs.
He'd promised Neji.
The dark haired boy's arms worked harder, straining against the current and the weight of the water pushing against him.
He couldn't leave him.
But his lungs were starting to burn from the lack of oxygen and he had to fight not to open his mouth and take a breath. Hopelessness threatened to take over even as he vowed to keep going.
But he was tired -so tired- and all he wanted to do was just stop but he couldn't – he couldn't. Sasuke bit down a distressed whimper that crawled up his parched throat He was stronger than this, he had been through worse!
Panic made Sasuke's heart beat faster and his movements to become erratic and desperate.
Neji…
His lungs were on fire and he felt his strength slowly start to leave him, his will start to fade. His mouth opened in a silent scream.
Buildings flew past him in a blur, the wind whipping at his hair and face but Neji didn't pause, didn't even stop to brush his dark brown bangs out of his eyes. His hard white gaze was fixed on the thick forest standing on the horizon and he didn't dare look away. It felt so far away and to him, it wasn't getting any closer, not matter how fast he ran, no matter how many times he forced himself to go faster. Neji knew he was taking too long, but all he could do was keep running and hope –pray- that he'd make it in time.
Sasuke felt as if someone was holding him in a cold embrace. His strength had run out and it felt like forever since he last took a breath. All the air was gone from his lungs – so much so that he didn't even feel the need to breathe anymore.
The Uchiha tried to move his arms, to keep swimming even though his body felt like lead. But a sort of daze was starting to take over, a strange sense of calm that told him to just stop and close his eyes and let death take him.
Then suddenly someone was grabbing him, pulling him up roughly by his arms. Strong, bony fingers dug into his flesh as he was dragged upwards.
At first, Sasuke struggled, his mouth open in a gasp. But then his head broke the surface of the water and air filled his lungs. He sucked it in, gulped it down like a parched man. He breathed it so fast and so desperately that he choked on it, coughing raggedly. But Sasuke still opened his mouth for more.
Finally, his frantic gasps slowed into regular breaths, if just a bit heavier than normal. His body became limp as the last of his energy left him.
The last thing he felt was the rough material of Kakashi's jounin vest and the smell of earth and musty books.
Then, his mind went blank.
Neji flew through the forest, branches snagging on his clothes as he jumped from branch to branch. His hair streamed behind him as he ran- harder than he ever had in his life. He was barely a blur against the trees.
The Hyuuga was so intent on his goal that it took him a few seconds to recognize the three distinct chakra signatures heading his way. Neji frowned. No, there was a fourth one, but it was weak.
His white eyes widened in horror as realization dawned on him. He left the trees and fell to the ground below, landing gracefully in a crouch, leaves spinning around him. The brown haired teen straighter to his full height, his jaw set and his face devoid of any emotion.
Barely seconds later, Team Seven was standing before him.
Kakashi's one eye was narrowed in contemplation as he looked at the Hyuuga in front of him. In his arms he held Sasuke securely against his chest, the unconscious boy just barely breathing. Naruto and Sakura stopped beside him, their young faces etched with worry. They turned to Neji with confusion, clearly not understanding the situation at all.
But Kakashi knew. He had suspected it from the moment he laid eyes on his black haired student for the first time in six months. His grey eye met Neji's blank ones.
"How long has Sasuke been blind?" he demanded, ignoring the looks of shock his two other students gave him.
Neji let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat. So, Kakashi had figured it out. Really, he wasn't surprised. The Hyuuga shook his head.
"For about four months at the least." He said quietly, his gaze fixed on the ground. Neji mulled over his words, wondering what he should tell, how much he could tell without giving everything away. "It was caused by rings that sealed off our chakra." He explained. "Because of Sasuke's Sharingan and the connection it has with his eyes, his vision slowly faded away." He raised his eyes to meet Kakashi's once again. "After the rings were removed, we hoped that his sight would return…"
Kakashi frowned. Neji wasn't telling the whole story and the jounin knew it. He knew that the two were keeping something from them. The silver haired man straightened.
"We're taking him to the Hokage." He said briskly, his voice serious and grave. "You can explain to her what happened." Then, he took off, dirt and leaves swirling around the place where he stood moments before.
Neji gave a small nod before turning and following the older man. Naruto and Sakura exchanged frowns of concern and puzzlement before leaping into the trees.
"It's his chakra."
Neji's brows furrowed in confusion at Tsunade's announcement. He and the remaining members of Team Seven had been sitting outside her office in a tense silence for nearly an hour while the Hokage examined Sasuke in the other room. It had been the longest sixty minutes of Neji's life, and the confused looks Sakura and Naruto had constantly sent him didn't help.
Tsunade shook her head.
"I don't know what's causing it, but it's draining him of the chakra he needs in order to function." She explained. Her lips pressed into a tight line. "And to counter that, his body has started to shut down various things in order to survive. His eyes, for example." Tsunade rubbed her temples and sighed. "But even though we know what's happening, I can't figure out what is making this happen." She turned her amber eyes to Neji. "You said something about chakra rings."
The Hyuuga nodded stiffly, but didn't elaborate. Kakashi rolled his eyes at the other's silence and leaned against the wall. Naruto let out a frustrated growl.
"Come on, Neji! How can Tsunade-baa-chan help if you don't tell her anything?" he demanded, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation.
Neji stared at the ground, his jaw clenched tightly. He didn't want to tell them. He didn't want them to find out what… what he and Sasuke had been through. He had promised the Uchiha that they would keep it a secret for now, but now the younger teen was suffering because of it.
What was he supposed to do?
Neji had long lost all sense of time. He couldn't even remember what month it was, let alone the day or hour.
Takashi and Kudo had started employing them to various customers that came to the brothel. To Neji and Sasuke though, it was just the same as spending a night with their two captors.
There were those who fit right in, who helped pick apart the two teen's souls piece by piece. Then there were the times that they were faced with people so nice that they had to wonder why they came to such a dark place.
Neji remembered one such man clearly. The Hyuuga had walked into the dimly lit room of the brothel expecting another one of Takashi's slimy clients, his hands dirty and his lips pinched together in a sick sneer. But instead there sat a man in his late twenties at most, his shoulder length brown hair smooth and silky. His chocolate eyes were warm and they twinkled with good humour and happiness. He was dressed in a simple, but crisp navy blue suit. Neji had been baffled at he man's clean appearance and welcoming gaze. That encounter had been one of the least painful the young Hyuuga had ever faced.
Afterwards, they sat on the bed in an almost comfortable silence, their brows sweaty and their clothes thrown about the ground. The man puffed slowly on a thick cigar and after a moment, he turned his doe like eyes to Neji's and spoke.
"I have to wonder," he said in his deep smooth voice. "What someone as proud and beautiful as you is doing in a place like this."
Neji raised an eyebrow.
"I could ask you the same thing." He retorted.
The man chuckled and nodded.
"Touché."
That night stayed with Neji for a long time afterwards. He shared the experience with Sasuke and realized why it was so significant. It showed that not all in the world was bad or evil.
It gave them hope.
And the needed it badly, like a starving man needed food, for even though Sasuke was adjusting quickly to his loss of sight, it was becoming harder and harder to hide. The Uchiha was learning how to cope without his eyes faster than Neji thought possible, but at the same time, his black pools were getting darker and darker. So dark that the pupils were nearly invisible. Soon, his eyes would be blank and his blindness would be obvious.
And in this world full of unanswered questions and uncertain futures, there was one thing that Neji knew for sure:
They were running out of time.
"What are we supposed to do?" Sasuke asked one night when Neji brought the subject up.
The Hyuuga looked away, frowning.
"I don't know yet. But we have to get out of here soon." He turned back to his companion-partner-lover and his eyes narrowed further at his appearance.
Though they were provided with new clothes and showers, that didn't hide the toll the mission was taking on their bodies. Sasuke's dull eyes had dark circles underneath them and his arms were bony and thin. His pale skin seemed even whiter in the dim lighting of their cell and he looked so frail that Neji feared he would break any second.
Neji felt something inside him break at the sight. This shouldn't be them. They shouldn't have to go through this. Reaching out, he pulled Sasuke closer, wrapped his arms around his skinny frame to mould him against his chest. The Hyuuga buried his face in Sasuke's ebony haired and squeezed his eyes shut. Sasuke made a small noise of surprise at the sudden embrace but soon relaxed, breathing in Neji's earthy scent and drowning in his protective presence.
Neji's white eyes opened slowly and he felt Sasuke stiffen. They had both heard it. Heavy booted feet on marble tiles. His arms tightened around the younger one as he glared at the locked door as the knob started to turn. The long haired ninja felt Sasuke sigh against his chest and he made up his mind.
They were leaving. They had wasted enough of their lives in this hellhole. It was time to go home.
TBC
Sorry for the wait. School was weighing me down. Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed this! (Bows) This chapter was a little shorter than the others, but as some of you might see, it had to be ended where it was.
