AN: Here's another chapter, hope you guys like it. It's a two part-er.
Hint: Kiba is calmed by IT. Remember the first hint and the one in Chapter 6.
Enjoy
Rated: T
Chapter 7
The Box: Part 1
Tick
Tick
Tick
He woke to the sound of the clock ticking again. It was placed on top of his box since he's been in here, two days he thinks. He could faintly hear the second one on the other box where they kept Kiba. It was their punishment for trying to escape or for getting caught; he thinks. They cleaned them up after they checked their wounds. Afterwards, they took them into a room inside the building and threw them into boxes.
The box was small. Sasuke lie on his side, his knees pressed into his chest, his head and the bottom of his feet touched the end of the box while his back and his shins touched its sides. He was in a tight squeeze. If he tried to move, he wouldn't move far. When he tried to turn to at least get somewhat comfortable, a part of his body would hit the side or the bottom of the box.
The five holes were medium size. They were made for breathing, Sasuke counted them so many times.
He hated not being able to move. It made him feel like he has no control, it made him feel uncomfortable.
Tick
Tick
Tick
They've been here for two days. In the distance, he could hear Kiba scratching at his own box, he could hear him pounding on the box as well. He, himself, felt the need to pound on the box too, his breathing was already becoming labored.
It's so hot…I can't breath, there's hardly any air.
"Calm down. This is what he wants," Sasuke whispered to his self, for the thousandth time he woke in the box. "Just slow deep breaths." He remembered what Lee had told him earlier about the man who kidnapped them. He wanted to break them, break the stronger ones. He wants to get out of this box so bad.
Two days…Two days…Two days, HOW LONG AM I GOING TO STAY IN THIS FREAKING BOX?
He flinched, he didn't want to panic again, "Stay calm, just stay…"
Please, I have to get out of here. I'm going to suffocate, I'm going to die.
He found his hands pushing on the box. He heard Kiba screaming in the distance. His heart jumped.
It's so hot, no… DON'T PANIC…but I can't get free, why can't I get free?
Sasuke's breathing was becoming harder to control. His heart raced with such pounding, he could feel the impression of it being force onto his knees.
Please, I want to GET OUT.
"No…I want to get …stay calm, Sasuke, stay calm," Sasuke told him self. God, he couldn't think straight.
I can't breath, Oh God, the holes are getting smaller.
Sasuke looked up at the holes in his box; they were getting smaller, very, very slowly. He closed his eyes, they weren't getting small, I'm just panicking, he told his self, "I'm okay, and I'm just panicking. The holes aren't getting small. They. Aren't. Getting. Small," he whispered to himself, his rapid breathing making it that much harder to stay sane.
I'm going crazy…I don't want to die.
Sasuke tried curling in on his self. His chest hurt, he felt sick and dizzy.
Nothing was working. He started hyperventilating. He has to get out.
Tick
Tick
Tick
AAAAHHHHHHH
His mind was screaming he pushed on the box a little harder. His body was feeling cold one minute and then hot the next, it didn't feel right. He was sweating and the feeling of losing control was making itself known…again.
I got to get out…I got to get out…please, God…Oh, God, please.
With the little room he had left, he tried kicking the box. He pound on the box as hard as he could, it wasn't budging. Just faintly, in the distance, he could hear pounding coming from the other box. Kiba's going through the same thing I going through, he somehow had enough sense to think of that at the time. But it didn't stay long as another wave of panic hit him…and it hit him hard. He tensed, his body didn't move for a second before, he let out a shilling scream. It echoed in the box, making it hit his ears with loud aftershocks. He couldn't cover them; his arms couldn't reach without hitting the walls of the box.
He could hear his breathing as it came out short and shallow. He screamed again.
Make it stop…make it stop…I want to get out.
I can't breathe…I'm going to die…I can't get out.
Why can't I get out…Don't panic…don't panic.
Oh, God, please…I don't want to die…I can't breathe.
He mind was on overload. It was like he wasn't really there; just experience this in another world, but feeling everything around him. He can't distinguish what was real and what was not.
The holes were getting small again.
I'm suffocating…The holes…they're getting…smaller…I'm going…to…suffocate.
That was the last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness, but before everything went into darkness, he heard the clock again, it kept ticking.
Tick
Tick
Tick
Chapter 7
Getting to Know the Victims: Part 2
"Obito, carefree, energetic, and very wise for his age," Kakashi offered. "He was loved by his peers and the ones who cared for him. He likes to play video games and he would sometimes spend most of his time at the park on the weekends."
Kakashi place his notes under the photo. He didn't need to explain too much about Obito to the others, they all knew about him through him. He was always telling them how Obito did this and how he did that.
He stared at the photo for a moment, and with a sigh turned to face his team. "He was a great kid." He then sat done to hear the other profile on the other kids missing.
Kurenai and Genma stood up, their notes in their hands. "Okay," Kurenai began. "Sanko Muchi. His parents said that he was a very smart and well behaved young man. He had many friends; he goes to a private school where he was the class president. He spends most of his time at home playing his violin; he had a concert to go to the day he went missing. His parents were gone at the time; they were at a meeting for parents and teachers which they go to every Wednesday and Friday nights," she placed her notes under the boy's photo.
Genma pulled out his note, "Naruto Uzumaki, an orphan at Konoha All Boys Orphanage. He's been there almost his whole life, since his parents died in a train accident when he was eight. The person over the orphanage describes Naruto as being a prankster and a very energetic and loud boy. He always finds trouble when he's around others. Most of the time, he spends his time alone, but is always smiling around others. Overall, Naruto was a hand full." Genma finished as he placed his note in place under Naruto's picture.
"Alright, Kiba Inuzuka," Genma started again. "He is pretty much like Naruto, but his parent describes him as being head-strong. He got in trouble in elementary school for bullying the younger kids, but when he got into middle school, he became…well, uhm…friendlier. He took most of his aggression out by playing football. Through there, he became really popular. The other two, Sakura Haruno and Hinata Hyuga are best friends. Sakura is a smart girl at her school. She is at the top of most of her class, and the vice-president of her school. She plays soccer after school and is the captain of her team. She lives with her mother, but on the weekend she spends time with her father and stepmother. Hinata is also smart, but she is not as out-going as her friend, Sakura. She is considered by her peers to be shy and has low self-esteem, but many of her peers find that they can really connect with her because she's kind-hearted and seem to make them smile and feel comfortable around her. She doesn't play any sports, but she does play the flute at her school band. Her father runs a business and is not always home, but she do have the maids who look after her." Genma put his notes under all three pictures. Both he and Kurenai went to set down in their seats.
Asuma stood and read off his notes, "Rock Lee is a young man who work hard at everything that he does. He lives with his single-father, Guy, who works full-time and part-time at two different restaurants. Lee is in a lot of sports, from football to wrestling, he is very good in all of them. Some of the students see him as a class nuisance because of the way he dress and how he proudly describes his hard-work and dedication in youthful sports and that everyone should do the same. In general, everyone likes him because of his dedication and hard-work." Asuma places his notes under Lee's picture.
"Uhm, Sasuke Uchiha, there's not much I got from his parents or friends. His parents says that he was a happy kid and was easy to deal with when he was younger and when his brother was around, but after, the death of his brother, he changed. He goes to private school and he has good grades, he just doesn't have many friends. He isolated himself from his family and everyone. The few friends that he do hang out with also says that he keep to himself. Both parents are business based workers. His father is a well-known realtor and his mother works as an assistant for a franchise clothing company."
After his little description, Asuma placed his notes under Sasuke's photo and sat down.
They all sat there eyeing the small description of the young teens. They were different as Kakashi pointed out, but what were their similarities that the perpetrator saw in them to pick them out, out of a whole bunch of other kids. What attracted the perpetrator to want these kids?
"I don't get it," Kurenai spoke. "There's no pattern in how he picks them and there's really no similarities in features that we can go with. It's like; he's just…well…picking them."
"No, there's something there, it's just hard to see it. I'm sure he's picking them for a reason," Kakashi answered. "We just need to work harder in finding it."
"Okay," Asuma bellowed out. "With the little information that we all just provided what are the connections."
They all looked at the photos and their descriptions.
"Sanko and Hinata plays instruments," Kurenai pointed out.
"Sakura, Kiba, and Lee are all in sports. And Sanko and Sakura were both involved in their school's class counsel," Genma offered.
"Obito and Naruto were energetic and their parents died in transportation accidents," Asuma inputted as he mostly spoke towards his partner, Kakashi. It was nothing personal; just he knew how important this case was to his partner. "And Obito, Naruto, and Sasuke lost people close to them. Sasuke lost his brother, Naruto and Obito lost their parents."
"But what is it that connects all seven victims," Kakashi inquired.
There was a moment of silence to reflect on the question. Where was the connection?
Yeah, some were connected by the littlest of detail, but those didn't apply to all of them. It left them with more questions. The deeper they try the find some link to the victims to get an idea of what the perpetrator was after, it only left them empty handed and with more unanswered questions. They were just typical young teenagers, who became victims of a sick person. Nothing was constant, the crime scenes weren't the same, and the M.O. was different with most of the victims. What was the perpetrator looking for in all the victims?
It's not their school involvement. It wasn't what their parents did. There's no connection in the victims' personalities.
Then what was it? What was he looking for in his victims, what were they missing to find the suspect, their 'UNSUB.'
Kakashi sighed. He knows Orochimaru was involved in this. He just knows it. The snake's probably laughing at how he's getting away with something else that was slipping between Kakashi's fingers… and it ticked Kakashi off. He has to figure this out. No other person was going to die because Orochimaru fooled the law again.
No other person would have to suffer with the lost of a child, the lost of a love one.
Orochimaru was in on this from the beginning and Kakashi would be damned if he let Orochimaru walk again with more victims under his name.
No…Orochimaru was not getting away with this one…he was going down.
"It's Orochimaru," Kakashi blurted out.
"Kakashi," Asuma groaned.
"No," Kakashi shook his head. "We have a suspect, let's go with it."
"But you're only pinning him because he was the only suspect in Obito's case. We can't go with that alone. And if I remember correctly, we didn't have much evidence on him then, so how are we going to find more evidence on him now?"
"We were sloppy back then, we won't be now."
"Asuma's right, Kakashi, you're still caught up with this being Orochimaru's doing that you're not thinking clearly," Kurenai put in.
"I'm thinking fine," Kakashi stood up. He knew they wouldn't take his assumption seriously, but he had to try. "Alright, I'll admit that I'm still ticked that Orochimaru got away, with just a slap on the back, but this is different…I'm different."
He faced his partners/friends square in the eyes. "I'm not going to just impulsively jump into things without thinking things through, anymore. I'm going to do this right. And with the help from all of you…I think we can bring him down," he pleaded.
Sigh, "Kakashi," Kurenai groaned.
"Please…I'm just asking you to just…forget what this whole thing with me, Obito…and Orochimaru has and help me try and find more evidence…something to pin him with…anything," he paused to let it sink in. "And if we can't find anything, then I'm done and I'll drop everything, every comment, every accusation, every whatever I said or could blame on or about the son of a…"
"Kakashi," Kurenai blurted his name. She wasn't really fond of the name callings, especially the inappropriate ones.
"But…," Kakashi continued. "But, if I'm right then we bring him down…we bring him down like the scum he is," he let that sink in. "We take him down so he won't hurt another human being in his life. Not a child, not an adult…not anyone else. Got it?"
There was silence.
Asuma just shook his head while Kurenai and Genma sat in their seats contemplating everything that was said. It was a hard decision, but this was their friend. He was counting on them, he needed them. They all looked up to see the serious, but pleading look in Kakashi's eyes. It was hard to say no, especially with the little of their old friend they use to know was coming back. He was not broody; he was not isolating himself from the rest of them. He was standing right there, in front of them, asking for their help. Asking that they help him bring down the reason for his pain, bring down the one person who took everything away from him. He was asking…
"Fine," Asuma said.
"Fine with me," Genma said afterwards.
They waited for Kurenai, who after some seconds later agreed.
"Fine, but we look for other suspects too. We have to keep this like any other case we've done in the past, okay?"
Kakashi smiled, "Okay."
They all felt a relief being lifted.
"Okay, so let's get started," Genma stated.
They gathered up their things and various items to head out the door, when Kakashi idly stopped in front of them.
"Oh, and if I'm right, you guys have to treat me to beers for a whole year, no make that two years," he smiled and left his stunned friends at the entrance of the door.
Yeah, Kakashi was slowly, but surely going back to his old ways…they were getting their friend back.
They gradually smiled at their friend's form of not quitting until he had them right where he wanted them. They all agreed to help him…it was where he wanted them…by his side. It was all he needed… for now.
AN: The scene with Sasuke was suppose to be confusing since it was a moment of panicking. Yeah, I wanted it to be that way, since I have read somewhere that a person who experience a panic attack sometimes feels like they are "going crazy" or "losing control." Along with the panic attack are some symptoms of claustrophobia, so...yeah...I wanted it to be confusing and have that sense of panicky feeling. I hope that came across in the first part.
In the second part, I wanted to describe the victims more. I wanted you guys, as readers and reviewers, to know what they were like and how they were viewed and in a way keeping it short and simple. The character, Sanko Muchi, is my own character and is the boy that they mention in the first chapter about finding the boy's body in the woods and all. Just wanted to make that clear, but I guess you guys already figured that out on your own. Also in the second part, this was to remind you of the case and Kakashi's sole reason why he want to bring down Orochimaru, not only because of Obito, but because he did not want to see another living soul get taken away from love ones. And he was finally asking (needing) his friends support to help him and they accepted...I was so happy. It was a long way coming but Kakashi finally letting his friends back in and not push them away.
Anyway, I keep blabbling on, but the clues in this chapter were obvious, they were a given and I summed them up in the chapter as well. There was no hidden clue in this chapter.
Please, review and let me know what you guys thought. I only had one review for my last chapter and I was really looking forward for your inputs on what you thought of it. I really want to know what you guys thought about this one since I put more information in this chapter.
Pretty...Pretty, Pretty, please...I'm beggin (on hands and knees) please review and let me know. I get more inspired that way.
