"Wolfsbain"-Ch.9 "Trapped"

He came out of the darkness to be greeted with blurry gray blotches. His head ached and he couldn't remember what happened to him. He heard rattling and very faint voices. When his eyes finally adjusted he saw silver squares of wire beside his head. Startled and confused, Sasuke sat up. He hit his head on something metal. Then, Sasuke realized that he was in a cage; the kind of cage you saw animals in at the pound. Except, this cage was tiny. He could barely move. He had to stay crunched together; he felt like a ball. The soles of his shoes were already pressed up against the cage door while his back was against the wall. He barely had an inch of space to move.

"Aniki?" he called out quietly.

Everything came back to him then. He remembered the net, the rope in his mouth and around his wrists, the hunters, the van…He couldn't remember falling asleep in the van. How could he sleep when all he could think about was Itachi? Maybe he fainted or he was knocked out. Then, Sasuke decided he didn't care about how he fell asleep. Where was Itachi? Sasuke's heart started racing. What had the hunters done to him? Sasuke kicked at the cage door. He was becoming desperate to find Itachi.

"Let me out!" he screamed, kicking at the wire again.

He screamed and kicked and pushed but nothing he did could get him out of the cage. He heard a door open and footsteps. Sasuke struggled to see who was coming and where they were coming from.

"Let me out of here!" he screamed again.

The gray-haired hunter that had taken away Itachi appeared. The man shoved a silver rod through the wire squares and when it touched Sasuke he felt volts of electricity spasm through his body. He cried out in pain and tried to get as far away from the man as possible but the cage wouldn't allow it. Sasuke could hear the man yelling at him and he thrusted the rod further into the cage so it electrocuted him more painfully. Sasuke screamed and the pain brought forth blazing hot tears. Sasuke was beginning to think that the man was going to electrocute him until he was dead.

He bet he would have if the black-haired hunter hadn't come and stopped him.

"Kabuto! That's enough!"

Sasuke gasped in pain and shock when he realized the "shock rod" was gone. The older hunter yelled at the younger one while Sasuke sobbed to himself. The young werewolf pulled his knees even closer to his chest than they already were. He folded his arms atop his knees, laid his head in his arms, and cried. He wished Itachi was there to comfort him. He wished he wasn't a Runt. He wished his life was normal. He didn't pay attention to the two hunters until he heard one slither his name. Sasuke looked up, tears flooding his face, and met the cold amber gaze of the older hunter.

"There, there little Sasuke. Kabuto won't bother you anymore."

That did little to comfort Sasuke.

"Where's my brother?" Sasuke asked, his voice shaking due to his sobs.

"He's safe and sound in Konoha Hospital."

"Hospital?" Sasuke's heart skipped a beat.

Was he hurt?

"A hiker found him unconscious in the forest and took him there. Or that's what the doctors think happened."

"He's safe?" Sasuke repeated.

He breathed a little easier knowing his dear brother was safe. But he still wanted to see him. Sasuke was about to ask to see his brother but he shut his mouth, knowing the answer. He would never see him again.

"Ask whatever you wish Sasuke-kun. No question is unanswerable."

Sasuke looked at the hunter uneasily. He was acting to nice to him. Why was he speaking so sweetly when he wanted to kill him? This led Sasuke to ask his next question.

"Why haven't you killed me?"

"Would you prefer that I did?"

He put a hand on one of the guns at his belt.

"No!" Sasuke quickly exclaimed.

"Good," the hunter said, lowering his hand. "It would be a shame to lose such a perfect specimen."

"W-What do you mean?"

"Allow me to properly introduce myself properly," he said, placing his hat over his heart and bowing. "I am Orochimaru, werewolf exterminator, tamer, and collector."

"Collector?" Sasuke repeated in a squeak.

Orochimaru placed his hat back on his head and stood up straight. That snaky smirk twisted the man's mouth.

"Among other things. I'm also a trapper, a scientist…"

"What kind of scientist?"

"You'll find out."

Sasuke's blood ran cold and Orochimaru left him, chuckling. Sasuke whimpered and squeezed his knees tighter.

Aniki…please…I need you. Send help. Please…save me…

.:WoLfSbAiN:.

Itachi bolted into a sitting position. He was blinded by white light. He had awakened from a nightmare of Sasuke being tormented by Orochimaru. He looked around for his dear brother but found that he was no where nearby. He was in a hospital room. Itachi rubbed the back of his head. He started to remember what had happened.

"Sasuke!"

He jumped out of the hospital bed. He was relieved to find that he wasn't wearing the annoying hospital clothes. He ran to the door but before he touched the door handle the door opened from the other side. A nurse and his parents were standing in the doorway.

"Itachi-san! You're awake!" the nurse exclaimed.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Fugaku demanded.

"Oh Itachi! I'm so glad you're okay!" Mikoto cried, throwing her arms around him.

Itachi saw that his parents weren't the only visitors he had. Three of his friends were standing a few feet behind his parents. He glared at the blonde. Itachi pushed his mother off of him and stormed over to Deidara, ready to punch him in the face.

"Uh oh, un," Deidara squeaked, covering his head with his arms.

Itachi raised his fist but his red-headed friend caught his wrist before he hit Deidara. Itachi glared at Sasori and Sasori just stared back.

"Let go," Itachi growled.

Sasori shook his head.

"Aw, thanks Sasori! You didn't have to do that un!" Deidara said with a big smile on his face.

Itachi gave him a death glare and he yelped in terror.

"Now, now. No need for violence," Itachi's third friend said, trying to be the voice of reason.

"Shut it Kisame," Itachi growled.

"Itachi! Stop! This can't be good for you!" Mikoto squealed.

"Yeah, un!"

"Shut up Deidara!" Itachi and Kisame said at the same time.

Itachi pulled his wrist out of Sasori's hand and looked at Kisame. Kisame usually didn't tell people to shut up unless he had something to say.

"I'm going to go get some coffee," Kisame said, his eyes never leaving Itachi's.

Itachi received a telepathic message from Kisame suggesting that he follow. Kisame left. Itachi watched him go and when he turned a corner at the end of the white hallway, Itachi started walking away in the other direction.

"Itachi! Where are you going?" Mikoto cried.

"I'm getting air," he mumbled in response.

"But you need to be in bed!" the nurse exclaimed, coming after him.

"I'm fine!"

Itachi ran away from the nurse.

"I knew coming here was a bad idea un," Deidara said.

Itach ran through the hallways trying not to get lost. He found and exit and ran out of the hospital. He ran to the back of the hospital and found Kisame leaning against the wall with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"What?" Itachi asked.

"I have some information for you."

"It better be important."

"It is."

"Talk."

"The mayor had declared that the werewolf scare has been dealt with. God only knows what was really going on. But anyway, as soon as she announced that a man bought an old house and set up a pound there."

"A pound? As in dog pound?"

"Yeah. Rumor has it that your brother's been missing as of last night."

Kisame gave him a knowing look. Kisame was good at puzzles. He saw things other people often overlooked. Itachi knew that Kisame had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Itachi smiled.

"Thanks."

"Just doing my job."

"Tell Deidara I'm sorry. It wasn't his fault."

"Can't you tell him that yourself?"

"I'm not sure I'll be able to."

"Don't get into trouble Itachi."

"I'll try not to. Don't tell them."

By "them" he meant his parents.

"Yea, yea. 666 Devil's Drive, Steve's Dog Facility."

"Thanks."

"Good luck."

Itachi's fist touched Kisame's and he left on a mission.

.:WoLfSbAiN:.

Every little sound made Sasuke flinch and he couldn't stop crying no matter how hard he tried. He was more scared than he had been on the petty werewolf hunt that seemed so long ago. He remembered his friends that had been with him last night. Were they in school now, pretending nothing had happened? Did they care about where he was? Gaara probably didn't give a crap. Naruto was probably freaking out and making his other friends frantic. Naruto probably told Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Choji every detail. Neji, Shikamaru, and Kiba probably shared their fears with Tenten, Temari, and Ino. Ino, being the gossiper she was, was probably spreading rumors across the school at this very minute. How was Shino? Was he grateful to Sasuke for saving his life? He wasn't sure if Zabuza would have killed him in his desperate search for the Runt. He had said he hadn't cared that he killed people to find him.

"Quit your whimpering Dog!"

Sasuke hadn't noticed that Kabuto had entered the "cage room." Sasuke had examined his surroundings before and had realized that his cage wasn't the only one in the room. There were empty cages all along the walls. There were two cages below him and two above him. Kabuto punched the cage door when Sasuke didn't stop crying, making the whole cage shake.

"Leave me alone!"

"Kabuto!"

A girl with long red hair came into the room and pulled Kabuto away from his cage. She was wearing a black, leather jacket, a black spaghetti strap shirt, a black, leather mini-skirt, black knee-high army boots, and a black ski cap.

"Orochimaru-sensei told you to keep away from him!"

"Werewolves don't deserve to exist!"

"I don't care about how you feel about werewolves! I'm just doing what Orochimaru-sensei ordered. Now get out and don't come back in here!"

Kabuto glared at the girl and she glared back defiantly. Kabuto shot Sasuke a glare before leaving. The girl watched him go with her hands on her hips. Sasuke heard a door slam and the girl sighed, lowering her arms.

"You've been crying for hours," she said to Sasuke. "Keep it up and you'll cry yourself dry."

"I have good reason to cry," Sasuke sniffled. " I couldn't possibly expect you werewolf hunters to understand."

"Really? Try me."

Sasuke gave her the best glare he could muster but it wasn't enough. She smirked but it wasn't really evil; just like the smirk of an amused school girl.

"You didn't have your life snatched away from you. You don't have someone you love that you might never see again."

Sasuke broke off in tears and buried his head in his arms. The girl looked at him for a little bit and them smiled.

"You say I don't understand. And yet, I understand perfectly clear." Sasuke looked up at the girl.

"You think you werewolves have it bad? Well, the life of a hunter isn't all its cracked up to be either."

"What do you mean?"

The girl slid the right side of her jacket down her arm a little and then pulled her shirt down. Sasuke blushed furiously and sighed in relief when she didn't reveal anything he didn't want to see. Above her right breast there was a birthmark shaped like a howling wolf.

"Do you know what this is?" the girl asked.

Sasuke shook his head.

"This is the mark of the hunter. Anyone born with it automatically becomes a part of the Hunter's Cult whether they like it or not."

She pulled back on her clothes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You didn't want to be a hunter?"

"When I could think for myself I didn't want to. I saw what other people were doing with there lives and now I wish I could be someone different."

"Why don't you stop?"

"Its not that easy."

There was a brief silence.

"You're not like the other two," Sasuke said.

The girl shrugged.

"They have some sort of motivation. I don't."

"Motivation?"

"Orochimaru-sensei's insane. And I mean that literally. He was in a mental hospital for a really long time." "Why'd they let him out if he's still crazy?"

"He let himself out."

"I'm guessing not legally."

She shook her head.

"What about Kabuto?"

"He holds a grudge. Werewolves killed his family."

"Oh."

"Yeah. The second he sees one he runs for a gun. Its taking all his strength not to kill you."

"Why is Orochimaru keeping me hear? He said something about experiments."

"Orochimaru-sensei's also a bit of a sadist."

Sasuke backed into his cage and whimpered.

"At least be glad he won't kill you."

The girl scratched the back of her head awkwardly. She had no words of comfort for a situation like this.

"At least Kabuto won't bother you!" she tried.

Sasuke started to cry again. The girl felt bad.

"…Maybe that lover of yours will come and get you before that happens."

Sasuke looked up.

"Aniki?"

"Your lover's your brother?"

Sasuke blushed.

"Okay, whatever. I gotta go."

"Wait!" Sasuke called when she started away.

She stopped and looked at him.

"What's your name?"

"Tayuya. And you?"

"Sasuke Uchiha. Will you come again?"

"Yeah. Someone's got to check up on you and it ain't gonna be Kabuto."

Sasuke opened his mouth to ask a question but she interrupted.

"I'll answer all your questions next time. Right now I've got work to do. Later."

The girl named Tayuya ran away. Sasuke was left alone.

A/N: Aaaa that chapter was much better! I was going to make Orochimaru beat/rape Sasuke but for everyone's sanity (including mine) I decided not to. Review pretty PLZ!!