Disclaimer: K. Masashi's Bishis.
Naruto slowly pushed open the door to his unit, walking in and dropping his bag on the floor beside himself before slowly shutting it. He stayed standing in the dark entrance for a while, not sure how much time had passed before his fist finally flew towards the wall, and effectively cracked the plaster, pain shooting up his arm.
He ignored it, burying his hands in his hair and sinking to the ground, gritting his teeth together and trying to dispel thoughts of Genma's panicked screaming.
He'd already gotten seven phonecalls from Raidou, and eighteen from Kakashi, but he hadn't bothered to answer them. Or listen to his voicemails. He couldn't bear the thought of listening to Raidou demand to know what the fuck was going on. He already felt like he was going to be sick for what he'd done.
He didn't hear Sai approach him. He didn't even know the other was there until he felt a hand fall onto his shoulder.
"Genma will forgive you."
Naruto pushed him away roughly, getting to his feet and storming into the living room. "You think that makes it better?" he hollered angrily, rounding on Sai. "You think that makes it easier? They'll all forgive me because I had no choice? Genma's in fucking jail, Sai, and I fucking put him there! And for what?" Naruto motioned the television angrily. "Because some guy on TV told me to have one of my professors arrested?"
"No," Sai said angrily, moving right up to Naruto, "you did it for Sasuke."
"Sasuke's probably fucking dead!" the blond yelled in his face. "Sasuke's..." he trailed off, feeling his chest constrict at his own words. He fell down into one of the chairs, burying his hands in his hair and struggling to keep himself together.
"Sasuke's not dead," Sai insisted in a low voice. "You have proof of that."
"How am I supposed to know that video wasn't taken days ago?" Naruto whispered, ignoring Sai's hand on his shoulder. He lacked the energy to shrug it off. "How do I know they didn't just make him cut and cut and cut until he bled to death?"
"Sasuke is alive," Sai said forcefully. "Kiba is alive. Genma is alive. And all of them will forgive you." Naruto looked up and Sai turned when they heard talking coming from outside. The others were back.
The blond was glad they hadn't been home, he hadn't even thought about what he was screaming and who could hear him until just now. Thankfully, it seemed he'd dodged a bullet. He knew if anyone had heard, they'd be knocking on his door by now.
"This isn't over," Sai said, his voice softer, and leaning closer to the blond. "It might seem like it's going to take an eternity for this to end, but just know that it will end. You said so yourself, Pein's not going to keep him forever."
"What if he's just saying that?" Naruto whispered, looking down into his lap, fingers folding and unfolding together. "He can keep this going forever. He knows I'd never stop, especially if I even had the slightest hint that Sasuke was still alive."
Sai sighed and bent down in front of Naruto, rubbing his hands up and down the blond's thighs. Naruto didn't react to it, he knew Sai was just trying to make him feel better, even if the location of his hands wasn't entirely appreciated.
"Nobody said this was going to be easy, Naruto."
"Good, because it's not," the blond interrupted, glaring slightly. If Sai was trying to make him feel better, he was doing a piss-poor job of it.
"Naruto, you're making this harder for yourself than it needs to be. I know you're upset, and I know this isn't easy, but you need to try and focus on keeping your head. Sasuke is alive. Kiba and Genma are alive. And like I said, they will all forgive you. And we both know Pein is the official leader. Once he's gone, nobody else is going to be able to torture you like this ever again, do you understand?"
Naruto avoided the other's gaze, if only because he was enjoying his pity party too much.
"I'm going to bed," he muttered, getting to his feet and pushing past the man crouched in front of him. He was glad when Sai didn't follow after him.
Moving into his room, he shut his door and sat down on his bed, staring at the wall in front of him before lying down, gaze shifting to the pictures sitting on his bedside table. He stared at them both for a long while before reaching out and lowering the one with his mother and father, choosing not to look at it anymore.
Much as he hated thinking this, it was their fault his life had turned out so fucked up.
And he definitely didn't love them for it.
A grunt escaped Sasuke's lips when water hit him in the face, the raven's eyes snapping open to glare angrily at Juugo. Would it be so hard for the guy to bend down and shake him? Why did he feel Sasuke needed an ice-cold bath every time he was asleep in order for him to wake up?
"Let me guess, Pein's back," he said with a grunt, sitting up and shaking his head, sending droplets of water onto Juugo's shoes. The other didn't seem to appreciate that, but Sasuke didn't appreciate the slap to the face as a wakeup call, so fair was fair.
Juugo said nothing, he just waited, seemingly until he was sure Sasuke was done spreading water around the room, and then bent down to grab at the raven's arm. Another grunt left Sasuke's throat when his injured arm was the one he chose to yank on, the bandages he'd been given to cover the wounds doing nothing to stop the pain from shooting up his arm.
He allowed himself to be yanked out of the room, where he saw Konan preening all over Pein—well, she was just cutting his hair, but Sasuke saw it differently.
"Sasuke!" Pein greeted him like they were old friends. "Finally awake?"
"No, Juugo decided I was starting to smell bad again," Sasuke replied, completely unfazed.
Pein smirked and motioned the couch, which Suigetsu was sitting on. The raven glanced at the door, which he suspected led into another room since there was no light coming from beneath it and it was most definitely daytime outside. He wondered for the briefest of moments if he would be able to make it through the door and outside before anyone caught up to him, but Juugo throwing him onto the couch and standing beside him made him check that instinct.
"Movie time!" Suigetsu exclaimed happily, switching the television from cable to video. The screen was already paused on an image of Genma in midair, probably prancing across the room.
Sasuke felt he'd been spending too much time with Gai, but that thought flitted away relatively quickly when he realized something bad was about to happen. Why else would Genma be on the screen?
The image unfroze, and Sasuke watched in silence. He watched Genma stop teaching upon seeing Naruto at the door. He watched the police walk down to collect him. He watched Naruto accuse him of sexually abusing him. And then, he watched Genma get dragged down the corridor, screaming that he hadn't done anything.
He felt a hand fall onto his shoulder and grit his teeth.
"Going well, isn't it? One professor in jail, his boyfriend kidnapped, his best friend dying. What else can I do to him before he snaps and kills himself?"
Before even fully deciding he wanted to do what he ended up doing, Sasuke was on his feet, his fist smashing into Pein's nose.
He would've been more than happy to continue beating the other's face in, but the gun at the base of his neck deterred him. He knew Naruto would never forgive him if he went and got himself killed now. So, he just clenched his fists and glared at Pein hatefully, his eyes promising him he wasn't going to live long once Sasuke was home.
The redhead reached up to brush at the blond spilling from his nose, Konan bent down beside him worriedly, as if Sasuke had shot the guy as opposed to merely having broken his nose.
She helped Pein to his feet, who pushed her away once he was standing, clearly unhappy with having been caught off-guard.
"Suigetsu."
"Yeah boss?" The other hadn't even moved from his position on the couch, having turned it back from video to cable.
"Call Naruto."
Sasuke's face fell, eyes widening slightly.
"Tell him to go to the same place as last time. Alone."
"Sure thing."
Sasuke's head snapped towards the other, ignoring the gun pressed to the back of his head. "Wait," he said, looking at Pein, who started walking away. "Wait!"
"My patience has run out for the day, Sasuke, you'll have to hope I'm in a better mood tomorrow," Pein said simply, exiting through the door Sasuke had been eying earlier, Konan glaring at Sasuke before following behind him.
The raven could feel panic rising in his chest.
Fucking hell, he'd screwed up. He'd screwed up and Naruto was the one who was going to pay the price.
Narrowed eyes watched the scene playing out before him, Sai and Naruto both in the kitchen, arguing. The raven had grabbed Naruto's arm and was yelling in his face about something, and the blond looked ready to punch the other's face in.
Once it became clear the argument had been won, Naruto wrenched his arm free and stormed out the door, slamming it loudly and stalking angrily down the stairs to head towards the parking lot.
Slowly, the figure retreated, so as not to be seen, before turning around and heading back towards the other side of campus, hands shoved deep in his pockets, and eyebrows turned down into a frown.
He thought about what he'd seen the whole way back to his dwelling, entering it still frowning, and shutting the door behind himself.
Raidou was on his feet in an instant, looking like he hadn't slept. Probably hadn't showered, either, by the looks of him. Not that he could be blamed, the poor guy was a wreck after what had happened the previous day. It was a miracle he was holding himself together at all.
"What did you learn?"
"A lot," Kakashi informed him, moving to the fridge to grab a beer. "Did you know Sai was here?"
Raidou frowned. "After the incident with his dad, he was called. Is he still here?"
"He's living here." Kakashi paused, standing in front of the fridge, beer in hand, staring in at the shelves. "He's with Naruto. I didn't see Sasuke."
"Naruto said he was at co-op," Iruka's quiet voice said from the armchair. It was hard to remember he was even there, he'd been so quiet of late.
"Well, it's not the first time Naruto's lied to us."
Raidou stared at him, and Kakashi averted his gaze, moving to sit on the couch.
"You think it's happening again, don't you?"
Kakashi ignored the other's inquiry, tapping the top of the beer can before popping the top and taking a large swallow. He didn't know what to think, but knowing Sai was still around sent up a lot of red flags. And with all the fights Naruto was having, and Kiba getting shot, and Sasuke conveniently indisposed... something was wrong.
"Can't they just have one year?" Kakashi whispered, rubbing at his forehead. "Just one year, is that too much to ask?"
Raidou sat down beside Kakashi, but he didn't say anything. Kakashi could tell the scarred man was still upset about Genma, and with good reason. The only consolation he could give him was that he knew it hadn't been done willingly.
"Genma didn't sleep with Naruto," Kakashi said in a low voice.
"I know that," Raidou spat, then seemed to realize he was being angry at the wrong person and rubbed his face. "I know that," he said again, more calmly. "And knowing what I know now, I know Naruto didn't arrest him for no reason."
"Yeah," Kakashi whispered, taking another sip of his drink, then licking his lips. "I'll call Keita. See if I can't get Genma transferred to another place. A nicer one. When this blows over..." Kakashi didn't know what this was, only that it was bad, and Naruto was probably going to end up killing himself.
"What do you think is happening?" Raidou asked in a low voice, glaring at his hands, which were clenched into fists in front of him. "What should we do?"
"Nothing."
All three men jumped and turned around to find Yamato standing in the doorway. He smiled weakly in apology for scaring them.
"Nothing?" Kakashi lacked the energy to fly into a rage, but he managed to sound as pissed as he felt. "What do you mean nothing?"
"I may not have been here last year, but I know that Sai is..." he trailed off, letting the others fill in the blanks about him being CSIS.
Kakashi realized that maybe he thought his place was bugged. He hadn't thought of that, but to be fair, it hadn't been last year, so why would it have been this year?
"If Sai is here, Naruto will be okay. This will blow over." Yamato smiled encouragingly. "All we have to do is wait."
Flipping his keys nervously in his hands while he walked down the same corridor he had only a few days prior, Naruto licked his lips, looking around. He didn't know why he'd been called and told to come here. Truthfully, he didn't care. All he knew was that if he was here, Sasuke was still alive, and he just needed to keep that in mind.
Pushing through the door at the end of the corridor, he was greeted by a very large and intimidating looking man, and the same blue-haired woman as the last time. Clenching his jaw, he stepped into the room, shutting the door behind himself when he was motioned to do so.
"Am I here for another get-on-your-knees-so-I-can-shoot-you session?" the blond asked, grinding his teeth together.
"I would enjoy that a great deal, but no," the woman said, Naruto resisting the urge to take a step back when the other murderer came towards him.
He jerked his chin up defiantly when the other stopped in front of him, and then let out a startled shout when he was wrenched forward by the front of his shirt. He slammed face-first against the wall and barely had time to register what was happening before his shirt was removed. He decided the time to panic would be if they went for the pants, but they didn't.
Instead, one hand was grabbed and Naruto blinked when he felt metal close around his wrist. Looking up, he pulled at his wrists, finding himself handcuffed to a pipe sticking out of the wall. He turned slightly to look behind himself, confused, and saw the woman holding a phone to her ear.
"He's here, and restrained."
There was talking on the other end, and then she pulled the phone away. Hitting a button, Naruto cocked an eyebrow, waiting, and then realized she'd been putting the caller on speakerphone.
"Hello, Naruto. Thank you for being so prompt."
"Yeah, no problem," the blond muttered, looking at the wall again.
"You're probably wondering why you're here. Well, Sasuke broke my nose."
Naruto winced, knowing the Uchiha had probably paid dearly for that. He hoped he was okay.
"As punishment, he gets to watch what is now going to be happening to you."
The blond tensed instantly, grinding his teeth together. Okay, well, that explained why he was there. Because the camera was back, and now Sasuke was going to get a show. Great, just great.
Not that Naruto blamed the Uchiha for punching Pein. If he wasn't so worried of them killing Sasuke, he'd have punched him a long time ago. Or Suigetsu. Or the two behind him right now. But as it stood, for him, Sasuke died if he fucked up. At least this way around it was tolerable.
In Naruto's opinion, anyway. He was sure Sasuke wasn't all that pleased with himself right now.
But that was okay. It was better this way, anyway. Naruto would rather it be him than Sasuke, even if he didn't know what was coming.
He'd been forced to kill people, he didn't really think anything could be worse than that.
He heard something hit the ground behind him, and tensed again, mostly because he was worried about what was going on. Based on his positioning though... he'd seen a lot of movies in his life, and when he heard the whistling sound behind him, he knew exactly what was coming seconds before pain exploded across his back.
"Fuck!" He hadn't been able to keep the word in. The sting of the whip against his back had hurt a fuckload more than he'd anticipated.
He breathed hard through his mouth, struggling to calm down before the next blow, and was pleased that when it hit, he only let out a grunt, twisting slightly from the force of the hit before righting himself again, being sure to keep his face forward so that he wouldn't get hit there. That would be all he needed, more scars on his face or the loss of an eye.
Another hit, and another grunt. He wondered how many he was going to get. How much had Sasuke hurt Pein? Probably not enough for him to have deserved this, but Naruto was glad the other had been hurt at all.
Fuck Pein. He was going to stand here and take this, and when he was done, he was going to make sure Sasuke knew that there was no way Naruto was going to break over this.
"Is that all you fucking got?"
Evidently, no, it wasn't. But Naruto didn't regret a thing.
Sasuke unconsciously winced ever so slightly every single time the whip connected with Naruto's back. He kept trying not to react, because he knew that was what Pein wanted, but it was hard. It was really fucking hard, because each hit just... it made this sound. This sickening sound like tearing cardboard or something. And every hit was just slicing open Naruto's skin.
He just wanted it to stop. The blond had passed out what felt like hours ago, his back was a complete fucking mess of blood, and still Juugo just kept slamming away at it.
His head jerked to the side, teeth gritting more, when Naruto was hit again. He pulled at his restraints, feeling the ropes burning into his skin, having been tied so well that any movements just seemed to make them tighten.
Shifting his gaze to Pein, he saw the other was still standing beside him, watching the screen dispassionately. After a few seconds, as if sensing Sasuke's gaze, he turned to look at him.
"Look back at the screen, Sasuke."
"You've made your point," the raven forced out, struggling not to raise his voice.
"No, I don't believe I have."
"He's not even conscious anymore," the Uchiha grit out angrily.
"But you still are."
Sasuke tugged at his wrists again, feeling the ropes tighten and then turned to glare at Pein. "I can't pass out without a reason, so if you'd like for me to bang my head against the table until I'm unconscious, I'd be happy to do so."
"I'd keep going, you'd wake up anyway."
"You're going to kill him."
That gave Pein pause, the redhead turning to look at Sasuke. He tried really hard not to kill him with his eyes, because only Pein would be able to stop this.
"You're going to kill him, and then your game will end."
"Hm." Pein looked back at the screen for a second, then pulled out his phone. Sasuke's head whipped back to the screen, watching, waiting for Konan to answer.
She didn't move. Sasuke glanced at Pein, wondering if he was calling someone else, but the scowl on his face suggested he was calling her. Looking back at the screen, Sasuke's stomach twisted at the thought that the woman was not letting Juugo stop. What if she did let him kill Naruto? The thought made the oatmeal in Sasuke's stomach churn.
"Pick up," he whispered, not caring what Pein thought. "Pick up, pick up, pick up!"
He heard Pein hang up and turned to look at him, but he was dialling another number. Seconds later, Juugo paused and reached into his pocket. He looked up at the camera once the phone was at his ear.
"That's enough. Leave the keys on the floor, I'll have someone retrieve him."
Juugo nodded and Pein hung up, scowling at the screen. Sasuke was just glad Juugo had a phone, otherwise who knew how long before Konan would've answered her own, if she ever did.
Sasuke watched Juugo walk over to Naruto and drop the keys by his feet. Then, he rolled up his whip and started to exit. Konan stayed behind for a few seconds, glaring at Naruto's back, then turned to follow.
"Juugo."
Sasuke jumped, turning to look at Pein, since he hadn't realized he'd called the other back.
"Tell Konan to meet me at home. I want to have a word with her. You come back and put Sasuke back where he belongs." He snapped the phone shut, and scowled angrily at the screen. "Suigetsu."
"Yeah, boss?"
"Call Sai. Tell him where Naruto is. Have him go and get him." He turned to look at the other. "No hospitals."
Sasuke clenched his jaw, wanting to snap that Naruto definitely needed to go to a hospital, but he forced himself not to. If Juugo and Konan were still there, Pein would just tell them to turn around and start whipping again.
"I hope you realize, Sasuke," the other man said, causing the raven to glance at him once more, "that I was merciful today. I could have let him continue. Keep that in mind the next time you decide to punch someone."
Sasuke's gaze shifted back to the television, feeling bile in his throat. Naruto was just... hanging there... by the wrists. Unconscious and bleeding. Probably bleeding to death.
Fuck, wherever Sai was, he hoped he was close, because he really didn't think Naruto was going to last very long.
The screen went black, and just like that, Sasuke would never know.
Sai slammed the car door and hurried towards the warehouse he knew all too well from almost two years of working for Deidara. He pushed through the large door and hurried down the corridor, fingers itching for his gun, but knowing he couldn't pull it out, it would look suspicious if he was nervous in his own "territory," as Suigetsu had put it.
Pushing open the door at the end, his eyes scanned the room until they found the blond.
"Naruto!" He bolted across the room skidding to a halt beside the other and shifting in front of him, checking for a pulse. The blond was pale, but he was alive.
"Jesus... Christ," Sai said, unsure of what he should be doing. The blood on Naruto's back was still wet, sliding down into the back of his pants, so at least he knew it hadn't been long since this had ended.
Reaching up, he tugged on the handcuffs, then cursed, debating running back to the car to get his lock-picking kit when he saw keys on the floor. He bent down and snatched them up, undoing the handcuffs on one hand which caused the blond to slump forward.
Sai caught him as best he could without touching his back, and quickly removed the second handcuff, hearing them clatter to the floor.
"Okay, come on," he whispered, shifting Naruto so he was carrying him over his shoulder, hoping he wasn't hurting him but far more concerned about getting him out of there than injuring him further.
Hurrying down the corridor, he kicked open the door and headed quickly for his car. Naruto's would have to stay where it was for the moment, and if it got stolen, well, hopefully the blond wouldn't care.
Struggling to open the back door of his car without dropping Naruto, he finally got it open and eased the blond into it on his stomach, making sure he was going to be all right positioned how he was before slamming the door and running around the car.
Once he was behind the wheel, the agent screeched out of the deserted lot, going so fast down the street that any cops coming after him would have a hell of a time catching up. His hands tightened against the wheel, teeth gritting and mind racing. He couldn't bring Naruto to the hospital, he'd been told as much. Of course, at the time, he hadn't expected that he might have to. Now he was just worrying about whether or not he had the necessary tools at the dorm to fix Naruto up.
Turning sharply on a red light, and ignoring the angry honks he received, he pressed down harder on the gas, hoping to God no cops were around. He managed to make it all the way onto campus before being forced to slow due to all the students walking blindly onto the street. He wanted to hit most of them, but felt that would slow his progress in getting Naruto home.
After much horn honking and a lot of swearing out the window, he finally turned onto the main street that lead to Fairview, and sped down it at an unhealthy speed. Screeching to a halt in front of the housing units, he twisted the wheel so he could turn and drive right up to their unit, almost hitting Hinata, who was obviously on her way home.
Sai didn't care. He just slammed on the brakes as close to the door as he could get, then jumped out, rushing around to the other side and wrenching open one of the back doors. Pulling at Naruto's legs so he could get him out, and managed to pull the blond onto his shoulder once more and hurried for the front door.
But not before he heard the gasp.
"Oh my God! Naruto!"
"Forget you saw this," Sai snapped, turning to glare at Hinata while struggling to pull the keys from his pockets, and cursing the fact that he'd locked the door anyway. "He fell off his bike, he's fine, just forget it."
Finally finding his keys, he shoved them into the lock and pushed open the door, slamming it in Hinata's concerned face.
Hurrying up the stairs with Naruto still on his shoulder, he manoeuvred quickly into the blond's room and set him down on his stomach on the bed before turning and rushing to his own room, rooting urgently through his closet. He let out a relieved sigh when he spotted his first aid kit, then stood and returned to stare at the other's back.
The kit tightened in his hands.
There were too many. There were too fucking many wounds. His back looked like minced meat. Sai didn't even know where to start. He didn't even know if any of the skin was even salvageable, at this point.
He'd never felt so completely useless.
Grabbing his phone, he stared down at it for a long while before hitting speed-dial and putting it to his ear.
"Agent Uzuki."
"It's me," Sai said, casting a glance at Naruto again. "I know calling is bad, and dangerous, but I need help."
"What kind of help? What happened?" He could hear the frown in Yuugao's voice, and he grit his teeth. This was totally going to blow up in his face, but he had to do this. No way could he fix Naruto up, he wasn't a professional. And while he'd have worked on it if it were himself, this was someone he cared about, and Naruto needed medical attention.
"I need a doctor. Or-or a surgeon. Someone with medical expertise."
"Have you called Yamato?"
Sai raked a hand through his hair and started pacing. "He doesn't work for us anymore, Yuugao."
"He's a licensed doctor. He was doing surgery for years before he worked for CSIS and became a psychologist. He's a professor at UBC now, isn't he? And Naruto's psychologist? It won't look weird for him to come over."
"I'll have to explain it to him," Sai insisted. "He doesn't have clearance."
"Tell him that. He'll understand. We can't blow your cover, Sai, even calling me is going to piss Homura off. Call Yamato, he'll help you, no questions asked. He owes you, remember? You saved his life."
Sai rubbed at his mouth nervously, glancing at Naruto, and decided he didn't have a choice. He just hoped Yamato was willing to work without an explanation.
"Thanks," he muttered to Yuugao before hanging up and rushing downstairs. He knew Naruto had Yamato's number on the fridge.
It was normal for CSIS to keep track of their retired agents, so it hadn't come as a surprise to Sai when he'd been told Yamato was going to be going to UBC for Naruto. In his own way, Sai felt like Yamato was trying to continue to be an agent—without the risks of getting shot. Yamato hated risks, it was the same reason he'd quit life as a surgeon. Too many deaths.
Finding the number, he dialled it and put the phone back to his ear. When the line clicked, there was hesitance.
"I recognize this number. I was hoping I'd never see it again."
"Remember that time in Montreal?" Sai asked as way of greeting.
He heard a sigh.
"I knew this day was coming. I'm not going to like it, am I?"
"Come to Naruto's. And you might want to stop in the village for some medical supplies, if they sell any."
"How serious is it?"
The agent glanced at the stairs. "Don't dawdle," he informed him, then hung up.
The first thing Naruto awoke to, the first thing his consciousness registered, was the smell. For a second, it was so overpowering, that he thought Sasuke had returned before he realized he was suffocating, and it had to be his pillow.
The next thing that registered was the pain. Instantly, his body tensed as an automatic reaction; in an attempt to protect itself. Tensing only made it worse and a sharp exhale left his lips.
A noise which instantly alerted whoever was in the room that he was awake because he felt a presence beside him the second the sound escaped him.
"Naruto?"
A loud hiss left him once more when something cool was placed on his scalding back, soothing a bit of the pain, but definitely not getting rid of it. Opening bleary eyes, Naruto waited for them to focus before Sai's worried face came into view.
"Are you okay?"
"Have you seen my back?" the blond forced out, his voice grainy.
"Of course I have."
"Then why are you asking me such a stupid question?"
He could tell Sai looked a little relieved at his snark, but to be fair, it was a stupid question, and Naruto was annoyed he'd thought it necessary to ask it. Turning his head the other way, and feeling his skin strain at the movement, he would've asked what happened, but he felt it was pretty obvious.
If he wasn't cuffed anymore, clearly they'd called Sai to come and get him, or dropped him off at the dorm. Whichever, all he knew was he was happy to be home, and he didn't regret anything. Sure, he'd passed out, but to be fair, he hadn't screamed. Not once. And he knew that blue-haired bitch was pissed about that.
A dark chuckle rose up his chest at the memory of the woman screaming for "Juugo" to hit him harder. As if that was going to break him.
Well, not mentally anyway. Physically was another story.
"Am I gonna be able to walk?"
"Not anytime soon. And not without painkillers."
"How long?" he whispered.
"A week, maybe two." A brief pause. "They really fucked you up, Naruto. What happened?"
"Sasuke punched Pein," the blond grunted, shifting to turn his head back towards Sai. He didn't know what the other man was rubbing on his back, but it felt so good. "His punishment was watching."
"He got the better end of the deal, then," Sai muttered, his old jealousy peeking through slightly.
The blond just snorted and closed his eyes.
One week. He couldn't afford to be out of commission for one week. He only had one month of class left before finals. That meant a month and a half before Christmas. That was a long time for more gaming instructions to come in, and he really couldn't afford not to do one of them because his back looked like the scene of a horror movie.
A wince passed across his face when Sai pressed down a bit too hard on something on his back, but he tried his best to keep himself in check. Besides, the pain was a nice reminder that he was still alive.
The phone ringing made them both jump, Naruto cursing at the pain, but Sai grabbed the stupid piece of technology before it could ring again. He stared at the caller for a second, then held it out to the blond.
"It's for you."
That could only mean one person.
Grunting, he shifted one arm, feeling the skin stretching painfully—probably due to the few hits he'd gotten on it—and grabbed the phone. Flipping it open, he pressed it to his ear.
"What do you want?" he demanded, knowing he was being rude, but hoping Pein would understand.
There was a long pause.
"Are you okay?"
Naruto jerked up, then let out a shout and fell back onto his stomach, breathing hard and clutching at the sheets, hand tightening on the phone.
"Sasuke?"
"Poor thing, you should've answered his question."
The blond's teeth ground together when a new voice answered, hand tightening even further on the phone.
"He had to beg for hours, you know. To know if you were okay. I told him he could ask one question, and your answer would be all he'd get. Guess you should've chosen more carefully."
"I didn't know the rules, isn't that a little unfair?" Naruto spat angrily.
"Naruto, you can't tell me you've forgotten the rules already. I'd refresh your memory, but I prefer it when you fuck up. How's the back, by the way? On your feet yet?"
"Fuck you!"
"Careful, Naruto." Pein's voice had darkened considerably, and Naruto could tell this was the Pein not to fuck with. "Wouldn't want me to have to teach Sasuke a lesson."
Grinding his teeth angrily, Naruto resisted the urge to chuck the phone at the wall. He only refrained because he didn't know what that would mean for Sasuke, and he definitely didn't want the other to get what he'd just gotten. Especially when he didn't have the luxury of someone taking care of him.
"Let me talk to Sai."
Naruto thrust the phone at the other, Sai's head snapping back to avoid getting punched in the face. He took it, frowning in confusion, and placed it at his ear.
"Yes, boss man?"
Hearing that made Naruto want to punch him, even though he knew it wasn't Sai's fault. None of this was anyone's fault but his own. He was so fucking pissed at himself he wanted to just die. But he couldn't die. Because then Sasuke would die.
Fuck, he just wanted to forget. Just for a few hours.
His hands clenched into the sheets, the thought of heroin almost more inviting than he could bear, but he forced himself to dispel the thought. If he took it, he'd forget the pain, but he'd forget Sasuke, too.
He could never forget about Sasuke.
"A week, maybe two. He's so stubborn I'm betting on a week."
Naruto's attention returned to the other when he heard this, obviously telling Pein how much longer before he was back on his feet.
"Understood."
Sai hung up and let out a slow breath.
"You have five days."
Naruto stared at him for a long while, then narrowed his eyes.
"I'll do it in three."