A/N: Umm...hey guys! Please don't kill me! *runs away screaming* Anyways! THANK YOU FOR THOSE BEAUTIFUL REVIEWS I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! I'm sorry for taking so long to update, but to my defense, this is the longest chapter I have EVER written and I've just started writing my other fanfics. Sadly, this one is nearing its end, guys. Thank you so much for reading, really! :D
Warning: SOME MILDLY DISGUSTING THINGS PEOPLE. DISTURBING THINGS. UNLESS YOU'RE INTO THAT TYPE OF STUFF.
Previously on "Saying 'Yes'":
"Oh my god!" Juugo gasped.
'Even Juugo?!' "What happened?! What is it?!"
"Suigetsu!" Karin sobbed and yelled in despair and utter horror, "Suigetsu!"
"Suigetsu?!" Sasuke choked on his own saliva, the panic for his friend bordering into madness while he squirmed in his seat, the ropes around his wrists cutting skin raw. "Juugo, what fucking happened?!"
"...He's dead."
Chapter 14: When Hope Arrives
It never occurred to him, how short and yet abundant life actually was. It never so much as crossed his mind, how easily it could all end. How disgustingly simple it can all be taken away in one undefined, unwanted, and unexpected event. But now that it did, now that the realization slapped him right on his face, or, to be more precise, now that it was stamped on a face of an unconscious teenager, he was desperate. He was panicking.
He was scared.
He didn't know what to do anymore. Should he run for it? Should he confess? Should he play hero?
He had no idea.
He never wanted this. He never wished for this. He had agreed to this simply for his own benefit, for his freedom. He had wanted to be himself, to investigate further the ways of humanity and science and mutation but this...
This wasn't what he wanted.
He didn't want to be a murderer.
He wanted to be a scientist.
He wanted to be known for finding the cures for every sickness, for altering and improving the health of the human race. He wanted humanity to have the complete power over their owns lives, like he never had been able to have.
Yet, this is where he ended up.
It was sad and depressing. His foster mother would've been gravely disappointed. He could practically see her, shaking her head, lips pressed together in a thin line, and her kind eyes hardening in disapproval.
Too bad he could only imagine her now.
"Kabuto."
"Yes?" The white-haired male turned completely, away from blankly staring at his computer screen, and now looking up at his boss. Orochimaru quirked an eyebrow at the solemn expression he received from his partner, but shrugged it off.
"The serum type 27 has been injected on subject 3." Orochimaru said, sitting next to the younger male on a plastic chair beside him. "For now, the side affects are all what we expected. However, he vomited a lot of more blood than I first estimated. Perhaps we must've left the first vaccine a bit too long?"
"Ah, that certainly could've been a factor." Kabuto quickly amended, averting his attention to the documents scattered on the desk in front of him, finding that he right now didn't wish to even look at Orochimaru. "We didn't expect to be gone so long. Despite that, I think it's better this way."
"Oh? How so?"
"The body must've already been getting used to the vaccine's antibodies. You can tell by how much larger the clots have become, which is quite surprising considering he is blood type AB." Kabuto tapped the printed image of what his microscope had provided him with the end his pen. "His system should be able to accept the serum type 27 much better. Nonetheless, it is a concerning fact that he had lost so much blood. How many pints?"
"About 7 quarters." Orochimaru clicked his tongue, thinking over what his accomplice had been informing.
"That's a lot. He'll need to be replenished."
"Yes, I thought so as well. Is any other of the subjects blood type AB?"
"Subject 1 and subject 4. How-"
"Subject 4 it is then." Orochimaru stood up.
"But subject 4 was injected vaccine type 12." Kabuto hastily stood up as well. "We don't know what kind of reaction that could cause, mixing her contaminated AB blood with subject 3's own contaminated blood. Our best bet is subject 1, he's the clean one after all."
Orochimaru scowled deeply, crossing his arms in front of his chest, more than seeming to not like the idea of his favorite pet being used. Kabuto munched on his bottom lip nervously, trying to reason with his partner. "Listen, Orochimaru-sama-"
"Fine, I'll take them from subject 1." Orochimaru looked off the side with a small smirk. The sudden change in expression surprised and worried Kabuto greatly, but he decided not to comment on that. He nodded at the older man, sitting back down.
"I'll enjoy this very much. With him being under my complete control." Orochimaru's smirk widened in degree and creepiness, causing a shiver of fear to crawl up Kabuto's spine. Orochimaru mistook the reaction of disgust for one of excitement. "You sure you don't want a taste of my pet?"
Kabuto flinched, looking down at his hands as he fought down the vile threatening to rise up his throat. "No thanks. He's...he's your...pet."
Orochimaru snorted, swiftly turning on his heel and walking off, waving a hand languidly behind him. "Oh well, your loss."
Kabuto watched him from the corner of his eye, seeing Orochimaru leaving and closing the door softly.
"I see." Tsunade tapped her lips in thought, a habit she had picked up since her childhood years, scanning the papers in her free hand. "I'll begin the next round of surgery myself in two hours. Shizune, get me a set of antibiotics as well, I'm in dire need of them."
Shizune nodded dutifully, taking back the folders when she was handed them. "What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to work with Itachi's case. I should be able to definitely cure him in day or two." Tsunade said, standing up from her desk and taking a plastic bag she had hidden under it.
"What?" Shizune blinked in surprise, somewhat offended by how easily the blonde was so optimistic. "Cure? Not treat? What do you mean? We've been trying to find a treatment ever since your disappearance and suddenly you have the definite cure?"
"I've been investigating this case far longer than any of you," Tsunade snapped, hazel gaze narrowing at her subordinate. "The original medicine I treat him with is illegal in Japan, so I had to ask Jiraiya for some assistance. He had managed to get me a legal prototype available in the pharmacies. Just recently, my father went to Osaka to get the original medicine that should cure Itachi of his illness in just a few days. I was waiting for a better opportunity to start the treatment but I hadn't expected that he would've forgotten to take the prototype, he isn't irresponsible and he's been doing it for a while now. Since the treatment is a prototype, it was essential that he took it everyday exactly every 12 hours. When he forgot to take that one round, it must've made things much worse, especially to his cardiovascular and respiratory system."
"Well, that would explain why we weren't able to moderate his sugar and blood pressure for him even after giving him the prototype." Shizune mused, watching her superior walk by her. The raven observed how Tsunade walked with a limp cause of her homemade cast hidden in her loose khakis, also noticing the long sleeved light blue blouse carefully concealing any other injuries. The only visible bruises were the ones around her ankles, wrists, neck and a sparsely few on her face that even make-up couldn't completely cover. Tsunade had nearly given her poor assistant a heart attack when she had just suddenly appeared in front of her, demanding to see the files on Nagato's and Itachi's cases, along with some other patients in similarly grave statuses. Overall, Shizune was more than happy her boss and friend was back, and although she wished to know what had happened or how did she escape, among other things, the raven knew better than to start with so many questions and simply obliged on every order the blonde made.
Shizune obediently followed Tsunade, closing the door carefully behind her and jogging to catch up on the blonde. "What should I inform to the rest of the inmates?"
Tsunade flashed her a tired smile. "Tell them their hope is back."
Shizune beamed at the blonde, nodding rapidly and turning on her heel, scurrying off to announce the good news to the rest of the hospital. Tsunade took in a deep breath, walking as strictly and as confident as she could, despite the numbing pain it brought to her back. She was just passing the front desk toward the elevators when she heard a yell of her name.
She blinked and stopped, surprised to see her father running toward her. She was surprised, yes, but not at all displeased. Her face broke into a blinding smile, her hazel eyes filling up with tears as she made way toward the man, being careful to place the plastic bag in her grasp next to the elevator doors. Hashirama grabbed her before she could move anymore, hugging her tightly to his chest with her feet dangling. She wrapped her arms around her father's shoulders, burying her face into his neck as sobs broke through her.
"My baby girl, my baby girl." He whispered, kissing his daughter's head repeatedly, silent tears of his own running down his cheeks, closing his eyes tightly and wistfully. He could barely believe she was actually really here, in his arms, all in one piece, alive and hugging him.
Tsunade and Hashirama held each other for an undetermined amount of time, but they eventually let go. He kissed her forehead, brushing away her tears with his thumbs and smiled almost sadly. Tsunade returned it.
"Could I have a turn?" Tobirama said and Tsunade was somewhat caught off guard that she didn't notice the arrival of her uncle and Madara, both of them miraculously standing next to each other with actual smiles without glaring death at each other.
Hashirama bit his bottom lip, wanting to just take her with him and hold onto her forever safely in his arms, but calmed himself down with an approving nod toward his brother and fiancé. Tobirama walked forward and embraced his niece tightly, whispering something in her ear that made her laugh as she hugged back.
Madara gave Hashirama a knowing look, taking his hand in his and giving it a squeeze. The brunette smiled shakily at his lover, intertwining their fingers together. "It's real, you know."
Hashirama choked on an upcoming sob, tears filling up his eyes again. "Y-Yeah, I know."
Madara brushed the Senju's hair back behind his ear with deft fingers. "Hn."
"What about you, Maddie-touchan?"
Madara blinked in shock, bringing his attention back to Tsunade, who was smiling with Tobirama behind her, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a smirk. He slowly let go of Hashirama's hand and turned to face the blonde. "So it's Maddie-touchan now?"
Tsunade grinned, eyes twinkling with unshed joyful tears, placing her hands on her hips. "Unless you prefer Daddy Maddie?"
"Ha," Madara chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his neck slightly. "Let's stay with the first one."
Tsunade laughed and Madara somewhat insecurely opened his arms. She grinned and hugged him tenderly, resting her head on his chest. "Thank you for taking care of my father."
Madara sighed contentedly, planting a kiss on her head, giving her a soft squeeze. "Thank you for staying strong."
Hashirama watched them with a full-blown dazzling grin, Tobirama coming up next to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Finally, huh?"
Hashirama chuckled, knowing exactly what Tobirama was referring to. "Yeah."
Madara and Tsunade let go with one last squeeze and sent the Senju brothers a smile or a smirk in the Uchiha's case.
Tobirama smiled briefly before giving Tsunade a serious look. "Did Izuna tell you where he was going?"
Tsunade opened her mouth and then closed it with a look of slight confusion. She frowned, turning and taking the plastic bag back in her grasp. "I don't think he left yet. He told me he was going to check on Itachi and Nagato."
"Oh." Tobirama shared a look with Madara.
"Tsunade-chan, would you..." Hashirama hesitated, digging his hands in his jeans' pockets. They were all considerably underdressed, with jeans and t-shirts because of how hurriedly they wanted to get to the hospital. "Would you mind telling us what's going on?"
"It's complicated and I need to get back to work immediately-"
"Work? In your condition?" Hashirama's eyes widened.
Tobirama eyed his niece, taking notice of all of her injuries and bruises but decided on not to comment on them, his fists clenching.
"I need to." Tsunade pleaded with her father, knowing that he tended to act overprotective despite that she was beyond old enough to take care of herself. "I had a long absence and lives are at stake."
"Fine." Madara held up a hand when Hashirama seemed to want to start disagreeing. He gave his lover a look, and then faced the blonde again. "However, you must at least tell us something."
Tsunade sighed, shifting on her feet as the three men stared at her expectantly. She breathed in through her nose deeply and locked gazes with her father.
"Dad, it was her. She did this."
"Um, Uzumaki-sama?"
Mito slowly looked up from her sitting position on the bench at the girl standing in a black and white school uniform, holding onto her red messenger bag. "Haruno-chan, you look like you haven't gotten much sleep."
Sakura frowned deeply, rubbing at her bags under one of her green eyes with her fingers. She sighed, letting her hand drop to her side. "I've been having nightmares," she admitted.
Mito nodded, shifting to the side and patting the space next to her on the cement white bench. "Come and sit."
Sakura obeyed, gracefully crossing her legs and placing her messenger bag beside her on the bench. She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers, and then finally glanced up at the older woman gazing off to the see gray sky, realizing that the redhead didn't look nearly as impeccable as the last time she saw her. There were darker bags, way darker than Sakura's, under her black orbs. Her usually vibrant red hair was dull and set up in a messy high bun, loose strands hovering over her eyes. She was wearing a saggy black and gray kimono, somehow fitting in with the doleful scenery perfectly, and her hands were clutching onto a suitcase. "Uzumaki-sama..."
"You love that Uchiha boy, Sasuke."
Astounded at the sudden declared statement, Sakura stared at Mito openly with wide eyes and a light blush adorning her cheeks. She squirmed in her seat, looking down at the grassy ground. "H-How did-"
"Do you want him to love you too?"
Sakura blinked, glancing up and was surprised to be locking gazes directly with onyx eyes. They stared at each other as Sakura contemplated, wondering if these were trick questions or if it was all game. But by the look of absolute seriousness that Mito was giving her, Sakura was willing to believe otherwise. "Yes...I do."
Mito nodded thoughtfully, looking back up to the sky, eyes glazed over. "I failed to achieve in winning over my own love. And I have done many shameful things because of it all. I want to be able to leave this world with some sort of satisfaction. I want to help you, because you remind very much of myself."
Sakura watched her worriedly, inclining her head to the side. "You want to leave this world? Uzumaki-sama-"
"Here." Mito swiftly stood up, placing the suitcase firmly onto Sakura's unsuspecting lap. "Go and find Uzumaki Naruto. Go with him to find the Uchiha and save your own sanity."
Sakura stared at the suitcase, blinking repeatedly at it as if not entirely understanding what it was. She took it in her hands carefully, observing the glossy black it was decorated in. "I don't understand-," she started, looking up, and gasped when she saw Mito had disappeared. She stood up abruptly, looking around wildly, her hands pressing the suitcase on her chest securely. She eyed the sidewalk leading to a train station that was just a meter or two away, and she glanced at the car running by on the streets, but saw no one. "Uzumaki-sama?!"
Sakura sighed when she failed to spot the redhead, looking at the suitcase with wonder and, after much debating, decided to open it when she glanced around one more time to be sure no one was watching her.
However, she didn't check enough to be sure.
Hinata frowned, perplexed, as she saw her friend take out a syringe out of the suitcase from her hiding spot behind a large blossom tree. Sakura looked just as confused, but quickly set it back in, closing it tightly, and with a thoughtful nod to herself, Hinata watched her take out her phone from her bag as she took the messenger bag and jogged off, the last words she heard were 'Naruto, you there?'.
"Izuna-sama!" Kurama looked up from the book he had been reading to pass the time. He set it aside on one the side tables as he watched Fugaku quickly bow in respect. Izuna politely returned the gesture, despite that his gaze was set heavily upon Itachi.
"This is a surprise." Minato said, shifting in his seat beside his wife, who was snoring softly and resting her head on his chest with his arm wrapped around her. He bowed his head slightly in greeting.
"Yes, it is quite. Such a shame Itachi-kun seems to have wanted a nap upon my arrival." Izuna sighed, observing the sleeping form covered in mountains of blankets. To be honest, Izuna was kind of relieved the younger Uchiha was resting. He had come up to visit with the intention on having a talk with Itachi and telling him what his plan had been with Sasuke. He had been nervous about it, since he, of course, had endangered the life of his precious little brother and older siblings, specially Uchihas, tended to go beyond pissed, something he himself have been witness of with his own aniki. He knew Madara was just anxiously waiting to ring his neck himself, but he couldn't let his niisan have that pleasure, well, at least for now.
"If you need to speak with him, I'm pretty sure we can wake him." Izuna didn't miss the way everyone else in the room darkly glared at Fugaku for such a suggestion.
"No, it is quite alright. I just wanted to see how he was doing, since I have not had a chance to come make a visit," Izuna explained, smiling sadly when he spotted the united hands of Kurama and Itachi under one of the falling blankets. "How has he been coping?"
The question was directed, for the complete surprise of Fugaku, to Kurama. The redhead closed his eyes and sighed, looking at his lover and using his free hand to brush Itachi's silky hair off his pale cheeks. He spoke as he did so, blue eyes looking so heartbroken that it hurt to see. "Not so well. He was feeling better yesterday, but now with this...it worsened everything."
Izuna nodded understandingly, rubbing the back of his neck and turning to look at Mikoto, who was staring at the pearly floors with a void gaze. She was obviously agitated from all of this, and Izuna was pretty sure he couldn't even fantom the pain and desperation she must be feeling as a mother. Again, the guilt seemed to choke Izuna alive.
"Tsunade-chan is back."
All four gazes of the people awake in the room darted to him. Their faces looked like a mixture of shock, relief, hope, and confusion.
"What do you mean, she's back?" Fugaku demanded, stepping closer to the barely older Uchiha and digging his hand into his back pocket for his phone.
"She's on her way up here," Izuna stated truthfully, walking toward Itachi and leaning over so he could kiss the younger Uchiha's cheek kindly. He pulled back and gave the expecting Kurama a smile. "She'll cure him."
Mikoto laughed with a joyful relief, covering her face with her hands as tears escaped her eyes from the mixed emotions drowning her.
Kurama bit his bottom lip, nodding at Izuna and sniffed, struggling with his own turmoil, looking back to his lover and squeezing their joint hands.
Minato and Fugaku wore similar expressions, a somewhat sad smile. Fugaku began to call his troops, moving to stand beside the opened window and muttering instructions into his cellphone quietly.
Izuna nodded to himself, and then proceeded to make way to leave the room. "I'll come back after awhile, okay? She should be here soon."
Fugaku was the only one who responded, with a determined nod nonetheless.
Izuna closed the door behind him and sighed. 'Okay, I have to hurry up. I wasted time here.' He swiftly twirled on his heel and began marching off to the stairs, so he would be able to avoid his older brother. He hadn't been able to go check on Nagato, but he doubted he could do anything for him except wait patiently for Tsunade. He was just about to go through the opened metallic door leading to the stairs when he heard something that caught his attention.
"I need your help with this, Naruto."
Frowning, Izuna carefully closed the door without a sound and sneaked over to where the vending machines were, staying slightly hidden behind the wall that lead to the small cornered room. He observed the pink haired girl, knowing he had seen her around somewhere, and the blond he knew to be Kurama's younger brother.
Naruto frowned at the pinkette, obviously confused and tired, holding a can of soda in one hand. "Really, Sakura-chan? I don't think I'll be much help with that. I'm not the smartest person in the world and if you don't know what is inside the syringe, I doubt I do."
"No, you idiot!" Sakura hissed at him, stomping her foot in frustration. Unfortunately, her hands were full, so she couldn't hit the blond for being a moron. "I meant I need you to come with me! It's urgent!"
Naruto sighed, rubbing his face with his free hand, clearly exasperated. All he wanted to do was go back to Itachi's room so he could sit next to Kurama and be a silent support while he contemplated on how to convince Fugaku on letting him help with Sasuke's search. He more than missed the raven, and every single day that passed with him just being lazy and sitting around without knowing how Sasuke was or if he was even alive left the blond with a choking heartbreaking ache that caused a sadness so deep Naruto swore that it was eating up his soul, slowly, painfully. In other words, he didn't have time for the pinkette that was never even remotely nice to him to begin with. "Listen, Sakura-chan-"
Sensing she was about to be rejected, Sakura growled, glaring heatedly and stopping him from saying else with her own angry words. "I need you to help me save Sasuke-kun!"
Both Naruto and Izuna, although the Uchiha still wasn't seen, stared at her as if she had suddenly sprouted a second head. "What?"
"I don't really understand what's going on," Sakura insisted, pleadingly staring into bewildered and concerned blue eyes. "But Mito-sama came to me after school and she gave me this and she told to go get Sasuke-kun with you! I think Orochimaru would want this and that he'll want to trade it for Sasuke-kun!"
There were many things that sat wrong with Naruto about what Sakura was saying, but the most prominent was about Mito. Last time he checked, the Uzumaki matriarch didn't want anything to do with them or with the Uchiha, what made her suddenly pull this stunt? With Sakura, nonetheless?
"Mito said that to you?"
Both Naruto and Sakura jumped in surprise, scrambling to turn and face Izuna, who was giving the pink haired girl a hard gaze.
Sakura gulped, nervously clutching onto the suitcase tightly. "Yes."
"What else did she mention to you?"
Mito loved flowers, especially orchids. She had been fascinated by their unique shape ever since she was a child. And while other girls made fun of her for spending so much time talking to a plant, she ignored all of it and continued on living a pretty lonely life.
It was on one of those lonely days of talking with her purple orchid in park that a boy her age sat next to her with his own flower in a pot, it being a bloomed sunflower. She had been scared, fearing him without reason, but something stopped her from running away. And it had been that the boy had begun to speak with his own flower.
"Do you see how pretty this girl is, Himawari-kun?" He smiled at her friendlily. "She has her own friend too! What is her name?"
Mito blushed heavily, looking down at her orchid and shyly whispering her answer. "Eto...her n-name is U-Usumurasakīro-chan."
He laughed loudly and carelessly, making her cringe. "That's a really long name!" He grinned and she noticed how sincere his brown eyes were. "My name's Hashirama! Is your name as long as Usumurasakīro-chan's?"
The memories hurt. Everything hurt. Who would've known she would've ended up to be such a failure.
She had failed as a friend, a wife, a mother. She had failed as a human being.
All because she wanted a man she was never meant to have.
"Oh? Where are you going?" Mito frowned, placing her small hands on her flowerpot of her orchid. "I thought you were going to play with me."
Hashirama looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mito-chan. I promised Madara that I'll play with him today."
She had been so stupid. So idiotic.
"He looks like he wants to kill you and you still hang out with him?" A teenage Mito frowned, pouting slightly as she watched Hashirama packing his stuff from their study date.
He flashed a grin at her. "He might seem that way, but he's a real softie in the inside! You just need to get to know him!"
She should've been able to see the signs. She should've sensed this, she wasn't stupid, she was pretty smart, originally. She never noticed how much she forced herself on him.
Hashirama frowned in confusion as the grip on his arm tightened. "Mito-chan..."
"You're never going to leave my side! Never!"
How come she never saw it? How come she let herself be so blind? It was so obvious, it was right under her nose all this time.
"Higher, Uncle Maddie!"
"Yeah, higher, Uncle Maddie!"
Madara chuckled, pushing the two young blonds on the swings higher. "Like this?"
Tsunade laughed in utter joy and Nawaki, being much younger, squealed in delight.
Mito glanced at Hashirama, observing the way he smiled, the way his eyes shined with so much unbidden love and adoration and happiness from simply watching the Uchiha and his children playing in the park.
She had never received a look like that from him. Never. Not even on their wedding day. And certainly not on the last day of their marriage.
"I failed you." Hashirama whispered. He was on his hands and knees, looking up at the angered Mito with tears rolling down his cheeks. "I can't help it. I fell in love with him, Mito."
Mito closed her eyes tightly, sobs raking through her as her hand tightened into a fist around the ring. "Since when?"
"Ever since I can remember."
"Did you even love me an ounce as much as you love Madara?"
Hashirama's face looked pained. "I-"
"Don't you dare lie to me!" Mito screamed, her whole body shaking with all the negative emotions coursing through her. All the suffering and pain she was enduring.
Hashirama gave her a hopeless look. "Of course I did! I still do! It's just..."
She realized something.
"You lied to me that day." She said once she felt him sit down beside her on the grassy ground of the park they had first met. "You never did love me. Not even an ounce."
"I cared for you." Hashirama murmured, raising his knees and rested his elbows on them, his hands clasped together, as he looked up at the sky. "You are the mother of my children after all."
Mito raised her own knees as well, wrapping her arms around her legs and hugging them tightly to her chest, resting her chin on one of her knees. She appeared much smaller in this position, feeble and pathetic. She remained silent.
"Why did you do it?"
Mito didn't even spare him a glance, staring off to space with an empty gaze.
"Mito."
She gridded her teeth, determined not to let it show how much it hurt her to hear him say her name with so much distaste.
She heard a deep intake of breath and she gasped when suddenly his hands were on her shoulders, moving her to face him and he shook her roughly, his face beyond filled with pure unadulterated anger.
"Why? Why the fuck would you do this?!"
She felt the tears in her eyes overflow. "I love you."
He glared at her, snarling. "You don't. How could you do this to Tsunade?! To the innocent Uchiha child?! Have you gone insane, woman?!"
Mito was shaking, sobbing, but Hashirama was relentless in his rage.
"How could you?!"
"How could you, neechan?!"
Mito shook her head at her crying younger sister being taken away.
"Do you know her, miss?"
"No." Mito said.
The younger redhead screamed, struggling with the men taking her. "I hate you! I hate you, neechan! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! I hope you die unloved!"
Mito sobbed harder. "H-Hashi-kun-"
"Shut up." Hashirama shoved her away, causing her to fall onto the ground on her back. He couldn't even look at her anymore.
"I love you." Mito whispered in between her wailing.
"Hashirama-sama." Kagami walked up to him with other policemen flanking behind him. He gave the woman a glance before looking at the Senju expectantly.
"Go ahead, I'm done." Hashirama sighed, rubbing his face with his hand and turning to walk away toward Madara waiting patiently by a black vehicle for him.
Mito numbly let herself be taken by the men, Kagami handcuffing her wrists together behind her.
'You cursed me, sister.'
"You're doing well, Itachi." Tsunade smiled at the male. "Your body is accepting the medicine excellently. You should be out of here in just mere hours if this keeps up!"
"Really?" Kushina beamed, clapping her hands together.
"Yes," Tsunade nodded as an affirmative, sending the redhead a grin. "He'll be entirely cured after this."
"Thank goodness!" Mikoto sighed, tears of happiness staining her cheeks as Fugaku rubbed her shoulder soothingly.
Kurama smiled up at his lover cautiously, knowing that the raven wasn't in the most happiest of moods.
Just like Kurama assumed, Itachi didn't look nearly as ecstatic about the news, but he forced a small smile toward his grinning parents. Kurama sighed, squeezing their hands tighter and kissing the back of the raven's hand. "I love you."
Itachi's smile became briefly genuine as he leaned forward and pressed his lips on Kurama's, murmuring his next words against the soft skin. "I love you too."
"Look at it this way," Kurama spoke, their lips occasionally brushing because of the proximity. "Now we can both go out looking for Sasuke-kun. We'll actually do something productive."
Itachi nodded, closing his eyes and kissed Kurama tenderly. "Yeah, you're right."
Tsunade grinned at the exchange, shaking her head and putting Itachi's clipboard on the small hanger for it beside the bed. "The nurses will come and give you the second dose in an hour. If they aren't here in time, call Shizune."
"What are you going to do now, Tsunade-sama?" Fugaku asked.
"I'm going to perform surgery on Nagato." Tsunade informed, knowing exactly where Fugaku was coming from. "I'll contact you when I'm ready for the interrogation."
"Thank you," Mikoto said sincerely.
Tsunade smiled and nodded. "It's my pleasure."
"Do you mind if I join you on the walk toward Nagato-kun's room, Tsuande-chan? I wish to speak with you." Kushina asked, hurriedly following behind her.
Tsunade nodded again, eyeing the redhead with a slight frown. "I don't mind, however-"
"Don't worry, it's not for any of that." Kushina said and Tsunade clicked her tongue in understanding.
"Alright."
Just when they were about to leave, Minato burst through the door Tsunade was just inches away from grasping. The occupants in the room jumped in fright, staring at the blond with wide worried eyes.
"Otousan?" Kurama inquired.
"What's wrong?" Kushina concernedly patted her husband's back when he hunched over, heaving while placing his hands on his knees.
"It's Naruto." Minato panted, looking up and locking gazes with his wife. "He's gone."
"Are you sure?"
There was no response.
"Goddammit, Juugo, are you sure he's dead?!" Sasuke couldn't help scream. He hated the position he was in, and he could practically feel the panic and anxiety crawling up his throat and edging him toward hysterics. He tried to break free from the ropes binding him but all he managed to do was injure himself even more. It's not like that stopped him from thrashing though, desperate for an escape, desperate to know what was going on. Sasuke has always prided himself in being control of his own emotions, but right now, that can all go to hell. He was tired, hungry, emotionally and mentally drained, traumatized and pissed off. So, so, pissed off. But also very, very scared and terrified. He hated not knowing what was going on, he hated it, absolutely loathed it. He just wanted to be back in his own home, cuddled up in his warm bed and listening to the sounds of his mother cleaning around the house or cooking. He just wanted to be back on the court, playing basketball along with his teammates and friends and scoring the win. He just wanted to watch a stupid scary movie marathon with his aniki by his side to laugh at how idiotic it all was. He just wanted to converse and chat and happily eat dinner together in the Uzumaki household like the large family they were. He just wanted to sit on the roof and observe the night sky with the calming and loving presence of his best friend and love. He missed his mother and father, he missed his niisan, he missed his friends, his family. But most of all, he missed Naruto.
'I miss you so much, Naruto.'
"Juugo!" Sasuke exasperatedly shrieked, demanding to be heard.
Juugo was too busy being traumatized by the sight in front of him, his pupils dilated as he took in the motionless body covered in blood of his friend.
Karin gasped between her sobs, her eyes widening when she took notice of an important detail. "He...i-is..."
Sasuke shifted, attempting to look at Karin but failing miserably. "What is it, Karin?! What do you see?"
"He isn't dead...yet." She whispered although she kept on silently crying. "H-His chest is moving."
That seemed to snap Juugo out of his daze as he too realized the very subtle way the boy's chest move upward and downward in the telltale sign of breathing. "O-Oh. You're right. But he still has lost lots of blood."
Sasuke finally relaxed just a little bit, his heart still pounding so loud it was practically deafening his ears. "Thank god."
Karin sighed, closing her eyes tightly. She was more than glad she still had her glasses and was able to make this observation or she was sure she'd go nuts with all the horror being portrayed around her. "W-We need to get to him and close w-whatever wounds he has."
"Why would they abuse him, though." Juugo whispered thoughtfully. "Don't they want us as lab rats?"
"We do want you as lab rats."
The three teens went rigid with pure terror, and immediately writhed in unadulterated panic where they were, kicking around anywhere to get away from the sinister owner of that bloodcurdling voice. That voice that revived millions and millions of appalling and ghastly memories from the dead. The dread that filled the defenseless teens brought a strong sense of infinite doom and petrified their bodies when they heard footsteps and a gruesome laugh echo across the room.
"You three are certainly entertaining." Orochimaru sank down on his knees in front of Sasuke, who looked up and nearly screamed in utter horror when he locked gazes with yellowish eyes.
Orochimaru frowned at the look he received, raising a hand and running his fingers through the silky black locks of his captive. Sasuke flinched, closing his eyes tightly in raw fear.
"Aww," Orochimaru cooed, continue to caress the younger raven's head even when he could feel Sasuke trembling under his touch. "What happened? You used to be so brave, so feisty, and so untamed. I still remember how you bit my tongue in half. Do you remember your punishment after that?" He leaned forward so his lips were pressing softly onto the Uchiha's ear, whispering his next words. "I bet you secretly enjoyed that punishment, didn't you? Even when you tried to hold in your moans, they still escaped and I heard them. You sounded and tasted so deliciously," he slowly lapped his long tongue from the lobe to the top of the ear.
Sasuke gasped and cried out when Orochimaru bit his ear, hard. He could feel his eyes watering in sheer disgust and terror, and began to thrash. "S-Stop it! You fucking bastard!"
Orochimaru openly laughed, the mere sound of it chilling enough to make Sasuke's blood run cold. He pulled back with a witty smirk decorating his lips. "That's the Sasuke-kun I remember."
"Leave Sasuke alone!"
Orochimaru turned, facing the redheaded female who dared interrupt his conversation with his pet and Sasuke whimpered for her. "Karin, don't!"
Karin glared daggers at the older man, raw anger being displayed with so passion that it nearly shocked Orochimaru. He recalled that she had been the least contradictory of them all, quiet and always crying, obeying every single order given to her like a mindless slave. Obviously, she had changed throughout the years, becoming braver, but stupider if you asked him.
"Well, haven't you matured? You must really hate me, with a look that intense." Orochimaru chuckled darkly, crawling over to her slowly and menacingly. To his own delight, she merely glared harder and steeled herself, her pretty face being overtaken by a rough scowl.
"Orochimaru-sama."
He blinked, stopping his advance and looked up to see Kabuto standing by the opened doorway with a shotgun shaking in his grasp pointing his way.
"What are you doing, Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked curiously, cocking his head to the side at his assistant.
"Don't move."
Sasuke, who could actually see the white haired male from the position he was in, scanned Kabuto from head to toe and couldn't help smirk when he saw the man was still wearing the same jeans since his arrival.
'Perfect.'
"Mmm?" Orochimaru hummed in question, starting to stand up but freezing where he was at when he heard the audible click of the shotgun being prepared to fire. He gave Kabuto an incredulous look. "My dear boy, you aren't actually planning on killing me, are you?"
"I told you not to move." Kabuto stated calmly, his voice betraying the nervousness his body portrayed.
"What brought this on, Kabuto?"
"Kill him!" Juugo suddenly shouted in exasperation, and Kabuto found himself briefly sharing a glance with the teen before looking back to his superior kneeling in front of him.
"Don't you want to change the world, Kabuto?" Orochimaru continued as if he had never been interrupted. "Don't you want to make your mommy happy?"
"Is this a game for you?!" Kabuto abruptly screamed, the gun he was holding with both his hands trembling with his own frustrations. "Is all my goals just shit to you?! I don't want to do this anymore! I don't want to be the villain! I want to be the hero!"
"Well, then, hero." Orochimaru sighed, closing his eyes momentarily before snapping them open and pulling out his own shotgun from his back pocket within seconds, aiming steadily at the astonished younger male and pulling the trigger. "Congratulations."
"Uchiha-san, we have another person for you to interrogate."
Shisui sighed, placing his cup of coffee aside and rubbing his forehead with his thumb. It has been an incredible long and tiresome day in the police station today, specially when so many citizens insist on having seen Orochimaru or Sasuke somewhere or actually having either of them captured. Obviously, they've all been wrong and it was unbelievably troublesome how much paper work he had to do for the moronic mistakes. He had an irritating and painful headache right now and he still needed to go visit his cousin in the hospital, since he hadn't seen or heard of him since yesterday. "Can you let Yamanaka-san do it this time? I'm calling it quits for today."
His co-worker standing by his office door sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Yamanaka-san left early today, something about wanting to be home for his daughter on her first day of school this semester. Besides, I think you'll appreciate this one."
"Oh?" Shisui looked up at the brunette curiously. "Who is it, Hayate-san?"
Hayate gave him a tired toothy grin, walking forward and placing the folder of the person to be interrogated on top of the Uchiha's desk. "Why don't you see for yourself?"
Shisui stared at his peer confusedly, not understanding the expression directed his way, and finally took the folder and carefully opened it. Hayate smirked when he saw the look of pure shock cross Shisui's face.
"Uzumaki Mito?!"
"Surprise, motherfucker!"
"Hidan, please. We're at a hospital, be civil." Kakuzu scolded his companion as they walked into their friend's room. Mikoto scowled at their arrival, but Itachi just shook his head in amusement.
"Ita-chan!" Deidara burst through the two larger men, running up to his raven haired friend and smiling widely, clapping his hands together. "Is it true you'll be out soon?! Is it true?!"
Itachi weakly smiled back at his hyperactive friend. "Yes, it is true."
Deidara squealed in happiness, bringing the Uchiha into an unexpected tight hug. "This is great! I'm so happy, un!"
"I would've sworn Kurama would be here with you." Kisame said once he entered with Sasori, bowing respectfully to Mikoto, who smiled at him in greeting.
"Ah, he had to go search for Naruto-kun." Itachi murmured, nodding his thanks when Kakuzu carefully handed him a grocery bag filled with treats. Deidara still didn't let go of him though, opting to rest his head on the Uchiha's chest and sigh wistfully.
"Search? What happened?" Sasori inquired, sitting down on the chair beside Itachi that Kurama would usually occupy. He frowned deeply. "Please tell me he didn't get kidnapped."
Itachi sighed, patting the blond's head soothingly for some reason even though he was the one who wanted comfort. Nonetheless, he was appreciative of his friends' arrival. "Not that we know of. He just left the hospital today without telling anyone so Kurama went to see where he could be at."
"Fucking teenagers." Hidan snorted, practically throwing himself onto the edge of Itachi's bed, ignoring the look of disapproval from Mikoto and Kisame. "They're such a nuisance."
"You're only saying that because you had to babysit your nephews today." Kakuzu chuckled when the albino gave him a rude gesture.
"We were just talking with Konan a few minutes ago," Kisame walked up to Itachi with a small sad smile. "It's a really good thing Tsunade-sama is back."
Itachi nodded. "Yes, it is. I hadn't been able to talk with her properly. How...is she?"
"Obviously she's going through hell." Sasori sighed.
"That won't be good at all for the baby," Deidara cooed, feeling at total peace and almost sleepy by being on top of the raven. "I gave her some of that special tea you give me for stress last year. She seems more calm."
"Itachi?" Kisame called, and when he saw he had complete attention from the raven, he continued. "How are you?"
The question wasn't just asking how he was. No, it was much deeper than that and everyone else caught the significance of it. Deidara sat up and quietly observed the Uchiha with open concern.
Itachi sighed deeply, looking down at the plastic bag he had on his lap sadly. He struggled to find the right wording of how he really was, not wanting to be dishonest, rubbing his arm and closing his eyes. In truth, he felt like absolute shit, and not just physically. He was devastated, and incredibly disappointed in himself. He was drowning in stress and worries and he didn't even know how he should be acting right now. All he wanted to do was run down the streets screaming his little brother's name until he found him, hopefully side by side with Naruto and Kurama, and the missing trio of his otouto's friends. "I...I'm trying."
It was a confusing answer, but judging by the intense emotions hidden behind the words, no one dared ask again.
"What are you doing here?!"
"What, you aren't glad to see me, Izuna-sama?" Shisui chuckled at the scowl he received from his elder.
"Shisui-san!" Naruto remarked, smiling at the raven. "Are you here to help?!"
"Of course." Shisui nodded.
"Why? Last time I checked, you told me you wanted nothing to do with this." Izuna accused, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
The two Uchiha glared at each other in challenge. Sakura and Naruto watched them uneasily but didn't comment on the sudden silence, knowing from experience not to get themselves in between Uchiha fights.
The four of them were currently at the electronics section of the Yamanashi supreme police station, Izuna and the two teens having snuck inside through a back door Shisui had provided the key for. The room was big and spacious, with many plasma monitors for the national security, like the traffic light camcorders and video cameras on every government building. There was just one desk in the middle of it all, which had the only Mac, that seemed to be in control of everything else. Miraculously, the employees who worked here seemed to have left earlier than scheduled, which would explain why the night-shifters weren't here yet, leaving them the perfect amount of time to do what they came for.
Originally, Shisui had not intended on getting himself into this scandalous plan Izuna and Sasuke had plotted, but the fact that Minato's theory about Mito being involved had been recently proven to be true, he could no longer afford being subliminal about this. He was going to join Izuna, and give him supplies to fight back, just as soon as they find out Sasuke's location with the small chip the former had cleverly stuck unto Orochimaru's accomplice's jeans.
Shisui sighed, surrendering before his elder and simply gave Izuna a small smirk. "Turns out Mito has just been arrested for the crime of associating with Orochimaru and scheming with the lives of Uchiha Sasuke, Senju Tsunade, Uzumaki Karin, Juugo and Hozuki Suigetsu. This case is now mine."
"Heh." Izuna couldn't help but smile at his fellow clansman. Naruto and Sakura looking at each other in surprise. "So you're joining us?"
"Us?" Shisui frowned, glancing at the youngsters. "You must be joking."
"Hey! I'm going no matter what you say!" Naruto barked, stomping his foot down as if declaring a law. He more than wanted to tag along, he needed it. The yearning to have Sasuke in his arms was practically driving him insane. And if this worked out...he would finally have him again. And be sure that this time, he would never EVER let go.
"These are only minors, Izuna-sama." Shisui tried to reason.
"I am fully aware." Izuna sighed impatiently, running a hand through his hair. He was so tired, he wanted to sleep so badly but the more time they wasted here, the more dangerous it could be for Sasuke. "We need someone to stay outside and keep in contact with us, and that'll be Haruno-chan. As for Naruto-kun, we might need the extra muscle."
Shisui pinched the bridge of his nose, taking in a deep breath to calm himself down. "Fucking Buddha, all I wanted was a bed and some sleep, is that too much to ask for nowadays?"
"You're telling me," Sakura muttered, hugging herself closely with a small smile as she watched the two older men begin to work on the Mac and programmed GPS system.
'We're coming for you, Sasuke-kun.'
Naruto looked over their heads impatiently, not understanding the map and the amount of numbers on the wide screen. "Where's Sasuke? Did you find him yet?!"
"Patience, Uzumaki." Shisui snapped, hurriedly clicking on a link, almost breaking the wireless mouse with the brute force he gave it.
Shisui stopped his assault on the poor mouse when it finally began to work and Naruto watched, slightly impressed, the way the map seemed to zoom in on the screen until it abruptly stopped.
"Did it find Sasuke?!" Naruto desperately asked again when Izuna and Shisui froze in silence and continued to stare in disbelief.
Izuna snapped out of it first.
"You've got to be shitting me."
Karin screamed in a frenzy of fright when she saw Kabuto fall unceremoniously to the ground in a lifeless heap, the blood immediately staining the white tiled floors.
Orochimaru cackled evilly, standing up swiftly and throwing the gun in his hand to the side without a care of where it would land. "Such a shame."
Sasuke swore under his breath, praying to all gods that the blood wouldn't drench the small chip stuck onto the now deceased Kabuto's jeans, for it was their only hope for an escape.
Juugo hadn't been able to see what happened, but by the sound of the gunshot, he pretty much had an idea of what had occurred.
Orochimaru sighed in dismay, looking down at the three terrified teens with something akin to sick amusement. "Your faces are priceless, my little ones."
Karin growled, glaring up at him heatedly, hissing like an angered snake. "Go fuck yourself!"
"Ah, ah." Orochimaru tutted, waving his finger at the girl. "If I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut, pretty redhead."
Karin snarled, but remained quiet when she saw a glint of madness flash yellow eyes that made her whole body shiver in fear and dread.
Orochimaru hummed to himself, taking a grip on the chair Sasuke was seated at and pushing it up to stand, making a grunt escape Sasuke's lips. Orochimaru grinned mischievously, leaning forward, with one hand still holding onto the metal chair and the other placing itself on the Uchiha's thigh, thumb stroking the teenager's inner thigh, so that his face was mere inches away from the alarmed younger male's. "Tell me, Sasuke-kun, do you care about your friend, Suigetsu-kun? He's lost a lot of blood, and you and him share the same blood type. Don't you want to save him?"
Karin watched the exchange helplessly, tears running down her cheeks as she realized where this was going, closing her eyes tightly and a sob escaping her trembling lips. Her strength and anger vanished, turning into a morbid sense of ominous and impending anxiousness. Juugo simply sighed grimly, preparing himself for the worst. He wished he could do something, absolutely anything, but if life had taught him anything, he now knew this was inevitable since he was powerless with no way of helping his dear friend. He hated himself, but he couldn't save Sasuke. All he could do is hope.
Sasuke gulped, looking off to the side and nearly gasping in horror once he finally caught sight of how bad Suigetsu looked. No wonder Juugo and Karin had been appalled and assuming, if Sasuke didn't know any better, he would've mistaken Suigetsu for dead as well. A raw rage shook through his body, his teeth clenching together soundly and painfully.
'How fucking dare he!'
Orochimaru smirked at the animalistic look of underrated tempestuous wrath and anger, showing that the side he loved most of his little feisty pet. "You're angry, my child?" He rose the hand from Sasuke's thigh to take a hold of his chin, jerking the Uchiha's face closer to his to catch his complete attention. "Tell me, Sasuke-kun. Do you want to save him? You know, I might help you do so. I've been dying to finally...," he leaned even closer so that his lips brushed against Sasuke's, who glared death at the close yellow eyes. "I've been dying to finally break you, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke gridded his teeth and growled when Orochimaru began to kiss his cheeks sloppily, lowering them so he was now gracing his teeth against the younger's Adam's apple and sucking the skin there harsh enough for Sasuke to let out a cry.
Orochimaru laughed when Sasuke began to writhe in his seat. "Oh, I do love your reactions, my beautiful pet."
Sasuke fumed, his onyx eyes wide and filled with so much disgust and hatred, they seemed to gleam red. "Fucker."
Karin, not being able to take it anymore, was about to open her mouth to scream more spiteful obscenities at the man she wanted dead with her own hands, but stopped when she caught sight of hope.
"All you have to do is say yes or no." Orochimaru explained, looking up at him, his smirk widening when Sasuke hissed at him. "Do you want to save your friend or not? Yes or no? That's all you have to say, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke was about to respond as nastily as he could but refrained from doing so when he saw a significant look coming from Karin. The look was brief, for as not to alert Orochimaru, but it was enough for Sasuke to realize hope was finally here.
Feeling angrier, powerful, and slightly cocky, Sasuke smirked back at the man now giving him a perplexed expression. "All I have to do is say yes or no?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes suspiciously and nodded, nipping lightly on the Uchiha's collarbone. It earned him a look of revulsion he much enjoyed.
"How about no?"
Orochimaru didn't even have time to react to the new unknown voice before a fist collided with his cheek and he was sent flying to the nearest wall from the brute force.
Preview of the next chapter:
"What were you thinking?!"
"I'm sorry, niisan."
"I don't understand! Why don't you love me?!"
"Welcome back!"
"I've missed you, you know."
"Hey...does this mean a wedding's in order?"
"I'm happy to be back."
"You idiot!"
"Thank you for saving me."
"Dobe, stop acting like such a girl."
"I love you."
A/N: Err...so, whatcha think?! Forgive me for any grammatical errors, really guys, I'm not perfect and I have no BETA. I need one, if you know anyone willing to put up with me, please do tell! Dx
Notice: Please vote on my next story, guys! It's in my profile! Oh, and I already uploaded 'Saying 'Yes' Sidefics'! So go and read that and review.
YES PLEASE FUCKING REVIEW PEOPLE! YOU KNOW I LOVE THEM LONG AND BEAUTIFUL!
Until next time!,
~NaoHinaMuza