A/N: Sorry this chapter is later than usual! I was going to post it a while ago, but then I ended up rewriting the middle section. I think it's better now, so I hope you enjoy it!

"To live is to suffer; to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering."

- Friedrich Nietzsche

The door clicks open.

"I'm back, Sasuke-kun."

I hold my breath. He's back. For the third time in a row, he's back. As soon as he leaves, I can start putting my plan into action. I just need to confirm something first.

"Are you ready for your next medical examination?" Orochimaru smirks at me as he takes out a stethoscope from one of the drawers beside me.

I don't meet his gaze. Not only do I refuse to entertain the whims of this disgusting man, but doing so would risk him figuring out the revolting state my body has withered into. My broken bones may have healed, but after having so many needles and IVs stuck into me, my arms don't even look skin-coloured anymore; instead they range from pale yellow to deep violet, and I can't even brush against them without them throbbing. I don't even know what drugs have been pumped into me for however long I've been here, but my mouth is dry, and even though I'm cold, sweat is dripping down the back of my neck. My heart is pounding as if it's about to explode, and I'm on the verge of spewing out my insides. Still, I have to hold it in. If Orochimaru realizes that my body is starting to react badly to the drugs, I don't know what he'll do to me. He might consider me a failed candidate for the surgery and kill me sooner, or he could turn me into a test subject for one of his other experiments and torture me instead. Either way, I don't want to find out.

I don't want to find out what he did to me while I was unconscious either.

I freeze. Orochimaru's icy hand travels down my hospital gown, his fingers trailing across my skin. They linger just a second too long before finally pressing the stethoscope against my back. I try to take a deep breath, but fail — my chest hurts too much.

"Your heart rate is up," Orochimaru muses as he takes the stethoscope out of his ears. "Worried, Sasuke-kun?"

"No." I grit my teeth. He'll probably take blood after this. I have to get out of here before he sees that something's wrong with me. I've considered everything I know about this place, Orochimaru and Kabuto, and the resources I have. I just have one more thing to do. After that, nothing can go wrong. I'm sure of it.

The doctor ties a tourniquet around my left arm, then opens a drawer filled with vials. "Your last results showed elevated cortisol levels. We can't have that," he says, and I can hear his tongue dripping with malice. "Is there perhaps something you want…or need me to do to you?"

I bite my lip as he inserts yet another needle into my vein. I can't let him disrupt my focus. Listening to him will only annoy me further.

"I assure you your mother is safe." He starts filling the vials with my blood. "Your father and brother are as well, and even that other boy, the blond one…hmm, what was his name again? Naruto?"

What?

Everything stops. Naruto? Even Naruto? So he knows not just about my family, but even him too. How much does he know about me? Had he been spying on me before all this happened? For how long? Is he threatening not just Mom, but my whole family…and him too?

No, he probably just found out from the newspapers. I'm sure Orochimaru is the one who brought the newspaper that Kimimaro showed me before, so he could have found out about Naruto then. I have to stop listening to Orochimaru's drivel; he's just trying to toy with me, and I can't let him. My chest already feels too tight.

"It looks like the results of this blood test will be the same as last time," Orochimaru snickers as he removes the needle from my arm and gathers all the vials. "I'll see you again when the results of the blood test are ready."

Then he steps over the threshold and lets the door click behind him. It's just me and this sickening pain in my stomach.

I let a few minutes pass to make sure Orochimaru is gone, and once I'm sure I can't hear anything anymore, I slide out of bed and open the door, pulling my IV pole beside me. A musty stench drifts inside, and I wrinkle my nose as I step into the hallway, shutting the door to avoid contaminating my room. Even though I won't be staying there much longer, I have to make sure I don't get any sicker than I already am.

Despite my stomach and chest's protests, I stride through the hallway while ignoring the moans around me, then stop outside the door near the end of the hallway. Juugo's room. There are probably audio bugs and cameras in there, so I need to be careful with how I approach this. I can't get caught before I even start carrying out the plan.

I twist open the doorknob and let myself in. The stark whiteness of the room makes my eyes hurt after having walked through such darkness, but even through my squinted eyes I can see Juugo sitting on the floor, again in the fetal position. I've considered my options carefully, and as much as I'd rather not do this, I need his help.

"Juugo," I call, and my voice reverberates in the otherwise silent room.

A few seconds pass, and Juugo doesn't budge. "What do you want?"

I take a few steps closer to the cell. "Kimimaro's dead."

He goes rigid. If I thought he was still before, now it's hard to tell if he's even conscious — he looks like a statue — but then I see his shoulders drop as he sighs.

"It's been a while since he last came here," he finally says, "but Kabuto never told me that he died."Kabuto never told me either. I'm just assuming he's dead since Juugo won't obey me as long as Kimimaro is still alive. He's at least on his deathbed anyway.

"They must have told you because you're his successor." Juugo finally lifts his head from between his legs. His eyes look darker than usual.

"What did he tell you about me?" I say as I looking straight at him.

Juugo shifts, but meets my gaze. "Kimimaro told me that you're his successor, so I should be loyal to you. You're the only one left able to suppress my mood swings."

"Good." I'm relieved. As long as he obeys me when the times comes, this won't be difficult. I just need to confirm a few more things to make sure my plan is foolproof, and then it'll finally be time for me to leave this place. I can't get complacent though; my questions have to remain cryptic enough that neither Orochimaru nor Kabuto will suspect what I'm planning.

I kneel down and sit on the icy linoleum floor, leaning against the bars so we can no longer see each other. "Have your mood swings always been this bad?"

"Yeah."

"Orochimaru hasn't been able to do anything about them?" I press.

Juugo frowns and starts to look more uncomfortable. "…There haven't been any changes."

I hold my breath. "Then why are you still here? With your strength, you could break out of here easily."

Silence. Even though I know he's supposed to be loyal to me and thus has to answer, the seconds feel like eons. At least there's no noise coming from outside. Neither Kabuto nor Orochimaru suspect anything.

Juugo finally takes a deep breath. "I don't want to kill anyone. I'm a threat to others."

This means what I thought it would. It doesn't change the plan much, and as long as Juugo obeys me as he should, it might even make escaping from here easier.

"I see." I turn my head to look at Juugo. "So that's why you're willing to inject yourself in the upper arm with sedatives," I add. I need to confirm that it's an intramuscular injection, or this will be a lot more difficult.

He nods. "They knock me unconscious so I can't hurt anyone."

The fact that Juugo didn't stop to correct me puts me at ease; I must be right. Now that I've confirmed everything I needed to know, as long as Juugo listens to me next time I come in here, nothing can get in my way. I'm ready.

I stand up, brushing off any traces of dust from my bare legs. "I'm leaving, but I'll come back later."

He raises an arm in acknowledgement as I leave the room and travel back down the frigid hallway to my room.

Just as I open the door, suddenly, a wave of nausea crashes over me, and I stagger toward the bed before collapsing on top of it; I hadn't realized how wobbly my legs were. I try to take slow, deep breathes, but my lung capacity has been cut in half, and I struggle to get enough air. I shut my eyes as I clench my fists. What's wrong with me? This has to be whatever drugs Orochimaru is pumping into me. I hadn't felt like this before, and it's just getting worse.

I have all the pieces I need to carry out my plan. I have to act fast before I end up dead.

The seconds feel like hours. Maybe they are. Time has never existed here. I can't let time slip too far out of my grasp though. It doesn't matter how much sweat is pouring down my face, nor how close I am to throwing up the yogurt I ate for breakfast. I clench the key Kimimaro left me in my hand; I only have a small window of time to do this.

My ear is sore from pressing it against the door for so long. Kabuto should be finished with the test subjects in the hallway any moment now. I can't understand what's taking him so long. Does he suspect me already? My heart feels like it's about to leap out of my throat, and my blood is rushing in my ears, but I have to calm down. I need to be able to hear what —

There it is. The nearly inaudible click of Kabuto closing the door at the top of the stairs. Next time he opens that door, it will be when he comes down to see Juugo. Orochimaru shouldn't be in the building anymore, and Kabuto will be coming down soon enough that I doubt he'll be looking at security footage. I have to act now.

It's time.

I throw the door open and, while still pulling the IV pole behind me, race as fast as I can to Juugo's room. I burst inside, causing Juugo to jerk out of his usual fetal position.

"Listen to me, Juugo," I say as I slam the door behind me and march toward his cell. "When Kabuto brings you the sedative, don't use it. Hide it from him until we both leave the room, then give it to me when I come back."

Juugo's blank expression immediately contorts into sheer panic. "Why? What's going on?"

I ignore him, instead sliding Kimimaro's key through one of the spaces between the bars. "Take this and hide it, but give it back once I tell you to."

Juugo doesn't say anything, but there's a crease in his forehead that wasn't there before. He looks worried, but he'll obey me. There'll be no way out of this if he doesn't. Now I just have to prepare myself for the next phase of the plan and wait for Kabuto to show up. If I mess up my timing, everything will be over.

Suddenly, the door creaks open, and my stomach lurches. As I struggle to stop myself from retching, in comes Kabuto, needle in hand.

"Oh?" Kabuto says. "Here again, Sasuke?"

"There are few other places to go." I glare at him as he walks closer to the cell. Just as he hands the sedative to Juugo, whom is managing to maintain his composure, I head toward the door to leave the room.

Everything goes wrong.

My stomach is in knots. Nausea surges through my veins. Vomit rises in my throat. It burns, burns, burns, bu —

SPLAT

No. Not now. I'm on my hands and knees, heaving my guts out in the hallway. The sound of something clattering echoes in the distance, but all I can do is try to keep breathing as whorls of yellow and brown splash onto the floor.

This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to trip outside the room and drop the IV pole, which would cause the bag to 'accidentally' burst. Kabuto is still going to leave Juugo's room for a while just as I need him to — he'll have to attend to me and clean up the vomit — but now I risk not having the necessary stamina to do everything else I need to do.

The retching finally stops. Vomit drips from my lips onto the floor, and I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand as I sit up. My stomach is even sorer than before, and the world is sliding in and out of focus. The IV pole is lying on the ground beside beside me, though the bag is intact. I guess I'm lucky it didn't rip the IV catheter out of my arm, or I'd be bleeding and in even more pain too.

A hand stretches out in front of me. I look up to see Kabuto, a fake smile plastered on his face.

"Are you feeling unwell?" he says as I slap his hand away and attempt to get up on my own. The rough texture of the wall scratches my hand as I lean against it for support, but I manage to stand.

"I'm fine." I go to pick up the IV pole from the floor, but he's already bent over to get it. He sets it upright, then holds the pole out toward me.

"I'm going upstairs to get some cleaning supplies, but then I'll attend to you in your room," he says as he heads toward the stairs at the end of the hall. "Do you need another hospital gown?"

I look down. It's clean. "No."

I sigh with relief as Kabuto smiles from the top of the stairs and closes the door behind him. I'm lucky he didn't insist on taking me back to my room himself. As it is, I need to come up with a reasonable excuse for being in Juugo's room instead of my own. He's bound to be suspicious about it.

I stagger back inside Juugo's room while holding my stomach, and Juugo stares at me in anticipation. At the same time, he slides something through the bars of his cell, something that I quickly realize is the sedative. With the last of my energy, I lunge toward him and swipe the needle just before my knees finally give out.

"Pretend you're unconscious now." I slide to the floor while leaning against the cell bars. "Hurry before Kabuto gets back."

"What are you planning?" Juugo asks as he kneels down and lies on his side, but I don't answer him.

Everything will be fine. I just need to hide this needle between the folds of my hospital gown so Kabuto doesn't see it when he comes in. Then I have a few minutes to recover. The next stage is crucial, so I won't have a chance of getting out of here if I run out of energy and screw up.

Of course. That's my excuse for being here. I didn't have the strength to make it back to my room. This is better than what I had originally planned. Like this, Kabuto will have to pull me up from the floor to help me back to my room, so I'll have an excuse to make physical contact with him. As long as I can regain my stamina and ignore the how my chest feels like it's being crushed, everything will be okay.

The door clicks open.

I clutch the needle harder between the folds of my gown. Even though my stomach is tearing itself apart, I'm ready. It'll be fine. I've planned this out. All I have to do is keep the needle hidden until it's time to use it.

Every step Kabuto takes lasts centuries, but it only takes a second for his expression to transform into surprise. "I thought you'd be back in your room."

I look away. "I couldn't make it."

Out of all the lies I've told, I wish this was one of them.

He sighs. "I'll run some tests later to see if this is an illness or a reaction to the drugs. For now, I'll help you to your room," he says as he walks closer to me, then holds out his hand.

This is it.

I take Kabuto's wrist with my right hand, and just as he pulls me up into a standing position, I grab the needle with my left hand and plunge it into his arm.

Kabuto's grip loosens. I stumble backward, but catch my balance fast enough to still see the shocked look on his face. Kabuto's eyes are wider than I've ever seen them, and he's so still that he looks frozen.

I don't have time to waste. Holding my breath, I grab the IV catheter, brace myself, and yank it out of my arm. Pain sears through my arm as blood starts to trickle down toward my wrist, but there's no time to think. I push the IV pole away and, avoiding Kabuto, rush toward the door.

My heart stops. Out of the corner of my eye I see a shadow looming bigger. Kabuto lunges toward me, but I throw the door open and slam it behind me just before he can grab my arm. A loud thud echoes as a heavy weight slams against the door, and then doorknob starts twisting erratically. I lean against the door and push all my weight against it as I try to hold the doorknob steady. I can't let Kabuto out. I have to endure this. He's seconds away from falling unconscious. I just have to last until then.

My heart is pounding, and I feel like vomiting all over again, but everything is going according to plan; in fact, it's going better than I imagined. As long as Kabuto doesn't capture me now or get in contact with Orochimaru, everything will be fine.

The doorknob stops turning, and the weight pressing against the door eases away. Kabuto could just be pretending to be unconscious in order to ambush me, but it's unlikely that he could have resisted the sedative. Still, I need to be cautious. I only have one chance to escape, and I can't ruin it by being too reckless.

I wait a few more seconds before trying to open the door, but there's something heavy behind it that prevents me from opening it completely. Grimacing, I ram myself against the door and almost lose my balance as the door swings open, revealing Kabuto's twitching body on the ground. He's still awake, but barely. I'm relieved, but I can't get complacent.

"Give me the key," I tell Juugo, who is now sitting up and wide eyed. He nods and holds it out to me from between the bars, and I rush to take it and unlock the cell.

"What are you doing?" he asks, his voice uneven. "Are you escaping?"

"I'm leaving Kabuto in your cell," I say as I hurry back to Kabuto's body. His eyes are shut, and there should be no way that he's still conscious, but I don't know what kind of drug resistances he might have. I shake his shoulder with my bare foot, then even press my foot against his face, but there's no reaction. Satisfied, I hastily search through his pockets, grabbing his ring of keys while checking for any weapons or communication devices. He has nothing else on him. Good.

"You can't leave him in here with me." Panic rises in Juugo's voice. "I could kill him."

I grab Kabuto by the arms and drag him toward the cell. "That's why you're coming with me."

Silence. I finish lugging Kabuto to the cell door and turn around, only to see Juugo's eyes wide in shock. I don't have time for this. He needs to cooperate now.

"You admitted before that I'm the only one able to suppress your mood swings. That means you can leave your cell as long as you're with me," I say as I eye Kabuto's body, then look back up at Juugo. "Are you coming or not?"

Juugo hesitates, but takes a few steps forward. He stops to look at me, then nods before taking the final few steps out of his cell. I slam the door closed and lock it with Kimimaro's key, then rush out of the room.

I dash through the hallway and up the stairs until I reach the locked door, then begin shoving every key on the ring into the lock. The groaning from the test subjects imprisoned here is more intense than usual — maybe they realize what is going on.

"What do you need me to do?" I hear a quiet voice from behind me. Juugo finally caught up.

"Be on the lookout for Orochimaru. If he shows up, incapacitate him." I say as I jam one key in after another.

"If you swear to not let me lose control and kill him, I have no problem with merely knocking him out," Juugo says, seemingly convinced.

I keep ramming keys into the lock, twisting them in the hopes one will work — one of them has to — but sweat is dripping down the side of my face, and my stomach is in knots. Kabuto didn't have any other keys in his pockets, so the right one has to be here, but if it isn't —

Something clicks. The door unlocks.

I breathe a sigh of relief and push the door open, half expecting Orochimaru to be there, but, as expected, he's not. Everything looks exactly the way it did last time I was here. A dusty living room with an unused kitchen off to the right. The phone is still here too.

"Stay alert," I order Juugo as I rush to the phone. I punch in the emergency number, then toss the receiver aside so the police can trace our location. I can't waste time waiting to talk to an operator when I don't know where I am anyway; I have to prioritize getting out of here in case Kabuto somehow escapes from downstairs or Orochimaru shows up. If that happens, Juugo's strength will be an asset.

I make for the front door and try to twist the doorknob, but just like I thought it would be, it's locked. I look at the ring of keys in my hand; one of the forty keys on it should work, but if none of them do, I still have an alternate solution. A key would be faster though, so I again start forcing them into the lock. One after another I insert the keys until my fingers start cramping, and the aching in my chest is only getting worse. I don't have time for this. I pulled the IV out, so the side effects from the drugs should wear off soon, but the pain is only getting worse. My hands are starting to tremble, and it's making it harder to try to unlock this door.

I pull out the final key. None of them worked.

I try to breathe. It's okay. The police should be on their way soon, and I still have an alternate plan to get out of here. Even so, I can't relax yet. I have to focus. The windows are probably made out of plexiglass, so it's not worth trying to break them open by throwing something. If Orochimaru is somehow here, the sound would alert him, and everything would be over.

I throw the ring of keys onto the coffee table and hurry past Juugo into the open kitchen behind me. The counters are clear of any appliances and dishware, so I start pulling open every drawer I can find.

That's when everything goes cold. Nothing. There's nothing. The drawers are empty. I pull open one after another, but nothing. There has to be something here. Kabuto served me food in a bowl. Even a bowl will do if I can't find a knife, but I need to find something.

I throw open the cupboards, and suddenly a weight is lifted off of me. Finally, finally, there I find a stack of plates and bowls, as well as a cup filled with plastic cutlery. The cutlery is useless, but I grab a plate and dash back to the basement door.

"I'll be behind the door. Don't move," I say to Juugo as I close the door behind me; I have to muddle the sound. Hoping that the others down here don't react too badly, I hurl the plate down the stairs. The sound of ceramic smashing into a thousand pieces assaults my ears, and I hold my breath, only for the noise to die down into complete silence. The others here aren't even moaning anymore. At long as they're not screaming, it's none of my concern anyway. Shrugging, I hurry down the steps to grab a piece.

Suddenly, I stagger sideways, and a fresh wave of nausea washes over me; something sharp just pierced my foot. I look down, and even in the dim light, I see a bloody shard from the plate sticking out of my heel. Wincing, I wrench it out and watch the blood drip onto the ground for just a second, then toss the bloody piece aside. I can deal with this later. Ignoring the pain, I take a deep breath and grab the two largest, sharpest pieces I can find, then hobble back up the stairs.

It's still silent upstairs except for the sound of Juugo's even breathing, so I can only hope that means Orochimaru isn't around. I scan the area just to make sure, but everything seems to be in place. Satisfied, I lock the door again and rush back to Juugo by the windows, then hold out one shard.

"Take it and start slashing the window, but don't let your guard down," I say as I position myself in front of the window. I raise my hand holding the ceramic piece, then swing it down. A small cut grazes the plexiglass as the force jars my hand, and I bite my lip; this isn't nearly enough. I need to gouge the plexiglass, but it's so thick that it is going to take a while. I don't have time to waste. Plexiglass can't be broken with force easily, but if I cut into it enough, I should be able to break it open.

I move over to the left as Juugo comes closer and, his face calm, starts slashing the plexiglass himself. The cut is slightly wider and deeper than mine, and I frown; I wanted him for his strength, but at the same time, it makes me curse my inability to do this on my own.

No. I'm running out of time. I have to focus on getting out of here. Bitter, I slash the window again, making the cuts both deeper and wider than before, but it's still not nearly enough. We do this over and over again wordlessly, and it feels like we're taking hours, or at least more time than we can afford. Every second we stay here increases the risk of getting caught. We have to hurry.

After what feels like a lifetime, the window finally has giant white gashes across it that should be deep enough to break through. I wish there was a hammer or something similarly heavy I could use to break the glass, but the heavier books on the bookshelf will have to suffice.

"Get behind the sofa," I instruct Juugo, then grab a dictionary off the middle shelf, as well as the keys from the coffee table. I position myself behind on the floor beside Juugo so I'm just a few feet away from the window, then steady my aim.

I glance at Juugo. "Get ready to jump out the window."

He nods. It's now or never.

I fire the book at the window, then duck behind the sofa.

The book shatters both the window and the air, and my heart is beating so fast that it feels like it's going to explode. If Orochimaru's here, he knows what's happening. I have to get out of here, get out of here now, run, propel myself out the window, SLASH, get up, get out, run, run run run keep going get to a store or a neighbour's house —

I freeze. My heart stops.

…

Where am I?

I wasn't expecting this. I wasn't expecting to be in the middle of nowhere. There's nothing around me but dead trees — I've already run so far that I can't even see where I just came from, whatever kind of cottage or cabin it was. There isn't another house or a road in sight, nor even a glimpse of the Rockies from between the trees — I must be inside the Interior (1).

Worse is that even though the sun is shining, it's freezing. The wind is howling, and there are patches of snow left on the frosty grass.

And I'm in nothing but a hospital gown.

I still don't even have any kind of underwear on.

I take a deep breath. It doesn't matter right now. I can't stop here too long. I have to keep running and get out of here, wherever here is, before the cold can get to me. There are faint tire tracks on the ground, but if I follow them, I could run into Orochimaru; he's probably the only one who would drive somewhere as remote as this. I just need to get as far away as I can from this place.

So I run. I run for my life. Even as the tree branches graze my feet and arms, even as I trip over thick tree roots, I keep running. Pain sears through my feet and stomach, and my head feels like it's about to burst, but I have to run. As long as my feet can make contact with the ground, even if the world looks like it's slipping away, I can keep going. The police are supposed to be coming. Why aren't there here by now? It feels like it's been hours, even if it's only been minutes — who knows — but that's still more than enough time for them to have gotten here by now. Is it because this place is in the middle of nowhere? Were they unable to trace it? I can't even hear any sirens. Maybe they've turned this into a covert operation, so they've turned the sirens off. But if that's the case, they would have started looking for me at this point.

The trees start to thin out, and my heart starts pounding faster, so fast that it feels like it's about to burst through my ribcage. The soil is getting muddier, and as the trees finally part, I stop.

In front of me is a vast lake that stretches for miles in both directions. I can barely make out what's on the other side — I have to shield my eyes from the sun — but it looks like there is a road. Not that it matters though; there aren't any cars. It's probably a small highway far from anywhere worthwhile. Even if I sat here and waited for a car to pass by, no one could see me from here. I could swim across the lake, but it's winter, and the water is probably freezing. I can't afford to let my body temperature drop, so swimming is out of the question. This place is so barren that even if I did swim to the other side, I'd still have to sit on the side of the road or look for a town nearby, and I'd risk dying from hypothermia. I'll last longer if I follow the edge of the lake until I reach the road, but I have no idea how long it'll take me to get to there that way. I could still get hypothermia and end up dying.

"Juugo." I turn around —

Nobody is behind me. He's not here. I turn around and scan the area, but I don't see a tall figure anywhere around me. I even try to peer into the forest and find him between the trees. Nothing.

Juugo's gone. We must have gotten separated somewhere. He might be trying to find me, or he might have caged himself in somewhere out of fear of being outside without anyone to stop his mood swings.

Or he could have gone back to Orochimaru's lair.

No. It should be fine. He shouldn't have any contact with Orochimaru, and he can't free Kabuto; I still have the ring of keys in my grasp. He won't be a problem.

Without looking, I toss the keys into the water, then bite my lip. I might have succeeded in escaping, only to have nowhere else to go. This shouldn't have been a problem though. No matter the circumstances, no matter how far I was from civilization, the police were supposed to show up. Why aren't they here yet? Was the phone disconnected? I called 110 (2) —

…

I called 110.

…

FUCK.

No. This has to be a joke, or a nightmare, or anything but my own stupidity. I…

…

…

I screwed up.

I screwed up.

I screwed up screwed up, screwed up screwed up screwedup failedfailedfailedfailedfailedfailedfaILEDFAILEDFAILEDFAILEDFAILEDfAILEDFAILEDFAILEDFAILEDFAIL

…

…

My hands feels wet. I look down. They're covered in blood.

My abdomen is hot and sticky. I wipe my face with the back of my cleaner hand, only for it to be streaked with even more blood. There's glass sticking out of my muddy feet. My teeth are chattering. My fingers are numb.

…

It's cold.

…

That's it. It's done. I've lost. All because of a stupid, stupid, stupid mistake.

I was in a hurry. My instincts got in the way.

But that's not an excuse. I've failed, and now I am going to die because of it.

I look back at the forest. I could always go back. But for what? Just to have my body mutilated? For Orochimaru to kill Mom and the others? I can't do that. I'd rather die out here than go back to that creep. I have to keep going.

I limp forward, shivering as I go. I can't run anymore, but I can't stay here either. I have to find my way around the lake. That's all I can do, even if the cold has seeped into my bones, even if it's already over. The wind sends chills throughout my entire body, and the sun is starting to set toward the west. I'll go that way. At least it'll bring me closer to where I'm supposed to go. If only I hadn't gotten separated from Juugo, he could have gone east to see if he could find help faster than me. Maybe I should have gone east instead. I don't know. I've proven that I don't know anything.

The wind is getting stronger. It's ringing in my ears and biting my skin. It feels like needles pricking every inch of my body. It hurts, but I have to move forward, no matter how slowly. Even with no help coming, I can get out of here. I have to. I'd rather die with some dignity than none at all.

The sky is blood red. It's getting colder. I can see my breath. I still don't see any cars coming. I don't know where I am. It's hard to see anything in the distance anymore; it's gotten too dark. My throat is dry. I feel sick. I'm not even shivering anymore.

I'm so tired. I can't see anything anymore. There's barely any moonlight. I stumble forward. My knees are wobbling. I lean on one of the trees and look up at the sky. There aren't any stars either.

I resist the urge to slide down to the ground. The moment I do that, I won't get up ever again. My head is spinning, and I can't feel anything anymore, but the last thing I want is to die in a place like this.

What am I even doing here? Why am I here? What am I doing? Where was I supposed to be going again? I can't remember. My hands feel like blocks of ice, but I'm not shivering. I'm just…so tired.

I should just…close my…eyes…

"Giving up already? I thought you were better than that!"

My eyes snap open, and I could almost laugh. Even in this situation, I can hear his voice. That's right; I'm supposed to be escaping from Orochimaru and looking for help, or at least shelter, and now I'm hearing things.

If this were a movie, the voice wouldn't just be my imagination; Naruto would be right behind me. This isn't a movie though. This is real life, and I am about to die. Last time I could see my skin, it was starting to turn blue. It's probably worse by now.

Even though I can barely move or keep my eyes open, I can't just stop here. I'm better than this. I won't let anyone think I'm weak, least of all Naruto. I can't let Naruto be better than me. I have to move until I can't anymore. I have a say in whether I live or die.

I push myself off the tree and stumble forward. I don't know how much longer I can keep going —

Road.

I reached the road. I couldn't see it before because it was so dark, but now I can feel the roughness of the cement with my bare feet. All I want is to find some strength left in me and run forward until I reach somewhere, anywhere I can use a phone or at least warm up, but this is reality. It takes everything in me to just to stand, let alone take a single step. I can barely feel anything anymore. I could just lie here and try to flag down a car, but I'd probably die before one shows up. I've used up everything I have.

I can't survive.

…

Is that…?

I squint my eyes, and then my heart starts banging against my rib cage. There's a light in the distance. It's not getting bigger, so it can't be a car. There has to be some kind of shelter there.

But I don't know if I can keep going.

I try to take another step, but I trip over myself and fall to my knees. It doesn't hurt; I can't feel anything at all. Even so, as long as I'm awake, I have to try to reach that light. I shift my weight onto my feet and try to stand again, but I immediately fall back down.

I can't move.

No. I have to.

I crawl forward, somehow pulling myself down the road. This is so shameful, so disgusting, but it would be worse if I lay here and died. As I get closer to that light, that one hope, it grows bigger until I can see that it's a pit stop. It's so small and dilapidated that it looks more like a shack, but it's something. I just have to reach it.

Just a little bit more.

…

But it's so cold.

…

…

So…cold…

…what am I doing here again? Why am I going to the light? Does any of this matter? Will it be safe once I get there? It's so cold…

How am I supposed to push the door open? I'm weak. I have nothing.

…

It's automated.

I crawl inside. I'm somewhere. Is it safe? Where am I? Where am I supposed to go?

…

It's okay now…

…

…

…

It burns.

My skin burns. It feels so hot. Where am I? There are shelves all around me, but they're locked behind metal gates, and the only other thing visible is an information desk. There's no one here, and the desk only has a few maps and a phone.

I clutch my stomach. My insides are screaming.

With only that one second warning, I start heaving onto the tiles in front of me until it's only gastric juices left splashing onto the floor, and it makes my stomach and hands sting. I can't stop shivering, and I can hear my teeth chatter. My body feels like it's on fire.

But I survived. I can't believe I survived. I should have died out there, but I didn't.

I don't have time to celebrate just yet. There's a phone. Finally, this time I can call the police for real.

I try to stand, but every time I do, my knees give way. I can't expect anything else, but it's still humiliating. I'm grateful that nobody is here to see me inch forward on my knees, soaking them in my own vomit, but right now it doesn't matter; I manage to lift the phone from off the counter. My heart pounding, I crawl around the counter, hiding myself from view in case Orochimaru or Kabuto are looking for me, then punch in 119 (3).

…

It's still the dial tone.

No. At a time like this? I…

I can't think straight. My mind is still fuzzy. What's the number for the police? It's in American movies and TV shows all the time. I should know. It's so common. Everyone knows it.

My thoughts are everywhere. What's the number? I don't know. I don't have time for this. Now that I'm in a public space, it'll be easy to find me. I have to hurry. I need to get help. Somehow. Somehow. But what number is it? I don't know. I don't know anything.

I punch in whatever phone number I can think of, but there's empty air. I thought I knew this number? Isn't this Nii-san's cell phone number? Why isn't it working, dammit? Dammit. Dammit. It should have called at least a stranger, not just give me blank air. I don't remember phone numbers anymore.

There's only one other phone number I've seen often enough that…I might…

I punch it in. I want to break down. The phone is dialling.

It's ringing.

It doesn't take more than one ring for someone to answer. "Sasuke?"

Relief. Relief relief oh god finally someone answered someone ANSWERED

"Sasuke!?"

I can't get my mouth to work. Even though it's burning like the rest of me, it's still frozen in place. I can barely remember how to even make sounds come out.

"Naruto."

All I can do is say his name. He answered. Naruto answered. Naruto answered.

"Sasuke. Oh my God, Sasuke. I thought — everyone thought —"

"Orochimaru," I breathe. "It was Orochimaru."

It takes a second for him to answer, and all I can hear is crackling. "I knew that guy was creepy!" he finally says, sniffling.

He's talking. He's real. I don't have to die at the hands of that snake. Finally, it's over. I've won.

"Sasuke?"

"I…" My tongue feels thick in my mouth. I can't admit that I don't remember the emergency number in this country. There's no way I could be that stupid and have to rely on sheer instinct. I'm supposed to be better than that.

"Where are you?" he says.

I don't say anything. I can't answer that either. I don't know where I am.

"Sasuke, are you still there? Is it safe? Are you hurt!?"

"I'm fine," I say, even though I'm not. "I'm at some pit stop on the side of a highway. There's nothing around."

"Weren't there any signs?"

"Too dark. There weren't even cars."

"Can you see anything around you that would help?"

"No. The Rockies aren't visible from here."

"Shit, you're that far away? Try to stay on the line as —"

Suddenly, an explosion pierces the air. Glass flies all around me, skimming my skin, and I feel beads of blood run down my cheek.

The receiver slips through my hand. I drop to the ground.

Was that…a gunshot?

"Sasuke! SASUKE!" Naruto shouts, but he's too late. I look up beyond the counter to see both a shattered window and the person I hoped to never see again. Tall, pasty, and with black hair down to his hips.

Orochimaru.

"Look what we have here." That snake smirks as he reloads his handgun, staring at me the entire time.

He points it in my direction.

I'm going to die.

"Did you really think you could escape me?" He licks his lips with his disgustingly long tongue. "All I did was go to the closest pit stop to the west. I also had Kabuto attend to the closest one in the other direction, so you never had a chance. There was never anywhere for you to go."

He already knew everything. I never had a chance. If only my brain hadn't frozen along with the rest of my body, I could have just called the police and gotten them to trace the location. This didn't have to happen. This didn't have to happen, and now I'm going to pay for it.

"Hang up the phone." He cocks his head toward the receiver on the floor. I can still hear Naruto's panicked voice screaming through it, but I can't make out the words.

This is it. This is the end. I refuse to take orders from Orochimaru. If I have to die anyway, I'm not going to die following his orders. I won't grovel for my life.

Somehow, even though my legs are still shaking, I grab the counter with my raw hands and manage to stand. I have to hold onto the counter for support, but I plant my feet into the ground and stare Orochimaru in the eye.

"Oh, I like that defiant look in your eyes." I hear a click as he undoes the safety. "But that won't do."

I shut my eyes.

BAM

…

…

I open my eyes. I'm fine. I wasn't shot. What? Orochimaru is right in front of me, and —

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierces my arm. I gaze at it in horror. A needle.

My hand slips from the counter, and I collapse onto the floor. Shit. I can't move. I dumbly try to sit up, but it's futile. I can't even open my mouth to say anything. Orochimaru chuckles as he picks up the phone from the floor and hangs it up, cutting off Naruto's screams.

That was my last hope.

Orochimaru hoists me up onto his shoulder like nothing and heads toward the door, and there is nothing I can do about it. He's turned me into a useless, broken rag doll. I'm still not blacking out, but the wind is screeching, and the frigid weather is again turning me into ice.

Suddenly, I'm burning again; the snake opens his car door and shoves me into the heated passenger's seat, and warm air is blasting out of the vents. I grimace internally as my limp body slumps over onto the console, but he lifts my body up enough to buckle my seatbelt.

"We'll be driving fast, and I can't have you dying on me." Orochimaru curls his lip as he shuts the passenger door and makes his way around to the driver's seat. The silence inside the car is suffocating, and my chest feels like it's being crushed.

The wind bursts into the car as Orochimaru slides onto his seat, but is quickly cut off when he slams the door closed. He turns the keys in the ignition, and the engine rumbles as the headlights flash on, lighting the otherwise dark road ahead.

It's over.

I don't understand. Why didn't he kill me? Why did he shoot twice for no reason? Maybe he's taking me alive because he still needs my body. But why didn't he hang up the phone right away? He had a gun, and I was still recovering from having almost frozen to death; he could have pushed me aside and hung up the phone easily.

The car speeds through the darkness, jerking my limp body around, and there is nothing I can do.

Nobody is coming.

Whatever was left inside me crumbles. I don't even know where we're going now. Even though I planned everything so meticulously, tried so hard to get here, still…I…I…

I failed.

(1) - The Rockies are easily visible from almost anywhere in the Vancouver area, so the fact that Sasuke can't see them means he's far from the coastal region.

(2) - 110 is the emergency number used to call the police…in Japan.

(3) - 119 is the number for the fire department and/or ambulance in Japan.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I did a lot of research for this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoyed it. Just to clarify, confusion and amnesia are common symptoms of moderate to severe hypothermia.

I originally wasn't going to have Juugo escape with Sasuke, but I felt that went against much of the original story in which Sasuke recognizes Juugo's skills and wants to work with him. This Sasuke is obviously different from the original Sasuke in some ways due to having an entirely different backstory, but it would be wrong to deviate from him entirely too. Also, to be blunt, it was just more interesting.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and don't kill me for the cliffhanger!