::We Were And Still Can Be… Brothers ::

Sasuke has worked for Kiva many times before and was therefore very familiar with her restaurant chains. Which one the blond was working at specifically, became the hold up. He pulled over and asked for help from the nearest eatery. They directed him to a church that was hosting the charity. He had to park some distance away because of the line. Many of the civilians had walked there to begin with and or drove. Because he wasn't a cop, or on duty in that area, he couldn't just flash his badge to skip ahead.

He went around back, taking in the excitement and smiles on the people both leaving and going. They were either fed or about to be and looked grateful. This was the side of the blond he was used to seeing effect people, not that depressing and decline of self worth he witnessed in Hinata.

With his hands in his pressed slacks, he rounded the corner in thought of this and what he could say to convince his old friend to come back to the light. A better question would be to ask Naruto what on earth he was doing standing at a loss in the center of the back parking lot. "Hey, you alright?" He meant every word, double checking their surroundings for unsavory characters. "Did something happen?"

Naruto only noticed Sasuke when he got close enough, for his mind was busy trying to pick his life's next course of actions thanks to Jiraiya's invite. "Fuck off."

'Right.' This wasn't going to be easy, and with Hinata missing, it would have to wait. "Glad to see you're not being shot. Have you seen Hinata at all recently?"

"You can't be serious." He tried to go back inside and avoid this confrontation altogether. That grip on his shoulder just about made him assault the cocky bastard. "Sasuke."

"I've reason to believe she's been kidnapped." He got to the point and saw that pinch of concern that vanished without a trace seconds later to be replaced by emptiness. Every word of spite that would come out of tan man's mouth was now quite questionable.

"You have a reason, huh? You sure she just didn't run off with another guy or something. Maybe you got boring to her. She does tend to like more active guys." Naruto thought he had the upper hand until the raven smirked.

"You don't have her then… as I figured. You've never been that violent." Sasuke backed off and started to leave the premises, causing the blond great confusion and annoyance. "Whenever you do get some time, call my job. I could really use your help to find her."

"What the hell makes you that just because you asked me this time, I'll help you or her?" Naruto tried to put that anger and tension back in the air, but his opponent caught onto to something far more integral. "I don't care what happens to either of you!"

"Someone else asked you?" Sasuke stopped in his tracks, spotting Naruto immediately recline. "You already knew she was missing then."

Naruto stood his ground when the raven marched right back. "So? I just didn't know it was that bad that you were involved. Figured she'd run off with you or something."

Azure and onyx had a stare off, searching each other for lies.

"She clearly hasn't."

"Whose problem is that again?" Naruto crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. "I'm busy."

"...What the hell happened to you? Did Sakura really mean that much-"

"Don't even fucking go there, Sasuke... You couldn't even keep her!" He snapped in offense. "There's no way you'll handle Hinata. So, I'm going to go back inside. Whenever she turns up, tell her that I'll file for the divorce papers myself since she's taking her sweet time." Naruto stamped on another needle prick like statement as he walked on by, "Then again, it's a win win if you don't find her too."

"You expect me to believe that this just how you feel now?" Sasuke controlled his frustration. "You've always wanted to help people. No matter how much you hate me or her, I'll see you around."

"I'm not going to stand here and repeat myself, bastard. Go find that whore and leave me alone." Naruto opened those double doors and immediately stepped back when older onyx bared down on him. If he ever had an older brother, this was what he imagined, feared, and respected. "Nhn, Itachi?! What are yo-"

"I'm afraid I need you to come with me… Naruto, and that includes you too." Itachi shot one loaded glance of impatience to his kin who was just as surprised as the blond.

Sasuke was also ready to retaliate, confident he could take his brother on should Itachi have been here alone. Out of the alley way nearby came back up. "Nagato…. Haven't seen you in a while."

Short crimson tresses nearly covered lowered pale lily's that were menacingly bored than any fraction of caring. "Actual work tends to make that happen."

"You work? Or do you still have people do it for you?"

"Enough, Sasuke." Itachi warned. "Let's go."

"I'll take Naruto back." Nagato slipped out some handcuffs from his bomber jacket. "You want some time with your brother to explain what you can?"

Itachi took a minute to decide whether that would be god call at the moment

His brother, meanwhile, witnessed the blond look a bit uneasy. "Are the handcuffs necessary?"

"For fucks sake, Sasuke. I don't and have never needed your help. " Naruto stayed cautious of the ginger now cuffing him. He made sure to choose his words wisely this time when he was being pulled along. "All you've done is continue to ruin my life so please stay the hell away from me."

The younger raven took that and dealt with it typically in anger as well as silently.

Itachi approached his brother and ushered him along after Nagato and the blond once they'd gotten a good distance away. "This is why you shouldn't handle things alone."

"Don't lecture me right now." Sasuke stayed focused on Naruto who was glancing back at them strangely. "Why were you guys sent to retrieve us?"

"If you stayed still for a minute you might of kno-"

"Okay, what's with the attitude?" Sasuke halted his kin to take care of whatever this weird feeling was between them. "You seem more pissed than usual when I run off and do my own thing."

"That's the problem, Sasuke. You constantly do what you want without the consideration of others."

"Without the consideration for othe- Do you think I'm looking for my damn self?"

"Are you?" Itachi put one forearm over the other, speculating. He postponed bringing up Hinata in case his kin had a toxic reaction.

The younger raven possessed no intention of getting into it with his other brother today. Whatever it was could surely be resolved by the end of the day. "I'm not going to answer that stupid question. We need to catch up with Nagato, or are we stuck together in one vehicle by ourselves?"

"We're all going in the same… car." That slow drawl of Itachi's words were because he could see his partner just driving off without them. "Or not I guess."

Sasuke shook his head and threw his arms up in the air like a silent 'Wtf' motion. "Of all the people to bring with you."

"Relax, we'll meet him back at the station." Itachi double checked his cell to make sure.

"Fine… Mind telling me how you guys found us in the first place?"

"Well, I was actually supposed to be retrieving Naruto and his wife at first and then... you ran off. Finding him was easy since Nagato's pretty good on the civilian know how."

Sasuke nodded and sort of accepted that for now. "He probably just asked around like I did. It's honestly impossible for Naruto to hide with the career path he's chosen and- Dad's calling me…" He switched tones quick from thoughtfulness to curiosity. "Did you rat me out?"

"I haven't said a word."

"Sure you didn't." He answered his phone and expected outrage. He received strangely bothersome news instead. "Sakura is missing too?"

That couldn't be a coincidence. Itachi saw his little brother's inner frustration start to peak.

"Did they check the garage?!"

"Sasuke-"

"Try the liquor store!"

"Sasuke-"

"What, Itachi?!" None of this made sense to him and it just about pissed him off to the land of irrationality.

"Does she know about your relationship with Naruto's wife?" He'd come to a theory that didn't sound all that crazy given what was known about that women. His brother surely started to think so too because that cell almost dropped out of his hand. "Sasuke, please tell me that you did not tell Sakura about her?"

"No… No, of course not- I… She'd go ballistic." Sasuke let the horror sink in of how far she'd actually go if she'd heard from anyone else but him.

Itachi cupped his brothers shoulders and made worried black look his way. "Focus, Sasuke. Where would she take her if she did?"

:: Helian Or Hanabi ::

Hinata could tell when they stopped because the engine was no longer purring to her ears. Exhaustion from pointless struggle made her eyelids droop as her wrists burned from rubbing and pulling. The fight was not completely drained out of her. She still had the energy to glare her hatred when the trunk was opened, bringing her the smell of salt and the view of a mist in the air.

"I was really hoping you'd be asleep." Hidan stretched that potato sack out just for their guest. "Since you aren't... don't take this the wrong way."

She rolled her eyes and allowed him to get one with it, conserving her strength. Her vision and consciousness were lost all at once, granting a forced nap.

The next time she awoke, was to a scraping noise like that of chains sliding across a rough surface. She opened her eyes slowly and cautiously, seeing strands of her hair in her face first before the sense of sound kicked in.

Seagulls.

Their squawks were grating thanks to the many participants.

Hinata groaned at the headache and rested back on a cold wall, moving her jaw to get use to nothing keeping it apart. She was definitely sitting up with her wrists chained high above her head, causing her arms to come in some. Her legs were together and in a duchess like slant against the sandy floors. Lily's gazed around her prison to rocky walls behind her and the bars ahead of her were two young men were watching her from the other side. Though startled, she showed little of it.

The one with the band-aid on his nose and long jet black hair that almost covered it, pointed to her chest. "You got a kid or something?"

"She's has to have at least one. There's no way they would just be like that." Young and hormonal was the fault here on top of the lack of guidance in this area. They understood their infatuation with her body to be sexual. However, there was a dislike for her presence among them as well. Their home was already about to have a leading lady. So what was the purpose of her unless she was like a quote on quote, relief source. "Maybe she had them done."

While disgusted with the topic here, their monotone talk also bothered her. There was no giddy-ness or weird smiles. She was discussed of like an object that needed a purpose to be along with her features. Once that was decided, she feared for what would happen then.

"I think they're real."

"We'll just find out later when he gives the okay. I heard he's pissed at Hidan for bringing her here. He doesn't even know who she is." They got a good chuckle out of that, dismissing her presence.

"Aww man, he's not going to let her leave at all then. I hope he won't kill her. What better way to grow up here knowing that eventually, she'll be having your kid."

Instantaneous nausea and terror was what made her look away and up to her binds, yanking against them in a panic.

"Great job, Rein. You scared her."

"I think that's a good thing." He nodded his head towards her for his green haired, side shaved friend to see what her actions caused.

The sudden silence made her stop to catch onto what the two perverted teens were on about now. Of course their eyes hadn't left her chest at all. She brought her knees up the best she could tightly and left it at that, head down.

"Hey, quit doing that."

She ignored them even when they actually got a little frustrated.

"Do you really want us to come in there?"

Hinata bit her bottom lip, forming fists and fighting back a response. The jiggling of keys made her sights shift to them. One was about come inside and take care of her disobedience. Fright caught her tongue and stifled her screaming for a moment's breath. That was all the time needed.

"Heads up, Jacob, your future wife's in bound." Rein whispered, tapping his friends shoulder to back off. He stood at attention soon after, arms at his side.

Jacob followed suit, an actual faint hue of red coming across his face. In his hustle to act like he was on duty, he forgot one key thing.

In this underground prison where no one can hear you scream, torches lit the earthy walls around and gave definition to shadows. One approaching shadow was lengthy with a feminine charm to it's outline at the chest and hips. "I'm here on request. Is she behaving?"

"No, not all, Helian. She's honestly trying to tempt us."

Hinata snarled at the pervert's lie and his sickening desire on his face to please her sister. She wasn't sure whether to be mad at that or how her once innocent kin, exploited it.

"Tsk, as expected then. Could you guys do me a favor?" She yawned there in that one strap, pink tank top as she walked by, stretching casually enough. She then slumped at the bars and let her waist poke out, giving the young guy a show. In a small glimpse back over her shoulder tiredly, she said, "Go watch Hidan for me. He's up there trying to convince Madara she's worth a damn. Report back if he gets killed before I can get there."

"Yes, ma'am." Rein gave a small bow to his superior, shoving his friend for ogling at her ass majority of the time. "We will get right on that."

"Thanks."

"Sure, anything." Jacob had to be dragged off, taking in all he could because he'd never have a chance with her. She already belonged to their boss's second in command. Staring and dreaming was all the permission he had.

"Uhuh." Helian waited till they were gone, bored act revealing itself to be a true demonstration. She fiddled with the key still in and said, "Don't look at me like that. If you were any ounce of smart, you would have used them to escape. Guys like their type are easy to trick. It's the ones with a little bit more ambition that you gotta watch out for..."

"Hanabi!" Hinata paid no mind to all that. She could speak and they were alone. Nothing else could stop her from at least reaching with her voice now. She attempted to stand, arms coming down at a slightly painful angle that she fixed by turning her wrist in the room she had. "Hanabi, listen to me. Y-You are not who you think you are!"

Helian slipped her arms through the bars and let them dangle. "Give me one reason I should listen to you."

"I'm your sister." She stressed to her in earnest. "Look at me!"

Nothing awoken there behind pale lavender but disbelief. "Then where were you? Why am I here and you're there?"

"Because- Bec- You died... You're supposed to be-"

"I'm supposed to be?!"

"There was a hit and run!" Hinata felt like every step she took was somehow setting her back. "You were biking and someone hit you. We buried you back in Helianthus and- Your name! Don't you find it odd you w-were given that name?!"

"My name came from my parents just like anyone else." Helian was given a backstory held together in stone. "They moved around a lot."

"Who told you that? We've never moved. We've always stayed in Helianthus."

"Then why are you in Burgundy? Where's your parents?"

"Our parents are dead, Hanabi! How could you not-...You really don't remember a single thing." That impatient expression upon her sister was what confirmed such. She dropped back down to her knees and got to critical thinking. Amnesia was the monster here. All she had to do was hopefully trigger something off in her sister to wake her up. It wouldn't be that easy because sometimes amnesia could be a permanent case. "Hana-.. Helian, have you ever looked for your family?"

"They moved when they got rid of me."

"And who told you that?"

"Myself." That was a bold lie. The fragile fabric of her reality that she'd sown to make life easier, was coming undone the more this woman talked. "That's enough questions. Sakura wants to meet you."

Hinata put off the fated meeting for a bit. "Did you ever actually look for yourself?"

'This girl.' Helian groaned inside and out. "What did I just say? Look, no one in this town knows me. There, you happy? I was a nobody!"

"That's not true." Hinata shook her head and shed small tears. "You just aren't from here. We come from Helianthus-"

"Shut up."

"We're sisters-"

"I said shut up!" She gripped the bars and shouted in fury to get her point across. "Or I swear I'll-"

"Our parents died in an accident while you were in high school. You almost dropped out. Hanabi!" She didn't panic when her younger sister entered the cell and withdrew a dagger. "Just think about this for a moment!"

"I'm going to give you one more warning." Helian dealt with a demon on her back that reminded her of all the things she did that could possibly be true crimes now if this woman was correct. That dubbed weak side of her always felt these things were wrong. She wasn't ready to accept that crushing reality so soon. "The next time you speak, I will take your tongue."

~ Minutes Prior ~

'He wouldn't.' Sakura told herself this while in a auditorium of sorts where uncomfortable steel chairs were set before a creaking stage. She sat up high in a throne chair beside an empty one, listening to her kidnapper's 'friend' relay some troubling news.

"I promise you. She's worthless- No offense but, Sasuke has been with this other woman almost everyday this week." Hidan pulled out some proof of his own. "Does that look like friends to you?"

Madara found it hard to believe his enemy was that stupid. Due to his enthrallment with Sakura, he blinded himself more often than not. "She looks like she could be his sister."

"Brother's don't share a hotel with their sister and carry them like this." Hidan showed him another image that Sakura got up to see for herself. "See that. Half naked, both of them.

In her disbelief, she snatched his phone from him to look for herself.

"Hey!" He was thwarted from getting back what as his when the boss man stepped in the way. "She can't just take my shit!"

"Hidan, stand down." She could have whatever the hell she wanted. That is, if Madara was willing to allow it. He so hated to see her getting all worked up over what he thinks as nothing. "Sakura, I'm sure those images are very misleading. He will come for you."

"I want to speak with her." Sakura's fist enclosed around the device that cracked while displaying a new image of her husband and Hinata on the trail, cuddling up to each other. All of what she saw was wrong. This had to be a misunderstanding because if it wasn't… then this would technically make her mother right. "Bring Hinata to me."

Madara smirked and looked to Hidan. "Well?"

"Well what? I'm not going to do what she says!"

Before her boss and wanna be boyfriend could get into it, Helian, who'd been standing off at the podium watching all this in silence, offered herself as tribute. "I'll do it."

"Thank you." Sakura saw her as a more confident and harmless version of the woman she wanted to choke. "What's your name again?"

"Helian." She forced a small smile, hating that generous one she got back. She wanted to tell her to forget her name because she wouldn't be here long. That pink haired wretch hinted otherwise.

"It's nice to meet you." Sakura was just going through the motions, trying to level her rage out with friendly encounters. "Please bring her here as fast as you can."

"Sure thing."

:: Remember That Security System? ::

"There you are." Fugaku stood at a computer station in his son's home, motioning the rushing man over. "We can't find Sakura anywhere in this house and your camera's don't work. We've only found footage from days ago."

"That's because I forgot to fix it." Sasuke moved the tech guy out of his seat anyway, taking that spot to do some digging of his own. "Was there anything around the house?"

"The back door looks damaged. Where's your brother? I thought he was coming with you." He'd called them ahead of time earlier and asked them to come by for a second if Tsunade permitted it. She did so under one condition untold to who it was about.

"Itachi's checking the trail, the park, and some movie theaters for me."

"Why on earth is he searching public places?"

"I don't know… Maybe in case my delusional wife wants to make a spectacle or something."

"What would drive her to do such a thing?"

Sasuke just about struck the keyboard out of exasperation from all these questions. "Because I'm leaving her..."

One of the field team members working in the background mumbled, "About time."

Onyx shot back to find whoever had the gall to open their mouth now.

Fugaku sighed and tolerated his son's impatience slash tantrum. "Could you guys leave us for a moment?"

"Yes sir," was heard in almost perfect unison.

When the last person shut the door, the father attempted to calm his son down. "We'll find her. You don't have to worry."

"It's not her I'm worried about. It's more so what she'll do." Sasuke had to be more clear for all he was succeeding in is making his father look puzzled. "Do you remember that woman I wanted a chance to be with?"

"Yes, but what doe-..." It came to him like a gunshot to the back of the head. "Sasuke, you-... Where is this other woman?"

"Missing."

Fugaku raked his fingers through his hair and inhaled. "And you just so happened to leave Sakura before she and this woman … disappeared?"

It sounded as bad as it looked. To Sasuke, it put him unjustly as the center of blame for it all. "You wanted me to tell her!"

"Yes, I did. I'm glad you were listening to that part. Now explain to me how she found out about your affair."

He shrugged and uttered, "It wasn't even really an affair."

Fugaku could have bumped him on the head for that clear lie. "Have you done anything sexual or out of friendly bounds with this woman?"

"N-Ahh… um…" His mouth had definitely been places. "Not like… all the way or-..."

"My god." He dragged a palm down his face and asked aloud. "Where did I go wrong with you?"

Outside that locked door, Mikoto was listening. She winced when she heard those words escape her husband. This never ended well and she'd had to separate them countless times from getting physical with it. She reached for the doorknob, pausing when she heard her son's voice that was awfully quieter than usual during spouts.

"You know what, your biggest mistake has always been me so that's not surprising of you to constantly ask that."

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Fugaku presumed such at least. "You're very hard headed when upset."

Sasuke lifted out of his seat and decided to depart from this house that would forever be the grounds for arguments. "Hell forbid you realize where I got that from."

"I, and your mother, have never been like this."

"Are you sure? Whenever you're pissed about something I did, you don't listen. You only want to hear what I'm saying when you ask me to speak. When you're done, you lock me in my room by any means necessary. Which I'm going to guess, hasn't changed." Sasuke demonstrated by trying to turn the doorknob, twisting it harshly to no avail. "This… This right here is just another reason why I never went to you guys about anything going on in my marriage. It'll always be my fault, or I'm lying about something."

"It's not like you made it easy, Sasuke." Fugaku leveled out, feeling his son's resentment that filled that room. "No one raised you to go places you shouldn't."

"So your immediate reaction was to lock me in my room every chance you could get?"

"It kept you alive so yes, I did." He had no regrets. Every punishment was to ensure his son got to see another day because there was no stopping him once he was out of their sight.

Sasuke's boiling point, cooled off as his father finally gave him a different expression that was one of honest confusion and sympathy.

"Did you really believe we grounded you because we didn't love you or something ridiculous like that? We named you after a great friend of mind. You took that name and ran with it in your own way from birth of course. You could never stay still. We knew then that… we probably should've named you Itachi. "

"You were such a cute baby!" Mikoto sniffled from the other side. "I could dress you in anything and you'd act the part. Your brother found it adorable too."

Sasuke's brow twitched as he denied himself warmth straight from his core. "Not helping, mother."

"But she's right. You were the most adventurous child. Itachi was awfully quiet, attentive, and only caused us worry when he was upset. You on the other hand, were a 24 hour gig, Sasuke. You only ever went to sleep if we drove in the car."

"I still have the rope that we used to tie to the steering wheel!" Mikoto said aloud and proud, holding her handkerchief close.

Sasuke stood through this embarrassment, positive the unit on the other side were having a field day over this. "I think I get it now."

"I don't think he does, dear. Do you remember when we got him a little toy dinosaur after taking him to see that movie about some park full of those creatures?"

"Oh yes! He called her, 'Rawr'! You carried her everywhere."

"Her?"

Fugaku nodded, hands behind his back. "She was the prettiest dinosaur you'd ever seen. You were going to marry her one day. You made a veil out of your mother's scarf and-"

"Please stop." He put a hand to the door to catch himself from the sickening awkwardness he wished he was facing alone.

"It was so precious though. You treated her like a little princess. Itachi wasn't allowed to touch her or anything until the day she went missing. You cried so loud that the neighbors called the cops on us. Come to find out, Shari liked her too." She giggled at her son's loud groan of mental pain.

"Okay, I think I've suffered enough. Let me out." Sasuke hit his forehead against the door.

"I'm afraid we can't, Sasuke. Tsunade has ordered you on lock down." He stepped forward and embraced his youngest for the first time in years. "Please, just this once, don't go anywhere else. There's more to this than you know right now."

He returned the hug partially due to being stunned by it at first. "Like what?"

~ Thank you all for the favs, follows, and reviews no matter the context. Voice your concerns, spite, theories, advice, frustration, and ect to your heart's content at your will. Have a lovely day and a hopefully satisfying read. XoXoXo ~