Chapter 9.

Needles

It was Friday when Sasuke decides that he had been entirely wrong in his thought about Ino Yamanka being nice. Ino Yamanka is the devil in kitten heels. She's trapped him and Naruto like dogs. She's all smiles, but now Sasuke knows it's bullshit. Sakura would have never done them this way.

Sasuke is trying to stew on his thoughts silently. Calm, cool, and collected. He chants in his head. But Naruto is pacing, and it's distracting him. He's running his hands all every crevice of the hospital room turned cage, looking for any kind of weakness he can exploit. There isn't any point to his actions, Sasuke already checked.

Naruto's comment to Kakashi the other night had not gone unheard.

'You'd have to put me in a cage to get me back to that place.' Naruto had told their Sensei in reference to the hospital. It seemed his comment had inspired Kakashi.

Sasuke and Naruto are stuck in a literal cage now. There are no windows. There is one light that flickers every few minutes. An exam table is in the middle of the room. The room has been sealed so that they cannot use their chakra inside it. Naruto and Sasuke are as good as civilians in here.

"What's she gonna do to us?" Naruto is letting his imagination get the best of him, and Sasuke doesn't bother answering him.

Sasuke is waiting. As soon as that damn door opens, he's gone. Naruto will be his distraction, Ino will be so busy with him, she won't even notice Sasuke slip out.

"Idiot." Sasuke says as Naruto tries to kick the door down, but flings himself backward instead.

"She got you first. So if i'm an idiot, what does that make you?"

The little troll has him there. What reason would Sasuke have had not to trust Ino, up until now of course? She came off entirely genuine. She has been one of the few people with kind words for him upon his return.

Sasuke came immediately when one of the students Ino works with at the hospital showed up at Sakura's door. The kid she sent had said Ino needed his help with something. Sasuke didn't even know he had been played until he heard Ino shut the door, and the lock turn.

Then after what was either an hour or 5 minutes Naruto got tossed in here with him. Sasuke has forgotten that, the other rookie 9 grew up in his absence. They aren't kids, they are every bit as capable of deceit as he is.

"You just going to stand there?"

"It's a literal cage. We can't get out. It's chakra proofed and locked. Nice job, on giving Kakashi ideas on how to torture us, by the way. If you keep slamming yourself against that door you're just gonna give Ino a broken arm to heal when she comes back." Actually, Sasuke thinks to himself that might work for his distraction.

Sasuke pushes off from the wall he was leaning on, and motions for Naruto to continue drilling the door.

"Thought you said we can't get out."

"No, i think you're really on to something." Sasuke lies.

Then as Naruto is about to slam himself back into the door again, it opens.

Here we go. Sasuke's eyes are locked on the door in a second. Dammit.

Ino is flanked by Shikamaru, who's smiling at them both and Sasuke decides it bodes badly for them. Shikamaru is the current president of the 'i hate Sasuke' club according to Naruto and Sasuke is hoping to change his mind. Shikamaru holds position, and influence among the others. Sasuke respects him. Whatever torture Ino has in store for him, it will have to be suffered.

Ino has a box of what seems to be medical equipment in her arms, and as she enters the room Naruto knocks it to the ground. He had the same plan Sasuke did. Distraction, and escape. Sasuke is pinned against the wall by Shikamaru before he can say or do anything. His shoulder takes the impact.

Naruto nearly makes it out of the room, but the second he crosses the threshold he's knocked back hard. Choji stands outside, taking up the entire doorway with his enormously large physique.

Naruto stares up at Choji from the floor, sheepishly. He rubs the back of his head in that dopey way he does. "Oh hey, there Choji, didn't see you standing out there."

"You guys good in here?" Choji asks his teammates, while patting his robust waist.

Ino picks up the box with a glare at Naruto.

When they give their consent Choji slams the door closed with a haunting, jolly laugh. 1 guard in the room, and 1 outside Kakashi, thought of everything.

"I had a feeling you guys would make this harder than it needed to be." Shikamaru pushes Sasuke into the wall harder, then releases him all at once.

Sasuke rubs his shoulder.

"You were just going to leave me behind, huh?" Sasuke accuses Naruto. "What a teammate."

"It's every man for himself in this place." Naruto says picking himself off the ground.

Sasuke has slowly moved to stand as far away from Ino as possible. She rifles threw her box of what might be torture instruments. It's got to be why she hid them in the box. It's nerve racking. Naruto joins him to lean against the wall.

"Look guys, just let Ino do her job, and we can all go home, okay?" Shikamaru makes it sound easy, but he isn't the one that's been caged like an animal.

"I thought we were friends." Naruto says to Shikamaru.

"We are. But after this you might not want to be friends until tomorrow."

Sasuke's stomach sinks. It's needles, it's got to be needles. This is why he hates this place. He'd rather naw his own hand off than get a shot. Naruto he knows shares his sentiment. When they were genin they avoided the hospital like the plague and the feeling has not faded with age. Naruto is looking around the room shiftily, probably looking for another opening to sacrifice Sasuke for his own escape.

"Kakashi had me dig out your medical files. He knew you were about due for a work up Naruto. And Sasuke boy are you overdue. Just a quick few jabs and we'll be done, and you boys will have your medical clearance." Ino puts on a fresh pair of gloves.

Medical clearance. That's what this was about? Sasuke will have a bone to pick with the Hokage when this is over, he decides. Sasuke has made no declaration of allegiance to the leaf, and doesn't plan to. Why was he being subjected to their medical evaluations?

"You know," Ino says rubbing her forehead with the back of a gloved hand. "we should really talk about your mental health to, you know there's no shame in PTSD-"

"Lalalalalalaalala" Naruto has his hands over his ears. "I can't hear you."

Ino sighs like she expects as much from Naruto. She peers at Sasuke but he gives nothing away. He absolutely does not want to have a discussion about his mental health, especially not with Naruto and Shikamaru in the room. Once in awhile Naruto's childishness pays off, and he's glad it's paying off right now.

"All-right who wants to go first?" Ino turns to them like she's offering sweets, and not pain.

No one volunteers.

"Well i guess you can pick Shikamaru. Just grab whichever-"

Sasuke shoves Naruto off the wall, and within Ino's reach. Naruto turns to glare up at him.

"Every man for himself." Sasuke reminds him.

"Ino-" Naruto starts, as she guides him to sit on the table in the middle of the room. "I just want you to remember, i'll be the Hokage someday so just-" Naruto is about to run for it, even though he has no where to go.

Ino goes to uncap what is definitely a needle, and Naruto bucks backward.

"Grab him, Shikamaru!"

There is scuffling. The sound of metal scraping. Then the piercing scream Naruto makes when Ino's pricked him.

"Come on that wasn't so bad. I'm telling the Hokage what big babies his students are, when we're done." Ino flips her ponytail back.

"Kakashi, can shove it." Naruto grouches rubbing his sore arm.

"Is that anyway to talk about your Sensei? He made sure his disciples got the very best care today, he went through all that trouble for you, and somehow you can be ungrateful?" She motions around the room as if they should be astounded by the glamour of it. The room stinks of antiseptic, it's not what Sasuke thinks of when he imagines revolutionary healthcare. Ino uses Naruto's moment of distraction to stick him a second time.

"Son of-" Naruto tries to back away from her, but Shikamaru holds him in place. "When is it his turn?" He whines looking in Sasuke's direction.

Ino jiggles the box she brought in. There seems to be quite a few more shots to go for them both.

Sasuke is tapping his foot. Willing this to be done and over, and then he remembers something he had forgotten until now. When they were genin Sakura gave him his shots before they would leave for missions, if he needed them. She was always so quick, it was never that bad when she did them, but maybe it was just because Sakura had been the one behind the needle.

When Ino is done with Naruto. Sasuke squares his shoulders, and gives Shikamaru a look that tells him his services aren't needed any longer. He sits on the table, and he does it bravely because he's imagining Sakura holding the syringe. The blonde hair blue eyed woman in front of him melts away. In her place, Sakura materializes. Her big green eyes of hope stare at him expectantly, asking for his arm. He gives it willingly, his other arm clutches at the bottom of her shirt pulling her closer to him. Keeping her tight next to him, in place. He watches her work. Sasuke's is so entranced by his own imagination he doesn't realize when it's over.

Naruto clears his throat from somewhere, and Sakura disappears. Sasuke releases Ino's shirt, and looks away embarrassed.

A dark part of Sasuke's mind tells him how unhealthy it is. To hallucinate someone. He's not sure if it's of his own volition at this point or if he can't control it. It's likely his lack of sleep is spurning these visions of Sakura to come to life. He doesn't really care either way, he just knows he doesn't want them to ever stop.

"Sorry." He tells Ino.

"It's, allright Sasuke."

Author's note/ I hope you guys got a laugh out of Sasuke and Naruto in this chapter. They will die for each other, but there is no way they are gonna take a needle. Next chapter is going to contain the mildest of spice you can imagine. Naruto x Hinata fans can rejoice. Also i am thrilled to see the reaction at our first big twist in the story next chapter. Let me know what you think in the comments. I possibly, may, release chapter 10 tonight.