Chapter 2: The Escape
Orochimaru smirked as he heard the alarms sound. Even in his high security cell separated from the other inmates, he knew what was going on. He was the one that orchestrated it. It was early morning, most of the other inmates were sleeping, while he was plotting, just waiting for the alarm to sound. He looked up at the sound of his cell opening to see the nervous guard looking around. "The deed is done," he told him, moving aside for Orochimaru to walk out of the cell. "Most of the guards are attending to Haru."
It had been a stroke of luck that Haru had been in the same prison as him his part of the crime. While it was known that he'd made a deal with the prosecutor to testify against Orochimaru for a lighter sentence, he had still been sentenced to a year in prison for his role. It made killing him so much easier. It'd be ruled a suicide when they found him hanging in his cell, using a bedsheet as a rope.
The young guard had been easily manipulated to do his bidding with the promise of money. He had plenty at his disposal hidden away in secret accounts that the police would never be able to track. It made him laugh how the government expected people to protect the citizens of the country but didn't pay them enough to prevent them from being able to be so easily convinced to help so long as you had enough money to make it worth their while. "Good, are the cameras cut?" he asked.
"Whoever you hired has it on a loop of tape from the last ten minutes, they won't see a thing," he assured the other man.
"Expect the money in your account within the week," Orochimaru told him as he took the clothes the guard had pulled from his belongings when he had been taken in.
"You should go, they won't be distracted for long," the guard told him as he handed him the key he'd need to follow their plan.
After months of planning, his escape was finally coming to fruition. He made his way down the corridors of their planned route, where carefully selected guards would be the only ones in the area, through the locked doors that were solely for the guards. The warden's office was the only place in the prison with a window without bars and he'd be at Haru's cell. Once he made it tot he office, Orochimaru smirked to see that in his rush he'd left the door slightly open. "Idiot," he mumbled to himself as he escaped out the window.
Orochimaru made it to the car waiting for him, quickly getting in, "Let's get out of here."
Kabuto nodded as he pulled away, "It went smoothly I take it." He didn't drive too fast, not wanting to gain any attention. While Orochimaru had been put in prison without bail pending his trial, Kabuto had been granted bail as the Judge did not think he'd be a risk so long as Orochimaru remained behind bars. They had underestimated his loyalty to the older man.
"Do you have the house set up?" he asked as they continued to drive out of the city to a remote area in the nearby forest.
"Yes, we have everything we need to survive for a while. There is a soundproof basement should anyone happen to stop by and loyal security guards to patrol the area. We have created Soma the best resume so when they decide to hire Sasuke to get bodyguards he is sure to be chosen. The Uchihas will only accept the best," he told him, going over the details of their plans.
"Have you figured out a doctor yet?" he asked.
"He's the only missing piece of the puzzle. I believe we have a good candidate that frequents Sasuke's usual coffee shop. He has a family that we can use as leverage, but I think you'll need to talk to him personally to convince him that the threat is real," he explained. "You know how easy people with kids are, they'll do anything to protect them."
Orochimaru hummed in approval of the plan. "Sounds like everything is set in motion, this will be fun," he told him with a sadistic smirk. He had big plans for Sasuke. Orochimaru knew if his case had gone to trial, he'd likely be convicted so planning an escape made no difference to him other than the fact that he could finish what he started, but first he'd have some fun. Maybe even take it a little further than he used to. Sasuke had turned into such an attractive young man, it'd be a shame to not take advantage of it. Perhaps he'd save it for the end, let the anticipation build.
"What are you thinking?" Kabuto asked, seeing that the other man was deep in thought.
"Nothing you need to worry about," he told him with an evil glint in his eyes. Kabuto didn't ask any further questions, knowing that he probably didn't want to know.
NS
Sasuke was making breakfast and turned on the news. A call from an unknown number had woken him up. Though the number did look familiar, he didn't bother to answer, figuring it was probably just a spam call. He turned on the television, switching it to the news for some background noise. He hadn't woken Naruto up yet, knowing the smell of bacon would do it for him.
"We have breaking news," the woman announced. "There was a prion break this morning. The police have announced that former business man, Orochimaru, escaped early this morning. Inside sources tell us that he used the death of another inmate as a diversion and may have had assistance of a guard as part of his escape. Orochimaru has been charged with attempted murder of the youngest Uchiha heir. The Court has not allowed the media in any of the proceedings, it is known that he was being held without bail. Trial was expected to start later this year. Police said he is potentially armed and dangerous. They ask any citizens to report a siting, but to not approach him. We will continue to report on this matter as more is release."
Sasuke stood frozen as he stared at the television, which was currently showing a photo of the man of his nightmares. He looked down at his phone, which was once again ringing, and realized how he recognized the number. "Hello?" he answered, hoping this was all just a nightmare and that he'd wake up any minute.
"Can I speak to Sasuke Uchiha?" the man on the other end replied.
Sasuke's heart was racing, "This is him."
"Mr. Uchiha, this is Officer Ito, we met when you came to the precinct for your statement," he told him. When Sasuke remained silent he continued, "We need you to come down to the station, we believe you may be in danger. We are sending some officers to pick you up."
Sasuke wanted to refuse, but he knew the issue had to be addressed. "Okay," he agreed, his voice shaky.
"Please do not go outside until the officers have arrived," he instructed. "Would you like me to stay on the line while you wait for the officers?"
"No, but what are their names?" he asked, wanting to make sure he'd be able to correctly identified.
"Officers Miura and Makino," he responded. "They should be there within ten minutes," he told him before hanging up.
Sasuke felt like crying, but held back, knowing he had to wake up Naruto. He looked at the breakfast he was about to make before putting everything back. Sasuke anxiously made his way to their bedroom, looking at Naruto's sleeping form. "Baby," he climbed into bed, shaking Naruto awake. He tried to remain strong, but his voice was giving him away as tears ran down his cheeks. "Wake up," he held back the sob that was threatening to come out.
Naruto stirred, ready to pull Sasuke into his arms. He paused when he saw that Sasuke was crying, immediately sitting, suddenly wide awake. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare? Are you hurt?" he started looking for some form of injury.
"Naruto," Sasuke stopped him. "It's Orochimaru," he told him, tears flowing from his eyes as he held back a sob. He was terrified of what the officer had told him. The reporter's words kept repeating in his mind. He was terrified of the implications of what could happen. "He escaped," he fell into Naruto's arms, gripping his shirt as he cried.
Naruto's jaw dropped, that was the last thing he expected. It was supposed to be their day to just relax, not having to worry about anything. "What?" he stuttered. "That can't be right. Please tell me you just had a nightmare about him escaping."
Sasuke shook his head, "My nightmares are coming true." He pulled away, no longer able to conceal his sobs, "The police are on their way."
Naruto tried to remain strong for the both of them, but he was worried about what would happen. He couldn't imagine what Orochimaru might have planned, but it certainly would have something to do with Sasuke. The man wasn't just going to disappear. "Let's get ready," he said softly, running his fingers through Sasuke's hair, trying to comfort him. Sasuke couldn't say anything, he just let Naruto help him get up. The blond wiped away his tears, "We'll get through this."
Sasuke nodded, but neither of them were sure how true his statement was. It was quiet as they quickly got ready. Sasuke flinched a little at the sound of the knock on the door. Naruto stopped him from answering it, silently telling him to wait in case it wasn't the police. When he opened the door he looked at them, analyzing if they were actually officers.
"I'm Officer Miura and this is Officer Makino," one of the officers introduced. They were both dressed in the standard uniform, flashing their badges.
"That's who they said are coming," Sasuke told him, making Naruto move aside so the officers could enter. "Do we have to go down to the station?" Sasuke asked, not wanting to leave the feeling of safety his home provided.
"We think it'd be for the best," Officer Makino told him. The man wasn't being demanding, his voice was calm. It was clear he was trying not to spook the other man, knowing it was a sensitive topic that needed to be addressed with care.
Sasuke just nodded, knowing it was probably true, "Fine."
Naruto grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers, "I'll be with you the entire time." He tried to give a reassuring smile, but it was clear that he was just as worried as Sasuke. "It'll be okay."
Sasuke didn't answer, deciding to just follow the officers. He felt numb the entire way. Naruto's hand was the only thing keeping him grounded. He was holding back tears, not wanting to cry or show any weakness. Naruto squeezed his hand as if to silently tell him that it was okay to cry if he wanted to. The entire ride went by with a blur, he didn't even remember getting into the interview room. He knew they were trying to talk to him, but he couldn't hear a thing beyond the pounding of his heart. He was on the edge of a panic attack.
"Baby, it's okay," Naruto told him, cautiously letting go of his hand to rub his back. Sasuke seemed panicked, making Naruto stop and grab his hand again. "Look at me," he instructed. "Just breathe," he tried to calm the other man before it got worse. "You're okay."
Sasuke shook his head as he started to hyperventilate. He felt like he was suffocating as tears started rolling down his cheeks once again.
"Baby, look at me," Naruto tried to remain calm, but it was difficult when this happened. He'd slowly learned things that would help him, but it was hard. Their therapist had given him some suggestions to try, but they didn't always work. "I'm here," he said, reluctantly letting him go to pull him into his arms, rocking him a little as the other man cried.
The officers left to give them some privacy. "We'll be back," they told Naruto. He knew they'd be monitoring them, ready to come back once Sasuke calmed down or if they needed to call a doctor.
"Baby, I need you to breathe for me," he told him calmly. "Just like Dr. Tanaka told you," he tried, starting the breathing techniques with the hope that Sasuke would do the same. It took a while before he was able to get Sasuke to calm down enough to talk. He had silently told the police to leave them alone multiple times. Assuring them that he had it under control. It wasn't as bad as some of the panic attacks that Sasuke had in in the past.
"Is he ready to talk?" Officer Miura asked as they walked back in.
"Yes," Sasuke stuttered, trying to regain his composure. "Sorry," he mumbled, embarrassed that it happened.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Officer Makino told him as he sat across from them. "Tell us if you need a break, okay?" he asked, earning a nod from Sasuke. "Okay, I know that Officer Ito told you what happened, or at least a little bit," he said. Sasuke nodded again, not able to find his voice. "We want to make sure that you are protected," he assured him.
"How do you plan to do that?" Naruto asked, once again holding Sasuke's hand. He was anxious about what would happen. Would they try to make them go into witness protection?
"Normally we'd suggest witness protection," Officer Makino answered. "But, given the fact that you are a very public figure, we do not believe that would work. We'd like instead to assign some officers to monitor your office and home. We also suggest not going out unless absolutely necessary and if you do, then you contact us first so we can give you a police escort," he explained.
"I don't want a police escort," Sasuke argued. He felt like everything was out of his control. He didn't want to be monitored his entire life. He was under a microscope enough with the media and people watching his every move just for being an Uchiha.
"You need protection," Naruto argued. He knew how stubborn Sasuke was and had a feeling he'd try to reject the idea of police protection. Sasuke hated feeling weak or incapable of protecting himself. "Please, baby, I don't want anything to happen to you.
Sasuke shook his head, "Not the police. I'll hire my own body guards. I don't need officers following my every move." If he were going to have protection, he wanted to at least have control over who it would be. He was paranoid about the corruption in the police department. A guard had to help Orochimaru escape, who knew how many people he had in his pocket at the police station.
"We highly suggest an officer instead," Officer Makino told him, though he had a feeling that he wouldn't listen.
"No," Sasuke refused.
"At least let us give you protection until you hire someone," he suggested.
"No," Sasuke huffed. He knew Orochimaru. The man wasn't going to act immediately. He had to know the police would be there. He'd wait a while, wait until he felt the heat was off of him. Once the media stopped reporting on it all day every day. He might lurk in the shadows, but he wouldn't make a move. Not yet. Even if he did, he didn't trust the police to truly protect him.
"Sasuke," Naruto sighed, wishing his fiancé would listen. "It's for your protection."
"I appreciate the offer, but I can handle this myself. What I want to know is what you're doing to find him," Sasuke took a deep breath. It was clear he wasn't backing down.
Officer Miura was clearly frustrated, "We have every officer looking for him. We're doing press conferences and looking for any leads that we can."
"Find Kabuto," Sasuke huffed, not feeling like they were doing enough.
"It's not that easy, you know it," the officer replied.
"If you can't find one man that you're already supposed to be monitoring while he's out on bail, then how can you protect me?" Sasuke got up, ready to leave. "We're done here until you have a real lead," he huffed before storming out of the room. He was a mess of emotions. He wasn't sure if he wanted to scream or cry.
Naruto ran after him, stopping him from walking out of the station. "Babe, I need you to calm down. We were driven here by them, we need them to take us back."
"Fuck that," Sasuke growled.
Naruto frowned, "I know you're scared, but you know we shouldn't just be out walking around with no protection of any kind."
"I'm not letting him control my life again," Sasuke shook his head. "I can't just live my life in fear all of the time," he argued.
"Please baby, if you won't do it for yourself, do it for me," Naruto begged. He just wanted to make sure Sasuke would be okay.
"That's not fair," Sasuke replied softly. They looked at each other for a moment and he could see how scared Naruto was, "Fine, but I'm still not letting them monitor my every move everyday. I'll hire someone."
"Fine," Naruto compromised. "Now let's go home."
The car ride home was tense. The officers wanted to convince him that it was necessary for him to have their protection, but Sasuke was stubborn and refused to listen. When they got back to their house, Sasuke slammed the car door as he got out. Naruto sighed at the other man's actions, "Sorry officers."
The officers didn't respond as Naruto got out and followed Sasuke into their house. "Can you talk to me?" he asked as he shut the door. "Tell me what I can do."
Sasuke collapsed onto the couch, his head in his hands as he started to cry again. His strong demeanor fading away, "I'm scared."
"I know baby," the blond sat next to him, wrapping his arms around the other man. "We'll get through this."
"He's going to show up," Sasuke cried. "He's going to come back and this time he'll finish the job. The police are so corrupt they aren't actually going to try to find him, he has them on his payroll. I can't trust them," he explained.
Naruto understood why he'd feel that way. After everything that had happened, it was clear that Orochimaru did have some influence on certain officers and they had no idea which ones. "Then we'll hire some bodyguards. You can pick them. We'll get the best there are," he assured him. "I'll do everything I can to make sure nothing happens to you."
"Naruto, you can't promise that. You know how he is, he's everywhere. It's only a matter of time," he buried his face in the other man's chest as he sobbed. "I can't do this again."
"Would an appointment with Dr. Tanaka help?" he asked, as he rubbed his back, still holding him. He felt Sasuke nod against his chest. "I'll call her, see if we can get an emergency appointment," he told him, pulling away to grab his phone.
Sasuke shook his head as he grabbed Naruto's hand that had been reaching for his phone, "Call Monday, one day will be fine. Today I just need you to hold me."
Naruto tried to smile, though he still felt uneasy, "Let's go lay down then." All he could do was try to make Sasuke feel better in whatever way he needed him to. If he wanted to just lay in bed and cuddle, that is exactly what he'd do.
Sasuke followed him to the bedroom, texting his brother on his way. "Don't worry, I'm not going to work tomorrow," he told Naruto, knowing it would come up at some point. "Itachi would send me home if I even tried," he added. He'd text his brother to let him know what was going on and that he just wanted to be alone with Naruto that day. Itachi did't like it, but he understood that it was what Sasuke wanted.
"I love you," Naruto told him as they laid in bed, holding each other. The blond kissed his forehead as he tightly held the other man.
"I love you, too," Sasuke closed his eyes, gripping Naruto's shirt as if his life depended on it. He felt safe in Naruto's arms, as if nothing could go wrong even though he knew nothing was okay.