Chapter Four

"Running on Empty"

Warning: Abuse and torture...

Konoha's Infirmary

Once again Sasuke was back in the infirmary. Hokage orders. Danzō wanted to know what the demon did to his now-new favorite shinobi. As Tsunade began to examine him.

"It's imperative you tell me everything that happened," his eyes met her golden gaze.

"The demon was not what I expected..." Actually, he did not know what to expect. Fangs or maybe even some hideous demonic creature underneath. Instead, what he got was... He remembered removing the demon's mask but everything else was a blur. He could still feel those bronze digits slowly curling over his own as his entire body succumbed to a heat that was hard to even articulate let alone wrap his head around.

"Okay, that doesn't help me one bit." Tsunade's unamused tone snapped him from his reverie.

"For starters his name is Naruto... He also believes our Hokage tried to have him killed when he was an infant." He watched as she shot up from her seat. Her eyes widen in shock.

"Did I... Did I just hear that correctly?" Tsunade said that more to herself than to Sasuke.

"Our Hokage mentioned Minato's name initially he believed the demon to be him."

"I need to see him." Her tone was direct.

"You know something don't you?" She turned so her back was facing him. There was a brief moment of silence between them before the blonde snapped her fingers as if coming to a conclusion.

"If he is truly Naruto then I am afraid of what The Hokage has in store for him. That man is clever."

"Why?" What was their history?

"I'm afraid he's going to use every means possible to break him."

Konoha's Prison

It didn't take long for the news about the demon of fire country to spread. Who would willingly turn themselves in? The villagers had gathered outside the prison in hopes they could get any news. They were scared and rightly so. The last village that tried to cage the demon was leveled and there was nothing more than rubble that remained. The crowd had taken notice of Sasuke approaching, and they were curious about the genin who fought the demon and lived. They rushed to him grabbing his shirt and upper body, eager to know how he did it.

As he heard the echo of footsteps echoing off the prison walls. He tilted his head up smirking it was a matter of time before the torture began. "Bring it bitches."

They used every form of torture from beats with blunt objects to whips, it was only flesh. "That's all you got? My grandmother hits harder than that!" He managed to gasp out. The whipping had gone on for hours now even his torturers were beginning to tire. His back looked similar to that of graded cheese, and even though his beating was physically taxing he knew in a few days he would heal fully.

He heard a third enter his cell but this individual had stopped the shinobi from delivering another crack from the whip. "That's enough you two can leave." This Shinobi tone was smooth and calm. He lowered Naruto who was strung up like an ornament. The shinobi frowned at the demon's shredded back this had gone too far.

The blonde sat crossed-legged and hunched forward. They were quiet only the hum of his cell light offering solace between them. The demon spoke but his voice was hoarse.

"Oi, you got anything to eat? I thought I was you guys' guest?"

He turned to grin at the sterling-haired shinobi.

"How are you still conscious or in good spirits for that matter." Kakashi was taken aback. He watched as the blonde lowered his head his locks covering his face he started to sway before catching himself.

"I'll heal."

"I don't know if you're crazy or a damn fool."

"A little bit of both." He gave a breathy chuckle. The Jonin watched as a couple of droplets of blood collided with the cool ceil floor in front of the blonde's crossed legs.

Kakashi shook his head. He did not condone the abuse, especially from someone who willingly turned themselves in no matter what he'd done. However, a lot of his peers would disagree this particular blonde had made plenty of enemies.

This visit was different this time Sasuke watched as Naruto stood in the center of his cell. He was shirtless covered in fresh bruises and large welts. His head was tilted up towards the single-cell light, and at the same time, his pants hung dangerously low on that strong physique. He lifted his tone arms above his head his ribs were more visible he gave a nonchalant stretch.

Sasuke was shocked by the blonde's outward appearance it had only been a day. He was warned before setting foot into the prison that the demon had attacked two guards this was no normal punishment this was personal.

He had taken notice of the raven gracing him with a smile his bottom lip was split his teeth were also stained with blood, as he walked up to his cell bars pressing his forehead against the hardened steel bars. "You don't know how much I missed this." His eyes closed as he drank in the intoxicating scent of his mate.

"They said you attacked two guards."

Those blue pools snapped up at him. "Is that what they say? And do you believe them?" At first the blonde looked offended but that changed to a hint of sadness.

It was Sasuke who broke eye contact. "I don't know what to believe."

Subconsciously, he cocked his head to the side. Sure, he disagreed with torture, but the demon of fire country did attack two guards... Unless that was a lie then why would they torture him in the first place? And why would they do that when gaining his trust was of the utmost importance?

"Fair enough, I don't know what I expected... humans will never see me as anything more than a monster, and demons will only see me as inferior. I fit in no place." He turned from the bars walking away.

"Go home love I'm tired." It was his back that took the raven by surprise his back was split open through to the meat below close enough to expose bone there wasn't any sight of skin just deep gashes was this a whip for every life he had taken?

The sight of his back made Sasuke visibly sick. He felt like a child again he had run out of the prison and needed fresh air. He leaned forward to catch his breath that prison smelt metallic just like the forest.

"So, you have seen it too."

He jumped Kakashi was standing there crossed armed and leaning against the structure.

"Yeah…" that sight was enough to cause nightmares.

His sensei lowered his head.

"It's not right."

"He attacked two guards." He reasoned, and plus the demon was strong he could just heal himself right? His sensei had pierced his student with his steady gaze.

"They didn't beat him because he attacked some made-up guards. They did it just because they could, and they took shifts once one would tire another would come in and continue the onslaught."

No wonder he looked so hurt, but he never thought they would make up a story about it.

"Why would they lie to me?"

"Our Hokage don't know if he could trust you. He thinks there is something going on between the both of you."

The raven shook his head. "Minato was your former sensei before he became Hokage do you believe he had a child this entire time?"

"Yes, I do."

"What?"

"If he really is Uzumaki Naruto, then it makes sense why Danzō would want him dead."

The more he found out the more questions he had firstly, that the Uzumaki clan had been whipped out or so he thought.

"Why?"

"He's the grandson of the nine-tailed demon or Kurama for short."

His eyes widen Kurama was just one of the ten demon juggernauts that plague their world, but then they just up and vanished. After that night, Sasuke could not sleep even as his classmates whispered amongst themselves about Sasuke surviving an encounter with the demon. However, no one dared to approach him to ask how he and Sakura survived. No one knew the demon of fire country had declared Sasuke as his mate. Even as he believed he would be able to force sleep whenever he closed his eyes all he saw was that mutilated back. As soon as he flipped his sheets off, he decided to visit Tsunade's before visiting the prison.

Tsunade wasn't too happy receiving a knock on her apartment door. Whoever was brave enough to attempt this would be signing their death certificate.

"What!" She shouted swinging her front door open.

She saw a disgruntled-looking Sasuke.

"I need your help."

She pulled her silk robe tightly securing her belt so as to not expose herself. "What's so dire it needs my attention?"

"Can you accompany me to the prison?" Her blonde brows come together. "What happened?"

He just shook his head, "c'mon." He clasped his hand around her wrist pulling her from the doorway.

"Sasuke! I'm not even dressed." She was able to slip on her sandals and grabbed her medic bag. His urgency made Tsunade nervous. What had happened in that prison?

They were stopped by two guards. "Sorry but the prison is off-limits at this time Tsunade-sama."

"Was it not your Hokage orders that Sasuke be allowed full entry."

"Yes, ma'am but uh-"

"-Outta my way..." She shoved her way through the pair, having no time for damn protocols. Tsunade could be scary when she was angry. They moved down the hallway it was Tsunade's first time in the prison but she was unperturbed she pushed through the double doors in the room that housed the demon. He was sitting in the center again hunched over his knees drawled up to his chest while those tone arms embraced them. His back facing them.

"What the hell?" Tsunade snapped, moving closer to the steel bars

"Open it." She snarled. At first, the guards looked between themselves unsure of what to do.

He stepped forward unlocking the cell, as soon as the cell doors were opened rushing by and straight up to the Demon, she showed no sight of being scared.

The demon's head shot up startling him conscious. She got close enough to exclaim his back. "Don't move."

"First, I get beat, and then I receive treatment what did I do to be so lucky?" He gave a raspy chuckle.

"I'm working on my own accord... Well, actually it was Sasuke who came and got me." He glanced at them from over his shoulder.

"Aww, I didn't think you cared-"

He tried to turn around but was quickly stopped by Tsunade's's hand on the side of his face forcing him to look straight ahead. "Move again and I'll strangle you myself!" She started to clean and dressed his wounds.

"I'll be fine. I heal quite fast."

"Do you know how many germs are in these prison cells? Just shut up and let me finish."

"You do heal fast," She could see some of his wounds already starting to remodel themselves. She had him lift his arms as she wrapped him with bandages.

They both stood as he turned to thank her, "Oh... You look just like him."

His lips pressed and then the unsuspected happened she grabbed him by his upper arm pulling him closer before whispering. "I heard about Jiraiya."

Their eyes locked his face softening as he realized that this woman was the same one his god dad talked about. Her gigantic breast and take no shit attitude were spot on. He noted she had a nice figure for an old lady.

"Tsunade-sama we recommended you don't get too close to the demon." One guard interjected.

"I'm a big girl I can handle myself thank you." Her voice was soft but her expression told another story.

The raven had crossed the threshold moving closer to the pair, who both looked at him.

"I would advise you not to come any closer."

She released Naruto's arm stepping between the both of them. She came close enough to whisper in his ear.

"Now that he's injured. His body will crave any intimacy, and with you being his mate I don't think he will be able to control himself around you." The last thing Sasuke wanted was to be tackled and pawed all over. He involuntarily shivered at the thought.

Before he knew it he was pulled into a tight embrace by the blonde and in that instant, his body went stiff as a board, and arms firmly locked at his side. Their height difference was apparent Sasuke's head only came up to the blonde's chest Naruto's upper body draped over him like a blanket.

"Thank you," he murmured against his neck. Tsunade was just about to intervene but Sasuke lifted his hand to stop her. If it's just a hug he needs then he would grit and bare it even if it was uncomfortable having his personal space invaded. The warmth mixed with that scent was becoming all too much for the blonde. Sasuke's body grew even stiffer as he felt something rock solid pressed against his navel. Coyly, the pair both peer downward.

"Shit that was fast," Naruto had released his mate staring at his pants in shock. Oh yeah, that was definitely standing at attention.

If he wasn't injured Sasuke just might've uppercut him. His face turned three different shades of red as he went through the emotions of bewilderment, shock, and lastly rage!

"I tried to warn you," she grabbed his arm pulling him out of the cell.

"You two will never know what it's like, being completely enamored with someone to the point you would travel to pits of hell just for them, to be close enough to touch them and yet you can't. I can take a beating any day but this? This is my curse."

His chains prohibited him from following.

Tsunade turned to Sasuke.

"Give me your me shirt."

"Why?"

"You heard me." Once she realized he was hesitating she decided to take matters into her own hands grabbing his shirt at the hem and ripping it over his head.

"Seriously!?" He fought the urge to cross his arms, but at that moment he cupped his hand over the bite mark. He could feel those deep blue pools boring into him. He could just imagine what the blonde was think-nope he didn't want to know.

"Shut it, this is payback for pulling me out in the middle of the night in my nightgown." She toss the shirt at Naruto who caught it.

"That should tide you over. C'mon Sasuke we're leaving."

As the blonde watched their retreating backs he heard the raven mutter.

"That was my favorite shirt."

"Well, it's his now. Let's go."

A/N: Hope you all enjoy :D