Yamato stared at his boss, struggling to keep his mouth from falling open in shock. "If I may sir," he said slowly as he tried to wrap his mind around the situation. "Can I ask why I am fired?"
"For letting the suspected terrorist Uzumaki, Naruto escape."
His boss was a well-dressed, clean-cut older man, but known for being the lackey of the police commissioner. Given the information Anzo had told him, from the superiors' plan to make Uzumaki take the fall to the videotape she had found, it wasn't as much a surprise this came to be, but how fast it took place. He assumed he would have received one warning to stop looking into things, but that appeared not to be the case. They wanted a scapegoat now.
"Sir, with all due respect, in order for Uzumaki-san to escape, he would have needed to pass multiple officers to leave the building, and there is video evidence of me talking to Anzo during his escape in the next room. I had no possible reason to believe Uzumaki-san could have escaped and theoretically he should not have."
His boss, who had not even looked up from his report as he delivered his termination, had a stern look of a man who did not appreciate having to repeat himself. "Should the man who was in charge of the investigation not take the fault in his escape?"
Biting the inside of his cheek to avoid saying something he shouldn't, answered, "No, sir."
"Then this afternoon you will go to the press conference and announce your failure and your resignation, will you not."
"Sir, give me more time. I'm so close to finding him."
"Do not disgrace yourself further and step down from your position."
The cold look in his boss's eyes would not change no matter what he said. "Yes, sir. I will prepare my resignation letter." He bowed then left the office, his mind still running through scenarios as he walked to his desk.
He wasn't going to give up this case. He was worried about the kid who was obviously taken against his will by using him as a hostage and whether or not he and Anzo had truly been in danger. The thought of being used as leverage against someone angered him, and he had a strong urge to put his fist to that man's face for doing so.
He chuckled at his thought. The delinquent never really left him. He still had the urge to fight; it was just under better control than his childhood.
As he was about to sit down and write his letter, Anzo motioned for him in the corner of his eye. Her attire was odd. Instead of the usual inappropriate shirt and skirt, she wore a long-sleeve dress shirt and slacks. It was so out of place, it had taken Yamato a full two seconds to recognize her.
She tilted her head towards the storage room in the back, and curious as to what was going on, Yamato followed.
Stepping past the door, she closed it behind him. "I heard about what happened. Will you be okay?" She asked.
"It will be inconvenient," he said, thinking of the difficulty it will be to find another decent job. After the press conference, his reputation will be ruined, and his face will be known for a short while. He did have enough savings to last a couple of months without a job though while he waited for things to calm down. "But I will be okay."
"But you have no intention of giving up, do you?"
"No."
Anzo seemed to scrutinize his answer. Her behavior was strange. She was fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable. At first, he thought it was because of the clothes and she was just not used to them. "I… found more information." The way she said it, was what tipped him off that it wasn't the clothes, but the information she held.
"What is it?"
She pulled out a file from the shelf behind her, handing it to him. "The mystery man we were searching for, I found a possible point of interest of his." She didn't say more. She was avoiding his eyes.
Opening the file, he glanced over the information. "This place…" he said trailing off. It looked familiar.
Unconsciously, Anzo crossed her arms, covering her chest defensively, and her shoulders hunching over as if she was curling in on herself. "One of the bases from the Toy Box case," she answered.
"Toy Box? The suspected child kidnapper and murder Orochimaru?"
"No suspect about it. It was him," she assured him.
Yamato looked at the file again, reading over the location and looking at the CCTV picture of the man who did resemble their suspect walking in. "He was the reason you stated you wanted to join the police force in your interview, right?"
She nodded.
He remembered the case. Between Namikaze, Minato's case, and the Toy Box case there was a lot of pressure on the police department to have them solved. Given Anzo's age, she would have been 14 years old during the case. A bit young to pay attention to that type of story and take a personal interest in it.
He vaguely remembered the details. Orochimaru was a deranged individual found to have been conducting child experiments for the past 30 years. The farther the police dug into it, the more corpses they discovered. Having been doing these experiments around the world, more than 100 corpses were discovered from ages 2 to 16. They had finally managed to track down the current hideout when they arrived with it in flames. There were few survivors. Orochimaru was announced dead in the fire and only there were only 3 children who survived the fire. All names were kept from the public.
"From here on out, I'm backing out from this case. Going to that facility is probably not a good idea for me."
"Were you a victim?"
She smiled wryly. "No tact at all." Her smile fading, she added, "let's just say that case is the reason I dress the way I do and leave it at that."
Checking the address, he checked his watch. If he left after the conference, he could drive to Fukuoka and maybe catch a plane to Aomori if he got there before the airport closed for the night; otherwise, he would take the morning flight.
"Can you book me a flight to Aomori?"
"Already done," she handed him a bank book with two tickets inside, along with the book with 500,000 yen inside. "It isn't much, but hopefully it will cover living costs as you track him down."
"I can't take your savings," he insisted, trying to hand the book back but she took a step back.
"I'm not giving it to you. Are you crazy? I expect it all back one day. With interest."
"Anzo-san," he said wearily.
"I always had a feeling Orochimaru was alive. Now, there seems to be proof of that. Even if it's a copycat, I want you to take that bastard down. I want to do it myself, but I know that if a cop gets emotional about a case, she should step down. So, I want you to get him for me. Okay, Tenzo-senpai?"
How could he turn that down? Sighing, he caved. "If I catch this Itachi-bastard or Orochimaru-bastard, you'll be the first to know."
"You better."
He watched her leave then glanced at the bank book in his hand. He really couldn't screw up this investigation now, but he also knew she would be his inside contact. He would need one in the future. She was putting as much on the line aiding him as he was continuing this case. The least he could do was respect her wishes. Putting the bankbook into his pocket he left the storage room as well. He still needed to write his letter of resignation, but hiding the file took priority. He carefully blended the file with a pile of newspapers he had planned to bind with twine for recycling. His bag would be searched as he left the premises, but no one would look twice at him carrying recyclable material. He only had to ensure that no one tried to throw it out when he wasn't looking.
Little did he know that someone was watching everything from across the room.
Gaara frowned as he looked over the papers Sasuke had laid before him. "Where did you get this?" he said just below a whisper.
"They were in the file Uzumaki was carrying. You're telling me you didn't look?" Sasuke asked with doubt.
Gaara was transfixed on the documents. "He wouldn't show me and kept insisting they were only for you. He doesn't know about me after all."
"Is this related to what you told me about Orochimaru?"
Gaara nodded.
Sasuke leaned forward pointing a specific line on the document. "You said they were demonic beings. Is this what you were referring to?"
Gaara nodded again.
"Shit," he cursed under his breath. A demon was easier to handle. Demons were essentially intelligent beasts or spirits, but in the end, that was all they were. Beasts and past beings. There was no controlling this. Something much wiser and stronger than he could ever be. A creature to be worshipped and/or feared. "Orochimaru had every host?"
"At some point," Gaara said, gathering the papers. I had only met 4 others during my stay. Three were eventually killed."
"How is it possible for one human man to find and gather so many? I was under the impression the hunters kept an eye on them."
"The hunters cannot always see who the soul will possess. Occasionally, the lord will choose a body outside a known hunter family. They are usually found however as the behavior is often found erratic and dangerous in young children. Especially if they are the firstborn in the family with significant chakra.
"Other times, the hunters will look the opposite way. Hunters are cautious of the hosts and often loathe them. Most hosts suffer a form of abuse and mistreatment from their own people. The result being them often mentally unstable and aggressive," Gaara slowed, seeming to recall a memory. "Of course, their mental instability is mostly to their treatment and amplified by their lord, but hunters tend to chalk it up as the hosts being naturally influenced by evil. They are outcasts the day they are born and often die alone. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two leaders of the hunters handed the host over to him, not bothering to ask questions."
"From what I know, Uzumaki was well-loved by his parents and surprisingly stable emotionally. I do not think his parents would give him Orochimaru. I'm pretty sure, Orochimaru either lied to get him or took him by force."
Sasuke looked at the papers that he had spent days translating and decoding. "Was there any chance his parents could have given him up?"
"None," Gaara answered.
"A lot of these files are summaries of the tests back then. There are notes of him being special. What sets him apart from the others?"
Gaara eyed the candle he had lit on his desk─ a lavender scent. There was an urge he was fighting. As the corner of the papers crinkled, he eyed the fire. He wanted to burn Uzumaki's past away. Sasuke could see it. "Uzumaki… can hear him. Clearly. Everyone else heard occasional whispers, maybe felt their impulses, but Uzumaki could talk to his."
"If he could talk to his, wouldn't he know the truth?"
Gaara shook his head, dropping the papers onto the desk. "He probably thinks he's schizophrenic."
Sasuke took the stack of papers before Gaara lost his resolve and burned them. "My brother has been targeting Uzumaki since coming to Japan, and he knows his secret. He has to know."
"He must make the decision whether he wants to know or not on his own," Gaara's green eyes darted to the door behind Sasuke. "It isn't polite to eavesdrop, Uzumaki."
Looking back as well, Uzumaki entered, looking guilty for eavesdropping, but also downtrodden. If he hadn't felt him, how had Gaara?
"So there really is something I don't remember. I always kind of knew but it's weird to actually have it confirmed," he laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes. His forced smile dropped centimeter by centimeter. "What do I not remember, Gaara? Tell me, please."
Gaara just stared at his desk, unable to speak, unable to look at him.
"It's those nightmares, right?" Uzumaki asked. "Except, they're not nightmares, but memories."
"Yes," was all Gaara said.
Forcing his wilting smile to widen once again, Uzumaki laughed. "Come on, don't look so miserable. I'm the one without memories here. I was kind of getting tired of everyone tiptoeing around me anyway. It's not fair that everyone knows more about me than me after all."
"Once you remember, Uzumaki, you will not be able to go back to the way things were before. Are you ready for that?"
Uzumaki walked across the office, stopping in front of Gaara's desk. "Gaara," he said softly, "I already can't go back to how things were. I'm not even fully human anymore. I may as well go forward knowing as much as I can."
"I wish you wouldn't," he replied. Closing his eyes, he resigned to Uzumaki's decision. "Very well, I'll make the travel arrangements. Go pack."
"Thanks, Gaara."
Sasuke watched Uzumaki leave. He may put on a brave front, but Uzumaki was scared to know the truth. The night before entered his mind, how Uzumaki was shaking and crying like a small child. He admitted not wanting to remember, but Sasuke supposed he didn't have much of a choice.
"Here is the location you need to go to. If he goes there, he'll probably remember." Gaara slid a folded piece of paper. It seemed to have been prepared beforehand quite some time ago as on the outside was addressed to Uzumaki.
Sasuke swiped it off the desk, opening it and glancing at the map, and following instructions. "I see."
Gaara stared at his desk, at the pages containing his and Uzumaki's past.
"I will be there for him," Sasuke said, holding the pages to the candle and letting the tip burn. A soft wind spread the fire quickly, turning it into nothing but ashes in nearly a second. "Whatever my brother is planning, I won't let him harm Uzumaki again."
Gaara watched the ashes fall. "Can I take this to mean you've chosen him?"
"Don't lower your standards and be approving now." Sasuke pocketed the instructions and map. In a more serious tone, he added, "He deserves better."
"Perhaps," Gaara agreed. "But he needs you for now."
Sasuke smirked. "For now. Have a good day, Gaara-san."
He left Gaara's office, feeling the weight in his pocket. It was for the best Uzumaki knew. He needed to know how valuable he was. How potentially dangerous he was. The majority of what was in his brother file were reports on Uzumaki and the other hosts, a few memos, and hints at a plan. A plan involving the 8 lords.
He was no fool. There was no way Uzumaki grabbed anything his brother didn't want him to have. He was too smart for that. However, if anything on those memos were true, his brother would come back for Uzumaki and this time, he'll be there to intercept him.
Naruto slept on the plane ride back to Japan. It wasn't a restful sleep. He was alone. And there was silence. He often woke to feel Uchiha beside him and feeling him there put him at ease enough to try again.
Silence.
Waking up with his head on Uchiha's shoulder, he heard the pilot say they would be landing in ten minutes. Still groggy, he stayed where he was. Tiredly, he called out for the being inside him, and again he was meant with silence.
He sighed heavily. "Uchiha… can you talk for a bit?" He slurred tiredly.
Uchiha turned the page in his copy of The Wallstreet Journal. "Why?"
Softly, Naruto muttered, "I can't hear him anymore."
"Him?" he asked, closing his paper, and placing it in his lap.
"You were talking to Gaara about it earlier, right? Since Itachi stabbed me, I haven't heard him."
"Does that bother you?"
Naruto sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "It's like, even when he didn't talk, I could feel him there, and I loathed it. I hated when he spoke to me, hated when I felt that he was trying to manipulate me, but now that he's gone…"
"Do you know his name?"
"I feel like he told me a long time ago, but at the time I thought he was just a voice, so why should I name it?" He laughed depreciatingly. "I kind of regret it now. I might not hear him again."
"There is no point in dwelling on what should have been done. You should focus on what you can do."
"Yeah." It was great advice, but not exactly what he wanted to hear at the moment.
As the plane finished its landing and taxiing, Naruto awoke the rest of the way, realizing what exactly he said moments before. Uchiha probably thought he was crazy by now.
Uchiha then somehow got a car rental at the airport. Naruto even asked to see if he really had a license. Uchiha only responded that he's been driving cars since the late 1800s. It did not pass Naruto's notice that he never confirmed or denied his question.
Their destination was in the Hakkoda mountains. Uchiha drove as far as he could, but ultimately, they had to walk. Since getting off the plane, there was mainly silence between them. Uchiha seemed perfectly fine with it, but the silence was getting heavier as they neared their destination.
"How much farther? We've been walking for hours."
"You haven't noticed?" Uchiha asked, still looking straight ahead.
"Noticed what? That we came all the way out here with nothing to eat or drink," Naruto complained. He'd take anything, even an argument at this point.
"Shut up and listen for once."
Naruto had a retort ready to go but did as he was told. "I don't hear anything."
"There hasn't been a single noise or movement from an animal for a kilometer now," Uchiha said.
Naruto stopped, touching a tree. Uchiha was right, there was no sound now that he thought about it. Uchiha continued forward, but Naruto remained standing at that spot, seemingly rooted there. The air seemed heavy, dirty, tainted even. It was enough to make his skin crawl.
"Uzumaki, are you coming?"
Naruto fought against his body to keep going, not mentioning the feeling that was surrounding the mountain. If Naruto had to put a name to it, he'd call it cursed, but that was ridiculous. He didn't believe in gods or spirits. Then again, he didn't believe in vampires until recently either.
With one step then another, he forced himself to move from the spot, but it was only the beginning. As they traversed deeper into the mountain forest, they came upon an abandoned trail, one Naruto felt familiar with.
"There's the trail," Uchiha said, taking out the map. "It should be less than half a kilometer now."
"Yeah." The sun was starting to sink into the sky as evening approached.
As promised, a few minutes later, an abandoned facility came into view.
The facility was hidden well, embedded into the side of the mountain with the cover of trees to keep it hidden from aerial view. The building was charred, heavily damaged from a fire, but still miraculously standing. It had the appearance of a two-story office building. Other than the location, there was nothing odd from the outside. No fence. No defensive measures. It probably would have made it easier to find if it had all those things, but it was still strange. There was some police tape around the area, covered in dirt and grime, most fallen to the ground after all these years.
Naruto stopped upon seeing the building. He had definitely been here before. Dizziness swept over him and his legs weakened, causing him to stumble forward almost falling until Uchiha grabbed his arm to prevent him from doing so.
"Get moving you little monster."
Naruto whipped his head around to the path he had just come. Two men stood wearing black mercenary gear, holding assault rifles in their hands, shoving a small blond child out of the back of a van where two men in white waited. One had long black hair, a pale face, and a smile that would make paint peel. He was tall, and his posture forced as he tried to contain his glee. The other held a clipboard, scribbling notes furiously. He had no outstanding features other than Naruto feeling as if he resembled someone he knew.
"Be careful with the subject," the black-haired man snapped at the two-armed men. His smile never fell, and he approached the child, turning his creepy gaze onto him. "A subject like him is irreplaceable."
The armed men looked annoyed, but chose to stay silent apart from a simple, "yes, sir." The child had a large purple bruise on the side of his face, yet he radiated defiance, looking at the black-haired man head on despite his trembling body.
Naruto watched as they ushered the child inside.
A light touch on Naruto's shoulder yanked his attention to Uchiha, giving him a sense of whiplash being jerked from one reality to another. His training from Kisame had kicked in, grabbing Uchiha's wrist to throw him over his shoulder, but didn't follow through, coming to his senses beforehand.
His grip moved from Uchiha's wrist to his hand, grasping it tightly as his anchor to reality. "I'm okay," he said. "Just seeing things."
"Will you turn back?" Uchiha asked.
Yes! Was what he wanted to scream. Instead, he shook his head continuing forward, not saying a thing.
The door was burned down, so it was easy enough to get inside. The floor was mostly destroyed, debris everywhere with the remnants of office desks and what looked like a melted copier nearby. That wasn't what Naruto saw. He saw office workers milling about all dressed in standard salarymen suits. Everyone working swiftly and efficiently, not looking up from their desks.
"This way" the men in white walked towards the back of the office. The young, ordinary-looking man kept glancing at the older Naruto. "We can't express how glad we are to have you, Naruto-kun. It is rare to have a specimen with your background." There was a hint of resentment in his voice. "I'm sure you'll produce fascinating results."
They entered a back office.
In reality, the office was barred from a fallen beam. With just a glance to Uchiha, the vampire moved it for him. The inside of the back office was just like the rest, scorched and falling apart. There were darkened sheets that looked like paper and books on the floor, but with the slightest disturbance crumbled to dust. They were impossible to recover from age and damage.
"This place isn't normal," Uchiha commented, keeping his hands in his pockets. It was pretty dark in the back office as there was less outside light able to get in due to the location of the office. "The earth hasn't begun to reclaim it yet."
Naruto didn't know what he was talking about. He couldn't see what he could. Naruto's vision was a mass of past and present overlapping each other, and it was difficult to distinguish one from the other.
"I hope you make a friend here, Naruto-kun. We tend to get better results when the subjects make a bond. Subject 32 has yet to make a friend. Perhaps you can be the first." The ordinary man moved pressed a panel on the wall, revealing a concealed elevator.
"There. There's a hidden elevator." Naruto pointed at the wall.
Uchiha gave him a glance. He stepped forward and two slices appearing as a gigantic X appeared in the wall. It was hard to see, but Naruto had seen what looked to be distorted air in the form of blades, cutting into the wall. With a kick, Uchiha forced the hidden doors into the elevator shaft, falling to the bottom.
Unexpectedly, there were lights in the elevator shaft, leading down. How did this place still have power?
"How are we going to get down?" Naruto asked.
His answer? Uchiha picking him up and jumping down the shaft before Naruto could even comprehend what had happened. It was his fault really. He still thought as a human rather than a vampire, but he refused to be carried like a girl. So when they landed, he punched Uchiha's jaw.
Uchiha glared, and Naruto glared back. "Last time, stop manhandling me all the time.
"Like you don't like it," Uchiha said under his breath. That earned him another sock in the jaw. Sometimes Uchiha was one of the most mature people he knew. Other times, he was petty and as mature as any other teen.
"Is your memory coming back then," Uchiha asked as he peeled the top to the elevator open then proceeded to open those elevator doors as well.
"It's… playing like a movie," Naruto said. Uchiha waited for him to elaborate. "It's like I'm seeing the past overtop the present like a hallucination. Just snippets, but I'm seeing them from the outside as if I'm watching my own memories from an outsider's point of view." Naruto squeezed his eyes shut. "Maybe I am just insane."
"Except, what your seeing is coinciding with reality. I have no doubt it's the truth." Uchiha said. "Gaara has been keeping things from you, and you have let him, letting him baby you. Do you plan to keep hiding from your past?"
Naruto opened his eyes and uncertainty lingered in them. "That's not what I—"
"I don't need anyone who is going to run," Uchiha stepped out of the elevator.
Anger flared up in Naruto and his uncertainty left him as anger replaced it. "I'm here aren't I, you bastard. You have no idea what it's like."
"Then prove to me this, like everything else so far, is not a challenge for you. Prove to me that you won't be taken advantage of again. Whether you're my brother's hostage or hostage to your fear and ignorance, it's the same. If you can't break free, you may as well lay down and wait to die."
Naruto clenched his fists and stormed out of the elevator, entering the hallway.
White walls. White floors. White doors.
Seeing it all, Naruto faltered, his chest constricting at the sight.
Don't be afraid, kit.
Naruto's heart jumped at the sound of the voice. Hey, are you there? Hello? He called out to the voice.
"I'm not scared." The voice that had responded was much younger and much more familiar. "These stupid adults can't do nothing. My daddy will beat them up if they try."
"Are you talking to him, Naruto-kun?" The long- black hair man spoke. His eyes boring into him. "Tell me, what is he saying? What are you feeling right now?"
The way that man looked at him gave him chills. Naruto wasn't human when that man looked at him. He was an experiment, an object of curiosity.
Naruto shook his head to clear his vision. "Uchiha?" He was nowhere to be seen.
Naruto had seen a lot of horror movies and this place fit the bill. The interior of the lower floor didn't help either. The place was the picture of a war zone. There were craters in the floors, scorches on the walls, a few skeletons left behind. Bullet holes littered the surrounding area as well as sword marks here and there, and strangely enough, talismans.
Assuring himself that Uchiha was just checking out nearby rooms, continued slowly down the long hallway. The first half of the doors seemed to lead to additional offices, nothing spectacular about them other than being spared from the fire that had happened above ground. Those offices had names on them of who they belonged to written on the door, though the names had faded significantly.
Further back, the names turned to numbers: 1 through 8. He was drawn to seven like a string was pulling him to it. He paused at the door. It was partially ajar. This was it. The moment he went in there was no turning back. He had meant what he said to Itachi. He would get stronger and if he didn't know he could never get past where he stood now.
He pushed open the door.
Violent images and clips rushed into his mind, a flood of memories having been unleashed. It hit him so hard and sudden, he fell to his knees, his body shaking uncontrollably, and his breath stolen from him. That hospital bed in the center of the room. Just a glance had sent Naruto hurling down the rabbit hole of memories, assaulting him left and right, overlapping and mixing. Screams and cries for help, blended into the mix. Some memories stood out more amongst the maelstrom than others.
Monster.
Help me, Daddy.
Stop your crying.
Demon.
No one will ever love you.
Good results Naruto-kun.
It's your birthday, little shit. Don't expect a cake.
Naruto, go. Leave me.
I'm here son.
There was so much. His hands clamped over his ears trying to drown it all out but to no avail. So much happened in this room. The pain. The fear. The anger and sorrow. The loss of hope.
The negative emotions were pulling him down into the depths of a dark pit he couldn't escape from, clawing at him to join them in their despair.
Then it all stopped.
Naruto didn't move right away, afraid that when he opened it would continue, he took his time regaining his balance. It took him longer to realize he was in a warm embrace. Another second to realize it was Uchiha.
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, not bothering to move at first.
"You didn't wake up with me slapping you, so I thought I'd try something else."
It should have been a joke, but Naruto felt his cheek stinging. Bastard would try to hit him first.
He pushed away from him. "I'm okay. I think… I remember. Almost everything."
"Almost?"
"Yeah, there's just one last place to go." Naruto stood, feeling steady on his feet for the first time. "You coming?"
"Do you know where to go?"
Naruto smiled. "Follow me."
He led them from the room, not looking anywhere else except his destination. Down the corridors and down a set of stairs, turning a few corners, they entered a holding cell area.
There were rows and rows of them. Clear cells, lining the corridor like a prison. Each cell had a futon and toilet inside. Nothing else. Not even a sink.
"This is your new home, Subject 193." The ordinary man said.
"Don't be inconsiderate," there was silence where the name should have been. "Naruto-kun is special. He should keep his name."
The ordinary man led him to the cell and locked him inside. "Get acquainted with your new room. Someone will bring your dinner shortly."
Naruto stopped at the cell he had been shoved into as a child, watching his younger self look around his new quarters. The child's bottom lip quivered like he was going to cry, but he puffed out his small chest, trying to be strong. Observing his surrounding, the young Naruto noticed another child, one with red hair curled up on his futon.
Delighted that there was another child with him, the young Naruto called out to the cell across from his. "Hey, you. My name's Uzumaki, Naruto. What's yours?"
The child's head snapped up, brown eyes staring at him as he growled even snarled at him. The child was nearly feral by the way he moved like an animal, going deeper into his cell, staying in a corner. Bruises and small wounds caused by needles, peeked out from underneath the red head's sleeve whenever he moved.
That was the response the young Naruto got every time he tried to speak to him. While most would give up, Naruto didn't. Who else could he talk to? There was no one there, and Naruto soon understood where the other child had picked up his injuries as he too was subjugated to them too. With no one else to reach out to, he kept talking about anything and everything that came to his mind, telling him stories of the outside world, and when he ran out of real-life stories, he tried to make one up about the 5 rangers he had seen on TV or about ninja and samurai.
The boy didn't seem interested at first, but slowly as the red-headed child came back time and time again, bleeding and scared, he slowly began to listen, paying rapt attention to his stories, moving closer and closer to the door of the cell. When he wasn't snarling, the child was timid. He never spoke, not even to Naruto's simple question.
More time went by, and the experiments Naruto underwent became worse and worse. His fragile will breaking. He was only a child. There was only so much hope he could hold onto. He didn't know why he was there or where his father was, and the realization that this was his new home slowly sank in.
After one particularly bad experiment, Naruto was thrown into his cell by a carefree guard. He was terrified, flinching at every sound, curling up and muttering to himself.
That was when the other child finally spoke. His voice was soft and rough. "S-subject. . . 32."
Naruto was unsure of what he heard, lifting his head from the safety of his ball. Just across from him, the red-headed child was sitting on his knees, hands in his lap, looking down at them occasionally glancing up nervously at him before looking back down.
A name, he finally realized.
"Not that name." he finally said, unfurling from his ball even more. "The one your mom and dad gave you."
The child seemed confused at first, his brows knitting together. He replied even softer this time. "Ga-Ah…ra."
"Gaara-kun?"
The small child gave a sharp nod then scuttled back to his small corner, but Naruto gave him a soft smile through his pain. "When my daddy finds me, I'll make him bring you too. 'Kay?"
Gaara's lips twitched into a weak form of a smile like he had never smiled before and was trying to copy Naruto's, but it gave comfort to the young Naruto that perhaps he had made a friend.
Finally making a friend, kit? How cute, the voice said sarcastically. You are annoyingly cheerful.
"You could be nicer. It's your fault they hurt me."
Humans are worse than any demon, the voice said.
"Stop talking to me. I'm not supposed to talk to you." The young Naruto placed his head on his knees.
And why is that? No one's been able to talk to me since I was free.
"Then you shouldn't do bad things. They lock you up when your bad."
Are you bad then?
The young Naruto's eyes teared as despair washed over him. That's what a lot of the guards kept telling him. That he was a monster. That meant he was bad right? But he didn't know how to fix it.
You know kit, you could be friends with me.
"If I don't talk to you anymore, I can go home. I don't want to talk to you anymore."
Stop being rude, brat. It's not "you". You named me Kurama.
Naruto smiled at the memory. "Kurama," he said. The name stirred something inside him, a familiar presence.
"Did you remember something important?" Sasuke asked, standing beside him and looking at the cell Naruto had been fixated on for the past few minutes.
"Yeah, I named him Kurama." Something akin to pride shined in his voice.
Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of a gun being cocked back stopped him as well as the feel of a muzzle pressing against his skull. "Don't move."