Hello everyone, it's been a long time. Practically eleven years to be exact! I didn't think I would ever finish this, or any of my other stories. I had been busy with life, and time really just flew by. Without further ado, please enjoy the last chapter of Usagi Hyrugi!
Warning: Mature themes, character deaths.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, only the plot!
Sasuke's POV:
A wild good chase. That's what this all was. The address had been a decoy, there was no longer a lab to find. No Minato. Has this been a part of the scientist's plan? Lure us away from the circus with that address, and what would we find when we returned? My stomach was in knots, I urged Itachi to drive faster back to the circus.
As the large tent came into view, my uneasiness only grew. It was still early in the day, but there wasn't any music playing. If everything was going as scheduled, the cast should have been in the middle of a show right now. Itachi must have realized this too as he pulled the car over to the side, "I'll check the cast, you go look for Naruto and Kimmimaro."
I don't give him an answer as I jump out of the passenger side and run towards the blond's building. The ticket podium had been empty, so that was where he would be. He had to. I burst inside the room, but found it empty. Despair fills me at the sight, and while there was no proof of a struggle, it was obvious that he had been taken.
"There gone too," I heard Itachi speak behind me, and turn to him in disbelief.
"All of them?" I couldn't believe it. What would we do now? How would we find them now?
Itachi didn't answer me, but I hadn't expected him to. Instead he updated me on the status of the circus, "there were animal like tracks by the podium, but other than that I saw no signs of struggle." Animal like tracks?
Reluctantly I close the blond's door behind me and follow Itachi as he takes me to the front of the circus tent and to the podium. As we arrived, I could see what he said was true.
These didn't look like normal animal tracks, they were large and almost… reptilian? The only animal that came into mind was maybe some kind of komodo dragon. Or maybe some other kind of monitor lizard? Whatever it was, it was large and I was sure it was connected to this whole mess.
"I don't see the collar Naruto was wearing here, do you think he still has it on?" I look up in shock at my brother, how could I have forgotten?
"Possibly. There is only one way to find out," I rise from the ground that I had been crouching down on to look at the tracks. "The tracker is in my room, come on."
If we were lucky, the tracker would be in range and we could find the whereabouts of both the cast and Naruto in time. If not, well I didn't want to think about that.
"When you were in the cast's building, were there any signs of a struggle?" I asked Itachi as we made our way to the room. Maybe there had been a clue there?
"Unfortunately, no." Itachi sounded dejected. "Everything was in its place, and there wasn't anything out of the ordinary." He must have seen the desperation on my face because he continued, "don't worry. We will figure this out. Since when do we Uchiha ever falter?"
He was right, I had to pull it together. If I couldn't, we would have no chance of finding them. We made it to my room, and to my dismay, it was no longer locked as I had left it. Only I had the key, so the only way to get in would have been to break the lock. The latter proved true as I noticed the scratched mechanism that was in shambles. I reached for the door cautiously, but Itachi grabbed my hand. "Wait, let me go first."
I gave him a glare, I wasn't a child. Nonetheless, I moved aside at his insistence. He took my place and as he carefully pushed open the door, I heard him suck in his breath. "What's wrong?" I was almost afraid to ask, and as I tried to enter, he shoved me back.
"I don't think you should see this," he muttered, but I ignored him. Knocking his arm away from me, I forced him away.
I stopped in the doorway. The room was drenched in red. It looked as if someone had broken a piñata, and it had been filled to the brim with bodily fluids. My eyes took it all in, falling onto the bed and shock rendered me speechless.
Minato had made his move alright, and he had taken everything. There was no question now about why Shikamaru had disappeared. He had been taken again, but this time he was not as lucky. We had our disagreements, but I never wanted something like this to happen.
There was a lot of blood splattered around the room, but I knew it couldn't all be his alone. Despite the fact that there was no doubt I was looking at the severed head of the brunette sitting on bed. Who else was all over the walls? The other cast members? Naruto? There were no other body parts that I could see.
"The tracking device Sasuke." The soft voice of my brother forced me to tear my eyes away from the scene and to him. "I know it's hard, but we need to move."
"Ok." I managed to breath out. He was right, we needed to focus. I made my way to my drawers, trying not to look at the bed again and ignore the fact that I was stepping in what was once my friend's blood. I pulled open the drawer, and it seemed like everything else in the room was left untouched. The device was still there, and turning it on, I was filled with relief. The device was working, and the location was clear.
"Are we good to go?" He asked. I simply nodded. "Good, let's move." I heard him turn and leave and I followed, giving one last look to the room as I closed the door behind us. We would make this right, I was going to kill him if it took every last bit of my strength. That was a promise.
Naruto's POV:
There was an incessant dripping somewhere, and it was driving me insane. Not only had I reawaken sore in the same position, but now there was a steady drip of water that was grating on my nerves!
I had no idea how long I had been down here. Hours, maybe days? My father had not come to see me, and I was glad for that. I wouldn't be able to face him without shouting obscenities at him. Had I not been tied, I would have hit him or worse.
He had caused so much trouble for so many people, and had killed god knows how much. What had he aimed for? What was his goal? I had so many questions. The man known as Minato. Who was he really?
The sound of a heavy door opening tore me from my thoughts and the sound of small feet came towards me. I looked confused at the two children standing in front of me. "Kimimaro?" Why was he here? Didn't I tell him to run? And who was the young girl standing next to him?
She looked young, maybe around the same age as Kimimaro. Her orangish brown hair was pulled into two large ponytails, and there was a large bandage covering her neck. Was she another of Minato's experiments? As I studied the quiet girl more, I noticed she was barefoot.
It was too dim to notice anything more, so I looked back to Kimimaro. "Who's your friend?" I give her a smile, but her eyes don't seem to even register that anyone else was in the room with her. It was a dead gaze, one filled with defeat.
"Moegi." Kimimaro murmured. Was that her name?
"It's very nice to meet you Moegi," I say, but I'm filled slightly with dread. Why were both of them here? Was this it? Surely Minato didn't send two children to be my executioners, had he?
My attention focuses on the white haired child as I see him unlocking the cage. Maybe he had sent them to kill me after all. I watch warily as he opens the cage door and enters, the young girl still waiting on the outside without a word.
As he approached me, I saw him fish something out of his pocket and instead of a weapon it's pills. My pills? "I managed to bring your medicine." I hear him say quietly to me, and I look at him in confusion. Why out of all things would he bring that? What good was that at a time like this?
He struggles to open it for a moment, before it pops open and he pours one into his hand. Since my hands are tied, he offers it to me but I just look at him. "Please open," he looks at me pleadingly. Maybe these weren't my pills after all, but some kind of poison? Why was he trying to give me something?
I turn my head away, "why?" I know he was a child, but I was suspicious. He did after all help to kidnap me. Twice. And now he wanted to give me medicine? I had more than enough reason to be wary.
He looked at my desperately, "you didn't take your medicine at all yesterday. Please take it" He tried to shove the pill back at me but I leaned away.
"What does it matter now Kimimaro?" I asked him, keeping my face turned from him. "Medicine isn't going to fix anything." Maybe if I was lucky, my body would give out before Minato came to finish the job. How great would that be?
"But…" He trailed off, thinking for a moment. "But Sasuke said it was important!" I didn't care. I was tired. I wanted nothing more to do with this nightmare. Be it Minato or Sasuke, both just seemed to want to make everything a living hell.
When I still refused to take the pill, Kimimaro finally stepped back. "You won't take it because of me, right?" I looked at his crestfallen face, but before I could answer he broke down crying. "I'm sorry Naruto, I really am!"
"Hey, stop it!" I ushered him. "It's not because of you, believe me ok?" I tried to reassure him, and if I hadn't been restrained, I would have comforted him.
"I didn't mean to…" He sobbed, "but he told me if I did what he said I wouldn't end up like Jugo did…" Who was Jugo? I glanced at the girl named Moegi, but she was still staring blankly at nothing.
"Kimimaro, I told you already I don't blame you for any of this," I don't know how many times I'd have to tell the young child. I didn't hold any hatred for him, I knew who the real villain was. "Please stop crying, ok?"
He sniffled, "then will you take the pill?" I gawked at him. Why did he want me to take the pill so bad?
It's a trap.
I shook out the thought. "Why is it so important that I take it?" I asked cautiously. He could easily lie to me, but I wanted to hear his answer. There had to be a reason.
"Sasuke said if you didn't take them, you'd die," he said miserably. He did not hesitate, but that couldn't be it. There had to be more.
"Kimimaro, I don't care whether or not I die anymore. I just want to be left as I am." I sighed. I felt bad saying this in front of children. I probably should have been kinder with my words, but I wanted him to drop the pill business.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have done what I did," he whimpered, and I glanced at him. "I saw so many people on the table, so many that did not come back. But you did." Was he talking about the experiments? "You were on table, and I thought that was it. You would die, but Sasuke saved you."
"Kimimaro…" I trailed off. What was I supposed to say to that? I'm sure the child had seen some horrendous things in his few years of life.
"Minato promised," he spoke again. "He said help him once more, and I could go. He said he would let me live in peace." A lie, and I knew from the doubt in his voice that he knew too.
"I'm sure he's told you many things, Kimimaro," I say. "You have to understand by now what kind of person that man is. He is a monster devoid of any kind of human emotion." He nodded.
"Take the pill please Naruto," he tried again. I tried to interject, tired of this game but there was a strange look of determination in his eyes. "He'll come. He will come and save you again." Who would come?
"Are you talking about Sasuke?" I asked, but there was little reason it should be anyone else.
"When he comes, he'll be mad at you if you don't take your medicine, so please?" I had to stop a laugh from coming up my throat. He was worried about Sasuke being mad about me not taking medicine? I think we all had bigger issues right now.
If he was trying to trick me, he definitely deserved some kind of trophy for that kind of dedication. Poison or not, fine. "Ok, give it here."
Sasuke's POV:
"It's time to face the facts Sasuke," Itachi lectured me as we drove towards the blinking destination on the device, "we are in over our heads. We need to call the police."
"No, no cops," I rejected the idea. There was no way we would be getting any help from anyone else, it was up to us. "Even if we could persuade the cops to believe us, we don't have any evidence that we weren't involved. Think about it, Minato has gotten away with this for years, why hasn't he been caught yet?"
Itachi stayed silent, contemplating my words. Minato wasn't an idiot, he had to have some sort of plan. How else had he managed to stay under the police radar for long? And who knows? Maybe the cops were in on it and he had bribed them to take no action? This was all up to us.
I looked out the window and at the passing scenery. We had long passed the circus, and we were not driving out of the city as well. Where were we going? Did Minato know we were coming? What if this was another trap?
We continued the drive in silence, both of us in deep thought. Mentally preparing for what was to come. I fingered the gun in my coat gingerly. I had long ago gotten a firearm for the safety of the circus, but never did I have to use it. Guns were more in Itachi's department, and I feel slightly relieved that he would be with me.
"This can't be right," I heard Itachi mumble and I looked at what he meant. The tracker indicated that we were in front of our destination, but the only thing that was here was a small warehouse surrounded by trees. From the looks of it, it was an abandoned garden house of some sort.. Another deadend? Itachi looked defeated, and I was beginning to feel despair. Was this the end of the line?
"We should check it out." I offer, maybe there was something there? The tracker led us here for a reason. Itachi began to pull the car over close to the warehouse, but I stopped him. "We should park where the car will be hidden." If anyone had been here, and still was, I didn't want to warn them of our presence.
Complying with my instructions, Itachi pulled the car into the trees that lightly decorated the area. It wouldn't give a lot of cover, but it would be enough for now. Tentatively, we made our way to the warehouse. It didn't look like anyone was here, and the door easily opened. The lock looked as if it had long ago rotted off, and the inside didn't look any better. The warehouse was small, and the boxes that did clutter the room were covered in dust. It was obvious they hadn't been touched in a long time.
As we both set to work, desperation was setting in for me. Was this a waste of time after all? Webs covered the wall, dust was thick even in the air, and there was a strange smell wafting. What was it, mold? It was almost metallic, but I didn't see any type of machinery in the room.
"Sasuke, look." I turned to my brother and saw him crouched in front of something. As I made my way to him, the smell seemed to get stronger. He was looking at a particular box, and despite everything else being covered with dust, this was not. We glanced at each other, before he moved it out of the way. Underneath the suspicious box was undeniably the answer to all our problems. A trap door.
Warily, Itachi pulled open the door and we were both hit with that metallic smell again. A ladder was positioned at the top, and below came the sound of machinery at work. It must have been deeper down, hence why we couldn't hear until now. There was no doubt about it, this was the place. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," I replied. I was more than ready. "Let's end this." He nodded and made his way down the ladder, and after a couple of minutes, I followed close behind.
Naruto's POV:
Time passed, and I was somehow still alive, so I guess the pill was not poison. I gave a small chuckle of amusement, remembering the look on Kimimaro's determined face. He should be more worried about himself rather than me. Minato was capable of cruel things, and who knows what he planned to do to him and Moegi. And what about Sasuke? This was a trap to lure him in, right?
Minato would kill the ringmaster, that much was sure. And if he succeeded, what would happen to the rest of the cast? Wait, the cast! Were they ok? Were they all still safe at the circus? Or had they been taken too? I had to ask Kimimaro if he came back, he would know right?
Dread filled me at the thought that Minato could have harmed them, and if he had, what then? I couldn't do anything from my position, and tied or not, I was too weak. Useless, that's what I was.
The familiar sound of the heavy door opened, and in walked the two children once again. I gave them a small smile, but neither returned it. "What brings you two back so soon?" I ask, trying to lighten the tension.
"We wanted to…" Kimimaro trailed off. I peered at the quiet girl to see if she might finish his sentence but she didn't seem to notice. "Um.. do you mind if.."
I shot him a motivated glance, what was he asking for? It wasn't like I could give him anything as I was now.
The white haired child took a deep breath. "Can we sit and talk for a little while?" That was it?
"Well I won't complain about having some company, but what about.. Well you know." I asked, afraid having the two here would get them in trouble by Minato.
"Minato left on an errand, so he won't be back for a while." Kimimaro spoke quickly, guessing my concern.
"Then by all means, join the party," I tried to laugh but it came out dry. "Actually, Kimimaro I had a question for you." My serious tone snapped his attention briskly to me. "Where is the rest of the staff, are they ok?"
His eyes immediately looked away, "they're…" I waited desperately for him to continue, his face wasn't reassuring me in the least bit. "...I don't know. After me and Shiromari captured you, Minato took the rest of the cast, but I haven't seen them since then."
My stomach twisted. So that meant that they weren't safe at the circus, but in the clutches of their worst offender. "I'm sure they're alive," Kimimaro assured me, but I wasn't too sure. Another thought hit me, and it was even more distressing.
I didn't know how to sugar coat it, so I just came out and said it. "What happens after all this is over, what's Minato's plan? What happens to the others? What happens to us?" I swallowed hard, "do I go back to that snake man?"
At the mention of the snake pedo, I saw Moegi flinch. It was the first reaction I had seen from her. "Orochimaru is dead," Kimimaro said quietly. I relaxed slightly. I never thought I'd feel consolation at someone's death. "As for what happens after all this is over, I don't know. He would never tell us."
I figured as much. In the end, I have no more information than I started with. Moegi was shaking slightly, but didn't say anything. "Are you ok Moegi?" I caution. Had our conversation disturbed her?
I see Kimimaro put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "she's had some bad interactions with Orochimaru himself." I felt sick. I could only guess what he meant. "Do you mind?" He directed this question to Moegi, and she shook her head no. I look at him in confusion, mind what?
"Your dad had promised not only you, but three other kids to Orochimaru." That monster was given three other children to do what he pleased? The thought was revolting, but Kimimaro only continued. "The children included me, Moegi, and another boy named Haku. While Minato never meant for us to permanently stay, Orochimaro still managed to do enough damage to Moegi and Haku. I was lucky to be at the circus at the time, so I avoided the same treatment."
The horrors that they must have lived through were unimaginable, but Kimimaro wasn't done speaking. "Haku got the worst of it. Orochimaru decided he wanted to examine one of Minato's experiments at a deeper level. He made us watch as he cut Haku open and…" He broke off, and I knew it was hard on him to speak of what he had seen.
"Just stop Kimimaro, you don't have to tell me," I pleaded. I didn't want to think about this kind of thing happening to children! "I can guess what happened." By now, I could see tears running down Moegi's face, and my heart wrenched. "Why don't we talk about something else? We can talk about our favorite colors, or maybe play a game?" I don't know what game, maybe I spy or something? Anything to lighten the mood. "How about it Moegi?"
"She can't answer you," Kimmaro sniffed, "Orochimaru didn't like us to talk back, and Moegi learned that the hard way." He didn't mean what I thought he meant, did he? Seeing my face, he confirmed my suspicions. "He cut out her tongue." Anger filled me, why was the world so cruel? These kids had done nothing to deserve such treatment!
I could feel my own tears pricking my eyes, but I couldn't cry in front of these kids. I had to be strong from them, I had to reassure them. Everything would work out in the end, we would get out of this.
"When Sasuke comes to save you, do you promise to tell him we are sorry?" Kimimaro almost pleaded. "He's going to be mad, and I don't want to go back to the forest like last time." The last part was almost a whimper.
"He won't be mad, it's ok Kimimaro." I felt a little anger flare up at the memory that Kimimaro had been tied up in the middle of the woods by the asshole. "You didn't do anything wrong, and I'll tell him so. We're all going to get out of here safely, ok?" If he even came, and if we even survived. I kept that to myself, there was no point in dampening the mood.
Sasuke's POV:
Looks were definitely deceiving. What had at first seemed like an abandoned warehouse turned out to be an underground lab filled with disturbing vats and vials. There were large containers with a strange blue liquid, some containing various body parts. His failed experiments maybe?
There were multiple rooms, each much like the last, but there was no sign of Naruto or the cast members. In fact, there was no sign of any life. The white hallway seemed to stretch and wind forever, and there was a low buzzing in my ears. Machines had covered much of the walls, who knows what they were for, and at one point, there was a neglected cadaver on top of a table.
Itachi moved away from my side to check another oncoming room, and I heard him tsk. "Well I guess this is where our lost corpse disappeared to." I hurried to his side, my eyes met a large vat filled with the same blue liquid but inside was something else. Inside writhing in what I could only assume was pain was the mutilated 'corpse' of Kushina.
"How is she still alive in this state?" I murmur as I observe the rest of the room. Nothing more than what the other rooms had held.
"I don't think you can call this alive anymore," was Itachi's response. Agreeing, we head out of the room and continue on.
"Do you think he expects us?" If he did, it would explain why we weren't finding a thing. When Itachi hadn't answered, I turned to him only to see he had veered more off to another room. "What's wrong?" I followed him into the room, questioning as to why he seemed so invested suddenly.
"This wall doesn't match the others." I saw what he said was true. While it clearly had similar items like the others, it wasn't completely the same. For one, the wall was the same grey but instead a white. Almost as if it had been recently painted. Not only that, there seemed to be a draft coming from the edges. I watched as Itachi prodded the wall, and when it gave, I realized it was a sort of secret entrance.
Unlike the rest of the building that had been lit with white hallways, and was filled with lab equipment, the new passage was devoid of such luxuries. The hallways here were dark, the walls concrete, this didn't feel like a lab anymore.
"It's like a prison," I realized This was where they were, it had to be. We made our way through, looking for any rooms but so far it was just a wall. We reached a two ended path, each looking equally barren. "We should split up." I suggested.
"Do you think that's wise?" He warned, "there's no telling what awaits us." I agreed, but we were running out of time.
"The quicker we navigate through this place, the quicker we can find them." I was beginning to get nervous, there wasn't any reason why Minato hadn't already realized our entrance. The longer we took, the more time we gave him to find and stop us before we found the cast and Naruto.
"If that's what you want, fine." He began to take the left path, but stopped. "Sasuke if things get bad, don't try to overcome it yourself, wait for me ok?" He had a grave expression.
"Same goes for you," I answered back before turning my attention to the right path. "Let's meet back here in half an hour. We both have our phones, so we can call each other if we find something."
He gave me an unsure look, but I turned away and made my way down the right hall before he could disagree. There was no time, the only thing running through my head was getting everyone out of here before something awful inevitably happened.
As briskly as I could, I crossed down into the dark hall, swinging open more and more doors. As each heavy door scraped and groaned, and every scene was the same. Empty cells were all that graced my eyes, and though there was little light, one could still see they had once held someone. Dry blood, soiled bedding sheets, rotted remains.
This was where he kept his prisoners for his experiments, that much was obvious. It felt as if I was going in a circle, but I knew I was getting closer and closer. Was Itachi faring any better? How long had I been searching? As I reached the next door, I realized this one was not closed like the others had been.
Cautiously, I approached the room and listened for any sounds that could have been coming from inside. The room looked empty as well, but just as I was moving back out a strange noise pricked my ears.
It was like two rocks being grated together, and on further inspection, I made out the hunched shadow of something in the corner of the cell. I knew this wasn't Naruto or any of my cast, but curiosity was getting the better of me.
I entered the room, and as I did, the figure looked up and I was met with glowing red eyes. As it rose from it's hunched position, I saw it had been in the middle of eating what looked like a severed arm. That sound I heard must have been the crunching of the bones. Disgusting.
It moved a little closer and my hand immediately went to the gun in my coat. As it moved into the light, I could see its body was covered with white scales. While it was large enough to be a person, this was not a human. The thing seemed to be studying me too when a guttural sound scraped out of its mouth. Unconsciously I flinched, but the beast was just standing there. It didn't step any closer, and again a cross between a groan and growl escaped it's lips. It was almost as if it was trying to form words. I shook the ridiculous thought out of my head. Why would this creature speak?
There had been animal tracks at the circus podium. The thought came back into my head, and I knew this was the creature that had been involved. It seemed frustrated, the odd croaking still being emitted from its mouth. It suddenly swung away, and before I could blink, it disappeared into a hole that I had not noticed in the cell floor. Shit, what if it warned Minato?
Naruto's POV:
Having the two as company was actually quite pleasant, and though the situation was dire, I felt a little better with them here now. Kimimaro talked about his family, and how they had once lived in a nice neighborhood where there were lots of children. He had met his two friends Haku and Moegi, along with other children. He didn't want to talk much about the other kids but something told me they too had been taken and possibly had not survived. He had mentioned Jugo once or twice, but the details were short.
Instead, he talked more about games that they had once played, the elementary school they'd gone to, and how they had formed a club afterschool where they just read comics and explored the town. It was a nice change of pace to hear these kinds of stories, and I told some of my own that I had experienced with Kiba. Even Moegi seemed to enjoy the talk as she sat with a small smile.
I had been in the middle of telling them about the time Kiba had broken into the snack machine and had gotten his hand stuck when a scraping noise sounded at the door. The sound was like a dog scratching at a door, and I felt my heart jump. What was that?
The kids didn't seem as concerned as I did, and I watched in horror as Kimimaro went to see what was making the sound. "Maybe you shouldn't open that," I tried to warn him but he ignored me.
"No it's ok, I know this sound." He said, and before I could argue more, he pulled the door open. There was a flash of white as something scrambled in, and it immediately tackled Moegi. I stared in shock at the scene as I recognized it as the large chameleon that I had been taken by.
"Kimimaro get it off of her!" I struggled in my bindings, but of course they were not going to budge.
"Naruto, it's ok! Shiromari wouldn't hurt Moegi," Kimimaro tried to reassure me. I relaxed slightly as I saw that the chameleon that towered over Moegi was only resting on her shoulder. My nerves were not fully at ease, but at least nobody was getting eaten.
Weird noises poured from its mouth, and it looked like it was trying to speak, But I had heard this thing talk before, why wasn't it doing so now? Voicing my question to Kimimaro, a grimace came onto his face.
"It's true the last time you saw him he could talk, but.." he exchanged looks with Moegi before looking back at me. "Certain… conditions… have to be met." I didn't like the sound of that. Did I even want him to continue?
Before I could ask, Moegi was shaking Kimimaro and mouthing something. If Kimimaro was grim faced before, then this was much worse. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"Moegi said Shiromari saw someone in the lab on the floor above." Did Moegi understand what the chameleon was saying? But wait, what did it see? Was Sasuke actually here or was it someone else? "We should go."
My stomach churned as I watched the three of them scurry from the room, closing the heavy door tightly behind them. Who was here? Kimimaro had said lab, so could it have other scientists? I'm sure the chameleon would know who Minato was, so there would be no way that it was him that had it so freaked out. And what about the conditions it needed to speak?
When it was pretending to be Shikamaru, it had no difficulties sounding like him then. Shika had been missing for a long time, and no one knew where he had gone. Was there a connection between them? What if the conditions involved… No, I couldn't think like that.
~Time Skip~
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew there was a scraping rousing me awake. My eyes sleepily looked at what had woken me up and as the door slid open, I was rendered speechless. I had half expected the kids to be back a third time, but instead I was staring at the one person I did not want to see.
"Well if it isn't my lovely son, " I could almost feel the way he spat out the word. There in front of me stood the man that should have been my father, but all I saw was a monster.
"You're not my father!" I growled, but he only chuckled. His blond hair had grown slightly longer and shaggy since the last time I had seen him. There were lines of ages apparent on his face, and that familiar lab coat adorned his shoulders.
"Believe me, no one is more disappointed in our blood ties than I." His eyes were emotionless, and a deep frown was on his face. "You've always been quite the annoyance, but for once, you'll actually be useful. It seems our guest of honor is here."
"Sasuke?" I couldn't stop the words from slipping from my mouth. Was it true? Was he actually here? I tried to push down the hope that rose in my chest.
"Yes, and the time has come for you to fulfill your role." He unlocked the cell, and once it swung open, moved towards me.
"Why are you doing this?" He was removing the rope from the post, but it never loosened from around my wrists. When he didn't answer my question, I pressed on. "Why experiment on innocent people, what was your goal?" I let out a yelp when he yanked the bindings up, forcing my arms to twist and me to struggle to my feet.
"You're just like your mother, she never could see the big picture either." He murmured as he pushed me in front of him. "Move." I was forced to walk forward as he led me from behind. As we walked out of the celled room, my eyes met with dark twisted halls. He shoved me towards the left corridor and reluctantly I walked on.
"The human body really is an amazing thing, don't you think?" I didn't answer him, but I don't think he meant for me to. "It can only take so much before it breaks, but finding that limit is the excitement." I felt sick.
"I don't want to hear about your awful experiments." I grounded out, but he only let out another laugh. How could he be enjoying this?
"The limits of the human body. What if one were to go further?" He almost sounded as if he was announcing it. "My research is not complete, there is still so much to do." A chill ran up my spine. What more did he want? How could he nonchalantly do this?
The dark hallways were opening up, and as we entered a large clearing I could see the small forms of Kimimaro and Moegi. They looked on with fear as we entered, and with a sudden nudge from behind, I fell at close to their feet.
"You two, keep an eye on him. I trust you can handle that much?" Minato barked at the two children and they nodded fast. "Good. Remember what's at stake." With that warning, he strode away and back into the hallway that we had entered from.
Kimimaro helped me as I struggled to get into a sitting position and once up, my eyes darted desperately around the room. There was only one way in and out, the way we had come. This was another one of his labs, if the equipment that was pushed against the walls were any hint, and there were piles upon piles of boxes scattered all around.
I was about to ask where we were when my eyes fell on Moegi. While in the dark celled room, I had not been able to get a good look at her but now there was enough light. The poor girl didn't have pale skin, but white scales that covered her body. Her eyes were almost a reddish color, which she immediately averted from my own. The nightmare never ends does it?
My attention was caught by scuffling, and the chameleon rose from the corner of the room. Had it dug its way over here? "Shiromari has strong claws, so he is able to go wherever he wants." Kimimaro confirmed. The chameleon made its way to Moegi, and as I looked at the two side by side I realized they had similar features. Was it just a coincidence?
"You see it too, don't you?" I heard Kimimao mutter before I heard the familiar sounds of footsteps coming our way. Minato returned into the room, but to my horror, in his hand I saw he was holding a gun.
"Ah, perfect timing. Shiromari, why don't you go fetch our guest?" The blond man bellowed. I noticed the way the large reptile, with great hesitation, removed itself from Moegi's side. Even the chameleon was afraid of him. "Today if you will." At the stern tone, it accelerated, and as it scuttled past the man, Minato gave it a sharp kick. I could almost feel the anger radiating off of Moegi, but of course no one dared speak.
"Good help is hard to find," Minato spat before returning his attention back to us. "Soon this will all be over, and no one will stand in my way." I glared at his cocky smile.
"You won't get away with this," I snapped. "Someone is going to put you in your place. And you'll get what you deserve." He scoffed, striding towards me
"And who would that be? That ringmaster? One of these monstrosities?" He pointed at both Kimimaro and Moegi. "Or maybe you?" He laughed. "I don't think so." He grabbed the pig tailed girl suddenly, yanking her by the hair.
"Let her go!" I yelled, trying to stand up. "Don't you hurt her!"
He was frowning, studying the frightened girl who was stiff in his grasp, "years of research. Wasted." He grumbled before tossing Moegi back to the ground. Kimimaro ran to grab her before she hit the floor, and managed to get to her in time. "Useless."
He looked at me again with those dulled eyes, "Shiromari and her are the same, but both are complete failures." I flinch as he kicks one of the boxes, the contents spilling all over the ground. I don't get to see what it is before he is speaking once more. "I'm close to Naruto, soon I will have what I need." The sound of my name rolling off his tongue felt wrong. I don't know when the last time I heard it come from his lips, but I didn't like it.
"What was so important that you would do all this?" I breathed out. "Why do this at all? You've hurt so many people!"
"Perfection." He growled out, "can't you see it? No ailments, no flaws, just pure perfection." I don't understand. What would that do for anyone, for him? "I was so close, but that idiot had to go and ruin it." What idiot?
"The boy was the closest thing I had to the perfect being, but that phoney scientist Orochimaro had to go and kill him. Now I have to start at square one." I quivered at the mention of the snake pedo, and I know the other two did as well. Kimimaro had told me about another boy, Haku, that the snake had ripped apart. Were they the same?
"What do you mean Moegi and Shiromari are the same?" Maybe if I distracted him enough, it would give Sasuke enough time to sneak up on him or at least come up with some kind of plan. "Were you trying to make a being to imitate a human?"
"Shiromari may be made from Moegi's DNA, but he's too far from being a human. It's incomplete." He sneered. "It can't hold it's disguise for long, and to even speak it needs to eat the one it has to copy. A failure through and through." It was what I had feared. That meant Shikamaru...
"You used to say you wanted to be the greatest scientist, to help others. But look at what you've become," I shudder. "You're a monster!" I felt all the air leave my body as a swift kick landed into my chest. I keeled over in pain, trying to take in air.
"You just don't get it, none of you ever did." He snarled. I didn't get a chance to respond when another kick knocked me onto the ground. My eyes met the worried looks of both kids, and suddenly a hard slam knocked against the side of my head. Minato's foot ground my face against the ground and the bitter taste of blood filled my mouth at the contact. "Once my research is complete, then you'll all see."
Sasuke's POV:
I had reached a deadend on my side of the hallway, and was currently making my way back as fast I could to the meeting point. The cells on this side of the building were devoid of anything living, and I had not seen the white reptile again. If it had gone to warn Minato of our presence nothing yet had happened.
I had tried to call Itachi, but the signal kept coming in and out and I couldn't get a good reading. I could only hope that he was ok, and if he had found something maybe this whole mission wouldn't be for naught. I passed the meeting point, but since I did not see Itachi, I continued on to his side of the halls.
Doors were opened, showing that he had been through here and taking a peek, they too were empty cells. Practically running by now, I glimpsed briefly into each room as I continued through the hall. Nothing, there was nothing! Further and further I went until finally I reached it. A dead end. No, this couldn't be right!
If this was a deadend, then where was Itachi? I must have missed something, there had to be a door I passed! I wheeled around and started to go back when a sound of scraping stopped me. It was coming from the wall, but there was nothing there, right? I returned, touching the hard surface for maybe another opening. There wasn't one. The sound came again, and I realized it wasn't the wall, but the last room.
Barging in, I immediately saw the source of the sound. It was the reptile again, but where had he come from? I had just checked this room and it had been empty moments before? I reached for my gun again, but as the reptilian red eyes spotted me, it swerved back behind the door. Thinking I had it trapped, I closed the door but the reptile wasn't behind it. Instead I found something better.
The large door when opened had blocked another entrance, a hole in the ground. There was a ladder propped on its side, and I saw the white thing scurry away, going who knows where. Following, I knew that this was where Itachi too had gone. How many floors was this place? There was a single hallway and as I continued though more dark halls, I felt my phone vibrate.
I swiftly grabbed it, relief filling me as I saw Itachi's name on the caller Id. "Where have you been, I've been trying to reach you this whole time!" I don't even get to answer before I hear the harsh tone of my brother through the phone.
"That should be my line," I scowl, "I went through a hole at the end of your side of the hall, where are you?" I hear a weird muffle come from his end of the phone, but before I can question it he speaks again.
"Good, keep going down the hall, and once you reach the area that splits into four paths, go right." I don't get to argue before the signal is lost again. I shove the useless phone back into my pocket before sprinting down the hall. There were more doors to my left and right, and their opened state made me think that Itachi must have already searched them. It didn't take long for me to reach the spot Itachi had mentioned.
This maze was going to be hell to get out of if we didn't' remember where we had originally entered from. I heard voices as I advanced down the hall, which only had me quickening my pace. Bursting into one of the rooms where the voices were the loudest, I felt alleviation fill me at the sight of Itachi and all the cast members. But…
"It's only them here, Minato must be keeping Naruto somewhere else." Itachi confirmed my fears. As disappointed as I was, I was still glad that the cast was at least safe.
"Is everyone ok?" I asked, and my question was met with a chorus of relieved yeses. Itachi had been working on the lock to the cell, and once it was broken it was as if the tension had shattered too. "Itachi, get them out of here. I'll go f-"
"No, I will not let you continue alone." Itachi objected and the cast agreed.
"It's too dangerous to go, you're going to need help!" Ino interjected. The others murmured their own opinions but I shook my head.
"The more of us here will only put us all in danger. It's like you said, it is risky, and if we all died, then there's no point to all of this." I gave my brother a pleading look, "you know I'm right."
He looked torn, and had I been put in the same position, I would have been too. Time was up, we both knew it. There was no telling where Naruto was being held, and that was the same for Minato. He could have been waiting to overtake us in the maze of halls as we wasted time.
"I'll take them out, but as soon as I do, I'll come back for you. No arguments." Itachi sighed. "Please don't do anything rash." I don't respond as I back out of the room.
If I wanted to save anyone, there was only one thing to do. Kill Minato. Scraping could be heard further down the hall I had come from and I knew it was the beast again. Did I go towards it? There was a good reason to think it may know the way, and if I caught it, it may hold a clue.
My suspicions proved true as I moved towards the noise, my eyes fell upon the reptile that sat in the middle of the hall. Before I could get any closer, the beast suddenly trembled, and something was moving along it's scaled body. My eyes watched as its limbs contorted into an impossible arrangement.
The scales seemed to sink into its body, red eyes rolled back into its head only to return a blue, and tufts of blond hair grew from its once naked head. Despite the fact that I had just witnessed it, I still couldn't comprehend what had just happened. The reptile was gone, and in its place stood Naruto. But this wasn't him. It looked like him, but it obviously wasn't. It was an illusion, it had to be.
The vision fell apart, and as quickly as it was there, it was just as just as quickly gone. The reptile was back, and it wheeled around and scampered back down the hall. "Wait!" I called after it, giving chase. I couldn't let it just go now, it was the closest thing I had to a clue!
Dashing down the hall, we passed the four wayed hall and continued straight down, this time to the left. When I thought I might have lost it, it reappeared into my sight. It was like it wanted me to follow it.
A trap.
Despite the thought, I kept going. There was a light further ahead, maybe a room? I suddenly didn't see the beast anymore, and slowed my pace. The hall opened up at the end, and there was a gut feeling in my chest that this was it. This was the finale.
Steadily, I made my forward. Any uncertainty I had was now quashed. The hall split open and as I entered the room, my eyes fell upon Minato.
"Look who decided to join us," he jeered, a crooked smile playing on his lips. "About time too, we were all getting bored waiting for you." Regardless of the dire situation, I couldn't help the momentary consolation at seeing the blond, but it was short lived. Angrily, I realized Naruto was tied, Minato's foot crushing his head.
"Get off of him, now!" I warned him, aiming the gun at him. "This is between you and me." He made no movement to get off of him, and fleeting panic rose in my throat. Instead, he aimed his own gun, not at me, but at Naruto.
"I warned you, didn't I?" The blond scientist taunted. "All you had to do was give back my experiments, and it would have never come to this." Darting glances from the man to Naruto whose eyes were stricken with fear, I struggled to come up with some sort of plan. My eyes trained briefly on the two children that stood behind the two blondes, Kimimaro and an unknown female child. But I couldn't risk worrying about them now, and think about how they were involved in this mess.
I kept my gun directed on Minato, and he only smirked, "I'm a forgiving man, Sasuke. I'll give you one last chance." He took his foot off of Naruto, and grabbed a handful of his lifting him up. I winced almost as much as Naruto had as my fox let out a squeak of pain. "Back down now, forget about these freaks and you'll be free to go with my son. I have no use for him, I only need my research." My aim dropped slightly at the offer.
"Don't you fucking dare Sasuke!" I didn't get to think over the offer before Naruto was screaming at me as he writhed in his father's grasp. "He's a sick man! He'll hurt more people, and if you allow that, I'll never forgive you!" Minato flung him hard onto the ground and the sound of his skull hitting the concrete filled the still air.
"Quiet you!" The man kicked at the smaller blond, the hit connecting with his head and another yelp of anguish escaped his lips. This was my chance, I concentrated the gun back at Minato. Before I could pull the trigger, a deafening sound like a crack of thunder resonated in the room. A shriek of pain bubbled in my throat as I realized the one who had been shot was myself. My right shoulder throbbed with agony, and the action had caused the gun to fall from my grip.
"Enough games!" Minato screamed, "it's time to end things once and for all, and I won't miss a second time!" This was it, I failed. I tried to grab hold of my gun but the pain in my shoulder and shock had me fumbling. It really was the end, I had fucked up. As Minato strode towards me, it was like looking at death himself.
The snide look on his face suddenly twisted into a mixture of anger and shock, and a screech of pain shot out of his throat. "You worthless piece of shit!" He lurched forward, grabbing his leg and I saw that something was jutting from his skin. What just happened?
"No more, please no more!" Kimimaro was shaking from behind the blond scientist, and I realized that the child had stabbed him with his bone. Minato was shooting out curses, distracted, and trying to get back to his feet.
Focus, there was no time to look on! Ignoring the protesting jolts running through my shoulder, I grabbed my gun and aimed once again. Now, do it now! I pulled the trigger, another burst rang out. The bullet hit the target in the chest, but Minato continued to spout curses as he fought to get up. It wasn't enough!
"His gun!" I heard Naruto shout and sure enough Minato was straining to get his weapon. Almost frantically, I shot the firearm, then again. Both connect with a sickening sound, and the movements stopped. Was it over? Shakily, I lowered my weapon, moving carefully to the body of the scientist. Kicking his own gun away from his body, I checked for any signs of life. The dull eyes were blank, his body quivering as its last breath shuddering out.
It was done. My body was filled with euphoria. It was finally finished. A breath I hadn't known I was holding now released from my body. I rushed to Naruto's side as Kimimaro was cutting the rope loose from his wrists. Freed from the restraints, I was surprised when the blond threw his arms around me. I wasn't going to complain though.
"You're an idiot, why did you come?" I heard his muffled cry. "You should have gotten the others out and escaped, why would you do something so stupid?" I pulled him slightly away, studying his crying face.
"These are going to bruise," I ignored his questions, and instead commented on the marks on his face from where he had been hit multiple times by Minato. To emphasize my words I pressed the cut on his lip with my thumb and he flinched away.
"Asshhole," a small laugh broke through his mouth, but suddenly he turned serious. "You're shoulder!" I had forgotten the pain, but hearing about it brought back the sensations my elated state had overcome.
"It's fine, come on." I tried to stand, but at the motion my head began to feel light and I stumbled.
"Sasuke?" He sounded far away, and my eyes were no longer able to focus. A black screen covered my vision, and the world was suddenly on its side. Or had I just fallen? "Sasuke!" I tried to speak, tell him I was fine but the words wouldn't come out. A buzzing filled my ears, and then it was quiet.
~Epilogue~
Naruto's POV:
The sun had set for the day, and as I laid the flowers on his grave, I felt pain strike in my chest. There were so many things I wanted to say, but now I never would be able to. "I don't know if this was where you'd want to be buried, so I'm sorry," I told the tombstone. How many happy memories were here at the circus for him? "I wanted to have you as close to your friends as possible." I gave apologetically.
"I wish you could see the way the circus has grown," I continued, "Kimimaro, Moegi, and Shiromari all joined our family. The customers are still assholes, but I guess it'll take time to make them see they're just as normal." I didn't like the term 'freak circus' anymore than the cast, but as long as we had each other, maybe it would be better?
"We've begun remodeling the circus so the cast can live more comfortably, no more cages but actual rooms. With how much the family has grown, it wasn't practical. Not that it ever really was." I said the last part huffily under my breath.
"Minato is dead, he won't be able to hurt anyone ever again. We burned down the lab, and all traces of that ghastly research. We can only hope there aren't any other locations or accomplices hiding." I highly doubted there was anyone else working with my 'father.' He had been a stubborn man who saw himself at a higher status than anyone else. He wouldn't have shared his research easily.
"I just want to say, I forgive you for the Kiba incident. I was in shock then, but I don't blame you. Not anymore. I'm sorry I never got to tell you that." My heart wrenched at the thought of my old friend. He had been there for me through a lot, and he would always have a special place in my heart. "It wasn't your fault, I understand that."
I sat in silence now, shivering slightly as a cold breeze blew. The days were growing shorter and colder now, maybe rain would be upon us soon. Despite the thought, I wanted to sit a little longer. Basking in what was left of the setting sun, a sense of peace filled me. No matter how awful the past had been, I was in a way happy. I had a new family, ones who needed me as much as I needed them.
It was something I thought I would never have, and if Minato was still around, I may not have been here now. How could one man cause such destruction for so many lives? He had lost his way in the pursuit of recognition, and it had cost him dearly in the end. But he had left behind so much sorrow.
A sweater draped itself on my shoulders, breaking me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see obsidian eyes. "Ready?"
I nod, rising to my feet. Pulling on the sweater, I give the grave one last look before following Sasuke. "Goodbye Shikamaru, I'll visit again soon."
Quietly, we both head back to the circus, the only sounds of the forest surrounding us. No doubt I was still nervous around the bastard, but you couldn't blame me. He had caused his own damage, though it was to a lesser degree compared to Minato.
"How's your shoulder?" I asked him awkwardly, trying to disrupt the tension. He glanced at me briefly before looking away again.
"It's stiff but nothing major to worry about, how's your face?" His own tone proved he was as uncomfortable as I was.
"Sore but I'll live." And that was that. We both continued our trek, and reaching the circus I could see some of the circus cast lolling on the grounds. Because of the ongoing construction, we had closed the circus until further notice but tomorrow would be the grand opening.I'm sure some of them were a little nervous, especially the younger ones. Or maybe not. I looked on as Kimimaro and Moegi chatted with Hinata with animated gestures. Well Kimimaro did while Moegi and Hinata only smiled as he was going on and on about who knows what.
"Naruto!" Kimimaro spotted us coming from the foliage and he practically sprinted full speed with Moegi in tow. I smiled at the two children as they slammed into me, grabbing hold of my shirt. "Naruto, Hinata said she would show us a new game, do you want to play?" He was nearly vibrating with delight. They were finally acting like children, and I felt a pang of remorse as what was taken from them.
"Maybe some other time, ok? It's getting late." He pouted but nodded his head. He stiffened when he spotted Sasuke by my side, as if he had barely noticed him through his excited playing. Moegi hid behind me slightly, before darting back to Hinata and Kimimaro followed suit. "Thank you again for letting them come." I said to Sasuke who had wordlessly watched the two children scamper off.
"It's not like you gave me a choice," he grumbled and I laughed. After Sasuke had blacked out back in the lab, we were lucky that Itachi had come at that moment. We got out of that hell hole, and set the hideout ablaze. Of course there was no way I would leave the children behind, and the chameleon was going wherever Moegi did.
Although I was still wary of the creature, it had a softer side and it actually had made great friends with Choji of all people. I don't know if it was because their diet was similar or what, but as long as it didn't cause any trouble then I was fine with it.
"What will you do now?" I focused back on Sasuke, and almost jumped at how close he stood.
"What do you mean?" I was slightly confused at what he was asking me.
"I can't force you to stay here, and if you want to leave, then I won't stop you." Was he serious? I couldn't believer those words were coming from his mouth
"After everything you've done to keep me here, you'd let me just leave now?" I tried to joke, "is this a trap." I was still bitter but I tried to lighten the atmosphere. It only dampened the mood.
"I've done really awful things to you, and I'm not asking you to forgive me." He wouldn't meet my gaze. "But if you'd give me another chance, I'd be really…" He trailed off.
Again we stood in silence. I wasn't sure how to respond. Give him another chance? Could I do that? Would I even forgive myself? Now I was incapable of looking at him.
"I don't know if I could," I breathed out. "You're right, the things you did to me were horrid." My body shivered at the memories of being punished being at the mercy of this man with no hope that I'd ever escape. "Even now I can't stop feeling disgusted, not only with you but myself." He didn't speak, but I could feel his eyes on me again.
"I'll stay here, but not for you. I'm staying for them." I told him firmly, "they're family to me now, as I know they are to you." I peeked at him from the side of my eyes, trying to gauge what he was feeling. He watched me with black eyes, but I couldn't read him.
Finally, he turned away and looked back at the circus. "That's all I can ask for." I felt as if a burden had been lifted off my shoulders. Who knows what the future would hold for us, I certainly didn't. If we could find our own tranquility in the days to come, maybe that was all I could hope for.
"You know, I never did thank you for saving me," I grinned. "Seeing as how you literally risked your life for me, I guess that should count for something, right?" He chuckled, giving me some sort of emotion at last.
"I'm sure seeing me get shot, you figured I deserved it." I turned to interject, but he was smiling. The sight had stumped me, having never seen more than a sarcastic smirk from him. Quickly, I swerved away from his eyes. The thought had never occurred to me. The whole ordeal was like a nightmare from start to finish.
The last of the light was now gone, and others began to retreat to their rooms. Sasuke too began walking towards his building, probably to retire for the day as well. "You won't believe me, and maybe I shouldn't be saying this." He paused for a second, but kept making his way to his building. "But I really do love you." He never turned to look back at me.
I stared at his retreating back in shock. Love me? Love? Someone like me? My head was jumbled with confusing thoughts. Why say that now? After everything? I didn't reply, I couldn't . After a short hesitation, I followed him.
End
Thank you everyone who continued to support this story after so long. It's been over 10 years since I last updated this story, and still many of you emailed me asking about it. I never thought I'd come back to finish it, but here we are!
You've all been great, and again I want to thank those who stayed and reviewed, added this story and myself on their favorites, and just read it in general. I hope you all enjoyed Usagi Hyrugi Circus!
