A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back! Thank you for the comments thus far. I truly appreciate them. Rated: "M" gore / adult situations / torture / violence

Sorry for the delay, with the holidays and all, things have been busy. But I'm back on track, so here we go with -- Chapter 8 of "The Collector" – Pushing Forward

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Sai stared in annoyance at Sasori's retreating figure as he disappeared into the Village of the Trees. Sighing heavily, he realized that the redhead did have a point. Looking over towards Deidara, Sai could see how exhausted the blond was after only a few hours hike. Taking in deep breaths, with his hands on his knees, Deidara stared after Sasori as well, his icy blue eyes full of conflicting emotions. "Deidara," Sai called, startling the blonde, "come sit here." He motioned to a fallen log that he'd just swept dry, leaving the snow in a pile behind it. Deidara didn't care for the pale teen at all, but that makeshift bench looking inviting enough. He reluctantly took a seat and Sai immediately followed. The log itself was barely big enough for the two of them as they sat thigh to thigh. The blond shifted nervously, then reached up to loosen his scarf. He was burning up. "What is it, Deidara?" Sai asked blandly. Deidara looked away quickly, tapping his fingers lightly on his knees. "Those are quite amazing," Sai commented. "Sasori certainly is quite the craftsman. It would be terrible shame for something to happen to such quality," he continued, the traces of a sneer forming at the edges of his lips. Deidara turned to face Sai, his eyes narrowing, as he clasped his hands together and pulled them under the sleeves of his jacket. "You know," Sai leaned in close, putting a strand of Deidara's long hair behind his ear, "I can see why Sasori finds you….useful," he leered. The pale teen ran one hand through Deidara's silky locks while the other came around his shoulder, down onto his chest, slipping under the scarf and jacket. Sai pressed in closer as he began to nip and kiss at the blonde's exposed ear, his hand caressing the lean chest, searching down through the fishnet to find the stiffening tiny bud.

Deidara closed his eyes and murmured, "Sasori." Sai leaned back and raised a thin brow. "Still thinking of the redhead, huh?" Deidara's eyes popped open as his face turned crimson. "I'm surprised. Here I thought you'd welcome an escape from that prison you call your home."

"That's my house you're talking about," Deidara spat through gritted teeth. Sai blinked innocently.

"Seems like a cage to me."

Deidara faltered, "It's not like that…"

"I wonder," Sai said thoughtfully. Deidara averted his gaze, new questions forming in his mind. The pale teen smirked.

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Sasori burst into the Boar's Head, cursing all the while. "What happened?" Itachi called in concern from behind the bar.

"We have to talk," Sasori deadpanned. Gesturing over for his friend to follow, the redhead made his way to the last room at the back of the bar. Itachi was shocked. He'd never seen Sasori lose his composure like this before. Sasori paced the room, muttering to himself, running his hands constantly through his shaggy hair.

"Sasori," Itachi grabbed his friend by his shoulders, halting him, bringing ebony eyes to meet with amber ones.

"Where to start," Sasori grumbled.

"At the beginning might be good." Itachi listened without interruption as Sasori recalled the events of what happened since he'd left the tavern, ending with his 30-minute time limit.

"But Sasori, even if Sai did cut off his fingers, Deidara would be in no pain, they are just prosthetics."

"Just prosthetics?!" Sasori's jaw dropped. "Do you have any idea what it takes to make something like that. The work, time, skill that's involved…you can't just simply make another. That is my crowning achievement and…" Itachi's onyx-colored eyes darkened.

"Are you more concerned about your work rather than your friend?"

"Of course not," Sasori replied, growing flustered. "Now, I know I left my bag here. I need a few of the supplements inside."

"I'll get it for you," Itachi said, stepping from the room. Sasori resumed his pacing, his thoughts drifting back towards Deidara. How did he really feel about his friend? Itachi soon returned with the bag, cutting short Sasori's thoughts, and handed it off to his friend. "What are you going to do?" he asked quietly as Sasori rummaged through the bag.

"I'm going to this Huntington Ridge place. Don't you see, the mystery of the 'taken' can be solved. Lives can be saved, answers given to those who wonder desperately at the fate of loved ones."

"Sure," Itachi leveled his gaze and put a hand on Sasori's shoulder. "But at what price to you." The redhead paused, his hand tightening around the small flask he'd just withdrawn.

"For the good of the village, I have to go through with this," Sasori replied flatly. Shouldering his bag, he pulled open the door and was startled as Sakura tumbled into the room. The two men glanced down at her, full of surprise, then skepticism.

"I wasn't eavesdropping," Sakura pouted, regaining her composure, "I want to go with you."

Sasori laughed a cheerless laugh. "Absolutely not. You have your injuries that need rest and time to heal."

"I'm fine. Look, where you are headed, that's the direction my teammates were taken by the river's current. I need to find them," she pleaded. "They could be hurt or even…" she gulped, her jade eyes growing large. Sasori raised a brow. "I promise, I won't get in the way," she finished desperately.

"We leave in 5 minutes," Sasori scowled.

"I should go too," Itachi cut in.

"No," Sasori held out his arm, "you have to stay here and cover for me. There are too many people involved as it is."

"But…" Itachi could see the amber eyes full of resolve. "Okay. Be careful." Sasori nodded, then headed towards the inn's front door.

"Wait for me," called Sakura, rushing and slapping on her silver anbu armguards. Sasori didn't slow.

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"What are you doing?" Sasori bit out, returning to the front gates.

"What?" Sai questioned innocently. He turned his onyx eyes and followed Sasori's sharp gaze to where his hand lightly massaged Deidara's thigh. "Ohhhhh, I see. And here I thought you were done with this," Sai sneered the last word. "Well," he said, retracting his hand, "now we can finally get going."

"Yes, we can," Sakura chimed in.

"Who is this?" Sai expressionless eye's flickered in annoyance.

"Does it really matter?" Sasori replied irritably.

"I suppose not."

"Sakura," the pink-haired girl replied, extending her hand.

"Whatever. Just don't get in our way," Sai stated flatly, brushing past her. "Oh, by the way," he turned and smiled, "Here comes our ride."

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Sasuke finally felt himself float back into consciousness. The burning in his temples had subsided to a dull throbbing. Annoying, but he could handle it. He had no idea how much time had passed or how long he'd been 'out of it.' Hastily, he returned to working with the kunai that was hidden inside his armguard. It took every ounce of effort to fight off the sleep and waves of nausea that threatened his progress. Blinking his dark eyes, he couldn't seem to catch any light. "Damn, it's dark in here," he muttered. Shrugging it off, he was relieved to feel the coolness of the steel kunai finally emerge. He then set to work, carefully maneuvering it under the leather strap that bound his wrist. It was a tight fit, but after a small push, the blade settled between his wrist and the strap. Working his fingers, he began to push and pull at the kunai, creating a sawing effect. He winced a few times as the kunai cut at his flesh along with the leather, but he could tend to that later. He worked diligently, but was ever wary should the door open and reveal Karin. After what seemed like an eternity, the leather strap gave way as the pressure on his wrist lifted. Flexing his fingers, he slowly brought his hand up, where it was stopped by a chest strap. Using the same sawing technique, he slid the kunai between his shoulder and the strap, cutting that one lose as well. Placing the kunai on his heavily breathing chest, Sasuke brought his hand up to his mouth, feeling for the irritating bit. He felt the smooth surface of the buckle that held it in place and clicked it open. The bit fell away as the raven took in a deep breath of fresh air that was 'leather free.' Scouring the rest of his body, he found the other clasps, opened them, and tore the leather straps away.

Struggling to sit up, he felt a sharp pain in his right arm. "The IV," he muttered, tearing out the tube, the clear liquid squirting out and onto the floor. The hissing of the tube gave only the slightest noise, yet Sasuke strained his ears, listening. Silence. Swallowing hard and wiping sweat from his brow, he cautiously swung his feet down over the side of the table, placing one foot on the linoleum floor. Attempting to stand, he felt himself lean back onto the bed for support. Putting a hand up to his face and running his fingers through his disheveled bangs, he felt the heat rise from his face as his temples began to pound. He'd never felt so sick. Who knows what that crazy woman injected into him? Suddenly, he remembered the jars of eyes watching him, daring him to escape. That was all the motivation he needed. Squinting into the darkness, his mind recalled what the room looked like and where the door was in relation to the table. Groping around in the dark, Sasuke took steps towards temporary 'freedom' and was relived when his fingers passed from the stucco walls onto the smooth texture of the door. They dropped lower to feel the cool metal doorknob. He gripped it, hearing the soft 'click' as he pushed down, letting in a cool breeze from the hallway. Naruto had to be here somewhere, but where?
Annoyance crossed his face as the same darkness greeted him. Deciding to head left, he took off warily down the corridor, his hand gliding along the wall each step of the way.

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Sasuke had been following the corridor for some time when he came across another door. The smoothness of it brought relief to his now cut-up fingers. He brought his ear close to it, straining to hear what lie beyond it. Pulling back, Sasuke fumbled for the door handle, grasping it in his fingers, he pushed it down and the door swung inward. Sasuke blinked his ebony eyes, only to be greeted by more darkness, plus the sound of someone's soft breathing. "Naruto?" the raven whispered. He couldn't detect a chakra signature so he'd have to verify who it was the old-fashioned way. Sliding silently into the room, he managed to only once hit his knee on the corner of some pull-cart, as he followed the source of the sound. He strung out an array of colorful curses under his breath but quickly halted as his fingers passed over warm, smooth skin. "Naruto?" he called out again, a bit louder this time. The soft sound of slumber was his only response. "Nice time for a nap, dobe," the raven uttered sarcastically. Skating his fingers up 'Naruto's arm,' he felt something round. "Well, if he won't listen to me, I'll use some force," Sasuke thought to himself. Gripping the 'shoulder,' Sasuke gave a hard squeeze. An unexpected feminine 'yelp' sounded in his ears. Shit.

The girl was startled, but only for a quick moment. It's not like Karin's lackeys hadn't done stuff before in one of their 'games.' She turned glaring pale blue eyes up to who had awakened her this time. "What's the matter? Your own girlfriends turn you down again?" she flat-lined bitterly. Blinking her eyes to bring what little light she could into them, she gasped. There, towering over her, stood a tall, lean, and very embarrassed unfamiliar young man. He was gorgeous with his long ebony bangs and spiky hair and pale muscled body. High in rank too judging by the anbu clothes he wore, or at least, she thought that was the customary uniform. Tough to tell though judging by the tears, scars, and bandages that covered his body. Apparently, he too was a 'guest' here. But he managed to get free. Hope flittered through her.

"Who are you?" came the gruff voice, sounding as if nothing had occurred.

"Ino," the girl answered quickly. "I'm strapped down to a bed." The raven moved his hands deftly over her to locate the straps. She shuddered and melted at his delicate touch. Too bad she had a boyfriend already. Sasuke paid her no heed. He deemed it was a similar setup to how he himself was tied down. Working quickly, he had managed to free the girl within a few minutes. "I can't thank you enough, sir…"

"Sasuke," the raven replied.

"Sasuke," Ino amended, "Thank you so much for rescuing me and…"

"Have you seen a lean, tall, blond about my age around here?" Sasuke cut in abruptly.
Ino blinked her pale blue eyes and furred her brow.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I have….HEY!" she cried out to Sasuke's retreating back. The raven halted and glanced over his shoulder.

"If you haven't seen Naruto, you're of no use to me," he stated flatly.

"Wait!" Ino said softly, jumping from the bed and placing her hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Let me return the debt. I'll help you find your friend," she finished with conviction.

"I don't need help," Sasuke snarled back. Tearing his shoulder free of Ino's grasp, the raven plodded forward, arms outstretched, searching for the door.

"It's okay," Ino began, "about before." Sasuke flushed again, then nodded with a 'hn.' The girl's eyes widened in shock," You're injuries."

"They're nothing," Sasuke waved her off.

"How can you say that? I'm surprised you can even walk with your legs like that!" The bandages felt secure enough. Ironic, how Karin had taken the time to wrap and somewhat heal them.

"As if she cared," Sasuke snorted, "then again, my legs aren't what she wants, is it?"

His hands had unconsciously gone to his temples, where his fingers began to massage the affected areas. Ino crept forward silently and squinted at the raven's eyes. She could make out four puncture wounds on each side of his temples; the whole area was blotchy red with small crusts of blood. His dark eyes were rimmed with red, his pupils dilated to mere specks of black, while the irises were each large pale gray orbs. Overall, they were dimmed and looked waxy. She pulled in a quick breath.

"Can you…?" Ino began hesitantly.

"As of now, no…" Sasuke answered quietly. An awkward silence fell over them. Ino dropped her gaze and slowly traced the contours of Sasuke's exposed chest. "What the hell are you doing?" the raven snarled.

"Your chest. There are all sorts of lines drawn all over it. Like a pattern of some kind," Ino replied. "The lines seem to follow mainly along your ribs."

"The nightmare," Sasuke thought to himself. His ribcage had been sawed open. This must be the prelude to that. The whole thought sickened him. Clearing his throat, he muttered, "Anyway, it doesn't matter what happens to me. I have to find Naruto."

Ino pulled on Sasuke's arm. "You realize that you're suffering from more than just physical wounds."

"The chakra cutoff, I know," Sasuke frowned. "I've felt it since those crocodiles took a chunk out of my calf. Their bites must carry a shut off on our chakra paths. Sasuke sighed, and then slid to the floor. Chakra is critical to survival for a ninja, and with such low levels, how much good would he be if things got worse down the line. His taijutsu was good, but was it enough? How could he even use it properly? His thoughts grew bitter. To add insult to misery, his eyes flared up again, the pain escaladed to new heights, causing them to tear, not with water, but with blood. His body felt heavy, his mind hazy. "The drugs," he slurred. Ino knelt beside him and swung her arm around Sasuke, lifting him to stand. "Let's find your friend," she said.

"How?" Sasuke replied sluggishly.

"Together."

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"I can't believe you did that!" Sakura exclaimed.

"We needed a ride, and this merchant's cart was a perfect solution. I work with the elders, so the man had no choice," Sai answered blandly.

"But you didn't have to knock him unconscious and just leave him there in the snow. He could get sick," she retorted. Sai shrugged. What mattered now was that they were headed into the Dark Woods in a horse drawn sleigh. He was seated in the driver's seat, the reins held between his gloved hands. Next to him sat Sakura, her whining really beginning to grate on his nerves. Maybe she needed to be knocked unconscious. Behind them, Sasori and Deidara. It was fun to see the tension between the two. Sai smiled one of his fake smiles.

"Now then, I need to know where we're going. Deidara, direct us inside." Sai ordered.

Sasori laughed a bitter laugh. "And how is Deidara going to know the route. He was on the inside, remember? Tell him, Dei, there's no way you'd know the…" he trailed off seeing Deidara's lips tighten."Come now Sasori, is there so much you don't know of your friend here?" Sai smirked.

Sasori was confused. Deidara began to rattle off directions, describing their path with utmost detail. They zigzagged through the forest, the crunching of the snow underneath echoing into the quiet woods. Sasori wanted to know how or even why Deidara knew the route to such a place, but he remained silent, watching his friend through the corner of his amber eyes. The day soon gave way to night, and snow flurries had begun to fall from the darkening sky. Suddenly, the horse reared up and whinnied in protest. "What the hell?" Sai said angrily, struggling to keep control of the animal. "Why'd it stop?" he hissed. Sasori glanced around curiously. Trees, snow, and rocks. Deidara, however, was slightly trembling. Sai twisted around in his seat and narrowed his eyes at the dusty blond. "Get out." Deidara slowly stepped from the sled to the snow. Sasori and Sakura were about to debark as well when Sai dropped to the ground and snaked up behind Deidara, a kunai glinting right across the dusty blonde's throat. "You two will stay here," he ordered. The redhead glowered at Sai, and took a seat reluctantly. Dropping the kunai from Deidara's neck, he pushed it against the blonde's back. "Let's go."

The two made their way from the sleigh and headed out of sight. "Time for you to be useful, tool." Sai sneered, then pushed Deidara into a clearing. The blond merely stood there, trembling. "Well?" Sai tapped his foot impatiently.

"I..I…I'm not sure…" Deidara stammered.

"Not sure?!" Sai was exasperated. "We have not come all this way for you to be 'not sure'," Sai seethed. "There is a chakra shield here. Now open it!" he shouted. "If you do not, your 'keeper' will die," the pale teen threatened. Deidara swallowed. He didn't want Sasori to die, and nor was he his keeper. Or was he?

"Look, I've never opened it from this side," Deidara spoke warily. He could see the fury building in Sai's usually expressionless eyes. The pale teen wasn't ready to give up on finding his love. "All I know is that there's some sort of key and…," Deidara grunted as a shuriken whizzed past his shoulder, making a clean cut across his coat, cutting into his skin, and spinning into a tree a few meters behind him. A few splatters of red dotted the white snow at his feet. He soon felt the sticky warm trail of blood start dripping down his arm.

"I want action, not words," Sai countered, more shuriken appearing between his fingers, their sharp edges glimmering. Deidara glared at Sai, then turned, glancing away from him.

"What the hell does he want me to do?" Deidara mumbled under his breath. Well, whatever it was, he'd better do it soon. His icy eyes swept the clearing before him and he stood, his long blond hair ruffled by the breeze. Taking a few steps forward, he felt the pull of something. Curious, yet guarded, he took a few steps forward, then found himself on his knees, clutching at his neck and gasping. The crow's foot tattoo had begun to burn, and the smell of burnt flesh soon thickened the air. His chakra spun out of control as it mixed with hundred's of others, both of those who still lived and those who had perished. He could feel the pain and suffering, the fear and anguish, and the power of the chakra that made up the impenetrable shield. Recognizing Deidara's chakra signature, a portal had opened in front of him. He could barely see the purplish-black chakra that floated around the edges of the opening as if waiting to usher him inside. The burning had subsided, but it still hurt like hell.

"That's more like it," Sai walked up to the blond and crossed his arms in smug satisfaction. Huntington Ridge, it wouldn't be long now. "I'm coming Ino."

Deidara could only stare into the portal's opening, his tie to sanity fraying.

-- Flashback Part 2--

Ten-year-old Deidara was dragged down the corridor by nameless wards, past dozens of other children who were crying and sobbing, then down stony steps to room 43. He was kicking and struggling, calling out for his mom and dad. The ropes still bound him, but they were loosening. He could feel it, and he'd use that advantage when he got the chance. The door to room 43 stood cold and loomed above him. Two wards held Deidara, pressing firmly on his shoulders, keeping him rooted to the spot while the third jangled a large ring of keys, searching for the correct one. Once found, he placed the matching key inside the thick metal lock, a click was heard, and the door opened inward. A thin mattress on a steel framed bed greeted them. Above the bed on a steel arm hung a metal circular light fixed with five small bulbs inside of it. At the base of the bed was a six-foot chain with heavy shackles attached to a heavy stone. A tiny drain was on the floor next to the bed while a dim light hung from the ceiling. There were no windows, just blank, dark walls.

"Welcome home," a voice smirked. Deidara turned his head and was surprised to see Suigetsu standing behind him. "Sir," the wards chorused, relaxing their grip on the young boy. Anger shot through Deidara and with a final burst of adrenaline, he broke the ropes that held him. He landed a hard kick into Suigetsu's groin then whirled around, ducking under the wards' legs and took off down the hall. Suigetsu's swearing could be heard behind him and orders were being given.

"They'll never catch me," Deidara vowed. He searched the pockets of his loose pants searching for the one thing that could get him out of this mess. "Great, I still have some," he rejoiced inwardly. "Now I just need to place to hide to get it ready." He sprinted down another corridor, then dove into a nearby room, ducking behind a large desk. Panting heavily, but trying to silence himself, he took out the small wad of clay. He began to mold and shape it into a small bird between his hands. "There, it's just about…ahh!" A woman with magenta colored hair and black glasses jerked Deidara to his feet. Sliding her glasses down her nose with her other hand she studiously studied the boy. He was lean and thin, his shoulder-length dusty blond hair was messy and hung over one eye. His large icy blue eyes held a look of defiance as they challenged her.

"What do you have here?" she asked, taking Deidara's small hands into her long slender fingers. The small half formed clay bird fell to the ground, where the woman promptly crushed it with the sole of her black sandal.

"Let me alone!" Deidara tried to pull his hands away but couldn't. Karin gasped in surprise as she looked at the boy's palms. There were little mouths on each one. She'd never seen anything like them.

"Interesting," she said in awe, running her fingers along the lips of the hand-mouths. They each tried to bite at her, but she was too quick and deft. "What is this?" she asked curiously.

"None of your business," Deidara shot back. "Now let me go!" he squirmed.

"Hm…are there more of these mouths?" Karin questioned. Deidara stopped struggling and paled.

"I see," she replied, raising a thin brow, a smile crossing her lips.

"That's him," Suigetsu spat as he barged into the room. "That little shit kicked me," he growled, still holding onto his pride and joy.

"Now, now, Suigetsu, we don't treat our guests like that, do we?" she smirked. "I'm surprised he gave you so much trouble. Not bad for a little guy," she ruffled Deidara's hair playfully. "But seriously, get this boy back to his room. This boy has very good potential," Karin said, shoving the blond into Suigetsu's waiting grasp. "Though make sure nothing happens to his hands," she added.

"Let's go," Suigetsu growled, dragging Deidara back down the corridor. He was aided by two other wards once back at room 43. The young blond bucked at the entrance to the room and planted his feet. The wards had to yank Deidara into the room where he was thrown down onto the bed. Each of the wards held an arm while Suigetsu fastened the shackles around Deidara's ankles. After those were locked and secured, the wards wrapped the boy's wrists in leather loops, securing them to the top of the steel frame. With a quick smack on the head, Deidara's small body went limp. Suigetsu wiped the sweat from his brow and rubbed his hands across his face and arms. "The little bastard kicked me and made me look like a fool in front of my boss," Suigetsu thought bitterly. "Well, he'll have to pay for those little stunts." He smiled devilishly, looking over the young boys' body.

--- End Flashback --

Deidara rubbed at the spot where Suigetsu had hit him so many years ago. That was only the beginning of the abuse. Sai pulled hard on the blonde's ponytail, "You can take a trip down memory lane later. Back to the sleigh," he ordered, "NOW!"

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In the comforts of her own cottage roughly fifty miles from Huntington Ridge, Karin was casually looking over her notes and schedule for the following day. She sipped slowly on her tea and was basking in the knowledge that her collection was to grow three-fold tomorrow. She couldn't wait. Sure, she'd had a lot of people come and go, but with what Naruto and Sasuke had to offer, she'd finally have enough, both in quantity and quality. Opening a drawer, she withdrew a picture she had of her and her intern. "Oh Obito, if you had seen things my way, you'd be here to enjoy this moment, the moment I can finally complete my collection and achieve my true purpose. I will be the one holding the cards to the fates of everyone in the ninja world! Hahahahahahaha!" she laughed manically into the night.

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-- End of Chapter 8 --

Hope you guys enjoyed it! Please leave a comment, as they are always appreciated! Thanks!