Ch5

This shouldn't have happened… He was tired and all he asked for was a minute of peace, no noise, nothing to concern himself with and definitely nothing that would cause his nerves to snap more than they had during his work.

Their little vacation had ended sooner than Nagato actually liked. And getting back to do his… work, (hard to believe himself) wasn't something he was looking forward to. He couldn't deny that he had received a nice (very nice) rest during that time, but, as it had shown, there was nothing nice to feel afterwards. Those two weeks of spending money (Hanzou's money to be precise), had made him sluggish and loose his concentration within the field. More than once he had to curse himself and his foolish mind that suddenly decided it'd rather reminisce a memory than focus on his target and a gun pointed directly at him. Thanks to that 'divine' rest still clinging in his mind, he had almost screwed up his task and nearly got himself killed. To say that he was pissed was a sore understatement.

Tired and completely worn-out after his assignment, Nagato was gladly heading back home. His hopes were filled with images of a warm bed and a well-deserved sleep that would help him sleep off that terrible headache, hurting muscles and heal his bleeding leg which the bullet had grazed. He had gotten careless. And why? Because there was something else on his mind instead of the task, and that was…

…the reason of all his problems.

Opening the doors to his apartment, Nagato blinked as the first thing he noticed, or rather the first thing his foot noticed was water soaking his shoe. "What the…" Looking around, the twitch in Nagato's eye intensified. The apartment was a fucking mess. Walls were smeared with something Nagato feared to even name, doors leading into the kitchen were hanging on their last hinges, a window in the living room was showing a nice sun-shaped hole in the middle, next to it the sofa was displaying a huge burn and the freaking floor was leaking full with water.

As for the cause of this chaos… Two shrimps with feathers covering their hair stood in the middle of the living room and were looking very happy with themselves.

"I told you he would appreciate it," Kyuubi joked and elbowed his giggling brother.

'Appreciate?' Nagato's patience snapped there, "What the HELL HAPPENED HERE!?"

Naruto and Kyuubi both jumped, startled by Nagato's sudden yell. Not only was it the first time he had raised his voice against them, it was also lacking reprimand. It wasn't the kind of tone one used to scold someone for doing a wrong.

"What. Happened?" Nagato grit through his teeth. "You think this is funny?"

Both twins looked down at their bare feet. This wasn't an 'oops' anymore, it was way beyond that now.

"For 24 hours a damn day I work to earn money and buy you food and clothes! I make everything possible to bring you comfort and home! And this is how you reciprocate!?"

Ashamed, Naruto had to struggle to look Nagato in the eye. "W-we're sorry Naga-chan. We were just p-playin…"

"THIS ISN'T PLAYING, NARUTO!"

Naruto quickly grabbed Kyuubi's hand, he was getting scared by Nagato. Why was Nagato yelling at them?

"This is insolence!"

Kyuubi bit his lip in guilt, he didn't mean for it to go this far, but they were having so much fun playing that the moment he realized what they had done, he was unable to fix it anymore. Though he did try to make a joke of this whole situation, which apparently failed miserably. "But we didn't mean-…"

"JUST LOOK AT THE APPARTMENT! Is this really how one plays a game!? KYUUBI!"

Kyuubi flinched. "N-no…"

"I left you in charge of the house and your brother, NOT to destroy it!"

"N-Naga-chan, we're s-sorry. We'll c-clean everything up. W-we will…"

"If there's anything worth cleaning it should be your behavior."

The twins fell silent. Whatever excuses they might make out now would only anger Nagato further. So they stopped.

Tsk-ing, Nagato took off his jacket and threw it carelessly into the wet floor. He was not going to have a good night, at all. "That's enough of this. You two go to your room, you've done plenty for today."

Perking up, Naruto tried to have one more approach to lighten the heavy mood. "We can help! Please, Naga-chan. I can close the window with my stickers?" Naruto tried to smile in kind. He was determined to show Nagato how truly sorry they were and hopefully cheer him up enough to forgive them. Sadly…

"I SAID YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH!" Nagato's harsh glare was enough to throw Naruto a few steps back.

"You think that simple excuses and smiles are enough to forgive for what you've done?!"

Naruto lowered his head again. "I was just…"

"Sorry will not cut it here, boy. Don't forget, I'm not your father and you're not at your old home anymore. You're with me now. And things will be a lot different while you're staying under my roof."

Kyuubi and Naruto both looked up at Nagato in shock. Why was he suddenly talking like that? Why bring their father up? And why was there so much hate in those words? Blame was no more the only emotion Kyuubi was starting to feel; there was something else…

Nagato stared down at them with cold eyes. "It's common sense, you do something wrong, you pay for it. Not with words and expressions, but with equal exchange." Running his fingers through his hair, Nagato reminded himself to calm down, he was talking to children after all. But how else was he to make them understand that they couldn't go around doing as they please and then just bat their innocent eyes in apology. "You're spoiled. All that gentleness from your parents, all those gifts you screamed for them to buy… This is not something you will get from me. And neither should you expect that." Nagato breathed his words without even thinking. "That moron of a father of yours taught you nothing!"

Despite the gathering tears in his eyes, Kyuubi was feeling anger. Deep and unforgiving anger.

Remembering his bleeding thigh that was already going numb from the pain, Nagato cursed and limped pass the silent boys while mumbling under his breath, "I actually forgot how much he pissed me off. Even beyond grave he still does. The nerve of that idiot, bringing insufferable brats into my fucking life."

"STOP TALKING BAD ABOUT MY DAD!" that cry suddenly made Nagato stop and look over his shoulder.

It was Naruto that had said it. His large watery eyes angry, cheeks red, shoulders shaking and tiny fists clenched at his sides. "He was the best! Kind and caring, unlike you! And you wish you could be like him! BUT YOU WON'T!" he yelled and suddenly ran pass Nagato, slamming the doors of his room shut so loud that it made Nagato flinch.

Staring at the closed door with wide eyes, Nagato suddenly covered his face and cursed, realization finally dropping down on him. What the hell was he thinking when he had said all those words! Of course he didn't fucking mean them like that. 'Goddammit!'

"You're right."

Remembering that Kyuubi was still in the room with him, Nagato turned towards that small back facing him.

"You are not our father." Brushing away his tears and facing Nagato, Kyuubi narrowed his purple eyes; his stance and gaze making Nagato forget that he was actually looking at a child, not an adult. "But there is also something that you must not forget yourself."

Running suddenly straight towards Nagato, Kyuubi drew back his leg and kicked the man with all his might into his bleeding leg.

"We are not your kids!"

Nagato dropped to the wet floor, clenching his fucked-up leg and flinched yet again as another slamming of the doors followed. "Goddammit!"

…

That night Nagato didn't feel like sleeping at all; he was walking by the boys' room after every two minutes only to turn away at the last second upon hearing Naruto still crying and Kyuubi trying to calm him down. Not that he couldn't muster up enough courage to apologize… he just didn't feel like handling the brats right now. Covering his eyes he breathed a deep sigh, why was he such a shitty person? Looking down at his feet soaking in the wet floor (it was still a wonder that neighbors weren't banging the doors down; probably because they weren't home), he recalled his goddamn leg. Deciding to treat his leg first and then go talk with the boys, Nagato disappeared into the bathroom; there he found the shower handle lying on the floor and finally shut the water off.

…

"Where are we going, Kyuubi?" asked Naruto in a tired and husky voice, his eyes still blurry and red from all that crying. His one hand was holding onto his brother's while the other held a folded bag filled with snacks close to his chest. He didn't really understand what Kyuubi meant when he had said that they were going to run away from home; but when Kyuubi mentioned a possibility of an adventure awaiting them he did not care for reason anymore; he just hoped Naga-chan wouldn't mind them being gone for a while.

"Well… there's a cool warehouse I saw not too far from here. We'll spend the night there and in the morning we'll step first foot into our adventurous path," proclaimed Kyuubi cheerfully, he was doing that more for his brother's sake than himself, because there was little excitement to feel over the prospect. Of course what Naruto didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Are you sure this is okay? Naga-chan will get worried."

Kyuubi's hold on Naruto's hand tightened and his eyes darkened at the thought of their godfather. "He won't," Kyuubi sounded more sure than he actually felt. "He won't care anyway. Did you not hear what he said? He doesn't want us."

Naruto bit his lower lip. "Is that… was that really true… what he said then?"

Kyuubi looked at the ground. 'I don't know.'

Naruto stopped walking, his eyes becoming teary once more. "We're not going to go back, are we?"

"Hey, hey. Don't cry. You have me, don't you?" Kyuubi embraced Naruto tightly; feeding him with all that warmth and care he knew was missing from the smaller boy's life. "Don't worry. I will take care of you."

"Promise?" Naruto clenched Kyuubi's shirt and buried his face into his shoulder.

"Promise. And you know that -… …" Kyuubi trailed off for Naruto to finish his sentence.

"H-hai. A m-man never goes back on his words." Naruto gave a small smile.

…

Now having more stability on his leg and feeling more conscious (and confident), Nagato was ready to face to boys with a clear head… well, clearer than normal.

After knocking on the door a couple of times without a received answer, Nagato deemed it good enough to enter the boys' room. Of course what met him next was enough to send him into another fit. But this time it was clear and simple – panic. Window was wide opened, sheets were tied together and making a makeshift rope that was tied securely by the bed leg and thrown out the window; but the worst part was that the damn kids were missing.

"SON-OF-A-BITCH!"

Quickly grabbing a flashlight and forgetting everything else, including his gun and the house keys in the apartment (it was a wreck anyway, no one would be interested), Nagato stormed out into the night.

…

It was already an hour since he began his search and he was failing miserably. Nagato did not understand why, but for some reason he could not find any leads, which was supposed to be one of his specialties. Maybe it was because for the first time in his life he was actually letting his emotions speak over his tact and professionalism. Whenever he was at work and needed to find his target he was calm, composed and rational; now however he was a total mess. He was panicking, he couldn't concentrate and he was damn worried. "Fucking hell!" why were those boys putting him through such a torture. Leaning against a nearby wall of what appeared to be an old, abandoned warehouse, Nagato rested his tired leg and rubbed his chest. Something behind it was hurting him very deeply. It was so painful that it made him laugh. "What the hell is happening to me?"

"Better question: what is going to happen to you."

Nagato's eyes shot open and he cursed before his face was smashed into the wall and he was ripped from his consciousness.

…

Naruto and Kyuubi were trembling in fear, their hands pressed over each other's mouth to cover their uneven and shallow breathing. It was just at that moment, right after they saw their godfather actually searching for them that they witnessed how strange men had suddenly attacked him and took him into the abandoned building.

"He was looking for us. He was looking for us, Kyuubi," whispered Naruto, his voice filled with unsure emotions and terror. "Naga-chan actually came for us, right? Right?"

Kyuubi looked to the side, he was unsure. Yes, he knew what his brother was thinking, he saw it too. He saw that desperation and worry in Nagato's eyes, and it was all meant for them, he was truly looking for them, but… was that enough to atone for all those mean things he had spoken?

Both brothers jumped in startle at a sudden loud bang of metal doors being slammed shut.

Those people were in the warehouse, just below where Kyuubi and Naruto were hiding themselves.

The boys managed to enter the warehouse by climbing onto the second floor using pipes, since the lower parts of the house were locked and barricaded. As for those men, they apparently had a key to unlock the lower levels.

"Naga-chan," worried for his guardian, Naruto ran towards the sounds.

"Wait, Naruto," Kyuubi quickly caught his brother before he made himself seen. "You idiot! They'll see us." he warned him silently.

"But Naga-chan is in danger."

"And what can we do?"

Naruto shut his mouth but stared at Kyuubi with pleading eyes.

Clicking his tongue, Kyuubi led him slowly through another passage. "Follow me. And stay low." Following the echo of horrible punch-like-sounds – which they only ever heard in those late movies right before Nagato marched over and quickly changed the channels – Kyuubi and Naruto soon found themselves in a stockroom. Hiding behind the old dusty boxes filled with half empty half full icky-liquid bottles, the boys peered at the shadowed figures moving about. One of them was indisputably their godfather, and he was being hurt, terribly.

…

Nagato turned his face away in disgust as he was brought back into consciousness by something spicy and burning waved in front of his nose.

"That'd be enough. He's coming to." said one of the six men in the room. And just for good measures, a strong punch was suddenly delivered across Nagato's face.

Nagato grunted from the pain, his back slamming heavily against the hard wooden floor. Not soon after someone grabbed him by his hair and pushed his face into the ground. Two more pairs of hands grabbed his wrists and pressed his legs down, forbidding him of any excessive movements.

Nagato was beginning to get annoyed. His head was already feeling like crap, and those idiots where not making it any easier by trying to crack his skull open.

One of the sleazebags knelt to his level and placed a hand upon his back. Nagato jerked. The grip on him tighten. "Now now. Don't make it harder than it needs to be." A sharp blade pressed against his back. Nagato tried to force his hands, but they wouldn't budge. "People say it's near impossible to lay a single finger on you, let alone a scar. Heh…, well guess who's about to crush this myth." Grabbing Nagato's shirt, the goon forced it up and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "I would love it if you sang me a nice melody while I lay a claim on this untouchable flesh of yours, what you say? The thought of someone finally laying a mark on you must be very arousing for someone as twisted as yourself, no?"

"Err…," one of the goons from atop Nagato abruptly murmured while examining the many scars crisscrossed over their victim's revealed back. It looked like someone already had their share fill, if not more.

"Hah… hahahah, well ain't you a slut, Pain. How many fuckers have you had? No matter, I guess there's no other choice than add a new color to this artistic piece of crap."

Nagato balled his fingers into fists as his flesh was suddenly pierced, the blade cutting deeply into his tender skin and going across many scars merging his back. If nothing else, those scars had become a testament of how many men had come close to killing him yet were never actually successful. And these assholes would be no exception, not that they will know any of this.

A throaty chuckle escaped the assaulting goon's mouth while he cut the flesh, his shoulders shaking in deep laughs at those suppressed groans of pain the ever stubborn man was so persistently trying to keep within himself. "Oh come on now, Pain. This is no time to be humble. The least you could do is give me a bit of a tune already. I'm craving to hear you sing in despair. SCREAM FOR ME!" he yelled and stuck the blade deeper into Nagato's scapula, grazing it against the bone.

Nagato muffled the scream as the man forced the wound open. Blood dripped pass the blade and down his sides, covering his back in hot liquid. The burning was agonizing and he could feel it affect his entire body, forcing cold sweat run down his paled skin and his mind slip away.

"Enough play. Let's not waist time here. Finish the job already." Nagato heard someone else say. Apparently they weren't just some sickos, they came for him specifically because they knew the value someone of higher standards would offer for him. Would be no great surprise, Nagato's enemies and their asslickers were crawling from all holes like cockroaches.

Pressing the button on the switchblade, the talkative man of the group stood up, "Riiiight, I too can't wait to bring this trash to Lord Hanzou. This prize is sure to get us on his respective side."

"Don't forget the ton of money we'll get, boss."

The talkative bastard smirked in greed at the thought of their reward. He couldn't even begin to imagine how well Lord Hanzou – the feared underground leader of Honshu – will enrich them once he hears that they rid him of this walking piece of shit.

Gripping Nagato by his hair, the apparent leader amongst the group forced his head up, "Sorry that I can't play with you more than this, Pain," the man spat the name like a bad disease. "And I can understand if pain turns you on."

"Thus comes the nickname." the rest of the bastards chuckled.

"But in any case," he continued, "I'm gonna shoot you now."

Nagato glared at him, staring at the man in venom and disgust. 'Hanzou, huh?' So this was the source of his bad day turning worse? Well no matter, once he'll finish shredding these morons to shreds, Nagato will drop hell on Hanzou for issuing a bounty on him. But not before he finds those damn kids.

Grinning in menace, the man stood to his full height and pulled out one of the two guns strapped across his chest. "Let me just take a few steps back. I wouldn't want to have your blood staining my shoes."

Nagato pressed his forehead against the ground and flexed his shoulders in right angle, that should be just enough to get him the needed boost and power to force the other men of him, and just enough time to have the so called 'leader' shoot one of his own men instead of him, but that plan was crushed within an instant by a shocking entry…

"NO!" a small body suddenly came running from the shadows and stopping in between Nagato and the gun.

The room fell under dead silence as all stared at the out of nowhere appearing child.

"The fuck?!" yelled the leader. "What the fuck is this!? I thought I told you to seal the area completely!" he barked at the rest of the gaping goons behind him.

"We did, boss!"

"Then how did this brat get here!"

Nagato himself was none the wiser. Too shocked and frozen by Naruto's sudden presence, he not only forgot his plan but he also forgot how to breathe. 'What is he doing? How did he get here? What the hell! WHY IS HE HERE!?'

"I w-won't let you h-hurt Naga-chan!" stuttering yet filled with courage said the blond boy.

The leader started at the kid for a few seconds before all that he said finally sank in. "Naga-chan?" that menacing grin bloomed back across his face. "Shit, don't tell me…"

Nagato was brought out of his stupor as the man lowered his gun and approached the boy. Taken by sudden despair and fear, Nagato forgot all about tact and began struggling against the restrains, which of course was useless and caused the men to secure their hold on him more firmly.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Nagato's yell actually made the leader halt his hand, but soon after the man's boldness came back and he grabbed Naruto roughly by his hand. Bending down to the shaking boy's level, the man stared at him with his creepy small black eyes. "Let me hear you say those words one more time, little boy."

CRASH!

"ARGH! MOTHER FUCKER!" A bottle of rotten liquid suddenly crashed against the leader's head, covering his entire head in rotten liquid. "WHO THE HELL-…!?" turning sharp eyes towards his sudden attacker, the leader felt stumped. A redheaded brat was standing by the stock boxes with a bottle held tightly in his shaking hands. "ANOTHER ONE?! SHIT PAIN, YOU FUCKIN' PEDO-…" his rampageous shouts were interrupted by another bottle getting thrown at him and hitting him square in the face. "YOU LITTLE SHIT!" letting the blond one go, he grabbed for his burning eyes.

"RUN!" Running quickly for his brother, Kyuubi ceased his hand and dashed away from the stockroom.

Angered beyond imagination, the leader took after them, two more goons hot on his heels. "DON'T LET PAIN ESCAPE!" he ordered the rest of the men to keep Pain where he was until he personally finished dealing with those little shits.

"What the fuck, Pain? Since when did you start taking interest in children?" the three men left in charge of watch laughed between themselves in mockery. "What's this? No comeback? Oi!"

Nagato said nothing and he heard nothing. Not that it mattered, because what he had seen before him happen just now made him see blood red.

…

One of the two goons following their boss suddenly stopped as he heard an agonizing yell echo behind them. He rushed back to check on his 'comrades' and Pain. "The fuck was that?!" His question was answered by a bullet piercing his forehead.

…

Naruto and Kyuubi ran as fast as they could; although small and not quite used in handling their adrenalin rush, they still forced their legs for all they were worth. Crashing into the fence barricading the huge warehouse, they grabbed about and quickly climbed across, the shout of that horrible man followed them close behind.

"Jump." Jumping over the fence, Naruto and Kyuubi landed on the other side just in time to see two men turn the corner.

"Brats! Get back here!" yelled the bigger of the two.

Kyuubi grabbed Naruto's sleeve, forcing him to keep moving.

The men had little to no problem getting over the fence, their bodies were built from hardship and physical buff. All it took was a boost and a tight grip on the ledge and they were on the other side.

"Do you honestly think you're going to run away from me?" the leader smirked.

Panic and fear reflected in Naruto and Kyuubi's eyes and they resumed their run.

"Tsk. Annoying," irritated by this whole chase, the slighter of the two men aimed his gun. But just as he fired, his boss pushed his hand to the side, disrupting his aim and forcing him to shoot a barrel.

The kids yelped out in startled and quickly changed their running direction, disappearing into an ally on their right.

"The fuck?!"

"Relax, moron! You'll have your chance, but not yet." said the leader. "It is more than obvious that these brats are in an interesting 'relationship' with that bastard Pain. So much so that it is enough to have him lose his composure, and in front of his enemies nonetheless."

Recalling what they witnessed so far, the goon could not argue. But for Pain (of all damn people) to actually have a relation to someone …now that shit was interesting.

"I can't help but wish to see how much power those brats have over him, and how much we can use them to control him. Come." They resumed the chase with slow steps. There was no need to run anymore; the man knew this place like he knew his five fingers. And the direction those boys were heading to was leading to a dead-end.

…

Kyuubi and Naruto were trapped. There was nothing but tall walls around them. "No. This can't be." Taking Naruto's wrist, Kyuubi was going to chance it and run back from where they came but they were too late to escape, the men were blocking the exit.

"Nowhere else to run, huh?" said the leader with a mocking grin, slowly advancing the cornered kids.

"Don't come! Stay away!" Kyuubi threatened, pulling his brother behind him and standing his ground protectively.

"Or what? You're going to bite us?" laughed the lackey.

"Now that won't do, will it? Why don't you just come over here already…, children," the crooked sneer on the man's face was promising nothing but pain and torture.

"Go die you ugly bull!" yelled Kyuubi, cursing when there was no more space left between them and the brick wall.

"Quite a spunky one, aren't you?"

"You little shit," the lower goon was ready to teach the brat a thing or two, but his boss stopped him with a raised hand.

"Discipline can wait." said the leader, "After all, we wouldn't want to miss a chance and see Pain's spirit crack, now would we?" Smiling at the boys, he closed the final gap separating them. "Don't worry, I'll try to be gentle."

A large hand came for them and Kyuubi covered Naruto with his hands, his own eyes closing tightly shut.

The walls of the alley suddenly echoed a loud crack; a gun was shot, followed by two more shots that penetrated the unsuspected victim with piercing lead. Blood splattered from the goon's mouth and his eyes rolled to the back of his leader quickly wheeled around to see his trusted man falling dead on the ground, the hole in his head bleeding through; and the one who shot him was…

"YOU!?"

BANG

The gun fired again, this time piercing the leader's chest. The shocked man quickly tried to reach for his own guns but another shot soon followed and sank deeply into his flesh, then another and another and another.

Nagato fired the gun with each advancing step he took closer to the disgusting wrench of a man until he lied flat and dead on the ground and there were no more bullets left to fire. Finally resting his finger away from the trigger, Nagato threw the useless gun away and checked on the shaken boys.

Two pairs of glassy eyes stared back at him both in fear and relief. Nagato felt his heart clench once more. What they saw today and what they had to experience, what Nagato made them experience, was falling heavily on his guilt. They were kids for god's sake. Both still small and weak, so unprotected and confused. The pain which he previously ignored was once again revealing its ugly truth to him. If it weren't for Nagato and his foolish pride, none of this would have happened. If he hadn't pushed them away, hadn't turned a cold shoulder when his support was most need, none of this would've happened. Why did he have to act so heartless towards them, towards his… family?

"N-Naga-chan…"

Pushing that pathetic self-pity away, Nagato focused on what was really important. And that was the safety and wellbeing of his kids.

Stepping closer, Nagato knelt in front of them. "Are you alri-…" A sentence didn't manage to form as Naruto already threw himself into Nagato's arms. Shaking his shock away, Nagato sighed and encircled his one arm around the weeping child's back and pressed him closer to his chest.

Shooting an expectant glance Kyuubi's way, Nagato felt slightly disappointed when the boy didn't follow his brother's example. Kyuubi stood where he was, glaring at Nagato and letting him feel the guilt of what he had done to his poor scared brother.

Nagato didn't want to admit it, but he was guilty. Though apologies would have to wait for now, he didn't have the strength or clear mind to come up with the right words to say. And it was still dark and dangerous outside. Even though Nagato believed that he had killed all of those bastards that came for him, he still couldn't be a hundred percent sure if there weren't any more of them lurking nearby. And with the boys so close to him, who had already seen more than was enough, there was no telling what could happen. They had to get out of here.

Realizing that Naruto wasn't about to let him go anytime soon, Nagato picked the small boy steadily into his one arm and held his free hand out for Kyuubi to take. "Let's go. I'm taking you away from here."

Kyuubi didn't move, it didn't look like he was even considering the thought of letting Nagato touch him in any way. That distrustful look he showed was starting to hurt. Nagato never imagined he could feel such piercing pain that was in no way inflicted from a blade or bullet.

"Kyuubi." Nagato and Kyuubi were both interrupted from their intense staring by Naruto's meek voice reaching their ears.

Holding a tight grip on Nagato's shirt, Naruto stared at Kyuubi pleadingly, his glassy eyes shimmering in the darkness of the night.

Finally, with a defeated sigh, Kyuubi took Nagato's offered arm.

No more disturbing thoughts in mind, Nagato took the boys away from the warehouse, the town and finally the city itself.