Trapped: Chapter Three
Naruto's heart swelled in his chest, as the memories returned. Tightly he had his hands twisted in his shirt near his heart; while his breath caught in his throat. From the couch Itachi watched as Tobi continued to spoke Naruto and Naruto pushed against his leg, Itachi reached down resting his hand down across Naruto's shoulder and neck.
"Leave him alone," Itachi ordered, releasing Naruto and sitting up straight again after Tobi had moved away.
Kisame watched closely from the kitchen, as he stood leaning against the bench with his arms crossed over his chest. Itachi pulled his cloak off the back of the couch and on to the couch cushion beside him, reaching into an inside pocket to get his book. Pulling out a small old black book; the spine and cover being held together with sticky tape. Kisame smirked, as Itachi opened the book and began to read from a dog-eared page. Naruto didn't even bother looking up, his eyes remained pinned on the carpeted floor he sat on.
"When can I play with him, Kisame?" Tobi winced, on his knees before Kisame waiting for an answer.
"I'm going to bed, night," Itachi said, as Tobi began his multi-number of questions to Kisame.
Grabbing his coat and tucking his book under his arm, Itachi walked to the door before turning to look at Naruto. Raising an eyebrow; he waited a second for Naruto to stand, Unknown to Naruto.
"Follow," Itachi growled; making Naruto jump and look up at Itachi.
Using the couch to help him stand, Naruto's knees shook as he stood hunched over and trying to get the strength to push up from the couch and stand up straight. As he pushed up from the couch, his weight went completely to his legs and he crumbled to the floor. Pain rushed to his side, as his knees hit the ground; wrapping his arms around his torso he looked down at the carpet for a second before glancing up at Itachi.
"I can't," Naruto whispered; Itachi was beside Naruto in a second.
Itachi pulled Naruto up off the floor into his arms, walking again to the doorway and glancing back at Kisame.
"He will be in my room," Itachi told Kisame.
"On the bed..? Why does he get to sleep in your bed and I don't?" Tobi asked.
"He will be sleeping on the floor," Itachi said, disappearing down the dark hallway with Naruto.
"Why did Itachi just enter his room with the Demon Fox Carrier?" Sasori questioned, as he entered the living room/kitchen.
"I would love to know," Kisame told Sasori, a smirk across his face.
"Itachi, wouldn't…would he?" Sasori asked.
"What would Itachi do?" Tobi asked, cluelessly.
"Nothing," Sasori and Kisame told Tobi.
Itachi's Room – Four Hours Later
Naruto kept his limbs close to his body; his head resting on the old blue pillow. His body covered by a thin blue blanket; the cold air causing him to shiver from the air-con directly down on to him. Taking in a deep shaky breath, Naruto could feel his lungs freeze as he took a breath in.
"Naruto, sleep," Itachi ordered, rolling over in his bed to look down at Naruto.
Itachi sat up in his sleepened state and looked down at Naruto; he suddenly woke up when he saw Naruto shivering. Pulling the covers off his body, he stepped out of bed on to the carpeted floor and knelt down beside Naruto. Itachi ran his hand through Naruto's slimy, unwashed hair, before pulling him up into his arms and lay him down across the bed. Around Naruto, Itachi tucked both his blanket and the one Naruto had been using. Yet Naruto was still continuing to shiver; Itachi quickly left the room heading towards the kitchen. Searching in the bottom draw, Itachi pulled two hot water bottles and put them both in the microwave.
"Cold Itachi?" Hidan asked from the couch; Itachi would have jumped out of his skin if he hadn't been Itachi Uchiha.
"No, the boy is," Itachi replied, waiting for the microwave to beep before taking the two bottles and leaving the room.
Slowly Itachi entered his room, he saw Naruto sitting up on the bed, with the covers wrapped tightly around while he continued to shiver. Itachi crossed his room and stood in front of Naruto and looked down at him shivering. He tucked one of the hot water bottles under the blankets and held out the other one for Naruto to take.
"This should help, keep you warm," Itachi said.
Naruto reached out taking the water bottle and hugging it close to his chest.
"Why are you so cold?" Itachi questioned after ten minutes.
When Naruto didn't answer, Itachi touched Naruto's cheek and felt his cold icy skin.
"That is really strange," Itachi whispered, standing straight with his arms crossed over his chest and his mind ticking over.
"Knock, knock, knock,"
"Come in," Itachi said, not bothering to look at Pein.
"Your chakra is unsteady," Pein stated; expecting a reply from Itachi.
"The Fox Carrier is unusually cold?" Itachi answered.
"The Demon Fox could be causing this," Pein replied, Itachi mind snapped to what was happening.
"The Demon Fox, is going to try and kill him," Itachi said.
"Through freezing him?" Pein questioned.
"For the restoration and the extraction jutsu, cells of the person have to be reasonably intact or we have a clean sample…correct?" Itachi asked.
"Yeah…where are you going with this Itachi?" Pein asked.
"If body cells get too cold or if they get too hot, they begin to denature. Naruto's body is already past the point where the process has started, we need to stop the fox before he does any more damage," Itachi said.
"Take him to my small sitting room off my office," Pein ordered.
Itachi gathered Naruto still wrapped in the blankets and pulled him up into his arms. Exiting Itachi's room; Pein and Itachi went different ways. Pein entered the small living room with the whole Akatsuki behind him, Kisame entered the door last, shutting it behind him.
"Sasori, put the towel at the bottom of the door," Pein ordered, kneeling down in front of the fire.
Scraping a match along the edge of the fire, the end had a small flame. Pein threw the matchstick on to the unlit wood and watched as the wood began to burn; moving away from the fire Pein knelt down next to Itachi and Naruto.
"Everyone came and sit close," Pein ordered.