Chapter 2

The next morning, Sasuke was walking to a room, following a guard. He was handcuffed again. The guard had woken him up that morning saying he had a visitor. Sasuke figured it would be Itachi. He walked into a room which had tiny chambers behind glass and a phone on each side of the glass. Behind one of them he saw Itachi. And he didn't look happy at all.

The guard loosened the handcuffs now.

"You have fifteen minutes." He said and then locked the door.

Sasuke rubbed his pulses a little and sat down on the chair before the glass. Couldn't he even have a normal conversation with his brother? Sasuke picked up the phone and waited for Itachi to do the same. He was in for it now.

You could see Itachi sigh and then he took the phone as well, bringing it up to his ear.

"I'm very angry." He said, and you could see he said it through gritted teeth.

"I know. I'm sorry." Sasuke said through the phone. He could see Itachi was trying to stay calm. Sasuke was just happy the glass was between them.

"How could you ever be so stupid?" Itachi snapped, glaring at Sasuke furiously.

"I don't know, I just did it. I didn't think I'd be caught." Sasuke said. He stared at Itachi. God sometimes he just looked exactly like their father. That same look. And Itachi could be just as evil as his father sometimes too. One more reason for Sasuke to thank the Lord they met up like this.

"And I even warned you." Itachi muttered. "Jeez Sasuke. You're really stupid."

"I know. I'm sorry." Sasuke said. He did regret doing it. But he regretted getting caught more then anything else.

"Is that the only thing you got to say?" Itachi asked, with an eyebrow pulled up.

"Well what else do you want me to say? It's not like I like it here Itachi. And all I can do is apologise to you." Sasuke said.

"You could say I promise to be more careful next time." Itachi snapped. "Hell Sasuke, now I have to miss you for three months."

"Six months. They gave me six months." Sasuke said. "And I will be more careful. Besides I'm gonna have to quit drugs in here anyway."

"OK." Itachi said as he frowned. "Six months.. jeez."

"Will you come visit me?" Sasuke asked. He really didn't want to miss Itachi for so long.

"Of course I will." Itachi snapped, looking irritated. He didn't knew how to act now, that was obvious.

"Sorry. I just wanted to know. I'm really, really sorry you know. I know I should've listened to you." Sasuke said.

"Good." Itachi said, nodding.

"I met a guy here." Sasuke said, hoping Itachi would calm down if he just acted normal.

"What guy?" Itachi asked, looking at Sasuke.

"My cellmate." Sasuke answered. "He murdered someone."

"You should ask to be placed in another cell then." Itachi said, looking worried. "They can't place you with a murderer."

"He's really nice. And he murdered someone who abused him. I had sex with him." Sasuke said. God Itachi would probably get mad at him again now, but he just always told Itachi everything.

"What?" Itachi asked, looking shocked. "Wait, rewind. You knew him for one day and you had sex with him? And he murdered someone because? I didn't catch that."

"Calm down. He murdered someone because he was abused by him." Sasuke said. "And yeah, it just happened. It's not a big deal."

"Has he been abused badly?" Itachi asked with a frown. "Isn't it a dangerous guy, you know, such a huge tough guy?"

"No, he's really thin and maybe an inch taller then I am." Sasuke answered. "And yes, he's got scars all over his body. It's really sad."

"How long does he has to stay here then?" Itachi asked, still frowning. "It sounds like he's innocent. Well, a little."

"I know. They gave him fourteen years. It's ridiculous. I mean, he told me it was either him or his uncle. I would do the same." Sasuke said.

"Indeed." Itachi said. "Poor guy. He won't survive in here."

"Not for fourteen years. But.. I think I like him.." Sasuke softly said.

"Now already?" Itachi asked, frowning again.

"Well it's not like I'm in love with him or anything. It just clicked." Sasuke said.

"Hm." Itachi said. "Don't fall in love with him. Else you're going to miss him really badly."

"I know, but I won't be able to stop it you know. I mean, if I start to fall in love with him, I can't stop that." Sasuke said.

"True." Itachi said. "But well." He sighed now.

"I know it would be stupid. How are you doing?" Sasuke asked. At that moment the door opened again and the guard walked in. The fifteen minutes were over.
"I'll come next week." Itachi said as he hung up the phone.

"Time's over laddie." The guard said as he got Sasuke's handcuffs out of his pocket.

Sasuke stared at Itachi for a while longer and then mouthed him another 'I'm sorry' before getting up. He let himself be handcuffed and walked out of the room. Damn, he would really like to go with Itachi right now.

The guard walked Sasuke back to his cell, uncuffed him and pushed him into the cell again. Neji was sitting on his own bed again. Sasuke sat down on his own and sighed.

"How was it?" Neji asked, looking at Sasuke.

"He was angry." Sasuke said. "But he calmed down after I apologized."

"OK, that's good." Neji said. "Was the rest of your conversation going well?"

"We talked about you." Sasuke said and looked at Neji. He wondered what Neji would say to that.

"..Why?" Neji asked with a frown.

Sasuke shrugged. "I tell my brother everything so about you too." He answered.

"Oh, OK.." Neji said, nodding. "It must feel nice to have someone out there who cares about you. Did you like it to see him?"

"Yes. I asked him to come by every once in a while. And yes it does feel nice. Neji don't you know someone like that?" Sasuke asked. "And you don't mind I talk about you right? I didn't say anything bad."

"I don't mind about that." Neji said, smiling slightly. "And no, I don't know someone like that. I used to, I had a good bond with my cousins, but not anymore since I killed their father. So.."

"Oh. That's stupid. My brother agreed with me that you were pretty much innocent. It was your uncle's fault." Sasuke said.

"Hmm.. that's good to hear, but it won't solve anything." Neji said.

"I know.." Sasuke said. "Do you regret yesterday?" He then asked and looked at Neji.

"Not at all." Neji said, smiling again.

"Good. Me neither." Sasuke said and smiled back. "When do we get to go to breakfast?"

"Soon." Neji said and then the bell rang and the doors opened. "Now." He said with a smirk, while he stood.

Sasuke laughed a little and stood up too. "That was a nice coincidence." He said and he walked out of the cell, following the rest of the prisoners.

Neji followed him.

"Damn, I'm hungry." He said.

"Me too. So is breakfast better or worse then dinner?" Sasuke asked and smirked.

"Better." Neji said and smirked.

"Good." Sasuke said. They now walked into the room and got in line. "What day do we get to shower?" He asked.

"Today." Neji said. "We should stay close to each other, so we can warn each other then. You really have to watch out, and always stand with your back to the wall. Doesn't sound nice, since they can all look at you then, but believe me, it's better to show your member then to show your ass."

"Why?" Sasuke asked. "And I am staying close to you, I don't want anyone else standing next to me."

"They'll try to take you when you stand facing the wall." Neji said. "And never ever pick up something from the ground, like soap."

"Oh. I've heard about that. Did you ever get...you know?" Sasuke asked and looked at Neji.

"No, but almost." Neji answered, looking back.

"What happened then?" Sasuke asked as his plate was filled with sandwiches that looked...OK.

"Well, I stood with my head in front of the wall, and then I felt hands on my hips and a penis against my ass, so." Neji said, shrugging. "That's what happens." They took their breakfast now and started searching for a spot.

Sasuke looked at Neji a little disgusted by the story. "That sucks. What did you do?" Sasuke asked. He looked around for an empty table, not wanting to sit with anyone else.

"I turned around, hit him and said he had to fuck off else I'd call a guard." Neji said with a small smirk. "It's a ritual."

Sasuke laughed a little. "Well if it works." He said. "As long as you don't hit me, I say go for it."

"Who knows." Neji said, still smirking. He found a spot now, where only two other guys were sitting, and sat down. He looked at the two of them, he knew one of them, he had been here for a while, but the other.. that had to be a new one.

Sasuke sat down next to Neji and looked at the two too. He of course did not know them, but they seemed OK. They weren't big, just like Neji and him. One of them even looked depressed.

Suddenly, one of the guys looked at them with a smirk. He had two red tattoos on his face, one at each cheek. His hair was brown and ruffled.

"Oy, you two seem pretty normal you know, do you have any idea where I can find a toilet here?" The guy asked, looking at Neji and Sasuke. Neji brought up an eyebrow at this.

Sasuke stared at the guy confused. Why was he so cheery? And looking for a toilet? He had one in his cell, that was for sure.

"I already told you Kiba, there is no bathroom here." The other one said. He looked lazy and like he was troubled by something.

"Yeah but you know nothing, I even had to drag you here, so shut up." The guy, named Kiba, said, with his head high in the air. "So do you know?"

"..You have one in your cell." Neji answered now, as calm as he always was.

"You're a drag." The other guy said and continued to stare at his food.

"Are you new here?" Sasuke asked the guy named Kiba.

"Yeah, why?" Kiba asked. "Do you have a problem with it?"

Neji snorted at hearing this. He looked at the other guy, who was looking very... depressive.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow now. "No. I was just asking. Since the toilet is a little hard to miss in that good for nothing cells we get." He answered.

"Act normal Kiba." The other guy said and laid his head on his hand, looking aside to Kiba.

"Ey shut up Shikamaru, just go sleeping!" Kiba said, looking highly offended, raising his fist in the air.

Neji raised an eyebrow as well now. What the hell?

"Don't make a scene." The guy named Shikamaru said. Sasuke frowned now, confused by what was happening.

"Who 'are' you guys?" Sasuke asked dumbfounded.

"Kiba and Shikamaru." Kiba answered, almost immediately.

"Don't you mean lazy and hyperactive?" Neji asked, still with an eyebrow pulled up.

Sasuke laughed now.

"No we mean lazy and 'stupid'." Shikamaru answered and grinned at Kiba. He obviously found that pretty amusing.

"What?!" Kiba yelled as he hit Shikamaru on the head. "I'm not stupid!"

"So it seems, since you realise we're talking about you." Neji said with a snort.

Shikamaru groaned a little. "Jeez Kiba, keep your hands to yourself." He said and then mumbled something that sounded like 'how troublesome'.

"If you're not stupid, how come you missed the toilet in your cell?" Sasuke asked smirking.

"I didn't, but I have to go to the toilet 'now', so I can't go to my cell hm." Kiba said, with his head high in the air.

Neji smirked.

"Sure." He said.

"Then why didn't you go 'before' you went here?" Sasuke asked. "Now 'that' would've been smart."

"We had to get out very fast." Kiba said, huffing. "And besides, I only felt now that I had to go to the toilet."

"It'll be half an hour, your potty trained, so use it." Shikamaru said and finally took one bite of his sandwich.

"Bluh." Kiba said as he already finished his breakfast. Then he smirked and took a bite of Shikamaru's sandwich. "So who are you guys and why are you here?"

Sasuke looked at Kiba and Shikamaru who didn't even seem to mind Kiba was eating his sandwich.

"Sasuke. And I got caught with drugs." Sasuke answered, still staring at the two.

"Me too, another one joins the club." Shikamaru said and smirked. He took one more bite of his sandwich and then dumped the rest on Kiba's plate.

"Hmm, but you two are very different." Kiba said as he looked at both Sasuke and Neji, as he just took a bite of Shikamaru's sandwich. "What about you?" He asked Neji.

"I'm here for murder." Neji answered, which lead Kiba to almost choke into his sandwich.

"What?" He asked, staring at Neji. Neji sighed.

"You heard me right." He muttered.

"Murder huh. Now that's something different." Shikamaru said, not really seeming shocked or anything. "So why'd you do it?" He asked.

"Self defence." Neji said. "It'd be me or him. The choice was easy."

"Then how'd you do it?" Shikamaru asked lazily, staring at Neji with an uninterested face. Sasuke looked at Neji now too. He hadn't asked about it, but now that he thought of it, he wondered what Neji had done.

"I put poison in the tea I brought him." Neji said, looking at his breakfast.

Sasuke was silent for a while and so were the other two. They just stared at Neji before Shikamaru broke the silence. "How did you get poison?" He asked.

"I put bleaching agent in it." Neji said as he took a bite of his sandwich. "Some of the heavy stuff that burns your insides when you take it."

"That's a little cruel don't you think?" Shikamaru asked, staying calm. Sasuke was looking at Neji with big eyes. He never thought Neji would do it in such a horrible way.

"He did the same with me." Neji said, taking another bite. "He destroyed me, so I did the same to him."

"He deserved it." Sasuke said after a while of silence and then took a bite too.

"Well, at least you're not here for a stupid reason. Like Kiba." Shikamaru said and grinned at Kiba now.

"My reason is not stupid." Kiba said, putting his face into the air again.

"What did he do?" Neji asked.

"He had to feed his dog so he stole a diamond." Shikamaru said and smirked. Sasuke started laughing now.

"He did what?" He asked. Sasuke seriously thought Kiba was mentally disturbed right now.

"Well that's not really stupid or something." Kiba said, still with his face in the air. "I just needed money for me and my dog OK."

"Did taking a job ever cross your mind?" Sasuke said, still laughing.

"Told you he was stupid." Shikamaru said and grinned.

"Shut up." Kiba said, looking away annoyed. Neji let out a laugh now.

"There are some people who really love their animals." He said.

"That he loves his animal is not the problem. That he thought stealing a diamond would solve things is." Sasuke said and smirked at Kiba.

"I didn't knew something else OK." Kiba muttered.

"But what were you planning to do with a stolen diamond? I mean, if you would try to sell it you'd be in trouble." Sasuke said, still grinning a little.

"Yeah yeah, I know, Shikamaru rubbed it in already." Kiba said, waving his hand.

"So what about your dog then? Where is he now?" Sasuke asked, figuring dropping the subject would be good.

"He's at the house of a friend of mine." Kiba said, while his face dropped immediately. He looked depressed all of a sudden.

Sasuke frowned now. "Do you miss him so much?" He asked. He couldn't think of any person ever missing a dog like that. It was just a dog after all. But Kiba obviously seemed to wanna do everything for his dog.

"Yeah, I really miss him." Kiba said, pouting, and not on a funny way. He really looked depressed now.

Shikamaru patted Kiba's head now. "You'll see him soon, when you get out." He said, suddenly sympathetic towards Kiba now.

"How long do you have to be here?" Sasuke asked.

"Six months." Kiba muttered.

Sasuke looked at Kiba. "Me too. Funny that they gave both of us the same punishment for something completely different." Sasuke said.

"Yeah, that's strange." Kiba said with a frown. "Shika, did you have six months as well?"

"I got eight, but I already sat out two of them." Shikamaru answered and Sasuke frowned. Shika? What the hell.

"So you're worse then I was then. Good to know." He said and smirked, earning a grin back from Shikamaru.

"What about you Neji?" Shikamaru asked Neji.

"I got three months and fourteen years." Neji said. "I sat out the three months already."

"Damn..." Shikamaru said and looked at Neji. Sasuke looked at him too. They had avoided that subject ever since the time it had made them completely uncomfortable.

Kiba frowned.

"That's pretty long." Kiba said. Neji shrugged.

"It's a good punishment." Neji said. "You would be angry if the killer of someone you love got free very soon after murdering that person right?"

"But it was you or him. I would forgive you for it." Sasuke said.

"It's a bad punishment, you don't seem to be dangerous at all." Shikamaru said calmly.

"Well I am." Neji said to Shikamaru with a sarcastic smirk. "And like I said before Sasuke, I don't have proof it was me or him."

"You have scars." Sasuke said shrugging.

"You're not." Shikamaru said and grinned back. "And scars don't prove anything if no one knows where you got them." He added.

"Exactly." Neji said. "I can say he did it, but I can say the cat from the neighbors did it as well. I don't have proof he did it."

"But it was you or him..?" Kiba asked, still frowning. "Did he try to kill you?"

"..I don't think he realised I almost died." Neji said, after he had been silent for a couple of seconds.

"If he could do what he did to you, then I'm sure he knew you would die sooner or later." Sasuke suddenly snapped. He was getting sick of Neji blaming it on himself.

"I don't think so, he loved to hurt me, I don't think he expected that my body couldn't take everything." Neji said. "Why are you snapping now?" He frowned.

"Because now you're even making excuses for him. Are you nuts? He almost killed you. All you could do was beat him to it and you still think it's your own fault?" Sasuke asked irritated.

"Do you hear me saying it's my fault?" Neji asked with his eyebrows pulled up. "I'm saying he was that sick that he didn't even realize that a body can actually stop working."

"But it's an excuse. Of course he knew that. He wasn't stupid. And you constantly say that you deserve it to be here and stuff. But you don't." Sasuke snapped.

"I'm a murderer Sasuke, and a murderer deserves it to be here." Neji snapped back as he stood. The bell rang. "I don't want to talk about this anymore." With that he walked away, or more, stormed away.

"Pff.. this must be heavy on him." Kiba said as he stood as well and stretched a bit.

"I guess he thinks every murder is the same." Shikamaru said and then shrugged. "And I thought you would be running back to your cell since you had to pee like mad before." He added and got up lazily. Sasuke got up and frowned at the sight of Neji leaving.

"I'll see you guys later." He said and then followed Neji through the crowd.

"Bye." Kiba said, nodding. Meanwhile, Neji was quickly walking back towards his cell, disappearing in the crowd of prisoners. He pushed aside a few people who yelled after him but he just kept walking.

Sasuke followed Neji, making apologies for him, hoping that would keep Neji out of trouble. After a while he was forced to walk in line, which annoyed him to no end. When he finally reached the cell, Neji was sitting on his bed.

"Neji.." Sasuke softly said.

"Shut up." Neji snapped as he laid down and pulled the covers over himself, shaking.

Sasuke walked to Neji and the cell closed behind him. He sat down on Neji's bed and laid a hand on Neji's back.

"I'm sorry Neji. It's just what I think.." He softly said. He could see how hurt Neji was by all of it. How hard it was on him.

"..I said shut up." Neji whispered, as he gripped the mattress of his bed tightly. He swallowed.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke said and kept his hand on Neji's back, softly stroking it. He figured he should just be quiet for Neji now, have him do things in his own pace. He would just wait.

Neji was silent now, not reacting anymore. He was thinking deeply, almost too deep.

And Sasuke just waited. He kept stroking over Neji's back and waited patiently for Neji to talk to him again. It was boring, sitting on a bed and doing nothing. But he wanted Neji to know that he was there, and not just because he couldn't get out of this prison.

"..He just fucking never knew when to stop.." Neji whispered after a few minutes of silence.

Sasuke looked at Neji now. "You didn't deserve it.." Sasuke softly said.

"..H-he ripped me open, even broke my bones.. he did everything to hurt me.." Neji continued, still shaking. "..Every step I take hurts because he once broke one of my feet, and it never had the chance to heal properly.. I g-get reminded of him every day in this fucking prison.." You could hear the anger in his voice, the fury. The hate.

Sasuke frowned at Neji. He never knew it was this bad. That Neji's uncle had been this evil.

"..It's over now.." Sasuke softly said as he stroke over Neji's back again, hoping it would stop the shaking. Hoping it would make Neji feel better.

"...I d-don't regret killing him at all." Neji spat now. "I enjoyed the way he was screaming in pain, I even had to laugh because of it. It made me feel free and relieved. I'm frigging insane."

"You're not insane. You had every right to feel that way." Sasuke said. He wanted to just pull Neji up and hug him so badly, but he knew Neji didn't need that now. He knew Neji would come to him if he needed it. Somehow he knew that.

"..I want to sleep." Neji softly said.

"Then you got to sleep." Sasuke answered. He put the sheets over Neji a little better now.

"..We have to shower soon." Neji muttered.

"I'll wake you up." Sasuke said.

"...Can you hold me..?" Neji asked.

Sasuke looked at Neji now and then slightly smiled. "Of course." He said and waited for Neji to sit up.

Neji put the covers down slightly, but not too far, so he was still draped in them, and then sat up and leaned against Sasuke.

Sasuke put his arms around Neji and leaned his head on Neji's head. He pulled the covers over Neji a little more and then just held him like that. "You'll be fine now." He softly said.

Neji sighed softly, comforted, and nodded.

"Thanks.." He said.

Sasuke stroke through Neji's hair now, sometimes having to stop from a knot in Neji's hair. It all made him just more convinced that this was not where Neji should be. And yet he was here and he had to be here for fourteen more years.

The soft sound of breathing in and out was to be heard now, as Neji's body became a little warmer. He was sleeping.

Sasuke smiled now and let him sleep like that for a while. Neji deserved it, to sleep in peace.