Torture
(A/N: Warning: this chapter will be a little graphic. If you are squeamish in reference to blood, please refrain from reading his chapter. And for The Silver Spork, your question will be answered in this chapter. Enjoy.)
~xxx~
When Itachi answered the door, the last thing he had been expecting to see was the ANBU bowing to him.
"Your presence has been requested in Hokage-sama's office immediately." The man said as he stepped to the side.
"Can you tell me what this is about?" Itachi asked, arching an elegant brow.
"There was an incident involving the noble family and third squad captain Crimson-san." At that, Itachi ran off like a bat out of hell; abandoning the streets of the Uchiha district in favor of the roof tops. He left in such a hurry; the ANBU behind him had closed the door before running after him.
The battle had taken place too far away from him; Itachi never sensed her chakra flare when she used neither the katon jutsu nor the chidori. When he reached the tower, Sakura was pacing in front of Tsunade's office door. She turned to him and sighed.
"Do you know what's going on? They only told me something had gone wrong with Ayako's mission."
Itachi shook his head in the negative. "No more than you do." He answered. Just then, the office door slammed open and out stormed the blonde Hokage herself. Inside the office, the couple could see the noble family sitting off in the corner; a grim look on each of their faces. Itachi scanned the room and cocked his head to the side. Hideki was missing. And where was Ayako?
The angered look on Tsunade's face gave everything away as it dawned on him.
"Have you sent a team after them?" he asked. His tone was deathly serious.
"You're both going, if that's what you're asking." She answered crossing her arms over her large chest.
"What happened? Where's Ayako?" Sakura snapped as tears sprung from her eyes.
~xxx~
"Ugh…" eyes slowly opened to a dark, cold room. There was a little light coming in from under the thick wooden door but not enough to make out much of anything.
"Ayako, are you ok?" someone whispered. Everything was still hazy, making her hearing a little muffled and her headache worse.
"Did anyone catch the number on the bus that hit me?" she asked as she rubbed her temples.
"I don't think it was a bus that hit you." God, why did that voice sound so familiar? Ayako closed her eyes again and heaved a sigh.
"Hideki, are you all right?" she asked trying to sit up, only to fail miserably.
"The kid is still out cold." At that, Ayako's eyes snapped open and she could make out the unruly hair of-
"Kankuro…?"
"The one and only." If he gave a smile, she couldn't see it.
"My god, are you ok? The last time I saw you, you…" she trailed off, unwilling to relive that day.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I was healed before I woke up…but they drained my chakra." Kankuro said as he sat back on his heels. "How'd they manage to get you, Aya-chan?"
"That shark hit me with something…my head hurts too much to think about it." She gave a low groan as she finally sat up with Kankuro's help. "Do you know how long we've been here?"
"Um…about seven hours, or so says my demolished watch." Kankuro said as he held up a pocket watch. "I do know that we're in Rain country…well, by the smell we are."
Ayako slowly stood and stretched her sore muscles with a groan. As she looked around the room and noticed a high window on the back wall with bars sitting vertically with little space between them; not enough space to fit a person through. Well this wasn't good –fucking horrible if you asked her. Finally, her eyes rested on Hideki's lone figure by the far wall. Well, maybe not far –the room was a 10 by 8 foot cell with a door and a tiny-ass window. Yeah, fucking perfect!
He looked the same, save a few new bruises on his cheek and neck. Slowly, Ayako stumbled over to her friend and knelt by his head. She could clearly see the dried blood on his lips from the small amount of light pooling into the room from under the door.
"Hideki, Hideki, wake up. It's me, Ayako." She whispered to him as she lightly tapped his good cheek. A small groan permeated throughout the room. It was a start, she thought as she shook his shoulder.
But that was all she got from him for the next minute or so.
"Hey wrinkles, wake up!" she commanded a little louder. His eyes opened slowly as Hideki gave a small whimper in protest.
"Not so loud; my head hurts." His voice was hoarse from sleep.
"Sit up so I can look you over." She said softly as her hands slid under his shoulders to help him up. But their motion stopped short –there were footsteps coming from down the hall…heading in their direction. Instinctively, Ayako moved in front of Hideki; blocking him from view of the door.
The cell was suddenly bright as the door swung open and two figures stepped into the room.
"Which one?" a man asked. The man's voice eerily calm and devoid of any emotion as he and his companion stood in the doorway.
From behind her fingers, Ayako could see the same tall, blue-skinned shark-man point directly at her.
"Leader-sama wants the bitch."
~xxx~
They didn't want to stop to camp for the night, but given their options, Itachi and Sakura had no choice but to follow orders. The Uchiha parents were worried beyond belief –though you couldn't tell by looking at Itachi -yet they were stopping for the night? Sakura sighed restlessly from the campfire.
The only clue they had to her whereabouts lay roughly northwest of where they sat now. Honestly, what was the point in wondering about the forest when they had no real clue as to where they took her? All they had to work with were roomers and split-second sightings of the two Akatsuki members.
She chanced a glance at her husband, who sat unusually quiet, to her right. Itachi looked deep in thought, though she knew what really plagued his mind. It ran through her mind more than once during their journey: what would have happened had they been there to help?
Sakura scooted a little closer to Itachi, waving an arm around his as her head rested on his shoulder. Odd…? Yes, for anyone watching the pair. But she was looking for comfort and found little as Itachi kept his gaze on the flickering flames. She soon realized that Itachi was the one in need of comfort.
"I know what your thinking, Itachi." She whispered against his arm, gripping it tighter. "But we have to be strong for when we find her." Sakura knew Itachi well enough to say that he would sneak off and look for Ayako alone, if given the chance. She knew he wouldn't rest until he did.
"I know." Was his reply as he blinked slowly and turned his head so that his lips barely brushed her forehead. Itachi pulled his arm free of her grasp only to wrap it around her waist and tug her closer.
"Sakura, it's time for your shift." Sasuke said as he approached the fire, wolf mask firmly in place. Itachi and Sakura shared a look –others could only guess what it meant then she stood and walked away.
"Hoshigaki Kisame of the Mist and Deidara of Stone…" Itachi whispered as if trying to solve a puzzle. He picked up a stick and put the tip in the fire. Sasuke watched his brother from the corner of his eye as he sat down by Itachi.
"Hinato said that Ayako believed them to be after the noble son." He started as he turned his gaze to the warm fire before him.
"They're not after the noble family, Sasuke. They want the Sharingan." Itachi said as he pulled the stick from the fames and focused his attention on the burning wood in his hand.
"What are you talking about? Why do they want it?" Sasuke asked as he slid to his brother's side.
"What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this fire." Sasuke was nodding. "I'm going to let you in on a family secret."
~xxx~
Her eyes readjusted to the new light in the hall, only to make her want to close them again. There were numerous cells down the long hall, each identical to the one she was just pulled from. Ayako kicked and squirmed in Kisame's grasp but he wouldn't budge. He merely frowned down at her and waited for Ayako to wear herself down.
"Done?" he asked as gripped her arms tighter and gave a good shake. She gave one last kick to his shin with a huff.
"Fuck you, bastard." She hissed trying to wrench her arms free of his grasp. Kisame rolled his eyes and flung her over his shoulder.
"Maybe later but right now Leader-sama wants to talk to you." He said with a grunt.
Sasori watched with mild amusement as Ayako's arms and head swayed from side to side. She was sporting a black eye now, curtsy of Kisame. The raven-haired girl fought them with every ounce of strength she had left as soon as they grabbed her. A few kicks, hair tugs and a punch or ten later, both looked worse for wear but Kisame and Ayako were far from finished…even if Ayako did run out of steam just a second ago. He could still feel the hatred radiating from the smaller female.
She had to do what she was trained to do. Ibiki taught her many things in the passed two years. Even if gathering information on your captors while being tortured seemed a little farfetched, she was trained to do so.
'They'll talk first, try to get you to spill some form of information. If that doesn't work in their favor, they'll start the physical torture. You must endure the pain; give them nothing to work with. Even if you do pass out, none of us will blame you. Now, once they realize pain doesn't work…let's just say, mental torture will be your strong point. Mangekyo can get you far if you use it on yourself.'
Ibiki's words ran through her mind in a split second. She smirked against the black and red cloak in her face. Oddly enough, Ayako was looking forward to meeting their leader. She had just enough chakra to piss someone off, and if she could keep their focus on her…Hideki and Kankuro may have a chance to get out of here. Yes, Ayako had a sense of self preservation but when it came to her friends and family, she'd do anything to keep them safe.
~xxx~
"What the hell happened to the two of you?" Pein asked when Ayako was forced to sit in front of a large cherry-colored desk by Kisame's large hands. Ayako's black eye was new to him, as was Kisame's fat lip. The aforementioned shinobi pointed at each other and glared. Kids! The leader of the Akatsuki was dealing with a bunch of finger-pointing children. Pein motioned for his subordinates to wait outside while he had a little chat with the girl sitting across from him. They bowed to Pein and turned to leave.
"Catch you later, bitch. Oh, by the way… were you serious about that offer?" he snickered and hopped away as Ayako tried to punch him again. Sasori, being quick on the draw, was able to hold her in the chair until Kisame skirted out of the room. Then he let her go and left.
"I'll fucking kill that fish-faced freak." She mumbled under her breath then she was suddenly aware she wasn't alone. Ayako turned to meet the piercing gaze of the Akatsuki leader.
"If you're quite finished I have business that needs to be taken care of." His cold voice warned as he leaned back in his chair. Ayako sat stark still as she looked into his eyes. Everything about this man was bad news to her. From his orange-colored hair to his cold gaze, even his piercings man him feel evil…especially the two in his lips. They looked like dark, blood covered fangs to her.
"What do you want?" she asked after a long pause.
Pein's hands came forward and clasped on the desk in front of him. "I need the Sharingan." He said simply.
A sudden realization settled over her; she was in deep shit now. "And if I refuse?" a smirk grew on his lips.
"There is not refusing me. You either joint me willingly or… I will make you."
~xxx~
"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Sasuke asked as he and Itachi sat by the fire. It wasn't as bright as it used to be; both men simply stopped feeding it as Itachi recounted the events all those years ago.
"Because Sandaime wanted me to eliminate the clan all together, you wouldn't have understood at the time. I told Sarutobi-sama that I would handle it in my own way; secretly working against the clan too keep them from reaching their goal." Itachi elaborated as he shifted in his seat. "Then father became ill and I inherited the title."
Finally, Sasuke understood why Itachi kept his distance back then…to safe the clan and the village from something disastrous and too keep Sasuke from seeing the hell it put Itachi threw. No wonder the stress lines on Itachi's face were so deep back then.
"So that's why you made so many reforms in the council…to keep them from taking over Konoha."
Itachi nodded. "The village belongs to the people, we shinobi only protect it. And as such, the title of Hokage is an elected one. The elders choose whose best to lead the village and make it stronger. It shouldn't be subject to a clan's selfish desire for power."
~xxx~
Sasori was first to notice the light sweat on their leader's face. Ayako sat slumped in the chair she had been forced to sit in, her chest lightly panting as her hands hung at her sides. Samehada gave a low hum in Kisame's ear, telling him that the girl had next to nothing in her chakra stores. So, what the hell happened?
Pein rose from his desk slowly, shaky, taking a step from his chair as his hand slid across the desk holding him upright. Ayako had used almost the entire last of her chakra on him, forcing him to reveal his past to her in the world of Tsukuyomi.
"Make her scream." Pein said as he stopped in front of her slumped figure, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest. Her eyes were closed and even though she was unconscious, there was a small smile on her lips. "She will learn to never cross me."
Sasori moved forward and hefted her limp body. With a bow, Sasori and Kisame left their leader in his angered state. Walking down the hall, no one said a word as they reflected on the scene they had found when Pein called them back into the room. The duo stopped at a large iron door, rusty hinges squeaking in protest as Kisame opened the door.
"So… uh… what exactly happened back there?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck in discomfort. If she could piss off their leader so badly in the five minutes she had been in there, what was she really capable of with full charka and no restraints? These were questions he was dying to answer and uncomfortable to think about.
Sasori had laid her down on the floor, working on removing her arm guards and chest plate. "She used the same technique on Leader-sama as she did on Zetsu…and he still hasn't recovered." Once the guards and chest plate were gone, Sasori pulled her to the center of the room and shackled her arms to chains hanging from the ceiling. Walking to the back wall, he pulled on a rope until Ayako was hanging with her toes just barely scraping the floor.
Onyx eyes fluttered open, catching Kisame's sadistic grin.
"So, how are we going to make her scream?" the Kiri-nin asked, taking a step closer to her hanging body. Sasori tried not to look at Kisame as turned to look at Ayako.
"You're awake… unexpected but fine. This'll make things easier." He commented, reaching for something on the table to the right. Ayako's eyes scanned the room. It was no different from the rooms she and Ibiki worked in back in the Konoha prison. White walls all around, the floor under her feet stained a brown color. She had survived Ibiki's training… this would be no different. She braced herself for the pain to come only to snap her attention to Kisame. He was walking toward her, a sneer on his blue-tinted lips.
"Nice body." He commented as he stalked closer, eyes roaming over her like a predator stalking its prey. Kisame came closer, pulling his cloak open as he neared. "A nice sized rack, well rounded hips, plump lips… my, oh my, the thinks I could do to you."
"Touch me and you'll regret it." Ayako hissed, eyes narrowing to slits. Kisame didn't pause in his steps but his smirk grew considerably wider. His hand reached forward, gently trailing down her cheek to her neck and farther down until his palm rested on her breast.
"What was that, kunoichi? I would regret what now?" he said as his hand squeezed her breast painfully tight. He suddenly found himself in a death grip, gasping for air as her legs squeezed the life out of him.
In a split second, Ayako had twisted her body and brought her legs up and round his neck so that her left leg was squeezing his throat with her foot locked under her right leg that held him in place.
"I want to know what color you'll turn once your lungs start gasping for air. Will you turn a darker shade of blue or will it be purple?" she asked as she squeezed harder. "Tell me; are my legs voluptuous enough for you?" Ayako was squeezing his trachea to the back of his throat making him wheeze every time he tried to breath.
Whip-crack
Her back stung with a viciousness she knew came from a whip. She let go of Kisame the instant the whip pelted her back the second time. Ayako could feel the blood seeping from the neat gashes on her back as it cracked again and hit her again mille-seconds later. She kept her eyes trained on Kisame as he managed to stand, though he leaned heavily on the wall with his hand on his neck, rubbing it softly taking in gulps of air into his burning lungs.
Sasori continued to whip her, muttering curses and something about puppets and perfect flesh. The first few hits hurt but after a while, Ayako was able to block the pain out and focus on her training. Breathing deeply and closing her eyes, she thought back to her days under Ibiki's harsh tutelage…clearing all thoughts from her mind and keeping her focus on staying calm.
After several hours and about nine different methods, Sasori gave up and pulled the rope from the hook on the fall, letting her battered body hit the floor into the pool of her blood.
"Get the medic and bring him to her cell." He spoke with disdain in his voice. He didn't get so much as a whimper out of her during the session. "We'll try again in the morning."
~xxx~
He had been in the cell for the better half of five days with chakra restraints on his wrists. He had been forced to heal Kisame when he returned from his mission. The gnarly scorched flesh of his chest took several hours to heal and the restraints were back on his wrists the moment he had finished. He figured that Sasuke was responsible for the lightning burns to the Kiri-nin's chest but was kept in the dark as to who had actually done the damage with the powerful Chidori attack.
Onyx eyes narrowed as the door to his cell was yanked open to reveal Kisame's lumbering figure stepped into the room, face slightly flushed for some reason.
"Stand up!" he commanded as he walked forward. "You have a new patient." The medic was pulled to his feet roughly and pushed to the door. He stumbled out the door and into the wall directly across from his cell. Kisame grabbed him by the ponytail and led him two cells down to an open door.
There were four other people in the room, he noticed as he was pushed roughly to the female figure on the floor. Sasori stood by her as a boy, who sat just behind him, stared at the girl with wide eyes. The last person he noticed sat in the corner glaring at him. Kankuro was trying to keep his anger in check when the sliver-haired medic as pushed into the room.
"Get to work." Kisame commanded as Sasori moved around the girl and took the medic's restraints off and handed him an under stocked and under supplied first-aid kit.
"Try anything funny and I'll kill you." Sasori said and moved off to the side.
"Not if I get to him first." Kankuro growled as he glared harder, earning a chuckle from Kisame. The medic moved forward and knelt next to the girl, tearing away her tattered shirt that barely covered her bloody back. Diving into the poorly stocked med kit, he grabbed a semi-clean clothe and water bottle and began cleaning the overlapping lacerations.
"Jesus Christ… were you trying to kill her?" he snapped as he looked up from his glowing hands. She had a number of broken ribs, fractured left humorous and bruising to some major organs… on top of the pealed flesh of her back.
"Had she not passed out, we would have. Damn girl didn't make a peep in the last six hours." Kisame said with a gruff shake of his head.
The medic shook his head and looked over to the boy watching him and the girl. "Care to give me a hand; I need to turn her over." The boy nodded and crawled around Sasori. The medic had been working on her internal injuries for the last hour, her back had to wait for now.
Hideki felt like vomiting as his hand touched her clod, pale skin. She groaned as her marred back made contact with the floor. The medic swept his hands over her abdomen, healing her bruised liver in half an hour. They turned her back over onto her stomach.
"My chakra is too low; I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way." The medic stated and the restraints were placed back on his wrists. Not having to worry about them escaping anymore, the two Akatsuki members left the room and stood outside the door, keeping it open so they could continue working. "Reach into my kit and get the needle and thread." He said and Hideki did as he was told, threading the needle and handing it to the sliver-haired man.
Another hour passed as they worked. The medic had Hideki cleaning her wounds while he stitched the long gashes that crisscrossed the length of her back.
"What's your name, kid?" the medic asked as he tied off the thread and moved to grab the spool from the boy holding it.
"I'm Fujimura Hideki." The boy answered, eyes never leaving the girl he now held up in his arms. "And you would be?"
"Yakushi Kabuto." The medic answered with a sigh.
"He's the reason her best friend is dead." Kankuro growled from the corner. He hadn't left that spot as his glare bore holes into Kabuto's back.
"That was Orochimaur's doing. I had no idea what he was doing until he sent the boy back to the village." Kabuto sighed as he continued to stitch Ayako's back.
"Riight, explain that to her when she wakes up and see what she has to say." Kankuro hissed turning his gaze to the girl being held by a now glaring boy. He smirked as Hideki's hands gripped her shoulders almost as if to pull her away from Kabuto.
"Is that true?" Hideki asked as his blue eyes narrowed to slits at the medic.
"It's true." Kabuto said quietly as he finished the last stitch. "I'm finished in here." He called to the two men outside the door. Sasori stepped inside and knelt next to him and looked over his work. He gave a soft nod and stood.
"You're staying in here. You'll be seeing her again tomorrow." With that, Sasori walked out of the room, closing the door behind him and locking it. There was a long moment of silence before someone moved, groaning in agony as all eyes adjusted to the dark.
"I ought to kill you myself… but I'm interested to hear you excuse for Gennosuke's death." Her voice was calm, quiet and laced with pain. Ayako sat up in Hideki's arms, trying to find a comfortable position. Finally, she settled between his legs with her back against his chest, head resting on his shoulder as she drew his arms around her to keep warm. "So, let's hear it."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses with his middle finger and leaned his back against the wall.
"Orochimaru had sent me to spy on the Stone to collect information on their academy so we could find out why their shinobi were vastly stronger than our own. I had returned a month later to find him experimenting on a boy. I didn't know who he was at the time and I didn't question him about it." Kabuto said as he drew his legs up and rested his arms on top his knees.
"Bah, you didn't question him because you didn't care." Kankuro said as he shifted to lie down.
"Everyone has a sense of self preservation." Kabuto responded as he looked at his hands. "Mine was to never question the man who held my life in his hands."
"Yet you held his life in your hands. You were the one who killed him." Ayako said trying to keep her anger at bay.
"Anyway, Orochimaru sent Gennosuke back to the village…" he trailed off there, knowing what happened next; no point in stating the obvious.
"That's a line of bullshit if I ever heard one." Kankuro spat as he rolled over and faced away from the group.
"You're either a really good liar or you're telling the truth." Ayako said as her eyes scanned Kabuto's body, trying to detect any hint of deception. But when it came to his eyes there was no hiding anything. Kabuto was, in fact, telling the truth and she didn't need the Sharingan to figure that out.
"Get some rest." Kabuto said as he shifted to lie down on his side. "They'll be back in the morning to continue."
"He's right, Ayako." Hideki said as he tightened his arms around her. She turned in his arms, her side against his chest as her head returned to his shoulder.
"Good night Hideki." She whispered into his neck and closed her eyes.
Being mindful of her wounds, Hideki wrapped his arms around her and cradled her to him.
"Rest well, Aya-chan." And out of the blue, he kissed her forehead. Well, that answered Kabuto's questions about their relationship. The noble son and the heiress to the Uchiha clan…together…? He had to be dreaming. Now was not the time to guess at his cellmate's relationship, Kabuto needed to conserve his energy and build his chakra. He'll check on Ayako again in the morning.