Chapter 9: What I've Done
Recap:
"I don't understand why he can't tell me what happened. Can't you tell me? Was what happened really that bad?"
"In a word yes. A terrible event happened on our previous mission before he left the agency. What happened on that mission was what lead to his departure. But it isn't my place to tell you what happened"
"He's right; it isn't either of our places to tell that to you. Only one person has that right" Shikamaru walked in
"So I guess I'd better start talking now that we're all here" Sasuke carried on from Shikamaru
"Why are you all here?" Tenten looked at the three members of the Lightning Class
"Because excluding the Director, Neji and Shikamaru are the only other two people who know what happened while I was gone. The three of us decided that we'd keep it between us but I guess that's going to change."
Four years ago
Neji, Sasuke and Shikamaru had graduated to become the best of their year-the Lightning Class and were assigned their first mission together.
It was a protection mission. A very important person was being targeted by a group willing to do anything to get the information they needed from this person.
The three of them entered the lavish triple storey home that was painted white on the outside and neutral colours covered the walls of the inside. A spiral staircase to the right of the room lead upstairs and to the left was the living room where a few couches and an incredibly large television sat comfortably on a mahogany shelf.
The three agents stood in awe of the extravagant home and were just as surprised to see the person they were to be protecting. She had striking green eyes and white hair.
"Thank you for coming guys; I'm Natsume Rikosuke" she said as she bowed
"Not a problem I'm Sasuke Uchiha and my teammates Neji Hyuuga and Shikamaru Nara" Sasuke introduced them and they bowed as well "Can you us more information about why you're being targeted?"
"Of course; we can talk in the lounge" she led the way and they followed
Once seated she started explaining.
"Well as you know I'm the owner and inventor for the largest weapons company in the country. Majority of the weapons I invent are used by Intelligence Agencies such as FIRE and a few others. And naturally they're very attractive looking to criminals-with my weapons and tech they could practically do anything. No one can build my weapons better than I can so I've been targeted by a few criminal organisations wanting to kidnap me and force me to invent new weapons for them."
"But you've almost been kidnapped thrice already why did you only think to contact the agency for assistance now?" Shikamaru
"Because now they're becoming more impatient and bolder in their attempts. The first two attempts were the simple smoke out the room and try to take me away during the confusion but the third time was in my lab in another part of the city. They walked in and just shot everyone who got in their way but my guards snuck me away before they made to my lab; so when I saw how desperate they were to get me I decided to call Director Tsunade and tell her everything" she looked down into her lap as she finished speaking
After they spoke downstairs Natsume showed them to their rooms. Making sure they were settled in she then gave them some privacy.
"Hard to believe she's our age and living in a house like this" said Sasuke as he sat down on his bed
"Yeah it's impressive to say the least but getting back to our mission; we're going to have to keep a very close eye on her. She's taken time off from her company until this matter is solved so she's going to be spending a lot of her time here and that means her kidnappers will be targeting this house" Shikamaru explained
"And that also means that were going to have to take turns patrolling the place especially at night" Neji carried on from Shikamaru
"I'll get to work hooking up the surveillance cameras to my laptop" Shikamaru then got to work on his laptop
Xxx
23:53 p.m. Neji and Shikamaru were asleep; it was Sasuke's time to remain awake while the other two slept and at one a.m. they would rotate. He was sitting at the kitchen counter with Shikamaru's laptop watching the cameras for any activity but so far nothing had turned up so he decided to make himself a cup of tea when he head footsteps descend the stairs.
It was Natsume with her hair tied up wearing a black silk pyjama dress and a sheer black short nightgown over it.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Sasuke asked as he watched her walk over to him
"I could ask you the same thing. I couldn't fall asleep"
"Neither could I" he lied to keep from worrying her
"Nice try but I know a routine patrol when I see one. I see you got stuck with the graveyard shift; I'm sorry you have to stay up so late" she took a seat next to him
"It's alright; the person I'm protecting is well worth it" he looked at her and smirked
She stood up and went to pour herself a cup of tea before replying to Sasuke
"Well Sasuke if I didn't know any better I'd say that you're trying to flirt with me" she then returned to her seat next to him warm beverage in hand and a cheeky smile on her face "I know how popular you are with the ladies-your fangirls just faint at the very sound of your voice and as attractive as it is I should warn you…" she leaned in a little closer "I'm not so easy to seduce"
"Well we are going to be staying here a while so…" he leaned in as well "I'm glad you're not" he returned her cheeky smile with his own
She pulled back but her smile remained firmly planted on her lips. They sat in comfortable silence and finished their tea.
"I'm really glad you guys came. All this really has me quite afraid" she ran her index finger over the rim of her cup
"I actually think you're quite brave. After almost being kidnapped once most people would've stopped working but you didn't, you carried creating weapons and tech. You didn't let them stop you from doing what you love"
"I've always loved inventing and having the feeling that with just my hands I can make something amazing-it always filled me with pride"
"And we'll do everything we can to keep those hands and the rest of you safe"
She smiled at his attempt at a joke
"I guess I should be heading back to sleep" she stood up to put her cup in the sink then walked over to Sasuke "You really know how to cheer a person up. Goodnight Sasuke" she put a hand on his shoulder then left for the staircase when he said goodnight as well.
The next morning Natsume and the guys had breakfast in the lounge. Still no suspicious activity and this made Shikamaru wonder what was going on. Surely the organisation trying to kidnap her knew she wasn't at the company but rather staying at home for her own safety.
Days turned into weeks and eventually a month had passed.
Natsume and the guys were on the top deck of the house where the pool was. She was wearing a black one piece swimsuit with cut-out's on the side. And for the first time since they'd arrived all three of the guys were relaxing. Sasuke sat with his feet in the water while Neji and Shikamaru sat on the lounge chairs. Natsume was fully in the water enjoying the cool water when she swam up to Sasuke and crossed her arms over the edge of the pool.
"Aren't you coming in?" she looked up at him
"Not right now"
She splashed him and laughed "Well now you have to" she said as she swam away for she knew he would go after her. And he did. As soon as she started swimming away he dove right in and began chasing her.
Meanwhile Shikamaru and Neji just watched then looked at each other.
"'Just friends' he says" Neji said with a smirk on his face
"We all know that that isn't really possible with him" Shikamaru chuckled while he adjusted his sunglasses "It's always something more"
Just as he finished speaking an alarm went off on his laptop. They all froze. Shikamaru ran inside and Neji followed closely behind him.
"C'mon let's get inside" said Sasuke and they both swam to the edge and climbed out
"Shikamaru what's going on?"
"I hooked up my laptop to send an alert if the security from the company was tripped. And it looks like the kidnappers are making their move."
"But why attack the company instead of coming here directly?"
"Looks like you spoke too soon Sasuke because it looks like there are two cars headed here"
"And I think I know why most of them are headed to my company. A few weeks before you guys arrived I'd just finished creating a new type of tech but I haven't released what type of tech it is yet so they don't even know what it does" Natsume began
"And what does it do?" Neji asked
"Well in a nutshell it gives you the same visual abilities as the Hyuuga. Only these glasses work even if you don't use chakra"
Neji stared in disbelief.
"Why would you create something so dangerous? If they get their hands on it who knows how much trouble they can cause?!" he shouted louder than he intended to
"I was asked to by Director Tsunade and I only made one pair"
"Everyone just calm down" Shikamaru put his hand on Neji's shoulder "We need to split up; Sasuke you stay here and protect Natsume from the guys headed over here while Neji and I will go to N-Tech to get those glasses before they're stolen"
"But how are you going to get there before they steal it? N-Tech is an hour's drive from here with traffic. Without traffic it'll still take you a while"
"Who said anything about driving? We're going to have to fly there with the jetpacks. If we fly at max speed we can there in ten minutes"
Neji and Sasuke got dressed in normal clothes and put on their jetpacks. Natsume went back to her room to get changed while Sasuke walked with Neji and Shikamaru out to the pool area to see them off.
"If the glasses can't be saved you know what to do right?" Sasuke asked
"We'll try not to let it come to that but yes" Shikamaru answered
When they finished speaking they took off and flew towards the city. Sasuke went back inside; got changed and got his weapons ready. He had to protect her at all costs-it was their mission but more than that she was a friend that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to.
He went to check on Natsume.
"Hey Natsume can I come in?" he knocked and waited for her response
"Yeah you can come in"
"I just checked Shikamaru's laptop they'll be here any second they've just turned into the neighbourhood. Listen if they somehow make it past me I want you to hide yourself in your private lab behind your wardrobe"
"How did you…?
"It's my job to notice; promise me you will"
She could see the genuine concern in his eyes. He wasn't just fulfilling the scope of his mission he was really trying to protect her.
"I promise I will" she watched him leave and lock the door
Sasuke stood at the summit of the stairs, katana in each hand when the front door was blown open and group of criminals-heavily armed-stormed in.
"Should've known she'd have protection. Step aside Uchiha we're not here for you"
"I won't let you get to her"
"Bold words but it's one against twenty-five you can't possibly hold out forever" the leader of the group spoke to him
"I guess we'll see about that" he smirked
And the battle began
The troops ran up with the intention of overwhelming Sasuke but they were no match for him. With his two katana he defended his position on the stairs-no one was getting past him. He sliced under them and tripped-some tried to jump past him but he climbed higher and threw them back down. Not long after they'd started Sasuke had defeated all of them-he was breathless yes-but he'd defeated them all.
"You did better than I thought but you're no match for me" the leader said now drawing his own sword
"Allow me to prove you wrong" he stood ready
The leader ran up the stairs and before Sasuke could even blink they were clashing swords. They lit up the room with all the sparks flying from their swords. Their movements danced around each other. They were experienced swordsman.
An eternity seemed to pass by but the two were still engaged in battle-both of them exhausted but neither willing to give in. The leader tried to slice at Sasuke but he ducked just in time but was forced to his knees when the leader came down on him. Sasuke turned the momentum around by sweeping his leg under him causing to fall over.
Just as Sasuke was about to deliver the final blow a cloud of smoke erupted from the leaders hands and surrounded him. He'd used knock out powder.
Sasuke-disorientated and coughing stumbled backwards-watched the leader stand up with an arrogant smirk plastered on his face while he fell to his knees.
"You see kid the thing about me is that I win by cheating…" he said
But Sasuke blacked out before he could hear the rest of his words. The last thing on his mind was Natsume.
Xxx
He felt cold tiles pressed up against his cheek as he stirred into consciousness. Sasuke slowly opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. The room was dark and cold-only one window and it was too high up to reach. The walls were brick and the floor was tiled. He was in a cell.
As he sat up he felt that his arms were tied behind him and that he wasn't alone in the cell. He turned to his left and saw Natsume starting to wake up. As soon as she was fully awake she started panicking.
"What the-how-where are we?" she said as she frantically tried to get her cuffs off her wrists
Sasuke managed to get his arms to the front then he tried to calm her down.
"Natsume relax; just calm down alright" she looked him on the eyes and did as he said. She quietened and just looked at him waiting for him to continue
"They used knock out powder on us. I don't know how they found you but they did and they've brought us here"
And then it dawned on him-where was the rest of his team? Where were Neji and Shikamaru? But his question was answered when he heard a voice come from the other side of the wall.
"You're finally awake Sasuke."
"Shikamaru?"
"Yeah it's me and Neji's with me. Is Natsume with you; is she alright?"
"Yes I'm here Shikamaru and I'm fine" she answered "Were you able to get the glasses?"
"Yes we were but unfortunately there was no way we could make it out with them. We were severely outnumbered so our only option was to destroy them" Neji explained
"Oh I see…it's alright as long as they end up in the wrong hands"
"That may be but by destroying them we've just increased your value to them which means they'll stop at nothing to extract information; no form of torture is off the table" Shikamaru expressed with appropriate concern in his voice
They all remained silent taking in that they mall not all make it out of capture alive. Anything was possible but one thing they all knew was that the chances of all of them surviving this were next to nothing.
The next moment a group of men walked into Sasuke and Natsume's cell; all of them carrying weapons and with a lascivious look in their eyes as they stared at her. The men stiffened when they heard footsteps approaching. Their leader had arrived.
"Natsume Rikosuke we meet at last" he walked towards her and knelt in front of her "You've caused me a lot of trouble. I've lost quite a few men trying to get you but now I finally have you" he grinned examining her face as he spoke
"Don't touch her!" Sasuke spat
The leader turned to him
"And who do we have here? Ah yes you're Sasuke Uchiha the brat who took down his older brother." Sasuke did nothing but glare at the man in front of him
"I commend you; Itachi was one of the biggest gangsters in the land so in your eyes you did this country a great service. Wasn't much of a fan of his, nothing more than trash-
"Don't you dare talk about him bastard!" he yelled before earning himself a solid punch in the stomach from one of the subordinates causing him cough up
"You've got quite the spirit don't you? Don't worry we'll break it soon enough" his sinister laughter sent chills down both their backs "But for now I need to have a little chat with Natsume, boys bring her along" he said before walking out of the room
Natsume's heart stopped in her chest when she saw the men approaching her. She tried scuttling to the back of the room before one of the men pulled her up by the chains around her wrists and another by her hair. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she threw a quick glance to Sasuke who was struggling to break free from the grip of another subordinate who was holding him down.
Her cuffs were unlocked and she was taken out of the room screaming. Her desperate plea was the last thing he heard before he was knocked out.
She was tied to a chair in a dark room with her arms behind her back and her mouth gagged. Her clothes were torn and her hair was messy. Her blotchy red eyes looked around the room trying to find a source of light. Her breathing was starting to calm down but her mind was still numb yet rushing at the same time. All she could do was look down into her lap in despair; she knew what was coming next. She was going to be tortured for information or be forced to build weapons for them-probably both-but the point was that she wasn't going back to her cell unscathed and the fact that she was a woman didn't make things any easier. An extra form of torture was now on the table if the leader felt lustful enough.
Her head snapped up when she heard the door open and the lights came on making her squint in discomfort as her eyes adjusted to the light now swallowing the room. Now that she could see properly-the room wasn't exactly empty. It was dull and grey with an examination table and a few chairs and tables as well as the chair she was sitting in
"Hello again" he walked towards her fully clad in weapons-to be used on her she presumed "Now Natsume I want to make this as painless as possible. I wouldn't want to harm that beautiful face of yours but…" his eyes suddenly turned cold and steeled his voice blunt "Believe me if you don't cooperate I won't hesitate to subject you to the most excruciating pain and bring you to the edge of death"
"Do what you want to me I won't tell you anything or build anything for you" she said defiantly but her heart betrayed her beating so loud and so fast she was sure he could hear it. He backhand slapped her-the ring on his middle finger cut her cheek.
"Brave woman" he suddenly closed his hands around her throat
Natsume felt her chest aching for air trying to get oxygen into her body. She was choking and her vision was dimming; black spot taking over until her finally released her. She sucked in air immediately coughing as she caught her breath and her eyes watering.
He watched her trying to catch her breath-watching her chest rise and fall. Her shirt was sweat soaked; clinging very closely to her body.
How enticing he thought to himself as he started unbuttoning her shirt
One-by-one and very slowly each button he undid showed a bit more of her body until he slid her shirt off her shoulders and let it gather by arms. He lustfully stared at her lace underwear.
He then walked behind her and pulled her head back grabbing a fistful of hair making cry out. She just kept her eyes closed and tried to calm down but she figured he was about to make his next move. She could feel his warm breath tickling her neck as he traced his fingers slowly down her neck over her collarbone and cupped her breast. She winced and this made him smile.
"Why don't you tell me what exactly my men were trying to steal?"
"I won't tell you anything" she answered weakly
"Pity" he reached for the large knife currently resting over a flame
She could feel the heat radiating from the metal as he brought it closer to her face
"Last chance" but she kept quiet
And within split seconds of it touching her skin she was screaming and trying to turn her face away but he held her face in place as he slowly slid it across her cheek immediately drawing blood. It felt like he was setting fire to her-every nerve in her body screamed in devastating pain of having the hot knife glide against her skin. She struggled and screamed and cried to get through it. This process continued until she had cuts all over her upper body which would heal as burn marks.
After what felt like an eternity of pain he removed the blade from her skin. The mark left behind. From the base of her ear to the corner of her mouth lay a crimson line of blood. She was panting and her vision still blurred from tears while her body shook in pain and absolute terror.
"I really don't understand why you're making me do this. If you'd just cooperate then I don't have to be the bad guy" he said while untying her from the chair and dragged her over to the examination table and strapped her down "I'm impressed that you didn't give in and tell me anything but there are other forms of torture. How's about we skip the injuring and get to the fun stuff-well fun for me anyways" he unzipped her skirt and slowly pulled it down her legs
"N-No please don't" she pleaded
"Those aren't the words I want to hear" he cut her bra off and cast it aside
Then he climbed on to the table and sat over her, leaning in to lick the fresh cut over her collar bone making her shudder in discomfort. His hands explored almost every part of her body-purposely leaving the forbidden area for last. His hands reached lower and lower down her body currently resting over her stomach.
"Stop! Please!" but he wasn't listening until his hands finally reached their destination. His hands on her hips; fingers tucked in to the inside of her underwear; just as he started lowering them she broke.
"They stole a micro-chip! That's what was in the briefcase" she was crying as she spoke
She knew lying wasn't a smart option but couldn't just tell him everything.
If he ever finds out about her lie…
"And what does this micro-chip do?" he asked while stroking her hair
"It can hack any mainframe; even the most secure of documents could be seized in record time when it's installed"
"Where is it now? The fact that my men came back unsuccessful means that one of your people got to it first"
"It was destroyed to prevent you from getting it" and that part was actually true-Neji and Shikamaru had destroyed the glasses so there was some truth to her story
"Can you build another?" he stared into her eyes with a cold glare
She had to think about her answer. Whether or not she could build it wouldn't guarantee that she'd live. In fact they'll probably kill me as soon as I finish building whatever they want but if I refuse they'll kill me without hesitation and just get the blueprints from my company. I need to remain useful to them for as long as possible. She concluded in her head
"Yes I can but not without resources"
"Very well-you'll start tomorrow, try anything suspicious and you'll regret it"
After that final threat he ordered his subordinates to take her back to her cell. Once back inside she saw that she hadn't been the only one tortured that day-Sasuke was badly beaten, bruises and lacerations all over his back and neck almost as though they belonged there.
After a moment he noticed her
"Natsume are you- that's when he noticed her state of undress "Oh no don't tell me he-
"No, he almost did but no. I gave in when he started pulling on my underwear" her voice broke tears immediately rushing down her cheeks. Sasuke took off his jacket and put it around her to cover up. She wrapped her arms around him gently-to avoid hurting his bruises.
"But I lied. I told him that the item they were after was a micro-chip and not the actual glasses themselves"
"If he finds out you were lying he'll…"
"I know I know but I have it figured out so far. He's forcing me build one tomorrow and that's exactly what I'll do but I'm going to request Shikamaru be my assistant and together we can send a message out"
"It's incredibly risky; you're practically playing with fire. I doubt they'd allow Shikamaru to be your assistant; it would be too risky for this leader but I guess we'll wait for tomorrow to find out"
Xxx
As day turned to night the temperature in the cells dropped to freezing and it didn't help that the windows were just square-shaped openings that could never be closed. Cold air blew in and sank to the bottom of the room numbing their bodies. Sasuke was worried about Natsume-all she had was her shoes and skirt and his blazer over her upper-body. And the only thing resembling bedding was a thin blanket that they were supposed to share. He could hear her teeth chattering from where he sat and saw her body trembling as she tried to fall asleep a few steps in front of him.
He picked up the blanket and sat next to her, wrapping the blanket around them both. He pulled her into his lap so that she straddled his waist which left her confused but he didn't explain as he started unbuttoning his shirt-even in the dire situation they were in she still found herself blushing when she saw his well-built physique.
"We're both going to freeze if we don't conserve body heat. Just relax into me"
The situation would've been a lot more sensual if it hadn't been for survival purposes and yet she still felt something. They stared into each other's eyes and that same something she had experienced passed between them. Natsume unbuttoned Sasuke's jacket that she was wearing, revealing her shirtless body underneath. She closed her eyes and rested her head in the crook of his neck then slowly wrapped her arms around him and brought her chest down on to his; unable to stop the involuntary moan that escaped her lips when the relief and comfort of his body heat washed over her. Sasuke withheld his own moan as her icy body was brought against his-she really was freezing but as the seconds went by she got warmer. Securing the blanket around the both of them he thought back to her moan-how deliciously enticing it sounded. But he quickly shook his head of such thoughts.
They were in a precarious and very perilous situation-thoughts like that should be the last thing on his mind.
"Feeling better?" he finally asked her
Starting a conversation was the best course of action. If he remained in his head much longer he might just go back to his previous thoughts-enjoyable as they would be for him, it wouldn't help the situation.
"Yes much better, thanks" she spoke with her hands resting on his chest now
They remained as they were comfortable in each other's embrace until they finally fell asleep.
The next morning arrived too fast for the both of them when they heard the footsteps off the approaching men. They quickly separated from each other. If any of the gang members found out that there was anything going on between them it could be used against them later. The two men walked in and threw an outfit at her feet. One of them walked towards her and the other went to Sasuke. When she picked it up she saw it was black lingerie.
"What is this?"
"Your work uniform" one of them replied with a smirk on his face "A gift from the boss himself"
"I'm not wearing this!" she defiantly threw the 'gift' back
The man standing by Sasuke took out a Taser and stuck in one of Sasuke's wounds. He screamed in pain. His howls filled the room and hurt her to listen to.
"Alright just stop it please!" she cried with tears in her eyes
She reluctantly picked up the lace underwear and put it on then she picked up Sasuke's jacket and put it on and zipped herself up. She shot them a dirty look when she saw that they were unimpressed that they couldn't stare.
"Let's go"
The men pushed her out of the cell and out of sight
They took her to another room but it was different to the one she was in yesterday. It was in a slightly better condition-it was some kind of workshop. There were wires and tools on four desks as well as four lamps on each table and just as she was getting used to the place the leader walked in with a very injured Shikamaru next to him and he looked like he was barely conscious.
"I hear you need a work partner, will this do?" he shoved Shikamaru into the chair next to hers then walked behind her "I know he's just as intelligent as you are and the two of you together can do great things-maybe even escape but just remember something…"
He turned her head to see the window at the back of the room where Neji and Sasuke were hung by their wrists. Both of them unconscious from the pain from their wounds. Bruises, cuts, burns you name it-all the signs of torture were visible on their bodies.
"Make a mistake and they get punished; try to escape and they get punished, try to contact anyone for backup or rescue and they get punished, fail me-
He took out a knife and stabbed the table right between the gaps of her fingers.
"-and all four of you get punished"
Her chest tightened with fear as she slowly withdrew her hand from the table-his message was clear. He pulled the knife from the table and left the room; slamming the door behind him. Once silence occupied the room she let out a breath she'd been holding out of fear.
"Shikamaru are you alright?"
"I've been better but forget about that why are we building a micro-chip?" he sat up in his chair
"We're building one because I lied about what you guys were assigned to protect. If I told him about it he'd have me build them right now and I can't afford to have something that powerful in the hands of this gang" she gave him a serious look
"Brave and clever as that idea was we're still building a powerful piece of tech for them"
"True but if we can use this micro-chip production as a smoke screen to us sending a message out then it won't matter"
"Two things wrong with that analysis: firstly there's no computer in here which means that we'll only have access to one when it's time to use the chip to hack into your company. And even then we'll be monitored by an expert hacker that works for them or at minimum they have a person who's as tech savvy as we are so that they're not at a disadvantage." He took a moment to think then folded his arms before continuing his explanation
"Secondly sending out a message or turning on a homing device or a GPS system while we're here will leave behind bread crumbs that their tech person will be able to find even if we use backdoor methods to conceal our footsteps. Don't forget that there's an added to risk to us taking risks-Neji and Sasuke's lives are also at stake here"
She sighed and slouched in her chair
"You're right, you really have a sharp intellect Shikamaru" she blew a stray strand of hair away from her face "But what are we going to do? I don't know how much more objectifying I can handle" she ran a hand through her hair while looking at all the equipment in front of them
"That explains the 'outfit' you're wearing"
"Oh it's more than that, it's my work uniform" she said with mock pride "Not only am I being forced to build them tech to help them commit crimes but I have to do it while increasing their already escalated levels of testosterone." She'd broken the pencil she was holding out of frustration as tears welled up in her eyes "I feel like a piece of meat being pulled apart by their eyes alone"
"Hey, don't focus on that right now. We'll figure out another way of getting the word out. In here it's just you and me-
"-And the surveillance camera" she tried to lighten the mood
"That too but whenever we're in here don't focus on what's out there. Leave that outside. When you're in here you're safe they can't hurt you because you're too valuable. You're more useful to them alive so when you enter here just concentrate on the task at hand and right now we've got a micro-chip to build" he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder
Natsume wiped the tears from her eyes and looked to Shikamaru with a small smile and nodded. After regaining her composure they began working on building the micro-chip.
Hours later they were exhausted-since they hadn't eaten in a day and a half. A guard walked in with a small plate that hosted two stale and dry pieces of bread a half a cup of water. They had to be alive not well taken care of-was Shikamaru's line of thought when he took in the dismal food in front of him but because they hadn't eaten in so long they really had no room to complain.
After finishing his bread he took one drink of the water and left the rest for Natsume before returning to work.
This process continued on for many days and it wasn't an easy process. Natsume and Shikamaru had made many mistakes and the leader kept his word-Neji and Sasuke were severely punished for them. Being whipped until the flesh on their backs tore and having vinegar poured over them, beatings and electrocutions were all forms of punishment that were inflicted upon them.
The fact that she and Shikamaru were forced to watch this happen to them destroyed her psychologically after two months of working on the micro-chip. She was returned to her cell for the evening to see Sasuke's wounds had been sewn closed by the medic-only to have them painfully reopened if she and Shikamaru failed again. She couldn't look at him; she couldn't look at herself anymore.
Bruised, beaten, broken, psychologically tortured and emaciated were only a few words to describe how the four of them looked and felt. Sasuke noticed her isolation from him and it concerned him.
"You've been in your head for a while now" he said as he slowly sat next to her; trying as hard as possible not to reopen any of his stitches.
"I can't do this anymore" she was tearing up as she finally looked at Sasuke with red heartbroken eyes "You're getting hurt everyday because of me, you look like this because of me" she was full on crying
"Don't blame yourself for this" he put an arm around her
"How can I not? I've been stripped of my dignity-of everything but that's nothing compared to what the three of you have gone through-
He interrupted her with his lips pressing against hers. Initially shocked but quick to recover she kissed him back. The longer they kissed the more rejuvenated she felt and after a moment their intimate moment became less gentle and innocent but wilder and filled with desire. Sasuke broke away from her lips and peppered her neck with kisses. Slowly leaning down on to the thin sheet separating her from the cold floor Natsume lay down with Sasuke's great muscular body pressing against hers. The wounds on her back were healing whereas Sasuke's were still fresh so she decided to bare the rock hard ground as it poked at her back if it meant continuing to have Sasuke's lips over bare skin. It was definitely difficult keeping in her moans of delight but she knew she had to.
Over time the heated passionate affair ended and the two of them went to sleep however Natsume had a difficult time falling asleep.
She sighed.
"Having trouble sleeping?" a familiar voice spoke
"Apparently I'm not the only one…Neji"
"Can we really be blamed it's not as though we're resting luxuriously"
"True enough" she smiled to herself "About the glasses Neji; I'm sorry about everything I didn't realise how dangerous they were at the time"
"No need to apologise, you were just following a request"
"Well it wasn't so much a request as it was a favour"
"A favour?"
"Yes Director Tsunade asked me as a favour to create the glasses on behalf of someone else"
"On behalf of who?"
"Hinata" he let her name sink in "She asked me to create glasses that mimic the powers of the Hyuuga clan for a person whose chakra network isn't always active, a person I've come to realise is you based on how she described you"
"How did she describe me?"
"She said the glasses were for someone very important to her, someone she looks up to. This person is an absolute prodigy-a genius in the clan but because of special circumstances he was always treated differently, unfairly differently. He is brave, strong and incredibly intelligent-a person she couldn't see her life without."
Neji hadn't even noticed the smile that spread across his face as he listened to her words. Those words were enough to make the pain of his injuries less immediate.
"It seems like your cousin really thinks highly of you Neji"
"So it would seem"
"I can't say I blame her though; I mean we haven't know each other for long but I can see why Hinata would say all that about you"
"I'm not so sure why" he said doubtfully
"Meaning?"
"The relationship I have with her now is a complete opposite of how it was when we were younger. We were never the same and we're still not. Like she said I was treated differently and because of that I resented her, I wanted nothing to do with her but I suppose that didn't deter her from trying to build a relationship with me. And through her determination we became closer than anyone-most certainly myself thought possible"
"She sounds like she has the biggest heart"
"Never encountered anyone more caring" he said fondly
"Hmm…curious"
"What is it?"
"It looks like I will be able to get some sleep after all, turns out all I needed was a good conversation" she smiled to herself "Goodnight Neji"
"Goodnight Natsume"
She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep; glad she could have that conversation with Neji.
When she woke up the next morning she felt an insurmountable amount of dread weighing on her shoulders. Her soul was troubled and she couldn't brush it off as easily as just feeling under the weather. Sasuke could tell when she looked at him that there was something seriously bothering her behind her pensive eyes.
"Natsume are you okay you're unnaturally quiet today" Shikamaru asked as he worked on the computer that they were finally given to use to programme the micro-chip
"Yeah I'm fine…" she paused for a moment "I was just thinking that they finally gave us the computer that we're going to have to use to hack into my company-the day has finally arrived"
Shikamaru immediately caught on to what she was referring; the impact of her words hit him hard. There was nothing he could say to her to change anything.
"I'm sure it'll happen really fast. It won't be a long process-not at all" his grim words filled the room seemingly making the room a little harder to breathe in.
Hours passed-today they made no mistakes, she refused to make any and have them pay for her mistakes. Not today-
Definitely not today.
Mid-afternoon she was sent back to her cell, when she walked in she found Sasuke chained to the wall and bleeding-he'd just gone through a severe beating. Her heart stopped when she saw who the person was enacting the cruel punishment on Sasuke. It was the leader himself.
"I hear as of right now the micro-chip is hacking into your company and downloading precious information. Information I could've gotten from you" the silence that remained after those words made her heart beat faster-she knew what was coming next.
She knew it was coming the entire day.
He walked over to her and before she could even blink a gun was pointed directly at her face. She jumped slightly when he pressed it against her forehead.
"No no don't do it!" Sasuke yelled but as he was about to keep going he was shot in the shoulder "She's still useful to you!" he fought through the pain and tears and kept talking
"How so? Any information that I would've wasted extracting through torture I can now get immediately and directly from her company. As far as I'm concerned all she's good for is fun in bed and I've already had my fun with her"
"Sasuke just stop. We all knew this day was coming I just knew it was today"
"Is that why you-
"We all knew that all four of us were never going make it out of here alive and I think we all knew that I was the one who'd go first. It's okay I've accepted it" tears were streaming down her cheeks but she had a determined smile on her face. She wasn't going to let the man that was about to kill her see her break down. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
Time stood still for them. Tension was thick and the room was suffocating to be in. The wills of both victim and culprit were fighting to outdo the other but they both knew which of the two would win. The leader offered a twisted smile.
"Brave woman" he said slowly
And before time had a chance to catch up he pulled the trigger-three shots, three bullets.
She was dead before she hit the ground.
The final echoing of the bullets faded reverberating through Sasuke's soul. He was absolutely stunned that less than three seconds ago she was alive and speaking to him and now she was on the ground; a pool of blood blooming around her body.
"You bastard I'll kill you!" he was livid
"In your condition I highly doubt that" he turned to leave the cell and a group of subordinates rushed into his cell and into Neji and Shikamaru's "Be ready to shoot on my command boys…aim-
And just when the situation was at its worst a round container rolled into the room. Before anyone could even register how it had gotten inside it detonated, releasing smoke into the room. And suddenly the room was being stormed by soldiers fighting against the gang's subordinates.
Sasuke looked up to see the soldiers clad in the uniforms of the agency he worked for. The leaf symbol on their chests. FIRE had arrived to rescue them. The last thing he saw were soldiers running towards him before he blacked out…
Normal time, in the infirmary with Tenten and the guys
"We woke up in the infirmary a few hours later. After being patched up we were debriefed and ordered by The Director to take time off to recover from that terrible experience" Sasuke explained. "Natsume's body was brought back as well and we decided to have her funeral and have her buried here, because she died like one of us, protecting her comrades until the very end" Sasuke's voice went quieter
"All the subordinates were arrested and we thought we caught everyone but apparently we missed someone-their leader escaped." Shikamaru explained
"How did the agency know where you guys were?"
"While programming the micro-chip we actually did hack into N-Tech and while it was downloading information without the company's knowledge; I installed a system in the chip to leave behind a virus that could be tracked from its source. So even when the chip stopped and was disconnected the virus left on the software of the company could be reverse tracked to the software that sent it so they'd tracked the computer I was using back to the location we were being held. There were dozens of opportunities to fail but in the end it worked out"
"Without Shikamaru we wouldn't have made it out" Neji added "After three months of recovery Shikamaru and I returned to the agency to resume work-
"But I didn't…I couldn't. I just couldn't go back and carry on as if nothing had happened, so I left when Neji and Shikamaru went back. The day you saw me leave Tenten, I had already made up my mind and nothing anyone said was going to stop me." He took a deep breath before continuing
"I had tracked the movements of the 'All is One' gang for two and a half years until I finally found them. I broke into their base of operations and took them all out; I made sure there wasn't a single person left standing. I got my revenge but in the process I'd lost myself and when it came time to finally take out the leader I got reckless which gave him an opportunity to escape.
And thinking back now I realised that the leader of the gang back then and the person we faced tonight was the same person. The name of the leader back then was Kibunza Sakoza and if you rearrange that you get Sabuza Kikonza"
Tenten was in tears by the time he finished explaining. She had no idea that such a terrible thing had happened to the three of them and most of all that Sasuke went through everything by himself. Neji and Shikamaru had just left so it was just her and Sasuke left to talk.
"I don't know what to say…but I do know one thing for sure; what happened during those three years you were away doesn't define you Sasuke. I don't know what I would've done had I been in your shoes. I'm sorry you had to go through that all on your own"
"I think it's for the best that I did. If I dragged anyone else down with me the situation could've been worse."
"And what's going to happen to him now?"
"The Director is questioning him herself. A chakra using threat to the agency is no joke. We'll find out everything soon enough or not at all. They've kept chakra a secret from us for this long it wouldn't be surprising if the higher up's tried sweeping this mess under the rug as well" he said walking to the door
"You should get some rest, I'll see you later" he said before closing the door behind him
Tenten fell back against the pillows behind her a wave of relief washing over her. Could it really all be over, have we really won?
She asked herself in her head before gladly drifting off to sleep.