Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

I know, it's been a while. I've been pulling myself out of a really tough time in my life and needed some time to myself, so I apologize if any of you are pissed at me. I didn't go on hiatus on purpose, guys.

One more chapter after this, then the epilogue! Please review!

You don't have to deal with this.

You can give up and let me consume you...

Let me consume you...

Silo's sky blue eyes snapped open in the darkness that swallowed him whole. Sweat slid down his face and he breathed in deeply to stop his racing heart. He could feel Melee clawing at the back of his mind and even with the situation he was in, he was proud that he could hold her back.

Staring straight ahead, all he could see was the contours of the coffin's lid since his eyes had adjusted to the darkness in the few hours he'd been locked away. His body was overheating and he felt as if he was going to pass out, but he knew he'd brought it upon himself.

He'd been dragged into one of Orochimaru's hideouts after Tooku had been shot and Haruka had been knocked out by a watchful Oto member... and the snake had asked him for one single thing in that amount of time; to help him take down the Akatsuki in exchange for his family's life...

Knowing already that Orochimaru wasn't going to keep his promise, Silo had refused and attempted to escape, only to end up shoved in a blood-smeared coffin that was already occupied by the bones of someone they'd put in it before...

I'm not going to help him, even if it means I have to be killed...

Even as he thought that, he knew his grandfather wouldn't kill him... He was too valuable... too good of bait... his own grandson...

The fear he felt in his chest dulled down to an ache as he tried to focus on something else. An image of Haruka came to mind and he smiled softly to himself. He'd only been knocked out, so he knew his boyfriend was alive and probably being treated...

But then the image of Tooku's wide honey-colored eyes entered his thoughts and his breath hitched. The child had been shot... He didn't know where, but he remembered watching the little girl fall back against the wall as her papers scattered all over the cement floor...

First Tobi, then Tooku... Matsuri would be completely and utterly heartbroken...

"Please let everyone be alright..." he whispered to himself before footsteps echoed around him and voices reached his ringing ears. He recognized one as Orochimaru and the other...

His eyes widened.

The other was Kabuto, the man that had shot Sasuke right in front of his very eyes when he was a child... Memories flashed before his eyes, his pupils becoming smaller as the coffin lid was yanked off with enough force to rip the nails out of the wood. He flinched at the sudden rush of light, but looked up to see a heavy man with orange hair sneering at him.

"I hope it was comfortable in there," Kabuto smiled fakely, mockingly, from his perch atop a crate.

"No need to be rude, Kabuto," Orochimaru purred, his hand running down the silver-haired man's arm. His golden eyes gleamed with what Silo assumed was lust, his slightly longer canines glistening as he smiled in a manner that frightened the teenager. "Tell me, boy, have you changed your mind? If not, I have various different ways to make you agree," he smirked.

Silo sat up, glaring up at his grandfather.

"I refuse to help you. I don't care what you do to me," he growled.

"What a shame," Kabuto spoke, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You know, every time you decide to go against Orochimaru-sama's wishes, something of yours is taken away. Do you know what we took the first time you refused?"

The crow stared at him with wide eyes, his heart rate picking up speed.

Kabuto leaned in, a feral smile creeping onto his chapped lips.

"Your friend, Majik," he lied. He wanted to see what reaction he got out of the boy if he thought he was the reason Hidan's younger brother had been murdered. "You should have seen it..." his voice became deep and alluring. "I tied him up, put him in front of a ditch, and told him it was all your fault before I..."

Silo shook, tears springing to his eyes. Wrapping his arms around himself, he imagined Majik smiling beside him, laughing and telling him stories...

"... shot him..." Kabuto whispered, grabbing onto the collar of Silo's shirt. "I shot him three times and watched him fall into that hole in the ground before I buried him alive..."

Orochimaru held his arm out as a signal for his henchman to be quiet.

"You're scaring the poor boy, Kabuto-kun," he crooned, looking down at the shaking boy. His feral smile spread from ear to ear as he reached down to grip onto Silo's upper arm. "Now, let's play with him for a while... Maybe then he'll decide to help us take down Itachi's group."

Silo slowly lifted his head, his body shaking as his grandfather leaned forward, the man's golden eyes wide in excitement. He could see his own look of fear reflected off of the snake's bright irises, his heart speeding up. He didn't...

He didn't know what to do now.

xXxXxXx

"She'll be alright. It's just a flesh wound," an Akatsuki member told the sobbing Matsuri. The woman was being held by Naruto, her mascara running down her cheeks and her lipstick smeared on her hands that were covering the lower half of her face.

Tooku was lying on the cold concrete floor, the few Akatsuki medics that were on base treating her. Crimson blood was soaking into her clothes near her side, where the bullet had entered. Luckily, the snake bastard hadn't damaged any organs or bones, so Tooku would be fine after being treated.

"Naruto..."

The blond turned, releasing Matsuri once he was sure she wouldn't do anything irrational. His blue eyes reflected the same sadness and anger his lover had in his, his pink lips turning up into a strained smile. He tried to remain focused as he opened his mouth to speak to Sasuke, his heart breaking apart in his chest.

"What is it?"

Sasuke clenched his fists and tried his hardest not to punch the wall he was leaning against. He couldn't control the rage he felt deep inside, not after what had happened to Silo.

"Our son was taken away by that... that fucking snake...!"Sasuke growled. "Why are we just standing here when we could be searching for him?.! Huh?.! He could be dead for all we know! Orochimaru could have fucking killed him!"

Naruto flinched, but kept his smile in place.

"Orochimaru wouldn't kill him... h-he needs him, Teme..." his voice was soft, almost on the verge of breaking from strain and sadness. His nickname for Sasuke made the angered man's furious expression slip off of his face, being replaced by an apologetic one. "Silo's not dead... He's f-fine..."

Sasuke grabbed his boyfriend's wrist and dragged him out where they had buried Tobi, telling everyone that they needed fresh air. He inhaled deeply, knowing that maybe... the two of them wouldn't see them again. He had a plan and he was going to see it through until the end, even if it meant he would die.

"Sasuke, what--"

"We're going after Orochimaru. We're going to the war grounds where everyone's at and we're going to find that bastard before my brother does. We're going to get Silo back and kill Orochimaru ourselves," the raven explained seriously. "We'll be taking one of the Akatsuki's cars..."

Naruto stared into the man's eyes, seeing how determined he was. He swallowed thickly and nodded, surprised in himself. He didn't want to do anything stupid and reckless, but he would honestly do anything to get his son back.

"Are there weapons in the car...?" he asked timidly.

"My brother told me once how each vehicle has about ten guns and other weapons inside of the trunk, so we can use those... And I have these already," Sasuke reached into his back pocket and pulled out a set of silver car keys. He looked guilty, but he put on a smirk. "I took them from Itachi's office on a whim today..."

"You must've felt something was going to happen," Naruto laughed nervously, trying to make light of the situation. They were going to go after their son and bring him back no matter what... so he focused on that and let his sadness and fear disappear. If his lover could hide his fear, he would too.

They both looked back into the lit room where Tooku was being treated and Haruka was being watched over, and slowly stepped out of everyones' line of vision so they could rush to the car. They didn't care if they ran past security cameras; they were going to run as fast as they could and get into the vehicle, then speed off to wherever they needed to be.

"I think they keep them in a garage underneath this hill..." Sasuke stated, leading Naruto up a tall hill that dropped off. The setting sun blinded him for a moment, but then he peered around, spotting a metal set of stairs that led down to the bottom of the hill where a gravel road was. "Come on, over there."

"That doesn't look safe..." Naruto looked at the rust that was all along the silver bars.

Sasuke held out his hand and smiled slightly.

"I'll make sure you'll be fine. Trust me."

"Alright..." Naruto took his hand and let him pull him down the creaking stairs, a smile finding its own place on his face. The warm look Sasuke had given him was enough to push away the fear he felt for his son's life. He knew that with the raven by his side, they would be able to accomplish their goal, as cheesy as it sounded.

They were going to get their son back.

xXxXxXx

Haruka sat against the cold wall, watching Tooku being lifted up and put on a stretcher that was pushed to another room. The sound of a heart monitor slowly disappeared in the distance, sadly taking the boy's concentration with it. He'd been trying so hard to just focus on the sounds around him, so that he wouldn't think about his boyfriend being taken away.

He gritted his teeth and glared at the floor, his head throbbing in pain from when one of Orochimaru's henchmen had slammed the butt of their gun into his skull. Everything around him was completely unfocused and blury because of his eyes, and he wished that he could see so that he could maybe find Silo...

He felt worthless.

He felt weak.

He felt like breaking down into tears because the boy he loved could possibly be dead.

xXxXxXx

Silo propped himself up on his elbows, breathing heavily. He had no idea where he was, but his attempt to escape wasn't going very well. There were hundreds upon hundreds of cargo crates stacked on top of and around each other, and they all created a dark and filthy maze inside of the huge storage building he was trying to find his way out of.

He'd been chased by Kabuto through a hall that led to that place and he didn't know what to call what they were doing... It could be called stalking, it could be called hunting, it could just be called playing. Orochimaru had sent him into the maze so that his men could hunt him down, terrorize him, and play with him like a cat played with its meal.

His heart beating frantically in his chest, he got up and wiped the sweat and blood from his face and neck, scared to death of being caught. He didn't know what would happen if he were found, but he tried to be as quiet as a mouse. Stepping backward slowly, he crammed himself into a corner and shook in fear.

I-I don't want to die...

Suddenly, there was laughter and a large hand reached down from the crate above to grip onto the collar of the teen's shirt. He was hoisted into the air, kicking and flailing to get free, crying out for someone to help him.

"Now, now, boy," the bulky man spoke, his grin pearly white. "There's no need to run from me. I just want to play."

He was African American, Silo noted; tall with an earring in his left ear and his head shaved. He continued grinning at the squirming boy, standing up so that he outstretch his arm and watch Silo finally go limp, his chest heaving.

"P-Please let me go..." Silo begged, tears mixing with the dirt and blood on his face.

"We're going to have some fun, first," the Oto member smirked, reaching down to undo his belt.

The crow's damp eyes became wide when he realized what was going to happen.

"N-n-no!"

xXxXxXx

Sunlight...

I see... sunlight...

How...? Aren't I supposed to be dead?

Maybe I'm goin' to Heaven... But...

Someone like me doesn't belong in a place like that...

That must mean I'm alive...

Little Miss...

Violet eyes slowly opened, a flicker of sunlight dancing across the part of the irises it could reach through the scattered rubble of the shallow grave. There were bodies half-way into the pit, the other half jutting out in awkward positions. One dead Akatsuki member was lying right above Majik's body, his half blown off face out in the air where the sun could bake the already rotting flesh.

How long had he been in that pit? Why wasn't he dead yet? He'd been shot multiple times... He was sure he would've lost enough blood at that point to die, right?

He slowly wiggled his head around and dirt shifted away from his face, more sunshine hitting his skin and warming his clammy face. The fresh air filled his lungs and in that moment, he was so very thankful to be alive.

His ragged breathing slowed down and he tried his hardest to quiet himself when he heard footsteps, followed by two Oto members talking. He gritted his teeth as he heard them speaking of their leader, he fists clenching in the loose grave.

"It's in the old freight yard," one man whispered to his companion. "I wouldn't go back there if I were you, though. I heard Orochimaru-sama has a pet he's playing with and he'll kill anyone who disturbs him."

Majik's eyes narrowed and he could feel his heart speed up, the wounds in his back throbbing in agony at the sudden adrenaline rush.

The other man nodded.

Slowly pushing the rubble and dirt off of where his arms were, Majik carefully moved the carcass of a fellow member off of him, using his fingers to dig away at the soil that kept him in his supposed 'tomb.' He gradually hoisted himself up, ignoring the searing pain in his back, and looked around, dirt and caked onto him from the waist up. He left his legs in the earth, reaching over to grab the gun that was lying on the ground.

Taking aim, the Norwegian growled deep in his throat and shot one man in the temple before shooting the other in the throat. Both of them fell to the ground, the one that was still alive squirming around, his hands on his bleeding neck. He tried to scream for help, but it only came out as a high-pitched gurgling sound.

Lowering his arm, Majik realized that the only reason he was still alive was because lying on his back had put enough pressure on his wounds to stop the bleeding. Now that he was out in the open, sitting up, the blood starting to soak through his clothes again and he began to feel light-headed.

"Little Miss... Silo..."

He knew where the boy was... He just wished he could be the one to rescue him. But he had to leave that job to the higher ranked. Swallowing, he cleared his throat and parted his lips, hoping that Itachi and Hidan would hear him.

Using every ounce of strength and energy in his body, he tilted his head back and screamed until his throat hurt.

"Orochimaru is in the old freightyard by the bridge!.!.!" he shouted repeatedly, over and over and over again so that at least someone from the Akatsuki would hear him. He could hear shouts of 'Majik' or 'head in that direction' from different corners of the area, his hope of being saved and seeing the people important to him growing higher.

"You little shit," was the sneer that came from behind him.

The boy was hoisted into the air by the back of his neck, the barrel of a gun shoved into his mouth. He gagged on it and struggled to get free, but the grip of the unknown man was too firm, nails digging into his dirty skin.

Closing his eyes tightly, he let out another desperate yell, hoping his comrades would hear him. But the barrel was only shoved further down his throat.

A gunshot rang through the air and Majik's eyes snapped open when he was released, his body falling forward into the grave. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, breathing heavily from the loss of blood and lack of energy. Looking up slowly, his eyes met pitch black ones from about forty feet away.

His heart caught in his throat, Majik smiled brightly like he used to, his voice cracking as he called out to his leader. The joy of living and seeing someone he loved standing there, having just saved his life, ripped away any informality he would normally use.

"Itachi-sama!"

"Majik, are you okay?" the leader asked, rushing to the teen's side. He inspected the wounds and scowled, loathing in his charcoal eyes. He lifted his head and scanned the area quickly, putting his gun away and opting to lift the smaller boy into his arms. The blood soaking into his cloak was of little importance to him.

"D-did ya hear my shoutin'...?" Majik asked, leaning his head against the man's shoulder. His heart rate slowed down, as well as his breathing, and he found himself exhausted. Was this was happened before you died...?

"I sent Hidan, Kakuzu, and Deidara to the freight yard with back-up. Once I get you back to our hide-out to be treated, I'll head over there myself."

Itachi kept his blank expression, but there was a hint of a thankful smile on his face. The greenhorn member smiled faintly at that and kept his eyes on the area ahead of them, watching out for anymore danger.

"Most of the Oto members heard you and rushed back to base in order to protect Orochimaru, so you don't have to worry about anymore danger," Itachi spoke softly. "And make sure you stay awake. Falling asleep could result in your death."

"I know, I know," the boy grinned tiredly.

Itachi snorted and wondered how the child could be so smug after he'd almost been killed, but he was just happy he was able to get there in time to rescue him. He smiled inwardly at having his 'son' in his arms like when he was a small kid again.

"Now, you will rest inside of our hideout while I go the Oto base. Do you understand? My top priority is to get Silo back safely, so don't worry about a thing."

Majik nodded slowly.

Silo was going to be okay. He was going to be brought back home and they would all go back to how they lived before...

That was what he hoped, anyway.

xXxXxXx

Five sets of eyes watched a bomb go off in the distance, the reflection of the flames dancing within large pupils. The sound of a machine gun pelting bullets into cement followed closely behind, frightening the gawking children and sending them running back into the woods where they'd come from.

They'd ignored their parents' wishes to stay in the backyard of their house and had wandered off into the woods close by to look for locusts to catch. But they'd gotten lost and had ended up on the outskirts of the abandoned city where Oto and Akatsuki were fighting...

"We have to tell Okasan!" the little girl squeaked, her eyes full of tears. The machine gun had been too loud and scary for her. Since she was too young to know what it was, she'd thought it was a monster.

Her older brother shook his head as he held her hand, leading her under low-hanging branches. "No, we have to tell the police!"

Going as fast as they could, the children continued to run away, leaving the broken city behind.

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