Chapter 13: Forgiveness
IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter contains a somewhat major character death. I don't think anyone will be upset as to who dies, but if you want to know who it is before you read, then feel free to message me either on Wattpad, , or Twitter. Private/direct messaging is preferred, but if you don't have means to any of those, comment and I will note that it is a spoiler prior to answering your question. I also ask that anyone reading that comments about who the character is puts "SPOILER ALERT" prior to their comment to be respectful to those who may read comments prior to reading the chapter. If you do ask via Twitter and want a quick response, you probably should leave a comment that you have messaged me there as I do not check there as often since I never put the app on my phone and don't even remember which email it is linked to. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter.
"We found the location based on the doctor's phone," Detective Sato told his partner. "SWAT is getting ready and Chief said we could take a large group of officers as well to raid the property. We looked online at the overview maps of the area and there is a small house on the property, the compound is likely mostly underground. We'll need to be careful of the guards that saw Naruto and Suigetsu. SWAT said they'll be ready to go in an hour so get ready," he started gathering the things he would need; bullet proof vests, helmets, and a multitude of different types of weapons were just a few of the things he prepared.
"Are we telling Itachi and Naruto about this?" Detective Watanabe asked as he started to prepare his own gear.
Detective Sato shook his head, "Knowing them, if we tell them then they'll try to tag along. We can't risk their lives or the media will slaughter us and any dreams you have of moving up in the force will be gone." He quieted his tone, "Don't forget, when you see Orochimaru and Kabuto, it's kill on sight." The other detective just nodded, knowing they'd need to find them first or find a reason to shoot if they didn't.
As promised, after an hour the teams were on the road, armored trucks and highly skilled officers leading the way. Luckily, the guards weren't as good hiding from the officer's trained eyes as they were hiding from an unsuspecting Naruto and Suigetsu. "I think we've gotten the ones guarding the perimeter, but keep your eyes open for more," one of the officers said over the radio. "There are bound to be more as we get closer."
It didn't take long to find the house, parking behind the large trees in an attempt to stay out of view of the cameras. "We have shut down he cameras, we need to move fast or they'll notice and alert Orochimaru," another officer said.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru was in with Sasuke. A sadistic smile gracing his lips as he beat the other man. He was cautious of not going as hard as he'd like to, as they didn't have a doctor on site yet, but he refused to wait for them to find one. He chose to use his fists rather than his "toys." He sighed as he punched Sasuke in the stomach, "Lucky for you, the good doctor is dead."
Sasuke stared him in the eyes the best he could as he took each blow. He was pretty sure that at least one bone in his leg had been broken, if not more. He could feel the blood from his nose, which was also probably broken at that point.
"Sir," Kabuto rushes through the door.
"I told you to never interrupt our sessions," Orochimaru growled.
"But sir, the police are here. They've already breached upstairs and are cutting through the locks on this door," Kabuto informed him. He'd told him multiple times that security to the basement needed to be higher, but Orochimaru had been so sure that they'd never be found. He was sure that between his guards and having the police in his pocket, he was safe to do as he pleased.
They heard the door slam down the hall, a slew of officers swarming the compound. "I hope you're ready to fight," he responded, grabbing his gun.
"You can't possibly think we'll make it out of this," Kabuto argued. "It's time to just give ourselves up."
Orochimaru smirked, "You may not, but I will." He grabbed Sasuke, holding the gun to his head, "I have what they want." He slid the gun down Sasuke's cheek, "Isn't that right, Sasuke?" He seemed satisfied at the shaky breath Sasuke let out, though he didn't respond. "Go do your job," he demanded to Kabuto.
The man stepped out of the room, looking at the police officers down he hall. He put his hands up, but it didn't seem to matter as gun shots rang out as he fell to the ground. "If anyone asks, he had no other choice," the detective said to someone Orochimaru could't see.
The detective clenched his jaw when he entered the room to find Orochimaru with a gun to Sasuke's head. "That wasn't protocol detective," he taunted. "You're supposed to let him live when he gives up."
"He very clearly was reaching for a gun," he responded, his gun pointed at the older man. "Now give up, you're surrounded," he demanded.
"What are you going to do?" he grinned. "You come any closer and I'll shoot him. We both know that if you don't bring him back alive, then you might as well never go back." He once again ran the gun along the side of Sasuke's face, down to his neck, "Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of why you came here? To save yourself."
"I don't plan to take any prisoners today," Detective Sato informed him. "Surrender now and I'll make your death as quick and painless as possible."
"The jokes on you, I like the pain," he said. "Just like Sasuke here, but he doesn't like to admit it," his eyes were crazed as he looked at the younger man in his arms.
Sasuke knew at that point he had nothing to lose. He acted as if he were defeated, then managed to whip his head back and headbutt the other man. It wasn't much, but it was enough to distract him enough for the detective to shoot and hope for the best. He knew that he didn't have enough room for a head shot, so he shot at his hand.
The older man cried out as he dropped the gun. He went to reach for it once again, but the bending motion allowed for the detective to shoot once again, this time a head shot. The officers rushed in to attend to Sasuke. The detective walked over to Orochimaru, seeing he was still breathing. "Guess you don't handle pain that well," he said as he took one final shot, making sure it would kill.
"Was that necessary?" one of the officers attending to Sasuke's wounds asked.
"He's too dangerous to leave alive," he responded. "All of them are," he added. "We need a medic in here ASAP," he called out. "We're going to go search for any evidence," he told the other officers as he and detective Watanabe walked out. He quietly told the other man, "We need to make sure there is nothing on us in this place."
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"You're here for Suigetsu Hōzuki, right?" a doctor walked into he waiting room.
"Yes," Kiba quickly stood up, hoping for good news. "Is he okay?" he asked nervously. It was just him, Naruto and Kurama at that point, Itachi having to go check on some things in the office. At least that was the man's excuse, Naruto suspected that he really needed to get his mind off of everything that had happened and was using work as an excuse.
It had been awkward between Kurama and Itachi ever since he'd shown up to support Suigetsu. There was a clear attraction between the men, but Itachi was not in the right state of mind to be anything more and Kurama had to respect that.
"He's awake and can have visitors," the doctor informed them. "But, only one at a time. What he went through is traumatic and I don't want to overwhelm him with multiple visitors," he said.
"So, he's going to be okay?" Kiba asked, trying not to cry again.
"Physically, his vitals look good," the doctor confirmed. "Mentally, it's too soon to tell," he told said, wishing he could give them a more definitive answer. "While he may seem fine now, sometimes it takes a while for the patient to process exactly what happened to them. As I said, physically he should be fine, but I he shouldn't do anything physically demanding, including sex, until he is cleared by a doctor. Naruto nudged Kiba, making the other man blush. "I take it from your friend's reaction that you're Kiba," the doctor stated.
Kiba nodded, "How did you know?"
The doctor simply smiled, "He said if you're here, he wants you to be the first visitor."
"Really?" he asked, trying not to sound too excited.
The doctor nodded, "Follow me and I'll take you to him. He is on some pain medication so he may be tired. If he falls asleep, please don't wake him up just because you want to talk to him." He directed Kiba to the room, pausing at the door, "I'll give you two some privacy. Push the nurse button if you need any assistance."
When Suigetsu saw Kiba walk in the room he tried to sit up. Kiba rushed to his bedside, "Don't you dare move."
"Doctor said I'm not going to die," Suigetsu argued, his voice hoarse. He winced a little as he tried to sit up, making Kiba once again stop him. "Fine," the light haired man sighed. He reached out his hand, signaling for Kiba to hold it. The other man quickly held his hand, placing a kiss on the back.
"I was so scared I was going to lose you," Kiba told him, his voice just above a whisper. "I want to scold you for going with Naruto but I can't."
Suigetsu let out a weak laugh, "I'm sorry for making you worry." He looked at Kiba affectionately, "It has made me realize how short life is."
"What are you saying?" Kiba asked, not wanting to be too hopeful.
"I forgive you," he told him. "I want us to be together again."
"Suigetsu, you just went through a lot. I don't want you to regret it once the shock wears off," he frowned. He wanted to believe that Suigetsu really did want to be together, but at the same time was worried that it was just the aftermath of shock.
"Is that your way of saying you don't want to be my boyfriend?" Suigetsu asked with a small, teasing smile.
"You know I want nothing more than to be your boyfriend," he told him as he sat in the chair next to his bed, never once letting go of his hand. "I just want to give you enough time to make sure it's what you really want," he told him.
"You want to know a secret?" Suigetsu asked. Kiba just nodded, not sure what to say. "I forgave after Sasuke went missing, I just wasn't sure I was ready to be in a relationship with you. I saw how sincere you were when you would check up on me. All of this just made me realize how stupid I was for being so stubborn," he squeezed his hand. "I don't want to waste any more time. I never stopped loving you."
"I love you, too," Kiba responded, squeezing his hadn't back. He could tell how tired Suigetsu was, "Take a nap. I'll be here when you wake up."
"You promise?" he asked weakly.
"I'll never leave you again," Kiba promised as he watched Suigetsu fall asleep. He let go of his hand for a moment to move the chair closer, grabbing it once again once he got it into a comfortable position. At least as comfortable has he could be in a hospital chair.
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Naruto knew that Kiba wouldn't be coming back any time soon. "I just wish they'd find Sasuke," he told his brother. After the doctor talked to them, all he could think about was how Sasuke must be feeling.
"They will," he assured him, leaving out that the question was if Sasuke would still be alive when they found him.
Before Naruto could say anything else, his phone rang. "Hey Itachi, are you on your way back?" he answered.
"Yes, but not for Suigetsu," he responded.
Naruto sat up straight, his heart racing, "What do you mean?"
"They found Sasuke, they're bringing him there," he informed him. "Go find him," he demanded. "I'll meet you there."
Naruto hung up, quickly getting out of his chair and running to the nurse's station. "Nurse," he called out, not caring if he was being rude.
A bored nurse walked over to him, "Yes, sir?"
Can you tell me where a patient is?" he asked, his heart racing.
She rolled her eyes with a sigh, "What's the patient's name?"
"Is that even a question? Of course it's Sasuke Uchiha," he told her. He was sure that once the hospital learned he was on his way, they were all informed.
She shook her head, "I'm sorry sir, I can only talk to family about him." She looked him up and down, "Based on how you look, I'm assuming you aren't an Uchiha."
"That's bullshit! Don't play dumb, everyone knows we're engaged, it made it on the fucking news," he half yelled out of frustration.
"Please calm down or I'm going to have to call security to escort you out," she warned. "Once his family gets here or he wakes up you can talk to them. He is currently not in a position to give permission for me to give out his personal information," she told him calmly. "His emergency contact is Itachi Uchiha, that is the only person I can talk to," she didn't wait for him to say anything else, walking away.
He text Itachi, letting him know what was going on. It wasn't long before the older man arrived, also upset that the nurse wouldn't tell Naruto what was going on. "Where's the nurse you were talking to?" he asked as he met Naruto at the nurse's station. Naruto pointed her out. "You, come here," he demanded.
"How can I help you sir?" she asked, suddenly nervous from seeing the angry Uchiha. "I'm assuming you're here for your brother."
"Yes, but first, if you want to keep your job you will keep him updated, even when I'm not here," he signaled to Naruto. "Do you understand?" he glared, though everyone knew he had no plans of leaving until they knew what was going on with Sasuke.
"Of course, sir," she nodded. "Your brother is currently in surgery. There is some internal damage, you can wait in the waiting room for the ICU on the first floor. I'll get someone to escort you there," she said, quickly moving to call someone to assist them.
Naruto took a deep breath, telling himself that it was a good sign he was in surgery. It meant that he wasn't dead on arrival, he had a chance. He quickly text Kiba and his brother what happened, causing Kurama to run around the corner to follow them.
"This way," a security guard signaled for them to follow him. "Once they are out of surgery, the doctor will come to talk to you. I don't know how long it will be, but if you wait here he'll be in once it is done," he told them as they arrived at the waiting room. "We have informed his staff that you are here."
"Thank you," Itachi said as he collapsed into one of the chairs.
Naruto sat next to him, "It's going to be okay." He wasn't sure whether he was trying to assure Itachi or himself. The blond wasn't one to pray, but at that point he felt so helpless that it was all he could do. At that point he'd try anything just for Sasuke to be okay.