Disclaimers: Naruto is not mine, sadly. This is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.

Warnings: This story includes strong language, violence, sexual assault, torture, sexual content (yaoi), & angst.

It's All In Your Head

Chapter 24: Awaken

--

When Kabuto finally exhausted his interest in torturing his captive, he grabbed the mostly incapacitated blonde, forced his head to the side, and slammed a syringe into his neck- injecting another dose of his chakra blocker. "Just in case."

Kyuubi fell back into his cage as Kabuto administered another round of sedatives. Then the silver-haired sadist watched closely as the blonde's eyes clouded over, his body go limp.

"Until next time, Naruto.." he whispered.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but his words were lost somewhere deep in his throat. He watched as the room and his tormentor faded, as darkness seeped in. Then his eyes rolled back. And his consciousness, along with his pain, was finally

mercifully..

gone.

--

When Naruto woke up again, he was in a cell quite different from his last one. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, then sat up and looked around the small room. Dark, stained walls surrounded him. A collection of thick bars were set in one, revealing an equally dark hallway and several empty cells across from him.

His room was barren except for a small cot- low and bolted to the ground. A small toilet and sink sat in a corner, the darkness of his cell providing the only privacy. There was no mirror- likely to keep him from accessing glass.

Once he was sufficiently aware of his surroundings, Naruto glanced down at himself. They still had his shoes and his jacket, but thankfully left his shirt and pants alone. He was not happy to see that his hands were shackled together, and his ankles also bore shackles, though they kept those apart. All of them were attached to thick metal chains that were securely fastened to a bolt in the middle of the concrete floor. It immediately reminded him of the time Itachi and Kisame had captured him. In fact, it was very possible that the place they had brought him to had been one of Orochimaru's many hideouts.

Naruto awkwardly rose to his feet and shuffled over to urinate while he still lacked an audience. He moved to the sink and cleaned his hands and face, wincing when his fingers slipped over his split lip- likely from Kabuto wailing on him. He drank deeply from his cupped hands, then patted his face dry on his shirt. With a heavy sigh he dragged himself over to sit on the floor, his back against the cot. He dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling.

I wonder what else Kabuto has in store for me, he thought. He gave another deep sigh. I'm assuming it will only get worse.

Which reminded him. You doing ok, Kyuubi?

The fox gave a low laugh. Do you believe me to be so weak that a lowly human like that could hurt me?

Naruto rolled his eyes. Fine. Forget I asked.

The fox paused, and Naruto suddenly got the feeling that he was about to tell him something he didn't want to hear.

..What? he asked warily.

I did sense something with that one, though.

What do you mean?

I think he knows.

Knows.. Naruto repeated.

That you weren't the one he was torturing. Naruto, I get the feeling he is going to make sure it doesn't happen twice.

Naruto was right.

It wasn't something he wanted to hear.

--

He didn't think he'd be able to sleep, but somehow it crept up on him, and he was pulled into that heavy darkness once more. It wasn't a peaceful one. As soon as he closed his eyes, his mind pulled him back to a memory he wanted to forget- a past torment that refused to fade.

He was back in Konohagakure, a couple months after Sasuke had left, when he had finally ventured out of the house. Unfortunately, word had spread like a fucking plague. The villagers knew that Sasuke was gone. They knew that Naruto was alone again. Defenseless. And they seized the chance to repay him for the shame and fear they had felt when they faced the Uchiha's wrath.

Naruto didn't expect it, didn't even consider it, and that made it far worse.

His walk through town started off pretty uneventful. So much so that when a villager rammed his shoulder into him he thought nothing of it.

At first.

When another man shoved him back against a building, though, he realized this was just the beginning. The villagers had figured out that they could lash out again and that there was no one there to stop them.

I should've known better, the blonde thought. I should have fucking expected this to happen.

The man grabbed Naruto by his shirt and pulled him close. Naruto looked up and met eyes filled with blatant contempt. A tight sneer spread across his face, and Naruto mentally prepared himself. This one's going to hurt.

"I hear your friend's gone" the man sneered. "Who's going to protect you now, demon?"

He slammed Naruto back against the wall, and when he tried to straighten he punched him across the face- knocking him to the ground.

Naruto gasped as pain shot up his jaw. He slowly pushed himself up but was immediately kicked back down.

"I'd say it's about time you relearn your place."

He grabbed the blonde and threw him towards the road. Naruto groaned in pain, but otherwise kept silent, knowing anything he had to say would only aggravate the man more. A few others stepped forward, matching looks of disdain on their faces as they drew closer.

Naruto shakily got to his feet and held out a hand, hoping to calm the situation, already knowing it was futile to try. "Wa-wait.." he said, his voice shaking. "I didn't come here to cause any trouble. Just.. just let me pass through." He took a step back. "Please", he swallowed, "just let me leave."

"You're in no place to make demands, demon."

Naruto took another step back, shaking his head. "I- I just want to leave."

"It's a little too late for that."

Naruto turned and tried to run, but the villagers closed in fast. One grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back against him. Naruto screamed, and he slammed a hand over his mouth, silencing him. Naruto pulled at his wrist, eyes wide with panic as the others moved in.

"Mmmphhh!!" he lifted his hands, desperate enough to use a jutsu, but they grabbed his arms and wrenched them apart. When Naruto tried to pull free, one of the villagers grabbed his wrist and snapped it. He shrieked in pain and his eyes rolled, his consciousness hanging on by a thread.

But the villagers weren't done with them.

They threw him to the ground, eyes gleaming with excitement as he screamed when his wrist slammed into the pavement. Naruto cradled his broken wrist and tried to scoot away from them. One grabbed his ankle and yanked him back, watching with satisfaction as he fell, his head smacking against the ground. Another pulled him up by his shirt and backhanded him, sending him careening to the ground again.

Naruto wiped blood away from his split lip with his uninjured hand and held it up, desperately trying to show the villagers that he wasn't a threat.

"St-stop.. please. Why- why are you doing this?"

Another man kicked him, forcing him back. "You know why."

Naruto's pained eyes widened as one of the villagers pulled out a kunai, followed by several others.

"Let's make sure you never forget."

One of them lunged forward and swiped the blade at him. Naruto raised an arm up as he scrambled back, but he didn't move far enough. He cried out as the knife sliced across his forearm.

Blood pulsing from his wound, his broken wrist pulled close to his chest, Naruto continued to scoot back from the crowd, but he knew it wasn't going to make a difference. They weren't going to stop. "Ple-please.." he breathed.

They moved to take another step towards him when a blur suddenly shot through the crowd, incapacitating every man in an instant. Then it stopped in front of him. When Naruto looked up, tears filled his eyes and a rush of relief washed over him.

"Ka-Kakashi sensei.. th-thank fucking.. g-"

Then he passed out.

Naruto's eyes slammed open, and his cell door did the same. He turned and saw someone move towards him. Naruto quickly sat up, and clenched his jaw, mentally preparing himself for an attack. He was surprised when he realized it was Sasuke, and even more so when he dropped to his knees in front of him.

"Was that a memory, or a nightmare?" he asked, his voice thick with barely concealed rage.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What do you care?"

Sasuke grabbed the back of his head and yanked him close, forcing their eyes to meet. "Answer me."

"Are you actually fucking surprised?" Naruto shot back. "What the fuck did you think would happen?"

Sasuke stared at him, seeing the pain in his eyes and the weight of his past.

There's more.. isn't there?

Naruto pushed him back and turned away. "Why are you here, Sasuke?"

"Because I wanted to know why that horrible shit was in my head" he snapped, feeling defensive.

"And now that you know?" Naruto looked up. "Does it really make any difference?"

The Uchiha studied him- this Naruto that he knew so little about. He let his hand fall back to his side, then slowly rose to his feet and took a step back. "No.." he said quietly, "it doesn't."

Then he turned and walked out of the cell, locking it behind him. Naruto locked his thoughts away with it, but not before Sasuke saw him bury his head in his arm as a sob tore free of its small, broken prison.

The raven stopped, pushed back against a wall, and dug his fingers against his chest as the weight of Naruto's despair slammed into him.

He threw his head back to stare at the ceiling.

What the hell am I doing..?

Author Note:

I know, I'm sorry- I'm so cruel to poor Naru. And unfortunately, I'm not done yet.

Hang in there, Blondie!

Also, lately I've been re-listening to a horror fiction podcast called Malevolent, where a guy loses his sight and has a demon in his head seeing for him. Their relationship inspired my portrayal of Naruto & Kyuubi's relationship.

If you want something intense as fuck to listen to, I recommend that one. ;)