Stuck

Chapter 13- waiting

Naruto leaned against Sasuke's side, head resting on his shoulder. They were both perfectly awake, staring at the wall while waiting endlessly for something to happen. It would probably be a day or two until reinforcements would be able to arrive. In the meantime- what was there to do? Wait to be tortured again- maybe.

"I'm bored." Naruto said plainly, breaking the streak of silence that had lasted all of 3 hours. "I know." Sasuke replied. He'd heard this twice already. Naruto was like a man child, never satisfied if there wasn't something happening before him.

"What do you want me to do Naruto? Be your personal jester and entertain you?" Sasuke asked sarcastically. "Maybe..." Naruto said. He was joking of course, this would ruin Sasuke's vibe, which Naruto happened to like.

"Hmmmmm... how long do you think it will be until Takahashi comes to see us?" Naruto asked, fidgeting in his spot. "How am I supposed to know that?" Sasuke said, somewhat annoyed. He too, was reluctantly bored.

After a while longer, maybe an hour or so of complete nothingness but playing thumb war and sticks, there was an abrupt sound.

The door swung open, void of warning, and in marched Takahashi with his little ninja behind him. He stood 2 feet in front of the doorway as the ninja flooded in around him. Naruto's eyes widened in fear. He grabbed Sasuke's hand as he watched the ninjas close in on them.

Against his choosing, they pried away Sasuke from Naruto, forcefully pulling him away. They started to march away with him through the door. Naruto frantically got up, enraged. "Where is he going!? You can't take him!" Naruto demanded, looking around the room to anyone at all who would listen.

He stared directly at Takahashi, who returned a blank look, before marching out after his troop. The doors closed behind him and left Naruto helplessly alone. He ran up to the door, just by chance that it had been left unlocked. Of course, it hadn't.

"Fuck!" he cursed and slammed a hand on the door before sliding down onto his knees. "He left me..."

He leaned his back against the door. His head was spinning and everything felt so hot.

"Can you tell what I'm thinking right now?" Naruto asked the silence, who tended to leave him on delivered, never answering back. "Do you honestly understand how I feel? I've been told when in combat with another, you're able to tell just how your opponent feels- exactly what he's thinking." Naruto recited, like he was reliving a dream.

-back with Sasuke-

They pushed and prodded him around. He complied somewhat, not missing his chance at stepping on the working ninjas toes, though. Through the halls they went, Sasuke's hands behind his back.

Sasuek looked up to the back of Takahashi's head boredly. "When this is over, I'll kill you." Sasuke said as he leaned in as far as he could to Takahashi, given his restraints. He smirked and continued to walk normally, satisfied with what he'd done. He could have sworn he saw Takahashi twitch a little.

Eventually they reached a set of doors that were classical- with white accentual designs. There was a screen acting as a window, which suggested they were going into an outside area- like a backyard or garden of sorts.

"Hey tash'" Sasuke teased, "where we headin' to?" "Your demise." Takahashi answered happily as the doors were opened. He led them into the outside area, which was beating down on by the sun. The ground was hard and sandy, and out in the middle of the yard- there was a cross like fence post. (Imagine that scene with Zoro from one piece where he was hung up on a post by the marines.)

Oh, Sasuke knew this old cliché. He rolled his eyes and accepted what he knew Takahashi had in store for him. His feet slid against the red, dense sand and he looked up into the glaring sun. In a mere few seconds, he already felt hot with his full black attire.

Without hesitation, Takahashi shoved Sasuke against the post, and the ninja holding him secured him to there with whatever bullshit innovative rope they had. He knew it was some technological shit because he couldn't feel any chakra flow in his arms.

Without any words of explanation Takahashi started to lead the ninjas back inside. "Wow so cold, you're just gonna leave me here with no kiss goodbye?" Sasuek asked sarcastically. He thought he heard the faint snigger of one of the ninja.

After a while, Sasuke slouched down. He knew he wouldn't be getting out of this situation any time soon. He sighed and looked somewhere in the distance.

"You're fine, Naruto. I know this isn't ideal, but we'll be fine." Sasuke said. He often questioned himself in his bodes of sureness, because he wasn't really sure. But he felt like if Naruto could hear him, it would be reassurance.

...

Naruto laid face down on the dark floor. He hadn't seen Sasuke in what felt like days. It had probably been 2. He hadn't even seen anyone in the organization. There was no food for him. He had been starving for days on end and was at his ending point. Naruto didn't feel like crying, screaming, or talking to himself. There wasn't anything left to do but wait to die- or wait to be saved; whichever came first.

He couldn't help but always keep Sasuke in his mind. Where could he have been taken to? Was he okay- did they hurt him? He was definitely starving too- but what's worse is he could be doing so in worse conditions than Naruto was suffering.

He was. Sasuke was doing worse. Set out in broad daylike against a post. He couldn't sit down. He was burning in the black clothes and sweaty sun. The nights were cold, and he always felt on edge. Bugs were getting to him too. He had no food. While this all sucked, it was manageable because he was a trained ninja, after all.

What was not manageable- was the organization. Just like Naruto, they saw Sasuke as fit to be punished. Badly.

After a day and night of sitting out alone, Sasuke thought that was that- this was the pique of his punishment, and he'd be able to last the days until the leaf could come in get them. But this glittering reality was harshly broken.

Sometime midday- on the second day that Sasuke was left outside to cook, he watched as Takahashi led a couple ninja out towards him. He started to feel his body envelope in a cold sweat; this wasn't according to plan. He knew that this was going to suck.  

(I know this has been a shorter chapter- just 1.1K words. but last chapter was pretty long. plus, I needed this as exposition for what's coming next. I'm sure you all can infer the outcome, but stay on your toes.)

(SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO: my readers! thankyou to those who actively keep up with the story! I appreciate it so very much, and it motivates me to keep writing. I would like to specificity a certain reader- Echostrein74. I hope you don't mind the shoutout.)