Sasuke Says.
September 15th, 10:07
Naruto awoke with a start when loud, heavy footsteps banged around upstairs and for one, disorienting moment, the blond had absolutely no idea where he was. Slowly, the previous day's events returned to him, and an involuntary shiver wracked his body. He didn't want to think about Ayuu any more than absolutely necessary, and he really hoped Essyu kept his word about keeping him in line.
Shifting backwards so he was against the wall, one hand clutched at the front of his shirt, bunching up the material covering his stomach. He'd known that Ayuu was just doing it to scare him, and to punish his dad, but there had been more. It was almost like he was doing it for himself, and not to make Minato suffer. Would he have gone further had Essyu not stopped him? If the other had just sat there, or even left the room, would Ayuu have reached into his pants and...
Naruto exhaled sharply, not wanting to think about it. He'd only ever jacked off a few times in his life-odd for a teenager, of course, but given his mental state, not all that unusual-and the thought of someone else doing it...
He swallowed hard, wondering just what, exactly, Ayuu was going to do to him once he found out his father wasn't going to pay. What would he do? How angry would he get? How far would he go...?
"Are you even awake? I can't tell."
Naruto jumped so high he was surprised he didn't hit the ceiling and sat bolt upright on the futon. "Jesus, fuck, Essyu!" He reached up to cover his face, finding the action awkward with the plaster. "Fuck. Don't scare me like that. Fuck." His heart slammed against his ribs and he struggled to calm himself down. "Shit, and here I thought I was doing pretty okay with hearing you guys come down."
"You were snoring pretty loudly when I did, might explain why you didn't hear me."
Oh, brilliant, Essyu was watching him sleep again. That wasn't creepy at all. Naruto reached up to make sure he hadn't been drooling, though he didn't know why he cared. Pride, he supposed. He was already lacking in that at the moment.
"You know, watching someone sleep is kinda creepy."
"I wasn't watching you sleep, and even if I was, it was to make sure you weren't going to wake up and escape." He could tell Essyu was kind of insulted at the assumption, and Naruto rolled his eyes behind his mask. "I was reading."
Naruto heard pages being turned, as if Essyu were purposefully turning them loudly to ensure Naruto knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had a book in his hands. Naruto knew it was a book, because magazines didn't sound like that.
"Down here?" Naruto inquired after stretching a little.
"Ayuu doesn't want you left unattended for too long."
"Yeah, because I'm really gonna be going anywhere," Naruto said dryly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes again. Really, the action was lost when the other party couldn't see it. "So you're stuck babysitting?"
"I have a book. The only difference right now is I'm reading it in the chair here instead of the one in the kitchen."
The blond wondered why he wouldn't be reading it in his room, but he doubted he'd get a reply to that, so he didn't bother asking. Instead, he said, "What book are you reading?"
"Ice Station, by Matthew Reilly." Essyu hesitated, as if wondering whether or not to say something, but then probably decided it was safe since he continued. "I've read it eight times. It's my favourite book."
Really?" Naruto tried to dredge up the author in his mind. He was a bit of a bookwork during the summer, since Kiba's family usually went away and video games could only entertain him for so long. He didn't remember ever coming across that particular author. "Never heard of the guy."
"Sucks for you." Essyu was smirking again. "You're missing out. It's about a station up in Antarctica who discover what they believe is an alien space ship, and a group of Marines get sent out to investigate. The only problem is other countries get wind of the ship and send their own teams, and it's pretty much world war three up in the snow."
"Wow," Naruto said, both because it sounded good and because he'd never heard so many words leave Essyu's mouth before. "That actually sounds pretty interesting. Audiobook?"
"It exists, but I don't have it." Essyu was definitely smirking again. "If you're a good little boy, I'll read aloud to you."
Naruto snorted so hard his ribs hurt. "Wow, okay, thanks mommy, how nice of you. Read me a bedtime story please."
He heard Essyu snort back, and Naruto grinned. For a kidnapper, Essyu was kind of all right. He didn't mind him so much. Ayuu, on the other hand, he could happily do without.
Tilting his head when he heard the book shut, and the chair creak, he figured Essyu had just stood, and frowned.
"Are you hungry? Do you need to use the bathroom?"
"Yeah on both accounts," Naruto admitted, his jaw cracking in a yawn.
"Bathroom first, then."
The blond heard a thump, presumably the book being tossed onto the chair, and then keys jingling again. He held his wrists out, and Essyu undid them, then worked on Naruto's ankles. Once he was free, the blond again heard the click of a switchblade before the other's hand closed around his wrist and tugged lightly. They shuffled across the room again, Essyu putting the blond's hand on the edge of the toilet just like the day before.
"I'll wait outside," he informed him.
"Right."
The door shut, and he heard footsteps heading across the basement, presumably back to the book. Confident he was alone, he wasted no time pulling down his pants and sitting on the toilet again, clenching his fists angrily and scowling. He hated this. He fucking hatedthe son of a bitch who'd done this to him! Sure, he wasn't all that happy with Essyu and Ayuu, either, but the fucker who'd traumatized him as a child... fuck!
He wished his kidnappers would wear masks. He didn't like not being able to see. This would've been easier if he could fucking see! Not to mention he couldn't rub the sleep from his eyes, and that was going to get uncomfortable after a while.
Finishing up as quickly as he could, he pulled his pants back up and flushed the toilet, fumbling for the taps and washing his hands. Wiping them on his pants again, he pulled open the bathroom door, and stood there, waiting.
Essyu's hands were on his chest, pushing him back lightly. Naruto tensed, mostly because his mind was flashing back to the previous night, but he took a step back anyway. The other walked into the bathroom with him and put one of his hands back on the tap.
"I got you a toothbrush and some toothpaste. It's all set to go, you can go ahead and brush."
The blond felt the end of a toothbrush being pressed into his free hand. He nodded a thanks, hesitated, then brought it to his mouth and began to brush his teeth. He knew Essyu was still there, watching him, but he didn't care. His morning breath could knock out a horse. Probably why they'd decided to get him something to brush his teeth with. He could knock them out by breathing on them and escape.
He snorted to himself at the thought, spitting foam out of his mouth and turning on the tap, rinsing and cleaning off the sides of his mouth and his chin before running the toothbrush under the tap and turning it off. He set it down beside the sink, figuring he'd be using it again tomorrow morning since he probably wasn't going home today, and turned to the door.
Essyu's hand closed around his wrist once more, tugging slightly and leading him back towards the bed. Naruto followed obediently, going more slowly this time so he didn't trip on the futon. He climbed onto it when they reached it and sat down, getting comfortable, and holding his hands out again.
The kidnapper cuffed his wrists, then his ankles, and stood, the sound of the knife closing meeting Naruto's ears. Considering Essyu had used both hands to cuff him, he'd either had it between his teeth, or he hadn't even bothered holding it. Naruto could understand. Considering he hadn't caused any problems, why worry, right?
"Let me know when you want to shower. Prisoner or not, Ayuu and I don't want you to have poor personal hygiene."
Naruto's chest constricted slightly at the thought of being naked in front of them. "Right," he whispered.
"We'll probably take your mask off for that."
Well, at least there was an upside. Still, the blond doubted they'd provide him with enough towels to shower the way he usually did.
"We've also bought you some new boxers. I insisted on some sweats and a few shirts, since I'm sure sleeping in your uniform isn't all that comfortable."
"Thanks," Naruto said honestly. "I really appreciate that. Sweats would be great."
"I'll bring them down later, you can put them on after your shower."
The blond winced again and his stomach growled. He rubbed at it, remembering what Ayuu had done the night before, however unwillingly the thoughts came.
"I should get you food." Essyu headed for the stairs, but paused halfway up, like he so often did. "Do you like waffles?"
"I love waffles," Naruto said with a laugh, grinning slightly.
"Ayuu made some." Essyu paused, as if thinking of something to say, but then he just started climbing the stairs again. "I'll see if there are any left."
The door closed behind him at the landing.
-x-
September 15th, 19:09
Snorting loudly, Sasuke couldn't help but smile slightly, shaking his head and playing with the noodles left over in his chicken noodle soup. "Your friend sounds like a moron."
"Yeah," Naruto agreed with a laugh. "Kiba's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box or anything, but he's my best friend, and I love the guy. Though he thinks every problem can be solved with sex which, really, isn't true."
Sasuke could imagine the blond rolling his eyes behind his mask, and the raven smirked when the other brought his fork towards his mouth with nothing on it. He watched Naruto put it between his lips before he growled.
"You could tell me when that happens, you know," Naruto grumped, annoyed. "Save me the embarrassment."
"But then I would have nothing to laugh at," Sasuke shot back, smirking and taking another bite of his own food.
Grumbling under his breath, Naruto started digging his fork into the bottom of the bowl before each bite to make sure he'd actually have something on it before bringing it to his mouth. Sasuke just smirked, watching him, leaning back in his usual chair.
To be honest, Sasuke had had a good day so far with Naruto. After having brought down some waffles for him to eat, the raven had started reading him Ice Station, which was a lot more talking than Sasuke was used to, but it was fun reading it aloud, and Naruto had really been getting into it.
After a while, though, the raven's throat was starting to hurt, so they began talking about other things instead around lunch time. Mostly, it was Sasuke asking Naruto questions, and the blond answering them, but it had still been fun, and despite Naruto not seeming to enjoy talking about himself, they'd had interesting debates about things. And Sasuke got to learn more about the billionaire's son.
Truthfully, he wished he could've had a real conversation with him, complete with actual back and forth questions, but he knew that would never happen. Once this was all over, it would be over for good. Sasuke knew that, he wasn't stupid enough to think he could remain friends with someone he'd kidnapped.
"Can I ask you another question? This one more personal?" Sasuke asked slowly, as if still unsure he truly wanted to ask it.
Naruto shrugged, tipping his bowl back and drinking down the broth before licking his lips and wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. "I guess so. Shoot."
"Why do you always look so sad in pictures with your father?"
A long silence followed that question, Naruto shifting uncomfortably and Sasuke thought maybe he shouldn't have asked it. Then, with a sigh, Naruto raked a hand through his hair and answered.
"I know for a fact you and your partner kidnapped me for money, but I can tell you straight up that it's not going to make you any happier." He snorted. "Money, if anything, just depresses you more than before, except now you can afford to pay for a psychiatrist." Naruto put his bowl down on the futon beside his leg, and leaned back against the wall. "My dad spends all his time working and raking in money, so ever since I was a kid, I always got whatever I wanted. I wanted a boat, done. I wanted a new car, done. I wanted a fucking ranch with a hundred ponies, done. Guy could buy me the country if he felt like it." Naruto scoffed. "You'd think I'd like that. Having everything I wanted but... I didn't. All the money in the world would never buy me what I truly wanted. And all I want, all I've ever wanted and will ever want-is to have a dad."
Naruto laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "I know it sounds stupid, and you probably think I'm nuts but... When your parents were alive, I bet your dad was around on your birthdays." The blond's voice had lowered, and Sasuke could tell he was reflecting back on all the disappointments of his life. "I'm sure he showed up to your basketball games, and your award nights, and you recitals... my dad didn't. He just worked. And every time he missed a big event, he'd just go out and buy me something expensive, as if he thought it would make up for his absence. It didn't, it just made me feel worse, because it was like... he cared more about his money than he did about me, and he just bought me stuff to make me stop whining about the fact that he missed seeing me get a trophy for MVP in basketball when I was thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. That he missed my fourteenth birthday because he had to close a multi-million dollar deal, and had forgotten what day it was."
The blond was playing with the edge of his blanket, by now, face still aimed forward, though Sasuke suspected he was looking down. Probably mostly out of habit. "My dad tries to buy me off. He thinks the more money he spends on me, the happier I'll be, and the less I'll complain. Truthfully, the only thing that would make me happy would be him spending five minutes of his day with me without talking about work or looking at his stupid Blackberry. He even fucking works at the breakfast table, and I'm lucky if he even shows up on time for dinner." He let out a derisive snort. "I doubt he's even noticed I'm gone."
"That's not true," Sasuke insisted, unsure as to why he felt the need to reassure Naruto, but knowing he couldn't listen to him anymore. Not because he didn't care, but because it was actually almost upsetting him to hear about how his father treated him. Like he was a nuisance.
Knowing he shouldn't mention this, mostly because Itachi would get pissed, he decided it wasn't a big deal and let out a small breath. "Ayuu said your dad was freaking out when he called him yesterday. I think he cares a great deal for you, he just had to risk losing you to realize how absent he's been in your life."
"Yeah, well... Guess what I said to Kiba came true then," the blond muttered.
Sasuke didn't know what that meant, but he didn't push for more information. He doubted Naruto would elaborate, anyway.
"I'd probably have more fun spending my birthday here, quite frankly. At least I know you and Ayuu will be around for it, even if it's just to make sure I don't escape. If I went home, dad probably wouldn't show anyway."
"When is it?" Sasuke asked with a frown.
"What?"
"Your birthday." The raven resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They'd just been talking about birthdays, what the hell did Naruto think?
October tenth."
Sasuke pressed his lips together briefly before shaking the feeling off. They were probably still going to have Naruto by then, and a part of him had started to feel bad before reminding himself it didn't matter. Who cared where Naruto spent his birthday? Who wanted to celebrate another year closer to death, anyway?
But the Uchiha knew that was just him trying to justify everything. Trying to make himself not feel like a dick for having kidnapped Naruto and finding out he was going to still be here when his birthday rolled around. That really sucked.
"Sorry." The word left his mouth before he'd fully decided to say it, and he cursed internally because it meant he'd be confirming Naruto would still be there a month from now, at the very least.
"For what?" Naruto asked, cocking his head.
"Nothing," Sasuke grunted, crossing his arms and looking away.
There was a short silence, and then, "Oh. I'm still gonna be here, huh?"
Sasuke said nothing, and Naruto shrugged.
"That's okay. Like I said, I'd honestly probably have a better time here."
"You don't really believe that, do you?" Sasuke insisted.
"Why not?" Naruto shrugged. "Like I said, other than being a little bored-though today was awesome-I can't really complain. Sure, I'd love to be able to see, but realistically, what more would I get at home during my birthday? I already implied I hated presents, and I don't exactly care for store-bought cakes, which is what I'd be getting, so really, only difference is I'd be sitting at a bigger table than I would be here." He snorted. "Seriously, I've got no complaints."
Snorting, Sasuke shook his head, finding Naruto to be a really peculiar person. His thoughts were cut off, though, by the front door slamming loudly upstairs. He glanced towards the stairs, then looked back at Naruto. The two of them stayed silent for a few seconds before the basement door creaked open, Itachi having moved across the floor soundlessly.
"Essyu," he called down the stairs.
Sasuke took that to be a summons and got to his feet. He leaned forward to grab Naruto's bowl, holding his own in his other hand. Eying Naruto for a few seconds, he figured he'd probably spend the rest of the evening upstairs, now, or else Itachi would tell him he was getting attached again.
"I'll come back down around ten for another bathroom break. It's around seven-thirty right now."
"Okay," Naruto replied. "See you later."
The raven nodded slightly, remembering too late Naruto couldn't see him, and just turned to head towards the stairs, trying not to dwell on how interesting and entertaining his day had been.
-x-
September 15th, 19:41
Itachi was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal, when Sasuke finally emerged from the basement. His dark eyes followed his brother wordlessly, the older Uchiha noticing a few changes in Sasuke.
The youngest of the two walked to the sink with the bowls and placed them inside it before returning to the table and falling into the empty seat across from Itachi, pulling his cigarettes to himself and smacking the bottom of the pack to pop one out. He put it between his lips before lighting it, inhaling deeply and closing his eyes before exhaling, leaning back in his seat.
Itachi eyed him, his brother sucking on the cancer stick as if he hadn't smoked all day. He didn't know why that may have been the case, but he was certain the little shit downstairs was involved.
"Cutting back?"
Sasuke's eyes opened slowly, and Itachi held his gaze until the other looked away, exhaling and leaning forward slightly.
"Naruto doesn't like the smell."
Itachi scowled ever so slightly, the action so minute that were Sasuke not his brother, the other probably wouldn't have noticed. But it was apparent he had, because his hand paused above the ashtray after having flicked the end of his cigarette.
"He's not a guest we're required to accommodate," Itachi reminded him.
"I know," Sasuke replied, scowling. "He's just been obedient since he got here, and he's not causing us any problems, not to mention he hasn't even pretended to consider escaping." the raven narrowed his eyes at him. "You just want to hate him. He hasn't done anything, but all you see when you look at him is his father. You don't actually care about what he says or does, you're going to dislike him regardless because of who his father is."
Itachi stared back at his brother emotionlessly. Sasuke was getting attached, and it had only been two days. He'd expected better of his brother. He'd expected him to remember all the hardships they'd had to endure because of Minato Namikaze. Instead of letting the anger fester, he was just acting as if nothing had happened. As if he'd forgotten he'd been forced to drop out of school because of Minato.
Well Itachi hadn't forgotten, and he wasn't going to let Sasuke forget, either.
"You should sleep, little brother," Itachi said smoothly, Sasuke putting his cigarette out in the ashtray on the table. "You haven't slept since he arrived."
"Trust me, I know," Sasuke muttered, getting to his feet and heading out of the kitchen.
Itachi waited until he heard the other's door close. He knew Sasuke wasn't going to sleep, not when he would have to go down one more time to ensure Naruto went to the bathroom before bed, but the older Uchiha just walked to his brother's door and knocked.
"He gets one more break before bed," he said through the wood.
"Yeah, I was going to go back down around ten," Sasuke replied, voice muffled, as if he were changing.
"I'll do it. Sleep."
"It's fine, I can-"
"Sleep," Itachi ordered, his tone commanding and leaving no room for argument.
"Fine," Sasuke mumbled after a few seconds of silence.
Itachi stood outside his brother's door until he saw the light turn off, then headed back for the kitchen. He picked up his cereal bowl and finished it off slowly, chewing thoughtfully while looking out the front window at the lawn. Once he was done, he placed the bowl into the sink, turning on the water to splash a bit of it into the bottom of it, and then turned it back off.
Striding across the kitchen, Itachi pulled open the basement door quietly, stepped down onto the first step, and shut it behind himself, stopping to listen to make sure Sasuke hadn't heard him, though he was positive his brother had passed out by now. He wasn't a heavy sleeper, but considering he hadn't slept for over twenty-four hours, Itachi was confident he wouldn't wake up easily for the next little while. A few seconds passed in silence, and he began descending the stairs towards the bottom.
When he could see Naruto, the blond's head was tilted to the side, as if he were listening to make sure he could actually hear someone coming down the stairs. When Itachi reached the landing, the blond grinned in his direction.
"Miss me already? I can imagine how horrible it must be not to have me around. Might as well make up camp down here," the blond teased.
Itachi's eyes narrowed, unhappy that Naruto thought it was appropriate to speak to his kidnappers like that. Of course, he knew the blond thought he was Sasuke, but regardless of who he was, Naruto shouldn't have been so aloof. So... calm. It pissed Itachi off. He wanted him scared. He wanted him to suffer. His suffering would cause his father to suffer. And he so desperately needed his father to suffer.
Moving to the blond's side, Itachi reached back and pulled his gun from the waistband of his jeans. He'd started carrying it around all the time after Naruto's kidnapping, just in case. Walking over to the futon, he knelt down in front of Naruto, and the blond barely had time to let the grin fall from his face before Itachi slammed him back against the wall.
He pressed one hand harshly against the blond's neck, and held the gun to Naruto's temple with the other, pushing the barrel against his skin as hard as he could.
Naruto's hands shot up to Itachi's wrist, tugging while he struggled to inhale, his left foot coming up to try and kick Itachi off him, but the shackles stopped him from getting enough power to kick, and Naruto couldn't shift his other leg out from under him with the way Itachi held him.
The Uchiha pushed harder against the other's neck, leaning forward until he was practically lying between Naruto's legs, his lips moving against the blond's ear, gun still pressed to his temple. "Are you scared?"
The blond let out a choked sound, but Itachi tightened his grip when it came out sounding defiant. "Don't test me, Namikaze. This isn't a vacation. You're not here on holidays. I may not be able to kill you, your father won't pay for a dead son, but I doubt very much you need your knees."
As if to emphasize his point, Itachi shifted his gun down to press against the blond's left knee. Naruto froze, remaining absolutely still. Even his breathing seemed to have stopped-what little of it he'd been doing, due to Itachi's hand.
"Essyu is not your friend," he reminded the blond. "He is my partner, and we don't care about you. Once we get what we want, he'll forget all about you. You're only here so that your father suffers. Stop acting like you're on a school trip with your best friend, or I'll be the one coming down here from now on."
Itachi pulled back the hammer on the gun and Naruto struggled, trying to jerk his knee away but the Uchiha just pushed down harder, a smirk teasing the corners of his lips.
"Are you scared, Namikaze? How scared?"
Itachi fired the gun a few inches to the side of Naruto's knee, burning a hole into the futon, and the blond jumped, a strangled sound escaping his lips.
"Show me your fear," Itachi said, smirking.
He was going to make sure Naruto remembered who was in charge.
He was going to make sure the boy remained absolutely terrified.
-x-
September 16th, 12:32
Sasuke's head jerked up off his pillow when the front door slammed loudly, the raven turning to glare at his bedroom door before letting his head fall back down with a grunt. He shifted uncomfortably on the futon he was sleeping on, trying to ignore how lumpy it felt. He was annoyed at his brother for waking him up on purpose-Itachi only ever slammed doors or made any noise, really, when he wanted Sasuke to wake up-considering it wasn't like he had anywhere to be.
Grunting again and rolling onto his back, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and squinted at his watch, his eyes still attempting to focus. He saw that it was past noon, and rubbed his face with both hands.
He hadn't expected it to be so late. He must've been more tired than he'd assumed. Stretching loudly, the raven sat up, throwing his covers off himself, and got to his feet, heading for the bathroom. The front door slammed again, meaning whatever Itachi had gone outside to do, it had been short. Or maybe he'd just wanted an excuse to slam the door twice.
Moving into his bathroom, Sasuke relieved himself, then brushed his teeth and his hair before heading back into his room to pull on some jeans and a shirt. Once he felt alive enough to encounter another human being, he stepped out of his room and walked into the kitchen, finding Itachi sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal.
Sasuke stared at his brother for a few seconds, finding he was eating a fuckload of cereal lately, but just shrugged it off and started pulling oatmeal out of the cupboards, grabbing a pot to boil water in since they didn't have a kettle.
"Did you feed Naruto?" Sasuke inquired.
He and Itachi had never really been into small talk, so it wasn't unusual for them to be in the kitchen together and not even bother to greet one another.
The younger Uchiha headed for the table and picked up his cigarettes, scowling when he found only one left. For someone who hated menthol, Itachi stole them a lot. He just shrugged it off, figuring he could buy more later, and popped the last one between his lips, lighting it and inhaling, staring at his brother, waiting for an answer.
"Well?" he asked.
"No."
Sasuke frowned at the amused glint he saw in his brother's eyes. His brother wasn't one to get amused very easily. Actually, he could only recall one time Itachi had looked so pleased, and that had been when they'd successfully kidnapped Naruto.
Eying the other for a few seconds, Sasuke turned away from the stove, knowing the water would take a while to boil-and he had to ask what kind of oatmeal the blond would prefer, anyway-he headed for the basement door, pulling it open while putting out his cigarette on the jamb, and looking over at Itachi.
His brother merely watched him, the corners of his lips turning up ever so slightly. Frowning, the younger teen headed down the stairs, shutting the basement door behind him. He reached the bottom and turned to look at Naruto.
He was still lying down, the covers up over his head as if he were trying to make himself invisible, but the hanging chains lifted the edges of the blanket and made it impossible for him to hide entirely. Well, at least not from the other direction.
"Are you awake?" Sasuke asked, moving closer to the futon and shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm making oatmeal, what kind do you like?"
Naruto said nothing. Sasuke frowned, nudging the other's back with his toe.
"I'm not hungry," the blond said, his voice even. He almost sounded like he was pissed off.
"Do you need to use the bathroom?"
"No."
Frowning, Sasuke opened his mouth to say something when his eyes caught sight of a hole in the blanket. Frowning, he crouched down, leaning forward and inspecting it. It looked burned around the edges and his eyes widened before he wrenched the blanket off Naruto.
"What the hell?!"
Sasuke ignored him, eyes travelling over the blond's form-he still hadn't changed out of his school uniform, Sasuke had forgotten about that the day before-until they rested on his neck.
"Sit up," the Uchiha ordered.
"Why?" Naruto snapped.
"Sit up!" He grabbed the other's arm and wrenched him into a sitting position, Naruto following through with the action but pulling his arm free angrily.
Sasuke ignored him and just leaned closer, eyes locked on the bruising he could see around the other's neck. He'd gotten choked by Itachi enough times to recognize the signs, and he could see faint bruising near Naruto's temple. He'd been so exhausted the night before that he'd passed out the second his head had hit the pillow, and whatever had transpired in the basement had gone unnoticed.
"What happened?" he demanded.
"Ask Ayuu," Naruto muttered. "I wouldn't want him to come down here and see us talking."
Sasuke scowled at that and tossed Naruto his blanket back, turning to storm back up the stairs. He kicked open the door, then slammed it shut behind himself, though it bounced back slightly so it wasn't shut entirely, and then he rounded on Itachi, who was reading the newspaper, bowl of cereal pushed a little ways away from him.
"What did you do?"
Itachi looked up at him, his expression shifting to one Sasuke would've expected to see if he were looking at shit on the bottom of his shoe. The younger teen tossed his half spent cigarette onto the table and leaned forward.
"What did you do?" he demanded.
Obviously, his brother didn't appreciate his tone, because Sasuke blinked, and he was suddenly shoved back against the fridge, his brother's hand closed around his throat. Sasuke didn't fight him. He didn't react in any way. He'd learned a long time ago that doing anything would only make Itachi angrier, so he just stood there, glaring hatefully at his brother, while Itachi tightened his grip on his throat.
"You're getting too attached, Essyu," his brother said expressionlessly. "He isn't your friend, he's our hostage. When he's gone, everything you have with him will cease to exist. I don't understand why you're bothering to make nice with him. Do you honestly believe that once this is over you two will be able to remain friends?"
Sasuke's fists clenched of their own accord, his teeth gritting angrily at Itachi's condescending tone. He knew perfectly well that once this was all over he and Naruto would never see one another again, but that didn't change the fact that, currently, he liked talking to Naruto. He'd enjoyed their time together thus far, and considering how good of a hostage he'd been, Sasuke felt he deserved at least a little entertainment and human company.
Was it so wrong of him to feel that the two of them, under different circumstances, might have been friends?
"What did you do?" Sasuke repeated through grit teeth.
Itachi continued to stare at him, then pulled away, turning around and heading back to the table, picking up Sasuke's half-spent cigarette and relighting it, inhaling deeply.
"I know once this is over I'll never see him again," the youngest bit out angrily. "I know that. But for the moment, I was enjoying my conversations with him, and you just ruined that." Just like you ruin everything, he added silently. His brother had a knack for making Sasuke's life miserable.
"By all means," Itachi said, motioning the partially closed door with his hand, cigarette between two of his fingers, "talk to him. Just don't be his friend."
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched and he moved forward to snatch his cigarette from Itachi's fingers, inhaling on it and exhaling in his brother's face. "Get your own," he snapped, turning to head to the stove.
"You're not going to cause me problems, today, little brother." It was a warning, not a question.
"Why's that?" he asked, turning back to Itachi.
"We're making the second video today. I want it at the school when Minato drops off the money."
Sasuke felt that was risky. Even moreso than sticking the DVD in the Namikaze's mailbox, which he still hadn't asked Itachi about. Had his brother actually been stupid enough to go all the way up to the front door to drop it off? But, if Itachi wanted to get them caught, that was his prerogative. Sasuke hadn't even wanted to do this, anyway.
"What's the second video going to be?"
"Something you'll enjoy," Itachi replied, a smirk in his tone though none was present on his face. "Naruto better not be camera-shy, because I'm going to make him jerk off to completion, and I won't let you stop rolling until he does."
-x-
September 16th, 13:04
Naruto sat absolutely still the entire time Ayuu and Essyu spoke upstairs. Though it had been hard to make out what they were saying for a while, he was getting better at listening to them, not to mention the open door had helped before one of them had slammed it shut. But he knew what was in store for him by the time Ayuu finished telling Essyu about the new video.
The blond stared unseeingly into the inside of his blindfold, feeling his heartrate slowly picking up speed. His mind was reeling, sending him back to his room when he was six years old, to the man who was standing over him with a pair of scissors, telling him to beat off or he'd lose his manhood.
Considering what kind of person Ayuu was, Naruto easily compared him to the man from his past. He could just see the kidnapper standing over him, gun in hand aimed at his cock, telling him to beat off or he'd lose his favourite appendage.
Curling his legs in instinctively, Naruto struggled to keep his breathing even. He couldn't even take a shower naked, and they expected him to be able to jerk off in front of them? On camera, even? For his dad?! That was all kinds of fucked up.
I have to get out of here.
It was the first time those words had entered his mind since his arrival. He'd been pretty all right being there, for the most part. Minus Ayuu's visit the night before, this entire ordeal was rather pleasant, considering. But now... No. Now, he had to get out. He couldn't do what they were asking him to do, and he knew it. Just the thought was making him begin to panic.
His head jerked up suddenly when he heard footsteps descending the stairs. He didn't know how long it had been since hearing those words leave Ayuu's mouth, but he could tell more time than he'd expected had passed, because he suddenly urgently needed to use the restroom.
"It's me," he heard Essyu say.
"I need to take a leak," the blond muttered, shifting uncomfortably at having to admit that. After his evening with Ayuu, he felt that things between himself and the nicer kidnapper were going to change.
"Sure."
The two of them performed the act with practised ease, by now. Essyu had always been the one to bring him to the bathroom for the past two days, so it was relatively straight forward, now. Naruto extended his arms, his shackles were all removed, he was led to the bathroom, he did his business, he washed his hands and brushed his teeth-the latter with Essyu's help since he couldn't get the toothpaste on the toothbrush by himself-then he was led back to the bed and cuffed again.
"I was gonna make oatmeal, but we were out of the kind I like, and I figured since I'd have to feed you anyway I'd make something a little heavier."
The blond felt a bowl being pressed into his hands, and he nodded a thanks, looking down as if he could see into it. He couldn't, of course, but he lowered his gaze anyway. It was amazing the habits people had that they couldn't break, despite restrictions like this. He wondered if this would be similar to going blind. Someone who used to move their eyes would surely still move them out of habit, wouldn't they?
"Do you like fried rice?"
"Yeah," he whispered.
"Good. Do you want some soya sauce?"
"Sure," he whispered again.
He waited a few seconds, figuring Essyu was pouring some into his bowl based on the noise, and then felt a fork placed in his other hand.
He nodded in thanks, then began to eat. It was good, but he didn't feel so much like saying so to Essyu. It made him feel bad, the other was a decent guy, but he really liked his knees and the ability to walk. Not to mention he wasn't sure Ayuu would patch the wound up afterwards, so Naruto could just end up losing his leg or something. That would really suck.
"I'm sorry about Ayuu," Essyu said after a long, uncomfortable silence. "I'm sure you've noticed he makes the rules."
Naruto shrugged. "It's not your fault. I guess we'll just not talk anymore."
"Right."
They continued to eat in silence, and it wasn't until Naruto practically bit into the utensil he was using that he realized what it was. A fork. He was holding a fork. Thinking about it, he was pretty confident he could probably undo his cuffs with the spokes on the end. And if he and Essyu didn't talk anymore, that meant he'd have time to work on freeing himself because Essyu would be upstairs!
Okay, he said to himself, trying not to get too excited. He didn't even know if his plan was possible, let alone if it would even work. Calm down. First things first, figure out how to keep the fork.
He thought about it for a few seconds, and then got an idea. Licking his lips, and hoping this wouldn't be too obvious-and hoping Essyu had a bad memory-he called out, "are you still there?"
Yes."
"Um, could I get a spoon, please? It's kind of hard to eat this with a fork and no eyesight."
"Sure."
He heard the chair creak and something getting set down, figuring it was Essyu's own bowl of food. When the footsteps disappeared up the stairs, Naruto felt his heart slamming against his ribs. For all he knew Ayuu was standing off in the corner, or Essyu had paused on the stairs like he so often did. This could be a huge mistake.
But he didn't have any other choice. So he quickly pushed the fork beneath his pillow, and prayed to God Essyu just forgot about it. If he spoke to him, if he broke Ayuu's rule and made friendly, maybe he could distract him enough that he wouldn't remember.
The footsteps were back, descending the stairs, and Naruto's heart felt like a jackhammer against his ribs. He felt the utensil get pushed into his hand and then Essyu went to sit back down, bowl scraping against the wood when it was picked up.
"Thanks."
"Hn."
Naruto played with his rice for a few seconds, trying to think of something to talk about. "So... you still gonna read to me?"
"Maybe," Essyu replied after a short pause, probably because he was chewing. "Did you want me to?"
"Yeah." Naruto forced himself to take a bite of his food. "You got me hooked on that book, man. I need to know what happens with Scarecrow."
"Maybe tomorrow. Ayuu's going to be home today. It would be in both our best interests for me to stay upstairs until dinnertime."
"Right." Naruto nodded vigorously, since that was exactly what he wanted, then forced himself to calm down. "Right, yeah. Of course. I understand."
That was all he had. Years of being told he talked too much, and that was literally all he had for the guy. But so far, no mention of the fork. For the moment, he was all right.
They continued on in silence, Naruto finishing first. He just listened to Essyu chew, and finally, his fork clinked against the side of the bowl. The blond pressed his lips together, waiting.
"Did you need anything to drink? Do you need to use the bathroom again?"
"No, I'm good, thanks," he replied, feeling his heart beating faster again.
"Okay." A slightly awkward silence followed. "I need to go pick up a few things, so I'll be gone for a while."
"You're leaving me alone with the psycho?!" Naruto blurted out before he could stop himself. He grit his teeth together, wishing he had better control of his own mouth.
Essyu snorted. "Don't worry, he won't come back down here. He'll avoid you as much as possible, so just try not to make any noise and he might forget you're even here."
Naruto didn't find that very comforting, but he didn't say anything. He just released the bowl in his hands when Essyu tugged on it slightly, and then listened to the other head for the stairs. He kept waiting for him to stop and ask where the fork was, but he didn't. He climbed all the way to the top, and the door shut behind him.
The blond waited, listening hard, but the basement was silent. He waited longer, not ready to let himself be tricked, but he could hear two sets of footsteps above him, and distant voices talking. Then the front door slammed. He was alone.
For now, at least.
Pulling the fork out from under the pillow, and trying not to feel like a pathetic MacGiver, Naruto struggled to find the locks on the cuffs on his ankles. It was hard to do blind, and more than once, the fork slipped and stabbed him in the ankle or the hand. This wasn't working at all, he needed to be able to see.
His mask was made of plaster, so realistically, he should be able to chip away at it, right? He didn't need to get it all off, just enough so that when he looked down, he could see what he was doing. So, he pushed the tips of the fork under the plaster beneath his left eye and pushed back on the handle. A small chunk broke off from the bottom, small flecks separating from the mask and flying up into his eye. He clenched it shut, wincing and wishing he could rub at it.
Deciding it would be safest to keep his eyes closed, he repeated the process, continuing on, slowly chipping away at the bottom of the mask. His progress was slow, and he was sure he'd cut himself a few times with the way his cheek was stinging, but he didn't care. He was getting closer to freedom.
After five agonizing minutes, he'd gotten enough chipped off from the bottom that he could see well enough with his left eye, and just barely with his right. And fuck was it ever bright, he'd forgotten what it was like to be able to see. Three days with a light-proof mask on, he was sure the light wasn't going to dim for him anytime soon.
Ignoring how bright it was, the blond didn't waste any time shifting the fork down to the shackles on his ankles, pushing the spokes into the lock and wiggling them around, tongue between his teeth, and ears open for any sounds coming from upstairs.
He didn't know long he had to get himself freed, he just hoped he managed it before Ayuu came down to check on him.
-x-
September 16th, 17:32
Itachi inspected the video camera while he sat at the kitchen table, trying his best to ignore how much time Sasuke was putting into making Naruto's dinner. If Itachi had been making his dinner, it would've been something easy, like cereal or ramen, morning, noon and night. The kid didn't deserve any special treatment, yet there his brother was, making him fucking spaghetti with meat sauce.
In a way, the older Uchiha felt that Sasuke's cooking could be advantageous for him. He could always threaten to starve Naruto if he didn't do as he was told. Having the food downstairs, within smelling distance, but not given to him would definitely be a good incentive for the blond to jerk off like he was ordered to do.
Glancing over at his brother before picking up his half-spent cigarette and taking a drag, he eyed the younger teen with interest, noting he seemed quieter than he had been. If Itachi didn't know any better, he'd almost think his brother was brooding.
And for what? A blond, spoiled rich kid who wouldn't have given him the time of day were he not kidnapped by him? Itachi didn't understand his brother sometimes. Sasuke could be so illogical.
"Ready?" He was getting impatient.
"Almost." Sasuke was scooping the spaghetti noodles out onto a plate, and he added the meat sauce a few seconds later. Grabbing a fork from the utensils drawer, he turned to Itachi, informing him he was ready without saying a word.
The older Uchiha pulled on his mask, standing up and putting his cigarette out while arranging the item more comfortably on his face. He then picked up the camera, and headed for the stairs. Sasuke had already been told he was going to be recording again, so he didn't need a mask.
Itachi opened the basement door, Sasuke right behind him, and took two steps down before what his eyes were seeing registered in his head. Naruto was staring up at him from the bottom of the stairs, one bright blue eye clearly visible, widening in horror. If Itachi could see his eye, then that meant-
Itachi threw himself backwards, tackling Sasuke to the ground. His brother let out a shout, the plate of spaghetti flying from his hand and shattering loudly against the linoleum floor a few feet from them.
Had he seen? Had Naruto seen Sasuke's face?!
"Shit," he hissed angrily, wrenching himself off his brother and turning around to fly back down the stairs. Naruto had run back into the depths of the basement, though Itachi assumed he knew there was no way out from down there. If he'd been going for the stairs, he'd obviously double-checked it was the only way out.
Itachi reached Naruto quickly, the blond turning and putting his fists up, as if he honestly thought he could fight his way out of this. Itachi punched him across the face, and when Naruto staggered, he grabbed a fistful of blond hair and slammed him face-first into the wall.
Naruto fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes when Itachi released him, groaning and clutching at his head, clearly disoriented. Itachi could see the remains of the mask had cracked from the force of the blow.
"What the hell's going on?" Sasuke demanded angrily from the top of the stairs.
"Get a mask on," Itachi replied, eyes narrowed down at the dazed blond. "He got his blindfold off."
Sasuke was silent for a few seconds, and then Itachi heard footsteps above him before the stairs creaked once more. He didn't have to turn to know his brother had obeyed him. He just bent down and grabbed Naruto's arm, wrenching the still-disoriented teen to his feet. Itachi could see blood trailing down the side of his face beneath the mask, so he'd definitely hurt him. Hopefully he wouldn't have any brain damage or internal bleeding.
"How did he get free?" Sasuke asked, having moved up beside Itachi. The two of them towered over the hunched-over blond, who was still groaning and clutching his head with one hand.
Itachi wanted to know the answer to that, too. But first, he had a more important question to ask. One that was much, much more important.
"Did you see?" He shook Naruto's arm slightly, jostling him to make him pay attention.
Naruto seemed to get his bearings after that shake, because he tried to rush forward and break between the two brothers, but Itachi just slammed him back against the wall and pushed his forearm against the blond's neck. Then he reached back, pulled his gun out, pulled back the hammer, and pushed it into Naruto's mouth.
"Did. You. See?"
If he'd seen, their entire plan would be ruined. All this work for nothing. He'd have to kill him right here and now. But if he hadn't... Itachi was certain Naruto wouldn't have been able to see Sasuke behind him. Though he'd been a step lower than his brother, the blond hadn't gotten much of the bottom of the mask off, so chances were he hadn't really seen anything. He'd probably barely seen Itachi's own masked face.
But he needed to be sure. He pushed the gun further into Naruto's mouth, the blond choking and shaking his head.
"He can't answer if you choke him," Sasuke snapped, his fear disguised by anger.
Pulling the gun from Naruto's mouth, the blond coughed and shook his head. "No. I didn't see. I could barely see anything, I didn't get enough of the mask off."
Itachi turned to his brother, wanting him to decide. It was Sasuke's face, after all. If he believed Naruto, they were all right. If he didn't, this was all a waste. Months of planning, and it would've all been for nothing.
"He's telling the truth," Sasuke said confidently.
Itachi pulled his arm away from the blond's neck, Naruto coughing roughly, but he didn't give him time to catch his breath. He just grabbed the front of his shirt and shoved him violently towards the bed, the blond tripping and almost slamming head-first into the wall again, but he managed to catch himself at the last second.
They were going to have to make Naruto another mask, but that would have to wait. For the moment, the ski-masks would do, Itachi didn't want to waste time on the little shit right now. He was liable to kill him.
Reaching into his pocket, Itachi pulled out a set of keys and pressed the gun against the back of Naruto's knee, reaching up with his other hand to unlock the small padlock at the back of the plaster-mask.
"You want to see so badly, Namikaze?" Itachi hissed in his ear, wrenching it off him. "Watch what happens next."
He tossed the mask across the floor, and it skid along the ground, Sasuke moving his foot to stop it. His brother hadn't said anything about the rough treatment on Naruto, and he was glad he'd finally understood that the blond wasn't his friend.
"Watch very closely," Itachi hissed.
-x-
September 16th, 17:54
Sasuke watched Itachi shove Naruto around, feeling numb. He didn't really know how he should feel about what had happened. A part of him was pissed off, because he'd honestly believed Naruto had been a good little captive, but he should've known better. Another part of him felt a little betrayed, as if he'd honestly expected the blond to behave because Sasuke had been nice to him.
Yeah right. He felt like an idiot for even believing it.
He was fairly certain he knew what was coming next, but he couldn't bring himself to pity the blond. He'd brought this on himself. If he'd just behaved, this wouldn't be happening. Sasuke wouldn't let Itachi blow out Naruto's knee, that was a bit much, but if he was thinking what Sasuke thought he was thinking, then Naruto deserved it.
"How did you do it?"
Sasuke moved closer when his brother asked the question. He wanted to see the fear in Naruto's eyes, but when he came level with the blond's face, pressed mercilessly against the wall, he just looked pissed. Pissed at not having gotten away. There was no fear in those blue eyes.
Not yet.
They shifted to look up at Sasuke, and the Uchiha had to wonder if he truly was telling the truth about not having seen him. He felt that even if he had, he was going to be there for a while, so he was sure the image would've faded by the time they let him go. Still, it was unnerving to know his life may potentially be in this rich asshole's hands.
"I used the fork," Naruto replied, his eyes still locked on Sasuke's. The raven forced himself to look away. He didn't like the way Naruto was looking at him. As if the blond expected him to help him.
It took a few seconds for the words to sink in, and when they did, Sasuke felt like an idiot. How could he have forgotten that he'd brought the blond a spoon? He'd fucking walked all the way upstairs to grab it for him, how could he possibly have forgotten that the blond had a fork? How had he not noticed that? He felt stupid, and he was sure Itachi was going to remind him of how much of a moron he was later.
He was also pissed neither of them had thought to check on him. If they'd come down earlier, they'd have noticed what he was doing. Considering he'd been at the door when they'd come back, that meant he'd taken one look around the basement, not seen any windows, and headed for the stairs. If they'd come down even one minute prior, they probably would've found him still cuffed to the wall by at least one appendage.
But no. Sasuke had trusted him. And this was what he'd gotten for it.
"Where is it?" Itachi's voice was dark. Cold. He was beyond pissed, and Naruto was definitely going to regret his actions.
"Under my pillow," the blond replied.
Sasuke could still see the small trail of blood slowly dripping down the side of his face from his hairline. He hoped he wasn't hurt too badly, but truthfully, right now, he didn't really care. A part of him wanted to kill the guy just so they could be done with all this. Of course, it was just his anger talking and he would feel like shit if he woke up with Naruto dead, but right now... Fuck right now, he wanted him to pay.
"Get it," Itachi ordered.
For a second, it looked like Naruto wasn't sure who he was talking to, but Sasuke knew, and he moved over to grab it from beneath the pillow. It was bent out of shape, probably from the blond's attempts at lock-picking. Really, he was surprised Naruto had managed to get the cuffs off with the fork at all.
Picking up one of the cuffs, Sasuke inspected it, leaning closer to Itachi so he could see, as well. Surprisingly, it didn't look too damaged, but he knew Itachi would never risk it. They had another set upstairs, just in case, and he offered to go and get them. Itachi nodded his consent, and the youngest brother turned to head back up the stairs.
He turned to cast one last glance at Naruto, and saw the blond staring right at him, blue eyes boring into onyx. Aside from the head injury from Itachi, Sasuke could see a few scratches beneath his left eye, which definitely hadn't been there when he'd arrived. Naruto had worked hard to get that mask off. So close, and yet so far.
Climbing the stairs, Sasuke got the spare cuffs out of Itachi's "room," not wasting any time since he didn't want to go back downstairs and find either Naruto dead, or Itachi knocked over with the two of them wrestling for the gun.
He went to his temporary room to grab his own gun, which he hadn't done beforehand because he'd never thought he'd need it. Now, he knew better.
Hurrying back for the basement, everyone was exactly how he'd left them. He reached the bottom of the stairs and moved forward, holding the chains out to Itachi and waving his gun slightly.
"You do it, I'll watch him." He motioned Naruto.
Itachi yanked Naruto to his feet by the shirt collar, pulling so hard that a few of the buttons popped off. Growling, his brother pulled the shirt off forcefully, Naruto shifting his arms accordingly so that it could be removed, and then got to his feet when his arm was yanked. He was shoved into the wall again, and he stood there without a word, completely still, while Itachi shoved the futon away.
Sasuke knew why. He'd earned it at first, but now he didn't deserve it. Naruto didn't comment on it, he just stood staring at the wall, nobody touching him or keeping him there. Sasuke figured he'd decided to quit while he was ahead, which was wise, considering how visibly pissed off Itachi was.
"No food, no water, no bathroom break, and no bed," Itachi informed Sasuke, turning to glare at him. "I mean it."
The other just nodded, understanding. He wouldn't have cut Naruto any slack, anyway. He was just as pissed, even if Itachi didn't believe it.
"You know what's coming," Itachi said. Sasuke nodded a second time, though he felt it was more of a statement than a question.
The younger Uchiha had endured what was coming numerous times since his brother had become his legal guardian. He'd learned how to avoid it, though. All he had to do was listen to Itachi, and then it had become less frequent. Though he did still have scars from a few of the times, and they only reminded him every time he touched them while washing himself that he should always listen to his brother.
Now, Naruto was going to learn the hard way what it meant to disobey Itachi. And Sasuke found it hard to pity him. Considering the blond's attitude, he was fairly certain he'd at least gotten into a few fights in his life, so hopefully it wouldn't be like he'd never been hurt before. But still, he doubted he'd ever had to go through what he was about to. Considering Sasuke still remembered the pain, he was certain Naruto would feel it all the way until his release date.
Sasuke watched Itachi replace the cuffs, the older man tugging harshly on the chains once they were attached to the wall to ensure they weren't going to come loose. Then he clipped the cuffs themselves to the loops on the wall, so that when they were around Naruto's wrists, he'd have no slack.
"You're going to be uncomfortable, and cold tonight," Itachi informed Naruto, moving up to him once more. Sasuke just stayed where he was behind the other, gun aimed at his back. "And every time you do something like this, I'm going to increase the number."
"What number?" Naruto asked, his voice low, but steady. He wasn't worried. Yet.
Sasuke knew he soon would be.
Itachi didn't answer him. He just pulled Naruto over to where the cuffs were and pushed one of his wrists into them, snapping them shut. He did the same with the other wrist, Naruto's back muscles flexing when his arms were forced to extend outward.
The loops were far enough apart that when Itachi stepped away, Naruto was standing facing the wall, arms straight out on either side of him. His fists were clenched, and his back muscles were tense, as if the blond knew what was coming. Sasuke was certain he didn't have a clue as to what was coming, but he wouldn't correct him.
"What about his ankles?" he asked Itachi when the other admired his work.
"Later," he said, his voice still cold and dark.
Sasuke pushed his gun into the back of his pants once he'd put the safety back on, and forced himself to look away when he heard Itachi's belt snap loudly once it was removed. As much as he felt Naruto deserved this, as angry as he was, he didn't know that he wanted to watch.
"Get the camera."
The younger teen's eyes snapped to his brother, but Itachi didn't look at him. His eyes were locked on Naruto's back, as if he couldn't wait to start painting on it.
"Ayuu..." He knew he shouldn't piss his brother off right now, not unless he wanted to join Naruto against the wall, but to do that... That was cruel.
That was worse than forcing Naruto to jack off and have his father watch it. This wasn't right.
But when Itachi turned to look at him, giving him a clear "why are you still here?" look, Sasuke grit his teeth and turned to head for the stairs.
He climbed them quickly, half-hoping the camera had broken in the fall, but when he picked it up and inspected it, it looked unharmed, as if maybe Sasuke had broken its fall or something. He winced and let out a sigh before turning and heading back down the stairs.
Naruto was going to regret what he'd done, and sadly, Minato was going to have to know about it.
-x-
Well... I couldn't post this yesterday, sorry about that! But it's been storming a lot here in Dallas Texas and my wifi is going on and off. If there's any mistakes don't feel bad about pointing them out. Bye~ Liz