The Price We Pay

A few hours later Sasuke was trembling in his brother’s arms, not in lust or pain but mental anguish, and, more importantly, impotent rage. His brother’s arms were there to give him a centre, something to concentrate on other than the overwhelming desire to jump up and beat someone or something, like the stupid son-of-a-bitch cop in front of him.

Deep inside he knew the guy was just doing his job and that he was just using the guy as an outlet for his anger like Gaara had become last year before he stopped himself, but almost two hours of being asked if he was an accomplice, if he was SURE it was Naruto, YES HE WAS BEING FORCED! The last was asked again and again randomly as if the cop was trying to catch him in a lie, even when the cashier whom Naruto had used as an hostage came forward and said the same thing.

When she had, Sasuke had thanked her gratefully, he had been afraid she’d blame Naruto for the gun to her head, but she just smiled at him and nodded in acceptance. “my name is Ino” she told him, giving him a serious look she asked softly “you said your friend was missing, right?”

When Sasuke nodded and answered “one and a half years until now” something hard flashed in her eyes as she asked if he had been looking that long for him. When he answered in the affirmative again, adding his foster sister was also missing, and, by the looks of things with the same kidnapper, she seemed to become furious for a reason she soon explained.

“I’m not pressing charges, no matter what anyone says. I saw that look in his eyes before he grabbed me, and I’ve seen it before.”

“What do you mean?” Sasuke asked, hoping to whatever higher power was out there his ideas of what had been done to Naruto wouldn’t get any worse than what they were currently.

“The totally broken emotions and body. I’ve seen that look before and I was hoping to never see it again” she shuddered visibly and continued for him “ten years ago I was out partying with a close friend of mine I had known since high school. Her name was Ten Ten and she was the sweetest, most angelic woman I ever knew. One night I decided to go home early, I had to work the next day, you know? But she wanted to keep partying so I did something I’ll never forgive myself for, I left her there alone that night” a tear ran down one cheek and she went on “I should have insisted she come home with me, I should have made her. But I didn’t. That was the last place anyone saw her for seven years.”

“What happened to her?” Sasuke asked in a whisper. Here was someone who understood his pain, someone who understood everything he went through and experienced.

“Three years ago the cops got a tip-off as to the location of a crack-house. After they had raided it and arrested all the dealers and makers they searched the house for more evidence. One cop fell down the basement stairs and found himself face-planted on a hidden door in the floor. Thinking it was the location of the hidden stash they broke it open and went down the stairs with guns drawn and flashlights raised. But what they saw there was so bad even the most seasoned cop found himself throwing up in the corner-he wasn’t afraid to tell me.”

“What was she….”

“Blood, semen and vomit almost covered the entire room, the room stank of tears, pain and oppression as well as sex, terror, agony and perverse excitement. It was full torture and bondage equipment, photos covered one wall of all their victims and the various things they did to them and even some showed them being chosen and stalked. The last one, the last one was…” for a minute she seemed unable to go on, trembling and tear-filled eyes, but then she looked at Sasuke’s huge black eyes almost identical to hers and forced herself to go on.

“The last one was of Ten Ten, they had been stalking her for months before taking her, getting her routine down so they knew just when to grab her with no witnesses. They found a cell in that room in the back and there was something that REALLY made them sick. Ten Ten was there, still alive and healthy but tortured, my god she was tortured, laying chained tightly in a corner, covered in faeces, urine, semen and blood, conscious but….well that’s the same look your friend had, the abuse, the hopelessness, the terror and tears, agony and oppressive, worse the utter loss of self as if they’re a few seconds away from completely ceasing to exist as an person and just becoming an empty shell.

Apparently the drug makers and dealers had had an lucrative business going, they offered druggies and addicts a place to get high comfortably and safely, but also a place to play out those sadistic urges they got when on them, and poor Ten Ten was one of those methods, she went through so much that when she was found she could only obey orders and act like an automaton.”

“But Naruto wasn’t like that! He recognized me and even missed me on purpose!” Sasuke protested, furious.

“Only because it was YOU, someone he truly cared for in his past, which, by now, are just happy memories he uses to hold on. Before he saw you that was EXACTLY was he was, I saw his eyes when he was headed towards me, there was nearly nothing there, he is almost gone.”

“But…” Sasuke started to protest, but the woman leaned over and grasped his head in her hands firmly, making him look her dead-center in the eyes as she said slowly and seriously “your foster brother is being raped and beaten on such an regular basis it’s making him withdraw from reality, it’s too much for him to handle. Ten Ten committed suicide after six months back in reality from that world of horror and if you don’t find and save your friend from his hell before his withdrawal is complete he will go the same way and probably end up in a shallow grave somewhere, never to be found. You will NEVER get him back if that happens. I know the cops said that he was seen climbing into a van before he, the car and the driver mysteriously disappeared, but he is YOUR BROTHER, don’t make the same mistake I did and just wait for him to be found, FIND HIM, SAVE HIM-and your sister and save their souls. Promise me, swear to me you will.”

Solemnly he nodded between her palms and said thickly “I promise, I swear I’ll find him and save him. Sakura too.”

“Good” she let him go and lent back and away again, sensing his unease at the touch “when you find him, take care of him yourself, he reacted to you, you are his only link to reality and if you leave him he’ll drop away.” She handed him an folded piece of paper “this is my number, call me anytime, day or night, whether it’s just to talk or for advice once you find him. I cared for Ten Ten when she was found and before her brother put her into the asylum where she committed suicide. She was responding to me, I can help you with handling him and knowing how to handle certain situations.”

Once Sasuke would have scoffed it, insisting he could handle ANYTHING, but in the face of all his fears, horrified thoughts and feeling woefully helpless and inadequate being the genius he was he recognized his lack of knowledge and talent in this field and so clutched the paper to his chest like an life-preserver and nodded to her solemnly.

She smiled gently to him, nodded at Itachi over his shoulder in affirmation and left to talk to the cops.

That's when the idiot cop came over and started questioning him over and over.

Sasuke ground his teeth as the guy asked him AGAIN if he was an accomplice, by now he wasn't even answering, but when the idiot asked AGAIN if Naruto REALLY had been missing he snapped. With a scream of fury he launched himself at the cop, screaming on the top of his lungs "kill you!"

He only managed to graze his cheek with the back of his hand as Itachi seized him after sensing the move, knowing that since the blonde’s disappearance his brother had become obsessed with power and skill. When Sasuke had realized Naruto was gone he had decided, much to EVERYONE'S displeasure, to learn some form of martial arts. One had become two and for a year and half he was learning every single available martial arts method available to him and even some little known-like an modern form of Ninja from an old retired master named Jiraiya.

He'd even won numerous tournaments but still it didn't satisfy his obsession, an obsession, Itachi knew, was run from the desire to face the man who kidnapped his friends. The desire to be strong and skilled enough to save his 'brother' and beat the man to a pulp for daring to take his only laughter and light away from him. Even Itachi had to admit, the blond had lightened his youth, making the burden of his parents deaths and caring for his brother seem like an fun experience.

If it wasn't for the fact Sasuke was acting on pure anguish and rage he was skilled enough to take down each and every cop here before they could blink, but his pure emotional state was ensuring he wasn't thinking straight.

Struggling to hold his shrieking and struggling brother back Itachi raised his eyes to the man in time to hear the man snap "stupid kid, you just assaulted an police officer, I can arrest you now." Anger filled Itachi when he realized the guy had been bating his brother purposely so he could arrest him when they had no proof that Sasuke was part of the robbery.

But before he could do more than bring out his powerful stare on the bastard a voice appeared behind the patrol man "Obviously you not only deserved that, Patrolman, but you just escaped more serious harm."

The cop turned to face the newly arrived figure behind him "what do you mean Detective?"

"Obviously you don't know who those two really are, patrolman. Sasuke And Itachi are not only two of the last three Uchiha, but they are my nephews. You remember that photo on my desk?" The cop looked silently at the figure for a few seconds then slowly the eyes widened and all colour drained from the face.

"That's right, idiot, move on" the cop nearly ran away as fast as he could, leaving the man to look towards the now quiet Sasuke laying in his brothers arms.

For a few long seconds the boy and man eyed each other up until suddenly Sasuke moved, launching himself out of his brothers arms into his uncles, crying out his name and babbling out all that had happened while Itachi rose from the floor and moved to their side.

Gaara just held Sasuke while he sobbed and babbled, shuffling through the babble and memorizing the useful info while soothing the boy, eyes locked with an serious Itachi over his shoulder who occasionally nodded in confirmation or reacted to the raising of curious but invisible eyebrows.

When Sasuke had finally calmed down enough to pull back his earnest black eyes still trembling with tears he asked not the question they expected but another "any news about the van, uncle? Has anyone come forward and said if they've seen it?"

"No, which is so strange. It's as if the minute Naruto got inside the vehicle ceased to exist. We've even had the police copters out with infrared and night vision, but still nothing. We're stumped." Before anyone else could speak, there was an commotion and a figure was heading towards them, an familiar figure they never expected to see, "out of my way, let me through!"

Kakashi Hatake was headed to their side before they could speak, eyes locked to Sasuke, frowning in concern when he saw the tear tracks down his face and red puffy eyes as he firmly asked "what's going on, Sas? I got a call telling me to come down here, that you'd seen Naruto. Where IS he?"

Sasuke sighed "I don't know who called you, Kaka, but it's an terrible story, sit down."

Perching on the counter Kakashi nodded for him to talk, which he did, slowly at first then faster as he forced the story out before he broke-down again. As he spoke the silver haired man's face slowly went from disbelief to shock and horror then to absolute fury. When he finally finished the man slowly slid from the counter and spoke slowly with barely leashed fury "I don't know what sort of joke this is Sas, but it's NOT FUNNY. You know that Naruto was obsessed with the law and upholding it, there would be no way in hell he would ever stoop so low as to rob a bank."

"But Kaka, he had no..."

"NO!" the man hissed an interruption "I don't want you spreading these rumors of yours. Naruto was your friend and you're tarnishing his name! I don't want to ever see you again!" And he stormed out. Sasuke watched him go with fresh tears in his eyes, stunned. Itachi stepped forward and also put his arms around Sasuke, telling him soothingly "he's not mad at you, he's furious at this guy. You're just the barer of bad news. He doesn't blame you."

After a few seconds Sasuke looked up at his brother and blinked the tears away with a smile, "I know, I did the same thing before. I understand."

"Now" Gaara turned their attention back to him before he continued "as I was going to ask before we were interrupted, what did Kabuto say to piss you off so much? Tell me every thing again, from the start and don't let a single thing out. From the top now."

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