Broken Restraints
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Naruto › Threesomes/Moresomes
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Adult +
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Category:
Naruto › Threesomes/Moresomes
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
4
Views:
2,703
Reviews:
19
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not make money from writing this story. I do not own the Naruto characters, anime or manga. The show and manga belong to Naruto's creator Masashi Kishimoto
Third Time is the Charm
Broken Restraints- Neji pov
pairings: Neji/Juugo/Sasuke
Third Time is the Charm
"No, I was alone." And from what I could see he was telling the truth and showed little remorse for it.
"He was your sensei, a mentor even. Didn't he give you the knowledge, power and techniques you desired. He made you stronger and you just took him out without reason?"
"He advanced the skills I already had on my own and then he out lived his usefulness." My brow raised slightly at the nonchalant way he spoke of the matter. It was clear the young genius had years of practice in masking his true feelings. Breaking him of that, if possible, would be considered a great accomplishment. One I secretly was hoping to achieve.
"That simple?"
"That simple." He repeated with a haughty smugness that made me believe there was more to it.
"Or perhaps you outlived your usefulness to him." I tried to change the dynamic of his story. Though he tried to feign ignorance, the words I chose caught his attention. "You knew once Orochimaru was finished sculpting you to his likeness he'd take your body for his own purposes, in a way, kill your very existence without you truly being dead."
"What do you know about that?" I could hear his defenses rising in the way he spoke.
"People talk. Its no secret Orochimaru wanted your eyes, your body. You didn't want that to happen though but knew it was coming. That was your deal from the beginning right?" He said nothing. "The two of you used each other knowingly but you were smarter than the Snake anticipated and struck first. Successfully at that."
"....Maybe, maybe not." There was that mocking arrogance again, which only meant I was right.Yet I couldn't help but feel that he was still hiding something.
I stayed silent a moment going over in my head other possibilities for Sasuke's betraying of his master so abruptly. Our eyes locked, at first in battle of superiority until I looked away and he figured he'd won. When truly I was studying the rest of him, the way I'd been taught to study opponents, people, growing up with the byakugan.
Sasuke's jaw was tight, teeth clenched. He was holding onto something he didn't want me to figure out. He was fidgety, which showed nervousness. Nervous because he could tell I was close to finding out his secret. Our eyes met again, though I wasn't staring into his dark irises as he was into my lighter ones. I was thinking, still trying to get inside of his head and figure this out.
Maybe Orochimaru had turned on Sasuke first, finding him useless and unable to meet the sanins standards so Sauske had no choice but to kill him first. Surviving by any means necessary to acheive his goal of revenge. Or it was simply as Sasuke had said, he used Orochimaru, gained what he needed to defeat his brother and was done with the man but why kill him and not just leave the hideout? To preserve his own life probably. Would the Snake have gone after Sasuke if he'd simply left. Who wouldn't considering the situation. If Orochimaru had shared dark secrets, techniques and his beliefs with the Uchiha there was always the risk of Sasuke giving the information away. But would he betray his mentor so easily? If he could kill him, and probably without batting a lash, than maybe betrayal meant truly meant nothing to the Uchiha. With that thought in mind it hit me.
Sasuke knows things about Orochimaru that others don't, he could use that to his advantage. Whether its a plea bargain to exchange information for his own life or to save someone else's. He could have figured this out sometime during his training with the sanin and planned the mans death all along.
Then I spoke again resuming the conversation. "You could have gotten out of this mess if you'd have given Ibiki or Godaime herself information on Orochimaru but you didn't, why?"
"What are you talking about?" He wore an innocent expression, the first of my seeing it and I knew it was insincere.
"Playing dumb doesn't suit you Uchiha." I countered in the same playful tone. "If you had traded your secrets on Orochimaru, one of Konoha's greatest enemy, you might not be in prison right now."
"I threatened your precious Konoha, that's why I'm here."
"We both know you never managed to carry out your mission, that is why you're in here. The village is fine... for now. You could have prevented this though. The interrogations, the confinement. But you didn't, why?" I paused a moment taking note of the worried look he tried to hide. Which is telling me my theory is right and I was going to test it further now.
"You did it to save the village didn't you?" His eyes narrowed in a way that had his sharingan been able to activate it would have made that glare more intimidating. At the moment it did nothing more than egg me on.
"Orochimaru was a threat to the village and to you. Why not solve two problems at once. That's actually quite nobel of you." And I had meant it. I didn't say the words as a way to mock or upset him. If my guess is correct there's still an ounce of decency left in the scorned teen.
"I would never do anything for this damned village." His voice lowered.
"No, not now you wouldn't but the village or maybe someone in the village was on your mind when you were plotting your second sensei's death. Something changed between then and now." I paused to watch his expression and reaction. He kept up his nonchalant facade but the anger was clearly rising on the inside. Whether at me or the memory of what lead him to these events I wasn't sure.
There was a stretched silence between us before he spoke up. "Fine you got me, so fucking what? That was then and I have no intention of doing anything for this village or the people in it ever again. So don't get any ideas about me Hyuuga. There's nothing nobel or selfless about me."
I shook my head. "That's not true Sasuke. Whether you killed Orochimaru for the village or not, once your task was complete you purposefully freed his prisoners. Proof of that, Juugo and this Suigetsu. I refuse to believe that was done solely for your own personal gain."
"I needed a team to carry out my personal mission, they were willing to go along. Releasing the others was just something I did at the time without thinking about it. Why let them rot there with no purpose?"
"Exactly, you cared. Even if just a little." He sent that trademark glare my way but I payed it no mind. "What I don't understand is why now would you put them through this if you could exchange the information for their release?" He said nothing but did make a move to slide himself off of the bed to walk around. What bit of space he had to walk in.
"Something wrong?" I didn't bother turning around to face him, instead, I silently activated the byakugan to follow him. Jutsu's sealed or not, he was still an Uchiha, a skilled shinobi and his hands were freed by my own doing. I'd have to be extra careful around him now.
After a few more steps Sasuke paused by the small sink resting one hand on the dirty rim. I could tell he was gripping it harder than normal, knuckles going white. "Things changed along the way. I made a mis-" He stopped mid sentence to correct himself. "A move without thinking it through first. We weren't supposed to get caught. I would never do this to them."
"What went wrong Sasuke?" He looked at me, maybe more through me than directly into my eyes but he wasn't talking. "Let me rephrase then. You found your brother, Itachi and something he said changed your mind about the village or about him. Am I right?" His eyes focused again onto me.
"Does all of this really matter? How is this going to help me or Juugo for that matter?"
"It'll save you both from interrogations. The truth might lessen your sentence if the elders decide to take you through a trial. If Juugo and Suigetsu were truly just following your lead they might be let go. I'm your best bet right now Sasuke. You talk to me and I talk to them. Isn't this better than being tortured or chained down?" He stared quietly as if he were studying me, looking for something
"You're right." There was reserve in his tone, less anger but some exasperation, as if he'd just finished a long battle with himself. He must have been internally debating whether he should confess or not. I wondered if I could take this as a sign that he was giving in and would stop resisting to answer. "My brother suffered because of this damn village and no one did a thing to stop it. Because of that I didn't know better," He paused seemingly collecting himself and trying to keep his emotions under control. "now he's dead. I avenged my clan..."
"I don't.. understand." I spoke slowly trying not to upset him anymore. "If you spoke with him why did you fight?"
"I didn't know the truth until after he'd died. I had to hear the truth from someone else. Itachi wasn't who I thought he was." I repeated his owrds in my mind, 'wasn't who he thought' did that mean the infamous Uchiha traitor wasn't really the bad guy after all? If Itachi truly did kill his clan there must have been a damn good reason for it, and for keeping Sasuke alive. Now the last of their family knows why but only after having killed his brother. No wonder he wants revenge and doesn't want to talk about it.
"I didn't believe it at first, I almost wish it weren't true. Then-"
"Then he'd still be alive." I finished the sentence for him. He absently wet his mouth, looking away from me now. I wanted to ask Sasuke what he had been told and by whom but I could tell his line of cooperation was near crossed. The way his hands were fisting and his eyes trained on one spot in the room. So I decided to save it for another session. It was part of my plan after all to gradually win them over and get them talking to me freely not by force. Truthfully I was in my own bit of shock that he'd told me this much. I knew my skills in this type of interrogating analysis were good, thats why they needed me, I just didn't think it'd happen this soon. Especially not with the Uchiha. This would be good for my report to Godaime and for keeping Sasuke out of Ibiki and Yamanako Inoichi's hands.
"That's enough for today." I decided. Sasuke didn't move but I knew he'd heard me by the way his body loosend its posture a bit. "I'll take you to see Juugo now." I stood gathering my things and he was quick to follow me to the door. Probably seeking some sort of comfort or distraction from his companion. That or he was planning something with the larger nin, now that they were hands free and he couldn't wait to make a move.
I paused before opening the door. "Same rules Uchiha. Don't try anything just because your hands are freed." He only nodded slightly, a frown laid on his mouth. He seemed sincere in his agreement so I'd take his word while still keeping an eye on them. "Let's go."
__________________
The first day back from my previous mission had been too long and full of confusing surprises. I needed sleep more than anything now. That had unfortunately been hard to come by the other night....
After finishing my interrogation with Sasuke I took him to see Juugo. The large male thanked me for getting them released of their bindings and for the food, that he'd finished. I was nonchalant in my response but inside was happy to hear the grattitude. As I packed away my folders and the food containers, I casually observed them as they spoke. Juugo had immeditaley picked up on Sasuke's upset nature and was very quick to comfort and tend to his friend. It made me wonder again to what extent their friendship stretched. I had to yell at myself for feeling that small tinge of jealousy. I was there to guard and observe nothing more. Then I stayed by the door watching them exchange subtle touches and hushed words as they tried hard to pretend I wasn't in the room. They discussed Suigetsu and also how they were both holding up. Not much else, and nothing I could use to give to the Fifth. I held back on asking Juugo anything at the time, knowing Sasuke's presence might hinder his responses. I'd have to interrogate them together after I'd made sure Juugo would speak to me openly on his own and not just beacuse Sasuke told him to.
Keeping to the deal and keeping my authority over them, I only allowed the two a few short minutes together before Sasuke was returned to his cell. Juugo protested a bit not wanting to be left alone again but the Uchiha silenced him, telling him it would be fine. Afterwards I left them both for the night. Before heading home I gave the Hokage my progress report and she seemed pleased with the amount of information I'd gathered and told me a file on Suigetsu and his current conditions were on the way from Kirigakure. I was dismissed shortly after and headed home.
Getting into bed was easy, going to sleep had proved to be a challange. I spent most of my night going over what Sasuke had told me about his brother. I wondered how he'd felt at that moment, finding out the one person he had despised most in life wasn't really deserving of that hatred. It reminded me of the situation with my uncle. How I'd held such distaste for him for years, blaming him for my fathers death. Then finding out years later it had been my father's own decision to protect his brother. The situations weren't exactly the same, but I could use that small connection to reopen the conversation and maybe open the Uchiha up more.
Then I lay awake wracking my brain on trivial matters, trying to srcutinize the relationship of the two. They were more than comfortable with one another, even while I was in the room. How far would they go if things ever came to more personal interaction. What if basic need reared its ugly head even in the recent situation. I mentally scolded myself for even thinking such a thing and forced myself to stop before it got out of hand.
Once I finally fell asleep my dream was nothing short of a repeat of the one I'd had earlier during the afternoon. There was chaos in the prison and I was trapped but not for long before Sasuke and Juugo came for me. I woke up in a cold sweat, gripping my hair to try and clear my head. Checking the alarm it was only two in the morning and I managed to fall asleep again afterwards but the undisturbed bliss was short lived as the alarm went off and I was up again getting ready for work.
Now I am in the Hokage tower, taking my time on the way to the Godaime's office. If only because my legs were too tired to move any faster after having ran through the village to get here. As I neared the room I could already hear loud , but muffled, conversation going on inside. I was tempted to activate the byakugan and see who was there but they'd pick up on my chakra. Now in front of the door words and voices were coming in a bit more clearly.
"Why rush this? What difference does it make as long as we have them locked up?"
It was Kakashi sensei's drab monotone but he spoke in all too serious manner.
"Ask the elders yourself," Came Tsunade's louder and more bitter reply. She swore and I took that as my cue to go inside and find out for myself what was going on. As I entered I could feel the tension in the air as their eyes glanced my way. "Ah Hyuuga just in time." She sounded aggitated. "I have good news and bad."
I took my place in front of her desk, Kakashi was standing off to the side of the Hokage diagonal from me. The Godaime held up a scroll for me and I stepped closer to retrieve it. "This is what you asked for on this Suigetsu." I started to thank her but she held up a hand to silence me. "That's the good news, if it manages to help you. Bad news, I was in a long drawn out meeting with the elders who are pointlessly panicking right now about having the Uchiha back in the village. Not to mention some unknown rogue nin accompanying him."
"Where does this concern me Tsunade-sama?"
She sighed loudly folding her arms under her overly sized breast and fixed a gaze on me. "The elders are afraid of what Sasuke might be capable of. He is still a rogue nin himself and a very dangerous one at that, having been trained by Orochimaru and killing the man. Thanks to your discovery last night they now know Itachi is dead as well. The Uchiha clan, according to them doesn't deserve to be ressurected by any means." I didn't need her to go on knowing where her words were already headed but I kept my face steady. "The elders want Uchiha Sasuke and everyone in association with him taken out."
"But we have them in secure custody." I spoke evenly not letting my inner thoughts of disgust show. "I understand where the elder's are coming from but that doesn't give them the right to kill a man without fair proceedings."
"That's what Kakashi here believes as well, and quite frankly I'm on your side but alot more convincing is going to be needed to prove this to those fucking old bastards." She emphasized her bitterness towards them by pounding both fist on the desk.
Kakashi spoke then drawing our attention his way. "Have they mentioned any possability of a hearing?"
"I threw the idea out there during our "talk" but they don't see a need for one. All they know is that Sasuke has intentions of harming them or the village, maybe both and they feel its better to stop the source of the problem before anything starts." The blonde woman pushed her chair back as she pinched the bridge of her nose. From the side of my eye I could see Kakashi glancing my way and I looked back questioningly.
"If its convincing they need I think we can give it to them." The copy nin spoke his thoughts. Tsunade scoffed in response. "Give Hyuuga here a chance to get them to tell everything they know, and had planned. Then the elders can decide if a trial is necessary or not."
"Biding time Hatake?" The Hokage asked. It was no secret that the man still had feelings for his former pupil, which was why he was working on this assignment from the sidelines. No one outside of this office, save for Morino Ibiki and Shizune, knew that Hatake had any involvement.
"Possibly. As I've said before I don't want to see Sasuke or anyone pointlessly taken out. He's still young, and talented. Someone that would be a nice asset to us especially if Neji can get him to share any information he has on Akatsuki." The grey haired nin paused before adding as an after thought. "Not to mention he has a bloodline that will be very important in protecting this village should the Kyuubi ever get out of control."
A silence fell over the room as the Godaime thought this plan over. I was processing what I had just heard. If Sasuke really was working with Akatsuki then he could be of use to us which means I'd have to work that into the interrogation sooner than later. If not to save Sasuke's life than to protect the village from our greatest enemies. If he has the power to control Naruto's burden, the kyuubi, the very thing Akatsuki is after, then they'll want the Uchiha back. If he is infact working with the group. Which would aslo explain why he's stubbornly keeping the information to himself and didn't use it as a bargaining chip when he was caught.
"Alright," Tsunade broke the silence looking back and forth between myself and Kakashi. "I'll set up another meeting with them and push for Sasuke's arraignment and try to give you," She looked pointedly at me as she said this. "time to pull anything out him that would be useful to us and save his ass."
It wasn't easily seen beneath the mask but I could almost feel the relieved smirk on the copy nins face. I myself was equally relieved inside.
"So get to work and make it count. Dismissed, both of you."
I bowed before taking my leave Kakashi trailing a few slower steps behind me. Once we were out in the hall on our way to the cells I spoke up.
"That was some manuevering you did in there."
"Hn. It was necessary don't you agree?"
"I do but what if my interrogating skills aren't as great as you made them out to be? If the elders turn down your request, then what?" There I was again questioning his determination to keep his former pupil alive. Or was I fishing for information to make sure that if I did fail Kakashi would find another way to save Sasuke.
He paused and I stopped a few steps ahead of him turning back to face the man. "Don't doubt yourself Neji and even if your interrogations don't work you've got something else that will." I gave him a confued look but he only smirked in return. "As for the elder's don't worry about them. Tsunade-sama has more pull over those old bats then she lets on." We continued walking through the closed doors taking us down to the cells. Most of which were unoccupied because those men had suffered execution at the hands of the elders request.. "I'm going to speak with Sasuke for a moment if that's alright with you." Kakashi then added.
"That's fine." I didn't bother asking him what he'd meant by saying I had something else that would work. There was already too much going on right now and with a man like that his answer might just confuse me more. I decided to concentrate on Juugo for now and continue my original plan until further word from the Hokage came about what was going to happen to our prisoners. I unlocked Sasuke's door for Kakashi and left him to his own fate with the Uchiha. Before going into Juugo's cell I opened the information scroll on Suigetsu glancing down it. The lighting in the hall really was terrible, too dim with only lit torches for any means of sight. I could have used the byakugan to read the scroll but time was of the essence now and it could wait. So putting it away I stepped inside, the door was loud enough to make myself known.
Juugo looked up from his place on the floor leaning his back against the bed. His expression was grim at first until he found out it was me entering. I greeted him with a small nod and attempt of a smile on my face, though I felt like doing anything but smiling at the moment. The nag of not knowing what the elders are going to decide on for the fate of these two was already laying itself heavily on my shoulders. I shouldn't care, I know that, its not my place to want the prisoners to live but I do.
"How did you sleep?" I asked ironically after having not faired so well myself the night before in a nice warm bed ,while Juugo was stuck here in the tiny dank cell with a small uncomfortable place to sleep.
He responded with, "Not much actually."
"Sorry." The word had slipped out of my mouth before I even thought it. Juugo heard and gave me a strange look. I closed the door and moved to sit at the table lucky that he didn't ask what I was apologising for. So I changed subjects getting right to business and trying to stay focused. "If you're up for it, I'd like to ask you some more questions."
"I really don't know anything about Sasuke's plans."
"Are you sure? Maybe you just can't remember. Was there any time before you traveled to our village that Sasuke might have met up with someone?"
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "There was... a man in black."
"Black, and red cloaks?"
Juugo nodded after another quiet moment. So then it was true the Uchiha had become allies with Akatsuki and there's a damn good chance that he'll go back to them if he gets out of here.
"Did the man give his name? Do you remember where you were meeting with him?"
"No," He shook his head. "No names and I really don't remember much about the place... It was dark, a cave somewhere. We, Suigetsu, Karin and I, weren't close enough to hear they're conversation and Sasuke didn't say much afterwards. Only that we were heading for Konoha. I didn't ask anything about it his plans because I personally didn't care."
"Because Sasuke is your leader and you only follow his orders, no questions." I spoke the words more to myself than as a question but Juugo nodded anyway.
"I do know he wanted to avenge his brother though, that's it."
"That much I know. This is really important Juugo, for getting the two of you out- helping you survive this." I had to change my words because I had no idea if there was any chance the elders or Godaime would let them go free. "So if anything at all comes back to you, you have to tell me. Even if Sasuke instructs you otherwise. I'm on your side and I can't help if neither of you talks to me."
He held my gaze trying to read my expression and find out if I was sincere or not. After a minute or so he agreed. "I'll try."
"That's all I ask." I sighed gently in relief, even small cooperation would be of use at this point.
"Are you o.k?"
I looked up at him hiding my surprise. I was unaware that my hand had gone to my temple rubbing it gingerly, Juugo observing me the whole time. "I'm fine." I lied not ready to tell him that all of this might be pointless and he'd be dead in days. "We should finish."
He shook his head a small smirk playing across those lips. "Something is wrong. You might think your expressions are unreadable but I could tell the moment you walked in. I told you before you remind me of Sasuke. So I've had a little practice noticing the signs."
I was taken aback just then for two reasons. One that Juugo knew I was hiding something and that he had the nerve to call me on it. For a brief second a semblance of a laugh audibly escaped my lips but I immediately silenced myself. The action earned me an honest smile from the other man though and I couldn't help but notice how nice of smile it was. We were both watching each other for a moment, probably longer than we should have been. I wondered what he was thinking just then, if he was sizing me up or mentally comparing me to the Uchiha. Then a sound from the next cell caught our ears breaking the strange trance we'd been in. I turned my head in the direction of the wall that separated Sasuke's cell from this one and Juugo stood up from the floor.
"What was that? Is Sasuke alright?" There it was again, genuine concern for his companion. I had only seen it a few times but I'm pretty sure I can deduce that those feelings aren't just about friendship. Perhaps the fact that Sasuke saved Juugo's life and can keep his demons at bay but I'm really starting to believe its more than that.
Putting it out of my head for now I activated my Byakugan and looked into the other cell to find out what was going on. Juugo stared hard at me. "Sasuke is fine, he's with Hatake Kakashi, his former sensei." It appeared the copy ninja had upset the younger and Sasuke, being true to form, lashed out with the only thing he could, the chair.
"How do you..."
I turned my eyes to him, his amber ones giving me a look of intrigue. "I can see them."
"You... see through walls?" He stepped a little closer to me, leaning down and studying the chakra passages surrounding my eyes.
"The byakugan, my clans kekkei genkai, allows me to see through a lot of things, walls, floors, water, underground... bodies. But that's mostly for seeing a persons chakra, its very useful in battle. That's how I could see the darkness inside of you when you were.."
"Losing it." Juugo offered up the words I couldn't find. I nodded in response.
"Hyuugas also have the advantage of seeing in a long range of distances and for those of us who can master it, like myself, these eyes can see behind me as well."
His expression just then matched that of a child seeing magic performed for the first time. A mix of awe and disbelief. "Really?" He asked in honest curiosity. Deciding to give Juugo a demonstration I stood from my chair and walked towards one of the walls that wasn't facing him.
"Now do something." I ordered. As I watched through the byakugan he seemed a bit perplexed but then that handsome smile returned and he moved. I quickly relayed to him what I saw. "You're crouching on the ground right now. One arm resting over your knee, the other touching the floor... and you look surprised." I turned to face him as he straightened up. I asked with my expression alone if he believed me now.
"That's really... cool," He smiled again before adding. "and useful."
I took my seat again hiding the small smile I had going myself. Not being completely thrown off by the sudden distraction, I knew what I had to do now. This was the perfect time to open up my own questions on Juugo's abilities. "What about you? Do you specialize in anything?"
He sat looking a bit lost on the question. "I guess I'm pretty decent with tai jutsu."
"Really?" I asked with intrigue.
"I've got a few good moves." His shyness in response was either do to modesty, or he was truly shy talking about himself. I couldn't deny that it was adding to how I felt about him. Big as he is and probably too strong for his own good, Juugo was really gentle inside.
"I also specialize in tai jutsu. If the circumstances were different I think I'd like to spar with you sometime."
"...Me too." He added I could tell he was being honest in his reply. I myself meant what I'd said with all seriousness. Fighting with an unknown opponent is always a goal for good shinobi striving to be better, but fighting with Juugo particularly would be entertaining. The same goes for the Uchiha. I had always wanted a match with him from the day we met, it unfortunately never came.
Getting back on track I asked the most important question. "Does your clan have a bloodline?"
Juugo slowly took a seat on the bed, his arms resting on his upper legs. "I don't know, I guess. I'm not even sure I have a clan."
"You don't remember anything about your past?"
"Not much, its blurry now. I was alone most of my life because of my bloodline that feels more like a curse. It makes me... act the way you saw earlier only worse." He looked contemplative for a moment before going on. "I still can't believe you managed to stop it too."
"The markings that showed on your body when you were changing, I've seen them before, on Sasuke and others from Sound. Its Orochimaru's curse mark. Did he do this to you?" He shook his head, mouth frowning. I waited patiently for him to continue speaking. If it wasn't the Snakes doing that made Juugo's chakra dark and spiral out of control I needed to know what did.
"The 'curse mark' wasn't created by Orochimaru, it came from me. It is my bloodline."
I was definitely surprised to hear that but kept my expression passive. I could tell Juugo wasn't exactly proud of this fact himself so I remained quiet so he could go on.
"I was born with the transformation, this lust to kill and go berserk. I couldn't stand it after awhile though. The power was costing me too much, making my mind crazy and my life lonely. I heard about Orochimaru and went to him myself seeking some kind of help. I asked to be locked up to protect anyone around me,"
He paused and if I was reading it right he seemed a bit embarrassed to go on. "What is it Juugo?"
His head hung low now and he spoke quietly. "I didn't have alot of people in my life, mostly.. just the animals. I could communicate with them. They were much easier to talk to but this power scares them off sometimes."
When he looked up at me I gave him a genuine smile. "There's nothing wrong with befriending animals or wanting to protect them. I have my own animal friend actually. A bird that's very special to me." He seemed pleased to hear this straightening back up. "You said you can communicate with them, like talking, do they speak back like summons do?"
"Kind of but not so much with words but I can also use them for scouting and gathering information. Its just something else I was born with."
Keeping the conversation light and borrowing Juugo's phrase I tell him "Now that is cool" We both shared a brief laugh then. "and I'd say that makes you very lucky as well."
"I guess. They help me, keep me company sometimes but I can't always control myself and the urges to kill."
"Hm. Then it makes perfect sense that you'd seek confinement somewhere, but Orochimaru?"
Juugo picked up on the sarcasm behind my question briefly smirking. "I know but he was all I had. Then he used me. Taking something from my body to make his cursed mark. I didn't know he was putting it to use the way he was."
It sounded to me as if Juugo were just an innocent victim in the Snakes plans.
"Being locked up worked for awhile, but at some point it seemed to only make me worse. Not being able to satisfy the urges to kill, feeling completely alone even though I knew there were others around in cells less secluded than mine. I was released on occasion to fight some of them. After Orochimaru had given them the curse mark. It was never enough though."
I could sympathize with that. I had felt the same way for years growing up in the Hyuuga compound. There were hundreds in my clan but I still felt alone, caged and ignored. Sasuke was completely alone, left without any family for years. I couldn't even imagine how lonely he must have felt. Might still feel.
"Neji?"
I put my attention back on Juugo unaware that I had spaced out again. "I apologize, go on." He gave that look of concern again.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No," I paused trying to find the right words to explain myself. "I was just sympathizing with you."
"Were you put you away?"
"No, it only felt like I was."
"Oh."
"I don't know how you managed to last as long as you did living in the Snakes lair. Atleast you're free now. Well you were up until recently." And hearing myself say the words out loud upset me in a way I didn't think it would and as a professional it shouldn't phase me at all. But my pity continued to show. "Being stuck in here must be hard on you, bringing back bad memories." I was doing it again and well aware of it. Letting Juugo get to me on a personal level, feeling for the prisoner. Where would that get me but an unfocused mind and demotion. 'Concentrate Neji.' I told myself and just when I was about to mentaly scold myself and focus on the interrogation and not try to befriend this stranger, Juugo tells me,
"It's not so bad." Hearing that only furthered my conviction to feel for him. There was meaning behind that simple line. Honesty showing on his handsome features that he was truly enjoying my company even with our given roles of guard and captive.
Even in this dim lighting I was taken in by those sunset eyes. We shared a look for a moment of unspoken curiosity. Wanting to know more about one another than what we were giving at the moment. I could be imagining things from being caught up in the moment but I could swear there was something extra in his stare. His eyes wandering over me from toe to head, looking at me in the same way I was admiring him. His eyes held mine again showing something other than simple curiosity in those amber irises, a want.. or need maybe.
Too many thoughts were assaulting me at that moment. Part of me wanted to just look away and end this. Another thought was to ask Juugo what was going through his mind right now. The most up front however, the one nagging me incessantly, and frightening me at the same time, was the thought telling me to just move in. To take those lips in my own and let this moment happen, let it play out however fate chose to let it. Unfortunately, or should I be saying thankfully, I could hear the door to Sasuke's cell opening and it took us from our trance. Kakashi was on the move and I needed to get out there and speak to him about what went on before he left.
Swallowing first to moisten my suddenly dry throat I excused myself. "I'll be right back." Juugo nodded and I was up and out of there faster than I should have been moving. Luckily Kakashi hadn't gone anywhere, he was leaning against the opposite wall waiting for me.
"What happened?" I aksed him trying to keep myself under control.
"I told Sasuke about the elder's plan to have him and his team executed. I had to." He sighed staring off somewhere at the Uchiha's door. "I was hoping it'd open his eyes to cooperate and realise just how serious this is."
"He didn't take it well I imagine."
"Typical Sasuke reaction." He joked, though he was obviously in no joking mood. Then the gray haired man pushed away from the wall. "Is everything going alright in there?" He gestured with his head towards Juugo's cell. "You seem a bit... flustered."
"Do I?" And seeing that look he'd been giving me recently told me that was the wrong response to give. Its no secret that the copy nin was very perceptive but just how much was he reading into my behavior lately. "I found out that Akatsuki is infact working with Sasuke or the other way around. Why, I think only Sasuke knows. Apparently Juugo is just the wing man. It might be a good idea if we can speak with their other member, Suigetsu."
"Hn, might be. The chances of that happening are slim considering he's stuck in Kirigakure but if they were willing to share information on him we might be able to get you an interrogation with him." Kakashi went quiet a minute taking a breath. "Have you read the scroll on him yet?"
"Not yet."
"Better handle that before you speak with Sasuke. He knows you have it, he'll probably want to read it himself."
"Is that allowed?"
His single visible eye gave me a questioning look. "Is any of what's been going on lately allowed?" I didn't have time to wonder about the meaning of that statement before Kakashi spoke again. "Alright, you stay here, I'll go check in on the Hokage and bring up your idea about speaking with the Mist shinobi."
"Right." He disappeared immediately after that. I let out my own held in breath thankful for the other mans distraction. The situation really was becoming out of control and I needed to stay focused. I made a mental note to remember everything Juugo had told me, to store away for writing out later in my report. I couldn't have written it down as we were talking because that might have caused him to close up on me. As an after thought I knew deep down that taking notes with Juugo would have only just spoiled the intimacy of questioning him for me. It was better that way though. Having a normal conversation instead of drilling him with questions really opened the unknown ninja up. Staring at the Uchiha's prison door I told myself to try the method with Sasuke as well.
And there it was again, that damned unprofessional thinking of wanting to do things in an non business like way. Who was I really trying to help here, them or myself? I couldn't help it though. Being around the two, speaking with them was opening up old doors to my own loneliness. Causing feelings of needing to break free of my enclosed life to resurface. I was hoping we'd have time to learn more about each other, share more. Not just information about their plans to destroy the village but I wanted to know them on a personal level. Unfortunately with the the situation as it was I couldn't get my hopes up. Stubborn as I am, knowing that only furthered my determinaiton to do something about it. Rogue ninja or not, these two couldn't just die. They were assets to the shinobi world, and proving to be worth fighting for, atleast to me they were. I was secretly praying that by now the Hokage had managed to arrange that meeting with the Elders and things were going to go the way Kakashi wanted them to. The way I also wanted them to go.