The Price We Pay

“Madara’s right” Iruka said not much later. “First thing’s first, removing that collar and patching up any serious injuries, including that hand, I’ll have to bind it so he can’t move it until the bones have healed the right way and correctly.”

“But you can’t touch him right now!” Sasuke protested “men scare him, uncle did, and he’s sleeping deeply. Who knows how long its been since he slept so sound and safe! Besides, the longer he sleeps, the better for his health it is!”

Madara opened his mouth to protest but Iruka frowned “you know, as much as I want to admit he needs care, Sasuke has a point as well. Who knows how long it’s been since Naru could just relax in safety and comfort and just sleep without disturbance or interruption. We SHOULD let him sleep as long as he wants.”

Gaara agreed “you said he was going into shock before” he looked at his lover and partner “it could be a mixture of various things like exhaustion, lack of proper sleep, pain, fear and so on. Take away even ONE of those factors and he may be better when he wakes. We may even be able to get him to go through the books when he come out. If we knew who we were dealing with here, it may make things easier, like tracking the asshole down and finding Sakura and any other kids he has.”

“OTHER kids?” Iruka looked at him in disbelief.

“Yeah. If he has Sakura and Naruto I doubt they’re the only captives. He would need other types of races and ages. If he’s using Naruto as his primary experiment he’d need Sakura because of her being female to his male and probably children of other races and ages to see if they react the same to him.”

Iruka looked horrified, nauseous, frightened and disbelieving at the same time at the thought just as everyone else in the room, including Sasuke himself. The thought had never occurred to him that Sakura and Naruto weren’t the only victims, no wonder Naruto had left his promise in the bank, he would not only be trying to protect Sakura but the children, it was just the sort of thing Naruto would do, using himself as an way to keep the man’s attentions from the children and his sister.

Seeing his obviously thoughtful but pissed expression his uncle asked what was wrong and he told them, mention of his sons rapes and suggestion of other children being treated so making Iruka look like he was seriously going to be sick, not to mention Kakashi who immediately went blank, Sasuke’s recognising the expression-or lack there-of as the way the silver haired man handled feeling too much too fast, it was his attempt to stay in control of his emotions.

A thoughtful look crossed Gaara’s face as he looked at Naruto, followed by a sudden pissed-off expression and then admiration and understanding. Sasuke saw all this and after a few minutes came to the realization he knew what his uncles lover was thinking. He knew Gaara had an older brother and younger sister because he had met them once. The three may be estranged from each other because of their chosen professions, Gaara being the only cop in a family of lawyers, but they still came a-running if the other needed them.

Gaara’s anger was towards the thought of how he would feel if someone took one of his siblings, not towards Naruto, followed by admiration and understanding for how the blonde would sacrifice his own comfort and safety for that of his sister and the children, how far would HE go to protect those he loved.

The answer was obvious and he saw the same in every eye he saw around him as they looked on the fragile boy laying on the table, shivering in fear and pain in his sleep.

Everything, he would do and sacrifice everything to save and protect him. And so would everyone else here.

It was followed by an lingering burning resolve to comfort his love, to hold him while he sobbed out all his pain, fear, anxiety and all such repressed emotions, like he had upstairs but more, even then Sasuke knew he had been holding back. He had released what he had repressed FOR THAT MOMENT but nothing else, he wanted to have Naruto let out everything else inside him, all he was holding back or denying, all he had locked inside him to survive, to keep away from the asshole who had them so he would never have THAT PART of him.

He wanted to be the one there for him when the damn broke, to be the one who helps him release his hidden emotions, he had the strongest feeling he’d never heal and get the true Naruto back until that happened, that this scarred, terrified child was what he’d become to survive and the real boy was hidden underneath the protection of all these things, waiting for him to come along and patiently dig him out when the time was right.

For now it was his job to protect and guard that child, to keep him from ever returning to that horror and he vowed to himself that even if it cost him his life, Naruto was never going back, he was never going to be touched by that asshole again and if he should fail, if he should rape his precious blonde again, he would never live to the next breath-that he swore on his soul.

The next person between those legs would be Sasuke himself, bringing HIS blonde to a sobbing peak, making so indescribably high he’d forget anyone else, he’d remember only the pleasure and love when he looked at his cock or between his legs, that the white liquid there was a sign of love, not agony and dominance.

He had every intention of changing his view of sex, for every time this asshole raped him he would replace it with an memory of love, he had a lot of work to do, the guy had him for a little over eighteen months and as far as he knew he had been raping him for just that long.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ring of the doorbell at the front door. Madara frowned and moved to answer but Gaara grabbed his arm to stop him, "it might to be our kidnapper, I'll go." And moved to do so before his lover could protest. Sasuke saw his uncle frown after his lover in great concern, but when he saw his nephew watching he steeled himself and moved to talk to the other two adults who sat on the kitchen chairs beside their son, Iruka examining him closely while Kakashi held the boys good hand, stroking the hair from his eyes while he murmured words of comfort and made soothing sounds.

What they heard next was the door open, surprised voice and then protesting that came closer "You don't need to come and help, Mame!"

"I know, but it's part of the job." And Gaara appeared leading an familiar blond woman, Tsunade, Naruto's godmother since he was first adopted. Being an old school friend of Iruka, she had come to care for and love Naruto from the moment he was first adopted. Ever since his kidnapping, she had been working her way into the government, working her way to an influential position so she could do something to help find him.

For now she was the police commissioner and working her way even further up from there.

Sasuke remembered that even though she had been stern and sometimes demanding with Naruto, she had also been loving and gentle, like an mother and aunt in one. It had hit her hard just like everyone else here when Naruto and his sister had disappeared.

"I came to see why you left work so early. But now I know I understand" her eyes, full of tears, locked to the shivering shaking sleeping boy as she moved from Gaara's side towards the boy she had known so well and loved like an son. "How can I help?"

"I don't know Commish..." Kakashi started only to be glared down by the woman "you know my name and we've known each other for at least ten years, 'kashi. Now is NOT the time to start getting official. I repeat, how can I help?" When they explained the problem she spoke "I believe I can help, but whatever happens in this room MUST remain here. If it became public that I was more than an everyday person it would cause too much trouble and too many problems."

"What do you mean?" Gaara asked in confusion. "If you help us, we swear" Kakashi said and the others all nodded.

"Fine then" she took a deep breath and continued as she slowly walked forward, towards the boy. "First order of business, finding out if it's safe to remove the collar, plus any serious or fatal damage." She placed one gentle palm on the boys forehead, head back with eyes closed and face smoothing out into concentration.

An slight green glow started between her hands and the boy's corpse-pale skin.

Slowly she began to speak, soft and full of concentration. "His mind is fragmented, full of anguish, there is also something foreign in his brain, a kind of microchip or something similar." Glowing hands slowly moved down to lightly touch the collar. "Primary vocal cords severely damaged, if he ever manages to speak, it'll be only one word at a time and even then it will hurt like hell." Her hands moved down the boys arms, gently touching the bad hand and freezing there "the bones are all broken and healed wrong, he will be able to use it if they are corrected surgically, but his grip will be weak and take perhaps months to relearn to even use it."

Her hands moved went back up to the thin shoulders. "Damaged tissues and veins that may never heal, broken shoulder blade at the left." Slowly down the boys sides then up to the chest and hovering over the heart and freezing. "Some damage to the heart and lungs" he frowned "the spirit is broken through, only fear and confusion remain." She frowned in sudden confusion and something like fear "I detect another spirit inside him, not like anything I have ever come across before. It is made up of only anger, rage and blood-lust, but it is held back by weakness, it can not physically manifest without Naruto allowing it to, otherwise it is trapped deep inside him."

Her hands went down, froze over his groin "sperm contaminated, unknown side effects." Now down to the legs and continued "weakness, can barely support full weight." Up to the stomach "severe malnutrition." To the wings next "Damaged in places, usable, maybe able to fly if in good health, but not now."

She moved back up to the collar, long pause, then her eyes opened and she regained normal expression, glow fading and hands lowering. Sasuke immediately eyed the woman he THOUGHT he had known "how did you do that?"

"I used my chakra to scan his body. It is an ancient spell called an jitsu. An old friend of mine and I are the only ones who have this ability, a guy called Jiraiya." She grinned widely when Sasuke started to curse the man fluently, angrily. "What else can you do?" Sasuke asked sternly and she smiled at him "plenty of other things, but one that WILL help with the collar."

"What do you mean?"
"We can easily remove most of the devices on it."
"Most?"

"The electrical unit is not only implanted partly under the skin and flesh, but set up so an attempt to remove it shall set off an electric charge powerful to stop his heart and kill him. Every thing else can be removed, but that."

"What do we do about it?"

"I don't know, for now let's just worry about all other things. I'll move Naruto so YOU..." she looked to Madara "will remove the devices."

When Sasuke's uncle nodded the woman flew into a series of complicated hand signs which ended when she suddenly yelled "levitation jitsu!" Sasuke and the others gasped as slowly Naruto rose from the table and into the air a few feet, high enough for Madara to get under him comfortably to get the collar underneath without having to disturb the sleeping boy.

Two hours later they had removed all but three items, the electric unit, an built in GPS and an security laser. The blonde woman was seated, her face an strain as sweat trickled down her temples in an effort to maintain the jitsu. "That's all I could do right now" Madara said, sitting back and sighing tiredly "you can lower him back now."

Tsunade nodded and slowly the boy was lowered back onto the doonar. As soon as he was safely down the woman let out an exhausted sigh and rested her sweaty head on hands, her elbows on knees. "Mame? Are you alright?" Gaara asked in concern to which he got an exhausted "no, I'm drained."

"Can we help? Do you need anything?"
"Do you have anything sugary, some painkillers and water?"
"Yes and we have some chocolate."

"That'll do, bring it here" she said and Gaara hurried to do so.

While this was going on, Sasuke found his emotions running out of his control. Then, in an moment of clarity, he remembered something, or someone to be precise. Moving to leave the others he moved upstairs to his room, grabbing a piece of paper from the nightstand he was just leaving his room and closing the door when he heard his name spoken sleepily, grinning to himself despite the situation when he saw Itachi's sleepy head peaking out of his room.

Only his brother could sleep through anything.

"Go back to bed brother" he smiled at him "nothing important is happening." Itachi nodded sleepy and his head disappeared behind his door again. Serious once more Sasuke made his way back downstairs to the phone where he dialed the number written there.

It rang and rang and rang and at first he fear no one was home, but he remembered she said anytime, day or night and just as he was about to hang up it clicked and an male voice answered "Ibiki Morino." Confused Sasuke stuttered "um hello, is Ino there?" He heard the male on the other end breathe in and just that made goosebumps of fear go down his spine, this guy was dangerous, why was Ino there with him? Or had he got the wrong number.

But no, the voice on the other end spoke again "she is here, just hold" and then was gone.

When the woman came on he was so pleased he could only blurt out what had happened all at once, spurring the woman to calmly say for him to slow down and say everything again for her slower. When he did he heard her listening closely, occasionally making comments here and there and offering advice of soothing words to calm and make him feel better.

When he came to the current problem of the items left on the collar she seemed to understand and had a thought "hold on a minute Sasuke, please." He nodded, realized she couldn't see it and so replied "yeah." On the other end of the phone he could hear her talking to the male-her boyfriend he guessed-until she suddenly came back "gimme your address." To which he frowned "why?"

"Ibiki is an expert with that sort of thing, he sometimes consults with the police in cases like this and bombs too complicated for normal bomb squads. If he can't disable and remove it, I don't know who could." Sasuke hesitated, he didn't really know Ino or her boyfriend, what if they were in it with the asshole and once he arrived he took Naruto away from them?

Ino seemed to know what he was thinking for she said softly, gently "Sasuke, TRUST me."

Reaching an decision he nodded and told her. "Thank you" he added as a second thought and her voice was amused but gentle "you're welcome" before she was gone.

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